09-04-2006, 11:39 PM
09-05-2006, 01:58 AM
Note: The writing is usually in the pseudo-lore style, which means, it could be wrong, misleading or otherwise just plain unclear. There are special sections marked "Lore-master Notes". These are the "real information" that are not meant to be in the usual lore that players know. They are meant to give lore-masters and quest-designers more background when they write new lore or design quest stories.
The Tsaesci Lords
The Tsaesci Lords are the current ruler-gods of the Tsaesci Empire. They have near deity powers and are worshipped as such by their subjects. Each Lord ruled over a portion of the Tsaesci lands and were rather independent of their peers. In fact, every Lord is wary of other Lords, and it was this very mistrust and secret in-fighting that saved the rest of the Akavir from total Tsaesci rule. Had the Lords work together whole-heartedly, not even the Tiger-Dragon could stand against their combined might.
Although termed "Lords", some of the Tsaesci ruler-gods are actually female. The term "Lords" is used as a collective term out of convenience.
Before the Tsaesci
The Tsaesci were not always the Tsaesci of today. Once, they were part of the demi-immortal race called Naga. They had close relationship with the humans, who were believed to be made from Naga essence by a Naga Goddess a long time ago. The Naga-human civilization were the dominant culture in ancient Akavir, where they built the glorious empire of the divine dragon.
The Naga were also considered to be one of the nine types of dragons. They worshiped the divine dragons along with other lesser deities (which includes individual members of all races, including Naga).
The Naga Forms
Nagas, similar to other semi-immortals (Lin), have shape-shifting capabilities. Usually, tribes or even clans will prefer one of the forms. The number of forms that one can adopt is also related to the individual's age and level of acquired power. There are six known forms that the Naga adopts:
-Full Serpent
-Serpent with human head
-human head, arms and torso and serpent tail
-human arms and torso and serpent head and tail
-human body with serpent head (and tail)
-Full Human
Half-Naga
Human and Naga in human form are inter fertile (Naga is not inter fertile with any other races), probably due to some truth in the ancient belief that the first humans were made from Naga essence. The children of such unions may appear as normal human or exhibit Naga traits from birth. Those who exhibit Naga traits will be similar to Naga children, except that they may have less powers or come to their powers late, probably due to the thinned Naga blood. Those who appear human may, after reaching puberty, exhibit Naga traits. But there are cases of children who appear and behave as normal human for their entire life, although some of their descendants in turn, may exhibit Naga traits. Collectively, those with mixed human and Naga blood are called the Half-Naga.
Although the Naga and human were usually on good terms, most Naga sees themselves as superior to human. Half-Naga, due to their usually lessened Naga powers, usually find it hard to be totally accepted by either human or Naga societies. Most Naga will either look down upon, or be sympathetic toward the half-Naga, while most human will look upon the half-Naga in fear or disgust (One scholar once remarked that it is strange that the humans can be friendly to Nagas who lived in the Naga village across the river, but they could not stand a half-Naga living as their neighbour). Even when certain half-Naga exhibits potentials and powers as great as any full-blooded Naga, they will usually be looked upon with jealous anger or disbelief that a half-blood could be superior to a "true" Naga. Usually, the best that most half-Naga can manage is to secretly suppress their Naga traits and live out their lives as human, forever keeping their Naga-blood a secret.
The Betrayal and the Curse of the Tsaesci
While most Naga were content to serve their dragon-gods and live peacefully with the humans, certain tribes of Nagas pursue darker goals. It was not clear how it actually started, but several tribes of Nagas began to express greed for power and they finally turned their eyes to the greatest powers they knew : that of their gods. These dark Nagas were careful to guard their blasphemous thoughts but slowly and subtly spread their poison. Before long, entire clans fell into the control of leaders, who began to put together the greatest conspiracy in Naga history.
It wasn't clear which dark Naga leader struck the first blow against the Seven-headed Dragon, the greatest of the Naga gods. The Seven-headed Dragon was tricked into temporarily weakening her powers to help her children, the Naga people. Before she knew it, the very children she trusts and protects rise up against her. Thirteen whole clans lead by their leaders bore down on the weakened Dragon-god. After the dusts of the titanic conflict settled, only seven leaders of the Naga betrayers survived. But the Dragon-god was finally struck down. The surviving Naga leaders feasted on the divine blood of the Seven-headed Dragon and stole the divine essence within. But as they drank the last drop of blood, they were cursed for their heinous crime. The betrayers found that they could no longer gain sustenance from the bounty of the land, and must instead drink the blood of their blood to survive. Thus the Naga betrayers became the Tsaesci, and the seven surviving leaders became their ruler-gods.
The Rise of the Tsaesci
Perhaps it was due to the fear that other gods and races may strike against them for their betrayal. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they thirst for more divine blood. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they need to feed on "the blood of their blood". Whatever the reasons, the outcome in history was that, the Tsaesci decided to strike the first blow at the human empire. It was a one-sided war. Even when certain dragon-gods tried to retaliate, they were either killed one by one or ended up escaping to nobody-knows-where. For while a single Tsaesci Lord was still no match for a dragon-god, many Tsaesci Lords working together is still more than a match for a lone member of the dragon-gods, who are not used to working together. When the humans were all slaughtered, enslaved or driven out of the central plains of the continent, they Tsaesci turned their eyes against the other races. Soon, Tsaesci became the undisputed masters of the Akavir continent. It is only because of the rising suspicion among the Tsaesci Lords that they are beginning to set greedy eyes on one another's powers that they no longer want to work together that the Tsaesci expansion finally come to a balanced point. The Tsaesci Lords divided the lands among themselves to rule, each worked by slaves captured from the other races. For the humans and other Naga, there was a worse possible fate: that they, being "the blood of their blood" of the Tsaesci, were also the food cattle.
The Tsaesci Lords
Due to the shape-shifting nature of the Naga, the Tsaesci Lords took different forms and powers. Certain individual also falls outside the normal forms of the Naga, due to complications of curses and the divine power that is stolen. The seven Lords are : (I haven't thought of names so I'm using titles here. maybe we can start a name-the-Tsaescilord contest?? somebody please suggest some good names!)
