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:nat [i]"The sleeper has awakened."[/i] :nat [/center][hr]According to ancient myth, there existed down beneath the surface of Terra, below even Volkungthad, home of the dwarves, a series of labyrinths that would eventually lead to a sealed vault. Few know of its existence and fewer still know of its contents. Some say it held riches beyond any mortal comprehension, some speak of ancient horrors, sealed away since time immemorial. It was generally agreed upon, however, that whosoever was able to open said vault, would obtain the power to change the course of history itself. A rather vague way of describing a power, to be sure, but enough to entice many a treasure hunter to seek it. Predictably, few even found the labyrinths, let alone the vault, so the truth behind the vault remained in word of mouth alone and even if it existed, it would remain closed for quite some time.

And that time was up.

Heralded by a chain of earthquakes, the vault's doors suddenly opened, releasing what had been sealed inside since before recorded history: Nerzar, the Sacred Nightmare, Dragon of Darkness. Bane of Raziel and Alithe alike. At his side, his Herald, Cyndia Eversong. The Elf had been chosen by the Lord of Dream's champion ever since her birth. He had guided her to the vault and she joined him in the Long Sleep, biding their time until the time was right to unleash their master plan: the salvation of Terra from the monsters that were Order and Chaos. When she first slept, she had been a young and timid girl, not knowing why she had been given these dreams.

Now, at the advent of her Lord into the world once more, she was a woman, dedicated and learned from a millennium of training, so most of all, she was ready.

[color=558877][b]"And so the sleeper awakens,"[/b][/color] Nerzar uttered, his voice an amalgamation of multiple voices with a deep one resonating the loudest. [color=558877][b]"In time, Raziel and Alithe shall suffocate in their own foolish sanctimony. And you, my dear, will be the Herald of what is to come."[/b][/color] A baleful, shadowy wing moved to enshroud the girl in some semblance of a hug. She snuggled up to the wing in response as if hugging him back. 

[color=777788][b]"I am ready, my lord. All the world shall bear witness to your vision, your dream. This I vow."[/b][/color] In contrast, Cyndia had but one voice, yet it rang truer than the shadowy deity's. More...zealous. If the grin on his maw was to be believed, Nerzar was pleased by her words and her zeal.

[color=558877][b]"Go now, my champion, and spread the words of doom. Show them what is to come should they not heed my omen. I send you to the cynosure of Humani, the most resilient of Terra's denizens, but the most willing to listen to my dark sermons. Failure is not an option, for the fate of the world depends on this task."[/b][/color] Dark smoke circling the elf woman, she was transported away from the dark caverns. The Lord Nerzar would now wait, as he had waited since the bygone age of creation. In time, Cyndia, his Herald, would show the mortals the true folly of Order and Chaos. Only then would those blasted beings be purged from existence and their conflicted annihilated. Under his baleful wings that beat with the rhythm of eternity, life would finally know peace.[hr]Cyndia hadn't realized how much sunlight burned her eyes until she was depraved of it for a thousand years.

Blinking her eyes like a near-blind bat, she looked around and saw trees, a vast woodland and within it, a sprawling settlement. She heard the chatter of civilization, various sounds that spoke to her that life was here and life was here to stay. In her millennium-long sleep, she had deeply missed these sounds. Had it not been for Lord Nerzar grounding her knowledge, she would've surely lost the ability to function like a normal elf and would've been overwhelmed by the return to the mortal plane. The dreamer did not necessarily want to remain dreaming, after all.

As Cindy made her way to enter this settlement, Wellborough, she immediately noticed after just a few steps that around the confines of the city was a barrier that turned magic aside. The Elf frowned, this simply would not do. The powers of Nerzar would be made useless under such a barrier. To her fortune, however, the release of the Sacred Nightmare had not gone without a fair warning. Originating from the vault, an all-encompassing yet subtle darkness swept through the land, as if dusk suddenly arrived early everywhere. With the darkness came with it a foul magic that surrounded the magic barrier that ever so slightly faltered it. The naked eye could not see it, but she felt it. The barrier was weakened just enough for her whisper magic to function, as proven when she made a poor stablehand shiver in fear. Now was the time to find prey.

Catching in the corner of her eye the presence of a crowd, Cyndia had found just that. Two Nephilim and a couple of free-minded beings, one inclined to Raziel and the two others to Alithe.

Innocently standing behind the cover of a wall as if waiting for someone to arrive, Cyndia let loose the dark whispers of Nerzar, spreading doubt and portents of doom within their mind of minds. She did not expect their wills to be so weak as to immediately succumb to them, but no one could ignore them. They would continuously dig into their minds, chipping away at their sanity, bit by minuscule bit.