Lore - Oakvael

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OAKVAEL - CITY IN THE TREES

In ages past, Oakvael was overrun by the foul creations of the Brotherhood of Yasnak. In an effort to protect themselves, the citizens of Oakvael built a great city in the trees of the realm, some of the trees are so great that they can actually support the full weight of the city without bending or breaking. The dwellers of the city devised a way of walking safely among the trees, and after a few accidental drops from the tree city to the surface, they developed magical boots for walking on air. Thus was the beginning of the group commonly referred to as the "Air Walkers Society". Many of the greatest trainers in the lands have taken up residence in Oakvael, training those that would venture forth in the advanced arts of sword, hand, and magic. They are scattered throughout the land, but with due diligence all may be found in order to seek the wisdom that they may provide. The surface of Oakvael was ravaged by many of the foul experiments, and for many years the foul beasts roamed the surface. There are still areas that are controlled by the forces of evil, but for the most part, the surface has returned to its original wild state, with Griffins, Bears, and Boars roaming freely. Occasionally near the Burned Woods, one can find an Orc sentry. Luckily the guardians of the portal, Peyton and Karin, have contained most of the foul beasts. Cudyl, a High-Knight of Old, roams the surface, and is the trainer that will send a Knight on to greater glory.

In the South, behind a wall of trees, in a very secluded glade, lives Doom.Orc, a vile half-breed that is the strongest that remains on the surface of the forces that were unleashed by the Brotherhood. An Archer of great renown, he commands a small garrison of Orc Archers, and with them is a Presence that will stun any who try to seek entry into his domicile. His dislike of magic is such that he has forbidden any Wizard or Thaumaturge to enter his domicile. Doom.Orc carries an ancient weapon, the Doom Crossbow (sometimes called the Dorc bow), which is a magical bow capable of taking down all but the most insidious of creatures due to it's blue-glowing attribute. In the far Northeast corner of the Surface, through a dense patch of briars, along a trail that leads deep in the woods, live Aniet and Brych. Aniet is a Knight trainer, and will grant Knighthood to all that are worthy of the title. Brych is another of the Old Order of High-Knights who will grant a weapon of great renown, the Knights Halberd. In exchange for this superior weapon you must give him a small token, the Miseri-corde Dagger (know for it's blue-glowing properties). He will also send those that he gifts with the Halberd to seek the ancient master of Knights that is hidden deep within the catacombs beneath the surface of Oakvael. To the Southwest, a master Martial Artist has managed to set up a dojo of sorts, and will train any Martial Artist that desires advanced instruction in the disciplines of the hand. Living with the master is Yuri, a Ninja of old, who will tell any Martial Artist that inquires in the way to obtain a special set of gauntlets, capable of penetrating any armor, and killing all but a very few of the forces of evil.

In the Northwest corner of the surface, the Thieves have claimed an area where they may train in peace, away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds. Next to the Thieves guild is Berg's Pit, a hole where garbage that is collected and dumped down a chute from the city above. The graveyard is just to the Southwest of the portal complex, and will provide to any that desire a passage to the realm of the Underworld.

Three areas of the surface have collapsed, granting those with FEATHERFALL ability access to the lower reaches of the area. The first of these drops is just South of the portal complex, and leads down to Spider City, where great Spiders, Scorpions, and Vipers live. Previous adventurers have left a rope here to climb up and down. This is the highest level of the catacombs, and is actually rather deserted, except for an occasional Kobold, Orc, Troll, and of course…Spider. The second area is East of Rager's Lake, and is really a two-ledge jump. One ledge leads to the Serpent Sea level, the other to the Temple of the Demons. Both of these areas are very dangerous, and should be avoided except by very high level individuals, or larger hunting groups.

The third area is in the Southeast corner of the surface, and has been nicknamed "The Express Elevator to Hell". This should give the wary adventurer a warning that extreme caution should be used by those desiring to use it as a method of quickly moving from the surface to the areas below. Some of the jump points lead to the Spider City or to the Serpent Sea, but most lead directly to the level of the Undead, an area where the Brotherhood performed some of their most advanced research in the generation of Undead Warriors. The East side of the surface is covered in a great forest of burned trees, and is referred to by the locals as the Burnt Woods. No one remembers exactly how the forest was destroyed in that region, though legend has it that the Brotherhood summoned a Great Dragon there, and the Dragon decimated the woods until Cudyl came and killed the Dragon. Cudyl can still be found wandering in the woods, ever vigilant.

