Dark Souls - The Age of Dark
[note=About]This is a total work-in-progress fan tribute of sorts worked on primarily by myself and SA. We've had discussions in the past about the story progression from Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2, and a variety of what-if scenarios came about, which inevitably inspired. If you are unfamiliar with the events of the first game and plan on playing, please do not read this (sorry) as there will be spoilers. We take no ownership of any aspect of Dark Souls for ourselves; this is a fan tribute. Enjoy :)[/note]
[ic=The Dark Lord's Doing]
"Soon the flames will fade... and only dark will remain."
In the Age of Fire, the world was ordered, bathed in the power of the Great Lords. It was a land of castles, ruins and the cities of giants. But then came the Abyss, seeping from the buried ruins of Oolacile and consuming New Londo, damning the city to be flooded to keep the Darkwraiths, the so-called enemies of Man, at bay. Bearers of the Undead Curse, willed forward by the promise of salvation or the fear of endless torment, came in legions to Lordran, land of the ancient lords, to seek an end to their plight. The primordial serpent Kingseeker Frampt sought the Chosen Undead, successor to Lord Gwyn, sending countless fading souls on a doomed quest, until the Dark Lord, foretold in prophecy and feared by Gwyn, found Kaathe in the Abyss and defeated Lord of Cinder. And so the last light of the Age of Fire truly did begin to fade...
Now, the Age of Dark begins, and all those who once spurned and banished the cursed Undead find themselves among them. Some few who retain their sanity choose perilous journeys in search of answers, seeking clues among the ruins of Lordran - and humanity with which to perpetuate themselves. Rumors suggest that the Age of Fire can yet be rekindled, or that there is a way to escape the Dark entirely...
[/ic]
This sounds awesome. I want to read more.
woff
[ic=Remnants]
The undead surveyed the surroundings - not a room, but a shelter of sorts, hidden within the chaotic overgrowth of a tree. Here was a bonfire, and among it a great many crow feathers littered the ground. The shrine was dim like its fire, casting great shadows along the gnarled walls, eerily symbolic of the age.
"Isn't it odd? A safe haven from the Dark, nearly untouched, yet so perilously close to where the Flame was extinguished," called a woman's voice from the shadows. The undead sought her silhouette with his sunken eyes.
From the spiral staircase below came a veiled humanoid, dressed in raven-black armor that was partially obscured by a dark cloak.
"Do you know why you are here? No, of course not; none do. Many have come before you," she said, coming fully into view. So too did scattered weapons, garb and other things - as if the fire suddenly bloomed into a great sun to bask the shrine. Some of the objects looked rusted and ancient, as if perilously close to crumbling into dust. "I am Herit of Carim - or rather, Dark Carim. What is it you seek, lost undead?"
The undead looked at her, but did not answer.
Herit, as if unconcerned by the lack of a response, strolled unfettered towards a mossy stone arch that stepped upward into what may have once been a cathedral, and disappeared into the gloom. "Of course, none need to know what it is they desire. A quest will find you soon enough," she said, trailing off into laughter.
[/ic]
Lordran After Dark
The Shrine of Velka
Once known as the Firelink Shrine, the Dark Lord's arrival spurred the realm to react in strange ways - here, the mysterious goddess Velka sought to take ownership of the ruins where her crow once left the accursed. Now it is overgrown by the tree that the crow lurked in, an unnatural growth that keeps the shrine mostly closed in, save for the handful of paths leading away into other parts of Lordran. The ravages of the increasingly unstable timeline in Lordran have become even more apparent here, as things left behind by others who sought the land of the gods litter the corners of the tree-shelter, some of which become all-too-fortunate weapons for bold - and foolish - undead warriors. It is not without signs of danger, despite what its apparent guardian, Herit would say - the elevator that once led to the Undead Parish has been ripped from the shaft that once housed it and lays in fragments on the upper level of the shrine, with the marks of some sinister creature lining the stone floors and walls nearby.
Herit is presumed by some to be the new Firekeeper in the Shrine of Velka, though what happened to its previous keeper is uncertain. Perhaps it is Velka's influence that keeps the fire here protected from the Darkwraiths, who now seek to extinguish all of the flames across the realm?
--- more to come ---