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Six foot under ground the black skinned warrioress lay long dead, killed by the infectious magic disease of the death Knight.. Her time on this green world was short but bright. The Dark lord had been repelled in all of his unholy might. They had all accomplished the near impossible task of driving the Darkest of Kings back to his own Demi plane of festering evil and undeath

Charynoble had a history that spanned years beyond her races normal age, for death had yet to both catch her and claim her in the same season, but not for want of trying. She had a gift. A dark malignant gift she cherished more than any ally she had ever known. Her huge thick runeblade. Big enough for a giant but balanced enough for her ample gladitorial skills to handle with a practiced ease.

In her tongues it spelled Ajanke or Devil-sword, the scrolls she found with the blade read "The Jihade-tetken-allaei" or devourer of men. She had memorized it's secrets and destroyed the writings

In the lightless un-holy vaults of the Death Knight she had promised her eternal soul to the influential weapon in exchange for Earthly powers and claim to the lineage of the Nine lives

She remembered a fantastic sized lizard, it had been the first thing she had ever been awed enough to label a dragon. There were broken images but they were like trying to puzzle broken glass back together. She saw the face of a man in a white robe but it meant nothing

It was now 25 days after being placed in the dark cool ground just under the great elm tree at the center of the cemetary a new full-harvest moon now spilled blood red light across the flatlands of this continent fufilling the conditions of the curse of life.

Black tendrils isued from the mouth of the grinning gargoyle. Each penetrated her flesh and pumped it's stored venom into her rotting form. Her body quickly inflated with the healing stolen-life that brought her vitals back to the world of the living. Lastly affected was her mind, waking it with electric shocks forcing her six senses to reel to a rude awakening.

A notch appeared in the blades handle as her eyes flicked open and consciencess came rushing back to her with a slamming force that stole the breath from her pierced lung

At hte same moment above the great 330+ year old elm abve them beagan to wither to waste as it's sustenance was pulled from it by the vampiric forces of the malignant buried duo, nearly killing in entirely.

She immediately tried to roll to a defensive stand. Her arms wouldn't move, her legs also, nothing would do more than flinch. It was as if she was was tightly wrapped from forehead to toe in something clothlike. Her night vision adjusted so she could discern whatever it was that was aginst her flesh and eyes. She realized it was cloth and it had small runes on it. They were death wraps! . She panicked "I'm buried alive!

She began to struggle and strain with all of her incredible strength but the wieght of the earth gripped her too tightly, the air she drew was hot and recycled, and it was quickly losing it's life bringing contents

A low voice slithered to her inner ear. "Good evening my Dear"

"What has happened? Where am I ?"

It laughed lightly, "My dear witch....you are dead"

"You lie! I live!"

"I bring life to you from the souls we have reaved together, it is as I promised to you in the hallows of the Death kings treasury when you first stole me. The pact is now sealed and the contract is in motion"

"Will I remain here and die again" she asked with little hope and more than a hint of rising fear at the prospect of a lifelong damnation of being trapped alive with the demon blade for all eternity.

"No, we have work to do, My work"

"I do as I please monster, I will die a thousand deaths before I serve another ever again"

"For now...when your favors are spent we will talk more of my work young one. When nine is the times you have called me I shall evolve and we shall speak of my terms"

"Shut up! Give me your power now! You promised it then, you are bound to your word devil!"

Without acknowledging the truth of her words it shot her blood full black market vitality and withdrew the intravenous tentacles

"What will you do now my Queen?"

Charynoble had endured much suffering before this. She had done many things that were conisdered wrong by others, but when you grow up in a place of dust and fire where a man kill another for something as simple as thier water you learned to ignore the scruples of society.

No cost was too high to survive or to live on. She was a survivior by all definitions.

"Call your minions Ajanke, give them the power to aid me"

"As you wish my Queen. You understand this will deplete the last of my reserves and if you fall again before we refill them I cannot aid you again in this way"

"I command you, I do not ask for your contemptuous lies"

"Hehehehe, but of course my dark beauty, your will is my dying wish"

Above ground in the cool night breeze the tinkling of chimes melts across the landscape. Leaves fall from the dying tree that marked the passing of eons of life here in this vale.

Within an hours time a new sound joins the erradic percussion of the sprinkling of ceramic against metal created by the powerful netherworld magic that borrowed its source from a place built on undeath and negative energies.

A scrabbling scratching noise issues from the ground. It gains momentum steadly with each cloud that drifts across the moon's face.

