Postfest III: Razic'Jewel, Man on Fire
Date: Fri, December 10, 2004 Topic: Rogue's Gallery
Razic’Jewel knew his brother would arrive at this time as some vision his mask had foretold. He allowed Zik’Akim to reach his tower in the middle of the molten lake, unhindered and without obstacle. When the two met again, Razic, now wielding more power than his brother could ever attain, did not even defend himself. He felt he had been upon Oerth for too long. He had an acheing to move on...He had been waiting for this time to come, the time to grow even more powerful amongst his superior, Wee Jas, and she welcomed him with open arms, proud in his accomplishments...
Razic'Jewel, Man on Fire By: abysslin Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.
RAZIC'JEWEL, MAN ON FIRE History of the most faithful servant of Wee Jas.....
Prologue:
In –440 CY (Fireseek 1st) Razic’Jewel was born of a union between a Suliose merchantman and a minor Baklunish petty noble woman from a house not name worthy. This awkward union also brought about a younger sibling, the brother of Razic’Jewel, Zik’Akim.
At en early age, Razic’s family was divided and he stayed with his father in the Suliose lands now known as the Sea of Dust while his mother and brother returned to her home in the Baklunish lands north of the Sulhaut Pass.
Just as Razic’s mind matured, his curiosity of magiks also grew. His father would often times do business with men harnessing minor magikal powers and Razic, never one to shy, would beg for minor displays of said arts.
His father, rich from prosperous business, took a liking to his son’s ambition and brought upon a mentor to travel with the duo and teach Razic’Jewel magiks. Razic became a very bright apprentice and over a short period of time his learning curve accelerated. His mentor realized there was much potential in his young student and noted that Razic had an affinity for fire-based evocations.
It took not even a year’s time before the young Razic learned everything his mentor had known and even beyond. His hunger for power began to take over him. He grew agitated and frustrated, unable to focus on anything other than attaining more magikal power.
In time, his father and mentor approached him and suggested that he take a break from the magikal embellishments as they were consuming him. It was not long and soon his father and mentor both fell to Razic’s wrath, dying at his hands.
Shortly after, Razic set up a study near the Hellfurnaces. He became hermitized and cared about nothing, save the conquering and study of magik in the name of his newfound god, Wee Jas.
Meanwhile, in the Baklunish lands, Razic’Jewel’s brother, Zik’Akim, also was attaining magikal might at nearly the same pace. In his new home amongst minor nobles in the baklunish lands, Zik’Akim was also learning the etiquette and mannerisms expected of position amongst his people. He was growing to be a man of truth and honor. A man devoted to Rao, he also spent much of his time with powerful members of the church learning their arcane ways as well.
Not much later, the Suliose and Baklunish peoples fell out of favor of one another. Major power struggles and battles of both steel and arcane ways fell about the lands.
With the distraction of the wars, Razic was finding it hard to study. Many times, he would come upon the verge of an arcanic break-through only to be thwarted by the wars and forced to move his operations elsewhere. He blamed the people of the Baklunish lands and in his heart, held the whole of them in contempt for his failures.
It is also at this time that Zik’Akim learned of his father’s death at his brother’s hands. This coupled with the growing hatred of the Suliose people due to the wars did not sit well with him. He vowed to destroy his brother, Razic’Jewel.
Soon after, in –422 CY events occurred that shook the earth. The Twin Cataclysms. Razic had never seen such power! His attention immediately shifted to the acclimation of these magiks. He stayed in the lands for this purpose even as most of the Suliose people fled east across the Hellfurnaces.
Zik’Akim knew he must enter the Suliose lands and find his brother before he fled the lands as most Suliose people were doing. This may be his only opportunity, he thought, and so he forged on, into Suliose soil.
It didn’t take long before Zik’Akim tracked down Razic’Jewel. Razic was well renown for being one of the most powerful mages amongst his people, albeit an evil and shrewd one.
When they first met, Razic knew the reunion wasn’t for mending nor recollection and he struck Zik’Akim preemptively with some minor magiks, seeking to lame his enemy brother. Zik’Akim quickly regained his composure and struck back, but without restraint. The battle continued for only a few moments and Razic realized he was under prepared for his brother’s onslaught and must flee or risk his life.
Follow the Herd:
Razic found himself amongst a group of Suel that, through many hardships found themselves pushing south, finally settling upon the Tilvanot Peninsula where an already established group of their kin had settled some years before.
After sometime this group established a highly organized society built on the sweat and blood of slavery and maintained by fear and power. The organization established itself as the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Sign (now known as the Scarlet Brotherhood.) This suited Razic quite well and although he declined many offers for a seat of power, opting instead to persue more magikal might, he did have a hand in a number of political decisions.
However, a time came when the Brotherhood set their long term goal as domination of the Flanaess through espionage, assassination, and economic manipulation. The organization developed training and conditioning programs aimed at these means and set upon a timeframe to unfold their masterful plans of conquest and control that would span a patient number of centuries.
