UO Second Age

Within the crypts of yew resides a room used ages ago for dark, insidious rites of necromancy. It smells of rotting flesh and the pungent bite of iron from the copious amounts of blood needed to invoke the magic of necromantic rituals. A room with a secret, one of it's original inhabitants has come home.

Malus Darkstaff, long a forgotten memory sits in a chair of molding wood and pores over a musty tome he managed to ferret out of the inner bowels of the crypts. A small candle his only illumination in which to read the cursed books contents. Each paragragh elicits a sinister smile and low growl that one may even mistake as a chuckle. "This is simply too much fun, the fool who wrote this must have been the village idiot, what say you Victor?" A voice from across the room merely offers a perfunctory acknowledgement of Malus' mastery of necromancy. "Yes my liege, it is surely beneath you." Victor Gallows, once a rogue and gypsy of repute can only roll his eyes in the darkness as that is where he spends most of his days now since the "change". After suffering a well-deserved death by the hands of some villagers of a town called PAWS he was resurrected as a shadow of his former self by Malus. Now he is in service to a madman, gone the days of wistful wanderings and a good bottle of plum brandy or rum after a night of rabble rousing.

Something stirs in the lower levels, the sound of heavy footsteps upon the stones of the crypt stairs seem to get closer, echoing throughout the shadowy chamber. "Ah, Kurse, what have you for me?" Kurse appears, a giant of what once was a man clad in full plate armor, vacant dark eyes scan the darkness and soon are set on his master Malus. "I have been to the village of PAWS master, no one remains, it is abandoned." "Well what of your journey to White Harbor, surely there was something of import to be gained there?" Malus rose, gesticulating as he attempts to hurry this process along. "There was a woman and a man at an inn, she had the shadowmark of the gem upon her but denied any knowledge of it." Malus' face slowly turned to a mask of disgust "and you believed her!" Kurse, stood silent, then a voice as sharp as any spear shot forth, "I did not say that M'Lord, I simply stated that she was present and bore the mark." Malus' eyes narrowed, the candle seemed to blaze a bright white, "do not use such a tone with me Kurse, you are a lap dog, remember that a lap dog, you do as I tell you, nothing more, nothing less!" Kurse bowed his head, "as it pleases you M'Lord, I did speak to this woman, she may know of the gem's whereabouts, this I am sure." Malus's demeanor relaxed, he sat down in the chair and leaned back in a more domestic posture, "good, very good it's something at least.

"We must keep a close eye on these inhabitants of White Harbor, they're hiding something and we'll soon pry their tongues loose one way or the other." Malus smiled a toothy grin, Kurse bowed "by your leave M'Lord, what is your bidding?" Malus picked up the book that had offered him such amusement, he began reading, without raising his eyes he spoke, "take Victor and go to White Harbor, find out what they know by whatever means you deem .....necessary, now go." Kurse bowed once more and turned towards the stairs, Victor Gallows reluctantly eased out of his chair and wordlessly followed the armored hulk down into the darkness of the crypts. Malus placed the book onto the table and stared into the candle's flame, "soon......soon I will have it."

After being questioned in the guild house by Kurse about that stone, xandy was so shocked that she did not get his full name, But she will never forget his face. This stone was taken care of and sealed away forever. Why is this man and his master seeking the stone now and how did they find out about it. Xandy must get a message to Abyss or Jupiter . We must stop this madness this terror before it starts. As xandy is penning a message to both Abyss and Juiptier ,the stranger comes back and drops a bag on the steps of white fraternity guild house. Xandy has a feeling of what she will find. But who's head will it be ? She looks and sees the head of Tyrone. Xandy hurries and lets the pigeons go and prays they both make it.

There are places within the realm of men that are dark, forgotten and deserving of neglect. It is in just such a place that a robed figure can be found fast at work.

Amidst the damp cavernous expanse of a long-abandoned mine, Malus Darkstaff is hard at work upon two fresh cadavers recently supplied by his bone collector, Dread Soulbane.

"You have outdone yourself once again my dear Dread, these are so fresh and will do very nicely, very nicely indeed", Malus examines the specimens and sets to work preparing them for their new role as minions in his dark machinations.

"I am here but to serve you my master" Dread Soulbane answers with a bow, "what are your orders M'Lord, how may I be of service?" Malus merely knods with but a sideways glance and no more needs to be said as Dread recognizes that the necromancer wishes to be alone with his work. As silent as a night breeze Dread leaves the main chamber, upon reaching a side tunnel which leads to the entrance Dread is met by a menacing figure that causes him to pause.

