Truth and High Treason
Leurocian Malnagrane, High Archmage and Traveling Bard Jan 19 2007 6:41PM

“The power is intoxicating, isn’t it?”

Goran Zarlov grins wickedly as the voices from the nether continue to taunt him. He’s gotten used to these voices, though. For many months, they’ve been guiding him, taunting him, tormenting him. Soon, he will possess the ultimate truth, the ultimate knowledge of the multiverse, and even the darkest forces that govern the dimensions from beyond will be bound to his will. There’s just one thing that stands in his way…

Goran pulls out a chunk of blackrock out of his pack and begins chanting ancient words of arcane power. The words cascade within a howling wind. Without warning, a blast of nether energy erupts, and lambastes the Britannian Vault door. A residual crackle of nether energy emits from the ancient magic and then suddenly dissipates. Goran cannot help but to laugh maniacally at his accomplishment as he enters the chamber beyond.

Several floors above the Britannian Vault, the guards and other patrons feel the earth rumble. Some of them lose their footing. Furniture and the like topple over, and chaos immediately ensues amongst the inhabitants of the castle.

“To Arms! To Arms! Someone has invaded the sacred Vault!” Sir Geoffrey, the Captain of the Britannian Royal Guard, commands, and the Britannian Royal Guards respond accordingly, racing down stairs seldom traveled. Only the Britannian Royal Archmages knew of the magical means to reveal these hidden stairs, and apparently one of their ranks has betrayed them.

Goran firmly holds his prize high over his head, taunting out loud the voices that continue to infest his mind.

“Bring the Book of Truth to dungeon Despise, and then you will be rewarded.”

Moments before the Royal Guards confront their intruder, only Goran’s words of recall remain, echoing through a now empty chamber.

“The Book of Truth.” Sir Geoffrey pauses momentarily, feeling overwhelmed with despair. “It’s been stolen.”

Goran materializes outside the entrance of dungeon Despise. As he assesses his surroundings, he continues to hear voices in his head. This time, the voices blur together, chanting over and over in ancient tongues long forgotten. They bring him to his knees. He screams aloud.

As in a dream, shadowy apparitions, each with a commanding presence impossible to ignore, hover inside the entrance of Despise. They continue to assault his sanity with their dark words.

“Give us the Book… Now!” the terrible figures command.

Goran crawls toward the apparitions, tightly clenching the Book and the blackrock in his hands. Just as he gets inside the dungeon entrance, the Britannian Royal Guards arrive via magical gates. Several of the Britannian Royal Guard Archmages begin reciting words of destruction. Bolts of slaying energy soar through the air and reach their target in unison. The energy bolts react violently with the blackrock and the book in Goran’s possession. Goran’s scream of agony is abruptly cut off as a sudden blast of nether energy disintegrates him. The Book of Truth falls out of his grasp and vanishes before it even touches the ground.

“We must inform the Lycaeum immediately,” Senior Royal Archmage Zorla declares. Perhaps they can divine what just happened here.”