[/align]Story Epilogue:
A boy finds a tome of dark magic in his wealthy father's study. After asking about black magic time and time again, and being ignored the child begins studying the tome and summons a fiend. The fiend promises to teach him of such things and a deal is made, one that allows him to become possessed. He begins acting strangely and soon disappears without a trace.
The Basics of A Story So Far...
A noble gentleman dressed in finery, distraught, is looking for his missing son. He approaches the Great Bazaar, panting and out of breath as he begs for aid in locating the boy of around ten winters old. Gathering a group of adventurers, and answering any questions they might have the distraught man leads them to a portal in the Clerk's Ward - the last place his son was seen. At the portal is an out of breath maid out of breath, whom refers to the worried father as Lord Bonvalet before announcing that William had returned home. Not all was well, however, the maid informing the group that William was acting strangely and that hoardes of strange rotted figures roamed the streets. Lord Bonvalet wasted not a moment, running through the portal that yawned before the group.
The group of goodly adventurers make their way through the town, putting to rest any undead that cross their path on the way to the mansion, where they decide to enter through the unlocked front door. Upon entering, the group is greeted by the image of Lord Bonvalet clutching a lifeless woman in a fine gown to his chest, rocking with her blood covered body as he wept. The group promises to be able to help the man, the succubus Scarlet offering up a diamond and her diety's blessing to call back the woman's soul to her body. Lady Bonvalet's soul responds, choosing to return to a mortal life, and the group is overjoyed. Despite the couple's protests, however, the group ensures that the couple does not follow and convinces them to stay by the exit under the guard of a Stellar Deva. The group presses on to rescue a number of barricaded servants from the washroom.
Rounding a corner, the rag-tag bunch find themselves at the end of the corridor they had travelled upon, the room opening into a much larger and far more ornate throne room. Lining the carpet that rolls down the length of the interior, between a number of pillars, are undead; the figures unmoving save for their decaying sockets following those who walk past. At the walkway's end, stands a young boy flanked by two skeleton guards. The boy, easily surmised to be William, speaks with a voice that echoes a feminine one alongside his own childish one. Opening the lines of communication, he asks a short series of taunting questions that results in Trissa offering up her soul in exchange for that of the child's. The deal is never made, however, as the room bursts into conflict at Scarlet's sudden attempt to turn undead. In the chaos, William makes a run for it and darts into hallway, running it's length before taking a stand once more within.
Once the undead are dealt with, the group pursues the child. After a few further words, however, the group finds themselves privy to the presence of a dark-haired succubus whom explains to the rag-tag group that the boy had given his soul to her willingly. Despite the fact that both demon and child speak as one in an eerily haunted tone, they speak on the deal that was made and the tome that brought it to be so, answering questions posed unto them. The demon makes it clear that this child belongs to her, and any harm that they would pose upon her would harm the child as well. Locked in a battle of wits a number of suggestions are posed, some of which are made several times over whilst the child's parents are made to wait outside with the comforting Alizeah, and Notary I of the Harmonium, Taria. One of the group, an Ilmateri doctor, attempts to engage the Succubus one on one, his efforts seemingly drawing the interest of the demon.
It is in that moment, however, that Trissa is unable to unleash her words of faith, both of which stun the boy and fiend. Just when it seemed they had finally found a hook, it was then that Scarlet leapt forward and decapitated the Succubus; a fiend hardly meant for battle. Through the Sunite's actions, the demon's head toppled from her shoulders and both fiend and boy slumped to the ground: dead. Frantic and in shock, the group attempts to find the tome spoken of and tend to the boy. Alas, it is too late. The manor's interior which had seemed broken and battered by illusion was renewed once more, the fog that lay over the land retreated and the undead fell dead where they stood. Brindas is given the tome by Trissa, and the group leaves the boy's body in the arms of his distraught parents.
[align=center]"Go now and leave us to our grief. We have a town to rebuild... and a son to bury."[/align]
[align=center][ Prologue ][/align]
As dawn rises the following day, the citizens of Luizlurgh slowly begin to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Those mauled by undead tend to their wounds and the wounds of each other, resulting in a scarceness of medical supplies. Dead, both rotted and fresh, are pulled from within beaten down houses, the corpses consecrated and buried in a makeshift cemetery just outside the town's stone walls.
A funeral service is held at dusk, a heavy cloud of despair accompanied by the haunted weeping of families as they put their loved ones to rest. William's body is laid within a small crypt, erected briskly in stone and heavily reliant on the use of Bonvalet wealth to see it come to fruition so quickly. A boy, so well loved by the townspeople, is mourned heavily. Naturally, the Lord and Lady Bonvalet are distraught with the death of their only son and for a time, inconsolable.
As it currently stands the tome remains in the hands of Brindas Defeign, having been handed the ancient book by the nymph Trissa upon discovery by both she and Revie. The three civilians whom were escorted to Sigil's portal during the group's b-line for the manor are currently having their wounds treated at the House of Healing.
Despite the fact that all adventurers were ordered to return to the prime from whence they came, Scarlet has chosen to remain behind and uses her powers as a succubus to take on the guise of an elf for a time. Guilt-ridden, she attempts to aid the people of Luizlurgh as best she can over the following day, exhausting many of her magical items in the process despite the loss of her divine blessings.
[align=center]- - - - -[/align]
[[ EM Note: This event was originally intended to be a one-shot event, but given players wish to make further attempts and advance the plot-line I have decided to expand upon the original story. Please use this thread for IC roleplay for the plot, but keep in mind actions will always bare consequences for better or worse. This plotline may flag triggers for some; the battle for a child's soul. ]]