Prologue

[tarlyn]

Wizard's Tower - Vestfold
17th of Kumain 1029, late evening


A hooded figure looks up from a crystal ball. Looking again as if to be sure, it appears to stare at it before standing abruptly. The hood falls back to reveal
long black hair and the face of a stern woman. Ursula Zov to be precise. She moves to a bookshelf and after scanning it, retrieves a book and walks back to
her desk and the crystal ball. "Light" she utters and light illuminates the desk as she sits. Opening the book as she lays it on the desk she begins reading.
Ursula reads the book twice. She begins laughing under her breath near the end of her second reading.

The omens I've been reading in the sky are true! Now I've seen the proof and we can proceed with our plan. Visit another world. The information we need is in
the Valley of the Ancients. A tome. With important information.

She looks again at her crystal ball. Her eyes widen. Where she had seen the tome, as she looks to the sky, a flaming sphere descends at a very high speed. Before she
can even blink, it crashes to the desert ground. The meteor slows to a halt, stopping in a smouldering husk. Soon the flames and smoke subside to reveal a Yugoloth!
Rare amongst demons indeed. Thought to be even extinct.

She rises quickly from her seat and exits her room, closing the door behind her. "Alhambra!", she mutters and disappears. Only to reappear in a room, seated at a
round table with four chairs. "Brujo" she says, and three figures appear in the empty chairs. Kyorl Maloune, Veda Somean and Mengal Toredyn. All four High Spellwises of the Wizards Cabal in Vestfold.

Kyorl looks at Ursula, clearly half awake and perturbed at being summoned here without warning. The other two are in the same state of mind.

"Why do you call us here at this ungodly hour, Zov? I am sure the others will agree that this is uncalled for."

She smiles demurely, knowing her information will assuredly change their attitudes. She could wait and prolong their anger and annoyance or get right to it. She choses the latter.

"I found the book. And a Yugoloth. We need to act quickly. Send agents there to retrieve the book and capture the demon."

A long silence ensues. Maloune is the first to speak. "I trust in your judgement. I will send Col and Stur Nigby to retrieve the two packages. If there is no other
business, I bid you my leave." He rises from his seat and uttering a word, disappears. Within ten seconds, everyone else has disappeared as well.

[tarlyn]

Blue Hills - Valley of the Ancients
18th of Kumain 1029, early morning

"You sure this is the place?,"asks one man of the other.

The other man, Stur Nigby, looks at his friend Col. "I'm sure. Kyorl wouldn't lead us wrong. Just remember we need to be careful with this
Yugoloth. They're nasty creatures as it is, but even worst they're powerful Demons. The scroll he gave us will help protect us."

The trail is easy enough to follow. The path of destruction from the fall of the demon from the sky is easy enough to follow. Soon they are upon the
creature itself. It appears to be unconscious. The creature's body is charred black, muscle and tissue scorched badly. Strange even for a Demon.
Wisps of mists move around the Demon and the area as if they were alive, searching, looking for something maybe.

Nigby retrieves the scroll and looking at Col, nods. As well he takes a piece of chalk from his pocket. The other moves away, scanning the earth itself
for something else. The High Spellwise had said there was a tome nearby. Several feet from the Demon's location. He walks slowly in one particular direction, West. Ten..... Eleven .;.... Twelve ....... Fifteen,,,,," and stops. Looking down, the ground appears to be different, as if something was, well, hidden here. He goes
to one knee and using one hand, brushes away the earth there. Soon he sees the form of a book and carefully he digs it out with his fingers. The cover is leather with no words. Curious he opens it. The language on the pages is jibberish to him. Whatever is in here can't be all that important if I can't even read it he thinks to himself.

Meanwhile, Stur has traced symbols and a circle around the Demon. Done, he stands away from the Demon and reads the scroll. A blue light emits from his symbols and circle on the ground as well as the Demon itself, who's body is now healing itself as the blue light radiated from the symbols and its body.

Col returns as the Demon stirs. It stands well over twelve feet, very imposing. Blood red eyes glare at Stur, then Col. He shivers and moves behind Nigby. The Demon
laughs loudly, ground nearly shaking.

"You have healed me, yet imprisoned me at the same time. Mortals.... pshaw. RELEASE ME NOW!"

It moves to exit the circle, yet impressively, it moves no further. The Blue light crackles and glimmers yet remains intact.

Nigby is a little more experienced in these matters and addresses the Yugoloth. Col has handed him the book by now. The mists are acting up, moving and darting among both Col and Nigby, up and down their bodies. The beast laughs heartily.

