Difference between revisions of "Shadows of a Bygone Yesteryear"

Latest revision as of 12:15, 7 May 2019

General Story

To Be Filled.

A Moment of Weakness Leads To...

Somewhere in one of the Dark Allegiance's safehouses...

"Our HQ is in ruins, our forces are terrified of him, and Kushiel just escaped from prison. Another attack on us is imminent."

"No need to recap, I know what's going on. We need to set up a better temporary base somewhere where we can train our troops."

"We had the best people guarding our Headquarters and they're either dead, or missing limbs. We need someone that fears nothing, and can at least match his destructive magic power."

"I'm not going to fight him."

"Nice display of modesty, but I'm referring to someone long gone."

"I don't follow, Rajnish."

"Lady Hel lives somewhere in Niflheim... I'm hoping we can make some sort of deal with her to bring back one of our more powerful members..."

"Absolutely not! I will not have those old zealots disturb our order. Kushiel's enough of a threat as it is!"

"But Melot, with each passing day... Kushiel plots our destruction. We have to take decisive action! Someone like Mystra could easily do away with him like she did with Eudoxie!"

"My answer is no. That's final. And don't mention that name."

"... The Dark Allegiance has grown weak because of you."

"I do what I've done recently to protect the Allegiance and Midgard... There's some things I cannot tell you... Just know that a certain peace must be kept. If the world is destroyed, who will be left to receive Erebos' teachings?"

"Erebos taught us that only the strong survive. Yet you cower here while our men die protecting you."

"And hundreds more will die until we defeat Kushiel! We do not need ghosts of the past or weapons ahead of our time to win this war. We will show the world we stand stronger than ever in the face of adversity, and once Kushiel is dead... We'll be proud to say that nothing can crush the Dark Allegiance."

'"..."

"Close the door on your way out, please?"

Fiends and Shadows

Deep in the dark Niflheim forests, a group of warriors journeyed forward into the unknown. Leading them were Lord Matthew and a limping Rajnish, who, in a hushed tone, discussed the latter's plans.

"I hope this plan of yours works. She's not fond of me being de facto mayor of Niflheim Town." Lord Matthew grumbled...

"So long as you keep your temper in check and let me do the talking, everything will be alright. She can't deny us a thing, with what we're offering her." Rajnish replied, looking back at several crates their followers carried.

After fifteen more minutes of walking through the forest and fending off all sorts of spirits and creatures, they made it to a castle, much bigger than the one northeast of Niflheim that once served as fairy Lucretia's residence.

Once the two bony figures guarding the castle entrance were shown the contents of the crates, they let the dark siders pass.

"...That was easier than I thought." The crimson lord knight commented. Rajnish snickered, shaking his head. Two more guards opened the way to the room where the castle's owner was located. The dark siders walked in, and bowed quickly, as directed.

A woman's voice boomed across the room. "Well, well, if it isn't Lord Matthew... come to make my castle yours?"

Rajnish looked up to speak to the woman he could barely see. "Lady Hel, we've come to make an offering, in exchange for a small favor..."

"What kind of favor would I be doing you...?"

"Our world is threatened by a powerful spellcaster... We were hoping you, who rules over all spirits of this planet, could return to us one of our own..." The stalker replied, submissively, before being interrupted by Lady Hel.

The woman scoffed. "What could you possibly have to offer that would persuade me to do such a thing?"

Rajnish motioned his followers to step forward with one of the crates. They opened it, revealing large violet crystals inside. Lady Hel, intrigued by the offering, stood up from her dark throne and stepped forward into the more illuminated part of the room. She had a light tan skin color, and lumbered over the men. Her hairstyle's defiance of gravity was... impressive, to say the least, and she wore deep purple robes adorned with different runes.

"This is certainly quite the offering..." She commented, entranced by the crystals.

"I've been to the great library northeast of Lutie... I know you're interested in these crystals." Rajnish replied.

"I only keep a few in case I might ever have a use for them, but someone I know would do anything for these refined stones..." Lady Hel murmured... "They have been futilely invading a certain land for ages to get an enormous crystal of this type."

"So, do we have a deal?" Rajnish spoke up, rather politely.

"Who do want me to bring back?" Hel asked, looking down at the human.

"Mystra will do..." Rajnish smiled sinisterly, as he thought of what awaited Kushiel.

Lady Hel laughed, as if someone had just told her a joke. "You think she is in this planet like any other desolate soul? Hah, I wish!"

Rajnish and Lord Matthew's expressions changed from eager to completely disappointed. They went against Sir Melot's wishes in vain.

"Do not worry for her. She is with whom she wanted to be with."

