Ze Flux

## About Ze\_Flux

The entity named Ze\_Flux (or Flux) is the end result of a consciousness being placed into an automaton, to which he can recall upon some parts of his “previous life”. Despite being able to recall the past to some degree, there is no record as to how or when Flux was created into the current state he is in. Regardless of the past, Flux is a mixed bag, when it comes to interests and abilities—potentially the logic behind his name—and has a habit of attempting to make as much money as (in)humanly possible.

## The Phoenix Expedition

### Before the Expedition

Flux had been an inhabitant of another realm which is not too different from the one he now inhabits. In this realm, he began as a penniless refugee who managed to climb the ladder of power to the point of ruling a nation there. In his tenure, many events had occurred which tested this individual in his patience, willingness to compromise, and humility. Flux had made as many successful gambits as he made blunders, which surprisingly makes him more human than some of his peers.

### The Expedition

After some time, Flux had gotten tired by the mundane nature of his existence. With some convincing by his friend UnHallow, a spatial mage, managed to convince many of the inhabitants of this old realm behind for a little excursion into a new dimension. This group would come to be called the Phoenix Expedition, which included members like UnHallow, Flux, Duncevonboy, Bronze, Snow, & Zero. Everything had gone according to plan until Dunce’s paddleboat that he insisted on having everyone take to the new world failed to keep the expedition together.

## First Steps into the Unknown

Flux would eventually come back to his senses after an arctic fox started to sniff his motionless body. Once he managed to recalibrate his limbs and his damaged body, he got himself up and began to wander the vast tundra that stood in-front of this broken machine. After collecting the general necessities to keep moving, Flux sought to find his compatriots of the Phoenix Expedition. Lady Luck was on his side when he eventually stumbled upon UnHallow and Bronze living in a small hamlet in the middle of the woods. This little hamlet, Symfora, would come to be the foundation of the future capital of the Freehold of Pagonia.

In the coming days, Flux got reacquainted to having company as more members of the Phoenix Expedition began arriving in Symfora. However, there were some issues: UnHallow or more accurately “Holy Valoria” has become more imperialistic and gone as far to declare himself the “King of the Great Frost”. Unsure on how to handle the potential situation of UnHallow losing some of his senses, Flux took some precautions to hinder the potential of things getting out of hand. While going along with UnHallow’s desire to expand the Expedition’s influence upon this new land, he still advocates for a cautionary approach to how to engage any other sentient life.

As Flux noticed a good amount of the expedition’s members returning, he became worried about Dunce and where the madman had landed. The last time Flux saw the man, he was still latched tightly to his beloved paddleboat. Flux was worried what would become of Dunce, as he knows nothing good would come from Dunce being isolated.

## Establishing a Nation

The modern nation of Pagonia would come to fruition under the watch of the Phoenix Expedition, to which Flux was chosen to lead the Monetary Faction within the nation. As the “Baron of Pagonia”, Flux’s job was to collect as much capital and resources his mechanical body could achieve. In this endeavor, Flux succeeded in bringing some level of wealth and resource security to the fledgling state of Pagonia.

Once the most vital parts of the government of Pagonia was established, Flux sought to find more members of the Phoenix Expedition and recruit them into Pagonia. While successful in most cases, there were some members who “went native” and opted instead to join the societies that had already called this world, Iaddithis, their home. One of the most influential members who came to Pagonia would be Alphaprime1212 (or Alpha), who would become Flux's most trusted friend in the nation.

## Finding Dunce and a Surprise Meeting

While many of the original members of the Expedition found their way to Pagonia alongside some newcomers, the only person missing on the list was Duncevonboy. For some reason that gremlin of a man has not been found, which would become a problem for the safety of the Phoenix Expedition and the Freehold of Pagonia. A long search was conducted in order to find that hooded menace to society, which resulted in two positive outcomes. One being the realization that Capnight (better known as Kosti to the Expedition members) was here in this realm, despite not being a part of the Expedition. It was discovered that he had ended up in Iaddithis way before the Expedition, which may explain where he managed to disappear to... Regardless, Kosti informed us that he just recently met up with a relatively *primitive* Dunce, who threated to "cave in his skull" if he got any closer.

With this information, the search party made it to a small swamp north of modern-day Ferea. In this small desolate swamp laid that cursed paddleboat! That damn watercraft that screwed everything up!

What mattered was the figure standing on top of it, Duncevonboy. The mad lad lives, albeit as a husk of his former self.

## The Return of the (Duncevon)Boy

Praise whatever gods or beings above! He is actually alive!

However, Dunce seemed pretty out of it; most likely due to how his isolation in squalor had led to his mental decline. After getting the man some food and water, he finally began to calm down and come to his senses. At this point, Dunce was more receptive and was filled in on all he had missed since the Phoenix Expedition had been forcibly separated months ago.

Despite being given the offer to migrate south towards the core territories of Pagonia, Dunce was reluctant to leave his swamp, Rybi Kosti which he had come to call home. Even with the proposal of moving the loathsome paddleboat, Dunce still wanted to stay on this land. While Flux disagreed with this course of action, he respected Dunce's decision on staying in Rybi Kosti. Before leaving to head back to Symfora with the Phoenix Expedition, Flux warned Dunce that issues are likely to arise if he stays out there on his own.

## Meeting the Neighbors

### The First Steps of Diplomacy in a New Land

Once the expedition team returned, Hallow and Alpha informed Flux about initiating talks with nearby native polities in the region. This was news to Flux as he had not met any native settlements along his expeditions into the wild, besides the occasional rundown structure. It took some time for Flux to overcome the shock that there were more people here in this world besides those he had known in the other realm. While it disappointed him that he now had to contend with completely foreign peoples, it was not something that was unlikely. He was never a fan of dealing with diplomacy back home, but this new world can be a fresh start to where he can start off on the right foot and build something positive--potentially to spite the characters who dragged Flux down.

