喵 A man with the head of a stag sat upon a throne of carved ivory. About his head fluttered five diminutive cherubs, each engaged in nameless sins. Five braziers encircled the throne, crimson flames flickering in a breeze that was not there.
"And who are you to violate the sanctity of my house?" the stag-headed man demanded.
"I am Tacullu," said the intruder, his countenance hidden by a cloak of light blue. Behind the throne was an open portal filled with shadow, and from that tunnel came the hideous howl of something damned.
"Do you hear the cry of the Beast, human?" asked the man on the throne. "It hungers, but not for your flesh or the marrow in your bones. It hungers for your existence. When the Beast feeds, true obliteration follows. No man can slay it. Indeed, no man can even face it."
"I have not come for your Beast, demon," replied Tacullu softly. The man on the throne growled in response.
"Mind your familiarity. I will not brook insolence. Nor should you presume to name me when you cannot even understand what it is I am. You are in the home of the Redspeaker, and only my will holds the Beast at bay. Your life was forfeit upon entering my house, and you would do well to remember that." If those words phased Tacullu, the cloaked man did not show it.
"I have come for a speaking," Tacullu said. "Reveal the red path that lies ahead of me." At this the demon laughed.
"Speak and be done with it, is that it? Oh-ho little man! What power you may possess over mortals means nothing here. Do you think your trickery can work? I can see beneath your cloak, but ah... I see the form you take beneath that cloak is but a disguise as well. It is no matter. I can strip away even that layer to see..." The demon paused. "Very clever," it admitted. "It would seem you are the onion unending. Every layer I pull away is replaced by another. A good trick. But a trick nonetheless. You are still a mere human." But now the demon did not seem so sure. "Or an elf. Yes, your trick stinks of elves."
"Malgennon." Tacullu spoke the word loudly, and the demon screamed in terror. Its hands clutched the arms of the throne, and its body contorted as if its bones were breaking. The stag head leaned backwards, its eyes watering and rolling. "You are Malgennon and so I name you." The cherubs that encircled the throne made squealing noises and fled into the portal.
"How?" it gasped.
"Why I read your mind of course. Did you not know demon? I am a master of minds."
"But..." the demon struggled, "I have... no mind."
"Behold my industry and despair," said Tacullu. "You now have a mind, for such is my desire." Malgennon howled in rage and fright. From behind the throne the ghastly howl repeated itself.
"The Beast!" snarled the demon.
"Is no concern of mine." And Tacullu slipped from his cloak. Malgennon's eyes went wide and it screamed at what it saw. "A mortal I may have been, but long ago I shed that skin. Your Beast will find naught in me save its own death, for I know the secret of the demons - you do not exist. You are slag - cast off energy from some long-dead source. But mortals believe in you and therefore you manifest, but you are nothing more than nightmares given form. And as soon as mortals no longer believe in you, you shall cease to be. And now Malgennon, you shall show me your face. Your true face." The demon's hands involuntarily went to its bare stomach, and there they clawed inward and pulled back the flesh to reveal the nightmare within.
"Release me," the true face begged, mucus and gore dripping from its cavity.
"After you have revealed the red path."
"The Bender Empire shall fall," said the face. "A man plots against it, but he is no ordinary man. I can see him, he wears... many shapes. He... is you."
"Yes," Tacullu confirmed. "Good. The wheels are in motion."
"But why?" asked the demon. "Why scheme against the empire you serve?"
"I serve it as it furthers my purpose, but my purpose goes beyond the paltry desires of men and orcs, the living and the dead. Now tell me of the risks that lurk upon my red path."
The true face rolled around inside of the stomach, then said, "I do see another. She knows nothing of your plans, but her goals run counter to your own. Yes, she is very strong. Under the right circumstances, she could be your undoing."
"Who is she?" Tacullu demanded. And the demon gave Tacullu a name he knew all too well.
GULLDUNE
Gulldune is a legendary horror among a people known for dark appetites. It is said he once flayed a victim alive, then had the bloody fool go before him through the streets of Klavu, telling passerbys how generous Gulldune was. The ghastly spectacle was brief, the thrall succumbing to blood loss within minutes, but Gulldune's lesson on mind over matter was not lost on the Bender elite.
GWALARK
Gwalark was trained as a Controller when he displayed a knack for telekinesis. But he has learned to use his powers in an unconventional way - instead of pushing others around with psychic force, he lifts them up. Instead of short bursts of power he can sustain his focus for many seconds. He and those assigned to his care make for a precision strike force, reaching where others cannot through this power of levitation. The Benders excel at denying their opponents any advantage, and Gwalark's talents can render enemy tactics moot.
KALAL
Kalal's eyes were removed at the age of seven - they clouded her vision and told her lies. Safe within her own mind, Kalal sees all things clearly. She sees the twisting ribbons of time that run through reality, and she sees the means to turn those ribbons in the directions she desires. She has seen your future, and sadly, there is only ruin.
KALU&TALU
Many find the symbiotic relationship between the twins Kalu and Talu to be a bit strange. One never enters battle without the other, and if one is wounded, then so too is its sibling. But stranger still is the secret that binds them - a secret that not even Talu knows. Only Kalu is real. His twin is merely a psychographic projection used to build mystique and act as a guardian in combat.
