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Post by Raven Von Winter on Dec 15, 2006 15:55:29 GMT -5
Civilization had long since left this once grand and prosperous city, but traces of life can still be seen. Thought to be deserted, the city does contain many creatures of all sorts. Mainly rouge vampires, descendent's of those from thousands of years ago, when the vampires ruled. Humans could also be found, along with the occasional demon.
In the center was a large castle, and at the top of the tallest tower, an orb, which cast eternal night over the city. The castle itself was dark, made of a black stone material. Not inviting in the least. Farther out, there were small dwellings where the night creatures made their homes. Many things were in ruins. The castle was slowly crumbling, but still stood strong. A more recent iron fence was constructed around the large cities perimeter. Mostly deserted, but the city was not past the point of no return...yet.
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Post by Raven Von Winter on Dec 15, 2006 17:28:06 GMT -5
*She rode long and hard, across plains, through cities, across the Great Sea, and around the Black Mountains where she finally ended up in Babylon. The city on the sea. She arrived at daylight, but the city was shrouded in darkness. There was cloud cover overhead, and what looked like the moon, which she would come to find out later that it was the orb. She could feel Khartal beneath her getting excited about going to the dark city, and she let her run. Upon entering the city, darkness enveloped them, and she felt a surge of power. Khartal ran and didnt stop until she reached the steps to the castle.*
*Raven dismounted, and looked up at the castle. It was nothing as it was when she once ruled. In fact, it wasnt even the same castle. It seems as if the vampires destroyed the old one to make one of more "evil" proportions. It had that evil aura to it, and she loved it! *
*With a jolt, she sensed every living creature within the city. She fell to her knees and grabbed her head. So...many.... Not what she was expecting at all. It held good aspects, and bad, good because if they cooperated, she could amass an army with ease. Bad, because if they didnt, she was in for a rough ride. Vampires, and humans swam through her mind and she tried to place them, then another floated to the top, neither vampire nor human. Demon! Her eyes glowed and her head snapped up. One demon, there was one demon in this land. Raphael needed to get here soon, otherwise he might miss her. She'd wait a while for him, then she would hunt her demon down.*
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Post by Uriel Bernardo on Dec 15, 2006 22:17:06 GMT -5
*The newcomer to Babylon succumb to some pain and fell to her knee’s. The shadow that had stalked her since she’d entered the long forgotten city watched with interest. She was a vampire, obviously, simply due to the aura that surrounded her, but what her profession was, was still undecipherable. The shadow, moving like a ripple in the water, inched closer to the visitor making not a sound. Edata's life had revolved around being invisible to the ears and eyes, and thus she excelled at it. She stood behind two pieces of stone, near the entrance to the castle, watching with one red orb studying every movement of the newcomer with interest and wonder.
Suddenly the vampire’s head shot up, a look of hatred burning within her eyes, which had almost instantly changed from a black, possibly darker than night, to a searing red. What could have possibly caused such a change in her disposition? Having studied her body language long enough, Edata decided that confrontation might reveal more about this individual. Though she felt confident she could take the stranger, simply because she was familiar with the terrain and area, there was something else coming from this newcomer… sorrow? Though she looked youthful, her aura also gave away that her looks were deceiving, and she was indeed an older vampire than most. Maybe subtlety would be best…*
[Blue]“What brings a stranger to the forgotten city?”[/Blue]
*Edata had stood before speaking and watched as the vampires head turned towards her. Apparently her voice hadn’t surprised the visitor, or she hid her shock amazingly well. She stood behind one of the rocks still, hiding her whip from this newcomers sight. Her arms were crossed at chest level in front of her, and her gray hair hung carelessly over one eye. She wore tight leather, with some form of see-through fabric covering what the leather did not. Her expression was neutral, revealing she either didn’t care much about the visitor’s presence or she was good a putting up a front.*
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Post by Raven Von Winter on Dec 16, 2006 12:41:10 GMT -5
*A fire burned in her eyes, one of complete and utter hatred. There was demon near, and she would hunt it down. At the first sound of the strange voice, her sword was in one hand, and dagger in the other. She was equally good with each hand due to years of practice. Her vision sharpened, and her fangs elongated. She was ready for a hunt, and the evil grin on her face showed it.*
"Fool! I am Deianeira and I have come to retake my city!"
