HERETIC II
JOURNAL OF SIERNAN
Darkness has descended upon Parthoris again.
I fear that this time there shall be no one to lift the
damp veil that has blanketed my beautiful homeland.
The plague struck quickly, and it was not until too many
were infected that anyone took notice of the creeping death.
Now, city streets are filled with the noxious green plague
vapors that cause insanity and then death to any that
are unfortunate enough to inhale it. Most are warped
and twisted into a blood-crazed rage that drives them
to assault nearly any that they encounter. My people
have fared better than the Sidhe, but even those
noble beings have regressed into mindless barbarism.
Perhaps I will be able to find some means to cure this
terrible nemesis that has befallen my homeland.
If not, I fear all will be lost.
CONTENTS
Excerpts from the Chronicles of Parthoris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
The Heretic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
The Outer Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
A Way Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
The Atlas of Parthoris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
The Sidhe People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
The Ssithra People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
The T’Chekrik People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
The Ogles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
The Caurthorians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Of Legend and Seraph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Natural Inhabitants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Addendum by Siernan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Book of Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Offensive Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Defensive Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Weapons of War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
The Sidhe Shrines to the Seraphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Minimum System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Install Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Quick Start Game Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Starting a New Single-Player Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Corvus’s Abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
How to Control Corvus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Control Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Saving and Loading a Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Multiplayer Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Software License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
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EXCERPTS FROM THE
CHRONICLES OF PARTHORIS,
COMPILED BY THOLIA,
SSITHRA HISTORIAN
THE COMING OF D’SPARIL.
Ages ago, when Parthoris existed in relative peace, five races walked the
land. The Seraphs had withdrawn beyond the Worlds End Mountains. Each
race built great cities, temples, and centers of wisdom from the knowledge
that the great Seraphs left in the wake of their passing. But the Seraphs left
behind more than their wisdom when they removed themselves from the
affairs of Parthoris. Their passing left the young races vulnerable to the
powers of the Outer Worlds.
It is said that the Seraphs foresaw the coming of D’sparil, but if this is
true they did nothing to intervene.
As the five races settled into their destined roles, three majestic demon
brothers began to formulate a plan of conquest of three different inner
worlds. D’sparil, having watched the passing of the great Seraphs, prepared
his armies to sweep across Parthoris.
On the Day of Darkness, D’sparil opened World Ripples in each of the
great cities of Parthoris. Andoria, K’chekrik, S’chekrik, Vendra, Savria,
Thurge, Biskol, and Silverspring. He marched his armies into these cities,
and by nightfall each was under his iron rule. Only Silverspring managed to
resist his conquest for a short time. The Celestial Watcher had the night
before seen a change in the star patterns which allowed Silverspring to prepare for the coming doom. Most fled the city and hid in the Darkmire
swamps and the Kell Mountains.
As D’sparil began the second phase of his conquest, the four races that
had fallen to his might on the Day of Darkness were subjected to the powerful charisma of D’sparil’s presence. Over time, they succumbed to his will
and freely chose D’sparil as the rightful ruler of Parthoris.
D’sparil reigned supreme, until a hero arose to combat his evil.
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THE HERETIC
Huddled in the occupied streets of Silverspring, now called the City of
the Damned, a young Sidhe began to unlock the mysteries of the lost artifacts of the Seraphs. He unearthed an ancient magic wand that the Seraphs
had made as a gift to the first Celestial Watcher. Its power was limited, but
it was enough to allow Corvus to start fighting back against D’sparil’s minions.
As news of Corvus’s defiance traveled across Parthoris, he was dubbed
the Heretic. He did not conform to the laws of D’sparil. He fought back
against the ravaging hoards of the demonic armies. He openly defied
D’sparil’s power.
Corvus traveled from city to city looking for D’sparil’s stronghold. He
fought the legions with every step of his journey, but his search uncovered
more than just D’sparil. He found caches of the Seraph’s lost magic, including one of the famed Tomes of Power. Using the newly unearthed artifacts,
Corvus attacked D’sparil’s stronghold on the ocean floor with renewed vigor.
Face to face in D’sparil’s domed city, Corvus and D’sparil pummeled each
other, blow after blow. Even with his serpent slain, D’sparil still came at
Corvus with all of his demonic fury, but in the end it was a final blow from
the Phoenix Rod that caused D’sparil to erupt into a conflagration of fury,
fueled by the oppression of Parthoris.
D’sparil cried out in anguish as his robes and flesh were seared from his
bones. With is dying breath, he cried out a curse that set into motion
Corvus’s fate.
