The Nexus

[Town Hall] The priest with the tall, wispy hair recoils as Anika transforms, his face a mask of horror. That thing was larger than any bear he had ever seen. "Eurgh! No, no!" He cries, his voice a rising whimper. A pew is thudded into and knocked apart by Anika as she closes the distance...

[Raril's Bedroom] "Gone." Raril confirms. "Killed by Danube in a coup I helped orchestrate, not long after you... disappeared." He explains. "Her time was over, and Danube chose the time to strike. I took the opportunity to rejoin the family. Help her, go home. Mother was a...

[Raril's Bedroom] Linthaer's smirk only widens. "Oh, where haven't I been, little brother?" Her eyes meet his and do not look away. Her gaze is penetrating, it seems to burrow deep inside. "I have studied with the Illithids." She layers that word with honey, it was clear that sh...

[Raril's Bedroom] "Raril, darling." Answers the darkness. Those eerie silver eyes finally shut, plunging the room into darkness once more. By now, Raril has come to his senses and can see his elder sister there, perched cross-legged in a small wooden chair in the corner as though she hasn...

[Raril's Bedroom] If only it were. Raril's dagger soars as a silver thread, glinting in the dark. It strikes where the reflective eyes were, but are no longer. The knife buries itself in the wall, splintering the fine wood. A cool, calm voice then creeps out from the darkness, as soft as a whisper....

[Raril's Bedroom] It is midnight. The moon hangs as a silver disc in the starless sky above, and a cold wind presses against the high stone walls of Delmah Phor, as if eager to wriggle inside. As the Drow guards swap for the evening, a figure, cloaked in a veil of anti-sight, slips in with the bitt...

Menard nods. "A more ancient and primitive equivalent." His own power armor is a masterpiece of advanced technology, not some mere metal plates. But that's neither here nor there. "Perhaps a kindred spirit, or perhaps not. Armor does not choose its wearer." Adanu doesn't seem pa...

The Tower -> Town Hall Anika slams the door open and rushes on into the ramshackle structure before her. The town hall consists of six pews facing a stage, upon which a tall stake is mounted. Windows of stained glass depict surreal heavenly battlefields. The hall is otherwise empty and devoid of de...

"Less than a century? Legends say my people once lived such a short life, but that our technology allows us to live much longer now. But I have not known anything else, so... No. I cannot say that it influences my perceptions." Menard can see that the tone of the conversation has changed....

Mausoleum Nambra can't help but stare. "I see." She blinks once or twice. That groan was grotesque; now she wasn't feeling like eating anything. She had made a deal, though. Father had often told her of the perils of withdrawing a promise sworn to a planar being. "You g-gave me a wha...

[The Tower] The heavy footsteps come closer and closer. A small, balding man then creeps up the steps. His shaky hands clutch a cracked digital tablet, which he seems to be peering at from behind circular eyeglasses. He's flanked on either side by soldiers clad in orange uniforms—they're far more f...

The man in the mask leans forward in his seat, engrossed. "A mere hundred and fifty, sir?" Adanu is astonished. "My people live for less than a century. Do you feel as though the longevity of your life has, in some way, altered the way you experience it?" He reaches for his sleev...

"Our time?" Sophie homes in on this word. It strikes her as odd and she won't let ambiguity hang there. "Do you just want to be listened to or do you mean something else?" The squat little skeleton chuckles a little. It's a dark, dry sound, but there's a kind of musicality to it...

Adanu nods solemnly in agreeance. "That is true. What can one do but weep?" He shuts his eyes beneath his blank white mask, but it's no use. He can still see the dead man there, as though he were sitting beside him. Adanu could never wash from his mind what he'd seen—how the man's bones ha...

The Tower The open fourth floor has suffered extensive damage from its exposure to the elements. The orange carpet has turned a hideous black shade, and great patches of dark mold stain walls of melted steel. Remnants of metal structures sprout up from the floor periodically, all that is left of ma...

