First Things First (Part Two)

Oh dear reader, this is part 2 and you have read part 1, correct? As you remember dear reader, I was soothsaying the story of Alexander Roesone’s rise to the title of Duke Nightmare but I overtook Alexander’s brief but important dabble into worshiping strange powers. Firebeard Blackaxe served as a captain in the guard for a one Malik Deth. What is most unusual about Malik Deth was that he was not an efreet like all other nobility in the City of Brass; no dear reader, Malik Deth was once a mortal from the world of Aebrynis (the same world as our Player Characters).

Alexander Roesone dreamed of the innumerable treasures that awaited him at the Infernal Bazaar in the City of Brass. When Alexander and his compatriots traveled to the Elemental Plane of Fire they were allowed to meet Firebeard Blackaxe’s master: Malik Deth. The evil mortal Player Characters were impressed by the home of Deth and his treasure room; Deth compared weapons with Alexander: Alexander’s blood-silver spear and Deth’s blood-silver two-handed sword.

The spear and the sword were both made by the same blacksmith; both were of an elite lot that most thought were lost in time. Deth asked if Alexander would serve him as an Agent of Deth and Alexander agreed and would spend a great deal of time before the Infernal Bazaar learning and adventuring for the Agent’s of Deth. What was most important for Alexander at this time was gaining levels as a cleric: max level of five for demi-gods. But Alexander leveled to seven before departing for the Forest of Poisoned Dreams and his chance encounter with Kareem Wali-Jabar.

It was only after the “Quest for the new #10” that Duke Nightmare meets Grand Ma-ma. Alexander accepted the fate of being Prince of the Fairies and sought tutelage from Grand Ma-ma. Lussina loved her time with her grandson, teaching him how to ride his namesake nightmare steed with supreme skill. Grand Ma-ma regaled Duke Nightmare with stories of the Unseelie history and teaching him the language of the dark fairies.

So dear reader, after being locked in a padded cell in the Fiendholme on level 65 of the Abyss for an indiscernible amount of time Duke Nightmare would seek out his beloved Grand Ma-ma to seek council. For Duke Nightmare had made a new deal: a deal signed in blood. Duke Nightmare agreed to act as “the New Dark God’s” proxy for the opportunity to be given consideration for promotion to serve in a new evil pantheon of gods over Aebrynis. The New Dark God demanded seven unnamed evil deeds to be preformed whenever desired.

It was one of Alexander’s oldest and most trusted colleagues, Raphael Saberstrike, which brokered the final deal and let Duke Nightmare (with all his equipment) out of the padded cell in the asylum wing of the dungeon in the Fiendholme. Duke Nightmare left the dungeon level and proceeded through the main level with Raphael giving some parting instructions and a pendent bearing the symbol of the New Dark God.

Duke Nightmare had choices on how he could travel to visit his Grand Ma-ma so in typical fashion Duke Nightmare choose the easiest choice. With a necklace purchase from the Infernal Bazaar, Duke Nightmare activates a magical gate and steps through. Guards of The Lady’s Ward like usual were surprised anyone would come through the special gate they were assigned to guard. Duke Nightmare stands in full force awaiting what comes next; the usual treatment for arriving unannounced in the City of Doors.

Squads of guards surround Duke Nightmare and eventually an emissary for The Lady of Pain will request that Duke Nightmare meet The Lady in the room that had been previously assigned in the accompanying palace for the special gate. Duke Nightmare struts out of the courtyard were the special gate rests and heads for his room. In the guest room Duke Nightmare discovers The Lady of Pain in a form that Duke Nightmare had not seen before: that of a female humanoid with a porcelain mask and of course accompanied by another emissary.

Duke Nightmare’s conversation is relatively short and to the point. The Lady of Pain requested that Duke Nightmare meet her in private; that was to save face for Duke Nightmare. The Lady of Pain reveals that the necklace Duke Nightmare has in his possession belonged to someone once important to The Lady of Pain and demands it’s return immediately. Duke Nightmare will comply but be insistent that he still be given royal treatment.

The Lady of Pain makes a special deal for Duke Nightmare: (1) in exchange for the necklace, Duke Nightmare is given a special writ that will enable him to negotiate with the Master of the Portals, (2) Duke Nightmare can never return to the palace that has the special gate and cannot investigate about it’s history, (3) normally The Lady of Pain does not allow avatar-level creatures in her realm but as Duke Nightmare is operating on proxy-level he is given the warning that her realm is for mortals; not powers, (4) Duke Nightmare will be allowed in Sigil as per standard treatment in most cases, (5) The Lady of Pain instructs Duke Nightmare to consult the priests of Zivilyn about the dead god Hiddukel.

