Incendius

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase"

• Martin Luther King, Jr

"Hatred is an affair of the heart; contempt that of the head"

• Arthur Schopenhauer

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." - Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

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Just gonna stand there and watch me burn But that's alright, because I like the way it hurts. Just gonna stand there and hear me cry But that's alright, because I love the way you lie

• 'Love the way you lie'

Eminem

2010

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Prologue: Tower Thirteen and its First Station

Lumire's Guide to Tower Thirteen - Faith, Honour and Valour

Tower Thirteen is one world and thirteen separate worlds at the same time.

At the beginning of time, the Mother Goddess Athena created all life. Humans, her chosen people, were granted the power to manipulate the very fabric of existence, shaping the world according to their will with a certain dialect. This was what we call 'magic'. Unfortunately, in their greed, humanity overused magic and shattered the once whole-planet into thirteen different segments.

Never one to hold hatred in her heart, the Mother Goddess created an enormous, glowing, crystal core that had thirteen different spires spear each of the wandering segments, ensuring that her broken and shattered creations did not wander into the nothingness of the Void. Thus, Tower Thirteen was formed.

Separated and cut off from one another, humans reunited under the faith of the Mother Goddess, forming the Church of the Tower. Faithful to the Mother Goddess's teachings, the Church preached that in order to find everlasting peace, all mortals be they human or nonhuman must learn from their mistakes and worship the Mother Goddess with all their heart. Only then, when they are faithful, honourable and valorous will they be granted eternal life and everlasting peace after death.

Now this would be the point where I would tell you that as long as we are faithful and vigilant, the Mother Goddess will keep us safe, guide us through times of trouble, preserve our future, make Tower Thirteen whole again yadda-yadda-yadda.

That's bullshit.

Tower Thirteen, in every sense of the word, is fucked. That's right. This is your Propheticus Primoris, 'Voice of the Mother Goddess' and the 'Holiest of Holy' telling you that our world is royally screwed.

Think of the world as being separated into thirteen different nations. Now imagine that between these nations is the gaping, tumultuous expanse of the Void. The Void, if you don't know already, is the nebulous mass of storm and raw energy that can twist and corrupt those that stay within it too long. That said, the only thing connecting these thirteen nations is a massive, blue-green crystal spire that all meets together at a central, spherical core and then branches out in multiple directions to the other nations.

Books and priests will tell you that it was the Church that united the people of Tower Thirteen under the Mother Goddess. Hell, look six paragraphs up. I told you exactly the same thing.

Fact is, I lied.

The Church wasn't the first to map Tower Thirteen. It was the people of Temporal, the 11th Station of Tower Thirteen. The Chronomancers. Yes, the heretics who nearly blew up the entire world were the very race who united Tower Thirteen. How? They're bloody advanced, that's how. They created the Tower Express, a magical train that travels all over the crystal towers - Chrysalis - that leads to each of the different nations I told you about. Because the primary mode of transport is a train and because Chronomancers have a sick sense of humour, they decided to call each of the individual fragments a 'Station'. Thus, the Stations of Tower Thirteen.

Now you may be asking how come Haven is the 13th Station and Temporal is the 11th when, in reality, Temporal was the origin of the Tower Express. That's because when seen from far enough and the right angle, the fragments of Tower Thirteen are arranged in a vaguely clock-like arrangement. If you look at a 12 hour clock face, you'll generally be able to guess where each of the Stations are positioned in relation to the centre - which is the crystal core I mentioned before. Haven is the unique one in that it is the closest to the core and not really positioned in any particular 'hour'.

And now, you're probably wondering why credit wasn't given to the Chronomancers for uniting Tower Thirteen. The truth is... Well, it's complicated. Suffice it to say that the world isn't really as peaceful as you might be led to believe but you can be blissfully ignorant of it if you take everything the Church has to say at face value.

One prime example of this is how Haven supresses all technology and technological advancements. It isn't even about logistics. Incendius, the 1st Station, is the most technologically inferior Station in all of Tower Thirteen but this isn't because it is the farthest from Haven. It's just because it's the 1st Station. No other reason than that.

Thanks to something known as the Romulus Compact, the local militaries of each Station under the Church are restricted to the strength of the other Stations. For example, if Incendius had 1000 trained soldiers, Diatollia, the 2nd Station, would have 2000. If Diatollia went up to 4000, Incendius can have 2000. Naturally, Haven has the largest military. The ratio is bound by the number of the Station. Incendius being the 1st Station, has the lowest number, Haven being the 13th, has the highest.

