Farael the Fallen's page

The old man at the port of Mona was called Leron, and he was in shock. This was the angel Farael, the one he read about in church on Lightsday, standing before him in the flesh. However, he was also a professional, so he did his duty.

"Sir, please follow me to the Sheriff. She will know how to proceed."

Farael followed Leron through the ports to the streets of Mona. It was a city in sad shape, due to a century of Temrathi rule. The people on the streets saw Farael pass by, and they shouted out praises to him.

"Farael! Save us! Praise the Lights!" Many of them shouted. As they passed Farael laid hands on the sick, and he healed him. When the crowd grew too big Leron became worried, but the people of Mona were not a violent folk. Finally they arrived at the Sheriff's station.

Sheriff Kharen was a tall, beautiful, blond haired, Human woman in her 40's. She wore the blue uniform of a Monite, but she always let her long, red hair flow down. She used her beauty as an advantage, but today was different.

Leron told himn that Farael wanted to surrender to the Vandans. Kharen said, "Of course, you are a rebel and wanted for execution, but in all good faith I cannot arrest you. I would rather die."

"No, Sheriff, this is what I want. This is my destiny and I must fullfill it. Please lead me to the nearest Temrathi fortress."

"Yes, I will," Kharen said sadly, "but there is a man you must meet first. He is on his way here as we speak."

Minutes later he arrived. He was a tall Human in his 30's, with curly brown hair and eyes. He was dressed in fine, Monite clothing and he carried a wooden cane. He had a slight limp.

"Farael, my name is Erik, the Mayor of Mona. I have waited my whole life to meet you. I pray that you can save us from the End."

In the Wastedland, the Night felt It arrive, which was unexpected. The Great Game took many twists and turns. Sometimes It arrived, and when It did it meant something more than just destruction. It meant absolute Oblivion. When this game was over, nothing would be left. Not even darkness. He knew not to waste time trying to talk to It. The only thing that the Night knew to do was proceed with his original plan. Then maybe he could deal with It.

He turned to the Horken who had gathered before him. They numbered in the thousands now. To honor him they wore black clothing, and they carried black axes that resembled his Staraxe. That almost pleased him.

HORKEN, THE TIME HAS COME! GO TO THE EAST! DESTROY ALL THAT IS IN YOUR PATH! NIGHT HAS FALLEN ON THIS WORLD!

The Horken screamed their war chants, and they began to run. The Night would have been "happy", if it wasn't for It...

It's massive form did not interfere with the Night or the Horken. They were beneath his notice for now. What It wanted was a location near the Wastedland. It was the Temple of Death. With a mere sweep of one of It's massive limbs, it created an opening beneath the temple, and it swallowed it whole. Everyone within it( who was still alive) died. Only one person escaped alive.

Her name was Sotiria Spiros. The destruction of her temple came as she was outside for her daily walk. There was no warning. She felt the presence of the being It, but she could no longer feel the presence of her goddess. She could only come to one impossible conclusion: Death was dead. Far off in the distance she saw the Horken running from the Wastedland into the district of Hathor.

"This is the End of the World," she said...

Where did the pineapple thing start again???

"What did you say?" Rictus asked Drake. They were in one of the many chamber's of Akzir's fortress. Kryzbyn was still tending to Wynnym. Captain Curnow was taking Farael to the city of Mona. The crew were outside making breakfast, because they refused to enter the fortress. That left them unattended.

"I heard someone talk about a talking pineapple? And it's name was also Farael?" Drake asked

"Oh that. Way over my head, Drake. He (I think) calls himself Farael the Other, and he looks just like a floating pineapple. This whole situation is full of holes, like me. All I know is that this World is in trouble, and Farael (the blue one) is the only hope it has. I may be dead, but I don't want the World to be dead too."

"Unfornuately, I saw my world of Samsara die. We fought the Night for a thousand years, but we failed. I am all that remains of the Samsarans. If it takes me another thousand years, I will have my vengeance!"

"Wow. Just how did you get here?"

Before Drake could answer they heard Kryzbyn screaming. They both ran to the chamber, and first saw him with a look of shock on his face. Then they saw what he was looking at. Wynnym was no longer there. In her place was an ancient tree...

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This was not the case. In Farael's room, the light was turned off. As he attempted to start a light, he sat up. When he successfully found his lamp, he found the problem with Wynnym. Her eyes, were black as Night. "Fatebringer" said a voice that most certainly was not hers as she drew a dagger, "Do you know how futile your task is? The Samsarans were immortal, and battled me for millenia. Night shall consume all." "Kryzbyn!" Farael managed to shout as the dagger plunged toward him...

Farael grabbed Wynnym's hand to stop her from plunging her dagger into his heart, but she was given supernatural strength by the Night. He didn't want to use his lightning or fire to harm Wynnym. The dagger was getting closer.

Go ahead and kill her, Angel! I know you love her more than the others. I will just possess the others when she dies. You cannot stop me. Give in.

At that moment Kyrzbyn ran into the room.

"Wynnym! What are you doing!?" He yelled.

She momentarily turned to him, and that was when Farael remembered something. He touched her forehead and he said in Angelic,

I banish the Night from this woman!

Wynnym's eyes returned to normal, and she dropped the dagger. She looked at Farael and cried. Kryzbyn ran to her and held her. Farael looked at both of them, and he came to a decision. He was not waiting until the morning; he was leaving tonight for Mona.

He found Captain Curnow and told him what he planned. Curnow agreed.

"I will take you there myself tonight. I can use a wind charm that I have been saving to get us there by morning. Do you want to say goodbye to the others?"

"No. It will be easier this way. I need to leave now."

Captain Curnow escorted him to the 7th Sea, and he told the crew to get out. He could run the ship by himself if he needed to. It was just easier to do it with a crew. With the wind charm that Curnow spoke, the ship sailed quickly through the night until it reached the ports of Mona.

"Goodbye, Fatebringer. It has been my highest honor to serve you. I will make sure I carry out your instructions. I will fight the Night's army, and die if I have to."

"Goodbye, Captain Curnow. It was my highest honor to call you my friend. We will meet again, in this life or another."

They embraced, and then Farael jumped into the cold water of the Seine Sea. He swam a short way to the port. He saw several ships and boats anchored there. A city offical wearing the blue symbol of Mona approached him. He was an older man with a bad limp.

"May I help you, sir?" He asked Farael.

"Yes, you may. My name is Farael the Fallen, and I am here to surrender to the Empire of Temrath. I hope I haven't ruined your morning."

this sounds like some erotic fan fiction...

We leave Farael and Wynnym to their privacy. Our story moves back to the district of Telatur, where a recovered Colonel Yzgal made her way to the city of Mona. There was an imperial fortress just outside of the city, and there she quickly took control once again. She would get another airship and search the whole world if neccessary for the angel Farael. The fortress commander told her they didn't have one, but one could be sent for in several days. She didn't realize that he was going to her.

Far off in the Wastedland, the dark god Night watched the Horken come to worship him with great amusement. He had waited ages to bring Nightfall to this world. This time the Gods of Light would not stop him. He would first send the Horken to the district of Hathor, whicg was east of him. After it was destroyed, he would send them to Telatur, and then to Geddon, and finally to the rest of the world. By then the death and destruction would be so overwhelming, that this World would willingly accept Nightfall, just to end its pain.

However, he first had to pay Death a visit...

*gasps*

Rictus gasped, and the others looked shocked.

"He will kill you!" Wynnym said. "You said it yourself. Lord Culex wants to kill you so he can become a god. You are walking into a trap."

"I know I am, but it is the only way. I will go to the armies gathered at Geddon. There I will surrender. That will give you time to gather the people in Telatur and prepare them for the Night's army of Horken. I have a vision that you will find a way to stop the Horken."

"All right, how do we stop them?" Kyrzbyn asked.

"I don't know exactly. In the vision I saw an army of the living and the dead stopping the Horken and sending them back to the Night in the Wastedland. That is all I saw. Please, friends, take what I have said on faith. You will find a way to stop the Horken, and I will find a way to stop Lord Culex. Let's not talk fruther. My mortal body needs sleep, and most of you need it to. Except for Rictus, of course."

"He's right, I don't sleep anymore. I'll stand watch outside."

The fortress had many empty rooms, so each of them could sleep in one. Farael spoke with Drake, the last Samsaran, and asked him to lead his friends against the Night's army of Horken.

"I pledge my loyalty to you, Farael." Drake said.

"Thank you, this world will need it. I am sorry to hear about Samsara. The Dark One exists on many worlds. That much I remember. I have a feeling that you will be the key to our victory, but I don't know exactly."

"I will take it on faith, just as you said." Drake said, bowing low.

Farael left and walked to an empty room. He laid down on a comfortable blanket and tried to sleep. He remembered that Captain Curnow said that there was a city east of the Telatur River called Mona. It was the capital of Telatur, and he also mentioned that the Whitehawks often met there. That would be a good place for him to part ways with his friends. He would miss them terribly, especially one of them.

As he drifted off to sleep he saw Wynnym walk into his room...

Farael called all of his followers together at the evil necromancer's former fortress for a meeting. Inside it's dark interior was room with a round, wooden table and thirteen chairs. Farael spoke first.

"Friends, I met with my god, and He has given me a vision of what we must do. We have a very difficult task at hand, and the fate of the World hangs in the balance."

"We will stand with ye," Captain Curnow.

"Thank you. First, let me lay out what is happening now. Lord Culex, the Emperor and Dark Knight, is gathering all of his armies in Geddon for a final assault on the district of Telatur. He wants everyone there destroyed due to the attack on Colonel Yzgal's airship. She is not dead, and we will see her again."

"Culex truly is evil," Wynnym said.

"Yes he is, but he is being manipulated by an even darkner being: the Night. As we speak he is calling on the evil Horken to the Wastedland land. Once he as enough of them he will send them across the Empire to destroyed all living beings, even the Vandans."

"Why would he want his empire destroyed?" Kryzbyn asked.

"He wants to become a god, and Dark One has promised him that," Farael said. "He also wants to face me in battle and kill me. He will face me, but I will try to avoid getting killed. That is what I will give him. While I face the emperor, I want the rest of you build up an army in Telatur to face the Horken. The Night will stand back and watch. That will give me time to do what I need to do."

"And what is that?" Wynnym asked.

