Before discovering the shards of the Mad Moon,
ancient races could barely comprehend even
the most basic incantations.
Elders, Shamans and Mages of the world would
have to train for decades in order to control
and use the simplest spell.
However, everything was changed the day when
the first outworldy crystals were found in
the most desolated corners of the world.
The power of the shards, drawn from unknown
sources, was great; it was unlimited.
And some of those who searched, the mighty
Elders, had found a field greater than any
other found before - located in the forming
caverns, the stones laid, offering their power.
And soon a colony was formed around them - thus
begun the history of House Avernus and its
sacred Font.
Since the very beginnings of this mighty house,
mythical energies from the Primal Stones were
feeding its Elders and warriors.
They spread around them an arcane black mist
- that mist came from the cracks in the shards,
secured and protected under the guise of the
Font of Avernus - and it had powers of its
own; and, seemingly, a will of its own too.
The Font of Avernus was the source of a family's
strength, a crack in primal stones from which
vapors of prophetic power have issued for
generations.
Each newborn of the cavernous House Avernus
would be bathed in the black mist, and by
this baptism they were given an innate connection
to the mystic energies of the land.
They grew up believing themselves fierce protectors
of their lineal traditions, the customs of
the realm--but what they really were protecting
is the Font itself, the fallen shards of the
once gigantic vessel.
And the motives of the mist are unclear.
The day has come when these mystical powers
would form a completely unforseen scenario.
The House of Avernus was welcoming its newborn
child, forming a long line of visitors, with
the boy�s proud parents on the front.
By the sacred custom, each newborn had to
be bathed in the black mist.
When the infant Abaddon was bathed in the
Font's creation, something went awry.
In the child's eyes there flared a light of
comprehension that startled all present and
set the priests to whispering.
Alas, he was raised with every expectation
of following the path all scions of Avernus
took--to train in war, that in times of need
he might lead the family's army in defense
of the ancestral lands.
But Abaddon was always one apart.
Where others trained with weapons, he bent
himself to meditation in the presence of the
mist.
He drank deep from the vapors that welled
from the Font, learning to blend his spirit
with the potency that flowed from far beneath
the House; he became a creature of the black
mist.
There was bitterness within the House Avernus--elders
and young alike accusing him of neglecting
his responsibilities.
But all such accusations stopped when one
day, he saved the House Elders from the certain
death.
Energies that vapor from the Primal Stones
are great; thus luring many other races, castes
and lone wanderers to it.
Hired assassins, Zealots of Omniscience, Keen
expeditions and other greedy creatures wanted
this power for themselves and would harass
the House so that it'd crumble and leave the
Font bare for the taking.
There were many of them - and significantly
less of those sworn to serve the House.
For a long time, they had managed with just
their army and hired swords and daggers of
their own - bounty hunters, mercenaries and
the like.
However, at one point, another contender emerged.
Invisible, it could sneak by the guards and
was capable of slaying whatever was in its
way - and its targets were the Elders of the
House.
It was a zealot scarab, one of the Assassin
caste.
The chosen of goddess Nyx.
The insectoid intruder was already nearing
the targets when Abaddon, the master of black
mist, who could see and do that what not even
the most advanced adepts of the House could,
had sensed him - and so the head of the creature
was cut off in one swift strike of Mistblade,
the sword that one could swear formed itself
in Abaddon's hand - much to the mortal surprise
of the Assassin.
The result of this great victory was that
the members of the House Avernus had the chance
to finally cleanse their lands of all those
who had set camp in preparation of assault
on their stronghold.
That would send a message to future assailants
just as well.
Sadly, the sheer numbers of these invaders
were taking their toll on the army of Avernus.
When hope began to seem dim, Abaddon, still
a subject of skepticism, suddenly joined the
fighting forces - even if he was not yet Lord.
His masteries of life and death, brought to
him by the black mist, formed barriers around
the remaining warriors - they were impenetrable.
Those who were injured, became full of life
again.
The many forces and separated squads that
spread the army all around the landscape were
steadily driven back - there were many of
them, but it was the House Avernus they fought.
And it was Abaddon's presence that saved the
House and Font of Avernus from certain doom.
The black vapor drove his hand in ruling as
his hand drove it in its stead.
It slipped through the cracks in the Font,
and joined the shroud of Abaddon; his powers
grew on.
The mist knew - and so did the Lord of Avernus
- that this fight was not the last one.
Protection of the Font was their priority;
but now it was time to take action.
The chosen of Avernus would be part of a scheme
much greater than all of them - the mist taught
him.
Other warriors were of no use, they only needed
the best - and he was the best, that had been
taken care of.
And when he plays his part in the grand battle,
the Font of Avernus would at last be preserved.
Once and for all.
