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Amphitheater

Exit to Lakelands

As I peered into the magic bulb that i had floating in front of me, i noticed something that i hadn't noticed before. It was like when i had been back on Earth, it was
invisible to me. It was something that scared all in the realm of Mortals, Earth. It was...Magic. Of course now in Heaven i can't help but use it every day of my
Afterlife, but back on Earth my most powerful weapon was my long sword. 
Oh, i'm sorry, i havn't introduced myself yet. I am Culelnar, an ArchAngel of Good. The year, as you mortals would call it, is 648. That would make almost....hmm,
2 years since i died in what was then called Amberway. It was a realm of much Battle and War, but that wasn't my homeland. No, i lived in Westland, many leagues
from Amberway, a good 4 days march. My rank in the army of Westland was but a simple Warrior, though i was at a time friends of the Thane. Well, that is another
story for another day. Here in Heaven, i am a Weaver of Tales, a StoryTeller, if you must. The reason i have called you to my quarters is to weave a tale in the
making. This is the story of Northendel, a minor Angel of the Light, yet still many envy his position in Heaven. Many of them will never get a chance to see it. For as
you probably know, Heaven is not alone in the Afterlife, there is one other, and that is...Hell.

Chapter One

When he re-entered the Mortal Plane of Earth, the first thing he did was stumble on his way out of the portal. He then cried "ahh!" from the impact of the light upon
his eyes. He raised his hand to shelter his eyes from the scorching sun. It looked almost as if he was in a…Desert. "This can't be right, I was supposed to land on the
borders of Torland!" he shouted to no one in particular, than turned about to see the small village behind him. "oh" he said to himself silently.

He was Northendel, The Angel of the Light, upon his first mission in the name of good. He looked at his new figure now that he was on the Mortal Plane. "hmmm,
Generous ones, those Angels…" he said while looking over his equipment. He was wearing a Chain Mail breastplate, as well as shining Foot and headgear. He than
looked into his hand that had just a minute ago sheltering his eyes, to find a Great Sword, the one he had forged while in Heaven, the one that he had sacrificed up to
his Lord and Master, the one that had been promised to him as a token of his first mission back from the Afterlife. His mission was not revealed to him yet, nor
would it be anytime soon.

Several things occurred at that moment, one of them being the constant bird droppings that he noticed for the first time were almost strictly in his area. Another was
the voice of a man coming from behind him. 

"Well, we certainly haven't seen one of yer' type around here in a while…" The man said. "My name's Jonathan, but most here call me John."
He extended his arm, to receive a handshake from the newcomer to the small town.
Northendel offered his hand out happily, for this was the first mortal that had actually spoken to him, not including through prayer, in almost a year now.

"Wh…where am I exactly, umm, John?" Northendel asked wearily. 
"If you don't know that, yer stranger than I thought you were, an' I don't usually think wrong!" John replied mockingly.
"But, if you still really wanna know, this here's one of the small towns that make up what we still call Amberway".
Now, Northendel was rather surprised to hear this, because he was well aware that Amberway had been destroyed by the Mages of Torland.
"I know what you're thinking," John said when he saw the perplexed look upon Northendel's face 
"This here's the eastern part of Amberway of Old, the other parts of it belong to Torland now. 
"Well, that's enough chitchat for me at the moment, uhh, what'd you say your name was again?"
"It's Northendel" 
"Oh, I mustn't have caught it the first time you said it. Well, Northendel, what do you say I buy you a drink, on me. Well, sort'. You see, it's my brother's Tavern.
He'll be able to learn ya' the town in a real jiffy. But be careful what you say around him. Anything he knows, within a day, all of remainin' Amberway knows. A real
gossipper, we all call him." 

They walked swiftly to town, for they felt uncomfortable outside the city boundaries of Amberway. Apparently, according to John, the Wizards of Torland
succeeded in destroying well over three-quarters of Amberway of Old. However, when they overcame that much of the Great Country, they found that their army
had been reduced to very little, and as they thought that the other remaining quarter of Amberway had a large part of the Army in it (which it most certainly did not)
they stopped attacking.

