A folder with some quickly sketched up drawings and a page of scribbled handwriting is left in the office of the Morning Post. The man, who drops it off, is shaking in terror and fails to give out his name. He promptly runs out of the place crying and wailing. The man at the desk decides to pick up the folder and begins to read its contents.

It was a Tuesday Night, a quiet one and I decided to take a walk to the beach for some late night fishing. My wife insists on fish so that the children grow up educated, I can’t image what a difference eating fish is going to make, but either way she’s the boss. I cast out my first line into the water before leaving it to hang on the harness. A comfortable stool was my friend for most of the evening as I often just drifted off to sleep.

I would soon be woken up by rustling in the trees. At first I thought perhaps it was one of those damned Mongbats, so I grabbed my skinning knife and headed up to the tree line to investigate. When I got there, I saw no Mongbat in sight. At first, I thought I must have just been getting a little too tired, but then I saw in the distance a young woman, walking through the trees. By this point, I felt I was still asleep, fantasising about women, but then I realised that I was not sleeping, when I saw the woman approach a dark figure that was lurking in the shadows.

I didn’t wish to alert them to my presence, it all looked very serious, but my curious nature pushed me onward to listen to what they had to say. I sneaked around two or three trees and then decided to hide behind the fourth. I could practically hear them breathe. “I heard the Virturi had returned” the Dark figure spoke. The young girl who faced her was dressed up as some sort of knight, but of no order that I am familiar with. Who are these Virturi?



The Dark Figure claimed to be of a group known as the Temple of Dark Light, what seemed to be a cult of sorts. My heart raced as I tried to remain hidden, listening in on their conversation, picking up bits of information such as “the world will be consumed in flame” and something called the “Sword of Nine”. The Knight claimed that the Virtues would stop them, but I can’t see how.

This cult or whoever they are, were looking for blood and death, they were looking for this relic of theirs and they were looking for revenge on the ones who had taken it, offering painful and merciless torture to those who held it. The Dark Figure left the Knight alone to remain in the woods. She stood there for a while and then after a few moments broke down on the floor in tears. She seemed to brave, but I could actually see now that she was truly frightened.

I swiftly left the area and returned to the beach to pack up and return home. I had to get all this information written down, who knows what chaos was about to break out and the wife and kids will be wondering where I am.

For the record, I didn’t catch any fish.

Signed,
Anonymous.

The Journal of Telsia Tearheart – Day 108 of the new Sun.

Dear Journal,

Never has there been a time where I have felt so alone. My people are gone, and there are none to follow in our traditions. Thousands of years of work hang in the balance, and more so now then ever as our entire existence sits on a knifes edge. It took some time for me to understand, but after searching through the ruined archives, I found what I was looking for, the Temple of Dark Light.

I was approached by a figure in the woods last night, I do not know their name but they claimed to be part of the Temple of Dark Light, an old order of malicious intent. Thousands of years ago, the Virturi fought them in a great battle, seizing a relic of theirs that was supposedly powerful enough to infuse a single person with the powers of their god. According to the texts, the ancient Virturi managed to kill the person who wielded the sword and take the sword somewhere safe where it would not be found.

The figure I spoke too, spoke of this Sword, one of the old relics that the Virturi guarded, but for security, the Virturi would never scribe its location down. They demand that I turn over their relic, even though I have no idea where to begin my search. The Sword of Nine, that’s what they called it. A Sword created from divine energy of an ethereal being, a god known as the Dark King. This Temple was responsible for the deaths of many Virturi back in the Age of Darkness, there name haunts me even now as I read the archives, searching for them.

No Virturi would ever admit to having strong emotions of fear or doubt, but for the first time in a long while, I actually feel afraid. If only Xiana was here now, she would know what to do. Her guidance as my mentor aided me much in my upbringing, but now there is only me. I think its time to find others.

Signed,
Telsia Tearheart.

After spending the night, sleeping in the Inn Telsia had a lot of time to think of what happened. This threat was indeed very real and something had to be done about it. The Temple of Dark Light had Telsia at a disadvantage. She knew little about them other then what texts were written by the Virturi of old, she didn’t know if they had allies or of their numbers or power. She was going into the unknown and she needed help.

For a few years now, Telsia has travelled Sosaria, disguising herself as a simple bard with tales of truth which she claimed as fiction, trying to find some of her brethren, but she turned up empty. She felt cold and alone, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that there were others. No proof, but she just knew they were out there somewhere.

Her first concern was for the safety of her only remaining family. The Temple did not have her name, but she felt that they were resourceful and would likely use that information against her. Her first priority had to be the protection of her sister Zia. Telsia could not get it out of her mind, the thought that these people would take her, torture her or even kill her to get at this Sword of Nine. She had to be warned.



She knew Zia had married a man in the Knights Hospitallers, and spent most of her time living in the great citadel of Valetta near Vesper. Telsia headed over to the citadel in the morning, to try and catch her before the other Knights began to show. Telsia did not know who to trust and she had no reason to trust anyone. Zia was quietly sorting out some of the towers storage when Telsia walked in, confronting her on what happened.

Zia took the new pretty well, concerned more for her own sister’s safety then that of her own. Telsia explained everything; she had to know to understand what these people would do to get at this relic. Telsia had to find the relic before the Temple did, she had to seek out the information needed to find the sword, for she feared what would happen if they would get to it first.

She bid Zia a farewell and left Valetta, urging her to watch her back and not to travel alone and then headed off into the forest to seek out one of the old Virturi Sanctuaries. Maybe they would hold further answers.

This post originally written by Stormcrow:

THIS IS STRICTLY OOC KNOWLEDGE TO ANYONE EXCEPT THE TEMPLE BRETHREN

Crusaders... the now long dead bodyguard of the Nine. In the war against the elves it was them who were first to engage the enemy, and the last to retreat. When the war ended, only a handfull of them survived. And with the help of the remaining Aspirants, they hid the Nine in their sleeping places.

They have now returned, through me. Tonight, Sister Mors led us to a Seance to contact the Nine and to seek guidance. We begun the chant in our Temple and true as it was, one of them appeared and spoke to us...



I told Him we could not raise Him from His tomb until we regained to our possession the Sword of the Nine, which we believed the Virturi now held in their possession. He gave us a command to raise an army worthy of the King, to which we promised to get to as quickly as possible. As a gift to help us on our mission, he sent a spirit of one of His old servants to aid us. I was chosen to become the first of the reborn Crusaders. It was painful, as the shadowy armour practically formed upon my flesh...



The feeling was frightful, but still... wonderful. I could see things from the past and feel them aswell. The spirit was within me, as I was within him. We were... are... one. I don the armour, which is now part of me, with pride, though I know that it is always watching. Anything I do now, will be known to the Nine and thus, to the Dark King.

I am truly in His kingdom now...