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

Kris & Killian

The demon scimitar carves through the ancient guardian's scaly hide. Kris swings her gore-splattered blade for a follow up attack and...

...it suddenly hardens like stone from within and explodes!

The surprising blast sends Kris and Killian reeling...

Kris dodges most of the blast of energy and debris created from the explosion of the petrified Behir. She shakes it off and glances over to see how Killian fares, before looking around to see if she can spot a key or the gate it is supposed to open.

The armored Goliath is thrown backward by the impact of the explosion. He growls and pushes himself into a sitting position, while looking around them.

Both Kris and Killian spot something spherical and covered in stone dust at the center of the blast zone. It is difficult at this range to determine exactly what this may be.

Examining the curious object closer, it appears to be made of some type of blue crystalline substance and is about the size of a human..wait..that is exactly the size and shape as a Human skull.

Kris sheathes her sword and looks to Killian. "The key? Not exactly what I was expecting to find." She leans down and picks it up, dusting the skull off as she does so to get a better look at its details.

As Kris 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 her.


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

"Kris Amani." She answers. "Lady Kris Amani. Companion to Killian Maal." She adds to her introduction. "We seek the gate to the city on the edge of forever. Can you guide us there?"

"Ask and ye shall receive, my Lady."

Kris and Killian feel a slight tremor in the ground below their 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..."

With a quick glance to Killian for comment, Kris carries the talking blue skull over to the pedestal. She brushes her free palm across the top of it and gently lowers the skull onto the surface.

"There. That's better. Show me what I must do next Keeper."

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.
"The Way is open..."

Kris prompts Blue to her shoulder and summons Vulnerhaak with a whistle. She waits until Killian and his demon mount are ready, then leads her wyvern through the gate on the lead to its harness.

Kris experiences an odd sensation she has previously never felt before, as she, Killian and their mounts 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. Kris, Killian, and their conveyances 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...

Kris gives her wyvern's snout a reassuring pat to keep him calm and not attack the stranger outright. She watches as the figure approaches, but remains silent to see what it does when drawing nearer to them.

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 Kris and Killian, as he approaches and stands at the bottom of the platform.

"Lady Kris Amani and Killian Maal I presume?" He directs to each of them in turn. "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..."

Kris nods. "Its been a long and eventful journey, Chamberlin." She tells the man. "Rest and a proper meal would greatly be appreciated, if it can be provided?" She continues with a slight tug on the wyvern's lead. "For our companions as well."

"Quite so, m'Lady." The tall man acknowledges. "Bring along your beasts and your demons. Comfortable accommodations and meals await all." he gestures towards the shadows of a high castle wall and towering structures rising up on a hill close behind the buildings across the plaza to the north and northwest. Then, turns and begins walking back up the plaza to the northeast, where an open castle portcullis beckons.

Kris finds it very refreshing to speak to a stranger that doesn't talk in code or riddles that only they can understand, even if the details are sorted out. Much of her formative years were spent in such a place and it was very frustrating. She doesn't miss that realm at all and hopes never to see or hear of it again.

She leads Vulnerhaak toward the indicated open gateway and nuzzles Blue with one cheek, as the little blue monkey rides on her shoulder.

Killian gives a satisfied grunt, as the old man mentions food and rest. He tugs on the winged nightmare's reins and glances up to the almost naked woman sitting astride it.

"Yes. There are many an appetite needs quenched this night. Aye, Shary?"

"Quenched?" The beauty laughs. "When have your desires ever been sated, Killemall? Perhaps, subdued for a measure. Never quenched, like the fires in your blood."

Interlude of Destruction

The Great Eye peers into the darkened sky. A maelstrom of energy suddenly fills the teleportation circle and the burst of energy disperses. A statuesque, large-breasted Human woman and two hooded cronies, with sallow unpleasant faces, have appeared from another world. The minions smile wickedly to each other and scan across the Plaza of the Watchers, unto the circle of dark buildings surrounding it, and even to the hill north rising with the walls and towers of the city's noble palace beyond.

The large woman brushes errant strands of blonde hair from her face. It is a face somehow unnaturally twisted into a rictus of cruelty. She nods to her minions and they advance from the portal's center to the very edge of the dark stone dais, near the shallow steps leading to the cobblestone plaza proper. As they break the plane at the edge of the dais, the two closest of the Watcher statues casually turn to face the strangers.

Beams of a eerie violet energy surge from beneath the faceless hoods of the Watchers, striking the two strangers. Wicked smiles no more upon their faces, the strangers' last impressions upon this realm are visages contorted in agony, as the lethal energy disintegrates them from within. Even the dust of their being are consumed in its power.

Angry amber eyes of the large woman search the limits of her sight as if to find someone, anyone, of flesh to retaliate for this attack. She finds no one in the immediate area, though far to the north end of the plaza the shadow of one lone figure bearing a lantern that produces a purplish radiance is slowly approaching. Quickly, she pulls out an ornate scroll tube.

Boom!

It explodes in her grasp. The force of the explosion blows her into pieces that shower down upon the dark stone dais and steps. Splinters of charred bone, bits of armor, and charcoaled flesh are all that seem to remain.

Momentarily, the lone figure arrives at the base of the steps and surveys the mess. The curious eyeball-shaped device he holds in both his pale hands sends out a beam, not unlike those produced to disintegrate the stranger's minions, to search the remains. Illuminated in the odd radiance, several translucent worm-like creatures of a size likened to a Human's finger, squirm and seek to hide in the bits of the woman's remains.

Vigilant to such things, the tall man steps onto the edge of the platform and smashes each under foot.



"Most distressing." He says seemingly to himself. "Another has been corrupted..."

Keltos the Seeker

The Shadow monk's dark blade thrusts into the ancient guardian's head. Keltos stabs his gore-splattered blade in for a follow up attack and...

...it suddenly hardens like stone from within and explodes!

The surprising blast sends Keltos reeling...