Not a background but could be interesting

[Guest]

I wrote this a while back as a role play for another game, which is why it's lengthy but written in small bites. The preliminary story is a background for Qast, who will act as the game's 'agent provocateur' and provide the players with most of the high level challenges they face. Further explanation is added on the bottom, but I'm going to leave off expanding on it too much until I get some feedback.

 

If people like it, I'll expand the scope of the storyline, add histories etc for the various mapped areas and generally deepen the concept. At the moment as the 2nd continent is unmapped I've got no geography to go on so I can't go into as much detail as I'd like.

 

Forgive the length there's alot to get in.

 

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NB// I'm not sure how Gods will affect the game, or which names they'd be using so I've kept those blank for now.

 

Part one: Introducing the Bad guy

 

The story of Qast (stealing large meaty chunks from Dante's Inferno):

 

Qast and his little sidekick Belch stood on a sordid, rotting wood platform, shouting at the small crowd that had formed in this dirty back market. Waving his rusted claw in frustration, Qast leaned heavily on a stick, wrapped tightly in dirty silks and holding a battered crown in one hand. Belch sat beside his master and bleated for money as the ranting went on.

"I was once the ruler of a mighty kingdom! I controlled vast armies and commanded one of (insert god here)'s grandest temples!" Laughter rang out across the crowd, rippling around the bleak yard and out onto the surrounding streets.

"You fail to believe! You, the heathens, the masses of unbaptised filth that reek of complacent decrepitude! When I regain my former glory you will all bow to His (or her) image! I will rule this country in times to come!" Qast didn't go down well with his curious rhetoric, and neutral onlookers noticed the local police force - a couple of neanderthalic army recruits - getting very angry indeed. Qast didn't seem to notice.

"Get off the stage you pathetic bag of bones and let a real man speak!" One burly guard pushed through the crowd to where Qast stood and drew his broadsword in response to the tirade, looking very much like he wanted a fight. Qast ignored the armour plated Goliath with aplomb and waved his hands for emphasis.

"My control of your land will begin in a few days time! Heed my warning and change your ways or..."

"Did you hear me little man? I said get off the stage!"

If people had been watching they might have noticed Belch quietly sneaking off stage to a safe distance. Qast smiled, a bright, sunny grin that had nothing whatsoever to do with happiness. Turning slightly, he sized up his opponent.

"Hmm… I think you'll make a good demonstration of the heathen weakness... What's your name guard?"

"It doesn't matter to you. Nothing will if you don't move you barmy old freak!" Qast's grin widened.

"No I suppose it doesn't really... putting it that way."

The guard's thin patience snapped. Raising his giant sword he jumped up onto the stage with a growl of fury...

 

* * *

 

Belch crawled out from his hiding place and ran over to his masters prone body. Blood was everywhere, flooding out from Qast's clothes onto the pavement and running in gushing rivulets down the gutter on which he lay. Poking at the corpse-like figure, Belched whined in frustration and fear. The little clone had seen few of the events that occurred, just the occasional flying arrow and once a hand which hit him on the head (mmm... tasty), and now his protector was quite possibly dead.

The day didn't look good.

Belch stopped poking and decided on a more radical course of action. So he started kicking Qast in the face as hard as his little feet could manage, and after about 30 seconds of this, he was rewarded in quite a startling way by having his foot grabbed, held, then thrown (with him attached) halfway down the street. As he got onto his feet, he saw Qast sit up with a loud groan. Belch grinned happily and waddled over, giving his master one last kick to help wake him up. This earned him a swift punch to the head.

"Belch? Are you okay my little friend?" Qast stood up and removed some of the gore that drenched him. Belch nodded quickly.

"God my head feels like someone been kicking it!" Belch grinned inanely.

"Did you see where that last guard went? I was just about to get him when that crate fell on my back and floored me." Belch shrugged and fell into line as Qast started to walk for the local tavern.

"These are my last good silks as well."

 

* * *

 

From a distance it seemed as though the city was ablaze. Flames and smoke rose from the religious quarter, staining the sky a dirty grey. A little closer in and it became clear that only one temple had survived the carnage, and it was to here that huge numbers of robed priests were being herded. Closer still and individuals could be seen, grizzled priests of (insert God no.2 here), ritually scarred and wrestling with their captors. Enigmatic leaders of the faith of (God 3). And recent converts to (God 4)'s cause, young zealots screaming impotent abuse. They were being herded by thousands of hooded figures, each as implacable as the last and all totally silent.

As the crowds entered the main doorway they were each marked by a branding iron with the letters (2), (3) or (4). Still not a sound was heard apart from the screams of the marked.

Inside the building it opened up into a large hall, the symbols of (God 1) running up and down its yellow stone walls. The captured clergy teemed on its surface, surrounded by their silent foe and pushing against a raised dais. Shouted questions mingled with angry threats, but nothing stirred whatever it was inside those cowls. Finally, as the room filled to bursting point and smoke began to creep in through the doorways, the shadowed force moved to defensive positions and locked each door.

Silence slowly fell as everyone turned to a figure that had walked onto the dais, closely followed by a short minion and the temple's priest, Alax. The figure raised his claw and grinned at everyone.

"How's it going? I hope my rangers didn't cause you too much trouble? They're a bit overzealous. They're also bloodsuckers so I wouldn't get violent with them if I were you." Qast motioned, and several hundred hoods fell away to reveal various degrees of decay.

"These lovely guys are all over the city, tribute to the power of (God 1). You are the only people who know about this, and now that you know you are unfortunately... a liability. The burning of your temples is the beginning. It is also your end. Before you die do you have anything to say?" Silence met this outrageous statement for a moment, until an enormous bearded priest near the front growled out his question.

"Who the hell ARE you?" Qast nodded.

"Good question. Alax?" The tall (God 1) leader strode forward and raised a hand in salute to the heathens.

"Qast… is your new leader."

 

* * *

 

The king stood at his well lit, luxurious balcony, overlooking the city, and marveled. A few days ago he'd heard reports of a number of guards killed by some mystery clawed man, and now this same handless freak held most of his country in a deadlock. He'd ridden out a few coups in his time, but none had come upon him so completely without warning and he couldn't help but admire the speed at which it had been done. First the priests of (God 1) had called up an undead force to help capture the city, and then of all things priests of the other religions had followed suit, calling up their faithful populace to fight on the insurgent's behalf. He still didn't understand how his adversary had managed to get them all to agree, but the few spies he still had swore that they were all now branded, and that to a man they hid their faces from the light.

With such help behind him, this rabble-rouser was practically unstoppable. Every tactic failed against the hellish backbone of Vampiric enemy, vast numbers of troops had defected on the grounds of religion and even as he watched, the King could see preparations for a last stand being hastily thrown up around the palace. He knew that he had perhaps a day to live, depending on how cautious the first strikes were.

