Path of Exile Talent Competition

Come over, fools and hear my voice. I will tell you a story. A story that will teach you fear. Fear of Vorici, the Master of Assassins.

Once upon a time, I don’t know exactly when it happened, but it doesn’t matter because it’s the truth.

So once upon a time the Blackguards caught Vorici and imprisoned him in the sceptre of god. I don’t know how they managed to catch him, but it doesn’t matter because it’s the truth.

They locked him up in a little chamber, with only one door, so strong that not even Vagan or Haku could breakthrough it. There they tied him up to a massive iron chair.

The torturer entered the Chamber with two of his trainees carrying some of his diabolic instruments. 'Any last words?' he asked with a malicious mien. Vorici spat on the floor. 'Tear my flesh and splinter my bones. You will never break my spirit'. The Blackguard laughed:’ Believe me I will make u…scream’. The Assassin leaned back and seemed to be amused. ‘I will wear your ghost, and u will die twice: against me and for me’. The torturer answered: ‘When you are finished quoting the words of passed away legends I will show you some of my instruments…’.

General Gravicius was doing whatever a general of the Blackguards is doing all day when he heard the screams. ‘NO, PLEASE NOT MY EYES!’ Beautiful. ‘MERCY, PLEASE, I BEG YOU!’ Gorgeous. ‘I SWEAR I WILL-‘…whatever he wanted to say it drowned into loud shrieks of pain. It seemed that even the 'Master of Assassins' was just a human. Gravicius stood up from his table and roamed to the Chamber where the prisoner was locked.

The nearer he came the more he could smell the fragrance of blood and death. Of pain and despair. Marvellous. In moments like these the highest of the Blackguards loved his work more than anything else. The two guards in front of the door were grinning when they unlocked the huge lock and opened the heavy door latch for the general.

Entering the little chamber, a disquieting feeling overcame him. The walls were red from blood and from the ceiling it dropped down on the floor, causing an annoying splashing noise. Nothing extraordinary so far. After a few moments Gravicius flounced out of the room and swiftly disappeared in the dark floors of the tower.

The confused guards became curious and sneaked a peek of what happened in the cell. It was kind of hard to recognize the bloody mass on the floor, as the three Blackguards it was before. The chair was empty. Vorici was gone.

Now don’t ask me how Vorici slaughtered the Blackguards. And don’t ask how he could escape. Because this doesn’t matter. Because it’s the truth.

A young girl stared across marble steps at the broken body of a king. He had been old and undignified even before death but the sight of him now filled her with even more disgust. She motioned the guards to take the body away.
‘There will be no place in these walls for the old and unsightly during my reign.’ She thought.

Haviri raised his hammer and brought it down in a forceful but deliberate swing upon the metal of the blade. Sparks flew across is forge and he beheld his work in their brief light. A new axe for the executioner was all Doryani had tasked him with but he had something special in mind. The blade of the axe had been imbued with green copper and red ochre that gave it a majesty deserving of the task it would perform. This was to be his gift to the great Queen Atziri.
The sound of hammering steel on steel left the forge and the gentle sounds of the forest seeped back into Haviri’s world. His daughter suddenly rushed through the door to behold the completed axe head, knowing he must have completed his work.
‘Oooh it’s so beautiful!’ she exclaimed
‘Of course it is’ he replied softly ‘after all, you are my inspiration A’alai.’
She was beautiful. He knew that because of her beauty, she may soon be chosen to work in the service of the Queen herself. Only the most beautiful were chosen to serve in the Queen’s inner sanctum, but he did not want that for A’alai. He had spoken to the families of those who had been chosen in the past. None had seen their child again following the selection ceremony. He hoped he could make a case to Doryani for A’alai to stay with him when he presented the new axe.
He took the equally ornate axe handle and set about fitting the blade to it. The night was young and with some luck he would complete his task before the sun rose.
Later that night he began to make his way to the City at the Apex to present his work. It was still dark but the moon was swollen and lit his way. Tomorrow is the harvest moon, he thought absent mindedly.
He followed the newly made path winding through the forest, occasionally passing through towns and farmsteads at which he would usually go to find his work. But today he was not looking for work. He was looking for a chance to meet with Doryani before the daily rituals began.
Haviri arrived at the Apex before the sun was high in the sky as he made his way to the thaumaturgist’s quarters on the rise near the pyramid’s entrance. It was much larger than the surrounding buildings and its façade was covered in intricate stonework and gold leaf, depicting the discovery of the first virtue gem.
The sounds coming from behind the stone slab door would have turned away most potential visitors but Haviri knew that this was the sound of Doryani’s Portal that gave him direct access to the inner sanctum. As he entered the room it caught his eye as it always did, glowing red and swirling into a pitch-black void at the centre, it was a marvel to behold. But then a new artefact caught his eye, which he had never seen before, though he recognised the metal used as his own.
A few years before, he had been contracted to create an insulated golden gauntlet for what he had at the time assumed to be a statue or golem but he now saw it streaking blue flashing light from gems that the thaumaturgist had crafted onto it. Engraved upon the metal he could make out a passage from the sacred texts: ‘The light without pales in comparison to the light within’.

