Lores of the Mod of the Agonizer
Chapter I: Three Thousand Years Ago...
Behold the tale of two men who lived millennia ago, whose lives were from each other nearly that distance apart, and yet allied together to create the Greatest and most powerful nation this world had ever seen, and yet forgotten...
Haggai, an Israelite of the Tribe of Dan, was well respected in his community. His righteousness granted him many blessings, and even through it all he always knew to Whom the glory belongs. His only transgression was marrying the woman he loved, Elaina Unthiuth, a Visigoth.
After having fled before he and his family could be stoned, he traveled west until he reached the great river Soufferte, many miles wide! Where other men would have settled there and then, Haggai's soul, displaying the fire within, crossed over the raging waters with his wife and children, enduring months of non-stop labor. Finally, upon reaching the opposite bank, he gave himself the surname Shevita-Lehava, or Strike of Flame, as a testament to his unyielding resolve, and a promise of the same to his posterity.
After giving thanks by prayer to Him who strengthened them, Haggai Shevita-Lehava continued on his way...
Nicos Phyn was an aspiring senator from the Greek city of Volos. Amid one of mankind's earliest experiements in democracy, Nicos had hope that such a community, ruled only by the collective voice of the people, could stand the tests of time and human nature, but sadly it was the hard way by which he found out that there must be someone in power to make the people's voices heard... or to ignore them entirely.
One day as he was studying in his home, a group of senators led by a powerful man named Michales came to his doorway. Little did Nicos know that they in fact had come for his wife, Mellia, who had voted several times, with Nicos' support. Nor did Nicos know that what Mellia had done was against the law, at least such as it were under the direction of Michales, who promply had the family exiled.
Nicos Phyn, his wife and two children wearily marched southeast until that fateful day when they crossed paths with the family of Haggai Shevita-Lehava...
Haggai, an Israelite of the Tribe of Dan, was well respected in his community. His righteousness granted him many blessings, and even through it all he always knew to Whom the glory belongs. His only transgression was marrying the woman he loved, Elaina Unthiuth, a Visigoth.
After having fled before he and his family could be stoned, he traveled west until he reached the great river Soufferte, many miles wide! Where other men would have settled there and then, Haggai's soul, displaying the fire within, crossed over the raging waters with his wife and children, enduring months of non-stop labor. Finally, upon reaching the opposite bank, he gave himself the surname Shevita-Lehava, or Strike of Flame, as a testament to his unyielding resolve, and a promise of the same to his posterity.
After giving thanks by prayer to Him who strengthened them, Haggai Shevita-Lehava continued on his way...
Nicos Phyn was an aspiring senator from the Greek city of Volos. Amid one of mankind's earliest experiements in democracy, Nicos had hope that such a community, ruled only by the collective voice of the people, could stand the tests of time and human nature, but sadly it was the hard way by which he found out that there must be someone in power to make the people's voices heard... or to ignore them entirely.
One day as he was studying in his home, a group of senators led by a powerful man named Michales came to his doorway. Little did Nicos know that they in fact had come for his wife, Mellia, who had voted several times, with Nicos' support. Nor did Nicos know that what Mellia had done was against the law, at least such as it were under the direction of Michales, who promply had the family exiled.
Nicos Phyn, his wife and two children wearily marched southeast until that fateful day when they crossed paths with the family of Haggai Shevita-Lehava...
Chapter II: The Rise of Mōtia
The year was 985 BC when the two patriarchs met at the center of a landmass that once connected the areas occupied today by the states Greece and Turkey. With so many choices available pertaining to how the two could have conducted themselves from there, upon realizing the many similarities of their predicaments they then and there chose to unite themselves together under a new nation which they named MŌTIA. As a sign of sincerity, the first official act performed in the newly established city, which was also called Mōtia, was the marriage of Haggai's son Jacob and Nicos' daughter Jordina.
Two years later, Jordina gave birth to a boy whom they named JEFFERY BRAEMA FLAMESTRIKE.
As the first few decades of the Mōtian Era passed, families grew and more people from many nations came to Mōtia upon hearing of its great potential.
Nicos' son Billiam oversaw administrative works. Billiam's sister Jordina gave many suggestions as to a distinctly Mōtian culture, including the mótsrasad language. Haggai and his sons Jacob and James oversaw spiritual matters and Elaina took charge of commerce and industry.
And little Jeffery Shevita-Lehava sought nothing but to live up to the surname given him by his grandfather.
In an infant nation where every man and every woman ignited a figurative flame within them as they each fit into their place in this new breakthrough land, Dr. Jeffery Flamestrike decided that he could only stand out by igniting literal flames. Safely, of course.
Through years of experimentation and research, he independently invented black powder, and became one of the world's first--and greatest--pyrotechnicians! However, the safety of his deeds were still greatly lacking, much to the dismay of the other Mōtians in the City.
By the time he was thirty, he was conducting public experiments nearly five times a month in front of his grandparents' mansions before a crowd which was originally curious, later amazed, later anxious, later afraid, and eventually became outright hostile. Soon he became less famous as the grandson of the founders of Mōtia and more famous as the man whose experiments may one day kill them all.
