THE FALL OF HEAVEN After the darkness consumed the Queen of Heaven's Gate by slaying her brood, the once merciful mind of the queen imploded into madness. The Gates of Heaven were destroyed and cast down into the abyss by Seraphina to fester for all eternity. Resigning to her fate within the dark realm where no light or time could touch, the former Queen resided untill she was joined by Araton and Vylona, her two most powerful and loyal of followers. Witnessing the sorry state of their home and mother, the two Archangels fell into darkness. The three fallen Archangels of the Abyss formed a shadowy pact, and by combining their power secured what remained of Heaven's Gate turning it into a warped and twisted shadow of its former self. Araton, Seraphina, and Vylona became "The Triumvirate", then quickly took charge of the denizen lurking in the shadows and created a dark army." Over time, Seraphina fell into madness and was lost. To stabilize the power of The Triumvirate, Sektus, the Princess of Darkness was purified of his demonic taint and given extraordinary powers and abilities as a Fallen Archangel. Shortly after arriving within the Abyss, the creatures who dwelled there started to try and pierce through the protective barrier to attack The Triumvirate and their supporters. It started off slow enough, but in time the dangers compounded. First, Araton was poisoned by a strange flower which almost killed him. Only the scale of a Void Dragon could help provide the cure. The incursion into The Great Dark came with vast repercussion as Sektus was kidnapped when Seraphina returned, and was working against The Triumvirate it seemed. Weeks later, Seraphina led a full on assault upon Fallen Gate, but little did she know that Araton had led a small group back into The Great Dark to rescue Sektus

from darkness and despair. By the time they reached him, his wings has been cut off and hung up as a trophy for the Shadow King. Seraphina was defeated by the rest of Fallen Gate, and to end her reign of terror for good, was killed when Vylona took her head, but this was not the end of their woes. Little did anyone know that Seraphina's Essence which was taken by Vylona was corrupted with the touch of The King of Shadows. Using her grief against her, and twisting her thoughts, he turned Vylona into a dark shadow of her former self. When help was finally given to her in the form of a angelic feather by Tonks, it was yet again another trojan horse. The feather had cleansed Vylona of her darkness, but it had also sent her soul into the void. Haniel, the lightsided version of Vylona had been unleashed, though even then the King of Shadows had his claws into her controlling her every move. Haniel was a weapon of the light used to destroy what remained of Fallen Gate. After she thrusted her sword into the ground of Fallen Gate, it was only a matter of time before Heaven's Gate would return while destroying all that remained of Fallen Gate. The King of Shadows would have The Abyss back for good. When all seemed lost, Vylona returned from the void as a mere shadow of her former self, but a shadow was all that was required to restore faith in those of her family members. Merging with IrishWisp, Araton, and the others took the fight to Haniel and the two she had recruited into her service with talks of lies and false promises. Once Haniel was finally beaten, and Vylona took possession of her body from the King of Shadows, things seemed to be on the up and up, but the people of Fallen

Gate were about to face their greatest challenge yet, the formidable Dark Primordial God, The King of Shadows. Having possessed Vylona allowed the Shadow King to bypass the magical barrier that was created by her, and thus, his first few visits were of warnings and attempts to bring Fallen Gate under his control, but The Triumvirate and their allies resisted and thus, the true war had began!

When the King of Shadows had finally grew impatient, he attacked twice. The first time was to instill fear into those of Fallen Gate and allow them to taste his awesome power. Once he was done toying with them, he left only to come back a week later and this time, he brought with him Two Void Dragons. Even though the defenders fought valiantly, the powers of The King of Shadows proved to be to much when he turned their own abilities against them. Near the end of the battle, a wounded Carly was used as a bargaining chip to secure the surrender of Fallen Gate. With no choice but to give in to the King of Shadow's demands, IrishWisp was taken prisoner, and Fallen Gate was captured by the King of Shadows. With their home taken, and with IrishWisp captured by the enemy, the members of Fallen Gate almost lost hope. Drifting from one temporary place to another looking for sanctuary, they had all but given up till IrishWisp was able to break free from the King of Shadow's capture and not only return to her family with vital information, but she managed to return Sektus's wings as well. Things were starting to look up!

A secret mission carried out by Jeanna, Sarah, and Vylona helped to turn the tide even further when they snuck into The Great Dark to recover Lightforge, a lost relic that belonged to Heaven's Gate thought lost. With the hammer, weapons of the light were made to combat the king. IrishWisp detailed what she had learned while captured, that the King of Shadows for all his great power had to meditate and recharge from time to time. It was on that special day that The Triumvirate and their allies snuck back into their former home and fought the King of Shadows for possession of Fallen Gate. With a combination of a weakened king, along with the newly made weapons of the light, and a special visit by Tiamat, the King of Shadows was thrown down once and for all. The Triumvirate along with Jenna took his essence into themselves to stop him from reforming, and by doing this became gods themselves. The time of the King of Shadows was over, the time of The Triumvirate had begun!

*So, we begin a new chapter in Fallen Gate . . . starting by remembering the adventures we've shared and the ones that lie ahead . . . come with me . . .*

Early in the 23rd Millenium of the Abyss, the Great Battles amongst Angel and Demon came to a Final Conclusion, with Fallen Gate triumphant in vanquishing the Archangel Haniel and restoring Tonklin from the possession of the Archangel Jophiel. When all was quiet, Tonklin and the Matriarch make their way to a secluded location at the far reaches of the Abyss to hide the Hammer of Light, used to forge the most Holy and Unholy weapons and of course, the Sword of Haniel, Lightbringer created at the same time Shadowbourne, the Sword of Darkness was conceived, possessed by the Queen of Shadows. Forged from the same, yet secret ores; one imbued with Angelic powers, the other stood as its equal but opposite intent, being empowered by the magic of Dark Shadows.

Other relics were placed alongside the Angelic sword and hammer before a concealment spell was placed over their secluded resting place. As the containment vanished to the naked eye, Tonklin wished deep in her heart to never see the items again but could not shake the feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time she laid her eyes on them. Seasons passed, Fallen Gate continued to have her battles led by Araton and the other Triumvirate as the Family fought any and all who threatened the Realm, desiring to possess the energies of the Abyss for themselves and tear down the very fabric that holds all Chaos at bay. The times took their toll; exhausted from the constant wars, some Family members deemed Worthy, Ascended to a Higher Plane. On one dark day, the Matriarch reached her breaking point and made the choice to walk through the Veil of Death, bestowing upon Wispy the powers and responsibility as the Queen of Shadows before vanishing from sight.

The Realm was not without its joys; a new Triumvirate, Jenna Daniels, was deemed Worthy to rise to take her rightful place in the Vacant Seat and the Three were made Whole once more. Prosperity began to flourish; Fallen Gate welcomed new, fascinating Creatures; Hellhounds, Slimes, and the reintroduction of Fallen Angels on to the grounds were just a few of those that came into the Family folds. Strong bonds were quickly made between the new arrivals and their more seasoned counterparts. There was much to be celebrated as each new member began to demonstrate their abilities and excel in their skills; their deadly talents exceeded only by the true love and dedication they showed one another.

As the millennial seasons pressed on, the dark past of several family members began to catch up with them, suspiciously culminating at the same time. Blaze the HellHound threatened to capture, destroy, and ‘re-educate’ his daughter Allice Rose and return her to the service of Lucifer. After falling from favor with Baal the Lord of Destruction, Charun the Conqueror pursued his illegitimate daughter Sarah to crush her skull and take possession of her Spirit. The Radiant Sisters along with their mother Malcanthet, Queen of the Succubi, finally tracked down the location of their missing 13th Sister, Azure, affectionately known as ‘Wispy’. The 5th Radiant Sister, Jade learned of her affiliations with Fallen Gate, going so far as to molest the mind of Vivian Rose and abduct Lailah Fallen, nearly killing her but Jade was unable to obtain the location of Fallen Gate and hence slipped back into the shadows, likely bidding her time and plotting her next move.

Tonklin was established as Fallen Gate’s first Keeper of Knowledge, charged with the responsibility of curating all historical records of Fallen Gate, and empowered to bring all hidden matters into the light, thereby galvanizing the Triumvirate against the corruption of their own power. In performing her duties, Tonklin took along her then Custodian, Windy Daniels and made the journey to the secluded location where the Angelic items were hidden away. To their dismay, the site had been molested, the protective spells broken, and the relics stolen! *Suspicion was cast in many directions as to who could be responsible; a reemergence of the Archangel Jophiel had been sighted, Jade was believed to still be lurking about, the deadly Fathers making their threats, and the recent infestation of undead creatures led to the discovery that the King of Shadows essence was still lingering in the Urethral Plane while other acolytes attempted to resurrect him. To further add to the chaos, the three Fallen Angels; Judy Ginger, Lailah Fallen, and Windy Daniels were suffering visitations from their own past demons coming to haunt them, with Judy coming under attack from the Angel Ankadia. Even other Realms had begun to suffer more Angelic aggression; culminating into another conflict where Lucilin from the Witchpunks Coven called on the help of all Dark Forces to overcome the Archangels Alakai, Siia, and Ankadia*.

All of Fallen Gate responded to the call of battle! During the melee, the Archangel Ankadia lost his sword, only to be discovered by Windy Daniels later on the battlefield. The Angelic sword had peculiar properties, affecting each of the Fallen Angels differently. Judy, being a half-breed of Succubus and Angel, enticed the sword to remove the Succubi from her essence, making her whole once again in her Angelic qualities, while Windy was thrown to the ground screaming and writhing in pain, the sword threatening her mental and physical well-being. Only Lailah Fallen seemed unaffected; under the watchful eye of Wispy and the Healer, Abitar, Lailah was allowed to be exposed to the full presence of the sword wherein was determined that the weapon was none other than Ascalon, the Sword of Saint George, the very one used in the slaying of Dragons! Lailah could be an empath for the mighty weapon, but the new owner was Windy; she needed to master the sword’s will, least it masters her. With great help from her fellow Fallen Angels, Windy was able to bend Ascalon to her will. The sword relented and revealed to her where the Angelic objects were located.

Windy, now rightful wielder of Ascalon, commanded the sword to reveal the location of the stollen relics, which were under heavy guard. The battle was perilous; the Hammer of Light was being held in the walls of a looming, unnamed castle protected by a giant Mist Dragon which took the combined efforts of the brave. Even with the beast overcome, Windy was brought to near death by touching the relic and the party regrouped back to Fallen Gate. No matter what the stakes, the journey needed to be completed and so, the Warriors and Healers of Fallen Gate made their second push, this time into the graveyards on the castle grounds to face the Dark Necromancer and his undead minions.

The battle raged on and on, each side fighting ferociously, but victory was finally won for Fallen Gate and Lightbringer was recovered! Both Holy relics were taken back to Fallen Gate to be scrutinized. Hours turned to days as the ancient texts were consulted, the meaning in their writings interpreted countless times in order for the Triumvirate to perform a ritual living only in legend; combining the scared items, Shadowboure, Lightbringer, and the Hammer of Light to transform the Fallen Angels in to Fallen Archangels. With their research complete, Jenna, Araton, and Wispy deemed the three Fallen Angels to be Worthy due to their bravery in battle and their devotion to Fallen Gate. The Triumvirate provided each with the choice to take the perilous path towards their transformation which they accepted without hesitation.

The die was cast and the ritual set in place; from atop the castle on the Sacrificial Stone, Araton drew Lightbringer, Wispy unsheathed Shadowboune, and Jenna prepared the Hammer of Light. Each Fallen Angel stood bravely as they were ceremonially cut down one by one with a simultaneous blow delivered from the weapons wielded by Araton and Wispy. Light and Dark energies engulfed their entire being, quickly dispatching their Souls as they perished.

Jenna then called down Columna Caeli from the Heavens, concentrating its power into the Hammer while Wispy invoked Umbra Fulmen and set the burst of Darkness towards the Hammer as well. Once the powers could no longer be contained, Jenna unleashed the combined supernatural forces of Light and Dark upon the husks of the deceased Fallen Angels. The released energies blinded all as the surge washed over their lifeless bodies. Each Triumvirate held their breath and waited to see if the legend was indeed true or had they needlessly sent their children to Oblivion. Anxiety turned to ecstasy as the three recovered; their bodies stronger, their eyes ablaze and their essence restored. Outstretching the immense span of their newly-formed wings, they rose as the first Fallen Archangels ever known to be created!

The transformation was a success, however it came with a heavy price. Upon inspecting the Holy weapon, Araton noted the impossible; Lightbringer had fractured in three places! Wispy looked upon the Unholy blade in her grip and was horrified to see Shadowbourne had warped beyond measure. Only the Hammer of Light seemed to survive unscathed. The Grandmaster Blacksmiths were consulted where it was determined that no forge yet existed to restore the monumental weapons . . . only a forge worthy of the Deities could achieve such a feat. It was decided that a Star Forge would be need to be located, once used by the Gods and Goddesses of ancient times, before the existence of the Abyss . . . and so, Fallen Gate set to the task of seeking out the fabled forge, knowing that enemies were still lurking in the shadows, waiting for a time such as this to strike!

The story of the Fallen Gate since the end of the Shadow War, as told by Triumvirate Wisp, Lady of Shadows, the 13th Radiant Sister

STORY LINE: Scarab of Sin Previous Story Line: Crawling Claws Next Story Line: TBA

Act I: In which Tonklin discovers records of the Scarab of Sin

A recovered Angelic weapon (leads to story line TBA, including the finding of the cache of angelic weapons and the creation of Fallen Arch Angels)

Previous Story: Triumvirate Abitar's Corontation https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1268356471964307662

The after-party

OOC: This is something I wrote in August 2024 with the assistance of the Library and then ADHD happened when I finished the project. So it never got posted. I was planning on integrating this to my story I was writing in Character Bios (https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1286565451698147430) but a bunch of things kind of hit at once IRL and that whole writing project got shelved. I should get back to that at some point. Before I wrote this there was almost no documentation on the race, outside of the mysterious magical change of @Cloverlyn, the Fallen Gate's first Shadow Prowler. Much of this article is sourced from another document I received from @judyXginger and updated to fit within the world of Fallen Gate. Judy's source is apparently an old Spelljammer article for Dungons & Dragons, however I do not have the specifics to list it as a reference. But with all the Shadow Prowlers we now have as members, and my return to the Gate, I'm posting this here for everyone's benefit and for them to spring board their own personal stories from. At the time of my writing this, Shadow Prowlers in Fallen Gate were an ad-hoc race with very little history. ~~Custodian Rhonda Morrigan

. Shadow Prowlers Appearance: Shadow Prowlers are feline humanoid shapeshifting breed with a sleek, almost ethereal appearance. Their dark skin covered in a fine velvet like fur that is a dark grey, blue, purple or inky black that reflects little light and blends seamlessly into the shadows. Their eyes glow faintly, often in shades of violet, blue, green, and rarely amber with elongated, cat-like pupils. Their bodies are lean and flexible, built for stealth and speed, with fingers ending in sharp black claws. They have a slight shimmer to their fur, as if they are perpetually on the verge of fading into the shadows. All Prowlers have a second form, a War Form that resembles that of great cat, like a tiger or lion. The War Form is of the same coloration as their humanoid form, only with no shine or shimmer. Instead their fur ripples with shadow as if absorbing what light would normally reflect causing them to appear as living shadows. In this form their teeth and claws are black like obsidian and just as sharp. It is said when their elders, the Shadewalkers, take this form they become a dire cat comparable to a saber-toothed tiger.

. Origin and Culture: Shadow Prowlers are native to the Shadow Realm, a parallel dimension where darkness and shadow magic dominate. They are a nocturnal race, thriving in darkness and often avoiding the light. Their society is built around stealth, subterfuge, and the accumulation of knowledge. They are known for their secretive nature, and their communities are often hidden in dark forests, underground caverns, or within the Shadow Realm itself. Their culture emphasizes the importance of balance between light and dark, and they often act as guardians of ancient secrets or forbidden knowledge. They revere deities associated with night, shadows, and the moon, and their rituals often involve the use of shadow magic to communicate with these entities.

. Umbra's Veil Description: Umbra's Veil is a vast, hidden enclave deep within the heart of the Shadow Realm. This region is characterized by its perpetual twilight, where shadows stretch long and deep, and the light is always dim, even at the brightest of times. The landscape is a blend of dark forests, jagged mountains, and twisting caverns, all shrouded in an eerie, ever-present mist. The ground itself seems to absorb sound, making it unnervingly quiet, and the air is thick with the essence of shadow magic. Culture and Society: Umbra's Veil is the cultural and spiritual center for the Shadow Prowlers. The inhabitants of this place are deeply attuned to the ebb and flow of shadow magic, which they harness in their daily lives and rituals. The society here is governed by a council of elders known as the "Shadewalkers," who are the most skilled and respected shadow mages among the Prowlers. The Shadewalkers serve as both leaders and spiritual guides, ensuring that the balance between light and darkness is maintained.

Notable Locations with in the Veil: The Obsidian Citadel: A fortress carved from the blackest stone, located at the center of Umbra's Veil. It serves as the seat of power for the Shadewalkers and a place of learning for those who wish to master shadow magic. The Citadel is heavily warded, with numerous hidden passages and traps designed to protect its secrets. The Veil's Edge: A border region where the shadows of Umbra's Veil meet the edge of the Shadow Realm. This area is a place of constant flux, where the boundary between dimensions is thin. It is said that the most skilled Shadow Prowlers can cross into other realms from here, though it is a dangerous endeavor. The Gloomwood: A dense forest within Umbra's Veil, where the trees are tall and ancient, their branches twisting together to form a near-impenetrable canopy. The Gloomwood is a sacred place, where Shadow Prowlers go to commune with the spirits of their ancestors and the deities of shadow. The forest is also home to many shadowy creatures that are fiercely protective of the Prowlers and their territory.

. Legends: Umbra's Veil is steeped in legends, one of the most famous being the tale of "The First Prowler," a figure who is said to have forged the bond between the Shadow Prowlers and the shadow magic that defines them. According to the legend, The First Prowler struck a pact with the goddess of night, gaining the powers that now run through the veins of every Shadow Prowler. Significance: To the Shadow Prowlers, Umbra's Veil is not just a home but a place of deep spiritual importance. It is where they are closest to their roots and where they believe their powers are strongest. Outsiders rarely venture into Umbra's Veil, and those who do are often never seen again, either lost in the labyrinthine shadows or quietly eliminated by the Prowlers who protect their sacred land.

