History

As you lay down to sleep, let me tell you a story my child...a tale of which the bards sing and the monks pray...

As the sun sets each evening, the darkness of the night falls upon the realms of Aurealis. With it, the moon rises, a stillness falls upon the lands, and all the creatures of the night come out to play. But not all of these are what they seem to be...a new secret nation has been born, one that thrives from the darkness and lives in the shadows.

At first it was thought to be nothing more than a hoax, old wives' tale told to break the occassional afternoon boredom or stories told by older kids to scare their younger siblings. Yet those who had seen it with their own eyes knew of this war being waged in the dark. These few have stumbled upon the man who they say lurks in the shadows and feeds upon the weak of heart. Few know of his true identity, though rumor tells of a man from Nirenoft who ventured to this kingdom recently from afar. Nothing of his life or past was known, and as far as everyone knew he walked alone without family or friends.

Naturally, he was thought to be a simple vagabond, a man without home who wandered about the lands at night causing trouble for the townsfolk. He was just a common thief without any trade or aim in life, but since he was forced to grow up from childhood on his own and fend for his own well-being, he had amassed a great many skills. He was brave and noble, yet because of his hard life he had developed anger toward the injustices of man and learned how to focus this hatred to make himself a powerful foe in battle. His biggest gripe was how man treated his kin so poorly, and the rich were catered to while the poor were seen as the dregs of society and treated as outcasts.

Chaos has been watching and waiting for another opportunity to offset the balance between good and evil in the realms, and this young stranger caught the attention of his eye. And though Chaos could clearly see that there was humanity in this man's heart, he knew that if steered him in the right direction, the hatred within him could easily serve the purpose of evil. A fire was simply needed to set off the anger within him, and he summoned forth Cauchemar, Lord of nightmares, to help him hatch an evil scheme.

Cauchemar entered the subconscious mind of this man each night, giving him nightmares about his past, showing him how his family was killed and how he was left alone as a child, scared and helpless. And each time, it was the same...the faces of the murderers were those of the townsmen and women he saw each day throughout the lands. The visions grew worse, as the nightmare lord played with his mind, drawing out all of his darkest memories, even those suppressed years past. The stranger grew angrier each day as he awoke in cold sweats. Chaos knew that even a strong man could not last much longer. But one more spark was still needed, and so he conjured up a beast from sorcery that resembled a great man-wolf, but was nothing more than a shadow given the powers to kill. He set this beast loose throughout the homelands of the great towns, and watched as it slaughtered many of the people's livestock, and even attacked or killed a few townsfolk. Then, after vanquishing this beast himself, he stained the young man's clothes and hands with blood and animal hair, and set tracks in the dirt for the nearby villagers to find this man the next morning. Chaos knew that the foolish townsfolk would act in haste.

The thief awoke to a much bigger nightmare than those he had been having as of late, as he was caught and dragged off to be hung by an angry mob. And while he was not sure of what had actually happened the previous night due to the horrid nightmares he was being fed by Cauchemar, he did know that he did not wish to die at the hands of those who he believed had taken his family from him. Thus, when the opportunity arose, he escaped and fled to the forest with hurried stealth. It was here that Chaos first appeared to him, and catered to his anger.

Chaos offered him his most insincere apologies, and gave him the opportunity to exact revenge upon the murderers of his family, and as Chaos put it, "a people so injust as to wish to kill the innocent without as much as a trial simply because of his dissimilar walk of life." Cauchemar's effects upon his mind had done their work, for the now deluded man appeared joyous at this possibility and agreed without as much as a doubt. That was a Chaos needed, for without asking twice he made the man a slave to the darkness of the heart. He gave him the power to become one with the shadows of the night and use the darkness inside of him for unimaginable evils. Chaos told him that though he would be as vulnerable as the average man when the sun was in the skies, but that at night he would have the peoples' fear to aid him in his dark mission. The thief was in a state of deluded happiness, and he asked the immortal what price he would have to pay for all of this. Chaos whispered, "Nothing more than the souls of those you kill each night, and the power that this despair shall give to me." The man's eyes suddenly froze with shock, but before he could contest, Chaos was gone.

The people of the towns were still outraged at the thief's escape, and shouted that he was a beast that was a threat to them and deserved to be killed. Reward money was offered for his capture, and when he couldn't be found, guardsmen were sent to search for his hideout for several nights. This is when the real problems gan. For you see, even though he now walked with the powers of the shadows, he could never truly bring himself to hurt anyone. All he sought was enough for his own sustenance and well-being. Yet Chaos knew it would be only a matter of time until his emotions got the best of him.

