The Crimson King
Valdek Haointh
Deity of the Burning Taint Plague of Hated Sorrow
Valdek Haointh:
Beginning human life in Red Akhet 24, 106 B.R. -24,140 B.R. (Bronze Age of Realms)
Valdek Haointh was born 24,106B.R. to the Dsahai class of Red Akhet, the working class of the nation used to support the noble Alhem heavy knights known and feared by Red Akhets neighboring countries. Despite this he, due to the ongoing advancement of the northerner Moon Kingdom invasion, was drafted as a Alhem Knight squire. He trained in the capital of Dethran as the Alhem heavy knights of Red Akhet lost more and more ground due to being vastly outnumbered, and skirmishing tactics used by the invaders proved to effective against the knights. His training would last a year, and while training would meet with the new inductee of the High Priestess Order of Barrier Ascension religion Evonne of Everstoin. She would visit Red Akhet in an attempt to assist the country by bringing awareness and show support to the dwindling forces of Red Akhet. Her efforts however would go without notice as the surrounding countries had grown accustomed to only caring for their own agendas. Despite the two's brief encounter they built a repour that would blossom into love later. After Everstoin and her entourage left the last major battle for the Red Akhet's nobles to defend the capitol would begin.
The Siege for Dothran would be a brutal bloody affair, forever changing the young Valdek. Nearly all the defenders would be killed in the grueling long assault. Valdek would survive, knocked unconscious defending the ramparts and left for dead as the city burned. He would in a daze escape the burning wreckage of the capital having to travel across the desert of Rehn with little food or water. It is thought that the voice of the Deity Opathra provided guidance or sustenance to save Valdek, thinking it would turn him into a devotee of the god, saving the country that the god's worship was based in. However it would have the opposite effect. On surviving the desert travel Valdek would begin the revolution to retake his homeland. Attached to this resistance was his new preaching's of what would become known as Crimsonism. These beliefs would light a fire so strong within the people of Red Akhet that not only would the Dsahai working class, but also the remaining nobles of Alhem, give up their titles to join his cause. In 24,130 B.R. Valdek would be knighted and all future knights named in his order Crimson Knights, taking up the eight horned helm of Red Akhet's sacred goat, a representation of the Dsahai working class now being allowed knighthood. The gods would take note of the rise of Valdek as Knight Exemplar, growing afraid of his growing anti-religious philosophy, which had never before seen before, would try and take his success as their own. They would visit him in his war camp "gifting" him with a Jimsaw, an extremely powerful relic from before the time of gods. Valdek would bitterly accept, the gods of the Council of Ten too powerful to deny. However, he did not fall into the trap of using the Jimsaw in the way that the gods had intended, who had known that a mortal using it's power would burn out their soul and die. Instead he would slowly store his hate, anger and passion inside it, which would exponentially grow and allow it's power to be used by him, slowly giving him mastery over the relics powers.
Using it's powers little by little he retook his country in bloody revolution, even giving some of the Jimsaws powers as a blessing to the most loyal of his Crimson Knights, expanding the philosophy of Crimsonism even further. It would also be during this time that he would begin to visit the Church of Barrier Accession in attempts to win favor from the other countries as well as funding, reconnecting with Evonne, and their secret love would grow. In 24,138B.R he, after retaking the capital of Red Akhet by viscously burning it and the defending invaders to the ground, would be crowned as the new King of Red Akhet. King Valdek would soon after build a fleet thanks to funds from the Barrier Accession Church sailing to seak vengence on the Moon Kingdom.
