Chapter 1

She stood at the edge of a battlefield. This place had once been her home, now it was a desolate shadow of what it had once been. She had grown up here and had returned to find her family. Her name was Adrianna. A beautiful name by any standards but its beauty hid her true identity and purpose. She was a member of the Sisters of the Sightless Eye. An ancient sisterhood made up of women from all over Sanctuary that was the name of her land. She had been sent to scout the evil within this area. Since this was the place she grew up, it was only natural that the council of Elders send her here. She had been somewhat reluctant to return but all that had changed when she arrived and had seen the devastated city that had once been her home.

Houses had been severely damaged, burned and ransacked. They had been burned to simple ashes, rusty hinges weakly held window shingles and doors. Abandoned doors with weapon marks and cuts, of unknown origin stood swinging in the wind. There was broken glass, dead bodies with scattered limbs and gruesome faces that held their dying throes. The trees lay decimated and broken covered with splattered blood and broken weapons. It was a horrific site. There was an incredible amount of blood everywhere. It was splattered on the buildings, on the bodies, and on the ground. On the ground lay puddles that reflected the sun, making the scene almost pleasant amidst the terror that wreaked the land. The stench of death befouled the air. The weapons of war had created this blood of countless thousands. Maggots and other such insects began the process of decomposition attempting to hide all evidence of the death around her, as the bodies lay there motionless. The battlefield it self, looked like a field of death. More bodies lay with festering wounds not made of human weapons. All plant life seemed to have been drained from the land and only brown brittle grass remained. There was so much blood, too much blood. There were bodies of young, old and even innocent children dead killed by the mysterious evil. She saw rotting corpses that looked like they'd been dead for weeks, covered in maggots and festering wounds.

Some unfortunate citizens hung from ropes tied to the dead trees. Their heads hung, the look on their faces seemed to show that they had looked terror in the eye and perhaps they had, dying at the sight of it. Out of respect, Adrianna used her dagger that she pulled from her belt, to cut down the people. They sagged and slumped against trees and the ground gracelessly. Other, more unfortunate bodies stood skewered on large pointed wooden poles, the poles running through their entire bodies. Adrianna shuddered at the thought and turned away. It was a futile attempt, as more bodies lay behind her. She was surrounded. Panic-stricken the world began to spin all reality seemed to blur before her eyes. She fought to keep her sanity and found more death. Not even the wars of the East had been this gruesome.

Among the dead she discovered the bodies of her dead parents. Ravaged with the pain that tore through her heart like a thousand knives, she could only but look towards the heavens and ask but why? Was this her punishment for leaving her home so long ago? Was she meant to feel this pain deeper than any she had ever felt?

Running as fast as her legs could manage, she ran through the forest surrounding her village. She was of a young age, only thirteen and here she was prepared to leave all that she loved. Her parents had told her, that she was to marry a young boy, the son of the Blacksmith. She often dreamed of freedom, to be a warrior with the strength to defend her home. Her parents didn't see it this way. Convinced that she was far enough away, she slowed to a walk, facing east towards lands that held many mysteries. Taking a deep breath, she looked towards this new life with newfound excitement and it seemed that her life before was over. She had escaped….

A nearby noise jarred her out of her memories. She drew her weapon, a sturdy Rogue Short bow. It was her favourite of all bows, with a smooth wooden curved arc, with sturdy handgrips. She reached her arm up and pulled a feather tipped arrow from her quiver strapped to her back. She looked around; fully alert ready to release her rage upon the evil. A small animal came out from behind a small dying bush. The small animal appeared to be a small house cat. The cat was striped grey and black, a thin animal. It limped, dried blood stuck to the animal's matted fur. The cat limped up to her. Its sad, small green eyes looked up to her, almost as in looking for someone to save her. Adrianna knelt down, putting the arrow back in the quiver and putting the bow in its place fastened to her belt on her back. She reached down and picked up the small shivering kitten. This kitten seemed to give her hope that some could survive such a disaster, that maybe there was hope left here. She turned and walked towards the town. As she walked, she thought of this battle where the foe was invisible. She did not know what killed these innocent people, but it could not have been of this world. The wounds were extremely large as if a cleaver had sliced open their guts. A vision of her parents filled her mind. Tears came to her eyes. The cat snuggled in her arms, purring as if reassuring her. She hugged the little kitten. She decided then to take care of the little kitten as best she could and decided to call her, Hope.

Adrianna walked into town, where Agden's Inn was. Agden offered her a place to stay as he immediately recognized her. He was her closest friend when she was a child. She had had other friends, but they were all dead or plagued by all that had happened. As he tended to the kitten, he told her the grim story. The Kingdom had been overrun by demons. Many people where cut-down where they had stood. Those who took up arms had been killed or dragged away to become slaves or worse. The church at the end of town had been desecrated and was being used for dark rituals. Things got a lot worse. One night many children were taken by the screeching demons including the King's son Albrecht. The knights of the palace had tried to placate the King but sadly they had been forced to kill him. He scoured the village for his missing son and blamed innocent townsfolk for his disappearance and had them brutally executed. With his dying breath he had called down a curse that all his followers would serve him in darkness forever. The King had now risen from his eternal sleep and now commanded a legion of undead minions. The story Agden told seemed somewhat unbelievable. How could a dead man rise from the dead? He was a trusted friend. Was it possible that he had lost his sanity with all this death?

Adrianna decided it was best to let it drop for now. Instead, she turned her thoughts to the next day. Adrianna was going to explore the church and see if there was any way to stop the darkness. She felt like she had a mission to avenge the death of her family, but she did not know if she had the right, after all she had left them to find a greater life. She now watched Agden slowly get up and walk over to Tyrone a lonely drunken man who had lost to the darkness.

