Legacy of De'Medici

[Doom.Dude]

A word up front: My thanks to the people of Siflige and those lovely green orbs of grammatical doom for beeing the ones that, for some creepy reason, taught me more english and typing skills then I ever did at school.

With that, here is an overview of a character's story that I wish to share:

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Prologue, Eternitiy's Deadline:
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First there was Maxwell, a man who lived during a time where the multiverse was reaching its conclusion, when time itself would run out, the gods had long since perished, magic has diappeared from the materium, the earth had rotten, the water had gone stale, the wind no longer blew and the fire had gone cold, a dark and dying period, slowly disipating into enthropy at the passage of each and every moment.
Maxwell was a man of science and machines, a genius man at that, and his machines predicted that the final blow would soon land uppon the worn out existance that he inhabitated.
A terrifying thought, if living under these conditions was not already one, his mortality was facing its own demise, and there was little time to spare.
He started the development of a machine that would allow him to achieve the absurd, scraping together as many forgotten lores and theories together, the plausibility of a journey through the strands time itself was a present commodity, he desired to escape fate, to deny it this station that it has given to him, decades he spend designing and building, his bones grew brittle, his hair white, and the lack of a tangible power source to find continually bashed uppon his hopes of ever achieving his goal.
For as he gazed over what he had created, the only thing he felt, was the calm certainty that this world bore no more energy, no power to make it work, he truely lived in the age of dispair. His thoughts keep questioning him wether this thing will actually work, even if it has power.
He sought for many methods and ways in the last few standing libraries of knowledge that still existed, most of the books where useless in these days, and no mechanized information source was functional, he would have almost given up on his search.
Untill he finds a book of vile arts, discribing how the souls of mortal creatures could be used to generate energy, spells, and many more things.
Maxwell was sceptical about the contents, the book contained a bunch of fairytales about demons and devils, and more nonsense about immortal beeings.
However the longer he read it, the more interest it provoked, he read about certain designs and rituals that would, in theory, still work to this day.
So he made adjustments to his machine, that would incorperate these ideas as he then set up a diabolical plan.

Maxwell lived on the border of a big metropolis, of wich the majority was collapsed rubble, a small community of about 200 human survivors established itself there, experiencing the daily hardships of this post apocalyptic scenario as they proceeded to live out their pointless existances, Maxwell's obsession with his work had given him a few followers, and the other members of the community only knew him as a kind, gentle man.
Once his followers spread ruumors that Maxwell could get them out of this shithole. Many took interest in his work, and uppon the full completion of the Time Machine, Maxwell told each to walk into the chamber in groups of 12, and it would take them to a more favorable time.
The people, desperate for a better life, strode into the machine with little questions, and uppon each 'sending' they where never seen again, in truth, they where becomming the fuel of this device, all of them, even the small group of followers had no idea of the fate that would befall them.
Uppon the harvesting of the last few people left in the community, he felt no sense of amorality, only a clever rationalisation of his crime, as he then pressed the red button, and a spectacle was to behold, as before him tore a hole into the withered barriers between dimensions. He gazed into this rift that he had created, it was held by the machine, and through it he saw a grand cosmic event, a beauty of wich the likes he had never seen.
As tsunami of questions befell him as he stood there, utterly facinated by the anomally, had he, after so long a time, actually been sucessfull?
Without hesitation, he steped in his creation as he was ejected through the very continium that held the concepts of existance together, in a single direction, he crossed the loop, the end behind, the dawn ahead as he hoped for salvation. As he entered this new period he looked about, finding himself in a bubble that was floating in a void, odd enegies flew all around, a magnificent display of the patterns of creation, the scematics and designs of the universe, truely a miracle to behold.
However then he felt a sense of vertigo and displacement, as if a dreadfull something was approaching him, a Human stood on the steps that no god had witnessed, the absurd beauty of the moment presented itself to him,
but it did not quell the feeling that something was out of place, not right.
Then, he spots a crack, illuminated by white light, in the bubble, a sudden fright creeping up in him as he had no idea wether he was able to be around without it.
Then it struck him, the force that was breaking his bubble was the same force that was generating this sense of vertigo, Maxwell was a paradox, and history abhored it, even in its fundamental creation, it did not tollerate his presence here.
The crack spread over the entire sphere of his safety, but it had shown no signs of disolving or breaking, then he suddenly notices a similliar crack on his hand, spreading as well, his fright now transformed into sheer terror, as the mechanations of the multiverse began to tore him appart.
He was forcefully 'integrated' into this new time, crushed, shattered by the flow history for his transgression, it could not shuffle or bend itself around this monumental obstruction, thus, the cause of the paradox was broken and its pieces scattered, Maxwell, would be destroyed.