"Who the hell are you going to bring back if Mystra's not available!?" Matthew, infuriated at their failure, murmured to Rajnish, who simply shook his head.

"Lady Hel, I don't suppose you can give us Ostellos...?"'

Hel nodded. "That fiendish bastard, I can give you. Which of your men's souls are you going to trade me for him?"

"What!?" Matthew questioned, in awe. His followers began to mumble amongst themselves, in fear of what would happen.

"He needs a body, and Ostellos will just destroy the other soul. I might as well just have it." Hel explained, with an exasperated sigh. It seemed she really didn't like the Lord Knight.

Ultimately, Rajnish grabbed a scholar and pushed him towards Hel. "Just take that one, he'll be comfortable in a professor's body."

Hel nodded, and leaned towards the whimpering scholar. One of her bony guards walked into the room. Its hand was stretched out, with what could best be described as a swirling pitch-black mass of energy hovering above it. The guard stood by Hel, who clasped and waved her hand to extract the scholar's gray-tinted soul.

A disturbed Lord Matthew watched as Hel placed the dark mass above the soulless, comatose scholar. It entered through every pore of the man's skin, making the body have a seizure-like reaction. Rajnish watched, not even cringing at the sight.

"That's all." said Hel, gesturing as if presenting a gift. "Now, get out of my castle." she quite bluntly added, going back to her throne.

The scholar stood up, with some trouble.

"...Ostellos?" Rajnish asked, curiously.

With an eerie smile, the scholar looked back at the stalker.

"In the flesh."

30 Days

Day 1:

The group of insubordinate Darksiders left Hel's Lair through the front gate after having just revived Ostellos. Rajnish and the reborn man walked in front, while Lord Matthew and the rest quietly trailed behind them.

The professor looked at his fist as he opened and closed it. Noticing this, Rajnish spoke up. "Getting used to the body?"

Ostellos didn't indulge in the small talk. "What does the Dark Allegiance want from me this time?"

"Straight to the point, huh..."' Rajnish commented, chuckling. "Well, there's this light sider named Kushiel threatening to destroy the Dark Allegiance, and we've been thoroughly throttled each time we've faced him. You're the only other person I know that can defeat him."

"If he's bested you all more than once, you all deserve to be destroyed." The professor snapped back. "But, I guess I can help, as thanks for reviving me."

"Oh, and before I forget... You can't reveal to anyone who you are." The stalker informed, worried.

Ostellos scoffed. "I guessed as much, Mystra and Melot wouldn't exactly give me a warm welcome."

Lord Matthew, who'd gotten closer to hear what the two talked about, decided to clarify some information. "Mystra's... not alive."

Ostellos' smirk denoted his grief, or obvious lack thereof. Rajnish stopped to remind the men and women that assisted them today to keep their furtive mission today a secret. "... If the council finds out, heads will roll!" were his last words, before Ostellos interrupted.

"Council...?"

"Ah, yes. Shortly after Eudoxie's 'antics', a council was established to keep the dark side united." Rajnish answered.

Ostellos gave a look of sheer disgust. "How... appalling."

Day 3:

After resting in a safehouse, Ostellos was finally taken to the temporary Dark Allegiance Headquarters, located in Lighthalzen.

The professor was given a quick tour of the building. During this time, he learned of what had happened during his absence.

"After your death, Eudoxie was killed by Mystra, who decided not to close the gate to Muspelheim. Now, there's a permanent opening available every monday when Muspel's second star aligns with the planet..." Rajnish explained, as he and Ostellos walked through the hallways.

Ostellos smiled. "Good."

Rajnish shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Anyway, some time after, Satan Morroc was revived. It laid waste to Morroc, but the Light and Dark Allegiances teamed up and sent him running."

"Let me guess... The Dark Allegiance tried to beat Satan Morroc by itself and failed."

"... Yes."

"I'm sensing a pattern here."

"Since then, there's been peace between the two allegiances, until Kushiel decided to go about blowing up buildings and blaming us for Satan Morocc's resurrection."

"The Dark Side didn't revive him...?"

Rajnish gave Ostellos a surprised look. "No, we're not like you, that seeks constant destruction to bring about a new world order. Our beliefs and ideas will be spread via lawfulness and organized recruitment."

Ostellos sighed, facepalmed, and carried on.

Day 6

Several books and newspapers lie on a table. Ostellos seemed to be still trying to catch up on what he's missed. Lord Matthew passed by, letting out a low growl as he saw the professor.

Ostellos didn't quite notice, as he called out to him to talk. "Hey, you. Where is everyone?"

