The Ritual Of Rebirth

The Red, Red Kroovy. Everytime Kroves heard that, he didn't know whether to love it, or to despise it. But, if it instilled fear in his enemy, he couldn't love it enough. The halls of the Dreadskile Ingurtium echoed as he walked down them. Tonight was a special night for him and his brood of undead and necromancy powered knights. Tonight they held a ritual; The Ritual Of Rebirth. Was not long ago that a poor girl had come to him, begging and groveling for power. What she had lost seemed trivial to him, after all he could resummon anything bought back from dead, but for him it did not matter. He could feel it, feel the power and potential practically falling off this girl. Her anger, her hate, all of it, seething and bleeding into the air around her.

He loved it.

His chains, and fir enclosed armor clanked and echoed in the empty halls as he and his massive axe, Dream Shatterer, muscled down to the ritual site. His fellow knights, students all of his own, were around an alter. The girl, freshly killed and being imbued by dark magicks, was beginning to return to life. This was the fate of his kind. Those who sought ultimate power but were unblessed at birth, gave up everything in order to become counted among the strong. This girl was no different. As he lifted his axe high into the air, he began to chant the words of dark life, the words of the spell that wold bring her back. She would no longer be fully human, no longer be fully alive. She would be a Dreadskull, a knight born of a necessary evil, made only possible due to tolerance from Armetisia. To become one, you had to give yourself wholey unto the cause, and swear pure allegiance to the council, and one's country. Betray them, and the Red Kroovy himself will devour your soul.

As the ritual gained a faster tempo, the words chanted faster, the beatings of drums sounded, and with a mighty smash, Kroves bought down Dream Shatterer and let loose all forces of dark and necromatic energy, all swarming around and squirming their way into the girl.

Then all went silent.

Walking up to the girl, and placing his hand on her head, Kroves leaned in and kissed the girl on her forehead, and in the softest whisper in his heavy eastern Barlavarian accent, said "Arise, my child, a new night approaches for you. Arise, Das Valania, for you have been found worthy by the Dark Mother. Arise, and claim your right to be a Dread Skul."

Jeni had come to him, well, them. The one group of people who could free her from her grief and pain. She was glad. She had struck a deal with them to sacrifice her life and she would be given the power she needed. She had decided the best way to go would be to have slit her own throat. The last thing she remembered was being on the alter, when she killed herself. She was prepared for the pain that would ensue afterwards, but she didn't care. Her reasoning may have been considered stupid, or even silly to others, but oh not to her.

As she lay there, it was as if she was having an out of body experiance. Her finger tips were warm, and then the warmth started to fade into cold and then it was as if her whole body went cold. Her eyes gradually closed as she had only punctured the main artery in her neck. She wanted to bleed out slowly. She wanted them to see the life slowly fade from her eyes.

It was as if a jolt of electricity went through her body when she was reawakened as one of the undead. Her eyes had duled from their stunning emerald green to a dead green, an olive green. Her scelera had gone from being white to being black. This truely proclaimed her as dead. Her hair had also gone from its stunning raven black to an even more stunning appearance of white. When she sat up she looked around, being rather disoriented. She looked down at her clothing, her hair falling off of one of her shoulders. She touched the breast plate of hers and then caressed the skirt that she was wearing underneath more armor. Looking up quizzically she did not speak. Her long nailed hand pulled some of her hair back out of her face. She waited to be spoken to, afraid of her own voice.

As the child rose from the alter, Kroves couldn't help but laugh at the fear she still had in her eyes. This was his favorite part. Yes you might be a half dead being, but you still feel human at first, and the initial shock of this fact always made Kroves laugh. Walking over to her, Kroves' mighty arm grabbed her and lifted her up in one swift motion. "There child, your legs still work, stand!" He said patting her roughly on the back. "Now, go ahead, speak. You may bled out through your throat, but that was all fixed when you were reborn. Ah yes, your new attire. I bet you're wondering when we gave you that eh? HAH! Doesn't matter now, what matters is that you learn to call your new weapons to you. A test shall we say, to determine your strength. Focus now child, focus my Das Valania, on the weapon you used the most, and the Dark Mother shall provide."

As she was commanded she stood up only to look around some more. This feeling she had...it was strange was this what freedom felt like? As she set foot back onto the alter her boot clacked slightly. She looked around to see her brothers. She was yet able to tell if there were any other women, or not. She gave out a huff of air as he roughly slapped her on the back telling her not to worry. She looked up at the man whom had given her a new life. It so seemed that she was not going to mind this one, not at all.

She wasn't quite sure how to ask the dark mother for her bow...or atleast a bow back. She closed her eyes and held out her right hand "Dark mother, send me something that will destroy my enemies and protect the council, Jace, and my home." She thought inwardly. Suddenly ice veined it's way up from the floor until it was about to her shoulder height. She seized the middle of the ice peice and it seemed to melt away reveiling a bow with intricate design and detail. Sje smiled lovingly at it and caressed it. The metal seemed to sing for her.