Two years later, Jordina gave birth to a boy whom they named JEFFERY BRAEMA FLAMESTRIKE.
As the first few decades of the Mōtian Era passed, families grew and more people from many nations came to Mōtia upon hearing of its great potential.
Nicos' son Billiam oversaw administrative works. Billiam's sister Jordina gave many suggestions as to a distinctly Mōtian culture, including the mótsrasad language. Haggai and his sons Jacob and James oversaw spiritual matters and Elaina took charge of commerce and industry.
And little Jeffery Shevita-Lehava sought nothing but to live up to the surname given him by his grandfather.
In an infant nation where every man and every woman ignited a figurative flame within them as they each fit into their place in this new breakthrough land, Dr. Jeffery Flamestrike decided that he could only stand out by igniting literal flames. Safely, of course.
Through years of experimentation and research, he independently invented black powder, and became one of the world's first--and greatest--pyrotechnicians! However, the safety of his deeds were still greatly lacking, much to the dismay of the other Mōtians in the City.
By the time he was thirty, he was conducting public experiments nearly five times a month in front of his grandparents' mansions before a crowd which was originally curious, later amazed, later anxious, later afraid, and eventually became outright hostile. Soon he became less famous as the grandson of the founders of Mōtia and more famous as the man whose experiments may one day kill them all.
Chapter III: The Rise of Bossdom
It was in 944 BC, or 42 ME (Mōtian Era), when Dr. Flamestrike woke up on the day after he had performed his latest experiment to find that a large mob had formed around his own house. It would seem that they were not as pleased as he thought they would have been. In their defense, the explosion did kill several Mōtians, including Stefen Tussa, a very prominent voice against Dr. Flamestrike's experimentations.
Jeffery hastily sought cover in his basement as the mob began to throw burning torches at the walls and windows of the looming structure, tragically forgetting to secure his many bags of powder piled in the center of the main floor. Naturally, they soon ignited...
"This would've been his most heinous deed yet," said the mob after the incident, "if this his final experiment hadn't mercifully freed us from his own life." Little did they know, however, that Dr. Flamestrike had miraculously survived the explosion, which leveled his home completely and left a crater in the ground nearly half again as wide as the late mansion's foundation.
Many hours later, as Jeffery regained consciousness and labored to climb out above the rubble that nearly crushed him, he caught sight of a mysterious glowing object poking out of the bottom of the crater mere feet away from where he lay.
At long last, after years of research telling of a hypothetical Object which could grant the bearer the Greatest of all powers, Dr. Jeffery Braema Flamestrike had actually found it!!!
A few weeks later, after the Mōtians were satisfied that Jeffery was indeed blown into dust, Dr. Flamestrike covertly took the Object to the home of Vernon Zellen, a blacksmith who lived in the eastern Mōtian city called Brames, and an ally to Jeffery and his three closest friends.
And also father to the woman he was courting (more on that later).
Dr. Flamestrike pled Vernon to use his skills to forge out of the Object four Shards, one for each man, with the promise that if he were to comply, Jeffery will spare him and his family in the coming war...
And so Vernon struck the Object and cleaved from it a Shard, now imbued with Elemental Flame by force of will! Jeffery took the Shard of Flame and even after all his contemplation was still taken aback by the Great Power which flowed through his body and soul!
Simply by bearing this Shard, he could manipulate any thing at all composing of Flame (except to meddle with the Divine), and as an added bonus, age had no effect on him!
After Jeffery's Shard was forged, Vernon proceeded to forge three more: a Shard of Mystery? for Dr. Flamestrike's uncle Billiam Phyn, a Shard of Air for his cousin Simeon Laitch, and a Shard of Agony for a more distant relative Anthony du Aille. Thus were born the Four Great Bosses of Mōtia (the term "Boss" coming from the Mōtian word bossím, which means "to forge")!!!
The estate of the late Stefen Tussa was the first relic to go...
Jeffery hastily sought cover in his basement as the mob began to throw burning torches at the walls and windows of the looming structure, tragically forgetting to secure his many bags of powder piled in the center of the main floor. Naturally, they soon ignited...
"This would've been his most heinous deed yet," said the mob after the incident, "if this his final experiment hadn't mercifully freed us from his own life." Little did they know, however, that Dr. Flamestrike had miraculously survived the explosion, which leveled his home completely and left a crater in the ground nearly half again as wide as the late mansion's foundation.
Many hours later, as Jeffery regained consciousness and labored to climb out above the rubble that nearly crushed him, he caught sight of a mysterious glowing object poking out of the bottom of the crater mere feet away from where he lay.
At long last, after years of research telling of a hypothetical Object which could grant the bearer the Greatest of all powers, Dr. Jeffery Braema Flamestrike had actually found it!!!
A few weeks later, after the Mōtians were satisfied that Jeffery was indeed blown into dust, Dr. Flamestrike covertly took the Object to the home of Vernon Zellen, a blacksmith who lived in the eastern Mōtian city called Brames, and an ally to Jeffery and his three closest friends.
