The Decrepit Court
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Contents
The Decrepit Court
Somewhere, beneath the veneer of polite society, built upon the ashes of a fallen Kingdom whose name is scarcely whispered, lest its utterance attract ill fortune, is a gathering. This gathering to some is a cancer, growing and feeding off otherwise virtuous societies. To the enlightened, it is a gathering of the adherents of truth, who accept the world as it truly is, and hold the real power behind the scenes.
The Creed of the Court
Peace is a lie, there is only conflict. There is no good, no evil, only power. There is strength in unity, in unity, power. I give myself, body, mind and soul to the Court, and its King/Queen. The Abhorrent King's/Queen's enemies are mine own. May Darkness take my damned soul if I fail him/her. This in blood, I do swear.
Dogma
Virtue is the greatest deception mankind ever wrought. One need merely observe nature to learn that power is derived from cunning and violence. To pretend man came to power any other way is a lie. Charity, mercy, kindness... Are either deception, or born of weakness. Deception is to be embraced, weakness culled. The preservation and the elevation of mankind is the only goal to be pursued.
On Sorcery:
Man mastered fire, and with this mastery, became master of the material world. This advancement has lead to his triumph over the beasts of the land, and put him on par with the Monsters who would otherwise remain unchallenged as the apex predator. However, soon a new power would begin to elevate man further... Magic.
With the rise of magic in ancient eras, SpellMasters rose and dominated the land... However their greed tainted the great pool of aetherium, the source of magic. Few can touch this pool without being corrupted. These include wizards and sages who are ancient beings, withered remains of the ancient Spellmasters. They are however, weakened, and their magic is confined to creating, repairing and imbuing artifacts and scrolls. Daimons, being beings of pure corruption, are unaffected by drawing on aetherium.
For generations, man thought magic extinct. Then the invasions came. Humans unafraid of the cost, drew upon aetherium, corrupting them body and soul. These were the first necromancers, and they were the first to discover salvation. They raised armies of the dead and ravaged the lands of man. They were eventually defeated.
The creation of the Undead during the first invasion was not the first time magic was used to create undead. Many incredibly ancient undead do exist... However it was the first time the undead had been created after the corruption of aetherium. The result was more powerful undead... And as the Art was advanced, undead became smarter, and could call upon aetherium without risk. The undead even instill fear in the Daimons, which is explored in some arcane texts held by the Court.
Magic is the destiny of man, and as anything, there is no good, or evil. However, magic is a weapon and not to be used lightly.
The Court
The Abhorrent Monarch
The uncontested leader of the Court, whose responsibility is to oversee the activities of the court, ensuring the virtuous are corrupted, the Court is enriched, and remains secret. To oppose the Abhorrent Monarch is to invite destruction.
The Corrupt Courtiers
The close advisors of the Abhorrent Monarch, they act as shadowy equivalents to a realm's council, informally acting as judges, generals and bankers.
The Grafs
The Counts of the Decrepit Court. Rumored to be immortal beings, they are physical representations of the values of the Court. They are Graf Sordes, Graf Pestis, Graf Mendacium, Graf Impes, and Graf Obtestor. They are the executors of the Abhorrent Monarch's will, and carry out their Monarch's orders directly. They are powerful sorcerers and warriors each, exemplified by their special talents. Greed, Plague, Deciet, Wrath, and Thaumaturgy given form.