One after another seven graves crumble and boil. A rotting hand protrudes from the packed soil and flattens against the flat headstone before pulling itself out into hte night sky. Each grave births a rotting stenching corpse of shambling sightless walking undeath

Charyn doesn't know how but she can feel them. Using her hardened thoughts she calls to them. "Come for me, come for your mother. Help me. Dig my children, unearth your Queen" Her lack of clean air was sending her into a spotted dark trance. She fought the heavy sleeping feeling with every ounce of her resolve trying not to give in to the cave-sickness. Every breath was another admittance of defeat, she needed air badly

Each hole ridden body converges on her loose grave and begins to dig with the inexhaustable strength of the damned. Even as the entrails fall from their rotten cavites they gain ground lifting pound after pound of soil away and disposing of it to the sides

Soon she feels the air permeate the dirt and she lunges for it. This time she rises as the silt pours from her mummified body. Tearing the death shroud open the first clean air hits her nostrils. And it reeks of subservient death

Standing she pulls the mammoth claymore from it's place next to her. "Arise Ajanke, we walk the earth once again"

Looking to each mindless colleage of bone and sinew she climbs from the hole. Looking down onto the pit she turns her attention to a drooling wet clothed zombie and with no remorse pushes the black serrated blade of the ancient sword thru it's chest an dinto it's still shriveled heart. The creatures unlife becomes visible as a wraith like ghost of fleeting supernatural energy. The aparition of a screaming humanoid rises towards the cloud obscured moon but is pulled back into the giggling mouth of the devouring blade before it can escape to limbo

The dark sword bearer swells in health as the stolen life fortifies her constitution.

All seven of the servants fall willingly on her blade before she tosses their husks to the funnel shaped hole in the ground

Grinning to the moon she laughs at her good fortune. Again death couldn't claim the dark runner, not yet

The cariacture of an insane-devils head hissed thin venomous words thru it's twisted eternal smile "We should locate those that were present at the knights attack and take them while the moon is still full. A kill on an equinox has the power of ten normal meals"

"Silence my pet, this is a new land full of things to see"

She focused on the silohuette in the immediate distance. She saw light and smoke in the luminecent moon light

She saw the three erect towers that stood like guardians over the land

Rubbing the blades shaft with a sensual grace she murmurs, "Yes, we'll start there my slave. We must first learn...where the key went"

Looking down at her ravaged clothes she remembers some of her past hardships. The horrors of the plane of mist had been generous and dangerous both. She still had her pouch. "Good" pulling a single black scale from its bottom she entwines her hands together in a pattern of a childs game and moves them before her as she chants a dead language of forgotten peoples

A red mist issues from her pores as the smell of burnt cinnamon permeates the air. The sound of far away drums maks the passing of the magic into her body.

She slowly rubs her hand down the blade causing a large gash to bleed. Within a few seconds it closes and heals. Examing the process with her glowing red eyes she smiles her approval.

Tucking the blade upside down and cradling it like a death-ball she begins to stride thru the wood towards the beacon-like towers, within 10 paces she breaks into a ground consuming run

Her black skin blends her directly into the sunless air. Waist long braids almost completely cover her face, only the tiny pinpoints of light that are her eyes give her position away. Within the woven black rope wide braids th small doll clings. It is a simple voddo stuffed doll of a girl in a small dress. It has stitched crosses for eyes and a ragady ann body made of commoners burlap. It has mop like dark hair and tiny talons that allow its one arms to keep its inescapable grip. There is the clicking of the misc. bone and metal clasps banding her braids also her stone and bone jewlry. She takes a thumb and flicks one special small braided clasp, This one has the distinct likeness of a nafarious demonic face, it glows for a moment and all sound of the amazon goes silent as well as the crickets within ten feet of her.

She runs for hours with out sign of becoming the least bit drained, but her path is erradic and shaped more by the lay of the land then the actual navigation of landmarks. She breathes heavily and her rippling muscles work under her sweat slicked skin.

Barefoot and wearing nothing more than a torn top that barely covers her large breasts and a scrap of a loin cloth she moves again. After covering a few miles in a short time she stops."I'm lost, face it. I had hoped this wood was some sort of huge garden but it seems it doesn't end soon. She couldn't see the towers at the moment. She pinched into the small pouch at her side and withdrew some sort of dead insect. It had a nasty stinger and powerful looking pinchers rolled in its crumpling vlaer wings. "Tembo crap! I need a flyer" Looking to the tall trees she decided she would go look for a different insect and maybe see how much ground she had gained.