And also father to the woman he was courting (more on that later).
Dr. Flamestrike pled Vernon to use his skills to forge out of the Object four Shards, one for each man, with the promise that if he were to comply, Jeffery will spare him and his family in the coming war...
And so Vernon struck the Object and cleaved from it a Shard, now imbued with Elemental Flame by force of will! Jeffery took the Shard of Flame and even after all his contemplation was still taken aback by the Great Power which flowed through his body and soul!
Simply by bearing this Shard, he could manipulate any thing at all composing of Flame (except to meddle with the Divine), and as an added bonus, age had no effect on him!
After Jeffery's Shard was forged, Vernon proceeded to forge three more: a Shard of Mystery? for Dr. Flamestrike's uncle Billiam Phyn, a Shard of Air for his cousin Simeon Laitch, and a Shard of Agony for a more distant relative Anthony du Aille. Thus were born the Four Great Bosses of Mōtia (the term "Boss" coming from the Mōtian word bossím, which means "to forge")!!!
The estate of the late Stefen Tussa was the first relic to go...
Chapter IV: Dr. Flamestrike's Girlfriend!
By the year 914 BC/72 ME, the War of Mōtia had ended when the northwestern city of Quie, the last fortress resisting Bossic rule, was finally subdued by the raw Elemental combined powers of Air, Flame, Mystery? and Agony.
After a few pleasant months of courting his dear love Esmeralda, Dr. Flamestrike, now known by many as the Great Flame, asked Esmeralda's aging father Vernon Zellen for his blessing to marry her, but he declined, citing Jeffery's disdain for his son Bryce Veronica Zellen, Jeffery's would-be brother-in-law.
Eight years later, the Great Flame decided to start a new kind of experiment. Just to the east of the City of Mōtia, an acquaintance of Jeffery, an Englishman named Reginald Ferguson, had founded a village which he named Fergusonia, and had recently discovered an abundance of ores of an unknown metal buried just beneath its foundation.
Upon hearing of the discovery, Dr. Flamestrike made a visit to the mines in Fergusonia and was captivated by the properties of the strange glowing metal which we know today as uranium. Convinced that its radiation could boost one's health and strengthed their bodies, Jeffery requested that Reginald tile all the floors in the houses of his village with the metal and record and report the effects it had on the townspeople.
Hoping to impress Vernon by his care to safety, despite his history and the inherent nature of his Element, Jeffery would bring Esmeralda with him to Fergusonia every time he collected data. If he had only experimented with a different substance...
One day, Jeffery and Esmeralda arrived at Fergusonia to find the town strangely quiet. They found the tablet bearing the weekly data by the well as usual, and the data was promising. The two were nevertheless greatly unsettled by the general air of the once-vibrant village.
At Esmeralda's suggestion, the two entered into Reginald's mansion, to find the man wearing a tattered purple robe and a crown forged out of solid uranium... and skin with a faint grey metallic tone.
"Who doth trespass upon the palace of thy king?" Reginald suddenly screamed. "May my subjects apprehend them and hold them-- them-- them-- them-- ehhhhhgh..."
As villagers with jaundiced and blackened faces suddenly limped into the building, the Great Flame in a panic fled with haste, inadvertently leaving Esmeralda in the clutches of men who were clearly not as healthy as the data suggested. "Ehhhhgh thou'rt my wiiiife!" King Reginald's voice creaked out of his palace as Jeffery ran.
Nearly a month later, Jeffery returned to Fergusonia, having had to travel without the Air-powered assistance of Simeon Laitch, from a trip to the old blacksmith Vernon to forge a gift of appeasement to Ferguson should it be needed, neglecting of course to tell the dying man the fate of his daughter.
After sneaking into the palace at night, Dr. Flamestrike peered into the king's chambers, to find the man lying in bed, with skin practically made of cracked iron, arms draped around what appeared to be a large green stone. The Great Flame crept closer, and Reginald suddenly sat up straight, a groaning metallic roar escaping from his frozen steel lips, "Danger approacheth! I must protect thee, my wiiiiiife!!!"
His wife? Surely that great emerald couldn't possibly be Esmeralda, who of course isn't really King Reginald's wife either. The sickly king clearly had serious failings of the mind, probably an apparent effect of this new metal he had discovered. Indeed, after rising out of bed, Reginald promptly ran and crashed into the nearest wall, flailing uselessly at the stones.
Taking advantage of the odd move, Jeffery ran to the bed, to find that the apparent "emerald" still had arms, legs and a face, the face of Dr. Flamestrike's dear love, Esmeralda.
And it was no longer moving.
"What happened?!" The Great Flame demanded to the delusional King of Fergusonia. Suddenly, Reginald stopped kicking the wall and became completely lucid, calmly stating that every atom in Esmeralda's body mutated into the metal beryl, just as every atom in his was becoming iron.
Feeling a pity for the dying monarch, Jeffery then bestowed a new Shard to save the man's soon-to-end life, the Shard of Radiation.
When Dr. Flamestrike finally returned to Brames, he found Vernon Zellen on his deathbed, and there told him of the terrible fate that befell Esmeralda.
