Prologue
New Arrivals from Beyond?
The sky had turned quickly into something angry and violent. Black clouds rumbling loudly with the roar of thunder as lighting arced across the rolling sky in a almost leaping fashion. The wind howled through the trees of the Bramble Woods as the force of the storm intensified. No sign of life could be found, as the animals hid in place to keep safe from the storm.
It was close to midnight in Cordor. The wind bit through the night air like daggers for unprotected flesh. The guards looking over the gate in the Merchants district griping the hilt of the weapons at the hip tighter, as the other muttered a quick prayer to ward of evil.
The waves of the sea at the Cordor docks whipped up violently, causing the moored ships to rock and sway in threatening manners as sailors and dock workers rushed to loosen the mooring lines to get the ships to sea before they battered themselves against the docks and the shallows.
A lone Captain looking upward to the sky. A glowing ember within the bowl of the long stemmed pipe that hung from his lips. “Boson… how long before the ship is ready to sail out of the cove.”
The boson turned briefly towards the captain. The long scar across his neck a sign of a hanging he somehow survived at some point in his life. “Take no more then a few more moments Captain…”
“Good…” The captain said as he turned from the Boson and looked out to the city of Cordor, puffing on his pipe in a most worried fashioned. “Good...”
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Elsewhere, in some unknown location. A lone figured worked hooded and cloaked over a table loaded down with a wide assortment of miss matched items and tools. Peering constantly towards a large tome the figures voice mumbled over and over the ancient, nearly forgotten runic language that was written within the tome.
“Inalden, are you going to finish this up soon…the sheer amount of energies…” A voice called out through the room. A pair of floating human skulls glowed like stars in the night skys around a engraved tunic slap, as one of the floating macabre things spoke up once more.
‘’I am unsure how long we can keep this much power, if your going to do this you best do it now…”
“Silence the both of you..” the hooded figure said, turning enough from the table to peer to the skulls as glowing red eyes peered from the shadows of the hood.
“It is almost ready. Just do what I made you to do and keep channeling that power. We need every iota that you can muster here of this is to work.”
The skulls seemed to sway side to side in a almost rage filled manner, teeth chattering together though they spoke not a word more. The hooded figure approaching the runic slap, a bowl etched with odd markings in one hand, a ceremonial dagger in the other.
“Soon…so very soon…”
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“Oi, what be with this storm…” The Duregar raised a hand up to his bushy brow, its bulbous nose wrinkling in discuss as bolts of green energy arced and raced along the ceilings of the underdark.
“No good it no good.” The goblin spoke up as it continued to prod a pair of human captives, bringing them to Andunor for sale to the Drow of the city.
“Oi, o course it be no good you git. It tain’t natural…must be something dem darkies are brewin up…” The Durgar said as it turned, hefting a might battle axe up to his shoulder, as more energy bolts arced across the ceiling of the caves in brilliant displays of colors.
“He comes…” A woman spoke, eyes covered in rag, huddled close to a man. The Duregar turning to the woman, approaching her as he held out his axe in a threatening manner to the male.
“What do she mean…He comes? Who comes?”
“I don’t know…” The male said, before the woman laughed loudly, madly as one whos mind was touched and gone.
“He comes…he comes! To the Underdark he comes!”
“Silence the oman lad, o’re I take me axe and separate her worthless head from the neck..” the Duregar said, the human male working quickly to silence the raving woman, as energy continued to arc across the caverns.
“He comes…well who ever it be I don’t like no o this…”
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“Inalden! Were at critical mass its now or never.” The skull cried out as arcane energies launched itself from the floating skull in wild bursts, blackened scorched marks appearing upon the room where ever it struck though seeming to bounce harmlessly off the magical protection around the hidden figure beneath the cloak and hood.
“good, then let us begin…”
The hooded figured oved to the outer edge of the engraved stone, as he poured the contents of the bowl over the runs, the red ichor flowing like water into the groves carved into the stones, mixing the blue light of arcane magic with the red of blood until the entirety of the device was covered in glowing blue red runes of power.
The knife was then taken to the gloved hand of the figure, a quick sure slice made and his own red ichor poured from his wounded hand to the runs below, as the skulls and himself began to chant in harmony a ancient spell. Power roaring up around them in tremendous torrents, the walls of the room tearing away revealing the infinite nothing around them within the pocket dimension.
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The storm within the city of Cordor, under the ground around Andunor and out in the bramble woods intensified, torrential storms pouring waters and lighting down on the surface and wild arcane magics began flooding through tunnels, living things frying to a crisp in the surge of power through the area.
“what the hells is going on here…” the captain of the ship said, as his men worked desperately to keep the ship afloat, sailing out to the waters beyond.
“Oi what in the hells…” The Duregar beneath the ground cried out, as energy raced around him like stampeding Rothe.
“hes coming!!! Hes Coming!!!” the crazy woman of the Duregars captives cried out, before a bolt of energy took her and the male captive, incinerating the remains to ash.
“By Tyr what is going on…” The guards of Cordor were in a scramble, as winds blew like a mighty hurricane and rain fell in blinding sheets, lightning striking the barrier protecting the city that formed mysteriously around it.
The chanting continued though with Inalden and the skulls as arcane powers began ripping holes into inter dimensional space. Revealing alternate plains of existence, alternate prime materials. Until one was found and Inalden finished the spell. Power held still for a brief moment like giant blue red flames around them. Before they spiked upward before collapsing back into itself, leaving Inalden feeling like he was falling, a smile on his lips as his ebon skinned hand reached out to the empty world of his prison before his eyes closed as the world became dark to him.
Elsewhere through out the Island, the world of nature returned swiftly to normal. Waves ceased to crash, the storm broke, the wild arcing power in the Underdark ceased. All returned to its calm… but how long shall that last.
(chapter 1 coming soon)
Inalden's Story
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