The Temple of The Eldritch Horrors (closed)

[Ailnea]

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.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

(Note: For the remainder of this thread, I am using my ~Level Ten~ (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=21227) profile thank you)


Always standing by her side, the mutant was not too far off. He had much to think about these days, especially the current decree of the Elder Monk. Very few neophytes of the order were ever even acknowledged by the Elders of the Order unless they were exceptionally skilled. The order was a loose government that had its own laws and was able to operate outside of the rule of law that existed in modern-day Corone. Lorenor rubbed his chin as he thought about the current state of the Red Hand, the current states of the order, and the current state of Corone proper.

Much confusion was in the mind of the young monk, but the girl's voice brought some ease to him. Lorenor blinked a time or two and looked to Ailnea's general direction. He simply listened while she spoke revealing knowledge of many things. Normally, Lorenor thought of all other religions as a heresy.

Lorneor could feel the ferry all around him as it moved from Corone over to the distant lands of Dheathain. Having never been to Dheathain before, the mutant didn't know what to expect. He questioned the Elder's decision to choose him to become the guardian of Ailnea. Lorenor did not openly question the Elder, but he had some doubts in his own level of skill. He would have to be quite clever to survive the coming ordeal, he knew. So, he stood there in silence, never interrupting her. Understanding the nature of the mission now, he really felt like he wasn't the appropriate person for the job.

A follow of N'Jal, a Thayne, the mutant was extremely religious. He was part of an organization known as the Cult of N'Jal, and as a High Priest, he'd obtained a certain level of infamy. Passengers spoke various concerns about the trip at hand as they headed to the unexplored land of Dheathain. The mutant largely ignored the rest of the passengers and the ship's crew. He simply paid attention to Ailnea and when she stopped talking, he voiced his concern.

"I still do not see why the Elder chose me over another who was part of your sect. I am a High Priest of N'Jal, one of her Paladins." Lorenor said calmly. "In fact, I carry the N'Jal Protocol within." He said, tapping his own chest for emphasis. "Despite the fact that I believe in different matters than you, I know what is like to be outcast. I will protect you with my very life for it is the sworn duty of Monks to protect fellow Monks during long journey. It is part of the Monks' precepts."

Though a new monk, Lorenor was still a monk nonetheless. Having removed the bounty that the Knights of Dawn placed upon his head, the Monks were like his extended family now. Despite their hard ways, Lorenor had learned much and was well on the way to obtaining the next rank of monkship. Taking in the smell of the ocean spray, the mutant turned to look deeply into Ailnea's eyes. Whenever he looked into the nun's eyes, he felt a sort of peace in himself, and a courage swelled within. He felt like he really could protect her.

"Come what may my lady. I will protect you you can be sure of that." And Lorenor continued to stare at her whilst he waited for more words from the lovely nun.

[Ailnea]

“I asked the Elder Why you were chosen myself. Fact is Lore, I am the only one of my kind. The Eldritch Horrors are a racial religion. You are not Eldritch, they won’t accept you, not that you probably want to convert anyway. One has to become Eldritch for the Horrors to accept you. As of this current moment, I am the only one of my kind in all of Althanas. But then still, why you, why not someone else? You are the one of the few people The Elder can trust. You bow to no man, serving only N’jal. You are a man of your word, doing what you must to keep it. Thus, you are less likely to be a servant of Grandmaster Akim. It’s confusing now, but I’m sure it’ll become clear in time.”

Later, after the boat docked, Ailnea looked around, not certain where to go.
Talmhaidh was a new city to her and nothing was where she thought it should be, of course she was used to the layout of Radasanth too.

“I don’t know where the temple is. We’re going to have to ask around.”

To Ailnea’s eyes, and Ailnea’s eyes alone, shadows moved taking on the ghostly image of her mother in eldritch form.

“Mother?” Ailnea asked out loud.

“Fngh’w Shlltkhw ultruos nesqhga.” Ailnea’s mother said in Eldritch, while floating backwards into a building. Most curiously, Lorenor could hear the words if he was paying attention, as though a third person were by them.

“What do you mean, I don’t understand. One knowledge is contained in another, what does that mean? Why do you have to be so mysterious?” she asked, running after her mother.

She opened the door to discover the Talmhaidh Tourist Information Center. Writers of the famous “The Traveller’s guide to Dheathain”, it was likely that if anyone could help her find her way around Dheathain, it was them.

“Thanks mom.” Ailnea said with a smile.

The fae behind the counter looked at Ailnea quizzically.

“Nothing, say, how well do you know the country?” Ailnea asked.

“I know it very well, ask me anything, go ahead, I know everything there is to know about Dheathain. Wanna know what the Ceann Cath had for breakfast? I can find out.” The eager fae said.

“I need to find a temple that has been abandoned for many ages. It was devoted to alien gods.” Ailnea said.

The eagerness of the fae faded somewhat.
“I’ve been defeated! I know not where that is.” The fae said, disappointed she couldn’t help.

“Drat, guess it’ll be harder then I thought to find The Temple of The Eldritch Horrors.” Ailnea said, turning around.

“What did you call it?” the fae asked curiously pulling out a book from behind her counter entitled “The complete collection of Dheathainian lore.”

“The Temple of The Eldritch Horrors?”

“It’s not quite a match, but history and fable often share striking similarity, sometimes being one in the same thing. There is a story of a young Draconian warrior, whose name was erased by the sands of time. He wanted to be the Ceann Cath, but was not strong enough, so he left his home and journeyed through the swamps to train and get stronger.

Eventually, he stumbled upon a stone temple carved in a manner most foreign to Draconians. It wasn’t of fae design, it was older. Older than their city, and seemingly older than all other buildings on Althanas, as though it had survived from the legendary world that came before, Tanthanas. The monks who dwelled in the temple were often described through the story as being monsters in human form. They worshipped a pantheon of deities they called Horror.

The point of all this is, the area where the temple was hidden was well described, and modern day historians all agree that it must be lost in the impassible swamps. Their called impassible, because they are just that, impassible. No one can move into that area by any means, the swamp bush is just too thick, the rainforest is too dense, and the air currents are too difficult to maneuver through, all of this. On top of that, it’s a favored nesting area for swamp dwelling dragons. Even with magic it’s impossible to get through.

The hero of the story had a mysterious woman with him, who is described in a fashion similar to your own appearance. It is written that the swamp simply parted for her, as though it were a magic barrier attuned to her blood.” The Fae said, leafing through the story to refresh her memory.

She got out a map and pointed at a section of the map that had a red circle around it.

“That’s the impassible swamp. If you were able to somehow get in the impassible swamp, that would be a likely place to start.” The fae said handing over the map.

“Thanks. Did he succeed, the hero of the story?” Ailnea asked.

“Hmm? Oh, yes, but strangely, he became terrified of dark spaces, and once slaughtered three of his own men in an effort to flee the darkness. The map’s free by the way.” The fae said.

“Thank you.” Ailnea said. If Lorenor had followed her in, which Ailnea didn’t doubt though she didn’t look, and he had other questions, now was the time to ask.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Keeping close to the nun, Lorenor knew that this was her story, not his story. So he simply took on the roll of guardian. Lorenor's senses were swelled by the plethora of distractions that came his way. Dheathain was a newly discovered land to the mutant, and as such, his eyes traveled to observe the unique architecture present. Houses followed a dual-combination of the strange Draconian tribe mixed with Faean aspects. As a result, the mutant's heart soared. A certain darkness was in the air that the mutant could detect that was not naturally abundant in Corone.

Parts of Concordia Forest it in the deepest section of the wild. Recalling the Elves of Concordia Forest, the mutant noticed the organic, homes built in various trees. Everything about Dheathain's architectural design was an attempt to be one with its local surroundings. Lorenor's eyes studied each edifice and noticed the differences between the architectural design of Corone, Salvar, and Raiaera. Dheathains' structures and Falliens' structures were the most foreign in nature. A part of Lorenor felt at home in this place so close to the swampland.

Closing his eyes to get a better sense of the energy that flowed within this city, the mutant concentrated so that his senses could focus. He could see Ailneas' person nearby to his position. He instinctively followed her, ever ready for anything. The Draconians that were present gave off a mysterious energy unique to their person. As a collective race they seemed to have certain common features but the mutant was too preoccupied to make a complete analysis of the situation.

So when Ailnea lead them into the information kiosk, the mutant was surprised to see a tiny Fae operating the center. She fluttered about naturally with her powerful wings and gave off a tremendous energy that lit up the room. Lorenor looked at Ailnea for a moment and then to the Fae girl. Somehow, the Fae knew what Ailnea was looking. He didn't like that his partner was so open to revealing information about their quest. Lorenor frowned when she discussed the location she was looking for and made it a point to take her aside later. For the time being, they were in a city and relatively safe. Lorenor knew that.

Certain of the Draconian fellows looked burlier than normal and had armor that was quite distinctive. Lorenor assumed that these individuals were city guard of some sort and would make it a point to ask them for guidance at his own convenience. Walking on the platforms built around the trees, Lorenor had to get used to being so high up in the air. Though he could fly, the mutant was cautious of falling over the side of the platform and into the swampland below. Trees in this area seemed massive and reminded him of the trees in Corone. So feeling the energy from the wild made Lorenor feel alive. There weren't the oppressive buildings that were present in Radasanth, Jadet, and Serenti.

Lorenor suddenly felt the spotlight revert to his person as the Fae and Ailnea turned to him suddenly. The situation worked out somehow, though Lorenor paid very little attention to the story of Dheathain's history. He cared little for ancient heroes of the past. He lived in the now. Simply shrugging, the mutant decided to speak to the Fae. "I'm new here. I've never been to Dheathain before. I have questions I can ask you when we return from our trip. Right now we need to get to this Impassable Swamp." Lorenor was armed with Prevalida weapons and thus could easily cut through even the thickest of vegetation. "We'll see how Impassable this area is when it meets Prevalida." Lorenor said and he walked out of the kiosk letting Ailnea complete her business. She didn't need him to shadow her every move so he stood by the railing of the platform immediately outside of the kiosk. People moved back and forth amongst the city in the trees. He looked out into the swamp for as far as his senses would physically allow himself to. He was a little annoyed that Ailnea was so eager to divulge information to a complete stranger. The mutant sighed. Elder, why did you pick me?

[Ailnea]

Ailnea smiled, sure they’d get to the temple for certain.

“So, that one fable is what we should go on?” Ailnea asked.

“Oh no, there’s a lot of fables with similar references, mostly veiled. And then there’s actual history too, as I had mentioned earlier. It’s just that one fable, and actual history have a lot of striking similarities. Draconian archaeologists have uncovered histories of the ancient Ceann Caths; one of them had no recorded name, referred to only by his title. It was written he was very terrified of the unseen things that lurk in the darkness. He claimed to have trained at a temple devoted to strange alien gods, which explained his great power. As for the other fables, they lack the detail this one does, which was why I used it, and as has been researched, the Impassible Swamp marks the very same area in which the temple is traditionally recorded. The other fables indicate other things like the hall of the thousand and one traps, or the giant ogre in the tiny room. I’d list them all, but that would take all day.” The tiny fae said.

“Well, thank you.” Ailnea said, and turned to leave.

She walked toward the door confident this was going to be easy, with Lorenor really along only to help protect her from the more savage local beasts. Then the fae mentioned something that stopped Ailnea in her tracks and took her confidence away.

“You’re not the first monks to look for the temple. A large group of them passed through a few days ago, lead by a person that may or may not have been both a man and a woman at the same time. Possibly an elf of some sort, but I’ve never heard of all white elves, or bald elves either.” The fae said.

“I see, thank you.” Ailnea said and then stepped out.

She took in the local scenery for the first time, appreciating the unique architecture that was a mix of fae and draconian designs. But her mind was elsewhere, troubled by the fae’s last revelation.

“So, that was a most informative visit. It’s where the swamp meets the rainforest, is surrounded by a shield of some sort, is filled with more traps than I care to think about, has both ogres and Dragons living near it, and is hunted by Grandmaster Akim for reasons I care not to think about.” Ailnea said in a tone that mocked a happy one.

She shook her head and sighed.

“This is not going to be easy. We have to hurry, if the Horrors are half the gods their made out to be, Akim will gain the power of madness. Looking at the map, we need to head towards Suthainn, as the impassible swamp is half a day’s ride to the north of the main traveling paths, and a full day’s ride before we actually reach Suthainn. Let’s see if our horses were offloaded.” Ailnea said, outlining a plan.

Before they had left Corone, it had been seen to that they were provided fresh horses for their journey. Ailnea walked back over to the ferry, busy offloading its cargo, and by sheer happenstance, right as they arrived, their horses were being offloaded. Ailnea walked over to her horse, a gentle solid white mare she named Snowflake. Being inexperienced in riding, it was perhaps the best possible choice for her. After getting help in checking that everything was in place on her horse, she took off the robes in favor of the pants and loose blouse underneath, folding her robes and putting them in a saddle bag. Only her medallion stayed on, but it swung about as she climbed into the saddle.

She petted the horses’ neck as an inland breeze made its way out to sea, on it one could catch the slightest of hints that somewhere ahead lay a particularly large swamp, and equally large rainforest.

“You know Snowflake; someday I’m going to run even faster than you can, I’m sure of it. Well, let us be off.” Ailnea said, starting their journey.

On horseback, it was a two days across the plains, two through the forest, and by dawn of the fifth day, they would have reached the temple, provided everything worked out.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

There were patches of solid earth in the swampland, but some of them were difficult to see for the normal traveler. Lorenor's senses could play in Dheathain with its particular natural phenomena. Sensing the various minute subtleties in the everglade swampland, Lorenor kept looking about. Sounds from strange creatures filled the air, unfamiliar to the mutant. Movement, and a particularly disturbing vibration swirled all about him. On horseback, Lorenor could concentrate on the situation at hand and let the horse guide him through the everglade swamp. Foliage covered the water and lake below it hiding its untold depths. Lorenor kept looking about the area prepared for anything that might come out of the shrubberies. He kept his hands on the reigns of the beast as he moved through the swampland. His eyes were locked on the road ahead, but he kept glancing on Ailnea from time to time. They left Luthmor behind. Lorenor took his time resupplying at the ship, ensuring that they had all of the basic and necessary travel equipment.

Lorenor allowed the horse to move at his own pace only pulling at the reigns when he felt that the stallion was moving him too close to the edge of the path they were moving on. Looking up at the trees, the mutant could see the glowing light from the tree's villages that lurked so high above his person. The mutant sighed as his heart ached from the beauty of this place. The canopy of the trees was so thick that not a single shard of sunlight poked through it to feed the fungi at the roots of trees. So fungi had to find heat from other sources in the swamp.

Lurking within the everglades, the ecosystems within the swampland were unique to Dheathain. Lorenor studied the specimens attempting to familiarize himself with the local surroundings. If they got lost, they were screwed and it was on Lorenor to ensure that they could get back to Luthmor or Donnalaich. As they moved, Lorenor painted a mental map of the area so that he could find their way back. Patches of earth that were used as roads interlaced the swamp, some marked by road signs, and others marked by experienced guesswork.

Having lived in Concordia Forest for many years, the mutant knew his way around The Wild. He made sure that his stallion stayed alongside snowflake at all times so that Ailnea wouldn't wander off. Lorenor was ever concerned about his companion's well being. Once again, the idea that this wasn't his story crossed his mind. He was just along for the ride. Lorenor didn't mind playing the support role in their party. As long as he could protect her, that was all that mattered to him. He looked at her as they road for a long time this particular glance through and wondered what was going through her head.

Staying quiet the entire time, Lorenor continued to count the different types of plants and trees he was discovering. He knew these were not new to the natives, but to the mutant it was an orgy for the senses. No more than a few miles out into the everglades, the mutant sensed people up ahead. Is that a settlement up ahead? Lorenor looked over in Ailnea's general direction. The signs were written in native Dheathain, not the common-tongue. The local dialects remained a mystery to the mutant. "There's a town of some sort up ahead. Probably a settlement or something. Let's try and camp there for the time being, it's getting dark. I trust my own strength, but we're in a new environment. I don't think I want to attempt to pit myself against the creatures in this place." Lorenor was being sincere. He was confident, he was insane, but he was not stupid. He guided the horse up towards the settlement, it was just coming up against his sensory grid. Lorenor saw several tents and a few wagons up ahead. His eyes locked on the figures roaming in the small camp. Are these people hostile? He wondered and drew his weapon just in case.

He was prepared for anything.

[Ailnea]

Throughout the day Ailnea’s mind constantly wandered to the surrounding environs taking in the sights. The air felt sticky as the swamp gave up its moisture to the air creating a humidity that felt thick enough to cut with a dagger, at least it felt so to Ailnea.

She felt a familiar energy in the air, and surmised that the energies of the temple were slowly leaking into the environment. What effect might such a thing have on the wildlife?
Probably very little, as she was certain it wasn’t a very noticeable leak; all the same there were strange sights to behold if one looked for them.

Off in the distance at one point in the day, Ailnea spied what looked to be an alligator, but, it didn’t have a normal body. Truthfully, it had the normal alligator form, but what covered it was flesh only in the sense that it covered its body, protecting the delicate internal organs from the outside world. However, this substance was completely translucent, allowing for full viewing of the insides.