Many find the symbiotic relationship between the twins Talu and Kalu to be a bit strange. One never enters battle without the other, and if one is wounded, then so too is the other. But stranger still is the secret that binds them - a secret that not even Kalu knows. Only Talu is real. His twin is merely a psychographic projection used to build mystique and act as a guardian in combat.
SORGWEN
Sorgwen was a prestigious graduate of the Imperial School of Psychomancy. Her instructors had no choice but to award her top marks when she stood before them during her final examination, and did nothing. When a professor demanded to know why Sorgwen was wasting the committee's time, she replied by asking if the committee felt a chill. They did of course, and after they had put their clothing back on, Sorgwen was quietly told she had passed.
BREAKER
The Benders are more aware of a combatant's mental link to its Summoner, than perhaps any other magic users in Itharia. The Breakers exploit this link, unleashing a psychic barrage on a target that reverberates back to the one who summoned it into combat.
CONTROLLER
While brawn and martial prowess are good things to possess in war, all commanders know that superior maneuvering wins battles. The Benders achieve this with Controllers, using their Telekinetic Blasts to break enemy lines and reorganize their own.
DECEIVER
What part of your mind tells your feet to move? What part tells your arms to raise your sword and attack your foe? Look at that part of your mind and see it for what it is: naked and exposed, the willing tool of the Deceiver. It is not yours. Not anymore.
MIND WITCH
The Mind Witches believe in one simple principle: find the thing that gives your enemy distinction, steal it for yourself, then use it against those who would oppose you. The Mind Witches may not be the most subtle or devious members of Bender society, but they are certainly among the most efficient in war.
PARASITE
In the year 1147 A.L., the famed Lord of Thoughts, Dlemertha, presented a curious new discovery to the Psychomantic Society of the Third Eye. The Society board was highly impressed by the specimen Dlemertha claimed to have found while on expedition to the ruins of Quelgoven. It was a squishy, four-legged beast with a head that was but a mass of tentacles. It was roughly the size of a pony and had a penchant for dining on the brains of living creatures. But an audit of Imperial records one year later, raised questions as to whether Dlemertha had even travelled to Quelgoven as he had claimed. There was also the question of Dlemertha's household staff, which had all disappeared without trace only one month prior to the Lord of Thought's presentation. The son of one of Dlemertha's cleaning ladies swore before an investigative committee, that when he had stormed through Dlemertha's home calling for his mother, one of the Lord of Thought's parasites had made a queer noise and tried to break though its chains to come to him, almost as if it recognized the name being called as its own.
"And who are you to violate the sanctity of my house?" the stag-headed man demanded.
"I am Tacullu," said the intruder, his countenance hidden by a cloak of light blue. Behind the throne was an open portal filled with shadow, and from that tunnel came the hideous howl of something damned.
"Do you hear the cry of the Beast, human?" asked the man on the throne. "It hungers, but not for your flesh or the marrow in your bones. It hungers for your existence. When the Beast feeds, true obliteration follows. No man can slay it. Indeed, no man can even face it."
"I have not come for your Beast, demon," replied Tacullu softly. The man on the throne growled in response.
"Mind your familiarity. I will not brook insolence. Nor should you presume to name me when you cannot even understand what it is I am. You are in the home of the Redspeaker, and only my will holds the Beast at bay. Your life was forfeit upon entering my house, and you would do well to remember that." If those words phased Tacullu, the cloaked man did not show it.
"I have come for a speaking," Tacullu said. "Reveal the red path that lies ahead of me." At this the demon laughed.
"Speak and be done with it, is that it? Oh-ho little man! What power you may possess over mortals means nothing here. Do you think your trickery can work? I can see beneath your cloak, but ah... I see the form you take beneath that cloak is but a disguise as well. It is no matter. I can strip away even that layer to see..." The demon paused. "Very clever," it admitted. "It would seem you are the onion unending. Every layer I pull away is replaced by another. A good trick. But a trick nonetheless. You are still a mere human." But now the demon did not seem so sure. "Or an elf. Yes, your trick stinks of elves."
"Malgennon." Tacullu spoke the word loudly, and the demon screamed in terror. Its hands clutched the arms of the throne, and its body contorted as if its bones were breaking. The stag head leaned backwards, its eyes watering and rolling. "You are Malgennon and so I name you." The cherubs that encircled the throne made squealing noises and fled into the portal.
"How?" it gasped.
"Why I read your mind of course. Did you not know demon? I am a master of minds."
"But..." the demon struggled, "I have... no mind."
"Behold my industry and despair," said Tacullu. "You now have a mind, for such is my desire." Malgennon howled in rage and fright. From behind the throne the ghastly howl repeated itself.
"The Beast!" snarled the demon.
