Datigen Eiphel, the God King
Mortality's very existence breeds our natural instinct to do wrong and stain our reality. There is no good in anyone. Only evil. So, don't you see? The only way for evil to become perfect is to get rid of it. Our people and all humanity's road to perfection is paved through deletion.
~ Datigen Eiphel ~
All and Nothing
TFikfik have had many chiefs in their existence, yet very few remember, or choose to remember, the one named Datigen from a time long past. Like the chiefs before him, he valued the tribe's philosophy to pursue utter transformation of the body and soul for their Great Creator until the perfected state was reached, called Ascendance. And as chief, he knew the true form of their god, the massive brain hooked up to foreign technology that was nothing less than celestial too them. Its living telepathy was vibrant and Datigen was one of its most devoted followers at the time.
But then, the Great Creator became quiet. Its tissue form withered into a dry husk that left the deepest shamans in a panic to keep it all quiet from the tribe. However, Datigen was not the least bit scared of this tragedy. Instead, he was filled with disappointment. It became clear the Fikfik worshipped a false deity that could not provide what it promised. And the shaman's attempts to continue living that lie disgusted him. The chief's behavior soured toward his own people.
He began looking outward to the rest of the world for something that could warrant his loyalty, only to learn about its evil and vile history. Humanity stole from itself again and again and killed their own brethren in wars because of reasons that disgusted Datigen. Worst of all, it was full of these same people who proclaimed the best was yet to come like hypocrites. In this dark world, it seemed like the chief's lantern-stave was the only thing to light his way.
By the end of these voyages, Datigen didn't see perfection the way his people did anymore. Transformation wasn't the answer. No, erasure was. And with this thought, a deep voice crept into them. Datigen could sense it from beneath the sea, and it promised to grant him this very wish. There were more promises that it spoke of, but its persuasiveness, and the power Datigen felt coming from it, soothed his mind like a mother cradling a baby. Datigen was willing to do anything to show everyone the truth, and the voice asked Datigen of only one thing. Freedom.
Whether the voice was real or a sign of his insanity, Datigen couldn't tell. But, he let the voice in, willing to do whatever was necessary.
Out of this new maddening loyalty, he had his tribe construct a temple of flowing water, and furnished it with statues to a squid-like being he could only picture in his mind. He began practicing darker magics forbidden within the Fikfik. His body began to change to something else. A shi'irik. The tribe spoke of the Great Creator, but he began preaching to them of the Leviathan. He tried as best he could to show them, but his people grew discontent with his heresies. So, he became more... aggressive. He made a powerful tome that held the powerful spells of his own creation, and he became like a malicious reaper to those who opposed him. Testimonies of lizardfolk half-encased in stone. Corpses that fell victim to eating themselves. Tribesmen who tore every scale from themselves one at a time in a fit of laughter. Every soul he tormented was ripped from its body, left to tear itself apart even further inside his now-enchanted lantern. Through these vile acts, he became the champion to the Leviathan. And to the Fikfik, he was a tyrant everyone was powerless to overthrow. Datigen Eiphel was infamously named the God King. With the shi'irik below the water under his command and the Fikfik at his beck and call above it, Datigen could finally set out to find the Leviathan and obtain the power necessary to open the seal it was locked behind.. Over the decades that followed, his transformation reached its peak as very little of himself resembled his lizard heritage any longer. But it did not sway him at all. And with this unimpeded time, he was able to weave into being two powerful artifacts that each served a different purpose. The first was a sphere of pure sapphire that held the ability to seek out the one thing dearest to the wielder's heart. This heart of the leviathan would finally locate the rift locking his god away. The second was a trident made of enchanted assortments of coral, barnacle, and pearls. It was able to manipulate the thin veils between the dimensions by opening or closing them. This trident of the leviathan would be the ultimate key to setting the Leviathan loose.
