((This is basically for any Felworiae to post. I'd rather not anyone else, because the story doesn't pertain to you. In fact, I don't care whether or not other Felworiae to post, as I could go all the way with it by myself, although I suggest some of you do. The story takes place right after Gaku and ScouSin leave Felwor, for those of you followers that want to join in.))



“Checkmate.”

His opponent was bewildered, getting up from his seat. Not only had he smashed through this foe’s defenses and pinned several pieces to his king, but he found a subtle yet amazing move that forced a mating net, and twenty moves later, he had won.

“But how did you see it?”

The man stood up and pushed in his chair. “I have mastered all that is left in this game. After a while, you get used to seeing it.”

“But—“

“It may take years and years of practice, but it happens. Something just…snaps. All of a sudden, everything is clear and you can analyze an entire game through just a few short moves. Of course all opponents are different, but after a good fifteen moves, I learn his process. It is only a matter of technique from then on.”

“But—“

“Nothing more can be said. Go before I tire of your talking.” The man looked up, a crowd of people looking at him. “I am bored of this place. One last drink, and I am gone.” He walked over to the bar and placed a gold coin on a counter. “Give me the usual, and add a lemon,” he said to the bartender, snapping his fingers.

The crowd immediately rushed in on him, asking questions at a furious rate, trying to get a glimpse at his face. They had only seen the gold hat that covered his head and tattered golden robe and tunic he wore about him. They knew him from the rumors that had spread throughout the country of a golden-robed man who was feared by many. They wanted to know and see more than what met the eye, but didn’t realize that he was a man not to be bothered.

The bartender gave him a large wooden mug, filled to the brim with alcohol. The man guzzled it with fervor and within seconds finished the drink, slamming the container on the counter. He reached into a pocket and retrieved another gold coin, placing it on the counter. The bartender took it graciously, thanking the man.

“That was a fine drink, although I doubt I will return.” The gold-robed man spread out his arms, the people parting to let him through. He left quickly, ignoring the pleading from his audience. He didn’t feel the need to answer anything they wanted to know. “If they truly want to know who I am, they can challenge me to a duel,” he thought.

The audience, as if they had read his mind, didn’t try to follow him from the tavern. They stood motionless, fear overwhelming them. “There’s something about that man that just chills me to the bone,” said one.

“Aye, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to stay away from him if he shows up again,” said another.

“It’s more than that,” a third voice added. “He has a strong aura of evil that cloaks him, and can use it at will.”

“And how would you know such a thing?” said the first.

“I am a sage. I know because I have experience in such things, good and evil. He is not an ordinary man. His past has corrupted his entire being, and torments his soul constantly. Have you ever heard of the king of Felwor?”

“Felwor? You mean he’s—“

“Not exactly. However, he is highly regarded there as an elite sorcerer, second only to the king himself. There’s no mistake that he is a powerful mage indeed, but how powerful no one knows. No one has ever forced him to unleash his full power and potential. For all we know, he could be growing stronger every day, seeking the ultimate magic.”

* * *

Outside, the gold-robed man was watched by the entire town. Families looked from windowsills, while those walking merely stopped their gait, staring at the gold figure. Each and every person was afraid of him, but didn’t know why. He caused a paralyzing fear to ripple outward towards the townsfolk with his steps, his aura emanating from his body.

“It is becoming worse and worse to visit these pit stops,” thought the gold-robed man. “You would think these commoners would get the point. I should stay at the castle and leave the dirty work to the underlings.” He continued his pace, never pausing to look at those who gazed at him. Reaching the edge of the village quickly, he looked out at the sparse trees that occupied the otherwise-desolate grassland ahead.

“Hey you! Yeah, I’m talking to you, Gold Boy!” A man, clad in a full suit of armor, waved his sword in front of the gold-robed man, stopping him. He had barely left the town before a person began to annoy him.

“If you must call at me, fool, at least know my alias,” said the gold-robed man. “I am the one they call Doom Hunter.”

“Well, Doom Hunter,” said the armored man, ceasing to wave his sword, “I’m calling you out. Fight me here, and we’ll see if you can take the power of a knight!”

“You are a waste of my time. Stay out of my way and I’ll spare you before I change my mind.”

“Waste of your time…do you even know who I am? I’m the great Tork! The man who has slain five thousand goblins alone!”

“Goblins? If I felt the need to, I could slay five thousand in a single hour. As a matter of fact, it would take that long only because I would have to find that many to kill.” Doom Hunter began to walk again.