However, at the dawn of creation, the multiverse is still in a state of infinite possibility, and Maxwell's arrival had left an effect that was already too great to simply fade, out of his action a doubt in the integrity of the time-space continium physically manifested itself as an entity known as the Timestreamers.
And they had observed, not only Maxwell, but the fragments that where torn from him as well, collecting, forming into new individuals that where born into existance as time resumed its regular scematics into many streams and alternative lines and directions, the Timestreamers concluded, they where to examine what has happened, find the truth behind this anomally, starting with placing Maxwell's mind in a staff before it was lost, and put him in a grand forever exsisting fortress in the depths of time, the Citadel of Eternity, here, in the Tomb of the Medici, Maxwell would be placed.
As for the individuals that sprang from his fragments, well, each of them was assigned a Timestreamer, whom monitored them and their actions, each uncountable alternative of Maxwell having its own streamer assigned to him. And thus, time begins.
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None-Siflige Characters:
- Maxwell Atticus
- Balthazar De'Vijune
- Marduke Sigmundus
- Orion Soulbane
- Alexander De'Medici
- Origin

[Doom.Dude]

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Chapter I, the Architect:
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Abeir-Toril, southeast Faerun, Raurin peninsula, -7842 DR.
508 years after the Imaskar Empire was set up, a child was born.
Orion, from the Soulbane Dynasty, an arcane aristoracy that goverened cities around the Nemrut and Raurin provinces during this time.
Orion, much like most of the Imaskar, was a driven lad, spending the majority of his youth studying and training to become one of the Artificers of the Empire, on the age of 16 he was allowed to read the Bronze set of scrolls that seemed to form the font of the Empire's arcane mastery over dimensions and portals, he was also old enough to start a career in military command, however waited some years so he could spend them on studies, for other then mage lords, the Imaskari where also godhaters, and among their ranks where the Ur-Priests, users of divine magic that they steal from the gods, this too, became one of Orion's studies as his interest was quite versatiable.
At the age of 24, he then joins the miltary command.
10 years later, after much Imaskari expansion he raises to the rank of Artificer General, here he would meet Nicodimus, an old wise sage that simply just appeared within the Artificer ranks one day, he and Orion had many conversations, and offtently did Nicodimus speak of the obsecure art of Chronomancy, the manipulation of time, space and reality, and how it was attainable.
Orion soon got an interest in what this geezer spoke of, as they delved into the bronze scrolls untill they found refference of it, a dull gray sphere, the Temporis Orbus, a relic of great temporal magics would be the key to this study, Orion and Nicodimus thusly committed some campaigns to the depths of the great lake of Ghor Nor, where the bronze scrolls where originally found in a ruined city made of crystal, known as Baluin, the deep caverns beneath them is where they sought, and inevitably, found the Temporis Orbus, in yet unexplored and hidden regions that the scrolls had revealed to them.
They sat in Orion's study, examining the relic, Nicodimus then explained that there was a much greater significance to the magic of the Orb, as it was written in a prophecy he had once read: "Those who unlock the Orb's power, will begin a road to power to become Infinite beeings."
Orion took Nicodimus for his word as they studied the object for months, perhaps even a few years, experimenting with the spells they learned from its secrets, an amazing repitoire of time altering effects, and the source of eternal youth. They continued their examination of the relic untill at a certain day, the blue sky would fade into a void of stars, as the Orb resonated in a manner it had never done before, hidden truths, the vision of the past and future, the perception of the higher dimensions, those of time, would now unlock within the mind of Orion, he was overflown with visions from all times and places, had Nicodimus not guided him through the process, he would have surely gone mad.

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Chapter II, The Awakening:
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In the aftermath, Orion's newfound sight, senses, and knowledge granted him an epiffany, he wrote down a theory, that if one slew a temporal alternative of oneself, they would gain power, however if one would slay every single last one of them, then they would achieve complete and total freedom from time and space. He named it the Infinium Theory, after Nicodimus' prediction.
However first things first, they also gained knowledge of the fall of Imaskar, evidentally, they set up their laboratory in the southern mountain range, the Dustwall. Where their first experiment would begin.
They start up a ritual as they recieve their premonitions from the Orb.
They where eager to get started, they prepared to fuse their timeline with that of an alternative one.
As such, history was rewritten as Orion fused his timeline with that of another, Marduke Sigmundus, a talented swordsman and well versed in pact magic.
Marduke gazes around him in confusion of the sudden location he finds himself in, a moment ago he was fighting a dragon, and was covered in blood, and now, he stands here, in a wizard's study, in the middle of a summoning circle with no conjurer in sight.
He finds an open book nearby as he carefully studies the page it is open on, it discribes a ritual that he could not discern, the language was like none he'd ever encountered, and the symbols where meaningless to him.
He then saw the orb, floating within some contraption made of metal rings that circled around it, appearantly by the wind patterns generated by the orb itself, taking the dust of time's errosion with it as some of the rings appeared withered.
Then Marduke seems to engage conversation with himself, appearantly accompanied by various people traveling inside of him?
After some conversation he took the orb, and only moments after grasping it in his clutches, his mind flushed with information as he stumbles into a corner of the study, tripping over a pile of books. Orion and Nicodimus carefully watch the warrior from out of the Ethereal, out of Marduke's awareness.

Orion: "Curious, what is he doing?"

Nikodimus: "It appears as if he felt compelled to grab for the orb, this might be the mechanations of fate you have set in motion this day."

Orion: "Destiny plays a part in this, then?"

Nikodimus: "Possibly, however what is odd is that the Orb seems to think it was you who grasped for it just now."

Orion: "Peculliar indeed. Let us examine this man for a while, see what action he undertakes."

They watch him for hours, Marduke twitching on the floor, shouting nonsense, obviously overwhelmed by what might be the same awakening Orion went through, until he eventually mannages to stand upright again.
Armed with this new understanding and knowledge, he mounts the orb to a chain hanging around his belt. and invokes its power that seemingly takes him to an alternative timeline.