"Kurse, Malus has been expecting you, you are late and have kept us all in suspense, have you news about.....White Harbor?" Dread maintained a safe distance as one such as Kurse could be relied upon to be anything but predictable and his penchant for death-dealing legendary. "I have news, but not for you Dread, run along and be a good lackey, perhaps there are a few bodies you missed in Yew cemetary.......oh that's right, even the thought of Brymstone causes you to urinate upon yourself involuntarily", even under his heavy helm, Dread knew Kurse had managed a cynical grin at his expense. "It would not be prudent to cast your condescension upon me, we have a common enemy and you may need me one day......Kurse" The armored giant stood as a statue, but Dread could feel the dark waves of hate emanating from Kurse and thought it best to dismiss himself before things deteriorated into unpleasantness. "I have work to attend to, Malus has entrusted me with quite a few details to address, by your leave then Kurse." With that Dread slipped silently away, becoming one with the surrounding darkness,

Kurse, unimpressed with Dread's parlor tricks walked towards the center of the mine, until he had reached the main chamber. "I have news M'Lord Malus, of White Harbor". Malus quickly stood erect, running as fast as his robes would allow towards his hulking armored minion. Upon reaching him, Malus drew back and struck the giant as hard as could be expected from such a spindly frame. Kurse did not move, "you ignorant oaf, it's been an eternity what has hindered you, why have you not reported to me, what is happening with the matter of the gem!!!!?" Malus placed his hands in back of him clasping his robes and began pacing in front of Kurse as an expectant headmaster waiting for a response from a pupil.

"I have taken the lives of four of them, they still refuse to give up the gem. In fact they deny that they possess such an object." Malus stopped his pacing to stand in front of Kurse, narrowing his eyes, "you believe them?" Malus stood staring in expectation of a response....the correct response. "Of course I do not believe them M'Lord, I trust no one and I will continue to take them one by one until they surrender the gem". Malus turned his back to Malus and began to walk towards his work that had been recently interrupted. "Good, very good, one more thing my loyal Kurse.....what about the woman?"

Kurse felt an unfamiliar chill throughout his body, he did not understand as he does not feel cold, pain or anything else for that matter. "The woman M'Lord?" Malus turned around , looking straight into Kurse's very being with a cold, hard glare. "Yes, the woman, she was there when you killed a member of the White Fraternity, is she........unharmed?" Kurse could only imagine how Malus knew such a thing, it had to have been that rat of a spy Victor Gallows. He must have seen everything and reported all he knew to Malus, Kurse thought it best to tell the truth if his suspicions proved correct. "She suffered a strike of my sword, but is unharmed M'Lord". Malus' face contorted into a frightening mask only a madman could conjure "you fool, even a drop of that precious blood must not be spilt!!" Malus' eyes flashed and foam had appeared in a froth about his mouth, "fool, fool she must not be harmed, do you understand!?" Malus shook his arms and violently thrashed about raging in a rabid display of restrained madness.

"Yes M'Lord, it shall be as you so order, not so much as a hair shall be touched from this time forward, I swear it." Malus faced the wall opposite Kurse, straightened his robes and attempted to conjure some semblance of controlled civility, "good, then return to White Harbor, continue to show them the error of their way until such time as I can finish our initial plan of action, see to it they suffer for their disobedience and be sure that woman is............well shall we say untouched." Malus turned to Kurse and smiled, albeit a perfunctory one. "By your leave my master, I leave at once." Kurse then made his way through the winding tunnels and corridors until he was out under the night sky, he had but one thought, the woman, why is she so important?

Kurse is quick upon his reptilian monstrosity he keeps as a mount and rides into the dark of the night towards his quarry, the citizens of White Harbor. Malus retuns to his grisly work, smiling as he recites ancient incantations of necromantic magic, he glances over to a corner of the main chamber but there appears to be nothing there. "Follow him Victor, make sure he does as he is told, we don't want anything happening to our beloved Queen now do we, there would be hell to pay." A wisp of air is all that betrays the presence of Victor and then it is gone.

As she paces the keep Xandy mind is racing, what can she do to help her friends. Why did she help start this guild to put more friends in danger? more people will be killed and hurt because of her and her decision to keep the secret of the gem. She has seen the horrors of what this gem can do if in the wrong hands. Her best friend of long ago got killed and could not be brought back. One by one they disappeared till that day she can not remember. what happened that day? when she woke she noticed the mark and she started hearing the voice of the dragons. But she can not remember the events of what happened that day. Was that the day we were looking at the gem? or was it the day after that? She does know one thing the gem must be left alone, where it is at, forever. Xandy can fool herself into thinking she is one with the dragons and that is why she hears them, but she knows something changed that day. What would Victor and the others know of this, why do they keep asking about this mark? Could I hold them captive and get answers? *Xandy laughs* how can you hold an undead as a captive? Her guild is wanting answers and thinks she should just give the gem back... but Xandy feels like there is more to this, than the gem. What it is she is not sure of, but she knows she must talk to Jupiter. Jupiter has a plan she is sure of this. she just hopes he comes back in time with an answer to stop this madness and maybe just maybe he can tell her more of that day she can not remember. Xandy hears Cedric voice in her head " the man is back and is looking for you, beware Xandy". Xandy races to the top of the keep to have a look see, hoping to locate him, calling her tracker as she goes. and so it begins...