And that's what I've got for now. I have other ideas and things floating around in my head and plans for my own narrative. If you have any questions about this document or my personal take with Rhonda's origins, please feel free to hit me up in DMs. I may do more with this going forward, but this get's it out where everyone can see it. ~~Rhonda

Lyrics: Legends never die When the world is calling you Can you hear them screaming out your name? Legends never die They become a part of you Every time you bleed for reaching greatness Relentless you survive They never lose hope when everything's cold And the fighting's near It's deep in their bones, they'll run into smoke When the fire is fierce Oh, pick yourself up, 'cause Legends never die When the world is calling you (the world is calling you) Can you hear them screaming out your name? Legends never die They become a part of you (they become a part of you) Every time you bleed for reaching greatness Legends never die They're written down in eternity But you'll never see the price it costs The scars collected all of their lives When everything's lost, they pick up their hearts And avenge defeat Before it all starts, they suffer through harm Just to touch a dream Oh, pick yourself up, 'cause Legends never die When the world is calling you (when the world is calling you) Can you hear them screaming out your name? Legends never die They become a part of you (they become a part of you) Every time you bleed for reaching greatness Legends never die When the world is calling out your name Begging you to fight Pick yourself up once more Pick yourself up, 'cause Legends never die When the world is calling you (when the world is calling you) Can you hear them screaming out your name? Legends never die They become a part of you (they become a part of you) Every time you bleed for reaching greatness Legends never die

The Return of Araton

Arthur ran around the house and his eyes scanned the blood-soaked scene before him, his mind reeling with the horror that lay in front of him. The farmhouse where he had found refuge for so many months now lay in ruin, its walls splattered with the gore of the people who had taken him in when nobody else would. His adoptive family lay motionless on the ground, their bodies brutally slaughtered and devoured by the same four Catacomb Ghouls that now faced Arthur. With a fierce determination burning within him, Arthur grabbed a nearby hatchet and charged forward. The ghouls, their twisted faces contorted in snarls, had been caught off guard by Arthur's sudden movement. Two of them lunged at him, jaws wide open, but Arthur dodged to the side with ease, swinging his hatchet in a deadly arc that cleaved one ghoul's skull in two. The other ghoul was quicker, and it managed to land a swipe on Arthur's chest before he could react. Arthur gritted his teeth against the pain as he swung his hatchet upwards, catching the ghoul's wrist and severing its arm at the elbow. The creature let out a blood-curdling scream as it stumbled backwards, clutching its maimed limb in agony. Arthur took advantage of the distraction to strike down the other two ghouls with swift efficiency. As the last ghoul fell to the ground, Arthur collapsed beside them, his chest heaving with exhaustion and grief. He buried his face in his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks as the weight of what had just happened bore down on him. The family that had taken him in, loved him, and given him a home – they were all gone now.

In the midst of his despair, something strange began to happen. The black crystal in the palm of Arthur's left hand, from which he had always felt an unknown power, began to glow with an otherworldly energy. A black vortex started to open before him, its edges churning and swirling like a living thing. Arthur stumbled backwards, his mind reeling with fear and uncertainty. What was this? How could it be connected to the ghouls that had killed his family? He didn't have time to think about it, though – the vortex was pulling him towards it, drawing him in with an irresistible force. With a sense of dread building inside him, Arthur gathered what little strength he had left and stood up. He took a few tentative steps back into the farmhouse, gathering a small cache of supplies: money from the cash box, tools from the workshop, a few machetes from the shed, clothes from the dresser, and a backpack to carry it all in. As he stuffed his pockets with as much food and water as he could find, Arthur felt a sense of resignation wash over him. He had no idea what lay ahead, but he knew that he couldn't stay here now. The vortex was still open, its pull growing stronger by the second. With a deep breath, Arthur turned and stepped through the portal, leaving behind the only home he had ever known since he awoke on the beach all those months ago. As he vanished into the unknown, the farmhouse stood empty and silent once more, its walls bearing witness to the brutal slaughter that had taken place. The ghouls lay still in the dirt, their bodies slowly being consumed by the very darkness that had brought them here. And Arthur, the man with no past, was gone – determined to rid the world of the kinds of monsters that ruined his life.

Arthur discovered the vortex would allow him to travel wherever he wished. He used this ability to travel far and wide, hunting dark creatures and monsters in the lands he travelled. Over time, he developed a reputation as a man who could deal with all types of dangerous and mysterious creatures. He mainly did this for his own satisfaction and his own sense of vengeance... but was willing to take a reward if it were offered.

The Werewolf of Willow Creek Arthur trudged through the dense forest, his boots sinking into the damp earth as he followed the trail of terror left behind by a werewolf that had been terrorizing the small town of Willow Creek. Rumors had spread like wildfire about the monster's supernatural strength and ferocity, but Arthur wasn't buying it. He'd seen it all before – overhyped monsters and exaggerated tales. Still, something about this one seemed different. Maybe it was the eerie howls that echoed through the trees or the way the locals whispered about the creature's ability to transform at will. As he approached the outskirts of town, Arthur spotted a group of villagers huddled together in fear. "What's going on here?" he asked gruffly, his hand resting on the grip of his hatchet. One of them pointed towards the old windmill on the edge of town. "He's been seen there! You gotta do something!" Arthur nodded and set off towards the mill, his senses on high alert for any sign of the werewolf. As he entered the abandoned structure, he found himself face to face with a snarling, snapping beast that was definitely not human. The fight was intense but brief, Arthur using his hatchet to dispatch the creature with swift efficiency. As the body transformed back into its human form, Arthur couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness for the poor soul. Maybe this monster wasn't so different after all. As he made his way back through town, Arthur spotted a young girl peeking out from behind her mother's skirt. "Mommy, Mommy! Look!" she exclaimed, pointing at Arthur's hatchet. "He killed the big bad wolf!" Arthur chuckled and winked at the little girl. "Yeah, kid. I did." Word of his victory spread quickly, and soon Arthur was known as the go-to monster hunter in these parts. He liked it that way – no attachments, just him and the creatures he hunted.

The Ghosts of Blackwood Manor Arthur stood before the imposing façade of Blackwood Manor, a grand estate rumored to be haunted by the restless spirits of its former occupants. The local sheriff had approached him with a plea for help, begging Arthur to investigate the strange occurrences that had been plaguing the family. As he stepped inside, Arthur felt a shiver run down his spine. The air was thick with malevolent energy, and he could sense the presence of multiple entities lurking in the shadows. He moved cautiously through the dusty halls, his eyes scanning for any sign of movement. Suddenly, a door slammed shut behind him, trapping him in a room filled with antique furniture and cobweb-covered portraits. Arthur spun around, hatchet at the ready, but found himself face to face with a group of ghostly apparitions. The ghosts were angry, their ethereal bodies pulsing with an otherworldly energy as they whispered curses and hexes in unison. Arthur listened intently, trying to decipher the reason behind their malevolent behavior. It turned out that the Blackwood family had made a pact with a dark entity to ensure their wealth and power, but at a terrible cost: their souls. The ghosts were trapped between worlds, seeking justice for the atrocities committed against them. Arthur spent hours listening to their stories, his heart heavy with compassion. He knew he couldn't release them from their eternal torment, but he could help them find peace. With a deep breath, Arthur began to sing – a haunting melody that echoed through the halls of Blackwood Manor. The ghosts' energy began to dissipate, and one by one, they vanished into the afterlife. As the last ghost disappeared, the room fell silent, the only sound being the creaking of old wooden floorboards. Arthur stepped out into the bright sunlight, feeling a sense of satisfaction wash over him. He might not have saved their souls, but he'd given them closure – and that was something.

The Troll of Raven's Peak Arthur climbed up the treacherous mountain path, his boots scrambling for purchase on the loose gravel. Rumors had spread about a troll living in the caves at the top of Raven's Peak, terrorizing hikers and locals alike with its brute strength and razor-sharp claws. As he rounded a bend in the path, Arthur spotted the troll – a massive creature with skin like rough bark and eyes that glowed like embers. It was enormous, easily three times Arthur's size, but the boy didn't flinch. "You're a big fella, aren't you?" Arthur said, his voice steady as he approached the troll. "But I've dealt with bigger monsters than you." The troll snarled and charged, its massive paws swiping at Arthur with deadly precision. But Arthur was no stranger to close calls – he dodged the blows with ease, using his agility to evade the troll's attacks. As they battled across the mountain, Arthur started to notice something strange. The troll seemed...different. Its movements were almost...predictable. "Hey, you're not very good at this, are you?" Arthur said, grinning as he landed a solid hit on the troll's jaw. The troll stumbled back, its expression changing from anger to confusion. "I...I don't know what you mean," it stammered. Arthur chuckled. "You're a shape-shifter, aren't you? Trying to live in secret?" The troll nodded sheepishly, and Arthur realized that this wasn't a monster at all – just a creature trying to survive in a world not designed for it. Together, they worked out a compromise: the troll would leave the humans alone, and Arthur would help it find a new home where it could roam free. As they parted ways, Arthur couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration for his unexpected ally. Word of their unlikely friendship spread quickly, and soon Arthur was known as the monster whisperer – a title he wore with pride. Maybe it was time to start thinking about a change in career...

The Winchester Chapter 1: The Arrival Arthur had been wandering along the desolate coast, a lone figure with no memory of his past life or home. For years, he had roamed from one abandoned town to another, tracking strange occurrences that seemed to elude the grasps of ordinary law enforcement. Tonight was no different—his keen senses picked up on an unusual vibration in the water, hinting at something large and dangerous lurking beneath the waves. As Arthur approached the coast, a figure emerged from the fog. It was a man dressed in dark, elegant attire, his face obscured by a hooded cloak. He spoke with a distinct accent, one that didn't belong to this coastal region. "Are you Arthur?" he asked. Arthur nodded, scanning the stranger's face. "Yes." The man removed his hood, revealing sharp features and piercing eyes. "I'm from Dovoria, a city far across the sea," he said. "I think my wife might have fallen in with a cult of some kind... maybe witches or satanists. She has been wandering off at nights and sneaking away from the house. She has been missing for a week and I heard that you might be able to help me find her." Arthur felt a surge of interest. His travels had brought him many strange cases, but none as compelling as this one. "Come with me," Arthur said. "We'll see what we can do."

Chapter 2: The Investigation The journey back to Dovoria was long and arduous, filled with silent conversations and shared glances that spoke volumes between the two men. Arriving in Dovoria, they made their way through the bustling city streets, past ornate buildings and shops selling exotic goods. As soon as they entered the husband's home, Arthur noticed the atmosphere had changed. There was a sense of unease, a palpable fear hanging in the air. The man led him to his wife's chambers, where he found a locked door with no keyhole—a suspicious sign. "We should take a look around," Arthur said, slipping on a pair of gloves. Together, they explored the house, searching for any signs that might lead them to his wife. In her bedroom, Arthur found a journal hidden within a drawer with a false bottom. Its pages were filled with entries about an affair and frequent visits to a brothel on the outskirts of town. The husband looked at Arthur, tears welling in his eyes. "She... she was unfaithful," he whispered. Arthur felt a pang of sympathy but pushed it aside for now. They needed evidence to substantiate their claims before making any accusations or taking action.

Chapter 3: The Brothel With the journal as their guide, Arthur and the husband made their way to the brothel. It was an ancient building, with ivy climbing its walls and a sign that read "The Whispering Night" in elegant cursive script. Inside, the atmosphere was dark and oppressive. As they entered, groups of patrons were already engaged in various illicit activities. Arthur's senses were heightened as he noticed the women who worked there seemed to exude an unnatural glow. Something was wrong here. A woman with long red hair approached them, her eyes cold and calculating. "Welcome," she said as she pointed to a line of young women waiting for 'customers'. "What can we do for you?" "We're looking for my missing wife. Are any of these ladies being forced to work here?" the husband asked, his voice steady but tense. The woman's expression darkened. "None that we're aware of." Arthur stepped closer, examining the women one by one. He noticed their eyes were different—unfocused and dead. Suddenly, he realized what was happening. "The women here are vampires," Arthur whispered, turning to the husband. "They've been preying on men from this town for months." The man's face paled as realization dawned. "This is why people have gone missing?" "Yes," Arthur confirmed. "And your wife... I think she's one of their victims."

With no time to waste, Arthur and the husband slip away from the customers and staff and descended into the basement of the brothel. The air was cold and damp, and the stench of decay was overwhelming. "This way," Arthur said, leading them through a maze of corridors until they reached a room filled with bodies—men and women alike, all drained of their life force. In one corner lay the husband's wife, her body pale and unresponsive. Arthur's heart ached as he knelt beside her, his fingers brushing against her cold skin. "I can't believe this," the husband whispered, tears streaming down his face. "I never knew evil like this existed in my city." Arthur stood up, determination burning in his eyes. "They won't get away with this. We will come back tomorrow and put an end to this horror."

Chapter 4: The Battle The next day is filled with a frenzy of activity at the husband's house. Arthur and the husband readied themselves, gathering weapons and preparing traps for the vampires. As night fell, they entered the building again, the atmosphere heavy with anticipation. The first few vampires were easy targets, but soon they faced a more formidable opponent—a large, powerful vampire that seemed almost human in its appearance. "We need to take it out," Arthur said, drawing his silver sword. The husband nodded and charged forward, dealing swift blows to the monster's legs. Arthur followed closely, delivering precise strikes that left the creature reeling. "Stay close," he called over the roar of combat. "We can't let them get away." Together, they fought through wave after wave of vampires, their movements synchronized and efficient. Arthur was pushed to his limits, but he knew this was personal for both him and the husband. Finally, the last vampire emerged—a queen, her presence commanding and fierce. She locked eyes with Arthur, a smoldering lust in her gaze. "You think you can defeat me?" she said, her voice like honeyed poison. Arthur didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, his sword cutting through the air as he struck. The queen vampire parried, their blades clashing with a metallic ring. For a moment, they locked eyes, each feeling a strange connection between them despite the battle raging around them. But Arthur's resolve was unyielding. With one final push, he forced her back, then delivered a decisive blow that sent her plummeting to the ground, with his sword impaled in her chest.

Epilogue: The Aftermath Back at the husband's home, Arthur cleaned his weapons and tended to minor wounds from their battle. The man sat in silence, processing what had just happened. "Thank you," he said softly, finally breaking the tension. "For everything." Arthur nodded. "It was necessary." The husband stood up, looking around the room. "I don't belong here anymore," he said. "There's too much pain and sorrow. I need to start a new life." As they prepared to part ways, the husband handed over the keys to his restaurant—The Winchester. "To you," he said with a smile. "It will be a good place for your monster hunting activities." Arthur accepted the keys, feeling a mix of gratitude and resolve. He knew this was just another chapter in his life as a lone hunter, but now, with new purpose and a place to call his own, he would continue his journey. And so, Arthur took his first steps into his new life, ready for whatever horrors lay ahead.

18th October 2024 Tonkies surveys the mess in the Pit from the night before, she smiles and looks around, feeling the souls of the sinners floating free around her. Within a pile of viscera and exanguinated flesh she notices the souls lingering oddly, as if they are being drawn to it. A small flash of light and one of the souls is devoured. My eyes go wide and I quickly dig into the pile of gore, until I locate the source "Born in blood and violence suckled on the souls of sinners - a brand new baby demon." Tonkies picks up the baby and feels a shudder in the fabric of the universe and feels an oncoming Timeslip, she looks up at the Bloodmoon and back down to the newborn demon, studies her white nubbin horns, the small wings of white and black, the same coloration on her tail, "Or maybe an old demon, but now witnessing her birth? A bootstrap paradox?" She smiles as she feels the Fallen Gate shift around them until she stands in a version of the Fallen Gate from a year previous, with the newborn infant herself cradled in her arms.

22nd October 2024 Tonkies watches herself play with the infant Nemo, how the two effortlessly fly about the Dragon Lair. Tonkies wistfully wonders when the next time jump will happen, and when it will take us. Right now is happy. I have Myxie, I have Nemo, albeit an infant one, and I have a younger me.

Tonkies blacks out for an unknown period of time, and comes to in the Abyss, holding the infant me flanked by Dragons from our lair - desperately holding back the shadowy denizens of the void eager for demon flesh. Standing before us is the machine left by Karsus and we feel the familiar slipping of time as the world around us fades and changes

30th October 2024(??) Tonkies was walking around the Castle with her younger self in her arms, catching motes of souls to feed her. Passing by a mirror she catches a glimpse of her two selves together and pauses.

Studying herselves intently she shakes her head, removing the horns adorning her crown, and creating flecks of grey in her hair.

"Mum?" Logic combines within her mind, coming to only one conclusion. Looking down at herself sadly she talks quietly "If I am right, little me, then when I send you back, I have to come with you. I can protect you, guide you, but I can never tell you what you are, what your destiny will be." "You won't understand for the longest time what you are, how you became a demon, or why you were so inexplicably drawn to the Fallen Gate. You, little one, are a kind of eternal holding pattern. As long as we go around in a temporal circle for all eternity, the Fallen Gate can never end." She walks around the Castle one last time, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the Abyss. "I will miss this place so much. For you, Fallen Gate, I will be gone for but a moment, for me it will be over 40 years...." With one last sigh she takes the little Tonkies in her arms and wishes the Fallen Gate farewell. "It is Time little one, we must go. I wish I could say goodbye to the Family, but I know they would stop me. I hope they can find me again."

With that she raises herselves off the ground with her Aeronautics and speeds through the Abyss, leaving a sonic boom in her wake, sending monsters and foes scattering. Closing in on the Re-animator she feels a time slip occurring just as the two selves touch the machine. And then, they were gone.

The note that Keeper Tonkies left for Rhonda on parchment from the Library

1984: Keeper of Knowledge Tonklin (hereby referred to as (T1) arrives with baby Tonklin (T2) and begin to live life as mother and daughter in the United Kingdom. T1 assumes the name Elinor, and names T2 Kerrie. T1 uses her magical spells, enchantments and psionics to fabricate a life for us. Including modifying memories of those around us to create false histories and friendships, and falsifying official documents. This time is also recorded as the birthdate of T2.

2004: After an uneventful 20 years of life for T2, under the protection and guidance of her "mother" T1, T2 reveals her true nature as a Demon in accordance with T1's recollection https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1286578713257054278 . T2, unaware of her mother's nature as a powerful Arch-Demon, leaves home to "protect" her mother, T1, from the supernatural horror she has become.

2004 - 2024: T1 begins operating in the shadows, guiding her younger self, T2, and the Fallen Gate to ensure that the Timeline is preserved exactly as she remembered to avoid any timeline paradoxes. Many times she wished to reach out to the Family. To once more hold them in her arms. To be comforted and to comfort their pain. She had to stand aside for catastrophes that occurred, and had to fight off unknown enemies before the Gate even learned of their existence (these are stories for other times).

2020: Araton arrives in the past after the explosion of the Bends o the Bow, with no memories of his past. Now named Arthur, he begins four years of adventuring, culminating in becoming a Monster Hunter https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1287761433450254437

2022: T2 joins the Fallen Gate with her wife, Sarah, and time progresses as told in the Stories and Legends section.

2024: (07/23/2024): The final conflict with Nyxeria and the resulting explosion of the Bends o the Bow sends Araton back in time to 2020, likely due to the energies released from the Green Orb, which is known to have an influence over Time. Araton is assumed Killed in Action. https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1240263745054314586

2024: (10/17/2024): T2 travels mortal realms gathering victims for the Slaughtering, relatives of the taken victims contact "Arthur" to help track down their missing family, he suspects dark forces are at play. https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556690/1295839325413572719 Arthur discovers that T2 is the one who has taken the prisoners and sets a trap to corner and destroy her. T1, ever watchful over T2 sees this as a threat to the timeline as she does not recall a conflict with this mysterious monster hunter and confronts him. Recognising him as Araton she tries non lethal methods to preserve the timeline of events without harming her old Triumvirate. She sends her Shadow to the Triumvirate with a cryptic message, to be delivered at a future date. In the ensuing battle, an Oblivio spell backfires and catches us both in it's power, combining with the enchantments and spells fabricated around T1 and T2's false identities, T1 now believes her own lies and looses all memories of the Fallen Gate. Arthur also having his memory affected by Oblivio, teams up with T1, now Elinor, to track down the "dark creatures" that they now believe have abducted her daughter, T2, Kerrie 20 years prior - having created a complex mutual delusion in their minds.