Orion: "How did he just do that?"

Nikodimus: "He seems quite apt in the usage of magical items, perhaps those hours spent on the floor gave him enough insight to use it."

The two agree to follow him to see what he is up to.
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None-Siflige Characters:
- Maxwell Atticus
- Balthazar De'Vijune
- Marduke Sigmundus
- Orion Soulbane
- Alexander De'Medici
- Origin

[Doom.Dude]

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Chapter III, The Defiant:
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Years, Aeons, Months, Milenea, Centuries, Days, Hours, Minutes, Seconds...
None seem to matter anymore in their journey through the timelines.
The two mages witness Marduke killing off countless of alternatives, some were farmers, simple peasants and godfearing citizens, others were valiant knights, great wizards and pious priests, many fought bravely and with great might, however none were able to match Marduke's capacity to manipulate time, cutting his enemies to shreds in mere fractions of a second, dodging the most lethal of blows with warnings from the future, each battle ending more bloody then the last, the mages realized that he is setting Orion's initial plan to a start, albeit in a somewhat different fashion, it still seems to work.
The mages discussed wether they should act or not, and chose not to, hoping to be able to gain advantage of Marduke's conquest.
The toll of Chronomancy was clearly visible however, Marduke's lack of finese in the arts have scarred his body horridly when miscasting the time powers of the Orb, although toughening him, it wasn't a pretty sight.
All seemed to go smooth, however then Marduke gains what appears to be a vision of clarity between the slaughter, what if somone else like him was killing off countless of alternatives? And who was his summoner?
Is he watching me right now? My visions would not protect me from the original owner of this Orb.
Thusly, Marduke used the orb and traversed to the Citadel of Eternity, the orb revealed that there is a portal there to odd, alien plane beyond time itself, the Far Realm, a place of toxic madness, a reality so unlike our own that we should not be able to comprehend what it is.

In the Far Realm, Marduke found himself, as legends indicated, in an incomprehendable exsistence that was completely alien to everything he knew, He was greeted by a powerfull toaster by the name of Krull wich told him of many ways to power, and revealed that he has been contacting Marduke Prior to his Journey here, in the form of odd, prophetic nightmares, he then helped Marduke on the road to power as they slew and consumed many strange and powerfull creatures within this realm, wavering through its madness.
Some of these creatures might have even rivaled the most powefull of demons, or dieties, even. However those they did not challenge.
Krull told Marduke many dark truths and that he should strife to kill all his alternative selves, and feast uppon them.
He also told Marduke that Krull had rivals that followed the other alternatives, and if, say, Marduke rose to power, so would Krull.
Although Marduke did not know wether this toaster had an ultierior motive, however, the two formed a deadly aliance.

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Chapter IV, Nihilism:
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Orion forsaw Marduke's return, and feared he might not be able to contain or control him when he gets back, So he, and NiKodimus started to look for countermeasures, yet none were found, nothing they could come up with was able to undo the vision of Marduke's returning state, the plans have been overthrown, the prophecies undone by this single move that went beyond time's grasp.

Marduke returns from the Far Realm, completely mad, vile, infected and powefull, an embodiment of nightmares, his essence completely shifted and ever consuming to the exsistence around him, his original form being held together with oddly shaped, burning and symbolic lines moving across his body, seeping in the vile energies of the Far Realm, if they could be classified as energies at all, that is.
Accompanied by Krull, the two set out to continue the harvest.
They killed many, even moreso then before, all seemed like insignificant pieces of a large puzzle, each added like a cog to the grand machine that was in the making.
Until they arrived at a certain timeline, where a moderately powerfull and highly resourcefull alternative resisted the slaughter, Balthazar De'Vijune, an Arcanist that has settled in Netheril's Silver Age, wielding a staff of great might.
Nicodimus, having observed the harvest even further in hopes to find some form of weakness imidiately reconized the staff as Maxwell, "Proginator of the Medici..." Nicodimus uttered.
Orion questioned Nicodimus as to how he would possibly know, let alone reconize Maxwell.
Nicodimus then explains who the Timestreamers are and what they do, telling him the same story that Krull told Marduke, sort of, also explaining that Krull is the figure that has been traveling with Marduke for the past decades, and that Orion and all his alternatives are named 'the Medici' by the Timestreamers.
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None-Siflige Characters:
- Maxwell Atticus
- Balthazar De'Vijune
- Marduke Sigmundus
- Orion Soulbane
- Alexander De'Medici
- Origin

[Doom.Dude]

