Might and Magic 3 wrote:
Intro wrote:
"I am Sheltem, Guardian of Terra. Twice now you have defeated my pet, thinking yourself worthy of invading my world. Walk carefully then through this third challenge, and take heed your final decision is truly what you desire - for the course of destiny cannot be turned once set in motion.
Until our next meeting, mortals."
Corak journal wrote:
"From the corners of the misty Void
Rang loud the battle cry
The Elemental lords of four
Had sworn to fight and die
Fire, Water, Air and Earth
Did meet their might and force
And in their battles bloody mire
Found our land its source
Then descended on the land
The Forces of Dome
To lend into the mortal hand
Power before unknown
Five Forces, they might and magic
Two champions forged by each
Ten heroes made the tale most tragic
For the Elemental beasts
(...)"
The epic was written in three parts and the fragment he [town elder of Wildabar] gave me was from the first, in which is contained an accound of the birth of isles out of great battle between powerful lords of the four elements who used fiercy storms to fight for supreme control of the Void, a place where there was no land no sky no ocean. Water and Fire and Air and Earth met in the empty Void to fight for the right to fill it with their presence, but so matched were they in this battle that none could defeat the others, nor could any stop fighting lest the balance be upset and he be overrun by others. They had become locked in an eternal war none could turn away from. And as the war raged on through decades, in the midst of the Void where the fallout of the mighty storms gathered and setlled, a rich land began to develop. From where, no one knows, but beasts appeared to graze the field of the new land and take refuge in its forest and caverns.
Little notice did the Elemental lords pay to these dumb beasts for there was little threat in their roaming. They was seen as little more then flies that gather around fallen animal. So the war raged on with intensyfing storms that added to the richness of the budding land.
But a new creature mysteriousy appeared in the Void, not dumb like the beasts, but clever in ways of cultivating the raw loam of battlefield futher into a rich provider of food and shelter. Difficult and costly through it was in midst of the furious storms of battle, a continent was forged in the misty Void.
In the forests and valleys settled spry creatires of great intelligence. Thin and strong, the Elves were quite at home among the trees and fields of green. Through weaker in endurance than some, they were possessed of high aptitude for magical arts and resistance to its power and energy.
And in the snowy areas of bitter cold found the Gnomes their home. Like the Elves, they were strong of mind, not body, and a little more prone to the ways of magic. But unlike the brooding Elf, the Gnome was very jolly and quick to make friends. Because of the harshness of the snowy land their countenance was thughened to elements, and even more so to magic.
Sojourned then in the desert sun the Dwarf. Small but mighty they survived in the turmoil of the stormy war for little of the elemental realm could do them great harm. After all, it would take a strong creature to find a thriving life in the lands of sand. With little power over magic, Dwarves found their strangth in solitude among the dunes.
And in the swamps and bogs settled a tribal people of great strength and endurance. So strong were they that fire, electric and cold could hardly harm them. Because they lacked the greatness of mind for magic tey had to rely on their ability to fight to survive, and that ability was developed to great heights, for the Half-Orc lived for battle and saw oppoising of men as the greatest of endeavours.
But scattered across the many diversities of the new found land Humans wandered and made places for themselves among all others. Able to resistance all the elements and magics, and learned in the way of the mistical arts, they were well equipped to settle were they wished. Soon they thrived across the land and with the others began to tame the beasts and cultivate the fields.
With the arrival of these conquerors of land the Elemental lords relized that while they fought among themselves the very prize for which they were slain was being taken away from them by little mortal beings who in their eyes were no better than the dumb beasts. Each would try to vanquish the mortals with a great storm, but because they could not remove too much of their force from the war the mortals were able to withstand them. In fact, the stroms of the Elementals were less severe than the effects of the war itself, so the Elementals had to find another way to purge the Void of these intruders. So an agreement was made to halt the fighting for one day and devote all their powers to create one great tempest of such destructive power than none could withstand it for even an hour.
Air gathered together the strongest of its winds to blow the sands of Earth with such force as to tear away the flesh from mortal bone. And Water prepared a flood to wash the fallen mortals to the center of the Void where Fire would then bake the mire into solid stone. Even combined in total unity the mortals could not survive a day of such torrent. So little hope was there that ine the darkest hours before the great destruction all merely stayed in their doomed homes and the halplessness in their hearts made the greatest cry for mercy any world has even known...
...It seems a fitting enough setting to muse upon the piece of the legend I found in the ruins of Castle Graywind. It tells of the intercession of the Forces of the Dome, the five Forces that gave men the power to overcome the attack of the Elementals.