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CORVUS’S LOST YEARS IN THE OUTER WORLDS,
AS RECORDED BY THE TOME OF POWER TEEJALLA
THE OUTER WORLDS
D’sparil was defeated. Corvus stepped through the world ripple expecting
to cross over into Silverspring. As he crossed through the dimensional portal, he discovered the full meaning of D’sparil’s curse. He was trapped in the
Outer Worlds with no apparent means of returning home.
For years he wandered among the seemingly infinite landscapes that
make up the Outer Worlds. Each new world was more desolate and alien
than the last. He learned that D’sparil had two brothers that had laid plans to
conquer other worlds, and as he traveled across the barren landscapes
Corvus became increasingly aware of how widespread the taint of the
Serpent Riders really was. Most of D’sparil’s army had been composed of
creatures that were the twisted remnants of once normal civilizations, and
he heard tales of the Serpent Riders using mass enslavement to bulk up the
ranks of their armies. Corvus did not know where the other two Serpent
Riders traveled to, but he hoped that these unfortunate worlds were more
successful at stopping the demons than his people had been.
The only relics Corvus managed to retain were his fighting staff and the
Tome of Power that I have imbued my essence into. All of his other
weapons were rendered inert and useless. The knowledge contained in my
pages became his most valued possession. I had lost most of my power after
the battle with D’sparil, but I was able to refocus my energy slowly during
the course of our travels. Eventually, I was able to reveal my presence to
Corvus. I guided him, and eventually related the story of my creation.
Ages ago I was a Seraph, but I, along with my seven sisters,
was given the honor of becoming one with the seven Tomes of Power.
Each of the Tomes carried different pieces of our knowledge.
Our greatest seers had foreseen our departure from the affairs
of Parthoris and we knew the necessity of maintaining the wisdom of
our race. The seven Tomes were created, infused with our life force,
and then they were given to our cousins, the Sidhe.
A WAY HOME
Years of wandering the Outer Worlds hardened Corvus. Alone in the
alien worlds, Corvus was forced to fight for his life with the only weapon
that he had, his staff. He fashioned it into a pole arm of sorts by lashing a
blade to one end. I began to teach him about the lost magic of the Seraphs.
It was only after years of practice that he gained mastery of the magical
foundations that I taught him. With this education, Corvus will be able to
quickly learn and use most any spell based upon our tradition of magic.
Decades past before I stumbled upon a means for us to return home.
Corvus was engaged in a fierce battle with a demon when I felt the opening
of a nearby World Ripple. This Ripple felt different than any of the others
that we had traveled through, I could feel the faint call of my sister Tomes
from the other side of the ripple. They cried out in pain, for they were
being used for powerful magic. The ripple was a means home.
Using the other Tomes as a beacon, I guided Corvus to the ripple. As he
stepped through, I was confident that our search was, at long last, over.
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THE ATLAS OF PARTHORIS
FROM THE COLLECTED WORKS OF ORTHIS
THE SIDHE PEOPLE
The Sidhe people are a tall, thin race of delicately boned people. Most of
these folk live full yet simple lives in which even the lowliest in social stand-
ing is exposed to the benefits of higher learning.
Being the descendants of the Seraphs the Sidhe have more access to the
magic that the Seraphs left in the wake of their departure. But
their delicate control over magic has left them, at
times, more susceptible to it as well. It has
been so long since the Seraphs have left the
world that much of the inner workings of
their magic have been lost. The artifacts
that the Seraphs left behind are still evident
in aspects of Sidhe everyday lives.
Simple shrines dedicated to the preservation of the Seraph magic, dot the
landscape of Parthoris. These are the
most common of the Seraph artifacts
that are used in everyday life.
When D’sparil brought his armies
against the world, the Sidhe were the
hardest hit by his minions. They did not
succumb to his iron rule. They fought back
for a time, but even their magic could not
withstand the oncoming stampede of D’sparil’s armies. Defeated, most of the
surviving Sidhe hid in the Kell Mountains, away from D’sparil’s execution
squads. It was from these hiding refugees that the greatest hero that
Parthoris has ever seen arose. Corvus fought back against D’sparil’s minions
when all others had fled or had been brainwashed by the demon’s powerful
magic.
With D’sparil defeated, the Sidhe have rebuilt their beautiful cities, the
greatest of which is Silverspring. The Sidhe have built cities all across
Parthoris, several of them after the D’sparil wars.
THE SSITHRA PEOPLE
The Ssithra are an amphibious race that build their cities on both the
land and in the murky waters of the swamps that they prefer to live near.