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Chapter V, The Messiah:
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Netheril, Golden Age, -2207 DR.
Balthazar was a small inspired Arcanist among the Netherese, delving into the interests of bringing magic to the peasants outside of they're empire through complex machines that would allow peasants to invoke magic through the pressing of buttons and flipping of switches.
Next to that, he took a keen interest in Chronomancy, studying it alongside with his Mechanical exploits.
Most other Arcanists, however. Found his studies in these branches of magic laughable and pointless, and he was thusly ignored most of the time, he was offtenly called the Clockwork mage who lacked something ticking.
Using this lack of prying eyes, he decided to put a secret facility on each of the major enclaves, under the guise of purchasing homes he started to smuggle contraband between the enclaves, exploiting the rich nation for his own pretense.
Alongside him was a man called Moebius, a mystic of sorts, whom took a keen interest in prophecy, divination and chronomancy as well.
The study of chronomancy however, was not bearing any fruits, there was a single spell capable of a pointless version of time travel, and most of the time the two where developing theories on the nature of time. Any magical or practical application of the knowledge however, did not exsist.
Until a certain day where on his way to another planet within Toril's Realmspace, on a contraband run, they stumble uppon and anomaly of sorts, some kind of collection of gray and golden sand, forming a Maelstorm in front of they're spelljammer.
It was quickly discerned to be a portal to an unknown location, and Balthazar decided some exploration might get him some more reknown, so they fly in.
They arrived somewhere, appearantly unharmed in front of a great pyramid structure, more huge then anything they have ever seen.
Behind him were the gray, erroding sands and winds that brought him here, waving across what seemed to be an endless void.
The two of them place the spelljammer next to what appears to be a doorway on the structure and start investigating the citadel from within, the vast doors opening as if expecting them, Moebius told him to follow, and they walked for what seemed to take days, somehow always knowing wich turn to make and wich way to choose, has Moebius been here before? Regardless, it seemed like an endless labyrinth of corridors and hallways...
Until they arrived at a room, a room with five statues, between these statues there was a staff, encased in a crysaline obelisk, as Balthazar entered, the walls, ceiling and floor lit up in a light blue fashion and milions of symbols appeared all over the white, marble room.
Balthazar, not being able to read the strange language that the symbols represented, moved forward, touching the Crysaline obelisk, wich imidiately shattered and dissapeared into the wind currents, appearantly leading outside.
The staff stood there, in front of him, perfectly veritcal on the ground, and talking.

Maxwell: "T'was about bloody time ya freakin Twat!"

Balthazar: "I...I...He...Th-"

Maxwell: "I don't want any of those bloody excuses boy! Do you have any idea how long I've been sitting here?! Now listen, and don't pretend! This is important, in fact, everything I tell you, IS important!"

Moebius, whom walked into the room as well: "It seems the prophecy I have found stands in correlation with the events that unfold here, Balthazar, I belive you will become Medicus Infinitum on the 13th hour, you, are the Messiah."

Balthazar: "Hm? What is this about 13 hours? What do you know, Moebius?"

Maxwell and Moebius told the questioning Balthazar all about himself, the Citadel of Eternity, the approaching Marduke, the Timestreamers and the Legacy of the Medici. When Marduke changed the tide of Fate by involving the Far Realm, Balthazar was appointed by the Timestreamers to become the Messiah of the new Prophecy, one who will unite the Medici as a whole, including Marduke, and as such complete the Legacy. Maxwell taught him much of Chronomancy as well, knowledge that he as seemed to have attained over the Aeons of his imprisoned exsistance, although most of it was not arcane in nature, Balthazar was able to mix them regardless.
No one knew how much time had passed when the group left the citadel...
Outside they leave back for Netheril with their Spelljammer.

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Chapter VI, The M.E.D.I.C:
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With Maxwell's guidance, Balthazar's power quickly develops at a much more rappid phase, the usage of Chronomancy and Netherese arcana reaching to new heights in his studies.
Eventually Balthazar combined this with his knowledge on machines, creating odd machines capable of much more then a single wizard.
Channeling and rerouting arcane energy to produce complex and consistent spell effects.
This usage of magic grew out to be the school of Mechamancy, it didn't become popular and only a small collection of Arcanists joined Balthazar's research in it, they established a semi-secret organisation known as the M.E.D.I.C.
The organisation specialized in the creation and aplication of Mechamancy and Spelljamming, next to that it also focused on mining rare minerals and gathering resources for their research and machines.
Balthazar's influence grew and Moebius became one of the prime figures in the corps, the M.E.D.I.C. ironically flourished after the fall of Netheril. A few ages later. Having this might at his disposal, Balthazar's research for manners to defeat Marduke took a big leap, he created many artificial and powerfull warriors in hopes to stumble uppon something, among his best creations where: Rold Fryar, a mighty chapion, although mighty stupid as well, he was duplicated various times, just in case. Melchior, a 3-minded humanoid that would be known as a Synad.
Balthazar also married to a woman known as Alysia Helios, and they brithed a son, Jack.
Marduke eventually found Balthazar, and saw the preperations that Balthazar had made, and decided a frontal assault would not be worth it, so he invaded the M.E.D.I.C. as an aspiring commander, quickly gaining loyalty and prestige within the organisation, learning about Balthazar's great machines and how they worked. Slowly corrupting the organisation from the inside.
Balthazar was still driven to find a solution against Marduke, and before he realized what was going on, things became worse.
One third of the entire corporation went into rebellion, led by Marduke, an intercoporate war ensured, fleets of metallic flying ships infused with magic
bombarded eachother above the northern skies, the battlefields ran red with blood, drowning the land in destruction and chaos.
Thousends of men fell, hundreds of ships crashed and the very skies sundered by arcane fire.
Balthazar could barely belive it until he met his enemy and peered straight in his eyes, in the mids of battle.
Eyes full of malice, hate, contempt, madness...
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None-Siflige Characters:
- Maxwell Atticus
- Balthazar De'Vijune
- Marduke Sigmundus
- Orion Soulbane
- Alexander De'Medici
- Origin

