Koshi

Death Is But A Doorway

The Journey Beyond Is Not Our Final Destination

Follow The Path of Koshi To Immortality

Koshi - The Path of Forever

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(Important Note: Koshi is the path of the enlightened - those who can see the evidence of the power of the Necromancer and the Netherworld, and who wish to escape the cycle of mortality - acquiring the power to live forever in this world, no matter the cost. Lesser men meekly acquiesce to their natural end. the Disciples of Koshi actively pursue the power to extend life, undo death, and live forever!)

The Ways of Koshi

The Disciples of Koshi are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge of anything that can extend life, end sickness and infirmity, and ultimately, enable a living being to return to life after having died.

Who among us has not lost parents, friends, children and loved ones to the icy grip of death? Who among us does not want to feel the warm sun on their face, feel soft breezes waft across their face, and wish for life and vigor to continue for eternity?

Persecuted for our beliefs, we seek and strive and study in secret, searching for the knowledge that will enable us to create the elixir vitae, and thus escape the mortal cycle of life and death.

The Disciples of Koshi

The Disciples of Koshi walk the Pathway of Eternity in secret, living among the unenlightened masses of Daishists, Omniovoists and other pagans. We practice our arts in the Houses of Healing - healing wounds and extending life; in musty libraries poring over decaying tomes of ancient knowledge; in woodland hovels, combining exotic ingredients into potions and draughts that may have curative effects; and on battlefields, testing our creations on the wounded and recently deceased.

Daishi

Like the followers of Daishi, we believe in the armored gods. However, unlike the lesser men of that faith, we do not believe that The Great Death comes for all. The Great Death only comes to those who lack the inner strength to face it, master it, and overcome it through Koshi. We seek to delay any sort of death for as long as possible, and should it come upon us, to suffer only Koshi - The Little Death - from which there can be a return.

The Daishists consider us apostates. We consider them uneducated at best, fools at the worst.

The Necromancer

The belief in Koshi grew from observations of the undead that walk the lands of Beluaterra. These once-living beings have passed beyond the mortal plane and their forms have been reanimated. However, these lesser undead appear to be lacking the intellect, humanity, and quality of life they enjoyed during their mortal existence. Driven by an unholy hunger, these products of the Lesser Death may be found in small groups in the wilderness, where they are drawn to each other, and may often form a large band that attacks the living indiscriminately.

While the Daishi-worshippers decry our path, and claim that we wish to become more like these dangerous caracatures of life, this is not so. They are merely interesting to us as proof that Death's Door swings both ways.

More interesting to the Disciples of Koshi is the recent appearence on Beluaterra of a group of ten individuals calling themselves the Necromancer's Servants. These beings were, according to the one known as 'Sally', once great mortal heroes who died, but were then resurrected by unknown means at the hands of an individual known as the Necromancer. Unlike the lesser undead, these Servants are intelligent, self-willed, and able to live life to the fullest once more.

This is exactly the sort of life-after-death sought by the Disciples of Koshi. While we do not worship the Necromancer and his Servants, we respect their power, and hope, some day, to learn their techniques ourselves.

The Netherworld

Another aspect of Koshi that has been revealed to us is that of the Daimons from the Netherworld. When the pitlord Invisible was struck down by Plergothian soldiers, he immediately reappeared, fully healed and restored to full strength. When slain again by Enweilish troops, once again he was resurrected at full strength. The nature of this resurrection is troubling, and likely connected with dark daimonic magicks, but the fact of Invisible's return not once, but twice, to full life is a testament to the undeniable existence and power of Koshi.

The Disciples of Koshi will continue to observe the Daimons (from a safe distance) to learn what we can of their tricks.

Elixir Vitae

The ultimate goal of the Disciples of Koshi is to create and perfect the Elixir Vitae - the legendary water of life that will cure all ailments and restore the dead to youthful vigor. To this end, we employ numerous outlaws, freemen (and a few outright rogues) to scour the wilds in search of exotic materials which we can use for our experiments. In exchange for items of particular interest, we can often bestow enchanted artifacts. The next Sage you meet might be one of us...