Drulissa's Domain

 Scores of paladins knelt around her. "Blessed be the Truthbringer, Mithaniel Marr," the Holy Crusader said as she knelt on the dais in the center of the Cathedral of the Truthbringer, the largest chapel dedicated to the god of Justice. "Blessed be the Truthbringer, Mithaniel Marr," scores of paladins kneeling in the chapel responded, their voices echoing off the high ceilings of the Cathedral, a massive church with a central dome and four minarets facing North, East, South, and West, and an enormous plaza outside. Angelaya knelt in the middle of the circle, surrounded by them all. "Let the holy records of Mithaniel Marr record a miracle that happened upon last eve," the Crusader said, turning to her. "By offering her life for the others affected by the unholy curse of death, by offering to save their souls before death, the Truthbringer smiled upon her valor and sacrifice. A miracle was then performed, and our sister Angeleya was purified and...

The ogre assassin, a female, ran on top of the walls of Qeynos, her strong legs allowing her to keep a pace only the fastest of horses could hope to match. Though she was wearing black, form-fitting leather armor, her footsteps barely made a whisper against the cobblestone walkway of the battlements. The sun was setting in the west, casting the sky in a deep red and orange hue. It also cast long shadows, and the ogre used those shadows to hide in as best she could. She ran from an elven ranger along the base of the wall, Kaliaya. The elf's arrows were deadly accurate, so the ogre ducked and ran low. Another of the elf's arrows flashed by her head, and Kali cursed the angle and the distance. She knew she would run out of wall and be forced to scale a tower to continue the chase. By then, the ogre would be on the wall by the moat, dive in, and be gone. The ogre might have been a better fighter than her, but Kail was a better archer. She reached back and took another arrow...

 Alustrae rode across the windswept plains of the Thundering Steppes, a scarred, torn, and hammered land full of craters hundreds of feet deep, and cut in half by a massive canyon filled with the dead. It was a dangerous land, a place of ancient battles and fallen civilizations, a testament to the power of the gods and their wrath. A place that should be avoided at all costs, but where the wickedness had decided to make their home. Somewhere out here, an evil soul had hidden a group of hunting dogs, crossbred with dire wolves, and trained to hunt Ratonga. And she was not the only one searching for them. The Qeynos Royal Court and the Crimson Inquisition were working together, trying to find the evil menace, but so far, no luck. But now, two suspects leaving the Festival of Unity had entered the Stepps, and her team was following them wherever they went. Two Freeblood vampires, by the name of Cainan and Saphra Duskthorne, had left the Festival and, by chance, managed to ...

Gadilus lay behind the eave of a third-story roof, watching the candleshop below. The blond ranger kept his bow within reach as he watched the morning crowds amble along the street below, and for all they knew, he wasn't even there. The candleshop had been implicated in selling ritual candles to a secretive group of demon cultists in town, and he watched and waited for the owner to open the shop to handle the afternoon crowds. None of the general populace knew of this shop's secretive deals, and the Crimson Inquisition wanted to make sure that their suspicions were correct. Either the shop owner knew what he was making. Or the shopowner has been lied to and had no clue. He didn't know which answer he'd rather have. He didn't want to drag the innocent into their business, but the Inquisition had a reputation to maintain. Especially when they were invited to work in this city, Qeynos of all places, where the two kingdoms were still technically at war with each other. ...

 Grakdar lay on the ridge and closed his eyes as the red pillar of flame rose into the sky, licking the undersides of the clouds above. The Demon Lord was chanting his unholy spell to open the gates to the underworld and tear the world apart. "There are too many," Laira whispered. The demons were all around them, guarding the Demon Lord. Hundreds of them. Maybe even more. They were massive, their bodies twisted and grotesque. Their horns were black and twisted, their teeth were sharp and pointed. Their eyes were burning coals, filled with hatred and anger. "How are we going to do this?" Hope whispered. Grakdar looked at her, his eyes cold and hard. "We fight," he said. "Until we die." Grakdar charged at the demons, his axes raised. Laira ran behind him, her hands glowing with magic. Hope stayed back, her hands shaking. She had never fought like this before, and she was scared. "We do not live forever!" Grakdar sliced thr...

 Grakdar looked up at the dark, cloud-covered sky. The clouds were thick and black, and they swirled in the air like a hurricane. The wind was howling, and the rain was pouring down. The storm had come suddenly, and it had caught them by surprise. "Come on, we need to find shelter," Grakdar shouted over the storm. Hope and Laira were huddled together, shivering in the cold. They had walked along the river, heading towards the center of the invasion. Grakdar had a feeling the Demon King would be there, and he was determined to find him. But the weather had other ideas. "Where are we going to go?" Laira asked. "There has to be somewhere," Grakdar said. He scanned the landscape, looking for any signs of shelter. He saw a group of trees that had fallen, their roots exposed. The storms were so powerful around the center of the invasion they has torn most all of the trees out of their ground, leaving piles of trees and large puddles of mud everywhere...

 Hope crawled out of the icy river, pulling her sister Laira to the shore. The dark clouds swirled and boiled the skies above. The demons clambered across the log bridge down the river. The demons were heading toward them. "Run!" Hope shouted, and they took off, sprinting away from the river and the demons. "What's that?" Laira asked, pointing to a hill. Hope squinted and saw a faint light on the hill. "Someone is there." "Could be another demon," Laira said. "Demons can't make fire," Hope said. "At least, I don't think so." "We can't take the chance," Laira said. They kept running, trying to put as much distance between them and the demons. The sound of branches snapping and twigs breaking echoed through the darkness, sending a chill down Hope's spine. The smell of rotting wood and damp earth filled her nostrils, and she could taste the stale air on her tongue. She glanced behind ...