The Chained

The Chained

  When the Illenan army invaded Merren under suspicion of bloodmages, they thought they would happen upon a few cultists promoted by the despot to sow fear in the populace.   They found so much more.  

The bloodmage cult was not a new order created by a power-hungry ruler to instill fear. In fact, it appeared that the despot was a means for a well-established cult to grasp political power.   It had set rituals and prescribed beliefs, and one of the darker things they did was create the Chained.  

  The bloodmages were not picky about who became a Chained. Any age, any class, any magick ability, all could become a victim.   Once chosen, the unlucky were given a drink that instilled a stupor, stripped and shaved of all hair, then forced to lie in a niche embedded in a wall.   After settled, bloodmages made small nicks from a knife across their skin, then embedded a bloodstone chain in the niche. The chain collected blood energy from the cuts and forced it along the links to a crystal, where it fed monsters ensconced within.   After hooked into the crystal, the Chained no longer needed the drink to keep them subdued. They were husks, senseless.  

  The bloodmages would take care of their needs, like feeding them a special gruel that they poured down their throats to keep them alive despite blood loss. They kept the wounds clean so the blood continued to flow, and mopped fluids from the niches.   When the Illenans invaded bloodmage mansions, found the horrific set-up, and interrupted the flow of energy, the Chained remained husks. They did not regain sense or their health, and wasted away until they died.   No amount of healing magick would close the wounds, no amount of food would keep them from losing weight. They continued to stare blankly ahead until they passed.