~Master and Apprentice~

[Mutant_Lorenor]

(~Burning River~ (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=20863))

(Bunnies approved)

Anywhere was better than the location he'd found himself during his first meeting with Talen. Now, the environment was a relaxed situation within the relatively safe walls of a restaurant. Lorenor ordered a popular dish that consisted of the steak of a local beast of burden known as Giant Onyx. The dish was especially juicy and very well done, overflowing with nutrients. Well cooked, the steak was t-boned in structure. Lorenor ate the meat casually as he absorbed the nutrients from it. They replenished his undead form as he ate, his strength returning after the recent, hellish match against Talen.

The very environment turned against the mutant and attempted to assassinate him and his opponent. During the match, something interesting had happened, Talen simply gave up. Lorenor found that extremely interesting and wanted to mold Talen into a useful asset for the dark lady. With Lorenor, all actions, even acts of seeming kindness, were performed with the intentions of the dark lady. End of the day, Lorenor was a cruel, selfish bastard. So when he found himself looking at Talen after consuming his dinner, the mutant had N'Jal in the back of his mind. Already, Lorenor was seeing possibilities.

Possibilities that would strengthen the iron-grip influence of N'Jal. At the end of the day, Lorenor was a follower of N'Jal first and foremost. That was the driving factor in Lorenor's world. Lorenor studied Talen and observed the shadow-aura that the man had. As a halo, it glowed dark-purple from deep within his soul. Observing with his ancient eyes, Lorenor saw a certain potential about Talen. He'd rarely come across fellow Shadowmancers in his tenure as an Adventurer of Althanas. The chance to train a Shadowmancer from the ground up was too good to pass up. Lorenor ate in silence as he had treated Talen to his drink and meal.

Once he had his fill, Lorenor began.

"Listen to me Talen." He said. "I understand that you have a certain view point about violence and tactics, but that viewpoint is what is holding you back. In battle the first rule of the game is survival. Once you learn that basic principle, battle elements fall into place. You almost want to be a step ahead of your opponent. It's called tactics and strategy." The mutant continued to eat with proper utensils. "But that's not what I wish to focus on as we train. You have an interesting potential for Shadowmancy. That, will be our area of education with you." The mutant smiled as he said that last part. "When I am through with you, you shall become a force of nature." He promised, and Lorenor always kept his promises without fail.

[Hysteria]

A few hours before Talen had been standing on a rock floating down a river of lava with several burns across his body and an unmistakable feeling of being outclassed. Now he was sitting in a restaurant with his wounds healed and sharing a meal with the man he had been fighting. The mutant Lorenor had extended a hand of friendship and, gnarled though it was, Talen had accepted it. The youth was blind to the realities of the world in a lot of respects, and the offer of a free meal game him enough impudence to accept.

Talen was a wandering puppeteer, showing his minor shadow skills off for crowds to get enough money to pay for his lodge and food and get him to the next town. His cloths, attitude and mind were all formed on the street which led to a problem. The restaurant the pair ate at was far above what Talen could normally afford. Aware that there were social graces that he didn’t know, the youth had taken to copying what Lorenor was doing, even ordering the same meal. The youth was awkward in his movements as he ate the large steak. He enjoyed the novelty of the taste, a far flung from BBQ rat; which wasn’t that bad if you make sure it was skinned right.

The youth listened to the mutants words carefully. He rolled them back over his mind again and again as he examined them. Alas, he still had no idea what Lorenor was talking about. Talen did his best to smile and nod along though. It wasn’t till the end that Talen realised that it was an offer to train him. It seemed odd to Talen, but then he was sitting opposite a creature which seemed to come out of a nightmare.

“I don’t want to be rude, but why do you want to do this for me? I mean, we only just met a little while ago.” Said the youth.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Momentarily stunned by the boy's question, Lorenor blinked a few times. Then, once he gathered himself, the mutant took a drink from his goblet. Placing the goblet down, he looked at the youth very sternly. Why is he questioning my willingness to help him? Such offers do-not come around very often. Lorenor understood where the youth was coming from. After all, the mutant was a veteran follower of N'Jal agreeing to teach this stray pup the ways of the shadow. Lorenor felt the liquid of his drink flowing down his throat and warming his stomach. He let the question linger for a moment or two.

"When I first started off, I had nobody to help me. I was all alone in this cold, harsh world. I carved my legacy through constantly testing my skill against those who would best me in battle. I learned. I was defeated, I had victories, I yearned for more. What I see in you is the same as when I was fist starting out. Every great Hero or Villain on Althanas once started off as nothing more than a stray pup trying to find his way home." Lorenor paused for a moment. "I help you because I choose to help you. I see a potential within you that I cannot ignore. Your power over The Living Dark an be crafted, cultivated, into a force of nature." Lorenor leaned backwards a bit in his comfortable chair.

"I help you because I choose to my friend. And that should be enough for you. I expect nothing in return except loyalty." Lorenor said, placing the rules of the game on the table. Hiding his motives was something that the expert manipulator simply just did as second-nature. Yet, this time, before the kid, he was being quite honest. He was being so honest his heart fluttered as he talked and he felt a pang of longing in his chest. Once he was a kid too, but that was a lifetime ago. "When you are ready to begin, we can go to some quiet secluded grove and start your training there. I have resources in both Salvar and Raiaera we can use to our advantage." Lorenor said casually. He leaned close towards the boy.

"This world is dog-eat-dog. When help comes you would be wise to take it." Lorenor was speaking with the wisdom of ages. There was no disrespect in his voice, he was simply telling the truth. Althanas had become a dark world that had little room for error. "The first step is to get you properly outfitted. But let us eat first." Lorenor said and continued to consume his meal in quiet after he'd spoken. He would answer any questions that Talen had.

[Hysteria]

Talen felt foolish sitting there listening to Lorenor. The youth thought about what his new friend was saying and found himself agreeing. The opportunity to learn from someone who was much stronger than him did seem too good to pass up.

“Loyalty huh?” Talen looked into Lorenor’s glowing eyes, “I can’t say that I’ve had much opportunity in the past to give my loyalty to someone, but there’s a first time for everything.”

Talen quickly resumed eating the large steak in front of him. It was taking him a long time to work his way through the slab of meat but it was getting cold and Lorenor was nearly finished his. As he ate he felt a strange optimism about the opportunity to train with the mutant. The shadow puppeteer had been taught how to use his swords by a friend and teacher and the chance to become more powerful would be fantastic.

“Well, I am ready when you are, but don’t feel you have to rush because of me.” Said Talen aware of the growing weight of the hastily eaten meat in his stomach.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Knowing that it did not do well to think on an empty stomach, the mutant was already planning. His powerful and ancient mind worked quickly to calculate the events of the evening. Understanding that he could not train his companion out in the open, the mutant knew just a place he could access in order to train in complete isolation. Once he was done with his steak, the mutant took a few more pulls of his drink. The pitcher in front and in between them was filled with the drink that he'd ordered. He took a sip of the substance feeling its flavor and texture flowing down his throat. It had a certain texture that Lorenor liked. When Talen spoke, Lorenor listened to every word without interrupting the youth. Once the boy was done speaking, the mutant nodded casually.

"Feel free to take your time eating. A good meal is hard to come by at times. Once we are underway, we will have to get food on our own out in the wilderness."

Lorenor said that as a warning of the training to come. Since the mutant's sharp mind could see the potential in the youth, he would work exceptionally hard to bring him up to speed. Again, the ideas were flowing in his brain as he sat there waiting. Excitement was burning his black heart. Very rarely did the mutant felt such a connection to individuals. He recalled the time he first met MetalDrago Scorpio, the time he met William Arcus, and a time that he met Duffy Bracken. Some of those individuals had become allies, whilst others vanished, and others had become dangerous enemies. Lorenor saw an ally in Talen and someone who could help the dark lady with her cause, in other words, he saw an asset.

"When we are completely alone, I will begin by teaching you the basics of combat training and skirmishing warfare. You will study these methods and techniques until you are capable of defending yourself effectively." The mutant tapped his chin. "Shadowmancy will require absolute dedication and faith. But you do-not have to serve my Master." Closing his eyes, Lorenor thought carefully about what Talen would become. "I will find suitable work for us to complete when you are ready. We will do freelance jobs for my city in Niadath Pass. Or we can travel North to Salvar. The choice is yours. But you will learn how to survive as a Sell-Sword."