Aproaching a tree she moved to sheath her breaching claymore into it's badly beaten wooden scabbard when it spoke to her inner mind "I smell something my queen"

She turned slowly scanning the surrounding foilage. She saw nothing "Where is it?"

"I cannot ever tell that. I deect a presence is near"

She clicked the bead of silence off so she could hear

"I think it must farther than you belie........" The world goes dark

"Ahh, a dark sphere" She cannot see thru it until she concentrates harder with her glowing eyes. The darkness wavers and becomes as if looking thru a light fog. She turns her head to the sky and sees the dark lithe form above her. "Well, there you are"

Arrows spring from the humanoid above her, thinking she couldn't see it's location it floated further out the limb and raises both of it's forearms to her and releases several black darts that speed at her. Two stick harmlessly into her scabbards belt she wore across her chest and another bit her neck. The wound instantly felt hot as the venom infected her body.

More of the stinging bugs bit into her back, another of the thin dark hunters lowered from above

She was getting severly pissed as her body slowed and became heavy as lead and her mind became dulled. "Ambush? Fine. You had your chance"

She takes the blade over her head with both hands and throws it end over end like a warhammer. 1/2 a lifetime in the deadliest gladiator pits known had taught her a few things. The blade spun in slow motion before it caught the man-sized thing square in the chest with enough power to pin it to a trees base where it screamed and flopped. Even in her groggy state she grinned.

The other one jumped 30' thru the moon illuminated air and gently floated again instead of plummeting to the ground. More of the darts shot at her from the bottom of it's multiple head weapon but this time she ducked clear of them

The one impaled against the trees pours a potion of pink liquid in it's mouth and barely gargles it down. The screaming intensifies when it figures out the mortal wounds damage cannot be undone with any form of healing, her wounding blade even bled the life from even the walking dead so she knew that one was doomed to watch his life drain from him.

The trolls scale was working as fuel for her regeneration spell, the small piercing wounds closed around the shaft of the bolt. And she had gained close to her full health during her run. She hoped no-one would find her footprints burned into the defiled living forest floor

She remained in the orb of darkness and reached down and scraped some sand into her palm. She didn't think it could see into the orb

The dark thin form floated to the ground and stood while drawing twin blades from it's scabbards. It dismissed the orb and looked surprised to see her ready. "Looks like some sort of elf" Its mouth sneered into a grimace of displeasure

Charyn finished the short chant thanking the powerful elementals that lorded over her homeland deserts and flung the sand into the face of the short pale elf looking creature

With the permanent sneer of contempt the drow recoiled at ht normal sand only getting some in tis eyes. Squinting he still shoots 4 more of the small forearm mounted crossbow bolts into her legs and torso.

She held up her middle finger in the universal sign of "Go to hell and Rot ya Stupid Bastich" Then the sand ignited llike green flaming oil. She grinned at the scent of smoldering hair and flesh accented with the rising yells of the tiny elf.

In the background the blade kept the thru wound open and fresh until the body had all but ceased to move. She could see the purple faltering image of the humanoids exiting soul begin to drift upwards to the weave, but Ajanke siezed it and drug it into his sucking maw. The whistling of the ethereal consuming wind was common to her as was the spirtits horrified cries as it understood it's new demise. No amount of power could ever bring one back that had perished to the black blades appetite, it was death for the dead.

She wandered to the broken hanging body held up by her 6' blade. She was ignoring the cries of the still living one over there that had its entire head consumed in a halo of green fire. "Serves you right you stupid falker" Of course the odd dark elf would try to extinguish the flames but that never worked. She personally had even buried the green buring sand once but it had continued to burn for hours and still flickered when she dug it up

Five steps from the punctured totem pole of recent elf death as she reached for her blade the brush explodes and a huge hulking creature with fires burning in it's eyes blindsides into her slowed form using a charging shoulder and crushes her against a tree.

She can hear her ribs snap like twigs and feels one poke a new hole in her lung

The half giant pushes off of her for a beter look

Her laugh spurts blood out of her mouth, "That hurt you Son ova Tembo.I just grew that rib back"

She saw what looked like a really short ugly half-giant. But it had metahuman features, not that mattered it was one of thse kill or be killed scenarios. It could look like her best friend she would still revert back to her savage upbrining and defend herself at any cost

The creature reared back and it's shape boiled and shifted. Bone swords pushed out from behind it's knuckles and knees to make twisted chipped weapons. It's muscle tripled in size and horns grew from it's head. The fangs in its mouth rose out into sharp kill teeth.