The king sighed and took a sip of his best wine. There didn't seem much point in saving it for later. Perhaps it was time for him to call on his own priests. Those he had left…

 

* * *

 

Qast swept through the forward skirmishes like a mad thing, his claw pulverising bone and sinew as he led his troops towards the palace gate. Charms protected his body against arrows that blackened the sky, and his undead elite guard of former (God 2) priests could barely keep up. The King's final line of defence was failing fast, but thick walls and powerful gates still barred the way once this threat was gone. Qast laughed with the exhilaration of war. He'd missed it as an outcast and this frenzied charge brought back memories of some of his favourite slaughters. Enclosed space though the streets he'd been fighting in were, in a few moments they would reach the open courtyards that surrounded the King's domain and he would be able to really swing his claw.

Cracking the skull of an unfortunate soldier in his haste to reach the gates Qast was suddenly halted by what appeared to be a huge winged demon. It was the very cliché of what a demon should look like, big, ugly, with enormous muscles and tusks. It was even red. Astride its shoulders was the King.

"You! Grabby! I've had enough!" The king dropped to the floor, surrounded by Qast's minions as they forced the line backwards.

"Ah my good sovereign. Has something irritated you?"

"You know very well that destroying the city gets right up my nose."

"Really? You should have said!"

"Well next time you'll know. This is going to be a one on one. None of your little friends are helping out this time, my big lad will see to it." They both nodded as they took up combat position, Qast dripping with blood, missing his hand, with the claw that replaced it clenched into a metallic fist, scarred, with eyes full of bloodlust. The King stood prettily all in white, unscratched, perfectly formed and holding a silver sword in his manicured digits. Around them it grew quiet and dark, as though a mist shrouded the battle that was going on all around. The steady beating of a drum perforated the newly created silence, gradually getting louder as the two adversaries paced.

"You like the effect? Just one of the powers of the dark side." The King stopped to stare at Qast and shook his head. Qast replayed what he had just said and brought his single hand to his mouth in horror.

"Oh my God I'm SO sorry I'm always saying that stuff! I know it's awful. I'd get counseling but I'm a dirty beggar at the moment so I can't really afford it... I just like a bit of melodrama on occasions like this. You know how it is." The King shrugged off his disgust and in a moment of supreme gallantry swallowed the bile that had raised in his throat.

"Yeah it's fine. You wanna fight now?"

"Okay. Sorry."

 

* * *

 

The two combatants circled, as they had done for the last half an hour. A quick feint from the King was easily turned away and a counter strike was dodged in return. The King's demon watched impassively, breaking the back of anyone who came too close.

Qast quickly became bored and was the first to lunge, the king leaping backwards in a swirl of white silks, but the sovereign was unable to prevent first blood being drawn. Qast growled in delight as he saw a bright red substance leap from fold to fold on his enemies shirt, sensing a weak point that could be turned to his advantage.

The King responded quickly however, forcing Qast back with a flurry of well placed blows. His sword clashed with a dull thud, knocking Qast's claw backwards and revealing an unprotected chest. The King's eyes lit up as he sensed an end to the fight, and he thrust home his silver blade into Qast's heart, the crack of bone against metal sounding like prolonged thunder.

Time seemed to slow as Qast fell backwards, the crazed look of his features fading even as he hit the floor.

 

The King breathed hard as he stabbed Qast again and paused to look around. Black clad troops all over the battlefield were collapsing lifeless to the floor and a confused rout was beginning close by. It appeared he'd won in a matter of seconds the war that had been going on for days.

 

* * *

 

Belch ran through the demons legs to get at his master's corpse. Whinging, the little clone collapsed upon seeing his masters glazed face, and clawed at the ground.

"Bad day, Bad day, what will happen to poor Belch?" Hours of sobbing ensued, and the short wretch was picked up by the King once the battle had been truly won. He was inspected for a while, then he was patted on the head.

"I'm sorry about your loss, how would you like to be my court jester? To see that man's face capering for my pleasure would be easily worth keeping you on." Belch sniffed and slowly stopped wailing.

"You look after Belch?"

"Yes." The king smiled in magnanimous consent. This had a big effect on the midget, who got up in a great bound and forgot all about his past worries.

"Belch work for you! Good day for Belch!"

The king laughed and they both turned away from Qast's blood-ridden body before walking towards the palace. As they reached the King's Demon however, they both noticed that something was amiss. The titanic beast stood stock still, seemingly frozen but shaking slightly all the same.

"What is it Demon?" No reply came from his servant other than a low growl through unmoving lips.

"I command you to tell me what your problem is!!" Still nothing, but now the eyes of it were wildly rolling, almost as though they were trying to escape. Slowly, through grated teeth two words emerged.

"Release..... me...." The King, confused, shoved the demon, which toppled to the floor.

"What is WRONG with you?? I can't release you for another few hours. You know that."

"Release.... Me!"

The King turned to his new Jester, but saw nothing but empty space where the sidekick had been. Then he felt it.

Little tremors were spreading along the ground between his feet, earthing under his demon. Every time one hit, the creature looked even more terrified. In a small voice, it grated out it's plea again. The King shook his head.

"No I'm going to need you to hunt down (God 1)'s priests."

 

Then the tremors got stronger, almost knocking him to the ground. His demon screamed in pain, and it's muscles rippled as though they were being crushed by some great force. As he watched, fear growing over what was occurring, blue lightning began to curl up his creation's chest, and the smell of burning flesh hit his nostrils in an acrid stench. Flesh began to melt around the huge denizen of hell and soon bone could be seen poking through where the burns were worst. The King turned away in horror and began to run from the scene, tripping over bodies in his haste. The smell however got no less strong and after a few moments he turned back.

What he saw made him vomit. Looking about, anywhere to remove the vision in his mind, his eyes found the body of Qast lying in the mud. A strange glow emanated from the body, running in rivers down the road it was on and splashing against walls. Wherever it touched flames began to sprout, and as though aware of his gaze, it began to move nearer, diverting towards him.

Scared beyond rational thought, the King backed away, but feeling heat at his back he turned to find the flames had surrounded him.

"Are we having fun?" The king screamed as Qast's body rose to it's feet and walked towards him.

"Now is that any way to treat a man you've just killed?" Qast raised his claw, which glowed white hot, and drew a little pentagram in the air. The king flinched as Qast blew it towards him, but all it did was stop a few inches in front of his face.

"Bind!" Qast laughed as the pentagram grew and enveloped his adversary in a vice-like grip.

"Now. This little symbol, as you are doubtless aware, has certain... properties." Qast kneeled, picked up a rock and threw it at the symbol. In a flash of light, the rock dissolved into nothing.

"That just went straight to hell. Guess who's next?" Qast grinned as the King realised what fate had in store.

"Oh stop crying it's very unbecoming. All I want to know is where Belch went. Then I'll let you go and just take your kingdom." The King sagged in relief.

"He ran off. Probably to the palace."

"Thanks." Qast snapped his fingers and his trap disappeared. "You're free to go."

The King srambled backwards for a moment, grinning maniacally and turned to walk away. As he moved off his spirits rose. At least he was alive. The jet black bolt of lightning pierced his neck just moments later.

"As a former monarch you should really know to bow for your ruler as you leave." Qast wagged his finger as the King slumped dead to the ground. "Now I wonder where Belch got to?"

