Cipher Codex and Laws
Interested in joining Cipher? Read this please. The world is changing. Much that once was is now lost for none now live who remember it.... History has become legend and legend has become myth. The origin of the CIPHER faction is lost in the mists of time. Only legend and rumor speak of where they come from and who they once were. What is known for certain is that such a group once existed in another realm. They grew in power, prestige and arrogance until they dared to oppose the very deities that dwelled in that realm. For the hubris of their leaders the entire faction was struck down wiped of the face of the realm. The Gods decreed that the name CIPHER shall never be spoken aloud again. All history books were wiped of any sign that the guild had existed and the leaders of the guild were hurled through a portal to wander the endless void eternally. The deities decreed that the name CIPHER shall pass from the realms of men and be forgotten in the mists of time. But even the Gods could not destroy an idea. The CIPHERS should have died and been wiped from memory of men but they lingered still. Something stirred in the darkness. A low hissing whisper was heard in the void. The ETERNAL SERPENT had stirred form the very depths of HELL and whispered in Dirk Blackwood’s ear. The gentle yet undeniably evil voice guided the small band of Ciphers through the palpable darkness to a destination unknown. It is here, the voice whispered, that the final battle for the hearts and minds of men would be fought. The evil, yet strangely soothing whispers of the Serpent, guided the small ragged band to a new realm, one filled with danger and conflict..... A NEW BEGINNING A small ragged band of CIPHERS were unceremoniously dumped on their rear ends in the small town of Loftenwood. As they emerged through the portal, which seemed to be ripped through the fabric of reality by the claws of the serpent, a new and strange land lay before them to be explored and conquered. Whereas, before The Grey Council (as the Cipher leadership was known then) had been used to supreme power they were rendered powerless by their arduous journey. Gone were the trappings of their authority and their hordes of magical items as well as their vast store of lore and knowledge. They were alone in a new strange land. This small group that was hurled through the portal was no mere group of novice adventurers. It was a group built on war and conquest, a group filled with experienced adventurers whose skills were heralded across the lands. They had fought many wars and had laid waste to many factions on the path to their ascension. They were war generals and warriors of renown. It is no wonder then that almost upon their arrival they engaged in a series of battles with the powerful factions who dwelled in the lands. The Grey Council viewed their role as a force of balance then, not a force for evil they would soon become. The ETERNAL SERPENT's whispers in the darkness had not corrupted their hearts yet. But the serpent watched and smiled in the silence as more and more blood was spilled. It was only a matter of time. The lands surrounding Loftenwood were besieged by the Dark Legion. Their hordes trampled the cowed populace underfoot. No one dared oppose them untill a last alliance of factions, including the Ciphers steped forth to oppose them. The bloody series of endless wars had begun. The ETERNAL SERPENT watched silently in the Deepest Pit. He, more then anyone else, knew that violence beget violence. Soon his favored warriors would turn to the darkness. Battle after bloody battle brought both strength and more conflict. More and more evil hearted warriors were drawn to the CIPHER cause and more and more wars were fought. The decades that passed saw the Cipher faction declare both alliances and wars with Legion, Sole and Order. Through conflict, strife and battle prowess the faction grew and was reborn into a force once again. Yet, they were beset on all sides. Hunted by Legion, persecuted by Order, attacked by Sole as well as facing threats from the numerous new guilds and organizations that had arisen throughout the land. The Ciphers called out to that soothing whisper in the darkness, the ETERNAL SERPENT who had been waiting patiently on his skull encrusted throne. The time had come to imbue his most prized instruments of destruction with the power to execute his will upon all others. THE DARK PACT Long had it been known that Ciphers leaders especially the ancient wizard Dirk Blackwood had trafficked with infernal powers in their quest for mastery over all magic. Some attribute his unnatural longevity to his pact with the dark powers. The ancient wizard had walked the lands of men for over 300 years and still lost none of his vigor. The time had come to perform the blasphemous ceremony that the Grey Council had discovered from an ancient manuscript placed carefully