Major Characters:

Sir Sturin Dreymis, Shakiniel’s Charge

Lady Idriane Valentre, Hope’s Defender

Warlord Greymont Feyranti, Fist of Luciphage

Scene I

As you attentively await the curtain to rise, an announcer begins to shout from an unknown location: “The scenes you are about to witness, though fictitious, are graphic, containing magical depictions of violence and gore. Viewer discretion is advised.”

As the curtains begin to rise, a soft luminescent white rolling mist begins to unfold off the end of the stage. Angelic hymns surround you, feeling you with an inner peace and quiet calmness. Cherubs happily dance around with each other as seraphs move quietly about what is clearly the Holy Plane of Celestia. Brilliant rays of golden light bounce off the surroundings, resonating from the halos placed upon the heads of holy archangels making their way across the stage.

The mist continues to roll out from the stage, but you begin to notice a very subtle redness to it as the scene shifts towards the mountainous region in the west. The subtleness begins to fade into crimson as the smell of decay and burning flesh begins to permeate the area.

The mountains of Celestia slowly begin to twist and mutate before your eyes. You begin to recognize cracks and fractures forming in the ground that swallow the water that once puddled there. The area turns desolate, foul, mutated…tainted.

Out of the smoke, you make out the form of an archangel, teary eyed with blood smeared across its face, reaching out to the other inhabitants in plea for assistance. Just as it is clear of the smoke, a solid black draconic broadsword rips through the angels chest as tendrils of black smoke and shadow wrap around and jerk it suddenly back into the darkness.

The scene now shifts to the Pool of Stars as the angels on the stage frantically form up in a circle around it, sending out the alarm of invaders through the aetherwaves. Almost immediately, in a blind flash of light, holy Celestine priests emerge from the Pool of Stars, symbols in hand with holy archangels standing guard behind them wielding flaming broadswords.

The Pool of Stars begins churning and rippling as a steady stream of water begins to flow outwards from the base. The stream begins to intensify as the water pools up at the feet of the priests, when suddenly; a torrential wave crashes out over the stage and rises above your area of visibility. After it dissipates you notice a group of Aquamancers, glowing staves in hand, whispering magics into the surrounding water as it begins to glow with a powerful light. The group forms up as the holy light intensifies and the waters begin churning and growing in depth and power.

The group starts to make its way west towards the tainted area. You notice the cracks and sludge in the ground begin to mend as the holy water washes over it. As the group edges closer however, the cracks begin to turn to fissures and black smoke mixed with flashes of crimson red light start to mix with the ambient light and mist coming from the Celestian group.

Poisonous shards of tainted earth explode outward from the smoke, hitting one of the priests in the chest, blowing him backwards. Gouts of excorable magics drive through the crowd of Celestians as they return fire, blasting hailstones the size of your fist and holy rays of divinus light into the darkness. The smoke begins to clear and you can now plainly make out a large force of Magnagoran warriors charging towards the Celestians.

The Celestine priests raise their shields as bright rays of light shoot from the eyes of the archangels behind, striking many of the assailants dead on. The Magnagorans clash with the group in a furious explosion of fire, magic, and blood. Bright flashes of light blaze in all directions as the sounds of steel meeting steel and screaming begin to mingle together. Both sides fight fiercely as walls of stone and rivers of water drive back and forth across the stage.

Screams continue to ring out as the Handmaiden of Shakiniel blasts to the front of the group in a blaze of righteous fury, cutting down two of the warriors with a fiery sword. Lady Idriane Valentre, the champion of the Celestines, follows suit, grabbing one of the commander’s armour and pulling him in as she chants and looks into his eyes. He falls to his knees, crying out of black eyes and screaming “What have I done!!!” before falling to his face, dead from the judgement passed over him.

The ground shakes and rumbles violently, throwing the group of Celestians off balance as the fissures in the ground begin to open up with poisonous gas and thick oily ectoplasm. One of the fissures rips open, swallowing an unaware Aquamancer before closing suddenly after a short scream.

The noxious gas and smoke begins to envelop the scene as the Handmaiden and Lady Idriane at the vanguard can be seen surrounded in the distance. The sounds of steel clashing rings out as multiple sword strikes bash against the shields of the duo and beams of holy light flash out in all directions. Magnagoran bodies with black eyes can be seen strewn throughout the area as they continue to strike down foe after foe.

They begin to slow with exhaustion however as the Magnagorans close in around them. Idriane looks another warrior in the eyes deep into his soul, when suddenly a crucifix rips up out of the tainted ground, pinning her to it as her limbs jerk and break under the pressure. Warlord Greymont, The Fist of Luciphage appears out of the smoke, chanting foul dark words before shooting his hand through Idriane’s chest, killing her instantly.

