[Darkness]

As you stumble through the land of Valeron, you feel your body almost being pulled by some force -- it seems a force of good -- towards the old ruins. Two things strike you odd about this: why would a magical force of good be so blatantly present in Valeron, and why would it be taking you towards the ruins which had been abandoned for centuries?

As you near the ruins, you hear a chanting from the central circle. You strain your ears to hear the words, and pick up a strange, almost inhuman and most likely evil group of voices, chanting in harmony a cruel sounding litany...

"Now will the age old battle stop, twixt good and evil for the top..."

The pull falls away, but your feet continue out of curiousity. You stop behind one of the gigantic stones which circles the courtyard with the sign on the ground in the middle, listening as the chant continues...

"O, fate has seen to make it thus... The scales are tilted now, to us!"

You peek around the stone, and a horrendous sight greets your eyes. This had likely been shielded from you by these humongous stones until you got here.

Another stone, this of a far blacker substance, had been uprighted in the center of Nemorok's sign, a sign which had now been bathed in ritualistic blood. The creatures of darkness circled around the stone -- phantoms, furies, ogres, ghouls, zombies, spectres, vampires, demons, banshees, sprites, gorgons, hellions... Creatures of every sort. Their voices had been the ones you had heard chanting. Before the stone, holding a dagger with a blade blacker still than the stone, the hilt curving sinuously, was a man, and as you looked upon him you felt as almost he was the epitomy of terror.

You knew not what it was that inspired such feelings of you, but you knew they were real and just. His face was shielded from your view from the hood of a robe, a robe which trailed down and encircled him, quite effectively hiding his whole body from view with the exception of his feet and hands. Those gave no help in identification however as his feet were guarded within a pair of black leather turn-down boots and his hands were wearing a pair of similar black leather gloves. The ends of his robe, including his sleeves and the brim of his hood, but mostly from the end that fell around his heels, seemed to fade away into mist, trailing off on the wind, giving him an almost otherworldly feature.

But your eyes skimmed over all of this in a moment. It was what was chained to the black rock in the middle that immediately drew your attention.

A man who was the bitter opposite of the black robed man in front of him stood, bloodied and broken, chained to the rock. You assumed by the look of him that he probably didn't truly have the energy to stand, and that it was the chains that held him from falling to the ground. You could tell he was naked, most likely from the treatment of the creatures around him, though the chains were in such a quantity that they almost hid that fact. Perhaps the servants of evil thought he might even be able to escape now, in such a debilitating condition?

What struck you most profoundly was his face. A young man, perhaps in his mid twenties, his body was finely chiseled as the result of hundreds of hours of physical exertion, but you could tell he was a practitioner of the magical arts just the same. An almost ethereal white glow seemed to hang about him -- you assumed it was a trick of the eyes. His face, even now, seemed to have the slight hint of a smile to it, as if he knew what would soon happen and welcomed it with open arms. That face made you feel as if it contained all the light in the world. It filled you with a strange warmth, giving you strength...

You knew he was about to be murdered, though you knew not why, as you hear the final words of their chant...

"His loss of life will be our gain, in evil shall this world remain... For good upon this stone be slain!" They fell silent where they had previously recited the chant. The dark robed man turned to the man now, no longer drinking in the dark power that fell in waves from the creatures that surrounded him.

"The hour is now..." he said, his voice again sending waves of fear up and down your spine. You know it will happen in only a few moments...

[Red Sentinel]

Redsent enters, quickly examining this little ruin.

[Darkness]

You see nothing more than the circle where the ritual is taking place and a few haphazardously strewn boulders and columns outside of it.

[Red Sentinel]

Redsent steps out of the shadows, yelling:
"Leave this man alone, for what has he done against you!?"

[Darkness]

The black robed man looked over his should at you in an offhand expression, and as he looked back to what he was doing (apparently regarding you as a minor threat), a werewolf and a spectre turned from the gathering, snarling and growling, to apprehend you. They lunge forward, planning to end it quickly.

Werewolf:
HP: 500
DP: 60
EP: 0


Spectre:
HP: 800
DP: 20
EP: 0

[Red Sentinel]

Redsent quickly concentrates.

HP: 3015
DP: 0
ECB: 1500
EC: 3770

Redsent uses Firestorm!
- Firestorm (2100): EC=1000; DP=400: A cyclone of fire engulfs the target.
+140 DP for Amulet of amplification!
+20% DP for Class.

In total: 648 DP

On the Werewolf.

[Darkness]

The werewolf lunges towards you, obviously going for the jugular... Fire incinerates it, throwing the blackened and burned out corpse backwards into the crowd of monsters! The spectre lunges forward, and its icey touch deals 20 damage to you!

Spectre:
HP: 800
DP: 20
EP: 0

[Red Sentinel]

Redsent quickly shifts his position, and attacks the spectre.


HP: 2995
DP: 0
ECB: 1500
EC: 3770

Redsent uses Crushing Wave!
- Crushing Wave (2600): EC=1500; DP=600: A wall of water crushes the target.
+140 DP for Amulet of amplification!
+20% DP for Class.

In total: 888 DP

On the Spectre.

[Darkness]

The spectre prepares for another strike when it is pushed back and flattened to the ground by the wall of water. When the white water dissipates, all that is left is a soggy robe.

The crowd of creatures, a few of which had turned to watch at some point during the fight, now rose in uproar. Creatures lunged towards you, apparently intent on your kill before they continued.

