Dheathain, a land of swamps, mountains, magic, and mystery. It was also the ferry’s destination. Ailnea looked over the side at the endless waves wondering what experiences lay in wait for her. It wasn’t with anticipation, nor was it with dread or fear that she waited to find out what waited for her, more of a neutral grey sort of mood. A grey mood to match the grey overcast sky above.

It wasn’t raining; it wasn’t too windy, just a slight breeze stirred the air. The sun didn’t peak out from any cracks in the clouds; no birds winged their way overhead, though a few were stowaways on the rigging.

“A day like this makes me feel like trouble’s brewing somewhere.” One passenger said to another.

“We make port within the hour.” The captain announced.

Ailnea couldn’t help but feel that within an hour, trouble will have arrived.

She was supposed to meet her companion, the infamous Lord Lorenor V’halkulus, currently a neophyte in the Aibrone order, and finally tell him the complete and unabashed truth about what was going on, and why she was going to this swampy land.

Minutes later, after meeting the man, she began speaking, sharing things The Elder had shared with her what little he knew about her, her species, and her species's religion.

“Well, as you already know, for the past week we’ve been traveling, and I’ve been silent on this trip. The last I spoke was in our duel at the citadel when you beat me, and now, here we are, heading into no man’s land.

“I, though appearing as such, am not human. I was born on Althanas, but I am not a member of any species predominantly inhabiting this sphere. My species comes from beyond the stars, living in the great gulf between the universes. I am Eldritch. I cannot show you what I truly look like, for I have not yet gained that ability, it has not awakened yet. It’s all for the better, as my real form would be too horrific for you to take. Well, maybe not you specifically, but most Althanians would likely drop dead at the mere sight of the real me, and no, that is not an exaggeration in the slightest.

“Regardless, I must visit a temple long forgotten by the younger races, a temple that was old when Althanas was young, or so I have been told. It is not a temple to the thayne, it is a temple to my gods, to The Eldritch Horrors. These are Gods that follow the rules of no universe. They won’t likely want you as a follower, for you are not Eldritch, but they might gift you in some manner for keeping me safe, however I warn you, they are not known as The Eldritch Horrors because their nice friendly people. While it is likely you might walk away unscathed, it is just as likely you might limp away stark raving mad. It’s likely I might limp away stark raving mad, and I’m one of their own people. However, the power, the knowledge, the wisdom, the experiences they can give, you simply can’t find anywhere else, at least not easily.

“However there is one further issue. Of this issue, you need to keep silent to all others, for this is secret knowledge. There is dissent within the order. For reasons unknown to me, Grandmaster Akim, a thin frail man with a powerful mind, is secretly rebelling against The Elder. It is said, that he thinks The Elder to peaceful, to cowardly to fulfill The Order’s objective, of assisting all of Althanas achieve a higher level of existence, of helping everyone evolve, to expand their physical might and spiritual power. He has become increasingly aggressive. He also despises me, because he feels what happened with my mother was my fault.

“This brings us full circle. For you see, he thinks my mother died in childbirth, as did many people. The Order tried to resurrect her, but their powers failed. I have since learned that is because her healers tried to work against her own power, and her magic ripped theirs apart. Eldritch power is superior to all others, and if you attack it, it is very likely to destroy you. But my mother, obviously, is Eldritch. She did not die in childbirth, only her body, our spirits, once formed, are immortal, and can only be destroyed by The Horrors, or another deity. Yet Akim did not know anything about my mother, only that she seemingly died giving birth to me, and all the order’s powers could not resurrect her. The Elder took me in as his own child, raising me in the order since birth, showing a softer weaker side, and Akim began to believe The Elder an incapable leader.

“I guess, to summarize all this, be on your toes, and be careful who, and what, you attack, you may regret it later. I promise to give you the option of fleeing before beginning The Eldritch Rites, and establishing my first connection to my Gods, and learning more about who, and what, I am, as well as what I can do.” Ailnea said, saying everything she had to say on the subject in one lengthy speech.