Deep in the mountains of Nocturne there lays a cult, known as the Order of the Cull. They are a very secretive and insidious organization, few know of their existence and even less know of their purposes. Recently there have been whispers throughout the land, tales of the Order attempting to raise a wicked shade from beyond. The base of operation for the Cull rests on the top of a mountain surrounded by a small town. Every single person in the town are apart of the cult, though speaking of the rituals and even the existence of the cult is enough to warrant death. Outsiders are not welcome.
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:59 am
(Shitty entrance post is shitty. Lol)
Amias' most recent assignment--one he'd been given by Lilith as a sort of 'promotion test', was quite possibly the most hazardous one he'd been on yet. Not only was it a solo mission, but he also had to deal with a cult. and most cults were reknowned for having incredibly powerful mages...practitioners of the black arts, etc. And for the most part, Amias had made it a habit of his to leer away from those kinds of magic, as they presented the most trouble to him over all else. However, he found himself neck-deep in that magic now. As he walked into the town, he was greeted with ominous, betrayed stares from every person he saw; investigating the cult in a town like this was going to be absolute hell. For some reason, the malice were was almost...amplified. Almost like the people of this town were purposefully set against anyone who entered. It was as the sign outside of the town specified: "Outsiders Not Welcome"...it was enough proof by itself that something malicious was going down in this town. Now, it was up to Amias to find out whatever sort of malicious entity was plaguing this town, and rid them of this problem.
What he didn't realize was that there was much more to this story than he'd ever imagined.
Amias would indeed find himself in the presence of insidious beings. It would feel as if he was always being watched, because he was. No matter where he would walk there would be people watching, lurking in the shadows and noting his every move. The closer he got to the center of the town the more people there would be, as if they were forming a perimeter of sorts. With a bit of observation Amias would be able to tell that in the epicenter of the town there was an opulent building only a single story high. Although no one was holding weapons, it seemed as if they were guarding the entrance to this building. There were no shops around, no residential districts or anything other than cultists.
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 1:05 pm
Eyes. That was what he saw, nigh-incessantly since he arrived at the small town. Every single person in the town was watching his movements, making sure that he was under surveillance for his entire stay. If he were to turn around a narrow alleyway between two buildings, there would be someone at the end, watching him. This wasn't natural. Not a single thing about this town was natural yet, nothing he'd seen. However, Amias could only press on at this point. It didn't take him long to realize that there was a particular...pattern with these villagers. No matter which way he turned, they seemed to congregate more the further he got into their residence. He decided to test this theory on occasion, seeing exactly how far the townspeople would allow him to cross into the village. That line was drawn quite obviously...and surprisingly quickly. Either that, or it was a rather small town; not more than a few more rows in, he was completely halted by an unpassable crowd of villagers, every single one of which was...staring at him. Hundreds of pairs of eyes now gazed upon him with hostility and suspicion. At the very center of their circle? A strange building, reminiscent of a chapel stood in the middle of this monstrous crowd. At the top of this building was a strange symbol in the window; the middle of the image was what appeared to be the eye of a demon, surrounded by a spiritual flame. These people...they weren't exactly your definition of faithful worshippers. Well, not vaetian worshippers, that is. These people were one hundred percent cream of the crop...vaet nocturnum. And not the kind of vaet nocturnum that kept to themselves either.
No...Amias was certain that every one of this villagers was doing something far more malicious than worship and prayer. And he needed to get down to the bottom of it before something really got out of hand around these parts. Upon being assigned the mission, the man was informed that the cultists in the area were trying to conjure up an evil spirit, most likely for the purposes of trying to gain power amongst the other nearby villages. With a power like an evil spirit bound to their will, it would be potentially possible for them to bring about a power that the citizens of Axiom haven't seen for a while. With that kind of power, they would possibly be able to try and overthrow the smaller settlements. Once their army gained a reasonable size, it was possible that the cultists could place a tactical assault on Luimira City, which was Lilith ultimately feared as the end result.
Amias would have to act quickly, or that kind of power would spread to his residency as well.