"This is everyone. Since Kushiel destroyed our previous headquarters and killed off our best fighters, we can't risk losing more of our people by keeping them around all day. And even before Kushiel's reign of terror, we didn't have members dedicated enough to stay in HQ all day."

"I see... What about the 'council members'?"

"What about us?"

"I've only seen you and Rajnish. What about the others?"

"Melot's probably in his office, Ciar's probably off doing whatever professors do, and Tiamat... Well, I'm not sure. She disappears a lot."

Ostellos tilted his head, smiling strangely. "Melot's here? Take me to him."

"I... don't think I can just do that. Why do you want to go to him anyway?" Matthew asked. He didn't like the sound of the request.

"It's been so long, I just want to see him. And you will take me to him." His voice turned more sinister as he replied.

<><><>

"H-hey Melot."

"Good afternoon, Matthew. Who's this?"

"This is... Orpheus. He's new."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, oh great Sir Melot... I've been wanting to meet you personally for a while now."

"Haven't I seen you around here for a few weeks now?"

"Oh no, he was just here as my guest is all!"

"Anyways, welcome to the Dark Allegiance. Now, I've got some business to attend to. You know where the door is, I presum--"

"How does having a Council feel?"

"Excuse me?"

"Orpheus, don't..."

"I said: How does having a council feel? You once used to command the whole Dark Allegiance until Eudoxie split it in two. Now it's whole again, but you never recovered the power you had over the Dark Side."

"I did not favor the idea of a council at first, but in time I saw that one man cannot control everything. The input from people with different mindsets have carried us to where we are now."

"To the allegiance... on the brink of destruction?"

Day 7

"That was completely reckless! You shouldn't have taken him to Melot!"

"He insisted... If I didn't take him, he would have gone by himself!"

"You could have said no!"

"Why do I have to take care of him anyway? this was all your idea!"

Ostellos kept quiet as he eavesdropped on the hushed argument between Rajnish and Lord Matthew in one of rooms of the latter's office. Their exchange of words came to an abrupt end as Ostellos walked into the office. "I was told you wanted to talk to me?" the professor asked, smiling quite nonchalantly.

"Yes, 'Orpheus'. How goes your training?" Rajnish inquired.

The scholar nodded. "I'm doing well. The armors provided to me allow this body to take more hits than it normally can handle."

"Good, good. You'll be our strongest weapon against Kushiel..."

Ostellos looked away from the two, hiding a faint smile. "Yes yes, since you couldn't handle him, pit me against him."

Rajnish looked at Ostellos straight in the eye. "That is correct. Your resurrection was for that sole purpose."

Spared of one of the Stalker's sugar-coated replies, the scholar looked back at at him, smiling devilishly. "Very well. I'll need more time to be in tip-top shape."

All the while Lord Matthew looked down, lost in thought.

Day 13

With an abrupt, yet stylish thrust of the hand, Ostellos shot streams of fire at his opponents. The two lord knights avoided what they could, as they ran straight for their target. The professor encased one in ice, but was promptly bashed in the right temple by the other. Evidently infuriated, he managed to grab his attacker by the neck, petrifying him on the spot. With a flurry of lightning bolts, the frozen knight fell, while the other was knocked out with fiery fury.

At the room's door stood Rajnish and the High Wizard Tiamat. "Your new recruit is quite the fighter." The woman pointed out. Rajnish chuckled. "He's a bit of a loose cannon, but with proper training and discipline, he will be a fine fighter." After a third round of beating up knights, 'Orpheus', as Ostellos came to be known, walked up to Rajnish and Tiamat.

"And who is this lovely lady?" the professor asked, extending his hand to shake Tiamat's.

"I am Tiamat." She shook his hand, nodding and smiling. "You're a very skilled fighter."

'Orpheus' smiled back, gently kissing the woman's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, councilwoman."

Rajnish left for a few minutes to talk to the Lord Knights about their next training session with the professor, leaving Orpheus alone with Tiamat. "Hmm... Have we met somewhere before?"

Tiamat shook her head. "I believe I've seen you around here before, but other than that, I don't think so."

Ostellos nodded, not thinking much else of the matter. "If I may ask, where do you stand in the wide spectrum of the Dark Allegiances' ideals?"

"I'm a strong believer of accomplishing our goals without violence." The high wizard replied.

Orpheus, chuckled dryly. "I see..."

"If given the chance, the Lightsiders would surely destroy us all. What would you do if they tried?"

Tiamat looked at the professor, with a more serious expression. "Then I would defend the Allegiance. But I will not be the one to draw first blood."

Orpheus scoffed. "We've been great at non-intervention in recent times. Now... we have a deranged man waging war against us on behalf of the Light Side."