Cosmonium was the force which guided the elements and other forms of energy from place to place. Air, water, fire, earth, and the elecrical energies were commanded and controlled.
Esoterica was the power of inner self, the energy of life and the forms of life, with command of the mind and ability for healing and inflicting.
Gaiam commanded the order of life in the forest and in the skies, of the trees and the clouds. The manner and temperament of nature and the wills of the beasts bowed to its influence.
Bellum, which was the essence of war and violence which manifested itself in the darker moods of beasts and viloent turns of weather, like this storm tonight.
And Lurkane, that invisible, silent sheet of clandestine power that slipped its works into the world unseen.
These were the Forces that silently watched from their perch above the clouds as the Elementals did battle. According to the legend they never joined the fight, but when they discovered the Elemental's plan to destroy all men and beasts they had pity on the helpless mortals and gave them the secrets of their powers to defend their lives. Other telling of the tale say the Forces of the Dome feared the Elementals would be so amazed at the strength they possessed when joined together they would unify and attack them in their lofty home, pulling them into the never ending battle. For whatever reason, the Forces taught we mortals of their power, two to each Force, and made ten champions to drive back the Elementals before they could pull their ranks together.
To an Elf, Cosmonium opened the secrets of how the elements move through the Void, giving total control over fire, cold, energy, and electricity. In padded armor and armed woth a staff, the first great hero set about mastering his contrlo over the elements and created many powerful incantations for the coming battle. He was called a Sorceror. I remember the thrill of discovering the power and beauty of lighning, my personal favorite. In my youth, camping on a rainy night with a band of adventurers like this dark evening, I would sometimes fire a bolt at a nearby tree just to startle my companions. An act I'm sure our fallen comrade would strongly disapprove of.
And another of the Elfin kin Cosmonium showed the way to make shaft of wood travel. This was named the Archer and gird in armor of chain she was the second of the heroes to emerge. Due to their common origin she was able to use the spells created by the Sorcere, but only to a limited degree. Most of her energy was spent in the study of the bow.
Next, Esoterica took a Gnome and trained her in the healing ways, revealing the secrets of the mind and body, unlocking the power to make good or render bad one's constitution. A most powerful hero was this, called the Cleric, in her splint mail, helm and shield. To heal the fallen comrade and destroy the weakened foe was her pledge.
Another Gnome was taken thus, and taught the healing ways, but much emphasis was also given to use of weapon and armor. A most noble champion called Paladin was he, and a frightful foe to face. Clad in the strongest of armor and wieldin the weapons of truth and right, he was to become one of the greatest figures inspiring much lore and many followers.
Then Gaiam made its choice in the Dwarf to champion its cause. Many languages were revealed, empathy with plans and beasts and the patterns of seasons ans stars. Secrets of the living land endowed in a smallish figure to command the forces of nature to de her bidding, commanding great storms and flurries and swarms to do battle, but also calling upon the natural healing of nature to help fallen. As devoted to the land as the Cleric to the body, this new one called the Druid would sacrifice her being to maintain the orders of nature. In leather the Druid travelled with bareky a sword to swing. A storm such as tonight's would handly be worthy the talents of such a champion.
When the force Gaiam gave empathy with the forest to the Dwaren champion it called Ranger, a dark and mysterious one was indeed created. At home in the danseness of the trees, contented with the thicket of vines and cluttering of bushes, the Ranger was a diverse in mood as the forest was diverse in creatures.
Bellum then chose the Half-Orc to be a champion of the sword, Gird in the finest of armor, helm and shield, and with the mightiest of weapons trined he in the atrts of war melee, and valor. Called the Knight he became the strongest of the champions with the greatest desire to march across the battlefield. While the Paladin would seek peace through battle and find victory in the quick end of a war, the Knight longed for the brotherhood of battle and felt a kinship to all combatants.
And the second champion made Bellun to be called Barbarian, fo it was not brothrhood she seeked in battle but thr lust of blood. With the greatest endurance of the heroes the Barbarian seeked the thrill of rushing into battle. Clad only in scale armor she wielded her shield and great hammer against the armies of her foes. In all the statues and tapestries I have seen dedicated to the likeness of this champion she stands high upon a mountain of fallen warriors, a helm of horns upon her head.
Lurkane then, the last and most mysterious of the forces, took two Humans to its cause. The first was taught to move in the invisible folds between the places of here and there and travel unseen and unheard. Know as the Robber, he was able to work the mechanisms of locks and traps, hide in the faintese of shadows, and advance upon his foes to deliver a fatal thrust of dagger in the back. In mail of chain with shield and dagger, a crossbow hanging at his side, he moved in the leaves like a feather.