However, things got more complicated than he wanted. A skeletal pirate who oozed the same essence of the shi'irik found Datigen, who immediately fell at odds with him. This pirate named Atlas Peg knew of Datigen's magic well, and intended to take the trident and the heart for himself, but for all the time he had spent preparing for this opportunity, Datigen wouldn't allow it. Under the sea, a battle broke out between Datigen's shi'irik and Atlas Peg's skeletal crew. To Datigen's credit, Atlas was no where near as powerful to best the champion, but Datigen's fate was determined by one crucial mistake. Datigen easily dodged a strike, but realized too late the pirate aimed for the tome which was knocked from Datigen's hands. Quickly snatching it, Atlas used Datigen's own magic against him as his spirit was ripped from its body, it and his lantern left to be imprisoned inside his own spellbook. As far as time knew, that was the end of Datigen Eiphel, who spent who knew how much time thereafter suspended in a state of limbo. But he could still feel when others were close by. And by one point, he grasped at the opportunity to snatch onto one of them. Holding onto their lifeforce, Datigen clawed his way out of his seal and into this new lizard body of a Fikfik once named Amadan. To his realization, decades had passed since his fight with that pirate, and the Leviathan was still yet to be freed. His mission was still to be finished. His lantern was the only thing which had come with him. The portion of his tome that he held was only one of three pieces, and the trident and the heart were lost to the sea. First, he would need to recover it all. But, Datigen Eiphel was finally free to resume his place among the shi'irik. More importantly, he was free to do as he wished.
Out of this new maddening loyalty, he had his tribe construct a temple of flowing water, and furnished it with statues to a squid-like being he could only picture in his mind. He began practicing darker magics forbidden within the Fikfik. His body began to change to something else. A shi'irik. The tribe spoke of the Great Creator, but he began preaching to them of the Leviathan. He tried as best he could to show them, but his people grew discontent with his heresies. So, he became more... aggressive. He made a powerful tome that held the powerful spells of his own creation, and he became like a malicious reaper to those who opposed him. Testimonies of lizardfolk half-encased in stone. Corpses that fell victim to eating themselves. Tribesmen who tore every scale from themselves one at a time in a fit of laughter. Every soul he tormented was ripped from its body, left to tear itself apart even further inside his now-enchanted lantern. Through these vile acts, he became the champion to the Leviathan. And to the Fikfik, he was a tyrant everyone was powerless to overthrow. Datigen Eiphel was infamously named the God King. With the shi'irik below the water under his command and the Fikfik at his beck and call above it, Datigen could finally set out to find the Leviathan and obtain the power necessary to open the seal it was locked behind.. Over the decades that followed, his transformation reached its peak as very little of himself resembled his lizard heritage any longer. But it did not sway him at all. And with this unimpeded time, he was able to weave into being two powerful artifacts that each served a different purpose. The first was a sphere of pure sapphire that held the ability to seek out the one thing dearest to the wielder's heart. This heart of the leviathan would finally locate the rift locking his god away. The second was a trident made of enchanted assortments of coral, barnacle, and pearls. It was able to manipulate the thin veils between the dimensions by opening or closing them. This trident of the leviathan would be the ultimate key to setting the Leviathan loose.
However, things got more complicated than he wanted. A skeletal pirate who oozed the same essence of the shi'irik found Datigen, who immediately fell at odds with him. This pirate named Atlas Peg knew of Datigen's magic well, and intended to take the trident and the heart for himself, but for all the time he had spent preparing for this opportunity, Datigen wouldn't allow it. Under the sea, a battle broke out between Datigen's shi'irik and Atlas Peg's skeletal crew. To Datigen's credit, Atlas was no where near as powerful to best the champion, but Datigen's fate was determined by one crucial mistake. Datigen easily dodged a strike, but realized too late the pirate aimed for the tome which was knocked from Datigen's hands. Quickly snatching it, Atlas used Datigen's own magic against him as his spirit was ripped from its body, it and his lantern left to be imprisoned inside his own spellbook. As far as time knew, that was the end of Datigen Eiphel, who spent who knew how much time thereafter suspended in a state of limbo. But he could still feel when others were close by. And by one point, he grasped at the opportunity to snatch onto one of them. Holding onto their lifeforce, Datigen clawed his way out of his seal and into this new lizard body of a Fikfik once named Amadan. To his realization, decades had passed since his fight with that pirate, and the Leviathan was still yet to be freed. His mission was still to be finished. His lantern was the only thing which had come with him. The portion of his tome that he held was only one of three pieces, and the trident and the heart were lost to the sea. First, he would need to recover it all. But, Datigen Eiphel was finally free to resume his place among the shi'irik. More importantly, he was free to do as he wished.