"I choose the path of least unnecessary conflict. Kushiel will get what is coming to him."

Day 15

Sir Melot exited from a lonely alley in the Yuno Residential area, looking around to make sure he wasn't seen. On his way to the town square, a familiar voice talked to him.

"Pals with Archelaus now, huh?" The male voice asked, judgingly.

Melot sighed, and closed his eyes as he shook his head. "Rajnish, what a disappointing surprise." He candidly commented. "What brings you here?"

Rajnish chuckled, appearing from out of nowhere. "Oh, nothing much, just rumors of you disappearing randomly."

"Can we take this elsewhere?" The Paladin asked, looking around nervously.

Back at one of the Dark Allegiance's safehouses, Sir Melot tried to explain what was going on. "He gives me intel on The Golemancer, that's it." He informed. "Adelaide's investigation is moving forward with the volunteers' help."

Rajnish just stood there, looking at him. "You're lying. Tiamat was the one who gathered intel. Why would you do it now?" He stated. "If your secret meetings with Light Side councilmen gets out to the press, our members will lose what little trust they have left in us!"

Melot began pacing. "I know..." He began. "I can't tell you what's going on, you have to trust me. It's in the Dark Side's best interests to avoid conflict."

"Who else knows about this?" Rajnish asked, looking away from him.

"Thea, Archelaus, Tiamat and I." The paladin replied.

The stalker scoffed, shaking his head. "You shouldn't keep secrets from your fellow councilmen, Melot... Just tell me what's going on."

Melot looked down, somewhat ashamed. "Fine." He looked back up at Rajnish, with a serious expression. "I'll tell you why Thea and I have been so cooperative with each other recently."

Day 18

The makeshift lab in the basement of the Dark Allegiance Temporary Headquarters was, simply put, a mess. The head researcher, Ciar, had no assistants to help ever since the Prontera Headquarters was destroyed by The Golemancer. He quietly tinkered away on his own, trying to recreate an old weapon the Dark Allegiance once used, when 'Orpheus' walked into the room, trying to survey yet another council member.

"Do you need anything?" Ciar asked, having not even looked at who walked into his lab.

Orpheus wasted no time in small talk. "How well do you get along with the other members?"

The head researcher continued tinkering with a mechanical blue sphere. "... Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious."

Ciar kept silent for a few seconds before replying. "I... get along fine with all of them."

Dissatisfied with the response, Orpheus instead approached Ciar and his experiment. "These are forces, no?"

"Yes, they are!" Ciar replied. "Seen them before?"

Orpheus picked up one of the odd machines to inspect them. "I've had experience working with some great minds in the past. What exactly are you trying to do with them?"

"They were used by the Dark Allegiance long ago, but the exact way to create them was lost. I've only managed to reverse engineer Seal Forces, but not the rest." Ciar explained, now more engaged in the conversation.

"Mind if I suggest a few tweaks?" Orpheus asked, opening a force and fiddling with the core. "Hmm... try a dark crystal fragment."

"And remove the regular crystal fragment?" Ciar asked, tilting his head.

"No. Use both." Orpheus responded, placing the sphere on the table and glancing around at other experiments in the messy room.

After a conversation about the rest of Ciar's projects, Orpheus began to try and get to know more about Ciar again. "Are you as fierce a believer in non-intervention as Tiamat?"

Ciar nodded. "Yeah. We don't need to go around getting our hands dirty over every single issue like we used to ages ago. We have to get on with the times." He explained, ever-entranced by his own work.

"Oh, so that's why..." Orpheus murmured.

"Why what?" Ciar asked, seeing from the corner of his eye that Orpheus had turned away from him.

"Oh, nothing..." The other scholar replied, quietly. After half a minute of silence, he turned around again. "Actually... I'll tell you, but you didn't hear it from me..." The tone of Orpheus voice changed slightly. "Rajnish said you and Tiamat were weak and undeserving of being in the Dark Allegiance, much less the council." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Especially after an apparent incident with some bell?" Orpheus added, shaking his head and softly patting Ciar on the shoulder.

Ciar's expression changed. He clenched his jaw, moving away from Orpheus. "I expected nothing less from that Erebos-lover." He quietly responded. "He still worships and prays to him, you know. Says a lot about his 'progressive' ways."

Orpheus' nerves had been struck. "The Allegiance was founded on Erebos' beliefs that only the strong survive." He said, with a grave tone.

"Ugh. Ancient gods, ancient teachings. We hadn't seen or heard of any Asgardian up until Odin showed up last year and pranced around Prontera for a month." Ciar replied, disdainfully.