*As soon as the creature stepped from the shadows, it was obvious that it wasnt a demon, but she didnt let her guard drop. There were still rouge vampires who killed anything that stepped foot in their territory. With a vampire standing in front of her, she figured she could start here with her recuriting. She knew it would take some convincing, but this was her city. It hadn't had a rightful owner since Alexander died. She would stick to her plan of uniting Babylon under a single rule, and wouldnt let anything stand in her way.*
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Post by Uriel Bernardo on Dec 16, 2006 13:32:16 GMT -5
*Edata listened to the vampire, who called herself Deianeira, speak with such a sense of superiority in her voice that it made the assassin frown. Her city? That comment alone made the frown instantly turn into a smirk, before going back to it’s normal neutral expression. The forgotten city hadn’t been ‘owned’ by anyone for centuries, even she knew that. The vampire had a feel of old about her, but how old could she possibly be? Stepping out from behind her stone, Edata’s whip became visible to Deianeira for the first time. Though the weapon was held naturally, no signs of aggression, it would be a deadly error to underestimate this assassin. Edata walk to the front of the two stones, and leaned back against them. She crossed her right leg over her left and carried the same expression as before, brushing the strands of hair that had fallen into her face back to their proper place.*
[Blue]“Fool? I believe the fool is you… m’lady… The forgotten city hasn’t had an owner for centuries. You think you can simply lay claim to it?”[/Blue]
*Her voice was skeptical, and mocking, but her expression revealed she was entirely serious about her statement. Who was Deianeira to say she owned the city?*
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Post by Raven Von Winter on Dec 16, 2006 13:55:41 GMT -5
*This new vampire had not heard of her, there must have been legends of her! Her husband was known throughout the land! It was possible that when the vampires destroyed the castle to build one of their own, all living memory of her human life was erased..but she doubted it. This vampire smelled new, not even 50 years old yet. If this were so, then that would be why she didnt recognize her name. She was married to the greatest conqueror of all time, and he was a concrete part of history. If anything, she would recognize him.*
"I was born in 2334 BIS, here in Ancient Babylon, to a well to do family; my father held the title of Lord. In 2318 BIS, Alexander the Great took me as his wife, and together we ruled over Babylon as King and Queen. At his death in 2309 BIS, vampires of this city turned me into one of them. The goal of my immortal life is to hunt down every demon that ever lived to make sure that the line that murdered my husband is extinct."
*She paused and flashed an image into the mind of the vampire. It was of her and Alexander sitting on the royal throne. They wore white clothing adorned in gold and crowns sat upon their heads.*
"I have returned after 2000 years to reunite this city, and restore it to its former glory."
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Post by Uriel Bernardo on Dec 17, 2006 11:21:22 GMT -5
*Edata listened to Deianeira speak about her past with, what most would call, bored interest. She had been visiting the forgotten city on a mission from her master, which she had finished slightly early, and now needed to fill the rest of her time before she was to depart. As the voice of Deianeira continued to echo, Edata slowly started to zone out of the present and start remembering her mission…
Her target had put up quite a fight, but in the end, she’d been victorious, which was to be expected. She was, after all, a member of the elite Shadow Generals and not just everyone is appointed a spot. Her ‘target’ was just one example of an individual who’d tried to join the elite group, but was turned down, so in turn decided he try and seek revenge for his hurt ego. Needless to say, without his fingers and toes, he probably won’t be accomplishing much nowadays.
