BurningRaptor

"We are not having this discussion," Archmage Xersid stated plainly as he pored over an ancient text. The aged human didn't even turn to look at the other person in his study; the words of long dead mages held more interest to him than those of the other mage in his study. This other mage had much more intensity in his voice, and his actions matched his tone. "Archmage, this is of utmost importance. The council is voting in a week's time! I need-" "I know when the next session is, Merrick. Just the same, we are not having this discussion," Xersid cut him off. He still didn't look up from his work, but now his voice dripped with menace. Hig

Setris was a young brown-haired girl, around four summers old. She lived with her parents in Zerrick, just a little town off in the woods. It was a small town where everyone knew each other, and Setris would play with all the other children. They were mostly humans there, but the occasional halfling made their afternoon games much more fun. That fall, strange things started to happen. Eerie sounds came from the graveyard on the hill. Woodsmen and hunters reported seeing unusual tracks in the forest. News came of a bizarre attack in Midwood, just a day's ride away. Fearful murmurs started to spread among the people of Zerrick. Things took a

Truth was stranger than fiction, Sled decided. He had long heard of the legends concerning an ancient catastrophe that occurred millennia ago, how a portal to another world simply opened up to spew forth an endless wave of horrors. He had long decided that these legends were nothing but fiction, invented to keep the regular folk from venturing too far from their homes and thus, safe from bandits or savage humanoids. But there were no bandits on this side of the country, no savage humanoids to fear. And yet here he was, running for his life, finally believing the legend enough to fear it. He didn't even know what it was he was running away fr

The day started well enough. The sun rose, as it always did. The University's bell tolled, as it always did. Students and faculty filed into their classrooms, or laboratories, or practice grounds, as they always did. As much as Kaddim-Sul hated the monotony, he knew this pattern meant that everything was well. The swordmage observed these events unfold from a spire within the University. Red skin, burning eyes, and wispy flames atop his head marked him as firesoul genasi, a mortal with pure elemental power surging within his veins. His long blade was strapped to his back as he waited with growing impatience. "Good morning, Kaddim," came the

Calm before the Storm It was midnight. Everything was still, save for a chopper soaring above the slum district. The moon and the stars, hidden behind a veil of clouds, cast the scene in a faint and sickly light. The six men in the chopper were quiet as well. They grimly surveyed the overcast settlement for any signs of movement, but it seemed to be a futile task. Despite the noise of the rotors as they swooped low, nothing stirred. The chopper eventually landed in a clearing not far from the edge of the slums. Five of the men disembarked, clad in black, unmarked uniforms, masks concealing their faces. All carried automatic weapons. They c