Sigil: City of Doors

“That boy has a bright future ahead of him!”

“His insight will change the multiverse!”

“Ambition and self-drive… two things that lad is full of!”

Â… All statements that will never be said about Karl.

In truth, Karl was mostly a simpleton. GrantedÂ… there were few in Sigil taller than the boy and he carried with him a certain air (albeit most of it nothing more than blind apathy) that made folks like him.

He rarely spoke but when he did, people noticed. Not because of any great prophetic insight he might add to the conversation but generally out of complete surprise the boy actually understood what was going on around him at that particular time. For hours he would sit in the market and absently stare at the street ahead of him. Entire conversations about his well-being would be held all around himÂ… all without him hearing a single word of them.

What he lacked in brain functionality he made up in toughness. He could take a punch without even flinching. His flesh was tough as worked leather, withstanding wounds that would cause blood to flow on most other folks.

And he was loyal. Much like a hound would be. Always having to be kept in check and treated with care in case he decided to bite those in charge as guard dogs sometimes will.

Karl was becoming a usual sight in SigilÂ… it was difficult to blend into the crowd when you towered over it.

(((I'm sure I'll not have many reasons to readilly update his bio as most things he might be involved in would be purely accidental so feel free to add any of your own thoughts on him should he become involved in your personal stories :) )

Faded memories... the first.

Flashes of light leapt through the area as the ground shook violently under his feet. The entire sky, seen in every direction including down, was a myriad of color. Almost every conceivable shade and hue danced all around them. It was as if the entire universe was awash in random colored fog. Shouting could be heard from around himÂ… although the language was jumbled and incoherent. He turned just in time to see a part of the vessel he was on explode. Screaming men, most likely allies, were flung off the side and tumbled into oblivion. The entire area shook violently as he looked up and saw the mast of his vessel buckle as another vesselÂ’s hull moved over his from above. Ropes fell from above and creatures, their forms hazy and unknown, streamed down to board the listing vessel he stood upon.

He shouted a command, again in a language not understood, and his comrades drew blades and met the invaders head on. The two sides met in a violent clash. The massive captain took hit after hit but sustained little injury. His flesh seemed as thick as treated leather. He would swing his arm and send attackers screaming to their deaths in the endless skyÂ… most of his comrades fared far worse. It was not looking good. The invading vessel had latched on and was preparing for a second assault. He screamed out another commandÂ… unknown but most assuredly desperate.

Mussel engines below deck fired up and the vessel lurched hard. A sickening sound of tearing wood, rending steel and screaming people filled his ears as the wounded vessel tore away from the attackers. Much of the deck and half of the hull tore away as the vessel spiraled away completely out of control. With a trail of debris and bodies left in its wake, the vessel tumbled towards an eddy in the Phlogiston.

He stood upon the deckÂ… what was left of it, and steered the crippled vessel into the waiting abyss. A wash of madness and anger flowed over himÂ…

His eyes suddenly opened wide as he jolted awake and stared at the sky of Sigil. The knowledge of a dream lingered in his mind although the images they gave had been immediately forgotten and lost.

Karl sat up and looked about. A single grunt was made as he stood up from his sleeping area (the end of an alley in the Hive) and moved towards the market to find something to eat.

Nighmares... the second.

Winds whipped violently as he gripped the wheel of the dying vessel. Most of the crew had either perished in combat or had simply fallen into oblivion as the ship was torn apart from battle and chaos. The jammer elongated in places as it wound its way through the ancient portalÂ… en route to places unknown to mortals. Creatures flew by, some serene and docile, others hideous and terrifying yet all would appear and vanish in a thought. Time itself changed speedsÂ… slowing down to a crawl and speeding up to impossibility. Every recess of his mind was breached by the chaos of the maelstrom.

Then it happenedÂ… an entirety of a lifetime and the lasting of a secondÂ… both at once. The crew had found itself at the edge of everythingÂ… All came together and all flew apart. Everything in the multiverse was instantly understoodÂ… and instantly forgotten. Deities were createdÂ… ruled everything and then became dustÂ… while some did the same reversed, starting from dust and devolving over eternities. Everything suddenly had meaningÂ… and everything suddenly meant nothing.

He stood in whiteÂ… surrounded by utter silenceÂ… unable to hear because of the torrent of noise. He was blinded but could still see unimaginable movement around him. He reached out for his first mate only to realize that neither of them actually existed any longer. Every conceivable thought, by every conceivable being in every conceivable corner of the multiverse entered into his mind.

Such as being a mere mortalÂ…

His mind shattered.

Karl sat and leaned against the wall of KhazeetÂ’s and dozed. Images of madness danced in his mind and then evaporated into nothing as he awoke and opened his eyes at the scent of a cookie. The massive being reached out and accepted a small treat from SifÂ… his nightmare completely forgotten.