Beyond Chaos - A DiceRPG - 31. Balrog the Bane I

On this land of real souls, with millions of different martial art institutions, there’re so many strong fighters just like the trees in the forests.

After the Calamity War, the final and most devastating conflict to decide who would claim the Divine Throne, Kael Medici stood as the last survivor.He had led armies, fought with unmatched ferocity, and performed legendary feats. Yet in the end, his fate was no different from the rest. He perished like all the others, the final casualty of the Great War, his hand just shy of the throne he so desperately desired.But when he thought it was over… his eyes snapped open.He had returned to his youth, his memories intact.The path to divinity is drenched in blood, and the battle for supremacy is merciless. Yet Kael has already endured this once. This time, failure is not an option.With the memories of his past life, dominating talent and and a mysterious power awakening within him... The preparations to reach the Divine Throne were complete.

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)

Lin Qi is an ordinary young man who suddenly arrives in a martial arts world and finds that he owns nothing but an abandoned Martial Arts Hall, which has been desolate for an untold number of years, and a Martial Arts Transmission System capable of summoning players.Using players as chess pieces, Lin Qi's life of puppeteer begins behind the scenes.“100% real virtual game, do you want to play?”“Battle of the Myriad Races, experience the most realistic epic battlefield, do you want to play?”“Get stronger in the game, and you will become stronger in reality too, just ask if you want to play?”