And the tenth champion, made for battle, was strong in all attributes of fitness and mind. Called the Ninja, a most powerful warrior was she with special weapons created especially for her mastery at arms, a mastery not even equalled by mighty Knight. Bound to a life of solitude, alone even among the other champions, her discipline of body and mind consumed every moment. She was called the silent warrior for she possessed the stealth of the Robber, even in her chain mail, and was never know to speak.
These ten were the champions of the war against the Elementals, where mortal man was taught the arts of magic and ways of war by the five Forces of Dome, Cosmonium, Esoterica, Gaiam, Bellum and Lurkane, the Forces that are above the clouds, above the stars, that indeed guide the stars through their journey across the night.
After the battle was over and the champions had used the powers of the Dome gave them to drive the Elemental lords to the corners of the Void, the five Forces picked up the land that had been the battlefield and moved it through the heavens, from the gates of the Ancients to the gates of Terra, where the land was set in the midst of water and broken into isles. While the Forces were carrying the isles through the stars the ten heroes built towns to protect the people from monsters and beasts that roamed the land, and they trained others in the disciplines they were given by the Forces starting a long tradition of skills that carried over to present times.
(...)
I will miss this group [of adventurers] when we part ways in Fountain Head, but there are other things that call me. This has been but a tour for me, the real search is not for legends and lore but my nemesis Sheltem. From the very beginning he has seen these isles and all that lives upon them as his enemy, and twice he has planned their extintion. Now that these isles have rested in the gates of Terra I'm sure he has not given up his crusade to destroy them. I know not what plan he has set in motion but I see his work in all that is chaotic.
I have been making these notes as a record to leave behind for any who will join me in my search for Sheltem and his evil plot. I belive the ancient piramids play into his schemes and that is where I will begin my search when I set out again. This time I will go alone, but to any who follow I will leave clues to give the benefit of new information I uncoverer.
I have not told the others of this but in the ruins of Castle Blackwind, back on the Isles of Illusion, I found a message among the rubble that may shed light on the mystery of Sheltem's scheme. It seemed to place much importance on the three manners of men we have come to call alignment; Good, Neutral, and Evil. For many years there has been peace among these different attitudes, but it has not always been so. There once were many wars fought over the differences of these three alignments and perhaps it is Sheltem's plan to rekindle this ancient rivalry.
(...)
Now I must prepare for my search for Sheltem. Take these notes and use them as you can to discover his shemes, and together we may be able to thwart his plot. Search for the clues I will leave behind, and good luck to you on your journey. May the powers of Might and Magic be always at your side.
Fountain Head:
In the days following the creation of Fountain Head Morphose was summoned to be its protector Kranion, Priest of the Five Forces, is building a shrine to the Forces that helped the people of Terra survive the Great War of the Elementals.
Baywatch:
The fountain of Athea, Nymph of the Great Sea, can be found in the town square in the southwest corner of Baywatch
Swamp Town:
There is also a statue erected in memory of Prince Smallberry, who fell in mortal combat against
Sheltem the Dark.
Blistering Heights:
Blistering Heights was built by magical beings and placed on the Isle of Fire for privacy. The tribute to which these statues stand has long been forgotten...
Ornean the Warlock, who can be found within the walls of the Demon H.Q., claims no alliance with the Major Demon that commands his legions from within this room. But it is widely believed that he frequently offers counsel to the commander from the underworld.
Blistering Heights Cavern:
The cavern below Blistering Heights is not a natural formation. The Elemental War saw the creation of many monstrous beasts, and one was a giant spider that breathed fire like a dragon. The beast was felled on this isle and as the centuries wore on, a cavern formed around its decaying carcass. The feet of the spider are said to house altars of magical protection.
Altars of protection, built and enchanted by Blistering Heights’ magical creators, sit in the chambers created by the feet of the great spider-beast this cavern was formed around. The ancient and powerful magic housed in these altars provides a party with protection from fire and cold, poison and acid, electricity and magic. The protection provided is permanent and does not wear off with the rising of the morning sun.
Fortress of Fear:
Old levers extend from the floor of the Fortress of Fear. They are part of a mechanism that runs the full length of the dungeon, created by masters of ancient times. Granite altars formed in the likeness of the Ancients and shafts of electricity are arranged in a pattern in the dungeon’s center chamber.