Vampire:
HP: 800
DP: 50
EP: 500
Abilities:
~ Turning Bite: (DP = 100; EP = 100; Effect = The target is poisoned and loses 10 extra life each turn [multiple bites by the same vampire does not result in extra damage each turn].) The vampire, if given time to bite, can eventually kill and then revive a target as another vampire.
~ Garlic Weakness: (DP = 0; EP = 0; Persistent Effect = When garlic is present, the vampire loses 200 HP each turn.) Vampires have a strange, unexplainable weakness to garlic.
~ Immortal Life: (DP = 0; EP = 0; Persistent Effect = The vampire, if inflicted enough damage to die, will instead remain alive with 1 HP, though it is unable to do any abilities and only does 10 DP each attack. This ability can be negated, however, if a wooden stake is driven through the vampire's heart.) Vampires are known to only be killed by a wooden stake.

Demon:
HP: 1100
DP: 100
EP: 100
Abilities:
~ Flames of Hell: (DP = 150; EP = 100) The demon is able to call upon Hell to aid him in his plight for darkness.

Ghoul(2):
HP: 400
DP: 20
EP: 0

[Red Sentinel]

Redsent quickly braces himself, looking around for a stake.


HP: 2995
DP: 0
ECB: 1500
EC: 2270

- Tornado (3700): EC=3000; DP=1000: The Druid conjures a powerful tornado to hit the target.
+140 DP for Amulet of amplification!
+20% DP for Class.

In total: 1348 DP

On the demon.

[Darkness]

The tornado collides with the demon, who braces itself and stands motionless for a few moments as it attempts to stand its ground as the winds whip around it, but as the wind increases in speed and begins to tear him apart, he lets out a guttural yell. A dark light begins within him and consumes him in an unholy fire.

The vampire swoops in, attacking with its claws. The two ghouls raise their iron swords above their head, slashing down.

Vampire:
HP: 800
DP: 50
EP: 500
Abilities:
~ Turning Bite: (DP = 100; EP = 100; Effect = The target is poisoned and loses 10 extra life each turn [multiple bites by the same vampire does not result in extra damage each turn].) The vampire, if given time to bite, can eventually kill and then revive a target as another vampire.
~ Garlic Weakness: (DP = 0; EP = 0; Persistent Effect = When garlic is present, the vampire loses 200 HP each turn.) Vampires have a strange, unexplainable weakness to garlic.
~ Immortal Life: (DP = 0; EP = 0; Persistent Effect = The vampire, if inflicted enough damage to die, will instead remain alive with 1 HP, though it is unable to do any abilities and only does 10 DP each attack. This ability can be negated, however, if a wooden stake is driven through the vampire's heart.) Vampires are known to only be killed by a wooden stake.


Ghoul(2):
HP: 400
DP: 20
EP: 0

[Red Sentinel]

Redsent shrieks in pain.


HP: 2905
DP: 0
ECB: 1500
EC: 2270

Redsent uses Crushing Wave!
- Crushing Wave (2600): EC=1500; DP=600: A wall of water crushes the target.
+140 DP for Amulet of amplification!
+20% DP for Class.

In total: 888 DP


On the Vampire.

[Darkness]

The vampire is blasted backwards with a scream, but gets back up after a moment, limping slightly and looking only barely singed.

The vampire attacks, far more weaker now, as the ghouls attack with their swords!

Vampire:
HP: 1
DP: 10
EP: 0
Abilities:
~ Turning Bite: (DP = 100; EP = 100; Effect = The target is poisoned and loses 10 extra life each turn [multiple bites by the same vampire does not result in extra damage each turn].) The vampire, if given time to bite, can eventually kill and then revive a target as another vampire.
~ Garlic Weakness: (DP = 0; EP = 0; Persistent Effect = When garlic is present, the vampire loses 200 HP each turn.) Vampires have a strange, unexplainable weakness to garlic.
~ Immortal Life: (DP = 0; EP = 0; Persistent Effect = The vampire, if inflicted enough damage to die, will instead remain alive with 1 HP, though it is unable to do any abilities and only does 10 DP each attack. This ability can be negated, however, if a wooden stake is driven through the vampire's heart.) Vampires are known to only be killed by a wooden stake.


Ghoul(2):
HP: 400
DP: 20
EP: 0

[Red Sentinel]

HP: 2855
DP: 0
ECB: 1500
EC: 2270

Redsent uses Crushing Wave !
- Crushing Wave (2600): EC=1500; DP=600: A wall of water crushes the target.
+140 DP for Amulet of amplification!
+20% DP for Class.

In total: 888 DP

On one of the Ghouls.

"Hmm.. Is that all you've got against me, the wrath of nature!?"

[Darkness]

The ghoul raises its wooden shield pitifully, screeching as the fire blast seared through him with an explosion. Wood splinters flew everywhere. One particularly large one flew out, stabbing into your shoulder and embedding itself, dealing 10 damage!

The vampire and the remaining ghoul attack.

Vampire:
HP: 1
DP: 10
EP: 0
Abilities:
~ Turning Bite: (DP = 100; EP = 100; Effect = The target is poisoned and loses 10 extra life each turn [multiple bites by the same vampire does not result in extra damage each turn].) The vampire, if given time to bite, can eventually kill and then revive a target as another vampire.
~ Garlic Weakness: (DP = 0; EP = 0; Persistent Effect = When garlic is present, the vampire loses 200 HP each turn.) Vampires have a strange, unexplainable weakness to garlic.
~ Immortal Life: (DP = 0; EP = 0; Persistent Effect = The vampire, if inflicted enough damage to die, will instead remain alive with 1 HP, though it is unable to do any abilities and only does 10 DP each attack. This ability can be negated, however, if a wooden stake is driven through the vampire's heart.) Vampires are known to only be killed by a wooden stake.


Ghoul:
HP: 400
DP: 20
EP: 0