In a rare display of selflessness from the fiery old Boss, the Great Flame took the Object and on his own forged from it two more Shards as condolences for the smith's daughter: the Shard of Chlorophyll for Bryce, and the Shard of Ice for Vernon's step-son Brock laden Gå.
Pleased by Jeffery's gratitute to him for being the one to enable the rise of Bossdom, Vernon gave him his blessing if Esmeralda were still alive, and soon afterwards peaceably passed from this world.
After a few pleasant months of courting his dear love Esmeralda, Dr. Flamestrike, now known by many as the Great Flame, asked Esmeralda's aging father Vernon Zellen for his blessing to marry her, but he declined, citing Jeffery's disdain for his son Bryce Veronica Zellen, Jeffery's would-be brother-in-law.
Eight years later, the Great Flame decided to start a new kind of experiment. Just to the east of the City of Mōtia, an acquaintance of Jeffery, an Englishman named Reginald Ferguson, had founded a village which he named Fergusonia, and had recently discovered an abundance of ores of an unknown metal buried just beneath its foundation.
Upon hearing of the discovery, Dr. Flamestrike made a visit to the mines in Fergusonia and was captivated by the properties of the strange glowing metal which we know today as uranium. Convinced that its radiation could boost one's health and strengthed their bodies, Jeffery requested that Reginald tile all the floors in the houses of his village with the metal and record and report the effects it had on the townspeople.
Hoping to impress Vernon by his care to safety, despite his history and the inherent nature of his Element, Jeffery would bring Esmeralda with him to Fergusonia every time he collected data. If he had only experimented with a different substance...
One day, Jeffery and Esmeralda arrived at Fergusonia to find the town strangely quiet. They found the tablet bearing the weekly data by the well as usual, and the data was promising. The two were nevertheless greatly unsettled by the general air of the once-vibrant village.
At Esmeralda's suggestion, the two entered into Reginald's mansion, to find the man wearing a tattered purple robe and a crown forged out of solid uranium... and skin with a faint grey metallic tone.
"Who doth trespass upon the palace of thy king?" Reginald suddenly screamed. "May my subjects apprehend them and hold them-- them-- them-- them-- ehhhhhgh..."
As villagers with jaundiced and blackened faces suddenly limped into the building, the Great Flame in a panic fled with haste, inadvertently leaving Esmeralda in the clutches of men who were clearly not as healthy as the data suggested. "Ehhhhgh thou'rt my wiiiife!" King Reginald's voice creaked out of his palace as Jeffery ran.
Nearly a month later, Jeffery returned to Fergusonia, having had to travel without the Air-powered assistance of Simeon Laitch, from a trip to the old blacksmith Vernon to forge a gift of appeasement to Ferguson should it be needed, neglecting of course to tell the dying man the fate of his daughter.
After sneaking into the palace at night, Dr. Flamestrike peered into the king's chambers, to find the man lying in bed, with skin practically made of cracked iron, arms draped around what appeared to be a large green stone. The Great Flame crept closer, and Reginald suddenly sat up straight, a groaning metallic roar escaping from his frozen steel lips, "Danger approacheth! I must protect thee, my wiiiiiife!!!"
His wife? Surely that great emerald couldn't possibly be Esmeralda, who of course isn't really King Reginald's wife either. The sickly king clearly had serious failings of the mind, probably an apparent effect of this new metal he had discovered. Indeed, after rising out of bed, Reginald promptly ran and crashed into the nearest wall, flailing uselessly at the stones.
Taking advantage of the odd move, Jeffery ran to the bed, to find that the apparent "emerald" still had arms, legs and a face, the face of Dr. Flamestrike's dear love, Esmeralda.
And it was no longer moving.
"What happened?!" The Great Flame demanded to the delusional King of Fergusonia. Suddenly, Reginald stopped kicking the wall and became completely lucid, calmly stating that every atom in Esmeralda's body mutated into the metal beryl, just as every atom in his was becoming iron.
Feeling a pity for the dying monarch, Jeffery then bestowed a new Shard to save the man's soon-to-end life, the Shard of Radiation.
When Dr. Flamestrike finally returned to Brames, he found Vernon Zellen on his deathbed, and there told him of the terrible fate that befell Esmeralda.
In a rare display of selflessness from the fiery old Boss, the Great Flame took the Object and on his own forged from it two more Shards as condolences for the smith's daughter: the Shard of Chlorophyll for Bryce, and the Shard of Ice for Vernon's step-son Brock laden Gå.
Pleased by Jeffery's gratitute to him for being the one to enable the rise of Bossdom, Vernon gave him his blessing if Esmeralda were still alive, and soon afterwards peaceably passed from this world.
Chapter V: The War of the Four
In the year 12 BC, or 974 ME, after many centuries of relative peace in Mōtia under the immortal rules of the Great Four Bosses, with Bryce, Brock and Reginald ruling over their own nations of East Brameland, Glacia and Fergusonia, respectively, tensions hidden for close to a millennium finally begin to show.