[Doom.Dude]

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Chapter VII, Ultimatum:
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Marduke charged in, however, Balthazar was prepared, and parried many-a-blow, the relics that are Maxwell and the Temporis Orbus matching off against one-another in chronomantic might, the foundations of time around them met an obstruction, time stopping as they battle, resuming again, slowing down, and speeding up.
But Marduke was too much of a monster, and Balthazar's spells seem to but unsufficient to stop his rage, it seemed the outcome of the battle would be inevitable.
However Orion has been watching, and decided to undertake action, with Nikodimus now informing him that this Medicus might be the Messiah of the Legacy, they decided to fuse Balthazar's timline with their own, much like they did with Marduke's.
Their preperations where already made, and in the heat of battle, before Marduke could finish it, the reshuffling of history began anew by the powers of Orion and Nikodimus, and Marduke found that Balthazar had eluded him, causing an insanity induced rampage in his imidiate surroundings before begining a search for him.
The M.E.D.I.C. however, seems to have been completely demolished in this newly forged timeline, leaving only hidden vaults of stored knowledge and technology behind.

Balthazar found himself in the town of Midfeld together with Moebius.
An isolated community where he mannaged to establish a political body of might with the small remenants of the M.E.D.I.C. that ended up near his location.
The small land contained numberous of great, epic champions, and some dangerous ones as well.
Balthazar found out that there where great powers at work in the region, and went digging into the ground following certain energy currents and magical activities, until he finds a hidden temple chamber underneath the soil, almost too convinently laid in their path.
The temple seemed to have been built around a slab of what appears to be white marble, engraved with an odd looking rune.
He gazed through the dusty old tomes in the chamber's rotting bookcases, the runic sign seems to represent the Cerulean Sign, a glyph forged by powers so ancient they have been forgotten, representing the puritiy of exsistance, it was among the most deadly weapons against all the abberations of the Far Realm, including Marduke.
Although he could not move the slab, he did discover that some of the tomes where spellbooks, and he learned how to channel the power of the sign to him.

In the time at Midfeld, Balthazar was able to finish his research with his new understanding of the Cerulean Sign.
Through the Magic of Balthazar, the knowledge of Maxwell and the the power of the Cerulean Sign, they forged Origin, An Artificial Medici, a new player into the game, whom was made to correct Marduke, and repair the prophecy.
Origin was brought up to date, yet already clearly understood the purpose of his design.
Alongside him a sword was developed, my fusing Maxwell the Staff with Moebius' Mysterious hourglass focus object, the Khronus Dominatus was born. A weapon capable to seal a Medicus inside of it, and become an extension of the Medicus that wielded it, with the forging of this blade, Moebius formed a new prophecy. "At the 13th Hour, once all Medici are within the blade, Medicus Infinitum is born."

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Chapter VIII: The Endgame:
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They arm Origin with weapons and armor imbued with the Cerulean Sign, and send him to the Citadel of Eternity, wich Marduke would inevitably pass when leaping from timeline to timeline.
Then, the silence before the storm, Marduke's vile presence was nearing and soon they engaged.

Origin: "You must be Marduke."

Marduke: "Who. . .What are you doing here?!"

Krull: "Tsk, this Medicus comes without a streamer, how unusual."

Origin: "And I have come to exterminate you, prepare, Outworlders, for your final hours are neigh."

It didn't take long before the both of them struck blade to blade, two opposing elements attempting to outmatch the other. A struggle of truely epic and universe personified proportions.
They eventually stood among the void of the citadel, commencing in a battle that seemed to have no end, for a week they had fought, Krull standing by the sideline, ready to join would that need even arise.
Balthazar quickly worked torwards an end, however, armed with the Dominatus and on their weakest, worn down point in battle, Balthazar assaulted Marduke, quickly impaling him with the mighty blade as he catches his enemy by suprise, Marduke was quickly and violently consumed into the weapon, Krull, realising he should have seen that comming, as he then disappears uppon Marduke's dying breath.
With Marduke trapped into the blade, its edge darkens.
Balthazar then walks to Origin, congratulating him for having been able to wear down Marduke so effectively, and resist his corrupting powers.
Origin claims that his destiny is fullfilled, and that he will now partake to go out on his own.
Balthazar agrees, and unexpectedly, jabs the blade swiftly in his own creation, also sealing it into the weapon.
And so Balthazar stood within the citadel as the victor, a complete silence befalling the chambers and hallways until Moebius arrives.

Moebius: "Congratulations, Messiah, not only have our lives been spared, but we too, are closer to the fullfillment of prophecy then Marduke ever was, and now that he is tamed and we hold the power of this blade along with the Temporis Orbus that Marduke held, we can draw the rest of your alternative selves to this place with a single ritual, and once they are dead, their timelines will end.."

Balthazar: "Then we shall proceed, without delay."

They head for the Tomb of the Medici, the five statues still there as he stabs the Dominatus down into the remenants of the broken obelisk and lets the Orb float around it, they prepare the chamber for a massive ritual of Chronomancy.
As the winds of the ages cries, they gaze across the planes of possibility, as an uncountable amount of Medici reach their location, each in turn is imidiately drawn into the sword, until no more arrive.

Balthazar: "And thus, all become one. . .And not a single alternative possibility exists to this absolution"

Moebius: "Only a single piece missing, Messiah."