"I will teach you everything I can, and you will grow powerful." The mutant grinned when he said that last part...

[Hysteria]

The meal had sealed the deal and the pair, after a short conversation, had decided to head to Concordia Forrest. The young shadow puppeteer had travelled through the forest a few times, but normally it was straight to Underwood and then out again. This trip was deep into the heart of the forest where they would be separated from the distractions of the city. Before they could leave, Lorenor had given Talen a list of supplies to fetch. They were all fairly simple things, a few hessian bags, some rope, some cheap training cloths and food. The youth had left the mutant and made his way through the markets, picking up the cheap items as he went. Soon he was laden with all the supplies they needed and went to the meeting place he and Lorenor had agreed.

The mutant quickly checked everything that Talen had bought and then summoned the same strange reality walker gate that he had in their cell fight. The glowing white gate looked just as other-worldly as it did the first time Talen had seen it and he felt a shiver travel up his spine as he stepped up to it and then through.

There was a weird stretching feeling as Talen stepped out of the gate and into the forest. All around them tall trees lined the small grass clearing. The youth felt as if there was a heavy and ancient feeling of the forest that was pushing down on him. Lorenor snapped the youth out of his daze and they started preparing the camp.

Under the direction of Lorenor, Talen set about converting the clearing into a proper training space. He collected rocks from the surrounding forest and made a large stone circle for sparing, fashioned the wood, bags and rope he had collected into three dummies and stuffed them with leaves to give them body. The sun was setting by the time Talen had finished his work. After setting up his bed roll and a quick dinner Talen went to sleep.


* * * *

The next day Talen rose early and pulled himself out of his small swag begrudgingly. The crisp air quickly removed all trace of tiredness from the youth as he donned the simple cloths he had bought the day before. They were not too different from his normal cloths, a baggy white t-shirt and black pants. He made his way across the dew tipped grass to the stone circle. His old teacher and friend had always started his training off with stretching and movement to get the body warm, and Talen repeated the exercises as he waited for Lorenor.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Picking the camp site was an easy matter. Once that matter was complete, Lorenor, and several other Forsaken prepared the area for the task at hand. At all times, Lorenor traveled with several Forsaken as a escort. This time, Lorenor had five individuals with him. Four male and one female. The female was a sorceress of sorts, and the men had talents in the warrior arts. One specialized as a Hunter. Scouting out the surrounding region of Concordia, the Hunter was given a key set of orders from Lorenor. Everybody else was performing their tasks like clockwork.

For the Forsaken, the word of N'Jal was law. Lorenor was a High Priest and represented the word on Althanas. As always, the sacred work, the Necronomicon, was placed on the ground in a certain configuration. There were several tents erected in the camp site, including one for Talen. Lorenor had ordered that Talen seek out his own materials for a sleeping bag. Sitting on the ground, Lorenor prayed for guidance to N'Jal. She would reveal the task of the hour, and it was to train Talen so that he could survive.

Lorenor listened to the word for a long time whilst Talen slept and the others prepared. One of his warriors was asked to remain at the camp at all times, as was the female Magi. A circle of N'Jal was quickly etched upon the ground using ritualistic formula. The powerful Spider Magi letters and symbols glowed with a terrible red energy that seemed to sap the life out of everything it touched. A blotch of dead earth was visible where the symbols were drawn in blood.

Several lamps were placed around the camp that glowed with purple fire. These lamps were made with simple spells of N'Jal. They danced in the wind that flowed through the camp. Several fire pits were visible that contained natural fire. A spittle was erected around two of the fire pits that had various creatures of the wilderness attached to them. They were being cooked of their own accord.

Lorenor was not disturbed when the female Forsaken walked back towards the mutant and sat down in front of him. As Lorenor prayed, the mutant felt the scent of the woman before him. He noticed it when she sat down, and this made the Priest subconsciously nod in her general direction. When he had received the word of N'Jal, Lorenor's eyes opened gradually. Twin furnaces of powerful dark energies burned out of the depths of Lorenor's black soul. Energy spiraled into the air. His eyes were opened almost at the exact same time that Talen awoke and stepped into the training circle.

Pointing towards the single warrior that was not hastily performing tasks for the High Priest, Lorenor ordered the man to approach Talen. Without hesitation, the Forsaken warrior did as he was told. Lorenor watched as the Forsaken approached Talen. Then, once they were standing at about a few paces apart, the mutant stood up. He ordered the woman to stay with the Necronomicon and he walked over towards the training circle. There he stood as he observed the two. Lorenor would carefully instruct Talen in his education process.

"You are not yet one of us. So you will train in how to properly manage pain. Prediction of the next attack is just as important as your positioning. Remember to think about your environment at all times. Now then, Richard over here will be your sparring partner. I will instruct as well as he."

Lorenor waved his hand towards Richard. He saw the man nod and he began to speak.

Richard began to talk.

"Ah. You're a rather young one, but I can see the determination in your eyes. We shall begin with basic striking techniques. I want to gauge your current skill level. Hit me with your best shot." Richard said, and stood there in relaxed position...

[Hysteria]

The request was simple, throw a punch. The rising butterflies in Talen's stomach were symptomatic of not a fear of the forsaken warrior in front of him but of failure in front of the eyes of Lorenor. The youth stepped up to Richard and lifted back his arm and threw a hasty punch. The forsaken warrior caught the punch with an open hand and a look of patience.

“Take a step back, calm yourself and THEN throw a real punch.” Said the forsaken.

Talen nodded and offered a weak smile. He stepped back and took a breath. He could feel himself calm a little as he reminded himself that he was here to train, they were expecting him to be inexperienced. The youth lifted his narrowed eyes to Richard and focused. He curled his hand into a ball and reached back. He let the punch fly toward the forsaken's chest.

Again Richard's hand caught the punch. In what seemed like a blur to Talen Richard's other hand struck him across the face and the youth fell flat backwards.

“Well, you need to work on your punching technique and your reflexes. Every attack should be done so as to not leave an opening, at least not at your level. Your not horrible, but it'll take some work.” said Richard, half to Talen and half to Lorenor.

Talen heard most of what Richard had said through a daze and slowly pushed himself to his feet. Already his face was a bright red, a precursor an impressive looking bruise.

“I heard you use magic when fighting,” Richard glanced at Lorenor who had filled him in on the youth, “We'll have a quick spar and you can show me what you've got. Keep it civil and stop when I tell you.”

Talen nodded and lifted up his fists. The youth was quietly confident now that he could use magic but Richard had other plans. The pair move around the circle, morrioring each other. Talen was trying to work out what to do, which Richard was just playing the boy. Talen attacked first, darkness stretched along the length of his arm, turning it completely black and he move forward and jabbed at Richard. The darkness seemed to come alive, with three black fists spliting off from Talen's in a confusing spiral. The illusion was designed to confuse an opponent, to make them unsure where the attack was going to land.

Talen expected to feel flesh against his fist as he aimed for his opponent's chest but Richard's hand caught the attack easily as it had before. Richard opened his mouth to speak as Talen's other hand came around and clipped him across the chin. The forsaken warrior's face snapped to the side from the blow and then came back around to lock eyes with Talen. The youth was suddenly afraid of what the warrior might do. Talen backed away with his face wrinkled with uncertainty. Richard however smiled.

“Good! You didn't over extend your first attack and didn't just rely on your magic to distract me. But how will you go defending yourself?” He asked with a grin.

The warrior came forwards and his fists jabbed at Talen. The youth could do little back stumble backwards as the attacks blurred in front of him. The youth his foot touch the stones that circled the training ring. He momentary paused and felt a fist connect with his chest. The blow felt as if he been struck in the chest with a hammer. The air was knocked from his lungs and he felt as if he was going to collapse. Talen dropped to the side and quickly stepped around Richard who let the boy move back towards the centre of the ring.

“You need to work on your defence I see.” commented the warrior.

Talen made it back to the middle of the circle and straightened up. He didn't have anything to say back to the warrior that wouldn't be a lie, so he just bit his tongue. Richard came forwards again, although this time Talen didn't back away. Darkness lifted in front of him in a cloud, twisting and turning through the air.

“Another illusion huh? That isn't going to work again.” Said Richard.