All of a sudden she felt like running again "Aw shite, that's bad, some kinda possession" She needed her sword

The elf with the burning head and chest screamed in a shrieking miserable tone as it ran off into the night.

Charynoble felt like crap, these arrows were posioned. "Hmm" She pulled the ones sticking from her belt and flicked it into the arm of the giant. It ignored the prick and moved at her with a much slower pace than it once afforded.

It punched in the center of the chest with enough force to launch her 6' thru the air. It now stood betwen her and her blade and she didn't know you could dislocate your sternum. Air was coming in flahes of white hot pain

Concentrating the gladiator went into a smooth mental trance that allowed her to achieve a calm state of decision. Focusing her thought her mind shaped the reality around her and made it answer to her subtle comands. Using what had always been there she forms the fruits of her gift

Again the armored biped charged hitting her in the thigh this time. Again the power was tremendous as the sweeping blow carried her off of her feet and tossed her 10' away to land her on her back invariably crushing some of her thick vertabrae.

Wiping the blood from her crimson stained mouth she pushed her way up taunted it trying to get it to rush again, "Your some kind of lower demon aren't you, Have to consume a few mortal souls befor you can rise in power? And this poor sap is your free ride isn't he? I know your type"

The alien insect like eyes set in it's forehead narrow at her words and it's mouth belches fire as it speaks from within "You will die witch. We are more than a few simple leeches that float in the void, we are legion"

Another powerful blow flys at the black skinned woman. She doesn't flinch or attempt to side step it. Bone spikes crash into her head............ and stop cold............. stolen of all momentum.

She answers by pulling the two blades from her opponents holsters and flipping them about as if she was born with one in each hand.

She again calls her mental power to manipulate the bands of time and space about her location as she circles trying to lead it from her blade. "Best you can do low-brow?"

This time the possesed beast roars and bears down on her with a double fisted piledriver intended to shatter her skull into fragments. Charyn was a seasoned fighter and easily countered the form. With one flat palm she stops the blow that could crush a suit of armor. "I win my pet", she chidded.

A second attack in the form of a crushing left hook caught her unawares sending her jaw into a bent angle that snaps her head backwards leading the way back into the bushes. Thorns tear her skin like angry cats and the blades fall from her surprised hands. The swelling pain in her jaw is excrutiating,

Rubbing her jawline she thought "Shattered! Apparently the limb slowing posion has wore off of it. I wish it leave my system soon" the growing feeling of her healing spell washed away "Shite"

It was coming for her. She rolled to her feet and ran wide, it was fast. She leaped to her blade. The demon caught herby the throat from midair, her fingers were inches from her weapons familar handle.

The horned killer shot another bone splintering shot into her torso like a punching bag.

Her ability was borne, meaning she didn't ever have to study for it, it was a gift like being good at an instrument, or a trick as othres of accomplished power called it. Her trick could soak up kinetic enrgy every few minute or so. This beast was striking her too fast know and her defense mechanisim wasn't enough. The stored power she kept in a pocket in her mind like a battery of volitile explosives was unsafe and had to be dischargred or it ran the risk of blowing her head from her shoulders. Which would be bad if she didn't have Ajanke in hand

The world was taking a spin as her trachea was crushed, fortunately she also feels the power of the dehibilitating brew from the arrow-darts leave her system. She slipped into a mindset of a cornered animal. All of her deadly experience drifts to the surface of her thoughts. Her enemy was strong. "Almost as strong as me" reaching into her depthless reserves she snarls in defiance.

Her man sized hand reaches out and grips the beast by its own tendon corded throat. Teh muscles she possess rival any man and she had laid waste to entire stables of fighters before she had escaped with her new knowlede. She used her strength as a life line. With her other arm she sends an elbow into its face shattering some teeth. Her first hand finds the slim pipe in its neck and she begins to twist with enough strength to rival an athasian half giant.

It holds her dangling in the air. She can see her blade a few feet away held in place by the meat sheath of dead elfer.

Both turn deeper hues and begin to droo from lack of airl. The demon metahuman holds its grip and slams her again again with its free bone shredding fist. Thankfully her power soaks the blows energies away into the festering pocket of stored power.