John's brother's Tavern, known to most as the Tavern of the Evening's Dusk, was rather large in size. John's brother, Orlark, was busy behind the bar doing his
lineup of normal chores, but quickly dismissed them when he realized that his brother had walked in with an unknown guest.

Northendel quickly introduced himself, as well as Orlark, who was quite a hefty, burly man. Northendel wagered that Orlark outweighed him by about a hundred
pounds, to say the least. Orlark couldn't help but glance constantly just below Northendel's left eye. 
"wha-…what are you staring at?" asked Northendel suddenly, and almost instantly Orlark raised a small mirror. Northendel was speechless. He wasn't the Angelic
self he knew in Heaven, not even the mortal self he knew in his past life. He was a new person, yet not a fully new being. Notable changes to Northendel's face were
the large scar under his left eye; obviously the thing Orlark wondered about with Northendel unawares, also the paleness of his Angelic face had darkened
noticeably to match those of the Human Realm.

Orlark asked Northendel to sit down;
"You look as if you've seen a ghost!" he had said. "Close enough." Northendel had muttered under his breath. Orlark gave Northendel much ale, and all was drunk
by the time he could no longer feel his arms or legs. Northendel could not see straight either. Northendel was out cold before he knew that he had too much to
drink.

Northendel couldn't help wondering why he had never heard of the Surviving areas of Amberway. He was almost sure all had been destroyed. Northendel could still
remember an Archangel telling him about the attack. It wasn't something that was often spoken about in public. Not many want to hear the Horrific Tale anymore.
The Mages of Torland had a complete ambush planned out for Amberway. Amberway had recently denied requests to sell much of their army to Torland, and in
return, Torland would help them fortify their land. Now, the Councils of Amberway knew quite well that Torland was not quite a peaceful land. No, Torland did not
even give a warning to the inhabitants of Amberway. The attack was made, and the country was utterly destroyed, and in most parts, dominated by the evil forces of
Torland. The Mages had summoned a great many burning effigies to conquer the land. And sadly for all forces of Good, they succeeded. This is the Pinnacle
moment when Heaven and Hell collided on the mortal plane. It was a furious battle, but in the end, the once peaceful land of Amberway was overrun by Goblins,
Trolls, and Demons who are cruel to their burning cores. 

Amberway now is host to many Demonic creatures, from anything such as the simple bat to the most terrible, horrifying creatures that not even those of pure evil see
in their nightmares. These creatures are called the Maelori. They have horns long enough to pierce right through another body at a polearm's length. Not to mention
their barbaric size and leathery wings that could knock a man unconscious at even the slightest hit. They are protected by the prophecy that any who see to harm
them will have their souls forever burning in Hell. Northendel had known friends who witnessed the Metamorphosis. They had called it a cruel and unjust act. That
was one of the biggest understatements Northendel had heard in a while.

Northendel awoke at the same table as before, John passed out on a nearby table with a mug of ale in his hands. Orlark was seen scrambling across the bar in his
nightgarments. 
"About time you awoke. Here, take this, before John sees me with it." He said, and then he removed a small phial from one of his shirt pockets. 
"The Phial of the Stars!" Norhtendel said, startled. "But, h-…how did you get it?"

" A gift from a friend" was the reply of Orlark.
"Some friend!" said Northendel, almost jealous. 
"Well, she isn't what most would call an ordinary friend" Orlark said, and sat down for the story he was about to tell. 
"Some say she's even straight from Heaven itself! Although that couldn't be true. You'd have to be a… an angel." When he saw the look upon the face of
Northendel, he rest assured that he could tell the story without lying.
"Actually, she is an Angel. So are you, I presume." Before Northendel could stammer out an objection, Orlark said, 
"I'm a cleric. The Lord has told me many an uncanny thing, but when he said that the Souls of Light would again walk the Earth, I found it to be preposterous. So, he
sent me Auvery." Northendel looked as astonished as a young child on a Christmas morn. 
"This Auvery, she is the most Heavenly body you could have ever seen. It's strange, although I had known her for many a year, she had already known everything
about me. She made it clear for me what the Lord meant by sending Angels to Earth. She had later decided to live in a Temple just outside a small Vale. I believe
she called it Dansbury". 