Then, awhile later, she spied what she was certain was a boa constrictor. It was after a monkey foolishly taunting it from a low branch. The snack reached for the monkey, and the monkey of course, skittered back out of the snake’s reach, the snake unable to go any further. Then, the snake stretched, like it was made of rubber. The monkey, startled at this new development could only stare in surprise as the snake grabbed it, and crushed it to death.

Ailnea wondered if Lorenor had seen any of this. Of course, for the most part, most of the sights were normal. No, she surmised he was more interested in learning the lay of the land, trying to keep from getting lost. Ailnea couldn’t get lost though, for the familiar energy she felt beckoned her onward, like a lighthouse guiding a ship to shore in the dark.

Light fell, and Lorenor mentioned a settlement up ahead.

The settlement was small, partly fae, partly draconian, a few humans ran about. The houses were wooden, and on stilts. In the center stood a stone idol that had been moved into position for some sort of celebration or religious service that night. Ailnea was unfamiliar with the gods, focusing on her own training instead of conferring with a deity about it. Thus, she walked into the settlement unaware of what god or goddess was represented by a spider. Carvings well cared for in a local dialect formed what Ailnea thought were letters. One was a capital N, one was a J.

NJ, a spider goddess? I should’ve paid more attention to the various deities of Althanas.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

A child looked on as the strangers arrived in the village. It was a small settlement to be sure, one erected quickly possibly a few years prior. Lorenor noticed that there were actual houses amongst the tents. These were more shacks than houses, but the mutant understood that this was a camp of some sort and not a true village. Powerful scents of various herbs, unguents, and cakes and treats. Some sort of celebration was taking place. Lorenor suddenly spotted the idol in the center of the village and a smile crossed his face. Whenever he spotted one of those idols, the mutant felt like spiders crawled upon his epidermis. Lorenor felt a shiver go up and down his spine when he saw the idol. His eyes narrowing as he spotted it, the grin on his face quite a grotesque thing. Turning towards Ailnea, the mutant's face became serious. "Do you know what that is?" Lorenor asked in a very sincere, calm tone. There was a hint of excitement in his voice. "We're in a territory of allies. Follow me Ailnea." Lorenor said casually and stopped his horse. The mutant immediately dismounted hoping that Ailnea would respect his wishes. If she didn't follow him, this could be a very dangerous place for the hybrid.

Holding the reigns of his horse, the mutant walked forward to the congregation of people gathered near the idol. By now, hungry eyes were on the mutant and his companion. Lorenor frowned at the sudden attention and a part of him wanted to vanish into the swamp away from these people. That was his unsocial side. But he knew, judging by the expressions on their face that he would be welcome there. For once, ever since he left the Red Hand territory, ever since he left Salvar, he had found something that he knew he was looking for. A place to call home.

Lorenor walked on the dirt road for a moment and let go of the horses' reigns for a moment. He patted the flank of the beast casually and only then noticed that he was suddenly surrounded. Several groups of Fae and Dragonic warriors looked at the mutant and his companion. Lorenor noticed that there were various people of all walks of life staring at him now. The Fae hovered on their powerful wings as they looked at the mutant and his companion, and the Dragonic people stood holding spear and sword. He looked at the knotted muscles and admired them greatly. Lorenor was no chump, but he knew where he was outclassed by natural strength and endurance capacities.

An elderly looking Dragonic individual walked over to Lorenor and Ailnea's position. The chieftain. Lorenor immediately thought to himself and nodded to the man. After a moment he bowed. "<...>" The man spoke in native Dagonian. Lorenor did not understand the words they sounded like a series of barks and grunts with no natural syllables. Upon seeing the confusion on Lorenor's face, the man switched to a heavily accented common dialect. "Are you the one they call Lorenor?" The man asked. Lorenor took a moment to study the man. He stood at an impressive eight feet in height. He had a green-yellowish scale colour. The man also had an impressive skull upon his head with many horns and teeth that looked like it might have been from the beast of a fell wyrm or a wyvern of sorts. Studying the man further, he noticed that the man had ancient seeming azure eyes, many tribal markings upon his scales. Those looked like they could have been tattoos. He wore a series of necklaces that had bone components. Each of them had symbols etched upon them. The man had impressive physical strength and composure. The mutant studied the man further admiring the man's physical appearance. At his side was a long staff that was apparently a huge femur bone of some insanely proportioned behemoth monster. Lorenor guessed that the chieftain was probably really strong. Looking at the black idol of N'Jal for a long moment, the mutant could see energy flaring out of the statue as if the N'Jal Protocol herself lurked within.

"We know what you carry inside you." The chieftain said. Then, mysteriously, the man knelt down before Lorenor. Then, all of the villagers knelt down before the mutant as they all observed him. Lorenor, taken aback by the gesture, began to cry. "I am merely a servant. I am no different or no better than any of you. Please stand friend. We are equal in the eyes of the Spider Queen." Lorenor was speaking in the language of the Spider-Magi. It was a strange language that comprised of strange clicks and other guttural sounds. Not an expert of Spider-Magi by any means, the mutant still struggled with many of the consonants and words. Once he said what he had to say, the mutant continued. "The Lady bids you all grace for your service to our cause. She smiles fortune and prosperity upon this place." And Lorenor assisted the chieftain to stand. The mutant then looked the man right in the eyes. "My name is Lorenor." Lorenor said. The chieftain shook his head. "No. You are the promised one." The chieftain continued. "My name is Thrugh'lhak. I am the leader of this settlement. We know why you are here. It was written in the stars that your coming will hail a new age for Althanas."

Suddenly, the chieftain turned to look at Ailnea. "Our prophets know why you have come young lady. The place you see to go holds something very dangerous, very powerful, even to us. You are asking us to place someone very important to us in mortal and grave danger for your own crusade." The Chieftain asked. "I must consult with you in private." The chieftain said then turned towards Lorenor. "In the meantime, make yourselves at home. This is a place of worship for the Spider Queen. We have been preparing for your coming." Lorenor nodded. "We need a guide to the Temple of Eldritch Horrors." Lorenor said casually. The chieftain suddenly became pale. "I knew this day would come." He nodded casually. "Please, join us for a feast. There is much to say. Much to do in the name of the dark lady." The chieftain said casually. "Very well. We need a place to stay for the night. But the girl. She is my charge. She stays with me at all times. Anything you have to say to her, you say to me. I keep no secrets from my charge."

The chieftain frowned, Lorenor kept an emotionless face. He'd already wiped the tears from his face.

[Ailnea]

The Chieftain’s quarters were comfortable, for a new settlement. He possessed a three room house, with a kitchen and a water closet. The sitting room was the room the front door led into, and this housed a small bookshelf, a table, and a few comfortable chairs. In the kitchen, a woman about the Thrugh'lhak’s own age moved about helping to prepare the feast the chieftain had promised them later that night. She stopped only long enough to take in the sight of the two visitors to her house, and then continued about her work as though nothing had happened.

Ailnea smiled, this was a nice little place. The chair she sat in was covered in a green velvet material, decorated with red flowers made of expensive silk thread that was sown into the chair itself. She decided it must’ve taken a lot of work and a lot of sowing to make each individual flower. She leaned back and relaxed, taking in the scents of roasting meats and garlic. The lamps must have had a few drops of peppermint oil added to them, for she could also smell a hint of peppermint in the air. She tried focusing on the pictures on the walls walls, but the single lamp in the center of the room was not enough for her to see anything with. Instead, her mind conjured up images of dancers moving in tandem with the shadows dancing on the walls and pictures.

“I’d just like to state once more, that the place you’re going contains something that’s even too dangerous and powerful for us to deal with.” Thrugh'lhak said, a note of fatherly concern rising in his voice.

Ailnea wondered if he had children, and if so, if the woman in the kitchen was his wife and the mother of his children. She decided this was so, and would continue to think that way until someone revealed the truth to her, provided her assumptions were false in the first place. Even still, there was one thing that she knew was true about him, and that was the fact that she somehow knew his concerns, though valid for him, were not valid for her.

“I know you’re concerned about the hidden powers The Eldritch Horrors placed in the temple, but trust me when I tell you that those very same things are of no danger to me. They summon me, drawing me ever closer with each step I take, and each breath I draw, towards my heritage. My own mother waits for me there, to teach me about myself, about my true self. This form you see is a lie, a mask placed upon me by my mother to conceal the truth of my identity, for I am not yet powerful enough to go about as I truly am. I am too different in appearance, too, horrifying. Thus you see, the only dangers that could await me, are dangers of this world, not of my own.” Ailnea said, trying her best to sooth the man’s fears.

“Even still, your companion is very dear and important to us.” Thrugh'lhak said, going down another avenue. Truth be told, he wanted Lorenor to stay in the village with them. He also didn’t want to see Ailnea get hurt.

“I do not doubt that Lorenor holds value to you, but just as the temple will not harm me, so long as he stays by my side and does as I say when it’s necessary for me to tell him what to do, no harm shall come to him either. Even still, I have had first hand experience with his power, and doubt there is any situation that he cannot cope with.” Ailnea said, countering the argument with one of her own.

Thrugh'lhak sighed in defeat. His shoulders slumped forward as he looked from Lorenor to Ailnea. His tail twitched a few times as he appeared to think, then he stood up and fetched a thick tome from his bookshelf. He moved the lantern on the table to make room for the book, and then opened it. It was a bestiary, a guide to the various creatures one might find in Dheathain coupled with a guide to the landscape.

“Very well, allow me to give what little help I can. I shall go with you to this temple.” Thrugh'lhak said, thinking the matter finished.

“HAH! We both know you’re in no condition to go adventuring. Besides, if you left, who would lead us? You have more important responsibilities.” The elderly woman said.

“Xis’tiel you know It’s my responsibility to assist everyone in the village.” Thrugh'lhak protested. Ailnea knew however by his tone that he wouldn’t fight too hard to stay here.

“Thrugh'lhak, I didn’t fight hard to become your life mate, give you five children, help you construct this settlement, and work up this feast just to lose you on some fool errand now. Send our eldest son; he’s a strong powerful warrior wise in the ways of the land. He’ll make a good guide to the temple, provided that’s as far as it goes.” Xis’tiel said from her kitchen.

“Oh yes Ma’am, I promise that’s all the farther he’ll go. Infact, I’ll have him stop a good hour’s ride on horseback from the temple and turn back. I’m certain Lorenor can help us get back here afterwards.” Ailnea said quickly. She knew Draconians were quick to anger and slow to calm down, and the last thing she wanted on this trip was an angry Draconian to deal with.

“Then it’s settled, I’ll introduce him tonight at the feast, which starts shortly.” Xis’tiel said, and proceeded to make final preparations to carry the delicious smelling dishes out to the feast.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Walking over to a window, the mutant stared out into the darkness of the camp for a long time. He listened in silence whilst Ailnea talked to Thrugh'lhak about the adventure that awaited them. Many thoughts passed through the mutants mind as he observed the area outside of the house. The Antifirmanent glowed with the energy of the Idol to N'Jal. It gave off a living energy that the mutant could detect even from his position in the house. A living vibration, the N'Jal Protocol gave off a pulse. Lorenor, detecting that pulse, concentrated on the energy. He could feel the hairs on his epidermis standing on their ends stiff and erect. Observing the Antifirmanent in silence, he could see various individuals, souls of the fallen, traveling around the idol as though it were a flame and the spirits were moths. In the dark, Lorenor's eyes appeared as orbs that gave off a tremendous glow from within them. The mutant continued to observe the area around the idol for a moment watching the festival that was going on.

Outside, the night sky was clear. Though it almost always rained, the rain had let up for a short while and the sky had temporarily cleared. He looked up and saw only a few pregnant storm clouds lingering. Lorenor was glad that the rain had let up, even if only for a short while. Rains were a common place occurrence in Dheathain.

Folding his arms before his chest, the mutant continued to listen to the conversation between Ailnea and Thrugh'lhak. He picked out the general theme of the conversation but decided not to interrupt them. He did not have a place questioning his superior's order. For the time, Ailnea was his acting superior officer and he had to respect the wishes of the monks. At least for as long as he was a part of their organization. Lorenor turned to look towards the trio. "We set out at first light. I want to get this trip to the temple over with as soon as possible. I am suspecting it will not be pleasant at all." Lorenor said with a grim expression on his face.

He said those words as Xis’tiel was putting the food pans and pots on the table. Hot, steaming scents filled the chamber as the mutant absorbed the smells into himself. Gravies, cranberry sauce, poultry, beef, and other monster meats were visible. Some sort of brown spicy rice was on the table as well that was probably a recipe native to Dheathain. The mutant had never seen such a large variety of food. Several large pitchers were placed on the table. Lorenor smelled several hard drinks of various types also native to Dheathain. Some of them were exotic juices. The mutant, seeing that he didn't really have a taste for cooked food, walked over to one of the juice containers and poured himself a drink.

Filling his chalice to the brim, the mutant nodded towards Xis’tiel and
Thrugh'lhak quickly and then found himself going outside with his drink. The couple looked at themselves strangely for a moment as Lorenor walked outside. He needed some air. The air inside the house was too oppressive with the various scents of well-cooked food. Though he was hungry, the mutant would wait his turn to eat. Noticing a chair on the porch outside of the house, the mutant walked overt towards it and sat down. Holding the chalice in his hand, the mutant took a deep pull of the juice. It had a very sweet but tangy kind of flavor to it and a strange texture to the liquid. There were things floating around in the juice.

It was probably freshly made. As Lorenor sat down he meticulously took a deep sip of the juice in his hand. Closing his eyes, the darkness seemed to cling to the mutant. Lorenor could feel the texture of the liquid flowing down into his stomach as he sat there. He was focusing on Ailnea and the people inside the house. He could listen to them without being within. Lorenor finished the contents of his juice when a young Dragonian walked towards the mutant with large dark eyes. Lorenor opened his eyes and offered the small warrior a friendly nod.

"Do you need something?"

"You are the one they call Lorenor, are you not?"

"I am young one. Are you lost?"

"No. I am not the one who is lost. It is you who is lost. You are like a paradox swirling across the rings of reality. My papa said that there are some of us who can see the future. I see darkness coming to you Lorenor. I see the Dark Lady setting something in motion for you. Once this event comes to pass you will have no choice but to bring about your own demise. There is nothing but suffering in your future, for a great many people."

The Dragonian said. Lorenor listened carefully. "You are truly gifted to be able to see such things. And to whom do I owe the honor?"

"His name is Raequan." Came a deeper voice. Lorenor looked past the child and saw an older Dragonian that stood about the same height as Thrugh'lhak. Lorenor guessed that these people were the chieftain's children. Lorenor nodded with a profound respect towards the individuals before him now. "Hello there." The mutant said casually. "I am Kythor." The Dragonian said casually. "Son of Thrugh'lhak." The mutant continued to listen to the man before him and his child. "Kythor. The feast is ready, you should join everybody inside."

"What about you Lord Lorenor?"

"I am not someone who likes his food cooked. But I will be joining you all shortly."

"Go inside Raequan. Dinner is ready. I would like to speak to Lorenor."

"All right. What troubles you Kythor?"

Lorenor saw that Kythor walked over to his position and sat down on the bench like chair next to his person. Kythor was a tall individual with sinewy muscle and scales. "My Father will ask me to go acompany you to the Forsaken Place. The Eldritch Temple. It is the main reason you've come here with that woman. The thing." Kythor said with a hint of malice in his voice. Lorenor looked over to Kythor's person. "You do not know Ailnea like I know her." Lorenor said. Kythor nodded. "I understand that, but we know what the ancient scriptures state." And that's how the conversation went.

[Ailnea]

Ailnea ate her dinner quietly while the family they were with caught up with each other concerning the ordinary sort of everyday affairs. This was a very good meal indeed, and she made a mental note to thank Xis’tiel for it as soon as the proper moment presented itself. Right after she had finished a particularly juicy chicken leg, Kythor turned the conversation on her.

“So, what’s it like living in the Aibrone temple? I hear everyone lives amid mountains of silk and gold, and that the elder himself sleeps upon a bed made from the feathers of the most exotic species of birds.” Kythor said.

“Oh, no, nothing as fancy as all that, though there is a particularly beautiful silk tapestry trimmed with gold depicting a phoenix in flight in the doorway to the healing center in the citadel. No, plain beds stuffed with straw, wooden furniture, it’s the simple life for us. All that fanciness tends to be distracting. As for what sort of bed the elder sleeps in, I believe it to be filled with cotton, though I do know he recently purchased a brand new goose down quilt in anticipation of the oncoming winter months.” Ailnea said quietly.

“So, what, you sit around and meditate all day?” Raequan asked, seemingly genuinely interested in life in the Aibrone temple.

“Only when necessary, more often we do a variety of activities. For instance, there are our world famous arenas where many skilled persons from all walks of life have come to undertake a variety of challenges, each for their own reasons.” Ailnea said.

“Is it hard raising the dead?” Kythor’s wife asked.

“Yes, it takes more skill than I possess to accomplish such a feat.” Ailnea responded.

“So what are you going to that accursed temple for tomorrow?” Kythor asked, almost with a snarl.

“Must you know every detail of our guest’s life?” Thrugh'lhak asked.