in their possession by the Serpent's minions. Many sacrifices would be needed. The blood of many innocents had to be spilled. The summoning was a ceremony of the utmost power. A black pentagram was first etched with the acid dripping from a fang of an ancient Black Dracolich (Some even claim it was the fangs of Vorthese the undead Dragon). The hollow etchings were then filled with the black ichor from the veins of 66 Balors that dwelled in Blighted City. Then the magical pentagram was imbued with ancient symbols of Summoning and all the knowledge and power of the venerable Grey Council. The final ingredient was the blood of 666 innocents. As the Ciphers went about this grizzly business slaughtering adventurers of all factions and different power their fate became inextricably sealed. As the blood of the last innocent was spilled, their alignment shifted to Infernal Evil. Their souls now belonged to the ETERNAL SERPENT! The ceremony was now complete. The Grey Council waited impatiently. With a deafening explosion the coiled Serpent moved its ponderous form from the depths of the Ninth Pit. The sky over Loftenwood darkened. The sun hid, as though in fear, behind the clouds. A plague of insects and toads covered the cities of Ridgetown and Tanglebrook. The river between Duvanbawer and Mythara turned to fetid blood. The land shuddered at the blasphemy that had entered it. The beasts and trees of the land shriveled and fled. Evil had come to the land. The mere sight of the unknowable infinite Serpent struck the Grey Council blind and the infernal maelstrom that followed it knocked them prone, stunned and speechless. The ETERNAL SERPENT spoke to his followers. His voice was as low as the hiss of a serpent yet loud enough to drown out the roar of an ocean. Its echo reverberated in those dank blood spattered halls, rumored to be the shattered temple. Some say the echo of this infernal blasphemy can be heard in the halls of the Shattered Temple to this very day: "Long have I watched your progress my children. You have done well. You have spilled the blood of many innocents. But I require more from you. Your souls are now eternally mine and you shall be rewarded for your service as long as you shall serve me. You have entreated me for power and you shall receive it! You shall now wield the Power of the Lords of the Nine. Each is a devil of utmost power who rules one of the Nine Pits of Hell. Your souls shall merge with their Avatars. All that is in their destructive nature and power shall now be yours. Go forth and cover the landscape in blood. Destroy all that you see before you. Make them loose their faith and their path. Then when there is nothing left, nothing to hope for and nothing left to believe in they will all turn to me! For know this my faithful servants, for it is the hidden truth from all mortals; it is believed that all souls that do not believe in the afterlife, worship no deity and believe in nothing cease to exist upon their demise. It is not so! Disbelief is the tool of the Lord of Lies. It is my tool. Those who believe in nothing when they die are reborn in the Ninth Pit of Hell regardless of alignment. Those are the truly damned as their souls are consumed by me for all eternity. Go forth. Make them believe in nothing and the universe shall belong to us. Once I have consumed enough souls we can remake this realm and all others in my image! The final battle must be fought in this realm." With those final words the serpent slithered through solid stone back into the underworld from whence it came. The lord of Darkness was true to his word soon the Avatars of the Lords of the Nine walked the lands. Their essence had merged with the leaders of the Cipher faction imbuing them with unspeakable power and the will to dominate all others. Asmodeus, Mephistopheles, Baalzebul, Levistus, Malagard, Belial, Mammon, Dispator and Bel were now the names by which Ciphers were known and they carried out their lord's dark purpose for more then 100 mortal years. THE BLOOD WAR 66 years after his first visit to Loftenwood the ETERNAL SERPENT once again visited his minions and again the lands shuddered under its ponderous weight. The Lords of the Nine gathered in the Shattered Temple deep within the Cipher homeland to listen to their lord and master: "A battle between Law and Chaos, the BLOOD WAR, has been raging for millennia between Devils and Demons. Millions have been slain on both sides in this eternal conflict. The organized minions of Hell battle the infinite Hordes of the Abyss. No side has emerged victorious in this conflict. This war will determine the face of evil for all time. It suits my purpose that this war be brought to Loftenwood and its surrounding lands. The time has come for mortals to be embroiled in this conflict. Go forth and defeat the faction known as the Dark Legion and all other forces that strive to pervert pure and natural