[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/9UhVPsg.png[/img][/center]

Deep within the Tomb of Chaos, the dark wizard Ophidias Seht observed his enemies remotely and unseen. He stood a stone subterranean chamber lit by baleful fires, as huge shards of obsidian glass drifted and floated about the room. Peering into each one gave him a glimpse of a distant land or a separate planar realm. These scrying glasses were fed information by his informants and spies in dozens of different realms and planes, be they baleful spirits, bound demons, or lesser warlocks. Seht studied the magical glass carefully, hoping to divine all he could from them before he made his move. Of particular interest to him were the insights into the dark realm of Sheol, fed to him by a variety of servants and slaves, many completely unaware that they served the will of the Black Dragon. This nascent Demon Lord, Ahriman, had reached out to Seht for his services in overthrowing the church, and while Seht had accepted the invitation, he immediately set about planting spies in Ahriman's palace and inner circle. Seht was many things, but he was nothing if not cautious.

He had been studying Ahriman and his fortress for weeks, looking through the eyes of demons and ghosts that roamed the halls. This was how he came to know of the others that had also been given the same task as him, and he watched some of them arrive ahead of their appointed time. Seht knew that he had been given the wrong time to arrive, and would still hold to the instructions he was given, so as to not give away the surveillance he had placed Ahriman under. Everything was proceeding according to his scenario, and soon he would wield this foolish Demon Lord's power for his own. Not yet though. That would come in time. Seht was a patient man.

The time grew close, and Seht broke away from his voyeuristic studies to prepare for his meeting with Ahriman. Seht assumed the form of the Magician of Black Chaos, and ensured that his many charms, wards, and other protective spells were in place, as though he was going into battle. He didn't know precisely what to expect, despite his extensive surveillance, and so prepared for as much as he could. He warped into his transdimensional travel chamber, a dedicated hub of portals into various realms and planes beyond the material, including Sheol. The time arrived, and Seht set forth into the dark realm.

In the great dining hall of Ahriman, a portal of darkness ripped its way into reality, before assuming the shape of a doorway. The creature that emerged was not Seht, but a hunched, diminutive figure. It wore greasy rags and was manacled in chains of arcane sealing. While its shape was humanoid, its flesh was oily black, and inhuman eyes swarmed and moved across its form, the largest in the direct center of its otherwise featureless head. This was an alchemical homunculus, Nigredo, and often served as Seht's envoy and servant.

"[color=black]Proclaiming the arrival of the supreme master of dark arts,[/color]" The homunculus gurgled, "[color=black]The Master of Black Chaos, the Lord of Drakes and Father of Serpents, Ophidias Seht.[/color]"

The portal widened, and Seht himself emerged in the whimsical jester-like guise of his Black Magician of Chaos form. The size of his headdress was practically the span of his arms, and he floated a few inches off of the floor rather than walk. Arcane light surged about him, and his long, black hair whipped in the aether floes. The portal snapped shut behind him, and Seht lowered to the floor, facing Ahriman. He held out his magic focus, the Leviathan Staff, in salute to the Demon Lord, before performing an ornate and theatrical bow. He wouldn't kneel though; Seht did not kneel to any spawn of Sheol.

"[color=140097][b]My lord Ahirman, Ophidias Seht has arrived as you commanded. I pledge my arcane erudition and my sorcerous power to your black will. May the world weep in terror from our union.[/b][/color]"