 

* * *

 

"At long last I stand at the balcony of my own kingdom again. I could have chosen easier targets, but this broken toy had the weakness of mind to be bent to my will. They were unprepared for the coming of a true religion to their ranks. Even my high priest Alax was lacking in ambition."

 

Qast spoke to the former King in an abstract way, his soliloquy quiet but intense. Belch lay in a basket at the other end of the hall, fixated on his master who still visibly glowed a dull red. Belch was very worried, Qast seemed changed somehow by his death and resurrection. It showed in his eyes, which had become mirrors letting nothing out. He was embarking on any number of secret projects as he clamped down on all insurrection and there was one room in particular being renovated which was so secretive Qast killed the last person who asked about it.

"Sire?" Alax walked into the room, visibly interrupting Qast's train of thought.

"WHAT!! Can't you see I'm busy?" Alax looked at the former King's corpse which was by now visibly rotting.

"Yes I can see that sire I just thought you'd like to know the room is ready."

 

Something seemed to go click in Qast's head. The glow faded for several moments as silence covered his balcony and his posture straightened. His head rose a fraction as though fighting for release, and then the glow disappeared entirely. Once it had done so the new ruler's eyes cleared for the first time in days and stared not into space but at Alax's visage.

 

"Thank God for that I thought I was going to have to talk rubbish forever." Qast stood up and sneered at the King's body.

"Get this out of here we have a ceremony to perform. Hopefully there is still time before those bloody voices come back."

"Voices sire?"

"Yeah that demon has been inside my head ever since I killed it. It's a big effort controlling myself while I'm like this I need to get down to hell and sort it out. It's not high ranked in hell, once I'm there I'll give it the biggest battering its seen for a very long time."

"Get down to..."

"Hell. Look I'll explain later but basically when I died I had a backup plan in place which appears to have worked. Running-with-Maggots over there actually did me a bit of a favour by killing me, I've got enough power from the whole experience to knock down a mountain."

Qast lifted his claw and the tips lit up with blue lightning.

"Now, I've got a stairway to hell to catch."

 

* * *

 

Alax now stood on the edge of the new room, watching in wonder as Qast made some final preparations for his journey into the underworld. The walls were decorated with huge symbols of power, priests of (God 1) stood in every corner chanting over and over. No light other than that of Qast's claw entered the room, so ghastly shadows stretched and cavorted over the faces of his chosen few.

 

"I think that's it." Qast stood back for a moment and nodded in satisfaction.

"Before you go my lord, some documents to sign." Qast glared.

"Sorry I'll er, do it myself then shall I?"

"Good idea." Qast walked to the center of the room as he spoke and kneeled with arms outstetched.

"This first time is the difficult one, after that it's simply a case of walking through the door. If I were you I'd leave." Alax looked around and noticed that it was slowly getting brighter, with ghostly faces imprinting on the walls before fading just as quickly in a fantastic display. His priests of (God 1) stopped chanting to watch the entertainment and he hit one round the side of the head to start them off again. Qast, his voice strained, repeated the order.

"Go now Alax. Not in a minute. Now." Sweat began to bead on Qast's upper lip, and Alax decided the warning was probably a good one, particularly as he'd seen one of the shades leave its wall just a second ago.

"Good luck my lord." As he turned and left, Alax saw another shade leave the wall and hover in the air above Qast. Closing the door, he heard an ear-splitting scream, then another and another. He'd been warned to ignore them but suspected they would still be audible halfway across the city.

It was going to be a long night.

 

Back in the room, Qast had his eyes closed but could nevertheless see all that occurred. His priests had stopped chanting, probably because they were dead, killed by an eruption of shades. In their place were his new spirit guides, grey mists with translucent faces in the middle, screaming with unearthly power. Qast placed his arms on his bleeding ears and writhed in pain. It was worse than dying the first time, worse than the descent into hell, worse even than the cutting of immortal soul from mortal shell. As the room grew ever brighter, his pain began to feel as though it was alive, racing through his body in shards of ice and fire. Something was wrong, It shouldn't have been as bad as this. Finally Qast glimpsed across the room, through his closed eyes, what he had suspected. The demon he had come to slay. It held him in a binding of towering strength, fed by his own attempts to flee the mortal realm and channeled through his body. The demon noticed that he was watching it and broke into rumbling speech.

"Did you really think I'd let you kill me again you clawed idiot? I may not have your power but I'm not going to let that stop me from hurting your carcass." Qast, with admirable fortitude considering his pain, shrugged.

"I was kind of hoping yeah." Another immense lance of pain crashed through his body.

"I wasn't finished gloating! You can be glib after I've finished!"

"Ah right, sorry. Carry on." As the demon did just that, Qast opened his eye enough to wink at his spirit guides. They understood his meaning and a few seconds later stopped screaming. As they did so the medium Qast had used to power his descent into hell dried up, as the bindings snapped in a crash. The demon instantly dropped out of the room with a surprised squeak.

"Now, let's try that again okay?"

 

 

Qast finally coalesced into the realms of Hades, announcing his presence with a storm of flying hailstones. He appeared to be on a mountain of some sort, jagged and with thorns sticking out of every available surface. Looking at his feet, Qast recognised blood spreading from beneath them and decided that flying was the best option. Concentrating, he lifted from the lethal floor and slowly traversed the area, looking for his demon. Instead he found a tiny man, who was running towards him, obviously in great pain and panicked beyond reason. Flicking out his finger, Qast raised the man from the floor.

"What are you doing here?"

"Don't put me down! Don't put me down!" Qast suddenly realised that this was the man's own personal hell, one which would last forever; running through steep hills on beds of thorns, destined to never stop, never feel the pain end, never see anything other than this deserted bleakness and never hear anything other than the laughing wind.

"I wont if you tell me where to find this demon." Qast projected his memory into the air and created a near perfect image. This seemed to worry the little man, who screamed and threw himself about in a frenzy.

"NO! YOU'VE COME FOR ME! PLEASE NO!" Qast was confused until it dawned on him.

 

This was the one he was seeking.

 

In the world of the living this was a leviathan entity with extraordinary strength and power. In the land of the dead… Qast dropped the wretch to the floor. There was nothing he could do to make its life any worse. Qast bound it with a quick spell to prevent it from causing any further mischief and dropped it. As he moved onwards, concentrating his thoughts on the fourth sphere of hell - his allotted spot according to the spirit guides - Qast wondered what his own hell would be.

Peace and harmony, probably.

 

* * *

 

Qast found himself pushing through a wall of glass, shards entering his body and drawing yet more blood. He'd been searching for this fourth sphere over the course of a week, with regular excursions back to his kingdom, so he could make sure the re-building projects were on track. His search had taken him through vast fields of flames, where tens of thousands of people burned day in, day out. Even larger were the pools of drowning, where people were ducked into the water and forever held under, forced to live in terror as their air ran out and they began to choke… Qast gave a wry smile as he pulled yet another piece of glass out of his thigh, conscious of where he'd ended up this time. Through the smoked panes he could see people falling , smashing their prisons as they went but lacerating themselves. They would fall for miles through dozens of shattering walls before finally reaching the ground, body cut to the point where they could no longer move. Then they would rise back up to the top, with panes being replaced behind them as they were pulled up. Their wounds would heal but the exquisite torture of waiting to do it yet again sent many insane. It was one of those who hadn't lost their mind here that he had come to see.

