Secrets of Desylinn: The Chaos Man

by Frank Shaw

When the first to take the moniker of the Chaos Man came down from the Black Fire Mountains, he brought fiery destruction with him. Finding an abandoned Elven fortress, shortly after the Imperial collapse, he destroyed it utterly. It is said he brought fire from the sky itself and only a handful of the refugees taking shelter there survived. Of those few, most were gifted with magic and they followed the linen wrapped, heavily cowled “man” who stood head and shoulders taller than an ogre to his next destination.

The stories say he traveled down the Elven road to just north of the border to the Geato Marsh. He carried nothing but a large, sturdy, wooden box with a bizarre magical lock. Each village, encampment and fortress he and his expanding army of mages entered was laid to waste. The survivors,  mostly spell-casters, followed in his stead, joining the others. Whenever asked the question “Why?” to the destruction he had laid down on his path he would answer softly “To see my potential realized. Like the others who have gone before me.”

Word of this small army was ushered by a vanguard of fleeing survivors who did not have the magical talent of the throng. Soon settlements were nearly abandoned before the Chaos Man's arrival, with only a few hopeful, woefully addicted, or desperate spell-casters left. After long months of travel the Chaos Man arrived at the newly formed city now known as Hub, which still surged with refugees coming from other parts of the recently emancipated Desylinn.

                 

The group, some say numbering a thousand, others say numbering ten thousand, was asked their business. The Chaos Man spoke, which he rarely did, and said they would like to help in exchange for a place in Hub. The mages were given a small corner to eke out their living and in exchange they began to truly build the city with their power. Their first act was building a great feasting hall known as the Halls of the Councils of Chaos. Here the Chaos Man, whoever that may be today, resides with his advisors and meets with the heads of the Mage Schools from the city.

                 

The question of the original Chaos Man’s identity has never been fully satisfied. The first Chaos Man took refuge in the Halls shortly after they were built and was never seen again. “The Chaos Man” has become the de facto title of the Mage Guild leader, and the position seems to change hands frequently. One week a meeting with the Chaos Man will bring forth a dwarf with a tattooed face, the next will land you in a discussion with a one armed Minotaur, and the one after that will have you sitting with an ancient Gren Maitre for tea. How each individual Chaos Man takes power is never fully explained to outsiders or even lower ranking guild members, and the advisors and faction leaders are not telling.

                 

The current popular rumor is that the Chaos Man is really a council of the current hundred and one most powerful Mages in the city. Another is that the Chaos Man is a simple discretionary title held for a week or two before being passed onto the next eligible candidate. One theory is that because of the fractious nature of the Mages Guild and the unsavory dealings they have with other guilds, especially the Music Guild, there really isn’t a Chaos Man and it’s simply a front to outsiders - that the guild itself is actually not nearly as organized as they let on. Of course there are whispers that the Chaos Man is still the same, and always has been the same individual, but he simply uses powerful magics of illusion and shadows to appear different each time.

                 

No matter the truth, it is rare when an outsider gets a visit with the Chaos Man. It is an even rarer event when he attends any of the Great Guild Councils. In fact, most dealings with the Mages Guild are usually conducted with one of the school captains, who are intimidating at best and cruel or malicious most of the time. The calmer captains only chuckle and shake their head when asked to meet with the Chaos Man, as if having a private joke. Typically the only response is, “If you only knew.”

Secrets of Desylinn: Liara Rosetongue

by Dominic Ford

Entering the dark room, Machi’s heart pounded, filled with dread. Although the market this morning had been one long catastrophic event, he couldn’t believe it had warranted a meeting with the renowned Lady of Whispers. A lamp in the corner flickered to life, and his heart skipped. He had expected a hag, but this woman was so far from that. His tongue dried in his mouth. Her elegant face, unmarred by the slender scar covering her Imperial origins, was smiling. Her neck, decorated with a delicate rose tattoo, led his eyes to her silvery gown, which however modest couldn’t hide the woman’s majestic beauty. Machi swallowed hard and forced his eyes upward, looking into her inviting green eyes. She began to whisper.

Although born into the frozen Elven Empire, Liara had her heart warmed at a young age by the life and music of the Transcendent BjordHalf-foot. Instead of embracing the cold, Liara turned to music. Liara was among the first to scar herself rather than continue to carry Kady’s Kiss, the mark left on all Elves upon the death of Empress Arcadia. Her fame as a Bard spread beyond Hub, and her tours took her across Desylinn, from the Kindred’s tents and the Gren's Wagons to the Dwarves' distant forgehalls. Her career took an abrupt turn when a jealous performer snuck into her home one night and slit her throat. Luck, or the Transcendent Bjord’s blessing, was with her, and she survived the devastating injury.

Left with an ugly scar on her throat, her was voice utterly destroyed. Liara turned her back on her career, her magics, and her previous life. She took a vow of silence and maintained it for over a decade. Seeking understanding of the nature of the Gods, of life in Desylinn, and a new purpose for herself, she searched within for answers. The first answer she found in Transcendent Bjord’s second teaching, Altruism. A servant in the Temple of the Five, she became a silent bringer of hope, dedicated to alleviating the endless suffering of the world. One day, deep in meditation, inspiration struck. She rose, collected her wages, and left the temple. She went straight to a tattoo artist, and whispered the design for her rose into his ear.

Her new life bloomed with the rose. She took her money and invested in small shops, independent merchants, and desperate yet skilled craftsmen. Slowly these investments expanded and grew, and with them so did her influence. The small shops grew into flourishing businesses, the merchants into significant caravanners, and the lowly craftsmen advanced as masters of their respective arts. Finally, the collected organization began to fray, too large and unwieldy for any individual to manage, and Liara knew that a change had to happen at once. She petitioned the Council for official status and her organization became the Merchant’s Guild.

Within the Merchant’s Guild, Liara’s word is final. She has advisors and bodyguards, but once she whispers instructions they are carried out immediately, to the best understanding and ability of her followers. She considers her people to be a powerful machine, and modeled it after Transcendent Bjord Half-foot’s famed artifact, the Voice of the Changeling. She trains her people to be perpetually flexible, and empowers them to make decisions in the moment, from the bottom level up to the highest caravanners. Her organization stretches almost as far as her fame once did, and few dare cross the Merchants for fear of bringing a single whisper against them.

Liara has not allowed this power to go to her head, however. She spends her time praying and meditating, trusting her followers to do as she has asked. She never forgets the second half of Transcendent Bjord’s teachings, and instills the value of Altruism into her entire organization. She demands loyalty, trust and honor, and in return ensures full wages, adequate reward and proper punishment for any in the Merchant’s Guild. In spite of this, her understanding of both business and mortal weakness ensure that she is increasingly profitable. She passes most of this back to the Guild, and the rest to the Temple of the Five, choosing a life of humble honor for herself.