Orpheus had heard enough. As he got ready to leave, he made one final comment. "Erebos will return again one day, however. The world will be his for the taking... and he will allow only the strongest will survive."

<><><>

The door to Rajnish’s office opened rather abruptly, and in barged a very unhappy-looking Ciar. “Leave, we have matters to discuss.” He told an alchemist, gesturing rudely.

“The hell is wrong with you today?” Rajnish asked, at a loss.

Ciar waited until the two were finally alone to speak his mind. “You better quit trash-talking Tiamat and I behind our backs just because we don’t believe in your trash ideals!” He quite loudly said, pointing his index finger at Rajnish in a threatening way.

The stalker shook his head in disbelief as he sat down in his office chair. “What are you talking about!? I haven’t said anything about you two!”

“Don’t lie to me, Rajnish!” Ciar yelled, banging his fists on the table and accidentally setting a stack of papers on fire.

“My paperwork!” the stalker yelled, dowsing the ember with a water bottle. “Sit and calm the hell down, or I’ll have you thrown out of my office!” He exclaimed, rubbing his forehead.

Ciar remained standing up, “Your newest recruit, Orpheus, I think is his name? He told me how you keep calling us weak and undeserving of the chair in the council.”

Rajnish was stunned at his new recruit’s treacherous acts. “He what!?”

“You heard me.” The scholar replied, with a furious glare.

Rajnish sighed, shaking his head. “I assure you, I haven’t said a word about you.”

“You better stop this crap if you want me to continue making machines for you.” Ciar remarked, slamming the door as he stormed off.

Day 22

Three guards from the Temporary Dark Allegiance Headquarters were seated on a bench in Lighthalzen, spending their lunch break listening to Orpheus vehemently preach about the god Erebos and his goals.

Blending with a nearby tree’s shadow, Rajnish watched, patiently and quietly. “He thinks he can do whatever he wants, huh.” He thought.

Once finished, the three guards and Orpheus walked towards the town center. Rajnish was standing around, as if he’d just gotten there. “Ah, they told me you’d be here.”' He commented.

“Yes?” Orpheus asked, with a tone of disdain in his voice.

“I need to talk to you. Alone.” The stalker informed, with a smile that couldn’t seem any more forced.

The guards didn’t move an inch, until Orpheus motioned for them to go. “Well?” He asked, crossing his arms.

“Heard the news?” Rajnish asked, giving him no time to answer. “The Golemancer plans to release Nyddhoggur’s Shadow from its prison in Yggdrasil’s Root.”

The scholar raised his eyebrow. “Interesting. He’s quite the visionary.”

Rajnish’s fake smile began to look more like a scowl at this point. “Have you forgotten about your training? You’ve spent the last 2 days bonding with the grunts and guards of the allegiance.”

“I haven’t forgotten.” Orpheus replied, shaking his head slowly. “However, I’ve seen beyond your mission. Why should I stop Kushiel from doing what he wants? If he’s promising to end the Dark Allegiance, then it’s time to toughen up and face your problems head on, not rely on eldritch beings such as me to do the dirty work for you. What will happen, will happen. It’s only a matter of being strong enough to survive.” He explained, with a smile on his face.

Rajnish could only just stare at him, to which Orpheus replied by staring back at him, still smiling. “You’ve played your cards right.” The stalker answered, admitting defeat.

Ostellos chuckled. “I made sure I did.” He turned around and waved at the Dark Side guards to come back to him. “We’re going back to the base. Goodbye, comrade.”

Day 25

The lighting was not too bright, and not too dark at Ciar’s dining room. Several lit candles gracefully adorned the table. Tiamat walked into the room, guided by the professor himself. She gasped in awe at the sight of her favorite dinner waiting for her on the table.

“Wow, you really outdid yourself this time…” The woman commented, as Ciar moved back the chair for her to seat in.

“Only the best for you.” The professor replied, sitting on the other side of the table. “So… I was wondering…”

Before he could say anything else, a male voice spoke out. “The council must convene. It’s urgent.”

Both Ciar and Tiamat stood up abruptly. “Who’s there?” The professor asked, creating a small fireball that hovered above his hand and lit up the room.

Rajnish appeared next to the dining table. “Sorry to interrupt, but we have to go.” He said in a distressed tone, heading for the door.

“How do people keep getting in here…?” Ciar murmured.

“He’s a master rogue.” Tiamat replied, following Rajnish. “Plus, you always leave the second floor windows open.”

Ciar sighed, burying his face in his hands before quickly chugging down from his wine cup and running off.

The three exited the mansion and were guided through lonely alleys instead of the main road. “Is it Kushiel?”' Tiamat asked Rajnish.

