Eternal Darkness

An old sage once said secrets are what define us. Secrets can make nations fall, cause warfare, loss of life and madness. It has the ability to change people into something different. Secrets can hold power over you. They can make you do things which you normally would not do by forcing you to make hard choices to find out the truth. It also can bring pain and death to those who hold the knowledge of the secret.   All through your childhood people have treated you differently. People looked at you with sadness and fear. Other children's parents would not allow their children to interact with you because you were different. People knew to avoid you. Whenever you questioned why they said you were cursed by the gods. You tried to not let it define you as you grew up, but there was always a struggle to figure out why you were cursed.   As long as you can remember you had a mark on your body of a strange rune. Every time you would touch the rune it would glow a pale blue color. You try to keep the rune cover as this seems to be the source of the curse. There were times during your travels you would feel a rush of energy where the runes would glow. You are able to do strange feats during this time. The energy would only last for a short while before you would crash. There were times where you slept for days. As you grew older the energy rush would last longer but took the same toll on you. A few weeks ago, things began to change. You felt there was an unseen presence watching you. You would turn around but nothing was there. There were times when you could of have sworn you heard you name being called out on the summer breeze. Each day the voice seems to get louder before you recognize it is calling out to you for help but why. Stunned you begin to ponder what does this all mean as you settle down to sleep. As your eyes grow tired and slowly begin to shut you think you see the shadows begin to dance around you. You tell yourself it just the reflection of the camp fire as you fall asleep. You awake to see a beautiful woman sitting across from you. The fire light catches her pale complexion and you briefly see bits of sparkles like stars glistening in her hair. She smiles at you and then speaks in a siren like melody.   “He has awakened the portal again,” she says softly.   “I do not know how much time I have before I am reborn into the world. You must find the book of Selu'taar as it will have the answers you need to close the portal. The others have hid it so you must find the resting place of the one with the twin blades with the mark. I have a friend which will help you, but he will not know why he is helping you,” the woman says as her words trail off.   She pauses for a moment and then look out to the shadows. Her face grows concerned as if she has spotted someone or something. She turns back towards you and says, “he is stronger this time. He had learned from his mistakes he made with the others. He is more determined to change to the order and bring the darkness into the Realms. He has hunted down others like you and killed them. You are a small few left which can stand in his way. You must listen to yourself. The power is in you. You must find it and open it. But be warn, once you open it he will know who you are and will try to find you to stop you.”   The woman looks back into the darkness. She stands and turns while making an arcane gesture. A small geometrical shape begins to form in front of her. It begins to glow brighter until it lights up your whole campsite. You hear screeches of pain from the darkness outside the perimeter of your camp. The woman shouts back to you, “he is tracking me. I cannot stay much longer without endangering you. Please listen to my words as they ring true. I give you my blessing to help me and the Realms.” As she says this you can feel the energy from you mark as you witness it starting to glow. The woman turns back towards you and says, “this should off you protection until you find yourself. I must go and lead them away before he senses you and sends his people.”   You watch as the arcane shape turns in a door and the woman steps through it. As the door closes you hear more shrieks from the darkness as the light from you camp site struggles to keep it at bay. You draw you weapon and ready yourself for what creatures is out in the darkness. You watch as the darkness closes in on you as the flames from the fire begin to die. You strain to see through the thick darkness as the last remaining light from the fire dies. The darkness closes in on you as you feel the coldness from it. The shrieks are on top of you as you try to swing your weapon. A heavy object hits you and you are knocked to the ground as the air escapes you lungs. You try to regain you breath but can’t as you slowly pass out.   You open your eyes expecting to see nothing but darkness but your eyes adjust to the sunlight. You sit up and find yourself in your campsite. A quickly check of yourself for any signs of an injuries did not find any. You get to your feet and make a quick check of the campsite. After a ten minute search you are alone. You gather your gear and make your way to the nearest town. On your way you try to make sense of what happened last night. It seems you have more questions than answers. The only way to find those answers is to find those who know the answers to the secrets your mark holds.   You make your way to the tavern in town to see if you can catch up on the local gossip and find a lead. Disappointingly, the patrons ignore your queries and scuff at you. You are about to give up when a small halfling enters the tavern. He looks around for a bit before looking in your direction. He looks at a piece of paper before setting eyes on you. He makes his way across the tavern and stops at your table. He looks at you and says, “you are a hard person to track down. I am Sneaval, a messenger for the Zephyr Post in Waterdeep. I have a message for you.” Sneaval hands you a letter with a seal on it. He then turns and leaves the tavern before you can even ask him a question. You stare at the letter for a while before you decide to open it.   Dear friend, You are a hard person to find. I may have some answers for you but I currently in need of assistance. One of my dear friends disappeared the other day on his way home. I fear he may have been kidnapped. The town guard offer no assistance and most adventurers do not want to waste their time trying to find a missing person. A friend told me you may be of assistance and I may be able to assist you in your questions whatever that means. I feel I can help and can pay you as well. If you do really well I may even mention you in my next book. Anyways, if you can assist me I can be found at the Yawning Portal in Waterdeep. If you ask around they will find me. I am looking forward to meeting you and helping me. In warm regards, Volo   You finish up your drink and grab your gear as you head off to Waterdeep in hopes in finding answers.