Dark Warrior’s Keep:
The statue of Fire Hood stands in the northwest chamber of the dungeon. Fire Hood led sixteen Red Knights on a doomed war to take the Isle of Fire from the Demons that still claim it as their own
The Maze from Hell:
The statue of Water Mane, fabled ruler of the Great Sea, stands in the center of the Maze from Hell. Water Mane was the ruler of the Great Sea in a time when there was no land to break up its depths. The civilization of Terra lived beneath the waves in a coral city, until one day there was a tremendous storm that seemed to last forever and Water Mane’s kingdom was lost. When the storm finally subsided the Isles of Terra were left floating in the wounded sea. This statue is perhaps the only remnant of that lost civilization.
Arachnoid Cavern:
Some believe this cavern was once the home of a Giant Spider that had the intelligence and understanding of a Dragon. The Spider King tried to form the insects of Terra into an army, but was defeated by the ten heroes of the Elemental Wars. It is one of the oldest tales in Terra.
Area B2:
The Fountain of Nayarah, eternal child of the Great Sea, is believed to be somewhere in the depths of Piranha Bay. Though the fountain exists only in fable, those few adventurers who have been below the ancient pyramids tell of an oracle that claims it will reveal Nayarah’s fountain if the right word is spoken.
Area C2:
The Isle of Fire is a very hot domain, which makes it an ideal home for Devils. They have set up a portal near the northwest tip of the isle, which allows them to enter this realm. Destroy their portal and forever will they be banished.
A flaming portal burns inside a thorny hut on this region of the Isle of Fire. The portal opens a gate to the Demon Realm through which Major Devils enter the lands of Terra. Great reward awaits the adventurers who destroy this portal and forever lock the Major Devils in their own realm.
Area D1:
The fountain of Kartera, warrior of the Great Sea, stands on the northern point of this isle. The fountain’s streaming liquid bears a blessing of fortitude that lends extra Hit Points to adventurers not already toughend beyond their natural means.
Area D3:
In the years after the great Elemental War, Major Demons settled to this region of the Isle of Fire, where they now guard a powerful shrine that grants protection from the forces of nature.
Their existence in this realm is granted through evil symbols that adorn the walls of their hut. Destroy the symbols, and the Demons will forever vanish from the isle.
This town was erected by magical beings and placed on this destitute spot so only the most advanced adventurers would dare to enter its walls, as the town’s creators had little tolerance for weak mortals. The location of Blistering Heights makes it ideal for visitors from the Demon Realms, who can often be found roaming the corridors.
A hut is kept by the Major Demons that inhabit this area, in which symbols of evil are stored. Destroying the hut and its evil contents is a feat that will not go unrewarded.
Area F2:
Five heroes of ancient times descended into the pyramids and learned the secrets of Terra from the Sleepers of Sheltem. Unfortunately, they discovered Sheltem as well. Enraged at having been found out so early in his schemes, Sheltem robbed the heroes of their lives and put a curse upon their heads that they would spend the rest of eternity babbling and unable to speak of the secrets they had found. These talking heads hang from spears all through the Shadowmire. But the heroes were strong of will and made a language of their babbling; a language that can only be understood by those who have acquired the skill of Linguist.
Area F3:
Granite heads silently stand in Minotaur Marsh where they have seen the coming of many an ancient dawn. They are altars of ancient gods whose worshipers have long perished from the land. Four are altars of remembrance and one is of forgetting. Legend says a special reward awaits those who are remembered by these ancient gods.
Purveyor was exalted as the provider of all needs. It was by his hand that the crops grew and the hunt was successful. His altar can be found at the foot of the mountains that lie north of Minotaur Marsh.
Soothsayer was exalted as the giver of language and moods of men. Through his words was the blood of men made to boil and the hearts of women made to swoon. His altar can be found in the thicket that covers the eastern edge of the swampy isle.
Slayer was exalted as the bringer of war and victory. It was to find glory in his sight that men fought on fields of battle. The army that won Slayer’s favor was granted victory. His altar can be found in the southern thicket of Minotaur Marsh.
Obeyer was exalted as the giver of punishment and discipline. It was after his example that law breakers were castigated, and his was the final judgment in the trials that followed death. Obeyer’s altar can be found on the southeast point of the Evermoors, across the river from Minotaur Marsh.
Betrayer was exalted as the creator of deceit. It was from his influence that men were made to sleight their neighbors and gain advantage over others through dishonest means. His altar can be found just south of Purveyor’s.
Area F4:
The Well of Remembrance is as old as the granite heads in Minotaur Marsh. The purpose of the well remains a mystery, for all who have thrown a coin into its depths have heard the same message repeated a thousand times: “No one remembers you.”