Beginning human life in Red Akhet 24, 106 B.R. -24,140 B.R. (Bronze Age of Realms)
Valdek Haointh was born 24,106B.R. to the Dsahai class of Red Akhet, the working class of the nation used to support the noble Alhem heavy knights known and feared by Red Akhets neighboring countries. Despite this he, due to the ongoing advancement of the northerner Moon Kingdom invasion, was drafted as a Alhem Knight squire. He trained in the capital of Dethran as the Alhem heavy knights of Red Akhet lost more and more ground due to being vastly outnumbered, and skirmishing tactics used by the invaders proved to effective against the knights. His training would last a year, and while training would meet with the new inductee of the High Priestess Order of Barrier Ascension religion Evonne of Everstoin. She would visit Red Akhet in an attempt to assist the country by bringing awareness and show support to the dwindling forces of Red Akhet. Her efforts however would go without notice as the surrounding countries had grown accustomed to only caring for their own agendas. Despite the two's brief encounter they built a repour that would blossom into love later. After Everstoin and her entourage left the last major battle for the Red Akhet's nobles to defend the capitol would begin.
The Siege for Dothran would be a brutal bloody affair, forever changing the young Valdek. Nearly all the defenders would be killed in the grueling long assault. Valdek would survive, knocked unconscious defending the ramparts and left for dead as the city burned. He would in a daze escape the burning wreckage of the capital having to travel across the desert of Rehn with little food or water. It is thought that the voice of the Deity Opathra provided guidance or sustenance to save Valdek, thinking it would turn him into a devotee of the god, saving the country that the god's worship was based in. However it would have the opposite effect. On surviving the desert travel Valdek would begin the revolution to retake his homeland. Attached to this resistance was his new preaching's of what would become known as Crimsonism. These beliefs would light a fire so strong within the people of Red Akhet that not only would the Dsahai working class, but also the remaining nobles of Alhem, give up their titles to join his cause. In 24,130 B.R. Valdek would be knighted and all future knights named in his order Crimson Knights, taking up the eight horned helm of Red Akhet's sacred goat, a representation of the Dsahai working class now being allowed knighthood. The gods would take note of the rise of Valdek as Knight Exemplar, growing afraid of his growing anti-religious philosophy, which had never before seen before, would try and take his success as their own. They would visit him in his war camp "gifting" him with a Jimsaw, an extremely powerful relic from before the time of gods. Valdek would bitterly accept, the gods of the Council of Ten too powerful to deny. However, he did not fall into the trap of using the Jimsaw in the way that the gods had intended, who had known that a mortal using it's power would burn out their soul and die. Instead he would slowly store his hate, anger and passion inside it, which would exponentially grow and allow it's power to be used by him, slowly giving him mastery over the relics powers.
Using it's powers little by little he retook his country in bloody revolution, even giving some of the Jimsaws powers as a blessing to the most loyal of his Crimson Knights, expanding the philosophy of Crimsonism even further. It would also be during this time that he would begin to visit the Church of Barrier Accession in attempts to win favor from the other countries as well as funding, reconnecting with Evonne, and their secret love would grow. In 24,138B.R he, after retaking the capital of Red Akhet by viscously burning it and the defending invaders to the ground, would be crowned as the new King of Red Akhet. King Valdek would soon after build a fleet thanks to funds from the Barrier Accession Church sailing to seak vengence on the Moon Kingdom.
The War of Red Snow and Ascension to Godhood 24,140 B.R -24,148 B.R. (Bronze Age of Realms)
Sailing to the lands of the Moon Kingdom with his new fleet he would begin the conquest of their tribes. So brutal were his forces that the Moon Kingdom would soon break their laws, known as the Crescent Accord,s and unleash technology they had gleamed from the torture of the Black Mantle Giver. This in addition to the harsh northern winters, a stark contrast to the desert climate and heavy knight tactics of Red Akhet, would grind King Valdek and his forces to a halt. Despite the forces of the Moon Kingdom unleashing unstable hard-light technology King Valdek would prevail with his extremely loyal forces. Forgoing the strategy of cavalry he would build expansive series of well defended dug in camps known as the Crimson Trenches, and special forces that he had gifted and trained with blessings of his Jimsaw's Majket. Grinding the tribes of northerners in ruthless bloody combat, he won key tribes over with his brutal nature, seeing it as the only way of survival. Some of the most extremist beliefs of Crimsonism would be born during this period, the heavy winter of the land combining with the heavy loss of life and trench warfare, a dangerous fuel for the loyalty of the Crimson Empire.