“I don’t mind.” Ailnea said, then turning to Kythor, “Imagine you were born on the other side of the world, no family save for the kind strangers that took you in and raised you as one of their own. You grow up thinking your one of them, just, slightly different, somehow. Then, a merchant vessel pulls into port, and you learn of Deathain, a land where many others like yourself live. You learn you’re Draconian, and that there is an entire culture, an entire aspect of yourself you missed out on growing up. Wouldn’t you sail back with the merchant vessel and learn about who, and what, you truly are? It is the same for me. I have never in all my life encountered another like myself. My mother died in birth, and yet growing up and living in the citadel all these years, not once has another like me ever appeared. Then, my mother’s spirit returns to tell me what I really am, an eldritch creature from beyond the stars. She tells me there’s a temple built by my people, that I should investigate it, to learn more about my true self.

I do not go for power, or glory, for such desires are the domains of the vain and the foolish. I do not go seeking to bring harm to others, I seek to know more about what, and who I truly am. It is not enough for me to know that I am an alien to Althanas, a non-native entity with no place in this world. I need to know where my place is, what my purpose is, and my reason for existing. Is it really too much to ask, to let me learn?”

The words had welled up from deep in her heart from some unknown place, as though another had put them there knowing they needed to be said now, rather than later.

Kythor snorted and finished eating in silence, a silence that seemed to affect everyone. Only the crackling of the fire in the hearth broke the silence when it popped unexpectedly.

“I didn’t know eldritch creatures from beyond the stars were so pretty.” Raequan said, bringing a blush to Ailnea’s cheeks.