The Handmaiden screams out in desperation as she clambers towards her ward, cutting another Magnagoran down with her flaming sword. The archangel falls to her knees in front of the crucifix as Lord Greymont turns toward her. Shackles appear around the archangel as the champion of the Ur’Guard approaches, a bloody draconic broadsword in hand. He raises the sword, ready to tear his opponent asunder.

You close your eyes and cringe as you hear the sound of a sword slicing cleanly through flesh. You slowly open your eyes, revealing the head of the Ur’Guard rolling towards the front of the stage and Sir Sturin Dreymis, Shakiniel’s Charge, Champion of the Paladins standing next to the corpse. The Paladin quickly frees the Handmaiden before turning to the Fist of Luciphage.

Lord Greymont says: “You are out-numbered Charge! Yield now and you will be granted a quick death.”

You notice a grin under the helm of the Paladin Champion, as multiple pops resound around him. Boxes begin appearing, unfolding themselves and growing larger and larger until suddenly revealing a large host of Paladins unfolding out of cubixes. The group begins its offensive, as water begins erupting out of the fissures. The blood drenched waters grow in depth and intensity as whirlpools begin forming around the group, drawing the Magnagorans in. Icy tsunamis crash against the group as the Paladins strike down foe after foe.

Sturin turns to face Lord Greymont as the rest of the Celestians charge forward into the remaining group of Magnagorans. Sturin charges Lord Greymont, who begins laughing in a mad hysteria. His sword high in the air, the Paladin begins to bring it down just as Lord Greymont presses a button on a cubix, wrapping up into the aether as the sword cleaves through the area he once stood.

Sturin shouts, “COWARD!!! I WILL FIND YOU! I SWEAR IT!”

Minutes pass quietly by as the Paladin stares around in amazement at the bloodshed.

A Paladin Squire runs up after a moment, giving a crisp salute.

The Paladin Squire says, “Sir, the enemy is routing, the remaining Magnagorans left in a hurry after Lord Greymont fled. There are many wounded Sir, the Celestines are beginning to heal them and the Aquamancers are clearing the taint as we speak.”

Sturin says, “Good work Squire, report to the Aquamancer champion and alert the members of the order of Dawn to form a search party to finish off the Magnagorans that fled, you should find them escaping through the rift to Ethereal. Members of the Aegis are to stay and defend this area.”

The Paladin Squire says, “Yes sir!” before once again saluting and running off back to the main group.

Sturin, now alone on the stage, kneels before the body of Lady Idriane. His hands begin to turn white as he clutches his swords harder and harder, fighting back tears. “The coward fled” he says under his breath. His voice grows angrier and angrier as he continues speaking through grinding teeth: “He is not honorable. He is not fit to lead. He is not fit to live.”

He begins fuming in rage as he continues to look upon the bodies of the fallen. He lets the rage get the best of him as he makes a final furious scream and touches the button on his transplanar cubix. It wraps around him, folding smaller and smaller until there is nothing where he once knelt.

Scene II

The curtains lower from the top of the stage and cover it completely before slowly rising once again to show a completely different scene. The Paladin champion can be seen in the middle of the stage, trudging through  Balach Swamp in knee deep filth. His rage is still obvious as he continues to clutch at his weapons, red-faced and muttering behind grinding teeth.

He continues to make his way through the swamp as you hear a cold somber voice ring out: “Your friends died painful deaths Paladin. Such a pretty sight to see.”

“I will rip you to pieces! Show yourself!” shouts Sturin.

He continues trudging through the heavy moss and mud, finally arriving at an island of higher ground in the deep of the swamp. There is a large figure cloaked in black standing motionless at the far end of the island.

Sturin begins to move toward the figure as you here dark chanting originating from an unknown source. Shackles suddenly appear around the Paladin, clamping tightly shut as he furiously struggles for freedom.

The cloak falls off of the figure, revealing the Nil Grim Horror, a demon of infamous power, and companion of the Fist of Luciphage. The Horror charges at Sturin, raking him across the chest with claws as long and sharp as daggers as the Paladin screams in agony.

Sturin struggles free of his shackles and begins to assess his surroundings. He chants softly under his breath as the ground begins glowing with holy light, marking the area as hallowed ground. The holy light begins absorbing into him and the wounds on his chest begin to magically mend.

The Nil Grim Horror screams in rage and charges at the Paladin again. He is ready this time however, swiftly dodging under the attack while sweeping a sword clean through the left leg of the demon, sending it to the ground squealing in agony.

“Where is your master?” the Paladin demands of the demon.

The demon begins to cackle hellishly as ripples begin to form behind the Paladin. The ripples suddenly reveal Lord Greymont removing his shroud of invisibility. You notice a strange blue light on the arm of the Paladin as Greymont swipes him quickly with something you cannot quiet make out.

