In the year 1663, in the town of Hartford, Connecticut, a 20 year old man by the name of Philip Wittebane was in search of an accused witch. Not to burn her, as most people in the area were trying to do. Rather, he was trying to warn her. She lived deep in the woods, and when Philip was a child, the woman in the woods helped him find his way home after he had gotten lost, so he vowed to visit her whenever he could. She was a kind old woman, not the kind of person Philip would suspect of being a witch...but she was peculiar, and so the townsfolk were immediately suspicious of her. At the town meeting, the decision was made to put her on trial. Philip was putting himself at risk going to warn her, but he felt he had no other choice.
He arrived at the women's house, knocking on the door, hoping that she would answer. He noticed the door was unlocked. Curious, he decided to peek in.
"Hello? Is anyone in here?"
He slowly let himself in and looked around the small wooden cabin. It didn't look like anyone was here. Did she get away?
He stepped out of the house. He turned his attention to a nearby trail and noticed footprints leading down the trail. They looked fresh. He decided to follow these footprints. As he walked down the trail, he felt a strange breeze...something changed in the air, but he wasn't quite sure what...
As he continued walking down the trail, he started to see vegetation that he had never seen before. It certainly didn't resemble anything he's ever encountered on his trips through the other English settlements. He began to closely study the area around him as he continued down the trail.
Out of the corner of Philip's eye, he saw something that made him pause in his tracks. There was a clearing, and far in the distance, there was something...massive...like a rock formation of some sort. Philip was naturally a very curious person, and so he decided to get a closer look.
He walked out into the clearing, and he stopped and looked on in a combination of awe...and terror...
That's not some sort of rock formation...that's...the skull of a giant!
Philip stared at the imposing skull in the distance before slowly backing away and then bolting in the direction he came from. He started going back down the trail to go back to the settlement...
This has to be some sort of dream...
Somewhere down the trail, he noticed that both his set of footprints and the other set of footprints ended, and the trail continued on, but it was completely unfamiliar to him. How can this be?
He continued to walk down the trail until he came across some sort of settlement...but it was one he didn't recognize. It was far more strange looking. As he came closer, he noticed weird creatures inhabiting the town.
This must be a dream...either that, or I've stumbled into Hell...
He walked into the town and saw the creatures up close, and noted the many varieties of creatures that inhabited this town. He saw fairy-like creatures flying around. There was one man that looked like a human, but had pointed ears and three eyes. There was a family of creatures that were more nose than anything else. He was tempted to bring out his sketchbook and try to do sketches of as many of these fantastical creatures as he could...but first...he had to figure out where he was...
He walked into what looked like a tavern. He noticed a woman with fiery red hair behind the counter. He approached her. He noticed her ears were pointed as well, but she looked more human than a lot of the other townsfolk.
"Excuse me, madame, but...I'm lost and I don't know where I am...can you help me out?"
"I've never known any humans to be around here," the woman said. "What's your name, stranger?"
"Philip Wittebane."
"How did you get here from the human realm?"
So, I'm no longer in the human realm?
"That I'm not too sure of...I followed a trail, and...I ended up in this world..."
"Fascinating..." the woman studied Philip. "I'm Elizabeth...Elizabeth Clawthorne..."
"Elizabeth...there are humans named Elizabeth...one of them was even queen..."
"Really?"
"Yea, it's a pretty common name in my world..."
"Well, I think humans came here many years ago...so I guess it isn't that surprising...I believe humans were the first witches in this realm. They utilized the natural magic around us..."
"So, you're a witch, then?"
"Yea...is that an issue?"
"No...I...had actually been going on that trail because I was trying to warn someone...the other townsfolk were gonna capture her and burn her at the stake..."
"Are you serious?"
"Not all humans are like that, though..."
"Well...I am glad you are one of the good ones, then..."
Elizabeth smiled at him. Her radiant beauty was enough for Philip to start falling in love with her...
Philip waited outside hours later for Elizabeth to get off her shift. She was gonna show him something. She came out with a staff.
"I doubt you have ever flown before..."
Philip was dumbfounded. "Huh?"
"Hop on. I can show you the best view..."
Philip reluctantly hopped onto the staff with Elizabeth, and with her Nightjar palisman, she took off with Philip.
Philip could barely believe what was happening. Am I really in the air?
They flew above the trees and Philip was stunned at what he saw.
"This is the Boiling Isles...it is formed from the remains of a fallen Titan, and is situated in the Boiling Sea."
He looked out in awe at the size of the Titan that formed the Boiling Isles. This behemoth must've roamed this land thousands of years ago...
Later that night, Elizabeth offered to let Philip stay at her place for the time being.
"I'm grateful that you are letting me stay, but I need to know how I can get home. My family is no doubt out looking for me by now..."
"It's possible...the reason why you came here is probably because of Titan's blood...sometimes it can cause leaks between realms, but it can take years for you to find another leak and return home...so instead...maybe there is a way of creating a portal..."
"If there is a way of creating a portal...then I'm gonna find it..."
It was that night that Philip decided to keep a journal of his travels in the demon realm. This realm fascinated him, and he wanted to document as much as he could, but he was also very much determined to create a portal and return home. He sat down at a desk and began writing...
Entry 1
May 21...I think. My Name is Philip Wittebane. And I have found myself in a world so horrid, yet so fantastic, few minds could have dreamt it. If only those at home could see what I have, and perhaps they shall. For the more I learn about this realm, the more I am certain I can harness its strange powers to return home. Today, I begin recording my journey to create a portal back to the Human Realm.