‘Isn’t it wonderous?’ came Doryani’s voice from across the room. ‘I can trap the essence of thaumaturgy inside this gauntlet, allowing the wielder to unleash the power of thaumaturgic lightning at will. Any man will be able to wield these powers when using a device such as this one.’
He turned to greet his guest as he spoke leaving whatever fascinating new creation he was now working on hidden behind him.
‘You know I don’t like the idea of thaumaturgy in the hands of commoners. Nothing good can come of it.’ Haviri replied.
‘The Queen and I believe it may one day be necessary. But you know I always value your opinion Haviri and I thank you for sharing it. How have you fared with your own task? Is the new axe ready?’
‘I have it right here.’
Haviri removed the protective covers from the massive axe and placed it on the table for Doryani to inspect.
‘Marvellous!’ he proclaimed ‘The Queen has often praised your work and now I see why. I should imbue the blade to make it a little lighter though, otherwise the executioner may resign or worse, ask for your head!’ he grinned.
‘I would be grateful for that!’ Haviri laughed ‘But I came seeking another favour if you would hear me out?’
‘Of course, I will. What do you need?’
‘My daughter A’alai is at selection age and I was hoping you could ask the Queen if she would allow her to remain at my side. She wants to learn my craft and I do not have any sons to pass it down to. She is my only legacy.’
Doryani stared at Haviri for a short while before replying.
‘Queen Atziri has never allowed such a thing. You realise that she may resent even the notion of your interfering in the selection process? This is a dangerous question to ask.’
‘Please make the request Doryani. The axe should buy me enough favour with her to at least hear me out. I would not ask if this were a mere whim. She is vital to my handiwork.’
‘Fine, be it on your head. I will relay your request but I must return to my work now. I will see you again soon.’
‘Thank you Doryani. See you soon.’
The sprawling city surrounding the Apex was full of life in anticipation of the upcoming selection ceremony and Haviri wanted to take the opportunity to arrange his next metal shipment so that he could get to work as soon as he returned to his forge. A few days remained before the ceremony and A’alai would join him soon to be made presentable for the Queen.