The Temptress.
A sly and cruel Lord who appears as in a form with a beautiful and seductive human female's head upper torso, and a serpent's lower torso and tail. Her hair is entirely composed of small writhing serpents. Her favorite weapons were a curve dagger and a giant bow with giant arrows that could skewer a careless dragon, but her most powerful and dangerous ability is charming opponents into switching sides and fighting for her. She takes cruel joy in making friends and comrades fight each other to the death.
It is said that in the Battle of the Betrayal (Or Battle of Ascension as the Tsaesci call it themselves), she adopted her cowardly ways of staying at a safe distance and deploying her bow, which is why she escaped the serious injuries that most of the other leaders suffered. She is once thought to be involved in a love triangle, together with the Sword-master and the Fallen Princess.
The Swordmaster
Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:09 pm Post subject: The Tsaesci Lords
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The writing is usually in the pseudo-lore style, which means, it could be wrong, misleading or otherwise just plain unclear. There are special sections marked "Lore-master Notes". These are the "real information" that are not meant to be in the usual lore that players know. They are meant to give lore-masters and quest-designers more background when they write new lore or design quest stories.
The Tsaesci Lords
The Tsaesci Lords are the current ruler-gods of the Tsaesci Empire. They have near deity powers and are worshipped as such by their subjects. Each Lord ruled over a portion of the Tsaesci lands and were rather independent of their peers. In fact, every Lord is wary of other Lords, and it was this very mistrust and secret in-fighting that saved the rest of the Akavir from total Tsaesci rule. Had the Lords work together whole-heartedly, not even the Tiger-Dragon could stand against their combined might.
Although termed "Lords", some of the Tsaesci ruler-gods are actually female. The term "Lords" is used as a collective term out of convenience.
Before the Tsaesci
The Tsaesci were not always the Tsaesci of today. Once, they were part of the demi-immortal race called Naga. They had close relationship with the humans, who were believed to be made from Naga essence by a Naga Goddess a long time ago. The Naga-human civilization were the dominant culture in ancient Akavir, where they built the glorious empire of the divine dragon.
The Naga were also considered to be one of the nine types of dragons. They worshiped the divine dragons along with other lesser deities (which includes individual members of all races, including Naga).
The Naga Forms
Nagas, similar to other semi-immortals (Lin), have shape-shifting capabilities. Usually, tribes or even clans will prefer one of the forms. The number of forms that one can adopt is also related to the individual's age and level of acquired power. There are six known forms that the Naga adopts:
-Full Serpent
-Serpent with human head
-human head, arms and torso and serpent tail
-human arms and torso and serpent head and tail
-human body with serpent head (and tail)
-Full Human
Half-Naga
Human and Naga in human form are inter fertile (Naga is not inter fertile with any other races), probably due to some truth in the ancient belief that the first humans were made from Naga essence. The children of such unions may appear as normal human or exhibit Naga traits from birth. Those who exhibit Naga traits will be similar to Naga children, except that they may have less powers or come to their powers late, probably due to the thinned Naga blood. Those who appear human may, after reaching puberty, exhibit Naga traits. But there are cases of children who appear and behave as normal human for their entire life, although some of their descendants in turn, may exhibit Naga traits. Collectively, those with mixed human and Naga blood are called the Half-Naga.
Although the Naga and human were usually on good terms, most Naga sees themselves as superior to human. Half-Naga, due to their usually lessened Naga powers, usually find it hard to be totally accepted by either human or Naga societies. Most Naga will either look down upon, or be sympathetic toward the half-Naga, while most human will look upon the half-Naga in fear or disgust (One scholar once remarked that it is strange that the humans can be friendly to Nagas who lived in the Naga village across the river, but they could not stand a half-Naga living as their neighbour). Even when certain half-Naga exhibits potentials and powers as great as any full-blooded Naga, they will usually be looked upon with jealous anger or disbelief that a half-blood could be superior to a "true" Naga. Usually, the best that most half-Naga can manage is to secretly suppress their Naga traits and live out their lives as human, forever keeping their Naga-blood a secret.
The Betrayal and the Curse of the Tsaesci
While most Naga were content to serve their dragon-gods and live peacefully with the humans, certain tribes of Nagas pursue darker goals. It was not clear how it actually started, but several tribes of Nagas began to express greed for power and they finally turned their eyes to the greatest powers they knew : that of their gods. These dark Nagas were careful to guard their blasphemous thoughts but slowly and subtly spread their poison. Before long, entire clans fell into the control of leaders, who began to put together the greatest conspiracy in Naga history.
It wasn't clear which dark Naga leader struck the first blow against the Seven-headed Dragon, the greatest of the Naga gods. The Seven-headed Dragon was tricked into temporarily weakening her powers to help her children, the Naga people. Before she knew it, the very children she trusts and protects rise up against her. Thirteen whole clans lead by their leaders bore down on the weakened Dragon-god. After the dusts of the titanic conflict settled, only seven leaders of the Naga betrayers survived. But the Dragon-god was finally struck down. The surviving Naga leaders feasted on the divine blood of the Seven-headed Dragon and stole the divine essence within. But as they drank the last drop of blood, they were cursed for their heinous crime. The betrayers found that they could no longer gain sustenance from the bounty of the land, and must instead drink the blood of their blood to survive. Thus the Naga betrayers became the Tsaesci, and the seven surviving leaders became their ruler-gods.