The city in the trees is a vast expanse of walkways inter-linking the various shops and domiciles that are present there. The Sheriff keeps vigil in the area surrounding the temple and most of the Northern walkway, but does not go near the pawnshop or bank. This is of great value to the Thieves that reside within the town, as they can transact business without the constant sniping from the Sheriff's deadly longbow. The city is supported, from below, by several huge oaks. These are thought to be thousands of years old. In the city proper can be found many of the shops where the business of town is performed. The West end of town is primarily reserved for commerce where the jeweler, apothecary, pawnshop, weapons, and armor dealer can all be found, along with the bank and the lockers. The East end of town has the temple, the tanner, the tavern, the sage, and the climb up to the Wizard trainer and Confessor Ghost. The Bull and Falcon Tavern has long been a meeting place for the locals to exchange stories. Adventurers congregate there to set up expeditions or to unwind after a trip of eradication. Near the pawnshop lives the lower martial arts trainer. The main level of the temple is located in the town proper, and Tveckie will train advanced Thaumaturges in the ways of petitioning the Ghods for their powers. Along the main boulevard is a hut, which belongs to the martial artist Konran. Unfortunately, he is never home, but he will grant a gift to those who can help him find his way back home from the Troll Temple deep below the surface. Above the town level, in the upper level of the temple, the Confessor Ghost resides. From the upper level of the temple are two other climbs. One will lead to the advanced Wizard trainer and the other to a lookout position far up in the trees. In ages past, this was used to watch for enemies approaching the city, or to locate fires in the forest (which could be devastating.) Below the city, but still above the surface, the gym facilities are located, along with the weapons trainer, who will train those advanced students in the art of using the particular weapons.

Below the surface is where the Brotherhood liked to perform its research. The first level below the surface is where initiates were trained in the arts. A garrison of Orcs and Kobolds once guarded the area and a few of them remain, but for the most part, the area has been taken over by Spiders, Vipers, Rats, and Scorpions. Beware, however, many of these creatures can inflict a poisonous bite or sting. While the Brotherhood was active, it had minions of Hobgoblins, Orcs, and Trolls. Some of these they trained in the art of magic. They housed them in some wet caverns located below what is now Spider City, and to keep the troops in line the Brotherhood summoned Spectres from the Undead level. Even after the fall of the Brotherhood, these foul creatures maintained their barracks in the wet caverns that they were used to, and they made an alliance with the Spectres set to watch them. For you see, the Spectres did not wish to return to the Undead level, where they were less powerful. Therefore, the Spectres agreed to assist the Hobgoblins in guarding the area. These Spectres cast a powerful blinding spell, followed by multiple death spells. There are many foul pools in the caverns, and what goes into those pools even I dare not think.

The Eastern ledge and the Wyrm Wilderness were formed by an unknown magic, perhaps the same magic that devastated the surface forest on the East side. The various passages and climbs that are found on these levels helped to provide easier access from the wet caverns and the Serpent Sea for the Brotherhood to move supplies around. The Eastern ledge is mostly deserted, except for an occasional wandering Kobold or Orc. The cave on the West side of the ledge was used to store supplies, and has a pit that leads to the wet caverns. The Wyrm level is completely deserted except for the Wyrms themselves. These are insidious creatures, and are very tough to kill. They are impervious to any blade except those made of silver, and though magic can hurt them, they are more resistant to it than most creatures. Extreme caution should be used if even one of these beasts is encountered.

Ages ago, long before the existence of the Brotherhood, an underground river from the sea managed to carve out a grotto beneath the surface of Oakvael. The sea water receded leaving a small salt water grotto. In this sea, a vast multitude of creatures thrived without the direct aid of sunlight. As time passed, a Serpent moved from the surface to the sea to feed on all of these creatures. The Brotherhood discovered the cave where the Serpent (Cecil) lived, and tried to carve out more dwellings for its ever-growing number of minions. This time it was for the associates of the Brotherhood that the caves were used. The Serpent did not like this intrusion, and devised it's own plan of defense. With the help of a Water Nymph (Pesclanor) who also lived in the sea, they conjured up a black fog, which constantly transported the Brotherhood from one location on the level to another. To further complicate the matter, they convinced a few renegade Trolls to assist in carving the central cavern, where the fog was, so that the shape would be symmetrical, confusing those that were caught by the fog. To this day, the Serpents Maze remains confusing and full of surprises. The plan was partially successful, as the Brotherhood abandoned most of the area immediately surrounding the sea, leaving the Serpent in relative peace. Other areas farther to the West were developed, and the Sorcerers from the Brotherhood took up residence. Descendants of those dwellers can still be found there today, though fortunately they have lost the main secrets of the Brotherhood, sticking to the more common forms of magic. These descendants saw the futility of fighting the Serpent's control of the level, and decided to form an alliance (albeit an uneasy one) with the Serpent and the Nymph.