"I am going to surrender to the Lord Culex."

Ever since Samuel L. Jackson was cast as Nick Fury and really ever since Marvel comics made Nick Fury Black in their Ultimate comic book world, I have wondered which one would win in a fight. it's clear to me that the Black Nick Fury is here to stay. there should be a complete Marvel comics reboot. it's like picking Samuel L. Jackson or David Hasselhoff. Sam wins ever time.

Somewhere in the district of Telatur Colonel Yzgal was repairing her crystal armor. He vowed revenge on Farael and his followers. She knew she could never return to the Temrathi Empire until he was dead.

In the WastedLand the Night starting to call his own followers. In the land west of desert lived a brutal people who were once Human, but now they were blood thirsty humanoids who called themselves Horken. They were more than happy to fight for a being who just wanted to destroy. The Night was pleased.

Far to the east Lord Culex was making his plans. His armies were gathering in the didstrict of Geddon, which was east of Temrath. The dark god that he worshipped told him what he had to do. His armies would destroy the people that had rebelled against him, and he would personally kill the angel Farael here in Vanda.

The doors to his chamber opened, and two Vandan guards carried in the Runecaster. The old hermit was smiling, because he enjoyed suffering. He was quite mad now, but he would serve his purpose.

"Do you know what you have to do?" Lord Culex asked.

"Why, yes I do, said the shrew. To gain my freedom, and my dream, I use my runes to make Farael scream," the Runecaster said. Then he started to laugh.

"That's close enough. Take him away," he ordered the guards.

Lord Culex had become the Grand Emperor not through his might, but with his mind. He always had the advantage in every fight. The Runecaster would control Farael with the runes he put on him, and he would kill him. He would make sure that the whole empire, and the world, will see him slay the angel Farael. Then the Night would give him his reward: he would become a god!

Farael walked into the Light, and for a moment he was blinded. His eyes soon adjusted, and he was surprised to see a normal looking man staring back at him. He looked like a Human male in his 40's, with brownish hair and green eyes, wearing a simple, white robe and sandals. In his left hand he held a leather brown book, and in his right hand he held a feather pen.

"Hello, Farael, it's nice to see you again," WOT said.

"I am...surprised," Farael said. "I didn't expect that you would look..."

"Boring? Yes, I can look all God-like if I need to, especially during the meetings with the angels, but most of the time I like to feel comfortable. If this were Earth I would be wearing jeans and a t-shirt."

"All right, can you answer my questions? Why am I hear and what should I do?"

"Yes, I can. First, you chose to be here to save this world. It was scheduled for destruction, but you insisted on trying to save it. So, I reluctantly allowed you to Fall to the World. When an angel falls it always screws up their minds. Second, you have to lead the people here in a revolt against the Vandans. They are sending out their armies as we speak. Their leader, the Dark Knight Lord Culex, is not a nice fellow, and he is also being manipulated by an even greater "Dark Night". The Night himself. He has returned to bring an eternal night to the World."

"I don't understand, how can I stop both of these evils?"

"You will find a way, my angel, you always do. That is why I let you come here. You love this world, Farael. You really do. You have my blessing."

WOT touched Farael on his forehead, and he disappeared. The light faded, and Farael was left alone. Before he could say anything, he noticed the spectral looking Zero-Man looking at them. Everyone turned to look at him, and he said:

Hi. May I join you? I might be able to help.

In the Wastedland, a shadow passed over the Pineapple tree, as it had done countless times before, only this time it decided to take a shape. It was as black as night, and it's body was lit up by stars. It told the pineapple tree, I am the Night, I am the Darkness, the Great Game has started again, the time has come for this world to be destroyed again. We shall start with you.

The tree barely had time to scream before the Night cut it down with one swing of it's Star Axe. The whole world screamed...

The floating pineapple screamed, but just for a moment.

"What was that?" Farael the Fallen asked.

"Oh, that, nothing really in the grand scheme of things. Just the start of the End of the World. It has happened before and it will happen again I am sure. A part of me just died, back at the Wastedland. He has returned, and He is bringing Death with him. Please, don't let that stop us from our date with destiny. Let's continue. The Zero-Man has made a sort of trail for us."

The Jagged Island was mainly just a series of ragged hills. It had once been an active volcano millions of years ago that formed into an island, but it had been dormant long before Men arrived on the World. The party followed Farael, who had a sense of where he had to go.

After walking most of the day, they finally found what they were looking for: the dark fortress of Alzir. It was built into a hill, and it looked like pieces of black crystal melted together by a madman.

"Are we going in there?" Kyrzbyn asked.

"I am going in there, I have to, but the rest of you can remain outside. I don't want anyone else to die because of me."

"Oh please, Farael, you know we're going in with you," Rictus said.

As they approached the fortress the noticed people hanging out in front of the fortress. As they got closer they saw that those people were the Expired. The walking dead approached them, and the party fought them back. The Expired were slow, and easy to strike down, but there were hundreds of them. For everyone one they struck down, two more took their place. Finally, Farael said, "ENOUGH! TURN AWAY!"

When he spoke light came out of his eyes, and the Expired screamed in pain. They ran away from the fortress into the safety of the Jagged Hills.

"That was fun." Rictus said. "I almost went with them, when you turned them away."

"All right, lets go inside," Farael said. The gates to the fortress were open. Farael led the way inside. The inside of the fortess had corridors and chambers made out of black rock. They checked the rooms, but all were empty, at least on the upper level.

"I assume we are looking for Alzir?" The floating pineapple asked. "He is downstairs, in his own buriel chamber, where he has a nasty surprise waiting for us. I really don't know what it is. Even I can be surprised."

They found a stairway that went down, and they followed it. It didn't take them long to find the doorway to the chamber, since it was covered with evil looking skulls.

"Listen, I will break down the door," Farael said. "I feel like I can summon the white lightning on command now. Whatever surprise Alzir has for us, I will take it on first. If I need help, then help me."

"We will be right behind you," Farael the Other said.

Farael summoned the white lightning and the doorway shattered. He ran into a large, black, circular chamber. At the far end of it he saw the necromancer Alzir. His skin was the color of night, he was dressed in white robes, and he was smiling. In his left hand he held a skull topped staff.

Welcome, Farael, I have been expecting you. Prepare to feel the Terror of Death!

With a wave of his hand the chamber doors closed, trapping Farael inside with Alzir alone. Farael summoned the white lightning, and it struck Alzir. He was unaffected. He unleashed his Fire of the Gods onto Alzir, but again he was unharmed.

I have prepared myself to face you, Angel! I am between life and death. I am the Undead, like my followers. Death holds no terror for me, but perhaps you fear it?

With a wave of his staff a black darkness covered Farael, and he felt pure terror. It felt like death was overtaking him. His eyes glowed and he tried to fight it. Alzir walked closer to him, and he touched Farael's heart with his left hand.

Now, for the finishing touch, I will take your heart and drink angel blood! I will make you one of my followers, and you will serve me for all eternity!

Farael felt Alzir's icy touch, and it did feel like he was about to die, but he heard a voice inside him and it told him what to do. He touched Alzir's hand with pure light, and it started to change. His ebony skin began to turn ivory, and Alzir was horrified to feel himself alive again.

"No! Not this! Not the pain of living!" Alzir screamed. The darkness that had covered Farael diappeared. Farael summoned the white lightning again striking Alzir, and his now ivory body exploded. He was no more.

The doors opened and the rest of them came in.

"Good work," Farael the Other said. "I knew you were going to win, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise for you."

"Thank you for that," Farael the Fallen said.

They left the fortress and started to return to the ship, but up ahead they saw a bright light.

"Ah, that would be your reward," the floating pineapple said. "You will finally get all of the answers you have been looking for. It's time for your meeting with your God."

Far off in the distict of Temrath, the armies of the empire were gathering. They were going to make one last effort to destroy the rebels who called themselves the Whitehawks. The defeat of Colonel Yzgal at Brinay had to be answered brutally. There could be only one response; the total extermination of every living soul in the district of Telatur.

After two days The 7th Sea arrived at the Jagged Isle. It was well named. The coast looked like a land consisting of gray, jagged rock. Captain Curnow found an cove where the ship could set anchor, and his crew immeaditely began to make repairs.

"Aye, we will set a watch to make sure no one makes a sneal attack on us," Curnow said to Farael. "It would be best if ye go down below so as not to attract attention from that evil fellow."

"No, I am going on the island and find this evil fellow myself. I know what you are going to say, Captain. I just have a feeling that I am destined to meet him, so I might as well do it now. If he doesn't kill me then he might give me some answers that I need. Also, Farael the Other said I would meet God on this island."

"One of the gods," the floating pineapple said. "Really, there are lots of them. However, one of the gods is coming to visit. The reality around this island is thin, so the gods can come through sometimes. Also other insane BLEEP that would blow your mind."

"Very well, Farael, if you insist on going then I might as well go with you. Don't try to talk me out of it. My fate is linked with your's now."

"Me too," Kryzbyn said. "I am the wacky sidekick, after all."

"I will also go," Wynnym said. "My place is by your side."

"Don't leave me out of this party!" Rictus shouted. He was now dressed in the clothing of one of the dead crewman, so he looked like an undead pirate (Johnny Depp).

"I will tag along too," Farael the Other said, "but I can't really do anything except give interesting commentary. I may be able to provide valuable hints too."

"Very well," Farael said. He jumped off of the ship onto the beach. "There is no point in delaying destiny."

The rest of them soon followed, but Wynnym was wise enough to take along some much needed supplies.

From his home, which was a black fortress on a gray hill, Alzir looked into his scrying bowl and watched Farael and his friends leave the ship with amusement.

Yes, the vandals are coming, lead by a fallen angel. Come to my web, flys! The spider is waiting. You will all know the Terror of Death! Rise, my friends, rise from your rest!

With that call, the graves around Alzir's fortress began to stir...

Sissyl the Seer wrote a note, and then pinned it to a whitehawk. She told the bird to fly it to Farael. The note said:

Bowing out due to too little time. Thank you, people.

She then entered the Wastedland alone, and she never returned, paying her "blood debt".

There were two Faraels? The first Farael, the angel of light, did not know what to make of this "other" Farael, the one that looked like a smiling pineapple. He just wished he could personally talk to this WOT himself, instead of though a floating pineapple. It just made no sense.