This caused a round of chuckles and the moment seemed to have passed.

~~~

The next day saw them setting out from the village in silence. Ailnea had retired to the guest room quickly after supper, and as she fell asleep, she heard whispered voices arguing heatedly. She knew she was distrusted because of the temple and what she was, but trusted Lorenor to stand up for her.

Whatever had been said, Kythor now rode along in brooding silence. He had a brown stallion, though Ailnea had missed hearing what its name was. Before setting out, Ailnea offered to simply let him stay behind if he didn’t want to go, but that had brought such a terrifying glare from the man that she hid behind Lorenor and quickly accepted him as a guide.

She noted that it was Kythor who rode in the front, and she who rode in the back. Why he disliked her, or even hated her, she didn’t know. She had never knowingly done anything to him, or his family.

Fog covered the ground as they set out, and it seemed to distort the normal sounds of the creatures in the swamp. It was almost like walking through another world. Ailnea examined the world around her closely, for it felt like the temple was all around her.

The things she saw in the distance, such as the betentacled tree snatching a bird out of the sky, were things she wasn’t sure if it was real, her imagination, or what it might’ve been.
Suddenly she realized she was all alone, Kythor and Lorenor were gone!

“LORENOR! KYTHOR! WHERE ARE YOU?” she yelled out through the fog.

She stopped where she was knowing Lorenor at least would come back for her. Hours passed, and no one came. How could they not notice she was gone? She got down off her horse to stretch her legs, and walked forward a few feet, fear of abandonment creeping into her mind. When she turned around, she gasped, knowing something unusual was going on for the ground she had just walked on was gone, leaving a yawning chasm stretching deeper into the ground than she could imagine. Fog covered whatever was in the distance.

She turned as she heard something move behind her, and caught her breath in fear. A scream died in her throat, as her mind and body stopped working entirely. From the fog came a massive eye easily larger than most mountains, and it was staring right at her. It floated in mid air, attached to a small stalk as thick as an ear of corn. She was on the only pillar of land in a gulf far greater than her mind could accept existed.

“Ailnea, come to me, I await you with eager anticipation. Trust in me, fly to me. I have been gone from this sphere for so long, watching only from a great distance. Let me return Ailnea, summon me back to this place. Ailnea, Ailnea.” The thing called, but not with a physical voice. Its words simply rolled through her mind with all the force of an exploding volcano. The eye shot toward her calling her name, and everything went black.

“Ailnea!” a familiar voice called, and Ailnea woke up to find herself on her horse, slumped over in the saddle.

“If your going to fall asleep in your saddle, hand the reins to us so you don’t fall behind. Be thankful we both have sharp hearing and realized your horse had stopped walking when you dropped the reins.” Kythor said sharply. He had her horse’s reins, and was glaring at her again.

“But, but how? When did I fall asleep? I couldn’t have been asleep. We set off from the settlement, walking along, I was looking closely at the world around us, and suddenly you were both gone, and never came back for me, even after several hours of waiting in one spot. Then, after I dismounted to stretch my legs, the ground fell away, and a giant floating eye told me it was waiting for me. It flew at me and everything went black, then suddenly here I am waking up. What happened? I know I wasn’t hallucinating, it was too real. I couldn’t have been dreaming, I don’t remember falling asleep.” A terrified Ailnea cried.

“You may not remember falling asleep, but you definitely did. If it wasn’t for the hideous things you were hissing in your sleep, I might’ve taken a few minutes longer to realize your horse had stopped. Don’t even ask me to repeat what you were saying; I don’t think I’m physically capable of producing such sounds. Though one phrase did sound oddly familiar, observe, observer? Something like that, anyway, before I woke you up, you were hissing that one phrase, whatever it was you were actually saying, over and over again. Like I said, next time you feel like your about to sleep in your saddle, hand the reins off to us so your horse can be lead.” Kython said, dropping the reins and continuing on not knowing it was actually Eldritch Ailnea had been hissing in.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Previously-

Thrugh'lhak looked at Lorenor once the woman had fallen asleep in her room. The mutant had barely touched his dinner, but did so out of respect for his companions and what they would mean to his future. Sitting on a chair, the mutant realized he was being stared after ten full minutes had passed. "You seriously do not intend to go to that place?" Came Thrugh'lhak's voice and the mutant blinked a few times. "I have promised someone that I would guide her to The Pyre itself if need be. I can not back down from my word now. There is a contract in play." Lorenor said honestly. Though he was lawfully evil, he was a man of his word and he took the very nature of the contract exceedingly seriously. So much so, that it made the mutant an almost predictable force of nature. Lorenor took another pull of the drink in his goblet as he continued the conversation with Thrugh'lhak. Deciding that he rather liked the drink, the strange substance was both relaxing and warm at the same time. It had a tangy texture to it.

Filling his goblet once more from the pitcher, the mutant kept his eyes off into deep space, as if staring at some far off location. "Do you even know what the old works state is there?" Hearing that, the mutant shrugged. "For her, I shall face Oblivion. That is what you should know. I cannot return until this deed is taken care of and she no longer needs my assistance. And even then, my purpose would have been taken from me." Lorenor said, a certain sadness in his voice. Frustration was on the Dragonian's face now, and it was an expression of twisting scales. He slammed his hand on the table briefly. The sudden action caused a stare from Xis’tiel and Kythor. "Father?" Kythor asked suddenly animated to a point where Lorenor stood up. Lorenor looked at Thrugh'lhak for a long moment. "I do not wish to disrespect a man in his own house. But Ailnea is my charge. Understand, that before all things that must be, there must be a task that will be done." He turned to look at Kythor for a moment, remembering their earlier discussion.



"But Lorenor, she will bring about a great destruction to our world! She cannot be trusted." Kythor said to the mutant as they sat there outside. The argument had gone on for ten minutes. Lorenor continued to hold the goblet in his hand whilst he sat on the chair. Looking up at Kythor, the mutant kept eye contact with the other man. He noticed that Kythor never once flinched. It was a trait that the mutant admired about the Dragonian. Lorenor put the goblet down on the floor briefly, folded his arms across his chest and stood up. "Do you know the Word of N'Jal?" Lorenor suddenly asked. Kythor nodded. "Aye sir, I do." He said. Lorenor then continued. "Have faith in The Word. For it is written, shall All come to pass." As Lorenor spoke, he noticed that Kythor calmed down briefly. The mutant seemed to have a soothing effect on people around him when he spoke The Word. "I thank you for your concern, but this event is by N'Jal's own doing. I have a part to play as does everyone in the Things that are Not Yet Done." Lorenor smiled for a moment, and then entered the house, followed by Kythor.


Looking at Thrugh'lhak now, the mutant had a stern facial expression that he wore. Almost as a mask. Lorenor kept his arms folded across his chest as he stared at the Chieftain. "I respect where you are coming from, but we must all obey the Will of N'Jal. Right now, the Word states that I must follow Ailnea. Where ever that road may lead." The mutant persisted, even as he saw the other man's eye twitching with frustration. "By the Thayne!" Thrugh'lhak cursed. "You are asking me to potentially sacrifice my eldest boy." Lorenor looked at Kythor for a long moment. "We can study the Word of N'Jal to the end of days here in the village. There is no need to ever go to that place! The scriptures hint that it will be your undoing!" Lorenor nodded, Kythor had also made just such an argument. "It is simply the way things must be." The mutant said. "I am prepared to sacrifice all to N'Jal. This path is the pat that N'Jal has put me on. I shall not waver." Lorenor said. "I am sworn to protect the woman. And that is what shall be done." Lorenor said with a hint of finality in his voice.

"I shall accompany you as far as I can go." Kythor added to the discussion.

***

When the hour had come, Lorenor's horse was alongside Kythor's. The two fellows talked long about various matters. It wasn't until after the event with Ailnea falling asleep that they paid decidedly more attention to the nun. Lorenor constantly kept watch on her, observing all of her strange mannerisms. He'd heard that strange voice she'd spoken in her sleep, and it sounded almost like she spoke in tongues. The mutant thought about the strange words that were whispered from the woman's mouth, but only Kythor was able to discern even a single word. The mutant listened to what Kythor spoke to the girl but decided to stay out of it. He did not want to add any further fuel to the fire. Lorenor was knowingly risking his life, when these people considered him their promised one. Understanding their frustrations, the mutant had to argue in favor of Ailnea. They'd resupplied the trio, and Lorenor smoked from a pipe on the way to the temple. Feeling the effects of the daylight hours, the mutant noticed that a darkness in the swampland clung to his person. The darkness seemed to sooth him, and provide at least a false sense of comfort.

Moving forward, the mutant continued to smoke from the pipe. The old habit remained hard to break ever since that time in Corone.

[Ailnea]

Ailnea rode along, every once in awhile, drifting off. She knew now her experiences were dreams, but something told her they were more than just dreams. Something connected to the temple wanted her to summon it back to the temple. Someone or something that she could only tell Kythor and Lorenor was named The Observer. It made sense then that it’s messengers were detached floating eyes, since it told her it was a massive collection of eyes itself, seeing everywhere, in every second of time, past, present, and future. It saw everything, without exception. The Observer could not speak itself, it could only communicate its intent through psychic imagery, and sometimes even its messengers misinterpreted it’s will. This was the summery gave to her companions of the dreams Ailnea had been having off and on all day, as they made camp that night.

“I think The Observer isn’t mortal like us. I think it is on scale with The Thayne themselves, one of The Eldritch Horrors.” Ailnea finished.

“Great, so why doesn’t the god summon itself back to Althanas?” Kythor snorted.

“It doesn’t work like that. The Thayne created Althanas. They belong here. They cannot be kept from their world; just as The Horrors could not be kept from a place they term The Gulf between Spheres. Gods have to be summoned to places they are not native to, and cannot stay if not even one person will worship them. The Thayne could not stay in the gulf if they were not worshipped there. However, even if, let’s use N’jal as an example. Even is no one worshipped N’jal, she could not be banished from Althanas, except by her own siblings, for she had a hand in Althanas’ creation. But so long as N’jal is worshipped, she can never be banished, at least not forever. Was not such the case with her previous imprisonment in the stars?” Ailnea said.

“I guess. So what, you’re going to go to this temple and fool around with powers you’re not experienced with and try to summon something as powerful as a God to Althanas? What next, experimentations on my village using your newfound powers to see what they can do?” Kythor asked.

“What do you take me for, a mad wizard?” Ailnea asked incredulously.

“I take you for a very foolish person out to mess with things beyond her knowledge. Even one wrong miscasting and you could unleash something that would destroy our world.” Kythor said.

“Perhaps, or perhaps I’m the catalyst that will prevent the very thing already in your world that could destroy it. Did you ever think of that? Did you think perhaps there’s just as much intrigue in divine politics as there is in mortal politics? No, you didn’t did you? You just saw what you wanted to see and ran with it not bothering to look at alternate possibilities.” Ailnea snapped tired of always being attacked.

Sufficiently mollified, Kythor turned away from the fire.

“We reach the temple tomorrow, whatever your outcome might be.” Kythor said sullenly.
For the rest of the night, he would just sit there, and not say a word to anyone, taking first watch, waking Lorenor when it was his turn. Ailnea fell silent as well for the night. Dawn saw a cold meager breakfast from rations and a quiet Kythor who rode slower than normal.

He looked at Ailnea periodically, as if to say something, then seemed to think better of it each time and moved back on ahead. Finally, he could bear the silence no longer, and broke it.

“I’m sorry; I misjudged you and made a rash decision. Please forgive me.” Kythor said.

“Think nothing of it. The past is the past, what’s important now is the future.” Ailnea said, and that was the end of Kythor’s ill temper towards Ailnea. Infact, the two rode side by side, as he pointed out the natural wonders of Deathain, and Ailnea pointed out things twisted by Eldritch magic that most people tend to pretend doesn’t exist because they can’t handle its existence.

Towards midday, Ailnea got a strange feeling, as though her body was trying to do something it was sure it could do, but didn’t know how. A strange sobbing hiss filled the air, and Kythor was on alert. With a nod to Lorenor he took the front, looking around for the source of the sound.

Suddenly Ailnea spotted it a second before Kythor did. It was a man made of a wide variety of snakes. It crawled along the shore, looking at its reflection, and sobbing each time it did so.

“Poor creature, I wonder what happened.” Ailnea said softly.

At the sound of her words the snake thing looked up. Its own existence was a pain far greater than any others could inflict upon it. In its eyes, Ailnea could see bloodlust, for the spilling, the taste of another’s blood was the only thing that relieved its pain even for a second. Eyes locked on Ailnea, it suddenly sprang with such speed that Ailnea would have no time to react.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Kythor lacked the speed that Lorenor possessed. Moving at an incredible movement capacity, the mutant soon bound off the top of his horse, and prepared to intercept the attacking creature. As Lorenor jumped in movement, he drew his prevalida weapon. "Kythor, there are more! Protect Ailnea!" The mutant commanded knowing full well that Kythor would react on instinct, and commanded reaction. Kythor guided his horse quickly so that both sides of the girl were protected whilst she did whatever she was going to do. The eyes of the snake-man were anguished and locked on Ailnea's heaving bosom. Lorenor would never allow such harm to befall his chosen mark. Using his weapon as a blocking device, the mutant was prepared to move against the snake-man. They had no name, but The Endless whispered something in the mutant's mind. Elapidae Hominidus. The beast had copper scales for a hide, and several limbs that were actually poisonous snakes! He had several arms and legs with hands and feet that snapped angrily at the air near to Lorenor's person.

As the snake-man moved, the mutant moved. He blocked incoming attacks with his sword and the creature realized that it could not pierce through such an elegantly made weapon. Immediately, Lorenor attempted to target the master head of the beast, hoping that it contained the central nervous system of the creature. Another of the snake-men manifested from the underbrush and attacked Kythor. The Dragonian drew a masterwork battle-lance and rotated it through the air as he was on the ground beneath them now. As Lorenor fought, Kythor fought. "Ailnea, what in the pyre are these things!?" Kytrhor yelled expecting the nun to know. The mutant continued his attack not having a chance to respond to anything else but focus on the creature's destruction. When the snake-man moved against the mutant, Lorenor used his full speed to evade the attack, and entered a movement meant to take advantage of the blind-side of the beast. Rushing forward at full speed, the mutant moved to the rear of the creature, sent forth a kick to the beast's lower spine in an attempt to begin his attack, and then moved to attempt to decapitate the creature.

There was no hesitation in his coordinated attack. Now the success of the attack depended on a little luck in his favor...

[Ailnea]

Ailnea saw the second creature coming for her.

“Observer, if you want me to summon you, then help me get out of this alive, I believe in you and give you any power such belief may grant you. Come to my side; help me for I cannot help myself.” She called out, in Eldritch, which would sound to others as the vilest concoction of noises ever emitted by a living being.

Across the world, through the planes and over dimensions her words echoed, into a great gulf that lay beyond the Sphere containing all that was Althanas. In response to the words spoken in honesty, great power moved towards the sphere that was Althanas.

Kythor was busy wrestling with the snake that chose him to take its grief out on. He inhaled deeply, and loosed a breath of fire on the thing, his sole blast for the day. It recoiled writhing in agony, and he took the chance it presented, and used his strength and claws to slash open its soft underbelly. As it wrestled with its own insides, trying to keep them in, Kythor stood and smiled. Then he remembered Ailnea, and turned on her.

Ailnea was on the ground struggling to reach a big heavy rock, even as the creature was tightening itself around her, seeking to crush her to death. It was just inches from her reach, and closer to Kythor. Kythor bounded over to Ailnea, accidentally kicking the top of the rock as he went. He dived for the snake, and proceeded to struggle with pulling it off her, but it was too strong. Ailnea meanwhile, the large rock barely in her grasp, picked it up, and proceeded to smash the main snake’s head in with it.

Kythor paled as he heard Ailnea scream when she was bit five times in five different places, and redoubled his efforts. One final smash and the thing went limp. Five more crawled out of the river, but paused, sensing a change, and then fled, as though in fear of an even greater predator. Kythor couldn’t help but notice, the fear they felt was only felt after looking at Ailnea. Was she really here to help, or was she blinding him with an effective lie.

“The temple, I need the temple.” A weakened Ailnea said.

“We’re very nearly there; you’ll be there within the hour. I pray that what you seek will heal you.” Kythor said, looking at Lorenor and hoping he had a cure handy for poison. Despite his doubts, he had grown fond of Ailnea and didn’t want her to die.

It sensed its caller’s life in danger. It had remaining power there; it could help, but only temporarily, unless she fully summoned it. It would go, willingly. It had to fix the mistakes made before all was too late.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Decapitating the creature, the mutant noticed that several more were appearing from the marsh's underbrush. "Shit! They are everywhere!" Then he heard Ailnea's cry. The mutant kicked one of the snake-men square in the chest, it connected, and the creature was sent rolling back into the swamp it came from. Dashing forward, the mutant fought his way towards Ailnea's position. No. There were too many. I need a faster set of weapons here. Lorenor sheathed his longsword, and then, he gathered up the twin mythril daggers he'd earned so many ages ago.

Putting them to some good use, he rotated the two daggers in hand and then when to work. Many slashes later, he'd slit the throats of several of the snake-men as he made his way towards Ailnea. Even the horses were busily kicking creatures in the head. One of the creatures popped up in front of the mutant who reacted by slashing it in the throat. Hissing in agony, the creature fell to ground. Using its body as leverage, the mutant jumped forward at full speed and landed near to Kythor and Ailnea. "Lorenor! She's hurt, and bad too!"

"Kythor! Cover me all right, we'll fight the rest of the way to the temple. There are too many of them." The mutant leaned down and picked up Ailnea with all of his strength. "How fast can you run?" Lorenor asked the Dragonian. "Why run when you can fly?" The man said in return, and Lorenor nodded to that. "Give me some cover and we'll bail out of here." Kythor proceeded to slash his way through some of the nearest creatures. Kythor's wings spread out to their full span and the dragon-lad took off in a mighty leap with knotted muscles. He began to dive bomb towards several of the snake-creatures slamming into them hard.

At the same time, Lorenor activated his flight powers from the particular talisman that contained them. He prepared to will himself up and off the ground, when three of the snake-men appeared. He barely evaded the incoming attack. Flying over their heads, Lorenor followed Kythor even as several of the snake-men snapped at Lorenor's feet with their snake-limbs. The mutant moved forward, he saw the temple just ahead. "Kythor! It's over there!" Lorenor held Ailnea tightly to his person. He would protect his very life if need be.

They were almost at the temple.

(Feel free to bunny bro)

[Ailnea]

Kythor was carrying Ailnea that was all she knew. She was fading fast; darkness was slowly covering her eyes, each breath harder than the last. Visions overtook her mind, some her own, others she knew was not her own.
....
She was a young girl again running through the halls of the monastery in The Citadel. She ran into someone and fell back. She looked up to see a bald person, but whether it was a bald man, or a bald woman, Ailnea simply could not tell for his, or her, body was androgenus. It was the first time she had ever encountered anyone that looked to be both male and female at once.

“I’m sorry sir, ma’am, I didn’t mean to run into you.” She said apologetically.

“Impudent twit, watch where your going, and don’t flit about in such a vulgar manner. Speed alone gets you nowhere, only by honing your mind can you hope to achieve success.” The person said. Even their voice was androgenus.

The person walked off, but stopped and said over their shoulder “Oh yes, I am Akim, Grandmaster in the order. I am also male, don’t you dare forget it, or the one hundred lashes you will receive for this incident will seem like a holiday.” The person said, and disappeared.

…..

She was something massive. She did not know how she knew, but she knew she was at least four times the size of Althanas. She instinctively knew that anyone looking at her would see only a mass of tentacles, claws, and eyes. She was The Envoy, messenger of The Eldritch Horrors. She was looking down at Althanas, but it was such a very long time ago, even The Eternal Tap was still in one piece. It had not even been discovered yet.

A smile spread across her hidden mouth, she had been invited there, to the ripe fresh world she gazed upon. So much innocence, so much naivety masquerading under the disguise of gods who thought themselves evil, but had no idea what the concept truly was. She would show them what it really meant to be evil.

…..

She was running through the halls again, a few months older, and a little wiser to be on the lookout for what was ahead of her. The scars were all gone, thanks to a sympathetic healer, but her fear of ever running into the Grandmaster kept her on her guard. Someone darted out in front of her, she could not stop!

