A free total conversion for the registered users of Quake1
Development ceased 5/3/98 - final release available here.
A free total conversion for the registered users of Quake1
Development ceased 5/3/98 - final release available here.
The sun rose feebly in the sleepy kingdom of Welmyr, casting long morning shadows across shallow rivers and dried up mudflats. The pale warmth of the sun's touch failed to revive the failing crops of the kingdom. As noontime approached, the peasants and farmers throughout the region remarked about the illness of the land, and of the strangely cool breeze that smelled like a freshly opened coffin.
Down from the distant mountains of the Dragon's Spine it came, a breeze touching only the Living; leaving behind only the odor of Death. Superstitous peasants believed they heard a faint laugh as the wind stirred past.....
Smarter townspeople took notice of the tightness in the faces of many Druids, who worship the legendary, but unseen Phoenix. They were a silent lot for a change; town gossips everywhere report that, as of late, Druids are spending more and more time holed away in thier temples. They know something, and only the most educated can even guess....
The Phoenix is dying....
Everyone is familiar with the legends of the Phoenix, of course, it is told to children in the same manner as fairies and sprites, trolls and gremlins. A fanciful story, nothing more, except to the Druids who worship the mighty bird. The signs of the Phoenix's death cycle are ignored by most commoners of Welmyr, but the Times of Tribulation are at hand, if indeed the Phoenix is preparing to go into it's death cycle. The Balance will be upset during the Phoenix's dormancy.
Soon the Phoenix would fly away, as legend goes, away from human habitation; away from even the Druids who worship it, to perform it's ritualistic suicide/rebirth through the fire, leaving only an Egg in the ashes. Helpless for a month, this egg is the key to maintaining the Balance of Life, Death, and Rebirth. Whosoever controls the Egg of the Phoenix, controls the Balance when it hatches. With this control, comes immortality and power. If a force were to take this egg and destroy the Phoenix while it lay helpless....
In a small, sleepy town on the edge of the Forest, a group of complete strangers are about to become involved on the journey of a lifetime - for better or worse, as news of a horrible massacre at the local Temple of the Phoenix shake the world to it's foundation; One hundred Druids, all killed, most mutilated, decapitated, butchered - and although three survived, only one lived long enough to speak these dire words into the ear of the Crusader who discovered her:
They seek the Egg..... and they were not human.....
But not a trace of the murderers were left behind; the town, isolated as it was from the outside world, quickly dispatched messengers in every direction to bring together the many rival feudal states of this area of Welmyr, but to no avail - the messengers who returned alive report strange occurances all about Welmyr; of the shy Goarcs massing around towns to the south, all armed. Strange bat-like creatures sucking the very soul of Life from hapless travelers and explorers, of distant campfires seen at night coming from the direction of the Dragon's Spine.
A terrible force was being brought to bear on the defenseless Welmyr, it would seem the Time of Tribulation has came at last, the scales of the Balance were to be upset, and no one will make it through this period unscathed .....
| The Druid "May your soul soar with the Phoenix" |
Certian that the attack on the Temple is a clear sign of danger for the Phoenix, the Druid immediately embarks on a quest to find the Egg and protect it from whatever vile force is responsible for the murder of her Sisters. Vengence plays a strong part in her quest as well...
Druids worship the "Balance", and the symbol of the Phoenix is a very strong one. They also are very active; they don't lounge around in monastaries wearing long, flowing robes - they get out and take care of business.
| The Necromancer "Death is inevitable; accept it, tolerate it, embrace it" |
Known as the Brotherhood, these "dark priests" worship Death, and believe that Life is merely a transistional state of bieng. The Brotherhood are never far from areas of war, famine, or pestilence in their study of Death in it's many forms. The Necromancer follows the magic of the Occult, and belives in Sacrifice as the best way to gain power from their Dark Lords. The higher value the Sacrifice, the higher the reward, and there could be no higher Sacrifice than that of the Phoenix Egg, which until now the Brotherhood treated as myth.
Necromancers are not well loved by the public, although their powers are worth respecting; they make no efforts to conceal themselves while out; and are as you may expect, often seen alone.
| The Diviner "Even Death must be reversible, somehow" |
Healers by trade, Diviners respect Life and hold it in highest regard. Diviners spend a lifetime perfecting the healing arts; but one thing escapes the Diviner completely - the full restoration of Life to something which is dead. The closest to healing death is Zombiefication, but in that case the soul is still gone. To study the Phoenix's Egg as it is reborn could solve the greatest riddle of all time.
Every village wants a Diviner; and as such Diviners are held in high regard by communities, and often hold office as well.
| The Rogue "Gold and Glory, what else is there?" |
Trusting only himself and his weapons, answering to no God and swearing fealty to no nation, the renegade Rogue is out for one thing - profit. Thief by nature, the Rogue is stealthy and cunning. Let no man stand in his way in the quest for glory and gold; with the Phoenix Egg, he could sell it to the higest bidder...... be they good or evil is of no consequence. The color of gold is the same no matter who's palm - or claw - it comes from. Before he can do so, however, he must free himself from a debt......
| The Crusader "Injustice is the only true evil" |
The Crusader is a local Knight, well trained in the use of arms, who is a firm believer in justice and peace. It was the Crusader who discovered the Massacre, and so the Crusader feels it is his duty to bring the murderers of the innocents to justice. The Crusader is a skeptic of the supernatural and as such dismisses the real meaning of the Phoenix entirely. But is he motivated by his code of honor, or for more personal reasons?
| The Outlander On a spiritual quest |
This strange primitive barbarian from across the sea practices the strange art of Rune Magic by chanting and drawing complex sigils (runes), either in mid air or onto surfaces to get the desired spell. The Outlander has travelled far to seek the Phoenix, to bring back it's blessing to his ill-stricken people in the Outlands to the north, where a horrible flesh-eating pestilance is slowly destroying his people. Learning that the Phoenix is in danger, his mission becomes two-fold - rescue the Phoenix and it'd most assuredly help with his cause.
Six people, six different motives, who will you champion? Will you take up the cause of Life, and seek to save the vulnerable Phoenix, or will you champion the cause of Death, and seek to wrest control of the Phoenix's Egg yourself?
Your decision could save the world, or shatter it .....