The Rise of the Tsaesci
Perhaps it was due to the fear that other gods and races may strike against them for their betrayal. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they thirst for more divine blood. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they need to feed on "the blood of their blood". Whatever the reasons, the outcome in history was that, the Tsaesci decided to strike the first blow at the human empire. It was a one-sided war. Even when certain dragon-gods tried to retaliate, they were either killed one by one or ended up escaping to nobody-knows-where. For while a single Tsaesci Lord was still no match for a dragon-god, many Tsaesci Lords working together is still more than a match for a lone member of the dragon-gods, who are not used to working together. When the humans were all slaughtered, enslaved or driven out of the central plains of the continent, they Tsaesci turned their eyes against the other races. Soon, Tsaesci became the undisputed masters of the Akavir continent. It is only because of the rising suspicion among the Tsaesci Lords that they are beginning to set greedy eyes on one another's powers that they no longer want to work together that the Tsaesci expansion finally come to a balanced point. The Tsaesci Lords divided the lands among themselves to rule, each worked by slaves captured from the other races. For the humans and other Naga, there was a worse possible fate: that they, being "the blood of their blood" of the Tsaesci, were also the food cattle.
The Tsaesci Lords
Due to the shape-shifting nature of the Naga, the Tsaesci Lords took different forms and powers. Certain individual also falls outside the normal forms of the Naga, due to complications of curses and the divine power that is stolen. The seven Lords are : (I haven't thought of names so I'm using titles here. maybe we can start a name-the-Tsaescilord contest?? somebody please suggest some good names!)
The Tsaesci Lords
(from left to right in the concept sketch)
The Temptress, The Sword-master, The Fallen Princess, The Serpent, The Abomination, (front) The Evil, (back)The Warlock.
The Temptress
A sly and cruel Lord who appears as in a form with a beautiful and seductive human female's head upper torso, and a serpent's lower torso and tail. Her hair is entirely composed of small writhing serpents. Her favorite weapons were a curve dagger and a giant bow with giant arrows that could skewer a careless dragon, but her most powerful and dangerous ability is charming opponents into switching sides and fighting for her. She takes cruel joy in making friends and comrades fight each other to the death.
It is said that in the Battle of the Betrayal (Or Battle of Ascension as the Tsaesci call it themselves), she adopted her cowardly ways of staying at a safe distance and deploying her bow, which is why she escaped the serious injuries that most of the other leaders suffered. She is once thought to be involved in a love triangle, together with the Sword-master and the Fallen Princess.
The Sword-master
The Sword-master is the most noticeably human-looking of the Tsaesci Lord. He appears as a handsome looking youth with a head guard covering his eyes, which were thought to be blinded in the Battle of the Betrayal. As his name suggests, the Sword-master is a master of swords. He is usually seen carrying many blades. And though he is a dual-wielder, his most powerful attacks relies on his lesser-known abilities as a wizard. He is one of the last who knows the ancient art of sword-dancing, where multiple mystical blades could be commanded to fly and fight as if each is wielded by a master.
The Sword-master was thought to be romantically involved with the Fallen Princess, though it seemed that they have done their separate ways at the present day. Nobody knew the exact reasons, though some speculated that it was because of the intrusion of The Temptress, or the speculation that the Fallen Princess was disfigured during the Battle of Betrayal which is supported by the fact that the Fallen Princess have never shown her face again after the battle.
Lore-master Notes:
Although it is almost forgotten in this age where the rule of the Tsaesci Lords seemed to have been this way since ever, the Sword-master was, before he became a god-ruler, a half-Naga. Although his potential and talents were exceptional even among the Naga, he was discriminated for his human blood. During a journey, he met and fell in love with the a royal Naga princess, who was then the daughter of the Naga King of the East Sea. Although the princess reciprocated his love, the great difference in social standing, that of a "half-blood" compared to that of royal blood, threatened to tear them apart, in the form of vehement opposition from the Naga-king of the East Sea and most of the Naga nobles. Despite emotional support from the princess, the Sword-master descend into resentment and hatred toward his own social standing and the rest of the Naga people. This was the primary reason why he joined in the Great Conspiracy which ultimately leads to the Betrayal. The princess, torn between her love for the Sword-master and the love for her clan, finally chose to betray her clan and played an unwilling part in the Battle of Betrayal. From then, she became the Fallen Princess.
During the time equivalent to Tamriel 1E 2700, The Sword-master, in a bid to try to gain an edge over his peers, sent one of his generals to try to conquer the newly discovered land called Tamriel in the local tongue. The invasion was considered to be just a "covert action" from the Sword-master's perspective, despite the misconception by the Tamriel natives that the attack was full-scale invasion by the Tamriel. Had the Tsaesci Lords be selfless enough to work together, had the Tsaesci moved in force, Tamriel would long have fallen. As things go, the Tsaesci in-fighting had saved not only the other lands like the lands of the monkey people, the tiger people and the snow people, it had also spared the entire Tamriel.
The Fallen Princess
Ever since the Betrayal, the Fallen Princess has never shown her face to anybody, always shrouded in hood and veil. It was thought that this was because she was disfigured during the Battle of the Betrayal, which cannot be healed due to divine curse. She retreated to distant part of the continent with her followers after the Tsaesci conquered the continent and lived in isolation from even the other Tsaesci. Nobody remembered seeing the Fallen Princess in combat, but it is said that she has mastery over the waters and can command the powers of the rivers and ocean.
The Fallen Princess and the Sword-master were thought to be lovers. But after the Tsaesci conquered the continent, they seemed to have fallen apart and gone their separate ways. Some blamed the Temptress. Others said that it was because of the Fallen Princess's disfigurement. Still others said that it was because of the greedy and suspicious nature of the Tsaesci Lords, that after stealing their god's powers, they now fear that others will steal their powers. And foremost among these threats were those they considered their peers.
Lore-master Notes:
Adding on to the lore-master notes under the Sword-master regarding the background of the Fallen Princess, the real reason for the Fallen Princess retreat was that she finally realised the wrong that she had done, and the real nature of what the man she loved had become. Though she put on a disguise in behavior to put the other Tsaesci Lords to rest, she lived in regret over her decision and role in the Betrayal. She took her "slaves" and retreat to somewhere more remote, where she could at least let them live in peace in a land where true peace can no longer be found. Unknown to the Tsaesci Lords and even the rebellion groups (those who tries to overthrow the Tsaesci rule), she secretly helped to save many of their lives, even though she still feels that it is impossible to defeat the other Tsaesci Lords and that rebellion is hopeless.