As Amias watched the people watching him, a bell rang loud enough for anyone and everyone in the town to hear. All at once every single person turned to the eye upon the tower. The cultists dropped to their knees and bowed their heads. One voice raised above the others and began to chant in demonica. "Swae aefekuk voz feahk! Swae aefukuk voz feahk!" The chant would be taken up by every single cultist present. Amias would clearly know them to be saying the end is here. The crowd suddenly shifted as all of the children present stood up. In the entire group there was only eight of them. It would not be too hard to figure out what was going on here. The children congregated to the chapel entrance without anyone having to lead them. In fact there was laughter, a jovial happiness about them. Whether they knew what was to come next or not was not something Amias would know. The doors to the chapel opened for the children, and then shut immediately after. Once the children were inside the bell stopped ringing. Everyone raised to their feet and immediately dispersed. Not a single person paid attention to Amias, though there were twenty cultists constantly surrounding the outside of the chapel.
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 2:26 pm
Their strange rituals weren't completely beyond his recognition. Having lived for so long, he was used to the idea of chanting around a spiritual entity, be it a god or some form of structure. In this instance, it was the temple of whatever dark deity their were choosing to worship. What he hadn't anticipated, however...was the obvious lining up of children for sacrifice. Without warning, the Chapel's bell began to ring furiously until the chant began. Their celebration was jovial, almost joyous when the children stepped into the building, with the large oak doors slamming shut behind them. Now, their intent was clear; the sacrifice of multiple pure souls to bring about the resurrection of a much more powerful spirit. Truly evil spirits could only be risen with pure souls, as it was the exact opposite energy as theirs, and the only true fuel to sustain them. Of course...if they were channeling a truly powerful spirit, it would require more souls over the course of time to remain in the mortal plane. That was when Amias noticed something else. An overwhelming majority of the women in the crowd were pregnant; most of them just about ready to pop. This cult...this had been a calculated effort for months, were any and all of the fertile women in the village were having multiple children...all of which were going to be raised like cows for slaughter.
For a moment, Amias wondered if even a shred of morality still remained in these people. However, the swift realization that he didn't really care also chimed in, giving him a clear headway into his next objective; getting into that building. Upon scanning his surroundings, Amias found something that just might work. On one side of town--a ways down the road from his current position--were two points of interest. The town's wooden water tower, as well as a sizable pasture of cows neighboring it. In the blink of an eye, Amias had disappeared from his former location, and was now next to the water tower. With a quick snap of his fingers, chunks from two of the water tower's legs--on the right side--seemed to vanish. The imbalance in weight caused the tower to come crashing down, drenching the pasture like a flood and smashing the gates open. From here, the cows inside stormed out in an angry rampage, smashing into buildings and knocking over the villagers. It wasn't quite enough for the villagers at the chapel to disperse, but it was enough for them to break their focus. Using his ability again, Amias appeared on a rooftop neighboring the chapel before using it once more to move himself next to the chapel's bell.
Using the commotion, Amias was then able to slip inside of the chapel, hoping to whatever deity currently reigned that nothing overly troublesome waited for him inside.
Amias was right to try and use a diversion to sneak himself inside. His ability allowed him to quickly crush the distance between himself and his location, resulting in a nigh instant teleportation. Few noticed his disappearance, and even less came to the deduction that he had in fact caused the tower to collapse. As the cows roamed freee and the women scattered to the safety of the buildings a few of the chapel guards actually went to aid, though the remainder tightened their security while trying to watch and see what happened. On other words, Amias was able to enter the chapel without resistance. On the inside, that would be a completely different matter. The layout of the chapel was intricate and almost hectic. From where Amias made it to he would first notice the sheer amount of statues and structures dedicated to twisted creatures and monsters. Every few feet there would be a well of blood, none of them coagulated. A dark aura swirled inside of it, and constant whispers could be heard though not understood. Almost immediately actual voices could be heard from where Amias chose to enter. "...stranger from the outside. Remain on guard, the ritual must not be interrupted. Our Lord will rise today and it shall be terrible and beautiful, Brother Julian." One man spoke to another in the common tongue. The two cultists nodded at each other and went back to patrolling. One went down a set of stairs and one began to wander the floor that Amias was on. What Amias would not be able to notice with his eyes were the number of magical wards placed about the chapel. Should any sort of energy disturb them, then every person in the chapel would be instantly alerted.
Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 8:04 pm
Having heard the voices upon entry, Amias would slip into a deadly calm. So they were already informed that he was here? Strange, as no one but the children entered the building, and they seemed to be in a trance as it were. However...they had figured out somehow, be it by magical vision or word of mouth. He would have to be even more cautious from this point on, moreso than he had been before. Unfortunately...he hadn't trained his energy pool very much, so that last stretch took a small chunk of his energy; he would have to conserve as much as possible for the battles to come. After observing the two patrols that had just passed him, it became evident that going after the one on his level would be the appropriate response for the time being. Amias positioned himself lower on the wall, now positioning himself about ten feet from his first target. Because of his abilities, he was literally weightless, and made absolutely no noise when moving about, almost like a phantom.
With that in mind, he would completely descend to the ground, taking refuge behind one of the demonic statues as the guard turned around. As soon as his gaze veered elsewhere, Amias would slip to the next statue, making sure to move faster than the guard as he went. It was also important for him to keep note of the floor-level guard's position as well; as soon as both of their gazes were averted, he would be able to strike. When the opportunity rose, he lunged with speed surprising for a novice; he put one hand to the man's mouth and nose, plugging them as the other hand plunged through his heart and out the other side of his chest. It was a much quieter death than snapping his neck, and Amias was fortunate to have pulled it off so quickly. Before removing his hand, Amias near-effortlessly moved the man's body behind one of the statues. Fortunately, there appeared to be some sort of fountain at the statue's feet; this would make disguising the blood that much easier. Now, he steeled his focus, and prepared himself to assault the target below. Unfortunately...it was the main room of the chapel. The only cover he would have in that space would be the rows of benches used for whatever kind of demonic prayer they indulged in.
Thankfully, Amias had a plan for this one as well. Around the chapel laid tomes of various sizes and inscriptions, a frightening majority of them in pure Demonica. Their text was of no use to him, however. Instead, he merely threw one of them towards the ground to the left of the guard. The sudden noise alerted him, causing him to draw his weapon when nothing was there. After feeling like a doofus over nothing, the guard sheathed his weapon and began to turn around.
By the time he finished turning, a cold hand clenched his neck with fearsome strength. Amias raised him into the air, his pained gasps for breath making little to no noise--most definitely not enough to alert anyone else inside of the chapel. Struggle as he might, he could not break Amias' firm grip. Before long, his vision was beginning to go black, and his pulse was drying up. However, Amias wasn't quite done with this particular specimen. Like his other victim, leaving him out in the open would be a problem. It would lead to detection more quickly than he could finish the job. Instead, Amias snapped the man's neck--now that there weren't any more patrols to disturb in the room--and used his strength to leap up a statue in the room before placing the body on one of the chandeliers hanging next to the statue.
Now that the guards were out of the way, it was time for him to investigate the room itself. At first, it seemed like any other chapel--rows upon rows of benches faced the altar, where preachers and singers alike sang holy praise of whatever deity they chose to worship. However, the rotting pile of flesh impaled with a sword--which bore the same cult emblem, of course--said otherwise about their zealous actions. Upon reaching the blade, it read with fine print down the blade, "Darkness cannot be seen without the offering of light." A very cliche saying, that meant something like...kill the light in the room, dumbass. This wasn't the first time Amias had dealt with cults in his lifetime; there was always some form of silly riddle in order to get to the real toys. It would take him a little time to figure it out...perhaps another obstacle would stop him in the meantime?
Amias successfully disposed of the guards, what he did not know though was the result of his actions. The wells he had used for the blood had filled up, and just as the rest of them a dark aura began to emanate from them. It would be a subtle change, but the candles that had been previously lighting the room would one by one be blown out. As Amias read the sword another group of people could be heard moving down the halls. In full demonica another voice spoke. "You all shall join our Lord and open the door for him to come to our realm! It is a great honor." The surprised exclamation of children were heard, but it was not out of fear. Amias would have to make himself scarce or be seen as the group of people were now making their way into the very chapel he stood inside of. The children sprinted into the room, jumping and shouting with glee over each other in a race to make it to the altar. Five men piled in after the boys, and the last locked the door to the room. These men all wore the same cultists robes but had unique pieces of equipment in their hands. Some carried armor, others weapons, and one of them a shield. The purpose of those items was unknown, but what had to come next definitely would be clear to Amias. Defeat the five men and offer the light to the darkness.