Balthazar: "Yes, I shall complete this, and become Medicus Infinitum."

He then walks to retrive the weapon, gently sliding it out of its fixation, twists it around and holds it above his head.

Balthazar: "May this moment be the 13th hour of prophecy, and bring birth to a new kind of divinity!"

He impales himself uppon the blade in a swift movement, he too disipating as he is consumed into the weapon, it now radiates intense amounts of energy of all kinds.

Moebius: ". . .Anytime now. . .Yes, perhaps we are a few minutes early. . .Oh come on, what are you waiting for?!"

Orion: "Me, perhaps?"

Moebius freezes, but then quickly looks behind him

Moebius: "What?! Who are you?!"

Nikodimus: "The obvious superior Medicus."

Orion: "And probally the only one that was able to resists that spectacular ritual of yours, quite a show indeed."

Nikodimus: "Whats the matter, Moebius, missing some power?"
The timestreamer asks, grining widely.

Moebius: "You cunning serpent!"

In his dispair, and lack of power due to Balthazar's death, he tries to hurry for the blade, yet Orion's mastery over dimensional magic warps the blade into his hand, and uppon holding it the Khronus Dominatus turns, twists and shapes into another form; the Temporis Dominatus, uppon wich Moebius too, disappears, just like Krull.
_________________
None-Siflige Characters:
- Maxwell Atticus
- Balthazar De'Vijune
- Marduke Sigmundus
- Orion Soulbane
- Alexander De'Medici
- Origin

[Doom.Dude]

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Chapter IX: Infinium's Dawn:
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There they stood, victory was theirs.
Maxwell, Balthazar, Marduke, Origin, and all the other Medici are in the blade.
In his hand, Orion held the key to Medicus Infinitum, however he was not very keen on impaling himself uppon it, his head turns to Nikodimus.

Orion: "I won't do it."

Nikodimus: ". . .What?"

Orion: "I won't Martyr myself for the sake of this blade."

Nikodimus: "Are you joking, Orion?"

Orion: "I have seen my end long before this moment, Dimus, and I know that it is not me who is Medicus Infinitum, for I am but a single cog in its creation, I will not do it."

Nikodimus looks disaproving: "Now you disappoint me, Orion. After all this hardship you reject the ultimate result, power and infinity."

Orion: "You take me for an idiot, Dimus?! This sword was made by Balthazar, had Marduke killed him, it would have never been in the prophecies, I will find a way to syphon this relic, and then disgard of it."

Nikodimus: "I am afraid I cannot allow that, Medicus. . ."
He falls in a battle ready caster pose, living lightening springing up around him.

Orion: "Tsk, you think to challenge me, Timestreamer?!"
He readies his own pose with the weapon in hand, and in the other, the Temporis Orbus.

They battle fiercely within the Tomb of the Medici, fireballs, lightening bolts, beams of disintegrating power shot in round, reflecting eachother's attacks, redirecting them, glaciers and cracks in the floor, volcanic geysers and collapsing statues began to fill the room as the mages fought.
Their chronomancy allowing up to ten spells at the time to be cast, the two parlayed in a duel of spells, however equal their power, Orion's posession of the relics seem to have given him the upper hand in this battle. And he had soon overcome Nikodimus, blasting relentlessly at him and reflecting any counter manouvers until the Timestreamer lay on the floor, defeated, and Orion warps to loom over him.

Orion: "I wonder what happens, old goat, if this sword gets struck in 'you' instead, now, enjoy your vacation to Oblivion!"

He grabs Nikodimus by the throat and lifts him up, his strength obviously magically augmented, and puts the exhausted Timestreamer on his feet as he steps slightly backwards.

Nikodimus: "Do it then, you pathetic excuse for a Medicus."

Orion then raises the sword, and swiftly strikes down at him, however then something odd happens, suddenly, before him stands a mysterious hooded figure with a reflective face, now with the blade gashed into it.
The blade, in contact with this figure, invokes a violent raction that vacuums the exsistence around him in a swirl of temporal energies, reaching out to both combatants, the arcane power at their displosal rip from their very being along with the arm that holds the blade, filling the room with nightmares and evil laughter as both the Blade and the figure vanish in the created Vortex, and all becomes quiet once more.

Orion: "What the..."

Nikodimus: "..."

They stare at eachother, then at Orion's missing, bloody ripped off arm, and without further words both of them leave the chamber in silence, knowing what they must do next, standing side by side once more.

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Chapter X: Rapture
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They strode uppon their charriots along the spiral of time, magnificent flaming horses carving the way to their destinies.
Neither willing to give up the prize they have plotted torwards for centuries.
There where only visions of victory, whom blinded them from truths they would not accept.
An unknown compeditor had entered the fray, and the champions of infinitum where unprepaired.
Through dimension and matter, through dreams and reality, they arrived on the top of the great mountain of Leá Monde.
Searching for the blade, they knew it was hidden here. They gathered and recruited, bands of mighty heroes where forged as they fought their way down the deep labyrinths within the mountain, searching for keys, for their prize was locked behind the ancient doors of this dungeon.

However a plan was set in motion, years after their search, and it has reached backwards to them, a mysterious yet familiar voice, face and man had worked torwards the inevitable death of Orion...Fate, had already taken a firm grip uppon these events.