evil from its natural form of Law into its aberrant chaotic form. Whether they know it or not they are agents of the Demonic Hordes of the Abyss. They cannot be allowed to prevail! To this end I will grant you even more power then previously. The DARK EIGHT generals of the BLOOD WAR shall now walk amongst you and lend their strength and appetite for destruction to your own. Each is a Pit Fiend of terrible power that controls a different aspect of the BLOOD WAR. May Furcas, Baalzephom, Zimimar, Zapan, Zaebos, Corin, Dagos and Paerza my eight most powerful pit fiend generals lead you to victory!" The serpent once again slithered to the deepest pit to watch the bloodshed above for all eternity, and the lands of Loftenwood were made brighter by his absence. RULES AND REGULATIONS Before the ETERNAL SERPENT departed he had these final bits of wisdom to govern the actions of the CIPHER faction. 1. Cipher is a Lawful Evil Faction. It shall consist of one general, 4 commanders and 4 captains per the rules and regulations of Dungeon Eternal. Each of their essences shall be merged with one of the Lords of the Nine. 2. As a Lawful Evil faction all members shall obey the rules and regulations of Dungeon Eternal or they will be subject to strict reprimand both by the leaders of the faction and the Dms of DEX (this goes without saying). 3. Cipher may enter alliances with a faction which suits their current needs. Caution however is in order when making a deal with the Devil! 4. Cipher is a full PK and PP faction. Everyone is KOS (kill on sight) and Pick Pocket targets with the following exceptions: A. Other members of Cipher who have the <C> designation. B. All Ciphers in training with the title Blackwood. C. All those who have a current alliance with Cipher. D. All those who are in a Cipher party. 5. Entry into Cipher is complicated and arduous. Hell does not choose its champions lightly (If you are interested in joining contact a captain or commander). A. Any potential recruit must first find a SPONSOR. Only a general, commander or captain can sponsor a hopeful member. The sponsor is responsible for the actions and advancement of the recruit therefore they will carefully choose who they will sponsor. B. The sponsored recruit can then make a Blackwood character and must list in that character biography who his sponsor is and the date he was sponsored for easy identification. C. A recruit must advance at least one Blackwood character to level 40 (level 20 in DeX2) and must adventure fight, and Pk along side the Ciphers for a real life period of at least one continuous month. Trainees are advised to spend the month getting to know the members of Cipher. D. After a month's time has passed the Cipher members will vote on a trainee’s membership. They will either be told they are suitable or unsuitable to join the champions of HELL. 6. Know the difference between role playing and flaming. Role Playing is encouraged. Use the background information above. Flaming both on the forums and in shout channel is not acceptable and frankly beneath the dignity of a champion of Hell. Role playing will help you become a Cipher while flaming will not help you become or stay a Cipher. Have the wisdom to know the difference between the two! 7. Ciphers may not party with any faction they are officially at war with beyond level 15. Quote from one of the Cipher Founders:
Interested in joining Cipher? Read this please. The world is changing. Much that once was is now lost for none now live who remember it.... History has become legend and legend has become myth. The origin of the CIPHER faction is lost in the mists of time. Only legend and rumor speak of where they come from and who they once were. What is known for certain is that such a group once existed in another realm. They grew in power, prestige and arrogance until they dared to oppose the very deities that dwelled in that realm. For the hubris of their leaders the entire faction was struck down wiped of the face of the realm. The Gods decreed that the name CIPHER shall never be spoken aloud again. All history books were wiped of any sign that the guild had existed and the leaders of the guild were hurled through a portal to wander the endless void eternally. The deities decreed that the name CIPHER shall pass from the realms of men and be forgotten in the mists of time. But even the Gods could not destroy an idea. The CIPHERS should have died and been wiped from memory of men but they lingered still. Something stirred in the darkness. A low hissing whisper was heard in the void. The ETERNAL SERPENT had stirred form the very depths of HELL and whispered in Dirk Blackwood’s ear. The gentle yet undeniably evil voice guided the small band of Ciphers through the palpable darkness to a destination unknown. It is here, the voice whispered, that the final battle for the hearts and minds of men would be fought. The evil, yet