As bodies collided and Ailnea fell to the floor, she scooted away in a hurry; afraid the monk would report her to Akim. It felt like she had hit a wall, he was so solidly built.

“Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you!” She cried, breaking out into tears in fear of another set of lashes.
“Hah! Why so fearful, I didn’t look to see if anyone was coming, it was more my fault than anything. Besides, if I can’t take what was essentially a full body tackle by a small whelp like you I should retire to the countryside. Come, there is no need for tears, I’m certainly not hurt, you’re not either, are you?” the powerful older monk said.

“No sir, please don’t report me to Akim for this, I won’t do it again.” Ailnea cried.

“Why would I report you to Akim, you’re not one of his neophytes, I can tell. Since your not one of his, I could easily do anything I wanted myself, but I won’t, because nothing more needs to be done, except, promise me you’ll use an arena or a proper training room next time you feel like running?” the man asked.

“Yes sir, I promise. If I may ask, who are you?” Ailnea asked, stopping her tears.

“I am Onox, Grandmaster. Say, this is unusual, a monk that doesn’t know the leaders of our order? Your teachers have been neglecting your training, I’ll have a word with them about that.

…..

The Envoy had landed in a great swamp that merged with a forest, and transmuted itself into a mighty temple of stone reducing its size throughout the entire process. At the center of the structure, it took the shape of a pyramid with graduated steps so big only a giant could climb them. From within came a being that could’ve passed for an ordinary human, a woman with blond hair and blue eyes, a woman that looked exactly like Ailnea…

~~
Kythor landed outside the barrier and whistled in surprise. In place of the dense forest this area was known for, there were only fallen trees. Littered here and there were parts of the bodies of two dead swamp dragons.

“Lorenor, take point. I think something REALLY wanted to get through here. I’m afraid it’s probably waiting for us. Yes, I smell it. Human? I did not think a human that strong would be here. No, it’s different. There’s more than one, Human, Elven, Dwarven, Halfling, all types. THEIR APPROACHING!” Kythor shouted.

Indeed, a group of fifty Aibrone monks seemingly materialized out of the destruction. Ignoring Lorenor and Kythor, one of them immediately ran over to Ailnea.

“Ailnea! What has happened to you? Quick brothers, get her to the tents, she’s dying! We have to heal her.”

“You touch her, you die. How do I know that you won’t simply finish her off?” Kythor said.

“Because I trust them with my life, hand her over. If anyone can save her, it is them.” Lorenor said.

The monk seemed to only now register the fact that Lorenor and Kythor existed. He was one of the few monks that liked Ailnea, and to see her injured shocked him. Though Lorenor himself remembered that the fae at the tourist center warned them these monks had come ahead, he had no choice but to trust them, for Ailnea’s sake, otherwise he would have joined Kythor in his distrust.

Kythor refused to hand her over.

“No, I’ve taken her this far, I see this through to the end, lead the way then.” Kythor said.

Through what was essentially a tunnel they went. It had been carved through the super-dense undergrowth. Over their heads, all the bushes and branches enter-wove themselves into a sort of super-organism.

It let out into a great clearing, at the center of which stood piles upon piles of stone In the center stood part of a ruined temple. It looked in part like a pyramid, but the sides were not one single smooth slope. Instead, they were a series of graduating steps so tall; only a giant could climb them. A staircase of smaller stairs tan to the top upon which stood an alter with an orange glowing object on top of it. Its energies ran down the entire temple, and flowed through the clearing, disappearing as it went. When Ailnea entered the clearing, the entire field changed, and began to pull towards her, flowing like a river into her body.

That was of little concern to the monks who worked quickly to heal Ailnea. Kythor told them strange snake creatures poisoned her, and they worked even harder. It seemed they would fail, but at the last possible moment, she pulled through, and seemed to be sleeping peacefully, naturally.

“We’ll let her rest until tomorrow. Really I’m glad she arrived in time, I wasn’t sure she’d make it before passing.” A new voice said. It was Androgenus, and it was impossible to tell if the speaker was male or female. A bald monk the others gave deference to entered the tent, speaking as he/she came.

Kythor bristled and snarled, immediately untrusting of this stranger.

“My, such immediate distrust of her benefactor, I’m hurt Draconian. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Grandmaster Akim, I have known Ailnea since she was newly born, for I attended her birth myself. Really I am glad she pulled through, she’s the missing key to the puzzle here you know, the one thing that will allow me to achieve my objective.” The man said introducing himself.

“And what would that be?” Lorenor asked, placing one hand protectively on Ailnea. He had heard stories of this Grandmaster from other monks, and knew he was anything but friendly towards Ailnea.

“Ahh, the young neophyte Lorenor! What a joy to see two of my favorite monks traveling together. I’ll tell you what my goal is. Oh, others will tell you my goal is madness, but it is love instead. I love Althanas; I would give my life for it. Indeed, I love all life upon it, regardless of what path they take through life. There is a balance to this world you see, and N’jal is a necessary part of it. Indeed, all the dark gods are, just as all the other gods are. They influence the world and inturn shape the destinies of all mortals, no matter how indirectly. You see, they are the ones that set the order by which the world works. It is by them that the world turns as it does, why grass grows as it does, indeed, even why things evolve as they do. Yes, evolve. Evolution is why I am here, for the great balance is off.

You must understand one thing, if a thing does not change, it becomes obsolete, and eradicated. This is something the monks of AIbrone have observed in nature, tested, and found to be true. Yet, it pains me to no end knowing that Althanas has reached an Evolutionary plateau. It has in essence, reached a place where it cannot climb any higher. Don’t you think it odd that Alerar is the only country with advanced machinery? Don’t you find it strange that Scara Brae is always at peace with everyone? What of Corone? Why can’t it develop flying ships? Why must it be stuck in what is a comparative dark age? Why Corone? Why can’t Raiaera develop technology to rival Alerar? Why just technology? Why not magic? Well, I’m sure you can see for myself what I mean. And it’s not just development. The nations are constantly eyeing one another with suspicion. Alliances are formed and lost. You’d think by now they’d make some sort of an international political body, an organization neutral to all nations where they could meet and discuss their concerns peacefully.

As I said, we’ve reached a plateau. Soon, things will become far worse than they already are. Haven’t you ever met someone, and felt like you’ve met them before as a character in a story? Haven’t you ever done something, and feel like it was a story that’s already been told before? If not, then you will unless something is done about it. If things are left as they are, if the great balance is not corrected, then Althanas will die. All the stories will be told, all the characters made. Nothing new will ever occur, and the powers of the gods will lose their potency. Everything will be an empty hollow husk of what it once was, and worse than death, everything will simply be, neither living nor dying, neither moving nor remaining still. The world will slowly disappear, and then, this world that I love so much, will be gone.

Yet, there is hope, there is a way to save this world, which is why Ailnea is so important. Her alien gods, it has been said they touch many worlds. I intend to take their power, and as an act of tough love, turn it against Althanas. Faced with something new, Althanas will be forced to evolve once more, break through the barrier, and enter an unstoppable self-repeating cycle of evolution. Only Ailnea can unlock that power. Only Ailnea can save Althanas from its own demise. Parents show tough love to their children. Now we must show our world tough love to save it.” Akim said.

Kythor looked at Lorenor for a sign as to what to do. He didn’t know the stories of Akim, he didn’t know this man wasn’t someone to just brush off. Akim was a deadly man, and was known to be able to kill with thoughts alone; such was the strength of his mind. He didn’t need to threaten Lorenor, his reputation alone was threat enough to not fight him. Even still, he had control over all the monks he brought with him, making them sorely outnumbered. It was all in Ailnea’s hands, once she woke up and learned what was going on.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Hearing the man's words, Lorenor eyed Akim for a long time.

Ailnea was asleep, and the mutant stood alongside her person. Kythor was not too far off. Lorenor looked in Kythor's general direction, and then back to Akim. This is madness. Forced evolution? Using Ailnea as the key for a great destruction? N'Jal herself would not approve of this. Monks monitored Ailnea carefully to ensure that the healing process went off without a hitch. It was a mixed blessing that they had found the Monks when they had, otherwise, Ailnea might never had made it on her own. Lorenor had one option, but he was certain that Ailnea would never accept becoming one of the Forsaken.

Listening to Akim as he spoke, the mutant came up with one final conclusion. He is totally insane! He intends to use the power of the Eldricht Horrors on Althanas...this man must be stopped. Lorenor looked at Ailnea with a mixture of emotions in his heart. What was it that he felt towards the girl? Did he love her? He wasn't sure. But Ailnea's plight represented the world's plight. Whatever were Ailnea's talents, he wasn't certain they weren't meant to be used in that fashion.

Akim looked at Lorenor with a worried expression on his face.

"Why don't you say something? Not just everybody ever gets to hear of my master plan." Akim said. "With the use of Ailnea's power, we can save Althanas from stagnation!" Then, Akim extended his hand towards Lorenor, a gesture which shocked the mutant. "Join me Lorenor." The Elder Monk said with great emotion. "If you join me, I'll be certain you are rewarded and achieve rankings of power you could never achieve within the Order on your own." He waited for Lorenor's response.

"Lorenor, you're not seriously considering listening to this man?" Kythor said, who was all but ignored.

Akim was only interested in Lorenor's allegiance, and Lorenor alone.

Akim knew what Lorenor carried inside of him, and the Monk understood that they were entering an Age of Prophecy.

"All of the components have alinged to this very moment. We are all staring history in the face! Our children will remember this moment forever."

Lorenor looked at Ailnea's sleeping face. Then, as he stared at the young, beautiful girl, the mutant heard N'Jal's voice.



Oh my Paladin.

Heed my words well. For they are the Truth. Your Truth, our Truth, the Truth of Althanas itself. The Word of N'Jal is the Way.

The Order has become a stagnant organization. However, this man speaks the Truth. Yet, it is not for him to decide what happens to this child before. The legacy of Ailnea will be the legacy of Lorenor. It will be the legacy of Althanas. You must stick to your original decree and protect Ailnea at all costs.

The Eldritch Gods cannot be trusted, but Ailnea can.

Remember my words young Paladin, you must protect Ailnea with your life. The Seed you will plant into her is crucial for the Grand Scheme.



And N'Jal went silent. Lorenor looked at Akim, and a shadow befell his face.

"You intend to kill her, is this not true?" Lorenor accused.

"She will not survive the extraction process. She will most certainly die, but it is a necessary sacrifice in order to save Althanas." Akim kept his hand for Lorenor to take. "Please. Join with me Lorenor, together we can save Althanas!" Akim had a hopeful expression on his face.

Lorenor looked at Ailnea for a long moment, leaving Akim hanging on purpose. It was the purpose of the Monks to protect the innocent and Akim was talking about sacrificing one of his own. The needs of the many far outweigh the needs of the few or the one. Lorenor knew that Althanas had been around for a long time before Lorenor and Akim, and it will be around a long time after them. Who were they to bring about such a climatic change that would bring about the loss of many innocent life forms? Whilst Lorenor was lawful evil, he had a sense of honor and an appreciation for life as a precious gift. As a leech himself, he'd obtained that sense of importance towards life. Lorenor passed a hand through Ailnea's hair. A strange expression crossed his face.

"She is so beautiful when she sleeps. I am just noticing that right now."

"Lorenor, now is not the time for that!" Kythor responded.

"Have you ever stopped and just look at how beautiful she is?" Lorenor continued. "So what she keeps secrets within her, we all have our secrets, why should she die because of them?"

"Her gift is not her fault. It is simply being born in the wrong place at the wrong place. I swore an oath to protect her Akim. You wish to take her away from me." Lorenor suddenly became angry. "Ailnea belongs to me!"

"Her future will not be decided by us, but by her own free will!"

Suddenly, Lorenor drew his prevalida weapon. "I am not afraid of change, and to face you would bring about great change!" He looked at Akim. "In the name of the Order, Akim, I hereby proclaim that you are unfit to lead us!" And the mutant ran at Akim. "Kythor, protect Ailnea at all costs, I will deal with this usurper of the Order!"

[Ailnea]

Ailnea was confused, she felt like she was swimming, as though in an ocean, yet all she saw was a great empty darkness around her. Then she felt something massive around her, and her mind was filled with pictures and scenes from other times and places.

“Welcome home, we’re so glad to have you back sister!” an average looking human man was saying. He was on a strange black surface with white lines, filled with an assortment of odd looking metal objects on four wheels. Giant metal objects roared overhead, cylinders in shape, flying like Alerarian airships.

“I thought you were gone for good.” A black haired elven woman cried as she hugged a wounded elven man close in a forest with pouring rain.

“The presence I felt, was it you?” a timid and frail looking old man asked a floating spirit. They were in an old church, light pouring in through broken stained glass windows and filtered by flying dust and hanging cobwebs.

“I don’t understand, who are you, where am I, what do you look like, for that matter, what’s going on, am I dead?” Ailnea asked.

Suddenly, she saw a large crowd of people laughing. Then it changed to two guards on top of a castle overlooking an empty and thoroughly unremarkable plain.
“Wait, you’re serious aren’t you? This is worse than I thought.” One of the men said.

……….

Akim smiled as Lorenor charged him with his sword. He made an attempt at blocking and trying to dodge just to lead him on, but in the end, let Lorenor kill him. Akim faded away laughing, as a dead Neophyte fell to the ground.

He reappeared occupying the spot where Ailnea was.

“Murdering an innocent bystander, now that’s a serious charge. Now my illusion is overlaying Ailnea’s body, will you kill her too, or is your mind too addled with rage to think properly? I could legally have you killed here on the spot you know, you did just commit murder. However, I think I will just wait and tell the other Grandmasters. But Onox, Honored Elder, I tried to stop him but he caught us by surprise, and murdered one of his brothers in cold blood. We only tried to help Ailnea, but alas, we got to her too late. Worse yet, we discovered a small hamlet in Dheathain as we were returning with the prisoner, all the people there were killed by his hand as well. He forced the village chief’s son to watch as his own son was killed in a most brutal manner. I know we remain neutral, but surely in this matter, we can set that aside and neutralize this threat once and for all.” Akim said, repeating exactly what he would tell the others.

“Oh don’t look so surprised Kythor, I’m a Psion, I can read your mind like an open book, I just didn’t think it would be a children’s book. I know of your pitiful hamlet, and can easily carry out my threat. I walked right through there with all these monks. I know, you don’t remember a thing, I erased your memories. However, I will make you a deal Kythor, after all, you wouldn’t want to side with a cold-blooded murderer, now would you? What would your son say, your precious, tender little son? I might keep him alive, little boys are so precious you know. Sorry, got distracted there, where was I, oh yes, a deal. Side with me, and I’ll forget your whole part in this, and I’ll let your village live. I won’t even lay a hand on your little boy.” Akim said smiling.

“You keep you hands off my son you sick bastard, or I’ll find out where you really are and show you just how I feel about people like you.” Kythor said.

“As for you Lorenor, your life is on the line, the citadel was the last safe haven you had, the one spot where no one could touch you. Isn’t it a pity we will have to make an exception for the first time in the order’s history? That is, if you don’t go along and help me get the power of the Eldritch Horrors. Of course if your still feeling violent, I know where to find a couple Knights of Dawn, fine fellows too, their prowess in battle equals your own, I’m sure two at once wouldn’t be a problem. Of course, they ARE captains, so their troops would HAVE to come along too, so I’m certain a couple dozen Knights of Dawn won’t be a problem for you, even if you are bound and gagged at the time, completely disarmed of all your weapons and armor. I know they would love to hear how you killed an innocent monk and turned against us, shall I go fetch them?” Akim said. One thing was for certain, he knew how to make a good threat.

………….

Ailnea was trying to make sense of what this strange presence wanted, but since it realized she did not know anything, it had gone silent.

“I would suggest you go back where you came from.” A dangerous looking knight on horseback said aiming a crossbow at a thief.

“But there’s a problem.” A guy in a white coat said to another in a metal room.

Suddenly, Ailnea could see outside her own body, and witnessed everything that transpired since she was taken to the temple, and healed, right up to the point where Akim made his threats. No one was aware of her extra presence, no one would be aware of her extra presence.

Then she saw herself, a short time into the future, she grabbed a glowing orange crystal and read an inscription beneath it.

“You just call me once everything is ready, I’ll take care of everything.” A confident looking man was saying to an evil looking man.

Then, she felt herself shooting upwards, as though towards the surface of a great lake.

………….
Before Lorenor could answer Akim’s threat, Ailnea’s body visibly buckled as though hit by a heavy blow, distorting Akim’s illusion in the process. She sat up gasping for air.

“Don’t even bother Lorenor, I know. I don’t quite know who helped me but I shall assume it was a spirit of some sort. I watched as though I were a spirit outside of time and space. I know of Akim’s plan, and the threats he made. I know what he wants, and, I will give it to him, but understand, it is not apart of me, it’s apart of the temple. I’ll translate for him, and help him undergo the rituals.” Ailnea said after she recovered her breath. As she fell silent, she gave a slight wink to Lorenor to let him know, it was ok.

“Well, that’s more like it. Kythor and Lorenor will remain here then.” Akim said.

“Oh no, that’s not possible. Everyone has to come; the more bodies the more powerful the ritual. You wouldn’t want the powers of a second rate nobody would you?” Ailnea said.

“Hmm, you have a point.” Akim said, and disappeared.

“Have you gone crazy?” Kythor hissed.

“Kythor, whatever made you think I was sane to begin with? she asked, to which Kythor could not think of a suitable answer.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

I never meant for this to happen... Lorenor thought to himself as he looked down upon the body of the fallen warrior.

A monk had perished at his own hands, a neophyte at that. They were all neophytes at one point or another, even the Grand Masters. Lorenor's body shivered with rage like a caged beast. Yet, he was powerless against Akim. He's a fucking Grand-Master! I couldn't even protect her, I...I couldn't save her... Then, he suddenly felt her presence return to the room. Somehow, she was far away during this entire time period, but she had returned to them just then. Lorenor turned towards the girl for a moment. Damn. Even like this I am helpless. I need more power... Lorenor thought to himself. He needed to be able to one day defeat, even a Grand Master.

Despite the fact that Lorenor had the N'Jal Protocol within his body, he could do nothing.

Despite the fact that Lorenor had the entire Necronomicon in his possession, he could still do nothing. What was it that he lacked? What was he missing?

Shaking his head, the mutant could do nothing but face his fate. Then, a new turn of events happened. When the hamlet was threatened, Lorenor was about to act but Ailnea intervened. The mutant found himself in an extremely uncomfortable spot. I am helpless. Just when he was about to accept fate was when Ailnea apparently saved the day. He saw the winking gesture, sheathed his weapon and prepared to simply go along. He looked down at the body of the neophyte. Sorry kid. This was not your fault.

"Let's get this over with then." Lorenor chose to ignore Akim for the time being. He did not have the power for a direct-assault. At least not yet.

However, the time would come...

[Ailnea]

Ailnea began to feel strange, the sensation starting shortly after she awoke. She knew it had to be the energies of this place, because she was Eldritch, and so were the energies. It was like one magnet attracting another. She could almost feel her body drinking in the rich energies. They made her feel good; the sensation of euphoria they brought on was addictive.

She climbed the small steps to the top and everyone had to stop and catch their breath at the top. There was an Altar; it was more like a pedestal than something designed for sacrifice. On the pedestal was a cracked orange sphere from which leaked all the magic her body was absorbing. She put her hands on it and felt a wave of power rush through her, it was overwhelming, making Ailnea become thoroughly addicted to the powers of The Eldritch. Raising the crystal and holding it to her chest, she cradled the orb like a newborn baby. Then she noticed the inscription on the pedestal, and remembered what she had to do.

“Hy’nsh magorna, ysn’grna, haeia Xlrn’envthy. Mrsmsm’dm, simry qlkotec, haeia Xlm’envthy. Rsterie lexostia.” Ailnea at first read aloud, then chanted repeatedly. The orange sphere grew bright, and Akim waited with eager anticipation, thinking this was it.

The power leaked from the orb had spread out across Dheathain, becoming weaker as it went, more unnoticeable. Yet now an unseen force reached out for that magic, drawing it back in, as powerful in the far reaches, as it was at the temple. The energies began rushing back toward the temple, gathering size and power as they went, rolling like a tsunami. Collecting all Eldritch energies as they went, only the normal magic of Althanas remained. Even the creatures affected by Eldritch magic returned to normal suddenly.

It had taken well over a century for the power to leak to the farthest reaches of Dheathain, yet now it took only about one hundred seconds for it all to return, shrouding the entire clearing in a dense fog none could see through. A low rumbling could be heard, and as the fog cleared, as though a thunderstorm had arrived. The forest around them creaked and groaned, and the eldritch energies broke upon the temple like water. When the fog was gone, all could see the temple visibly repairing itself. Cracks sealed themselves shut, and outlying buildings around the main temple rebuilt themselves. They could hear deeper groaning inside the temple, as the internal structures rebuilt and repaired themselves.