"I know, it doesn't make sense," Farael the Other said, "but isn't that the point? By the way, I can read your thoughts, since you and I are essentially the same."

"I have had enough of this floating pineapple!" Captain Curnow said. "The golden box, Farael, what is inside of it?"

Rictus was the one holding it. He was very happy now that he had arms and legs again, even if he looked like a skeleton. He decided to open it, and inside was a gold colored bell and a small hammer.

"Its the Golden Bell!" Kryzbyn said. "Master Gynax gave it to us! Why did he do that?"

"I guess he knew what was coming, and he knew we would put it to good use," Farael said.

"Aye, but I have some bad news for ye," Curnow said. "The ship is badly damaged from the great wave. We need to stop somewhere to make repairs. I know an island that is a few leagues from here. I have never stopped there, because I have heard strange tales about it. Tales about the Expired walking freely, creatures from other worlds, and Vandans so evil that they are rejected by there own kind. We have no choice. The ship will sink if we don't."

"What is the name of the island?" Wynnym asked.

"I have heard folks call it the Jagged Isle," Curnow said.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha," Farael the Other laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" Farael the Fallen asked.

"Oh, it's just that sometimes coincidences happen for no apparent reason. It's like someone was writing a story about this. Yes, the Jagged Isle is the only place to go, but you must know that someone evil will be waiting there. He will try to destroy you. Also, Farael, you will get to talk to God there. Well, at least one of them anyway..."

"Brinay." The Ringbearer said to himself in the depths of night. "The city so full of loyalists to the Empire it doesn't matter they have the bell." he walked up to the city gates, and was freely allowed in by a third of the guards. The rest he had to kill. They tried to fight. Pathetic. He knew they were somewhere within the walls of this city, and as he perched above the gates, he knew he would get the Fatebringer. It was simply a matter of time.

Master Gynax lead Farael, Wynnym, Kryzbyn, Kelvar, Kelvar, Rictus, Captain Curnow amd his crew to the Red House of Brinay, which was made out of red bricks. It was several stories tall. The Ringbearer watched from the rooftop of a nearby building; his magical ring blended him into the background. He watched and waited.

Curnow told his crew to go to his ship, The 7th Sea, and prepare it for voyage. It was anchored off the coast of Brinay. He had a feeling in his bones that something wasn't right, and he wanted to be able to get out of Brinay as soon as possible. He told Farael about his feeling, and he agreed with it.

Gynax lead them up to the seventh floor of the Red House, where there was a large, red colored room.

"I will call the elders of our order here to meet with you," Gynax said. "Together we will find out what our next step should be. I promise you that tonight we will find answers."

Gynax left and Farael waited. The Ringbearer jumped onto the roof of the Red House. His mission was to kill Farael, but he needed it to be a surprise attack. Even he was not sure if he could survive a direct fight with an angel. However, he had read that fallen angels were just as mortal as he was, and mortals could die. He knew exactly what to do. He used the magic of his ring to start a fire.

Farael was the first to notice the fire. He could feel it, and then everyone heard shouting.

"Fire! Fire! Everyone get out of the Red House!" They heard someone say.

"Let's see if we can help," Wynnym said. "I can try to summon a rain over the Red House." She closed her eyes to pray, and the rest happened very fast.

The Ringbearer had easily blended into his surroundings. He held his sword with both hands. The fire was the perfect distraction. He walked into the Red Room unnoticed, and he had a perfect shot at Farael. He ran in for the kill.

Rictus was more than just a floating skull. Being dead had it's advantages, like being able to see what others could not. He saw the Ringbearer running at Farael, and he yelled, "FARAEL LOOK OUT!!!"

As fate would have it, Kelvar was speaking with Farael when the attack happened. He instinctively stepped in front Farael, and the Ringbrearer ran him through with his sword.

"No!" Farael yelled. He looked into the eyes of the Ringbearer, who quickly pulled his sword out of Kelvar's chest. Farael acted out of instict, which was why the white lightning flew from his hands. The Ringbearer was able to deflect it with his sword. It struck the rest of the Red Room, destroying most of it.

"You fool!" The Ringbearer shouted, "Is that all that you got?" He laughed and Farael's eyes glowed. He had something more. He opened his mouth, and the Fire of the Gods came out engulfing the Ringbearer. He screamed and his body was burnt to ashes. All that was left of him was his sword and ring. Captain Curnow picked them up.

Kelvar was dead. Rictus floated above him and wondered what he was feeling. Sadness? Regret? He didn't know what to feel, but he had a feeling about what he should do. He uttered words that he could not understand, and the bones that had been sewn into Kelvar's cloak ripped out of it. They reattached themselves to Rictus, and he was shocked and happy at the same time.

"Look, everyone, I'm a skeleton! Praise the Gods!!!"

While Rictus was dancing around, the body of Kelvar was removed.

Farael told everyone his concerns.

"We must leave Brinay tonight," Farael said. "I believe we would be safest on the 7th Sea. Trust me, my friends, I feel I am close to an answer, I just don't know what it is yet."

As they left, Master Gynax gave them a present. It was a small, golden box.

"Don't open it yet. Wait until you leave the city. I want it to be a surprise. I too have had the same feeling. Something terrible is about to happen to Brinay, but I cannot leave my home. I must remain behind to help if I can. I wish you well, Farael. I hope you bring a good fate to the world."

They went to the port where the 7th Sea was waiting for them. It was the most magnificant sailing ship in all of the world. It was a three masted beauty adorned with mermaids and pure gold cannons.

"Aye, come abroad all ye," Captain Curnow said. "You may sleep in my quarters. We will leave at once and then decide where to go."

They boarded the ship, and at once Curnow noticed that something was wrong.

"I have been a seafarer for many lifetimes, and I know when a big wave is coming. Get this ship out to sea, you dogs!" He screamed at his crew. "Everyone below deck now! A wave is coming!"

Curnow used his skill as a master sailor to sail the ship through the tidal wave that crashed into Brinay. The ivory walls of the city fell. The tidal wave was beyond anything that Curnow had seen before. He stood alone on the deck with his hands at the wheel, and with a combination of skill and his own magics, and he kept the 7th Sea afloat. When the wave ended, they were far out in the middle of the Seine Sea.

They all gathered on the deck of the ship to decide what to do next when something even more unusual happened. A large pineapple was flying towards the ship. It landed in front of Farael. He didn't know what to say or do, but then a voice came out of the pineapple:

"Greetings, Farael, I am so happy to finally meet you. The Great Game has started, and you will play a major part in it. WOT wanted to stop it, but I talked Him out of it."

"Who are you?" Farael asked.

"Oh, how silly of me. You may not understand this at first, but I am you. I am Farael the Fallen."

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The surviving members of Curnow's crew and Farael's band decided to rest and mend their wounds before walking to Brinay. It was less than a day's walk away. Of course, it would have been much faster by boat. They all watched the Temrathi airship fly back to their capital.

"I fear that they will be back, and this time they won't just send one airship," Kryzbyn said.

"Aye, it's true," Curnow said. "The district of Telatur will surely be destroyed as an example to the others. Killing the Vandan's slave-soldiers wasn't too hard, but the Vandan's themselves are very hard to kill. Their bodies are like stone."

"They can be stopped," Farael said. "Some of my memories were restored when I went to the meeting."

"Was that when you disappeared?" Wynnym asked.

"Yes, it was. I can't truly describe all that I saw. It's like a distant dream. But, I do know that the Vandans can be stopped, and it is my mission to stop them. That is why I came here."

With their wounds mended (Wynnym was a good healer) they made their way by foot to Brinay. They followed the Telatur River until they reached its mouth at the Seine Sea. There by the sea's Western coast was Brinay. It was a beautiful city, with tall, ivory walls protecting it.

Before they even got close to the city a regiment of warriors wearing white chainmail rode up to inercept them. They were riding warhorses and each one was armed with a crossbow and broadsword. One of the warriors jumped off his horse and approached Farael. He bowed deeply.

"Farael, news of your return has spread throughout the lands. We received a report about your battle with the Vandans. Truly, out liberation is near! I was sent here by the Mayor himself to escort you to Brinay to meet him. Please follow us. We have carriages for all of you."

The crew was in one cariage, and the rest rode in the other. Captain Curnow insisted on staying by Farael.

The tall, ivory city gates were opened for their arrival, and all along the city streets people cheered Farael's arrival. Brinay was as beautiful outside as it was inside. White seemed to be the dominant color of the city, but there were a few other brown buildings too.

It took them awhile to finally reach the Brinay Hall, where the mayor and city council met. The soldiers surrounded Farael and his band by the throngs of cheering people. It was all overwhelming to him.

They lead them all inside to the mayor's chamber. Mayor Brownson was a short and heavyset human man of sixty winters. He wore the official white robes of the mayor, and a pointed hat.

"Welcome to Brinay, Farael," he said kneeling. Farael really wished people would stop kneeling in front of him.

"Please rise. We are happy to be here, but we don't have much time. I fear that the battle we had with the Vandans will just bring more of them. I fear they will destroy Telatur. I saw sent here to meet with Master Gynax of the Red Hand. I was told he could help me."

"Yes, Farael, you are probably right on both accounts. Master Gynax can help you, but the people of Brinay have nothing to fear from the Vandans. We have been safe from them for over a century."

"Why is that, Mayor Brownson? Do you have a weapon that is powerful enough to destory them?"

"What we have is not a weapon, but an artifact that can destroy the Vandans if they get too close. Please, sit down and rest. I will summon Master Gynax here to speak with you. It is the Red Hand that operates the artifact that protects us. He can answer all of your questions."

All of them, except for Rictus who was floating, sat down around a long, wooden table and waited. Within an hour Master Gynax arrived alone. He was wearing a long, blue robe with a large, red-hand symbol sewn into it's front, and on his head was a pointed, wizard cap. He had black hair and beard, and he was wearing spectacles over his eyes.

"Farael the Fatebringer," he said smiling. He walked over and shook his hand, which Farael liked. "I never believed I would live long enough to see you in the flesh. Truly, these are interesting times."

"I am happy to finally meet you. I was told by Sissyl the Seer that you could help me restore my memories and remove these runes."

"Well, let me have a look at these runes first. They really are beautiful." He took ten minutes to look over the runes that covered most of Farael's body, except for his face.