It didn't take long before all the keys where found. Mere weeks, only a minute moment in a pursuit that has taken lifetimes.
Together they opened the doors, and behind them was a terror to behold...
A massive altar full of corruption, madness! Screaming spirits and banshees, bound to this place, bickering in torment, pleaing for release, the stench of carnage and gore eminating from piles uppon piles of corpses. A pentagram painted by blood central to the chamber. And uppon the shrine, a stone slab, and on it lay a blade...A familiar blade, yet darkened and infected...
And not far off, a badger chesstable. With two figures behind each side, whom look up at their guests.

Marduke: "Well, well, well. The jester and his scribe have found us at last. And it was about time."

He moves his arm to the blade uppon the altar, the blade moves into the hand instantly and charges torward Orion.
Orion, in almost complete syncronization, moves his now-metallic left arm up to simply catch the blade in his hand with a loud clank.

Orion: "You are but a pathetic shadow of yourself, still trapped in the blade, I knew your infection would ultimately corrupt and overtake it, however as long as Origin is in there, you, are stuck.

Marduke: "DIEEEEEE"

They leave the weapon lock, predicting eachother's moves moments before they happened, forming elaborate manouvers, hoping one of them will slip in both cognition or accuracy, the weapons swinging about them in their dance of death.
Meanwhile, Nikodimus and Krull merely watch at the sideline.

Orion: "I will not let my milenea of carefull planning go in vain by your brash actions! I will exterminate your influence!"

The two seemed equally matched, unable to hit eachother, parrying, slashing, blocking, and so forth until from Orion's metallic arm a blue gem shatters. The earth trembled, the air grew cold, and the Cerulean Sign warped into exsistance. Its blinding light burning uppon Marduke, sending a purifying blast at him as he is hurled against a wall.
Orion quickly moves in and slams his arm into the throat of the man the energies of the sign causing a violent reaction against his enemy as his opponent screams in a loud static noise, as if some great monster is felled.
Marduke raises his blade once more with the little strength he has left, but in vain, as Orion swiftly grabs the arm, gives Marduke a face full of metallic elbow to shut him up, and hurls the sword behind him as they then momentarily gazes at eachother, the moment seemingly endless, the beaten warrior then laughs, a laughter that would soon turn hysterical.

Orion: "Did you think Balthazar was the only one who knew about that little weakness of yours? Tsk, your pathetic."

Marduke: "Ehehe, Ahaha, GWAHAahahaAAHAA!!!"

Orion Quirks a Brow

The madman reflects a toothfull grin, Orion hurls him to the other side of the room, the vissage then slowly crawls to one of the bloody pentagram's corners.
Orion then focuses his attention uppon the blade, whom seems to have been picked up by Nikodimus, as he walks torwards Orion.

Nikodimus: "And thus we have won again, as always, and I belive this is yours."

Orion extends his hand to recieve the blade, then, Nicodimus suddenly impales Orion.

Orion: "!? Dimus?! What are you doing!! The blade! It'l--"
He is cut off by the Timestreamer.

Nilodimus: "We are tired of your incompetence, Orion. Your foolish endevour will never lead to the unification that is required.
The thirteenth hour will strike 'now'."

Orion: "You serpent. . ."

Nikodimus only smirks as he speaks: "Its been a pleasure, Orion, however now is the time to be silent." he then chuckles.

A current of temporal magicks drives through the streamer's arm into the blade and through Orion. The blade itself shatters completely. Releasing Marduke's power. The chamber fills itself with the agonizing screams of all the Medici that had fallen by the Tryant's blade. Their spirits and essence circling around the pentagram in the mids of the room as Orion takes a few steps back, and by a strange, compelling turn of fate, stops exactly on one of the Pentagram points, collapsing uppon his knees by the grave, unexpected wound, additionally, Origin, Balthazar and Maxwell are released from the blade as well, and take place uppon the pentagram.

Origin: "Infinitum...A flawed theory, for a flawed man.."

Balthazar: "Behold! The birth of a god!"

Maxwell: "Tick, tock, tick, tock. Your time is up, and thus my ressurection is complete."

The old man them smiles deviously at Orion, who does nought but stare back, in utter disbelief. Marduke yells at him, although he seems to have gone deaf, both amazed and terrified of what plays out before his eyes.

Marduke: "Oh, now you fucked it up badly! NOW YOU DID IT YOU FUCKING PONCY BASTARD! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!!!

And with those final words, all the circling spirits of all the Medici converge in a massive display of energy into the middle of the pentagram, each of the five Medicus' drawn into it, and all space, time, and reality, shatter around them as they disappear into the continium.
_________________
None-Siflige Characters:
- Maxwell Atticus
- Balthazar De'Vijune
- Marduke Sigmundus
- Orion Soulbane
- Alexander De'Medici
- Origin

[Erik Navkire]

Oh yeah, I completely forgot about those language skulls. But then, of course, they never bothered me.