This isn't even counting the number of Paladins and Templars in each Station. Again, the number of active Paladins and Templars in each Station is proportionate to other Stations with Incendius having the lowest and Haven having the highest. Even if a Paladin is trained in Incendius, they will be shipped to another Station to balance out the power.

Inquisitors are slightly different in that they are constrained by the Remus Concordat not Romulus. This treaty - I swear, this place has so many bloody treaties it makes my head spin just thinking about it - ensures that the number of Inquisitors in any given location is restricted according to reverse ratios to the Paladins and Templars. Inquisitors aren't assigned to Stations, they can move freely from one Station to the other as long as they maintain the ratio. To be clear, Incendius will have the lowest number of troops, Templars and Paladins but the highest number of Inquisitors while Haven will have the highest number of troops and Valour-wielding-church-goers and the lowest number of psychopathic, glorified assassins.

Crazy, I know.

What roles do they play?

How should I put this...?

Think of it as Xaosian football - that's the one where they hold an elliptical, aerodynamic ball, wear padded armour and ram into one another. Paladins are like your defensive line. It's their job to protect our borders and people from the bad guys who want to score for whatever reason. Templars are the offensive line. They're the ones that are meant to push the opposite team back and score for our team. The Inquisition is our special teams. When something odd comes up, they jump in and do something to help win the day. And the rest of the troops...? They're cannon fodder.

And don't get me started on Valours.

Valours are basically magical weapons granted to us by the Mother Goddess - probably the only real religious propaganda you'll hear me spout. They are powerful, nearly indestructible and are bound to specific people. A Valour used by another person that isn't their chosen Paladin or Templar cannot be used as effectively. Oh and only Paladins and Templars have Valours. Inquisitors aren't allowed them so no Inquisitor has ever been chosen to have a Valour.

'I wonder why,' I say sarcastically.

Every Valour has three modes of activation. The first is 'Break Mode' because the Paladin 'breaks in' their Valour. Whatever genius came up with that terminology should get shot out of a cannon. Into the deep Void. At high speeds. Without any safety equipment. On fire. Anyway, upon achieving Break Mode, a Valour is fully activated and can actually be useful.

The second mode is the 'Drive Mode' and this is where things get interesting. A Paladin who obtains Drive Mode is fully in synch with his or her Valour. They actually merge into one. Don't think a Valour as a different kind of entity or something or it has some consciousness. Each one just has predefined prerequisites that you have to meet to reach Break Mode - usually learning its 'activation phrase' - or Drive Mode. For Drive Mode, it varies from person to person. It can be a personal goal, achievement, a resolution, number of kills or maybe even getting that pet they always wanted - that's happened, trust me.

But then there is the third Mode and this is where things get... sad. Overdrive Mode is where a Paladin gives themselves to their Valour, using their soul and very essence to power the Valour past its limits. This can either end in one of three ways: the Paladin exhausts his or her energy and dies or the Valour cannot take the power and is destroyed or by some miracle or divine will, the Paladin survives. It's very rare for a person to survive Overdrive Mode and those that do become Templars. That is why Templars are so revered and worshiped like heroes. They are the Church's ultimate weapon against the forces of 'evil'.

I just wish we didn't have a need for them...

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The Real Tower Thirteen - Harm Chronos' Version

Out of respect for my brother, I won't say that he is wrong but Tower Thirteen really isn't as bad as he makes it sound. Yes, it is a world shattered into multiple Stations and its people are fragmented but I think it speaks a lot about the tenacity of its people that we can look past species and origin to unite under a single faith.

Despite the differences each world has, they all remember that they are part of Tower Thirteen and that never falters. Even during the worst of times, people will rise up and do what is best for all even if it is not clearly evident at first.

Each Station has its own unique military, commonly known as 'Custodia' and their priests, known as 'Clericus'. Sometimes, there's more than one branch of the military or priesthood in each Station. Regardless if you're a human, a Wulfun, Goatex, Felonix or Draconis, Custodia or Clericus, people welcome you with open arms because you are part of Tower Thirteen.

Unless, of course, you are a demon.