This did not bode well with Razic. He thought his people should pursue the reclaimation and restoration of their homeland, west of the Hellfurnaces. Even should control of the Flanaess proove a more important prospect, why not through immediate magikal might rather than cowardly sneaking about the countryside for hundreds of years, he thought.
No longer did the stresses of this organization suit him and so Razic once again found himself on the move…
Fast Forward –350 CY:
Razic’Jewel appeared in a small village of the Cruskii (Ice Barbarian) people along the Solnor Ocean and on the northeastern corner of the Rhizia, near the Sablewood, Valkemf.
Razic appeared young again, perhaps 20? His garb and mannerisms were foreign to the peoples of Valkemf and he was looked upon with much suspicion. Magiks were rare amongst these lands and Razic soon found himself thinking he had made an erred decision to settle in these lands, amongst such primitive and grotesque people. How could pure Soliouse blood refrain from evolutionary advancements such as those in other areas of the Flanaess, he wondered.
The ruler of these people, also named Valkemf, allowed an audience with Razic’Jewel. Valkemf learned of Razic’s desire to acquire magiks and shared with him, knowledge of a land across the waters of the Solnor. He described a place of giants and volcanoes, of elven mages and rivers of fire, a place where magik seemed one with the land. He described Fireland…
Razic quickly found this Fireland very intriguing and within a fortnight he had assembled a division of ships and crews of hardy and robust Cruskii sailors to venture with him to this Fireland. Few have made the journey and fewer yet, have returned ofcourse.
Land Ahoy!
When Razic’Jewel and his company came upon Fireland he had decided on a small isle to the southwest of the main continent. When they set foot upon the isle they came across giants and elves wielding magik as well as volcanoes and rivers of molten rock, just as Valkemf had told.
This isle, he thought, would be an ideal place away from the rest of the world to further his magikal knowledge. He had realized that unlike the fire giants of this isle, the elves here weren’t exactly “native,” in a literal sense. Razic’Jewel deduced the elves are refugees, a large group that sailed from the eastern lands of the Flanaess, fleeing Aerdy incursion.
It was not long before Razic’Jewel suppressed the elves into hiding, others into slavery, and the giants into his realm of control. He had effectively conquered the isle in a matter of months and quickly set up a political structure and military on the isle and also introduced his giants to civilized ways. He named his isle “Scar.”
Scar became a place on Oerth like no other. A language developed, a mesh between the Suliose words brought by the company bringing Razic’Jewel to scar, his own Baklunish roots dialect, and that of the Fire Giants and even a hint of the olvine native languages of Scar. As languages meshed, so to did the peoples of Scar. Human mated with elf and human mated with giant.
A huge construction, forged of obsidian and agate, was erected in the middle of the isle’s molten lake to serve as Razic’Jewel’s study and base of operation.
Razic introduced mining to the giants and soon rubies, fire agates, silver, and other metallic ores were being unearthed in gigantic proportions.
On the northwestern edge of the isle, Razic’Jewel uncovered a portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire, and soon his studies took him into that realm at times. Not long after, Efreeti began populating the isle as well, being comfortable living in the prime under Razic’Jewel’s twisted but efficient rule.
Life among the isle was one of magikal brilliance, rigoruos labor, and wealth for most of the populace. But for the elves, Razic’Jewel had burned down the forest they had called home and they were forced to either serve him, or flee below ground where a sizeable elf city now lay. A city whose sole purpose is to defeat Razic’Jewel and his army of giants and efreeti.
Fast Forward –227 CY:
The years went on and in time another great sorcerer visited the shores of the Solnor at Valkemf. This time it was Zik’Akim who set foot in the now more populated Valkemf. He queried the people of Valkemf about his brother, but to no end. Razic’Jewel had been long forgotten in these lands once the cunning Viktorik, White Dragon of the Corusks, disposed of Valkemf, the only person who may or may not have passed word of Razic through the generations by way of story-legend. Only the guidance of Rao allowed Zik’Akim the knowledge that he was on the right path and must reach across the Solnor to finally meet his evil brother again.
Zik’Akim’s journey proved successful and he found himself along the shores of Scar. Razic’Jewel knew his brother would arrive at this time as some vision his mask had foretold. He allowed Zik’Akim to reach his tower in the middle of the molten lake, unhindered and without obstacle. When the two met again, Razic, now wielding more power than his brother could ever attain, did not even defend himself.
He felt he had been upon Oerth for too long. He had an acheing to move on...He had been waiting for this time to come, the time to grow even more powerful amongst his superior, Wee Jas, and she welcomed him with open arms, proud in his accomplishments.
Notes from the author: Razic'Jewel is the "springboard" behind an upcoming CFA (Canonfire Adventure/Gazetteer) I have fully written, which will feature art by the adorable Tedra and Maps by the great boslok_the_elder.
Here is a piece of Tedra's art that will be displayed in the CFA. This is Lastelle, concubine and later, widow of Razic'Jewel.
You can learn more of the mentioned village of Valkemf by following the link to my article of the same name, below....
Valkemf, Province & City of
A "teaser" map of Scar I have made. I promise boslok_the_elder's maps will inspire you to learn more of Scar.
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