Chain 190: Endless Legend

Chain 190: Endless Legend

Location: Wild Walker Capitol
Age: 25
Identity: Drop-In
Drawbacks: [+800] Epic Speed, Locked Out!, Necrophages Ate My Neighbors

[100/1800]  Advanced Alloys
[Free]      Too Small To Notice
[400/1800]  Uncommon Alloys
[800/1800]  Rare Alloys
[1050/1800]  Public Library
[1100/1800]  Dust Mint
[1150/1800]  Alchemical Foundry
[1200/1800]  Extractor Tool
[1300/1800]  Reaping Station
[1400/1800]  Arcane Smelter
[1500/1800]  Dust Refinery
[1650/1800]  Mythic Forge
[1800/1800]  Automated Harvester

An Elven city, of sorts, is an auspicious place to begin my journey here. I found it rather amusing that my armor could be mistaken for a Vaulter's, at a distance, but this early in the world's history it was less a matter of being 'Vaulter' to them than 'an unknown'. But I was friendly, of course, and though there was not much of substance that I could do, I proved to be good enough that they did not chase me away. Sure, it wouldn't be a place I could call home... but their capitol was a fine city and they did not object to my request to return over the years from my travels.

And from there I set out across the planet, exploring Auriga. Of course, I'm rather swift upon my feet these days, but that was a good thing for there was much to see and many to meet. Sometimes, meeting them went well, other times not so. The only incident there things went particularly bad was with the Roving Clans, which was unfortunate - I had hoped to find common grounds with them as a nomad and explorer, and they did see me akin to themselves, but as a threat. Traders who refused to trade. What a strange concept.

So I built a few upgraded Pantheon - self-aware, this time around - and left them to work on reproducing themselves according to my design and carving a city in the middle of a desert. I named it Neo Arcadia, on a lark, and gave them instructions to become a nation of traders as I continued exploring the world and its glories. Though, with a handful of years behind me and Neo Arcadia growing, I begin to place down foundries and smelters and the like, so that Neo Arcadia would be able to trade such things. Even if they didn't have the technology to manipulate things like Mithrite, they could still gather it until they did have that knowledge.

(Oh, wait, they DO have that knowledge, because I taught them how to do it and turn it into useful creations. Looks like we've got things to trade that the Clans can't begin to fathom yet.)

Of course, the Arcadians sent their drones to guard the smelters and foundries I planted on every last resource vein that I could find. All was well until the first Winter, and then I got a taste of how awful this planet can truly be. I ensured that the Arcadians were able to create and trade magical and technological artifacts to survive or repel the chill of the planet, and they went from a curiosity to other nations to a crucial friend. They remained steadfastly neutral and kept to a single city, but owing to their nature... well, Pantheon with adamantium armor may not have been the most powerful offensively, but they were certainly able to weather nearly any assault.

The only enemy the Arcadians had were the Roving Clans. Well, and the Necrophages, but they were everyone's enemy - I ran into them constantly in my explorations after the first winter, and harried them at every opportunity. Outright annihilating them was not my objective, but through the Arcadian trade network battles were coordinated and wars won and lost; often warriors would take a pair of Pantheon to watch their back while they tested their mettle against the Necrophages in smaller battles, while larger ones saw more exotic Pantheon on the ground and on the wing fighting alongside almost every faction. Well, except for the Roving Clans.

Too bad about them, they're a footnote in the history books now thanks to their stubbornness.

The Necrophage were almost completely wiped out when another Winter struck, but after that... well, the Arcadians were able to work more easily in the cold than many, and so as the Winter began to thaw, they struck and finished their work. After that... well, wars were still won and lost by those who were a part of the Arcadian trade network, but that bothered me quite a bit less. Almost no one had access to the more exotic resources of the planet without getting them through the Arcadians, and those that tried to push them found it to be a massive mistake.

Meanwhile, though my association with them was known, I remained largely a curiosity as I travelled and learned the ways of the various nations. Oh, I'm not going to deliberately harm myself to cast magic as an Ardent Mage might, and I didn't hollow myself out as the Broken Lords did, but I did discover how to manipulate Dust for such effects alongside them. I palavered with the Drakken, and learned of the Endless from their Cultists. The Vaulters, I aided in their return to space. The others, I brokered as much of a peace between them as I could, even though not all could coexist in harmony.

A fascinating place, though, I must say. A thousand years on this world and it passes as though it were the blink of an eye.