Valdek would near wipe all natives out, finding additionally the captured Black Mantle Giver in the capital of Crescent who would become a devote follower of Valdek.
Returning home , Valdek his morality twisted beyond anything it had been before would use the knowledge gifted by the Black Mantle Giver and Jimsaw to deviously plan his final fight against the foes he most hated, the gods. Under a banner of truce and guise of victory fanfare, he would visit the Citadel of Barrier Accession, an eager loving now high priestess Evonne foolishly waiting for him. However so consumed with hate that had been driving him, multiplied by the power of Jimsaw, Valdek was not the man she loved anymore. His knights locking the doors, and in heinous ritual he would use the churches sacred tome of Accession in conjunction with the Jimsaw, murdering his lover in sacrifice to ascend to Godhood.
However right before his accession, it was said he hesitated, and in that moment, in rage and agony Evonne took one blow to Valdek for his betray, tearing his eye out as he killed her.
To many that followed Crimsonism the loss of his eye was a symbol in their twisted view of his final ascent into the being known as the Crimson King, losing any remaining humanity to become their deity. It would be used as his symbol, seen as his followers as his acceptance of power, blood, and eventual it's original history lost, only a baleful all seeing eye as a symbol to represent what the zealous followers saw as the Crimson King's view on all things, and dominion over them.
Sailing to the lands of the Moon Kingdom with his new fleet he would begin the conquest of their tribes. So brutal were his forces that the Moon Kingdom would soon break their laws, known as the Crescent Accord,s and unleash technology they had gleamed from the torture of the Black Mantle Giver. This in addition to the harsh northern winters, a stark contrast to the desert climate and heavy knight tactics of Red Akhet, would grind King Valdek and his forces to a halt. Despite the forces of the Moon Kingdom unleashing unstable hard-light technology King Valdek would prevail with his extremely loyal forces. Forgoing the strategy of cavalry he would build expansive series of well defended dug in camps known as the Crimson Trenches, and special forces that he had gifted and trained with blessings of his Jimsaw's Majket. Grinding the tribes of northerners in ruthless bloody combat, he won key tribes over with his brutal nature, seeing it as the only way of survival. Some of the most extremist beliefs of Crimsonism would be born during this period, the heavy winter of the land combining with the heavy loss of life and trench warfare, a dangerous fuel for the loyalty of the Crimson Empire.
Valdek would near wipe all natives out, finding additionally the captured Black Mantle Giver in the capital of Crescent who would become a devote follower of Valdek.
Returning home , Valdek his morality twisted beyond anything it had been before would use the knowledge gifted by the Black Mantle Giver and Jimsaw to deviously plan his final fight against the foes he most hated, the gods. Under a banner of truce and guise of victory fanfare, he would visit the Citadel of Barrier Accession, an eager loving now high priestess Evonne foolishly waiting for him. However so consumed with hate that had been driving him, multiplied by the power of Jimsaw, Valdek was not the man she loved anymore. His knights locking the doors, and in heinous ritual he would use the churches sacred tome of Accession in conjunction with the Jimsaw, murdering his lover in sacrifice to ascend to Godhood.
However right before his accession, it was said he hesitated, and in that moment, in rage and agony Evonne took one blow to Valdek for his betray, tearing his eye out as he killed her.
To many that followed Crimsonism the loss of his eye was a symbol in their twisted view of his final ascent into the being known as the Crimson King, losing any remaining humanity to become their deity. It would be used as his symbol, seen as his followers as his acceptance of power, blood, and eventual it's original history lost, only a baleful all seeing eye as a symbol to represent what the zealous followers saw as the Crimson King's view on all things, and dominion over them.
The War on Heaven 24,148 B.R. -30,231 B.R. (Bronze Age of Realms)
Very little is known about the War on Heaven, although from what records show it is known for sure that the very first god to immediately challenge The Crimson King as soon as he ascended was the Deity Opathra, the last ditch attempt to throw the usurper of their country's faith before they gained the seat that Opathra coveted. They would lose that battle, dying as all gods did when a human ascended as a deity due to the law of ten, as was the natural law of the spiritual realm. From there The Crimson King would join the Council of Ten, creating a divide between the Lawful gods and the Chaotic gods who foolishly saw the Crimson King as a method to more power.
