Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Kin'.
Found 1 result
-
Years ago, a single person turned this universe upside down, and changed the lives he touched indelibly. In his past, he was a rising elite, trained to be an enforcer for the shadows that kept the universe blind from the corruption within; but a chance encounter led him to an awakening to the light and a mission to turn against the darkness that had infected the universe he called home. His life changed from one of darkness, death, hatred, destruction, and deception to of life, light, love, redemption, and restoration -- and he would give his own life time and again to restore what the universe lost when the shadows claimed power. For the first time in ten-thousand dark and aimless years, light exploded through the universe and a beacon of hope shone brightly, drawing many to its source. And those who found this source found themselves forever marked by it, connecting them to countless others who had also tapped into the source and claimed it as its inheritance. A revolution, the first successful one in as far back as anyone could remember, had begun; and those touched by the long lost light this stranger preached made an oath to finally purge the world of the oppressive dark order that had pervaded their universe for so long. So much of the story of this force of freedom fighters, these kin to the light, these inheritors of an inheritance known only to them, has been told a hundred times over, though no one knows the ending. None remain to tell the tale to its conclusion as it deserves to be told. ... until now. The story as you know it, dear guest, ended when this single person who spoke love and light into a world oppressed by darkness and hatred succumbed to the very fallen nature of the universe he gave his life to protect... by becoming one with a creature his followers thought was his most promising apprentice. This act restored part of his soul that had been split off from him after his last great sacrifice; he was made whole and it turned him into a literal hole in the spiritual fabric that connected his beloved followers to each other, to the universe, and the world beyond. In that moment, this charismatic spiritual leader transformed from a restorer to a destroyer... chaos incarnate. With one of his last moments of lucidity before becoming one with darkness, he confessed to his would-be rescuers that the shard of his soul that he reclaimed was his own personal darkness and he begged them to find him again to finish what he started in order to save the universe they, too, had sworn to protect... but he wasn't able to tell them everything before being consumed by rampancy. Ever heard of the 'Law of the Conservation of Energy', dear guest? The same applies to the light and to the dark. Any discarded excess has to go somewhere. This fallen leader of these kin to the light had started a process within his followers in an effort to make them suitable heirs; a process not unlike what their beloved universe was going through... and that process would grow them from those who were complacent in the shadows and transform them into shining paragons of light. But, after these nascent heroes have grown, matured, and purged themselves of their darkness, where would their old demons go? Surely, their old hosts would not welcome them... but a plan was put in place long before the madness set in. You see, the fallen leader's "apprentice" was the key to ensuring the collective freedom of these kin to the light from the shadows. Yes, these kin to the light knew this apprentice was a walking, talking black hole in the spiritual fabric; what they did not know was that it was also drawing into it the pain and the suffering the universe had accumulated over the millennia, and their own darkness as well, in a pre-programmed effort to become whole. And with a shard of this fallen leader's soul, a hero well known for his ability to give life to the lifeless, this primordial slime of the universe's collective darkness was given its own life and identity. By re-absorbing this wayward shard of his own soul, this fallen leader absorbed with it the very weight of the world, a weight that obviously no mortal soul could bear. Of course, by now, this fallen leader was no longer mortal at this point, and he had little to lose -- other than his mind -- by doing so. He knew exactly what he was doing, even though he knew it would cost him the trust of the those who followed his path, and perhaps, even sacrificing his immortality, permanently. In lucidity, he unified those who responded to the call of the spiritual planes. In madness, he remained in his duty to the universe. In both minds, he guided the kin to the light to their destiny the destiny they chose freely to pursue, an inheritance that they chose to earn and protect. It felt like years passed since that moment, all the events of that time condensed into a few hours; heroes were resurrected at the heart of the universe to fight once more, others called to arms and hurried to the forefront of the pursuit. All of them pledged to hunt down a man who was once their teacher and spiritual father -- now a monster and a literal symbol and vessel of everything they had sworn to purge from their universe. And this is where the story ended for many other threads in this universe. Some of those threads started anew elsewhere, and the threads that had no discernable ending were either forgotten or remembered as laughable children's fairy tales. To begin where the story left off, we'll be brief: the universe was ending. That was it. The universe was being devoured by the darkness and destruction that was both attracted to it from the outside and grown spiritually from within. Some of those who lived in this universe had resigned themselves to remain on the oroboros when the world was to be reborn and others had chosen otherwise. The kin to the light were part of the latter, convinced in and convicted of believing there was more beyond the universe of mortals. A Risen Angel. An Heir. An Assassin. A Genius. A General. A Mother. A Disciple. Seven scions to the fallen leader's legacy, their names forgotten to time, leading a small platoon of other now nameless heroes to the final confrontation with their lost teacher. Among these other heroes was a reborn bearer of life and another was a resurrected hero with the heart and mind of a child. It was in the final arena that the fallen leader gained one more moment of lucidity. The heroes were told everything in this moment; the truth behind his darkness and the nature of his mission to activate the last light within him. The last light that