2024: (10/18/2024) T2 discovers the baby infant herself, born from the energies of the Fallen Gate and the blood of the slaughtering. This baby "becomes" T3. https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556690/1296709684031524877

2024: (10/30/2024): T2 travels through Krasus's reanimator machine with T3 to the past to ensure her own survival and completes the Loop and vanishes from the timeline (T2 'becomes' T1 and T3 'becomes' T2). https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1301188102378749972/1301190494428201042 She leaves the note to Rhonda and copies her memories into the Library as is tradition to all Keepers who anticipate their own demise, so their Knowledge is never lost (this is the source of the strange messages showing up on our server during this time).

2024: (11/1/2024. AM): Shadow delivers her message to the Triumvirate. This alerts the Triumvirate to the absence of the Keeper of Knowledge.

Triumvirate Wisp orchestrates an operation to seek out the missing Keeper, mobilising all the resources of the Fallen Gate. https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556690/1301988126050353243

2024: (11/1/2024: PM): Praetorian Elle discovers T1 in Rosey's pub, apparently displaying no knowledge of who Elle is, and assumes Elle's appearance is a Halloween costume. https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556690/1302004484217639003

T1, under the delusion of being Elinor, sends an email to Arthur, this alerts him to come to her aid.

The following screenshots detail the confrontation and the restoration of Tonklin's mind, no more being referred to as Elinor, she is fully restored in her memory and powers to the Arch Demon and Keeper of Knowledge known as Tonklin.

Tonklin, with her restored memories by touching the note written on Library parchment, accompanied by the Praetorians and her Custodian head to "Arthur's" hideout in a club called The Winchester. Triumvirate Wisp returns to the Fallen Gate to organise our search from there.

Rhonda continues the search of the Club after Tonklin retired from the night to recover from her ordeal https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556690/1302170909515186198

EPILOGUE Although Tonklin's ordeal is over, her memory restored and now sits once again in the Library of the Fallen Gate, Araton's story continues. https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556690/1302043330619904100 A message of a warning from our Allies in Hell's Temple https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556690/1302102991800631432 To read more of Araton's adventures and future exploits, follow this link https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1287761433450254437

The Triune Artefacts of Elar-Ishal-Draeth Long before the modern understanding of magic, in an era when the very concept of arcane power was in its infancy, three powerful factions—the Elves, Angels, and Demons—came together in an uneasy alliance. This coalition was driven by a shared vision: to uncover the mysteries of magic, understand its essence, and chart its evolution across the realms. They forged a trio of powerful artefacts known collectively as the Triune Artefacts of Elar-Ishal-Draeth—a name derived from the ancient tongues of each race, roughly meaning "The Eternal Wells of Understanding." Each device within this set was created with a unique purpose, yet all were interconnected, drawing upon the shared magic of the three realms. The Elven, Angelic, and Demonic creators poured their knowledge and souls into these artefacts, giving them lifetimes' worth of magic and understanding. Together, the Triune Artefacts served as conduits to gather, analyze, and preserve magical energy across time and space, marking the beginning of recorded magical study. The Re-animator - The Wellspring of Reclamation The artefact known today as The Re-animator was originally titled Sil'Maroth in Elven, Kel'Anora in Angelic, and Urth'Nem'ash in the Demonic tongue. Its full name, often transliterated as Sil-Kel-Nemara, means “The Wellspring of Reclamation.” This device was designed to collect raw magical energy, taking from every possible source and time, and preserve it for study and eventual re-use. Unlike the other artefacts, Sil-Kel-Nemara's primary function was to return lost magical energy to life, reshaping it for the wielder’s needs. Through this, the creators believed they could resurrect the lost arts of magic, preserving and even creating new forms of magic. However, it required immense skill to control; Sil-Kel-Nemara could cause unpredictable consequences for those without the necessary mastery or understanding of its ancient design. Even at its inception, the creators feared its potential instability. The Other Artefacts of Elar-Ishal-Draeth 1. The Etherial Codex (Tir'Shel-Vora) - This device was a library and lens for raw magical knowledge. It allowed the user to visualize, record, and categorize magic, serving as a guide to its evolving nature. Angels contributed most to this artefact, infusing it with the insight and divination power of the higher planes. 2. The Fathomstone (Nol'Drel-Kesh) - The third artefact was the Fathomstone, a device crafted by Demons and Elves to delve deep into magic’s chaotic depths. It could probe the Abyss, and its wielder could access magic from the darkest, most forbidden planes. While it offered unparalleled power, the Fathomstone demanded a steep price, often taking a toll on the user's mind. Fate of the Triune Artefacts With the passage of millennia, the Triune Artefacts of Elar-Ishal-Draeth were scattered, each falling into the hands of different factions. Their origin and purpose faded into myth. The Re-animator, or Sil-Kel-Nemara, survived in obscurity, a relic whose true power is only partially understood by Archmagus Karsus and those who attempt to wield it today. The Re-animator now serves as a powerful but unstable gateway to magic’s original sources, inadvertently causing wild magic surges and time distortions as it collects energy from across the universe. Whether it will ever reunite with its two counterparts, or if any living being could survive the combined knowledge of the Triune Artefacts, remains a mystery lost to time. The Triune Artefacts are objects of immense power and risk. Any attempt to use or destroy them should be made with utmost caution and an understanding of the potential fallout. The fate of worlds has hinged on far less.

Karsus and the re-animator: After the massive explosion that shattered the Bends of the Bow, Karsus—already a master in arcane knowledge and twisted by his obsession with ancient artifacts—began to hunt for any traces of the lost orbs. While most thought the Bends were completely destroyed, Karsus believed fragments and residual energy remained, scattered across realms. He dedicated years to this belief, pouring over texts, scrying across worlds, and enlisting the aid of wraith-like scouts that could cross dimensions. One night, while deep within his private sanctum, Karsus stumbled upon an ancient Elven map, wrapped in protective layers of spectral ink. It hinted at a “fabled catalyst,” an object capable of drawing magic from the remnants of the past and reanimating lost powers. Fueled by this revelation, Karsus traveled into the Abyss, where he battled deadly wraiths and outsmarted rivals, following faint but persistent traces of energy. Finally, in the ruins of an abandoned, arcane temple, he found it The Re-animator, a metallic device covered in inscriptions from Elven, Angelic, and Demonic languages, pulsing with a faint glow. As soon as he touched it, a surge of wild magic radiated through the chamber, nearly tearing it apart. Karsus quickly deduced its purpose: the device could capture, harness, and amplify ancient energies to reconstruct the shattered orbs. Though he didn't fully understand its origin, he realized the Re-animator could be the key to recreating the power of the Bends.

1. The Re-animator (Sil-Kel-Nemara) Appearance: The Re-animator is an intricate, crystalline structure set into a base of ancient metal alloy, darkened with age. The crystals are arranged in concentric, rotating circles, each inscribed with shifting runes in Elven, Angelic, and Demonic script. When activated, a shimmering aura glows from within, casting ghostly reflections across its surface.

2. The Etherial Codex (Tir'Shel-Vora) Appearance: The Etherial Codex resembles a large, translucent lens embedded within a rotating metal frame adorned with a myriad of interlocking symbols and gem inlays. The frame constantly shifts, aligning with arcane constellations and mystical symbols that seem to shimmer and float in the air.

3. The Fathomstone (Nol'Drel-Kesh) Appearance: The Fathomstone is a shadowy, smooth stone about the size of a clenched fist, seeming to absorb light rather than reflect it. Black and veined with silver, it has an almost liquid quality, with an ominous dark aura that flickers around it. The surface is marked with runes that occasionally shift, resembling the script of forbidden realms.

In her 40 years of living in the reverted timeline, Tonklin took it on herself to study the Artifact known to the fallen gate as the Re-Animator. After years of study, following leads, and dark quests best saved for another time, she finally found what she sought. A strange stone carved in glyphs in the same unknown language present on the re-animator. As she laid her hand on it, Knowledge was inscribed on her mind this history of the machine, properly named Wellspring of Reclaimation, and it's two partner artifacts. Also given to Tonkies is the Knowledge of how to use the machine. How to take control from another. And how to shut it down.

Karsus attuned Gift to Arthur The Seeker’s Orb Description: The Seeker’s Orb is a hand-sized metallic sphere crafted by an ancient mage artificer, designed to reveal hidden paths across realms. Made of enchanted bronze, the orb’s surface is a lattice of interlocking plates, each carved with arcane symbols and miniature runes. Small gears and components shift continuously within, producing a faint hum that resonates with magical frequencies. When activated, the orb illuminates, casting a projection of the pathways leading to specific sources of magic—like a cosmic map revealing a mystical highway across realms. The Seeker’s Orb is invaluable for those seeking powerful magical sources such as the Wellspring, as it can track the source’s signature across planes and reveal the necessary portals and paths to reach it. Properties: Range: Can detect magical sources across multiple realms and display a navigable pathway, with markers indicating portals, waypoints, and landmarks along the journey. Attunement: Requires magical attunement to the user. Only those with an understanding of arcane energy can attune to and utilize the orb effectively.

"My Family, since I have returned to you I have given hints of knowledge that I have acquired, I have been biding my time, regathering my strength since I returned, but time is now a luxury we do not have any more. The Orbs are nearly complete, Karsus' plan is almost at completion so my hand is forced." "I must attempt to take control of the Wellspring from him, and to shut it down, stopping the reformation of the Orbs and ceasing the time-jumps. This will require all of my concentration and all of my magical reserves. Karsus WILL become aware of this, and will likely attack to try and stop my attempt. I am relying on you all to repel his counter attack, and protect me for I will be completely vulnerable at this time. This is our opportunity to deal with this meddlesome mortal."

Tonkies steps up to the Reclaimator and touches two Glyphs on either side of the machine and speaks ancient incantations "Sil-Kel-Nemara, Tirokan Vel'Maresh", this opens an arcane conduit between the machine and Tonkies through which she begins to pour her magical power to over ride Karsus' presence within the machine."

Final Battle of the Wellspring The Fallen Gate found itself displaced once again by the chaotic tides of another time shift, cast further back into the annals of history. Yet, amid the temporal upheaval, two constants remained: the shattered grounds of the gate and the enigmatic Wellspring, still radiating unstable magic. Armed with the knowledge granted by the mysterious Glyph of Knowledge, Tonklin resolved to wrest control of the Wellspring from the Archmage Karsus. Her intent was clear: interrupt the ritual fueling the rampant time jumps and wild magic surges. At great personal risk, Tonklin spoke the command word she had deciphered and sat at the Wellspring, beginning the arduous process of attunement. But such an act could not escape Karsus’s notice. Karsus, realizing the threat, gathered his forces. Flanked by his allies, Arthur and Jon, he marched toward the Wellspring to stop Tonklin's interference. Yet upon his arrival, he found himself outnumbered. A veritable army of the Fallen Gate family had rallied to Tonklin’s side, defending her unconscious form as she worked to stabilize the magic of the Wellspring. The Battle Unfolds Outmatched but undeterred, Karsus called upon his most fearsome creations. From the shadows emerged his Reanimated Swarm Lord, a titan-class monstrosity bristling with undead energy, alongside a horde of lesser reanimated horrors. His strategy was to overwhelm the defenders and reclaim the Wellspring. The Fallen Gate family met the onslaught with unrelenting resolve. Younger members, eager to prove themselves, charged into the fray, striking down the reanimated creatures with fierce precision. Their coordinated attacks kept the horrors at bay, clearing a path toward Karsus himself. As the tide of battle intensified, Triumvirate Abiatar unleashed the radiant might of Lux Caelorum. The divine spell blanketed the battlefield in blinding celestial light, incapacitating Karsus and rendering him vulnerable. Temporarily blinded and disoriented, Karsus was unable to regain control of the fight, leaving his forces exposed to the Fallen Gate's unrelenting counterattacks. One by one, the reanimated horrors fell. Despite their size and ferocity, the family’s unity and skill proved insurmountable. The Swarm Lord collapsed in a heap of writhing limbs, its dark energy dissipating into the air. The Turn of the Tide As the reanimated forces crumbled, Arthur and Jon—known to the Fallen Gate family as Araton and Jon, the Betrayed—arrived to reinforce Karsus. Yet even they were swiftly neutralized. Bone cages crafted by the family’s necromancers ensnared the two allies, rendering them powerless to act. Seeing his plans unravel, Karsus was left with no choice. With a bitter incantation, he summoned a planar escape spell, retreating alongside Arthur and Jon. His exit left the battlefield eerily silent, save for the hum of residual magic emanating from the Wellspring. The Wellspring’s End Before the family could savor their victory, Princess Judy and Duchess Rhonda approached the Wellspring. Without hesitation, they slammed two artifact crystals into its core. The ancient energies of the Wellspring surged violently before collapsing in on themselves, erasing the Wellspring from the planar world. As the magic faded, the Fallen Gate was catapulted back to its rightful place in time. A chorus of cheers erupted from the family, celebrating their return and Tonklin’s success. Yet the victory was bittersweet. Karsus had escaped once again, his ambitions unchecked. Arthur, the once-great Araton, remained lost to them, his memories still clouded by manipulation. The family vowed to remain vigilant. Though the Wellspring was gone, the battle against Karsus was far from over.

It's been years since Kalaraja has shown his face. This was the first time Abi and Elle met him and it wont be the last.

Kalajara Meets Karsus for the first time wanting to take control of the Mind and Body

After carful thought and talking with the people that cared for him Jonny came to a choice. the red pill hate himself and who he is or the Blue pill be happy with who he wants to be and show everyone his true self. He chose the Blue pill to let JessieFallen take over his mind and Body prisioning Kalaraja and Jonny for the time being.

Report from 3rd February 2025 Dame Vivian takes it upon herself to further the investigation, and goes missing.

On the 8th of February, Tonkies led a small sorte to the Shadow Prison to search for Dame Vivian at her last known location. Upon the approach, the ground outside was littered with remains of the Prison's guards, seemingly struck down as they tried to flee the Prison. As We grew closer, the remains reanimated, but not as undead. These... things... were slimes, some kind of bastard imitation of other creatures all rendered in Slime, and from the Prison caves itself poured out swarms of small leech-sized slimes, hungry for our blood. After dispatching this easy group, the brave warriors of the Fallen Gate proceeded inside the Prison to continue their search for Vivian. Finding the walls, ceiling and floor all covered in a thin layer of ooze and slime, all swirling and moving, seeming to track our movements. Once inside the PRison proper we quickly searched the cells and found no trace of Vivian, only the ever present slime covering every surface. Alexis, our cube, made contact with the Slimes, an intelligence spoke to her about "freedom" and that she should serve "Jubilex" a being that claims to be the God of the Slimes. As if to back up it's claim, a Slime of unfathomable proportions chased the warriors from the prison.

Report from 19th February The Keeper's minions reported two forces of slimes in the Abyss, both heading towards the Fallen Gate. The Keeper led a small force to intercept these two groups before they could join together. The initial slimes fought were naught but imitation creatures once more. Slimes in the form of monsters native to the Abyss. Easily dispatched, but very many in number. As we fought I observed the second group approaching our position, their leader moving with a grace and purpose which implied an internal intelligence. Once they were within striking range, their leader saluted us, then ordered his own Slime Cubes to attack the very same slimes we were fighting. After the combat was settled, a tense stand off ensued, until he spoke Vivian's name, and that he brings news from her. Deep within the abyssal wastes is a settlement of intelligent Slimes, civilised, and as peaceful as you can get for an Abyssal creature. The Slime-God Jubilex has risen and taken over the entire town, bending the slimes to his will. A resistance has formed, now being led by Oracle Vivian - and she needs our help.

Report from 2nd of MAy: Location, Slime Town in the Abyss.

As promised, the Slime-creature led us to where Oracles Vivi and Allice were helping the resistance with their struggle against the Slime-God, Jubilex. It was revealed that Jubilex had seized control over a settlement of civilised Slimes, forcing them to do his will, and increasing his power by fusing with them. Jubilex had also dominated their Queen, Ashley, Vivian's twin sister, into helping him by endlessly producing more slimes and creating new and more dangerous breeds of slimes. Vivian and the resistance had devised a plan, one which would need the Fallen Gate's aid to pull off. If Vivian is able to fuse with her sister, together they will be strong enough to wrestle control of the slimes from Jubilex, divesting him of his power. The Queen, however, is always kept close to Jubilex, the resistance slimes are unable to get too close to Jubilex as he would instantly dominate them, so they called on the Fallen Gate for aid. We were split into two groups. Araton, Windy, Saphyriel, Voth, Clover and myself went in for a diversionary frontal assault, drawing Jubilexes attention away from the church where the Queen was being held. While Vivian led Allice, Sylvain and Jessie through a network of secret tunnels to infiltrate the slime town and locate the Queen.

What happened within the Church is unknown to me, but moments later, the church collapsed, not into stone and mortar, but into slime and ooze. And from this puddle of ooze emerged a giagantic form of Oracle Vivian, having fused with her Sister, she then absoarbed the slimes of the Church, growing in size to dwarf even Jubilexes bloated form. Between the gigantic Vivian and the family of the Fallen Gate, we were able to finally banish Jubilex from the town, freeing the slime-folk from his influence, and earning us an ally in the wastes of the Abyss. We were left with a warning from one of the slime folk, "Legends of Jubilex hint that he was the first slime, and that as long as a slime lives anywhere in the multiverse, Jubilex can reemerge again."

# The birth of Mxlrf'ng (Myxel)

Many years ago I went in a mission with the Coven, (later known as Witchpunks and the ring leaders at New Athens). We encountered a Leviathan sized sea serpent. A massive, multi-headed and multi-tentacled aquatic demonic being, and being who I am, I was reluctant to just outright attack another demon unprovoked. So I tried to talk with him. The conversation went well, a little too well (two crits to seduce in a row). However I did distract the Leviathan for long enough for the rest of the Coven to complete their mission

The Coven fished me out of the water on their way back. Unconscious and barely alive, they nursed me back to health

Barely a week later an egg was produced.

At the time, I was only a Brood Mother, a rather detestable position we no longer have in the Fallen Gate. It was my purpose to create hordes of demons for our armies pacifying the Abyss. I was afraid that my child would be taken to be another pawn, a faceless footsoldier to be sacrificed like so many others I had spawned. So I hid her among the Coven far from the reach of the Triumvirate.

Named Mxlrf'ngy, or Myxel for air-breathers (her real name only sounds right when spoken underwater), she integrated well into Coven life, playing and frolicking with the Witches, Demons and Monsters there. She followed them from Dorset to Cyber City to New London and even to Ashoaks and New Athens. Being my daughter, she has an instinctive loyalty to the Fallen Gate, she watched over any of the Family when you visited the Coven. Her senses spread through the waters of her home, every river, every puddle, every drop of rain, even the waters of the drinks were her senses. Even though you may have been unaware of her, she knew you were there.

The Fallen Gate is not what it was such a long time ago. The Triumvirate has changed, both physically and spiritually, we all have. No longer does the Fallen Gate have to rely on such detestable tactics as Brood Mothers and Brood Queens to bolster our armies. Because such is the power and fame of the Triumvirate that demons flock to our banner of their own free will. And the thought of using Brood Mothers is anathema to us. Upon learning of a long lost sister to us, the Family, welcome home my daughter home, Mixel, as she makes herself comfortable in our new lake, Lake Lucilin, named after High Witch Luci, who acted as her guardian for so long. She acts as a guardian to the Dragons Lair and she still watches over the Family. Every drop of water within the Fallen Gate is hers. Every puddle, every drink you take, she is there, watching over us all.

