Codex

**Codex** are journal entries located around the world of Godfall.

## Summary

Codex's are expanded lore for the world of Godfall ranging from characters to Sanctums.

## Chronicle of the Wolf

### Journal 1

I've done it. I've taken the Monolith. And in doing so, I fought and killed the best person I have ever known.

I wish I could say we were evenly match and that our duel lasted for a moon's whole molt, new to full to new. It's that way in the stories. But it was decided before we ever crossed swords. Orin's forces were outmatched and so was my foolish sibling.

I ended a thousand years of war when I threw Orin off that balcony. It was a victory so inevitable it nearly broke my heart.

### Journal 2

I trampled a banked campfire as we changed Orin's lines. Cinders and grey ash, and a little flame inside. Had Orin and rested there?

We broke through. I found Orin in the Monolith's throne room as waves shattered on the rocks far below. Outside, the gulls came down for the bodies of the fallen. We did not speak. Everything had been said. We fought while the gulls screamed with hunger.

Orin was prepared, but it didn't matter. Orin was doomed. When the moment came, I drew the inner sword. I cast Orin down.

### Journal 3

After my victory, I ordered my warriors to search for Orin's remains. They brought me a wretched sea-bloated corpse in my sibling's ruined Valorplate. It smelled of Orin's true blood.

I wept for my victory. My beloved sibling, whom I had trusted above all others was dead. I screamed and beat my fists on the stone even as my warriors celebrated.

I now had the Monolith. I was ready to perform the Rites of Ascension. All my hopes could now be realized. And yet, I felt hollow. I would ascent to godhood without my brother, without the one person who would be the first of my divine host.

So our war ended here. Where did we begin?

### Journal 4

Each Archon fought according to their nature, be it conquest or mercy for the conquered. As the war dragged on and the Archons looked for every advantage, some of them turned to creation. We Valorians were such a success, they reasoned, that they should be able to do it again.

Thus they created the latterborn, the so-called Tetrarchy. The Vargul, Abyssians, Nyak, and Flameblood. The latterborn bastards were created to be weapons to tip the balance of power in the Archon' endless wars. But they could never outdo us Valorians, their firstborn champions. And though I was our strongest warrior, there was no Valorian more valorous than my dear sibling, Orin.

### Journal 5

Orin and I were separated when Silvermane and Hinterclaw broke their alliance. I was a fully fledged knight of Hinterclaw while Orin was just a newly minted warrior of Silvermane. Leaving Orin felt like I had lost the voice of my better nature. Still, I was a warrior and I needed to make war. So I rent my mark across the battlefield. None should stop me.

I had an idea that something was broken in the world, but I only looked for answers only in battle and in victory. It took my reunion with Orin to turn my eyes toward with Archons.

### Journal 6

I was at Anadole, laying siege to a plateau city build on the ruins of five others. I circled the walls, calling for a challenger to open the gate and fight.

Imagine my surprise when I was knocked to the ground, a blade of pure Aetherium to my throat. I recognized it then, a voice I had not heard for ten years.. "You and I could killed a god," Orin whispered, "but we would need victory worthy of an audience. Tell me Macros. Does this land look seismically sound to you?"

### Journal 7

Orin led me to fault in the earth near Anadole and I understood. We could collapse the plateau beneath the walls of the city. Then Anadole would be mine. I understood then what the arc of my life would be. Victory in this battle would become a victory so complete that I would be recognized by all of Aperion.

So we cut at the earth until it quaked and the walls of Anadole crashed down. And after my soldiers routed the defenders, Orin sat in my encampment and brewed me the finest cup of tera I ever tasted. Then we discussed the inevitable truth. That was long as the Archons remained in the world, we would have nothing but war and destruction.

### Journal 8

I lured Silvermane to the old tower where my warband lurked. The Archon believed that we were there to defect. Slivermane suspected nothing and walked right into the ambush.

Fighting a god, even with the advantage of surprise, is no small thing. The exhilaration of fighting against a force of nature was something I hadn't felt. I could not overpower this opponent. Silvermane was fast and strong and nearly invulnerable. Nearly invulnerable is not invulnerable, though. Our blades rose and fell and soon enough, the great Archon was no more.

### Journal 9

I stunned all Aperion with that first Godfall. We were villains and oathbreakers or we were the hope for freedom for all of Aperion. Or we were both.

