Within the heart of the ravine...
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Darkness. All consuming, never ending.
Cold. Unbearable cold. The chill of death always surprised Iram. No one can ever really prepare for just how cold the afterlife is. If Iram had a physical form, even he would be shivering uncontrollably. It's a quality he is never completely able to explain: its something he has to show through his Cryomancy to describe it. Iram always took great pride in attaining the coldest possible Cryomancy by mimicking death itself. But, perhaps, the worst quality of death is that, you are left with nothing but your thoughts, for all eternity. As such, by its very nature, death drives all its inhabitants mad. As you reflect, you will inevitably think about your regrets, mistakes, and failures, over and over, without end.
Iram's been killed a couple times before in the past, and was luckily resurrected before madness could truly take hold. His first death occurred when he returned triumphantly back to the Frozen Wastes, with a Living Ruby in tow. The trial for all potential Chosens of Korblox's Empire entails delving deep into the Burning Lands, a fiery hell underneath the Frozen Wastes. Battle the landscape, flora and fauna, and obtain the incredibly powerful magical artifact, and return. Iram had done all these things, but he had paid a heavy toll throughout his journey. By the time he had returned, Iram was holding onto life with sheer will power alone. When he finally relinquished the Living Ruby, and thus when his trial had ended, Iram was engulfed in flame and was burnt to ash. His second death occurred when he laid waste to Redcliff's capital city of Redwick. He was successful in its siege and sacking, but ultimately lost when all three Redcliff Elite Commanders banded together and fought against Iram, subsequently managing to pulverize his physical form, banishing his soul once more to the afterlife.
Both times he had been resurrected, spared the consequences of these ordeals for his service to the Empire. But Iram believes his current death will be his last. Yes, he was not felled in battle, nor perished for pushing himself too far too fast. No, he died of suicide. Iram and his comrades who were still living at the time of his death, all jumped into a ravine, a final farewell to the Empire they had fought for so long, saddened by its fall. Thus, their fall into the ravine was symbolism. Though perhaps, Iram reflected, their decision was too hasty. With the retirement and subsequent death of the General of Korblox and Iram's father, Grom Hammerfist, hope for the Empire seemed lost. To preserve their way of life, the Korbloxians unanimously decided to die, and thus end the Empire's legacy with them, once and for all. That was their General's wish, after all.
Iram felt an itch, and tried to scratch it, before remembering he no longer had a body. True, the Empire had fallen into disrepair, but did that have to be the end? Another itch appeared, seemingly on the opposite side of his consciousness. When one neglects their muscles, they shrink and atrophy, but that doesn't mean they can't come back bigger and stronger than ever. More and more itches appeared, creeping and crawling across Iram's psyche. Was it the right decision to die? To abandon the Empire to its fate? Exist eternally in death's bleak embrace with nothing but these thoughts of regret? Squirming, writhing, ceaseless prickly irritation, Iram's soul boiled and bubbled.
Did I make the right choice?! Iram's soul screamed into the empty, uncaring darkness. Tell me!
No.
Iram's consciousness shrunk back in shock, having heard a voice other than his own for the first time in what felt like an eternity.
Your mistake will be corrected, Chosen. Arise.
Suddenly...
Bones, shattered and splintered, repaired themselves. Once scattered, they fly back towards each other, and begin to form a body. Knitting and popping into their proper places, the bones stand upright, wobbly, but animate. Bony talons connect to the sockets of the hands, before curling into tightly knitted fists. Toes writhe from the effort, curling up and down, marking even the stone underneath the feet. Rib cage alights with a deep, blue glow, pulsing rhythmically, mimicking desperate breathing. Deep within a crevice, a skull flies out from within, then connects solidly with the spine, rocking the body on its heels, before all is still. Then, at once, both sockets ignite into blue balls of fire, and the skeletal figure looses a primal roar, back arched, shaking the whole ravine. Loose rocks and rubble fall around him, pummeling the ground like hail.