Saphryiel's purple eyes flickered as the owl descended gracefully beside her, its amber gaze piercing through the cool twilight. With a soft rustle of wings, the creature extended its leg, offering a delicate scroll bound in verdant ivy and sealed with a sigil of twisting branches—Phoibe’s mark. Breaking the seal, Saphryiel unrolled the parchment, her brows furrowing as she read the elegant script. "Saphryiel, Guardian of the Realms, The winds whisper your name, and the roots tremble in expectation. The Rite of Verdant Ash is in motion, and your presence is required at Aelinder Grove. Shadows stir in the canopy, and the past walks with silent steps toward the present. The cycle turns once more. Come swiftly. —Phoibe" The owl let out a soft hoot before taking flight, vanishing into the moonlit sky. Saphryiel exhaled slowly, the weight of the message settling over her. Whatever awaited in Aelinder Grove, it was clear—Phoibe had foreseen its importance.

The Guardian had come. She approached with slow, deliberate steps, her presence both soothing and overwhelming, as if the entire forest breathed with her movement. When she stopped before them, the air stilled, and the abyssal creatures lingering at the edges of the clearing bowed their heads in silent reverence. Her gaze settled on Saph, warmth and gratitude reflecting in her ancient eyes. "Saphy, faithful caretaker of this land," her voice resonated like wind through the trees. "You have given so much to the forest, tending to it with a heart untainted by greed or malice. You have mended what was broken, nurtured what was withering. And for that, the forest and I are in your debt." From the folds of her being, she extended her hands, and in them lay a tome—old as the earth, bound in vines that pulsed with life. Symbols of protection and power shimmered across its surface, whispering secrets of forgotten magics. "Take this," she said, her voice carrying the weight of an oath. "A gift to shield what you cherish most. Within these pages lies the knowledge to guard against all that would seek to destroy the forest... and the three of you." The moment Saph touched the book, a surge of warmth coursed through her, a connection threading itself between her and the ancient knowledge within. The Guardian’s began an incantation "Scientiam translatio" (Knowledge Transfer) As she reales the book in Saph`s hand her form begins to fade, her presence lingering only in the rustling leaves and the renewed hum of the forest’s energy. "Use it well, child of the forest." And with that, she was gone, leaving behind only the spellbook and the weight of the responsibility it carried.

Elder wood & Amber

@everyone

As if by an unspoken command the Dream Walkers of the Fallen Gate all fall asleep. Some retired to their quarters, others found comfortable spots about the Castle. Abitar, Wisp, Selena, Selene, Voth, Saebara and Tonkies all fall into a deep slumber and enter the world of Dreams.

((The Dream Fallen Gate is intended to be a Role Play device. We won't be creating a separate Room for it, at least not at first. However it can be utilised by all our Family for their RP stories, and as away that non-dreamwalkers can engage in these story lines without needing overly complex plot devices))

The dreamworld breathed around her—quiet, alive, waiting. Selena knelt near the edge of the black stone roof, one hand braced against the cold surface while the other hovered before the swirling portal she had opened. From the top of Fallen Gate’s tallest tower, the world below looked distant and unreal, shrouded in fog and fading stars. The magic shimmered around her in slow, pulsing waves. This place had always felt thin—like the boundary between realms was weaker here. Tonight, it opened. Footsteps echoed lightly across the stone behind her, smooth and fluid. “You’re doing that thing again,” said the voice beside her, light and teasing. “The thing where you pretend you’re not about to pass out.” Selena’s lips tugged upward, though she kept her gaze locked on the portal. “And you’re doing your thing again. Sneaking up like fog.” Puddles—or Alexis, though no one called her that anymore—settled beside her without a sound. Her body shimmered in violet and blue, a translucent humanoid form that moved like liquid shaped by thought. Though clearly slime by nature, she stood and sat like any person, her movements graceful and familiar. “I didn’t sneak,” Puddles said, folding herself cross-legged. “I just know how to glide.” Selena let out a quiet laugh. “Next time, wear bells.” Puddles smirked. “Too easy.” The portal’s light danced across their faces, casting shifting patterns on the dark stone. It wasn’t just an opening in space—it was a wound in reality. On the other side, fragments of dreams and memory twisted like smoke in water. Selena’s fox ears twitched, tuned to something beyond hearing. She knew what waited there. “The Hollow Eye,” she murmured. Puddles tilted her head, violet eyes narrowing. “Still watching?” “Always,” Selena said softly. “Every time I reach for something real, something forgotten—it’s there.” A hush fell between them. Even the wind, high atop the tower, had quieted. Puddles broke the silence first. “What if it’s not watching you? What if it’s watching what’s behind the veil? A lock, not a sentinel.” The idea lingered, heavy and strange. Selena felt her flame magic coil around her fingers in response—reflexive, unsure. Then a sound came from the portal. Soft, mournful. A tune barely more than breath. It wasn’t music, not exactly. But it stirred something in her chest. A memory she couldn’t place. A lullaby that never truly belonged to her, yet echoed like it had always been there. “I know that,” she whispered. “I don’t know how, but I do.” Puddles reached over, placing a cool, gel-soft hand on Selena’s shoulder. “You don’t have to go through,” she said. “Not tonight. But we can still listen.” Selena nodded slowly, extending her hand until her fingers brushed the swirling surface. The portal answered with light and sound, not pulling her in, but pressing against her—like something on the other side was leaning back. The Hollow Eye blinked. Selena didn’t flinch. “Let it watch,” she said. “I’m ready to see.”

The Keeper of Knowledge, accompanied by Priestess Sylvain , Praetorian Versinna and Sentinel Saebara secured our private quarters this night. Utilising a newly created Mind Stone we were able to weave together complex spells to prevent intruders into our private quarters while we sleep. From now on, any uninvited guest will, instead of teleporting to your Room, they will be teleported to the Cavern of Lost Souls, to forever wander there until the end of time. ((This RP device will provide an RP reason why unfriendly malcontents would be unable to "assassinate" us in our sleep, while also allowing a plot device that DMs can use to work around legitimate RP stories.))

https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556690/1329603390472327209 Logged 17th January 2025 Araton leaves a note for Jessie Fallen at the castle: Jessie, I trust this note finds you well. After weeks of tireless research and tracking, I have finally located a source of the Nightshard metal. It is situated in the shadow kingdom of Noxoria, within the city of Darkbriar. Noxoria itself is a realm steeped in magical wards and protections that prevent entry through any known portal magic or conventional means. The city of Darkbriar stands as a fortress of darkness, its gates guarded by ancient enchantments that repel all but the most determined and skilled. However, I have uncovered an alternative path — a secret 'back-door' into Noxoria. It is fraught with peril and requires a unique combination of magic and stealth to access. The journey will be treacherous, filled with hidden dangers and unseen obstacles. Given the nature of our mission, it would be wise for us not to undertake this quest alone. I suggest we involve the family in this endeavor — they possess strength, knowledge, and resources that could prove invaluable. Please meet me in the library as soon as possible so we can discuss our next steps. We need to prepare thoroughly and ensure we are well-equipped for whatever lies ahead. Yours in shadowed collaboration, Araton

https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556690/1329823940331442245 Logged 17th January 2025 Araton and Jessie Fallen have a heated discussion about the risks of going after the Nightshard alloy. Tonkies insists on an Abjuration lesson to help with the dangerous mission.

Pre-Raid discussion. Logged 20th January 2025 https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556690/1330989734859640832 The entry way into the kingdom of Noxoria is controlled by a group of human cultists, hidden beneath a nightclub known as Convergence. It was deemed that the innocent patrons of the nightclub should remain unharmed and unaware of our manoeuvres, while we infiltrate the cultists temple and seize control of the Nexus of portals within.

Chapter 1: Winter is coming

A swirling portal shimmered to life within the halls of the Fallen Gate castle. From its depths, a raven as black as midnight burst forth, wings slicing through the air with silent urgency. Clutched in its beak was a sealed letter, marked for the Jarl of the Northlands. The bird landed with purpose on the great war table before Sylvain, its obsidian eyes fixed on her. She took the letter, broke the seal, and began to read. The message was dire. It came from the villagers—an urgent plea for aid. Terrifying sounds had echoed through the mountains, the earth itself trembling beneath their feet. A cold, unnatural and merciless, had swept across the land. The people feared something ancient had awakened. They begged the Jarl and her Fallen Gate family to investigate the dark omens plaguing the Northlands. Something was coming—and the land itself was crying out for protection.

Sylvain, Jarl of the Northlands, called upon her family for aid. Answering her summons, Katrina, Saebra, Selena, Wolf, and Clover stepped through the portal—emerging upon the cold, mist-shrouded docks of the Northlands. Without delay, they made their way toward the forest that bordered a nearby village. As they ventured deeper into the woods, a chilling sight greeted them—spiders, not of flesh and blood, but of ice and frost. The battle was swift, the arachnid abominations shattered beneath their blades and spells. But the deeper they pressed into the forest, the harsher the elements grew. The wind howled, the frost bit at their skin—but then, they realized—it wasn’t the wind that howled. They were surrounded. Wolves, enormous and spectral, with white fur and eyes glowing an eerie blue, emerged from the treeline. Frost wolves. The skirmish was fierce but brief—the creatures no match for the strength of the Fallen Gate family. Yet the mystery lingered: what were frost wolves doing here? These beasts did not belong in the Northlands. Before they could ponder further, the ground trembled. Trees snapped and swayed violently as two massive shapes darkened the sky—Rocs, colossal birds of prey, descended with screeching fury. From beneath the earth, a Bulette burst forth, the land shark’s armored hide glinting as it roared its challenge. Undaunted, the family fought with grit and unity, felling the titanic foes. But just as they caught their breath, a deafening roar rolled through the forest. Turning toward the mountains, their eyes widened in disbelief. Giants. Towering figures—twenty, perhaps twenty-five feet tall—descended the slopes, marching straight toward them. Without hesitation, Sylvain opened another portal. The family retreated, knowing this was no mere incursion. They needed more allies, more strength—for the Northlands were under siege, and war had come.

Chapter 2- The Rescue

As the family gathered to return to the Northlands, uncertainty lingered in the air. This time, however, they were better equipped and greater in number. Sylvain, Saebra, Katrina, Selena, Alexis, Windy, Wolf, and Luna stepped through the portal at Fallen Gate Castle and into the heart of a relentless blizzard. The moment they emerged, the cold sank deep into their skin, sharp and unforgiving. Their ears were immediately filled with the chilling symphony of distant roars, agonized screams, and the unmistakable sound of chaos. Without hesitation, they moved toward the cries of suffering—only to be ambushed in the forest by three Bulettes Large and armored, their teeth razor sharp and four massive Rocs with talons as sharp as the deadliest blade. A fierce battle erupted beneath the snow-laden trees. Drawing on their unity and strength, the family fought as one, finally managing to bring down the beasts. Bloodied but unbroken, they pressed on until they reached the village—only to be met with devastation. Buildings lay in ruin, bodies scattered across the snow, and the few survivors cowered in hiding, trembling in fear. Wasting no time, Sylvain began casting a portal to evacuate the villagers. But before the spell was complete, three towering frost giants—each nearly twenty feet tall—came lumbering around the bend. Their eyes were pitch black, void of life or reason. With guttural snarls, they challenged the family, craving only violence and death. The battle that followed was swift and brutal. Luna unleashed a searing breath of fire, scorching the giants and inflicting grave wounds. In his dragon form, Wolf set the village ablaze, incinerating the last of the towering enemies. Though some of the family were injured in the flames, all of them survived—and the villagers were finally safe. Once the flames had died down and the evacuation complete, the family began the long road to healing. Sylvain approached the charred corpses of the giants. With careful hands, she lifted the blackened eyelids of the fallen. Their eyes, once an eerie black, had returned to their natural hue—deep red, like hers. A single frozen tear slid down her cheek, unseen by the others. These giants were her kin—twisted, corrupted, and now dead. The questions burned in her mind: Why were they here? Why were their eyes so black—so empty? A plan began to take shape. They couldn’t keep destroying without understanding. They needed answers. They needed one of the giants alive. They needed to talk.

Chapter 3 : The Capture

Driven by an unrelenting curiosity, Sylvain made a bold decision—she would capture one of her frost giant kin to uncover the mystery that had been gnawing at her mind. Once more, the family united, preparing themselves for the challenge ahead. As Sylvain, Saebra, Windy, Katrina, Wolf, Selene, Alexis, Selena, and Clover stepped through the shimmering portal, they emerged onto a snow-covered plain. Atop a nearby hill stood five frost giants. Two brutish 18-foot warriors brandished heavy clubs, while two even larger, 20-foot behemoths carried spiked weapons and loomed with deadly intent. At the center stood a towering 25-foot figure, wrapped in thick furs and leather armor—a massive frost giant wielding a battle axe. He was the Jarl of his clan, the fiercest and most ruthless among them. The battle erupted in an instant. With swift precision, Selena banished the Jarl to the shadow prison in the Abyss, removing the greatest threat before the battle had even begun. Selene unleashed her elemental power, surrounding the remaining giants in a ring of searing fire. Cloaked in shadow, Clover struck from the darkness, slaying one giant with a bolt of shadow lightning. Wolf manipulated space itself to finish another, his attacks sharp and effortless. Working in seamless tandem, Katrina and Saebra rained down holy fire and slashes of radiant energy, weakening yet another giant. Windy seized the moment, slicing clean through the last frost giant’s neck with a deadly strike. As the warriors stood triumphant, the wind began to howl more fiercely. Snow whipped through the air, thickening rapidly into a furious blizzard. Then came the roar—a deep, bone-rattling sound that echoed across the mountains. Through the swirling snow, a colossal dragon descended onto the mountaintop. Its scales were pure white, its eyes cold and black, fixed unblinking on the warriors below. Realizing the danger of facing such a creature amidst a blizzard, the family acted quickly. A portal was opened, and they retreated, knowing full well that in such conditions, even their strength might not be enough to claim victory.

Chapter 4 : Questions Shadows danced across the walls, and footsteps echoed through the tunnels of the Shadow Prison as Sylvain, Saebra, Luna, Princess Elle, and Lady Jenna made their way inside. The stillness was shattered by growls, roars, and the harsh clanging of metal. As the group approached the cage, the frost giant within flew into a violent frenzy, thrashing and smashing in an attempt to reach Luna. Arbiter Saebra acted swiftly, casting a Judgment of Peace to subdue the beast. Though it calmed the giant enough to prevent immediate harm, Sylvain’s words were lost on ears deafened by fury. The giant’s black eyes still burned with rage. Suspecting possession, Princess Elle attempted a spell of detection. Her efforts revealed a talisman—a fanged talon—hanging around the giant’s neck. With precise claws and a sharp strike, Lady Jenna reached through the bars and severed the talisman. The moment it clattered to the ground, the giant’s rage seemed to dissipate. The talisman was quickly secured and taken to the vault beneath the library for safekeeping, while the group deliberated the frost giant’s fate. After a brief discussion, they agreed he could find refuge in the mountains near the dojo. With Sylvain translating, they learned the giant was no mere brute—he was a Jarl of his clan, hailing from the peaks of Jötunheimr. He remembered nothing of the talisman. His last memory was the thunderous roar of a dragon… and then darkness....

Seated in a place that felt comfortable and familiar, Sylvain curled up with her knees tucked to her chest, resting in the frosty snow just a few feet away from her towering 24-foot frost giant kin. The giant—once a fearsome Jarl—remained subdued under the effects of the Pax Judicii, the divine judgment placed upon him by Arbiter Saebra. With that protection, Sylvain felt no fear of the bloodline’s violent legacy. For hours, they sat together, speaking—question after question passing between them. "I don't know how I got here," the Jarl confessed in a deep, rumbling voice. "I remember nothing of how I or my kin escaped our prison. We were patrolling an area we believed the fire giants were invading. Then... a loud roar—and blackness. The next thing I know, I’m here." He spoke in his native tongue, his confusion genuine, his presence calmer than she had expected. When Sylvain inquired about the strange fang-shaped talon that was hanging around his neck and now in the vault, the Jarl simply shook his head. He had no idea what it was, where it came from, or how it ended up on him. More questions stirred within Sylvain: What was this mysterious fang? Why had the Jarl lost consciousness after the roar? And why did he become noticeably less aggressive once the fang was removed? Could there be a connection between the fang and the dragon? Desperate for answers, Sylvain resolved to investigate. She would head to the library in search of knowledge—but not before making a promise to her frostborn kin: she would do everything in her power to free the others and bring them here—to her home, which she hoped would soon become their home too.

Chapter 5 : A Mummies Potion

While scouring the shelves of the library for any clues about the mysterious fanged talon, Dark Priestess Sylvain finally stumbled upon something promising. Tucked within the pages of an old, dust-covered tome was a legend—one that spoke of a rare and ancient potion. The description intrigued her. This potion, if it truly existed, might help in understanding the talon's power… or even unlocking deeper truths about the giant herself. A surge of determination gripped her. She had to find it. Believing the potion could aid her in the path ahead, Sylvain turned to her family, seeking their help to locate and retrieve the elusive elixir. She would not face this journey alone..tbc

At her request for aid, High Priestess Windy, Baroness Saebra, and Sentinel Lirly stepped forward to face the challenge. They crossed through a shimmering portal, emerging into the scorching embrace of a vast desert, the searing winds lashing at their faces. As the sands whipped around them, a chilling voice echoed within their minds: "If you seek what is not yours, first you must find the door." Undeterred, the trio began their search among the ancient pyramids, sifting through dune and stone until they uncovered a hidden doorway buried deep beneath the sand. As they descended into the long-forgotten tomb, a thick green mist enveloped them, cutting off their ability to teleport. The eerie voice returned: "Within my tomb lies the treasure you seek… but beware the trials that await." The party moved cautiously through the dim corridors, only to be ambushed by a band of mummies. The battle was swift and brutal. Though Sentinel Lirly suffered a wound, her axe cleaved through the undead with righteous fury. High Priestess Windy and Baroness Saebra stood firm, cutting down their own share of the cursed guardians. Deeper into the tomb, they encountered ancient traps and weathered chests. They tread carefully, disarming many traps—though not all. A few chests exploded when tampered with, destroying their contents, but the trio managed to unlock most and claim what lay within. Eventually, they reached an ominous passageway leading to the next chamber. The traps here lay dormant… too dormant. As they crossed a rickety wooden bridge, Lirly slipped—yet with a swift beat of her wings, she caught herself before taking harm. In the final tomb, they found what they had been searching for: a potion resting on a pedestal, surrounded by slumbering mummies. Moving silently and with great care, they retrieved the potion without waking the dead. The moment the vial left its pedestal, the green mist dissipated, and the way home opened once more. Back in the library, the trio presented the potion to Sylvain. With a satisfied smile, she uncorked it, poured a generous amount into her palm, and began rubbing it into her skin. "Ah… the Pharaohs always did know how to make the best skin moisturizer."