"I thought so. I recognize the handiwork. These were placed on you by a master runecaster. It's a simple spell to cast, but it takes years to prepare the runes before hand. It would have taken just a few minutes to magically place these on you."

"I don't remember that happening."

"All right, if you will allow me I will cast a Spell of Remembrance on you. I will be able to show you who cast the runes on you. Hold on a moment."

Master Gynax closed his eyes and he started humming and moving his hands around in intricate motions. Then, an image appeared before them. They saw Farael lying down on the ground in the Wastedland. He was unconscious. His nude body had no runes on it. Then they saw a man approach him. The man made a few, magical motions of his hands, and the runes appeared on Farael's body. The man laughed and ran away.

"Do you recongize that man?" Gynax asked.

"I do! Kryzbyn said. "It's the crazy, old hermit who lived in the hills by Zurn. I was told he used to be a runecaster. He put these on you!"

"Interesting," Gynax said, "but why? That question I cannot answer. Unforunately, I cannot remove these runes. They are too intricate even for me to remove. There are only two people that can get rid of these runes. The person who cast them and you."

"Me? How can I remove them?"

"If I knew how I would tell you. Farael, you are an angel of the Gods of Light. They invented runes. You have access to power that I can only dream of. I can feel just some of that power within you. You took a small part of that with you from the Heavens, but it is a small part of infinity! When you are ready, you will be able to remove these runes."

"I had a feeling you would say that," Farael said. "All right, answer me this question. What are the purpose of these runes?"

"That's simple. These runes can be used to control you. Even kill you if you don't follow the runecaster's orders. They are truly Runes of Servitude. They are like magical chains."

"The mayor said you had an artifact that could destroy the Vandans," Wynnym said. "Maybe that could help Farael?"

"Oh, that? Well, I don't think it can, but I will show it to you. Its really rather interesting. Here, I will show you an image of it."

Gynax uttered another spell, and he showed them all a vision of something that looked like a giant bell.

"Our order consists of healers, but also wizards and sages. They found this artifact in an ancient, ruined city. Yes, it is a sort of bell. When struck at a precise angle, it emits a high pitched sound. That sound is strong enough to shatter glass or even crystal. We used it just once before when the Vandans first tried to take Brinay over a century before. It shattered them instantly, and they never returned. The Red Hand keeps its location a secret. There are spies everywhere, even here in Brinay."

"Then what do we do now?" Kelvar asked. "How can we help Farael find this runecaster? From what you told us he can control him."

"Yes, I will see what we can do. There are spells that I can cast that can locate him. He sounds like an unstable person, so it could be difficult. Please, stay with me at the Red Hand's House. It is the most secure building in Brinay, and it is also safe from spies. I do not trust the people who work for Mayor Browson, or him for that matter. Come, let us depart now. We have a lot of work to do."

Back at the Imperial City of Vanda, Lord Culex (also called Grand Emperor and many other things) was alone in the throneroom of his palace. Everything was going according to plan. The plan was given to him by the Dark One, He who could not be Named. The Dark One told him about Farael's arrival. The Dark One told him about the runecaster who lived in the hills. Only he could cast the runes that would bind Farael to his will, the Dark One said. It was the Dark One who said that it was all part of a Great Game. It was the Dark One who told him where to find the Runecaster, who was deep within one of Culex's dungeons.

Lord Culex sent for one of his attendants.
"Send the Runecaster to me," he told him. "I need to speak to him again. I need to make sure he understands what is required of him. Everything must go according to the plan."

When the attendant left he saw the shadow in the corner of his room. It was the shadow that was always watching him...

Captain Curnow was shocked when Farael disappeared. The Vandans were leading their slave-soldiers down the gangplanks to The Dagger. His crew and Farael's friends were trying to fight them off. Even Rictus was trying to help by saying very annoying things to them.

Then, seconds later, Farael reappeared. Now he was welding his staff like a man who was born holding it. He leaped onto the gangplanks and he started attacking the soldiers with lightning speed. White Lightning was literally coming off him. Each soldier and Vandan he struck fell dead. When he was finished the attack stopped. He heard someone yell, "Retreat!"

The gangplanks went back up to the black-crystal airship, and he flew out of the river into the sky.

"Victory is ours!" Captain Curnow yelled. "All hail Farael the Fatebringer!" He held his sword high and everyone cheered. Everyone except Farael.

This victory was too easy. Something is wrong here.

Farael looked up and he saw Colonel Yzgal looking down on them from the deck of her airship. He saw two slave-soldiers holding a large, black object. She pointed down to The Dagger, and they threw it over the deck. It started to fall and Farael immeaditely recognized it.

"EVERYONE JUMP INTO THE RIVER! IT'S A BOMB! JUMP!" Most of the crew and all of Farael's friends jumped into the river, and seconds later the fire-crystal bomb struck The Dagger. It exploded in a fiery blast that destroyed the swiftboat.

Farael was relieved to discovery that he could swim. He swam to shore, and he saw that most of the crew and his friends survived. The Sun has risen and he could see the destruction of the swiftboat. Then he saw something else.

Colonel Yzgal herself was hovering above him, dressed in her black-crystal armor. She was holding the two Araugh had her side. They looked like giant, greenish wolves. She smiled and dropped them to the ground. They snarled and ran toward's Farael.

"Now your fate is sealed," she said.

"Captain Curnow, please don't bow to me. I don't feel like I deserve it. Have we met before?" Farael asked.

"Aye, we ave," Curnow said standing back up, "but in another life. I am at your service. I take it ye want to go away from here?"

"Yes," Wynnym said, "we need to go to Brinay to see Master Gynax of the Red Hand. When I saw you I knew you could do it."

"I can do that for ye, and it won't cost ye a copper piece! To serve the Fatebringer is payment enough. But, my crew may want some to the gold. Its been a long time, Wynnym. Are ye still in that big wood with the trees?"

"Yes I am, and I couldn't be happier," she said.

They boarded the swiftboat, which was a long and lean vessel capable of great speed. It had plenty of room below for all of them and the crew. It had secret hiding places for the illegal items that Captain Curnow liked to smuggle in and out of Telatur.

"I call this boat The Dagger, and I only use it if I am traveling up and down a river. My real ship is anchored off the coast of Brinay in a hidden place. Its a beautiful ship that I built myself."

"What is it named?" Kryzbyn asked.

"I named it The 7th Sea. Kind of catchy, aye?"

They settled down below in one room that was hidden by a secret hatch. It was not a very large room, but each person (except Rictus) had their own blanket and there was plenty of food and water. There was also a small washroom where they could relieve themselves as needed. Captain Curnow told them it would take several days for them to reach Brinay, and with the gold they had in their backpacks he could bribe any official who asked too many questions.

"You might as well relax for now. Not one of you is to come on deck unless I call you. My the Gods of Light guide us true. With the Fatebringer on our side, we cannot fail." With that he closed the hatch.

"What did Captain Curnow mean when he said that he we had met before he another life three times before?" Farael asked Wynnym.

"I don't know. Curnow says a lot of things that he doesn't mean. He is a colorful fellow."

"How do you know him?" Kryzbyn asked.

"Before I settled in the Forest of Alraune I wandered the lands, and I met Captain Curnow. He is a great friend. I miss hearing of his tales, both true and false."

Rictus floated over to Kelvar and stared at him with his glowing, red eyes.

"Tell me everything!" He shouted at him. "Why do you have my bones sewn into your cloak? How did we meet? How did I die? Tell me!"

"Keep your voice down! I reason I have your bones sewn into my cloak is that I was told to by a priestess of Death herself!"

"Was her name Sotiria Spiros?" Farael asked.

"Yes it was. Do you know her?"

"We met just once before, right after I first fell in the Wastedland. She said that the Goddess of Death had plans for me. This must be all part of her plan. We did not meet by chance. Indeed, I must be the Fatebringer. However, I do not know what kind of fate I am bringing."

"She told me to keep your bones safe, so I sewn them into my cloak. She said that you and I used to be friends. I found that hard to believe. I never knew a Rictus before, at least none that I can remember. Perhaps you had another name. She also said that you were a very powerful being."

"How did Captain Curnow know about me?"

"Because I told him about you, fool! He is a part of the Whitehawks (not the Whitebirds). He has helped us in our struggle with the Vandans. We spoke last night about the priestess. Indeed, these are strange days. I know that Farael can save us."

After that there was a time of silence, and everyone decided to rest. Farael silently prayed to the Gods of Light that Master Gynax could restore his memories. He wasn't as confident in his abilities as the others. He felt the swiftboat moving, so they must be on their way downstream.

The black crystal ship of Colonel Yzgal was about a day away from Telatur. She was in her chamber, with the two Aragh, when her black crystal made a sound. She took it out of her belt and said, "Speak."

"Farael and his people are on their way to Brinay," an unrecognizable voice said. "They are hidden in a swiftboat named The Dagger. Captain Curnow is helping them. They should arrive in Brinay in three days."

"Excellent! We will be waiting for them. We must stop them before they reach Brinay, or we will not be able to get to them. Your information will be rewarded, spy!"

Colonel Yzgal was pleased. All was going according to plan. Farael would be captured, or better yet killed, the rebels would be killed, and she would be greatly rewarded by Lord Culex. Nothing could go wrong.

"Captain Tzan!" She screamed.

"Yes, Colonel," he said at her door.

"Prepare my crystal armor and the slaves. We are headed for the mouth of the Telatur River on the outskirts of Brinay. Go at full speed! Use the magics to keep us dim from sight! Do it now!"

Captain Tzan obeyed, and she was pleased. She believed that fate was her side...

It took a day for the four of them to leave the caverns, and no one said anything about the wheel-angel. The meeting with another of his kind spooked Farael. He also didn't understand the other meeting a few hundred mortal hours from now. What did that mean? The names Bellerophon, Shax, Vassago, and Ahuramazda held no meaning to him.

"We are close to the opening," Kryzbyn said. "I will show the way."

Kryzbyn lead them up a stairway carved into the rock. They walked up the stairway for an hour before they saw sunlight through a small opening.

"I'll go up first to see if it's safe," Kryzbyn said. He quickly went through, and then moments later he said, "Come on up!"

They left the opening of a cave that was on top of a hill. Below them was a grassy plain.

