“Swain”

“Yes professor?” Swain replied.

“Why did you join this academy, why do you wish to become a shadow warlock?”

An odd question considering his initiation was only two weeks away, but he answered out of his pride.

“Because I wish to become the most powerful sorcerer ever.”

“Is that so? How do you expect to do such a thing? Are you going to attend the school of the mages as well? And what about the school of the mystic? You are a very apt pupil Swain, but it is very difficult to learn a second school of magic. With only the skills of a shadow warlock available to you, I find this very hard to achieve, although I will not discount such a goal, it is good to have goals after all.”

He continued jokingly “How exactly did you plan on achieving this Swain? Signing a dark contract with demons?” He joked, the rest of the class laughing with him.

To this Swain sat there, appearing dumb founded at his professors wise words. How could he be a great sorcerer with only the ways of the warlock available to him? Of course he wasn’t going to spend a second more than he had under another professors tutelage. According to the professor, it is quite difficult to understand anyways, not that Swain wasn't capable of doing so.

But it was what the professor said in joking that really intrigued Swain. What could possibly be more feared, awed, and ultimately respected than the dark arts? So much power lies within them. The magic of the shadow warlock was indeed part of this dark magic, but its so watered down in the academy that the students rarely touch its full potential, the entirely of its dark power.

After class Swain rushed to the library, frantically searching for something, anything, that would lead him to such a creature that the professor mentioned. It took hours, but he did seem to find something, a location of a dark tower. The book recounted a battle that took place against the creatures of darkness that inhabited the tower. To which the author of the book claimed that people of various races came together to fight a vile demon known only as “Decay”. The book also claimed that the demon had been defeated without so much as a fight, and somehow vanished into thin air.

How can this be? Swain reasoned. A demon with such immense power as is described in this book could not possibly have been defeated so easily? He must have fled or used misdirection to make it appear he was deceased. What better way to live than to die? For in death no one will call to you, or assume that you in fact live. You could go on doing what you wish in peace.
Looking on a map, Swain found out that the castle was a weeks journey away, which would leave enough time for him to go and come back again in time for his initiation. All he would need to do is leave a sufficient reason as for his absence. His intention being to find out what happened to “Decay” and to see if he, or any of his followers were still there.

So that is exactly what he set out to do. Packing enough supplies for the journey, he set out at the first sign of daybreak the next day. He tried to make as much haste as possible, if he could shorten the trip to six days that would be excellent. He did not know how long it would take to find what he was looking for.

Upon arriving to the tower he found that it had indeed appeared to have been deserted. The dark cloud that once encompassed the tower was now gone. Flowers now grew on the sides of the tower, and birds could be heard chirping all around.

“Aw shucks” Swain thought to himself, thinking that his journey had indeed proved useless. He decided he would walk around inside, and see he could see anything. Stepping inside swain found more of the same, vines on the walls...and not much else. His gaze looked up at the wonderfully designed architecture. He walked to the middle of the room, spinning, looking at all the emptiness within the tower.

“NOOOOO!!!” He cried out, his voice echoing throughout the tower. He closed his eyes in defeat, and his head sunk low to the ground. He stood there for a couple minutes, unmoving, before finally opening his eyes.

His eyes noticed something when they opened. Writing, on the floor. He found where the sentence began, and then followed it, as it went around in a circle around him, in the center of the room. He could tell instantly that it was a warlock incantation because he could indeed read it. It was a seal spell, sealing off all visible marks of an entrance somewhere probably, probably in the floor he was standing on.

זאל וואָס איז פאַרבאָרגן און מוז בלייַבן was what it read, meaning: “Let what is hidden and closed remain.”

A simple but effective seal spell, to which only those trained in shadow lore would be able to open. Whoever sealed the floor must have hoped that no warlock would be around to open it. Or simply that no warlock would be around before they were finished with whatever it was that required a protective seal.

Wasting no time Swain began chanting the open spell to unlock the door. Hoping that this would indeed be what he was looking for.

זאל וואָס איז פאַרבאָרגן און מוז זייַן געעפנט (“Let what it hidden and closed be opened”)
Swain chanted the open spell directly related to the close spell used on the door, not fully understanding what he was chanting since he had never used it before. Instantly a part of the floor began to open and two creatures began to manifest before him. He instantly realized his folly, the incantation he chanted works on everything in the vicinity , not just the door he was trying to open. He stood still as the creatures continued to manifest into full form, hoping that he had not rained destruction down upon himself.

The creatures had the appearance of armed guards, wearing a full set of plate mail, and both wielding a spear in their right gauntlet. But what was most peculiar about them was that they had no actual form, but were actually creatures formed from the shadow weave. A shadowy, misty, purple haze seemed to fill the void where the body would be, which led swain to his conclusion.

“Warlock, what is your purpose here?” The guards shouted out in unison.

Swain was taken aback, paused momentarily, and then stated his purpose as best he could.

“I...I am looking for Decay” he replied

The guards were unmoving, neither affirming or denying his query for several moments, leaving Swain to shake slightly. Then they spoke.

“No one by that name is here, but Thranixus wishes to speak with you, you may enter.”

Swain paused yet again, not sure what to make of this Thranixus, but stepped forward and approached the stairs. As he did so, he heard a voice from within chanting an incantation, but he could not make out what it was. He knew what it was for however, because as soon as the person stopped speaking he noticed the two guards start to dematerialize. It was a different spell than the one he had used, it was more specific to persons, and more advanced.

Swain continued down the stairs to meet the voice, which he assumed belonged to Thranixus.

Swain descended the stairs to find many demonic markings on all the walls around him, with what appeared to be a shrine to Pothra himself in the very centre of the room. The shrine was very dark and did not resemble any thing of note, almost like black tree branches sharpened to points extending every which way. Pieces of it seemed to pulsate red with colour, as if it were breathing. This statue gave very little light to the surrounding room, but it was better than nothing. The individual known as Thranixus was pacing around it, holding some form of incense in his hand that left a trail behind him as he walked. Thranixus himself was quite large, his skin was black and leathery, and he had features that suggested he was a minotaur, or at least he used to be.

"What foolishness is this" Thranixus began, "to open a demonic portal, one must be quite foolish indeed, what could one expect to find in such a place other than death?"

The being paused before continuing,

"Surely you considered your life to be forfeit, to even think of performing such a task."

Swain stood there silently, unsure of how to proceed in talking with this being... after a few moments he mustered up the courage to speak, and to speak with authority, as if he had any.

"I seek Pothra's power, I wish to become a follower of the Darkness." Swain exclaimed, not fully realizing what those words would soon mean.

Thranixus pondered swains remarks for a few moments before replying. "Pothra's power given to a mere human?" Thranixus gave out a roaring laughter and then continued "Who do you think you are coming in here requesting this? Surely your life is already forfeit, and you stand there thinking you yet live? And not only that, but to leave with the power of Pothra as well? Foolishness abounds." Thranixus paused for a couple seconds, looking at the now opened entryway. "However, you did open the seal, allowing me to once more be free from this imprisonment. Very well, your request has been granted."

Thranixus pointed his finger at swain and a dark cloud spewed out from his fingertips, instantly reaching swain and engulfing him, The cloud sucked the life completely out of him, and replaced it with death. His eyes turned from white and blue to black and red and all manners of darkness entered his mind. Suddenly Thranixus snapped his fingers and the black cloud started to evaporate, and Swain fell lifeless onto the floor beneath.

The sound of Thranixus's mighty footsteps running up the stairs was the last thing Swain could recall before he lost consciousness.