“I’ll explain when we’re all there.” He replied. By then, the clouds had blocked the moon, further darkening Rachel’s streets.

Eventually, the three made it to an unassuming house in the southeast district. Inside, Sir Melot and Lord Matthew waited, with an unhappy expression. “We’re all here like you wanted. Can you please tell us what’s going on now!?” Melot exclaimed.

Rajnish rubbed his neck as he paced around the room. A deafening silence fell, as everyone stared at the stalker and waited for him to speak up. “I’ve called you all here on such short notice because…” He began, but stopped, trying to find the right words to use.

“Spit it out already!” Ciar burst out, irritated by whatever was going on.

Rajnish looked at him, then down at the floor, and nodded. “Almost 1 month ago, Matthew and I travelled to Hel’s Castle with a crate full of Dreamstone crystals. I had only one goal in mind: To trade it for Mystra’s Soul.” He explained. Tiamat looked at Melot, worried about how he might react. “With it, I hoped to defeat Kushiel and then send Mystra back to Lady Hel, but… I was told it was not possible. Out of desperation, I ended up bringing back Ostellos… whom you probably know as Orpheus nowadays…”

Melot, having not blinked once during Rajnish’s explanation, glanced over to Matthew. The lord knight glanced at him, and quickly looked down at the floor again.

“Let me guess. He turned against you, and now you’re telling on him.” Ciar commented, with his arms crossed.

Rajnish nodded. “Kushiel had destroyed our HQ and decimated our troops. I lost an eye and almost a leg because of him.” He explained, pointing at the patch covering his left eye. “Desperation can drive a man to do crazy things.”

Melot closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled. “What are his plans?”

“I don’t know for sure, but he’s gotten in our members’ good graces. He might want to split us to take control.” Rajnish replied, shrugging. “Whatever his goals are, we can stop him. Tonight.” He added.

“Why tonight?” Tiamat asked.

“Every night at eleven, he warps to Rachel and walks toward an inn on the southwest district. It’s his current residence.” The stalker explained. “If we wait any longer, he might be on to us. He’s very perceptive.”

Lord Matthew scoffed. “So you have little over an hour to ambush him...” He looked deeply somber as he spoke.

“Gear up.” Melot told the four council members, in a restrained tone. “Steer clear from the city square. If you need any resources, use the Temple’s Kafra services.” He added, walking away from the group, staring at Rajnish as he passed by him.

At ten minutes until eleven o’clock, Ostellos warped into Rachel square. He silently walked along the main road to the inn he was staying at, seemingly unaware of what awaits him. He entered the empty building and used his key to go into his room. Inside, Lord Matthew and Rajnish waited for him.

“They’re onto us, Ostellos. We have to go!” Rajnish exclaimed, in a distressed tone.

“Really? I’ll need to pack my stuff quickly then…” He answered, looking into Rajnish and Matthew’s eyes while taking small, slow steps forward. Suddenly, Ostellos flung a stream of lightning at the light bulb on the ceiling, glass shattering against the wall.

Ostellos exited the dark room, with a ball of silky cobwebs in his hands, only to find Tiamat standing in front of the door, Ciar blocking the way to another room, and Melot about 10 feet from him. “Thought you’d escape your fate so easily?” He asked, brandishing a violet blade with two hands.

“Five against one? That hardly seems fair.” The dark-clothed professor snickered, surrounding himself by a wall of thick fog with just a wave of the hand. Just as Melot began to move, a stream of silky web was shot from the fog, stopping the paladin in his tracks. With a violent thrust of the hand, Ostellos broke Tiamat’s concentration, stopping her spell from being executed. Ciar rained down a flurry of ice shards unto Ostellos, but was promptly encased in stone.

Rajnish, now free of his web prison, lunged towards Ostellos, going for his weapon and armor. The professor rebutted by blocking the attack and delivering a strong kick to his injured knee, incapacitating him. Melot took the opportunity to slash at the scholar. Having barely avoided the blow and with a bloody arm, the professor raised a spiritual barrier around him, only to be knocked violently against the wall by a ball of lightning from Tiamat. Ostellos endured a second barrage of ice splinters from Ciar as fire danced across his fingertips. He stared Melot down as the paladin charged at him with a raised blade as the last of the splinters finished piercing his robes.

Just as the two were about to unleash their fury at each other, a crimson blade stopped their attacks. Melot jumped back from the impact, surprised to see Matthew standing between him and the scholar. Ostellos waved his hand at Tiamat, who began to wheeze and choke, the mana siphoned right out of her. He set fire to the carpet that covered most of the room, which quickly spread and separated the high wizard and Melot from the rest.