For at least three hundred years, Billiam Phyn, Boss of Mystery?, had been worried about the Great Flame's tendency to claim over half the land area of the country as his own, centered around the busy city Brames, while Billiam and Simeon Laitch struggled to breathe, as it were, sharing a smaller zone in the western half of Mōtia.
No new Shards had been forged under Dr. Flamestrike's direction during that time, although two men whose identities remain unknown had somehow obtained Shards of Change and Old Age, and there were rumors that the mythical Hades and his nephew Hermes bore Shards of their own. There were even rumors that Hades had also given Shards to the two founders of Mōtia and their wives, who naturally had died from old age long ago.
These rumors, while far-fetched, stoked fear among the Mōtians that one day there may come a war from a foreign nation that has Bosses of its own, which event could be catastrophic for the entire world! To calm those fears, Jeffery handed the Object to Billiam to lock up for safe keeping and assured the populace that no new Shards will ever be forged from it again.
Then he stole back the Object and forged a Shard for an heir to the throne of the Roman Empire.
Disappointment that the Great Flame would fall victim to Isacus Marcus Cæsar's charm and give a Shard to a foreign superpower, coupled with concerns over border disputes within Mōtia, finally gave Billiam Phyn a suitable reason to declare a civil war against Dr. Jeffery Braema Flamestrike.
Billiam's forces were joined by those of Simeon Laitch, Anthony du Aille and Brock laden Gå, while Jeffery's were joined by those of Bryce Zellen, Reginald Ferguson and Isacus Marcus. The battles were naturally devastating to every city that was unfortunate enough to host it, and while the general population was enlisted to fight, only the battles between Boss and Boss ever had any effect on the outcome of the war at all.
For the first few years, the only major victory, if you asked the people of Mōtia, was Anthony du Aille's declaration that he would accept his territory being only the small island of Redland at the mouth of the river Soufferte, and the river itself. This shows a general lack of hope in the future of the war, seeing as how that was the extent of the Boss of Agony's territory for the last eight hundred years anyway.
However, after another couple of years, another major advancement was made as Isacus Marcus renounced his right to an empire or kingdom or even principality, and began to use his Bossic authority as an independent lawman within the land of Mōtia.
Ultimately, however, after seeing the great destruction befalling the Mōtians at the hands of the warring Bosses, Billiam and Simeon decided to yield, granting the Great Flame the territory he was occupying at the time, incorporating it as the state of Brameland. While the Bosses of Air and Mystery? were disappointed that Brameland was not much smaller than it was before, Billiam was satisfied with the size of his own state of Konecia if it meant the return of peace, as was Simeon with the state of Laitchia over which he ruled.
And thus began Pax Mosciana, the last stage of peace throughout the Mōtian Era...
For at least three hundred years, Billiam Phyn, Boss of Mystery?, had been worried about the Great Flame's tendency to claim over half the land area of the country as his own, centered around the busy city Brames, while Billiam and Simeon Laitch struggled to breathe, as it were, sharing a smaller zone in the western half of Mōtia.
No new Shards had been forged under Dr. Flamestrike's direction during that time, although two men whose identities remain unknown had somehow obtained Shards of Change and Old Age, and there were rumors that the mythical Hades and his nephew Hermes bore Shards of their own. There were even rumors that Hades had also given Shards to the two founders of Mōtia and their wives, who naturally had died from old age long ago.
These rumors, while far-fetched, stoked fear among the Mōtians that one day there may come a war from a foreign nation that has Bosses of its own, which event could be catastrophic for the entire world! To calm those fears, Jeffery handed the Object to Billiam to lock up for safe keeping and assured the populace that no new Shards will ever be forged from it again.
Then he stole back the Object and forged a Shard for an heir to the throne of the Roman Empire.
Disappointment that the Great Flame would fall victim to Isacus Marcus Cæsar's charm and give a Shard to a foreign superpower, coupled with concerns over border disputes within Mōtia, finally gave Billiam Phyn a suitable reason to declare a civil war against Dr. Jeffery Braema Flamestrike.
Billiam's forces were joined by those of Simeon Laitch, Anthony du Aille and Brock laden Gå, while Jeffery's were joined by those of Bryce Zellen, Reginald Ferguson and Isacus Marcus. The battles were naturally devastating to every city that was unfortunate enough to host it, and while the general population was enlisted to fight, only the battles between Boss and Boss ever had any effect on the outcome of the war at all.
For the first few years, the only major victory, if you asked the people of Mōtia, was Anthony du Aille's declaration that he would accept his territory being only the small island of Redland at the mouth of the river Soufferte, and the river itself. This shows a general lack of hope in the future of the war, seeing as how that was the extent of the Boss of Agony's territory for the last eight hundred years anyway.
However, after another couple of years, another major advancement was made as Isacus Marcus renounced his right to an empire or kingdom or even principality, and began to use his Bossic authority as an independent lawman within the land of Mōtia.
Ultimately, however, after seeing the great destruction befalling the Mōtians at the hands of the warring Bosses, Billiam and Simeon decided to yield, granting the Great Flame the territory he was occupying at the time, incorporating it as the state of Brameland. While the Bosses of Air and Mystery? were disappointed that Brameland was not much smaller than it was before, Billiam was satisfied with the size of his own state of Konecia if it meant the return of peace, as was Simeon with the state of Laitchia over which he ruled.