The main city and temple of the Brotherhood was established below the Serpent Sea level. Walking along the avenue, you can both appreciate the beauty of the city (even the Brotherhood did a few things right), and at the same time sense the ultimate evil which was the driving force behind the Brotherhood. The Northern part of the city was the temple to the Demon Lords, and other minor temples were established around the perimeter of the city. The temple, with its grotesque imagery, is still perhaps one of the few marvels from the Brotherhood that was not destroyed when the Brotherhood itself perished. Today it is home to a few descendants of the Brotherhood, but is mainly occupied by large numbers of Troll, and is usually referred to as the Troll Temple because of this. Glamuzu is the local variant of "law enforcement", though I really doubt that there are any laws to be enforced. Still, together with his martial artist deputy, Griizalu, he keeps an eye on everything, and makes sure that nothing comes along to disrupt their daily business. In the Northwest corner is an abandoned archery range, which has been converted to a prison of sorts. Glamuzu caught Konran wandering through the city, evidently drunk from a few too many Troll brews, and locked him up here. Anyone daring enough can try to spring Konran free and lead him back to his home in the city above. In return, Konran will give his rescuer a gift of a special cloth. The Troll minions, and a few Wizards and Thaumaturges, still remain, keeping the sacrificial flames lit, and performing their evil incantations, on the hope that one day a new Brotherhood will emerge.

The level of the Undead Altar is a hazardous place to be, even for the bravest adventurers! It is said that, at the height of their power, the Brotherhood built an altar complex, based on the pattern of the portal complexes, in order to assist them in summoning many of the foulest beasts imaginable. In this complex, they summoned many Liches, Wraiths, Wights, Spectres, Ghouls, Banshees, and Stalkers. Many of them also attempted to prolong their life beyond its normal measure with enchantments of enormous power. They had managed to summon Wraiths that were very capable fighters, but had lost their capability for magic. The Banshees they summoned were capable of casting their spells by simple force of will, but lacked any real endurance. The Ghouls and Stalkers were very potent fighters indeed, and the Liches were among the best spell casters around. The sorcerers that attempted the life prolonging technique were successful to a degree, though in the process they lost some of their magic skill, and were limited to one or two spells that they could still remember. In an attempt to summon a being that was both a capable fighter and a competent Magician, the Brotherhood set forth in the altar area to cast their greatest enchantment yet, even greater than the one which summoned the Dragon to Kesmai. The results were devastating. A great explosion rocked the entire area around the altar, and the explosion ripped a great hole all the way to the surface of Oakvael. Most of the Brotherhood were killed by the blast, and the few that remained were so beat up that they could not withstand the onslaught of the two creatures that answered their summons. For they did manage to summon two Demon Liches, both capable in the area of the martial arts and magic. The summoning was not as well as they had desired, but as none of survived, it hardly matters. The Iron Lich Twins (Larry and Harvey) roamed the level until they found an area to their liking, where they established a permanent residence.

Near the stairs leading from the Troll Temple level is another staircase, carved with a completely different architecture, leading down to the Reptile Pit. Eons ago, the ancient Order of High-Knights devised a testing area for the bravest of their ranks and sited it in the lowest level of the Oakvael dungeon. The Reptile Pit is the result of their efforts. The ancient Knights created perhaps the greatest test of bravery and fighting ability and filled it with some of the most formidable opponents one could hope to meet. Two Knights administer the pit, Clwyd, who guards the entrance barring admission to all but Knights and Gorfwylltra who stands in the innermost point of the pit. Between these, two lie numerous obstacles and powerful creatures. The obstacles include walls of magical concussion, which confuse adventurers by convincing them that they are under attack by their fellows.

Having survived the concussion spells, would-be heroes will encounter a series of nasty creatures. The most famous of which is, Wendy, the red Whirlwind Dragon. Apart from the Dragon there are also several Minotaur, Stalkers, large Serpents, Concussion Spectres and perhaps worst of all, up to four Wyrms each considered to be as dangerous as a small Dragon. Any Knight who can complete this journey and present Gorfwylltra with further evidence of courage (in the form of a Golden Knight’s Halberd) will be rewarded with extra health.