Ellri

The Relics (No Plot/Fantasy/Character Driven/Worthy of Skepticism)

WilsonTurner said
Viking?That group seems a little out of place, since the others are a bit more used to the lighter, faster swords, while Vikings are known to smash things. With big axes. And shields. And horned helmets.

You do know that horned helmets had nothing to do with vikings, right? Swords were at least as common as axes, if not more so. and the axes weren't all that large. The bigger an axe, the heavier it is. The heavier it is, the less it can be swung in a battle. The only use for the typical upward-turned horn is to ensure that the attacker gets his or her weapon aimed straight at the head rather than away from it. Not a wise goal.

The Relics (No Plot/Fantasy/Character Driven/Worthy of Skepticism)

We'll explain a bit on how the Vocators work:
There is only one Evoker among them, the Leader. Her Relic is capable of reflecting some of its power onto four other objects. These objects, while they act much like relics, are not truly so. In turn, those four can reflect onto fifteen other objects. For each reflection, the effect is reduced significantly. So while the Relic grants 2.5 times normal strength/agility/etc, the Lieutenant's necklaces only grant 1.5 times normal, and the rings of the regular vocators grant 1.1 times normal.

In the Empire, all children are educated from a young age, taught both combat and other skills. Those who show more aptitude towards the skills wanted for Vocators are given extra training in those skills. Then, at the age of eleven, the best of those are taken to the Vocator Sanctuary, where they are given even further training for several years. If a ring becomes free, they might get the chance to receive it, based on skill and aptitude.

Because the rings are two steps away from the relic, they do not have as strict use requirements. Over time, as the regular Vocators who do receive a ring grow into it, they change subtly, becoming more like their superiors. This in turn makes them more in tune with the leader's Relic and the lieutenants' Necklaces. Few of those who become Vocators ever become eligible for becoming lieutenants. Only the best do. If one wins such honor, the changes will progress even further. By the time any Lieutenant is eligible for challenging the Leader, she will have changed to such a degree that she will fit the parameters for bonding with the relic. Or she will die.

Those who do not rise up to a ring, will have other duties. Some will become imperial guards, others will actively breed with captive evokers, in the hopes of breeding future evokers. There is nothing celibate about the Vocators. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Children are viewed as a worthy goal, and a Vocator who has a child will be protected by all other Vocators till the child is ready to be educated.

Those who do not fit the bill to go to the Sanctuary at all, will merely be trained for other duties, like the army or various trades, all depending on their aptitude and interest.

The Relics (No Plot/Fantasy/Character Driven/Worthy of Skepticism)

Thora probably wouldn't stand a chance against one Vocator. Unless she should happen get the drop on one (literally).

The Relics (No Plot/Fantasy/Character Driven/Worthy of Skepticism)

No problem. Gave us others time to plot your eventual downfall things.

The Relics (No Plot/Fantasy/Character Driven/Worthy of Skepticism)

We liberally stole some traits from the Seanchan, mixed with a few original elements and several other sources.

best one so far we've found is this:

The Relics (No Plot/Fantasy/Character Driven/Worthy of Skepticism)

Typical about images, eh? There's only so many good images out there.

we'll have to go digging with Sep then.

The Relics (No Plot/Fantasy/Character Driven/Worthy of Skepticism)

Of course, unlike true relics, the power of the rings is temporary. i.e. if a ringbearer is slain, as can happen, the ring is of no use to anyone else. Its lieutenant and the leader will know immediately of course, and the acquisition of a replacement vocator will be started. A new ring will be empowered instead and given to one of the many Vocators-in-training.

We'd imagine that if there's anyone in the Empire that has proven to elude the vocators this long, he or she could easily be in possession of many such dis-empowered rings taken from those (s)he has slain. It is only the relic of the Vocator's leader that retains its power between owners. The reason it works to transfer between owners the way it does, is that all vocators change slightly upon being given a ring or necklace and slowly change further over time. Generally, by the time any of them try take on a superior, let alone the leader, they have changed sufficiently for the relic to consider them eligible.

The Relics (No Plot/Fantasy/Character Driven/Worthy of Skepticism)

Well, the imperials wouldn't raze any village if they could avoid it. They would, however, do their best to capture anyone who might reveal their existence to others. Rather than slaughter or raze anything, they might just temporarily imprison the village. But here's the thought:
Maybe Bor expected someone from his village to meet him, but that doesn't happen because they're prevented from leaving? That in turn might make him curious and/or cautious, right?

We'd rather not a random (nameless) NPC revealing the imperial invasion. A PC, on the other hand? not as easy to prevent. We'd guess, once he figures out what is happening, that Bor might reach the city around the same time as the imperial army. Remember, they'll have begun marching out of the tunnels the moment the darkness rose, for at that point, they won't be visible. We'd guess the tunnel exits to be not far outside the darkness. Short enough to have a quick march to get there before the darkness stops again, but far enough away not to arouse suspicion. Maybe 4-6 km or so away from the walls?

It would make sense for the Imperials to send outriders in all directions away from the tunnels, to ensure that there's no one warning anyone about their existence. If everyone assumes the Imperials came over the mountains, which is the more logical route after all, they'll how the Empire supplies and reinforces its forces.

The Relics (No Plot/Fantasy/Character Driven/Worthy of Skepticism)

The entrances to those tunnels would only be opened up shortly before the invasion. They're using captive Evokers to make them. With the number of relics floating about, there'll be more than a few there capable of getting through stone, be it through shattering it, modifying it, blowing it up, melting it, using temperature changes to break it, etc. As the Empire has a population numbering in the hundreds of thousands, chances are there's sufficient numbers of potential evokers there to make finding enough possible, as he empire has specialized in capturing and using such evokers. Sep will go into more detail on how they do that.

The Imperial army striking at this kingdom relies on stealth, which is why they've got countless scouts surrounding the main army and removing any observers.

One more thing about the Empire: They're not actually evil. They don't kill people for the sake of killing or anything like that. Sure, they might mistreat most Evokers they get hold of, but they still treat them better than the Holy Order of Idris does. And the Empire doesn't discriminate against women, a trait that is unusual in medieval societies.

The Relics (No Plot/Fantasy/Character Driven/Worthy of Skepticism)

Comparing stories when you cut them down enough is generally always possible.