The Serpent
The most powerful of the Tsaesci Lords. After the Betrayal, the Serpent, who was believed to have absorbed the most divine powers of his fallen god, shape-shifted into a giant serpent. He now make his home in a dead volcano, which is also the temple where he is worshipped by his followers. Unlike most of the other Tsaesci Lords, the Serpent no longer rules his lands directly (simply not interested. He is interested instead gaining more divine power). Instead, the land is managed by a Task Master, who ruled in his name. The Serpent is content to let his Task Master rule as long as he is regularly tributed with blood sacrifices. It has been a long time since the Task Master has to approach his god for help in defeating enemies which were too much for his armies.
The Abomination
One of the two more unusual forms among the Tsaesci Lord (the other being the Warlock). From far, the Abomination seemed to be adopting the Naga form of human head, arms and upper torso and serpent lower torso and tail, wearing a fearsome armor in the image of a monstrous maw. When one gets closer, two strange things become obvious. First, one will noticed that where the head should be, there is nothing but an eerie levitating ball of fire within an otherwise empty helmet. Second, the maw on the armor is not armor at all, but a live face with two big eyes over the chest area and a wide gaping mouth at the tummy area.
In combat, the Abomination wields a powerful ancient weapon: the Dragon-Moon Sabre, which is actually a pole-arm ending with a great sabre-like blade. The maw at the tummy area can also paralyze opponents with a blood-curling scream.
It is said that the Abomination used to be a normal Naga with human head, arms and upper torso, and serpent lower torso and tail. During the Battle of the Betrayal, the Abomination's head was destroyed by the Seven-headed Dragon. In the instance where it would have died, the Seven-headed Dragon was killed and the divine blood sprayed over the Abomination's dying body. Inexplicably, the Abomination lived, and as an answer to the eternal hunger which can no longer be satisfied by the lack of a head, two giant eyes a wide gaping maw appeared on the torso area. Where the original head used to be, a ball of fire, believed to be the Abomination's spirit levitated.
The Evil
The Evil appeared as a serpent with an old man's head. Despite the lack of limbs and any visible weapons, the Evil is considered one of the more dangerous of the Tsaesci Lords. The Evil's true powers is brain-stealing and body-stealing (possession). Brain-stealing refers to the Evil's ability to consume the brains of his victims and gain the knowledge within. Body-stealing refers to the Evil's ability to take over a victim's body and use it for its own gains. One of the Evil's favorite past-time is to first consume a victim's brain to get his knowledge, then possess the body while using the gained knowledge to pretend to be the victim, and then look for new victims among the original victim's family or acquaintances. People from entire villages have been known to "disappear" due to the Evil's pursuit of its "past-time".
Lore-master notes
Unknown to even the other Tsaesci Lords, The Evil have researched and is near complete success at creating what it termed "Naga Spirits". Using "volunteers" form his worshippers, he had successfully transformed them into monsters which have similar abilities as him: to steal memories and the forms of other people. These "Naga Spirits" were used for spying and sabotage purposes. The only drawback at the current point is that the Naga Spirits cannot occupy the victim's body for too long, as it basically kills the body, which will start rotting if not properly taken care of or if enough time passes.
The Warlock
Other than the Abomination, the Warlock is the only other Tsaesci Lord with abnormal form (from the Naga perspective). The Warlock resembled the Naga form of humanoid with serpent head and tail (sort of like the Argonian), but where each arm should be, two arms which seemed to be composed of sewn-together body parts are found. The Warlock is a master of magic with a brutal and almost sadistic disposition. In combat, the Warlock is an opponent to be feared. His four arms can prepare multiple spells or use multiple magical items at the same. The Warlock favours destructive magic, particularly fire based attacks.
The Warlock was originally in the Naga form of humanoid with serpent head and tail. During the Battle of the Betrayal, the Warlock lost an arm. Due to divine curse from the Seven-headed Dragon which caused the injury, it cannot be healed or magically restored. After a lot of unspeakable experimentation, the Warlock found a way of creating a replacement limb from the body parts of other people and attaching it to himself. It was so successful, or perhaps it was because the Warlock's finally going mad, the Warlock added more arms to himself, and actually cut off his remaining good arm to make the space (the good arm ultimately become part of the "raw materials" itself.) However, these arms do not lasts for a long time and had to be replaced periodically.
Lore-master notes
The Warlock has a secret lab where he keep "spare" arms and also conduct heinous experiments by creating monsters with attached limbs made from corpses. E.g. A spider-like monstrosity where a human head and torso with eight arms attached (no legs).
In his lands, it is very common to find bodies without limbs.
________
This is only a small part of the Tsaesci lore. It is a start on getting it moved over here.
The Tsaesci Lords
The Tsaesci Lords are the current ruler-gods of the Tsaesci Empire. They have near deity powers and are worshipped as such by their subjects. Each Lord ruled over a portion of the Tsaesci lands and were rather independent of their peers. In fact, every Lord is wary of other Lords, and it was this very mistrust and secret in-fighting that saved the rest of the Akavir from total Tsaesci rule. Had the Lords work together whole-heartedly, not even the Tiger-Dragon could stand against their combined might.
Although termed "Lords", some of the Tsaesci ruler-gods are actually female. The term "Lords" is used as a collective term out of convenience.
Before the Tsaesci
The Tsaesci were not always the Tsaesci of today. Once, they were part of the demi-immortal race called Naga. They had close relationship with the humans, who were believed to be made from Naga essence by a Naga Goddess a long time ago. The Naga-human civilization were the dominant culture in ancient Akavir, where they built the glorious empire of the divine dragon.
The Naga were also considered to be one of the nine types of dragons. They worshiped the divine dragons along with other lesser deities (which includes individual members of all races, including Naga).