A grin surfaced on Edata’s face as she revisited the torture of her ‘target’, but she quickly was thrust back into the present when she heard this ancient vampire mention her hatred for demons. Well, that would bode interesting in just a few moments, since her time had come. When Deianeira finally finished talking, Edata nodded in understanding. While she hadn’t been paying complete attention, she’d heard all she needed to know. She’d heard many stories about Alexander the Great, and his wife, but had never known his wife’s name. If anyone was to reunite this seemingly hopeless city, it would be her.*
[Blue]“Well, m’lady, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, but allow me to make one thing clear about demons…”[/Blue]
*As Edata finished speaking she slowly began approaching Deianeira. Though the pace was slowly and unthreatening, her expression still remained guarded and unreadable. As she neared Deianeira, a strange black void began amassing at the feet of the soon to be vampire queen. Edata stopped right at the edge, and briefly smiled to her audience.*
[Blue]“There is one demon you shall never slay, because I’d have your head before you got the chance.”[/Blue]
*And with that said, Edata stepped on to the black void just above the ground and, like nothing was there, fell straight into it. Moments later, the small void that had formed only seconds before, shrunk into nothingness, leaving Deianeira to place the pieces together of what had just occurred.*
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Post by Raven Von Winter on Dec 17, 2006 13:04:02 GMT -5
*Raven first glanced down at the blackness at her feet, and then at the approaching vampire. She didnt look as if she wanted a fight, but Raven never let her guard down. The vampire then wished her well, and threatened to have her head if she tried to execute a particular demon. With those words, she vanished into the void. The last thing she heard was Ravens loud laughter.*
*She would have her head before she had the chance to slay this particular demon. Hah! This vampire was not even 50 years old yet. She was no match for Ravens strength and wisdom. Now she wanted to see who this Edata's demon was and hunt him down. Not only did she like the killing, she got pleasure out of the hunt. Though that would have to wait; she had a city to unite. First she needed to see what she was dealing with.*
*Raven stood on the steps to the large dark castle and smiled. It would be perfect, just needed some small renovations. She turned around and could faintly sense Raphael. He was on his way, and it wouldnt be long before he arrived.*
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Post by Raphael Augustus on Dec 17, 2006 20:08:33 GMT -5
Raphael was in fact, already there, he had a strange smile on his face. His eyes would have jarred even the most proud of warriors, as he watched Edata vanish into nothingness. Well, into the black hole. The vampire tapped his chin and his gray eyes laughed in quiet inspiration. He then caught the eyes of Raven Von Winter, though he knew she couldn't see him.
Again his cloak wrapped around his form, the only thing she would see was a building corner, nothing more. Raphael himself was leaning against the corner, his arms crossed over his chest. His two weapons sat one on top of the other, much like the samurai in the eastern regions of the earth. His smile was his normal, insane, looking smile, and yet he waited for Raven to look away, which she did so slowly. As though she knew he was that way, though as to far or close, Raphael was unsure.
Removing the hood from his cloak, he laughed slightly. Not waiting for Raven to turn her head, he spoke. "Edata, eh? One of the freaks from Azia I believe," He smiled as he knew her hair would be flowing behind her head as she whipped around. His body was now fully visable. "So, m'lady Von Winter. What is it you wish to find in this relic of a city?"
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Post by Raven Von Winter on Dec 17, 2006 20:50:20 GMT -5
*Raven prepared herself for anything and everything in this dark city. The creatures here didnt stand a chance against her, but she still didnt want to be caught off guard. She turned her gaze away from the city and glanced out over the empty fields past the city gates, waiting for Raphael to arrive. Her hands tightened on her weapons as she heard his voice. When she turned around he was leaning up against the building she was looking at just moments before. She didnt like the fact that he was able to sneak up on her.*
"I thought I told you never to do that again!"
*Her voice didn't show anger, yet held a bit of playfullness. She sheathed her sword, but kept her dagger out. Before he could realize what happened, she was in front of him with her dagger at his throat, grinning.*
"Next time I'll break the skin and drink."
*She let her fangs show, winked, then stepped away from him, sheathing the dagger. She put a great deal of trust into the fact that he wouldnt do anything, and would recognize that she was toying with him. Now was time to answer his question. What did she wish to find? She knew there were many other creatures here, and she wanted them to join her in her quest to reunite the city. It would take work, but with Raphaels help, she could do it. She turned to face him as she spoke.*
"First of all, we need to survey the land, see what we're dealing with. I know there are other vampires and humans here...and a demon... I want to gain their trust, together we can restore the city."