Staring thru the braids her red glowing eyes look directly into the flaming void of its eye orbs. The clicking set of glowing purple eyes set in its forehead are what she watches for a reaction when she swings her elbow into its ribs with an attack designed to destroy armor

They stood there for what seems an eternity exchanging choke holds that could wrench trees in half and beat each other in some sort of contest of wills. . She could barely maintain her focus on her power, twice it almost slipped from her but she held it. The mutant warrior might have her beat in overall size but her endurance was as tough as a giant brewmaster

The hulk sets her to the ground and crashes into her again with the massive bone fist just to have the power drained away

Bright silver spots begin to blink in front of her eyes. "pretty" and reality began to fade to black. She squeezed one last time out of reflex

The beast can't take any more as it begins to fall to its knees also and finally tosses her to the side so it can gain its equilibrium

Reeling they both gasp for air stumbling apart.

Uprooting a tree it bellows, "YOUR DEAD WITCH! ARRRRRRRRRRRRR" it begins to run at her with the enraged anger of a raging bull, she can actually feel the ground shake as it runs at her holding the tree back like a mammoth club

Sidestepping still holding her throat she bumps into the corpse against the tree.

She turned to see it jump into the air high enough to clear her 6" heighth as it came down with its full weigth behind the rock studded tree base

The blow swings down with a forward arc having enuogh momentum to slay an elephant and lands on top of the dark womans head where it instantly stops dead in its tracks stolen of all its killing potential

Charynoble grinned as she grabbed Ajanke's handle. With her back to the attaker she jumps straight into the air and spins in a 360 degree circle. She gives the blow all of her collected pain and directs all of it into the mighty blow

She lands facing where she started. Having expended almost everything she had she hoped it was enough as she fell to one knee exhausted

She feels cold satisfaction from behind her as she hears the ten foot thick tree begin to creak and then finally fall in a splintering din of violent breaking sounds

Glancing around with no more form then the sword holding her up she turns to see the demon man still standing there.

The tree behind it has falen to the ground and dust settles around it.

The metahuman takes one step towards her and raise sits hands. but it's head jiggles slightly and the eyes don't move right as they stare on blankly.

the gargoyle in her blade begins to cackle audibly.

The head on the body teeters and rolls off to hit the ground with a sound like a melon. Flaming blood gouts up out of the necks stumped wound erupting into a geyser of firey gore

From the falling body a massive smooth twin horned demon ghost begins to writhe to the moon but the wincing sound of Ajanke's inhalation begins. The clwing demon soul almost breaks free of the ectoplsmic trap but cannot resist its ability and is pulled iin while sreaming curses the entire way

The long tongue of the relief in the blades hilt licks it's smiling mouth "Ahh the pleasures of the full moon. They have much energy my queen. They taste foul even for devils. Odd......"

She falls to a sitting position and puts her head against her knees and slows her breathing thanking her black allies for thier wisdom

Sitting her limbs still shake. loosely gripping the living blade she asks it. "What are those?"

"I believe they are known as Drow my dark Queen. "

"I meant the devil"

"I couldn't tell. It didn't tase like Battezu ot Tannari. It was very unusual. It was strong, not unlike a elemental. Something was pulling it and giving it energy. It must have been in the Abyss or pandemonium for I couldn't see it"

I'm having a discussion on the finer points of soul energy ratings based on taste....with a sword. I must be mad

"Do you like the power I give?" A mild electric shock ran thru her skin causing it to rise into hundreds of pleasureable goosebumps

Exhaling slightly aroused "Yes" She ran a finger over the back of the blade, "You shouldn't hold back your power from me. I want you to make me feel good all the time"

"Not yet. I am not powerful enough yet for that. In due time my darling, in due time'

Her throat hurt badly and she had none of the precious scales left in her bag of tricks. She was totally out of componets except for a few low level attacks.

Somewhere she had lost almost everything she had accumalated.

Her beautiful varda and team of her custom made insects. 40' centepeds with high enough intelligce to play chess and hold a conversation wheren't found just anywhere.

She would miss her concubines the most, all four of them. They adored her as thier queen and they were her slaves of lust. That would have to be remedied

She scanned the area. No sighn of Vlad or Toka, She doubted her pet vampires survived the ordeal. last she had seen of her two pretties they were smoking fetal balls of screaming fear

Images came back to her. The knight, a white mage, dying people, fire, a dragon...

Where in the Hell was she?