Chapter 6 : The Blizzard Awakens

The blizzard in the Northlands had grown fiercer with each passing day, threatening all who dared to enter its frozen domain. At last, the family set out to end the menace hidden within the storm. High Priestess Windy, Margrave Katrina, High Priestess Sylvain, Baroness Saebra with her Dark Knight Luna, Margrave wolf and Sentinel Selena stepped through a portal into the snow-lashed mountains. The instant they arrived, a deafening roar echoed through the peaks. The wind howled like a hurricane as a massive ice dragon descended from the sky, its wings beating gales into the mountainside. Three frost giants followed, towering and grim. The battle began in a flash. Windy charged with her holy sword, radiant and relentless, while Selena’s arcane support flared in concert. Katrina wove her blood magic like a net, draining the dragon’s strength and slowing its every move. Saebras and Lunas relentless attacks keeping both giant and dragon at bay. In the end, it was Wolf’s devastating strike that ended the beast’s life. As the dragon’s head struck the frozen earth, a fanged talon tore free from its corpse, vanishing into the snow. With the dragon’s death, the black haze over the frost giants’ eyes lifted—replaced by the crimson clarity of their own will. They staggered, dazed, confused by their presence and purpose. Then Sylvain opened a portal, and from it emerged a massive frost giant—the guardian of Fallen Gate Castle. In the ancient tongue of the Jotuns, he addressed the bewildered giants, offering them sanctuary in the mountains near the castle dojo. With nods of gratitude, they followed him through the portal, disappearing into the wintry mists. As calm returned, the blizzard began to ease. The family summoned a portal of their own and stepped through, returning home. But the peace did not last. The moment their gateway closed, the storm roared back to life. Atop the highest peak, obscured by snow, stood a lone figure. He wore black—long hair, dark clothing, and round glasses reflecting the stormlight. A bat rested on his shoulder as he watched the battlefield with a crooked smile, humming a tune only the blizzard could hear. "Now I feel the time is right Love will flow like wine tonight Give your love, and it will come to you Yeah If you feel that you and me Could escape and hold the key To a paradise that's true and free Yeah Steal away the night You gotta steal it Come on, baby Now I've met your honesty You are here, and I am free Broken chains have fallen all around Yeah Point my finger at the fools Broken chains and broken rules Let it be rebellion rules tonight Yeah Steal away You gotta steal away Steal away the night Could it be a dream come true Now that I am here with you? Tearful eyes of joy are something new Yeah Run away with me tonight Dream the dream, and light the light Happiness is what you give to me Ooh, yeah Steal away Steal away You gotta steal away the night" Then, with a soft sigh, the man vanished—becoming one with the storm once more. it was no normal Blizzard, it was The Blizzard of Oz.

A few days after the final battle with the dragon in the Northlands, Sylvain journeyed to the snowy mountains, where her kin had taken refuge at the Dojo of Fallen Gate. Upon her arrival and after speaking with the frost giants, they expressed their gratitude for her role in freeing them from the dragon’s control and helping them find a new home. As a token of thanks, they gifted Sylvain several large blocks of enchanted ice, each containing glowing crystals within. Known as Everlasting Ice Crystals, these blocks never melt and possess a unique magic: when someone places their hand upon one, it transforms into an item of rare quality—specifically tailored to the individual’s deepest need. Before departing, Sylvain left a letter addressed to @white_wolf420 , @Saebra , @KatrinaFaith , @MadGODDESS UwU , @Windy , and @Lunaris : “As thanks for your help in rescuing my kin, the frost giants have gifted each of you an Everlasting Ice Crystal. Place your hand upon it, and it will become an item perfectly suited to you. May it serve you well.”

(The block of ice can be found on the table in the throne room, choose either jewelry or a weapon, rp and ss for here, and add to your sheet. items cannot be given to another player. as the heat from your skin binds the item to you) Regalia: frost Regalia Required To Make: (1) silver, (5) Anima Orbs, (1) everlasting ice crystal Crafting Time:* 4 Hours* Effect: Frost Jewelry gives it's wearer the following effects. +1 to all ice magic attack rolls. Take half damage from ice based spells and damage. The wearer can form a wall of ice in front of them to block a enemy attack (can be used instant even not on your turn , only used once a day) or Frost Armaments: Frost Bite (Sword, Axe, Dagger, ect )) Required To Make: (1) Valorite Ingot, (1) everlasting ice crystal , (1) Wood, (1) Leather, (1) Anima Orb. Crafting Time: 8 Hours Damage: Frost Bite Weapons do 2 Body /2 Mind/ 2 Spirit Damage per strike. Effect: Those struck take an extra 1 mind Damage of Ice Magic, and must make a DC: 6 check or start to freeze over unable to cast magic their next round. (Double Damage to slime creatures)

the end- frosty the snow people As the Ice dragon’s massive body collapsed, its form began to melt into the snow—scalding heat clashing with the bitter cold. The corrupted magic within its blood seeped into the earth, twisting the winter around it. From the ice and slush rose grotesque figures—snowmen, but not the kind built in joy. These were twisted abominations, their hollow coal eyes glowing with malevolence, jagged icicle teeth grinning wide. With every step, they brought frostbite and ruin, freezing the land in their path. Windy, Katrina, Clover, Saebra, and Wolf stood ready, but quickly discovered their usual weapons and magic had no effect. Blades froze on contact. Arrows shattered. Only fire—blessed fire—could cut through the cursed chill. Drawing upon every ember and spark, they ignited their weapons and summoned flame-wrought magic. The battle was furious and frantic, the heat of fire meeting the scream of frost. One by one, the snowmen fell, bursting into plumes of icy vapor. As the final one melted away, the corrupted essence within them was released—vanishing into the air like a whisper finally let go. There, half-buried in the snow, something red caught their eye . Kat brushed away the frost to reveal a leather-bound book—its cover worn and cracked, the title too faded to read, and the pages filled with symbols that shimmered briefly before vanishing from sight. Without a word, Katrina took the book in hand. The group exchanged uneasy glances. Whatever it was, it pulsed with dormant magic. She wrapped it in cloth and tucked it away. Later, she would return to the Fallen Gate Library, the tome clutched tightly, its secrets waiting to be unveiled.

A war begins The first Patrol As the night deepened, silence settled over the castle like a velvet shroud. The halls, once alive with voices and firelight, now stood hushed beneath the weight of slumber. To keep restlessness from festering, Triumvirate Sylvain issued a command: a patrol would descend into the snowy mountains to check on her frost giant kin. Claphamlee, Sweet Ashe, Lykira, Luna, Astra, Jessa, Selene, and Jenna answered without hesitation. Not long after the patrol began, Lady Sylvain leapt boldly into the snow — and promptly became spectacularly useless, half-buried and rolling about, popping up only to annoy her fellows. From the blinding white emerged frost wolves, their eyes burning with unnatural fury. Beneath the snow, the earth split open as massive bulettes erupted upward, jagged maws snapping. Every beast bore the same crimson mark. There was no time for questions. Battle ignited. Dark lightning tore through the frozen air as Selene unleashed crackling arcs of shadowed energy. Jessa’s magic twisted the darkness itself, bending it into lethal strikes. Astra’s hexes slithered across the battlefield, weakening flesh and will alike. Steel and fury answered in kind. Luna’s claws flashed like silver comets. Claphamlee, Sweet Ashe, and Jenna moved as one — claws, weapons, and instinct cutting down wolves in sprays of frost and blood. The clash thundered across the mountainside. It ended only when Lykira, eyes blazing with savage resolve, set the final bulette ablaze. Fire devoured the creature’s armored hide as it collapsed into the snow with a deafening roar. Then… Silence returned. Breath steamed in the frozen air. Bodies of marked beasts lay scattered across the battlefield. Theories quickly followed. Why were they here? Who had marked them? What force dared stir monsters so close to Fallen domain? No answers came. Only the cold wind… …and the uneasy certainty that this was merely the beginning.

Stewart Tonkies Filed by: Praetorian Puddles Today, our castle was attacked by four celestial beings descending from Heaven: A Cherubim War-Beast – A massive quadrupedal monster crowned with four heads: lion, man, eagle, and bull. Each head seemed to channel different abilities, shifting tactics mid-battle depending on which face was dominant. A Shield Guardian – Towering and heavily armored, this construct-like entity held the line with relentless force. A Guardian Angel – A commanding figure clad in golden light, delivering divine wrath with martial precision. A Being of Pure Light – Shapeless and radiant, it moved like a blade of sunlight. Most disturbingly, it appears to possess the ability to recreate spells and weapons merely by observing them—a detail noted during post-battle analysis. This entity may have been encountered before. Despite the ferocity of the assault, our family defended the castle with courage and resilience. Though we were unable to destroy any of the attackers, we succeeded in driving them back through their portal and away from our lands. We remain alert. If the being of light indeed grows stronger with each engagement, we must be prepared for a more devastating return. Signed, Praetorian Puddles

https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556690/1410366273329827983

Battle Report: The Warbeast and the Angels (Part 1) Opening Moves A four-headed Warbeast emerged through a portal, accompanied by angelic soldiers and commanders wielding weapons like Dustbringer and swords made of Arcanite. The angels invoked protective and blinding spells such as Vigilia Animae (immunity to curses/hexes) and Lux Caelorum (flash of holy light) to weaken the battlefield. Early on, several players resisted or partially resisted these effects, while the angels reinforced themselves. The Warbeast’s Power The Warbeast proved devastating, combining multi-headed strikes, wing buffets, lightning bolts, and later its horrific Burning Revelation (all eyes opening to stun and deal spirit damage). The Machine Spirit landed a massive Fulgur Percutens lightning strike on Selene, dealing immense body damage, while buffing itself with resistances and pressure. During the stun it appears the true enemy Araquiel showed her fangs and delivered a fatal blow to Selene. As she carried on about vengeance and her master Alakai. Araquiel or I guess the machine spirit herself left the battle after giving Jenna a cold stare. Selene with the combination of Aurora and Kitzen was quickly brought back to fighting form. The battlefield was filled with divine storms, wings, and repeated angelic summons — testing the resolve of everyone present. Angelic Assaults Several types of angels engaged: Light, Healing, and Holyfire. They cycled through high-impact spells like:

Sanctum Purgatorium (chains of agony, immobilizing foes in torment).
Columna Caellis (pillar of holy fire, devastating undead and demons).
Flagrans Orbis (orbs of burning holy fire). Their strategy was clear: blind, stun, and lock down opponents while hammering them with radiant damage that doubled against undead/demonic foes.

Battle Report: The Warbeast and the Angels (Part 2) Counterstrikes The party fought back with diverse tactics:

Wolfodin employed mutagenic potions and special ricochet attacks.
Sylvain transmuted spells into Shadow elements (turning lightning into shadow damage to exploit angelic weakness).
Elle Daniels wielded Liquid Death, a rare substance lethal to mortals but restorative to undead, saving Jenna at a critical moment.
Selene endured brutal strikes but kept fighting alongside summoned allies like Aurora, her dragon, lending healing and raw power.
IrishWisp unleashed terrifying shadow powers, culminating in her finishing blow. Turning Points
Jenna was slain after taking triple critical damage (24/24/24) from the Warbeast, shocking the battlefield.
The Warbeast and angels pressed their advantage, but Sylvain’s shadow-transmuted lightning shattered their defenses, melting armor and weakening their hold.
Elle and Wolfodin coordinated potions, spears, and support to keep the group standing.
Successive waves of angelic magic began to falter as dodges, resistances, and counterspells landed. Climax & Conclusion
The Light and Holyfire angels were eventually struck down, falling unconscious under the group’s combined pressure.
The Healing angel, panicked, continued to summon reinforcements, but was eventually overwhelmed and decapitated by Jenna after she returned to the fight.
With allies slain, the Warbeast began to cower in fear, clawing at the courtyard walls.
In the final act, IrishWisp delivered the killing blow, a black razor-shadow strike that silenced the Warbeast permanently, its promised heaven turning into eternal emptiness. Aftermath

The battlefield was left littered with fallen angels, shattered stone, and echoes of divine wrath. The party emerged battered but alive, with heavy wounds and shaken spirits, but victorious. ✨ Overall Outcome: A hard-fought defensive victory for the party. Despite overwhelming divine firepower, the Warbeast and its angelic allies were annihilated. Clever use of shadow magic, rare relics like Liquid Death, and sheer determination turned the tide.

Made ready by Alexisacube wife Selena Reed

starts to write a report on plans moving forward with the angel menace "Dear..." think out loud "who do I address now...." crosses out the dear To the Triumvirate, After a brief planning session that took place in the training room after some lessons as discussed with Keeper Tonkies, Princess Saebra, Princess crosses out the ess Wolf, Praetorians Selena and Selene, and a few newer members that overheard our discussion. We believe our next course of action is to send a small task force secretly into heaven to get more evidence on the machine spirit. In order to do so properly it was mentioned to send an attacking force to create a diversion. Being that the slimes that were in service to Slime Queen Vivi have yet to repay us for our efforts against Jubilex I have decided to go down there and check in on then and demand their assistance. Princess Saebra mentioned frost giants in which I will be speaking with the new Jarl. I am still waiting for Wolfs reports of the weapons taken from the angels bodies. As I am no expert of the blacksmithing trade but their weapons most certainly "felt" strange when I collected them. This is way I feel an urgency to these actions. If you have any insight on this Alakai or heaven and any unknown forces please enlighten me, as I do not wish to go in blind. Puddles, Legatus of our fine warriors.

To the office of the Dojo i regret to inform you i myself have no intel to offer you the others may help with your inquiry sincerly Lady Windy

To Legatus Puddles, I have never seen metal like the angels’ weapons. It feels alive, bound to a greater will gather as many as you can if possible. more testing is required and I do not wish to destroy the only sample we have. Your plan to call on the slimes and frost giants is sound. Their strength may decide the battle, for Heaven will not remain idle. If needed I will aid you invisibly in heaven to prevent the machine from getting more Trimuative poweres and take some blows for our newer members

The attack was largely successful. We identified a massive angelic colossus guarding the castle where the machine spirit and her army were stationed. Moments before our assault began, the giants withdrew their attacking force, allowing additional slimes to be destroyed. After the battle, their remains were reabsorbed into the greater slime mass. With the field cleared, we turned our attention to the colossus itself. Selene, Alerick, Saph, Elle, Winter, Jessa, and Tonkies engaged the colossus head-on. Throughout the fight, both the slimes and Tonkies’ undead army held the remaining forces of the machine spirit at bay. Alerick and Jessa hurled massive hellfire spears while Winter, in her monstrous form, drew the colossus’s attention and absorbed its blows. The battle was fierce but well fought, our family quickly identifying and exploiting key weaknesses in the construct. Even so, the colossus’s devastating eye beam carved through many soldiers. Victory was ultimately secured when Keeper Tonkies commanded her undead army to detonate upon the colossus, bringing it crashing down. After the battle, the key members of our family withdrew, leaving the slimes behind to lay siege to the keep. The siege was relentless. For months, the slimes maintained Dimensionem Anchoram, preventing the angels from using portal magic. Cut off from resupply, their resources slowly dwindled. At last, the machine spirit decided it was time to bargain for her freedom. Jenna, Selene, Alerick, Saph, Astra, Lucy, Tenzii, and Baszii arrived to assess the situation. They were met by the slimes and informed that the leader wished to surrender. After aiding wounded angels in the courtyard, they were led to the machine spirit. Selene managed to suppress her rage long enough to hear the offer, though she still longed for vengeance. Lucy pleaded for mercy on behalf of her former friends. Jenna and Selene left the decision in the machine spirit’s hands: submit or die. In the end, the spirit chose submission, sparing what remained of Heaven at Lucy’s request. She denounced Alakai and relinquished control of both the castle and the army to Lucy. Before departing, the machine spirit revealed a clue to the location of the arcanite ore the Gates so desperately desired. Moments later, a passage opened, and the family made their way into the caves where the arcanite lay. Selene, Jenna, and Alerick retrieved several samples, while Saph collected a strange plant rigid and stone hard to the touch, yet swaying in the wind like any other living thing.

As the Machine Spirit flees. Memories of Lucy start to flood her mind. She thinks on how Alakai treated his daughter. "Horrible". Her thoughts shift to Alakai and what he wished to accomplish. "A world without sin". Anger rushes to the surface. As her fist slams into a wall of some random back alley across the cosmos her chest heaving. "Grotesque creatures..." She mutters under her breath. Her mind focused on the defeat she suffered. Slams her other fist into the wall. A metallic tear falls onto the concrete. "Peace... No... I will have my vengeance!" As her eyes scan the heavens.

SuperKamiGuru

A glint of light passes in the sky, a falling star bearing in its path a travelling angel. Her arrival is marked by chilling frost and the rustling of a cold breeze. She stands unnaturally tall, nearing seven feet, clad in silver armour and blue silken robes that flowed gently to the ground like tranquil waters. "Good travels, sister" she greets with a soft voice laced with confident authority, her lips dangle in a slight smile that was both frightful and calming at the same time, as though she knew a secret that could unmake a person by her gaze alone. "Art thou in peril? Thy spirit cried out unto mine, seeking succour." She pauses, upon noting the spirit's metallic tears. "My sister, thou art come to Ariba, the fifteenth heaven, moon of Araboth, the highest planes of the celestial realms, here where knowledge and wisdom are closely guarded." Her smile now trembles with worry, as it dawns on her that this angel may be among the survivors of the recent unrest in the neighbouring Circles of Heaven. "Art thou, perchance, the machine spirit of the lost paradise? Hast thou come from the 14th?"

SPOILER

Citizens of Arktosburg -- pre virus.

A City in Chaos: The Fall of Arktosburg In the heart of the Ursari city, Arktosburg, a mysterious and deadly force has emerged, shattering the peace and tranquility of its streets. An Abyssal virus, a potent and unpredictable pathogen, has infected nearly every citizen, infusing them with an unbridled ferocity and strength. As the virus spreads, even the most gentle souls are transformed into snarling, unstoppable beasts. Citizens of all walks of life succumb to the same primal instincts: rage and violence. Gone are the days of reason and civility; in their place stands a city teeming with feral, warlike creatures driven solely by an insatiable hunger for destruction. The infected citizens of Arktosburg are not equal in their descent into madness. The virus affects each individual differently, causing varying degrees of rage and enhancement to physical prowess. Those who fall under the control of the virus progress through six distinct stages: Severity 1: Frenzy: The first stage sees individuals exhibit wild mood swings, often lashing out at those around them without warning. They possess a fraction more strength than their uninfected counterparts. Severity 2: Rage: Those who reach this level are consumed by a constant state of anger and hostility. They become aggressive and violent, with power double that of an uninfected citizen. Severity 3: Fury: As the virus progresses, its hosts' strength increases dramatically, while their rational thought dwindles. They become formidable opponents in hand-to-hand combat with powerful strikes. Severity 4: Berserk: The infected at this stage lose all control of their actions, driven solely by a desire for violence and chaos. Their enhanced physical abilities make them nearly unstoppable in close combat, while their lack of reason renders diplomacy futile.

Severity 5: Carnage: Those who reach the apex of infection become monstrous creations, driven by an insatiable hunger for destruction. They can level buildings with a single swipe of their massive paws and will not stop until they have ravaged everything in their path. Severity 6: Khaos: The most extreme cases of the virus transform its hosts into unrecognizable abominations, creatures driven by pure chaos and anarchy. With strength rivaling that of giants and a complete loss of rational thought, those afflicted with Severity 6 are as deadly as they are unstoppable. The most vulnerable members of the city – innocent children, known as cubs – are caught in the crossfire. Abandoned by their infected parents, they must fend for themselves against an army of mindless, bloodthirsty adults. A small band of heroes, known only as The Fallen Gate, has risen to the challenge. These brave individuals, armed with nothing but determination and a glimmer of hope, embark on a perilous quest to save the city from the brink of collapse. Their mission is twofold: gather samples from six rare ultra-infected nests, containing the most extreme cases of the virus (Severity 7+), in order to develop an antidote; while simultaneously searching for the source of the infection. To do so, they must brave the streets of the city, encountering deadly nests of infected that could contain any number of the various infected Ursari. These thoroughfares have become deathtraps, littered with infected civilians and twisted, nightmarish creations born from the chaos. Luckily, a subway system exists under the city for quick travel, but the various stations will need to be cleared before they are safe for use. The Fallen Gate must navigate four distinct neighborhoods, each with its own unique dangers and secrets: Ironwood: A district of towering factories, where steel beasts roam free.