 

An ancient, one of the first to be placed in these halls and by far the most powerful being in any of the places Qast had visited, was right in the middle of this place. It was to him that Qast turned for answers. After hours of fruitless searching Qast quickly grew bored with breaking through glass as he wandered the cells, and he decided that there was a quicker way of doing it. Now drawing from his powers in the land of the living, Qast brought forward a fireball, which slowly grew to gigantic size. Aiming squarely in front of him, he waited until the casting reached its zenith, and released. The missile screamed forward, melting everything around it and creating a huge tunnel through towards the center of this particular reality. As the ball fizzled out several miles down the road, Qast finally saw what he was looking for, an oasis of blue flickering light, the center and gateway of this place. It was there if anywhere that he would find his man.

 

* * *

 

He traveled for what seemed hours through the track, stopping only to watch particularly interesting cases of insanity. The damned, wild eyed, pleaded for release, anything to stop the torment whether it be through summoning or redemption. Qast slapped them away if they came too close, he had little time for this as it was. Although many of these were powerful, it was a power dependent on their leaving this place. It was the reason they obeyed orders in the outside world and why they went mad if ever set free. His goal was one of the few that could avoid this fate, one who partitioned his mind between this world and the other. It lent the ancient one an unearthly calm here, in this place, and stupendous power outside it. Even with his current degree of strength, fed by his spirit guides and planted in the realm of the living, Qast was unsure of how he would proceed. Finally the blue glow, steadily getting stronger all the time, came into full view. Rising in a lotus position at its face was the one he looked for.

"Uh, The Ancient One, I presume?" The closed eyes flickered for a moment.

"Please, call me Bob."

"BOB??"

"Yes. I'm so damn tired of people calling me Ancient One, or Great Master of the Glass Walls, or Keeper of the Desert Key or any of those other titles. My name is Bob so call me Bob."

"Okay Mr Bob."

"Just Bob." Qast was obviously struggling with this concept. "What do you want then? I assume you came here for a reason."

"Well now that you mention it I'm looking for the 4th sphere of hell. I've searched all over the place, the guys in Burning damnation and the Drowning pools both reckon you're the man to speak to. Mast…. Bob."

"Is that it?"

"Well the location of the Ebony throne would be nice." Bob stiffened, he'd obviously heard of the place.

"What's a nice megalomaniac like you want to go there for? It's a rough area that. There's this guy…" Bob shuddered. "They're pretty black people my boy, personally I don't go near that sort of area and I'm hardly small fry."

"Do you know where it is?" Bob shrugged.

"Of course I know I'm the ancient one. But I don't want you going there before you've seen the 4th sphere and decided whether you want to go further or not. The next time you're down here, not now because you'll need some rest, think Phlegethos and you'll go there. It's a kind of halfway house before the Ebony Throne proper okay?"

"Cheers I'll do that. You've been a great help, I'll try and remember to summon you some time."

"Thanks that's big of you. Well, that's my time up, looks like I'm gonna start falling again but it's been nice talking tooo yooooo" and with that he started his fall through glass once again.

Qast waved goodbye and cut the link between that world and his own, spiraling upward towards the dingy room of his palace no-one but he could enter…

 

* * *

 

Belch was relieved to see his master alive, he suspected that Alax wasn't exactly pro-dwarf at the moment. They'd not been getting along well recently, Belch had spotted a few secret meetings between the high priest and several ranked ministers, which all looked a bit ominous. Now Qast was back though…

"Alax how have the fortifications been going?" Qast addressed Alex sardonically, he already knew from asking his sidekick.

"Not too bad sire we've got most of the countryside covered and the city can now be locked down securely. However there is one little thing."

"Yes?"

"Well as your high priest I hate to give you bad news but… you are no longer the leader of this country." This didn't have the effect Alax had expected. Instead of surprise Qast seemed, well, amused. Belch coughed audibly and Alax worked out, too late, that he'd been rumbled before the event.

"Hmm. That interests me Alax. Would you mind explaining exactly why this is the case?" Alax, now beginning to get worried, ploughed ahead secure in the knowledge that his plan was foolproof.

"Well sire, you may be undead now and possess pretty nasty powers, but we at the priesthood believe we have solved that. Standing behind you is the most powerful demon we could conjure and believe me he outranks that one you killed by several orders." Qast turned behind him to see what appeared to be tiny elf, but with the all too obvious distinction that it was casually crushing walls simply by looking at them.

"What else?" Alax was startled by this. Most people after all don't like the news that they are going to hell and yet Qast seemed almost bored by the affair.

"I also have the palace guards on my side. They will follow me to a glorious surprise victory over the military cabinet and help to install… a REPUBLIC!" Qast's eyes widened.

"No need to swear Alax we're all adults here." Alax moved from startled to shocked. He'd expected that Qast would be broken by this last piece of news, and yet still the monarch was totally calm. He flinched and made ready to send in his demon as Qast strode across the room and sat down next to Belch.

"Finished Alax?"

"Well… yes I suppose." Qast took a cigar from his pocket and lit it.

"Right then. I'll tell you what is going to happen next. You shall banish silent but deadly over there and tell the palace guard to stand down. In return I shall merely execute you and banish them from this country." Alax, astonished, asked the obvious question.

"Why would we do that?" Qast finished lighting his cigar and dragged the whole of it in one puff. Then he exhaled, creating a perfectly flat screen onto which he projected what was occurring. Alax saw armed people escorting what looked suspiciously like the elite guard unit into a holding pen, with archers and Minotaurs making sure no-one escaped. Alax gagged.

"That isn't real!" Qast shrugged and the image disappeared.

"I don't care what you do or do not believe. You may look out of the window if you need confirmation." Alax didn't bother.

"It doesn't matter, when you die it will be me that succeeds you and I will establish the Republic anyway. It will simply take longer." Qast winced.

"There you go using that word again. Can't you just call it the R word and stop being so anti-social?" Alax roared at his demon in fury.

"KILL HIM!!"

 

To say he was surprised by the lack of response would be an understatement. Qast grinned and blew at the figure, casting away a cloak of light to reveal the features of a wizened old man.

"Alax I'd like you to meet Bob. Bob, this is Alax my ex-high priest. Well you can't say I didn't try to compromise Bob eh?" Alax's jaw dropped open.

"It's not possible!" Bob looked at Qast.

"Not very bright your high priest is he?" He turned to Alax and winked. "Your creation may be a tough guy but he makes a better lawn ornament. He's standing out on the courtyard if you want to go look." Alax obliged, rushing over to the window. It was all true. He could see both the holding pens and the petrified body of his hard work. Suddenly the world began to tip upside down and he grabbed hold of the windowsill.

"A bit more leverage Belch, that's it, a little more…" Alax screamed as he lost his handhold, plunging out and down. He curled up as the cobbled floor rose to meet him…

Bob looked down several stories at the body.

"Ouch that's gotta hurt!"