Alpha Engine Sector:
Many ages ago, Sheltem did employ vagabonds to tread the ways of Terra so they might learn its secrets. Once they had learned much and travelled far, he stole their souls and imprisoned them here. These souls, the Sleepers of Sheltem, will confess their knowledge to any that touch the items in which they have been imprisoned.
Main Engine Sector:
In this throbbing, armored darkness there exists two clans which guard the secrets of the Sleepers of Sheltem. First summoned here came the ED-409, clockwork monstrosities whose bodies gleam like black iron. When they alone failed to guard Sheltem’s secrets, he then called upon the crystal Guardians whose eyes see all.
Beta Engine Sector:
Once came here Foerdhal the Erudite to scry the secrets that had been rumored held in these strange halls. But as he learned, so the Sleepers of Sheltem sought to possess mortal form once more. Crowding together in Foerdhal’s mind they drove him mad and in his rampage he destroyed much of this underworld.
Aft Storage Sector:
Within these chambers are housed eight crystal lions, intended by the Ancients to be the receptacles of the knowledge gained by the Guardians of Terra. It was planned that when one of these great entities reached the end of his life, he would choose one to replace him and fuse his soul into the lion’s that the Guardian’s knowledge not be lost.
Central Control Sector:
Against Foerdhal the Mad, two armies came. On one side, Sheltem; for his Sleepers fell like drunkards into the wagon of Foerdhal’s mind, robbing Sheltem of many Secrets. On another side, the Ancients; filled with indignant rage at the destruction of their underworld. Together they fell like mountains on a fly.
Forward Storage Sector:
Driven insane by the teaming Sleepers of Sheltem, Foerdhal caused great calamity on his passage through the underworld. Seeking solace at the feet of one of the altars here, he sought to calm his troubled mind but in the process capped the flow of the fabled Fountain of Nayarah.
Main Control Sector:
Adventurer steel yourself for you have come far. You stand within a breath of final knowledge, but to tread the Final Way there are things the Ancients would require of you. For those who seek further challenge, seek the altars whose mysteries are cautiously guarded.
Eight crystal lions wrote:
"The Ancients draw their power from the heat and light of stars to create intricated mechanism of society, then send these civilizations to cultivate developing worlds."
"The Creators exist in a nebulous realm where they construct their plots and create vile chaotic armies to disrupt the cilizations of the Ancients."
"Because of interference created by the renegade Guardian, Sheltem, the CRON and most of the VARNs carried by this vessel were lost in the Great Sea of Terra."
"This mission has been code named The Great Experiment. It extends further away from the seat of Ancients than any other colonization. It is under much greater threat from Creators."
"Spanning the farthest reaches of the universe, two super-developed societies, the Ancients and the Creator, are engaged in a galactic race for power."
Interstellar Transport Vehicle - Shikbath Zera
Codename - Wandering Seed
Cargo - Terraform Platform Modules
Destination - Third Sphere of Minos System
Ending wrote:
File name Grand Experiment
The Grand Experiment of the Ancients: to use the technology of Elemental Manipulation to create a completebly viable ecological and social microcosm. This microcosm was then to be transported to a distant bioshpere (Terra) to supplant its indigenous ecosystem. The need was acknowledged for a central controlling unit capable of compensating for unexpected anomalies.
File name Sheltem
Sheltem was created to be the Overlord and Guardian of Terra - the Supreme Law - but his conditioning was flawed. Seeing himself as the Guardian of Terra, not of the Ancient's colonization experiment, he rebelled against the 'invading army' that was to be sent to 'his' world. Sheltem was contained but later escaped, determined to undermine the Grand Experiment.
File name Corak
Learning from their earlier failure with Sheltem, the Ancients creted a new Guardian named Corak. With his conditioning properly completed the Grand Experiment was launched on its journey through the Void. Corak's first duty was to eliminate the threat of Sheltem, then assume the role of Guardian and Overlord of the Terra colonization.
File name Last Hope
Unable to stop the colonization of Terra, Sheltem has succeeded in disturbing the balance between the three aligments of men, a balance Corak must work to regain upon his return to Terra. However, Sheltem sees this as only a minor compensation and has set out to exactrevenge by sabotaging other experiments the Ancients have scattered thorought the Void.
Two escape capsules have disembarked from this vessel, the first occupied by Sheltem, the second by Corak. At Corak's request, a third has been prepared to follow their course for a rendezvous at whatever world Sheltem seeks to exact his revenge upon. Having proven yourself as Ultimate Adventurer, Corak and the Ancients ask your help in the adventures yet to come...