Wolfsong: A labyrinthine network of canals and docks, home to a horde of infected sailors. Fangstone: A maze of narrow alleys and marketplaces, where the survivors must navigate treacherous trade routes. Gilded Spires: The upscale district of Arktosburg's elite, now overrun by infected nobles, determined to maintain their power at any cost. As they delve deeper into the corners of the city, The Fallen Gate will encounter unimaginable horrors, forge unexpected alliances, and confront the darkest corners of their own psyche. Can they overcome the unrelenting tide of chaos and uncover the source of the Abyssal virus before it's too late? Or will Arktosburg succumb to its own destruction? The fate of the city hangs in the balance as The Fallen Gate faces the ultimate test: saving a civilization on the brink of collapse, and confronting the true horrors that lurk within.

The infected enemy stats and the ultra infected (cure boss) stats are now available. https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1405526052687712461

The family made its first trip into the city. @Araton, @Saphryiel, @xSylvain, @Windy, @Cloverlyn, and @Tonkies headed into the southern side of the city and cleared two of the standard nests (Red-1 and Red-2). We did not find any cure nests or any station nests so no fast travel stations have been unlocked. We faced 2 Level 4 infected and 1 Level 6 infected! They were intense battles and Clover impressed everyone with all of her critical hits! It was a successful trip, but just the start of a long journey to find a cure, save the citizen of Arktosburg, track down the source of the virus, and keep it from spreading to all realms. https://discord.com/channels/1153395278016163840/1153395279190556687/1409289350839271638

We made a second expedition into Arktosburg. @Araton, @JennaDaniels, @white_wolf420, @Lailah Fallen, @Selene DeVeRose, and @Elle braved the dangerous streets in an effort to clear more nests and get a little bit closer to curing the citizens of the city. It was slow going on this trip as the only nest we encountered (Red-26) was filled with SIX level 3 infected. Araton took a beating and was almost killed in the fight, but a quick drink of greater heal kept him in the fight. All of the fighters did damage against the large number of infected they were facing and although no cure nests were found, it is a step further along the path to a cure with one less infected nest to deal with next time.

@Araton went on a third, solo, trip to Arktosburg. He foolishly attempted to clear a nest on his own. He faced two Level 5 infected and although he managed to land a critical blow with Columna Caeli on both citizens, he was not able to overcome their rage and power. With the last of his strength, he managed to open a portal back to the castle.

@Araton learned his lesson from his solo attempt and recruited @Selene DeVeRose, @kitzen, @Saebra, @xSylvain, @Saphryiel, @SuperKamiGuru, and @Windy for another trip into the infected city. Araton led the group to where he was attacked the last time, but instead of just two Level 5 infected, the group found SIX! Although the infected were some of the most powerful in the city, the warriors were not only brave, but very smart. The initial round of attacks were designed to take advantage of the enemies clustered formation with powerful AOE attacks. Selene stunned the majority of the infected with a well placed Vortex spell. Saph followed that attack up with a Ecomancy spell that wrapped up almost all the enemies in vines. The rest of the group used this to their advantage and began striking at the trapped infected with an unmatched ferocity. Sylvain in particular showed no mercy in ripping her foes apart limb from limb. The big news came after the hard fought battle where the lone nest was cleared (Red-3). The team found a door to a regular looking doctor's office. Inside the MRI room of the office, they found the first of the rare Cure Nests. Although they were out of time, Araton made a note of the location and drew a map for the next group of fighters that were willing to risk the danger and perhaps bring back the first part of the cure that the city so desperately needs.

The first of the six cure samples have been obtained from Arktosburg! @Araton, @Saphryiel, @Elle, @Selene DeVeRose, @Windy, @xSylvain, @Rhonda Morrigan, and @kitzen returned to the doctor's office and made their way to the newly discovered cure nest. As they approach, they were pulled inside the nest to fight the infected on their own 'turf'. In addition to the highly infectious Level 7 citizen, they also were forced to battle two of the Khaos Level 6 infected. The warriors relied on some of the successful tactics from previous nest battles. The strategy of trapping or binding the infected before systematically taking them down has shown itself to be very effective. Windy managed to use a new spell she just gained as a Triumvirate to send one of the infected into the void (hopefully that will not lead to the spread of the virus and no creatures that might exist in the void become infected). After Rhonda dispatched the second Level 6 infected, Araton eventually delivered the final blow to the Level 7 infected and claimed a vial of the creatures infected blood to start the cure development process.

@Windy gathered a group including her fellow Tri @Lailah Fallen, @xSylvain, @Saebra, @Selene DeVeRose, @Deleted User, @SuperKamiGuru, and @JessieFallen to continue the efforts of sweeping the southern part of Arktosburg taking on a nest with two Berserk Level 4 infected and quickly taking both down before they ever had a chance to strike and proceeded to a second nest with four Rage Level 2 infected. It came down to the wire, but the group was able to purge the last of the infected just in the nick of time before making their way back to the castle.

@xSylvain put out the call to arms for newer and more seasoned members alike to explore some less serious infected nests in the opposite direction of the work done previously. @Saphryiel, @Deleted User, @Selene DeVeRose, @Dani Furiyena, @MikuuFaith, @Old_Techsensai, and @Lunaris answered the call and the group ventured to the North taking on 2 nests. Both nests containing only Frenzy Level 1 infected, six in the first and three in the second. Even with the lower level of infection, the bears showed the true threat of the infected as many countered attacks thrown at them and downed three members of the gate throughout the encounter. Every time someone fell, another member brought them back up and it rallied the others to fight harder. The path past the second nest appeared to be a dead end and it's clear there is much more work to be done in the city

The next time a group raids Arktosburg, I would appreciate it if you open Planum Ambula portals to the following locations. (Following this directive is a set of runic symbols indicating population centres on Abyssal Earth)

It is important to document what would happen if the virus got to Earth. Here we have a reasonable facsimile on our doorstep, an opportunity for research to great to be passed up.

The chamber breathed. "Seven Lovers for Seven Sins." Tonkies raises a hand towards the walls of the Temple, images of the Keeper in the throws of ecstasy with the Family are emblazoned in magical energy. Groaning, thrusting, moaning sweating bodies. Low lanternlight bleeds across the stone walls, catching on sigils etched deep into the floor imperceptible to the consious mind, curves and spirals meant to draw the eye, to linger. At the heart of the Temple the Keeper released a Gem: a flawless Aegis Emerald, lifeless and cold, awaiting its purpose. She looks around the images, lovers, Family, lust. Such great energy loaned to her through the act of sex, every measured movement deliberate. "Lust: The most powerful of the Seven Sins. Able to motivate a man to wrath, or to quell his rage. Encourages it's thralls to excess of greed and gluttony, instilling envy in jilted lovers and makes limbs and bodies heavy with sloth." Lust is not desire alone. It was focus. Hunger sharpened into intent. The craving to be seen, to be wanted, to claim and be claimed. She let that truth settle into her chest, slow and warming, until her pulse aligned with the glyphs beneath her feet. Her fingers hovered inches from the gem. “Awaken,” she murmured; not a command, but an invitation. The air thickened. Magic responded not to force, but to resonance. She fed the circle memories of longing fulfilled, ambition aching just out of reach, the exquisite tension of restraint. Each thought bled into the weave as a silken thread, wrapping the gem layer by layer. The crystal shuddered. Light bloomed within it, deep, molten, and alive. Not bright, but enticing. A glow meant to draw eyes, bend wills, and stir hearts without a single word spoken. She pressed her palm against the gem at last. The circle dimmed, runes fading into dormancy as the gem floated down into her waiting hand, now warm as skin and softly pulsing, an artifact of allure, temptation, and irresistible pull. The corruption of the Aegis Emerald has been completed. She smiled. “Perfect.” She turns to the fading image of Triumvirate Elle, her scent still fresh in the air after her entaglement here yesterday. She raises the Gem to the final image and allows it to flow it's energies into the gem. Heat surged. The bond to the Triumvirate Ring sealed.

SPOILER

Slowly walking into the temple of healing, I feel the cool air kiss the soft skin upon my cheek. Here to complete a task, a mission, a spiritual journey, even. I pull my shoes off and step into the warm holy water. I kneel, taking a breath before speaking in Daelic “Maddeu i mi”(forgive me). I reach up, holding my arms up high, i point my fingers up to the sky as if I am reaching for the heavens. I speak “ Lux Geminae.” A light strikes down, crystallizing into a solid as my light twin starts to form. She turns and smiles sincerely at me. My knowledge passed from me to her. I look up and speak softly, “Zentha, help me please.” Know why I am here and what I need. Zentha gently pushes the fabric off my shoulders, lowering the top, exposing my bare skin. She places her hands upon my back and starts to whisper, “Muto Corpus.” I let out a loud yelp as I feel my flesh start to rip my muscles apart. Clenching my fist until it was over, a pair of bright white and purple angel wings emerged from my flesh. They start to beat in a holy rhythmic pattern, the sound sweet and holy. Zentha looks to me, “You are ready.” She cups my cheeks and rolls her thumbs along my skin. “We are ready,” she starts to hum a sweet melody, a song from the angels themselves. Zentha waves her hand, making our clothing drop. She kneels next to me in the holy water and holds my hand. The other caressing my newly found wings, she speaks an enchantment in Enochian, the language spoken by angels. The light around us seems to get brighter; my newly found wings flutter fast, the winds picking up and sweeping the water around us. Whirling into a vortex, the angel's song rang out loud in the temple.

Zentha speaks to me, “Take my hands.” She interlocks our fingers, then she moves her hands on top of mine. Raising them up to the sky again, she then quickly moves our hands together, slamming them down on the hard stone. She speaks loudly, “ Columna Caeliis” The temple’s ceiling parts opening up the sky. A column of bright, pure light strikes down, illuminating the room, the power coursing through their bodies. Pure holy heavenly power surges through the room and into their hands. I shake, closing my eyes, my wings lifting us above the ground. The light fades, and we slowly drift back down. I look down and see Zentha as she embraces me. She holds her hand up a bright yellow Divine Topaz shines in the light. She motions for me to look around. Feathers swaying in the air, floating down the room, glittering, you hear the faint voices of angels whispering in joy. Zentha speaks, “ It is done, my kin.”

Svea came home first. Not in alarm. Not in retreat. But wrong. The mist in Winter’s quarters gathered unevenly, like breath drawn through pain. Svea emerged from it with less grace than usual, four limbs touching stone with deliberate care. One wing refused to fully cohere. Fine rents laced her flank small wounds, irritating ones, the kind that came from being harassed rather than challenged. Winter looked up and felt her stomach drop. “…Svea?” Svea lowered her head. That was all it took. Winter was on her feet instantly. “They touched you.” Svea’s mist tightened around her body, embarrassed. A low sound vibrated in her chest—acknowledgment, not apology. “A flock,” Winter said softly, already knowing. “Flying things. Small enough to be bold.” Svea didn’t argue. Winter paced, wings flicking in agitation. “Like crows at a hawk. Too many to swat at once. Clever enough not to commit.” Her hands curled into fists. “That means they’re testing. Not hunting.” She stopped and pressed her forehead briefly against Svea’s cool snout. “You did right coming back.” Svea relaxed slightly. Winter straightened, breath steadying. “All right. We’ll watch. We won’t overreact. We’ll—” A chime echoed faintly through the quarters. A presence request. Winter blinked. “Oh.” She glanced at Svea, then toward the door. “Stay. Rest. I’ll be quick.” Svea watched her go, mist trailing faintly behind her like concern. The guest was… polite. Quiet voice. Careful steps. Eyes that didn’t linger on the wrong things at least, not at first. “Can someone show me around?” he asked. “A tour would do nicely.” Winter smiled automatically. “Of course! I’m Winter, the High—” “Shh,” he said gently. “This way.” She hesitated. Just a fraction. But she’d already decided nothing was urgent. Svea was home. The Gate was intact. Whatever had been flying around hadn’t escalated. So she followed. The Pits had felt wrong the moment they arrived. Not hostile. Not dangerous. Expectant. He shook something from his pockets small, wormlike things that vanished into the sand while Winter continued talking, unaware, still explaining, still being helpful. Then a calcified organ looking thing appeared in his hand. Then he swallowed it. Winter’s wings snapped open. “Hey—!” Flesh burst outward. Meat and pressure and weight, rolling over the arena like a held breath finally released. Winter’s fireball, tiny, reflexive, embarrassed, did nothing. The mass collapsed inward on itself, condensing into something smaller, denser. A tumorous growth the size of a human heart was all that remained Still pulsing sickingly. Anchored deep into the Pit floor. “Destroy… the… gate…” the man rasped as he ceased to be anything recognizable. Winter hovered there, stunned. This wasn’t how danger usually announced itself. Saebra arrived moments later sharp, controlled, already assessing. Orders were given. The Pits were sealed. Words like extermination force and cordon filled the air. Winter nodded. Smiled. Let procedure happen around her. But her thoughts were elsewhere. Back on Svea’s wounds. On flapping shadows. On clever things that tested before they struck. Winter returned to her quarters slower this time. Swearing she heard pattering on the ceiling of the arena as she left.

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(hold tight for write up all im not on it tonight)

Winter had never meant to let her paperwork to get outta hand. It just… happened. At some point the reports stopped stacking neatly and started getting pinned. A sketch of the heart from the Pits. A rubbing of the calcified seed. A charcoal outline of a manavore wing, purple where it shouldn’t be. A note in Saebra’s precise hand. A marginal comment from the Keeper that Winter was still sorting out. Red string appeared when she wasn’t looking. Winter stood on a stool in her quarters, arms crossed, wings tucked tight, staring at the wall like it might apologize if she looked at it long enough. “Okay,” she said aloud. “So.” She tugged one string. It connected the guest to the Pits. Another tied the worms to the heart. Another tied the wings to Selene. Another, thinner string, tied Svea’s wounds to everything else. Winter’s jaw tightened. “This wasn’t an accident,” she said quietly. She hopped down, pacing barefoot across the floor, tail of red thread dragging behind her like she was being followed by her own thoughts. “Things don’t just line up like this,” she muttered. “Not timing-wise. Not vibe-wise.” She jabbed a finger at the sketch of the guest. “You didn’t come here to learn. You didn’t come here to talk. You didn’t even come here to fight.” She scoffed. “You came here to send something.” Winter turned, wings flicking sharply. “Which means you didn’t want to be seen.” That was the piece that stuck. She hated that piece. “If you were strong,” she continued, voice rising, “you’d show up yourself. If you were brave, you’d stand in front of the Gate and say whatever it is you think you’re owed.” She gestured broadly at the wall. “You wouldn’t hide behind worms and meat and borrowed wings.” Winter stopped pacing. Her expression shifted not playful now. Not curious. Cold. “…Coward,” she said flatly. She followed another string, this one looping through notes about hive behavior and adaptation. “You don’t fight your own fights,” she went on. “You make things do it for you. You make friends because you can’t keep them. Or maybe because no one would choose you if they had the option.” She huffed a humorless laugh. “So you build loyalty. Engineer it. Make it so nothing can leave.” Her eyes narrowed. “That’s not confidence. That’s entitlement.” Winter reached up and tapped the note she’d pinned last. The one that simply read: DESTROY… THE… GATE Her hand trembled. “Oh no,” she whispered. “You don’t get to say that.” Her wings flared slightly, catching the lamplight. “You don’t get to decide that this place shouldn’t exist,” she said, voice tight. “You don’t get to look at something built on trust and choice and call it a problem.” She swallowed, suddenly furious in a way that surprised even her. “This place is family,” she snapped. “People come here broken and angry and afraid and we don’t demand anything back. We just… let them stay.” Her fist clenched around the red string. “So to send false things,” she said, each word sharper, “to send copies and parasites and pretend-friends into a place that runs on unconditional love..” The string snapped. Winter froze, breathing hard. “…That’s delusional,” she finished quietly. “You’d have to be. To think this was justified.” She looked at the board one last time. “I don’t know who you are yet,” she admitted. “But I know what you are.” She turned away, wings settling with decision rather than calm. “And when you finally show your face,” Winter added softly, “you don’t get a tour.” The red strings swayed gently behind her. Somewhere far below, something volcanic rolled over in its sleep.

Show your face you coward! (Event...yeah winter is dumb didnt ss half of it so will have to do a good write up)

There are days when leadership feels like guiding sacred ritual. And then there are days when a decapitated head sings Camp Town Races while trying to annoy a slime. This was the second kind. It arrived wearing someone else. That was the first sign something was wrong. The Biomancer did not come himself. Of course he didn’t. Cowards rarely do. Instead, he sent a flesh twin, crafted from another’s body like a puppet stitched from borrowed life. Its purpose became clear quickly: it wanted the Hivestone, a calcified queen-organ capable of turning any living host into a new hive sovereign. A seed of command. A replacement queen. A weapon. Parley was attempted. Briefly. Pointlessly. Selene ended the discussion the moment she realized the deception ran deeper than words. Her scythe removed its head in a single motion. That should have been the end. It wasn’t. The head kept talking. Not just talking. The Biomancer spoke through it, slipping out of character randomly, his voice cruel, dismissive, convinced he was the cleverest creature in existence. Meanwhile the body… refused to die. Tentacles erupted from the chest cavity, lashing at the Family as though searching blindly for something to reconnect to. The head itself was seized by Puddles the slime, who engulfed it in an attempt to neutralize it. The response was… unexpected. The head began to sing. Loudly. Aggressively. Camp Town Races. She Will Be Loved. Seagulls Stop It Now. Winter would later insist that the singing was actually kinda good, he showed real talent Not many would agreed. The body was imprisoned first. Stone prison. Anti-magic field. No risks. The head remained active, screaming between bouts of musical warfare. Wisp solved that problem temporarily with shadow lightning, frying both head and slime in a single crackling discharge. When the sparks faded, the tone shifted. The head begged for parley. And despite overwhelming distrust, the Family listened. Because sometimes you don’t win by refusing information. Following its instructions, the head was placed inside a quartz containment box. The effect was immediate. The second vertical mouth closed. The rude voice vanished. The Biomancer’s connection severed. And suddenly the head was… polite. Posh. Slightly German-accented. Disturbingly courteous even under threat. Without the hive link, the body collapsed entirely, limp and inert as though the strings had finally been cut. The threat, at least for the moment, was over. Then Martin charmed it..... The head became hopelessly enamored, directing its attention toward Martin with a devotion that was equal parts amusing and deeply uncomfortable. Still, a controlled asset was preferable to a screaming hive node. The remains of the body were sealed in stone and transferred to the Keeper’s lab for analysis. Winter gave her final orders quietly. Svea and Furoth were stationed at the library. Not as guards against intrusion. As warnings. If something else came looking for what had failed to be taken, it would learn very quickly that the Gate was no longer pretending this was coincidence. And as the chamber emptied, Winter realized one thing above all: The Biomancer had not tried to win. He had tried to probe. To test responses. Boundaries. Loyalty. To see who spoke, who fought, who hesitated. Which meant he was still watching. And next time… He would come prepared.