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 6:45 pm
As soon as he heard the voices, Amias knew it was time to split. After quickly darting behind one of the shelves to the side--they had plenty of scriptures to case, so the shelves were plentiful around the room. He'd chosen one near the back of the room, allowing him quick access to the exit if push led to shove. However, it seemed he wouldn't have to act quite so quickly. All he heard was a very unsubtle reference on the end of the children's escorts; obviously, they were going to be sacrificed...usually, in rituals like this, the sacrifice of pure souls was one of the last steps. Meaning that...if these children were sacrificed, their plans would almost be complete. Unfortunately, the trade-off was this; everyone in this room but Amias died at some point, or a lot more people were going to die in the long run. It didn't take him long to come to a decision; even if they were just children, they were already completely brainwashed into this twisted system. Perhaps if he killed the five men there--hopefully without the children noticing in their current death-happy romp--he would be able to make it as painless for them as possible.
So it began. One of the men was holding a shield, for what...Amias was unaware, but he cared little to find out. Three of them were clothed in armor, while one was armed with a staff--a mage perhaps? The final one carried a strange shield, with the cult's marking in the center. Perhaps it served some sort of purpose to the ritual? However...that was when Amias saw it. The man wasn't holding it like a shield. It was a large bowl. A bowl to which the blood of each one of these children was going to be deposited. It was the only way to reach the room in which the ritual was taking place. So, Amias had no choice; he made his plan, theorized, and leaped into action to finish it.
His first target was the man with the staff. The mage would create the most noise, And Amias would be able to use the staff to his advantage. Thankfully...this one was unarmed. Using magic required a lot of focus, and exerting physical strength with a constant suit or armor wasn't exactly focusing...this did work to his advantage, however. While the children were yelling and screaming with excitement, Amias used the opportunity to snap the mage's neck from behind, taking his staff and forcibly shoving it through two of the other men's necks in a straight line. In a very short period of time, he'd dispatched two targets under the cover of noise. However, this left him with a very short amount of time before the other two noticed their friends falling to the ground. Amias had to act quickly. In a rush of legwork, he leaped through the air towards the two before smashing their skulls together midair. His strength was quite high, so the two would be knocked out on contact For the coup de grace, he stepped on both of their necks until he heard the satisfying crunch of them snapping. At this point, he was free to do the worst of all deeds today. After moving the men's bodies aside, he took the bowl and walked up to the altar. He would rely on the fact that the children were young, and how Amias had seemed to enter the room--with the bowl, for that matter--without incident. "Come now, and be ready to give yourselves to our lord. This is the day we've all been waiting for. The day that our lord's embrace touches all in his realm, and all can see him in all of his glory." One by one, the children stepped up for...sacrifice. After drawing the blade from the altar, he slit their throats, making sure that each of them had deposited a fair amount of blood into the bowl before they died of blood loss. Once this was done, Amias placed the blood-filled bowl onto the designated spot on the altar. For now...all he could do was wait for the path to reveal itself.
Amias was correct in assuming no one would hear him and assume something was amiss. The cultists were dispatched with realive ease and the ancient man was smart enough to approach the children as one of their own. None of them questioned what was happening. Each accepted the blade to their neck with a smile on their face, one that did not fade with their life. When Amias placed the sanguine offering onto the alter an immediate reaction took place. Behind the dias itself a door opened, revealing a staircase down to another level. It was dotted with torches every few feet and spiraled down. As he descended he would hear the finale parts of the ritual being completed as another one of the demonic chants were being spoken.
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 4:41 pm
After observing the dark handiwork around him, Amias noticed that the doorway had parted, revealing to him the pathway he needed. However, there was something else he wanted to do before going down to whatever it was that waited below. Going back to the cultists, he found the body of the one holding the bowl--the ritual leader, he assumed--and took his cloak. Since he had snapped the man's neck, there was no resulting damage to the cloth. With it draped over his body and head, masking his face in darkness, he proceeded down the stairs.