Tales of the Midnight Gambit
His goal was not without obstacles. Finding the other two portions of his tome was difficult enough, and things were bitter when he learned the heart had grown out of his reach, and the trident had been taken into the hands of his long rival, Atlas Peg. If Datigen didn't do anything, the pirate was surely going to slay the god he hoped to free. Datigen grew desperate. In this desperation, he caused destruction and death. He obtained an artifact from the shi'irik known as an aquan key. But in the end, he didn't care, because it returned the other two portions of his tome to him, each one from two former siblings named Croga and Beag. With all three pieces, his tome was restored and his full power was regained. He was finally capable of stopping that pirate. To his benefit, he didn't need to look hard to find him either. He only had to follow the path of the fog, like a bread crumb trail. He followed the fog, rampaging his way through the Tenelean city of Goldstone before he descended underground. Here, he finally discovered the hidden temple of Noire, crawling with the consecrated mist of Atlas Peg. It sickened Datigen to see such energy in this place. He pursued to the final room of the temple. He could feel the Prolithian Gate leading to the Leviathan's realm just beyond the door. All it needed was the trident or an aquan key. But surprise overcame him as he realized he didn't have it. Because, back before he took Croga's piece of the tome, she had pocketed the key off him before she was discarded. Rage flowed through him. He needed that key back, or else there was no way to get to Atlas Peg. But, perhaps his luck hadn't run out just yet. The crew of the Midnight Gambit including Croga had also pursued their way into Noire, and they all met in this room. Datigen held nothing back as he intended to rip these enemies to pieces then steal off with the key. His overconfidence made him believe this fight would be no worse than a small challenge. So, when was killed at the hands of a metallon named Stormbreaker, it had been the last thing he expected. And that was that. Datigen Eiphel's life had come to a close, arms chopped off and neck sliced.Ya wished to free the beastie Eiphel, but ya didn't wish to slay it! That be the reason I needed to stop ya.
~ Atlas Peg ~
Children
Datigen's Return
After Datigen was sealed inside his tome at the hands of Atlas Peg, he buried the tome deep within the watery temple that had become long abandoned by the Fikfik. Left hidden here, it was the hope this book would never be seen again. However, when four adventurous Fikfik siblings accidentally stumbled upon these ruins, things played out severely differently.
Perplexed by the strange magic shown in this book, the siblings studied from it long into their adult years. But shunned by their tribe for using this magic, and when it corrupted one of them into raising the undead against their tribe, ultimately being killed, the remaining three couldn't agree on what to do with their tribe or the book. So divided, they split the book up into three portions and went their own ways.
It was only to the sibling named Amadan's misfortune that the soul of Datigen went with the piece he took. And when Amadan went even deeper into the book, he found a soul that was trapped in there. A soul that wanted out. A soul that possessed Amadan's body to do so when the seal was broken.
Deep down, I can still hear poor Amadan screaming. How unfortunate for him.~ Datigen Eiphel
Lantern of Souls
The lantern Datigen wields is an object that has been in his hands long since his early days as the Fikfik's chief. Once, it was nothing more than a way to see as he walked through the dark caves of the tribe, powered by a rich and enchanted turquoise gem inside it. But with his shifting loyalties to the Leviathan and his growing power over magic, the lantern began to have a different, more horrific purpose.
To those who oppose him, he does not kill them outright. No, he torments them until they've reached their breaking point. Then, he tears the souls from the body, imprisoning them within the gem where they are left to continue tearing apart until there is nothing left. It is only proof of his maliciousness that the lantern is also made of the bones of those souls.
Immerse yourself and experience what perfection feels like. You just might enjoy it.~ Datigen Eiphel
Datigen's Tome of the Arcane
The spellbook of Datigen Eiphel is filled with the dark and exotic magic of his own design. Its pages detail different spells that range across the whole spectrum from the lowest form of magic to the highest. Many of the spells are necromantic in nature and darker variations on spells which are already widely studied across the world. This includes the very magic Datigen uses as a means to seal away his prey within the cobalt gem of his lantern.
We broke it into three pieces. I see now we should have shredded it entirely.~ Croga
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