The fog had all condensed and coalesced upon Ailnea. She felt lost inside it, becoming apart of something else that was somehow still her, a drop of water becoming one with the ocean. Then it all died away as the fog disappeared, and by all appearances, it took Ailnea with it, leaving a horrifying monster in its place.

This thing had a face like most humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes and Halflings. Two eyes, a nose, a mouth, ears. Except this thing’s eyes were simply two large blue discs. There were no pupils, no whites, and no other color. Just two fields of cerulean. It had hair, but it was like a living thing. It slithered about like snakes, rustled about like a massive swarm of cockroaches crawling over each other. Then it stood, for previously it had been on its knees, its torso hunched over its knees. As it stood, its robe fell open slightly, and proved to be a female monster. Most curiously, it was wearing the very same robes Ailnea was wearing, and Kythor began to get even more suspicious. On its hands were long curved claws, like daggers. Last of all, was its flesh. The entire monster was one uniform shade of grey, as if it was a living rock. Its eyes were the only variation in color. It matched the temple it stood upon completely in color.

Everyone stared in shock and horror at the sight of the thing before them. It took a deep breath, and upon exhaling, breathed out a puff of smoke. Akim kneeled before it.

“As satisfying as this image is, I won’t give you my powers Akim, you don’t deserve them. I am, well, never mind who I am, my name is unspeakable in your tongue, and if you were to try, I would have to rip out your tongue and tie your vocal cords together. Akim, I’d be happy to oblige if you really wanted to speak my name properly. I took Ailnea’s place in this world. You may call me The Envoy, for it is as close to my real name as you will ever get. I am one of The Eldritch Horrors. If you really want to gain Eldritch power, then rise and follow me inside, I know of a way that doesn’t require me giving you any power at all.” The monster said, introducing itself. Its voice grated in one’s mind, for it sounded like many voices speaking as one in a place with an echo, attacking one’s very sanity.

She descended past Akim, stopped, and looked at Lorenor and Kythor.

“These two, they will come with us. All the rest will be destroyed if they enter my body, my temple upon which we stand, of this I promise.” She said, turning back to Akim.

Standing next to her, there certainly was an unusual feeling of horror that radiated from her body, inspiring unrelenting fear in those that felt it. Most of the monks couldn’t resist, and were slowly backing away. Kythor and Lorenor, two experienced warriors, would most likely be able to resist, much like they could resist the effect of her voice, but would still feel some of it. Akim was too much in awe of what he was in the presence of to even bother with any other feeling. Suddenly The Envoy turned back to Kythor and Lorenor, and gave them a quick telling wink, then moved on.

Ailnea knew it was her speaking, it was her doing everything, but she felt like a child in an adult’s body, everything was so strange. She was afraid Akim would discover she wasn’t The Envoy, that the absorption of so much power broke her mother’s protective spell that made her look human. Her words were based on the memories she had that were clearly someone else’s memories, and the reaction of the strange nameless presence she had encountered in the void. She prayed hard to whoever would listen that the inside of the temple would help her.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Initially, the wave of power flowed across Dheathain proper and cascaded into the orb that Ailnea held. A few moments later, there was a great transformation. The mutant looked upon the visage of the Eldritch Horror, and saw not a thing to fear, but a thing of beauty. Being a creature of the Living Dark, Lorenor was impressed at the entity he saw before him. The panic aura, or presence of horrors, flowed through the mutant's body and awakened the nano-virus within his vessel.

Lorenor fell to his knees as the beautiful savage before him gathered her newly acquired power. It was a thing to behold. Lorenor allowed his knuckles to rub against the solid stone beneath him. With his senses peaked at the presence of the Living Dark, the mutant could feel and sense things that most would miss. The wave of Eldritch energies passed across the mutant also filling him with visions of terrifying sights.

Able to see the glowing energy passing across the stone, it was a beautiful color. Vibrant and alive, the power carried with it sounds and voices. The mutant could hear whispers of some entities calling to him, lulling him with their promise of power. However, a curious thing happened as well. As the mutant was tempted to submit to the Will of the Eldritch Horrors, a powerful vision coursed through his immense mind.

This vision was of a shadowy organism. A manifestation of the Living Dark, the entity was the Darkness itself. Staring at the mutant with eyes made of pure unadulterated power, Lorenor bowed down before the being. He knew that it was the Dark Lady, N'Jal. I can never leave you. I am always with you, I shall always be your Paladin. Forgive me Ailnea, but I can never be a part of your people though I long for it. I am a Spider-Magi... Lorenor thought to himself as he stood up in time to notice The Envoy winking. The mutant nodded at the instructions and proceeded to walk closely to Ailnea's person. He looked at Akim as Akim followed...I am going to kill you.

The mutant thought to himself.

[Ailnea]

“So, Ailnea, is she, dead?” Akim asked, curious to know the young girl's fate.

Ailnea, leading the way down, narrowed her brows in anger.

“How dare he be concerned with my fate now?” She thought.

“No. She is with us, in the black sea beyond the stars. She is home, among her people. She will not be returning to Althanas, ever again. Even I will be leaving shortly, the only connection to The Eldritch will be you.” Ailnea said.

She turned, and entered the temple. At her touch, the walls lit up, banishing the darkness with their light. There was writing on the walls. Ailnea stopped to touch some of it.

“What does it say, is it what we need?” Akim asked.

Ailnea read the walls quickly.

“These are my memories, tales of what I have done here on Althanas, and my knowledge of The Eldritch. I shall read some of them to you.” Ailnea said.

In time immemorial I fell from the sky. On this spot, I turned my body to stone, and from it, created a temple from which to send forth my spirit into The World. Something had called to us, wanted us here, and so I came to answer its call.

After five years of investigation, I discovered that which called us was actually the rebirth of the world upon which I landed. Once it was known as Tanthanas, yet now it seemed, it would be called Althanas. I walked the world, to enjoy its fresh young beauty, encountering many marvelous sights. Yet it was not to be. Thinking I was here to take what was theirs, they killed me.

I was reborn, days later, from the flesh of their children. After growing into the form of an adult human female over several years, I reached out to the gods, and explained the truth. I then challenged them to a contest. Whomever could take more followers, was clearly the stronger pantheon.

From there, I set forth into the world. The contest was supposed to last 5,000 years, it has been over 15,000 years, and still, they will not give back what is ours, even though the contest is a draw.

“You mean to tell me there's some sort of an ongoing contest with you and the Thayne?” Kythor asked, interrupting Ailnea's narrative.

“Yes. It ended ages ago. Yet they will not return what is ours, so we will not return what is theirs. This was to be Ailnea's task, to act as intermediary. It is why she was born on Althanas, and raised by The Aibrone monks. To be the neutral party, whose hands could extend into both worlds, and end our private feud with the gods of Althanas. But it is too late now. Because of Akim, we are unable to send her back. Instead, we will simply have to settle things the hard way, and invade Althanas with the full might of The Eldritch Horrors. We will turn your oceans to fire, your lands to blood, and your air to pestillence. We will devour your dead, and assimilate your living. Lastly, we will destroy your gods, and rule Althanas as an extension of The Black Sea, The Gulf between Spheres.” Ailnea said, making things up on the spot.

Akim looked delighted by the foretelling of Althanas's destruction.

“Excellent, I couldn't have planned it better myself!” Akim said, exuberent.

“Yet you still desire our power, the power of madness?” Ailnea asked.

“Yes.” Akim said, looking greedy.

Kythor felt disgusted.

“Well, I guess that's up to The Observer, now isn't it?” she asked.

This temple was filled with traps, of many varieties. She triggered one on purpose, a pressure plate in the floor. It wasn't hard to see, what looked to most to be cracked tiles, was actually tiles with writing on them. This one read “Time Delay arrow trap”.

Akim narrowly dodged the arrows as they flew out of the walls.

“What was that for?” he demanded angrily.

“Simple. I'm not going to keep any of you safe from my traps and tricks. I'm going to throw ever single one of them at you. If you can't keep alive all the way to the inner sanctum, then you don't deserve to be mad. Yet, you have to keep the other two alive as well. I'm going to cut out their hearts. I'm going to eat one, and sacrifice the other to The Observer to bring him here.” Ailnea said in as cold hearted a tone as she could muster.

It convinced Akim, who had yet to try and read her mind.

“Fine. I'll keep them alive. I deserve madness for my dedication.” Akim said.

Ailnea smiled. It was a well known fact in Althanas, one she would use against Akim. Be careful what you wish for, you might get it. If she kept him wishing for madness long enough, when she did figure out how to summon The Observer, and succeed in doing so, his fervent wishing for madness would allow The Observer to drive him insane. If he was as powerful as Ailnea suspected he was, then surely The Observer already knew of this plan.

Kythor meanwhile groaned, as he began looking about with far more suspicion than normal. He only hoped Ailnea wouldn't share anymore of her memories. Ancient history fascinated him, and it proved to be distracting.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

What am I doing here? A follower of N'Jal?! This woman now reveals herself to be my enemy, yet I am sworn by an oath to protect her. What is it that I am feeling? I need answers... Lorenor thought to himself as he listened for the call of the N'Jal Protocol. However, in this temple where The Observer lurked, the connection was quiet. Some outside force was interfering with his connection to the N'Jal Protocol. Shaking his head, Lorenor looked at Akim for a moment. He could see Akim staring back at him with a furious expression on his face after she'd triggered the trap purposefully. I don't need your help to stay alive. Lorenor thought to himself as he stared at Akim. Feeling the sentient structure of the temple, the mutant switched his vision so that he could see the Antifirmanent. The temple had gray walls now, and markings that seemed burned into the walls. These markings reacted in the Antifirmanent to the mutant's presence. Lorenor looked at the markings and studied it for a moment. They were messing with his head, as he stared at the markings, they appeared to move in various ways.

Some of the marks appeared to grow larger, others, smaller. Some symbols even moved on their own, rotating to different positions on the walls. The mutant started to get a migraine by looking at the symbols. Something seemed dreadfully familiar to the mutant, something about the symbols reminded him of something he read long ago. Staring for a moment longer, the mutant knew that he did not have the intellectual capacity to decipher the symbols on his own. He therefore could not tell if Ailnea was lying to them or not.

Lorenor turned to look at Ailnea after her grand speech. Remembering the wink, he knew that she had some sort of a plan. He turned his attention back to Akim with a frown and pondered killing him right on the spot. There was just Kythor, Akim, Ailnea, and himself. He knew that Kythor would help him.

"Lorenor. You know something we don't?" It was Kythor speaking.

The mutant turned towards his newly acquired friend. He stared at Ailnea for a long moment. Distrust clearly on his face. Lorenor knew the odds, they were in a exceedingly dangerous place dealing with Gods that were from an entirely different pantheon. It could all be bullshit. The loyalist part of him wanted to smash Ailnea to a pulp for singing blasphemies that went against everything that N'Jal's High Priest believed to be true. He clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles popped. He was in a viper's den surrounded by vipers. Lorenor turned towards the entrance for a moment.

He knew that he had to make certain decisions based on his trust of the dark lady, N'Jal. The mission was clear: I have to protect Ailnea at all costs. Even from herself. Turning towards Kythor, the mutant knew the score well. He probably did not stand a chance against The Observer, but the mutant had a trick up his sleeve. He turned to look at Akim and a smile crossed his face for a moment. I'll use you as a meat-bag when the shit hits the fan.

"I've still got a job to do." Lorenor said calmly. He turned to look at Ailnea. "Let's do what we came here to do." He had to contain the venom in his voice when he spoke. He was clearly not a happy camper.

[Ailnea]

There are things of this world I do not understand. In my continuing efforts to resolve the conflict, I have discovered that the very energy that called us here, still holds us here. I have found the one who uses it, one of the Thayne, the very gods that first killed me. If she wants me to stay, why does she tell me to go?

I have walked among her followers, and they are all sheep, blind to the lies she spins around them, agreeing to false promises and begging for more.

Ailnea stopped reading the walls. Memories and knowledge of this other being were coming to her the longer she stayed in this place. If she could just kill Akim, everything would work out.

“Who is she talking about?” Kythor asked, but was ignored by Ailnea.

“Now, Akim, here is a challenge for you. It's a necessary one, or I can't summon Observer.” Ailnea said, and ran into a small room. Akim followed.

“SAVE ME!” Ailnea cried, wrapping her arms around a skeletal giant.

Akim laughed, and then suddenly stopped as blood seeped out of the floor and wrapped itself around the bones of the giant. Muscles and organs began growing out of the flowing blood, which then covered everything and turned to flesh. With a flash, the giant became armored in steel chain mail and leather breeches. A helmet with sapphires adorned its head, and it wielded a large spiked club.

It picked up Ailnea in its left, its club in its right.

“Ailnea? It's been a long time. I see you've dropped that ugly human disguise and resumed your true, natural form. It's far more beautiful than anything else.”

“AILNEA! YOU LIED TO ME, YOU ARE NOT THE ENVOY?” Akim roared.

“No, tiny thing, she did not. Ailnea is a goddess of the Eldritch pantheon. Ailnea is a translation of her true name into Althanas Common. Her true name sounds like thunder rolling near an exploding mountain during an earthquake. Obviously difficult for one such as you to pronounce. Thus why they name themselves simply in common based on their purpose. My lady Envoy, allow me to defend you.” the giant said.

Ailnea was set down in a corner, and she simply sat down, dazed and confused by the giant's message. She wasn't a goddess. An Eldritch creature yes, but one of the Horrors? No. It had to be wrong. It had to be another Ailnea. She began to cry, confused by this entire event.

Akim snarled and shot a bolt of pure Psionic energy at the giant. The helmet flashed brilliantly, and absorbed it. Akim paled, as the giant swung its club, and demolished part of the floor when he missed Akim. Ailnea screamed out as pain flooded her body unexpectedly.

Kythor's eyes widened in realization.

“By the dark lady, she meant it literally when she said this temple was her body. If we let that giant continue, then Ailnea will be killed by her own guardian! Akim is obviously unable to effect it, for I noticed how the helmet glowed when he attacked. I may not understand everything, but Ailnea is my friend. The rest is just details that can be worked out later.” Kythor said.

He launched himself at the giant, and grabbed on by the shoulders. The giant bellowed its fury and backpedaled into a wall, smashing Kythor up against it, knocking him unconcious. He would've fallen, but he got caught in the giant's chain mail.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Piecing things together rather quickly, Lorenor knew what he had to do. The temple was Ailnea. Lorenor had followed them quietly into the other chamber and heard everything. He saw the giant being formed by the magic of the temple, and he saw the sudden rampage. Then, the mutant realized that something was terribly wrong. Wait a minute, if it knows the true nature of Ailnea, why would it hurt the temple knowing she was the temple!? This doesn't make any sense. Now, Lorenor would get his chance at avenging himself against Akim. Akim was his true target. The giant could fall if Lorenor could only gain control of Akim. Preparing a projectile made out of the Living Dark, the mutant felt power flow down his arm. Power amplified by the presence of the living temple. Lorenor ran towards the giant and Akim as the two warriors fought. All I need is one shot. N'Jal, guide my hand true! And Lorenor threw his Plague Grenade across the room and towards Akim's general person.

Lorenor knew since Akim's back was to him, the mutant would have an exceedingly rare chance to take care of the bastard. Kythor's distraction would only further aide the mutant in his endeavors. Being the cunning, ruthless bastard that he was, Lorenor always stuck to the mission. The mission was to see Ailnea safely to the temple and always protect her.

A small, spherical orb constructed of the Living Dark was launched from Lorenor's left hand towards Akim's back. It flew silently through the air like a harbinger of death. Swirling on its own structure, the orb rotated quickly until it neared Akim's person. Then, Lorenor willed something else to happen. With a thought, the mutant sealed the fate of the giant, and of Akim. There was a sudden explosion generated by the Living Dark and the air withing the resonance sphere was filled with billions upon billions of tiny metallic insects. These insects moved quickly towards Akim, with one goal in mind: assimilation.

The mutant continued his forward run even as the nano-virus would have infected Akim in his moment of sudden weakness. Once he was in range, Lorenor drew his magnificent prevalida longsword and prepared to attack the giant. Jumping through the air and activating his flight mechanism, the mutant moved gracefully. He lunged forward and got between Akim and the giant, attempting to intercept the spiked club as it came in for another attack.

"You!? What devilry is this!?" The giant called out to Lorenor. "The carrier of N'Jal will not defeat one of the Fell Giants!"

"You fool! You are hurting The Envoy!" Using every last ounce of strength that Lorenor could muster, the mutant intercepted the attack and held the enemy's weapon in place. Sparks from Lorenor's connection with the club flew in the air. The giant howled with a blind rage. And suddenly, something happened. Lorenor's masterwork prevalida sword began to chip away at the giant's club. Swinging upward with all of his strength, Lorenor would defeat the club, then, he would defeat the giant himself...

[Ailnea]

Akim never saw the orb coming. It hit him full in the side, and he fell over in shock.

The giant dropped the club and turned to Ailnea.

“Mistress, please, tell them I did not mean to hurt you!” the giant cried.

“Enough, all of you. I achieved my goal, Akim's been neutralized.” Ailnea said wearily.

“Now, far be it from me to tell you what to do Mistress, and I know things have probably changed since I last drew breath, but shouldn't we get him out of here, or do something with him?” the giant asked happy that he wasn't in trouble.

Kythor eyed the giant with a weary eye, not sure if he should run off screaming while he still could, or if he should plunge deeper into this mad place.

“He is right. I don't know how long he's been dead, but it's always been a poor tactical maneuver to leave an enemy unsecured.” Kythor said.

“Oh I've been dead at least a thousand years.” the giant said.

“Giant, I know this room is exceptionally large, but can you leave the small room?” Ailnea asked.

“I can take any size I wish, of course I can leave, but what has this to do with the unconscious man?”

“Everything. Do you retain your impressive strength?” She asked.

“Yes, of course. My strength does not depend on my muscle mass. My strength comes from you. So long as you exist my goddess, I am stronger than even a mighty Behemoth.” The giant replied.

“One last question. What makes you think I'm The Envoy?” Ailnea asked.

“I see flesh, the physical world. But, I see the spiritual world as well. This world has a spiritual world. I believe it is called, The Anti-Firmament. I see into this world as clearly as I see its physical counter-part. I see your soul, Mistress. Only your soul can look like yours does. If anyone were to look at you, see onto the spiritual plane, they would see the beautiful twisting mass of tentacles and claws that is your truest Eldritch form. You have no definitive form, you may take any that comes to mind, so long as you are in your truest form. To that end, your closest followers, myself and others in other places, have all learned to see your spirit. That is how I know you are The Envoy. I see your soul, and it is one and the same. Now you are in your lesser form.” The giant said.

“But I cannot be a goddess you see, I have no divine power. I don't even have magic. Sure I used the orb to restore the temple, but that's because I read some words under the orb. It must have been my mother that was the goddess. I must simply bear a striking resemblance. Now grab Akim and follow me, we're going to the heart of this place to call forth The Observer.” Ailnea said.

The giant complied, and followed closely behind Ailnea, Akim slung over his shoulder like a rucksack. He shrank to seven feet in size. Now that he was small, the room he was in seemed enormous.

Ailnea lead them down the hall, and read more from the walls.

Each passing century yields more surprises about this world. Just this past decade I learned of a group of monks called Aibrone. They just finished building a place called The Citadel, and have decided to create arenas inside for anyone who wishes to fight. Not wanting anyone to actually die, their going to put their legendary powers of healing to the test, and resurrect all fallen warriors within their halls.

“Wait a minute, your telling me that you were there at the founding of The Citadel? That was bloody ages ago!” Kythor shouted excitedly.

Ailnea and the giant both turned and eyed him crossly for interrupting her. Kythor shrank back and put his hands up defensivly.

“Sorry, continue on.” he said sheepishly.

Yet, for all the pleasantness this world contains, I cannot help but wish my spiritual brothers and sisters were here too. The tyranny of Nightmare has turned the gulf beyond the stars into a place no thinking creature could find pleasant. It is as a great infinite black void. There is no gravity, no up, no down, no left, no right, no direction of any kind. All of us, and are followers, are all so completely separated from each other, it is as though we are the only things to exist there. Perhaps eventually I will find a way to free them from Nightmare.

