The Unholy Legions of Anti-Sanctus Chaotica, a Warhammer Online Destruction Regiment, The Four Keys of Perdition

A Brief Introduction

A lone figure sits idle before a nearly extinguished pyre. His garb consists of simple rags, nothing more than tattered cloth and a rope sash. Yet there is something about this solitary figure. Perhaps his surroundings are to blame: completely barren, littered with scorched rock and jagged stone, mountainous peaks dotted the landscape, complimented by abysmal fissures that no light could reach the bottom of. Not a sign of life. The view of the sky is obstructed by a canopy of smoke and ash. Not a ray of light penetrates the strangulating cover, calling into question the unusual brightness of the area. Everything seems to be surrounded by a putrid aura of corrupted light. Whether or not the figure is the parent of the abnormalities remained to be seen, but one thing was for sure: he does not belong here. From the silhouette visible through the thin robes, it is obvious he is an Elf of some kind. Tall, slender, long haired, lacking in humility even in the company of such shocking calamity. He seems to be hapless, for he sits seemingly forlorn, condemned to his aggregation of one, lost to perdition’s will.

But as all know, Elves of any kind are not bested so easily.

The extinguished pyre suddenly erupts into an orgy of flickering lights and dancing flames. A voice emanates from the bosom of the pyre, crackling with the unnatural tinder.

Master, I have gained access to the sanctum as you ordered. I await further instruction.

“Working with all due haste as usual.” The Elf sighs “Would you have me sit in this abyss for eternity? Your slothfulness is beginning to irk me, Rekketh. Remember, you are dispensable.”

Y… Yes, Master. What would you have me do?

“Observe them. Wait for the time to be right. In time, a certain individual will present himself to you.” The Elf’s voice becomes noticeably agitated “A Magus of the Chaos god Tzeentch. He will have in his possession an item of extraordinary importance. But that much is irrelevant at this moment. I have more preparations to make. For the moment, do nothing. We must bide our time. In the mean time, try not to die. The place you currently reside in is extremely dangerous, and it would be a shame to waste resources without just cause.”

As the final word passes from the Elf’s lips the pyre extinguishes in a hiss, disappearing as fast as it had come, leaving no signs that it had ever been recently lit. The Elf slowly rises from his false throne and wades through the haze to a nearby formation of jagged rock. Although this is no trivial collection of pebbles, it is a mountain of massive proportion, stretching endlessly upwards, only to be obscured by the depressing canopy of smoke. With a simple wave of his wrist, the keystone of this mountain of rock shatters, causing the entire formation to crumble in a titanic cloud of soot and dust. As the crumbling rocks finally come to their final resting place, a staircase makes itself visible, extending impossibly far into the cosmos of this strange realm. The Elf begins his trek upwards.

What can be said about this Elf? At present very little. He goes by the name Lhaine, although not his real name, it is all he will tell anyone of himself. He is a being of incredible mystery. How he had been imprisoned to this hell is perhaps the only fact known of his past. He was a traveler of sorts. One who sought the most dangerous terrains imaginable. His journeys finally brought him to the hellish chaos wastes, a realm in which no mortal should ever tread unannounced and alone. Almost immediately his presence was noted by the vilest creatures this earth has to offer: demons. For many days Lhaine managed to fight off demon after demon, until finally a creature of non-demonic nature approached him, seemingly friendly, this new figure offered forth his hand to Lhaine. Seeing no alternative, Lhaine grasped the outstretched hand and held firm. Soon their eyes met, and that was the last thing Lhaine remembered before being transferred to his new realm.

Today he is trapped. But even now he conspires against the bonds that hold him, plots out his escape, masterminds his ultimate revenge against the being that sent him here, and aspires that tomorrow will see him free. Spiraling upwards upon the endless stair he climbs, muttering to himself incomprehensible spells and curses of ancient and terrible power. Endlessly up, and up, and up, for a full hour he climbs up, until finally his destination begins to form above him. An entire new level of barren rock, nearly identical to the one below. Every detail was the same, including a second staircase, endlessly reaching towards the smoky sky, leaving the impression of endless tiers of earth. The only difference between this level and the one below was the pyre and the ponderous, onyx fortress, no doubt created through the immense magics under the control of whoever is the true master of this realm. Lhaine made his way to the immense front gate, which strangely enough, wasn’t a gate at all, but a portal of sorts, lacking a door of any kind, open to all who dare enter. The sight of this portal made Lhaine’s skin crawl, no matter how many times he passed through it. Hundreds of gargoyles adorned the upper reaches of this unholy aperture.

Inside was every bit as ornate, if not more so, as the imperial castle itself. Tapestries ranging from every empire of earth, beautiful paintings of glorious battles of past, present, and future, tiles alternating white and black, tables and chairs of granite, full Gothic archways beset every door, libraries filled with literature, spells, stories, scriptures, and doctrines from around the globe. Truly it is a palace of kings. Lhaine makes his way straight to the grand library, as he always does, to further his preparations. He would remain locked in this room for days to come.

OOC: More to come soon. I will give opportunity for people to respond in character later as the story develops and I do more around the sanctum with Rekketh. Will be an open-RP format, but will have a main storyline I will keep moving.