“Don’t you run away from me! What are you, chicken? Is that what the color is for?”

Doom Hunter turned around, looking directly into Tork’s face. Suddenly Tork was able to see Doom Hunter’s complexion. Several scars filled his face, the skin appearing rough. His eyes were cold and empty. His nose was disfigured, broken in several places. His hair was tattered and messy, colored a sandy blond with touches of gray.

Tork took a step back. He brought his sword to his waist and pointed it at Doom Hunter, shaking slightly. “You’re freaking me out, freak!” said Tork. “I’m going to kill you now before I go crazy!” He charged at Doom Hunter, his sword aimed for the head.

“Idiot,” said Doom Hunter. He brought his right arm forward, his fingers curled upwards as if he was holding an object. He then muttered a few words, and a small flame appeared in the palm of the hand. “Enjoy the afterlife,” he added, and then turned his hand towards Tork, his fingers extended wide. The flame grew into a large ball of fire, and a wave of flames was unleashed, a pure cylinder of inferno heading for Tork.

Tork didn’t have time to respond, the fire hitting him just moments after Doom Hunter said his last words. His skin was burned from his body, slowly searing his insides. The armor fused into a crisp plate of metal. He tried to scream, but nothing came out, as he was already scorched from the inside. Within seconds Tork was no more than a scattered pile of bones.

Doom Hunter walked over to the remains, picking up Tork’s skull. “I think I’ll keep this one. It has a look of horror on its face.” He placed the skull into a pouch within the robe and continued into the direction of the grassland, leaving the other bones behind.

“Back to Felwor…it’s certainly been a long time.”

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the forest, a lone figure walked outward from its depths. His appearance seemed war-torn...he had seen many battles, from the looks of it.

He had come a long way; through the desert and through the pass...through Night's Mouth, which he had seen to closing before leaving. Many soldiers, many monsters...his strength was sapped. However, he pressed on through the unfamiliar lands that were once a home to him.

He thought of how the road was not an easy one, by far. His helmet, a crucial piece of his humanity and sanity, laid behind in the now sealed caverns, and his had been body broken and bruised. His already mangled and scarred face was fresh with new scars, scabs, and open wounds...still, he pressed on.

'The road ahead is long, I know...but it is a road, at least.' he said to himself that day he exited the cave, he now remembered.

He also recalled the trials he went through in the forest...his death, as well. He was not the same now...he remembered ther undead beast that struck him down in the forest's core. He laid there bleeding in the leaves that had fallen, his bowels cut open.

'I shall never see them again...my friends...I shall never...see...' he thought, laying there. The world around him slipped into whiteness as the death of a great warrior made way...but it bowed out to the grace of an unknown power.

He awoke, he remembered, feeling different. His armor was new, and polished, and he felt stronger than ever...he could recall all of his spells from before, and his rapier was still at his side...however, the revival had it's costs...humanity.

'Well, being a plant isn't too horrible...' he remembered thinking, '...it'll save a good deal on living costs.' And so he fought his way out of the forest maze, razing the undead fiends that obstructed his path.

Thorn Manablade breathed the fresh air of the open fields, having felt stuffy within the confines of the woods now behind him.

And so, with a new vim and vigor, though somewhat battered, the Geomancer of Felwor made his way to New Banian to find his friend, his new Lord; Doom Hunter...but the news he bore him would not be fully pleasing.

In a mountanious area, far away from civilization, dozens of fire balls shoot up into the sky creating a huge explosion. Dragon King stood there trying not to cry as he said goodbye to his family. He had finally found all of his siblings but he knew he could not let them come with him because he would only put them into danger.

Dragon King had killed the leader of the Dragon Slayers with difficulty but had prevailed and had taken back his father's heirloom, The Dragon Crest of Shalindra.

As Dragon King flew towards New Banian, he was attacked by a group of harpies. He was captured and was going to be forced to mate with their leader, Harriet. He was saved by a mysterious Teifling before he was forced to mate. "Wait," stammered Dragon King as she ran out of the cave. She turned around and took off her hood so he could see her face. She had brown hair that fell just below the shoulders, a small nose but smoothe lips and red eyes that he found utteringly entrancing. She giggled, motioned to his clothes, then bounded off. Suddenly remembering that he was naked, Dragon King clothed himself and spread his wings as he headed to New Banion.