[Doom.Dude]

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Chapter XI: Codex Illuminatus
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Nikodimus, or rather, the Origoth, stood there.
The ordeal had made them a collective, and they suspect that the Medici are finally one.
They gazed about, only seeing random fractures of land on wich they walked, floating in a misty, dark, nothingness, scraps of forgotten places and times. Twas the Continium.
He summoned his charriots of time and strode away, pondering what has transpired, they concluded that Orion's Infinitum theory was, indeed, flawed. Sure, power was gained, and not a little bit of it either, they might've entered some kind of godhood somewhere halfway in this epic journey, or that would be wishfull thinking.
Eventually they emerged among the temporal sands that had spawned them. Nearing in on the Citadel of Eternity, he stepped in, walking the endless cordidors, tracing the footsteps that Balthazar set so long ago.
He finally reaches the door, "Tomb of the Medici", it was labled above.
He slams the door open, and observes the room, he walks through it untill he reaches what appears to be a new section of the 'tomb' this chamber was filled with books, it seems the collection of phrophecies made by the timestreamers rest here, there was one big, open book in particular, in the centre of the new room against the wall.
It was labled as the Codex Illuminati.
Compelled by this object, they opened it, the first pages spoke of the Medici and their nature, the timestreamer relation they had and the Infinium Theory.
They flipped through many a page, until they stumbled uppon articles that spoke of the Mysterious Sword that has taken its place within the legacy, and its different incarnations.
The Khronus Dominatus, lord of time. As wielded by Balthazar.
The Infectus Dominatus, lord of corruption. As wielded by Marduke.
The Temporis Dominatus, lord of the continium, as wielded by Orion.
And..The Eternus Dominatus, lord of eternity. As wielded by...Alexander?

This name, it has not been shown anywhere else. The timestreamers nodded and belived to have found refference of the true Medicus Infinium from prophecy.
They searched through the book, it was filled with ancient, secret lores of the old Imaskar and numberous Mechamancy blueprints.
One blueprint in particular was very interesting, a machine called the Infinium Throne, would be capable of stealing divine energy from the gods. Other then this they found extensive articles over the nature of time and chronomancy along with stories of the Cerulean Sign, the streamers spend days, reading through all the available material, perhaps even weeks. Eventually, they reached a chapter labled Medicus Infinium. The streamers searched through the chapter. Finding more and more refferences about the so-called Infinium state, and this individual known as Alexander De'Medici. Many revealing aspects and truths about Origin were also in the chapter.
This eventually enforced their conclusion that Orion's original Infinium Theory is indeed incorrect. This Alexander also seems to have caused this entire drama to unfold in the first place, as when all Medici entered the blade, the blade generated a single united beeing from the five most prominent Medici, and assigning it its own Timestreamer, Gothori, a hooded figure with a reflective face, this would explain the odd reaction that figure had with the sword, and where the figure came from, the future. Other articles reffer to Alexander as the Reborn Maxwell, or the New Maxwell.
The final pages of the book where about Marduke, the Aberrant, the Far Realmer, the Alienist that had defied the very foundations of the Grand Plan, for he left time behind in his pursuit to power, the chapter was filled with horrible truths about the Far Realm.

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Chapter XII: Medicus Infinium
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The streamers gazed further around the chamber, noticing a portal opening underneath their feet as they gate away, finding themselves in a chapel doorway, before them they see a man, standing in front of a shrine that belonged to no particular deity.
The man speaks..

Alexander: Origoth, it has been a while..Come, let us walk.

They leave the chapel, walking next to a peacefull stream.

Alexander: Tis over, my friend. You have struck the thirteenth hour.

Origoth: We know, tis a pitty of the Medici, but this is for the best. We also read that you have set this final turn of events in motion, very impressive.

Alexander: Aye, and have you finally satuated the doubt that you where borne from?

Origoth: Yes, and we are pleased, for our power has become tremendous, furthering whenever you reach a new level of exsistance.

Alexander: And thus all has fallen into place. And when the next twist in the spiral of time comes, neither end nor dawn will undo us, and history will be faced by true eternity.

They look over the rivier they walked by in silence as they see the face of time, streaming into many more canals that go back and forth, around and against eachother, an ordered maelstorm with the occasional distortions caused by an intrepid adventurer...And time goes on...

The only frontier that has ever exsisted, is the self.
~Alexander De'Medici.
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None-Siflige Characters:
- Maxwell Atticus
- Balthazar De'Vijune
- Marduke Sigmundus
- Orion Soulbane
- Alexander De'Medici
- Origin

[Doom.Dude]

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Chapter XIII: Bob & George
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The most epicly unepic of the Medici, Vincent Bob "The Medic" Winston is reknowned for his not so valorous adventures.
After having found himself in the Genius Loci known as Siflige, he settles down, trying to get a job.
After failing as a tavern cleric, Bob went on to become a great inventor but failed at that as well due to sharing his ideas with Erik Navkire, who trademarked them and became rich.
Soon after Bob won the lottery and became wealthy beyond imagination, prancing about like he owns the place and taking the liberty to live out his cleric aspirations by ressurecting everyone he finds. . .Even his enemies.
His story ends after he found a peaceful death by a blade to the gut at the hands of a handicapped midget, whom had earlier lost a game of badger chess with him.

Around the same time his timestreamer George finds out that his girlfriend had an affair with a clown.
He challenged the clown to a jousting match, mounting a lance and a nightmare steed against the clown's verocious unicycle and pointy umbrella, there where no survivors.

<The End!>
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None-Siflige Characters:
- Maxwell Atticus
- Balthazar De'Vijune
- Marduke Sigmundus
- Orion Soulbane
- Alexander De'Medici
- Origin