"That is the district of Telatur. We have to head south for Brinay. It will take us about three or four days to walk to Brinay. I know several back roads and hidden trails we can take, but it will still be risky. However, we could buy safe passage there with all of this gold we have now." Kryzbyn touched his bacback that was now stuffed with raw gold.

"I will have to thank you angel friend if I see him again."

"He is not my friend," Farael said. "At least, I don't remember him being my friend. It's all very confusing."

"You have our sympathy," Wynnym said. "Still, as long as we have this gold we should put it to good use. Is there a place where we can use it?" Wynnym asked Kryzbyn.

"Absolutely. The village of Velcor is just a few leagues to the east. I know people there who can help us for a price, and we can pay it now."

They walked along backroad through a forest into Velcor which made their journey longer, but it protected them from prying eyes. The village was small, but it was friendly. They covered themselves up with gray, hooded robes that Kryzbyn had stashed away. It would sttract to much attention for a large, blue skinned man and a floating skull to be seen in public. Farael held Rictus under his robe, which he did not like at all.

Kryzbyn took them to the Golem Tavern, which had a stone-skinned golem as it's doorman. It was over seven feet tall and it didn't say a word. The tavern itself wasn't crowded, since this was the Gods Day and most folks were resting. Kryzbyn went to the bar, and the bartender (a red haired and attractive woman named Vicka) asked him what he wanted.

"A whitebird," he said and she nodded.

"Go into the backroom and be quick about it. There are eyes everywhere."

They all went into the backroom, which was filled with sacks of flour, ale, and spices. A secret door opened, and a large, gray-haired man wearing white robes stepped through.

"Kryzbyn, its surprising to see you here. We didn't expect you until the summer."

"I know Kelvar, but something unexpected happened. Go ahead Farael, show him who you are."

Farael pulled down his hood, and Kelvar gasped. He kneeled down to one knee.

"The stories are true! You have returned to free us! Farael has returned!"

"Please, stand up," Farael said. "There is no need to kneel before me."

Kelvar stood up, but his eyes were filled with tears.

"After the Vandans destroyed Zurn, we started to hear stories from the survivors. They said that a blue skinned man had used great magic to destroy the slave-soldiers. When I heard that I knew it could be only one person. Farael the Angel! The Gods of Light be praised!"

"Kelvar, I don't remember who I am. Others have told me that I am Farael. We need to get to Brinay to meet the master of the Red Hand. I was told he could heal my mind."

"Yes, I know them very well. Master Gynax is a good and wise man. I have never met him personally, but everything I have heard has been good. The Red Hand are friends to the White Birds."

"What are the White Birds?" Wynnym asked.

"They are the name of the resistance to the Temrathi Empire," Kryzbyn said. "They want to overthrow them and send them back to their own world. By the way, I am one of the White Birds myself. That is why I went away all of those years ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Wynnym asked.

"I swore an oath to keep it a secret, but Farael's arrival changes everything."

"Come, let us leave at once!" Kelvar said. "We will meet the others at the river. We can take a swiftboat to Brinay."

The five of them left, and Rictus did not like it at all. He was still stuck under Farael's robe. Also, he recognized Kelvar's voice from his previous life...

Farael woke up suddenly. He had dreamed about a tree in a Wastedland, and about a city called Horum that he destroyed thousands of years ago. He saw Kryzbyn sitting on the floor across from him.

"Good morning, Big Blue. You had a good twelve hours of sleep. Did you dream?"

"Yes I did. I found it to be...unpleasant."

"I wouldn't know, since I have never dreamed. I think they called the bad ones nightmares. Come on, we need to get out of here for Brinay to find this master of the Order of the Red Hand. I have heard of them. They can heal wounds no one else can. Some say they can even bring the dead back to life. Brinay is one of the few free cities left around here. For reasons I don't know, the Temrathi won't go near the city. It's time I found out why.'

Wynnym was waiting for them. She had backpacks for each of them.

"I gathered together whatever supplies I could find. We can probably get whatever else we need on the way."

"Kryzbyn and Wynnym, why are you coming with me? From what you have told me yesterday I could be danger to you and everyone else."

"True, but you are also the best hope Tennelore has to defeat the Temrathi," Wynnym said. "If it would help to free us from their bondage, then I will help you."

"Me too, Kryzbyn said. "The safest place on the world is probably next to you. I am tired of hiding from them."

"Don't forget me!" Rictus shouted. The skull floated next to Wynnym. "I'm a skull in love here. Oh, and maybe Farael can help me find the rest of my body too. It can't hurt."

"Don't come near me or I will make sure your second death is permanent!"

With that being said, Kryzbyn lead them out of Sissly's chamber to the tunnels that he had used before. The tunnels lead then under the Hathor Hills to the Temrathi district of Telatur, which they would have to pass through to get to Brinay. What they didn't know was that Colonel Yzgal would be waiting for them...

The Testament of Kinnal Eth

As I stood watch outside the gates of Horum, I beheld a man approach. He was taller than most men, wearing robes of pure white, and he was blue in color.

"Kinnal Eth, I have a message for this city," he said to me.

"Who are you that you know my name?" I asked.

"I am Farael, an angel of the Gods of Lights, and I have a message for the King of Horum. Allow me to pass."

"Of course, I will allow you to enter," I said, bowing low. "Let me show you the way to the elder's abode."

I walked him through the narrow streets of Horum. I was disgraced by the filth piled up on the streets, and the evil displays by the people there, but Farael seemed not to notice.

I took him to the King's palace, where two large guards tried to bar him from entering.

"Let him pass!" I shouted at them. "Can you not see that he is an angel of Lights?"

"I care not who he is," the largest guard said. "His gods mean nothing to me."

"OUY ERA THOB INLBD!" Farael said, and both guards were struck blind. He pushed them aside and shattered the gates to the palace with one touch of his hand. I was now following him. He struck each guard who tried to stop him blind, until we both came to the King's throne room.

King Nebazzar was sitting on his throne waiting for the angel. The Sword of Horum was in his hand; his other guards had feld in terror. He was an old man with long white hair and beard; an ancient, iron crown hung loosely on his head.

"Who dares enter my palace without my permission?" The King asked.

"I am Farael, and I have a message from the Gods of Light! Repent! The people of Horum have sinned against their gods, and turned away from them. You have lead them into darkness! Repent! Turn away from the Dark Gods and command your people to do the same. If not, then fire will rain down from the sky when the Sun rises in the morning. You have been warned!"

"Get out of my city!" The king screamed. "No man, angel, or god can command me! I answer to no one. Be gone!"

With that Farael left, and I followed him. I walked with him outside the city gates, and then he said to me:

"The king will not change his mind. Take your family and leave this city at once. Go to the town of Jabeth. It is a good town and you will be safe there. Keep true to the Gods of Light, for you are a good man. Write down everything you have seen so others may know the truth."

After saying that Farael rose up to the sky like a bird in flight. I did what I was told. I took my family out of the city, but instead of going to Jabeth right away we set up a tent on the hill outside the city. At dawn I beheld a Rain of Fire fall on Horum. No man, women, or child in Horum survived it. I knelt down and prayed to Farael for his mercy, and then I took my family to Jabeth.

Kinnal Eth 2:1-25

"Wait," Farael said to Sissyl,"I have so many questions please stay!"

But, she literally disappeared. Her golems remained, but they weren't saying anything.

Farael was in shock. Her had been to this world five times before, and each time he had been a catalyst for great change...both good and bad? She also said that he should be able to remove the runes of his body, but how? Who put these runes on him and for what purpose? He didn't know what to do or what to believe.

"I told you that her answers lead to more questions," Kryzbyn said. "When you said your name was Farael, I didn't know that you were the Farael from the Holy Canon."

"What is the Holy Canon?" Farael asked.

"It's the book that the Church of Lights use for their prayers. It's also called the Book of Light or the Good Book. My faith doesn't use it, but I have read it out of respect for them. What Sissyl said was true, you must be Farael the Angel returned to Tennelore. The very thought of thaty scares me."

"Why? What did I do before? Have I done both good and bad things?"

"Look, I know you are a good person or angel," Kryzbyn said. "I know you would never intentially hurt me or anyone else. I guess the problem is that in the Holy Canon you were delivering messages from the Gods of Light, and sometimes those messages were not nice."

"In one of the stories I read," Wynnym said, "you destroyed an entire city that had sinned against the Gods of Light. I called down fire from sky, and everyone in the city of Horum was destroyed. You delivered a message and it was received."

"I don't get it. I don't have message to deliver. I don't even remember the Gods of Light or the Heavens."

"Not yet," Kryzbyn said.

There was a moment of silence and Farael was at a loss for words. In fact, he had trouble keeping his eyes open. He sat down.

"Farael," Wynnym asked, "when was the last time you slept?"

"Slept? What does that mean?"

"You are mortal now," Kyrzbyn said, "so that means you have to eat, drink, and sleep. Why don't you lie down on the ground and sleep? Just close your eyes and it will happen naturally. I will stand guard, since I don't need to sleep."

Farael nodded and lied down on the ground. Within seconds he was asleep and he started to dream about a pineapple tree in the Wastedland...

A shadow passed over the Wastedland. It saw the tree and it smiled.

Yes, that is good. The Game is started again. He has returned and all is going to according to the Plan. Yes, hahahahaha...

The shadow passed over the Temple of Death, and the Death Goddess herself acknowledged it, but she did not smile. She was a part of the World, and yet separate from it. She knew the Game was starting again, and she welcomed it, because it always meant that more souls would come to her.

LET THE GAME BEGIN...

Colonel Yzgal was not a nice Vandan. Her face really was red with rage, as were the many horns that protruded from her head. The two green furred Aragh were by her side as she mounted the air ship. Like her it was made of crystal, but it's color was black like her armor. It's crew consisted of about twenty of her officiers, fellow Vandans like her, and hundred of the human slave-soldiers, that were controlled with reddish collars at their necks.

Her first officier, a male Vandan named Tzan, approached her as she floated into the ship.

"We are ready to depart, Colonel. The slaves have prepared the ship for departure."

"Then get on with it!" Yzgal screamed. Her voice was very high pitched, and she liked screaming. She enjoyed the sound of it. In her hand was a black colored whip. Whenever she passed one of the slaves she was casually whip them. She enjoyed doing that too.