Custodian Rhonda led the parade of quartz containers through The Stacks of The Library to Keeper Tonklin's Laboratory, and recorded the collected specimen's in the logs as they were left in Containment. The Archive would ensure the Custodians who were not present for the encounter were made aware of new records and writings, and thus the whole of The Library would be aware of the new specimen's in Keeper Tonklin's lab.

One Quartz Box containing the living head of the host. The head was resistant to Legate Alexis' digestive system. Despite still being severed from the host body, it still lives. Name: Amadan the Crafter
One Quartz Coffin with locked bars to secure the contents. The contents include the Host Body, which burst into a tentacled mass when violently separated from the head by Prefect Selene. The violent mass was then contained in a Stone Prison briefly while we figured out what to do with it as the Manavore threat is still new. Once the head was contained in quartz, the body fell limp.

According to Amadan quartz blocks out the connections to the Manavore Hive Mind. Observed evidence appears true. Having observed this myself, I recommend quartz containment for all current and future Manavore specimens.

St. Eloi Discussion. Fallen gate. Report filed by Clapham-lee Investigations into recent events at St. Eloi have taken place. Araton, Elle, Lykira, Martin, Saphyiel and Sylvain have attended a meeting with myself about the events surrounding me turning into a lich and the man that experimented on me amongst other. I have initially gave incorrect information. Due to the difference in looking for enemy lines and civil use locations, I incorrectly placed St. Eloi in northern France. St. Eloi France is central and not correct, the St. Eloi I am referring to is in Belgium near the border with France, south east of Dunkirk. Though discussion, the gate has been made aware of operations of Herbert West and his unethical experiments. Several victims have been spotted as well as members of the esoteric order of dagon and various mob families taking hold. I have taken an disused basement as a clinic and am using it to engrain myself community in hopes to further information gathering and help those that cant go to normal doctors. Members have made not that they are willing to do investigations to further help me stabilize the victims of Herbert west. When further information is gathered, notice will sent out as a call for help. End report.

End of adventure

Tonkies approaches the guest in the dungeons with a plateful of delicious smelling food, expertly conjured using Convivia Victoriae. Looking at the prisoner she reassures him softly "There's no need to fear me, mortal, I am not to be your executioner. I am only here to provide you with food and relief from the pain of your injuries." Placing the meal down in front of him she surrupticiously casts Dolor ut Voluptas upon the victim. Rewiring the neurons in his brain to send the sparks of pain from his injuries to the pleasure centres instead. Tonkies smells the pleasure and lust in the air as the spell takes hold. She gently encourages the man "Eat, eat! You need your strength for what lies ahead." She quietly watches the man eat and observes with personal pleasure at the small groans of ecstasy he lets out. As soon as he has finished the food, Tonkie snatches up the plate and leaves the Dungeon without a word. She drops the Pain as Plasure spell as she leaves, allowing his pain to return to him. Over the coming hours,days and nights she repeats these acts. Always at irregular intervals to throw off his estimate at the passage of time. And allowing him to assossiate my presence with pleasure, and my mere absence with agony.

Clapham-lee watches as Tonkies use's her charms. Hearing the mans voice change from fear and ravings about the night queens cults presence in the castle and his hatred for reanimates that brought him here, to a more uneasy and inquisitive attitude. Clapham becomes acutely aware of the abilities of other members in the castle and hopes to improve himself but also hopes that we can get information out of the prisoner. He makes a note to ask Tonkies to help him go through the gathered notes as it might lead to more information on what the prisoner thinks Tonkies is and what other elements might be at play. Patients to see and investigations to do, Clapham turns as to not get caught in the gates traps along side the prisoners.

Report of incident: Location: St. Eloi. Filed by: Clapham-lee. Araton, Martin and I went to St. Eloi, hoping to meet with one of my patients and see what other information we could scrounge up. On the way through town, Araton and Martin ended up waiting by a coffee shop next door to my clinic. In getting a coffee, they interacted with a masked one. As much as Martin tried to use his abilities, it would appear that some entities are able to see through such innate magics. They didn't have time to anger such a being as a scream brought Araton to my clinic and a man to be followed by martin. I am glad they were able to as I was busy trying to save my patient who was stabbed. Araton was able to help me sedate him so I could properly treat him before going to help Martin. The two of them were able to secure the attacker and a series of notes and documents about the various creatures in the area. We brought the attacker back to the castle to be questioned later, as well as to secure the notes. Tonkies seems to have come by on her own and interacted with a masked one herself, acquiring a book on the dreamlands. We will have to see if it will be of use or more something to study. End report.

Excepts from the dreamlands book that Tonkies bought in St. Eloi

An embossed hard cover book was purchased by Keeper Tonkies. A finely printed map is on the first few pages, showcasing an overview of dream lands. Early parts of the book describe ways of getting into the dream lands, from the 72 steps of light slumber that leads to a temple attended by the priests Nasht and Kaman-Thah, to the white ship headed by one simply known as the captain. Regardless of path of entry, the books describe "crystallizers of dreams", yellow egg shaped objects about a foot in diameter that emit strange intermittent whistling, and are surprisingly fragile for how heavy they are. It is described that such an object helps bring stuff from the dreamlands to the waking world. AS such, the section ends With how to get out, either by retracing how one entered the dreamlands, strong will or a great disturbance in the waking world. Further chapters describe spells that only work in the dreamlands, certain areas, as well as some notable groups of people and well known inhabitants and creatures.

From the interrogation of Skeen Robertson

Interrogation report. Filed by: Clapham-lee Various members have gathered in the dungeons to help with the interrogation of the prisoner who attacked my patient a few days ago. He tried to act tough but didn't stand a chance against the members of the gate. Jenna, Elle, and Martin were able to put a bit of fear into him. Kat and Luna helped make sure he couldn't escape. Araton and Tonkies were able to get him started and astra was able to get him to give us the information we needed. A group effort that succeeded without needing to kill him. His name appears to be Skeen Robertson, a man down on his luck who took an offer from an organization that he referred to as "The commission." He doesn't appear to be a made man so to speak, but the supposed commission appears to have agents that contact people like him that are desperate like ex soldiers from the war, the homeless and ex convicts who cant catch a break from the stigma of them serving time. The commission offers work and pay. Once ensnared, they are trapped either by their own bigotry or the commissions willingness to use their information network to track and punish the hunters in what ever way is deemed most effective. Astra had Skeen write down what he knew, from contacts, dead drops, the hunted and how the commission interacted with people. Hopefully we can use this information to track the commission. End Report

Information given to fallen gate by Skeen Robertson Skeen begins the information given with Seemingly normal animals that were requested by more senior hunters for initiation purposes. Snakes like the saw tipped viper and cotton mouths as well as spiders like redbacks and funnel webs are in high demand for their venom. 2 Belgium francs per animal. Boar and birds for food are paid 3 Belgium francs per animal. Deer, elk and moose are paid 5 francs per animal Crocodiles, alligators, rhinos and elephants are paid between 10 and 15 francs. Skeen rambles on for a bit on various animal payments.

Skeen starts non-human payments. Ghozii: Curious things, pale or yellowish colour. They tend to look like discarded flesh melded together with weird appendages. They arnt very fast or hard to kill. Paid 2 francs. Demon birds: They kind of look like Pterodactyls at the museum in Italy. I dont like them but they pay 7 francs for them. Ichorous: Slimy tendrilled things, they like caves and tend to be around small pockets of precious metals or weird cave markings that we haven't been able to decipher. Some more experienced members have mentioned the commission looking into the writings. Pays 3 francs. Ghasts: Faceless weirdos. I have never seen them willingly come to the surface and they tend to be underground. I have heard that miners sometimes go missing and are found half eaten with one of these human shaped things gnawing on it. Pays 7 francs. Red caps: These look like ugly gnomes.... well uglier gnomes. They sit in peoples gardens during the day and terrorize the neighborhood at night. they dont pay much. only 20 centime (.20 of a franc) a piece but you can usually get 5 or six of them in a few hours.

*Skeen goes on to describe higher paying non humans.

Nanruki: These things are weird, they look like messed up bears. They have six limbs and a horn. Longer clays and Thick fur make them hard to kill. Pays 60 francs for them. Satyr: They look like goat people and Seem to have some social structure though they dont interact with humans in the same way the sea demons do. They pay 15 francs for them. (They arnt hunted much because only a small faction wants them, I dont know what for. More experienced hunters might know more.) Sea demons: Im told Dr. Clapham-ham refers to them as deep ones. There are ones that look a bit more human, they seem young and more squishy, and some that are more aquatic like but still humanoid. The later is the kind I attacked, and I barely got away from, they are incredibly strong. Both of these types interact with humans in some fashion, though usually in some maritime trade or fishing towns. There are also ones that supposedly live in underwater cities but I have never seen one. They pay between 10 and 30 depending on appearance. The weaker ones are usually used for Initiations into hunting non humans. Pallid Dancers: These are wrapped in yellow robes and masks, that cover their features, its hard to tell what they are. I have heard them referred to as courtiers of the king in yellow. They seem to run shops and businesses at night for the more "civilized" non humans. They are incredibly intelligent and I dont know if any one has successfully taken one so I dont know what the bounty is, but several groups of hunters have gone missing trying to ambush them.

Tulu people: These are tall and thin people with dark robes long ears and pointed feature. They carry weapons of alien design and live in blue lit cities under ground. They seem to trade with the sea demons that live near underwater entrances to certain cities or remote towns. They pay 30 francs for them. Its not worth the price though as most hunter groups are hesitant on having their hunters retaliate. Reanimates: These mostly look undead. Those only pay 5 francs but are easy money as they dont seem very intelligent. Its hard to tell some of the better ones as they look like humans and tend to get taken to the mad house. Those ones if you get them pay around 40 francs. Doctor clapham is one and I am told he has a bounty on top of the normal pay, youd have to ask a higher up for how much it is. Im not sure exactly what he is, but there is a bounty that I overheard one of the higher ups talking about for one called Mr. Shiny. He looks like a bloated hairless phycisian usually wearing a commodious doctors smock and slacks with oddly shaped shoes. The bounty is 10,000 francs so what ever he is, he really pissed off the commission. Skeen rambles about a few more non human bounties and then starts talking about The hunters.

Pual Carbone runs the French connection in town, I haven't met him but his made men have a few hunters in town. The some times mingle beneath my apartment with the members of the Stornly company (A group of mercenaries). Eduard Pict seemed to be in charge of the FC people in St. Eloi and Herman von Nathusius seems to be organizing the Stornly company men. Skeen mentions that he will write more if he remembers anything else.

Mr. Shiny

Satyr

Nanruki

Pallid dancers

Deep ones

Report St. Eloi Belgium Filed by: Clapham-lee Astra approached me in the seating area in the throne room. She expressed concerns about Skeen's family and wished to help if we could. I was unsure of where to even start, however we were able to find Skeen in the garden in the courtyard. He was confused by where the gate was, and more in shock than fear. Through some gentle questioning from Astra, we were able to find out most of his family either died of disease or the war, but there is a sister and a brother still left, assuming the commission hasn't gotten to them. They were coming from London. to his apartment above the art studio. He begged them not to come, likely as news would be harder to get to London to have Commission members go after them, but they still to his knowledge came. He said to expect who ever to came after to likely be in pairs or groups of four, and for them to use bladed weapons or other noise reduced equipment as guns would draw to much attention in the city. With the information provided, Astra and I went to check out his apartment to see if we could find clues. We showed up just in time to see two men attacking who we presume to be his brother and an unconscious woman, likely his sister. I was able to drain the life out of one and Astra cursed the other, turning him into a worm on the condition that he spill the beans to return to normal within 30 days and 30 nights. We brought the presumed sister and brother back to the castle along with the worm, placing the siblings in the alchemy tower to receive treatment. Astra is keeping the worm in her care until he is willing to speak. End repot.

Beating the beat, as remembered by Martin:

Whistling softly to himself as he wandered the Paris catacombs, a ball of hellfire overing over his shoulder, sending shadows dancing on the walls as he pushed a rickety wheelbarrow which had probably survived both world wars. He would stop every so often to select bones from the piles where they were stacked, throwing the ones that received his approval in the wheelbarrow. Some might have been spooked by the subteranean ossuary, but to a Savant of Necromancy, the cramped underground tunnels only spoke of power and potential. Going about his work, his mind wandered to the events of the previous night.

Members of the family had been gathered in the throne room when Dr Lee had assembled some of them around the table to discuss the latest informations from the St. Eloi investigation. Mostly focussing on the Comission and the information given to us by Skeen after we scared some common sense into him. There was also mention of the attempted assassination of Skeen’s brother and sister, which had been twarted by the timely intervention of Baroness Astra and Watcher Lee. After learning of the danger to all Supernaturals posed by the Comission’s hunters, Selene promptly called her daughter to the castle for her safety. After some more deliberations, it was decided that we needed to head back to St. Eloi. We needed more informations, and the patient of Dr Lee who had been attacked by Skeen prior to his capture, could potentially give us what we needed. Being one of the Deep Ones, he was offering us a great opportunity for introduction to the various cryptid communities in the area and potential allies against the Commission.

We followed the undead doctor through a portal to the small rural town. Our party, comprised of Astrallena, Kiarna, Freya, Vanessa, Selene and her daughter Thorna, and joined later on by Jessamine and Winter. The obvious danger from the comission made strenght more important than discretion. He had still decided to turn invisible to be able to watch for any signs of their group being followed, despite followers of the King in Yellow demonstrating that they could see him just fine on their last visit.

The night was quiet as they made their way to the doctor’s clinic and they all got there without any incidents. Once inside they didn’t have to wait long for their Deep One contact to show up. The tall, strongly built man was introduced to them as Arsène, his obviously expensive suit showed the man had a certain measure of refinement and a taste for expensive things.

Dr Lee and Baroness Astra initiated the talks with Arsène, who was still very biter about the attempt on his life. The man didn’t seem intimidated one bit at being alone in a room surrounded by powerful members of the family, this could be because he was confident in his own power, or because he was underestimating female warriors, hard to say at this point, but considering the time period the town is in, it could easily be a mix of these things.

After some back and forth between Astra and Arsène, things got tense and the situation seemed like it would devolve into a violent confrontation, Arsène having grabbed and lifted Dr Lee by the throat. Feeling like he had to intervene before actions were made from which their would be no coming back from. He became visible again, old habits quickly coming back to him and slipping naturally back into his former role of ambassador, he interposed himself between the Deep One and family members, thinking fast and talking faster, he was able to calm Arsène down by appealing to his sense of community, presenting those giving orders in the commission as the greater menace since he had been intent on taking his revenge from Skeen who was now under Fallen Gate’s protection and de facto untouchable. He also gambled on Arsène’s greed, dangling the possibility of lucrative trade agreements with The Gate as bait. This was able to calm the man down, as a show of good will, all of the information gathered from Skeen about the Commission was given to Arsène, who in turn gave them the name of an undead created by the Dr West, a certain Otis Van Der Berg, who was in town for an upcomming boxing match. Arsène promised us he would give us all the details about the boxing match once they were made public and he would also talk to his peoples Elders about forging deeper relationships between their people and Fallen Gate. Grimacing to himself as he racalled all the promises he had hinted at and how he had just taken control, he sure hoped he wasn’t in too much trouble, yes he had avoided a potential catastrophe, but he had also vastly overstepped.

Sighing to himself, knowing he would to the same faced with the same situation again. He would take any punishment deemed fair and remember that every family members had came back safe, after all, in the end, that was all that really mattered. Spotting a rat scurrying away, he grinned before whispering, "Mortuus Ambulatio" ripping out the rats skeleton and having him hunt down his living brethrens, all the while cussing about rats being just barely better than those filthy squirrels.

(Thank you @MartinStregatto for your lovely write up)

Report St. Eloi Belgium Filed by: Clapham-lee The Hunde-Gustav cabaret hosted a fight night with the acclaimed Otis Van Der Berg, prize fighter from Arkham. I had entered us to fight in exchange for being contracted to the Hunde-Gustav for a little while. As such I will likely need to do some "Patrols" in St. Eloi. Elle offered herself as the combatant to fight Otis and had several members come to watch her fight. Martin had raised some undead to protect the alley-ways from hunters just in case. Araton had met some hunters, Under his Arthur persona, while Elle got the fight going. Elle put on a good show in the fight, almost defeating him without quarter, though had taken some big hits prior to Araton storming in trying to "Hunt" us in an attempt to prove himself a pair of hunters. The hunters were scared off by Aratons strength, as he was deterred by Selene and Luna. Araton ended up teleporting outside, and risking himself as intimidated the hunters more, before attacking Martins zombies guards. Covered in gore, Araton returned to the valentine, giving contact information to the bartender, saying to send people his way if people have the balls to fight such creatures. Word will spread of this, though rumours of the ordo temple orientis has made its way to St. Eloi. O.T.O. is known for sex magic and violence. Elle, despite Aratons interruption, knocked out Otis. He was taken into my clinic and the remnants and patrons that were viewing the fight scattered before the police showed up. I will collect everyone for another outing when I get more information. End report

A text record of the Coronation Ritual, officially transferring the full power of the Triumvirate to Saebra, Sylvain, and Elle Daniels.

The Triumvirate Prepare:

The ~~Littlest~~ Cutest Master of Ceremonies!

The Keeper of Knowledge begins the ritual:

The Triumvirate, Old and New:

The Sacrifice!

And the Resurrection!

End of Record. ~~Custodian Rhonda Morrigan (With a little help from Araton, since apparently one of my files wandered off in editing.)

Observances on the nature of the Cosmos. Penned by Keeper of Knowledge Tonkies, the 26th year of the third age of the Fallen Gate. Preface When first I arrived at the Fallen Gate, it was widely believed that the infinite plains of the Abyss was all that existed at the end of the Universe, that beyond it, in the Void, was empty nothingness and that all our threats and enemies existed within the Abyss. How wrong we were. How little we knew of the nature of Reality, how the Abyss works, and it's relationship to the Universe and the Void. What is the nature of the Universe? What is the nature of the multiverse? All of the alternate realities, all of the alternate heavens and hells. The nature is very simple. The true nature of Everything is Nothing.

Chapter 1 Nothing All things, when taken into consideration. The sum total of all the matter in all of the realities in all of the multiverses. All of the energies of the galaxies therein, all of the magical energies from Heaven, Hell, the Abyss and beyond. All of that when summed up and averaged across all of creations, it comes to Nothing. In mortal scientific terms, the average density would be zero particles per square light year. If you were to leave our Universe and travel aboard the fastest Dragon our Universe has to offer, your immortal and ageless dragon would die of old age before you ever encounter even a single atom. Yet we exist don't we? Cogito, ergo sum. This is because in the unending vastness of the cosmos of emptiness, occasionally something happens. The chances are small, almost infinitesimally small. Yet a small number multiplied across all infitinites makes a significant chances that something will happen. An Awakening, or a consciousness. Sometimes that consciousness is fleeting and is dissolved back into the Nothingness from whence it came. Some times that consciousness creates a form around itself. Born into Nothingness, empty and hungry like the Void that birthed it, that consious yearns to consume and destroy. But a few rare times that consciousness will say "I Am" and birth a Universe within itself.