 

* * *

 

Qast, at last able to rest easy with his empire secure, entered his doorway to hell with all the pomp of an Emperor. His spirit guides were formed in rank and file, ephermal swords raised in salute. This was to be his journey to the fourth sphere. Bob was in charge for the duration of the move, on strict instructions to watch over Menelaus the new high priest, who would take care of day to day matters. It was Qast's way of saying thanks that the summoning would last for a month, despite the fact that a light drain on his powers continued for as long as Bob was around. This weakness would hopefully not be a problem, but Qast was slightly nervous as he sat in the room's center and watched the walls begin to melt. "Phlegethos!" He thought forcefully, and immediately saw a change in the surroundings begin to take hold. Gone was the cold stone and in its place….

 

* * *

 

Qast looked around in bewilderment. This wasn't quite what he had expected. For miles in every direction he and his sprit guard saw millions of weary people, rolling boulders around aimlessly. They clashed incessantly with deafening noise hitting them in painful waves. Every time a denizen struck someone, he was forced to shout "What is the use of Greed?" Qast quickly created a bubble of silence around himself to avoid splitting his eardrums and sent his shades out on a mission to find this place's keeper, Plutus. Meanwhile, Qast made ready, and concentrated, creating a fortress of shielding around his body, casting flames either side to ward off any attack. Bob had forced him to carefully consider how to approach this godlike guard. With a determined glint in his eye, Qast sat down in the midst of this maelstrom of shimmering blues and reds, waiting for the bloated wolf's arrival.

 

It came just days later, a scout hovered in, ephermal body tattered and faded, obviously in the greatest of distress.

"He arrives my lord." Qast sat up a little straighter and adjusted his robes.

"Thank you. Why are you so tattered?"

"I found him in the mires of rage, far away from here. He noticed me as I was about to leave and tore my soul down. I shall have to rest my lord before I serve you again."

"Fair enough you are dismissed. Before you go though, what happened to the others?"

"They were captured and taken to another sphere." Qast shuddered.

"Alright. How long until he gets here?"

"The cloud to your right is his." Qast looked and saw a dirty mass of dust, miles high, rapidly overtaking the landscape. Plutus evidently wasn't pleased by the intrusion Qast represented. Claw raised in salute as his loyal servant left the plane, Qast began to chant.

 

* * *

 

The storm threw itself into his magical barriers with all the might of Hades. The flames that surrounded him quickly dissipated, leaving Plutus plenty of space when his pig-like figure finally came into view. The glutton wasn't alone, several powerful demons accompanied him as he touched down onto the stone floor with a crash of noise that could be heard even through Qast's charms. Qast waited until the winds had died down a little before amplifying his voice to be heard.

"HI! PLUTUS ISN'T IT?" His adversary grinned with rotten teeth and spoke to Qast without moving his lips further. Qast guessed it was some sort of mind discipline.

"Yes I am Plutus. My line at this point is usually Pape Satan, Pape Satan, aleppe! But seeing as you are quite obviously not dead, yet, I won't bother with the formalities for now."

"YET?" Qast stood up as Plutus hauled his grotesque body closer.

"Well you do realise I'm going to kill you. I can't have the living running around in my land, whatever would the other Keepers think?" Qast nodded sympathetically as the winds died to a background rush.

"I CAN… *ahem*… I can see that. However, I'm here because I was called in my dying moments by some guy talking about an Ebony Throne, not because I have a death wish." The enormous bulk od Plutus then did a strange thing. Moments after hearing the name of the throne Plutus fell to the floor, looking up with a pained grimace on his face. Qast noted that although the demon seemed to be straining with every muscle, he was incapable of leaving his position. Several of the entourage moved forward threateningly, but their master motioned them away with his head.

"Please don't say that name again, it's really not good for my reputation having to do this in front of you. Tell me I can rise please and we'll talk." Qast consented with a smile.

"Okay you can get up. I didn't realise mentioning it had such an effect around here." Plutus struggled to his feet with some assistance, and gave Qast a hard look.

"I suppose you think that was funny. But perhaps you don't know about the situation here. I wish to check if you are telling the truth. Stand still and I will enter your mind."

"So I don't have a choice in this?" Plutus rasped out a laugh, the first sound he had made.

"What do you think?" Qast shrugged, and held still as whispers began to filter through his consciousness. His vision began to blur and fade as time went on, and a dull roar made itself known. Qast, drawn to it, could pick out short words from the sounds every so often but was held back by some unknown force. He pushed harder, hearing occasional sentences. "A chosen one… Night… NO!" Suddenly the link was broken and Qast fell backwards, banging his head on a jagged rock.

"OW! What the hell…" Qast looked around and saw Plutus stretched out, again in a prone position.

"Well Plutus? What did you see?"

"Forgive me chosen one I did not know. But what are you doing in the fourth sphere?" Qast was puzzled at the total change of heart and more so at being called chosen one..

"Isn't this where I'm supposed to be? What's a chosen one?" Plutus stared in terror at Qast's claw.

"No… My lord you were promoted a short while ago from a Knight in this realm to one of the chosen Lords in another. Something about the havoc of your mind clouding the potential to be a being of unbreakable power. You are to be the leader of the first sphere it is a great honour. How did you not know? Have you not visited the Throne in Nessus?"

"Nessus?" Plutus gasped.

"It is an impregnable realm in this place of the damned! Sire you must seek an audience at the Ebony Throne first!" Qast pulled himself upright.

"I intend to after I've had a word with Bob about how to deal with the first sphere. Now tell me where the Ebony Throne is in hell!"

"Not in hell my lord. You will have to journey through the Other Place to get there. When you begin your journey to the surface, make a detour in your mind and make the spirit guide I missed show you the way."

"Oh yeah can I have the rest of them back as well?" Plutus shook his head silently.

"You would have to seek them out first my lord." Qast thought about this for a moment.

"A job for another day perhaps."

 

* * *

 

Qast's last guide led the way through a stunning landscape. They flew through empty space, with no edges as far as the eye could see. All around them however there was movement and colour. Vast chunks of half molten rock floated all around the pair, crashing heavily into each other in bursts of brilliant white light. These were coupled with occasional diamonds of blue and white which threw themselves past Qast with speeds he'd never seen before, trailing lines of Prussian blue dust behind them in fantastic contradiction to the reds and yellows all around. He doubted he would be able to stop one if it chose to hit him, he'd seen them pass straight through several boulders with little apparent damage. There was no sense of time or place in this awesome atmosphere, and little sound other than the dim crash of stone on stone at the very cusp of conscious thought. And their destination remained unclear. They had been here for several hours, drifting in one direction but with little apparent motivation, and it was gradually dawning on him that even his servant didn't seem entirely sure of purpose.

"Where are we?" Without looking around the shade shrugged.

"I'm not sure. It seems to be a halfway point between Hell and where we want to be in the living world. As far as I can tell no time is passing in this place. If I'm right this means you could travel to anywhere on the planet in a matter of moments. It's just that although I have a general idea of where we should be, I'm having to search which is taking a while." Qast shifted to the left a little as another diamond sliced past and nodded.