strangely soothing whispers of the Serpent, guided the small ragged band to a new realm, one filled with danger and conflict..... A NEW BEGINNING A small ragged band of CIPHERS were unceremoniously dumped on their rear ends in the small town of Loftenwood. As they emerged through the portal, which seemed to be ripped through the fabric of reality by the claws of the serpent, a new and strange land lay before them to be explored and conquered. Whereas, before The Grey Council (as the Cipher leadership was known then) had been used to supreme power they were rendered powerless by their arduous journey. Gone were the trappings of their authority and their hordes of magical items as well as their vast store of lore and knowledge. They were alone in a new strange land. This small group that was hurled through the portal was no mere group of novice adventurers. It was a group built on war and conquest, a group filled with experienced adventurers whose skills were heralded across the lands. They had fought many wars and had laid waste to many factions on the path to their ascension. They were war generals and warriors of renown. It is no wonder then that almost upon their arrival they engaged in a series of battles with the powerful factions who dwelled in the lands. The Grey Council viewed their role as a force of balance then, not a force for evil they would soon become. The ETERNAL SERPENT's whispers in the darkness had not corrupted their hearts yet. But the serpent watched and smiled in the silence as more and more blood was spilled. It was only a matter of time. The lands surrounding Loftenwood were besieged by the Dark Legion. Their hordes trampled the cowed populace underfoot. No one dared oppose them untill a last alliance of factions, including the Ciphers steped forth to oppose them. The bloody series of endless wars had begun. The ETERNAL SERPENT watched silently in the Deepest Pit. He, more then anyone else, knew that violence beget violence. Soon his favored warriors would turn to the darkness. Battle after bloody battle brought both strength and more conflict. More and more evil hearted warriors were drawn to the CIPHER cause and more and more wars were fought. The decades that passed saw the Cipher faction declare both alliances and wars with Legion, Sole and Order. Through conflict, strife and battle prowess the faction grew and was reborn into a force once again. Yet, they were beset on all sides. Hunted by Legion, persecuted by Order, attacked by Sole as well as facing threats from the numerous new guilds and organizations that had arisen throughout the land. The Ciphers called out to that soothing whisper in the darkness, the ETERNAL SERPENT who had been waiting patiently on his skull encrusted throne. The time had come to imbue his most prized instruments of destruction with the power to execute his will upon all others. THE DARK PACT Long had it been known that Ciphers leaders especially the ancient wizard Dirk Blackwood had trafficked with infernal powers in their quest for mastery over all magic. Some attribute his unnatural longevity to his pact with the dark powers. The ancient wizard had walked the lands of men for over 300 years and still lost none of his vigor. The time had come to perform the blasphemous ceremony that the Grey Council had discovered from an ancient manuscript placed carefully in their possession by the Serpent's minions. Many sacrifices would be needed. The blood of many innocents had to be spilled. The summoning was a ceremony of the utmost power. A black pentagram was first etched with the acid dripping from a fang of an ancient Black Dracolich (Some even claim it was the fangs of Vorthese the undead Dragon). The hollow etchings were then filled with the black ichor from the veins of 66 Balors that dwelled in Blighted City. Then the magical pentagram was imbued with ancient symbols of Summoning and all the knowledge and power of the venerable Grey Council. The final ingredient was the blood of 666 innocents. As the Ciphers went about this grizzly business slaughtering adventurers of all factions and different power their fate became inextricably sealed. As the blood of the last innocent was spilled, their alignment shifted to Infernal Evil. Their souls now belonged to the ETERNAL SERPENT! The ceremony was now complete. The Grey Council waited impatiently. With a deafening explosion the coiled Serpent moved its ponderous form from the depths of the Ninth Pit. The sky over Loftenwood darkened. The sun hid, as though in fear, behind the clouds. A plague of insects and toads covered the cities of Ridgetown and Tanglebrook. The river between Duvanbawer and Mythara turned to fetid blood. The land shuddered at the blasphemy that had entered it. The beasts and trees of the land shriveled and fled. Evil had come to the land. The mere sight of the unknowable infinite Serpent struck the Grey Council blind and