And thus began Pax Mosciana, the last stage of peace throughout the Mōtian Era...
Chapter VI: The Fall of Mōtia
After the War of the Four ended in the year 2 AD (987 ME), the Four Great Bosses spent more than a millennium more reigning over their allotted states within Mōtia, occasionally meeting together in the neutral capital City of Mōtia to renew the alliances (often seen more as truces) with each other.
While most of the Bosses sought only the welfare of the peoples over whom they ruled, the Great Flame searched the globe for new people unto whom he would grant Bossdom, and some few he did: soon after Isacus Marcus received his Shard, Jeffery granted a Shard to the Celtic chief Goodman Nathanix. Nine centuries later, to the Englishman Kent Sportington and decades afterwards one to the Hispanian Nefi Chenería.
One day, Dr. Flamestrike had a dream in which he received a confirmation that his grandparents indeed still lived, and were Bosses themselves, given Shards by the King of the Dead while their souls swam in the depths of Tartarus!
Inspired by the possibility of travelling across worlds, the Great Flame once again endeavored to begin a new experiment: to create a doorway which would lead into a World of Flame!
On that fateful day in 1052 AD, otherwise known as the 2037th year of the Mōtian Era, Dr. Flamestrike summoned the other three Bosses to his palace in Brames to unveil the doorway which he had created through his Shard.
However, much to his chagrin, his wise and Mysterious? uncle Billiam Phyn saw reason to oppose the venture, stating that such an increase in power could only bring harm to the people, and, much to the surprise of all, abruptly came out against the idea of anyone bearing Bossic Shards at all.
Blinded by indignation and a wounded pride, Jeffery then raised his Shard and, for the first time in his life, personally fired it at one of his oldest, closest and dearest of friends. Ready for the attack, Billiam used his own Shard to defend himself, as Simeon flew away in anguish and Anthony dug into the ground to give himself cover from having to see his kin throwing their past bonds into the Flames of rage.
Finally, as Billiam collapsed from exhaustion, Jeffery cried out a denunciation of that old Boss, and curtly opened the doorway, and walked through. Never had our world seen such an explosion of such a magnitude, and never shall it ever until the day that it dies.
Few Mōtians who weren't Bosses survived the cataclysm which wiped off the map the very land upon which the once Great nation stood. Even among the Bosses, Dr. Jeffery Braema Flamestrike, the Great Flame, the Boss of Flame, was nowhere to be found. As Billiam emerged from his Mystery?-fueled shield among the sinking rubble where there was once part of a continent, he knew immediately that for the sake of the world's people, the Age of the Bosses was over, and so it must remain until the end of time.
He then found the Object unearthed from below the two bits of stone that remained of Jeffery's palace and hid it out of reach of any man, and deployed his Shard one last time to remove all memories and records of the country which was called Mōtia from human minds and written scrolls, and removed himself away to the dimension called Koneám, where he could live on without risking causing further harm to the quickly dying Konecians whom he loved. He now rules only the shadows, as Phyn Mysterius?, the last benevolent Boss.
As Simeon Laitch flew over the remnants of Laitchia, haunted by the last memories of his cousin and confronted with the view of his people, what little who still lived rapidly perishing in the coming floods of the Mediterranean Sea, he saw that he could no longer keep up this way while still remaining sane. So, he shot straight down into the salt lake of the city of Salville which was quickly being overtaken by outside waters.
As he crashed into his palace by the sandy shores, the impact was so intense that the rising plumes of sand were instantaneously transfigured into glass, and the shrine became his residence to this day, constantly being filled inch by inch with more and more salt settling as his many tears evaporate by heat of his shame at failing the other Bosses and embarassment at the side effects of his Shard causing him to grow crimson feathers all over his body.
Anthony du Aille faced his anguish in a different way. After swimming to the scattered fragments of Redland that were spread by the explosion, the Boss of Agony showed no mercy nor emotion as he cruelly slaughtered every Redlander that he saw out of his eyes wetted by tears of blood. Even though not all land ended up under the sea, the Agonizer's deeds proved full well Billiam's warning of the inevitable dangers of Bossdom. No nation can last forever under its deadly tempting power.
Soon after the Agonizer was through his rampage of death, he began to be consumed himself by the unrelenting Agony that he dealt, until his being passed out from this world and into a World of Agony, called Dulia, where he is now served by the tormented souls of the Redlanders he had killed, and to this day deals Agony to the souls of men living on this earth, filling the bony ground of Dulia with veins of painstone.
Such is the fate of the Great Four Bosses of Mōtia, and such is their lives until they are ultimately stopped by you, in the role of Adam G. Brames, the Lore-Keeper, perhaps even in this year, being 3009 M.E.
While most of the Bosses sought only the welfare of the peoples over whom they ruled, the Great Flame searched the globe for new people unto whom he would grant Bossdom, and some few he did: soon after Isacus Marcus received his Shard, Jeffery granted a Shard to the Celtic chief Goodman Nathanix. Nine centuries later, to the Englishman Kent Sportington and decades afterwards one to the Hispanian Nefi Chenería.