Rajnish, though still barely able to move, managed to grab Ostellos by the leg and repeatedly stab him, only to be struck in the stomach by Matthew’s boot. The lord knight helped the injured scholar up, while Ciar simply watched, astonished at the turn of events. The two friends looked at each other for a short moment, sharing unspoken words, before the crimson knight escaped with the dark scholar through the door behind Ciar.

Melot left through the main entrance with Tiamat, while Ciar helped Rajnish escape through a window. The four hurried through the alleys and made it back to Ciar’s mansion before the authorities got to the scene of the fire.

Day 26

The next morning, Rajnish woke up. He limped out of bed, and head for the living room. Tiamat sat, silently sipping tea. Ciar looked out the window, with a frustrated look. All of a sudden, Rajnish found himself grabbed by the neck. Melot raised the hefty stalker with little difficulty, slamming him against the wall.

“I should kill you for what you’ve done.” The paladin commented, with a violent glare.

“And I-I... very well deserve it…” Rajnish gasped, providing the most sincere reply after Melot's actions just moments earlier.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you.” Melot growled at the man, throwing him several feet away.

The stalker struggled to get back up. “I can… fix this!” He exclaimed, propping himself against a chair to stand on his own two feet again.

The paladin turned his back against the stalker. “You’ve done more than enough.”

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Ciar opened it, motioning a rogue to come inside. “Any news?” Tiamat asked, walking up to the two.

The rogue seemed rather distressed. “Orpheus arrived this morning and gave a long speech.” He explained. “Half of our troops left with him.”

Melot sighed and looked back at Rajnish, who kept quiet. He turned to look at Ciar and Tiamat, who stood by him, awaiting orders. “I want our best stealth troops gathering intel on him, and a thorough check of the temporary HQ for explosives. Ciar, I want you stationed at Midcamp so the Dark Allegiance is well represented when Kushiel attacks.” He turned to Rajnish again. “And you…” The paladin began, pointing his finger at him menacingly. “If you know what’s best for you, you’ll stay with me at all times.”

<><><>

Meanwhile, in the gloomy realm of Niflheim, Ostellos and Matthew walked along a dark road. “This is where I said she was staying. It’s finally time for you two to meet.” The scholar said, stopping in front of a lonely house. “She’ll be a powerful ally to us…”

Day 30

"Kushiel has been defeated."

"I see."

"Now they're free to come after us."

"They are welcome to try."

"How's her training?"

"She's doing well. We'll be able to get to work soon enough."

<><><>

About 2 months later...

Recently, Niflheim has seen an increase in the population of spirits. Experts cannot quite determine the cause for it. Some theorize it's a natural phenomenon, while others believe the balance of life and death in another realm has been disrupted, causing the land of the dead's flow of souls to increase.

Regardless, travelers are urged to be extra careful when venturing into Niflheim.

Spiritual Overload

Approximately 20 days ago, Niflheim saw an increase in the appearance of restless and hostile spirits. Now, reports of said spirits and even adventurers being attacked by a powerful, unseen force are on the rise.

Travelers point to the deceased Archmage Mystra's castle as having a possible relation to the influx of spirits. Allegedly, twenty three days ago, while waiting for the alignment of the stars Muspelheim is bound to, lightning and explosions were spotted coming from within the castle. Shortly after, the increase in spirits began to occur.

We tried contacting Dark Allegiance Councilman Lord Matthew, owner of most of the properties in Niflheim Square, for an interview regarding the recent incidents, but we were not able to find him. Head Councilman Lord Melot informed us Matthew was currently not well of health, and thus unavailable.

After King Ernst's press conference on the twenty seventh, where he expressed his concerns regarding the new dangers Niflheim presents to the public, a group of Rune-Midgard soldiers were sent to investigate the abandoned castle.

Just last night, we learned eighteen of the twenty soldiers perished inside the castle. The two survivors are still in the Intensive Care Unit of the Prontera Hospital, but exclusive, anonymous reports indicate that apparently, they were brutally attacked by dark creatures, presumably spirits, that inhabited the castle.

The King visited each of the deceased & injured soldiers' families today, expressing his condolences and offering to help the families in any way he could. His press secretary announced in an interview they would be sending another crew to investigate and, if possible, to recover the bodies.

Volunteers interested in assisting may join, but are warned of the horrors that lurk inside the castle. The soldiers will be departing from Niflheim to Mystra's Castle.

Mystra's Castle

Yesterday, a group of heroes, led by recently-promoted International Agent Adelaide, ventured into the abandoned Mystra's Castle. In it, they discovered the building was booby trapped, powerful necromancy kept the earlier expedition crew alive, and the doors to some parts of the castle were hexed shut.