When she entered her chamber the two Aragh went with her. She had been commanded to never let them leave her side. Her instructions were clear: deal with the blue skinned man named Farael personally.

Capture him if you can, but if not kill him. He is the most dangerous person you have ever faced.

Yzgal laughed to herself. She had personally killed thousands of these humans, and other races, when they took control this world (most of it) over a century ago. They were inferior to the Vandans in everyway. Even their gods were inferior to their gods, she believed. Why else would they allow them to take control of this world? She laughed again and decided to leave her chamber.

"I have more slaves to whip," she told the two Aragh at her side.

The ship traveled to the west, and its journey would take them across the Temrathi Empire to the location of the rebels. They paid their spies well for their information. It was time to deal with them once and for all...

Upon hearing what it had just told the assembly in front of it, a small voice at the back of the skull's cranium was beginning to panic.

You're bluffing??? To THESE PEOPLE?!?

Weeeell, a more forward-positioned voice responded, I really could stand their help, and under the circumstances, what else am I to do?

There was a microsecond of epiphany as two inner voices found accord.

"But first," said the skull aloud....

"Yes?" prompted Kryzbyn within the next second's pause.

"BANZAIIII!!!"

The skull suddenly rocketed itself straight into Wynnym's chest, burying himself in her statuesque bust.

After the three shared an initial reaction of momentary slack-jawed shock, Wynnym grabbed the skull with both hands, wrenched it away from her until her arms were completely outstretched, and began to squeeze.

"You wouldn't be the first skull I've crushed with my bare hands, you know - if I'm not mistaken, you'd be #27," She bellowed. She realized as she did that she was beginning to make good on her promise, and the muscles in her upper arms were visibly expanding with the effort.

She also began to notice that this was one tough skull. It merely lay there in her hands, its jaw wide open and eyes glazed over. She reluctantly let go, and it just continued hovering there.

"...Good enough..." It gurgled. "...completely...worth...it...."

As he was watching this, it occurred to Farael perhaps he should have done something. He had rather expected some serious white lightning right about now, but there had been none forthcoming.

"Anyways," Farael managed to say as commandingly as he could, "you were offering answers?"

The skull abruptly broke out of its bliss in response. "Answers? Answers! You bet chief, answers! Come with me and we'll get this all sorted out. That's what I'm good at, answers, answers, or my name isn't...uhh...."

The poorest fragment of desperate memory surfaced in its mind and suggested itself.

"Rictus. Name's Rictus."

There was a momentary pause as Kryzbyn, Farael, and Wynnym looked at the floating skull who just told them his name.

"All right, Rictus, what about the answers?" Farael asked.

Rictus was at a loss for words. What should he do? Lie? The angel would probably know if he was lying. At least he finally found out two things: his name and his sex. He started to tell the truth, that he had no answers, when he heard a loud voice in his head:

TAKE THEM TO THE STATUE OF ZURN. THERE IS A SECRET DOOR UNDER HIS LEFT FOOT. IT LEADS THE TUNNELS UNDER THE TOWN. I WILL GUIDE YOU TO MY CAVERN.

"Wow, that actually hurt my skull," Rictus said to himself.

"What?" Kryzbyn asked.

"Oh, under the Statue of Zurn's left foot there is a secret door to the tunnels under the town. There I will guide you to a cavern where you will get your answers. Follow me!" Rictus started to float, and the other three reluctantly followed.

Rictus has never been to the town square or the statue, but it was not difficult to find. Apparently when he was actually alive he was really good at finding things. It wasn't long before they were at the twon square, and they saw what was left of the Statue of Zurn. Most of it's upper body had been destroyed by the fireballs. The legs were all that was left.

"Zurn was a sort of prophet," Kryzbyn said, "who founded this town over 500 years ago as a safehaven for free thinkers. As the power of Temrath grew, Zurn became a neutral town where people could express their views openly. Lately, the people here weren't even doing that. Temrathi spies were everywhere. Even I kept quiet, at least in the open. I knew they were evil, but I never expected this."

"Come on, stop crying!" Rictus said. "Let's see what this Zurn guy has under his left foot!"

Kryzbyn felt the need to shoot an arrow into Rictus, but instead he simply followed. He knew all about the tunnels under Zurn, but he didn't know about a secret cavern. However, he kept quiet for now.
They made their way across the ruins of the town square, and they saw many burned bodies. Wynnym cried quietly.

At the statue Kyrzbyn easily found the secret door under the left foot (he had used it before) and they followed the Rictus down the earthen stairs to the tunnels. Here the floating skull immeaditely got lost, but the voice in his head guided him.

TURN LEFT.

Rictus did and the rest followed. His glowing, red eyes provided all of the light they needed. They made several more right, left, and straight turns before finally reaching a part of the tunnels that Kryzbyn had never been to. They reached a dead end, which was in fact a giant boulder.

"This has to be it," Rictus said. "The voice in my head tells me that the answers you seek are in there, but you have to move this boulder first. Don't ask me to do it."

"Who is this voice in your head?" Farael asked.

"How in the Hells should I know?" I didn't know my name until a few hours ago. Just move the damned boulder!"

Farael tried pushing it, but it would not budge. They all tried pushing it, but it still would not move. Farael grew frustated, and he kicked the boulder in anger. As he did it his runes glowed, and the giant rock spilt in two. Once the dust cleared, Farael entered the cavern first.

It was vast. Stalactites grew down from ceiling of the cavern in seemingly endless rows. Fungi grew on the ground, and they glowed with a soft, green light. They heard the sounds of footsteps in the distance, and they saw glowing, red eyes watching them at the edges of the cavern.

"Welcome to my lair, now that my former lair has been destroyed."

A very tall, pale skinned women (who had bones growing out of her head instead of hair) was smiling at them. Two winged, chitinous golems were at her side.

"I am Sissyl the Seer, and I have the answers that you seek."

As previously mentioned, somewhere in the waste beyond the tree line stood a single pineapple tree, which any half-decent naturalist would have observed seemed quite out of its element. Something stirred within it.

"It's been a dull little world of late, hasn't it?" Thought a thinker to itself. "Peaceful, yes, but a certain kind of peace - the kind one feels after one's lost a war. It's no fun any more."

A single large, ripe pineapple fell from the tree and bounced several yards across the ground...and in spite of the familiar dictates of botany and physics, continued to bounce merrily onward from there.

"Isn't it time for a holiday? Time for, perhaps...a Game?"

The pineapple continued to bounce across the Wastedland until it bounced to the Temple of Death, which was appropriately covered in bones. It "knocked" on the skullgate several times before it opened. A woman with pale white skin and red eyes opened the door. She saw the pineapple and at first did not know what to think of it.

"Would you like to play a Game?" The pineapple said. Of course, she knew that the voice was coming from the fruit itself. It was coming from somewhere.

LET THE PINEAPPLE IN!

Sotiria knew the Voice of Death when she heard it, and it still filled her with awe. She opened the gate, and the pineapple rolled in...

Sissyl was concerned. She had stood polishing her hundredth chitin golem's breastplate when she realized there had been some kind of change in the very atmosphere of the world around her. From the sad, broken status quo, there was the beginnings of a promise of breaking up, like the first warm wind in spring. She had done her rituals, taking her time to make certain the results were as good as they could be. The piles of iridescent insect wings lay in heaps before her now, as she sat staring at them in her workroom. The only light was a small candle-flame, and it reflected against the tiny symbols and patterns on the table. Sissyl searched for their meaning, until the world eventually intruded once again and the wings became merely wings again.

"Strange. So close, and so strong. It does indeed seem they are headed here. Such a being will stir up many other pairs of eyes. Best make sure I have some aid to give him once he gets here."

She pondered the chitinous golems. They had wings, certainly, but they were clumsy fliers and would take far too long to get there to help Farael. And, the divination had been clear. The blue man would get to her house. It was entirely uncertain whether he would still live by then, though... Sissyl decided, as so many other times, to wait. She had oceans of patience.

Farael, Kryzbyn, Wynnym (plus the unnoticed, floating skull) left the forest as dawn approached, and they walked through the Hathor Hills. In the hills was the town of Zurn. It was built into the side of a valley, and it was shaped like a bowl. Houses were built into the side of the valley as it descented down to the bottom. Farael noticed that the appearence of the houses improved as they approached the bottom, until they came to what he assumed was the town square.

"This is where I grew up," Kyrzbyn said. "As you can tell, I look different. I was an orphan, abandoned by my parents on the streets of Zurn. A Church of Lights took me into their orphanage. It was mostly a happy childhood, but the other orphans picked on me. When I was old enough I ran away into the woods, and that is where I finally felt at peace. Unless, of course, I am with Wynnym."

"Shut up! Where is this Sissyl's house? I want to be done with you once and for all!"

"Its very close, my plumcake," Kryzbyn said.

"Why does she hate you so much?" Farael asked.

"It's a long story, Blue-One. You might say it's complicated. If I had more time I would tell you, but we are almost there."

They went through a maze of houses, buildings, shops and warehouses all built together. Finally, Kryzbyn pointed to a strange looking house that was separate from the others. It was decorated with the statues of winged creatures that Farael immeaditely recognized.

"Angels," he said. "It looks like Sissyl likes angels."

"Then that means good luck for you," Kryzbyn said. "Maybe you will get your wings back afterall."

Farael doubted that it would be this easy. He still felt that he was being watched, and something terrible was about to happen.

"How well do you know Sissyl?" Farael asked.

"Not too well. I just know that she is some sort of all-knowing {i}Seer[/i], and for a small donation she will answer your questions. I asked her a question once, and she was right. However, the answers usually lead to other questions."

"Then there is no point waiting. I guess I will knock on her..."

That was when they heard a loud BOOM and shouting from the other side of the town.

"What is that?" Kryzbyn said just before a giant fireball struck Sissyl's house. It exploded in bright flames that knocked the three of them down (and the it sent the unnotice, floating skull flying).

"NO!" Farael yelled. As he stood up he noticed that Wynnym was hurt. A brick from Sissyl's house had struck her head and she was bleeding. Kryzbyn immediately picked her up.

"We have got to get out of here now!" Farael said. "Which way do we go?"

"It doesn't matter, just run! I will follow you!"

