The Four Pillars

[*Selebius]

Unseen lines spread from the puddles to the unliving beings surrounding the alter, some of those branches withering quickly, some burrowing into the consciousness of the creatures, connecting them to the vampire's will.

That three ghouls there... and those six zombies who follwed the ghast... the wight to the left of the altar and the ghoul skulking in the shadows behind it. And that spawn over there... almost a vampire but it was not able to get the full deal... pity. But it is hers as well now, as are the two zombies that followed him.

Overall she realizes she only controls about half of the undead present- the other half and the fiends oblivious to what has happened.

[*HamsterHyde]

With half of the undead under her command, the macabre show starts. When the last sacrifice is offered, as if in disagreement of some it wasn't enough, one of the ghouls here attack furtively one of the fiends. Soon, two zombies there slaughter another fiend. The actors join the performance at the perfect timing. A few there, some here. All with the fiends as their prey, sowing discord and confusion. Disguising the attack with betrayal from the dead. Offering more blood to the corrupted land.

The last of the actors -the wight and the ghoul next to the altar.- join the show at the right time to strike the Night Hag sneakily when the Mezzoloths lower their guard, distracted with the other attackers.

From the shadows she orchestrate the bloodshed, carefully. Studying the battlefield like a commander pondering the progress of the battle, tipping the scales on her favor. She doesn't count with the numbers but she does with the element of surprise and the controlled chaos.

[*Selebius]

None of the fiends expected the attacks and the first fall quickly. It is not in their nature to flee instead of striking back and so they soon counterattack but by doing so they strike even at undead who are not under the vampire's control.

Soon the situation gets more and more violent, the ritual is interrupted as the Hag itself is attacked- and all the energies that were flowing to the pillar now fluctuate and spread in the hall, emotions and life force washing over the assembled fiends and undead, stunning them all.

But just for a moment, then, fueled by the evil and the pain the slaughter the battle starts anew- more violent then before, without any side willing to back down and retreat.

The undead outnumber the fiends but the latter are often more resilient- but in the end the undead get the upper hand, killing and devouring the fiends, picking them apart gleefully.

All the time the Pillar is watching and feeding, drinking in the blood, the pain, the despair of the dying, the anger and violence.

[*HamsterHyde]

Once the last fiend lie dead on the ground the undead also start to attack each other continuing with the frenzied rampage. The objective is only the last man stands. And this one will be the last sacrifice feeding the altar. Only one will collect the price, the big load of sensations and memories of the fallen, and with it, perhaps, the knowledge of the ritualist about the entity trapped, the binding and the ritual. Finishing with it the dark rite and collecting the experience and wisdom from the sectarian.

[*Selebius]

The last fiend is 'porting away, heavily wounded, the free willed undead starting to feast on the remains- open for being attacked by their controlled peers.

Again there is violence, some of the weaker, intelligent undead trying to retreat, few of them succeeding with the task. Then, in the end, only her controlled vampire spawn is remaining, weakened bit its wounds healing already, the ground covered with the remains of the fallen.

On the altar the pillar expanded to triple its normal size, the crystals inside it glowing with a sickly light. She feels the artifact is fully charged, only the lst step, the last sacrifice has still to be done.

[*HamsterHyde]

The last sacrifice is offered following the steps she has seen in two occasions. Taking advantage of her control she stands behind the spawn, now kneeling on the floor next to the pillar. Her claw sharped resting on his neck, threatening. While the other holds his head firmly from the hair. A clean cut spill blood over the device of evil.

"Oh entity bound to The Pillar of Loss, with this last sacrifice I feed your greediness. Share with me your knowledge and the sensations gathered from the fallen in exchange for the blood offered!"

[*Selebius]

The blood drops fall to the altar in slow motion- and they never reach the surface. Somehow they evaporate, the resulting mist absorbed by the pillar quickly.

Her words are heard and answered, the creature revealing itself and the vampire gets her reward for the sacrifice- a wave of loss, pain but also power washing through her undead mind.

((Written in white))

A mortal giving up his life as all that was held dear was lost- lost not because of war or catastrophy, bad luck or unfavourable circumstances but merely neglect and bad choices.

The soul arriving in the grey sands and ashes, a larvae to be traded, to be tortured, losing all the memomories, losing all warm and bright emotions, losing self esteem and dignity, only nurturing hate, envy, jealousy and pain. The feelings grow, become the essence of the creature's being, the suffering and loss of the creatures suffering a similar fate somehow.... sweet, somehow giving this creature a new purpose. But it is only a spark, even the strongest emotions numbed by the Grey, this neverending Grey and forlorn bleakness of the plane.

No white, no black, nothing strong, nothing real, only grey, ash on the tongue, all emotions worth nothing. And the creature fades away, becoming grey as well, becoming ash, becoming nothing.

It does not know how much time has passed but it rises again, in a cave or a grave- now a creature of this plane, strong, hungry for emotions, for colours, greedy and manipulating those mortals and souls around just for the sole purpose of escaping the numbing sensation of loss in its heart. But it never fades- regardless how much pain is caused, how much power it gets- it is never enoug, it is never able to escape the plane- and it does not even realize that it is not war or catastrophy, bad luck or unfavourable circumstances that prevent it from gaining what it desires most- but its own nature.

It is part of Hades, always was.

Nepheris realizes that the creature inside the pillar might be one of the most powerful Night Hags that ever existed, but in the end is still just another grain of grey sand.



The emotions of the sacrifices are shared as well now, the experiences of their existances now shared with the vampire- no- forced on her and something happens to Nepheris that might not have happened for ages, that should be impossible in her undead condition- she loses her consciousness.

She cannot say for how long she was passed out but when she regeains her consciousness she is still alone, the pillar once again resting on the alter in its natural shape and size- it can be claimed, perhaps the vampire also might find a way to free the fiend from the art- but it might also mean to take away what makes this pillar truly unique.

[*HamsterHyde]

After the unexpected phenomenon, recovering her consciousness and composure, she take the pillar in her hands. Holding it with fascination and excitement she smiles pleased. It was all she has dreamed with, a big step to her ambition. Her initial plans will have to change but she couldn't loose this chance, it was a gift.

With the artifact in her possession the pale lady step into the shades of the room, this time opening the doors leading to the depths of the darkness realm. It was time to come back to a safe place, quick, to digest and study the sensations and experiences she has received from the pillar. Looking into them to find the knowledge she need to detach the soul of that creature from the pillar. After all, one of the reasons for the bloodshed was she covet the knowledge the sectarian had about the pillar, specially the Night Hag.

[*Selebius]

The pillar is heavy for something so small- warm to the touch and now she feels the entity hiding inside it as well.

Shadows surround Nepheris, pathways are opening before her but she always feels the subtle pull that chains the pillar to this plane, the fiend itself being the anchor.

Behind her are only corpses and the lingering memories of what happened- the emotions so strong that the land itself still feels the tales and is forced to retell them until the grey oblivion will claim everything in a few years.

Thinking of what she learned se realizes this creature no longr wants to be bound- it wants to be freed, leave this prison behind. Destroying th pillar would men its death but perhaps there are other ways to force the fiend out of the vessel magical or mundane. It is a fiend after all, with all its strenghts and vulnerabilities and having felt its history and emotions Nepheris know this creature quite well- perhaps she will be able to even contact it somehow.



(( As soon as I find time to get into the game you get XPs and of course the Pillar she found. ))

[*HamsterHyde]

Attached to the monochrome plane by the artifact she decide then to look for a quiet place there. And with calm, study the possibilities available.

((Cool, I'll also let you know what she does next after studying it a bit))