It was a quiet, dark night. The wind was gently blowing through the outskirts of the village, and Gond was put on guard duty again. He held out his hand to feed a couple of bread crumbs to another passing family of Totem-Guide Hartebeest that must be migrating to the forest, although it was not yet autumn... It seems that instinct fails even the animals sometimes...
As he watched them walk away, Gond looked down to the faded image of a man's outline on the stones. About a month ago, an Ivy Lane Denizen was found extremely injured in the same spot Gond was standing. Mauled from head to toe and covered with deep wounds, the Barrenton Medic did everything he knew to save the young man, but a closer examination of the wounds showed something darker at work... His wounds oozed a black, steaming pus, and the town knew that the mysterious man who recently lodged in the local inn had killed him with dark, forbidden magic...
No name, no relatives, and no conversation.
Gond didn't trust him. The Devoted Druid of the town could feel dark magic surround the man... Everyone was glad to see him leave the day after the death of the Ivy Lane Denizen.
Suddenly, Gond heard loud footsteps of a horse in the distance. He pulled out his sword and prepared to stop anyone who dared to injure yet another citizen of this village. The horse bellowed as a man wearing a blue and black hooded cloak and carrying an onyx staff screeched him to a halt. "Who goes there?!" screamed Gond.
"
Midnight Guard
! Put your sword down, I am not your enemy!"
Gond, taken aback to hear the voice of the mysterious man again, hesitated but then replied, "You are not welcome at this village, now leave!"
The man, pulled his cloak to reveal not a human face, but a skull... "I said put the sword down!"
Gond, terrified beyond understanding, now stood there motionless, like a statue. "What... What ARE you?"
"I am a Nameless, and I work for the Dimir House, a secret society that is responsible for more actions then you are aware of."
"Secret society...?" Gond questioned. "Wait, why are you telling me this?"
"I need your assistance, but we don't have much time."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because the same thing that killed the denizen is coming back... and he's even angrier this time. Where is your
Sigil of the Nayan Gods
?"
Gond fumbled through his coat... Ah! there it is. "Right here," he said as he handed the trinket to the Dimir House Guard.
"This item, though small, possesses great power that only a skilled mage can utili---" The Dimir House Guard suddenly stopped speaking and turned his head slightly away from Gond.
"What is---"
"Shhh!!! ... It's coming," responded the Dimir House Guard bluntly.
"What's coming?" Gond inquired.
After a moment of silence, the Nameless responded, "The
Cinderhaze Wretch
. A terrible creature who can murder any creature with just a thought..."
Gond gulped nervously at the thought of telepathic poison...
"You are the only one who can stop the creature, Gond."
"Me? And how do you know my name?!"
The Dimir House Guard raised his staff, mumbled something under his breath, then said, "Quickly,
Midnight Guard
, grab your sword and hold on to this sigil, for this battle will not be easy... And beware the Brainspoil."
Then the Nameless touched the staff to his forehead, and just like that, he and his horse disappeared.
As Gond grabbed his sword, a noxious black fog escaped the ground and gathered together to form the
Cinderhaze Wretch
the Dimir House Guard had described.
His descriptions had failed miserably to portray the horror of this creature. With black fire burning from the eyes of the levitating elemental, Gond could feel the
Cinderhaze Wretch
attempting to Brainspoil him...
It slowly began to take over his mind... He fell to his knees and dropped his sword...
With all the strength he could muster, Gond looked up into the eyes of the
Cinderhaze Wretch
, raised the
Sigil of the Nayan Gods
as the eyes of the creature followed the movement of his hand, and commanded, "Creature.... DEPART FROM THIS PLACE!!!"
At these words, the
Sigil of the Nayan Gods
shattered into three pieces, but Gond never averted his eyes from the burning black eyes of the
Cinderhaze Wretch
. His body began to gradually raise up into the air, and it began glowing alternating between a deep scarlet, a bright viridian, and a powerful white light...
As Gond rose into the air, the body of the
Cinderhaze Wretch
began to weaken and wither...
With the remaining courage he had, Gond exploded in energy and the
Cinderhaze Wretch
imploded from the sheer
Presence of Gond
...
