Night World

There was a land called Mervis where one day, the sun went down and never came back up. Eternal night had fallen across the land. Strange creatures began to appear, creatures of the night. Vampires, witches, werewolves, even creatures without names. They began attacking the human villages, and caused the humans to live in fear.

However, there are some of these creatures who know the eternal night is wrong. Including the resident of a cottage in the forest of Cervanis, named Morgana Ravencraft. She was a mysterious woman, and a beautiful witch. A complete opposite of the stereotype. While she needs the humans for some of her spells, she treats them better than the others do, however the humans think she is a bit strange.

No one knows much about her, as she prefers to keep her secrets and her thoughts secret, but she knows that the eternal night must end. She cast a future spell one night that showed her travelling with a group of other night creatures. So she cast a beacon spell on her house. The spell would atract her future companions. And one night, she heard a knock on her door, and she knew instantly that the future was beginning. With a wave of her hand, she opened the door.

Nee poked her head in the doorway, glancing around. She had noticed the beacon from her home miles away from the village, said home being a couple of giant skulls on the side of a hill, both appearing to have been there for ages. She quite fancied her home, as the dried bone made for good shelter against the elements and wandering creatures.

As a creature of the night, she wasn't particularly fond of fighting, but when push came to shove she was fairly strong. She hoped that this human, if it was a human, wasn't dangerous. Cause she was feeling a bit peckish. As in hungry. Humans were tasty, but she had refrained from bothering any of the ones in the village.

"Hello?" She cast her gentle voice out, almost seeming innocent despite knowing her real nature and how she was. Though predatory towards humans, she kinda envied them because of their companionship and emotion; and, being a unique creature herself, she lacked such things.

"Welcome." Morgana said calmly, not looking up from her cauldron. She was mixing a healing potion for one of the human villages. On a stove nearby, a kettle was boiling some water for her expected guests. She only asked one question. "Sit down, stay a while. There are others coming. Would you like some tea? No spells on it, just tea and mint." she said as the kettle began to whistle. With a wave of her hand, the spoon she had been using to stir was stirring itself, and she wandered over to her stove to pour the water and put the tea and mint leaves in her cup. There was a few more empty cups nearby.

Nee stepped inside cautiously, glancing around curiously. "Um, no thank you," she responded tenderly, "Not much for tea, to be honest." She seemed to glide over to a chair, resting a hand on the back and turning it at a different angle than it was before and sitting down.

"What others are there?" Nee raised an eyebrow, "Surely your...beacon, will attract others, but I doubt any of them would be as gentle as I." She herself had seen some of the more savage beasts, the dumber kind that only cared for destruction and killing. Not fun times.

"I know they won't. No matter how savage they may be, they won't hurt me. My beacon only attracts those I was meant to meet. So I was meant to meet you." Morgana sipped her tea quietly before waving her hand to stop the magic that made the spoon stir the cauldron. She picked up an empty bottle from the shelf, and scooped some in with a ladle before corking it.

There was a peck on the window, and a raven was on her sill. She opened it and picked the raven up on her finger, stroking it lovingly and giving it a piece of meat. She tied the bottle to the raven's leg, and it flew away towards the human village.

"Cute bird," Nee noted, completely ignoring what Morgana had just said, "So you were meant to meet me...something about destiny and the like?" She didn't really believe in that kind of stuff, preferring to stick to the present. It wasn't that she refused to believe it, but in the present when you could die at any time, there was no time for worrying about the sort. Or so she thought.

"Not destiny. The future." Morgana said, looking at a piece of parchment on her desk. She began shifting through books after waving her hand. The potion in the cauldron disppeared, leaving it empty. She found the book she was looking for, and opened it to a certain page and began digging through bottles. Things began flying into the cauldron along with the standard liquid brew that could begin any potion.

"Magic is such an....odd thing," Nee stated idly, glancing at the cauldron's contents, "Certainly one of the more spontaneous anomalies of the time." It wasn't very often one ran into a witch, though Nee herself couldn't really vouch for that as she never traveled too far from her home nor did she wish to. Witches tended to be rather cruel as well, and Nee seeming like a human would make her an obvious target.

"Strange and wonderful." Morgana said, and flicked her hand again to make the spoon stir itself again before making another cup of tea. She sat down with her, sipping her tea. "Don't be afraid, nightmare. I won't hurt you. Hurting you changes the future and I won't meddle with that." she said.

Nee shifted uncomfortably at the mention of her being a nightmare. "W-well, what is the future then?" she asked curiously, "You seem to know quite a bit about something." Nee glanced down at her hands, flicking one of her claws in and out of her fingertips idly.