It was night when Dragon King returned to New Banion. He landed softly on top of one of the houses and watched the streets. He noticed a Gold -Robed Figure and decided to watch it as he was stopped by an armored man. "Doom Hunter?" said Dragon King to himself. "Is it really him? He looks different. He looks older and wiser." He then witnessed the death of the soldier and smirked. "It's him all right." Dragon King then watched as he picked up the skull and left. Dragon King then flew into the nearby woods and camped out for the night.

((For those of you who don't know what a Teifling is. Teifling-A demonic creature with small horns, red eyes, and a goat-like lower body.))

((OOC: I don't normally do this on the RP board, but DragonKing, do you just come and go as you please then return, put up a post in only most recent topics (that you even give a care about) and then have the nerve to come to the RP in a semitone of God Modding (A DRAGON!?)...AND without regard to the Final Fantasy beastiary of monsters; whats more you have the gall to use a Dungeons and Dragons term, Tiefling, in your post. I'm sorry to be a critic, but I very much frown on your post and shall as such ignore your character's actions for the time being.))

Thorn had taken a shortcut across the fields to get to New Banian. What would've taken a night's walk on the road took but a few minutes across the countryside. New Banian stood as he remembered it; however, the hole in the northern wall, through which he entered, was definately new.

The town was as he remembered...he walked down the street towards the inn, passersby glancing at him from the corners of their eyes. His welcome become quite colder very quickly...

He entered the Inn and came up to the desk. The innkeeper was writing something down in his ledger book.

"Ahem..." Thorn cleared his throat to get the innkeeper's attention.

The innkeeper looked up at him, and did a double take from his ledger to him again. He jumped to his feet and fell to the floor behind the desk, still keepin his eyes on him.

"Don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me! You can have all the gil you want, it's in the box upstairs with the brass lock. Just don't kill me!"

Thorn, consumed with fear from the innkeeper's sudden outburst, backed away and left the inn. He found that people on the street were keeping clear of him...he knew not why. Shouldn't he just be a green looking human? He was quite confused...

None the less, he began his search for his Lord...he found evidence of his passing in a pile of bones near the Inn. He knew, now, his master was challenged to a fight; one he had won. Quickly, he took a pedestrian by the arm to ask him a question.

"Did a man wearing a golden robe pass through here recently? Where did he go?!" Thorn shouted, almost furiously at the prospect of so easily finding his Lord.

The pedestrian reacted similarly to the bartender "Please! Don't hurt me...I saw him, he fried poor Tork...he went North, towards the forest and the Mouth of Darkness. Please, just please don't kill me." Thorn relased the man's arm...he was again shocked at the response. What had the forest done to him?

He hadn't the time to find out what, for he knew he had to find his master...why hadn't he just taken the road?

“What annoying creatures…yet I don’t remember them around this land,” thought Doom Hunter. He had been wandering for several hours deep within a forest, trying to determine the exit. There had been no signs of light from any direction since he had entered; only when he conjured a small bolt of lightning and suspended it in the air just in front of him did he have source of light.

The monsters themselves were easy enough to dispose of, but it wasn’t their weakness that bothered him. The markings that they carried as a part of natural evolution were quite different than what Doom Hunter had ever seen. Perhaps he had entered a new landmass without knowing it? Perhaps the earth itself had changed, the tectonic plates causing a sudden lift of the continents and rearranging them in a matter of days. Whatever the cause, Doom Hunter cared but a little. His objective was to reach his kingdom again, wherever it may be.

“I wonder what has happened since the last time I ventured into Lord ScouSin’s realm,” thought Doom Hunter, slashing through yet another monstrously large spider with his rapier. He had learned to like this new weapon, although his twin daggers were preferable. The rapier’s range allowed him to destroy foes without breaking a sweat, whereas his daggers forced him to attack very close, sometimes riskier than from afar. Doom Hunter was pleased with the ability to attack from standing position, without magic even.

Without warning, a large group of spiders amassed on the scene, quickly surrounding Doom Hunter. They forced him onto the ground, beginning to tear away at his armor. “Insolent creatures!” shouted Doom Hunter, the bolt of lightning in front of him growing at an extraordinary rate. Many of the arachnids were engulfed in the pure energy, the rest fleeing from Doom Hunter’s person. He then shrunk the bolt to its original size. Picking up his rapier that the spiders grabbed from his hand, he took much joy in slaughtering the remaining monsters.