the infernal maelstrom that followed it knocked them prone, stunned and speechless. The ETERNAL SERPENT spoke to his followers. His voice was as low as the hiss of a serpent yet loud enough to drown out the roar of an ocean. Its echo reverberated in those dank blood spattered halls, rumored to be the shattered temple. Some say the echo of this infernal blasphemy can be heard in the halls of the Shattered Temple to this very day: "Long have I watched your progress my children. You have done well. You have spilled the blood of many innocents. But I require more from you. Your souls are now eternally mine and you shall be rewarded for your service as long as you shall serve me. You have entreated me for power and you shall receive it! You shall now wield the Power of the Lords of the Nine. Each is a devil of utmost power who rules one of the Nine Pits of Hell. Your souls shall merge with their Avatars. All that is in their destructive nature and power shall now be yours. Go forth and cover the landscape in blood. Destroy all that you see before you. Make them loose their faith and their path. Then when there is nothing left, nothing to hope for and nothing left to believe in they will all turn to me! For know this my faithful servants, for it is the hidden truth from all mortals; it is believed that all souls that do not believe in the afterlife, worship no deity and believe in nothing cease to exist upon their demise. It is not so! Disbelief is the tool of the Lord of Lies. It is my tool. Those who believe in nothing when they die are reborn in the Ninth Pit of Hell regardless of alignment. Those are the truly damned as their souls are consumed by me for all eternity. Go forth. Make them believe in nothing and the universe shall belong to us. Once I have consumed enough souls we can remake this realm and all others in my image! The final battle must be fought in this realm." With those final words the serpent slithered through solid stone back into the underworld from whence it came. The lord of Darkness was true to his word soon the Avatars of the Lords of the Nine walked the lands. Their essence had merged with the leaders of the Cipher faction imbuing them with unspeakable power and the will to dominate all others. Asmodeus, Mephistopheles, Baalzebul, Levistus, Malagard, Belial, Mammon, Dispator and Bel were now the names by which Ciphers were known and they carried out their lord's dark purpose for more then 100 mortal years. THE BLOOD WAR 66 years after his first visit to Loftenwood the ETERNAL SERPENT once again visited his minions and again the lands shuddered under its ponderous weight. The Lords of the Nine gathered in the Shattered Temple deep within the Cipher homeland to listen to their lord and master: "A battle between Law and Chaos, the BLOOD WAR, has been raging for millennia between Devils and Demons. Millions have been slain on both sides in this eternal conflict. The organized minions of Hell battle the infinite Hordes of the Abyss. No side has emerged victorious in this conflict. This war will determine the face of evil for all time. It suits my purpose that this war be brought to Loftenwood and its surrounding lands. The time has come for mortals to be embroiled in this conflict. Go forth and defeat the faction known as the Dark Legion and all other forces that strive to pervert pure and natural evil from its natural form of Law into its aberrant chaotic form. Whether they know it or not they are agents of the Demonic Hordes of the Abyss. They cannot be allowed to prevail! To this end I will grant you even more power then previously. The DARK EIGHT generals of the BLOOD WAR shall now walk amongst you and lend their strength and appetite for destruction to your own. Each is a Pit Fiend of terrible power that controls a different aspect of the BLOOD WAR. May Furcas, Baalzephom, Zimimar, Zapan, Zaebos, Corin, Dagos and Paerza my eight most powerful pit fiend generals lead you to victory!" The serpent once again slithered to the deepest pit to watch the bloodshed above for all eternity, and the lands of Loftenwood were made brighter by his absence. RULES AND REGULATIONS Before the ETERNAL SERPENT departed he had these final bits of wisdom to govern the actions of the CIPHER faction. 1. Cipher is a Lawful Evil Faction. It shall consist of one general, 4 commanders and 4 captains per the rules and regulations of Dungeon Eternal. Each of their essences shall be merged with one of the Lords of the Nine. 2. As a Lawful Evil faction all members shall obey the rules and regulations of Dungeon Eternal or they will be subject to strict reprimand both by the leaders of the faction and the Dms of DEX (this goes without saying). 3. Cipher may enter alliances with a faction which suits their current needs. Caution however is in order when making a deal with the Devil! 