The forsaken warrior ignored the swirling shadows and punched through them to reach Talen. The darkness suddenly gripped the man's wrist and solidified into a black metal bracelet. A small ring linked the bracelet to a rapidly growing chain that lashed downwards and gripped Richard's ankle with a similar metal cuff.

Talen stumbled backwards amid hurried breaths. The youth pushed back towards the confused warrior and threw a right hook. The warrior suddenly smiled and ducked under the punch. Richard twisted down to the left and brought his right leg up and caught Talen around the neck with the black chain. He jerked his leg and brought the youth crashing the the ground. Richard's knee followed quickly afterwards smacking into the youth's back. Talen let out a cry of surprise and pain and lay still. Richard stood back up as the magic holding the chain together subsided and disappeared with a puff of darkness.

“You rely too much on your magic, everyone needs a strong base to build off. We need to start some basic martial arts.” Richard backed away from Talen as the youth groaned and rolled over.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

(Feel free to take control of the healer)

Watching from his seated position, the mutant felt the rippples of grass flowing beneath his body. He sat in the lotus, his chest rising and falling with each breath he took. Above, the star ocean was visible. Constellations of the ancient stories of Corone were visible. Heroes and villains famed by historians and scholars. Lorenor was listening. The entire time he studied the movements that both Richard and Talen made. When Talen summoned his power, the mutant analyzed this with great interest. Energy flowed from the depths of The Umbramancer's soul. When the living dark passed into The Firmanent from within Talen, Lorenor felt a powerful burst of energy radiate from within.

Studying the burst, Lorenor raised a fist signaling the end of the fight. Lorenor rose from his lotus position. Walking gracefully towards Talen, Lorenor knelt down and assisted the youth. Lorenor had no healing powers aside from his regeneration capacity, but, he could still help make Talen feel comfortable. The mutant assisted with what he could while he waited for the youth to right himself. He turned towards a Female Undead that was in their party. Motioning for her to join them, The High Priest waited for her to arrive. She did so.

Lorenor waited for Talen's response to his movements. He said nothing and made no other movements. He simply moved to help Talen as best as he could. His eyes were narrowed as he studied the living dark as it manifested within Talen. It was quite interesting to say the least...

[Hysteria]

The youth’s brain slowly caught up with the rest of his body and he slowly processes Richards’s words. He could feel spikes of pain arching through his chest despite his best attempts to breathe slowly. The youth rolled over slowly and flopped on his back with another burst of pain.

The healer walked over and lifted a hand. She moves it slowly a few inches above Talen’s chest and with a look of concentration. Her eyes were focused on her hand as it moved and a small smile spread across her face.

“Two bruised ribs, one hairline fracture. Richard took it easy on you.” She said as her hand started to glow a dark blue.

Tendrils of light twisted from her glowing hands and into Talen’s chest. The pain eased almost instantly as the magic mended the bones and removed swelling. She worked for another minute and then the light on her hand disappeared. Talen sat up slowly and the healer helped him to his feet.

“No more pain?” She asked.

Talen twisted his torso and nodded.

“Seems alright, thanks.” Said Talen.

The youth looked over to Lorender and took a deep breath. He walked slowly towards the mutant wearing a lopsided smile. Talen wasn’t sure how he’d performed in the eyes of the powerful warrior, and he just hoped that he had done well enough to impress him, if only mildly.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Observing the way that the energies of his Healer cascading from the Talen's own latent energies inspired Lorenor. From that moment, Lorenor knew that the young man had tremendous potential to manipulate The Living Dark. As he studied the youth, Lorenor wore a grin on his face. He has exceeded all of my hopes and expectations. The mutant thought to himself as he relaxed, shifting his body weight so that he was standing up straight. Lorenor folded his arms across his chest, the healer moved back to his person with a soft smile on her face. The mutant nodded to her out of respect. He then turned his attention back to Talen.

"You are very brave and quite resourceful." The mutant began. "It is my conclusion that you possess the potential to become a Shadow Elemental like I am."

Lorenor walked back over to the pages of The Necronomicon. His companions were watching The High Priest with great interest. Whenever the mutant turned the sacred texts, it always, always meant that a new discovery was afoot. As Lorenor walked over towards the waiting fell device of The Necronomicon, the mutant looked at the open pages of the books. Sitting before the books was one of the magi of his party. Lorenor nodded towards the fellow and the man looked up to the mutant nodding back casually. Moving towards a particular book, the mutant stopped right next to the book and crouched downward on his legs. His thighs bulged from the movement as he studied the particular book.

Knowing the contents of The Necronomicon by heart, Lorenor turned many pages of the book. After reaching the particular page he sought, the mutant saw The Spider Magi symbols light up before his eyes. The gathered Forsaken were capable of seeing the symbols on the pages, but all others would only see a blank page. Lorenor, who was a Spider Magi, would be able to decipher the language, dialect, and syntax of the ancients. As his eyes spotted the particular passages of power he sought, the mutant mumbled the verses to himself quickly to be certain he had it all right. Once he was satisfied, he stood up from his crouching position and turned towards Talen. He beckoned for the young man to approach.

"Come. My young Apprentice. I shall give you the power that you seek. It is written within these pages."

The glowing light of the blue campfire cast an eerie glow upon the form of The High Priest and his ken. As the dancing flames cast shadows about the small clearing, Lorenor looked very carefully at Talen. Then, his eyes narrowed and he cast an intense stare at the boy.

"I can teach you the power you seek. And we can benefit one another, but you must promise to use this power to benefit our society." The High Priest began. "You cannot use this power against us, or I will be certain you are smited." Lorenor was very serious as he spoke. "This power is both power that you are awakening to, and power that is borrowed. It is a double-edged sword, do you understand? It can both be harmful to you and helpful. The power is not meant to be abused, but used for specific end-goals. Against specific foes. When you are ready we will begin to release your stored energy..." Lorenor said thoughtfully.

Lorenor then looked at The Magi next to him.

"Prepare the tools for an Awakening." Lorenor said grimly. Then he turned his attention to Talen, staring at the youth. His eyes were studious.

"If you decide that you want power, then there is no turning back. If you want this, then take my hand Talen. And we shall proceed..."

"We shall both embrace the power over Fate itself."

[Hysteria]

The youth listened to Lorenor without questioning the decision. The weight of the situation was lost as Talen was driven by a force to accept the proposal regardless of the consequences. He had left the city with a creature that looked like he was from a nightmare, travelled with him to the middle of the forest with a bunch of strong strangers and was about to let the creature with glowing eyes use the Necronomicon to cast some sort of spell on him and all because he felt it was the right thing.

“I will.” Answer Talen.

The youth walked across the green grass to the book. The paper tomb didn't look imposing, and yet it weighed down on Talen like a ton of bricks. The shadow puppeteer shifted nervously from foot to foot as he waited for directions from Lorenor.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

( Warning: This post contains animal sacrifice/animal cruelty. It is based off ritualistic religions like Santeria. Thank you very much. )

When Lorenor held his student's hand, The High Priest carefully glanced in his general direction. Once he was satisfied by what he saw, he turned towards the High Priestess and the magi of the group. Subtly, the mutant waved his hand in their general direction. His fingers moved in a certain, delicate fashion and a moment later his people acted. Like a clockwork machine, The Undead moved quickly to gather up supplies from their packs, and work out a small ritual area. This all happened within a matter of minutes. Soon, a makeshift altar to N'Jal was placed in the center of a complex symbol of conjuration. Constructed with a special chalk from Alerar, the end result was a set of symbols that glowed on the ground after the proper ointments and substances were placed upon it. A foul energy flowed from the circle.

Placed on the altar was a figurine of N'Jal along with a sacrificial beast. Richard and one other warrior held the creature down, chaining it to the altar. It was a wild Concordian Alpha Boar. Prized for its prime meat, the creature would have every aspect of its biology used after the ritual. But for now, N'Jal hungered and demanded sacrifice. Lorenor knew this because he was intimately connected to N'Jal. I carry my goddess with me. The mutant thought to himself as he held his student's hand. His eyes were narrowed as he saw Richard and the other warrior handle the creature. They all knew the drill, it was a society that was built on the worship of N'Jal.