"That's a secret. I can't tell anyone or else they'll never grow." she said, sipping her tea. "But I can tell you others will join us. I don't know who though. But others will come." Morgana leaned back in her chair, toying with the pentagram pendant around her neck. "Are you sure you don't want any tea?" She hadn't cracked a smile once. She seemed emotionless, only her voice was expressing anything at all. It was a velvety voice that seemed smooth and comforting.

In the forest, a quiet figure stood alone. Nimble, thin, and rather tall, he looked particularly dashing in the moonlight that filtered sporadically through the trees. His translucent skin was rather radiant in such a glow, almost reflecting the moonlight itself to give him his own otherworldly appearance... though he was simply a resident of the night. The endless, eternal night that had been induced by some unknown instigating force... not that he minded, however. The night was his home, for the light of the long-hidden sun had burned his skin. Yes... he recalled those ancient days. Generations of his prey - the humans - had basked in the sun, soaking it in and gaining their strength to kill him. The humans had been feistier then - far more full of life. And more full of blood... he thought to himself, lips curving slightly in a macabre smile.

Rellan Adder was this man's name. A man of silent elegance, dressed in a tuxedo and a tophat. He fancied himself a man of great taste, as well. Much higher class than other 'vampires,' as the humans had dubbed them. His type had been dying out steadily... slowly starving for the blood of the humans they so craved. A particularly reclusive breed had been growing; their blood thinner and their skins ever-more thick. Few deigned to leave their houses, which proved to be an impossible obstacle for those like him... For we cannot enter a home uninvited, of course... Rellan mentally commented to himself. "Such a shame. I am sure many would love to have us come and... stay a while." He laughed slightly. Though this was no particular time for laughing. A beacon had been cast nearby, as though calling out to him. Calling out to anyone, as though pleading for attention. Rellan had moved swiftly towards it the moment he had discovered its location, dodging the more feral creatures brought on by the endless night. He considered them beneath him, and perhaps... the caster could direct him to a suitable food source.

As he encroached on the location of the beacon spell, he realized that it was a quaint little cottage in the middle of the forest. Peculiar... he thought to himself. He quietly made his way to the dimly-lit window, peering in so that he could see its inhabitants... a human-looking woman, stirring a cauldron of some sort. She was certainly very ravishing-looking, though she had an eerie air about her... and the other? A strange looking young lady who was certainly not human at all. "What could she be... or is 'she,' even a she?" Rellan spoke aloud, not sure what to make of the sight. He instead turned on his heel, preferring to knock upon the door of the odd cottage. He removed his tophat - as was only polite - for when whoever answered came to the door, as they were both ladies... or so they appeared.

Perhaps now, I can learn of the cause of this endless night... not that I particularly have any qualms with it.

Morgana heard the knock and waved her hand to make the door open. "Ah, I was expecting you as well. Sit. Would you like tea? Perhaps mixed with human blood, vampire?" She stood up and returned to the stove with the kettle, refilling her cup and the kettle. She made her tea without magic, as she preferred with a more natural taste to it. "Two more guests and everything is ready..." she muttered. The beacon spell would fade with the arrival of the final guest. She didn't know who it would be, but she knew that they were both important. They all were.

Nee decided to keep quiet. She had a general dislike for vampires as well, seeing as they had the tendency to mistake her for human as well, which seemed to be a common thing for many of the creatures of the night to do. She led a hard life indeed.

Glancing Rellen, she sighed, recalling a rather nasty incident with a vampire. Luckily, she was quiet immune to their venom, or she probably wouldn't be quiet as normal looking as she was.

Rellan smirked gently, sliding the cloth over his eyes once more, as the door opened without a figure in front of it. Evidence that the humanoid woman - or at least, one of the two in the room - was in control of magical powers. He heard a voice, sort of thick and sweet, with a mildly bitter and callous edge to it, calling for him to take a seat. He glanced downwards to his hat, spinning it quietly in his hands. "My lady, you must know that I am, as you say, a vampire. And my people are not allowed to enter unless cordially invited to do so..." he bared his fangs in a toothy grin. "I apologize for the... inconveniences of my race." Though they could not see his eyes, he could still 'see' them with his echolocation. A few more clicks of his tongue made this fact quite... prominent.

Who needs true eyesight? It would only bring... misfortune, to this group. he thought to himself, almost laughing a mirthless laugh, though he figured it best to not reveal any further emotion until he was certain whether it was in his best interest to stay at the sight of the beacon. "As I wait here, however, might I ask... what is the purpose of this beacon spell you have cast? Surely the creator was you, my lady... what did you say your name was again?" His voice was polite. Confident. Enrapturing... and perhaps most alarmingly, cloying, without being any sort of abrasive. Rellan had certainly chosen his tone carefully, so as not to frighten those in the room... though the one woman who commanded the attention seemed to be fully able to hold her own.