Demons used to populate the 12th Station of Tower Thirteen, Wrath, but unlike the other Stations, theirs didn't have an atmospheric bubble that protected them from the Void. Because of that one flaw the people of that Station were horribly mutated and sought to invade the other Stations even though the Chronomancers made peaceful contact with them. Their Station was subsequently shattered into pieces by the combined forces of Haven and the Chronomancers.

I guess that's one thing I will concede to Lumire.

Tower Thirteen, in all its unity, is still a fragmented world and that means there are various avenues of attack from various sources. There might be politicians vying for power or demons corrupting the innocent. Military coups aren't rare either or maybe ancient enemies from the times before the Great Sundering might arise. Whatever the case, Tower Thirteen needs its vast armies because of these many enemies.

And if you're wondering about the Romulus and Remus treaties, there is a reason for that. Lumire may have led you to believe that these deals were written based solely on a whim or to maintain Haven's superiority but that's not true. These two only consider the numbers of the Paladins, Templars, Inquisitors and Church-aligned military. They don't take into account the numbers of the local population or 'normal' military branches like town guards, starship crewmen and what not. When you stand back and look at some statistics, you'll find that the populations of each Station roughly coincide with the Remus treaty that binds the Inquisition. Yes, the reason why there are more Inquisitors in the lower Stations is because there's more people there. More people means you need to look for more of those avenues of attack.

Maybe it's because due to the technological restrictions enforced by Haven; the people of the lower Stations don't want to be the next starlet or reality TV star. Less distractions means that more people are geared towards defence and adventure. Maybe since birth control technology isn't as prominent, the lower Stations can churn out more babies than the rest. Many studies have been done into this phenomenon but if you were to ask my opinion, it'd just call it the way people are.

Now I'm sure you want to ask about the types of magic, right? Did Lumire cover that? No? Briefly? Well, okay then...

Magic is bound by the language of creation, the Illuminus Weizar. Basically, the Mother Goddess cast a great spell that bound everything to a specific word in a language she created. This language, the Weizar, allows users who focus enough of their strength through it to manipulate the aspect of creation they are describing - provided they can keep their focus. There have been countless incidents where the Weizar is invoked and people change their minds halfway through or are distracted and disaster strikes. Remember, the Weizar is just a language, it can be interpreted in many ways. If you do not keep your intentions fixated on what you described in the Weizar, then it magic might just try seeping into all interpretations of the words. That can be very disasterous.

There are three primary ways to invoke magic.

Runic Magic means people engrave the physical runes of the Illuminus Weizar onto objects and then just channel their magic through the predetermined words. It's restrictive as there's no room for interpretation or creativity. But it's quick, fast and cheap... Well, that is if it's pre-written. Writing out a physical rune while demons are bearing down on you can be incredibly risky. In that way, it isn't as fast. On the plus side, you don't need to think to use the spell - this ultimately helps keep one's focus. Well, you should consider what spell you're using without just casting but where's the fun in that?

Sign Magic allows people to made hand gestures that are like shortcuts to the Weizar to cast spells. These are custom made hand gestures and aren't bound by any sort of governing body. You can give someone the middle finger and end up producing a bouquet of flowers for them or you can offer to shake their paw only to ignite them in a blaze of fire. It requires you to memorise your custom gestures and it's a little slower than Symbolic Magic but much more flexible. Needs a lot of training too.

The last type of Magic is Symbolic Magic which is the traditional way that magic is invoked; through vocalisations of the Illuminus Weizar. This is the quickest type of Magic to invoke if you do not account for pre-set Runic Magic. It is also the most flexible. Experts don't have to speak instructions in the Weizar word for word and still get the intended effect because they can focus. It is the most flexible form of magic but also the easiest to interrupt and the easiest to get wrong. There are no second chances with Symbolic Magic. Say the wrong word and you might just end up doing the opposite of what you wanted.

Now how does one use magic? Well, it varies from person to person. Some visualise a 'well of power' inside of them, others - and I kid you not - believe that imagining throwing their still beating hearts at someone helps. It's all about visualising; giving some part of yourself into the spell.

What part? Well that comes down to energy and there are two types of energy used in magic, Force and Spirit.

Force is your physical strength, the measure of your body's might. This is easily replenished by eating, resting and generally relaxing. Spirit is the strength of your mind, soul and your memories. It is hard to measure, really but it's there. Force is generally used first and Spirit last. Spirit adds more 'oomph' to your spells though and some people do try to use Spirit to boost their spells.