[Serinet Village] The pair take to the sky, avoiding a terse confrontation with the village guard. They aren't entirely covert, though—someone spots them! Far below them slouches a man in a tattered orange uniform. Patches of ratty cloth have been sewn over rips in the orange fabric. He nearly fall...

House of Duste: 4:45 AM This part of the city is isolated and overgrown with thorny vegetation—an ideal place for those who do not wish to be found. Hidden between a copse of stunted pines looms a decaying old manor. It has walls of plastered stone that display many scars where the plaster has fall...

"I'm one of the caretakers of this place, but I'm not in charge," Sophie clarifies. "That said, the party would likely be..." She can't say "livened up", that would sound like a joke at his expense. "...more colorful with some music. I'm not sure how much of a bud...

Mausoleum Nambra frowns. She could tell from how it spoke that the demon had meant what it had said—if it had wanted her dead, she already would be. Her hands clench into fists. This was a terrifying thought. Then she relaxes. It really had worked after all, hadn't it? This monster was hers to cont...

Southside Street -> House of Duste Now there's silence. Across the street, a single light flickers on. There is a small house there just beside the old station. A shadowy silhouette appears in the window. Whoever it is, they catch a glimpse of the Son of the Stitched One dragging Ashcalynn into the...

Southside Street- 3:01am The last glimpse the elf catches of the Son of the Stitched one is of his depraved grin. Not long after they turn a corner does he start to shout after them. "Yes, yes! Flee, flee while you can!" He then gives chase! His black raincoat flutters like the reaper's r...

It seems Dirge is in luck, as Sophie comes out to greet him. She's dressed in some sort of futuristic coat . While she normally enjoys Spooktober well enough, today she's also here to keep an eye on things. "It seems you're looking for me. How may I help?" Dirge somehow exhales a puff of ...

Serinet Village Far from civilized lands meanders a forgotten dirt road into a valley watched over by dark, brooding mountains to the north and south. The woods recede, revealing a monolithic ruin that shines in the sunlight—a sundered tower of steel and glass. A sullen little village surrounded by...

Southside Street- 3:01am The Son shrieks and squeals in frustration as his hammer blow arcs wide, narrowly missing his intended victim. The heavy iron head grazes close enough for them to feel a gust of wind upon their cheek. "No! You little wretch, I won't have you ruining everything! I'm the...

A shiny black hearse pulls up to the GLoG campsite. Painted on its side is a grinning skeleton rising out of a coffin. The words, "Dirge & the Coffin Breaks," are written below in stylized lettering. After a few minutes, the driver door opens and a squat skeletal figure clambers out fr...

Adanu nods solemnly. There's a pain in his voice. "I once saw a man carried up into the air as if by hands that were not there." He hangs his head low, peering right through the sockets of his mask. Colorful eyes twinkle sadly there, shrouded in the dark. "He screamed for some time. T...

Mausoleum The hideous sight of the demon's grotesque head lolling about atop its shoulders is enough to further disturb the frightened elf. No, no—none of this was going like it was supposed to! The creature drew closer. Nambra couldn't help but recoil, but she can't crawl far enough away to preven...

"Nay, I'm afraid not," Menard gives a wry smile, "The Verima art a most barbaric form of xenos indeed, raiders and slavers of an abominable voracity, but one dost gain an appreciation for some of their arts when one gains enough spoils of war from them. I am given to understand that ...

Southside Street- 3:00am "Ashcallyn. Call me Ash, most do. And yours? Oh, I'm sorry." Ash slows down, and tries taking a bit more weight so the injured man doesn't have to lean too hard on broken toes. They grunt a little under the weight, but try their hardest at getting them to that cli...

"Hm. I see." Mumbles the masked man. This conversation had become rather dark. Adanu did not wish to leave his only friend in a worse mood than he was when he met him. "So!" Bellows the much smaller man. "Verima gulshht! I take it this is an Earthling drink?" He rubs h...