The Naga Forms
Nagas, similar to other semi-immortals (Lin), have shape-shifting capabilities. Usually, tribes or even clans will prefer one of the forms. The number of forms that one can adopt is also related to the individual's age and level of acquired power. There are six known forms that the Naga adopts:
-Full Serpent
-Serpent with human head
-human head, arms and torso and serpent tail
-human arms and torso and serpent head and tail
-human body with serpent head (and tail)
-Full Human
Half-Naga
Human and Naga in human form are inter fertile (Naga is not inter fertile with any other races), probably due to some truth in the ancient belief that the first humans were made from Naga essence. The children of such unions may appear as normal human or exhibit Naga traits from birth. Those who exhibit Naga traits will be similar to Naga children, except that they may have less powers or come to their powers late, probably due to the thinned Naga blood. Those who appear human may, after reaching puberty, exhibit Naga traits. But there are cases of children who appear and behave as normal human for their entire life, although some of their descendants in turn, may exhibit Naga traits. Collectively, those with mixed human and Naga blood are called the Half-Naga.
Although the Naga and human were usually on good terms, most Naga sees themselves as superior to human. Half-Naga, due to their usually lessened Naga powers, usually find it hard to be totally accepted by either human or Naga societies. Most Naga will either look down upon, or be sympathetic toward the half-Naga, while most human will look upon the half-Naga in fear or disgust (One scholar once remarked that it is strange that the humans can be friendly to Nagas who lived in the Naga village across the river, but they could not stand a half-Naga living as their neighbour). Even when certain half-Naga exhibits potentials and powers as great as any full-blooded Naga, they will usually be looked upon with jealous anger or disbelief that a half-blood could be superior to a "true" Naga. Usually, the best that most half-Naga can manage is to secretly suppress their Naga traits and live out their lives as human, forever keeping their Naga-blood a secret.
The Betrayal and the Curse of the Tsaesci
While most Naga were content to serve their dragon-gods and live peacefully with the humans, certain tribes of Nagas pursue darker goals. It was not clear how it actually started, but several tribes of Nagas began to express greed for power and they finally turned their eyes to the greatest powers they knew : that of their gods. These dark Nagas were careful to guard their blasphemous thoughts but slowly and subtly spread their poison. Before long, entire clans fell into the control of leaders, who began to put together the greatest conspiracy in Naga history.
It wasn't clear which dark Naga leader struck the first blow against the Seven-headed Dragon, the greatest of the Naga gods. The Seven-headed Dragon was tricked into temporarily weakening her powers to help her children, the Naga people. Before she knew it, the very children she trusts and protects rise up against her. Thirteen whole clans lead by their leaders bore down on the weakened Dragon-god. After the dusts of the titanic conflict settled, only seven leaders of the Naga betrayers survived. But the Dragon-god was finally struck down. The surviving Naga leaders feasted on the divine blood of the Seven-headed Dragon and stole the divine essence within. But as they drank the last drop of blood, they were cursed for their heinous crime. The betrayers found that they could no longer gain sustenance from the bounty of the land, and must instead drink the blood of their blood to survive. Thus the Naga betrayers became the Tsaesci, and the seven surviving leaders became their ruler-gods.
The Rise of the Tsaesci
Perhaps it was due to the fear that other gods and races may strike against them for their betrayal. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they thirst for more divine blood. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they need to feed on "the blood of their blood". Whatever the reasons, the outcome in history was that, the Tsaesci decided to strike the first blow at the human empire. It was a one-sided war. Even when certain dragon-gods tried to retaliate, they were either killed one by one or ended up escaping to nobody-knows-where. For while a single Tsaesci Lord was still no match for a dragon-god, many Tsaesci Lords working together is still more than a match for a lone member of the dragon-gods, who are not used to working together. When the humans were all slaughtered, enslaved or driven out of the central plains of the continent, they Tsaesci turned their eyes against the other races. Soon, Tsaesci became the undisputed masters of the Akavir continent. It is only because of the rising suspicion among the Tsaesci Lords that they are beginning to set greedy eyes on one another's powers that they no longer want to work together that the Tsaesci expansion finally come to a balanced point. The Tsaesci Lords divided the lands among themselves to rule, each worked by slaves captured from the other races. For the humans and other Naga, there was a worse possible fate: that they, being "the blood of their blood" of the Tsaesci, were also the food cattle.
The Tsaesci Lords
Due to the shape-shifting nature of the Naga, the Tsaesci Lords took different forms and powers. Certain individual also falls outside the normal forms of the Naga, due to complications of curses and the divine power that is stolen. The seven Lords are : (I haven't thought of names so I'm using titles here. maybe we can start a name-the-Tsaescilord contest?? somebody please suggest some good names!)
The Temptress.
A sly and cruel Lord who appears as in a form with a beautiful and seductive human female's head upper torso, and a serpent's lower torso and tail. Her hair is entirely composed of small writhing serpents. Her favorite weapons were a curve dagger and a giant bow with giant arrows that could skewer a careless dragon, but her most powerful and dangerous ability is charming opponents into switching sides and fighting for her. She takes cruel joy in making friends and comrades fight each other to the death.
It is said that in the Battle of the Betrayal (Or Battle of Ascension as the Tsaesci call it themselves), she adopted her cowardly ways of staying at a safe distance and deploying her bow, which is why she escaped the serious injuries that most of the other leaders suffered. She is once thought to be involved in a love triangle, together with the Sword-master and the Fallen Princess.
The Swordmaster
Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:09 pm Post subject: The Tsaesci Lords
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Note: The writing is usually in the pseudo-lore style, which means, it could be wrong, misleading or otherwise just plain unclear. There are special sections marked "Lore-master Notes". These are the "real information" that are not meant to be in the usual lore that players know. They are meant to give lore-masters and quest-designers more background when they write new lore or design quest stories.
The Tsaesci Lords
The Tsaesci Lords are the current ruler-gods of the Tsaesci Empire. They have near deity powers and are worshipped as such by their subjects. Each Lord ruled over a portion of the Tsaesci lands and were rather independent of their peers. In fact, every Lord is wary of other Lords, and it was this very mistrust and secret in-fighting that saved the rest of the Akavir from total Tsaesci rule. Had the Lords work together whole-heartedly, not even the Tiger-Dragon could stand against their combined might.