### The Neighbors

In time, Flux got to personally meet the leaders of the Most Serene Republic of Ferea, the Qamari Sultanate, & the Confederation of Terraorientis. With each separate meeting, Flux had gotten to meet amazing people from a diverse set of societies and found no reason to be fearful of any of them. All were very personable and welcoming to the Phoenix Expedition and the Freehold of Pagonia, and the same feeling was reciprocated to them.

### The Garden Union

While not being the Pagonian Representative to handle the formation of the Garden Union (GU), Flux was one of the notable advocates for the union due to his desire to create a defensive network between nations that settled in the southeastern portion of Iaddithis. While wanting the union to be called the Aegis Accords, Flux was willing to accept the Garden Union as is, because he cared more for the potential of cooperation amongst nations.

## Founding of Woodville

Whilst the debates about the formation of the Garden Union were ongoing, Flux was looking around Pagonia for someone who'd be willing to settle a town out in the east for the purpose of feeding the rest of the nation. This was due to the relatively inhospitable lands of the western tundra for agriculture. While the west was harsh and cold, the east was warm and receptive to the art of agriculture.

Luckily for Flux, a newcomer to Pagonia, Seven, was willing to be the founder of a new settlement in order to achieve this goal of feeding the growing nation. After a handful of weeks of financial and material support by Flux, Seven had managed to transform a small island into a lovely farming town that he named "Woodville". This town became so prosperous that it produced more than enough food for Pagonia--to the point that even Ferea imports some of their agricultural products from Woodville.

## The Gwynn Annexation

As the lands of the east began to be tamed and tilled for the production of food crops, the west needed some love. In this endeavor, Flux sought to speak with the mayors of smaller hamlets out in the western tundra and frozen expanse of the Tecalgian continent.

During this time, Flux would ride out via horseback to these isolated villages, it would come to his attention that most were abandoned and left derelict. For these towns, Flux and other Pagonians would comb through the towns for any bodies and remaining goods to be take back to Symfora. In these sweeps, not much would be found, which was a tad bit disappointing for the exploration teams.

His luck would change once he came upon a small fortified town of Gwynn (which is modern-day FrostReach). At this small castle town, Flux would finally catch a break from seeing the bleak nature of the frozen expanse of central Tecalgia. Here, he met a hermit who had become the owner of the town. After some convincing, the Hermit, Graywood, was willing to join Pagonia as long as he received financial support, to which Flux agreed upon.

With this town, Flux was for a time satisfied with protecting Pagonia's western flank as this town would be a good buffer, albeit temporarily, to allow the nation to stake claim to the region.

## A Revelation Forged From Sweat & Steel

### The First Revelation - The Command

After the many expeditions out into the wilderness and the into the underground caverns, Flux decided to take some rest at his small cottage home in Symfora. For a couple of days he enjoyed the fruits of his labor and occasionally dabbled in the creation of weapons. During one of these late night forging sessions, Flux would receive instructions from a disembodied voice in his head.

*"Flux... there is something you must do."*

Confused, Flux tried to determine if he was hallucinating from the lack of sleep, but his investigation was cut short as the whispers continued.

*"Go build a stronghold and take up the symbol of a winged beast of yore. Then you shall find solace and peace in your time."*

While a bit taken aback that his damn forge was talking to him, or he was losing it, Flux decided it was best to sleep and think over the encounter when he is well-rested.

### The Second Revelation - Discoveries & Chambers

While the whispers from the hearth have subsided for some time, Flux was never truly free from a sense of paranoia that his actions are under constant scrutiny. In order to avoid thinking about such matters, he engrossed himself into role as a member of the Winter Council and his fruitful hobby of cleaning caves of their value.

On one such expedition into the depths of Iaddithis, he stumbled upon a weird set of caves in western Pagonia. Upon further inspection, it was not a natural phenomenon, but rather a potential man-made endeavor?

Flux would contemplate to himself for a bit as he wondered about his previous notions on there being no natives in this corner of Iaddithis. However this was cut short by a returning female voice, this time coming from a pool of lava.

*"Being of the Forge."*

With this sudden break in the silence, Flux expressed his frustration of being haunted by the whispers once more.

"Great, the whispers are back... at least I know I am not losing it. Well out with it disembodied voice! What do ya want from me?!"

*"Thou have done well. These vestiges are where thou shalt build their stronghold. Take up the banner of a winged beast of yore and commence forth!"*

### The Third and Final Revelation - Caution & Ruins

With these two major encounters, of likely divine nature, Flux continued to press on through the seemingly man-made chambers and caverns in the massive mountain range in western Pagonia. With caution, he avoided deathly falls and falling stalactites as he trudged through the unknown. Flux would eventually step into a massive cavern underneath the upper chambers. In this immense cavern, he began to discover some dilapidated structures.

For a time, Flux was perplexed as to what the nature of these structures were for nor who their original creators were, until he happened to come across a somewhat intact tome. This tome was written in a seemingly dead language, most likely Dwarven, but Flux had no means to decipher it immediately. All that he knew was that the tome had a short title: "**Eth Divinity Avor Eth Bezmadan**" or "**Eth Bezmadan**" for short. While he may not have known it then, Flux had stumbled into something that would become bigger than himself or Pagonia itself--the eventual resurrection of a long-deceased faith.

But this development was cut short due to two factors: the orders by both divine and mortal to construct a new town and strife within the Garden Union.