The enraged Archons drove us into the wilderness. Had they united, we could have been ground to dust. But their natures didn't allow for cooperation. Even loving illumina or merciful Phoenix could not work together long enough to stop our rebellion.

As the Archons turned back to squabbling amongst themselves, doomed to do so by their divinity, the trickle of new followers became a flood. My fellow Valroians hungered for war. I would have plenty to give them, if we survived.

I took us into the wilderness as fugitives. But I returned with an army.

## Orin's Journal

### Journal 1

My brother once told me that every battle stinks the same. Fear and hot metal. He would say that every time one of his soldiers saluted him, he would anticipate their passing.

After a thousand years of war, he was surrounded us. He anticipates a final victory against us. I believed we could hold, but Macros proved too cunning an opponent. There is no way to outmaneuver someone who's known you for centuries.

I know Macros revels in the destruction to come, even more than he admits to himself. How can I win?

### Journal 2

Macros fights with cunning and overpowering strength. I have fought alongside him during an eternity of campaigns and learned his strength from the ways he breaks his enemies. I could write a manual on his mastery of war.

No one ever chooses to be outnumbered and outmatched, yet Macros has forced me into this position. It's unlikely that I will beat him here, though I'm sure my stubbornness aggravates him.

As I weigh my options, one thing is clear. I should have invoked the Seventh Sanctum earlier. But, last resorts are thus named for a reason.

### Journal 3

There he was. My brother. Macros. This was the first time I set eyes upon him in a decade and I was here on Silvermane's behalf. I was tasked with finding the weakness of Hinterclaw's powerful champion. I was surprised when I saw that it was Macros. I shouldn't have been.

I saw Macros call the enemy's champions, one by one, and defeat them all. I saw him cleave a rank of foes in two with the force of his charge. I saw how his comrades deferred to him, how they dreaded his penchant for violence. I resolved to exploit that dreadful violence.

### Journal 4

There was beautiful traditions even in those days when the Archons walked among us. We dueled using dragonfly kites with glass-edged strings. We held tournaments for poetry and the tossing of sun-javelins. But it was always the Archons that moved us to ecstasy or violence, casting a shadow over all achievement. Nothing could be glorious unless they willed it so.

I brewed Macros a simple tea for our conversation after he took Anadole. I explained that our games and traditions portrayed the Archons at war. Even our art was all inspired by sword or spear. As long as the twelve living stars dwelt among us, we would be nothing intently and he understood. Power distorts choice and with their power, we had no choice but eternal war.

### Journal 5

Macros wanted us to recruit as many Valorians as possible to fight Silvermane. But any secret spoken is a secret no longer and our band had to know their purpose beforehand. Inevitably, when some balked at our goals, Macros insisted that we could not risk them compromising the mission. I took care of them. Somehow I am always taking care of things no one wanted to name.

Macros kept insisting that I do the vile things that made our mission possible. He was my leader. Trusting him, I acquiesced. He always sounded so reasonable. I should have asked myself why, if what he wanted was so reasonable, did he not do these things himself.

### Journal 6

Macros was certain of victory. He always spoke as if we had already won. His confidence bolstered morale. I was less sure. One day, I asked what we would do after we won. Valorians have only known war and never peace. Our armies would turn on each other as soon as we won.

But we had no intention of allowing that. He knew that the latterborn would be an easy target of the Valorians' pent us rage. In my memories he sounded sad. But if I learned anything from Macros, it is that memories are easily recruited to serve our needs.

## Tales From Aperion

### Aetherium

Believed to be the crystallized blood of Kosmera, every facet of life on Aperion, from the gleaming Valorian cities to the grotesque architectures of the Tetrarchy relies on this miraculous substance known as Aetherium. Aetherium is coveted by all groups as a power source, a crafting material, and even sustenance. The Valorian Godsmiths forged the weapons and armor used by their knights with Aetherium. The savage Kraven are drawn to consume it. Every facet of life is affected, bolstered, and powered by this magic material.

### Aperion

Seeing the unlimited potential of their world, the early Valorians named it Aperion. Since then, Aperion would come to mean both the planet and the idea that something was worth preserving.

### The Skybreaker Monolith

The Skybreaker Monolith is a device of such power that its scope is difficult to understand. Originally devised as a way to affect and control Aperion itself, the Monolith languished for centuries as a mere Aetherium drill. However, in order to grant it these capabilities, the ancient godsmiths needed to understand all aspects of the Aperion. In doing so, they created something that can shape the very nature of reality.