Duke Nightmare leaves the guest room and the palace of the special gate altogether and heads into Sigil, the City of Doors. Now dear reader, Duke Nightmare is a stranger in a strange land and in past occasions either traveled discretely or with a retinue of guards assigned to him from the palace, so Duke Nightmare had to dig down real deep in his dark soul and pull up some gold and silver to pay for a mob of guards (go big). So dear reader, here we have Duke Nightmare decked out in near full majesty (no nightmare fore when he tried to summon it there was no response) parading through the city with a dozen guards marching there way to one of the most magnificent temples in The Lady’s Ward; that of Zivilyn the Tree of Life.

The temple to the Tree of Life of course would look like a giant-ass tree but all decked out with inner workings of a hive of temple-bees. So when Duke Nightmare and his procession neared, they are of course an intimidating sight, and only one brave priest ventured out to seek audience with Duke Nightmare.

The lone priest of Zivilyn recognized a twisted mockery of Hiddukel in the pendant that Duke Nightmare wore and invited Duke Nightmare to have a conversation in the shade of a sprouting branch of the tree shaped temple of Zivilyn. Duke Nightmare learned many interesting things from this priest, things that Duke Nightmare would have to investigate later. Duke Nightmare gained information on: (1) the world of Krynn and the mega-continent of Ansalon (2) some of the names and alliances of the gods of Krynn (3) the stories about Hiddukel before his death, and most importantly, (4) the gods of Krynn fear Jay Oaker.

The story that Duke Nightmare could learn a lot from was about the death of Hiddukel. The Wizards of High Sorcery gave a young mage named Sephiroth the Staff of Magus because while take The Test, the masters discovered that these foreign born adventures could lead to the death of a god of evil if given the opportunity. So the Masters of High Sorcery gave the Staff of Magus to Sephiroth and allowed the mage to gain the title of Master of the Past and Present.

Sephiroth completed The Test along with his trusted accomplice, Jay Oaker, and took the Staff of Magus and the power that came along with it. Sephiroth and Jay Oaker, along with their other sinister friends, Deth and Pestilence, sat about to change the world of Krynn forever. But not in the way that the powers could ever see coming.

Jay Oaker had his crew thieves would wreck the economy of Ansalon with the aid of Sephiroth transporting into Krynn very valuable steel and taking out of Krynn gold and silver. The powerful warrior Deth would strike a blow to Ansalon by killing one of it’s greatest defenders, while the fiend known as Pestilence would strike at the very core of one of the greatest knightly organizations by defiling a sacred abbey.

All these activities began to attract the attention of Hiddukel the god of lies and deceit. Hiddukel believed, and rightfully so, that these foreign born invaders were pests and needed to die. But the combined might of Sephiroth, Jay Oaker, Deth, and Pestilence would defeat Hiddukel time and time again until they attracted the attention of the Dark Queen Takhisis.

Takhisis was impressed by the evil that four mortals could wreck and laughed at Hiddukel’s constant failures. Sephiroth used his access to the Dragon Portal in the Tower of High Sorcery to travel to Takhisis realm were Jay Oaker made the Dragon Queen a sweet deal. If Jay Oaker could defeat Hiddukel in a fight (legitimately or otherwise) then Takhisis would elevate Jay Oaker to the position of God of Deceit.

So Takhisis summoned her alley Hiddukel to her realm in the first layer of Baator and made Hiddukel do battle with Jay Oaker. Hiddukel brought the pain to Jay Oaker but through sneaky actions, Jay Oaker was able to suck Hiddukel up in a Sphere of Annihilation and win the duel. So as the Master of the Past and the Present, Sephiroth was able to help in the death of a god and the rise of a new god but as his namesake goes, Jay Oaker would have the last laugh. Because for all the power and might that was given Jay Oaker; all was used to gain personal power for himself and his friends. Jay Oaker cared not for the world of Krynn and would slowly let it fall more and more into chaos.

Eventually Takhisis could not form an alliance amongst the evil gods so Takhisis took the guise of Mina a new god and plotted a new war on Krynn. But without proper balance in Krynn and without the Master of the Past and Present, Takhisis’ plans almost came to full fruition. Takhisis positioned herself as Mina the new god and began to form new cults all over Krynn; some doing good, most doing evil. Paladine saw how much effort and engery Takhisis was putting forth this time and how it reminded him of when they first built the world. So to save the world, Paladine offered Takhisis a second chance, a chance to start over new: the two elder dragons would leave Krynn and form a new world and a new pantheon.

Thus the Age of Mortals began on Krynn, the elder gods of Paladine and Takhisis left the world they created to their children and companions. The stars that made up the constellations of Paladine and Takhisis left the night sky along with Mishakal. Some say that Mishakal left over a broken heart, others point out that the constellation for Branchala has shifted a bit as to represent that Branchala’s harp is playing a different tune: maybe trying to lure Mishakal back to the people she once ruled over.