One day, Dr. Flamestrike had a dream in which he received a confirmation that his grandparents indeed still lived, and were Bosses themselves, given Shards by the King of the Dead while their souls swam in the depths of Tartarus!
Inspired by the possibility of travelling across worlds, the Great Flame once again endeavored to begin a new experiment: to create a doorway which would lead into a World of Flame!
On that fateful day in 1052 AD, otherwise known as the 2037th year of the Mōtian Era, Dr. Flamestrike summoned the other three Bosses to his palace in Brames to unveil the doorway which he had created through his Shard.
However, much to his chagrin, his wise and Mysterious? uncle Billiam Phyn saw reason to oppose the venture, stating that such an increase in power could only bring harm to the people, and, much to the surprise of all, abruptly came out against the idea of anyone bearing Bossic Shards at all.
Blinded by indignation and a wounded pride, Jeffery then raised his Shard and, for the first time in his life, personally fired it at one of his oldest, closest and dearest of friends. Ready for the attack, Billiam used his own Shard to defend himself, as Simeon flew away in anguish and Anthony dug into the ground to give himself cover from having to see his kin throwing their past bonds into the Flames of rage.
Finally, as Billiam collapsed from exhaustion, Jeffery cried out a denunciation of that old Boss, and curtly opened the doorway, and walked through. Never had our world seen such an explosion of such a magnitude, and never shall it ever until the day that it dies.
Few Mōtians who weren't Bosses survived the cataclysm which wiped off the map the very land upon which the once Great nation stood. Even among the Bosses, Dr. Jeffery Braema Flamestrike, the Great Flame, the Boss of Flame, was nowhere to be found. As Billiam emerged from his Mystery?-fueled shield among the sinking rubble where there was once part of a continent, he knew immediately that for the sake of the world's people, the Age of the Bosses was over, and so it must remain until the end of time.
He then found the Object unearthed from below the two bits of stone that remained of Jeffery's palace and hid it out of reach of any man, and deployed his Shard one last time to remove all memories and records of the country which was called Mōtia from human minds and written scrolls, and removed himself away to the dimension called Koneám, where he could live on without risking causing further harm to the quickly dying Konecians whom he loved. He now rules only the shadows, as Phyn Mysterius?, the last benevolent Boss.
As Simeon Laitch flew over the remnants of Laitchia, haunted by the last memories of his cousin and confronted with the view of his people, what little who still lived rapidly perishing in the coming floods of the Mediterranean Sea, he saw that he could no longer keep up this way while still remaining sane. So, he shot straight down into the salt lake of the city of Salville which was quickly being overtaken by outside waters.
As he crashed into his palace by the sandy shores, the impact was so intense that the rising plumes of sand were instantaneously transfigured into glass, and the shrine became his residence to this day, constantly being filled inch by inch with more and more salt settling as his many tears evaporate by heat of his shame at failing the other Bosses and embarassment at the side effects of his Shard causing him to grow crimson feathers all over his body.
Anthony du Aille faced his anguish in a different way. After swimming to the scattered fragments of Redland that were spread by the explosion, the Boss of Agony showed no mercy nor emotion as he cruelly slaughtered every Redlander that he saw out of his eyes wetted by tears of blood. Even though not all land ended up under the sea, the Agonizer's deeds proved full well Billiam's warning of the inevitable dangers of Bossdom. No nation can last forever under its deadly tempting power.
Soon after the Agonizer was through his rampage of death, he began to be consumed himself by the unrelenting Agony that he dealt, until his being passed out from this world and into a World of Agony, called Dulia, where he is now served by the tormented souls of the Redlanders he had killed, and to this day deals Agony to the souls of men living on this earth, filling the bony ground of Dulia with veins of painstone.
Such is the fate of the Great Four Bosses of Mōtia, and such is their lives until they are ultimately stopped by you, in the role of Adam G. Brames, the Lore-Keeper, perhaps even in this year, being 3009 M.E.
Chapter VII: The World of Flame
The Great Flame did not die.
His doorway indeed worked, and transported him into the World of Flame, called Agsefnadia, where he ruled the native people with an iron fist, and was given luxuries he never knew when he ruled in Mōtia. Having fashioned himself a regal crown and noble greaves out of pure Elemental Flame, he lives comfortably in a golden palace which hangs high above a sea of molten rock, guarded by his two greatest thug elites, long-living Agsefnadians who go by the names of Nethrus and Ferror.
As the centuries passed, the Great Flame was satisfied that his actions preceding his arrival in Agsefnadia were just, and that his uncle--may his name never be spoken in this hallowed palace--had no authority above his own to force him to relinquish his Shard to anyone. As far as he was concerned, Mōtia must still have been thriving, even in his absence, and certainly the others would be more than happy to share the land once occupied by Brameland!
His blissful ignorance ended in 1864 AD/2849 ME.
