[Character Development] Embracing the Darkness (Dignitas, Please)

[Logan Drake]

Thirteenth Darkening of Kalendryas


Striding through the dark streets of Imperia, Logan Drake could not help but feel a slight tinge of excitement at the thought of knowing he walked in dangerous parts. Imperia was renowed for being one of the darkest, grittiest, and most dangerous locations in the entire Aelyrian Empire.. exactly the place this burly wanderer wanted to be. For more than two months now, the dreams of blood, violence, and unspeakable evils had plagued his none-too-innocent mind and driven him out from the city of Iefferon to seek his own purpose in life and wreaking a path of indiscriminate murder throughout the countryside in which he traveled.

The voices talked to him.. spurring him on to great acts of evil.. pleasurable evil..

The enormously muscled Vagaran man, though initially shocked by the violent dreams and visions within his mind, eventually embraced this chaos with his entire heart and soul.. gladly slating the bloodthirst of the hundreds of voices with murder, after murder, after murder.. Naturally, Logan chose out the most pathetic specimens of Aelyrian society to prey on, the homeless vagrant scum and noncitizens of the country of whom the law cared for.

With his enormous Zweihander greatsword, the antique wheelock pistol he carried inside his vest, and the tremendous amount of strength he possessed in his exceptionally powerful physique, the Vagaran had murdered freely on his journey.. slaughtering the occasional isolated farming family whenever it pleased him..

Despite this, Drake nevertheless felt a sort of emptiness to his "new inclinations"... knowing not why the voices and dreams compelled him to commit these unspeakable acts of murder.

Was it the attempt of some unseen spirit to "speak" to the wanderer, or something much greater?

For that reason, he had come to Imperia..

For that reason, he now wandered the darkening aimlessly, seeking guidance from the darkness.

[Logan Drake]

You are truly blessed, little mortal...


The voices within Logan's head echoed softly within the very depths of his soul, raising the hair on the back of his neck with an odd, though not unpleasant, feeling of power and might. Feelings of bloodlust and murder began to stir quickly within the darkness of his heart, sending the awesome power of chaos throughout his entire body.

Truly blessed indeed... It will not be long before your true purpose is revealed to you...

Quickening his stride to a brisk walk, Logan speedily maneuvered his large frame into the entrance to a system of narrow alleyways leading away from the main streets of Imperia... a potential dwelling place of thieves, murderers, and vagabonds.. Of course, no such things bothered the enormously muscle-laden adventurer in his wanderings; Logan Drake made his way through the filthy side streets with the greatest of ease..

Upon emerging from the elaborate maze of walkways, the Vagaran found him staring face-to-face with a magnificently carved Gargoyle poised in a grotesque manner, the marble guardian to one of Imperia's many graveyards. It was an astonishing (if not disturbing) work of art, with the large demonic figure positioned in a most frightening manner with a minature human figure clenched in its unmoving jaws.

Abandoned Graveyard

This particular graveyard was a relatively large and ancient location within the city of Imperia, having been built many an Era ago during the city's more benevolent times by a wealthy Arakmat nobleman seeking favor with Imperia's political elite. As a result, the entire site possessed a noticably "run-down" and "rustic" flavor to itself as a whole; the many dozens of grave stones and death monuments slowly crumbling to dust with the weight of the ages. Surrounded with a wrought-iron fence, the entire location had been built around an enormous burial tomb of the founder's father, an impressive structure which easily overshadowed the other graves in size and detail.

Scowing distastefully at the demonic effigy, Logan nevertheless felt a mysterious power beckoning him into the confines of its wrought-iron fence. Not bothering to question this most peculiar feeling, the young adventurer slowly stepped through the gate of the abandoned graveyard.. and made his way through the many grave stones and memorials of the long dead ancients.

After several minutes of wandering about the vast spaces of the graveyard, Logan eventually found himself kneeling before the center tomb of the entire site, his enormous Zweihander greatsword planted solidly (blade-first) in the ground as a makeshift crucifix.

Cut yourself, mortal.. and let me taste your blood offering..

Slicing open his left palm on the razor-sharp blade of his Zweihander, Logan watched coldly as his lifeblood streamed slowly down to the brownish-gray dirt underneath him, pooling into a crimson puddle..

It was then when the visions overtook him, painfully overwhelming the man's mental coherence in a sudden surge of malevolent energy.. The voices screamed now, and dark sights of wanton murder and cruelty flashed before his eyes..

Screaming in agony, Logan clawed pitifully at his eyes... and stopped...

The world had taken on a reddish-tint.. and a demonic figure stood before him...

Logan... Dear Logan...

I am Drak'Shall... A "messenger" of sorts from the infernal regions of hell, and a servant to my master.. Jorel..

We have been watching you with great interest for quite some time... little mortal..