"And who, perhaps, might your first companion be?" Rellan asked with an even broader grin. The other figure he had seen from the window was not speaking... perhaps the presence of a being of the night such as himself unnerved the being, if it were, in fact, a girl. Rellan was mildly curious, if nothing else. The circumstances were a tad odd, for he had not been called to a beacon for a fairly long period of time.

"Ah. I almost forgot. You are allowed to enter. No need to ask again." she said, pulling up a chair with a wave of her hand. "I shall explain my call when the other two arrive. I am Morgana Ravencraft, witch of the forest of Cervanis. Pleasure to meet you." Morgana didn't care much for names. They were mere labels and weren't important. Vampire and nightmare seemed descriptive enough.

The beacon had called to Zeke like a moth to light and he had traveled a fair distance to reach it. Distance and time however didn't really affect him much, especially when he became more ethereal than normal. The small cottege in the forest seemed quaint when he saw it for the first time and judging by the light he wasn't the first one to arrive. He decided to walk through a wall while remaining invisible and perhaps startle the occupants. He created a small hazy wisp of his left hand and brushed it across the face of the one he guessed was a witch as he walked by her. There was an empty spot on the wall so Zeke walked over to it and solidified himself so the others could see him. "Hello there," he said with a slight mischievous grin.

Morgana glared at the ghost as his left hand brushed across her face. If there was one thing she didn't like at all, it was being touched. "Ghost, keep your hands to yourself." She said menacingly. It was the one thing that sounded threatening that she had said all night. "Welcome. Sit down. We are to be joined by one more and things will finally begin." She said, a slight smile crossing her face.

Only a slight whisper in the underbrush would ever reveal the position of the monstrous humanoid lurking in the forest. Despite the odd appearance of it, it being a large, yellowish cross between a human and a praying mantis, it was very stealthy. It slowly approached a small cottage, being drawn to it. Something called the thing, and it guessed that it was to further him in his hunts.

You see, the thing was known as a Kreen, and it's name was Chzka. It was also male. And as Chzka neared the cottage, he drew his bow and knocked an arrow, as well as drawing twin khopesh blades with his other two arms. Generally the Kreen stayed away from houses, finding that killing anything that was smart enough to use a weapon was generally not a good idea, because hunting down mobs, while fun at some points, was mostly a troublesome and messy business.

He was close enough to see within the windows now, and he saw two males and two females gathered, though of what race, he knew not. He was unaware that he was being summoned, and instead thought he'd have to hunt the four that were gathered. He sent an arrow flying through the window, which narrowly missed the one in a suit. He leaped, flying through the air, crashing through the window, screeching loudly and brandishing his blades from the windowsill.

"Ah, our final guest has arrived. It would do you well not to ruin my house, Kreen. You are not here to hunt. You were summoned by me. And with that, the beacon is no longer necessary." Morgana snapped her fingers and the house seemed to change, like the guests weren't drawn there. A wave of her hand made the arrow be pulled from the wall and fly into the fire as her tools levitated and fixed the hole in the wall. "Sit down, all of you, and I'll make you soms tea." She seemed unphased by the Kreen's screeching and obvious desire for hunting them.

Nee shook her head in exasperation, sitting back in her seat. What troublesome companions they'd apparently have. A vampire, a ghost, and a bug person; quite the interesting group, but at least there wasn't any of the smellier or brutish beasts.

Zeke was trying to decide what to say but the whole infecting thing bursting through the wall interrupted him. He didn't even flinch though as he knew he couldn't be hurt by it. It had no enchanted weapons and likely didn't know any magic either. The only one he was worried about at all was the witch. He really hoped she wouldn't bind him. That was a fate worse than death.

Chzka stopped briefly. What was this "not to ruin" the witch spoke of? He screeched again, not feeling the desire to be there anymore, and hopped backwards off the windowsill, stepping into the shadows of the forest. The humanoid creatures quite frankly bothered the Kreen. Their soft, fleshy skin that was always so pale made him nervous. He longed to stain it crimson and roast it over a fire, but apparently, his company was needed, so he'd just stick back where it was dark and try not to take part in anything.

As the Kreen left, Morgana frowned. "No, come back. Don't even think about leaving." She said, throwing up the beacon again with the snap of her fingers. The Kreen certainly would be a problem if he was so uncooperative. This needed to change. She'd take care of that. Finally, she sat down and waited for the creature to return. Then she could explain as much as she could, which was actually very little.

The Kreen screeched again as the feeling that he needed to be in the house returned. He sheathed his blades and slung his bow across his back, approaching the window with both sets of arms crossed. He leaned against the wall so that his face was visible through the shattered window, but did not approach further. Indoors made him uncomfortable, like much of human civilization.