Northendel had heard once of such a place, but he knew next to nothing of it. 
"I can see you're quite confused. Look inside the Phial" Orlark said while handing the Angelic gift over to his comrade. 
"As all know, the Phial of the Stars was used to view both Planes of the Afterlife, Heaven and Hell. However, Earth is most definitely not a Plane of the Afterlife, so
it can show other places on Earth". It was shown, through this miraculous Crystal, the Temple, along side of it was seen a small vale, now, not much was seen in this
vale, with the exception of the top of a tall monument, most probably a castle. 
"Is that Dansbury?" Northendel asked the cleric. 
"But of course" was the only response he received. Northendel saw the Temple, Northendel saw the Valley. Northendel saw the person walking across the room to
where the matching Phial was. It was not a monk, as most were in that temple. It was… another Angel! 'Twas Auvery! 
"And yes, incase you're wondering, that is Auvery" Said Orlark, almost reading the thoughts of Northendel. 

In his mind, Northendel would have thought that Auvery would have been like every other female Angel he had met; obsessed with serving so much that it was all
they did. However, in watching Auvery, Northendel found that this was not at all the case. Northendel watched her reading a manuscript of some sort. Northendel
watched her cast a spell, and all the candles in the rather dark room were lit. And Northendel watched all the more attentively as Auvery bathed in her private basin.
She then glanced directly at Northendel! Could she see him? No, she had seen the Matching Phial of the Stars as it glowed, an obvious sign that the other Phial had
been activated. Auvery looked very surprised, and Northendel thought she was going to scream, but then…she smiled. That was the prime moment that Northendel
fell in love with her. Auvery slipped a large cloth around her body and walked toward the Phial, picked it up, looked closely into it, smiled again, and then everything
went blank. She had somehow shut hers off!

Northendel looked up suddenly to find Orlark long asleep, and John stirring. Northendel quickly grabbed a piece of fine string from behind the bar, tied it around the
Phial, and slung it around his neck. "Well hidden" he thought to himself just as John awoke.

When Northendel awoke from a long dream, (much of it involving Auvery; the rest having more to do with his Quest) Northendel got up off of the bed he was on. 
"Wait…Bed?" he stammered sleepily, remembering how he had fallen asleep on a table in the Tavern of the Evening's Dusk. Like an instinct, something - no wait,
someone- had just made Northendel that it was also an Inn! Only another angel could do such a thing! He looked over his shoulder on the night table and saw the
Phial of the Stars. But wait, he also felt it around his neck! 
"What the…" he muttered to himself. 
"Good Morning to ye'!" said a young female voice. Northendel attempted to spin around quickly, and found that he could not, due to a very sore pain in his back.
With a groan, he fell back to his bed. 
"What's the matter? You haven't even been on the battlefield yet and you're in pain?" She said sarcastically. 
"Yeah, well you try sleeping in metal armor" Northendel replied, and then went wide-eyed as he noticed that the young female voice was actually that of Auvery, the
Angel that he had seen through his Phial! 
"Nonsense! Why, I've never slept in anything more than…Wait, aren't we getting a little too personal for a first meeting?" Auvery stated embarrassed. 

"But now I haven't the time for such talk. We must depart at once. The Forces of Torland must surely know of your arrival on Earth already". Auvery said while
throwing on her long cloak.

Northendel wouldn't stand for it. "Both John and Orlark have been so nice to me, I must pay my gratitude!" he managed to stammer, but Auvery replied quickly. 
"Orlark is coming with us. John must stay here, for personal reasons". 
"And what reasons are those? He's a good friend of mine, I think I deserve to know!" said Northendel.

