???? Alavaris, city off the dead. [hr] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKk6XqcmB4Q] “Oh maiden of Blood…”[/url] A womans voice echoed through the streets. The wails of the undead briefly silenced from the soothing hymn as it echoed across the darkened city. From within the rundown buildings, claustrophobic alleyways one could almost hear a choir of people joining the voice in chant. “You give us succor…” Footsteps amidst the darkness as a single flame was lit, guiding the singer through the cowering undead. “We are forsaken…” The woman, continued her prayer, steps slowly descending from the street into the squalid excuse of a slum below. The insects and beasts driven to insanity by the maddening darkness bothered her not, the light from the torch causing them to flee as she continued on her way. A bloody sack trailed behind her as she walked. “Unheard by the serpent…” “Oh, maiden of red…” The prayer continued, traveling from the grimy underside of the city towards the barely illuminated cathedral. The choir had become louder now, following in time and in line behind her as more of the undead joined the prayer. “We give ourselves to thee…” Faster the steps traveled as the prayer continued, the chant only briefly interrupted by breaths of exertion as the woman started to run. “Oh maiden of violet,” The doors to the cathedral were shoved open, the figure making it just inside as the choir of voices muffled, none daring to enter the darkened cathedral yet still, they sang. “You give us purpose…” “Rise, rise. Rise those given succor…” Before a statue of Ichor did she fall to her knees, hands clasped in prayer as the ghostly choir would join hers. “The serpent laments…” A knife was pulled from her robes as she’d lay it on the altar. “Farewell, farewell…” She’d heft the sack onto the altar, hoisting it onto the surface with some difficulty as she’d pull the object within out. It beat slowly, rhythmically as she’d raise the knife over it. “The serpent bids farewell to thee, forsaken… ” “Rise, those given succor…” As she reached the end of the chant, she would plunge the knife into the still-beating heart. “Rise from the blood of the Serpent…and be granted succor once more…” And so, her body would fall limp over the altar, blood from the heart slowly dripping off the altar, seeping into the ground below… [hr] Location: Alavaris Ancient Garden [@Pyromania99][@VitaVitaAR][@Click This] [hr] [center][color=#B22222]“Oh the forsaken undead…Rise from thy slumber. I command thee…the Lily of Blood, Akyasha. The Rime-winged Angel, Aleksiya…Giselle De Ferry! As I command, rise from thine slumber! The cathedral. Head to the cathedral. It calls to us…”[/color][/center] All at once, your existence came back into being. Ripped from whatever afterlife that had awaited the undead in this cold, lightless world your senses would suddenly snap back into reality as though you had been in a long, deep slumber. Each of you were laying in a rather lovely sarcophagus it felt like. The interior was crafted of the finest materials and the stone which had made it expertly carved. It would be a simple matter for any of you to pry open the lid, rising from your slumber and observing the world around you. You were in a garden. Well, what was once a garden. The plants had long since withered, the branches from the tree withered and decayed, only a scant few leaves upon the ancient leaves indicated any form of life from the plant. Old stone paths led out of the garden, towards what looked like a main road. The place you had woken from seemed to have once been a rather luxurious looking bed of violet flowers that were growing into and around the sarcophagus you had woken from. The garden itself was entirely walled off, a number of buildings and other structures surrounding it and preventing normal exit by all but the main gate which seemed to lead into a main road of sorts. In fact, this place seemed familiar. Following the skyline, at least what remained of it, up one could see a familiar sight - the Alavaris cathedral, looming over the city some distance to the north. One could easily see light from within the place, indicating some life of some sort there. Your memories were hazy, but you’d vaguely remember a sweet, lovely red voice telling you to go there. Even for those who had never heard it before it was an almost instinctual understanding of who that voice had belonged too. Ichor, was telling you to go to the Cathedral. You were also…so very, very hungry, yet not a single drink to be had from the looks of things. All you could hear was the occasional groaning from a nearby undead just outside of the garden. You weren’t alone either. In fact, there were two others here you’d instantly recognize. Location: Alavaris Squalid Ruins [@Psyker Landshark][@Asuras][@Erode] [hr] [center][color=#B22222]“Oh my lovely undead…Rise from thy slumber. I command thee…Dragan Meszaros, Knight of…Death…The ever radiant, Luna Emeraltide! Ahh, and the ambitious child of shadows…Illena…The cathedral. Head to the cathedral. You will…find us…”[/color][/center] All at once, your existence came back into being. Ripped from whatever afterlife that had awaited the undead in this cold, lightless world your senses would suddenly snap back into reality as though you had been in a long, deep slumber. Each of you were laying in a rather lovely sarcophagus it felt like. The interior was crafted of the finest materials and the stone which had made it expertly carved. It would be a simple matter for any of you to pry open the lid, rising from your slumber and observing the world around you. It was not a pleasant looking place. Dirty, muddy water would welcome your feet as you hoisted yourself out of your sarcophagus. If not for the bed of violet flowers enreathing your tomb, this would be quite a pitiful looking place. You were at the end of a narrow street, old buildings to your right, and to your left a balcony that overlooked the rest of the squalid looking slums. It seemed much of the refuse and dirt had drained here at the end of the street. Looking outwards down the balcony, you’d see ancient houses sunk slightly into the ground, as though they had simply become one with it leaving only the once second floor accessible. The only building that seemed entirely intact was at the far end of what was likely once a street, standing above every other pitiful building was a three story manor of some sort…but it was quite a long ways down, and something called for you to go elsewhere. Looking to the west, though, one could see the familiar landmark of the Alavaris Cathedral. A place you were familiar with, and meant you were in the former city of the Undead. This at once, had been a poorer section of town, but it had certainly fallen quite a bit. Your memories were otherwise hazy, but you’d vaguely remember a sweet, lovely red voice telling you to go there. Even for those who had never heard it before it was an almost instinctual understanding of who that voice had belonged too. Ichor, was telling you to go to the Cathedral. To get to the cathedral though, was a simple enough matter. Follow the road as it’d curve upwards towards the Cathedral ward. The buzzing of insects and the howls of creatures though, meant that might not be so simple in effect. At least you might have some blood to sate this thirst of yours for a time if one didn’t mind dining on a beast.