"Can I help?"

"Yes. Concentrate on what the place looks like in your dream." Qast closed his eyes for a moment and pictured the hulking doors that had appeared to him as he lay dying on the battlefield all those weeks ago. They came back with remarkable clarity and he noticed the sheer size of them, which seemed unnatural. How did they move? In his mind he pushed at them, and with oiled precision they began to open….

"AH DAMMIT!!" Qast opened his eyes and looked at a hole running through his torso. Perfectly formed in the shape of a diamond and covered in blue dust, there was no doubt what had happened. Blood spilled from the gaping wound in a torrent, flying outwards but not down. Qast put his hands over the entrance and exit points and tried to concentrate. Slowly two pentagrams began to form in the air around him, shakily at first but more strongly as Qast put more effort in. Once completed they hovered in the air just inches away from each hole. With a deep breath Qast pulled his hands away and plugged the gaps with his creations. They glowed for a minute or so before melting into his skin without a trace. Qast silently thanked Bob for that little trick and looked over at his ghostly companion with a pained expression. This would smart for a day or two.

"Anything?" Another shrug.

"It will take a little longer my lord but… WAIT I've got it! Follow me!" With that it shot off at high speed, Qast following as best he could.

 

* * *

 

After what seemed like hours of travel, dodging left and right to avoid the lethal environment, they reached what looked like the end of the universe, a waterfall of black falling into a void Qast somehow knew was infinitely long. The void itself was simply an absence of colour, a blank spot in the mind's eye. Qast's gaze was both drawn and repulsed, and he felt himself getting a migraine from staring.

"This is it sire, the portal to the Ebony Throne." His servant hovered over a spot in this weird landscape that looked similar to almost everywhere else.

"How can you tell?"

"I'm psychic my lord. Comes with being dead." Qast nodded absently.

"Okay what do I do?"

"Just fly there and draw one of your pentagrams my lord. Make it big enough to cover you. It should set the whole thing off. Now I must go. I'm getting tired. Just call me when you want to head back." Qast nodded again and smiled.

"Thanks Alax. I knew it was a good idea adding your soul to my protectors in this life."

"Well it would have been the sphere for traitors otherwise my lord, I'm just glad you spared me. The thought of being trapped in ice, unable to move, forever…." They both shuddered.

"Not a nice thought. You can go now Alax." Alax sped off, faster even than the flying diamonds in his haste to reach wherever it is that guides go when off duty. Once his helper had gone, Qast did as instructed, completing the pentagram in a matter of moments, and watched in silence as it began to run red with blood. Qast stood totally still as the blood began to snake in a line out of it's bed towards him, and barely flinched when it began to cover his torso. The red liquid began to pour more quickly once it made contact with his body, and within a matter of moments it pulled away from him, creating a hollow shield with him inside. Qast could feel the walls of it thicken as he waited, and every part of him wanted to blast a hole in it so he could escape but he held firm, even trailing his fingers around the shining insides. Suddenly he saw a glow outside his new prison, and watched as his pentagram forced its way through, now shining a brilliant silver. In the center had opened a whirlpool of mercury, through which could be seen the very doors he had dreamed of, the entrance to the Onyx Throne. Qast waited for a moment to see if anything else would happen, and watched as every last drop of the blood that surrounded him flew through the gateway and out onto the doors in a roaring torrent. Wondering about the significance of this kind of entrance, Qast stepped through and back into the land or the living.

 

* * *

 

Qast hit the floor lightly, cloaking himself in darkness as he landed, and swept up to the doors. His claw began to feel heavy as he pushed them open, letting a swathe of light through. The place appeared to be packed with dark forms and he slid into a corner to get a better view of what was going on. Behind him he heard a loud thunk as his exit was shut off, and a louder clash as bolts were drawn. Almost simultaneously he heard a soft laughter, again behind him. Spinning round he saw no-one at the doors, which worried him a little as it made sure he was trapped and proved he was obviously out of his depth. Qast calmed and closed his eyes, searching the room for an invisible presence. What he saw in his minds eye staggered him. The room was alive with energy, a circumspect web of power that invaded every corner, focused on a central point where the most powerful aura Qast had ever seen resided. There could be no doubt this was the much feared Throne. Qast decided that the element of surprise was possibly not going to be as effective as he had previously thought, as strands of magic went straight through his lightless shield and revealed his features. Stepping out into an open area in the main hall, Qast reflected that battering the front doors with half a ton of blood before he had walked in probably didn't help make for a stealthy entrance. He raised his claw in a vague salute to the black creature that he could now see sat at the heart of the web, and glanced around at a silent assembled crowd that crowded around it.

"Hey boys and girls how's it going? (God 1) alive how hard is it to find this place? I had an easier time resurrecting myself! I'm a bit confused about what's been going on around here but apparently you've given me some title? Lord something? Anyway I've been on a little jaunt around hell, and this guy Plutus told me to come here. Now I've arrived, anyone care to tell me what all the fuss is about?"

 

* * *

 

Qast was back in his room. After finally speaking to the Throne, he'd felt an unstoppable pull behind him, as though being summoned. As he looked around he saw that this was in fact the case. all around him the rubble of his travelling room served to show that something was disastrously wrong. Beside him stood Belch. The little clone was growling at something in the distance. Qast followed Belch's gaze and saw in the corner of the room a darkened figure. He could make little of its features from upside down, so he stood up quickly and faced it. In an aside to his sidekick he murmurd;

"What is it Blech and what is it doing here?" Belch didn't move but muttered a reply.

"It killed everyone master. This is the last place that it hasn't been. It was looking for you. It says the King sent it."

Qast nodded and drew some of his power into his claw. All around fires raged and through vast holes in the wall he could see his precious city, dead as a doornail. Qast's eyes narrowed, and he squared up to the creature. He wasn't sure what was going on, but if this thing was responsible...

 

* * *

 

As the day wore on, Qast and this beast of the underworld (Qast suspected it was Cerberus) increasingly played a game of cat and mouse. The first scuffle hadn't gone well as Qast had made the first move, throwing himself claw first into the animals waiting jaws. It had grabbed hold of his weapon and held it in place, slowly breaking the metal as it glared balefully at him. Qast, well aware now of its powerful energies, had thrown a fireball into it, dislodging himself but not doing it any real damage. Enraged, The hellhound roared with a noise that Qast was totally unprepared for. The sound gradually worked its way up the scale from being so low no-one could hear it to so high it hurt the ears. This deafening shriek had two effects. First it disoriented Qast, allowing the canine room to attack, and secondly it brought down most of the remaining walls surrounding them, showing what had done all the damage to his city and knocking out Belch who had been standing helplessly nearby. As it stopped shrieking, the creature charged, battering Qast to the ground as he held his head in pain and goring his body on the way down.