Richard grabbed a sanctified, sacrificial dagger, and prepared himself to slay the monster. When his companion held the creature down, the thing struggled and called out into the night. It was a high-pitched sort of noise that made the mutant's blood boil. Lorenor smiled when he saw the creature struggling against it's fate. The High Priestess painted some symbols upon the altar that were related to N'Jal. When that was complete, the task was ready. Lorenor saw that Richard was prepared to cut a clean incision across the throat of the creature. The other warrior held the beast down with his might and the assistance of the chains that were attached to the earth beneath them.

"Hold it's mouth open." Lorenor commanded.

Then, he drew a ritualistic dagger from his person made out of precious Prevalida. Satisfied, he watched as Richard skillfully grabbed the head of the creature and pried its mouth open even as it struggled. Lorenor walked over towards the sacrifice and nodded towards Talen. Then, he turned his attention towards the creature and whispered in it's ear. His whisper was subtle, but it could be heard if the gathered concentrated hard enough. <Here me o beast of the wild. To the belly of N'Jal you will go now, to feed her chosen ones. The children of the dark will consume ye now, o beast of the wild. So rest assured that your purpose shalt be fulfilled. O creature of the wild, foul mongrel, ye shalt know the terrible act of destiny.> Lorenor suddenly slit his own write with the sanctified dagger.

He turned towards Talen and winked.

"All sacrifices are necessary to appease our dark lady."

After saying that out loud so Talen could hear, the mutant proceeded to place his hand above the mouth of the boar. He waited as the black blood, flowing with The N'Jal Protocol, traveled from the simple wound down towards the boar's mouth. The thing made many loud noises now as it felt the cancerous substance invade it's body. N'Jal traveled quickly through the creature and silenced it's struggles. The boar took on a much darker hide colour and that signified that N'Jal had found a willing or unwilling host. When she was appeased, the rest of the ritual could take place. Lorenor looked at Richard and the other warriors, and then to the rest of the gathered Forsaken. He nodded to them.

"With this small portion of The Living Dark, we shall awaken the beast within our companion. A terrible, frightening beast shall come forth upon The Firmanent, but it is a necessary act. For this be the will of our lady; N'Jal." Lorenor stole a glance at Talen when the transformation was complete.

Then, he looked at Richard.

"Cut it." Lorenor commanded.

***

Sometime later, the feast was prepared. It was a dark feast for a terrible purpose. But with the power of N'Jal, Talen would unlock his power. At some point, the mutant would have commanded the youth to consume the infected meat. Drink and a full meal would be had. But the important matter was the consumption of the sacrifice. With the elemental darkness flowing through the physical shell, Talen's power would awaken. Serving as a genetic marker, The N'Jal Protocol would re-wire Talen's DNA upon consumption. Lorenor waited patiently for the transformation to take place.

"This meal is for our new friend, Talen." Lorenor said, and raised a toast from a goblet with his fellows.

Talen would have a similar goblet filled with a fine wine by then as well.

And together, they would all consume the power of N'Jal.

[Hysteria]

Talen sat at as the meal was presented in front of him. The tainted boar meat did not look appetising to normal eyes, but Talen waited eagerly to taste the power. The group then toasted the youth, moments before he would be forever changed by the dark powers. Talen lifted the wine and drank deeply. Slowly, with the weight of anticipation Talen lifted the boar meat to his mouth and ate.

At first nothing happened. Talen’s face showed slight disappointment as he didn’t feel any different. The power imbued in the boar’s meet slowly changed his physiology. It was then that Talen felt it. His body rejected the meat that he had eaten. He stood and stumbled away from the table clutching his stomach pain ripped through his abdomen. The power of N’Jal though did not ease and more pain racked Talen.

The youth fell to his knees away from the others and doubled over. Quickly he vomited up the wine and meat as his body fought off the sudden change. The chain reaction though had already started. Behind the youth strings of darkness slowly faded into view. The youth appeared then like the puppets he played with, a shallow maniquine held by an unearthy power.

The strings increased in intensity until dozens could be seen connecting Talen to some unknown entity. Above the youth a dark doorway broke into their plane of existence. The old ornate doors swing open and the strings could be seen entering the pitch black darkness on the other side. A single black hand stretched out from the door with the shadow strings attached and jerked upwards, pulling Talen into a standing position.

The hand move out of the door as another appeared and clasp the door frame. A creature emerged from the shadows, his face and form a swirling black mess of shadows twisted into the form of a grotesque ogre. The beast stepped out of the door and landed on the ground with an eerie silence.

The strings connected Talen to the creature were no longer located on just its hand but now across its body and it was clear that the two were jointed, not as master and puppet but rather as two sides of the same coin. The creature and Talen slowly walked forwards towards each other. Their forms touched and merged in a bright blaze of pure white and black.

As the light faded all that could be seen was Talen, standing very still. The youth slowly turned and looked towards the group gathered for the feast.

“I… I remember.”

Talen lifted his hand in front of his face and move it slowly from side to side. As he did a trail of darkness followed as an after image.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Winds picked up terribly as Lorenor witnessed the transformation. In a matter of moments, as always, the N'Jal Protocol affected the host body. Lorenor had seen it millions of times. He knew he would see it again and again in his lifetime, but it never stopped being impressive. Attacking the very blood of the host, the N'Jal Protocol could alter the D.N.A. of a host body and transform it into an entirely different organism. When the portal was ripped open to another dimension, Lorenor looked up at the portal and was subjected to a variety of emotions. The most prevalent were a mixture of fear and respect for the potential that the boy before him possessed.

Lorenor attempted to study the portal as much as he could, for it was not one of Phantaria's gates. This portal was a door to an entirely different dimension, one he had never encountered before. Lorenor immediately thought of one thing: I want that power for myself. Then he relaxed as the recalled the purpose of the ritual to begin with. Talen would become a follower of N'Jal and that was a necessary conclusion.

Soon, the transformation was complete and Talen had become an entirely different variety of creature. Lorenor had never seen an undead quite like what Talen had become and that was certainly a welcome change. The brilliant halo that surrounded the youth was a completely dark one which subtly affected the area around it. Lorenor could sense the power flowing from the individual and it seemed without bounds. Once the transformation was quick, Talen spoke and Lorenor nodded. It was time to begin the true instructions.

"You have become your true self. This is only the beginning Talen. Together we will learn many secrets, study the ancient mystery of N'Jal and learn her power intimately."

So distracted by the sudden surge of power was Lorenor, that he was not paying attention to much else. If he were focused, he would have detected the eyes that were upon the small camp and perhaps been able to prevent the next few events from occurring. However, Lorenor did not notice the individuals gathered just beyond their camp, and the scouts were busy with other chores.

"We stay here for the night..." Lorenor said calmly.

***

With two archers aiming their weapons at what appeared to be the leaders of the sect, the sudden disturbance made the small band flinch. They witnessed the event that had altered one of the men that were gathered in the camp. The portal fascinated the leader of the group of cultists. A creature he had never seen before emerged from the portal and entered the Firmanent. Darien Lothark was formerly a member of a group that affectionately called itself the Knights of Dawn. Paladins. Religious fanatics, and in many extreme cases, cultists gone rogue. Once a devout member of the Knights, Darien had seen too much and committed too many acts to return to that old life. Instead, he'd opted to go rogue and live his own life.

Instinct told him that he needed to destroy the creatures in the camp. They were all Undead and that was cause enough. Furthermore, Darien recognized the symbols of N'Jal on the robes of several of the creatures in the camp. To compound matters, one of the creatures seemed to be a High Priest of N'Jal. He could not take this camp out by himself. Turning to the two archers that accompanied him, he gave a hand signal and they relaxed their deadly weapons. Deciding to fall back for now, Darien knew that a better time to attack would arrive soon enough. He needed to confer with his fellows and plan a more efficient strategy before the attack...

[Hysteria]

Talen nodded to Lorenor's words. The pale blue eyes shifted from his hand to the High Priest and he was met with a sight far more intimidating than he had expected. The Mutant radiated energy, a terrible burden of taken souls and dark power seemed to build the short form to an immense stature, as if he was being lifted up by something. Talen's eyes shifted around those who were gathered and he was greeted with similar forsaken auroras, though far less impressive.

The thoughts pushed through Talen like a tidal wave as he tried to process the enormous information that flowed through him. He could see with more than just his eyes, he could see with his mind. More important to the once street urchin, he could remember his past. The facts, dates and reasons all flooded back. He had parents, but not like normal children. His parents were dark entities that combined and parted for create him. In human terms it might have been hard to understand the dark affection, but Talen felt validated.