The average Ssithra is taller than a Sidhe when standing fully upright, but
most Ssithra tend to slouch by hunching their backs and standing with
slightly bent knees. Many of the Ssithra dedicate their lives to academia and
religion, preferring to trade with others rather than manufacturing goods
for themselves.
In recent years the Ssithra have
become culturally divided. They have a
long history of using violence as a
means to an end, and they are known
for their religious fanaticism. For centuries they have practiced blood rituals, which require living sacrifices to
be drowned in pools of Earthblood
(which is considered the very essence
of life on Parthoris). The current city
leaders have started to move beyond
the old ways of blood sacrifice and
violence in an effort to move their
people into a new era of learning,
enlightenment, and peace. Their
efforts have divided many of the cities
because of a faction of Ssithra that
still cling to the old ways. Both factions are dedicated to higher learning
and the study of the world at large.
The Ssithra have built many
libraries and museums dedicated to the arts that they hold to be most precious. Andoria, the Ssithra capital, was built ages ago. Since D’sparil ravaged
this portion of Parthoris, the swamp city has been sinking deeper into the
water. The Ssithra have made several attempts to slow the sinking, but their
efforts have met with only limited success and portions of the city now lie in
ruins. D’sparil’s coming was a milestone in Ssithra history. Before he came,
they were united in their methods and ideals; after he was defeated, their
civilization became divided.
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THE T’CHEKRIK PEOPLE
The T’chekrik are a people that have evolved in the wastelands of
Parthoris. They are covered in a heavy carapace armor and stand upright on
two of six limbs. This leaves their other four limbs free for spell casting,
combat, or other tasks, giving them the overall appearance of seven foot tall
insectoids. The rear legs of the T’chekrik are powerful limbs that can be
used for leaping both vertically and horizontally.
The Katlit’k canyon serves as home to all of the T’chekrik colonies.
Their cities exist almost entirely underground, hav-
ing been carved from the rock
that forms the canyon walls.
All of the cities are divided
into two districts. The larger of the two districts hous-
es the males of the race,
whereas the smaller, more
secluded sector is home to the
females.
The T’chekrik hold the
females of their species
above all else; they are the
life-bringers as well as the
spiritual and social leaders
of their society. The males
are the warriors and the
laborers of their society.
They protect the city from
any intruders, and a few
lucky warriors are allowed
to enter the Chekriks, or
female homes, to serve as
elite guards and possibly as a
mate to a mother.
THE OGLES
An Ogle is a short, pathetic looking creature that lives in the darkest part
of almost any mountain range. They are very timid by nature, preferring to
hide instead of confronting danger. Only when they are directly attacked do
they defend themselves; if any
of their number are attacked,
they generally will strike back
at the assailant as a group.
Ogles have always been the
workers of Parthoris. Their
small stature and non-combative attitudes have forced them
to pound their survival out of
the mountains. Preferring to
hide and avoid contact with
outsiders, the Ogles generally
live in the shadows of the
many mountains of Parthoris.
Here they mine and work the
metals that they extract from
the rock. Their metalworking
skills are renowned throughout Parthoris.
Unfortunately for them,
their meek nature has also
made them prime targets for
slavery. Over the centuries,
the Ogles have been captured
and forced into slavery countless times by the more dominant races of Parthoris.
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THE CAURTHORIANS
The Caurthorians are a warlike race that was crippled during the D’sparil
wars when the demon’s armies stormed across the continent. They are tall
thin people that resemble sinuous reptiles. Their culture lacks a cohesive
government of any kind. They live in small clans that are generally formed
through family ties. The few Caurthorian cities that do exist are simply loose
collections of clans that have gathered together to share resources and for
mutual protection.
The Caurthorian’s warlike nature has made
them nearly perfect warriors and assassins.
They are trained to fight from the
moment they are able to walk. All adult
Caurthorians are expected to be able
to fight; anyone that
has become too old or
feeble to fight is killed
during a ritual combat
with the rest of their
clan.
OF LEGEND AND SERAPH
Legends speak of an ancient race of people that at
one time ruled over all of the lands of
Parthoris. These people, known only
as Seraphs, were powerful spell cast-
ers capable of controlling the ele-
ments. As the young races
emerged, the blood of
many of the Seraphs
became thin; most of the
Seraphs evolved into the
Sidhe Elves that walk
Parthoris. In the ages
that have past since
the Seraphs walked
the lands of
Parthoris, many stories have been told of
godlike creatures that
live in the Worlds End
Mountains. Many believe
that these creatures are
the last of the pure
Seraphs.
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