 

Qast recovered only long enough to throw it across the room into a solitary remaining pillar, with panicked strength flowing through him, then he'd fled with the unconscious Belch under his arm. Now they were squatting under a half-fallen beam in the throne room as Qast tried to think of a plan. He had been found twice already, but both times a wall of conjured ice had given them valuable moments in which to escape. Now he searched his mind for a way to destroy his adversary. Calling on Bob was out, the shade had gone back to Hell and wouldn't be available for another week. Plutus might help but the bloated mass would undoubtedly exact a heavy price for the job. Unless things got really hairy it looked as though he was on his own. Qast created yet another pentagram to cover his scars and watched as the last one faded. Now all he had to worry about was an all pervading lethargy which was killing his ability to think straight. After days with no sleep after travelling the underworld and fighting Cerberus Qast was practically sleeping with his eyes open. Belch, much more awake and now on watch, suddenly let out a whispered groan.

"It's found us again my lord." Qast nodded silently and prepared yet another ice wall in his mind. What he needed was rest…

 

* * *

 

This time the wall failed. Whatever was controlling the hound had a power great enough to crack ice through its servant and huge slabs crashed to the floor as Cerburus pushed its way through. Qast braced himself and held his claw up, conjuring another fireball to throw. Belch cowered in a corner, and squealed as their nemesis roared again. Then he looked puzzled as the roar suddenly stopped. However, this was nothing compared to the look on the face of Cerburus, which kept trying to bellow it's terrible cry with no success.

"I'm sorry but I've had enough of that. If you are going to try and kill me do it quietly I've got a headache okay?" Qast dropped his casting of silence and threw his fireball, which screeched past Belch and hit a pillar next to him, breaking the last prop for the roof in this room.

"I've tried Fire and Water, lets see if Earth will stop you." Belch suddenly realised what was going on and ran for a doorway, closely followed by Qast. Behind them they heard an almighty crash as an entire section of the palace began to fall on Cerberus. They had barely reached safety, Qast's power barely deflecting chunks of stone away from them, when the throne room floor also collapsed, bringing down hundreds of tonnes of debris. Standing in the doorway now, Qast used the last of his strength and magic to push a pile of rocks into a position where it would hold the ceiling still above them, and blacked out. Belch stood and stared at the vast pile of rubble for a moment, making sure that nothing was moving down there, then sat down beside his master and waited.

Bereft of the Cerberus's's uncanny hearing, Belch failed to notice that from under the mountain of stone, a tiny scratching sound was steadily growing louder…

 

* * *

 

Qast awoke from his long sleep well rested, but surprised that Belch was no longer with him. Casting his consciousness around, he spotted the little guy a few hundred yards away, and got up to walk over. As he reached a sitting position however, a huge roar shook what remained of the building around him, seeming to come from Belch's position.

"Goddamit what does it take to KILL that thing!" Qast leapt to his feet and began to run towards the noise. Skidding round a corner he saw a dirty, injured Cerberus, and gasped as it clawed Belch to the ground. Conjuring an almighty fireball he cast as it's claw came down to disembowel…

 

He was too late. Belch's scream echoed through the building even as Cerberus flew out of a window and fell three stories to the ground below. Qast ran over to the hole in the wall, and growled upon seeing Cerburus get up, shake itself down and give him a mildly dirty look before strolling up a handy staircase. Aware that he didn't have much time, Qast knelt to see what he could do for his little friend.

Nothing. Belch wouldn't be getting up. Closing his loyal servant's eyes, Qast felt a new surge of power run through his body. Almost incoherent with rage, he growled his intentions to Cerberus, who he knew would be able to hear.

"I hope you like fire Cerberus, because first I'm going to burn you to within an inch of your pitiful life, then I'm gonna drop you in a volcano. I'll summon you and kill you a different way next month. And the month after that." Qast's voice dropped and evened out as he controlled himself.

"In fact… How's your diary looking for the next couple of decades?" Qast grinned as Cerberus entered the hallway again, and did a roar of his own. This time, the walls didn't just shake, they exploded.

 

* * *

 

The King, watching through a mirror in his own personal hell, laughed aloud as Cerberus leaped backwards out of the way of several chunks of mortar that had been altogether too close.

"Touched a nerve did I you handless freak? You'll have to do better than that to kill my hound!" He ordered his creation forward, and laughed again as it pounded towards Qast.

"I'll teach you to stab me in the back! Take over my land will you? Take this!" Screaming with an insane glint in his eye, the King poured his strength into Cerberus and watched as it bowled Qast to the ground.

"FINISH HIM!!!" The King clenched his fists as the two combatants rolled on the floor, and winced when Qast finally managed to disentangle himself with a blow to the jaw of Cerberus. Shaking its head, the hellhound appeared dazed, and barely managed to dodge yet another fireball as it tried to regain some balance.

"CONCENTRATE YOU USELESS BASTARD!!" Foam started to fleck the Kings face as he lost ever more self-control. Shouting did little good, and he was forced to watch as Qast jumped onto a broken pillar, safe for the moment. Qast then sat down and appeared to be meditating. Starting to worry, the King ordered Cerberus to attack, but found his link to the real world had broken thanks to his loss of concentration. The beast was on its own.

Then something strange happened.

Qast began to glow.

Only a dull orange at first, beginning at his claw and spreading through his body like wildfire, whatever was happening appeared to be growing. As it finished, turning his eyes a dark red, it began to pulse, brightening with each new wave. Time seemed to stand still for the King as he saw Qast turn a blinding white.

"No…" The king forgot to breathe as he saw tiny lightning bolts leaps from the skin of his enemy.

"Not now… not when I'm so close! You can't change now it's not fair!" The king frantically tried to re-establish contact with Cerberus, but could no longer find his way through the waves of changing magical currents surrounding this small space in time.

Suddenly the lightning that surrounded Qast shot out in all directions, melting wood and stone alike as it flashed through the building. What remained of the walls and ceilings disintegrated around him, turning to dust as they were each in turn hit by his transformation from a weak half-human, half-demon to something mixing the great potential of each. Within the course of a few minutes, his power was outstripping Bob's, Plutus's, Cerberus's and the King's put together. A stray bolt destroyed his pillar from under him, but Qast just floated effortlessly as both sky and earth opened before him.

Now certain his champion was lost, the King reluctantly tried to turn away from the mirror, but to his horror, found it held him in place. Frantic, he tried to break free but a power other than his own held him fast. The mirror's view shifted to Qast's face, white light pouring from his old scars. Finally Lord Qast, leader of Avernus the 1st sphere, opened his eyes. They had turned black and stared directly at the King.

"You are in SOOO much trouble."

 

-------------- The Deal:

 

Qast struck a deal with the Ebony Throne, taking vast power and immortality as a lord of hell in exchange for his co-operation. So why wouldn't the Throne want more of his kind? A few dozen of these guys would wreck the world in months right? Well no. There is only one circle of Hell close enough to the Eternal Lands to break into them, and Qast sits astride that. And why wouldn't Qast simply leave the circle himself, and move into the real world with all his unstoppable power? Because Qast is at heart a coward. For all his power, now he has been resurrected and had the full force of hell pass through him, he has no more chances. He is mortal. If he dies he has failed, and the Ebony Throne would cast him down among the powerless into the lowest depths of the inferno. As such, he sends his minions out instead.