Although termed "Lords", some of the Tsaesci ruler-gods are actually female. The term "Lords" is used as a collective term out of convenience.
Before the Tsaesci
The Tsaesci were not always the Tsaesci of today. Once, they were part of the demi-immortal race called Naga. They had close relationship with the humans, who were believed to be made from Naga essence by a Naga Goddess a long time ago. The Naga-human civilization were the dominant culture in ancient Akavir, where they built the glorious empire of the divine dragon.
The Naga were also considered to be one of the nine types of dragons. They worshiped the divine dragons along with other lesser deities (which includes individual members of all races, including Naga).
The Naga Forms
Nagas, similar to other semi-immortals (Lin), have shape-shifting capabilities. Usually, tribes or even clans will prefer one of the forms. The number of forms that one can adopt is also related to the individual's age and level of acquired power. There are six known forms that the Naga adopts:
-Full Serpent
-Serpent with human head
-human head, arms and torso and serpent tail
-human arms and torso and serpent head and tail
-human body with serpent head (and tail)
-Full Human
Half-Naga
Human and Naga in human form are inter fertile (Naga is not inter fertile with any other races), probably due to some truth in the ancient belief that the first humans were made from Naga essence. The children of such unions may appear as normal human or exhibit Naga traits from birth. Those who exhibit Naga traits will be similar to Naga children, except that they may have less powers or come to their powers late, probably due to the thinned Naga blood. Those who appear human may, after reaching puberty, exhibit Naga traits. But there are cases of children who appear and behave as normal human for their entire life, although some of their descendants in turn, may exhibit Naga traits. Collectively, those with mixed human and Naga blood are called the Half-Naga.
Although the Naga and human were usually on good terms, most Naga sees themselves as superior to human. Half-Naga, due to their usually lessened Naga powers, usually find it hard to be totally accepted by either human or Naga societies. Most Naga will either look down upon, or be sympathetic toward the half-Naga, while most human will look upon the half-Naga in fear or disgust (One scholar once remarked that it is strange that the humans can be friendly to Nagas who lived in the Naga village across the river, but they could not stand a half-Naga living as their neighbour). Even when certain half-Naga exhibits potentials and powers as great as any full-blooded Naga, they will usually be looked upon with jealous anger or disbelief that a half-blood could be superior to a "true" Naga. Usually, the best that most half-Naga can manage is to secretly suppress their Naga traits and live out their lives as human, forever keeping their Naga-blood a secret.
The Betrayal and the Curse of the Tsaesci
While most Naga were content to serve their dragon-gods and live peacefully with the humans, certain tribes of Nagas pursue darker goals. It was not clear how it actually started, but several tribes of Nagas began to express greed for power and they finally turned their eyes to the greatest powers they knew : that of their gods. These dark Nagas were careful to guard their blasphemous thoughts but slowly and subtly spread their poison. Before long, entire clans fell into the control of leaders, who began to put together the greatest conspiracy in Naga history.
It wasn't clear which dark Naga leader struck the first blow against the Seven-headed Dragon, the greatest of the Naga gods. The Seven-headed Dragon was tricked into temporarily weakening her powers to help her children, the Naga people. Before she knew it, the very children she trusts and protects rise up against her. Thirteen whole clans lead by their leaders bore down on the weakened Dragon-god. After the dusts of the titanic conflict settled, only seven leaders of the Naga betrayers survived. But the Dragon-god was finally struck down. The surviving Naga leaders feasted on the divine blood of the Seven-headed Dragon and stole the divine essence within. But as they drank the last drop of blood, they were cursed for their heinous crime. The betrayers found that they could no longer gain sustenance from the bounty of the land, and must instead drink the blood of their blood to survive. Thus the Naga betrayers became the Tsaesci, and the seven surviving leaders became their ruler-gods.
The Rise of the Tsaesci
Perhaps it was due to the fear that other gods and races may strike against them for their betrayal. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they thirst for more divine blood. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they need to feed on "the blood of their blood". Whatever the reasons, the outcome in history was that, the Tsaesci decided to strike the first blow at the human empire. It was a one-sided war. Even when certain dragon-gods tried to retaliate, they were either killed one by one or ended up escaping to nobody-knows-where. For while a single Tsaesci Lord was still no match for a dragon-god, many Tsaesci Lords working together is still more than a match for a lone member of the dragon-gods, who are not used to working together. When the humans were all slaughtered, enslaved or driven out of the central plains of the continent, they Tsaesci turned their eyes against the other races. Soon, Tsaesci became the undisputed masters of the Akavir continent. It is only because of the rising suspicion among the Tsaesci Lords that they are beginning to set greedy eyes on one another's powers that they no longer want to work together that the Tsaesci expansion finally come to a balanced point. The Tsaesci Lords divided the lands among themselves to rule, each worked by slaves captured from the other races. For the humans and other Naga, there was a worse possible fate: that they, being "the blood of their blood" of the Tsaesci, were also the food cattle.
The Tsaesci Lords
Due to the shape-shifting nature of the Naga, the Tsaesci Lords took different forms and powers. Certain individual also falls outside the normal forms of the Naga, due to complications of curses and the divine power that is stolen. The seven Lords are : (I haven't thought of names so I'm using titles here. maybe we can start a name-the-Tsaescilord contest?? somebody please suggest some good names!)
The Tsaesci Lords
(from left to right in the concept sketch)
The Temptress, The Sword-master, The Fallen Princess, The Serpent, The Abomination, (front) The Evil, (back)The Warlock.
The Temptress
A sly and cruel Lord who appears as in a form with a beautiful and seductive human female's head upper torso, and a serpent's lower torso and tail. Her hair is entirely composed of small writhing serpents. Her favorite weapons were a curve dagger and a giant bow with giant arrows that could skewer a careless dragon, but her most powerful and dangerous ability is charming opponents into switching sides and fighting for her. She takes cruel joy in making friends and comrades fight each other to the death.
