DISPERGIK

Dispergik (unknown tongue, “Sunder This Soul”) is a powerful spell that was created in the Pre-Calamity Age by an order of ancient magi led by a self-proclaimed god king, who ruled over a powerful civilization that is known in legendary myths. This spell was designed to literally rent asunder fragments of a victim’s very soul, which would then be captured for nefarious purposes. The process was horrifically painful to whomever was the target, and the fear of it was enough to keep many people wary. Knowledge of this spell has survived the Calamity through hidden carvings of stone, made by the magi of that age to preserve their knowledge for future generations to find. Many attempts were made by different factions to eliminate the knowledge of Dispergik, yet there were always rumors & whispers of the ability to rend souls somewhere.

Effect

The ritual spell of Dispergik is a highly dangerous spell to the victims as well as the caster, for it does not differentiate from friend or foe. The spell requires the caster possesses sufficient power to cast the spell, and have the foresight to have protections in place to shield themselves & others. The ritual is invoked by the caster or other magi in a unknown tongue, which at the same time the caster channels their power to activate the spell. While this is happening, the ritual circle will begin to glow in a eerie light that becomes more intense as the ritual reaches full power. Once the ritual circle is fully powered, the caster activates the spell with a gesture. Dark energy will swirl around the intended target(s), who will feel sudden pain as the dark energy enters their souls. The dark energy will literally begin to tear pieces of the soul out of the victim, which are delivered to the caster. The ritual last for several moments before ending, due to the intense power requirements to fuel it. The after effects of Dispergik can be described as horrific as the victims suffers pain in both body & soul. They are left being as if parts of them are empty, a sort of phantom pain that the victims feel constantly for several days. The severe effects are the victim rendered catatonic from the trauma, which is highly difficult to recover from.

Discovery

The origins of the soul-rending Dispergik spell lay in the Pre-Calamity kingdom of Selkith, one of the a select number of kingdoms founded by the descendents of the gods who came down from the heavens. Selkith was ruled by the god-king Andarus, a 2/3 human 1/3 divine person who also was a master of magic. Andarus was at war with both his semi-divine & human rivals for several years, which was partly started due to the vast library of knowledge that he refused to share with them. Although he was a master magi, he could not fully defeat his enemies in each battle due to their own similar magical powers. They would return from each battle wholly recovered and prepared to fight Andarus once more. After several years of warfare, Andarus had enough of the fighting and scheming of his enemies. Over the course of the wars, he would delve into the ancient magical knowledge he inherited from his father. Looking for any way to finally crush all who opposed him, Andarus found a passage detailing the ritual of a soul-rending spell called Dispergik. Created in times past by his divine ancestor, Dispergik was a spell meant to attack the soul of any living being to rend parts of their soul. These soul fragments could then be captured & used to bring intense pain to the person. After carefully studying the details, Andarus decided to use Dispergik on the battlefield as his secret weapon. Gather his forces for an upcoming battle, he also called his magi to his secret chamber to show them the spell he discovered. He chose to test the power of Dispergik on a prisoner of war he captured. With his magi chanting the incantations, Andarus channeled the power of the ritual upon the victim. What happened next left even Andarus amazed. The ritual caused the prisoner to convulse uncontrollably as the dark energies of the ritual invaded his soul. Fragments of the victim’s soul were violently torn from within, as the trauma of the ritual caused horrific pain that nearly caused the victim to fall unconscious. The soul fragments were brought directly to Andarus, who are still in shock and for several moments unsure what to do. After taking a moment to compose himself, Andarus utter another spell to place the soul fragments into a container for time being. He examined the victim to see the effects of the dark spell. The victim was still alive despite the viciousness of the ritual, but was so traumatized that they were barely coherent. Andarus dismissed his mages to think on the event that transpired, mulling the implications of such a dark power. He was pleased with the outcome of using Dispergik, forming a plan to use the power on a large-scale. Such as a battlefield full of his enemies. Andarus’s forces watched as his enemies approached the field of battle with their weapons and battle mages. Taunts & insults were hurled at him from all the leaders of the enemy forces, yet Andarus remained stoic the entire time. After the verbal jousting, the enemy leaders pointed their staffs at Andarus causing their forces to charge. Andarus still was stoic for several more moments before he raised his hand, a wicked smirk on his face apparent before the ground was covered in a strange glow. Suddenly, floating mages appeared seemingly from nowhere chanting incantations that was tormenting to the hearing. The enemy leaders witnessed their armies collapsing to the ground, screaming in maddening pain as their soul had fragments torn out of them. The enemy leaders who felt the dark trauma affect them as well, despite the magical protections they had in place. They soon fell to the ground in great pain, trying in vain to prevent the spell from affecting them. All of this occurred due to Andarus having his forces carve a magic circle on the battlefield discreetly with the symbols of the soul-rending ritual. Making sure that the Dispergik circle was covered before the battle, Andarus had also positioned his strongest mages around the field while cloaked to surround his enemies. He also position himself & his forces outside the circle so none of them would be affected. The Dispergik ritual lasted for half the morning, the last of the enemy forces was left writhing in unnatural pain. Reveling in his victory, Andarus ordered his forces to take all of them as prisoners & their gear taken as trophies. Andarus would later in the day pillage the other kingdoms, since their rulers were in his prison. Despite all of this, Andarus was not done with his prisoners as he had plans to use them in his experiments. He ran tests on the soul fragments captured, discovering new terrible ways to further torture his victims. Soon, word of his dark wisdom & power spread throughout the land causing many to fear even Andarus’ very name spoken. Andarus’ reign as god-king of Selkith was ended when he was confronted by several assassins who intended to kill him to bring peace to the land. Andarus was not concerned as the floor of his throne room was inscribed with the ritual circle of Dispergik, which he can activate at anytime. As soon as the assassins attacked, Andarus invoked the ritual to rend the fragments of the assailant’s soul on the spot. Despite being hit with the dark energies of the spell, Andarus was utterly shocked to see the assassins rise to their feet. They moved to attack him despite the pain they were feeling, as Andarus kept pouring more power into the spell in a frantic bid to stop them. Finally getting out of the circle, the assassins engaged a deseparate Andarus in a short clash. Andarus used many battle spells to attempt to kill the assassins, yet they countered his spells with their own magic-resisting abilities each time. Andarus unleashed a wave of shadow tendrils to end them, one of them dodged every tendril to get close to him. With a quick thrust, the male assassin pierced the very heart of Andarus himself. The semi-divine god-king who had viciously maimed the souls of thousands laid on the ground, his final breath signaling the end of this reign. Yet the knowledge of Dispergik was preserved by his magi who carved the knowledge of the dark spell on stones, and hiding them away in different locations to ensure that their master’s legacy lives on.

USAGE & SOLUTIONS Usage of Dispergik is rare yet takes place among the more darker elements of magi, who desire to wield such power for their purposes. While most magic users actually do hate the idea of such a spell existing, even they are tempted to use the spell. The most powerful of the darker magi either have gained the knowledge or intend to do so as seen in the reputation of the Warlord Sherdak who terrorize Astoria during his first reign. Despite the immense power of Dispergik, it is not all-powerful nor invincible to all who encounter. It can be either resisted or stoppped completely, with the effects of it being reversible. Individuals gifted with divine abilities can fight against the power of Dispergik. While they can be affected by the dark energy of the ritual, they do have the capability to undo the effects of the spell with much focus.