After a few minutes of continuous fighting, Doom Hunter faced only one last spider. It was somewhat bigger than the last and had a yellowish hue to it, unlike the gray spiders that normally dwelled in this forest. However, the most unusual characteristic was its unearthly glow. It emanated a source of light that wasn’t from any magic Doom Hunter had seen before.

“I must learn about this creature’s ability to create light on its own,” thought Doom Hunter, sheathing his sword. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, muttering a long strand of words. The glowing arachnid lunged at Doom Hunter, hoping to get the first blow. However, just before the spider was upon him, he quickly separated his hands, pointing their palms in the direction of the monster. Instantly the spider was cased in a prison of ice, unable to move the slightest bit. “I suppose it couldn’t handle even a simple magic such as that,” thought Doom Hunter, grinning.

The arachnid wasn’t finished, however. The glow that had created the light from its carapace expelled the solid sphere of ice from its body, shards flying everywhere. Doom Hunter tried to cast a field of flames around him, incanting the words and hand gestures needed to accomplish the spell, but to no avail, as the ice reached him just before he could activate it. Each piece of ice ripped at his tunic and robes, some piercing his skin. The spider launched itself at Doom Hunter without giving him time to react, pinning him to the ground. His bolt of lightning was enveloped by the monster’s skin, absorbed into it. Its venomous fangs closed in on his face, acid dripping down on his chest.

“Don’t think you’ve won so easily!” said Doom Hunter. As he said this, fire began to surround Doom Hunter, the spider caught within the flames themselves. “I may not have fully cast the spell in time before, but I could easily activate it once my focus returned, as the spell was readied.” The arachnid screamed in pain, backing away from Doom Hunter. The fire was still on the beast, slowing destroying its insides. Within seconds the spider was dead, nothing left of its existence but the glowing carapace, somehow untouched by the magic.

“This creature was like anything I've seen, here or anywhere else,” thought Doom Hunter, picking up the carapace. “This must be the work of an unknown presence. It may be more interesting than just this glowing skin.” He took the large shell of the spider’s remains under his right arm. “Strange…it still glows. Apparently it wasn’t the monster itself that was special. It must have been imbued with special magics that I have yet to understand.” He didn’t bother to recast his original source of the light, the glow of the carapace more than enough for the rest of his journey.

His trek through the forest, however, had ended. The spider had been guarding an exit of the labyrinth. He walked out of the darkness of the forest, and into the light of the grassland that stretched out before him.

“Now, it’s time I found out where I am.”

* * *

He pushed the man against the wall. “Tell me, fool, where exactly am I? And do not, I repeat, do not tell me this is ‘Newbie Island!’ Doom Hunter wandered into the first building he had seen upon entering the city. The grassland was filled with Ogres, but easy ones at that. At this time he was very suspicious that all of the monsters on the continent were too easy.

He had burst open the doors of a tavern, arousing the inhabitants, and quickly interrogated the first man he had laid eyes on. “B-but it is Newbie Island…” the man squeaked, terrified by Doom Hunter’s presence. “At least, that’s what the locals call it. Like I said, you’re on a small island just off the coast of the mainland, the continent you were probably on before—“

“Before what?” shouted Doom Hunter, his anger rising. He had not remembered reaching a new continent, nor being teleported by any other magic. However, thinking about it more, he couldn’t remember where he had been before that game of chess in the previous town. He thought about it for a couple of seconds, then glared at the man, still pinning him to the wall.

“Well, everyone seems to show up at Newbie Island at some point or another. Maybe you went down the wrong path or something. A lot of ships come to this place, so you could’ve hopped on one and ended here without knowing where it was. Newbies, or weaklings as the rest of us call ‘em, show up here all the time, mainly because the monsters here tend to be very easy.”

“I see. So are you saying I’m a weakling?” Doom Hunter brought out his rapier, the blade glinting from the glow of the carapace, still under his arm.

“N-n-no, sir, I’m just saying you probably aren’t from around this region. Around here, the beginners start here. Maybe you’re from another continental area…” but the man couldn’t take more pressure. He fainted, his head drooping. Doom Hunter lifted his hand from the man, letting him fall to the floor.

“Where on earth am I?”

Thorn had crossed the plains back again on the road, keeping at a run for as long as he possibly could. "Why hadn't I taken the road? The road leads through the forest back to the cave-in at Night's Mouth. Lord Aercheron would naturally travel it...however, the forest was always seemingly shifting, so it may be possible he could have become lost. That would allow him to catch up.

Imps and wolves became small nuisances during the run. A quick rapping from his scimitar, the Manablade, and the fiends became quick work.