Farael ran, and Kryzbyn ran after him holding Wynnym. All around him fireballs were striking houses, and people were running for their lives. It was minutes later when they noticed them.

Hundreds of swording welding soldiers dressed in black, metallic armor were slaughtering anyone they caught. They were all wearing a bright, red collars around their necks that glowed.

"Those are Temrathi slave-soldiers!" Kyrzbyn said. "They must be here for you!"

Seeing the soldiers cut down innocent people filled Farael with rage, and that was when his runes began to glow. Kryzbyn dropped to the ground and covered Wynnym.

White lightning surrounded Farael and it flew towards the soldiers. Their black armor exploded. He ran past him and he saw what was throwing the fireballs. It looked like a giantic cannon on wheels pushed by slaves. Some sort of dark wizard was operating it. It was on the eastern rim of Zurn, and it was raining fireballs down onto the town.

Farael pointed at the fire cannon and he yelled STOP! The white lightning left his fingertips and the cannon was destroyed, along with anyone near it. Farael was too preoccupied to notice one of the slave-soldiers strike him from behind with his sword. His runes glowed and the sword did not penerate his skin.

Farael turned around and struck the soldier once with his fist. His hand went through the armor and the soldier died instantly. He saw that the surviving soldiers were retreating. That was when the runes stopped glowing, and Farael was back in control again.

Most of Zurn was now in ruins. He saw that Krysbyn was kneeling by Wynnym. Her head was badly cut and covered by blood. Farael knelt by her.

"Can you help her?" Kryzbyn asked

Farael reached out and touched her forehead. He concentrated with all of his might, and his hands glowed lightly. Wynnym's wound healed and she woke up.

"In the name of Alraune!" She said. She noticed that Kryzbyn was holding her so she quickly stood up.

"What happened?" Wynnym asked.

"I think this was about me. I felt that something terrible was about to happen. I have got to leave here and get away from anyone. No one else should be hurt because of me."

"If it's answers you want, Angel, then I might be able to help you."

They all turned around and saw a floating, grinning skull looking at them.

"Follow me if you want to live," it said.

No one who wasn't looking for such a thing would have noticed the strange little skull, barren and bleached save for its googly eyes looking quite fresh in their sockets, floating on the horizon. Though it had been quietly muttering to itself the whole time up till now, after what it had just seen it was at a loss for words.

But not for too long. It began analyzing its predicament.

"Item 1: I've forgotten who - and exactly what - I am, and have before me someone who looks to be in the same boat.

Item 2: I find that my fellow amnesiac, an imposing, blue, tattooed gent who looks like he'll sooner be able to obliterate armies than remember his own thrice-damned name, simultaneously inspires empathy, sympathy, kinship, tantalizing familiarity, and a serious case of the willies. He could use a friend. So could I.

Item 3: I just saw a mighty and glorious paragon of womanhood possessed of no reservations whatsoever against proving the fact, and words cannot begin to measure my sudden lust! She could use a...a...well....

Item 4: Items 2 and 3 appear to have antagonized one another. Must I choose a side? Can't we all just get along?"

Clearly, the skull was preoccupied.

Several meters away, in a lonely and rather out-of-place pineapple tree, another spectator preferred it this way.

Back at the temple of bones, an imposing vulture flew into its belfry and rapped with its beak 4 times on the largest bell.

Within a 5-kilometer radius of the area in which Farael had first found himself, a mild earthquake shook the land for a good 9 seconds.

Of those last three events, only one meant nothing.

Farael and his female companion felt the earthquake.

"Did you do that?" Farael asked.

"No, it wasn't me. That was not a natural occurance. We must hurry."

She started running and Farael ran after her. The woods parted for them both until they reached a very large clearing. Gathered there were many forest folk dressed like the woman. Farael saw that the trees themselves formed a circle around the clearing, and they looked like they were watching him. He also saw all manner of animals also watching and waiting.

"Farael! I am happy to see you!" It was Kryzbyn and he was holding a handful of berries. He handed them to Farael who immeaditely ate them.

"As soon as I left," Kryzbyn said, "the trees themselves captured me. I have been traveling in these woods since my youth, and that has never happened before. You bring out the worse in people, Farael."

"Silence! We should have feed you to the Blooms years ago! You are nothing but an annoying pest who using the forest as a playground! The Forest Mother is coming!"

One of the largest trees around the clearing "walked" towards them. It began to change shape into a giant woman. He skin was as brown as tree bark, her hair was the color of tree leaves, and her eyes were as black as coal. When she spoke, her voice echoed throughout the forest.

Your coming has been expected, Farael. Your arrival was foretold long ago. The pieces of the Great Game are falling into place. Your fall will bring many great changes to the World, both good and bad.

"Why am I here? Who placed these runes on me? Why can't I remember my past?"

You have many questions, but you are not ready for the answers. In time you will be, when you face him for the fate of the World.[i]

"Who will I face? Is this person's name Culex?"

[i]When the time is right, you will know his name. My servant Wynnym will escort you out of the forest and into the town of Zurn. There you will find some of the answers you seek.

"Please, Forest Mother, no! Choose someone else!" Wynnym pleaded. However, Alraune seemed not to hear and she disappeared back into the forest.

"I guess you are part of the party now," Kryzbyn said to her.

Wynnym struck him quickly with a tree vine.

"Do not speak to me! Come, I must obey my Mother. It will be Sunrise soon. I want to get this task over with."

So the three departed from the clearing, and in the distance a grinning, floating skull followed.

"I want to join the party," it said. It floated along unnoticed...

Meanwhile, far across the land, in the distant mage-empire that rules this world, a sinister force watches through disembodied eyes. A mighty elemental lord observes the fallen one and his vagabond companion as they travel, and his face twists with an expression of distaste.

"What troubles you, sir?" an attendant inquires, drawing the Dark Knight from his reverie.

"A force has begun to move," replies the master, though his gaze never departs from the vision before him. "A ravager has appeared, and has dared the night. It seems the Expired will be of no use against this one. His touch renders them to ash."

"Shall we dispatch the Knights, my lord?" a captain inquires. Her hand reaches eagerly for the weapon at her side.

"Not yet," the leader answers. "They must pass through the forest first. Perhaps the natives of that feral place will spare us the effort. The forest is full of deadly things eager for the lifeblood of mortals. And should the Blooms be disturbed, they might be so conveniently placed as forest guardians themselves, completely under the control of the Forest Mother Alraune."

Nods and murmurs around the room confirm the Dark Knight's assessment.

"Nevertheless, let us be prepared," he adds. "Dispatch a contingent of armed slaves to the western border. Make sure their collars are functional - I will not stand for another revolt. Tell them to seek the dark archer and the tattooed angel, and destroy them both. They must NOT reach the lair of the seer. Am I understood?"

More murmurs of assent, followed by the attendants and underlings departing to do their lord's will. The master turns his attention fully back to the scene before him as Farael and Kryzbyn near the haunted wood. Farael... at last, you have come. I have waited long for this moment. Let us see what dance Fate has in store for you... this time.

Farael felt someone watching them. The feeling was something familar from long ago, but he could not remember it. He remembered a name. Culex. The name meant nothing to him, but it still bothered him.

"We need to leave this forest soon," Farael said. "I have a bad feeling about this place. I think we are being watched."

"Of course we are being watched," Kryzbyn said. "The Expired must be watching us from the forest."

"No, it's something or someone else. Is there a quicker way out of the forest?"

"Yes, but we would have to leave the road and cut through the forest. I know all of the trails through the forest. It would cut our travel time in half, but there are others things in the woods besides the Expired to worry about."

"We don't have time to worry about it. We have to go now."

"All right then, my blue friend, then let us depart. Follow me."

Kryzbyn ran into the forest and Farael followed him. He cut through the woods like someone would go through their house. Kryzbyn knew the forest well. After a long time he found a clearing and stopped.

"You may not get tired and hungry, but I do," Kryzbyn said. "Stay here and I will go get us some berries to eat. You do eat, don't you?"

"I believe so. I have been feeling weak lately, and I have been feeling pains in my throat and stomach."

"What you are feeling, Farael, is hunger and thirst. Apparently the fall you took changed you into one of us mortals. Don't move, I'll be back!" Kryzbyn disappeared into the forest without a sound.

Farael waited for a time, until he heard a sound from the forest.

"Is that you, Kryzbyn?"

There was no response, but he heard a crashing sound and then he saw a tree move. Then another tree moved and still another. It wasn't long before the trees started to move closer to Farael. He tried to run, but he felt his legs and arms being held by vines. They were very strong.

One of the trees moved towards him with unlikely speed, and he saw the trunk open up into what looked a mouth full of wooden teeth. Apparently, the trees were hungry too. Farael opened his mouth to yell, and his voice sounded like thunder. He simply said, "STOP!" The trees stopped.

White lightning crackled all around him and the vines burned away. The lightning reached out and struck each tree, setting them ablaze. Farael looked on in shock, and he noticed that once again the runes covering his body were glowing.

He also noticed something else. There was a light rain that fell from the tree tops. The rain quickly put out the fire. The walking trees retreated from him in apparent fear. Then he saw her.

She looked Elven in appearence. He hair was green, and her clothes looked like leaves and bark. They covered up her private parts, but left nothing else to the imagination. She looked at Farael with intense eyes.

"Try not to do that again, Stranger. Those Blooms are ancient," she said.

"They tried to eat me. I had to defend myself," Farael said.

"I wish they had eaten you. Both of you, in fact."

"Is Kryzbyn with you? Has he been harmed?"

"No, he is alive still. Come, the Forest Mother Alraune has summoned you. I have been commanded to take you to her. She wants to speak with you. I hope it doesn't last long."

She turned and walked through the forest; the trees parted for her. Farael followed close behind...

What color is the sky?

Can Farael decipher any of the runes on his skin?

Does he have powers? Perhaps a gregarious floating skull companion?

As soon as the Sun set, they heard sounds coming from the trees on the side of the road. The recently Expired began to stumble out of the woods, and they were coming towards them. Kryzbyn took out his bow and he began to shoot his arrows. He was a very good shot; several of the Expired fell with silver arrows in their heads. However, several of them attacked Farael.

He didn't know what to do, so he tried to push them away. As soon as he touched one of them, the runes on his skin glowed with a bright light and a white lightning erupted from his hands. The Expired that were near him exploded. The other Expired slowly turned away back into the forest.