An old spirit warned the crew that the castle had been defiled with sinister magic, and the keys of an organ that opens the doors had been hidden. After finding them in relatively simple locations, Adelaide deduced whoever had been in the castle wanted the team to succeed.

The team ran up the east tower to find a swirling black vortex of energy at the rooftop. It seemed to attract the spirits and undead, making them restless. After destroying it, Adelaide and the group scoured the rest of the castle for more vortices, eventually destroying them all, and finding something else.

In the deepest part of the castle they encountered a broken down wall, which revealed a tunnel lead to an ominous-looking chamber. A lone pedestal stood at the center. Adelaide deduced the intruders took whatever was on it.

On their way back to the entrance of the castle, the team battled the entity that had recently been attacking both the spirits and the living: A reaper, most likely sent by Hel herself to put the ghosts to rest. As if that wasn't enough, the creatures within the castle were in an uproar over the destruction of the vortices. The group of heroes bravely fought hundreds of fiends that sought to escape the castle, eventually defeating them all.

It is still not known who intruded upon the castle, but alarmists claim we will know soon enough.

<><><><><>

"You called, sir?"

"Tiamat informed me of your findings."

"Yes."

"No one recognized the rest of the undead knights?"

"No, sir."

"Hmm, thanks, and stay undercover. Adelaide doesn't trust either allegiance's investigators."

"Yes, sir."

Note: Mystra's castle was left open for all heroes to explore for approximately two weeks after this event ended.

Fragments of Shadows

Walking along a lonely road of a desert canyon town, Ostellos and a hooded Lord Matthew talked about their antics at Mystra's castle.

"What does she plan to do now?" The lord knight asked, in a hushed tone.

"She'll retrieve the fragment, one way or another." The scholar responded, nonchallantly.

Matthew stopped and looked straight at Ostellos' face. "Amaria's now in charge of Fairyland's defense system. Those golems are not to be trifled with."

Ostellos chuckled, haughtily. "We do not 'trifle' with anyone. We will take advantage of their preparations for the auction retrieve what was taken from Mystra's castle."

Blast from the Past

Earlier tonight in fairyland, a stolen Airship violently crashed into Fairyland Palace's west section. An emergency broadcast was promptly issued and adventurers from across Midgard were called upon, arriving in Fairyland to help reinforce the palace. Along with the head of the golem defense system, Amaria, they secured the main rooms and protected Pixie from a group of invaders.

The attackers used summoning scrolls to sic all sorts of fiery beasts on the reinforcements, among other diversions. Amaria and the group apprehended the attackers and chased the remaining ones to the vaults, where they found a mysterious man holding a large mirror fragment.

The man revealed himself as the once-deceased Ostellos, the reason why a portal to Muspelheim opens every week in Niflheim. According to him, he has returned to take back the world for the Dark God Erebos. After seducing several members of the reinforcements to join him, Ostellos ordered his newfound allies to fight Amaria and the reinforcements. They were quickly defeated, however, much to Ostellos' chagrin. Considering the bested allies to be weak, Ostellos turned on them, before being defeated as well.

In the end, Ostellos and the remaining followers escaped with the mysterious mirror fragment. Some claim Lord Matthew was present in the attack and assisting Ostellos, but it has not yet been confirmed.

Some time after the attack, allied forces raided the temporary Dark Allegiance Headquarters and detained councilmen Sir Melot and Rajnish to be questioned thoroughly. Under the international law commonly known as "Veritable Emergency", approved during Kushiel's reign of terror, any citizen can be detained during an attack of this type, without the right for bond or to be tried in court. Warrants to detain councilmen Ciar, Matthew and Tiamat have also been issued, but their whereabouts are unknown.

Light Allegiance Head Councilwoman Lady Thea has made the following statement regarding the recent events:

"Tonight the world has come to learn an unsettling fact. Ostellos roams this realm free again. A man who promises a golden age, but will only bring death and destruction in an attempt to rebuild the world in Erebos' image. A man who, under any circumstance, cannot be trusted... I urge the Dark Allegiance to reveal any information they might have regarding this dangerous man, and to work together with us to put a stop to him."

Regarding the stolen mirror fragment, it is currently unknown what its use is or why they want it, though it's assumed it will be used for nefarious means. Pixie claimed to not even know they had it hidden within the palace vaults and promised a thorough investigation would take place to find out how they obtained it.

It was only a few months ago when Midgard was threatened with destruction. Now a new danger has risen and is on the move. Adventurers are urged to be extra careful when venturing into the wilds.