"Well," said Auvery, "It couldn't hurt for you to know. John must stay because he has the Burning Fever. You may not have heard it, back in Heaven, where there
are cures for everything, but John may very well die on a long voyage such as the one we intend to take.

Northendel knew already what she was talking about. "We're going to Dansbury, aren't we?" he said, the calm in his voice astounding.
"A good guess, and a correct one. Dansbury is to be set under an Attack within a matter of time. If we don't stop it, no one can."

Chapter Two

Northendel felt the warm air circling around him as he entered the forest. With Auvery leading the way (she insisted, and no one else minded, for she already knew
the way) and Orlark following her, Northendel was left as the Guard, incase any one followed them. Northendel saw no point in this, but Auvery did, and
Northendel didn't bother to argue. Auvery would constantly stop, and Orlark constantly bumped into her accidentally. Northendel would mock this, but stopped
when it became so constant.

After they had been into the forest in the Heart of Amberway for one day and one night, they got to a clearing again. Northendel then found the first sight of evil
since he had entered under his new life. A long since dead corpse was hung by its arms and legs to the branch of a tree. Ever since that moment, Northendel drew
his long sword, Orlark took the staff from his back, and Auvery drew her Golden Pole-Arm whenever they heard the faintest noise. 
Northendel had once asked what Auvery's Pole-Arm was good for. She responded by quickly spinning about, drawing her pole-arm, and putting it right in front of
Northendel's face. 
"Just incase that doesn't explain it, watch this" She then said, and she closed her eyes, and the end of the Pole-arm began to glow. She walked toward a nearby
pond, and as Orlark and Northendel watched anxiously as to what she would do with the Pole-Arm, she moved it into the water, and the water near it started to
glow also! Auvery then removed the Pole-Arm, touched Northendel with it, and he started to glow! 
"Now this is the good part!" Auvery said, rather content with herself. She raised the Pole-Arm up high, and Northendel started to float in mid-air! She spun the
weapon around, pointed it to the water, and made it clash into Northendel. He must have been the only one there that did not laugh, for Auvery and Orlark were
rolling around cracking up.

Soon they were on they're way again, bumping into each other on accident, drawing weapons at the faintest sound, and other such things. After a long way, they all
became aware of the pain from walking such a long distance with such little food. Auvery created bread and water in small glasses in front of Orlark and
Northendel, and when they looked somewhat amazed, she responded
"A simple spell, really".
And so they ate plenty of food and drank plenty of water, but they were still somewhat tired, so they decided to make camp for the night. After all, there was still
much walking to do on their way to Dansbury. Auvery had described it as illustrious, beautiful, and filled with nature. She also described the host that would soon
infiltrate it. Dark, menacing, fiery…those were all words she had used that were fresh in Northendel's mind.

"Oh, and if ye're all still wondering, getting there isn't nearly half the trouble." Said Auvery. At this, Northendel and Orlark looked at her and frowned, because they
knew that there was very much work left to be done.

"In fact, we're not even heading to Dansbury. Right now we're on our way to Oarendale, a rather large sized town where we can find two of the weapons we'll need
to fight off the evil foes we intend to face. They are the legends that the heavens talk about, legends that exist on our earth. Oeraldin and Kishta, a dwarf and a
priestess, are who we now look for. We should be arriving in Oarendale in a day's march. Once there, there shall be much to do, so do not wear yourselves out
now. Oh, and by the way? Those are only two of the twelve Legends we must find."
At that, much groaning was heard from Orlark and Northendel as they finished setting up camp, and went to sleep.

When they awoke, they sped on their journey to Oarendale with a purpose, to find the two legends, the Dwarven Master and the Priestess. It was about 8 more
hours 'till they got there, which was nowhere near what Auvery had told them. 

"Call it motivation" she said with a smile.
 

Amphetamine~PoL