"Is no concern of mine." And Tacullu slipped from his cloak. Malgennon's eyes went wide and it screamed at what it saw. "A mortal I may have been, but long ago I shed that skin. Your Beast will find naught in me save its own death, for I know the secret of the demons - you do not exist. You are slag - cast off energy from some long-dead source. But mortals believe in you and therefore you manifest, but you are nothing more than nightmares given form. And as soon as mortals no longer believe in you, you shall cease to be. And now Malgennon, you shall show me your face. Your true face." The demon's hands involuntarily went to its bare stomach, and there they clawed inward and pulled back the flesh to reveal the nightmare within.
"Release me," the true face begged, mucus and gore dripping from its cavity.
"After you have revealed the red path."
"The Bender Empire shall fall," said the face. "A man plots against it, but he is no ordinary man. I can see him, he wears... many shapes. He... is you."
"Yes," Tacullu confirmed. "Good. The wheels are in motion."
"But why?" asked the demon. "Why scheme against the empire you serve?"
"I serve it as it furthers my purpose, but my purpose goes beyond the paltry desires of men and orcs, the living and the dead. Now tell me of the risks that lurk upon my red path."
The true face rolled around inside of the stomach, then said, "I do see another. She knows nothing of your plans, but her goals run counter to your own. Yes, she is very strong. Under the right circumstances, she could be your undoing."
"Who is she?" Tacullu demanded. And the demon gave Tacullu a name he knew all too well.
GULLDUNE
Gulldune is a legendary horror among a people known for dark appetites. It is said he once flayed a victim alive, then had the bloody fool go before him through the streets of Klavu, telling passerbys how generous Gulldune was. The ghastly spectacle was brief, the thrall succumbing to blood loss within minutes, but Gulldune's lesson on mind over matter was not lost on the Bender elite.
GWALARK
Gwalark was trained as a Controller when he displayed a knack for telekinesis. But he has learned to use his powers in an unconventional way - instead of pushing others around with psychic force, he lifts them up. Instead of short bursts of power he can sustain his focus for many seconds. He and those assigned to his care make for a precision strike force, reaching where others cannot through this power of levitation. The Benders excel at denying their opponents any advantage, and Gwalark's talents can render enemy tactics moot.
KALAL
Kalal's eyes were removed at the age of seven - they clouded her vision and told her lies. Safe within her own mind, Kalal sees all things clearly. She sees the twisting ribbons of time that run through reality, and she sees the means to turn those ribbons in the directions she desires. She has seen your future, and sadly, there is only ruin.
KALU&TALU
Many find the symbiotic relationship between the twins Kalu and Talu to be a bit strange. One never enters battle without the other, and if one is wounded, then so too is its sibling. But stranger still is the secret that binds them - a secret that not even Talu knows. Only Kalu is real. His twin is merely a psychographic projection used to build mystique and act as a guardian in combat.
Many find the symbiotic relationship between the twins Talu and Kalu to be a bit strange. One never enters battle without the other, and if one is wounded, then so too is the other. But stranger still is the secret that binds them - a secret that not even Kalu knows. Only Talu is real. His twin is merely a psychographic projection used to build mystique and act as a guardian in combat.
SORGWEN
Sorgwen was a prestigious graduate of the Imperial School of Psychomancy. Her instructors had no choice but to award her top marks when she stood before them during her final examination, and did nothing. When a professor demanded to know why Sorgwen was wasting the committee's time, she replied by asking if the committee felt a chill. They did of course, and after they had put their clothing back on, Sorgwen was quietly told she had passed.
BREAKER
The Benders are more aware of a combatant's mental link to its Summoner, than perhaps any other magic users in Itharia. The Breakers exploit this link, unleashing a psychic barrage on a target that reverberates back to the one who summoned it into combat.
CONTROLLER
While brawn and martial prowess are good things to possess in war, all commanders know that superior maneuvering wins battles. The Benders achieve this with Controllers, using their Telekinetic Blasts to break enemy lines and reorganize their own.
DECEIVER
What part of your mind tells your feet to move? What part tells your arms to raise your sword and attack your foe? Look at that part of your mind and see it for what it is: naked and exposed, the willing tool of the Deceiver. It is not yours. Not anymore.
MIND WITCH
The Mind Witches believe in one simple principle: find the thing that gives your enemy distinction, steal it for yourself, then use it against those who would oppose you. The Mind Witches may not be the most subtle or devious members of Bender society, but they are certainly among the most efficient in war.
PARASITE
In the year 1147 A.L., the famed Lord of Thoughts, Dlemertha, presented a curious new discovery to the Psychomantic Society of the Third Eye. The Society board was highly impressed by the specimen Dlemertha claimed to have found while on expedition to the ruins of Quelgoven. It was a squishy, four-legged beast with a head that was but a mass of tentacles. It was roughly the size of a pony and had a penchant for dining on the brains of living creatures. But an audit of Imperial records one year later, raised questions as to whether Dlemertha had even travelled to Quelgoven as he had claimed. There was also the question of Dlemertha's household staff, which had all disappeared without trace only one month prior to the Lord of Thought's presentation. The son of one of Dlemertha's cleaning ladies swore before an investigative committee, that when he had stormed through Dlemertha's home calling for his mother, one of the Lord of Thought's parasites had made a queer noise and tried to break though its chains to come to him, almost as if it recognized the name being called as its own.
