It is Begun... (Episode 0, 'Pilot')

Poking the blue skull with the butt of his staff produced no reaction at all.

After another moment of watching it, Luci picks it up.

As Lucian picks up the the blue skull, a Chaos symbol appears etched into its forehead and the mandible begins to move. A voice, like a chill wind blowing through the cracks of a mausoleum speaks to him.


"Who hath awakened the Keeper of the Gate of Never?"

Lucian focuses and bests the skull's mental assault.

Lucian feels a slight tremor in the ground below his feet. At the top of the broken steps, near the free-standing archway, a stone pedestal pushes through the soil and debris. It rises up to approximately four foot in height and stops.


"You may proceed..."

Lucian stares a moment, before he shrugs and carries the skull to the pedestal. After a moment, he sets the skull gently on the pedestal. Hopefully that works.

When there is a connection made between the skull and the pedestal, the crystalline cranium begins to glow from within. This radiance spreads down the pedestal and into the ground and moments later to the free-standing archway. The interior of the arch transforms with the glow. A runed portal appears in the eye of the arch and opens to reveal a glimpse of another realm.

A platform of dark stone, and beyond, buildings shrouded in the shadows of night.

Lucien stares at the portal for a moment. "Ah, well. Right then." He lets out a whistle to call Useless and Marengo up to him. He's fine with going through a mystery portal, but he is for sure taking them with him.

Lucian experiences an odd sensation he has previously never felt before, as he, Useless and Marengo are pulled from the planar realm they are in and into another. It is very briefly disorienting.

On the other side, the orientation of the portal lies flat in a large circular platform. Lucian and his companions, stand on a blue crystalline surface, that glows not unlike the emanation produced by activating the skull key upon the arisen pedestal. Beyond the landing zone the platform continues of a dark stone roughly in the shape of an oblong octagon, or a stylized eye.

At the focal points of each of the eight corners stands a hooded medium-sized statue facing inward toward the center of the portal. Each of these statues appear virtually identical and very lifelike in their crafting. The hoods seem empty, but give off the vibe that they are ever watching the gate.

Several low flowing steps around the octagon platform lead down to a grey cobblestone plaza. Wood and stone buildings surround the plaza, but all are dark. In the distance, torchlight and other forms of illumination can be seen scattered throughout the dark city surrounding.

The sound of moving waters alerts them to the docks just south of the arcane gate and the tops of masts and sails rise up behind some of the buildings in that direction. The sky is filled with dark clouds in an inky black sky. The visibility wall of the cloud cover is perhaps a couple hundred feet at most.

Movement coming from the northeastern end of the plaza finds a lone bipedal figure approaching with a lantern filled with a curious light of a purplish hue...

Useless moves to perch on his shoulder, and Lucian keeps one hand on Marengo's nose as they look around. At the sight of the lantern approaching he begins to lead his horse down the stairs and heads towards it. He toys with calling out to them, but isn't sure what else lies in the dark and so remains quiet.

The lone figure is a tall man in a hooded robe. What at first looked like a lantern from a distance, looks like some type of strange one foot diameter orb of metal and resembling a eye. The purplish glow is emanating from the iris of the eye.

He looks over Lucian and his companions, as he approaches and stands at the bottom of the platform.

"Lucian Falken I presume?" He directs to the young Aasimar with the staff."We have been expecting your arrival. You may call me Chamberlin. The Lord has prepared accommodations for your stay within the Octagon Tower of the palace. Please follow me..."

The man, the pseudodragon and the horse look at each other for a moment before Lucian shrugs and replies. "Sure, alright. This Lord would be...?" Despite being willing enough to follow along, he is curious.

"Orb is Lord of this realm out of time and has been thus for as long as any may remember. Possibly, since the formation of this age." Chamberlin answers Lucian. "It is he who summoned you here."

"Orb? The one you're carrying, or a different orb?" Orbs could be Lords too, but if it was that orb shouldn't he say hi or something?

Chamberlin grins, but shakes his head slowly. "No. Not this one." He pats the metallic object in his hands. "Lord Orb is an entirely different orb than this. I quite assure you, young Lucian."

As he speaks, the tall man casually turns and starts walking back north from whence he came.

"That's a relief, it isn't good to be rude at the first meeting." Lucian follows the strange man and orb duo. He has to admit to being very intrigued by it all, and Useless seem to be too if the bouncing on his shoulder was anything to go by.

To Be Continued...