The History of Markovia
"Once, in the land of Barovia, there was a butcher named Frantisek Markov. He experimented with this animals before slaying them, mutating them into horrible forms before they died. He was found out in his grisly hobby by his wife, Ludmilla, who became Markov's first human victim. Markov then fled into the mists.
"Markov found a wilderness in which he could indulge in his passion for vivisection and experimentation. His desire became all the greater because of the curse which twisted his frame and further warped his mind. Though he has the face of a man, he has the body of a beast -- often that of a bear or gorilla. He now seeks a humanity lost even before his curse overtook him, and all who fall into his grasp, human or otherwise, are mere fodder for his mad experiments.
"At one point, Markov dispatched a group of his animal-men, call the Broken Ones, to Nova Vaasa to raid a tomb of the Ancient Dead. They brought back with them a great slab of polished marble, veined with gold, which was called the "Table of Life". The table was said to preserve the life of any who lay upon it, and was used by those Ancient Dead to prepare bodies for eternal life.
"The animal-men knew that Markov, whom they call Diosamblet ("The God who walks among us") could use the "Table of Life", and so they brought it back to Markovia. They were ambushed by rogues on the border, who in turn were robbed by Vistani, who in turn were waylaid by thieves, who in turn were slain by adventurers. One of those adventurers was a member of the Order of the Guardians, and left his own Monastery to found a new retreat on the haunches of Mount Baratok.
"Since that time, the Order has protected Markovia and the greater world from the dangers of the Table's reaching Frantisek Markov. The Table has given its benefits, for the monks have been very long-lived in its ghostly radiance and have not suffered the pains of age. They are prepared to to serve their cause, and protect the Table, until the end of time.
"The Order is protected by its reclusive nature and secrecy. Before the Grand Conjunction and the Translation of Markovia into the Sea of Sorrows, they were supplied by agents of the Order and wandering Vistani. Now they are self-sufficient, and that is as it should be -- for should Markov discover the treasure that lay in the temple, then he would spare no effort to recover it. And all the world should tremble on that day."
The Tale of the Table
The "Table of Life" is a single large slab of greenish-black marble shot through with thin veins of gold: it is eight feet in length, three in width, and six inches thick. The surface is smoothly polished and appears like a part of the surface of a still pond, as if one might plunge into its lucid depths; its corners are smoothly rounded and unmarred. The "Table" radiates with a soft, milky glow that accumulates over time, so that after a few days the are it is stored in will seem to be filled with a radiant mist. This mist does not obscure the "Table" and the area around it but rather makes the entire area seem to glow with unearthly light.
In its history the "Table" has rested on handmade legs, the ground, and for the past many years s stone altar. None of these supports are necessary for the "Table" to operate: only the stone slab of the "Table" itself is required.
The "Table of Life" has one primary function. Any creature placed upon it will not die. The creature will not require food or drink (though it will experience hunger and thirst), can survive poison (though it will feel the venom burning through its veins) and survive any injury, including complete loss of life essence or severing of limbs and removal of organs (though it will still feel the pain of those effects). In short, the "Table" will prevent loss of life no matter what damage or harm is done to the individual on the slab, while no abating the amount of pain to the individual one whit. A person bound to the "Table" may go mad from the agony and horror of watching his or her own body being reduced to component parts but cannot die as a result of that damage.
However, should an individual bound to the "Table" be suddenly freed from it, all the effects of any damage suffered while on the "Table" immediately have full effect the instant he or she is no longer in contact with the "Table's" surface. Poison, unless negated, will take full effect. Severed limbs, heads, etc. cannot be reattached, save through other magical means.
The "Table of Life" also has effect on those in its vicinity who are not in direct contact with it. Those who spend a great deal of time near the "Table" are slowly transformed into Ancient Dead. This transformation takes a period of months of exposure. If an individual is not exposed to the "Table"daily, the effects will wear off in a similar time to the amount of exposure.
The origins of the "Table of Life" are unknown, and it is believed to come from some land which is no longer part of the core. There are several legends and tales surrounding the "Table", including the following known to the Brethren:
- A pasha used the "Table" to display particularly grisly amusements for his court, until the commoners (annoyed by their involuntary participation in these displays) rebelled and spent a year killing him, with the aid of the "Table."
- A paranoid researcher, fearful of death, slept on the "Table", received his meals there, and refused to leave it. He lived fifty years in this fashion, until an earthquake knocked him from his perch and he crumbled into a pile of bones.
- A mortician in Nova Vaasa (the most recent owner before it was moved to Markovia) used it to prepare the dead, She and her servants retreated with the "Table" into the depths of some ruined catacombs, where Markov's animal-men found it.
No comments:
Post a Comment