 

The city of Dante:

 

As the game starts, Dante and it's lands, once the home of a small but thriving community in the cold wastes of (probably area 19F or similar, as that's the most out of the way spot), are barren. Qast himself has disappeared and the city is empty of sentient life. The nearest tribe to Dante are Minotaurs, who superstitiously avoid it. Contrary to their usual uncontrollable nature, Ogres have formed a protective ring around the city, killing anything that tries to get in or out, and more deadly things are rumored to guard within the broken city walls. From somewhere within, a blue glow emanates. It is the seat of power and first opening into the circles of hell created by man - Mortis Dante, temple of the Ebony Throne.

 

Dante does not in itself present any immediate danger for the Eternal Lands. In the background is a threat that Qast has not fully left this world to take his place as lord of the first circle of hell, and his apparent master, the faceless inhabitant of the Ebony Throne, has more planned than simply helping out his young protégé. As the first circle of hell is the least of them, Qast's current role in effect is that of gatekeeper between this world and the next. His natural tendency towards violence and expansionism mean he is likely to send forays and campaigns into the Endless Lands in the pursuit of powerful artifacts and booty designed to strengthen him in both this world and the next.

 

The final plan of the Ebony Throne:

 

Well let's face it there's only a sma

[Guest]

aurs constantly talk of waging war on the cursed place, but can never garner enough support.

The Dwarves care little, only reacting when Qast's little raiding parties are sent out.

The Humans, ever expansionist, occasionally send scouting groups of their own to the city to try and find out what's going on, and whether the old, profitable trade routes of yesteryear can be re-established. No groups have yet returned.

The Elves, although aware of the threat, are just not that focused on it, believing it to be the human's responsibility to clean up their mess.

The Minotaurs, especially in the lands around Dante, are the most diligent in guarding the borders against all-comers. They see it as a point of honour that they hold the line, and use the area as a training ground for their warriors. There is a great deal of friction between them and the other races who are so blase about what is going on. They get along well with the Centaurs on this issue.

The Satyrs, with their isolationist views, have no interest whatsoever in Dante.

The Orchans, thanks to their friendship with the Minotaurs, take the threat of Dante seriously, and often send small groups to help the Minotaurs in times of particular danger.

 

Geographical spread:

 

Dante's influence spreads across much of the icy lower islands, venturing to the mainland only as part of Qast's raids, but linked quests and monsters can be found all over the 2nd continent.

[Roja]

:scrolls...and scrolls..and scrolls...and...:

:shock:

 

I'll have to read this when I get some time

[Tropicano]

Oh my fokking god :|

 

seriously, there has to be something good in there ill also sread it when i have some hours to spare

[Geelef]

Actually, it's not that long. You should've seen the Diamond of Ra'someone by Tum - that was big o.0 I'm defintely gonna read this one too though, once I've got time

[Roja]

Ok I finally finished a story on here

 

This one is good, and is pretty much a good example of what i'm looking for. It does need to be revised however, if we were to included it as a game story. There would need to be more references to places in EL, and there's some writing errors too. Also it would be better if the characters were described a bit better with how they look and such, and maybe put a bit more personality in them.

 

What I like abotu it is that it focuses and keeps your attention on a few main characters. Now, this doesn't mean I want ever story modeled after this! Do your own thing, your own writings! From now on, i'm going to try and read one story thread a day, to try and get through what we have on here. So just have patiences, i'll comment on everyone elses work too.

[Lyanna]

Basically, what Roja said.

 

As a standalone story, it's quite well done.

As an EL story, however, it'll need a lot of work.

 

With regards to the STYLE of the writing, I like it. The addition of OOC talk in the dialogues every now and then is very nice. Reminds me of Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", and he was the master of that style. Very good use of weird humor.

 

With regards to the content...there needs to be several changes made. I don't have any info on the second continent yet, so I can't say with any great certainty that the city of Dante will ever be implemented. There's too much demons and hell in the story, I feel. I know it's taken from Dante's Inferno, but nevertheless, the underworld in EL is very different from the Hell in your story, and I don't think we should be adding demons into the picture until we get confirmation from Ent.

 

If you restrict Qast to merely being a very powerful mage who signed a deal with Mortos to be his avatar in EL/have godlike powers, then maybe it would fit better. However, this would almost be identical to your description of Unolas, so it wouldn't really be that original. I'll leave it to you to try and come up with a better idea.

 

There are also some minor errors and discrepancies in the story (eg. how is it that none of the other gods interfered when Qast began killing their priests?), but those can be sorted out once you get the main idea working.

 

-Lyn-

[Saii]

Yeah that was the original draft, I have changed it since to take EL into account more (which I can either email to you or edit into the original post).

 

The point about the use of Hell is a good one, I wasn't sure whether that would be usable. I sort of envisaged it as seperate from the underworld, kind of like:

 

*Earth - the world above ground

*Underworld - the world below ground/ Where killed Eternals go and search for a way back into the light

*Hell - Sole domain of Mortos and his creations, the souls there are made up of the traitors, thieves, murderers etc who died before the great agreement (along with banned players and mischief makers naturally ). Mortos created it in protest, it is a reflection of his own rage. Although it plays no direct role in the game, it is his official residence as he has abandoned the normal home of the Gods, Echafaud. As Mortos is so bent on destroying the other God's work, when Qast draws power from his realm it manifests with Mortos' blessing in the Lands, making it more dangerous. Similarly Qast can use the life-giving power of the Lands to great effect in Hell.

*Echafaud - The other dimension Qast flew through to find the Ebony throne, it is the binding fabric which the Gods used to create this reality. As such it exists outside the usual realms. It's where the throne room of the gods is housed.

 

Whatever the decision is about that will be okay by me.

 

About demons, again fair enough, they can easily be replaced by other summonable servants such as normal golblins, orcs, gargoyles and the like, that's mainly just a tie-in to allow for some interesting quests :twisted:.

 

Using a city on the second continent was a preliminary thing, as by necessity I can't go around wiping out cities which have already been implemented . I was gonna wait and see if admin was up for putting it in before rewriting.

 

The God's not interfering... that could be explained by the sheer speed of what happened, the entire war was over in a matter of days. The town is also not very big and is well out of the way so news wouldn't have travelled well (even now for example the Humans aren't sure what really happened there). If the Gods weren't in the area they wouldn't have heard about it until it was far too late and Qast was under Mortos' wing.

[Lyanna]

Hmm, I think what we'll need to do is wait on this story until the full version of the game is out. Since it's set in current times, we won't be able to publish it without making sure that the things mentioned in the story won't change. Currently there's a discussion about the possibility of a Heaven (or some other game mechanic involving that) in another forum, so we won't be able to rewrite until that issue is settled.

 

Yes, let's just keep this story on hold. There's no rush, anyway - it can be implemented later, when the game goes gold. I'll keep an eye on it every now and then. You can also make changes and edit it here to keep up with the changes in EL, if you like, to save yourself trouble later. But I won't be scrutinising this carefully until much later. Focusing on the backgrouns and history first.

 

-Lyn-

[Chariste]

Saii...are you still out there? If you have a more EL oriented version of this, I would love to see it. Check in with us, 'k? This is wonderful stuff!

 

Thanks