There was more, too much for the youth to comprehend without time to reflect on it. He sat back down at the table and looked at the food. He could see clearly now the effect the N'Jal Protocol on the food, it emanated a dark boding magical essence.

“Lorenor,” Talen paused to gather his thoughts from the torrent of information going through his mind, “This power... there's so much information. I can see things. I think I can see N'Jal behind you....”

The youth was talking about the power of N'Jal which flowed through the mutant, but image he saw was a dark lady, beautiful and deadly. Talen covered his face with his hands to try and quieten his mind.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Darien Lothark returned to the nearby camp where the rest of the former Knights of Dawn brigade awaited his command. He was once a high-ranking officer within that military organization that bore no allegiance to any banner except for it's own. Formerly a platoon working for The Knights of Dawn, the men and women under Lothark defected and opted to follow their own path. They did not agree with the larger rules of The Knights of Dawn and considered their chosen path to be the correct path. As Darien approached the encampment which consisted of some fifty units or more, a foot soldier walked over to him. This foot soldier was Darien's second in command and lead strategical adviser.

"Mi'lord. The scryers have finished their reading of the area. We have discovered unfortunate news about this region." The strategist said.

"I want all of these tents and shelters taken down immediately. Prepare all weapons for a full-scale assault. I have found a monster here in Concordia that needs to be consecrated immediately. The elimination of this monster has become our top priority over all other priorities." Darien snapped at his strategist, his eyes holding a fierce determination. "I want this platoon ready to mobilize by the hour. We cannot pass on this chance to destroy our enemy." Darien said.

"But mi'lord, what about the other orders you decreed earlier--"

Darien waved his hand in an attempt to calm the troubles of his strategist.

"Recall all troops on the field immediately. Like I said. Have this platoon at my command within the hour. We march. No excuses."


***

Lorenor's cloak flapped about his person for a moment when he heard what Talen had said. The boy has developed an amazing connection to N'Jal. I will have to train him myself! Lorenor thought to himself as he felt the powerful elemental energies flowing from his companion. By then, all of the scouts on patrol had returned. Lorenor always traveled with a small squad of elite soldiers that could take on several roles at one time. That night, Lorenor had a squad of about ten of his best men and women. Magi and warriors respectively. Lorenor would not require sleep that night, but he wondered if Talen was exhausted as he appeared. Lorenor looked at his newly discovered student and friend.

"What you see is a physical manifestation of The N'Jal Protocol as your brain perceives it." Lorenor began the lecture. "Truth be told, N'Jal can appear however she wishes to. We are conductors of The N'Jal Protocol and through us she can manifest on The Firmanent exponentially. Her teachings are recorded in The Necronomicon. Together we shall explore the mysteries..."

The first attack came. Lorenor had not noticed the presences coming up against his Auspex sphere.

One of his best warriors approached Lorenor, drawing his bastard sword. The High Priest eyed Talen for a moment, and then turned his attention to his elite commando.

"Are we under attack?!" Lorenor asked with a sense of surprise.

"Aye sir. Shall we prepare an escape route?" The warrior asked, readying to shell the order out to the nearby Magi who were readying their tools and spells.

"No. I believe that I know who it is." Instinct told him a mortal enemy was approaching. The first of many arrows landed dangerously close to Lorenor's person. Lorenor receded a step or two from the brilliant light that a rune was giving off from the arrow. "Talen! Step away from that arrow!" Lorenor called out to his friend. Each of his warriors and magi were instinctively following the decrees of N'Jal. It was a systematic machine that had to be admired. The warriors of N'Jal did not require arrows, or ranged weapons. With their undead physiology they could sustain a tremendous amount of punishment. As the small squad prepared for the event of the hour, the arrows that touched down upon the ground began to glow brightly.

A few moments later there was a loud bang as each of the arrows exploded with a sudden and brilliant burst of light. Elemental light, the bane of the living dark. Lorenor felt pain burning across his body, but, he had grown powerful. He had acquired enough endurance to handle the agony of weaker glyphs, and so, he quickly gathered up The Necronomicon with his best on foot speed. Lorenor was not a coward. He would not run, but his concern was protecting Talen and The Necronomicon. Once he had gathered the three tomes, he looked at his companion.

"Talen, if you can fight prepare yourself. Here, take this. It has a command line. You may burn targets with it. The command line is Power Word: Engulf." Lorenor handed Talen a masterwork Damascus sword, sheathed in it's scabbard and glowing with power. "The weapon is called Flamethirst." Lorenor whispered. Then, he drew one of his Prevalida swords. Holding the weapon by the grip with both hands, the mutant looked at his friend. "Stay close by Talen. Learn from me and mine. You have the potential, and now the power. Use it and the night will be ours!"

Lorenor was using his leadership skills. A master tactician in his own right, the sadomasochist was looking forward to spilling blood and creating ample sacrifices. More arrows and bolts were launched into the camp. By the second volley, magi had prepped up shields and wards against the light-imbued weapons. Projectiles bounced harmlessly off of the living dark and into the night where their power would fade in darkness. Shouts in the dark. Lorenor could hear and sense everything within a determined radius, thanks to his Auspex Powers. The mutant was confident in his ability to defend his people. On instinct, his front-line soldiers went off to intercept the incoming attackers. Lorenor was defended by two warriors and the rest of his magi units.

They were speaking in the tongue of The Spider Magi, a language forbidden to those who were not followers of N'Jal. Lorenor's fierce eyes narrowed as they glowed in the dark. He studied the incoming attackers as they jumped over bushes to get to the camp. More screams. Sounds of a fierce battle could be heard in the distance, and Lorenor knew the beauty of a slaughter. The Knights of Dawn were his hated enemy. Then, something happened, the first wave of attackers broke through the foliage of Concordia. Stars blinking eternally overhead, Lorenor readied himself. Experience was his ally. He'd fought many battles and had almost always triumphed.

With his psychopathic mindset, the mutant prepared strategy and counter-strategy. As the first wave of the attackers approached, his men readied their weapons and defensive measures. They intercepted the incoming soldiers, and the mutant realized something was wrong. Tunics worn by the incoming warriors did not have the markings of The Knights of Dawn. They were an all together different set of markings, a symbol that he had never seen before and could not identify. Lorenor frowned at this, it was a new enemy...

His warriors were fighting on the front-lines. Magi uttered the spell songs of N'Jal, which rivaled the effectiveness of the spell songs of The Elves. The rehearsed verses were like music to the mutant's senses. As they sang the dark verses, the very air around the magi was altered depending on whatever it was that each of the magi was attempting. Each magi had a rank in the community of the undead, where Lorenor was at the top of the food chain. Two warriors came running at Lorenor and Talen's positions. They were armed with masterwork Delyn swords, and wore the attire of whatever their platoon represented. One was a man and one was a woman. They did not wear head gear, but they wore cloaks with the symbols of their platoon. Lorenor would have to identify this new enemy before the night was through.

"Spider Magi, to The Pyre with you lot!" The woman yelled as she approached Talen.

The man remained silent even as he loomed on Lorenor. The mutant winced when he saw the brilliant halo that radiated from the man. Yet, it was not a pure light...something about that hue of elemental light did not sit well with Lorenor. Lorenor was using the fighting stance he had acquired from The Monks of The Order. It was the perfect battle style for a sadomasochist such as he, one that balanced damage taking with pure close quarters combat. Lorenor saw a fanatical rage in the man's eyes as he approached the mutant. When there was only a few paces between the two, the fanatic attacked and launched his blade in Lorenor's general direction.

The fight had begun...

(Bro, feel free to bunny any of our attackers, and any of the NPC's defending us)

[Hysteria]

Talen gripped the blade and looked towards the attackers. The Lorenor’s Forsaken unit worked like a well-oiled machine, springing to life as soon danger struck. The young warrior spun the sword easily as he walked towards the charging girl and brought the blade in front of him.

They are angry, reckless.

The youth lifted the blade and brought it against the female warriors in a clang of metal on metal. The girl’s face was twisted in anger, but Talen’s was passive. He pushed his sword against the girl’s bringing both close to her face.

“Engulf.”

Flames jumped into existence across the blade to the surprise of the girl. The heat from the blade scorched her face and she squealed in pain and staggered backwards. Talen calmly stepped forwards and slashed across her front, catcher her in the stomach in a spray of blood.