Through a deed unknown to this day by all, a man from our world one day somehow was teleported to Agsefnadia, a short distance away from the Shrine of Flame. The man, Nigel Strathearn of Australia, was soon met by a group of guards who threw him into the presence of the Great Flame, whose appearance was by then speedily coming to match his name.
Instantly recognizing Nigel as a man from his own native world, the Great Flame happily took him in and inquired about the state that Mōtia was in. Not much headway was made at the time, however, since the Great Flame was speaking Agsefnadian and Nigel could only speak English. However, the Great Flame vaguely recognized aspects of Nigel's speech from his time among the old England native Reginald Ferguson, and then asked the same question again, but in English.
Nigel still could not answer, and said he couldn't understand parts of the ancient dialect, particularly the word "Mōtia", to which the Great Flame responded saying it was the name of the country of his birth.
"I've never heard of it, mate," Nigel responded.
Nethrus and Ferror, being well accustomed to their Boss' demeanor, quickly escorted Nigel out of the palace doors before the Great Flame had the chance to fire his Shard at him, and then went to the Great Flame to plead with him to not kill this bearer of bad news.
"What reason could I possibly have to not burn the man who shall be a reminder of the loss of my homeland?" The Great Flame inquired. The guards' response was simple: they wanted to learn his "amusing little tongue". And so they did.
Over the next several years, Nigel gave them many lessons on the English language (specifically his own dialect), during which lessons the Great Flame would typically be absent, to avoid being face to face with the "reminder of the loss of [his] homeland". Life in the palace continued in such a manner for ten years, until Ferror, starting to become bored from learning all the many irregular participles, and thinking that all inhabitants of our world were impervious to flames, despondently shoved Nigel off the stairway to the Shrine and into the lava sea below.
"Oi mate! Watch out where ya going!" Nigel screamed as he fell.
No other human has ever set foot anywhere near the Shrine of Flame since, until you, the potential Twentieth Boss, go through the doorway and save Agsefnadia from the wicked reign of the Boss of Flame!
So come on! How many more mini-stories am I gonna have to lay out before you decide to play the Mod of the Agonizer? Save your world from the Bossic tyranny!
His doorway indeed worked, and transported him into the World of Flame, called Agsefnadia, where he ruled the native people with an iron fist, and was given luxuries he never knew when he ruled in Mōtia. Having fashioned himself a regal crown and noble greaves out of pure Elemental Flame, he lives comfortably in a golden palace which hangs high above a sea of molten rock, guarded by his two greatest thug elites, long-living Agsefnadians who go by the names of Nethrus and Ferror.
As the centuries passed, the Great Flame was satisfied that his actions preceding his arrival in Agsefnadia were just, and that his uncle--may his name never be spoken in this hallowed palace--had no authority above his own to force him to relinquish his Shard to anyone. As far as he was concerned, Mōtia must still have been thriving, even in his absence, and certainly the others would be more than happy to share the land once occupied by Brameland!
His blissful ignorance ended in 1864 AD/2849 ME.
Through a deed unknown to this day by all, a man from our world one day somehow was teleported to Agsefnadia, a short distance away from the Shrine of Flame. The man, Nigel Strathearn of Australia, was soon met by a group of guards who threw him into the presence of the Great Flame, whose appearance was by then speedily coming to match his name.
Instantly recognizing Nigel as a man from his own native world, the Great Flame happily took him in and inquired about the state that Mōtia was in. Not much headway was made at the time, however, since the Great Flame was speaking Agsefnadian and Nigel could only speak English. However, the Great Flame vaguely recognized aspects of Nigel's speech from his time among the old England native Reginald Ferguson, and then asked the same question again, but in English.
Nigel still could not answer, and said he couldn't understand parts of the ancient dialect, particularly the word "Mōtia", to which the Great Flame responded saying it was the name of the country of his birth.
"I've never heard of it, mate," Nigel responded.
Nethrus and Ferror, being well accustomed to their Boss' demeanor, quickly escorted Nigel out of the palace doors before the Great Flame had the chance to fire his Shard at him, and then went to the Great Flame to plead with him to not kill this bearer of bad news.
"What reason could I possibly have to not burn the man who shall be a reminder of the loss of my homeland?" The Great Flame inquired. The guards' response was simple: they wanted to learn his "amusing little tongue". And so they did.
Over the next several years, Nigel gave them many lessons on the English language (specifically his own dialect), during which lessons the Great Flame would typically be absent, to avoid being face to face with the "reminder of the loss of [his] homeland". Life in the palace continued in such a manner for ten years, until Ferror, starting to become bored from learning all the many irregular participles, and thinking that all inhabitants of our world were impervious to flames, despondently shoved Nigel off the stairway to the Shrine and into the lava sea below.
"Oi mate! Watch out where ya going!" Nigel screamed as he fell.
No other human has ever set foot anywhere near the Shrine of Flame since, until you, the potential Twentieth Boss, go through the doorway and save Agsefnadia from the wicked reign of the Boss of Flame!
So come on! How many more mini-stories am I gonna have to lay out before you decide to play the Mod of the Agonizer? Save your world from the Bossic tyranny!