Of course, there are exceptions as always.

Like the Chronomancers.

But that is a story for another time.

Ha! Get it? Chronomancers? Time?

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A Tour of Incendius by Aria Valkyrie

Incendius is known as the Station of the Sun for a single reason: it embodies hope. In its long history, it has been ravaged by war constantly and always, it has prevailed. The Station is ruled by the Apex Clericus Solis, the High Priest of the Sun on his throne in Corona, the capital of Incendius. In Corona sits the symbol of the Station, the Sun Spire; a shining white tower that provides light to most of the Station. It never goes out, not completely; it merely dims for 'night'.

Unfortunately, the Sun Spire does not reach every corner of Incendius. There are lands beyond the vast oceans known as the Sunless Lands that are in perpetual darkness and the further south one goes from the Sun Spire the skies grow dim.

Of course, this does not mean that the Station is without life in its extremities. To the south east of Corona sits the vast, forests of the Custodia Vampiri, the Vampires of Incendius. Do not be fooled, they do not actually drink blood. They were just humans merged with Batrian genes to fight in a long forgotten war and because of this association, they were considered 'vampires'. The Twilit Forest where they reside is in perpetual twilight thanks to the magic of the forests surrounding them. Regardless of the state of the Sun Spire as long as it is shining, the skies of Mirecragg will remain perpetually purple or pink like it is constantly sunset.

Far to the south west of Corona is the capital of the lands of the Custodia Lupus, Ironfrost. The vast snow-flake shaped city is situated in the middle of the great, Iceflow River. Ironfrost is not actually within the Southern Frostenlands. It is cold but not truly frozen. Further south, when snow blankets the forests, is where the Lupus truly thrive. It is in the southern mountain ranges that the Lupus' pride and joy sits, the black fortress known only as 'Chillfarn.' This massive construct is the first line of defence against the Darkened who lie in beyond the mountains.

As you may imagine, the lands beyond Chillfarn are nearly pitch black. The Grey Marches follow Chillfarn, a massive landscape of ash as far as the eye can see. Then as you journey even further, complete darkness envelops the lands and just as the last sliver of light disappears you will find yourself in the Land of the Darkened.

Naturally, there are more cities, townships and hamlets between each of these lands but these are the main locations on Incendius.

I do hope you visit it one day. It is a wonderful land and a place where diversity is very clearly appreciated.

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Incendius, A bad place to get sunburnt by Hunter Hart (Oh and she lied)

Nope.

She's wrong.

Incendius embodies one thing better than any other Station: Hatred.

Whether its hatred for the Darkened, hatred for the demons or hatred for one another, Incendius is constantly rife with hatred. Lupus hate the Vampiri while the Vampiri greedily covet the human's power and humans, in turn, despise the Lupus for draining their numbers to protect a wall that is next to useless. You could say hatred fucked it up the ass and it never let go

In ages past, both the Vampiri and Lupus were proud races with a purpose: to keep out the Darkened. However, as years turned to decades and decades into centuries, both became less of a proud calling and more like another barrier to discriminate across.

The Lupus are unable to reproduce except by taking male volunteers from the human race and transforming them into other Lupus. Amongst rampant rumours of homosexuality and constant frustration upon guarding Chillfarn against an enemy that many believe to be extinct, the Lupus have been branded as savage beasts and outcasts. Rebellious children want to be like them, mothers tell cautionary tales to their misbehaving pups and fathers having a midlife crisis think seriously about a life as a strong, powerful Lupus. Did I mention the rumours that to change into a Lupus you've got to get screwed anally for three nights straight during a full moon? That's bullshit, of course. Incendius has no moon.

For the Vampiri, they have become so engrossed in their luxury and politics that they have effectively shut themselves off from the world, scheming against one another and against the world in general. They aren't bad people. Quite the contrary, you will never find yourself in more polite company while on Incendius. You might find yourself poisoned or wind up dead and buried in an unmarked grave but at least you will know your assassin was smiling. They might even leave a mint on your bed.

It doesn't help that the Progenitors of both these species perpetuate these stereotypes. As you may know, Progenitors are the first of any race, the most powerful and generally ageless. Leandros von Lupus enjoys building up his 'savage barbarian' race and I am pretty sure he's at least bisexual. The photographs from trusted sources are very hard to ignore. The Church burns them, of course, and gives Leandros warnings but when you're telling an ten-foot wall of furry muscle and fang to stop fucking whatever he wants, it's best to do so with at least a mile between you two... or with your ass sewn shut.

