Act V – The Darkness In Between

“Where there once was light, only shades of grey remains. Where darkness once prevailed, light now is about to be its master”.

As the winds of winter slowly loses its grasp, spring rain fills the air and the unbearable cold that for so long seemed to freeze everything in its path, has now depleted into nothing but a vivid memory.

Echoes from the west bare cries of an undying hope. More and more of our beloved homeland keeps filling up with starlight, and this might be the one thing preventing us from our own doom. But it came at a price, a price so high, it could mean the end to everything.

We’ve lost great numbers to the dark, and so far, we ́ve seen no end to this sinister plague that still haunt these lands. It seems though like the shadow have switched its focus entirely and is now closing in on the heart of the kingdom, turning all, it touches into soulless fiends.

There ́s a storm coming, and it ́s only a matter of time before we can ́t see anything but the darkest of black that will follow.

Back at the temple of restoration, the firstborns have succeeded in holding the lines, and since many more now have arrived and the entrance is now mostly covered in starlight, the temple should be safe, for now.

A clockwise rotation of the intersecting octagon was the third step and the magical circle now has 16 runes lit, which means, in theory, that half of the missing pages are found. 16 pages remain and although a large portion of our homeland is still covered in shadow, the starlight could lead to an uprising. Let’s hope that there are still those strong enough and willing to fight for their freedom.

A steady number of volunteers, like an ever-flowing stream of vigilant hearts, keeps pouring in to assist in the remaining search that is still very much ongoing. What all living souls of this world now need is to feel they are a part of something, so united we now stand facing the brink of our own extinction.

ACT VI – HaunTed Dreams

“I will walk through fire and flame to find you, and before the time of my very last breath, I will”.

Something or someone is keeping him in limbo, but the rules of the marionette, somehow have now changed. Each day he ́s able to travel a greater distance further and further away, before being looped back to the night and place of the accident.

He has found the lands in between, and this is where his journey takes a surprising turn. The loopback has stopped, but he’s now hearing another voice as well as hers. This voice, like something out of a nightmare, has been calling him ever since he entered this place. If someone else is tuned in, he needs to tread carefully. Anything he’s trying to communicate to her is now being monitored by another set of ears. Is this new voice trying to lead him astray, or is someone actually trying to help him?

It’s like someone has a new direct link to his mind and is trying to guide him. Should he give in to these lures beyond logic? The only explanation he can think of is that the Sandman himself is trying to reach into his mind. It is after all, his domain.

He had been walking for ages it seemed before finally reaching the bridge of solitude, and even climbing its walls, but once up there, everything went dark. If he was stunned by something or knocked unconscious, he may never know, but upon waking up, he realized he had been drawn closer and closer to the portal leading to the temple where the Sandman resides. Just like it was the last thing he’d ever do, he stepped through the portal and he’s now standing face to face with the man himself.

; I know your pain, for I also have lost deeply… This is where his story begins…
In another darker part of the kingdom, a daughter is questioning all.

“Sandman, bring me a dream, through fire and flame, give them back to me”.

One night she woke and there it was, itching away. Carvings on her, almost like a rash of time, or a splinter of memories etched on her body. She did this all to herself, and from what she can remember, in that very moment she felt alive.

Now, it’s the only thing keeping her sane and focused on the task at hand. Some say there’s always time, but what little time do we really have? She’s travelled through dimensions to get here, but is there still time to do what she came here for and will she get there in time?

So many questions remain unanswered as she disappears into the night, cloaked, following the coast of the Underdark, taking the narrow road east in the search of The Lion’s Road.