While humanity on Errona would know little about this war for the period of spiritual war, the churches of each god would secretly ascend their chosen worshipers, as war brewed in the Heavens, the Crimson King using the greed of the gods to pit them against one another not seeing him as their ultimate evil. The Crimson King would give more power then the other deities, who were used to not sharing with mortals, to those that he moved into the spiritual realm. His forces so frequent in victory that the chaos gods who had initially joined his side and who might have decided to turn on him, were too afraid to do so. Soon, after decades and decades of combat, there were only a few remaining gods. It would be too late for both sides to join sides against the Crimson King as they realized that he had leeched much of their power and let the gods pick each other off over their debate of his power.
Very little is known about the War on Heaven, although from what records show it is known for sure that the very first god to immediately challenge The Crimson King as soon as he ascended was the Deity Opathra, the last ditch attempt to throw the usurper of their country's faith before they gained the seat that Opathra coveted. They would lose that battle, dying as all gods did when a human ascended as a deity due to the law of ten, as was the natural law of the spiritual realm. From there The Crimson King would join the Council of Ten, creating a divide between the Lawful gods and the Chaotic gods who foolishly saw the Crimson King as a method to more power.
While humanity on Errona would know little about this war for the period of spiritual war, the churches of each god would secretly ascend their chosen worshipers, as war brewed in the Heavens, the Crimson King using the greed of the gods to pit them against one another not seeing him as their ultimate evil. The Crimson King would give more power then the other deities, who were used to not sharing with mortals, to those that he moved into the spiritual realm. His forces so frequent in victory that the chaos gods who had initially joined his side and who might have decided to turn on him, were too afraid to do so. Soon, after decades and decades of combat, there were only a few remaining gods. It would be too late for both sides to join sides against the Crimson King as they realized that he had leeched much of their power and let the gods pick each other off over their debate of his power.
Jezeral's Sacrifice, The Spiritual Realm is turned to the Plane of Taint, and the Wanderings of the Crimson King 30,231 B.R. (Bronze Age of Realms)- A.C. (Age of Convergence)
It was only with the deity Jezeral that the powerful cultists of the Crimson King in the spiritual realm were starved off by the remaining gods and their forces, and in a last ditch maneuver, Jezeral would sacrifice the power of his godhood to make the Accession Barrier into a two way barrier that none could enter or exit and descending as a human.
The Crimson King could now no longer use the belief of his followers, or descend from the Spiritual Realm. Nor could the followers of Crimsonism or the Black Mantle reach their deity for guidance or even to try and assist him.. Mad with grief at no longer being able to hear the voice of his King, the Black Mantle would do everything in his power, using progenitor majkets, jimsaw and anything at it's disposal to try and bring back the Crimson King. Going so far as to attempt one of the most powerful majket conversions ever attempted, the Black Mantle would create the Taint. Bio-engineered Majket using his dead son's bones as a base the attempt would be to recreate the Crimson King's body and channel the Crimson King's mind into the flesh.
However whatever the case may be, the Taint never successfully mutated fully into the Crimson King, even in the Age of Convergence despite his efforts. The effects of the spell would only end in creating the horrendous psychic plague that is know throughout the realm. Furthermore the effects would utterly corrupt any followers of the Crimson King that had been heavily endowed with his previous gifts of power, morphed into Taint monstrosities, many of them still trapped in the spiritual realm. The spiritual realm while not well explored after Jezeral's sacrifice to close it off, has been viewed from the effects of the Taint and found to be utterly infected, a boiling mass of Taint, so massive that it's growth has managed to even infect into the Realm of the New Dream.