The landscape was pleasant enough but she was freezing in the cool night air. She was getting used to the fragrant scents and the constant noise of the trees

Sheathing the huge blade onto her back she walked to the corpses. An exploration of their gear yielded little. The big one had misc weapons. She culd use just about anything but she only took some small odd star shaped obejects to keep out. She smelled at some vials but only poured them onto the ground deciding they were more than likely posion. A few odd coins she took and she snapped its stone amulet in half out of habit. Everything had a primal tribal look. "Just like back home" Rougly she took its pack off-dumped it- sifted for what she wanted- and moved on

The dark one had more coins and decorative metal weapons which she put in the deep pack. This one also had water, good. Lifting the skin to her mouth she did her best to drain it dry.

Some black tar filled vials undoubtetly held some of the venom they used. to tip these small cross bow bolts apprently.

Reassembling their goods in her own fashion she then stands broad footed before them. With a small chant she has performed literally hudreds of times since her induction to the forbidden arts. She pinches the bone component she has just removed from the dead ambushers and she mumbles the promises to the overlords. The green fire erupts from her fingers in a lazy arcing air writing. Her feet smoke hte sod under them and a ring of ash forms from around her person. The sound of vodoo drums beat in the distance. Her small creepy X-eyed doll clambers its little girl body thru her braids to see what is happening

Both of the bodies rise with slow drunken movements. "Now.... you two sought to serve me death in life.... now you shall serve me in death. You, headless one, put on that very heavy and uncomfortable pack. You, hole chest, follow us"

Sneering in a vengful fashion she commands the odd trio thru the dark wood.

Several hours later they manage to find a road. After some guesswork and 50/50 luck they all move towards town. As they begin to see the small lights in the distance Charynoble takes the full pack and commands them up the thickest tree she could find within a 90' radius.

She had crossed a bridge awhile back so when she came to the river again she knew she had become twisted around for the umpteenth time this eveing. The sun now stood tall in the sky as it warmed her black skin.

She still hid somewhat from what had looked like a group of colorful same armored men with a lot of steel hanging from them. She had assumed them to be Templars of the local King. They had clanked into view and she had fled them in the dawn-light colored wood. They gave no chase which was good because the beasts they rode looked ferocious with their snorting agression and massive chests. Charyn was quite sure the rolling eyes of the mounts had seen her and the lead had stomped as if it wanted to mash her scent outright. She was not afraid to fight but 8 mounted cavalry seemed a fruitless endeavor based on her current condition. Hells she had fallen asleep twice and she wasn't but half healed at best.

Now she was searching from a tall oak when she saw fire in the distance and what looked like a familiar sore that broke a hole in the foilage

"The Key? Was it still there?'

She would find out. Lowering herself gracefully on an ebony silken line from her palms psuedo-spinneret. Feet first she settled to the moist smelling forest floor. She still hadn't become accustomed to the odd wood smells.

Seconds later she was sprinting full bore up a new well-trodden path in the (she hoped) direction of the Ruins and the key of ages

Charynoble can be found at the Ruins thread "Offering of Malice"

Passing the injured old wood mother Charyn sped up the trail. her bare feet smacked the hard packed trail.

She wasn't the fastest runner ever born but after several days f no sustenacne and constant non-stop running she would barely tire. Exhaustion would take weeks at this pace. Considering her reckless path she thought she might need it.

The trail opened up into a shattered clearing. The sight of it sent illusionary pain through her body as the memories slammed into her present thoughts. The dark knight had been ruthless and even though he had power beyond measure he had been driven back to his own night realm by the powerful towns ppl. At least for the moment anyway. She hadn't forgotten the slight form of hte forest dancer who could summon the searing golden light that had melted the very iron from hte Dread Lords body.

The fell trees that littered ground spoke volumes to her. Pulling on her memory she moved to the place where the helm with the promised key had been.

Witch made sense because she had gripped it before she had sought to flee the odd creatures that roamed here.

A massive draconic monster larger than any fire monitor she had ever beheld had spoke to her, and she had fled. Surely it had come for the key to the lower wards. Could it understand what the key may unlock? Mayhaps, but even she had no real concept of what lay beneath the hardened granite protecting the ruins many ancient secrets.

She continued her search. The ball of bones that used to be a toewring skeletal siege engine of soul l devouring destruction rolled back and forht still flicking looks of pain from behind its suffering helm. "You and I aren't finished maggot. Not by a long shot. You just lay there and be good until Auntie Charynoble can find the time for you, you great sack of pus"

Bodies lay broken like limbs after the twister had passed. Items were strewn to the winds

"No Key. This bodes ill"

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