"That," Kroves began to say, "Is a beautiful instrument of pain. Very creative, first of it's kind I must say. It would seem the Dark Mother has an eye for you child." He said as his voice lowered, impressed and awed that this girl, in her first waking moments of undeath, was given such an amazing weapon. Moving towards a podium, Kroves gave a swift motion with his right hand, and summoned nine ghostly skulls, and had three of them fly around the child in a circle. "You have your weapon, now show me if you can use it." Kroves commanded, as he sent, the three skulls flying after Jeniveve.

Jeni's eyes blazed with a new intensity than they had when she was alive. She caressed the metal lovingly and smiled at Kroves praise. She had received little praise when she was alive, but she'd always ignored it. It felt good to receive some now. She looked up as Kroves summoned some ghosts. She drew her weapon and had to calculate quickly. An arrow would go right through them. She needed...OH! What's the button for? She looked down to see two buttons at oppiset ends of the bow. She released them and two blades dropped to the floor.

She smirked and looked up sending a crushing blow through one ghost and then sent two other crushing blows to the other two ghosts. She looked to the other six ghosts waiting their turn. "Anyone else?" She asked. The other six ghosts charged towards her. She brought her blade down sending a wave of frost from the tip of her blade freezing the six ghosts. She then brought her blade from left to right destroying the ghosts. She retracted her blades and smiled. "Ohh, that was fun! She said and then looked up to Kroves for more instruction.

"I see you still remember how to fight with a weapon, but now you are different." Kroves said after he had witnessed Jeni cut down the skulls he had sent out. "Now, you have power child. You are not merely meant for hand to hand combat. However, I do not know your own gifts, for they are not mine, but yours. Here," He said once more, lifting his left arm and causing a large tombstone like object to rise from the ground. "You have power yes, but it is here that we shall see what type of power you have. Defend yourself!" Kroves yelled and the tombstone suddenly sprang to life and with it's aged, stone limbs, charged at Jeni. This would be the determining factor if Jeni really had been given more then just a fancy bow from the Dark Mother. If she had powers, any at all, they would manifest themselves right here in defense of their new master.

She nodded as he acknowledged that she could still fight. But he wanted to see her power...could she really do it? Could she really produce an awesome power? She had to think about it for a moment. What in all the world had her mother blessed her with? Her power and new life was to be a right of passage. She only really thing she was really sure of was her hand to hand skills. But, she had to try. She straightened up right as he cried out to defend herself. She looked taken aback when some great stone giant charnged at her. Jeni wanted to please her makers...but she wasn't entirely sure as to how.

She lept out of the way so as to avoid a collision with the giant. She took off at a run after the thing started to chase her. Oh heavens. What was she going to do? She stuck out her hands and turned on a dime. As she thing neared her she touched her hands to the stone and noticed that frost started to cover it. But it sent her flying into the nearest wall. She stook up dusting herself off and charged at the rock creature and gripped ahold of it tightly freezing it. She backed up and brushed her hands off. She then wipped out her weapon and smashed the thing with her weapon. "Teach you to chase a lady." She said looking up at her creator.

"ICE! HAHA!" Kroves bellowed in laughter, as he continued in his hoarse voice. "I haven't seen a new Ice User in so long. It would seem naming you Das Valania was correct indeed. Here..." Kroves said as he moved closer to her, placing both hands on her shoulders, and speaking in a low, calm voice. "You have been through much in your young, short, mortal life. The sorrow, the pain, all the evil you have seen and endured in life has now made you stronger in death. You may not have a family among the living anymore, but you will always and forever have a family here with us, here in our halls as a Dread Skull. Listen my children! Jeniveve Larou was once a proud warrioress, and a Walker, but now she is one of us. The Laws Of Our Order dictate that we help her, guard her, watch her, find her if she is lost, correct her if she is wrong, and show her mercy through pain of our enemies and ourselves. And by law, she will do it for us as well. From this night onward, under the moon light of Eldra`Thas Kiln, Jeniveve Larou shall be known as Das Valania among us, and from this day forward, she is a Dread Skull." Kroves finished he hugged her, and all those in attendance closed in to grasp her as well.


{[Achievement Unlocked! - Born Again - 25g}]

His laughter startled her. It did so much that she jumped back. She stared at him with great admiration as he explained that she would protect and be protected by her brothren. She liked the sound of it. She also liked the sound of her new name amoungst her brothers. Das Valania...it was unique. She smiled a bit as she was embrassed by all, in acceptance. She looked across the hall and beconed.

An eerie sound came from across the hall. It was the sound of a whinnie of a horse. But the sound was empty and hollow, and echoed off of the walls. Leaping from out of the ground her horse sprang upwards. But he was no longer black, he was a stunning white, his mane and tail flowed out like they were being touched by the breeze. His eyes glowed red and he peered at the others surrounding his mistress with intruigue. My steed, he shall serve me well." She said pointing.