*She looked away from Raphael lost in thought. They needed a way to gain that trust, and the only good thing she could think of for getting that trust right away was bribery.*
"Gold, we need to search the castle for gold and jewels."
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Post by Cyrax on Dec 18, 2006 12:08:04 GMT -5
Cyrax laughed, while Raphael laughed, while Raven laughed and soon there were two Vampires and a Demon present in a most bizarre twist of fate. The reason for Edata's presence in the ancient city was not known to the dark magician, but it was felt shortly after her arrival. Did Damian have an interest in the powerful seductress, Von Winter? If so, than Cyrax wanted to know why.
Revenge was always on his mind, the thoughts of defeat by his former pupil drove him insane. If he could not slay Damian than he would be annoyed for all eternity and that, well, that would take away from his fun!
The Demon was standing upon an old building, hidden by a shadow spell, and finally decided to show himself. As the spell faded his silohuette could be seen against the moon and no doubt both Vampires would feel the seething evil now present.
A most hideous laugh, one to which Cyrax was famous for, echoed throughout the empty streets of Babylon. There was nothing he liked more than making a big entrance, so it was necessary for the classic evil laugh most likely followed by blackened demonic wings rising from his back.
As if on cue, two black wings unfold and Cyrax descends to the street level; a fair distance from the female. Raven was of great interest to the evil magician and far more powerful than most had given her credit. Far older than even Cyrax himself, the Vampire no doubt had an important part to play in the future.
"Ah.....Raphael"
The two wings began to retract as Cyrax called out to the famed Vampire. He found Raphael quite humorous and thought him insane also, kind of like the Demon himself!
"It has been a long time, since the Dark Gate i believe" he said, raising his head finally to reveal two glowing eyes.
If Raven thought her own eyes were playing tricks, she would soon realize that indeed Cyrax's face was a blackened void of nothingness!
The evil being turned his attention back to the woman, looking her over as if a prized possession before moving forward slowly. He glanced over to Raphael again, wanting to keep an eye on him, and although he had a bit of respect for the creature, still the thought of pieces for the next experiment ran rampant in his mind!
"Hmmm" he thought, tapping his non-existent chin with a decrepit old finger.
After fighting the urge to kill, Cyrax stopped yards from Raven and spoke.
"It is an honor."
He bowed slightly and then introduced himself as Cyrax of Kyrtos. A simple old Demon who now delved into ancient history books for knowledge as opposed to leading armies against the Land. Over the last 20 years, after the fall of Stratus, he was in the foothills of Hero Mountain gaining mass quantities of information; some of which was on Raven Von Winter.
"I am here on behalf of my master who wishes for an audience."
It was unknown whether Raven was familiar with the stories of Cyrax, but he was hoping she was not. However, there was no doubt that Raphael would be cursing him after he left; whispering dark nothings into her ear and halting the inevitable meeting between Cyrax and Raven.
If Raphael talked negatively about the Demon race, as it seemed the female disliked them ferociously, he would be a hypocrit! Surely Raphael could not forget his curious thirst that day, biting and drinking from the demonic king. The blood of a Demon ran through his body!
Cyrax could aid Raven in attaining certain powers, powers lost to her over the ages. However, it was up to her if she would or could handle it.
"Tisk tisk" he said as blackened particles dissipate after exiting his face.
"Alexander weeps in death, i assure you, for your beauty is unmatched in all the world!"
After staring at her for a few more minutes, in a most uncomfortable situation for Raven probably, he disappeared slowly, back into an invisibility spell. He called out to her once more before departing.
"If you accept, go to the village in the foothills of Hero Mountain!"
A gust of wind blew through the city as Cyrax disappeared, the creature departing back into the shadows to report to his master.