The female warrior regained her composure and straightened up. She gript her sword and snarled with disgust at Talen. The youth returned her stare and moved forwards in silence. The woman charged again and Talen released on of his hands from the sword and waved it in front of him. A trail of shadows twisted through the air with his movement and darted towards the woman and obscured her vision.

Talen stepped forwards and to the side as the woman widely swung her sword in blindness. The youth brought his sword in a low arch and caught the woman just above the knee. She twisted on the spot and fell to the ground in a howl of pain slashing her sword wildly as she fell. On the ground she held the sword out in front of her and pointed it at Talen to try and keep the distance between them. Talen lifted his hand again and shadows leapt to just in front of his hand. In seconds they spread out creating a large cage around the girl. She looked at it from her position on the ground, her face tinged with fear for the first time in the fight. Talen flicked his hand and released his power, brining the shadows from their place on the other side of the veil into the material realm and creating a cage the strength of steal. The girl widely smashed her sword against the cage but to no avail.

“Maybe before you were injured.” Talen turned to the other attackers and lifted his sword with both hands.

The youth didn’t have time to celebrate his capture of the woman; three arrows hot the ground just near his feet and started to glow. Talen dived to the side and skidded against the ground as the arrows exploded in white light. Talen scrambled low to the ground to the table they had been only minutes ago eating at and pushed it over to create some makeshift cover. Talen twisted the flaming blade in his hand and slammed the end into the ground. He lifted his hands in front of himself and was about to summon more shadows when the table in front of him exploded in a rain of wooden shards. The youth tumbled backwards with his hands protectively in front of his head as a knight in chain mail appeared through the hole in the table hefting a large war hammer into the air and bring it down. Talen just managed to role to the side as the air was filled with a spray of earth at the impact.

Talen could taste the dirt as he pushed himself onto all fours and charged at the knight while his war hammer was still on the ground. The youth felt like he had run straight into a brick wall, but the force was enough to throw the knight off balance and he dropped his hammer and stumbled backwards. Talen dug his feet into the ground and pushed harder and the knight fell to the ground with Talen landing on him. The youth gathered shadows as he and the knight fought with each other. Talen’s hands started to ooze the volatile shadow liquid as the two pushed against each other. The slippery liquid drenched the knight, but a lose hand smashed into the side of Talen’s head and sent the boy rolling to the side. He tried to regain his senses as the knight stood and picked up the war hammer. He turned and lifted it as he walked to Talen.

The youth pushed himself backwards and looked around desperately. The flame sword was just in reach and Talen grabbed the handle and shoved it at the knight. The blade didn’t even manage to pierce the knights mail but the flammable liquid did its work and ignited instantly. Flame shot across the knight as he roared in agony. Desperate to put out the flames he dropped his weapon and it struck Talen’s leg in a large crack. The youth dropped the sword and grabbed his leg as pain ripped through his body.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

What Lorenor did not know, was that each time he fought the members of The Knights of Dawn, he was thinning out their numbers. Lorenor moved towards the man that was attacking him. Normally, Lorenor preferred men, so this was an advantage to him. He could manipulate the fellow as he saw fit. Lorenor held his sword in place as he waited for the slow man to run towards his position. What was strange was the crest that the man wore on his vest and cloak. The crest was not the original design of The Knights of Dawn. No. This crest had a red x through the main emblem and was positioned in an upside down fashion as a mockery of The Knights of Dawn. This must be a splinter group...? Lorenor thought to himself. He had never encountered a splinter group before.

This will certainly be interesting. Lorenor identified the man as a Coronian of Radasanth origins. He had stark brown eyes which was the only detail that Lorenor had a chance to decipher. The attack came. Compared to Lorenor's enhanced speed, the fellow moved very slow. Lorenor was easily able to evade the attack from the man's enchanted sword. As he moved around the attack, Lorenor swung his weapon to intercept the stabbing sword. Too many lives were at stake. The lives of allies, and the lives of his new found companion. Lorenor would see to it that there would be no casualties on his side.

A loud metallic clang rung through the night as the two swords intercepted.

Lorenor quickly moved in on the man. It was at that point that The High Priest knew that the battle was one sided. However, the sadomasochist would enjoy himself. He always did. Unlike most Warriors, Lorenor enjoyed the inflicting as well the receiving of pain in all it's forms.

Leaning in towards the man, Lorenor could taste the man's flesh upon his own flesh. It was warm, the heart within that powerful chest beat rapidly like a harmonic symphony. Lorenor could hear that powerful heart as much as he could taste it in his mouth. He wanted to feast on that heart, corrupt it, make it his and then regurgitate it until it was little more than a shell of it's former self. For the dead envied the living.

Studying his opponent up close, the mutant could see the blood flowing just beneath the surface of the man's skin. Lorenor had become a powerful warrior by then, the match would be his, he knew it. But a strange desire to make things interesting swelled up in his stomach. A plan devised, a scheme. That was what Lorenor excelled at. Scheming. Instead of causing more casualties for his side, he would turn his enemy against themselves and inflict them with a hysteria equal to that of a plague.

When the man's ear was against Lorenor's face The High Priest acted. He used his silver tongue with the skill of a devil. Lorenor spoke to them man whilst he held his sword locked in place. He spoke in a subtle whisper, his tongue almost licking the man's ear.

"Young one. I command thee. " Lorenor began. "Focus all of thy hate into one singular purpose. Your enemies, are not our allies, but the allies of Ruild." Lorenor continued his blasphemous speech. "Focus your energy on that man right there!" The High Priest commanded. He was using his power of manipulation on the weak willed man. Fanatics were always strangely more susceptible to Lorenor's power. Lorenor could see in the man's eyes that he had fallen under The High Priest's influence. The man pulled away from his attack against Lorenor. He nodded carefully in obedience, and turned towards the man that Lorenor had pointed to. Talen was nearby, crying out for help. Lorenor knew that, he had to do something and there was always a plan. A scheme.

As the man moved to finish Talen, something else had happened. His face suddenly distorted in pain as a sword pierced his back side and went completely through him. The man had a shocked expression, as he turned around to see his own ally with the offending weapon. "You...!?" He cried, and died on the man's sword. Lorenor walked over towards Talen and knelt down to him carefully. He moved to place a hand on the injured boy's forehead.

"Talen can you stand? We have to away from here. I can prepare us all a exit...but I will need some cover." Immediately, the nearby Undead Warriors and Magi were surrounding The High Priest and The Apprentice.

[Hysteria]

“Some cover?” ask Talen incredulously.

Lorenor might as well have asked Talen to kill everyone with a spoon. The youth, still sitting on the ground grabbed the flaming sword and pushed himself to his feet. Pain shot up his leg as he did his best to support his weight with the sword. Shadows leapt from the area to Talen's hand as the youth lifted it towards the on comers.

“Fuck.”

Black oil spewed forth from his hand, spraying across the the ground in a wide arch. Talen flicked his wrist and set off the small device strapped there. A small spark shot out into the air and Talen moved the stream into it. Flames shot across the oil and spread out to the arc around the group.

The warriors charging their positions stepped back in surprise as the flames lifted in front of them. Their shock past quickly as the oil burnt and the flames died. A large man wearing full platemail charged through the small flames towards the group. It was Richard who stepped forward, moving easily aside as the knight struck at him. With an easy kick the forsaken knocked the unbalanced man to the ground. He stepped forwards and brought his foot down on the man's helmet and in a sickening crack the man's neck snapped.

The youth could only watch the warrior easily take out the knight. Talen for the third time felt useless. The powerful group of people that surrounded him were so much more powerful than he was that he could barely do anything but watch in awe. Richard flicked the man's sword into the air and caught it. With a grunt of effort he threw the sword and caught one of the attacker's in the shoulder.

“BASTARD!” The caged woman screamed close to the group.

Shadows twisted from Talen's hand to the cage and wrapped around it. The shadows hardened into a solid chain and the youth gripped it tightly.

“You'll be coming with us.” Said Talen, his voice wrapped with spite. Shadow twisted upwards from Talen and condensed into a flower. The image only lasted for a second before puffing out of existence and two of the petals shooting through the air and crashing against the armour of another man.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Whilst everything transpired, Lorenor was busily preparing the gate to Phantaria and ultimately, to Raiaera. Forsaken country was in Raiaera and that was their destination. Corone was simply too hostile and environment to train in. Lorenor fell into a trance whilst his Forsaken Warriors and Magi assaulted the enemy around him. Lorenor tasted the blood in the air. It was beautiful, he knew that they had dealt the rogue splinter cell a tremendous set-back. There was a protocol in play and Lorenor's forces grabbed all they could from the camp before their master prepared the exit out of there.