Phalgymr du'Vampiri isn't any help either. He loves letting his nobles bicker amongst one another mostly because it means they aren't scheming against him. He's a master at manipulation - better than most people - and with bigger ears. Most of the time, he just has to drop one word in someone's ear or touch this little fact and everything would go according to his plan. I respect him for that but unfortunately, let's be honest, if I were to shake his hand, I'd have a sword in my other paw.

Then, of course, there is the Apex Clericus Solis, the High Priest of the Sun. Most of the time, the bearer of that crown is a smart, tactful and skilled politician. Other times, you get the crazy tyrants, spineless cowards and sex-crazed power addicts who think they're 'siring a whole new generation' to justify their libido. Then, other times still, you have the Mother Goddess calling the perfect candidate and you can't help but sigh as they are brought to a higher calling and you're left with the runt. Or worse: no one at all. Civil wars have been started over less.

So there you have it, Incendius.

A world where everyone either hates someone else or hates themselves.

At least you won't have to worry much about how badly you'll get sunburned.

Because no matter how dark it gets, you'll always get burned one way or another.

Incendian Sunshadow War Myth by Andrew Konran

********Warning*********

This document is protected by the Tower Thirteen Station Defence Force Authorisation Policy. Access, replication or mention of the contents of this document without the proper authorisation may lead to persecution under said policy.

Serial Number: TTS01 - 0001I

Authorisation: Omega

Subject: Incendius - the Station of the Sun

Author: Andrew Konran

Incendius is known as the 'Station of the Sun'.

It is a world caught in perpetual sunlight by the light of an artificial construct known as the Sun Spire. Legend has it, that eons ago a great war occurred between the forces of darkness and the Children of the Light. Horrible creatures known as "The Darkened" threatened to consume all of Incendius and make into a shadow of the plane it once was. They moved too fast and multiplied quickly. By the time the Paladins of the Tower could spill forth from their starships and defend their beloved Station, the Darkened had swept through most of the land and consumed countless others. They brought the majority of the population into the shadows and spewed them forth once more either as wraiths or creatures known as 'Shades'.

All seemed lost until a brave farmer from the southern reaches, after losing his family to the Darkened, fought through the mass of shadows with nothing but farming tools and what weapons soldiers had left behind. Leading his vast armies, he made his way to the base of the remnant forces of humanity and rallied whoever could hear his message to fight the Darkened back to the pitch black hole from whence they came.

This farmer called down the power of the sun itself and brought flaming retribution down from the heavens and pushed back the Darkened. He is known to be the first person to bring Fire Magic into the realm of Incendius. Where the Darkened revelled in the darkness, they were weakened by the shine of the sun. In daytime, the forces of Incendius were at their strongest and with renewed courage, they pushed the Darkened back to their borders in the Southern Frostenlands.

Their campaign came to an abrupt halt however every time the sun set and the Darkened renewed their assault. When the battle came within the Darkened Lands, unwilling to yield ground, the Brave Farmer rallied his troops, urging them on with the power of the light. Somehow against overwhelming odds, he managed to push the dark forces all the way back to the very heart of their citadel. There, inspired by some divine will, the Farmer called down the might of the sun in full force.

It is said that upon hearing the plight of her children, the sun goddess herself came down onto Incendius and banished the Darkened upon her descent. Her very presence scorched the earth and obliterated the Darkened forces, leaving the land barren and causing a phenomenon that gave it a glassy, obsidian texture, the impact creating a crater of the black substance. This event caused the landmark that is now known as the Concave of Shadows.

The Darkened were defeated.

Sadly, the farmer perished as he was at the epicentre of the sun's wrath. Saddened by her mistaken slaughter of her most devout follower, the sun vowed never to leave her children again and stayed on Incendius. She travelled to the north where the farmer had gathered the troops to fight the Darkened and built there a pure white tower where she would forever rest at its peak.

The Sun Spire was born that day and true to her word, the sun never left Incendius again. While she allowed herself to dim every day so that her children could sleep, she was always there, a constant reminder of her covenant with the mortals of Incendius.

She never broke her covenant...

... but as for the rest of us...

No one can truly remain faithful, least of all mortals filled with greed, paranoia and fear.

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