They reached a cavernous room, clearly larger than the temple. As they looked, it shrank down, then grew large, and continued on, like a beating heart. Ailnea looked at the giant for some explanation. He cleared his throat, and looked back at her, not knowing what she wanted.

“Well, what is this place?” Ailnea asked.

“Your heart, Madam. If this room is destroyed, you will die. This room is thus filled with, at last counting, exactly one thousand and one traps. Even if the rest of the temple were to decay and collapse, this room would keep on. Only one other room can make that claim, and that room, is our destination. The key lies in the floor, it is covered in Eldritch. Thus, if you can read Eldritch, you will know where to walk. However, because the room keeps beating, the floor keeps changing, what is right for you, will not be right for me, or your friends.” The Giant said.

Ailnea shrugged, and walked onto the floor. Forward, left, right, forward, back forward left, right, forward, she weaved about like a drunk staggering down the road. The giant forth, forward, right, right, forward, left, forward, left, right, left, right, backward, backward, forward, forward, he almost made it across when he stepped wrong. The entire floor lit up, and the room speed its motion up considerably. Ailnea sank to the floor, her hand on her chest.

“Mistress! I apologize!” the giant cried. He leaped off the floor just as it melted into boiling lava.

“It will reset shortly.” the giant yelled back.

Kythor turned to Lorenor.

“I would carry you, but I'm not that strong, nor that skilled. Besides, if Akim wakes up, one of us should be there, before Tiny over there brings the roof down in his excitement.” Kythor said.

With that, he unfurled his wings, and glided across. As he touched down, the lava chilled, and the floor resumed its normal form.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

For a brief moment, Lorenor pondered his place in this event. His attack had caught Akim, but he was denied the kill. Still transforming into one of the Undead, the fellow was manhandled by the giant. Lorenor stared at Akim with seething hatred for a long moment until he realized that they were preparing to move on into the next chamber.

Energy passed through the temple walls. This energy seemed to remind the mutant of something, something he was very familiar with. However, he decided that the similarities between the energy and that certain something were nothing more than coincidence. His eyes focused on the task at hand, he readied himself to kill Akim. Lorenor walked towards the elder monk but then, the giant grabbed Akim. Cursing silently to himself, Lorenor looked at the giant for a moment and decided that his vengeance would have to wait.

As they walked to a new chamber, Lorenor felt an inherent sense of danger all around his person. It was as if thousands of eyes were greedily upon his person. Lorenor did not step foot in the chamber right away. Kythor moved upon wings and somehow managed to make it through the long chamber without a scratch. Lorenor wondered how much of that was just dumb luck.

For a moment, Lorenor simply stared. Why does this shit always have to happen to me? He sighed as he looked across the air between himself and the rest of the chamber. He stared for as far as he could, extending his auspex powers to their maximum capacity. He knew he would need them. Slowly, he began to move forward to step foot on the tiled, and sectioned chamber before him. But, the mutant hesitated. A greater instinct filled his heart.

***

Lorenor. Listen to me. These entities, they are not the Thayne. You do not have any allegiance to them. You can walk away right now. Nobody would blame you. It was N'Jal. The dark lady, speaking. Lorenor's foot wavered above the ground into the chamber, and for the first moment he hesitated. Lorenor found himself thinking about the brave nun named Ailnea. He thought about Kythor and his personal sacrifices, he also thought about the villagers waiting patiently back in Dheathain for their legendary hero. Clenching his fists as he stood there with one foot hanging out atop the abyss, the mutant closed his eyes.

Sweat began to pour down his body and he shook. His foot returned back to the original position and never stepped onto the chamber. Instead, a plan began to form. Lorenor's sharp eyes could detect the various elemental triggers floating in the air, moving at will. The mutant felt power flowing from that chamber. A power that could perhaps be harnessed down the road. The giant explained that this room was Ailnea's beating heart. For some reason, that thought disturbed the mutant greatly.

What am I doing here!? He thought again for the umpteenth time. He knew that the trapped chamber would be the death of him somehow. I am just unlucky like that. His eyes narrowed as the idea formed in his head. Listen to me Lorenor. Just walk away from this. It will be the end of you. Trust in me this time, do-not disobey. I am telling you how you can walk away unscathed. But Lorenor knew what he had to do.

My master. Forgive me. I swore an oath to protect Ailnea. An oath! But I can-not do this alone. I need your help. If I step unto that death-trap I will be no good to you. There was a pause. Lorenor listened to the word of N'Jal who was his Master. I don't know what to do. If I step on that mine-field, it will be all over. Lorenor clenched his fists tightly, waiting for a response. I can-not allow you to fall my chosen one. So I will show you the way. Believe in it, for the will of N'Jal can-not be undone. Trust in my word. For it is the truth. The answers you seek are within the Antifirmanent. And the voice went quiet afterward, a warmth filling the mutant's heart. His eyes opened and he looked at the traps for a moment. The closest of the traps.

"Fuck this place."

Lorenor thought to himself and activated his power. The capacity to traverse the Firmanent and the Antifirmanent required a tremendous amount of concentration. With the traps staring down upon him with murderous intent, the mutant prepared himself for the transition. For a moment, the Antifirmanent and Firmanent were as one. This was a transition phase out of necessity.

In the Firmanent, Lorenor's body blurred from one plane of existence to the next. It vanished completely from the Firmanent and planted itself on the Antifirmanent. True to the words of Ailnea and the giant, the Antifirmanent warped and twisted the physical structure of the temple. Lorenor's undying eyes could see tendrils of energy passing through the temple's structure that flowed to one common source. In shock, the mutant realized that the tendrils were all flowing to the body of Ailnea! What in the pyre is this?! Lorenor cursed to himself. In the Antifirmanent, the physical mechanics of anti-reality were apparent.

Trap-triggers that formerly moved in and out of their starter positions were stationary now offering Lorenor a way through the chamber without too much trouble. Even the walls themselves had gained a much-more organic feel to them. Instead of looking like stone, the structure had gained a much more living, breathing aesthetic to it. Somehow, the mutant was equally fascinated and disturbed by this discovery. Looking ahead, he saw that the traps in the entire chamber were behaving in much the same way as the ones he could spot. Lorenor would have to find a quick and easy way to maneuver through the temple's trap-room.

***

A moment or two passed. Lorenor had activated his powers of flight. The enchanted trinket cast its spell upon the mutant. Flying through the air, the mutant took the walls, and carefully avoided the stationary trap-triggers where he could see them. Moving at best speed, the mutant began to cover impressive ground in short time. The room had grown to its full distance and the mutant only had about a couple minutes of flying time. Even at best speed, it wouldn't be enough.

So Lorenor took advantage. Using his impressive speed and reflex capacity, the mutant began to jump over traps, and evade whatever he could. In the Antifirmanent, the traps were stationary which gave Lorenor a tremendous advantage. After evading one of the last few traps, something unpredictable happened. One of the traps, capable of maneuvering in the Antifirmanent as well, slammed into the mutant hard before he realized what had happened.

Falling to the ground and skidding several paces, the mutant realized that he had just triggered a large trap. Standing up in his defensive combat stance, Lorenor cursed loudly. Damn! How in the pyre did that happen!? Waiting to see the reaction of the trap-trigger, Lorenor looked behind himself and saw something tremendously bad. An elemental creature had manifested that had started to trigger traps at random, on purpose, in an attempt to mess Lorenor up. Then, the tall beast was no longer alone.

Several other elementals manifested with the original creature and all turned with their glowing eyes to look upon the mutant.

There were approximately ten of the creatures looking at Lorenor. Their bodies were composed of various energetic properties. One was stone, Lorenor guessed that one was meant to be earth. The mutant drew his prevalida sword and prepared himself for imminent danger. The true journey had begun.

[Ailnea]

The giant began backing up, and slowly turned around. He grabbed Ailnea and took off running.

“RETREAT!” he bellowed.

Kythor was torn. He wanted to follow Ailnea, but he couldn't abandon the one man he considered to be holier than his father. He couldn't see any reason to run, but the giant grabbed Ailnea and took off running carrying both her and Akim like sacks slung over his shoulder.

What should he do, should he trust a creature that only a short while ago had gone berserk and tried to kill him while trying to kill Akim? Should he stay and try to help the paladin of his goddess? Fortunately, the decision was made for him when Lorenor materialized and kept pace with the giant. He took off after them, down the hall they raced, Kythor not knowing why. A growing rumble behind him begged for a look, and Kythor regretted giving it that look when he saw the materializing elementals chasing them.

Quickly they darted through a door, and Ailnea slammed it shut behind them. Of its own accord it sealed off the cracks and became a solid wall. The rumble kept up for several minutes, then died off. Kythor looked around the room, there were pictures on the wall, of beings far more horrifying than he could imagine. Niether he, nor the giant noticed Akim waking up.

“Who, what are these things?” Kythor asked.

“These are they who rule beyond the stars, the gulf between spheres. The five greatest Horrors. First, there is my mother, Xth`nvy. Or, in common, The Envoy. We touch a great many places, and as such, she is less frightening than the others. It is she who makes our first forays into each new place we visit. She manifests before her followers as a great mass of tentacles and claws without a source.

Then there is he who forever wanders, Grthrvlnx , at least that's as close as I can come, pronouncing it directly. A good translation would be The Traveler. He holds dominion over the mysteries of time and space, a riddle forever being unsolved, forever begging to be solved. He appears in a million different shapes and forms, never appearing the same way twice.

There is Msg'hftr, or as you would better understand, Master. Master has no shape, and no form. He exists solely as a field of energy, always changing color. Master knows the secret to true power, for he has every power. Even knowledge is power. He used to rule until Nightmare came along.

Nightmare, no Eldritch name, when he first came to us he introduced himself as The Nightmare King. He lurks among us, invisible and unseen. He preys on our very existence, making us doubt ourselves, turning us into figments of his imagination. How easily he can destroy existence itself. Even Adamantine, a metal known to be indestructible, that too can be destroyed in Nightmare's grasp.” Ailnea said, she stopped, and leaned against a fifth portrait, pale and trembling.

“Something about that entire concept terrifies me, as though I should know it personally.” She said. She turned, and backed away from the last portrait, showing a swarming mass of eyes.

She picked up a gem in the corner, and pointed it at four candles that stood in the pentagonal room. Grey fog began to rise from them, distorting each person's view of the room, making it seem as though the portraits were living moving things. The eyes seemed to swim about on their wall.

“I'm glad everything's clearly marked. Behold the last god on this wall, the watcher from beyond time and space, The Observer. He exists in the past, the present, and the future simultaneously. He dwells in every point in space. Watching and listening, Observer knows even the greatest of secrets.” Ailnea said.

“What happened, where am I? What is this foul substance that makes these terrifying sights dance on the walls?” Akim asked.

“Giant, place the monk before Observer's picture, and make sure he stays there. We wouldn't want our sacrifice running off, now would we? This was my plan all along Akim. To use you to summon someone who helped me on my way here, someone with a great many secrets to share.” Ailnea said.

She stooped, and read small carvings on the bottom of the wall next to Akim carefully, the giant holding Akim in place. Then she stood, and returned to Kythor and Lorenor. She grabbed their hands and held on tightly.

“I told you you would be safe if you are with me. Giant knows his place, I am certain of that.” Ailnea whispered.

If one could see the anti-firmament, one would see that everything was happening there. The tentacles and claws that made up Ailnea's spirit were reaching out for The Observer's portrait, and seemed to reach into it, pulling him out.

Light flashed from nowhere, and Kythor tensed. Ailnea disappeared, and in its place was a thing made of tentacles and claws, and it had a hold of him. The eyes of The Observer seemed to be countless in number, and were swimming off the wall and invading the other walls. Light flashed, and Ailnea was back. Kythor began to understand what the giant was seeing.

Ailnea watched in satisfaction as Akim squirmed in fear. Now the eyes were invading the ceiling. Next would come massive dimensional activity. The ground shook and trembled, and Ailnea remained firm. This summoning was an act of will. For it to succeed, The firmament must touch the anti-firmament directly, each superimposing itself upon the other, thus merged into one.

What the hell was she? Akim knew that if he got out of this alive, he would have to destroy her, she was something unnatural, she didn't belong here! He regretted even coming here, for it seemed to be apart of her, as though it were an extension of who she was. Energy seemed to lance into her from the temple. Akim froze in fear, the eyes, they weren't carvings, they were real!

Little by little, the temple ceased to be stone, and became living flesh, each eye, an actual eye, light shining from a small one in the ceiling to keep the room illuminated. They looked in upon the room, watching everything. Three eyes pointed at Akim, and energy shot out of them and into him, dissolving him. Unfortunatly, Giant got caught in the fire, and he was dissolved too. Then the eyes sat there for a moment, watching the trio. Satisfied they were with Ailnea, they looked about. A large eye on a thick stalk came up out of the floor and hovered before the trio. Images flashed in its depths, and sound seemed to radiate from it.

“I am a friend.” an elf in a forest was saying to a dwarf.

“These things you see are not random, but intentional.” A wizard was saying to his apprentice in a tower..

“Do you understand?” a knight was saying to another in a castle.

Observer's form changed, changing the room. The trio were seperated and walls of stalks seperated them. The lights went out, casting them in utter darkness.

Lorenor would find himself alone in the darkness, images flashing around him.

“Thank you, sir, for keeping my friend safe. I am glad I can trust you.” a peasant was saying to a knight outside of a house.

“But the danger is not over yet.” an elf was saying to a child deep in a forest.

“Behold that which is to come.” a gypsy said, indicating her crystal ball.

Lorenor would find himself in the citadel. People passed through him indicating he was not there, or if he was, he was unable to interact with them. Akim was walking through the halls, partially rotted. The scene followed him. Everyone stopped and stared.

“Grandmaster, what happened to you? Come, let us heal you.” a monk said.

“Where is that monster?” Akim demanded.

“What monster?” the monk asked.

Akim glared at him, and the monk fell to the floor clutching his throat as though someone were choking him.

“WHERE IS SHE?” he roared. Other students tried to stop him, and they too grabbed their throats.

Shortly, they stopped struggling, all of them dead. He moved through the halls, and those who did not know where she was, died. He swept through the citadel as a plague, monks fleeing into the streets in terror. Grandmaster Onox fled with The Elder for safety, but a sneak attack took them down too. Akim found Ailnea, hiding in a closet.

“You bitch. You did this to me. YOU RUINED ME! Now I'm just a monster, like you. I'm going to do what I should've done long ago.” he said.

Ailnea tried running, but Akim was too fast. With a thought he levitated her, and bashed her against a wall. He held her there with his thoughts, flooding her being with great pain. Her death was slow, and painful, lasting well over an hour. An hour filled with nothing but Ailnea's screams.

“The future is never certain. Though in every instance, this event has come true. Yet if the present were to be altered by removing the factor that causes the event, then the entire time stream will be altered from that point on because the conditions have changed.” one Alerarian scientist was saying to another in some future time.

“I am limited, and cannot act, for this I am sorry. Agree to act in my stead, and I will do the only thing I can, and transport you.” a priest was saying to a thief in a church.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

(Apologies for the long delay, I will make this post as EPIC as I am able to. Small bunny at the end of the post bro, I hope you don't mind it)

As the presence filled his unprepared brain, the mutant began to see a great many matters. These matters did not make sense at first, but as they flashed across his sensory grid, Lorenor understood. Each vision was tied into the previous one. On their own, they did not make sense. Together, it was part of a story that spanned the stars. Finding himself alone before the logic of this entity called The Observer, Lorenor finally understood his purpose. Though he was a follower of N'Jal, his place was alongside Ailnea as well. Lorenor saw the visions that regarded Akim and understood what it was that he had to do.

Lorenor knelt down before The Observer. He hoped that the gesture would be enough for The Observer to see that Lorenor would accept the mission that was before him now. Akim will die. Remove the threat, protect the nun, save The Horrors. When he felt that The Observer acknowledged his allegiance, Lorenor stood up and then he was transported. Time and space seemed to melt away as the rules of The Firmanent and Anti-Firmanent collided for a brief moment. A great scream across reality manifested as a special gate from Phantaria manifested before the mutant. He took the gate and was transported to a new plane of existence. A place that he could fight against Akim on equal footing.

All around the mutant and his opponent was an abyss. Stars flickered in and out of reality as The Eldritch Horrors observed the battle. Ailnea and Kythor were nowhere to be found. However, before him, stood Grand Master Akim.
A look of confusion was etched upon his face. Lorenor stood on the abyss at a few feet away from Akim. He stared at Akim's front. It was clear to Lorenor that the man had not yet grasped what had just happened to all of them, what they had just witnessed. Lorenor wore a grin on his face. His genius-level intellect had allowed him to piece the situation together. Lorenor's mind worked as he pondered the severity of the situation. Can I do it? Can I kill this man who is a Grand Master of The Order? Lorenor doubted himself for a moment. Then, images of Ailnea, and the acts that Akim would perform on her should he win the hour filled Lorenor's head.

Filling him with a rage he had not experienced in a long time, the mutant began to shake with anger. His face became a terrifying expression of ferocity and hatred. The mutant, though a Spider Magi, was still a member of the undead races. Lorenor would fight with every last amount of necromanctic energy he could muster. The mutant walked over towards Akim as he drew his prevalida sword. He then thought back to the moment he first assaulted Akim, and how The Grand Master had manipulated Lorenor into killing a young neophyte monk. Knowing that he was probably expelled from the Order, the mutant would proceed without fear and without hesitation. With each passing moment, Akim will grow stronger. I must act quickly if I am to best him in conflict. I will use every trick I can muster. I touched him with the dark of N'Jal. He is vulnerable.

When Lorenor stood about two paces away from the confused monk, the mutant prepared himself to fight. Just then, Akim snapped to attention as if he had just realized something. This caused Lorenor to hesitate as he looked down on the kneeling form of the monk. Akim stood up, facing Lorenor now, and he stared with hate in his eyes. The mutant also saw something else there, something that delighted him. Pain. He is suffering with his new state. Good. Let you suffer. A thousand lifetimes in The Pyre is not enough punishment for you, Akim! Lorenor clenched his hands around his weapon, the prevalida longsword. He would use that, and his dagger to finish Akim off. The thoughts made the mutant grin. Akim moved into a combat position as he looked at Lorenor. Lorenor observed and knew the combat position really well, it was one of the many fighting styles of The Order.

"I will not forgive you for what you have done to me!" Akim said. "I will see to it that you forever banished from The Order." He added, expanding his threat.

Laughing, Lorenor simply stared at the enemy. "You do-not frighten me. I have seen true Horror." The mutant said. "I am forever bound to protect the one that you have ordered me to protect. I will now allow a soul to harm her!" Lorenor yelled. The heavens themselves seemed to shake at the mutant's powerful emotions. A dark-purple energy was flowing off the mutant's body, even as a green energy flowed from Akim. Lorenor did not notice it as several presences seemed to observe the unfolding battle. One of the presences, was a physical manifestation of the mass known as The N'Jal Protocol. Lorenor waited to see if the enemy would utter anymore useless words to prolong the inevitable. Lorenor now had a purpose, someone to protect, a place to call home. Home was within the ranks of the followers of N'Jal, who assisted The Horrors long ago.

The Horrors were an ally of N'Jal, thus, Lorenor was an ally to The Horrors.

The High Priest pointed his sword at Akim.

"You are an enemy of N'Jal. Thus, you are an enemy of ME. I will make certain that you fall on this hour!"

Lorenor moved into a tight combat stance, one not practiced by The Order. When The Observer touched his mind, the mutant learned a great many things. Including faults in his methodology of the killing arts. He is weakened, he cannot conjure The Glorious Light in this state. But he is still strong. I must be cautious... Then, The Firmanent around the mutant seemed to move ever so subtly. Images of the monks that Akim attacked in that one vision returned to his thoughts. Can it be?! Has he already adapted to the form of The Forsaken!? Lorenor cursed as he was suddenly levitated off the ground of time and space. Matter rotated about his person and compressed quickly to squeeze the mutant where he stood.

"You cannot defeat me, you are still a child, N'Jal whore!" Akim yelled. "I am going to destroy you where you stand!"