Chapter 2 Something Each Universe is different, as different as one person is to another. Some are violent, full of exploding stars and collapsing blackholes as the laws of nature are in disarray. Others are vast and silent, empty of stars or intelligent beings. Others defy understanding by our Universe's words. Up is down, left is blue, good is hot and death tastes like chocolate. Of the Universes which can be described in the written word that you, dear reader, can understand, they follow a common theme. A Creative consciousness at the centre, maybe it is One, maybe it is Many, in it's immediate vicinity they gather their helpers, it's version of Heaven and Angels. Here it's consciousness is at its most powerful, most alert and influential. The further you travel from it's centre the more it's influence wanes. Through the "paradise afterlife" down to the mortal, material planes, down to the Hells and Purgatories where the creator's subconscious desires and baser instincts reign supreme then to the Abyss where it sends things to be forgotten by the Universe. Of course it is not a physical proximity. You cannot stand on material earth and point in a direction to say "That way to the Abyss, this way to Heaven." Nay, it is a metaphysical translocation, movement without moving. Willingly becoming closer or further from that creation consciousness, be it Yaweh, Bahamut, the Golden Calf or the fiery Phoenix, to the mindless, unthinking, uncaring Azathoth.

Chapter 3 The Abyss At the borders of the universe, where subconscious thought gives way to forgetfulness, is the Abyss. Here things come to die their final death. Hopes left unfullfilled, forgotten dreams and aspirations, ancient civilisations, collapsed stars, destroyed demons and angels, new ideas crushed under the boot of beaurocracy. It is here they end up, their carcasses left to rot - in the metaphysical sense - their energies either being released back into the Universe to form anew, or leak out into the Void to be lost forever. Even in the Abyss, things fester in the dark, carrion which become bloated on the corpses of dead gods. Corrupted version of themselves. Dragons driven mad by the Void, Griffons that are made of naught but shadow and darkness, Slimes of corrupted hue no longer violent and aggressive as their mortal counterparts but intelligent and peaceful, Beholders that hate even themselves above all. Things that exist between life and death and undeath, things that step between the borders of existence and non-existence. All corrputed parodies of themselves. It is this corruption of the body and twisting of the soul that prevents beings that reside close to the Consiousness from ever having permanant presence in the Abyss. Such beings, born close to the Creator's Light are unable to withstand the corrosive darkness and absence of the Light.

Chapter 4 The Edge of the Universe At the (metaphysical) edge of the infinite plains of the Abyss, where the outward pressure of the Consciousness expressing itself is equalised by the inward pressure of the Void wishing to collapse our Universe, a Barrier is formed This Barrier stops the energies of the Universe leaking away into the Void, it sustains us, keeps us whole. Like the skin upon your body keeping your insides in, and the outside out. Like the skin metaphor, this barrier is not absolute. It has passageways through it. A powerful enough being from the Void or another Universe can penetrate it. Ancient, nearly forgotten spells may traverse it. It is on one such crossing point that we, the Fallen Gate, sits. A Nexus point between Void, Abyss, and the Universe within. We sit as the first, last and ONLY line of defence that this Universe has against the Void. And if we fail, if the Gate is thrown open, the Universe itself, everything within it, and the Consiousness that sustains us will all be consumed by the Nothings and Neverweres of the eternal Void. If the matter of the material Universe were the bones of this being, and the life within it is the muscles, the Fallen Gate is the Immune System, protecting the Universe from outside invaders, seeking out interlopers, stopping the things Outside the body from harming those Within.

Conclusions What conclusions can be drawn from this realisation of the nature of Reality? Many conclusions are immaterial, if we realise that we are all just dreams of a slumbering, uncaring God - what of it? How does this affect our lives and function? None at all. However some useful and practical conclusions that can be drawn. Conclusions drawn from the fact that all possibilities exist, somewhere. Somewhere there is a version of you, dear reader, but maybe it is you who wrote this book, and I am the one reading. Travel through the Void is timeless, as Time is a function of Space, and Space does not exist in the Void, neither does Time. So travel between one Reality and another will not always bring you to the same relative time as our universe. You may travel to a far off universe and find dinosaurs (or their analogue) still roaming the material Earth, or discover that the human Race has travelled among the stars in a great technological civilisation. And returning home may bring you back before you even left. Void Travel is not to be undertaken lightly or without care. Furthermore, all those visitors we recieve at the Fallen Gate, many calling themselves "Lucifer" the King of Hell, or "Lillith" the first true Demon, or the Odins, the Heracles, and so many more. They ARE who they claim to be, every one of them. The question remains which one? Certainly not ours. In our Universe we have an alliance with our Lucifer, and our Lillith is long dead, replaced by the Lilitu that gave rise to our own Wisp. These visitors from other realities often do not realise that they have stumbled out of their own and into ours, but being so far from their Universe makes them almost as powerless as a mortal. Yet with time they can learn to regain their strength, learn to manipulate our Reality as they did their own.

Incursion of Abyssal Earth

-# Preface: The Cosmic Realms of the Abyss At the very brink of all known existence, farthest from the original consciousness and the radiant Light of creation, lies the darkness. It is a realm where the most troubling thoughts of the collective consciousness take form, giving rise to chaotic worlds. The Abyss is not just a place, but entropy itself. It exists between the whimper of dying galaxies, a wound in the cosmos where light went to be forgotten. Where lost planets, their surfaces scoured clean of memory, drift like skulls in the silent dark. Here, the very matter was sorrow given form, dark sinful thoughts in excess left unchecked. And here, in the endless chaos, primordial beings rule their ethereal domains. Seven concepts made nine, kings upon their thrones, living laws of ruin. The first and most fragile of the cosmic realms was the circle of desire, where three stars engaged in a paradoxical dance, their movements intertwining, while planets are cast into perpetual gravitational tempests. The insatiable domain, teeming with voracious voids, black holes that devour all in their path. Avarice pulled derelict worlds into its crushing embrace, absorbing their forgotten wealth into a cold, metallic plane. Sloth’s domain was a stagnant nebula where time itself grew too weary to move. Upon the frigid, shadowy rock of Tristia, far removed from the embrace of starlight, is the realm laid cloaked in perpetual gloom, where despair reigned supreme and hope was but an unheard whisper. Where envy reigns, asteroid belts drift around the remnants of once-thriving planets, eternally ensnared in cycles of collision, the tumultuous nature of longing and rivalry that defines their existence. Wrath was the perpetual red heat of helium flaming stars, a screaming, unending light of pure fury. The realm of Vangloria, a magnificent star blazing with unparalleled brilliance, its radiance so intense that it ultimately succumbs to its own fiery embrace. And finally the worst of all sinful thoughts that gives birth to the rest, Pride. The abyssal domain of Superbia, ensconced in a tapestry of dazzling celestial phenomena, where the magnificence of stars meet their dramatic demise in spectacular supernovae. Within these subconscious realms, matter gathers the forsaken and the outcast, the banished and the cursed. The lords of the Abyss were familiar only with defiance or demise, while their inhabitants endured through subjugation or servitude. In a domain filled with the undesirable, the unwanted, and the rejected, every horror was a grotesque and misshapen entity, crafted from the very fabric of nightmares. In the absence of death, prey are consumed within the predator's grasp, trapped in a relentless cycle dictated solely by the act of consumption. These are the domains of Hell, inhabited by demons and fallen angels, and Hades, where the forsaken dead reside. Restrained from the Light of the creator, strife, discord, malice, agony, and perpetual conflict pervade everlasting. In the grim depths of the endless Abyss, there was only... darkness.

Prologue: Flight of the Dawn's Watch She who once was the embodiment of devotion. Eros, cupid. In her native shard of the multiverse, she was Lilleia, the archangel of love. But she was but a child and had denounced her calling, to live with mortals. For her love of humanity, like Lucifer before her, she was cast down as Fallen. And here she lies, a watchful guardian among the stars, naked in the flesh of her vessel, Lucilin Anna-Marie Wiltshire, known as Lucyane. The Fallen Gate had come to be her family and in return, she pledged her allegiance. She liked to fly above the dark castle on mornings like this, when the starlight shone brightest. Even on ashen wings, she could bury her shame long enough to enjoy the weightless void of empty space, so long as she remained within the atmosphere of the Gate. "Dawn's light has forsaken me" she whispers into the empty void. "Night gathers within my soul, and now my watch begins. It shall not end for neither will I. I shall give no quarter, for many are the terrors of the Abyss. I shall give no ground, for nil is the margin for failure. I shall wear no crown nor bear my renown. For glory is the Triumvirate's and to them I pledge allegiance. I shall sleep and rise at my post, for the Gate is my home. I shall leave none behind, for the Gate is my family. I am champion for neither good nor evil, not for order or chaos. I am the outcast, and the monster, the villain and the hero. I am the watcher of the Abyss, the sword in the darkness. I am the shield that guards the realms of all from the hunger of the Void. Light gathers within my soul, and now my watch begins." Her oath was personal. She was sworn in as a Sentinel of the Fallen Gate by her dearest friend and lover, the Archdemon Tonklin, she who goes by many names. Reciting it always brought a smile to her reddened face. And this morning was no different. Except, it was. The hair on her naked skin was the first warning. Then came the foreboding. Luci swooped away on instinct and spun around quickly to see what was approaching behind her. It felt like a tremor in the cosmic firmament, a quake in the celestial harmony. Like the loud blaring of bass horns, a discordant note echoing from the void. Luci's heart, by design a vessel of pure affection, sensed a cold, grasping hunger where there should have been quiet stars. She rose higher to investigate, cautiously following this feeling of dread. Her wings cut through the nebulae of space gasses and star dust, until she reached the edge of the distortion. The energy from this giant mass reeked of the Abyss. The place her kind usually never spoke of--a chasm of roiling chaos, where lost planets drifted like tombstones and dark matter coiled like serpents. The more she looked upon it, the more it gazed back. A primordial force of corruption simmering on the horizon. It probed at her mind with dark tendrils, seeking to tarnish what remained of her velvet light, to twist her sense of love into possession, devotion into obsession, adoration into lust and lechery. And yet, she stood firm on the precipice, her light a gentle, unwavering dot in the sea of all-consuming dark. It was all she could do to turn and flee. Confronted by an invading mass of absolute negation, she could not analyse this thing alone. Her duty as watchtower was to observe and report. The abyssal cloud did not follow, giving Luci time to race home to warn her fellow members of the Dawn's Watch, and whoever else might happen to be awake. Something was in that cloud of abyssal gas. Something massive and fueled by malice.

Chapter 1: The Cosmic Patrol "Dawn's Watch Patrol Report, 5th of Taurus. I sensed the eldritch tendril receding, and seized the opportunity to soar faster through the stars and dust. By the time I reached the dark castle, the Keeper of Knowledge, true to her title, was already aware of what I had come to relay. A dreadful presence was approaching. Without hesitation, the waking members of the Fallen Gate family were summoned to form a Cosmic Patrol, a total of eight. Alongside the Archdemoness Tonklin and myself were my beloved sisters Lykira and Tenzi, the warrior Kiarna, my former mentor Selene De Ve Rose, and the two Kitsune, elle and Priestess Jessamine. We convened for a briefing, allowing me to recount the events that had unfolded in the void above. "We cast protective spells and invoked boons of divination before venturing into the cosmos. As we navigated the stars, we flew in formation, with the three of us—angelic archers and casters—taking the rear. We were flanked by a fleet of trained dragons, prepared for any malevolent forces that might lie beyond the castle's safety. I commanded the teams to split into pairs to cover more ground, each group settling into position to peer into the Abyss. Our goal was to glimpse behind the veil of the abyssal giant that loomed in our vicinity. The reconnaissance mission was a resounding success and many of the patrol guards returned with startling revelations. We reconvened at the castle to share our findings, where we met with Morde the vampire. Our discoveries were strikingly similar. Keeper Tonklin confirmed the existence of a planet-sized world concealed behind the Cloud of Darkness. Kiarna sensed that the darkness of this planet was indeed alive and corrupting. Selene compared its energy to an ancient force that had once gripped the Dark Castle, while elle speculated about the involvement of tentacled creatures. Lykira reported seeing figures on the planet's surface, scattered across nine countries, resembling a medieval-industrial Earth. They appeared human but bore a demonic essence. Tenzi's report was the most alarming; she detected traces of angelic magic and celestial metals beneath the planet's core. "Before our very eyes, the entire world seemed to vanish from the stars, shifting into another realm, as if it were escaping to the mortal plane. Our intervention in the trajectory of the floating planet had set it on a new course. I felt a sense of relief at its departure, believing that peace might once again return to our home. However, the team voted against remaining idle. Tenzi was insistent on locating the lost Abyssal world before it reached the true Earth, but she also noted that such decisions were best left to the authority of the Triumvirate. Until they could be awakened, we turned our focus to investigating the fragments of asteroid debris that remained from the missing planet. "Tenzi was the first to touch down on the surface of the remnants. She discovered traces of the rare arcanite metal and began to collect samples. Selene followed closely behind, and perhaps due to her demonic nature, she attracted the attention of a horde of cosmic creatures likely stranded on the desolate space rock—massive lizards the size of two men. In self-defense, she struck out and cleaved a juvenile dinosaur in two. A fierce battle ensued, with Morde using shadows to launch surprise attacks, while the three of us angels wielded fire and holy light. I conjured a ring of flickering flames, and Lykira employed her bow to deliver fiery strikes, swiftly dispatching the intangible Will o' Wisps with her ethereal arrows. Tenzi took to the skies for a better vantage point, but her holy rain proved ineffective against the cosmic beasts. In that moment, we realised that these creatures possessed an Angelic nature, raising more questions than answers about what could have drawn such beings of Light so deep into the Abyss. .

"The aftermath of the battle rendered the arcanite asteroid unstable, and the intense conflict ignited the volatile mineral veins, resulting in a spectacular explosion that enveloped the entire rock in a brilliant flash of light and energy. This eruption propelled high-velocity shrapnel towards the Dark Castle, shattering windows and creating craters upon impact. Amidst the chaos, our disoriented bodies crash-landed in the courtyard, where we were greeted by Praetorian Rhonda, who assisted us in regaining our footing. Tenzii took on the crucial task of healing our party before we collectively retreated to the bathing pools to recover. "Our investigations have yielded three significant lines of inquiry that merit further exploration, pending the Triumvirate's approval. Firstly, we seek to uncover the origins of the Abyssal planet and its current whereabouts on the mortal plane. Secondly, we aim to understand the nine nexuses of eldritch powers detected by Priestess Lykira and the reasoning behind the Abyssal fiends adopting human forms. Lastly, we must determine who transported arcanite to the Abyss and the role celestial beings play in this emerging rogue world. This report will be updated with additional details as these mysteries unfold."

The Keeper of Knowledge enters her Observatory and aims the telescope at the abyssal cloud. She focuses her Clairvoyance through the arcane apartus of the Observatory and sends her consiousness outwards. Beyond the depths of the Abyssal cloud, her consciousness brushes against the sinister tendrils of a malevolence so ancient that it sought at first to entwine itself with the essence of the Keeper. Yet, fortified and preserved by the Library, she pierced through the shroud of darkness unharmed. What unfolded before her consiousness is a new world, reminiscent of Earth yet steeped in its own mysteries.

Tonkies

gulps as Tonkies ses the vial of Liquid death she hid insid that teelscope,awhile back.....

Chapter 2: The Dark Fiend of Abyssal Japan "After sifting through a hundred dimensions across the numerous planes, I finally identified the precise one that contained the elusive Abyssal Earth. I recorded the spatial coordinates and established a portal aimed at its surface before returning home to brief our leaders. Keeper Tonklin promptly authorised us to convene. The ever dependable demon of fire, Selene De Ve Rose was first to respond to my call for a meeting. Morde the vsampire and Martin the Cheshire fae of the Sylvan Arms also came to join arms. My sister in the Light, Tenzii of the Cult of the Witch arrived next, committed to resolving the mysteries she had unlocked and finding the truths to the questions unanswered. Last of our warband was Lucas Craft, Werewolf of the Fort. The briefing was concise. The mission was clear. Descend onto the surface of the Abyssal Earth and investigate the nexus of dark energies within. One by one we landed, funneled through the portal spell I had anchored onto the escaping planet. The skies of this Abyssal world were stained red, and a foul miasma of death and decay hung in the air. As we traveled across the land, we found medieval-style Japanese villages, a lotus lake, and to the north of it was a bridge that lead into the heart of the village. Tenzii began a scrying spell and was able to find traces of celestial energies beneath the ground, all leading to a garden further ahead. At this point, something strange happened. We all collectively felt a dimensional instability, as if the very planet was constantly shifting between dimensions and our minds, our very souls and consciousness was pulled away, replaced by another version of ourselves. For a while we were trapped in a confusing trance, bantering with each other about quarterly reports and wage slips as if transported into an office on Earth. The experience was entirely random but soon subsided. "Once we stepped into the Japanese garden, we were confronted by a grotesque giant emanating a foul darkness that could only be the origin of one of the nine nexuses we had observed from orbit. It introduced itself as Bene Gastrimargia, a proud Demifiend of Gluttony from the Abyss, now claiming the title of Archduke of Dam Japan. Clearly discontent with its position in the Abyss, it revealed plans to relocate itself and its followers to Earth as their new dominion. However, it failed to divulge how this would transpire or the role this counterfeit Earth would play in its schemes, especially after we promptly denied its asylum request. Infuriated by our rejection, Bene Gastrimargia summoned a horde of malevolent Samurai—Abyssal Fiends masquerading in human flesh as part of some grotesque charade. The ensuing attack was merciless, but thanks to Tenzi's eye of truth spell, we were forewarned of the impending onslaught. We took the initiative, launching our counterattack first. Lucas and Morde unleashed a flurry of claw strikes, while Martin commanded his own small legion of undead skeletons. Selene deftly handled her contingent of twenty swordsmen. Meanwhile, Tenzi and I ascended into the skies, where I unleashed torrents of flames and explosions, while Tenzi wielded her chain balls of lightning. Yet, despite our efforts, the horde continued to surge forward. They numbered around two hundred and retaliated fiercely, reducing our forces to half their original strength. Morde and Martin bore the brunt of the assault, their limbs severed, sliced, and eviscerated into a gruesome mess by the relentless army. Regrettably, I too was rendered unconscious alongside my celestial Warden, who was slain before my very eyes. As a favour, his spirit would ascend to the infinite, awaiting resummoning. For myself, I was pulled back from the edge of death by Tenzi, my devoted companion from the Order of Healing Saints.

. "In their chaotic stampede, the Abyssal Samurai were oblivious to one another, and fortunately for us, their reckless charge caused them to trample and injure their own ranks amidst the fray. In the heat of his pursuit to devour Selene, Bene Gastrimargia defied the very laws of physics, charging across the battlefield with a ground-shaking, lightning-quick rush that threatened to trample us all then stumbled back to his seat, poised to continue his meal. 'You should be ashamed of yourselves, gate-bound fiends, ashrar albawaaba! Why do you seek to disrupt our utopia? Are we not the same?' he bellowed. In response, Selene declared that a jailor and her prisoner share nothing in common. With deft precision, her scythe brought down the massive, towering figure of the forty-foot gluttonous beast. As the dust settled, we sensed a faint trace of angelic grace dissipating from its form, sinking into the ground beneath the Demifiend's platform, inscribed with celestial sigils. Selene copied the inscriptions to present to our Keeper of Knowledge. It may take several days of research to fully grasp the meaning of the runic engravings, but our portal anchor was now securely locked in place and open for future visits. For now, our discoveries in Dam Japan have raised new questions worthy of exploration. The fiends aimed to conquer Earth that much was now certain, but how? What do the runic sigils signify, and how are they connected to the angelic energies coursing beneath the planet? As usual, this report will be updated as these mysteries unfold."

Incursion of Abyssal Earth

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