[i]"The Great Betrayer. That title alone should be more than enough to make even the most foolish of men stray away from the Dark God Taloran. The hellfire that she spawns in her wake, and the horrors she commits in the name of anger and hate, one would imagine that none would be so desperate as to commit their souls to her. But, so long as there is hate, and so long as there are rebellious men beneath a government, some will flock to the Burning Witch, like moths to a flame. With similar results."[/i]
- Unknown priest, on Taloran, 'The Burning Witch'.
---

[center][i]Valeran, Althorra[/i][/center]

"She is coming!"

A young woman, dressed in ragged robes, stared wild eyed over the small mass of onlookers. Dirty, confused, and young, the citizens of Valeran looked on with curiosity as the woman glanced about, swinging her arms frantically. "She's coming! [i]They[/i] are coming!" she cried again, raising her hands to clutch at the sides of her head, dark hair being pulled by the dirty nails until several strands came loose.

Someone in the crowd pushed their way forward, and made to grab at her, but she screamed and doubled back, as if his touch alone might harm her. She fell to the ground, and began crawling backwards. "Do not touch me! I am unclean, scorched like the others!" The crowd was muttering now, many of them backing away from the frightful woman. As she was staggering to her feet, she turned her gaze back to the masses. "The fires of Ruin are upon you! Her minions march on you, there is no hope for this place! Run, flee this village of the damned, and escape with your lives!"

Now, now everyone was afraid. The crowd began dispersing, making their way to their homes, when a powerful voice called for their attention. Heads turned to look in another direction, and the Guard Captain marched out of a street to stand apart from the distraught woman. He raised his hands in the air, silencing the citizens. "People, please; do not trouble yourselves with the ravings of this madwoman! We are but a poor, out of the way village on the edges of civilization - what would the Dark Gods want with us?" He smiled warmly at the people, who seemed marginally calmer. They were like sheep, easily swayed with words.

The woman, however, looked even more terrified before. She shook terribly, her body rigid as she stared up at the sky. Silence engulfed the village as they all stared at her, until finally, she let out a single, muttered phrase: "She's here."

Her skin broke like stone as large cracks appeared, the flesh of her hands and face breaking as a dark light shone through. Her skin darkened until it was pitch black, the cracks beginning to shine like fire. Her eyes glowed with a sinister light, and her hair floated upward, as if gravity had been reversed. Slowly, her body rose into the air, arms stretching out to the sides, as if ready for an embrace. Suddenly, her head snapped downwards, and a pair of fiery eyes stared coldly over the masses. As the robes burned away, leaving her blackened form wreathed in fire, a powerful boomed outward from her, penetrating the very minds of all that had gathered in the village.

"You are all fools," the voice said, strong and feminine. The lips of the Ember never moved, and the fire engulfed her hair, until it was replaced completely with a mane of fire. Long horns began to form, curling back over her head. "My child tried to warn you all, but you did not listen. And so, you will feel the burning wrath of the one who has summoned me here, who has requested the power of the Burning Witch." The crowd began to run and scream as the blackened lips of the Ember turned upwards, the head turning until the fiery eyes stayed on the Captain. "You will be rewarded for your sacrifices, my dark child," she informed him, slowly floating towards him.

Around the town, gouts of flame burst from the ground like geysers, a few catching the most fortunate of the citizens of Valeran. When the fires subsided, out of the holes in the ground crawled the Embers, burning black husks grasping for the scrambling citizens. A deep rumbling shook the buildings and threw many people to the ground as the flaming Incinerator ripped its way to the surface, crushing a few as it stood to its impressive height. Its powerful fist rose and rammed into the side of a building, caving in the wall and sending the rest of it crumbling to the ground. Blood stained the wooden ruins, the inhabitants crushed beneath.

The village was surrounded in fire, any who tried to escape incinerated in a moment. The souls of the dead floated upwards, visible to the Burning Witch from her host. Each was wreathed in fire, and floated towards her, entering her chest to be consumed by the fires of hatred. The Captain looked on with fascination, a savage grin covering his face as the men and women, those he'd been forced to protect, those he had always hated since his childhood, were burned alive and ripped apart by the Embers and the Incinerator.

"I see you are enjoying yourself." The Captain turned, and was staring into the eyes of the Burning Witch, inches from him. Heat rolled off of her in waves, and he could feel himself heating up from being so close. The Witch smiled, and rose slightly upwards. "Well, it is time for your reward, my Hated One." His grin widened, only to turn into a look of horror as her hands cupped his cheeks. Stone fingers dug into his flesh as her hands burned into his face, and lifted him up off of the ground until he was eye level with her. He tried to scream, but his throat was clogged and closed, as if he were choking. Smoke rolled from under his armor as he burned, his flesh charring and cracking.

After a few moments, she dropped him down, and he crumpled. Seconds passed, stretching into minutes. Finally, the Captain rose up, letting out scratchy groans as he wandered off to lead the rest of the Embers. The soul filled with hate now had a form that reflected him. The Incinerator had gathered the bodies of the dead to the center of the village, and the Burning Witch lit the pyre. She could feel the screams of their souls, like they still felt what was happening to their corpses, and a wicked laugh escaped the Witch. Yes, this body would do nicely until she could truly enter this realm.

Taloran, the Burning Witch, the Great Betrayer, walked away from the village, leaving the Embers and the Incinerator to lord of the ruins until someone stumbled upon it. Then, the fires of Thelosia would be released upon this miserable world.