Lorenor felt it. A tremendous power flowed from Akim that was comprised of hate. Somehow, that thought made the mutant smile wider. That's the best he can do. I will show him. I will show him the power of The Living Dark! As Lorenor floated there, he felt himself being quickly crushed as Akim attempted to end the battle quickly. Lorenor did not struggle against the invisible hand. Instead, Lorenor welcomed the darkness. The pain brought him a great deal of pleasure and he began to laugh at that pleasure. Feeling his sadomasochistic nature awaken, the mutant's laughter began to grow more intense with each passing moment. Even as Akim crushed the mutant, his body regenerated itself. His regenerative power had grown tremendously.

Lorenor hung in the air as he constructed a strategy to escape Akim's grip.
Then, Akim grew frustrated that he had not felled the mutant yet. Akim willed movement to control Lorenor's body, and the mutant was slammed around the field several times. Akim continued to do this repeatedly, but the mutant regenerated from the bruises and injuries that caused. The entire time that he was being tossed around like a rag-doll, Lorenor laughed. He never once stopped laughing. The pain was funny to him. In fact, he derived pleasure from it. Shivers traveled through his body as he was slammed around. Finally, he was slammed roughly against the floor and held there by an unseen weight. It felt like it weighed a ton.

Struggling to get up, Lorenor was trapped by the distortion around him.

Though his body could not move, his mind still worked and he still had access to the considerable power at his disposal. Still laughing, Lorenor managed to partially lift himself off the ground. It took considerable strength to manage that one however. The weight against his body was a tremendous one. When a few moments had passed, Lorenor stopped laughing just as he felt a new weight hold him in place. Akim walked over towards the mutant and placed his boot upon his back. Lorenor fell against the ground once more. At that point, he was laughing hysterically. He could feel frustration flowing from Akim's body.

"I am going to kill you!" Akim yelled. "You will pay for what you've done to me, I will be certain of it Lorenor!"

Lorenor could hear Akim's wild howlings. Knowing that his enemy was suffering was enough for the mutant. Suddenly, the space around the mutant became like normal space. Lorenor had dropped his prevalida sword in the process of being slammed around the fighting arena. Instead, he drew another weapon. ~Flamethirst~ (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=16741). His movements were careful, as Akim's boot still held him down. Lorenor could feel Akim's eyes on his person even as the mutant drew the seldom-used weapon. It was all part of a greater plan. I couldn't hurt you as you were before. I had to work around the rules of The Order to change the situation. In your current state, there are new rules to observe. And you are vulnerable my friend.

Feeling his enemy move in close, Lorenor stopped laughing.

"What's the matter Lorenor, no more laughter? Don't you find pain pleasurable!?" Akim yelled, taunting the mutant.

"He who mocks, oft finds himself at the mercy of a dragon's retaliation." Lorenor suddenly quoted one of the many proverbs of The Order. "How the mighty shall fall."

"You are pathetic Lorenor! I am going to kill you now." Akim said in arrogance.

Lorenor found himself being lifted off the ground by physical hands this time. The Grand Master wrapped his hand around the throat of the mutant and lifted him all the way up to his full height. Lorenor was lifted a foot off the ground by the powerful hand. Despite that movement, the mutant managed to hang on to the hilt of his weapon. Already, he was conjuring the power of the weapon despite the fact that Akim choked his throat. Lorenor wore the grin on his face. The pain was incredible, and he was having a hard time breathing. There is love in those attacks. Lorenor smiled for he knew that he had met an opponent that could be his match. As Akim attempted to squeeze the life out of the mutant, he felt his endurance kick in and his powerful neck muscles tighten against the man's grip.

Gasping for air, the mutant understood that the end was close. However, he still held onto his weapon. Muscles were tightening even as he attempted to raise his sword and point it at Akim. Akim stared at Lorenor with a mixed expression of shock and disbelief.

"You're going to try to use that sword on me in this state? Don't make me laugh, Lorenor. I am a Grand-Master! You cannot harm me with a weapon made of Damascus!"

But Lorenor knew the secret of Flamethirst. It was a weapon he had purchased long ago, and it contained power. Under normal circumstances, Lorenor would never have tried to defeat Akim in such a way. These were not normal circumstances. Instead, the mutant had devised a plan that would shake the pillars of the stars themselves. His death will be a most impressive one. I shall see to it that he will never harm Ailnea. A moment later, Akim threw Lorenor several feet away. Lorenor hit the ground, hard. Now, he gasped for air as he held on to his weapon. Still conjuring the power of the weapon, the mutant had to wait until Akim was well within range for the secrets of the sword to strike. Crawling across the floor now, the mutant managed to raise his weapon with one hand and point it at Akim's body.

Akim wore a furious expression on his face. That fact alone made the mutant grin with sublimity. He had prepared the power of the weapon, and then he only needed to speak the command line for it to work. Akim covered the distance between the two of them. Lorenor could taste the creature's sweat against inside his mouth.

"Time to die, monster!" Akim yelled. "I hope you have told your final words of prayer to N'Jal. For the only thing that awaits you is The Pyre! Do you have any last words!?" Akim added.

Lorenor could see the power that Akim was preparing. By then, Lorenor was in a heightened state of euphoria.

"Just one. Engulf!" Lorenor called out to the power of the sword.

And at that precise moment in time, the master manipulator realized the full potential of his power. The Godhand Strykers, Letho Ravenhearts, and Luc Krauses of the world could never have achieved the level of cleverness that Lorenor had achieved. Those heroes lacked something that Lorenor oozed: finesse. Lorenor had masterfully executed a plan that would forever alter the course of history. Without Grand Master Akim, there would be nothing to stand in the way of Ailnea and The Horrors. Akim represented the final stepping to prevent Ailnea from awakening to her true power. Lorenor now knew that to be true. In his perception of The Firmanent, the mutant could see Flamethirst for the weapon it was. A glorious, incendiary blade of pure wizard's fire.

Glowing with power from within, the damascus blade conjured energy from the command line secretly etched on its surface. Runes glowed with power and manifested one by one as energy passed through the weapon. Lorenor pointed the tip of the sword right at Akim's chest. Seeing his eyes go wide with terror, Lorenor's laughter returned. A brilliant burst of elemental fire flowed forward from the blade. Two blasts were launched from the blade with a certain level of recoil that affected the mutant. He felt some knock-back from the two orbs of elemental energy, but it did not make a difference to the plan. Check-mate. Lorenor thought to himself.

"Fall Akim. FALL!!!"

The first orb of fire flowed from the tip of the blade and traveled across space. A few moments later, the second orb manifested. Both orbs traveled quickly towards Akim in his weakened state. The plan, coming to full fruition, was now revealed. Realizing what had just happened, Akim attempted to move with all the speed he could muster. Though impressive, Lorenor had just launched wizard's fire at Akim, and nothing could save him from the fate that awaited. Licking through the air like starving beasts, the two great orbs flowed towards Akim's body...

***

Sometime later.

Observer transported a victorious Lorenor to another realm. As a reward for defeating their enemy, Akim, Lorenor was allowed to learn of a crucial matter. Information was passed from The Observer to the mutant and the mutant understood now that Observer watched all points of history, at any one time. Understanding that crucial fact, Lorenor arrived at a large chamber. The rules of this reality were different from the standard rules of The Firmanent. Lorenor's powers were considerably weakened, but there was no fear. He found himself in a large gathering hall. Before him, was two entities. One, he recognized as the physical manifestation of N'Jal. The other, he did not recognize. They stood atop of a small set of stairs that lead to an elevated platform.

N'Jal beckoned for her servant to come. With a start, he realized that all of the eyes within the audience were upon him. Lorenor suddenly gathered that the people he was staring at were actually different versions of him! Somehow, the idea of many versions of him was frightening. He hesitated for a moment, but soon continued to walk towards his Master. Lorenor had emerged victorious from the battle with Grand Master Akim. In so doing, he had prevented a horrible fate from occurring. A fate that would result in the death of the nun, Ailnea. The mutant had done everything in his power to prevent that from occurring. Lorenor finally crossed the distance between himself and N'Jal, and knelt before her.

"My Servant." N'Jal said. "You have earned the right to know the truth about your existence. It is a truth that was denied to you from the very beginning. A truth that you had to fight for to earn. You have learned much about the universe of Althanas. You have started to transcend the boundaries and limitations you were given. I could not yet tell this until now, but listen to me my Servant. For not only am I your Master, but I am also the being that has conceived you. I am also your Mother! The Mother of all Spider Magi!" She yelled in a booming voice. N'Jal continued to speak. "You have earned a valuable right. You have earned the right to Ascend and become as an equal to your Mother. No longer merely a slave-child, but a Master of your own destiny. A Herald of N'Jal." N'Jal said.

"Kneel before me Lorenor." She continued. "And rise, Master Lorenor. Ascended, and Demi-Thayne of the pantheon!" The gathered throng clapped loudly at that announcement. "Today you shall become something better than what you have been, and you shall master your destiny. Now then, accept the gift that I shall give you, and fulfill your destiny!"

Lorenor nodded towards N'Jal and turned to face the gathered Lorenors in front of him. Literally thousands. Millions. And all of them began to walk towards the mutant. Slowly at first, but soon, they were all running towards the mutant. And as each one touched him, the essence of the alternate self became a new piece of the mutant. Each time he combined with one of the gathered entities, the mutant found himself becoming whole again. Soon, the crowd before him was dwindling down until there were only two alternate Lorenors left. The final two. One was a handsome man who wore the armour of a Paladin, and gave off The Glorious Light. Yet, in his new form, The Ascended did not recoil from it. The other, was a dark creature that was a living embodiment of The Living Darkness. It was a shadowy manifestation that representing a sentient elemental.

The two remaining Lorenors looked at the rapidly evolving form of The Ascended.

There were three Lorenors all together. Lorenor did not know how to react to the two that remained. He simply observed and waited to see what would happen next, his body flowing with elemental energies.

Speaking first, the shadow addressed The Ascended.

"I am a you from a far off point in history that has not yet occurred." The Shadow began. "Days of Althanas not yet passed. That is where I herald from." The Shadow continued. "I wanted to give you something. A special gift. The gift of knowledge of what is to come."

Then, The Paladin spoke.

"I am you from a far off point in history that has occurred. I am your self that has been forgotten. The origins of you before your current state was born, one of many possibilities now become Ascended. I have a gift to give you as well. The gift of power. A power you once wielded. Take this gift and embrace it you that will be."

When The Paladin touched The Ascended, there was a brilliant flash of light. And once again, The Light did not harm The Ascended. Lorenor combined with The Paladin, and he soon found himself holding his sword, The Flamethirst, in his hands. This weapon however, had upgraded itself to an evolved form and combined with an organism long since forgotten. The Endless named Figment, which always followed Lorenor everywhere it went. And so, Flamethirst unlocked true power, evolving to a weapon made of purest Prevalida. The enchantment that lurked within Flamethirst also evolved becoming one with The Endless. No longer merely a magical wizard's fire, the flame became embers of new form of energy. Soul Fire. Lorenor held the magnificent weapon in his hand and knowledge of his past, all of his pasts, came rushing through his skull which was now whole once more.

The Ascended turned towards The Shadow. That was the final version of Lorenor that was left. It had all come down to this brilliant moment across time and space. The Shadow nodded and spoke to Lorenor once more.

"The hour has come. Find and fulfill your destiny."

The Shadow spoke to Lorenor. He embraced The Ascended, and the two final forms became as one entity. A brilliant burst of energy radiated from the union. Shadow cascaded around the body of The Ascended, as a brilliant and radiating cloak of darkness manifested. This cloak brilliantly wrapped itself around The Ascended, forming an anti-halo around the new creation. Free from the restraints of the past, Lorenor turned to look at N'Jal and the male figure. N'Jal motioned for Lorenor to approach her.

He did so.

"You will have a new mission. A new decree from your Master." N'Jal said calmly. "You must protect Ailnea from danger, always. Furthermore, you must continue to spread my influence on Althanas. That is your mission. You are no longer my servant, but are now, as an equal. You are now a Thayne. Act as such and you will earn accolades. Remember these words well, Lorenor. For I am your Mother. And he, he is your Father. Always remember that I am with you."

***

Lorenor suddenly awoke with a start. For some reason, the feeling that something important was missing invaded his heart. Shaking the strange feeling off, Lorenor had a sudden urge to go see The High Priestess, Ailnea. The village that had started the entire journey was now the place that Lorenor would call home. He slid out of bed, gathered his items, including the sword, The Blood Sword, he was awarded, and he walked to visit his newly found family. Kythor and the rest awaited him for daily sermons of N'Jal. He had The Necronomicon gathered with him, and he prepared to go make certain that Ailnea was safe. Dragonian children who were followers of N'Jal walked towards The Ascended named Lorenor. He gave off a powerful aura now, changed, evolved. His friend, Kythor, walked over towards Lorenor.

"Master Lorenor. You are awake. Ailnea is in the church waiting for you. A feast will be prepared when the sermons are over. We await the word of N'Jal."

Taking a breath of the clean air, The Ascended smiled at his friend.

"Maybe it was all a dream Kythor." Lorenor suddenly said to nobody in particular.

"What was a dream Lorenor?"

"Nevermind."

The Ascended said. And he walked towards the cathedral of N'Jal. In the time since the events of the temple, the township had grown dramatically with the blessing of N'Jal. Lorenor, and Ailnea had lived there with Kythor and his family. Lorenor walked towards the cathedral and looked at the various statues of N'Jal that were positioned around the township. He entered the church, and prepared for a long day of sermons. After all, what they had just been through, The Ascended had earned himself a vacation from adventure for quite sometime. He was content to studying the word of N'Jal for the rest of his days in peace and quiet out in the swamplands of Dheathain. There would be no members of The Knights of Dawn, and nobody to stop him from spreading the word of N'Jal. All in all, it was a good day...

And The Ascended could feel N'Jal watching him always.

The End.

*****

~Spoils~


001-The Ascended-A rare event has allowed Lorenor to evolve to a new height of evolution. No longer merely an ordinary Spider Magi, Demi-Thayne, Lorenor has become something else entirely. Unlocking a final form of evolution, Lorenor has entered a union with -all- alternate versions of himself. Thanks to this union, Lorenor has discovered a great deal about himself. He has learned about himself and his fractured mind has become whole once more. With the union of Lorenor from the past and Lorenor from the future, all mysteries were revealed to him. Lorenor now knows where he is meant to be, and what he was in the past. With the past and the future uncovered, Lorenor has become Ascended. Now, Lorenor has become an equal entity to N'Jal, and no longer a mere follower.

After the events of took place here (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=18897), Lorenor discovered his nature as a Demi-Thayne. Now, he has become an Ascended and is a Full Thayne. However, he is not an Elder Thayne, instead, he is a Lesser Thayne and serves as the "herald" to N'Jal. This metamorphosis is purely aesthetic and offers no current new Abilities or Skills. However, due to Lorenor's evolution one of his weaknesses has been left behind. Lorenor's weakness to Elemental Fire no longer applies. Now, Fire does normal damage.

002-The Blood Sword (Evolved Flamethirst/Figment)-After a union with all of his alternate selves, Lorenor has unlocked a new source of power. With the evolution of The Endless called Figment, Lorenor's weapon known as Flamethirst was combined with Figment. With a special arcane process, Figment evolved the metallic properties of Flamethirst from Damascus to purest Prevalida. The sword can now (On top of the innate Fire Ability) launch a volley of Soul Fyre, twice a day. Soul Fyre damages the soul of a target. Soul Fyre does heavy-lethal Soul Damage to the target. The Blood Sword is a masterwork sword. ~Flamethirst~ (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=16741) (Originally obtained in Flamethirst link)

003-Elemental Cloak of Darkness-After a union with all of his alternate selves, Lorenor has unlocked a new source of power. With the union of his Future Self, Lorenor has become an Elemental of Darkness. Now, his aura is of pure Darkness. This Darkness, covers Lorenor like a cloak. It is purely an aesthetic Ability. Eventually, The Cloak of Darkness will unlock more properties. Note: Darkness Elementals have an inherited weakness to The Glorious Light. Light does heavy-lethal damage and can sometimes outright kill Lorenor in one hit.

[Ailnea]

Ailnea saw all that occurred with Lorenor, for The Observer showed it to her. She watched also as Kythor was given a taste of his own destiny, the knowledge that someday he would become the leader of his small village. She was happy for her friends, for things had turned out well for them, and they had earned their rewards. Now it seemed it was her turn, for in the darkness of this place, the image of a great sphere of eyes appeared before her, and beneath it, scenes began to play out.

“Now that I have kept my word, there is something I require of you.” a dark sorcerer was saying to a young knight.

“You are not well. You do not remember the whole truth, but you must know it in order to heal.”A nurse was saying to her patient.

“What is the truth then? Tell me, show me everything.” Ailnea demanded.

Scenes and images whirled about her, of places beyond Althanas, and creatures beyond imagining spoke in dark and horrid tongues. Slowly, Ailnea fell to her knees as the truth became known to her, unable was she to bear the burden of knowledge. Eventually the images receded.

“I, understand. Is that my quest then? Of course it is, who could live with such knowledge and not act on it? But, how do I progress from here?” Ailnea asked.

“It is time to recover the body.” an Aibrone monk said to another.

“The concept of physical matter is an illusion. There is no such thing in truth. The stones of the earth, the waters of the sea, the plants and creatures that inhabit our world, we are all comprised of energy. Our bodies are nothing more than stored energy. Therefore the possibility exists, that if we could gain better control over the energy in our bodies, we could accomplish profound feats to defy the imagination. Imagine, being able to turn any physical substance into energy to heal your body. It would all be a simple matter of Conversion.” A strange human from another world was saying.

“This is an ability you have, and it is what made the structure around you.” A wizard was saying to his apprentice.

“But it will disappear for a time after you use it again.” A merchant was saying to his customer.

“Restore that which was, and reclaim your rightful property.” a beautiful deity in another land was saying to her mortal follower.

Beyond the temple, the monks watched in amazement as energy began to flicker along the sides of the temple. Slowly it shrank in upon itself, until it was no more. In its place lay the creature Ailnea had summoned earlier. Looking around, they could see nothing of Grandmaster Akim, or Lord Lorenor, or their draconian companion. Grabbing her, they held her up, demanding an explanation.

“I am, I remember now, all of it. I am Ailnea, your sister. I assure you nothing ill has happened to Brother Lorenor, or our friend. Akim is no more, he betrayed us all, and so has been neutralized. I will tell you everything, but first, I must find Lorenor, and tell him before any other.” Ailnea said.

…

As Lorenor approached her in the church, she had delayed telling him for some time, not certain how he'd react, but now she felt she must.

“Lorenor, I thank you for treating me kindly, and allowing me to stay here, but there is something I must tell you.

I am Ailnea, I am The Envoy, Goddess of The Eldritch Horrors, a pantheon of gods that exist beyond this world. I have no mother, I am self-reincarnating, saving my spirit at the point of death each time I am to die creating a new body for it to inhabit. There was no mother who gave birth to me in the citadel long ago, there was only me. Now that I have reabsorbed my true body, that temple which we discovered in the swamps, I am whole once more.

We are not N'jal's allies, but we are not her enemies either. We are slaves to The Nightmare King. He is N'jal's enemy in every sense, just as he is the enemy of N'jal's brothers and sisters The Elder Thayne. The Nightmare king seeks to destroy N'jal, but masquerades among her and the other Dark Gods as their friend, yet if he is not stopped, he will destroy all of Althanas.

We have been resting, but I cannot wait any longer. I'm sorry to have to ask this of you, but I need you to leave all this behind, and come with me to The Void, it is where my fellow Horrors are being kept, and where our people are held prisoner. It is the first step to defeating The Nightmare King. But I warn you, it won't be easy to do, and we may become trapped, prisoners of The Void.

So I ask you Lorenor, help your mistress gain some grateful allies, come with me, and help me free my people from the grasp of The Nightmare King.” Ailnea said.

Lorenor considered her words for many long moments, before pulling her close and embracing her. The pair had begun to grow close to one another, and as he held her close, he whispered five words that reassured her immeasurably.

“I'll always stand by you.”

[Zerith]

The Temple of The Eldritch Horrors

Alright, I'm just gonna post the score and rewards here. For further commentary, please refer to the workshop.


STORY - 16

CHARACTER - 14

WRITING STYLE - 13

WILD CARD – 5

FINAL SCORE – 48!!


Rewards:

Ailnea receives 1161 EXP and 230 GP!!

Mutant Lorenor receives 2791 EXP and 216 GP!!

Pending approval by an RoG mod, Lorenor receives his spoils. However, The Blood Sword is only capable of delivering a blast of Soul Fyre once a day, and only once in a battle thread. Should Lorenor try to force the sword to do it a second time in a day, there is a very high possibility that the ability will backfire and inflict Lorenor instead.

[Silence Sei]

exp-gp added.