"...vat demonis robat tesha vor lokk menta vorus kemrath krakh." As Amias ghosted down the stairs, these were the words he began to hear. As Demonica was his first language upon coming to existence on Axiom, he understood perfectly what they were saying. Whatever they were trying to conjure, with a ritual like this...it wouldn't be long before they said his name aloud.As he drew closer, the stairs began to show slivers of flickering light on their surface; soon, the wall hiding him from view would be replaced by columns. With what he assumed to be the ceremony leader's clothing on, he simply continued to walk silently down the stairs, his hands clasped together as the cultists had them upon entering the previous room. As he made his way down the stairs, he'd been passing between the columns without consequence; these were just humans, after all. Without the ability to project their subconscious elsewhere, or sense supernatural entities, they would have no way of knowing that it wasn't their ceremonial leader coming towards them. If they asked where the others went...he had an answer for that as well.
For now, he simply attempted to make his way to the ceremonial pyre without incident. If they tried to stop him, he would simply kill them all. There wasn't much more to it...unless he was too late, of course.
Amias had performed absolutely brilliantly during the infiltration of the Order. Unfortunately for him it had all been for naught. The moment he made his way to down the aisle between the other cultists and the columns it was almost as if they were all watching him. When he was ten feet from the main dias, they surrounded him. One of the men threw off his hood and revealed a wicked smile. We'd like to thank you for your help, stranger. You've done well, perhaps our Lord will reward you." Maybe there was a hint of confusion in Amias, but as all villains go, the monologuing one would clear that up. "The blood wells, the children? Taking out those other men? They came to stop us! You've made this a simple task, now behold HIS GLORY!" The man shouted as each cultist removed their robes. They rushed past Amias, taking care to bump into him as much as possible. Each man present revealed a knife, and each made a slit at the crook of their arm. They held their arms over the dias and as the blood flowed, the room began to darken. There was no natural explanation. Every single candle went out one by one, faster and faster the more blood was spilled. The men took up a chant once more, this time a name. "Thanatos...Thanatos...Thanatos...Thanatos!" The dias erupted in a blanket of darkness. A circle of black magic appeared and a rift erupted out the other side. The figure of an ethereal being began to float forward, clawing its way out of the hole. The blood dripped down on it and seemed to grant it strength. A horrible sound of wailing and screeching was coming from the rift, the sound of thousands of the dead. One skeletal hand clutched the edge of the rift and with clear struggle, it wrenched itself free. The circle of hell immmediately shut behind him, and the dusk-cloaked figure rose to its full height. It held out its hands and the equipment from the other room that Amias had seen the men carrying appeared on his hands. Chestplate locked itself in place over the smoky body, a helmt descended upong the hood and a wicked blade appeared in his hand. The cultists fell to their knees, staring in awe. One of them stepped forward meekly, his head bent in respect. "My Lord Thanatos, we have been waiting fo-" Blood spurted from his mouth and gasps went around the room when Thanatos shoved his blade straight through the man's chest. The evil blade seemed to glow and brim full of energy at this, and Thanatos stood straighter. In the next instant, screams and panic was all there was. All around Amias was death as Thanatos shed his physical form and entered the ethereal realm, phasing back in to lop off a head or slice a body clean in two. For each death that was caused by him it seemed that he grew ever stronger. When at last there was no one else alive, Thanatos ceased. "I spared you for a single reason. I sense an old power within you. You shall be my first conquest. Nocturne; the next. And then onto the world." Thanatos had nothing left to say. So instead he raised a hand and clenched it into a fist. Energy poured out of his body and entered each of the cultists, raising them from the dead. He waved a hand almost nonchalontly at Amias and sent the twenty-four strong horde of undead at the pagan.
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:25 am
Shadow of Sins ----------------------------------------------------
"Perish!" The shadow shouted as he attempted to thrust at the female's body swiftly with his right claw, attempting to take her life with ease. His claw was glowing dark red as it was aimed to steal her heart from her body.
((You have one week to respond before your character dies...))
Amias did a double-backflip to avoid the silly man's strike before putting a shotgun to his now completely exposed skull. "Peace, mah broda." With a pull of the trigger, the phantom would disperse back into irrelevancy. Such was the life of a man named KnightsRoyal. He pretended to be relevant when in reality, gimmicks like this were moreso going to make people not care about Axiom and just leave. Nice job crew member Lololololololololol