In a moment of brilliant cascading energy, The Firmanent cracked brightly and was ripped open when a Phantaria Gate manifested. The Gate was an elegant one, summoned just for Lorenor by Lorenor. As The Gate opened, Lorenor's eyes snapped back into focus, and he gave the signal to retreat. He saw that Talen had recovered Flamethirst, which was the important matter, and then moved quickly with his best speed towards Talen. Without saying a word, Lorenor attempted to grab Talen, and if he was successful, would bound through to The Gate with Talen in tow. His Forsaken, those that could flee the battle were already retreating. Lorenor had placed protocol in play that would protect any Forsaken that would be left behind.

He stepped into The Gate.

[Hysteria]

Lorenor’s thin arm latched onto Talen’s cloak like a vice. The ghoul’s enhanced strength jerked Talen off the ground and lifted him through the gate with ease. The boy’s view faded into white as the chain connected to the cage became taught. Both mutant and youth came through the gate far from the forest. Lorenor stepped easily onto the soft grass and turned his glowing eyes to Talen, then to the chain. The mutant pulled Talen to the side as the cage flew through the gate.

Talen remembered only pain as the mutant threw the boy to the side. The burning fire of pain that filled his leg was like nothing the boy had felt before, and it was only as it slowly subsided that he could open his eyes. The sun was slowly setting in the far continent and the dim light illuminated the cage with the still form of the trapped woman. Near the cage Richard was sitting up with the female forsaken healer kneeling next to him.

“The chain was sucked through the gate, brining the cage with it. It collided with Richard on the way through.” The ghoul turned his glowing eyes to Talen, as if peering into his soul, “Why did you bring the girl? More of the forsaken could have come through if you had not.”

Talen felt his stomach go numb with guilt. The girl had been a whim, something silly that he now could not tell Lorenor.

“Speak Talen.”

The words were firm, firmer than he had been before, and rightly so. Talen turned his gaze from Lorenor to the unconscious woman.

“I have a friend… well I think she is a friend, who is a shadow spirit like me. I thought that I could channel my friend into that woman’s body.”

Lorenor didn’t respond, the silence telling Talen more than words that this was a war, not something to be taken lightly, or a place for rash decisions. Eager to break the silence Talen looked around.

“Where are we?”

“Raiaera; on the flood plains. I didn’t have time to pinpoint a certain location.”

“So what do we do now?”

“We rest Talen. Then we strike back.”

[Mutant_Lorenor]

A few other Forsaken made it through the gate just as the gate was closed. Some, however, were cut off from the main force. A blast of energy was shot through the gate and struck a Forsaken warrior just as he set foot on Raiaera. That fellow yelled out his last, and burned to ash. Lorenor's face cringed up in pain as he thought that an ally would be gone forever. The gate closed and nothing else came through before that moment. All of the gathered Forsaken let out a sigh of relief. There was a brief exchange between some of them and Talen, Lorenor looked on for a moment or two. He understood why Talen had acted so impulsively. However, the act had also cost him many valuable soldiers.

Lorenor clenched his fists tightly as he looked upon his gathered, battle-weary troops. There was nothing to say. Nothing he could do to remedy the anger that he felt from his fellows. He looked to the lady in the cage, somehow, that prison seemed a fitting place for the girl. Then he looked at Talen once more. The boy had proven himself a worthy warrior. He'd even managed to save Lorenor's sword.

"I apologize for your injury." Lorenor said calmly. "That was quite unexpected. They were crests similar to an old enemy. The Knights of Dawn. But the crests were also different, perhaps a splinter faction?" Lorenor asked, he had never seen those crests before. None had an answer for him except the voices in his head. They are former blades of The Knights. Jackals. Fallen Knights. They are our enemies. N'Jal said quietly, whispering her verses into his mind. Lorenor nodded. "We will have our revenge." Lorenor decreed to his gathered fellows. He looked at Talen.

"This I swear to you. But come now my fellows. For now we must heal, prepare, and rest as the good lady has said." Lorenor only then realized how exhausted he was.

[Hysteria]

The sun finished its crawling decline below the horizon and cast the group into shadows. The forsaken able to made a camp, bereft of the majority of comforts their other camp had. Talen did little but lie where he was and let the healer tend to his injury. The boy had never felt the sort of shame he felt then, knowing that he had caused the death of those who were trying to help him.

The bars of the shadow cage dissolved into nothing and the girl bound with old fashioned rope. The undead warriors were quiet, ignoring Talen where possible. A weight, heavier than any physical burden was placed on the youth. He owed the forsaken a debt, perhaps even his life. That debt would sit with the youth until such time there was an opportunity to repay it.

CRACK

Talen was wrenched back into reality by a surge of terrible pain.

“Had to re-align the bone.” The healer said simply.

“O-oh.” Talen struggled to let the word out.

The boy just sat there for a while as the healer finished. Talen noticed that this time she used far less magic. He wanted to believe that it was because the battle had drained her, but the thought that this was not the case chewed at the back of his mind. Weary and drained, the youth slipped into a restless sleep.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

((This is my conclusion post))

Observing the Forsaken that had made it out of the battle with the Knights of Dawn, Lorenor felt discouraged. That was an emotion the super genius hardly ever felt, but that feeling stabbed him in the gut with the ferocity of a short-bladed knife. Lorenor's Salvarn cloak flapped in the wind as he stared at the Forsaken gathered before him. His eyes were narrowed and he was picking out the details of his people that many would miss. They were a hard-working, tenacious lot. Lorenor knew that as their leader, the Grand Primus.

There were several Forsaken that had suffered critical injuries. These individuals were being tended to by the many Healers and Clerics under Lorenor's employ. The High Priest felt every single loss to his people. Each sacrifice only made the desire to follow N'Jal that much more powerful within the High Priest.

A scout walked towards Lorenor as he studied the scene before him. The injured were skillfully mended back together by Clerics. The scout greeted the Grand Primus carefully, who nodded in return.

"Sire. You have returned back to us." The scout said. "I trust that the journey to Corone proved fruitful?" He asked.

"It was." The Grand Primus responded. "As I stand here, the dark lady decrees for me a new mission. A mission that we must undertake as a Nation united under one banner."

"What is that mission, sire?" The scout asked.

"Gather your men. We must return to Corone. There we shall begin an exodus that shall be remembered for all time." Lorenor said carefully. "Bring me Talen. So that I might speak with him and congratulate him for his service to the dark lady." Lorenor said. "Though we have lost much, we have gained a powerful ally. Talen will serve us well. Treat him as one of us." Lorenor said carefully. He walked in the general direction of Talen. Many schemes were on his mind, but the grandest scheme of all, would be the vengeance of N'Jal.

FIN.

[Hysteria]

“Talen.”

“Talen.”

”Talen!”

Talen sat bold upright and looked around through bleary eyes. They fell on the Forsaken Scout that had awoken him and Talen grumbled a few nonsensical sounds. The scout gestured Talen to stand and the you begrudgingly complied. The man wrapped an arm around Talen and helped him limp over to Lorenor. Talen's leg ached with each step, but he refused to show discomfort. As soon as they reached the mutant Talen flopped down in front of him.

“Talen.” Lorenor's raspy voice was matched in emotionless only by his cold glowing eyes, “Tell me, do you hate those who attacked us?”

The youth stifled a yawn.

“I suppose so.”

“I have a project that I am working on, one which rid the world of people like them. Then we, the Children of N'Jal will be free to walk where we choose. This project will require me to travel somewhere, somewhere far from here. There I shall prepare for what is to come. I need to know, when the time comes can I call upon you to do what you must?”

Lorenor's eyes flamed in intensity as he stared at the youth. Talen felt a weight upon him, like he had when first introduced to N'Jal.

“Yes.”

“Good. Very good indeed.” Lorenor's eyes flared, almost like he was blinking, “You look tired. You should rest, especially with your injury.”

Talen nodded to the mutant and stood back up with help from the scout. The youth walked painfully back to his bed and was helped back down by the scout. The forsaken didn't leave though and Talen turned and looked at him.