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Post by Raphael Augustus on Dec 18, 2006 13:14:18 GMT -5
Slightly chuckled under his breath, he saw the demon desended from the sky, his own perfect hearing had picked up on the beating wings, so he was little surprised when it landed. It made a few comments, ones about the Dark Gate, and such. But mainly it was curious about Raven, which Raphael cared little about.
""Either Cryax, one of the hacks from Stratus' army. I believe Damian and Smite utterly humilated him, in his own realm as well, if the information was correct." He said with a wink, a nod and a whisper in the ear. Once the demon spoke a few more words of nonsence, it vanished, much like Raphael could do, though the demon's was through magic, while Raphael's was through items. He shrugged his shoulders up, then back down.
He could remember, long ago, when he fought against the demons. Not to save the world, like the other fools out there, but to test his own strength, to improve upon it. The demons had a tendency to have large powerful, two times the size of the Alliance, and they could always call up new troops. But in the end, the demon's own infighting destroyed them, which Raphael expected to happen. Powerful entities could never get along with each other.
But now Raphael pushed those thoughts out of his mind and focused on the trouble before him. "So you think we can only get people to ally with us out of greed? No, we need to keep the money for ourselves so we can build an army, we need to get the fiends of the streets to ally with us by either threatening, or showing them that they are in danger. Hmm... maybe we should pay a visit to the demon first, yes?"
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Post by Raven Von Winter on Dec 18, 2006 15:15:51 GMT -5
*Raven too could hear the rustling of wings as the creature dropped out of the sky, but her attention was on Raphael at the moment. It wasnt until he spoke that Raven fully noticed him for what he was. Her eyes blazed red once again, and the fire in her body ached to be set free. She glared at the demon in front of her, so full of hate. A feeling of uneasiness washed over her as the faceless being seemed to study her. His attention went from Raphael back to her. As he moved closer, he introduced himself as Cryax. Raven wanted to kill this demon, and the fire surrounding her clenched fists proved it. He bowed, and put up a gentlemanly show, but she saw right through it. All demons were the same, a vial, discusting race, and completely soulless. Raven would not stop untill every last one was obliterated, and she would start with this one.*
*As Raven prepared to attack, the demon spoke of her beloved, and for an instant, all hatered drained from her body in memory of him. When she snapped back to life, the demon was gone, but his voice was not. He mentioned something about if she accepted, go to hero mountain. Her rage flared to life again, but this time, fire traveled from her feet, up her body and off the top of her head, finishing in a puff of smoke. The fire didn't stay, it was just one small eruption. She hadn't lost her temper like this in a very long time. She also hadnt been taunted about her dead Alexander in a long time either.*
*Once the demon was gone, she heard Raphael talking about him, but she wasnt really paying any attention to him. Her thoughts were still on the Cyrax creature, and his empty face, staring at her. Why? What did the demons want with her? Surely it wasn't to kill her, otherwise they would have tried to already. Maybe it was to persuade her to not kill them anymore, because she was a threat to their kind. Whatever the reason, she needed to know, and the only way to find out was to go to the foothills of Hero Mountain. So when Raphael told her they should visit the demon first, she looked at him, eyes still burning and nodded.*
"Lets go."
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Post by Raphael Augustus on Dec 18, 2006 15:28:08 GMT -5
Raphael nodded his head, and pointed towards the center of the city. Rising out of the ground was a crude looking keep, rising high into the air. Towards the top of the keep rested a hand, and in the this hand rested a orb, a orb that was of great power, but of little use. The orb was almost blinding to look at with the naked eye, much like when one stared at the sun for to long of a time. However, the orb did something unique. It prevented the sun from shining through, it formed a cloud over head, all the time, always present.
Raphael had thought to take the orb to Asyut on numerious occasions, but had decided against it in the end. He also knew what rested deep below the keep. A demon on par with Damian and Cryax, one who claimed linage from Zjevha himself, though Raphael highly doubted this. But still, one where it would be wise not to underestimate him. Raphael put on a gentle smile, and started to walk. The ground to the keep would be rutted and filled with rubble. And with the sky looking like an endless night, it was amazing how anyone would could walk about. But then again, vampires were nocturnal.
