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[TayM'real]

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The night's heat was oppressive as the light winds over Fire Island carried no relief to the weary Britannian. The heat seemed only to intensify over the last several weeks after the island was shattered by earth-changing events that saw great mountains rise and portions of the island fall to the will of the sea. The sightings were true and the rumors of Fire Island's changes were confirmed as the most evil of places - the fabled Sygian Abyss - was found.

With a start, Tay sat upright in his bed, his breathing labored and his shirtless chest bathed in a fearful sweat. Safe...t'was just a dream, he thought as hetried to shake the thoughts from his mind. The room was still dark, night had not yet given way to morning. The moon's light gave some visibility to the basement dwelling. He looked around his room, from what little he could see, nothing was amiss and the only sounds were the crumbling rocks and flowing lava of the ebony rocks that continued to rise and shake the island.

Another horrible dream.... he thought as he rubbed his temples. They were becoming more vivid. Each night the dreams became darker, more evil. The dreams coincided with the recent cataclysmic events that shook the island to it's core. His once oceanside estate was now dwarfed by the risen mountainous range and the bubbling pools of earthen matter.

Tay reached to his bedside, searching in the dark for the journal on his end table. He waved his hand over a candelabra which flared quickly to life and provided a small aura around his bedside. Opening the tattered journal, he took pen to paper and began to write. As he glanced at the prior page, it occurred to him that he was nearly writing the same story, word for word but with more intensity. The dreams, they were the same. Like a recurring nightmare that would never end; an endless array of evil. The creature was always there - a black demon. But a demon like no other. Frantically, Tay looked back through the pages of his journal, searching for similar pictures of what he had seen. They were there, scattered amongst the pages, the black-skinned, horned devil with two heads. Always two heads. But, it struck him odd that while one of the heads seems consistent with the body of the beast, the other was the polar opposite. The other was a soft face of milky skin. Shimmering black hair that seemed to flow and linger amongst the devil's movements. The features were soft, almost fairy like. Both faces seemed to reach for him - their words and voices a battle of good and evil. But what did it mean?

He screamed in agony suddenly as a blinding light penetrated his room. Lifting his forearms, Tay attempted to shield his eyes from the radiating blue glow. He tried to peak through his eyes, but the light was so intense. It's heat permeated the area around him. His body began to burn. As he threw the covers up, Tay stood by his bedside, attempting to use the silken sheets as a barrier to the light. Then like a pendulum, the state of the room changed. He began to shiver as a chilling wind laid a freezing hand over the room. He quickly wrapped the sheets around his bareskin, watching intently the glowing source of the light in the room. Hovering over the far wall was a symbol of which he had never seen. It radiated a blue aura that lit the whole of the room and a low hum of magic that rang in the man's ears. Imprisoned by it's prescense, Tay subconsiously stepped forward; his arm stretched in a look of longing and trepidation. As he reached out to touch the symbol, he was taken aback as his hand slid effortlessly through it. The symbol did not waver, did not move or distort. The cold, the symbol was so cold. Tay withdrew his hand, the hairs on his forearms now moist and dripping.

He turned suddenly, rummaging through a chest and piecing together his suit of armor. He secured the scabbard to his back which held the sword crafted for him by his father. He retrieved the journal from his bed and slid it in his back along with his dagger, runebooks and spellbooks. He strapped his Order shield over his shoulders and with spear in hand he looked back at the shimmering symbol; proceeding up the stairs to his front door. The night sky was clear, the heat was still heavy but something was different. The air smelled differently; the animals sang a different song. Something was happening in Sosaria.

Tay muttered quietly to himself; 'equi' as he waved his arms lightly through the air. Suddenly, he was lifted to the sky as his Charger appeared below him. The stead was anxious. It snorted at him, it's velvet eyes reflecting a hunger to be off. The great beast reared, taking Tay by surprise and immediately began going towards the coast.

Tay didn't understand what the symbol meant, or where it came from. His only hope were the historians of the realm. So he knew his first stop would be to the greatest library of the land.

The Lycaeum.
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To kill a non-believer tis not murder, tis the path to enlightenment...