He reentered the forest, now a with a renewed courage of his way.

The undead had abaited somewhat...the forest was now filled with spiders instead, and wolves. The wolves were easy pickings, but the Arachnids had to be felled using his Fire spell. All around him were the corpses of dead Arachnids; Doom Hunter had been there.

He came to a clearing where a great light was. He came upon a charred clearing; bits of spider dotted the ground. He knew he was close now.

He kept running, the powers that animated him now all around him, speeding his pursuit...

Doom Hunter took a seat at the wooden table nearest to him. He looked around, people watching him with terror. He grinned, then placed him hand on the table, his fingers spread out. After chanting a few words, a sheet of ice appeared on the surface. He began to draw on the new exterior of the table with an icicle he chipped from what little ice spilled from the spell’s original casting area, making a map of the area he had visited over the past hours.

“Let’s see…there was that first town, then the opening into the forest, and the plains I passed through to get here. Such a uniform place this is, as if it were meant for those who have just begun their training.” Doom Hunter placed his hand once more on the table, chanted a few words, and the ice turned to water, flowing onto the ground. “Perhaps I should investigate this…this “newbie island”, as the man called it.”

“What for? I got all the info you’ll need.” Doom Hunter glanced in the direction of the voice. A sorcerer, clad in dark-blue robes and a straw hat, made his way to Doom Hunter’s table and grabbed a seat. “The name’s Oni. I’m about to leave this heap of newbies myself.” He extended his hand.

Doom Hunter merely watched the man’s face. The bright expression, the genuine smile, the large, hopeful eyes…even if he was a powerful mage, he had never experienced the real world beyond this isle. Oni kept his hand out for a few second longer, then retracted it. “Well, I suppose you aren’t the friendliest type, are you?”

“What do you want, mage?” Doom Hunter looked at Oni squarely in the face. Oni slightly shuddered before turning away.

“Sheesh, I guess you really aren’t from around here. I figured those other guys were joking when they were running out of town, but you’re the real deal. You’re Doom Hunter, am I right?”

Doom Hunter’s eyes widened. He slammed his fist on the table in anger. “How did you know that?!”

“We’ve all heard of the kings that are from the continent,” said Oni in the calmest manner. “You mean you didn’t know? Man, how long have you been away from your kingdom?”

“Too long, apparently…wait. You said you know all the kings. ScouSin is the king of Felwor, not I.”

Oni laughed. He waved his hand to the barkeep who quickly brought two drinks to their table. “Too long indeed!” said Oni. “ScouSin was old news. You’re the new guy, according to the other kings. Of course, they aren’t the most reliable sort when it comes to other kingdoms, but you oughta get back to the mainland as soon as you can, figure out stuff for yourself.”

Doom Hunter took one of the flagons that rested on the table and began to drink. “So, Oni, what can you tell me about this place? This Newbie Island?”

“Something you’d want to know? Not much. There’s the two towns, this one and New Banian on the other side of the forest. If you want to leave here, there’s a port near there, but I swear I’ve never seen a ship enter it. Your best chances are the gauntlet.”

“Sounds like a waste of time,” said Doom Hunter, wiping his mouth of any bubbly foam from the ale. “To be frank, you don’t have nearly the same strength as I.”

“Yeah, I kind of guessed it. You might have some fun. Supposedly the monsters are a lot tougher than ‘round the island. It’s deep in the mountains somewhere, in an underground tunnel. Rumor has it that’s how you get to…well, wherever you’re from.”

Doom Hunter left his seat. “Then it’s best I leave this shabby structure and find this tunnel.” He turned to the door.

Oni looked up at him. “Enjoy yourself. Maybe I’ll do battle with ya someday.”

“Maybe…just maybe.” A tiny streak of lightning hit the door, nearly knocking it off the hinges. Doom Hunter exited, slamming it behind him.

“Is this all there is? Too easy…”

Doom Hunter slashed through the last of the minions, closing in on the wizards' leader. It had been a short and boring journey up the mountain, the weak creatures doing nothing more than wasting his reserves for the day. His rapier had begun to become dull from the countless brutes he encountered along the way, and his mind was even slightly weary from all the spells he continuously cast.

Eventually he came upon a mansion, green and decayed. The creatures here were no better as he slaughtered every one. Then he came upon a group of wizards that, while somewhat harder, showed no great power. He found them significantly impervious to any energy attack, so he fought in a traditional style, imbuing his rapier with an enlargement spell he had picked up some time ago. Several hacks and slashes later, they were all dead but one.