“Do you know what you are doing boy? You seem to be playing with things you don't understand.”

Talen look away from the scout's gaze and shrugged.

“I don't know.”

The scout seemed satisfied with the answer and turned away. Talen rolled over and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Requested Rewards:

Cassandra Red: Talen is holding a woman who used to be a Knight of the Dawn captive. He plans to use her to summon another Shadow Being like himself.

Spetral Sight: (at next character upgrade)
Talen can see things that normal people can't. At the moment this includes things like spirits and ghosts. When looking at living creatures (PCs included) s he can see Auras if they are magically included. This is limited to knowing what sort of element someone has, or if they are touched by a god and the like.

[Max Dirks]

First, I'd like to apologize for the delay in your judgment. I've been asked to step in and guest judge your thread.

To begin, this thread did not meet my initial expectations. Having experienced both of your writings and glancing over the Burning River thread, I expected the tone of this initiation to be much darker than it was. What hurt the story, I feel, wasn't necessarily that it had a lighter tone, but that the tone was inconsistent. There are prose examples of the inconsistency in post 13 by Lorenor and in the closing dialogue submitted by both of you. The lesson here is consistency. Here's an example of what I mean in the same line! "It was a dark feast for a terrible purpose. But with the power of N'Jal, Talen would unlock his power.)" Lorenor could have written "It was a dark feast for a sinister purpose. When Talen unlocked his power, the goddess N'Jal would have another disciple at her command" and I would have a shiver down my spine. Isn't it crazy how much affect a simple "but" added to a sentence can change its meaning?

Story: 5/10

Lorenor--You led the story nicely, but suffered with your inconsistent prose. You also seriously need to work on your brevity. I've included a detailed summary of how to improve this in the clarity section below.

Hysteria--The intense detail you went into in your combat scenes severely damaged the pacing of the quest. Most of your posts were short, concise and necessary to the advancement of the story, but posts 8 and 18 dragged on and on. I can't recall if you're in my advanced battle tactics class or not. If you aren't, be sure to read up on it. One way to add suspense to battle sequences and summarily cut them down is to use short sentences. In post 8 you used the word "and" 38 times. In a battle sequence you probably want to aim for somewhere in the vicinity of 10 - 20. Cutting down on run-ons and conjunctions will help your battles retain the reader's interest throughout. Your pacing was excellent when you described setting up camp in Concordia.

Continuity: 5/10

Lorenor--As always, you relay the N'Jal pantheon nicely to your readers. What you didn't relay effectively was the splinter section of the Knights of Dawn. You mentioned they used to be a military outfit for a government. Which government? Why are they the sworn enemy of N'Jal? Because they don't like dark vile creatures or for something entirely different? I won't discount you for this, as it may be included another adventure, but if Lorenor had all of these questions why didn't he torture information out of Cassandra? You jumped straight to "Gather your men. We must return to Corone. There we shall begin an exodus that shall be remembered for all time." Upon reading this I can only assume you mean a counter assault on a nameless sect that I have no attachment to whatsoever. Obviously to keep a reader enthralled with the story, you need to give them a reason to keep reading.

Hysteria--I can't discount you at all for poor continuity, but I can't reward you for great continuity either. Individually you would have ended with a 7.

Setting: 6/10

While at times your attention to detail about setting up various camps and preparing meals was monotonous and somewhat boring, I can't discount you for adding the imagery to the thread. My only issue with the setting was that Lorenor's portals were used too conveniently. Even in Star Trek, when the teleporters are used as a plot device there's always some suspense as to whether the main characters will make it through. As a reader, I simply didn't care that your "red uniformed" N'Jal disciple was splinched while the main characters were in no true peril. Lorenor being exhausted at the end didn't suffice either.

Creativity: 4/10

The relationship between Talen and Lorenor wasn't very creative, but it could have been given the right plot development. To me, this was the most important part of this quest. I admire that you used some very unique combat maneuvers, but these were subsidiary to the true point of the quest. However, this was the first animal sacrifice I've had the privilege to read on Althanas, so I did give you an extra point in Wildcard below.

Character: 4/10

Lorenor--Is Lorenor a sinister, vile, villainous character? The general consensus in your writing is yes, but at times you stray away from that fact. My comment here tends to lend itself to my general comments on the tone of the thread and on your brevity. In your next thread I want to you separate three things when you write: action, prose, and dialogue. Before you post, I want you to make sure that all three of these elements are in agreement. What I've noticed, particularly because you are such a strong descriptor, is that your excess prose tends to pull the emphasis away from what Lorenor is doing or saying. Also, your development of your NPC's in the battle wasn't very good. I had no connection to Richard, and found it odd that he would do any of the verbal coaching. If you use NPC's please be sure to develop them as fully as you'd develop your own character if they are a major plot device.

Hysteria--You began the thread with Talen appearing to be a relatively inexperienced fighter. However, in your first combat interaction with the Knights of Dawn rogue sect, you had him react as though he was a seasoned veteran. At first I thought this was because you were attempting to portray Talen discovering his new N'Jal powers, but as I read it over again I realized this wasn't the case. If it was, then it was poorly written. You detailed the purpose of his maneuvers and gave him relative control over his actions. If these were new abilities, I highly doubt they'd flow so seamlessly. You seem to realize your mistake though, as you put Talen in grave peril at the end of the post, again making him seem inexperienced. Additionally, you gave a good description of Talen realizing the impact of his choice to eat the tainted boar, but you didn't really explain why Talen was interested in Lorenor or the N'Jal. Did he seek combat training? Did he seek copious amounts of power? Does he care about any of Lorenor's religious spat?

Interaction: 5/10

The two of you interacted nicely. Lorenor's dialogue was repetitive at times (which I've detailed in the clarity section, below), but otherwise the two of you worked particularly well today. One thing I didn't like, however, was Lorenor's tendency to revert to Ayenee-like invitations. Post 13 is littered with examples of what I mean. Here's one: "Talen would have a similar goblet filled with a fine wine by then as well.//And together, they would all consume the power of N'Jal." If bunnying is approved, this isn't necessary. Technically what you're doing is changing tense, which can hurt your pacing and mechanic's score. You could have written this: "Lorenor filled Talen's goblet (objects not connected to a character's person cannot be bunnied, by the way) and together they consumed the power of N'Jal."

Strategy: 5/10

Mechanics: 6/10

Lorenor--You had some minor spelling errors throughout the thread.

Hysteria--You tend to use run-on sentences during descriptive segments. I left you some suggestions under the Story category above.

Clarity: 4/10

Lorenor--You are far too repetitive when you write. Let me show you an example from your first post: "Lorenor found that extremely interesting and wanted to mold Talen into a useful asset for the dark lady." "Already, Lorenor was seeing possibilities." "Observing with his ancient eyes, Lorenor saw a certain potential about Talen." These three things say the exact same thing: Lorenor sees potential in Talen and wants to use him to do N'Jal's bidding. When you repeat things several times, you open yourself to contradictions, like this in your second post: "I help you because I choose to help you. I see a potential within you that I cannot ignore. Your power over The Living Dark an be crafted, cultivated, into a force of nature." ""I help you because I choose to my friend. And that should be enough for you. I expect nothing in return except loyalty." I understand repeating dialogue to make a strong point, but here you have Lorenor give the reason why he chooses to help, then have him say the reason is that he chose to, that's all. See what I mean?

Also, you need to stop your point A to point B to point C writing. Here's an example of what I mean: "Then, once they were standing at about a few paces apart, the mutant stood up. He ordered the woman to stay with the Necronomicon and he walked over towards the training circle. There he stood as he observed the two. Lorenor would carefully instruct Talen in his education process." Here's a way to condense that. "Once the two were ready, Lorenor stood. He ordered the woman to stay with the Necronomicon and walked over to the circle. There, he raised his hand and signaled the start of the fight." When you write too much, it becomes harder to read and to follow. In fact, you went from having Lorenor standing in post 7 to having him seated in post 9!

Hysteria--In general your were very clear. I want you to re-evaluate your combat posts though, as described above.

Wildcard: 6/10

You sacrificed a boar!

Total: 50/100

Lorenor receives 1365 EXP and 400 GP.
Hysteria receives 845 EXP and 600 GP.

All spoils are now approved in the RoG, so update your profiles if you want them!

[Breaker]

Rewards added.