Quest of Black Tears (unified purpose)

Steel Realms

This quest/purpose unifies all of the efforts of the Church of Darkness and their followers.

United Against the Light: Though the Unholy Trio is not a unified pantheon, all of the Orrish of Helca and their followers and agents under their sway are wholly enjoined in the Divine Quest of the Quest of Black Tears.

Goal: Accumulated enough power to push the Curtain of Night forward over the entire Tolkisson Mountain Range and drive the inhabitants of the lands of light to the sea (Thadrician Ocean of Helca) in an spasm of violence, blood, and death, destroying the Sun-Bane.

  • Gather items of power from the lands of light
  • Gather breeding stock from the lands of light
  • Gather supplies and materials from the lands of light
  • Create fear and collect it to feed the Curtain of Night and the The Murkenstone

All the conquered lands will supply the resources then needed to move the Interloper moon (home of the Unholy Trio) and their followers into the dark beyond.

The modern age is heavily defined by the clash of faiths in the “Affray of Darkness and Light“. Death and strife stalk the land relentlessly from beyond the Curtain of Night; peace is a fleeting feeling for those doomed to survive in the midst of constant calamity that defines the current state of things.

Chronicle of the Quest of Black Tears

Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore

Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/accessibility. If nothing is indicated, assume it is Pervasive.

Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty

… From the teachings of the Orrish prophets:

… One day we shall burst forth and with us we will draw a curtain over the lands of light. All will know the cool darkness and the soothing balm of its presence. When the only light we see when we look up is the light of distant Stars, stars who are only suns that have yet to fuel the eternal quietude that will engulf them and finally bring peace to the dark beyond.

Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty

The Orrish use the terror of slavery and breeding, torture, pain and suffering to generate Elan for the Unholy Trio, and that goes to serve the part of their mission to: “Create fear and collect it to feed the Curtain of Night and the The Murkenstone.”

Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty

Scholarly musings on the Quest of Black Tears.

Unknown Origins : The exact ritual source and the efficiency of the dweomer behind this effect is not known to scholars. The effect seems to claim all or some of the Elan that the followers of the Unholy Trio would claim. To that end, how much is required to sustain it, and how much can be “fed” into it, or what else it may accomplish are all shrouded in mystery. It may not even be feasible for the desired outcome of the Quest of Black Tears to even have a chance of being fulfilled for a dozen, a hundred, a thousand or ten thousand more years.

Lich Lord Perspective :The Lich Lords draw off Orrish power and are a constant source of fresh bodies for their armies – mostly used against North Gate Garrison to psychologically shift the hatred of its defenders. They are not as virulently hateful to the Orrish only as a matter of practicality. The Lich Lords would love to see this succeed. It would be easier if the Orrish crusade were realized since food supplies would be affected and it would weaken them.

Reality of Success : Most of the promise of the Orrish crusade is easily dissected with the known science and logic of the world of Helca, to debunk its success. Success would result in the death of all living things when the light is taken away and everything would starve and die. Most scholars believe it is just a motivating force for the Unholy Trio to achieve enough power to break free of the Sune Bane and the planet they find themselves chained to. It is a waiting game. It’s hardly believable to think that the Orrish can be eradicated without the Godspeak Accord being violated by the unholy trio to step in and save their kin. On the other hand, the Numinous spirits of Helca itself don’t wish to inflict this on some other planet and so have kept them shackled to the orbit of the interloper which they somehow are forced to abide by. Letting them win enough to get off the planet. Also would result in millions of deaths and no one wishes that. So it is a tenuous balance, a dance with death until some unknown or unforeseen opportunity presents itself with a solution to the problem.

Warning
Obscure/Hidden Knowledge is not generally available in known references; It is not necessarily Forbidden.
DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT unless a character has the capability to gain such knowledge [through association, organization, or relation] if they do not possess it themselves or the reader intends to participate in scenarios using this material as a PLAYER! GM Narration will typically provide relevant information by check or story.

Realm's Aptitude Powers: Divine, Occult, and Psychic