“You will see, wizard! I, the Grand Vizier will see to it that Garland will once again rise and take over this place, just as he did so many years ago! As long as he is here, no one is sa—“

“Silence!” Doom Hunter formed a ball of fire at his palm and launched it at the sorceror. A circle of mangled flesh remained from the attack. Doom Hunter cast the spell several more times effortlessly, each time choosing other place to torture his victim. “You will tell me how to get off this island now!”

“But, certainly you must want to defeat Garland, do you not?”

“No, I do not! I could take over this island if I wanted to, but it’s far too small and pathetic to be controlled by an overlord such as myself.” He grinned at his own new title. “Now, tell me the way out of this hall and onto the continent!”

“There is no exit from this place expect from where you came in,” said the wizard. “Why would I want anyone to come from there and subjugate this domain?”

“Then I have no other use for you.” Doom Hunter unequipped his sword and brought both of his hands together, wrists locked. A large sphere of blinding white light emerged from the nothingness. When it was as large as his hands could reach out, he thrust his palms toward the devourer. The light stretched from its source, a pillar of white rocketing at the enemy. It only lasted a few seconds before the pillar ended, leaving Doom Hunter’s hands and landing on the charred ash of what was the devourer.

“It’s no wonder why I chose the branch of lightning before all others back at the academy,” thought Doom Hunter. He chuckled to himself, then started laughing, louder and louder until every hall was filled with a maniacal scream. The monsters that were still alive were driven insane, cutting at their own ears. His own footsteps as had left the mansion were completely undetectable as the laughter reverberated.

* * *

“Now, where to go?” He had just left the now-called mausoleum and walked down the mountain, collecting his thoughts. No monsters dared to attack him, his presence now affecting them unlike before. They had seen their brothers and sisters cut down, torn apart, or otherwise mutilated beyond existence. Their remains were all they needed to remember.

The mountain itself was an unusual one. It zigzagged up and down, left and right, with no real pattern. Most mountains were naturally eroded from long ago, the water making its own paths, but this one was different. It appeared as if some large creature had burrowed its way along the rough edges, destroying the original state, leaving nothing but a smoothed path for travelers to follow. “Most unusual,” thought Doom Hunter as he examined the dirt road he traversed. “But how could this have happened?”

As he pondered this new question, a human figure became visible in the distance. Doom Hunter looked at it as he thought, but gave no mind to its presence. His concentration was quickly broken as a vine flew towards him in the direction of the figure. He caught the vine just as it reached him, the thorns digging into his palm.

"Thorns..."

He let go of the vine and it fell, lashing out in his general area. He quickly cast a bolt of lightning and sent it towards his attacker, aiming it in front of the person's face.

"Thorn Manablade. I should have known you would be looking for me."

It had been a long, hard road through the mountains. Thorn had fought back many creatures on his way through; snakes, spiders, wolves near the base. He had grown strong since venturing away from New Banian.

In the distance, he could see his once-friend, now Lord and Master. Thorn held out a hand to caution him; in his altered state, he may be mistaken for a creature of the mountain.

In an uncontrollable reaction, a vine shot forom his palm towards his master, covered in thorns as the rest of him was. He quickly attempted to stop the vine's velocity by pulling his arm back, which suceeded slightly.The vine tapped his master, at most.

Withdrawing the tendril as he grew closer, Thorn shouted to him...

"Hail, Lord Aercheron Senki, The Doom Hunter, Emperor of Felwor." Thorn new the proper customs, and bowed before him before continuing on.

"I come with dire news Sire, much of which will need explaining..."

He and Doom Hunter had a long talk...The Island on which Felwor was situated had been besieged, and parts of it were sinking into the sea. The Mouth of Darkness, the venture point between 'Newbie Island' and the Island had been closed by his own hand so the monsters of the deep could not follow him. He told Doom Hunter that Scousin the Vile, former King of Felwor, had gone down with the Island...noone had seen him since, making Doom Hunter the new King.

Thorn also recounted his adventures in finding Doom Hunter; searching Aldeae, then scurrying off to New Banian. After being told of his location, Thorn quickly made haste for the mountain. He had seen many new and unusual things about 'Newbie Island'; it too had change since last they had been there.

Lastly, Thorn discussed the old members of the kingdom; Hood, a powerful ally, had survived as well. Others, such as Reno Covault, were unaccounted for.

"Such is the state of things, Sire."