It is thought by the now believers of the Empire of the Red Eye in their version of Mechanis Crimsonism, that for whatever reason the Crimson King refuses to be transferred into the Taint, and while they know not the true history of Crimsonism anymore, it is debated among other deities of other Realms that it may have been one final spark of regret, or may haps honor or atonement for his crimes. Whatever the case, it is the belief of the Kurlik that he now wanders eternally within the Plane of Taint which is what the spiritual realm has turned to, blind, waiting for when the Taint is destroyed so that he might come to rest, guided by the Kurlik's newer deity of The Lens of the Red Eye.
The Empire of the Red Eye, would have the lest war hungry and blood thirsty versions of the religion Crimsonism. The introduction of the Mantle Choir's by the Red Eye were integral in this transformation of the rigid caste system where the Kurlik's Vat Priests held the highest ranks as priests and spread the old beliefs of Mechansism influenced by the Founder. Their new belief that until the sorrow (The Taint) of the Crimson King is cleansed that all intelligent life can be free, and only through the blending of robotics which can see allow the Kurlik race to see the "Eye of the King" can one see such a goal met. It is the Red Eye, the Kurlik who freed them from slavery who allowed them to finally take back their place as the chosen race of Crimsonism. The stories now told by Kurlik that the Red Eye's spirit has transcended to go guide the Crimson King in his endless trek until all Taint is destroyed., and it is he who has reopened the Kurlik to their past, as well as future and the singular goal of destroying the Taint
The Crimson King could now no longer use the belief of his followers, or descend from the Spiritual Realm. Nor could the followers of Crimsonism or the Black Mantle reach their deity for guidance or even to try and assist him.. Mad with grief at no longer being able to hear the voice of his King, the Black Mantle would do everything in his power, using progenitor majkets, jimsaw and anything at it's disposal to try and bring back the Crimson King. Going so far as to attempt one of the most powerful majket conversions ever attempted, the Black Mantle would create the Taint. Bio-engineered Majket using his dead son's bones as a base the attempt would be to recreate the Crimson King's body and channel the Crimson King's mind into the flesh.
However whatever the case may be, the Taint never successfully mutated fully into the Crimson King, even in the Age of Convergence despite his efforts. The effects of the spell would only end in creating the horrendous psychic plague that is know throughout the realm. Furthermore the effects would utterly corrupt any followers of the Crimson King that had been heavily endowed with his previous gifts of power, morphed into Taint monstrosities, many of them still trapped in the spiritual realm. The spiritual realm while not well explored after Jezeral's sacrifice to close it off, has been viewed from the effects of the Taint and found to be utterly infected, a boiling mass of Taint, so massive that it's growth has managed to even infect into the Realm of the New Dream.
It is thought by the now believers of the Empire of the Red Eye in their version of Mechanis Crimsonism, that for whatever reason the Crimson King refuses to be transferred into the Taint, and while they know not the true history of Crimsonism anymore, it is debated among other deities of other Realms that it may have been one final spark of regret, or may haps honor or atonement for his crimes. Whatever the case, it is the belief of the Kurlik that he now wanders eternally within the Plane of Taint which is what the spiritual realm has turned to, blind, waiting for when the Taint is destroyed so that he might come to rest, guided by the Kurlik's newer deity of The Lens of the Red Eye.
The Empire of the Red Eye, would have the lest war hungry and blood thirsty versions of the religion Crimsonism. The introduction of the Mantle Choir's by the Red Eye were integral in this transformation of the rigid caste system where the Kurlik's Vat Priests held the highest ranks as priests and spread the old beliefs of Mechansism influenced by the Founder. Their new belief that until the sorrow (The Taint) of the Crimson King is cleansed that all intelligent life can be free, and only through the blending of robotics which can see allow the Kurlik race to see the "Eye of the King" can one see such a goal met. It is the Red Eye, the Kurlik who freed them from slavery who allowed them to finally take back their place as the chosen race of Crimsonism. The stories now told by Kurlik that the Red Eye's spirit has transcended to go guide the Crimson King in his endless trek until all Taint is destroyed., and it is he who has reopened the Kurlik to their past, as well as future and the singular goal of destroying the Taint