Kitava (A fan adaptation of Path of Exile Lore)

My name is Kitava, and I am god of this old world. I am not alone though; other gods live here but they do not hold power of me. This cursed world is also home to lesser creatures such as beasts, critters, wild men, the not quite living, and the once dead. All of them are cursed by this land, stuck here till they wither away or are crushed by us gods and each other. There is something else here, they call themselves exiles but long ago they lived and prospered here. They even prayed to me, out of fear.

I was captured once, forced into a prison of magic and chained against my will with the power from the Staff of Purity. I was not strong enough to free my physical body as Innocence still guards my prison but there are cracks here as no prison is without flaws. In revenge, I slowly poisoned the world and corrupted it with my influence. That was when the intelligent ones fled, they hope to escape my grasp by crossing the ocean. The hopeless and exiled were left behind, stuck scavenging the shores and grovelling in the ruins of their cities.

Days ago, my followers warned me of an exile with hope. A sole warrior fighting their way through the world and rebuilding. Cutting down monsters, wielding magic, and weapons against the lesser gods, pushing towards my prison in the city of Oriath. I admire this hopeful exile but also pity them.

No one knows when it happened, I could not even tell you the exact moment it occurred, but my corruption reached Innocence. He tried to hide from me by taking on the form of a mortal, a guard for the holy order that protects where my prison is located. Innocence had become so corrupted that even Sin himself fought to find a solution.

Sin’s solution was an exile, the sole warrior wandering through the old world. My expectations of this solution have been growing since I first got word of this warrior. I wonder how long Sin has been watching them, seeing if they could rise to the challenge of a corrupted Innocence and everything else this doomed world can bring before them. The strength, determination, and skill required to even reach the city of Oriath will be great. My presence calls to the monsters and their population grows denser as the warrior nears the sprawling city.

I could sense the day that the warrior arrived in Oriath. The howls and screams of the city changed as the monsters that were its current population were being slain in the streets. The smell of blood and rot grew stronger as they cut their way through the city towards the great palace of the holy order. Once inside, the forces of this order would be all that is left between the warrior and Innocence. Do they know I am here or has Sin forgotten the purpose of this place? Does the warrior and Sin forget the consequence of defeating Innocence? I could not witness the battle raging inside the palace and around my prison, but I could feel it. The energy being released all around me, the destruction of souls being slain, and finally the great disappearance of my chains. Innocence was conquered. I rose, tore apart my prison, resuming my full form. My rule is resumed and once again, unrivaled. I tore across the city, straight to the cathedral in the centre of Oriath.

It has been a week since my release. My corruption now spreads faster than ever. I consume all before me and my minions have begun the works of releasing all my allies. Their rituals are already beginning. I just sent my loyal minion Piety to release Shaper when that damned warrior appeared before me. “Kitava! Your terror over this land is over and we will claim it for ourselves.” Before I could even reply, the warrior attacked. Each attack is dealt with the intent to kill and his magic is strong. I am too large to evade but I am a god of enormous might and size. I strike back, collapsing the buildings around the warrior and destroying the ground beneath their feet. “Fool! You can not kill me by yourself. This will be a swift battle and once you are defeated, I will cast your corpse into the ocean depths!” The warrior continues to evade my strikes, my powers of chaos, and my summoned minions. Their strength and grasp of magic has grown far beyond the reports of my loyal followers, all will be punished.

A great pain hit my left side at that moment. Reeling in agony, I fall back through the walls of a nearby building and see the source of the blow as it could not have been the warrior, Sin and Innocence have the staff of Purity. I let out a roar and get back to my feet, throwing the rubble from my body as it turns red with rage. I charge from the building to were I saw Sin and Innocence only to find another blow striking me from behind and buckling my left knee. That damned warrior, relentless in his pursuit of a bloody death my hands. I strike blindly towards where the blow was delivered and grasp nothing but the cobblestone of the street. “I thought you were dead Innocence! Did this mortal warrior spare you and free you from my corruption? Even with the help of Sin, the three of you can not take on the might of Kitava!”. Another searing blow from my right this time and I stumble once again, must be the staff. I grab the stones from the street below and throw them as I rise to my feet, collapsing the building that Sin and Innocence are upon. I move towards them, thrusting my hands forward and grabbing them from within the rubble. I will deliver death upon these two and then that damned warrior they brought along. I sift through the rubble with my feet, you need that cursed staff to kill a god, even a lesser one like these two.

A soft scrape was all I heard before the final whoosh of air being pushed aside by a great force. I did not see the blow, but I know it came from that lone warrior, that hopeless exile. I collapsed to the ground. The power of the Staff of Purity had taken its toll upon me, I felt pain delivered by a mortal. I rise once again, this time to my knees before I raise my head. Shit, I let go of Innocence and Sin. Another searing pain strikes my chest, a bright beam of light coming from the staff. Sin, Innocence, and the warrior stand next to it and hold steady. This is it for me, the end of the god Kitava, destroyed by those lesser than myself. Though I am defeated, this world will be destroyed and changed by the rest of those within it. I will rise again. I know this because it has happened before.