The Dawn of Midnight

[Rhaine]

Rhaine's voice touched Vitus' mind, despite all the changes of Death Initiation "Come, brother... we are expected to come... " She sounded as if she was in a sort of trance. A rift opened right near Vitus, and calm soothing cold was pouring from it. Shaken awake from his desk, an ornate gauntlet he was working on before him, he turned his head, seeing the rift, and stood up walking through it.

Beyond the rift was the great hall of the Temple. The black flame of columns appeared to have come to life, with soft dark crimson streaming up to the ceiling, and forming swirling haze full of dark and red sparks. Rhaine was standing near the altar, and a human child was tied to cold black marble. Dark priestess looked at her brother, her face calm and confident, midnight-blue eyes glowing in the twilight engulfing the room. Vitus took a moment to absorb the scene around him, giving a slight bow to Rhaine, then glancing to the offered sacrifice, a smile curled his lips.
The silvery and red graphic structure embedded into the floor, was glowing now. Vitus' new senses of a Bound felt the enormous flow of energy through it. In one of foci points, Raevyx was kneeling, seeing nothing but the altar. Rhaine was in another foci point, marked by a combination of rune-like sigils. It looked like only Bound could retain a certain share of freedom in the ritual. The drow appeared to be in a trance. Even Rhaine seemed to move like a puppet sometimes. Her hand pointed to third point, and voice sounded automatic.

"Come. We are to start."
Vitus nodded, moving to the indicated space. Human child seemed to be scared to death, as Rhaine and Raevyx simultaneously took two obsidian daggers, and slowly sliced his wrists. For a moment Rhaine's face was no longer a mask... she whispered "Let it come..." and returned to trance-like state. Blood trickled down little boy's wrists on the black cold marble... child tried to scream, but no sound escaped his lips.
The two priests chanted in unison, and the crimson haze that enlivened the columns, responded by a lifelike pulse... the torches and candles surrounding the altar, repeated the beat. Two daggers sliced up to child's arms, pierced the shoulder joints with wicked precision, and moved to his throat. Dark Tongue of the chant filled the air, pulling even Vitus into trance-like state.

Rhaine's hand caught some of blood, and she drew a complex sigil on child's skin, right against his heart. Vitus pulled Dagalur Glurug from the sheath at his side, its blade throbbing in wicked anticipation of blood to be spilt. Grasping the blade in both hands, point toward the ground, he plunged it into the sigil Rhaine enscribed on the child's chest, sliding it easily between the immature ribs. Vitus twisted the blade, the sounds of cracking bones fillinf the chamber. Resheathing his blade, the Templar plunged his clawed hand into the opening the blade created, grasping the child's struggling heart in his fist, and pulling it out, cracking the ribcage even more.

Instantly two daggers pierced child's arteries , moved to his eyes... the words of a new chant filled the air. Two priests put their hands on child's empty chest, and darkness from their fingers seemed to absorb the body

"May the heart of this world also be torn and replaced by the darklight... In the name of Midnight, of great Lord Asmodeus, may this life be the first one this realm submits to His cause"

The darkness turned into living black fire, that licked blood from the altar, absorbed the body, and longed for the pulsating heart in Vitus' hand. The Templar offered the heart to the fire, and it consumed the last flicker of child's life greedily. Rhaine took a deep breath, and threw up her hands. Enhanced senses of the Bound felt the energy streaming through priestess... had there been less of it, she would have probably fallen, turned into a mindless power conductor. Low rumbling was heard in the distance. Five times slender hands of dark priestess went up - and five times rumbling was heard. Five portals opened to the area around the Temple. Welcome... welcome...

The two priests slashed their hands, like puppets. Raevyx's blood seemed fuming in the twilight of the room. Rhaine's slash produced no blood. She winced slightly, and pierced her hand deeply, producing a gentle trickle of deep violet-crimson liquid. Vitus cut his palms with Dagalur Glurug, his dark blood bubbling in the power-filled air. Blood of the three slowly evaporated turning to crimson haze that coiled over the altar. The coil hovered over the altar and started spinning, slowly at first, but faster and faster. A flare of darkness - and soothing cold poured through the rift into which the coil transformed. The Presence that filled the chamber, flowed through leylines of Temple energy structure, like blood flows in a living being's veins. Five torches around the altar flared with living darkness.

Finally the coil exploded into three shards that fused with three asmodeans. Even Rustovich's were thrown to their knees. Power of the Presence fed them, filling with new energy and new life. The assignment to go and seek those worthy - it floated up their minds, appearing from trance-like state of Ritual.

"And may this world resist.." Rhaine smiled, her face strangely euphoric. Vitus' grin of triumph matched her smile - for a moment, replaced by his usual grim expression.
"Resist and suffer," he spoke.
The Temple of Asmodeus awakened. Three asmodeans looked at the altar, feeling the Presence within the walls of the place they held so dear. More dear than kinship. More than love. More than life itself.

[Rhaine]

Five low rumbles have shaken the earth - and five arched doorways shot into the night sky, five portals encased in black marble. Gateways were clouds of crimson and black sparks, a shimmer in the air...

Welcome, RhyDinians. Welcome to the freedom of choice. Welcome to the Darkness. The Temple of Asmodeus is open. Enter at your own risk.

[Rhaine]

Please remember: Temple warding would detect scrying or spies. Either your spy would have no chance to come through, or in case of trying to hack the security system, suffer something more serious than injured pride. You don't joke with Temples

You are invited to join our team... welcome to Hell, city of RhyDin!