It is said that in the Battle of the Betrayal (Or Battle of Ascension as the Tsaesci call it themselves), she adopted her cowardly ways of staying at a safe distance and deploying her bow, which is why she escaped the serious injuries that most of the other leaders suffered. She is once thought to be involved in a love triangle, together with the Sword-master and the Fallen Princess.
The Sword-master
The Sword-master is the most noticeably human-looking of the Tsaesci Lord. He appears as a handsome looking youth with a head guard covering his eyes, which were thought to be blinded in the Battle of the Betrayal. As his name suggests, the Sword-master is a master of swords. He is usually seen carrying many blades. And though he is a dual-wielder, his most powerful attacks relies on his lesser-known abilities as a wizard. He is one of the last who knows the ancient art of sword-dancing, where multiple mystical blades could be commanded to fly and fight as if each is wielded by a master.
The Sword-master was thought to be romantically involved with the Fallen Princess, though it seemed that they have done their separate ways at the present day. Nobody knew the exact reasons, though some speculated that it was because of the intrusion of The Temptress, or the speculation that the Fallen Princess was disfigured during the Battle of Betrayal which is supported by the fact that the Fallen Princess have never shown her face again after the battle.
Lore-master Notes:
Although it is almost forgotten in this age where the rule of the Tsaesci Lords seemed to have been this way since ever, the Sword-master was, before he became a god-ruler, a half-Naga. Although his potential and talents were exceptional even among the Naga, he was discriminated for his human blood. During a journey, he met and fell in love with the a royal Naga princess, who was then the daughter of the Naga King of the East Sea. Although the princess reciprocated his love, the great difference in social standing, that of a "half-blood" compared to that of royal blood, threatened to tear them apart, in the form of vehement opposition from the Naga-king of the East Sea and most of the Naga nobles. Despite emotional support from the princess, the Sword-master descend into resentment and hatred toward his own social standing and the rest of the Naga people. This was the primary reason why he joined in the Great Conspiracy which ultimately leads to the Betrayal. The princess, torn between her love for the Sword-master and the love for her clan, finally chose to betray her clan and played an unwilling part in the Battle of Betrayal. From then, she became the Fallen Princess.
During the time equivalent to Tamriel 1E 2700, The Sword-master, in a bid to try to gain an edge over his peers, sent one of his generals to try to conquer the newly discovered land called Tamriel in the local tongue. The invasion was considered to be just a "covert action" from the Sword-master's perspective, despite the misconception by the Tamriel natives that the attack was full-scale invasion by the Tamriel. Had the Tsaesci Lords be selfless enough to work together, had the Tsaesci moved in force, Tamriel would long have fallen. As things go, the Tsaesci in-fighting had saved not only the other lands like the lands of the monkey people, the tiger people and the snow people, it had also spared the entire Tamriel.
The Fallen Princess
Ever since the Betrayal, the Fallen Princess has never shown her face to anybody, always shrouded in hood and veil. It was thought that this was because she was disfigured during the Battle of the Betrayal, which cannot be healed due to divine curse. She retreated to distant part of the continent with her followers after the Tsaesci conquered the continent and lived in isolation from even the other Tsaesci. Nobody remembered seeing the Fallen Princess in combat, but it is said that she has mastery over the waters and can command the powers of the rivers and ocean.
The Fallen Princess and the Sword-master were thought to be lovers. But after the Tsaesci conquered the continent, they seemed to have fallen apart and gone their separate ways. Some blamed the Temptress. Others said that it was because of the Fallen Princess's disfigurement. Still others said that it was because of the greedy and suspicious nature of the Tsaesci Lords, that after stealing their god's powers, they now fear that others will steal their powers. And foremost among these threats were those they considered their peers.
Lore-master Notes:
Adding on to the lore-master notes under the Sword-master regarding the background of the Fallen Princess, the real reason for the Fallen Princess retreat was that she finally realised the wrong that she had done, and the real nature of what the man she loved had become. Though she put on a disguise in behavior to put the other Tsaesci Lords to rest, she lived in regret over her decision and role in the Betrayal. She took her "slaves" and retreat to somewhere more remote, where she could at least let them live in peace in a land where true peace can no longer be found. Unknown to the Tsaesci Lords and even the rebellion groups (those who tries to overthrow the Tsaesci rule), she secretly helped to save many of their lives, even though she still feels that it is impossible to defeat the other Tsaesci Lords and that rebellion is hopeless.
The Serpent
The most powerful of the Tsaesci Lords. After the Betrayal, the Serpent, who was believed to have absorbed the most divine powers of his fallen god, shape-shifted into a giant serpent. He now make his home in a dead volcano, which is also the temple where he is worshipped by his followers. Unlike most of the other Tsaesci Lords, the Serpent no longer rules his lands directly (simply not interested. He is interested instead gaining more divine power). Instead, the land is managed by a Task Master, who ruled in his name. The Serpent is content to let his Task Master rule as long as he is regularly tributed with blood sacrifices. It has been a long time since the Task Master has to approach his god for help in defeating enemies which were too much for his armies.
The Abomination
One of the two more unusual forms among the Tsaesci Lord (the other being the Warlock). From far, the Abomination seemed to be adopting the Naga form of human head, arms and upper torso and serpent lower torso and tail, wearing a fearsome armor in the image of a monstrous maw. When one gets closer, two strange things become obvious. First, one will noticed that where the head should be, there is nothing but an eerie levitating ball of fire within an otherwise empty helmet. Second, the maw on the armor is not armor at all, but a live face with two big eyes over the chest area and a wide gaping mouth at the tummy area.
In combat, the Abomination wields a powerful ancient weapon: the Dragon-Moon Sabre, which is actually a pole-arm ending with a great sabre-like blade. The maw at the tummy area can also paralyze opponents with a blood-curling scream.
