theworldofdreams.com

Note to readers: Madness 1-5 (in this and Quest forum), as well as "The Vampire's Story", http://www.theworldofdreams.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4003, and many other posts in the Quest forum, give additional background to this brief story.


Eliathan growled and hurled the gem encrusted chalice across the room. With a loud clang, it struck the tapestry shrouded stone wall opposite him and tumbled to the floor. Loosened jewels sprayed out over the thick carpets of the room, flashing as they caught and reflected the light of the candelabras in each corner. Eliathan bent his head and pressed his hands tightly against it. "It isn't satisfied to invade my dreamless sleep anymore. Now it whispers in my waking hours.", he murmured with anger.

For years now there had been a Taint upon the World and although Eliathan and the mysterious Dreamer had sought to find the source, they had only found puppets or creatures warped by the dark evil of the Taint.

The Prophet had once been a simple scholar in Moonglow before he had been possessed by this dark force. He had instigated unrest and rebellion throughout the world's inhabitants. His forces had caused untold devastation and terror before he finally was defeated. However, remnants of that time remained in the World, lurking in the shadows and waiting for the unwary.

There was a young boy, twisted and mutated while still in his mother's womb, who was still wandering about the World somewhere. This one had raised numerous bands of outlaws who ravaged the countryside before strangely vanishing away. For a time, Eliathan had thought he was the source but the Dreamer had followed the boy's life to it's inception and seen how the child was spiritually mutilated before he was even born. Still, Eliathan had planned to destroy the abomination but the child had disappeared.

It seemed every week there was a new invasion of horribly mutated creatures as well. The night the death bunnies roared, Eliathan had roared with unabashed glee at the sight of tiny rabbits who spat fire and grew fangs. But, they had killed off too many of his herd, the humans whose life force gave him his own potent life.

Since then, there had been mutant gargoyles, headless, witches, fearsome rats of all kinds, and others. The World groaned at times under the weight of this evil and although the human adventurers from the OtherWorld managed to push back the worst of the invasions, they sometimes despaired. The worst part about it is that most of the World's inhabitants and the human adventurer's were killed away from cemetaries and other dark haunts, thus wasting the precious life force that sustained the undead.

Eliathan closed his eyes again as a spectral whisper slithered through his brain, 'Then take the cities and towns yourself, o' Lord of the Vampires. Take the life force at the source in unimaginable quantities. Feast and revel in the blood you so adore...'

That wasn't his thought, that was someone else. He knew it was no good to invade the cities no matter how much fun it was at the time. The humans always rallied and eventually burned the cemetaries, sent priest and mages to bless and hallow the ground and it was just an untidy thing altogether. But he could do it if he wanted. Over the decades he had been un-dead, he had risen to command allegiance, or at least obedience, from most of the undead creatures in the World. His mastery of magery and necromancy had enabled him to rise to the top. He could do it.

"I don't want to do it.", he groaned. His lips stretched into a cruel smile. "I could do it and why not? I love to hear them scream and plead for their silly lives before I rip their souls from their bodies." His eyes widened and glowed a baleful red as his body shifted into the towering Dark Demon form. With a deep bass voice that caused the furnishings to tremble he muttered "I could do it."

Then he shuddered and dwindled back into his human form, collapsing back into the gold inlayed reaperwood throne. Part of his mind gibbered in outrage as another cooly laid out plans. He could follow the usual pattern of small invasions all over the world before gathering all his forces and taking over Britain. Just think, the entire city could be a graveyard. He would cast the Queen's throne into a privy and setup his own throne. He could hold court in the evenings and select the juiciest humans from the daily offerings by the cowed inhabitants of the city. What am I thinking? I won't yield to this Taint...I will fight...I will ignore it. After all, I am Lord of Vampires, I can invade if I want. I don't want to do this. I.. I...

Fawning syncophants in the corridors leading to Eliathan's hall shrank against the walls as his unearthly voice roared acceptance and then denial, over and over. They had no idea what was happening but the smart ghoul stayed far away when their Lord raged.