Iram then falls silent, shaking, unsteady, but determined. Resolved. He is back. Iram's neck creaked and groaned as he looked around, realizing he was not the only one. Old comrades broken forms began to repair themselves, twisting and contorting as broken bones, torn ligaments, and sinew mended their battered bodies. Shrieks and shouts rose almost simultaneously, as his soldiers all realized they came back to the land of the living. Nearby, one of them gets up, pushing a boulder off of him as he does so, before limping over to Iram. He instantly recognizes Venos, clad in black armor adorned with bone, he was regarded as one of the best swordsmen in the Empire, fighting with supernatural speed and agility. Though, the word that best describes Venos at this time would be mangled: a far cry from his fearsome reputation.
"Iram, is that you?" Venos coughed, rattling his whole body from the strain. "We were all revived... But why? What happened?" Iram slowly shook his head, and took an unsteady step, attempting to relearn balance and coordination. He looked back at Venos "I'm not sure, but I don't think much time passed between our death and apparent resurrection," he pointed up at the ravine walls adorned in Korbloxian runes and writing, still looking somewhat pristine and new, albeit with some hanging moss and vegetation hanging limply down. "But we were brought back by something. Did you hear a voice call out to you?" Venos started to blink in surprise "Yes, though I assumed that to be some sort of delusion. You heard something like that too?" Before Iram could respond, voices from all the other newly revived Korbloxians arose in agreement, stating they also heard this mysterious voice.
Iram clasped his chin in thought. "Same voice, all of us... Then it's no coincidence. Something resurrected all of us." A Korbloxian limped up toward Iram and Venos, the thorns upon his head marking him as Morgrim. "Could it be my father, Zarkonan?" he gestured around, indicating that Zarkonan's own body was nowhere to be found. Iram scoffed. Typical Zarkonan: he wouldn't have actually fell to his death. His sense of self-preservation was far too great for that. Iram pondered the possible answer, before shaking his head. "Zarkonan would've shown himself by now if it were him. He always has a sense for theatrics, after all," Iram looked up at the sky, beyond the reach of the ravine, "but even Zarkonan couldn't resurrect all of us at once. He has enough trouble resurrecting me alone, let alone you, Venos, your son Malig, and everyone else at the same time." Iram's fireballs in his eye sockets dimmed, indicating he was narrowing his vision. "And that voice didn't resemble him in the slightest. No, it carried an authority and power even the General did not possess."
Morgrim sat back on his haunches in thought, and Venos's hand twitched. "What could that possibly mean?" he asked Iram. He responded with a simple shake of the head "I do not know. But what I do know is that we must've been brought back for a purpose." Iram fixed Venos with a purposeful stare, the fireballs glowing intensely. Venos looked back at Iram for a moment, before his own eyes widened in realization. "You can't possibly mean going back against the General's wishes, do you?" Iram did not break his stare "If all of us were brought back, at the same time no less, it can only mean one thing." Venos shook his head slowly, backing away slightly. "That's treason," he said, crossing his arms, indicating his stance was firm on the matter. Iram continued to stare unblinkingly at Venos, completely still, unwavering. "My thoughts were answered in the cold abyss. I know what must be done. My decision is final, Venos." The Bladesman's eyes opened in shock, before narrowing. He reached for his sword, still in its sheathe despite his fall into the ravine. Iram did not move. All the Korbloxians in the ravine were still, shocked at the recent turn of events. Morgrim looked between Iram and Venos quickly, unsure of what to do.
Then, rocks from above the ravine fell and clattered against the cold ground with the harsh sound of stone against stone. Before anyone could react, Iram instantly pinpointed the source of where the falling debris came from, and focused his gaze onto that position. He noticed a figure instantly retract from its position, high above the Korbloxians. Iram's eyes blazed in anger, before extinguishing themselves, indicating he had closed his vision. Reaching outward, Iram shot his consciousness out beyond the boundary of his body above the ravine. There, he could see three figures quickly trying to flee into the raging blizzard beyond the ravine. Iram withdrew his soul back into his body, and re-opened his eyes. By this point, all the other Korbloxians had noticed the disturbance. "What was that?" Venos asked, hand still hovering above his sword. Iram opened his jaws, indicating a grin "Company. Three of them." He looked around, meeting the eyes of all his soldiers. "They bear the insignia of the Wizards of the Astral Isles." He lifted both of his arms, beckoning. Suddenly, two pitch black blades flew into his open hands: The Darkhearts. Venos briefly flinched backwards, before he realized Iram was readying them for the intruders.
"Let's greet our guests, shall we?"