4. Cipher is a full PK and PP faction. Everyone is KOS (kill on sight) and Pick Pocket targets with the following exceptions: A. Other members of Cipher who have the <C> designation. B. All Ciphers in training with the title Blackwood. C. All those who have a current alliance with Cipher. D. All those who are in a Cipher party. 5. Entry into Cipher is complicated and arduous. Hell does not choose its champions lightly (If you are interested in joining contact a captain or commander). A. Any potential recruit must first find a SPONSOR. Only a general, commander or captain can sponsor a hopeful member. The sponsor is responsible for the actions and advancement of the recruit therefore they will carefully choose who they will sponsor. B. The sponsored recruit can then make a Blackwood character and must list in that character biography who his sponsor is and the date he was sponsored for easy identification. C. A recruit must advance at least one Blackwood character to level 40 (level 20 in DeX2) and must adventure fight, and Pk along side the Ciphers for a real life period of at least one continuous month. Trainees are advised to spend the month getting to know the members of Cipher. D. After a month's time has passed the Cipher members will vote on a trainee’s membership. They will either be told they are suitable or unsuitable to join the champions of HELL. 6. Know the difference between role playing and flaming. Role Playing is encouraged. Use the background information above. Flaming both on the forums and in shout channel is not acceptable and frankly beneath the dignity of a champion of Hell. Role playing will help you become a Cipher while flaming will not help you become or stay a Cipher. Have the wisdom to know the difference between the two! 7. Ciphers may not party with any faction they are officially at war with beyond level 15. Quote from one of the Cipher Founders:
"FeaR the SoS general was a <C> commander and left to form his own faction which resulted in a series of bloody battles between the two factions. In the end SoS ceased to exist and Pantheon was formed with much the same results. <C> came into existance after Order, Legion, and Sole. We were around for such factions as the Archangels and the White Knights. As a matter of fact <C> was an unofficial sizable faction for 4 months before WK was formed. When we became offcial, Sec who was the lead Dm back then, descided that to balance the server a good faction needed to become offical at the same time and created the White Knights. As a final test we had to defeat Vorthesse the Undying Dragon in one of the battlegrounds. Around 10 <C> were on at that time and were victorious in a long and epic battle. As I recall our clerics with Heal spells were the deciding factor. Some people I remember from that battle were Simms, Krager, Arguile, Duke, Sabel and Mian. Good times." -Dirk Retrieved from "http://www.dungeoneternal.com/wiki/index.php/Dirk"
Here is a list of things everyone in <C> (including myself needs to do), if you have a problem with these things please seek another faction... 1. PK. Cipher is an evilguild. Now Pking is boring for the veterans but it does accomplish many things. We need to instil fear in our enemies. Also Pking serves as a type of advertisement of the faction. I cant tell you how many PMs I get to join <C> when there are <C>s running around on killing sprees. 2. Help your faction. Money, gear, PVP help, leveling. Whatever is needed. In general we need to be less selfish and become closer. The way <C> used to be if someone messed with one of us everyone else woudl get angry and nasty we have to get back to that. 3. Team Speak. We need to set up a TS server. Every <C> wil be required to eb on Team Speak to improve team PVP. If you are shy you dont have to talk to much just log on and say hi. Also this will weed out the bulshitters and spies. 4. Raids - DeX1. If your faction is raiding you are raiding. It is that simple. Your mates are raiding for everyones sake. Plus its the ultimate test of PVP. Bunny huggers who level during raids will be personally hunted down and killed by me. 5. PVP... we need to improve our tema work skills. Alot of us are good at makingbuilds for 1 on 1. Think about how different builds can work together in concert. Examples are Pure mage Mords + Pure Barb Fear or KD plus bard curse. CoD (DeX1) has these tactics down to a science we need to catch up. Last nite Gene and I were holding our own vs 2 CoDs. goes to show you we can beat them with team work. 6. Attendance. We need people on! CoD had 5 on during pacific <C> time and dominates the tiem zone because we have 3-4 on. We used to get 8+ people during this time. I woudl liek to get back to that. 7. Commanders. I may change some things around. Here is the #1 thing I am looking for is vocal leadership. I need someone who organizes and leads raids in PVP. Somone who is vocal about telling people what to do. Sometimes it is hard but it need to be done.