Noon, the day of selection. The sun glistened across the Vertex covering the towering Queen’s face. She stood in the Square of Zerphi, beholding the gathered girls and boys offered before her. A’alai was among them, staring at the beautiful young Queen before her. Haviri had told her once the Queen was over 100 years old but her features now were those of a young woman. She decided Haviri must have been telling her stories again but she couldn’t help wondering if there could some truth to those stories.
The Queen, satisfied with her choices turned and whispered them into Doryani’s ear before disappearing into the portal that he had been opened for her. As the portal closed behind the queen, the tension in the air only became greater. Many families would gain the great honour of giving their child into the service of their beautiful queen. Others would be dishonoured and shamed by not being selected.
Doryani opened another portal, this one glowing a fierce orange and yellow, and began walking among the gathered youths. Some he sent some to their new life in service of the Queen and others back to their families to a live a common life. When he reached A’alai, he briefly glanced towards Haviri with a grimace on his face before sending her through the portal.
Haviri’s heart stopped. As she disappeared through the portal, he could do nothing but watch. Protesting the Queen’s decision would have been a crime greater than any other so he kept quiet. Soon, the selection ceremony had been completed and Haviri, not knowing what else to do, returned to his forge in the forest trying not to let his anger get the better of him.
That night, he was woken by the harsh buzz of thaumaturgy outside his house. Doryani must have arrived and was awaiting him outside. Haviri was furious and ready to unleash it at his old friend without mercy. He rushed downstairs to hear what excuse the thaumaturgist could conjure up.
‘What did you do?!’ He shouted
‘Calm down please Haviri. There was nothing I could do. The Queen heard your request but upon seeing your daughter she decided to take her for a special project she has me working on. There was no way I could have dissuaded her. I’m sorry.’
‘A project? What, are you to experiment on her? Mutilate her?’ Haviri screamed.
‘All I can tell you is that you may see her again someday but she will now always be in the Queen’s service. Be content with that.’ He was now becoming angry as well.
‘You seem to have forgotten your place and the incredible honour the Queen has bestowed upon you and your girl. I will visit again if I have any news I can share. Until then, I suggest you busy yourself with work and try to forget.’
Doryani turned to leave, pausing before the portal.
‘She was pleased with your axe.’ He said in a much softer tone.

A’alai was shown into a large chamber with two young boys that had also been selected that day. The younger one she didn’t know but the older was Q’ura, the son of one of Haviri’s clients. They were as terrified as she was. The floor was stained red with blood and in the centre of the room she saw three stone slabs covered with thaumaturgic symbols and gems. She briefly wondered if these were the virtue gems that her father once told her about.
Her thoughts turned to fear once again as the guards motioned them to lie down on the slabs and set about shackling them to the stone. There was no escaping whatever fate the Queen had in store for them.
Hours passed and the three youths lay upon the stone silently awaiting their fate. Finally, the Queen and the thaumaturgist Doryani entered the chamber followed by a procession of people, young and old. A’alai noted that they had been shackled together in three groups as they were positioned in the three corners of the chamber, each at the foot of one of the stone slabs.
The queen walked up to the three youths and removed her mask. What she saw surprised A’alai despite rumours of her great beauty which was both glorious and terrifying. A face of silky smooth skin and fierce piercing eyes beneath a finely woven mass of dark hair. A’alai could not look away from her as she began speaking to them and she heard the collective gasps from the shackled groups of people and the two boys on the slabs.
She addressed them with a confident and commanding voice.
‘You have been chosen to be my guardians. You lack strength but you will be made strong by the gifts Doryani will now grant you.’
She began walking back towards the door. ‘You shall serve me until eternity ends and the world is swallowed by incorruptible darkness. You may not disappoint me.’
With those words resounding loudly, she replaced her mask and left the room. Doryani immediately began casting a spell, one seemingly of great power as he strained to control himself while channelling his power. The chamber grew darker and dark streaks of thaumic energy streaked across the ceiling. He placed his hand upon the head of the boy she did not know and held the other out towards the group of people gathered before his slab.
To A’alai’s horror, the guards raised their axes and began relentlessly and mercilessly chopping them down. She suddenly noticed the small red orbs forming in the air where the people once stood. Doryani seemed to be drawing power from these orbs, his eyes taking on an ominous red glow.
Then suddenly, a gruesome portal sprung up on the ground, consuming the orbs. Doryani screamed with effort and the portal began slowly closing as he pulled the energy out of it and into the boy he was standing over. The boy who had been struggling in his shackles suddenly became still and started growing rapidly, his hands losing their shape and becoming pointed and hardened blades of bone. His face deformed and became a terrifying pointed visage losing any trace humanity.
Finally, the portal disappeared and Doryani relaxed, flexing his fingers. He beheld his handiwork and smiled. The boy had become a terrifying monstrosity twice as tall as the average human.
He saw A’alai staring at what was once a terrified young boy.
‘Don’t fret.’ He said with a chilling smile, the glow slowly fading from his eyes ‘you’re next.’

In editing

partially written and unedited