As the howling wind raged though the tundra the townsfolk gathered in the city pub for the shelter it's thick brick walls provided against the fury nature threw at their small village. Children hid behind their mother's skirts as they were told the legends that their grandparents had told their parents. Most of the legends told of times long ago when magic was common, focusing on the evil mages, summoning demons on nights like this.
An eerie chill filled the tavern as a dark shrouded figure opened the door in one of the rare breaks from the storms fury. The slender, eight-foot tall figure entered the pub, the door slamming behind him with no assistance. Hobbling over to the counter, constantly muttering something barely audible to himself over and over again, he ordered a pitcher of boiling hot wolfroot tea. Complying with the latest addition to the refugees order he started another kettle of water boiling.
"So your not from around here, and guessing from your drink-of-choice I would say your a ranger or just like sour teas." Mosley, the bartender said to the dark clothed man trying to engage him in conversation while waiting for the tea to boil.
Hearing the kettle squealing he tossed a handful of wolfroot into metal a pitcher and poured the boiling water into the pitcher in front of the dark customer. Instantly, as it always did the wolfroot turned the water a deep red color. Mosley reached for a cup, but stopped as a linen bound hand grabbed the hot pitcher and put it to the pursed lips that waited for the scalding hot liquid it contained. Gapping, Mosley watched as the customer guzzled the sour tasting tea. After laying a gold piece on the counter for the tea, the black figure stood and ran for the door. The whole bar looked as the eight-foot tall, black clad figure sprinted for the door.
Screaming for help the fifteen year old, blue-eyed girl ran through the blizzard from the mob that threw everything they could at her. Blood ran from a cut on her forehead where a rock hit her. Jessica felt a rock clip her cheek as it flew by. She felt her body numbing as she tripped over a snow-covered rock. Lifting her face out of the snow Jessica struggled to get her body to obey her mental commands, but all her attempts were to no avail. The mobs shouts grew as their torches light the night. Laboring for every small breath, Jessica prayed that someone would help her.
She covered her head as she heard a fist sized rock hurtle at her. Hearing a small thud she looked up to see a panting figure standing before her, holding a rough cone shaped granite rock in his left hand, eight inches in front of her face. Black robes flailing about in the raging wind the figure stood up to his apparent full height of just over eight feet tall.
Setting the tip of a sword, that mysteriously appeared in his hand, on the ground the blizzard died down. The Dark man dropped the sword at his feet. The Great Tundra of Visheroth was quiet as the sleek figure stared blankly at the mob, which was shifting uncomfertablely under the powerful man's penetrating gaze.
"What is this woman's crime that deems her death necessary," the black clothed man asked, receiving no answer he continued "so she has committed no crime then. Why are you hunting this innocent woman? For the pleasure of killing someone innocent, or is it for sport."
"We only want to keep her from the pain of what she will do, even though it might not be her own will. You know how the possessed are demon hunter." an old man responded.
"I am not a demon hunter old one, and I do not see any signs of possession."
"Well then you must be blind do you not see her blue eyes, those... those hideous things are a sign of possession. You would do well to learn how to hunt demons, a strong young lad such as yerself could slay many of those foul things."
"Hey you old creep I am not possessed, and I don't care what my eyes look like to you, they 'look' just fine for me." Jessica shouted at the old man leading the mob.
At that moment everyone saw the dark man holding the granite throwing spike crush it in front of himself. Staring at the black robed man, the mob watched him lower his hood revealing a pair of smooth black horns, gleaming the moonlight. His face was human feature wise except for his burning red eyes, giving off a small bit of their own light, and his elongated ears, almost twice as long as an elf's.
"I already know what a demon looks like, all I have to do is look in a pond or mirror. Though all you have to do is look inside yourselves. Turn away now and go to your families, and tell them that you were wrong in assuming blue eyes meant possession. Also before you go remember do not always judge something by its appearance but by its actions." The half-demon said to the cowering crowd, before it ran away screaming into the night.
Jessica froze with terror as the demon man scooped her fast numbing body from the ground with a surprising gentleness. His red eyes, pulsing with an inner rage, stared strait into hers as if looking deep into her soul. Jessica's heart started racing as fear welled up inside her very soul, she felt a sudden shiver of fear as a wave of heat rolled over her body. Looking up at the half-fiend's face she noticed his lips were slightly moving as he chanted a spell. She felt another wave of heat roll over her body, warming her very soul. The numbness left from her body after the demon man carried for about half a mile, the whole time he kept chanting in the arcane tongue he seemed familiar with. Jessica struggled against her need for sleep, trying to use the demon carrying her as a tool, but inevitably sleep won out and Jessica felt her world darken.
