Coven Throne Progress and a little background for my short story
Arranoc, the last of the Shimmering Isles is a great metropolis of tree and stone spanning the entire surface of the original island. The span of life goes ever upwards as the life magics at the Well of Renewal fuel the city’s growth. Great buildings formed of twisting branches of interwoven trees grow and calcify by the hands of skilled life mages. to become the foundations for a new generation to build upon. At the heart of the city is the Temple of Renewal from where the Well flows out into the surface forming five mighty rivers that flow to the edge of the island to fall off into the lands below. The life giving power of the Well is the base upon which the ruling council of Druid Kings controls the workings of the city and the dealings of its inhabitants. Obedient only to the Everqueen, they keep a watchful eye of the servants of other gods that have come to occupy the Outer Kingdoms of Arranoc.
The Radient Queen founded the city in a marvel of life magic during the Age of Myth. Casting soulpods throughout the forests around the wellspring to nurture their growths. From these soulpods grew the foundations upon which a torrent of life magic flowed and formed new shapes at Allarielle’s command. New structures would be formed to then be worked and finished by the work of her forest folk. Well after the Everqueen left this place the sylvaneth worked tirelessly in the great effort left to them to use the life magic of the Well of Renewal to expand the city at an ever growing rate throughout the ages. As new sediments were added the source of the Wellspring grew further from the surface until many miles stretch between the source and the towering tree that forms the Temple of Renewal.
It was then that the forces of Nurgle began to overwhelm the shoal of surrounding sky-islands and the ultimate choice was made. Convening in the central temple, the ancients and wizen branchwraiths gathered and leant all their songs to a spell to save their home. Opening a vortex of pure aetheric power from between the Realms the created a point at the bottom of the island the focused into a portal between the realms. With random whim the powers fling the Island between the Realms. For centuries it might dwell in Chamon and gain denizens like the duradin who now dwell in its lower reaches. In sudden shifts the island will travel between many Realms before settling on a particular place to rest for variable amounts of time. This is how the sylvaneth who survived thrived during the Age of Chaos booming in numbers and new soulpod groves grew all over the island. The realms through which the Arranoc travels always leave a mark on the Well of Renewel and when the new annual Season of Renewal begins the island changes according to the magics affecting it. Only once during the end of the Age of Chaos did the island travel to the Realm of Azyr. Here it stayed for many years, its inhabitants moving to and from the island to colonize the Shimmering Forests with new soulpod groves. In exchange men, aelves and duardin were allowed to move into the outer city that had been wrought by the hands of the forest folk of the aeons. As is the way of mortals these peoples began to make their mark on the Island forever changing it in their own ways. The Aelves found conflict with the sylvaneth forest folk who would on whimsy forget the alliances and slaughter who villages of innocents. They decided to approach the duardin and their high sorceress forged an agreement for cohabitation within the catacombs and dark halls the filled the underside of the island. The Azyrite duardin found ancient clans dwelling deep below the island. These duardin had founded a temple to Grungni from where grew an engineering school that would come to control the industry of war that protects the island’s walls with firepower drawn from their forges. The men who came to the island soon began to grow orchards of fruits and bounties unheard of in the realm of the heavens. Their populace booming the humans began to encroach on the inner island where the syvaneth came to a standoff to prevent the desecreation of a soulpod grove. It was here that Dramareth, Son of Durthu, brought the humans to an ultimatum. Either they heed his wisdom of face his wrath. The gathering sylvaneth soon outnumbering the Azyrites exponentially. The message clearly displayed for the Azyrite guests a council was formed between the Ancient Treelords and Branchwraiths of the sylvaneth and the Druid Kings who ruled the outer kingdoms. At the central temple of of Allarielle built atop the Wellspring of Renewal the council gathers and deliberates on the laws and settles cases between the races such as claims on land. Often times the sylvaneth will win the deliberations as Dramareth looms over the gathering making his presence known.
When the age of chaos ended and the new cities sprang up all around the realms, the island began to shimmer, and it left Azyr behind and began the violent transition to a new realm. When the denizens of from Azyr began to panic and disorder descended on the cities of the outer kingdoms, it was then that the cults of Tzeentch struck. Having long infiltrated the city the magisters spread word of a corrupting god who would give power to the upstart mortal druids who sought to worship at the altar of the wellspring. Soon clandestine cults spread all throughout the human cities and the fire of revolution were stoked leading to a full third of the druid order falling to chaos. The remaining Druid King beseeched Dramareth to aid the human kingdoms in their hour of need and a grim concession was made. The ancients gathered and decided a ‘great prunning’ was to be enacted. Within the druid order a secet police was instructed to investigate every practioner of magic on the island. From the Druid Kings to lesser garden thralls to the High Sorceress of the darklings. All were suspect of chaos and hundreds were put to the sword their remains thrown over the islands side unable to return to the wellspring to take part in the cycles of life and death on the island. A twisted branch of battlemage assisted by hungering spite-revenants hunts those accused of heresy and chaos magic. A coven of aelf witches also roams the island in search of the taint of chaos. They have put entire villages to the flame as well as corrupted soulpod groves. The fires of Tzeentch left the scar of the Inquisition upon the island. Great stretches remain barren as a testament to the power of the wyrdfyre cults that sought to cause total anarchy in the forest-cities of the outer kingdoms. The power of the wellspring is pushed to its limits, so the regrowth process is slow in most of the afflicted areas. Deep within many abandoned groves and in dark caverns twisted beastkin dwell waiting for the return of the Feathered Lord so that they can one day burn the forests down and replace it as an island of twisted nightmares constantly in change as to better please their insane god.
Years of the shifting from realm to realm left its toll on the Azyrite kingdoms left on the island. The Council rules with and iron fist on the surface policing the mortal populations for taints of chaos. The underdark controlled by the both darkling houses or duardin clans, the upper reaches were given over to the darklings as the duardin favored being near the magic marvel that is the the realmgate near the bottom of the island. This clear division is upheld by a mutual understanding that to stand together is better than to fall divided. Little love exists between the two races but when the Marshal calls for muster the darkling phalanxes and duardin artillery trains show in great strength. Stormcasts from the Hallowed Knights have dedicated a detachment of warriors to protect the wellspring as a token to the Everqueen and a show of solidarity between the Sigmarites and the followers of Alarielle. They stand guard within the temple something the Inquisition views with suspicion claiming the influence would sway the faithful from Alarielle’s worship.
Here are some updated pictures of my progress on my death army. any comments or suggestion towards my writing or painting is greatly appreciated. My next post will have more discussion about what the overall guiding principles of my project.
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