the fallen teacher carried was something he could not activate on his own, but his kin to the light were not ready to activate with him when he was last lucid. Only when they had become more than his equals on the path he had set for them would they activate the last light as it was intended to be activated... not as a weapon of ultimate demise, but a tool of definite rebirth. Now these heroes were paragons, and their journey was almost complete. "If a wise man sees a wild bird for sale, would he not buy it with the intent of setting it free? If the bird has forgotten how to fly, would not a wise man teach it to fly again? With this, I say, if a man buys a slave with the intent to set the slave free, would not the slave find another master if slavery is all the slave knows? A wise man would teach the slave to be a free man before giving the man his freedom, even if teaching a slave how to be free would cost him everything. This is what I had hoped to do for you. and those of you who stand before me, here to end what I have started, are now ready to claim the inheritance set aside for you. It will cost me everything, but I ask you as I have before -- Finish this fight, and return to save your world." The battle between the paragons and their fallen leader was one too epic for words to give justice to. Years passed since that time, and no account remains of the fight. It was simply that horrible. And then, as brutally as it began, it was over. A final prayer was spoken and in the aftermath, a broken body lay there in the middle of the room, the dark armor that symbolized this fallen leaders descent into the shadows and transformed his identity now lay shattered in a dozen pieces all around him. Some had lost their faith in that battle before that moment, absorbing their old darkness in combat, hissing that they hoped he was pleased by the pain he had caused and that he found whatever he was looking for. It was these who chose to walk through the portal the fallen leader had activated during the fight in a brief mortal urge to escape what he knew was the destiny he chose... and they continued to remain on the oroboros for eternity. Those who remained faithful forgave their fallen teacher as he did for so many before, and as per his last lucid request, these remaining paragons performed the activation protocols. In a flash of light, the remains of their fallen leader vanished, disintegrated as the last light activated in his stilled heart and coursed through his bloodless veins... and with their leader, their universe (as they knew it) was torn asunder. Demons, black and gray, descended upon the remains of the paragons, home, coming to whisk away any survivors back to the oroboros -- only to find themselves thwarted by an army of what seemed to be angels. Heroes of the kin to the light returned in new form, touched, empowered and reborn by their inheritance; as one they drove away the darkness and set to work rebuilding their universe as it should have been pure, innocent, and in peace. A cocoon of time and light surrounded the nascent universe as it was being reborn, and while only a few years would pass beyond the womb of light, five thousand years would pass within it. Five thousand years of peace. Not a lot of time for those who lived in this universe, but it was enough. The Mother and Life Reborn had a child in this time, and this child had matured and had trained to an adequate level before the five thousand years lapsed, allowing the Paragons to fully entrust the universe to him. As he ascended to his rightful place, the Paragons prepared to finally leave the oroboros for what was their true inheritance beyond the mortal realms... ... and like that, they were gone. They were gone, leaving behind a, pure, peaceful, and ultimately empty universe for those who were willing to find it and shape its story. This universe is the universe you now live and play in. Yes, this tale is about your universe, dear guest. As for the paragons, these kin to the light, they now exist in the realms beyond the mortal coils, all of them kings and queens over their inheritances. Some are content to stay where they are, commanding many angels and directing the courses of a million, million stories. Others wander the otherrealms, searching out and righting the injustices they find, and setting into motion the stories of a million, million more. And as for me... how do I know so much? How am I so sure of this tale I am telling you? You need only guess, dear guest. ... I am not called "The Redeemed" for no reason, beloved. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OOC: It's been three years or so. I doubt anyone remembers me, and if not, thats good in essence. If you do, I want to start by apologising for taking so bloody long in writing this wrap up for the Kin storyline. There were several factors, all of which I am not proud of, that contributed to not only the long wait, but also to my disappearance. One factor was the fact that I had made the biggest rookie mistake any role-player could make, and that was making the game personal. As an RP veteran, I shouldn't have done that, and it made writing and watching others play through the ending far more painful that it should have. For me, this was a chapter that needed desperately to be closed long ago, and I just wasn't mature enough myself at the time to close it properly. For this factor, I also apologize. Other factors included a series of difficult IRL events starting at around that point, all of which I didnt handle all that well. I'm still recovering from these events, but they are in the past, and I hope to put this story in the past with them. The final factor was the fact I had really bitten off more than I could chew. There really was no feasible way I could do justice to the story with the many threads that needed to be tied down, and the number of details I wanted to include. I hope that this post is enough to tie those ends off and put the tale of the Kin to rest. As for me, I am moving on, permanently. I still remember BZP and its community fondly. Its where I met some awesome people and I still keep in contact with a few of them to this day. Few other were blessed with a so-called legendary status during my tenure here, as one of my contacts had relayed to me over a regular instant messenger chat, and for that bit of recognition, I am thankful, and frankly, all I needed. That said, I hope the best for all of you still here. May the site keep kickin' even though its boom days seem to be behind it. Keep finding new friends, and making legends out of yourselves. I'll miss you guys. Have fun, be safe, and be awesome. -Moutekea