Jessica woke in a dark, dry cave to the sound of labored breathing and heavy coughing. Sitting up slowly she noticed the glowing embers of a fire a few feet away from her. Looking around she spotted a lit torch to her left. A fit of coughs interrupted her thoughts, she stood up and grabbed the burning torch and walked in the direction she heard the coughing. The torch lit only part of the next chamber. A sudden unease settled on her as she drew closer to the coughing. Jessica felt something wet against her bare foot as she set it down, drawing it back instantly she noticed a dark liquid sitting in a small puddle on the solid marble floor.
"It's my blood you stepped in," Kraviskakile spoke firmly to the girl he had saved the previous day. "Some of my blood flows every time I use magic, a balance to my power as some have called it."
Hearing his voice so suddenly the girl dropped the torch he had set out for her earlier. He felt her eyes probing at his back. She picked the torch up, after a few seconds she found her courage to speak.
"Why did you help me, you could have let them kill me demon." The young woman's voice said with a small bit of admiration and fear.
"I could have let them kill you, couldn't I have. I have had the urge to watch someone innocent die for no reason, but you deserve an explanation. First of all my name is Kraviskakile, son of Zarakile the heartless, what is yours?" Kraviskakile said as politly as possible.
"I guess telling you couldn't hurt, I'm Jessica, thank you for saving me. Also sorry for being so offensive to you."
"Well that's a first, no one has ever appologized to me before Jessica, after all I am half demon. Thank you. The reason I helped you is quite a lengthy tale. Are you willing to listen?" Kraviskakile said to Jessica.
Jessica sat down to Kraviskakile's left where there was no blood soaking the ground. She fidgeted a little bit getting settled for the long tale. Kraviskakile reached into his robes and pulled out an ornate mirror, Gently he set it on the ground and did a few intricate well-versed motions over it before putting a single drop of his blood on the glass. A spectrum of colors appeared, starting to swirl around the focal point of the half-fiend's blood.
"I guess I should start this like any tale should, at it's beginning. Many millennia ago this planet we now call Taer'sadile was called Faerun. Magic was as common here then as fear of it is now, Many gods were worshipped and praised, good as well as evil, shrines to these deities were erected in every place imaginable. There were many who followed no gods and some who followed many gods.
"It was glorious for the gods back then, so many people to follow them they were celebrating for weeks on end. Evil gods also had many followers, but not as many as the 'gods of good' as they were called often. There were also many heroes like Drizzt Do'Urden, Wolfgar, and
Cattie-brie. However evil had it's own champions, my father was among the more powerful of them, evil however never could get along well. But there was one evil god who was unique, his name was Movak the vampire god, he terrorized this planet with four brutal wars.
"After the third war he was banished, unless twenty mortals of a neutral stance were to free him, the gods decreed. Well they never thought anyone would be willing to free him. During the fourth war an eternal night was brought on by the summoning ritual for the dark god. Movak was brought back as powerful as ever, though as a safety precaution a very powerful god no one can remember made it so that when Movak was brought back to the world he could die.
"A powerful race had decided to watch over the people of Faerun incase this did happen. They were the... the, I don't remember who they were. How ever a very powerful one of them, larger than his kin by about two feet started a rebellion after his child was tortured to death by a vampiress named Kalsheal'tamour. His rage was what inspired others, who thought it was courage as his army grew he knew that they could beat the vampires. The reason the drow won the surface so easily was they had volunteered to help out against the vampires, but deserted when the war began. Even a race call the illithids, commonly called mind flayers, were in the war. They were all but wiped out and the few remaining ran back to the shelter of the Underdark. A mercury dragon was what killed off the vampire god and ended the prolonged night. I just happened to be noon, to the dismay of the vampires, when the curse was shattered. I remember meeting the one leader who started the uprising though I don't remember much about him, other than his height and something about a lion.
"The reign of the drow however is almost at its end. Unless the balance point is destroyed however the drow will rule for the next twelve thousand eight hundred twenty years. I need you to find the person who is the balance point." Kraviskakile stated to Jessica, his tone unwavering.
Jessica sat staring at the mirror, which she had watched all these events unfold. "Hold on a minute Kravisekill or how ever you say your name," Jessica shouted "YOU want me to find this person so they can be killed and didn't you say so that when Movack or what ever his name is was brought back not if."
"Correct Jessica, you learn very quickly just call me Krise it's easier to say and keeps my true name from being revealed to mages who would use me for their own plots, e..." Kraviskakile said smiling.
"Well Krise, I don't know why you saved me I won't let another person die when I can save them." Jessica said flashing her temper at Krise.
"EXCEPT I did not say unless that person dies I said unless they are destroyed." Krise said as calmly as he could.
"What you mean this person is like a phoenix, you kill 'em and they come back?"
"Well that's very close. But not quite how it works, to my knowledge." Krise replied to Jessica.