"What in the Hells was that?" Kryzbyn asked.

"I don't know. I didn't make that happen. I didn't control it."

"Interesting. I hope Sissyl can decipher those runes. We don't have to worry about the Expired attacking us again. Come on, let's go. We will be there by morning so we can see the blue sky again. Maybe we can make some gold too."

As they continued walking they didn't notice a gregarious, floating skull following them...

"....I cast the runes upon these sands,.......

an angel cast down in the dirt,.....
seek the garden's guard whose hands,
grasp a brand of fiery hurt...."

As the two walked to the town, and it was starting to get dark, they saw a horrific looking man walking towards them in the middle of the road. When he saw Farael he laughed and said,

"...I cast the runes upon these sands,...
an angel cast down in the dirt,...
seek the garden's guard whose hands,
grasp a brand of fiery hurt..."

He then laughed again and ran past them.

"Who was that?" Farael asked.

"Its just the local hermit. He is quite mad. I have heard tales that he was once a powerful Runecaster, but when he went mad he stopped casting runes. Now he just begs for gold and he lives in the hills," Kryzbyn said.

"Maybe I can talk to him and ask him questions?"

"Not now. We have to keep moving. Its starting to get dark and the Expired will start coming out. If they do then we will have to fight them off. I hope you know how to fight. I can protect myself, but not both of us."

"I don't know. I will have to see when the fighting starts."

Farael felt there was more, much more to this situation than he could see. In many cultures, he knew that beginnings always coloured what they started. Thus, seeking death at this point, even symbolically, was foolish. He resolved not to enter, but raised his voice and called to the priestess: You have my word that I will return at one point of my travels.

The priestess did not answer back, but he felt like he heard her.

"So, Farael, what are you going to travel to now? What is it that you are seeking?"

"Answers. I do not know why I am here. The priestess of death told me that I was cursed with these Runes of Servitude on my body by some unknown master of the arcane arts. That is why I am on this world. She also said that the goddess of death had plans for me."

"Yes, that sounds like being cursed to me. Look, I am what you may called in-between jobs at the moment, so I might be able to help. I have a friend, so to speak, who lives in a town about 10 leagues east of here. She is very wise, and she knows a great deal about lots of things. However, she is also very strange. You will probably like her."

"What is her name?"

"Sissyl. As I said she is very strange in both mind and body, but by the looks of you I don't think you will mind. However, if charges a price for any questions asked of her. You wouldn't happen to have a bag of gold somewhere?"

"If by gold you mean money, then know. I don't remember ever needing it before where I came from."

"Well, on this world you need gold and lots of it just to survive. We can talk about it more on the way. Between the two of us I am sure we can find a way to make some gold. By the way, what are you? I can tell you aren't Human, and thats a good thing."

"I think I was an angel before I came here."

"An angel from the Heavens? I thought they all had wings?"

"I don't know. Maybe I lost them along with my memories."

"Its all right, maybe Sissyl will help you. Let us go now, we have a long walk ahead of us to..."

He joins the x-men?

While he was trying to decide what to do, a strange looking man approached him. He had long, white hair, dark skin, and he was carrying a bow with a quiver of silver arrows.

"Are you one of the Expired?" The man asked.

"I am not dead, if that is what you mean," Farael said.

"Yes, that is what I meant. My name is Kryzbyn, by the way. What is your name?"

"My name is Farael."

"I am honored to meet you. I couldn't help but see you staring at the temple. I saw you walk out of the Wastedland with the priestess. I think her name is Sotiria."

"Do you know her?"

"I know her too well. Are you going to go inside to talk with her?"

"I don't know," Farael said.

An ominous but still benevolent young (?) priestess of a death goddess informs the angel of what she had visioned during a period of meditation. He seems to have been cursed with the runes of servitude by some unknown master of the arcane arts that had struck him down to this world. As for what he plans to do about the situation, she leaves it up to him to find out while she walks away from the scene itself. The goddess has plans for this one, and it's not her business to pry into them.

Not knowing what else to do, Farael decided to follow her. He discovered that he is in a Wastedland. It looked like a desert with rocky hills and lifeless trees. Ravens were following them. The priestess knew that he was following her, but she continued to walk. After a day of walking through the land, they came upon a decrepit looking temple. It was adorned with statues of skulls and ravens. The priestess looked back once, and then she entered through the skull gate of the temple.

Farael didn't know what to do. Should be enter a temple of death to seek out answers, or should he go elsewhere in this unknown world?

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The start is that an angel, Farael, has been thrown out of the Heavens, and he fell to an unknown world. He woke up in an unfamilar place with few memories of his prior life. Also, he has blue skin covered with intricate runes, and glowing, yellow eyes. What happenes next?

IRS Auditors knocking on your door at 7AM and Girl Scout cookies (especially Thin Mints)

It was 7 am when the young girl, Evie, heard the knocking on the door. Her mom, Beverly, was passed out on the couch after a long night of drinking, so the little girl knew she wasn't going to wake up. The knocking continued, so she asked, "Who is it?"

"We are IRS agents. We need to speak with you immeaditely." Evie looked through the side window and she saw two stern looking men in gray suits.

"My mom told me not to open the door for strangers," Evie said.

"We are not strangers, little girl," one of the men said, "we are IRS agents and we need to talk to your mom immeaditely. Wake her up for us."

Evie did not want to wake her mom up. The last time she did that her mom got really mad and she gave her a bad spanking. That was not going to happen again.

"No, I am not gonna wake mommy up. Go away!"

Evie ran into the kitchen to get away from the men, who were still knocking. She was hungry, so she ate the rest of the Girl Scout cookies. They were thin mints, and she loved them. She used to be a Girl Scout until her mom got the divorce and stopped taking her.

Finally the knocking stopped, and Evie was glad. After she finished the thin mints she watched TV for a while until her mom woke up. She looked really tired, and her eyes were all red.

"Did you eat breakfast?" Beverly asked.

"Yes mom, the girl scout cookies."

"That's good, but there's no more food left. I don't know when I can get some more."

"Its okay mom, I can get some more." Evie said, smiling.

Beverly smiled too, then she ran into the bathroom and Evie heard her throw up.

New Red Dawn movie + Mole Machines: North Korea decides to forego nuclear missiles for a five mile deep Subterranean City and mole Machines which they use to tunnel beneath the USA and red dawn its cities by dropping them into huge holes.

Yellow and Dingo

Bluddwolf wrote:

In PFO a "Paladin" is anyone who claims to be one, and it will be up to others who claim to be "Paladins" if he or she lives up to that that image. He or she could prefer to wear light armor, and use a staff, rather than the stereotypical full plate armor, long sword and shield.

An Assassin can be Chaotic Good, and have no stealth abilities or use of poison. He or she is a vigilante killer of the most heinous criminals, and the rest of the day he or she is healing sick children with Cure Light Wounds and Cure Disease spells.

I don't know the lore of Pathfinder, but I was under the impression these are designated by the gods? Is that right?

Clearly, you have no class...

Hide and Seek.

Richard Wagner and a lycra banana hammock.

Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works.

IRS Auditors knocking on your door at 7AM and Girl Scout cookies (especially Thin Mints)

OR

String Theory and Teletubbie Zombies

OR

Remnants of a Paleolithic settlement and String Cheese

I liked your ideas of String Theory and Teletubbie Zombies, because they aren't too wordy. I can work with that. I think if you reworded the first set to IRS Auditors and Girl Scout Cookies, it would work better. I need to research String Theory more, because I don't know a lot about it. Remnants of a Paleolithic settlement and String Cheese? Maybe if it was just Paleolithic settlement and String Cheese...

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I liked the interview Jim Butcher did a while back where he described an argument with a friend that a good author could take any ideas no matter how overdone or unrelated they may be and make them into a credible book. To prove his point he asked for two random ideas that don't work together at all. His friend came up with "Lost Roman legion" and "Pokémon" and that's where this series "Furies of Calderon" began.

For this thread come up with two random ideas that don't seem to go together, and I will try to come up with a story from them. I recall seeing a thread like this before.

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I do not know who Leafar the Lost is. I really am just trying to talk about Newton's Laws. That's it. Period.

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Holy shiznit!

I don't whether I can bring myself to favorite that or not.

Jean-Paul Sartre, Intrnet Troll, I am trying to lead a serious discussion about Newton's laws, and you are being disruptive. I kindly ask you to leave. Thank you.

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Newton's third law states that forces on objects come from other objects and hence always exist in pairs. The force of object 1 on object 2 is equal and opposite to the force of object 2 on object 1. This 3rd law leads to the concept of work, which is force acting through a distance.

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Are you looking for examples? Or ways that the 2nd law is applied in science?

Yes.

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Jean-Paul Sartre, Intrnet Troll, please take this seriously.

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Newton's first law of motion states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force. This is also called the law of inertia and can be derived from Newton's second law of motion.

Newton's second law of motion states that if a net force acts on an object, it will cause the object to accelerate.

Do they need to destroy canon to make a good movie? Yes, they do. JJ Abrams did when he made the new Star Trek. It was a great movie, because he didn't give a f^&* about canon. He set out just to make a great movie, and that's all. He didn't have to rewrite his scripts based on Star Trek tech discussions. That actually happened in ST:TNG.

Hopefully, Disney will hire a great writer for the script, and a great director for the movie. It could even be the same person. When you do that, it usually ends up being a great movie. The only canon the new writer/director needs to follow is from the first six episodes. That's it! Anything else is a waste of time...

I want to find out who would really win. Just looking at the numbers, Darkseid would win. His Omega Beams wipe out anything they hit from existance, or in the case of Batman send that person back in time. I never understood that. Thanos would be "dead", but since he pi$$ed off Death herself, he isn't allowed to die. He would come back.

Another way of looking at it is that Thanos could probably figure out a way to reverse the Omega Sanction, and have Darkseid wiped out of existance by his own hand. Thanos is the man, which is why he was in the Avenger's movie. For that reason alone, he wins.

Remember, EU IS NOT STAR WARS CANON! Disney can, and will, completely ignore the books when they create Star Wars 7, 8, and 9. Lucas sold it to them, so they can do whatever they want now. They could even go back and reboot it all. They are probably using the Star Wars EU books as toilet paper right now...