"I can help you. Tell you about these mists. First, let me free. If you have me captured here, then you know I am a Demon of my word and preform deals with mortals. I
will deal with your master. Neither of you are powerful enough to have prepared this spell on your won. DO not lie to me, I can tell. Now. about that book you hold behind your back. It tells a tale of one I dealt with centuries ago. One who made a deal and now lives freely in his land."

Nigby listens, paying attention to the Demons words and body language. HE couldn't tell if it was lying but he had the impression it was perhaps not telling the whole tale.
Kyorl would know more than he. The book now interested him.

"Fair enough, Demon. I will call my master and you can deal with him."

He utters an arcane word and Kyorl Maloune appears. The Demon grins even as the Spellwise inspects the thing. "You two have done well. Be gone."

"Dismissed he mutters and Col and Stur Nigby disappear, not before Nigby hands him the book.

"Inajira, is it?," he asks with a straight face.

"Ho ho, you have done well and I have to admit I am a little impressed, mortal. You have me at a disadvantage, mage. Well done."

It pushes against the blue shield yet has no success.

"Very well. Speak your terms. You know my name, you know my purpose."

Maloune nods. He holds up the book, looking at the Demon, then the mists, very curious.

"Tell me about the Mists and this book. What are their purpose and how can I use them to gain power.?"

Inajira looks at the man intently, thinking.

"I tell you what you wish to know and you release me. I leave you alone. These are my terms, human."

"Deal."

"Create for us a safe haven. This will take several hours. I have much to tell you and you need to pay attention."

Maloune creates a House out of thin air and over the next few hours, he listens intently as the Demon speaks. A quill writes down
what the Demon says to the word even as he listens. Eight hours later, the Demon is done.

"You must follow what I have told you. To the letter. Only then will the mists work for you and the book will be readable. Once done
the ritual you need to perform will come to you and then you will have this absolute power you seek."

Kyorl nods, knowing the terms of the deal. He speaks a word of considerable power and the house as well as the circle are gone, in essence freeing the Demon.

"Farewell. I can't say it has been a pleasure." It disappears in a puff of stinky sulphur.

[tarlyn]

Wizard's Tower - Vestfold
15th of Chrislina 1030, slightly after two a.m

Since the finding of the book and the Demon's instructions, the four High Spellwise' of the Wizards tower have been busy gathering components, performing
rituals and casting spell upon spell. Finally, the moment has arrived. The final ritual to be performed by all four. Close to eighteen months of hard work will finally pay off.


One after the other, they recite difficult words. Powerful words meant for Demons ..... Devils even. Yugoloths are fair Demons it is known with their deals. However, they are not unlike others of their kind as well. Thus as the ritual continues and grows more powerful, Vestfold itself begins to suffer from the Demon's trickery unbeknownst to the four Spellwises.

It begins slowly, mists rising in and around the city whilst people slumber. Soon the mists are everywhere, enveloping the whole city. The sounds of the water and port are soon gone, replaced with nothingness, a soundless void.

Soon the ritual builds to a crescendo and the mists now cover everything in the city and as the ritual hits its zenith, the Wizards Tower glows a bright blue. In a blinding flash of light, it seems to almost dissipate or for a better word, melt. In less than a minute, the Tower is gone. In its place is rubble and ruins .......

[tarlyn]

Mordentshire
April 16th, 746 BC - Early Evening


It starts as a small tremor through the city. Soon the buildings and streets themselves tremble and it is almost as if they protest.
In less than two minutes it is over. Done. All through the lands, the same phenomenon occurs, lasting less than two minutes.


Elsewhere - same evening


Looking at the crystal ball takes all of his attention. Once the tremors stop, the man stands and paces slowly. Thinking. Who has dared play with the demiplane itself? That old fool from Darkon? Dolt! He should know better than to try. No fear, I shall send someone to the center of the disturbance and discover this folly.

His mind reaches out, over the miles of the mountains to Krezk. "Go to Mordentshire. Now. Find what you may about this disturbance and report back in the usual manner. Bring me the old doctor. I tire of his prying."

He was indeed sorry for having left the man read what he shouldn't have been permitted to read. His plan is now put into motion. Those hunters had meddled in his affairs for the last time. It was time to put a stop to them. He wouldn't kill them. That was too easy. Making them his slaves would be a perfect revenge for all the trouble they'd caused. Van Richten was the first on the list.

"Yes Master," comes the reply.