Laura stayed at her place behind the counter. The lanterns cast shadows around the room and gave it the appearance of a cozy home, despite the evil outside. Small, wooden, round tables with three wooden chairs each were neatly scattered around the room. A large stone fireplace lay by the south wall providing both light and heat to the main barroom, that had paneled wood on the walls. Agden was dressed in black pants and a beige shirt with a white apron tied around his waist. He was a thin, but tall man with unruly black hair cut close to his head. Laura was dressed in a blue dress that reached her ankles. She was shorter and had a little more weight to her. Her long blonde hair was tied back into a tight bun. To Adrianna their clothes seemed to be somewhat old, for they were torn and dirty. Months ago when the troubles had started many had left Khanduras in fear of the evil that had erupted there, now only a few brave caravans came once in a while to supply food and other supplies to the town. The couple looked as if they hadn't had much sleep lately and it was likely that they hadn't for fear that the demons might get them in their sleep. Dark patches under their eyes revealed that much to her. Agden and Laura looked more aged than other people their age. They were both twenty-six, though they looked forty. She had grown up with them and had great respect for them. Adrianna remembered back to a prominent moment from her past...

A depressing time for her, though things had been very different. Days filled with teachings from Deckard Cain and Lithious. Cain had taught them the myths and legends of the World. He had been to the East to the Deserts of Aranoch. He had traveled to the Zakarum Capital of Kurast, the ancient jungle city in Kehjistan and had even crossed the sea to the Twin Islands, the home of the amazons. It seemed to Adrianna, that Cain was hiding something though, perhaps a deep, dark secret. Adrianna had once asked him about the past of the Cathedral. It seemed to intrigue her somehow. It was beautiful with stain glass windows and elegant walls and furniture. There also seemed to be an air of mystery. He said it was old and there had been nothing interesting about it. He also told her that she did not need to know about the history of it. It was not important. He told her never to ask about the Cathedral ever again. She never did in fear of his rage. It was the only time she had ever seen him angry. Instead she focused on trying to learn the basics of healing. It never much interested her, though now that knowledge might be useful. Years passed and she had grown into a beautiful young lady. She was thirteen. Her parents called her to them one night and proceeded to tell her that she was betrothed to Derek Grishod, The Blacksmith's son. She would marry him in a few years. Though he was a nice person, she had never wanted to marry him. She felt her path was elsewhere and she knew that. So one clear cloudless night, she packed her belongings and disappeared into the forests. She disappeared, sure she would never return. Now here she was back in town and the memories came flooding back.

She ended up near the gates to the East where the Rogue Monastery was located. It was the biggest building she had ever seen. It was built as a fort protecting the Westlands. The monastery included an outer cloister that was abundant with gardens and a fountain made up of the three elder Rogues from long ago. There was the barracks and the jail that was used for storage and the occasional prisoner. The inner cloister was smaller and led to the cathedral that made the one in Tridosios pale in comparison. The stain glass windows rose high into the sky. Beyond this lay the catacombs where all the rogues of the past were buried. As far as she knew there were at least three levels. While wondering the huge expanse, she met a Rogue named Kashya, she was to be her best friend. She took her to meet one of the elders. She was questioned where she had come from. She refused to tell them. She eventually told them but this happened years later. The elder Akara, leader of the Rogues took her in and taught her the ways of the Rogue. She became part of the sisterhood. When the troubles in Khanduras began, the Elders sent Adrianna to investigate. Now here she was and she wasn't sure what she was doing.

Snapping out of her daydream, she looked around as Hope nudged her. The cat had been sitting on the table that she was sitting at. She noted Agden and Laura talking and hugging. They had been married for many years and though they looked so old and tired she could see the love between them. Since she was their friend they let her stay at their inn for as long as she wanted. That was very kind of them considering the situation they were in. Looking at Tyrone, Adrianna saw the man stagger out of the tavern holding a bottle of Ale. She remembered him too. He was always interested in nature. The children of the town always explored the forest. He seemed at that time to be a leader. Now she saw a shadow of a man that used to be something but was now reduced to a drunkard. What drove a man to drink? He was dressed much the same as Agden. He was also skinny but he was hunched over now. His dirty blonde hair was flat and wet. His face was a mess of sunken eyes and stubble from his beard. He did not much bother with his hygiene.

Derek had become a blacksmith like his father. Agden had told her that he was very good at weapon making. Lithious now owned a place of healing. Cain dwelled in the town square by the tainted well, when he was in town. He usually travelled to the neighbouring town of Tristram. The water, Adrianna noticed was a sickly yellow and smelled of raw sewage. On the outskirts of town, there was Alyssia the Witch who had a well-stocked shack just across the river. Agden had said that it was built seemingly over night. Adrianna decided that she didn't want to find out how fast it was built. Alyssia had arrived shortly after the cathedral had been taken over. Then there was Jillian and her grandmother, who suffered from delusions. Jillian was quite younger than Adrianna and was very pretty. Though she had once lived in Tristram, she had travelled to Tridosios to be with her grandmother. She helped Agden with his tavern as she had helped his brother Ogden. She owned a small house within the town.

Adrianna overcome with sleep decided to turn in for the night. She was depressed and worn out. She needed sleep. Travelling many days to reach her home from the Rogue Monastery was a very long, lonely and tiring trip, especially when you had to attack and fend off demons along the way. Tomorrow she would investigate as she was sent to do.