It is said that the Abomination used to be a normal Naga with human head, arms and upper torso, and serpent lower torso and tail. During the Battle of the Betrayal, the Abomination's head was destroyed by the Seven-headed Dragon. In the instance where it would have died, the Seven-headed Dragon was killed and the divine blood sprayed over the Abomination's dying body. Inexplicably, the Abomination lived, and as an answer to the eternal hunger which can no longer be satisfied by the lack of a head, two giant eyes a wide gaping maw appeared on the torso area. Where the original head used to be, a ball of fire, believed to be the Abomination's spirit levitated.
The Evil
The Evil appeared as a serpent with an old man's head. Despite the lack of limbs and any visible weapons, the Evil is considered one of the more dangerous of the Tsaesci Lords. The Evil's true powers is brain-stealing and body-stealing (possession). Brain-stealing refers to the Evil's ability to consume the brains of his victims and gain the knowledge within. Body-stealing refers to the Evil's ability to take over a victim's body and use it for its own gains. One of the Evil's favorite past-time is to first consume a victim's brain to get his knowledge, then possess the body while using the gained knowledge to pretend to be the victim, and then look for new victims among the original victim's family or acquaintances. People from entire villages have been known to "disappear" due to the Evil's pursuit of its "past-time".
Lore-master notes
Unknown to even the other Tsaesci Lords, The Evil have researched and is near complete success at creating what it termed "Naga Spirits". Using "volunteers" form his worshippers, he had successfully transformed them into monsters which have similar abilities as him: to steal memories and the forms of other people. These "Naga Spirits" were used for spying and sabotage purposes. The only drawback at the current point is that the Naga Spirits cannot occupy the victim's body for too long, as it basically kills the body, which will start rotting if not properly taken care of or if enough time passes.
The Warlock
Other than the Abomination, the Warlock is the only other Tsaesci Lord with abnormal form (from the Naga perspective). The Warlock resembled the Naga form of humanoid with serpent head and tail (sort of like the Argonian), but where each arm should be, two arms which seemed to be composed of sewn-together body parts are found. The Warlock is a master of magic with a brutal and almost sadistic disposition. In combat, the Warlock is an opponent to be feared. His four arms can prepare multiple spells or use multiple magical items at the same. The Warlock favours destructive magic, particularly fire based attacks.
The Warlock was originally in the Naga form of humanoid with serpent head and tail. During the Battle of the Betrayal, the Warlock lost an arm. Due to divine curse from the Seven-headed Dragon which caused the injury, it cannot be healed or magically restored. After a lot of unspeakable experimentation, the Warlock found a way of creating a replacement limb from the body parts of other people and attaching it to himself. It was so successful, or perhaps it was because the Warlock's finally going mad, the Warlock added more arms to himself, and actually cut off his remaining good arm to make the space (the good arm ultimately become part of the "raw materials" itself.) However, these arms do not lasts for a long time and had to be replaced periodically.
Lore-master notes
The Warlock has a secret lab where he keep "spare" arms and also conduct heinous experiments by creating monsters with attached limbs made from corpses. E.g. A spider-like monstrosity where a human head and torso with eight arms attached (no legs).
In his lands, it is very common to find bodies without limbs.
________
This is only a small part of the Tsaesci lore. It is a start on getting it moved over here.
09-05-2006, 02:37 AM
We will have to work out the Naga problem, somehow...to avoid the Akaviri Naga / Black Marsh Naga conflict.
09-05-2006, 02:38 AM
Do we still have that pic of the Tsaesci Lords? That pic rocked.
09-05-2006, 02:40 AM
Naming them something else seems like the best way to retain all of you original concept as well as avoiding any conflict.
09-05-2006, 02:48 AM
Yes, that would solve the problem, somehow i just can't part with the name Naga :poorme:
I will have to think about how to do this as lore friendly as possible.
I will have to think about how to do this as lore friendly as possible.
09-05-2006, 02:50 AM
What about ng Like the cobra?
09-05-2006, 02:58 AM
Yeah, we will think of something, besides i still have to read up on that Argonian lore too, i just don't have the time for it.
Let's get back to this later, ok? When i have more time for it.
Let's get back to this later, ok? When i have more time for it.
09-05-2006, 03:06 AM
No problem.
09-06-2006, 10:37 PM
I found the Naga text, it says:
"Nagas?"
"Nasty characters," Gemullus said, frowning. "Puff adders with legs and arms, seven feet tall, eight when they're mad. Come from the inner swamp, and they don't like it here much so they're particularly peevish. You're the kind of posh Imperial they're looking for."
Scotti had never in his life thought of himself as posh. His mud and fleshfly-bespeckled clothing seemed eminently middle-class, at best, to him. "What would they want me for?"
"To rob, of course," the Imperial smiled. "And to kill. You didn't notice what happened to the others?" The Imperial frowned, as if struck by a thought. "You didn't sample from those boxes down below, did you? Like the sugar, do you?"
This text says that Naga's exist in Blackmarsh, but it does not say that they are related to the Argonian lizzard race, or that they need Hist trees to survive or whatever.
And it does not say that they only live Blackmarsh, after all it's unknown what creatures live in Akavir.
If there is any evidence that says something else, please let me know...and post the text please
DarkAsmodeous, please PM me about this, tell me what you think, ok?
"Nagas?"
"Nasty characters," Gemullus said, frowning. "Puff adders with legs and arms, seven feet tall, eight when they're mad. Come from the inner swamp, and they don't like it here much so they're particularly peevish. You're the kind of posh Imperial they're looking for."
Scotti had never in his life thought of himself as posh. His mud and fleshfly-bespeckled clothing seemed eminently middle-class, at best, to him. "What would they want me for?"
"To rob, of course," the Imperial smiled. "And to kill. You didn't notice what happened to the others?" The Imperial frowned, as if struck by a thought. "You didn't sample from those boxes down below, did you? Like the sugar, do you?"
This text says that Naga's exist in Blackmarsh, but it does not say that they are related to the Argonian lizzard race, or that they need Hist trees to survive or whatever.
And it does not say that they only live Blackmarsh, after all it's unknown what creatures live in Akavir.
If there is any evidence that says something else, please let me know...and post the text please
DarkAsmodeous, please PM me about this, tell me what you think, ok?