Shakiniel’s Charge sends a sword straight down through the throat of the demon before whirling the other around in a wide arc at the Nihilist, nearly missing his neck.

Sturin says: “Your pet is dead worm, and I will have my revenge now.”

The charge swings a wide haymaker at the head of Lord Greymont, who parries with his shield, partially deflecting the blows. In response to the parry, the dark lord thrusts his fist toward the stomach of the Paladin, the same strange blue glow emitting from the spot for a brief moment.

The Paladin attacks relentlessly for a moment, many of the attacks just swings of blind rage that fail to bear fruit. The strange blue glow continues to appear on multiple parts of Sturin’s body as Lord Greymont dances around his attacker.

After a few moments of fighting, the Nihilist slams his shield into the head of the Charge and tumbles out of the way, lacerations now evident all over his body.

Sturin smiles and says: “You are weak, filth. You will be pleading with the fates in a few moments.”

He brings both swords swirling wildly at the head of Lord Greymont, before a crucifix rips up through the ground, pinning Sturin to it. Lord Greymont jumps up and grasps an arm of the crucifix while leaning in to Sturin and whispering: “Your lust for revenge. Your rage. And your hatred for me, will all suit you well in the depths of the void.”

The Fist jumps from the crucifix and pulls out a deck of tarot cards. He shuffles them bringing one depicting an image of the soulless to the top. He walks to the crucifix and caresses the foot of the Paladin with it, who gives a cold shutter as if chilled to the bone. The same blue glow you seen before appearing once more as the card makes contact with Sturin’s flesh.

The Paladin writhes free of the crucifix and leaps forward at the Nihilist, but too late. You see the tarot card fly from the hand of Lord Greymont, striking Sturin in the chest. The Paladin stops suddenly, a perplexed look on his face.

The scene grows silent as a crypt as the eyes of the Paladin swirl and finally solidify into a solid black. A small ripple appears in front of Sturin as he drops both his swords. The ripple in front of him suddenly bursts, revealing a dark swirling portal leading into a vast abyss. A skeletal arm reaches from within the portal and into the chest Sturin, withdrawing his soul as it clings helplessly to the host body. The soul is dragged into the portal, which closes shut behind it and the body falls limp to the ground.

The heavy crimson curtains fall as the slight hymns of angels can be heard, lamenting the loss of a warrior of the light.

Scene III

The curtain rises once more to reveal a pitch black background, devoid of anything. An old aslaran man with a cane hobbles slowly from left-side stage to center-stage where he faces the audience.

The old aslaran man says: “You might be surprised by what you have seen, I am sure many of you expected a great victory to the light.”

The man waves his hand back and forth to the side, which ripples, turning translucent. Within the ripples, there begins to form pictures of Celestians clapping, and Strin riding a majestic unicorn through the gates of New Celest.

The old aslaran man says: “However, this reality could not have come from this. The light deals not in revenge, rage, or hate. These things fuel an evil unlike any other of the Basin: the Engine of Transformation. Sturin’s lust for revenge overcame him, and overcame the spark of the light within, dooming him.

The man waves his arm again as new pictures begin to come into view, revealing Sturin carrying the head of the Fist of Luciphage through the Swamp. He looks pale and tired as he trudges blindly through the muck. He drops the decapitated head after a moment and time seems to rush forward within the image. He is now standing at the gates of Magnagora as he looks upon the blood on his hands and body. The gates open up and shadowy tendrils of smoke wrap around him, bringing him towards the dark city. Time rushes forward again, showing him leading a group of Magnagorans into battle, a look of pure hatred on his face.

The old aslaran says: “Even in victory of battle, Sturin would have lost a war within. This is an important lesson to remember. Temper your emotions and keep the teachings of the Light within at all times, even times when that is challenging, such as dealing with a loss. Temperance is the most important shield of all, never lower it, even for a moment. The seeds of evil grow swiftly and will overcome the strongest of warriors who allow it to take root.”

The old alaran waves his arm one final time, revealing a previous scene of the play where Sturin is kneeling by the side of the Celestine Champion. He closes her eyes with his fingers and bids her farewell, praying at her side before standing. The squire runs up to him once more, but this time he follows him back to the group of Celestians. Time rushes forward showing great victories of the Light with Sturin at the vanguard of each. Time rushes forward again revealing many surviving Magnagoran warriors throwing down their weapons and praying for salvation with the Paladin Champion.”

The old aslaran says: “Keep this lesson at heart, and lead first with faith and temperance.”

He clasps his hands together and bursts into a flock of beautiful white doves that fly off in all directions as the heavy crimson red curtain falls to the floor, heralding the end of the play.