One cold night in New Kerofk, a few drunk townsmen were exiting the local tavern and laughing about this mystery wanderer. They had been talking all night about how the local guards were fools, and if the matter had been in their hands, they would've had this stranger's head days ago. During all the boasting, a few bets had been made as two local millers and a backsmith claimed they would bring back the stranger's head and win not only the prize money but the praise of men and women everywhere. And as they slowly stumbled homebound that dreary night they caught a glimpse of this vagabond hiding in the shadows, and they roared out in foolish slur and began to chase after him. As they closed upon him though, the tables had quickly turned and even in the darkness of the alleys they were aghast at what they saw in his face. No sooner had the shock wore off that he pounced upon them, maiming them horribly before he fled. Make no mistake about it, these men were carrying weapons and were known to boast of their strength, but in their drunken stupor they were no match for the stranger's deadly hands. He had made one mistake, however, in his shock at being discovered and that was to leave them for dead without finishing the job himself. One of the millers managed to survive his wounds, and though the experience had driven him mad, he told of what happened that night to anyone who would listen.

The miller, Cassius, muttered continuously, "Kn...kn...knew him. Bu...bu...but it didn't look like him. So different. Da...dark eyes...I couldn't see them even though I tried...teeth so gleaming...his smile was so evil...and his body, almost as if he was there one second and yet not the next. He was man, yet he wasn't. His...his body would fade until his outline became unclear and it was almost as if he would fuse and become one with the shadows, moving within them...as part of them. Ja...Ja...Jarrell tried, but before he even drew his scabbard, it lunged at him and cut him open with his own blade. I...I...I tried to help...tried to stab it with my dagger but it moved so fast and plunged this shiny black blade into me. Be...be...before I blacked out I saw Aeolus stab it in the back with his spear of mithril. It...it...clutched its back in pain for a moment...but then grabbed him by the throat and flung him across the alley against the wall. I...I...I don't know what happened after that. It was him...it was S...Sa...*scream* get away from me...I'll kill you...you're all evil...get out of my head!"

Now you see, it was not that the thief had really looked any different persay, or had any true unusual abilities. But once again, Cauchemar had done his dirty work at Chaos' request. For rather than toy with the stranger's mind any further, he played with the subconscious of the rest of the kingdom. The Lord of nightmares made it so that anyone who looked upon the thief's face at night would not truly see him for who he was, but instead would see their own worst fears.

This incident alone brought fear into the hearts of the townsfolk across the realms, and the stranger whose name was still unknown was the talk of taverns and shops everywhere. Security was heightened in several towns as more men were hired as guardsmen, and the reward for his kill was raised across the lands. Many of the wise men knew that this was futile, however, for how can one who has been granted powers from the Gods be hunted down. And more importantly, what if Cassius was speaking the truth? What if he was amongst the people themselves, and noone knew of his true identity? Heightened awareness and curiousity brought more deaths however, as guards were found dead in Sylvandell, Al 'Kargoth, and Alanholt. Noone semeed to be spared as even evil peoples, such as those in the Drow city of Sshanntynlan and Mahn-Tor were killed.

That was the year 1231. Two years have since gone by, and it is now The Month of Fall's Beginning. The threat has not passed. It has simply taken on new faces. People now speak of creatures similar to the original stranger, who walk the lands at night feeding upon the weak and having their way with whomever they come across. It has become common knowledge now that they are not outsiders, but simply a secret people walking among the rest of us. A pixie girl from Nirenoft who had been training as a bard was one of the first to have disappeared. Her family and friends assumed she had been kidnapped and killed, until her sister saw her hiding outside a market one late evening. Her sister called to her, but the girl simply hid her face and fled with an unusual speed. There is also the story of an elven warlock girl, also of Nirenoft, who had been an outcast from her people, and sought refuge in the darkness of the night to practice her dark magic. Others have also been seen recently to escape into the cold night air to seek shelter from their lives. Among them...a powerful thief, two very adept clerics, a skillful bard, a couple of druids, and a handful of lonely warriors. Though their numbers began only as one, their numbers grow steadily as they accept more and more people into their world.

It has been said that they come from all walks of life, no matter the race nor class, and live amongst us during the day as anyone else. But at night, a certain calling changes them making them almost immortal, invulnerable to the pains of common man. They become one with the night and meld with the shadows around them. Knowledge of how their power is passed on from person is person is unknown, and one may never really know the truth behind it all until they join themselves. But they are no beasts...no monsters we should have feared. They are simply misunderstood creatures of the night...common folk who felt betrayed or abandoned by their fellow man and sought kinship with another kind.

But now it is too late. For they have been hunted for so long now, that they now have become the hunters. The evil in man's heart has a new enemy to fear now...an even greater evil created by man himself through hatred and exclusion. Chaos had gotten his wish for the creation of a clan of night warriors to aid him in throwing off the balance in the lands.

That, my child, is the story of the "Eternal Darkness." Sleep well now, sweet dreams, and may god have mercy upon your soul. *Stands and looks upon the face of the sleeping child...and though he stands in the moonlight shining through the window, all that can be seen of his face is a shadow.

--Written and Edited by Bal Reddy (Sayhan) c1998