"So, m'lady Von Winter. Tell me about your past, for it interests me greatly. Tell me about the reason you hate demons so very much. And then tell me why the two most powerful are so curious about you. It could not just be knowledge." He said with a smirk. He himself was unsure of Damian's and Cryax's own interest in this woman, or her interest in Raphael. Noah, it was all to amusing.
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Post by Alexandros on Dec 18, 2006 15:41:21 GMT -5
(Bah, cruddy...long, yes, but cruddy.) Alexander shivered from the sudden chill than ran up his spine. It wasn’t the kind of chill caused by the cold, but rather by fear. Why Alexander was fearful of a mere location was beyond his comprehension, after all, it was the grave of a Alexander, not him. Still, being in the resting place, the fallen city of Babylon, of another Alexander made him unnerved, fearful, even. Still, it wasn’t the kind of fear that caused one’s flight or fight response to kick in, nor the fear that causes one’s feet to become glued to the spot, but rather like a hand crawling over ones spine…an ice cold hand that can feel, to most, like death. Alexander shrugged off the petty, unneeded, and very much unwanted thoughts as he pressed forward from the walls of the city, into the city itself. At the heart was a palace, more of a castle than anything else, and Alexander knew his goal was there. Whatever that goal may be, Alexander didn’t know. Fate had led him here, now it was his turn to get involved, and bend that fate, whatever it may be, to his liking. Pulling the cloak around his shoulders, closer to his body to keep warm in this bleak, nearly ice cold, region, Alexander continued to press through dark streets and darker alley ways. At first glance, many would mistake Alexander for human, but that would pass on the second glance. A tail, thick and very much ‘fluffy’ billowed behind him, and the top of his head, which had a cloak raised over his head to cover the majority of his facial appearance, had two triangular ears protruding from it. Needless to say he wasn’t human, humanoid if anything would be the better classification. Still, the long snout – a muzzle in truth, would point in another manner, making him very much inhuman, but still human enough to be classed as a humanoid. Still, being classed as such was little more than an insult to Alexander who held himself as a fox first and foremost, and a humanoid after. From the darkness around the near middle-aged fox peered eyes; hungry eyes that longed for something, and Alexander doubted it was a leader. He had the sense that those in the shadows were Vampires, who would want little more than a free meal, when life here must had made such an easy thing to gain, such as food, far more difficult. Nevertheless, Alexander ignored them, his paw a flickering blue of magic, to keep any would be attackers at bay. When none came, and Alexander turned the corner to face the castle like palace, he got a shock and slid back into the shadows, pressing his form against a wall while peering around the corner. Luckily, the wind was working in his favor, so these two, vampires, wouldn’t notice him. They were…different than the rest, and Alexander felt as though he knew one of the two, a flicker of a memory on the edge of his mind that he couldn’t recall. But the voice was oddly haunting, stronger than the memory. Something one doesn’t forget, no matter how hard they try. And with that, more than anything else, the name came to Alexander. Raphael Augustus. The Vampire he had fought alongside twenty years ago. Had Alexander not known what he was, he would had been shocked at the lack of changes in his appearance but fate had a different plan for the undead, leaving them unchanged over years, centuries, and even eons. Alexander, sadly, wasn’t so lucky and his fur was tinged with grey-ish silver as he aged. A flick of his tail, and a breath of air to calm himself, and Alexander pulled the cloak closer still, not wanting who he was to get out quite yet… yet. He was dead to the world, a name in the wind and little more, and for the moment he wanted it to be such. The less news of him reached Alexandria, the better. Content that he’d be unknown and had yet to be seen, Alexander turned the corner, approaching the figures, glancing between the two before answering a question not quite aimed at him. “Greed, though, can be a powerful ally. The hearts of many can be bought…the will, though…their will can never be. Beware how you use greed, if you plan to do so, and be even more careful if you wish to threaten the people. Threatening the wrong people, after all, can lead to ones downfall.” Alexander had yet to lower the cloak, but even so, he knew the two before him would be able to figure out what he was, just, perhaps, not who.
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