### The Sanctums

Created in a bygone age by the ancient godsmiths, the Sanctums were built to act as eternal repositories of Valorian knowledge. The ancients feared that all the stories and discoveries of the Valorian people would be lost f they continued to war as they have and so they build these thinking constructs to preserve the Valorian memories. The Sanctums would be librarians and historians, who would remind the Valorian people of their paste and guide them forward into the future. Of the seven known Sanctums, six were lost in the Valorian Civil War. Only the Seventh Sanctum, the one who was sealed away, remained.

### Valorians

The Valorians were the fist creations of the Archons. Made in the likeness that the Archons would seek themselves, these semi-divine warriors initially acted as extensions of the Archons' collective wills. The greatest of the Valorians were given Valorplate, the legendary armor made in image of the Archons, and asked to champion their gods on Aperion.

### The Necessity of Betrayal

The Archons' unwavering belief in their own perfection would doom us if we continued to follow them. Physical form came with corruption, jealousy, anger, and grief. We could not allow the Archons to remain incarnated. If we didn't exile them back to the realm of pure ideal. return them into formlessness, they would destroy us. They had to be stopped. We could not allow them to corrode our attempts to build a true civilization.

It did not escape us that the Archons never worked together. It would be difficult for one of us to take on an Archon and win. But unlike them, we were not alone. Even if they would not work together, we Valorians could.

### Sati's Recollection

Bulwark was the last Archon to fall. After Moebius was consumed in the Battle of Unhinged Summer, after Aegishorn made a final stand at Brittle Rain, we came to the Battle of Halved Skulls.

Bulwark brought swarms of Vargul and Abyssian mercenaries to augment his loyal Valorians. He used his divine power to bolster his troops with incredible durability. We had to strike Bulwark's faithful down over and over. In the end, we took to splitting their helms.

The price in blood was high, but we had done it. All twelve of the Archons were finally sent screaming back to the realm of dreams and spirit. Now the real work could be down. We could build a true society.

### In The Beginning

Kosmera made the world when she devoured herself. The Archons were her dreams and they dreamt hungrily of existence. There was nothing to satisfy the hunger but her own flesh. Kosmera ate of Kosmera. She shed blood-of-the-serpent, the crystalized power of void, which we call Aetherium. The world clotted around it. Existence coalesced like frost on glass.

And from the ruins of Kosmera's body, the Archons stepped forth into existence.

### Firstborn of the Archons

We Valorians were their first design. All twelve Archons collaborated to craft us forms that they would also eventually use. They gifted us the fist suits of Valorplate. Holy armor for the champions of the gods. Each as precious as it is powerful. We were the first to know death, and the first to show courage in its face. Thus we were named Valorians.

We had always believed they made us in their images, but they had instead made themselves, too well, in ours.

### Imperfect Gods

The peoples of Aperion had misunderstood the Archons' nature. They should have stayed as gods of ideal. When they spun themselves physical shapes, incarnating themselves into psychical realm, they became trapped by the sins of mortality.

Overcome by mortal anger, jealousy, and ambition, the Archons quarreled among themselves. It is said that when kinds quarrel, they argue using armies. We Valorians were made by the Archons to be their armies. And so, with little choice, we argued.

With Valorians as their great armies, each Archon, according to their nature and their hunger, be it conquest or be it mercy for the conquered, made war. We did not know how deeply Kosmera's hunger had chewed into our souls, then. We would learn.

### First Recollection of the Seventh Sanctum

The first time I observed the Archon Hinterclaw, they were standing over a war map with models and pieces forged from raw Aetherium. Like a game board, Hinterclaw moved pieces from one place to place, stronghold to stronghold. Sometimes they closed a gauntleted fist and a piece imploded, signifying the outcome of some future battle. In this fashion, Silvermane predicted the movements of the Archons' armies and the flaw of war. Hinterclaw cared only for victory, not that the battles cindered our cities and effaced our writings. How could I preserve a word that only cared for battle and power?

Macros was there, even then. Hinterclaw's fiercest champion. Ever hungry for power, he wanted to steal the Aetherium pieces. I, on the other hand, ignored those Aetherium models and instead stole Hinterclaw's stratagems.