Nodge-gill, the leader of Delvia, refused to hand over power when his term was up. He believed that worshiping a goddess was something of the past and it was time to move beyond religious and dogmatic principles and views. You supported Nodge-gill or you didn't; this created many social issues in the country and ultimately resulted in a civil war.
 
Pa'u Decon Terminus was a member of a secret sect of the Pa'u called the New Moon of Delvia that was organized for the purpose of protecting Delvian culture. By night, she trained her mind, body, and spirit and by day, she labored by the side of Tokat, a healer of the Diagnosen species, as a student of medicine.
 
It was in her eighth year of study that the New Moon of Delvia learned that Nodge-gill had hired the peacekeepers to bring an end to the war. He would be installed as a dictator and suppress Delvian religious practices. Decon was selected to secretly prevent this from happening.
 
Decon was successful in her mission. Unfortunately, Nodge-gill had used a double in case of such an attack. As a result, she was arrested by the peacekeepers and sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment and labor mining in a prison colony.
 
The Peacekeepers had been thorough in keeping Decon separated from the land that empowered her, but even that couldn’t stop her from feeling the power of the storm churning around the ship she was imprisoned on. All throughout the night, the vessel tossed and turned wildly, but she remained still; she had served her purpose in service of the Goddess and that anchored her body and spirit against the chaos. It was also how she knew it was the will of the Goddess when lightning struck the ship.
 
Even though Decon could hear the commotion above deck, it could not prepare her for when the top half of the ship’s main mast came crashing through the ceiling and knocking the door to her cell from its frame. Not one to turn from an opportunity such as this, Decon worked her way to the top deck to make her escape. What few Peacekeepers attempted to block her were dispatched quickly and quietly. She was determined to make it home to finish that which she started.
 
Once on the deck, the Quartermaster caught her from behind. The initial blow sent her off-balance and stumbling towards a wall. Decon was struggling to remain conscious as her vision blurred and darkened. This is it, she thought, I will be joined with the Goddess. As the resignation to her fate was beginning to take hold, fate would give her another twist. Weapon raised above his head in preparation of a finishing blow, the Quartermaster began his advance. Just as he stood over her, Decon’s vision shifted from darkness to searing light. The next thing she knew, she was being embraced by the pleasant coolness of water. The calm had replaced the chaos just as she lost consciousness.
 
Though she could see nothing but darkness, Decon could feel the presence of something familiar. It was a comforting feeling, akin to the embrace a parent would give a child. The feeling was replaced by a growing terror until that was all that remained. Finally, three words were whispered into her mind: West…Nostrom…Help.
 
Decon was awoken by her own coughing as her body attempted to expel sea water. She could feel the wet sand between her fingers and in her hair and the waves gently lapping against her. Eyes opening, her vision refocused to reveal it was still night. The beach was unfamiliar to her and there were no signs that her captors were searching for her. Head throbbing and body cold and wet, Decon knew she needed to find shelter to stave off the elements. Lucky for her, large chunks of the prison ship were nearby and would at least keep her protected until she could recover.
 
Over the course of several days, Decon recovered her strength while salvaging supplies from the wreckage that washed up. Each day, she would venture farther and farther away to familiarize herself with the land. Finally confident she was strong enough to travel, she put together a pack and set out to the West. It was only a matter of time until the Peacekeepers came looking for their ship and she needed to put as much distance between them as possible.
 
Every village and city she passed through served to teach her of the customs, currency, and nature of the land she had found herself a part of. Throughout the two months of travel, the presence of Peacekeepers grew closer and more noticeable. It was as if there was a looming force pushed her forward faster and faster. That is, until she came to Nostrom.
 
Nostrom itself was very different from the other towns she had been through. While the others were lively, cheerful, and bright, this village was dark, scared, and empty. What few people were out and about looked about with wild eyes as if they expected the shadows themselves to attack them. Even attempts to connect to people’s minds were met with nothing but their silent screams. On more than one occasion, though, she caught a glimpse of something black and sleek. It was something she could never have imagined in her wildest nightmares.
 
Her search for anyone to communicate with continued until night began to fall. That was when the atmosphere began to change. As if a curfew bell had gone off, the streets became barren. Only the occasional sound of dust falling from a building could be heard. But that is also when she noticed…it. Decon couldn’t quite explain the sensation, but where people can change the area around them based on their emotions, this was akin to a drawing in of the emotions. Everywhere it moved, nothing escaped.
 
Then she saw it. Atop a nearby building was an entirely black creature down on all four legs like a cat stalking prey. Slowly swaying above it was a scorpion-like tail that she knew could end her life in an instant. Though it had no eyes she could see, Decon knew it was observing her, head twisting different directions trying to decide what she was. That was when she had an idea to link with its mind.
 
Decon quickly learned the folly of her choice. The sensation was how she would expect a beehive in frenzy within her head. She began to rock back and forth as it took hold and barely managed to break the connection before it knocked her out. This also elicited a reaction from the creature. As she regained her senses and balance, it curled lips on the front of its head back to reveal sharp, silvery teeth.
 
Again, death seemed to have come for her. She didn’t think fighting was an option and was certain that running was fatal. The creature lowered itself to prepare for a pounce, limbs retracting, tail stiffening, death inevitable. Then its head cocked to the side rapidly and it straightened up. Decon followed its gaze to see a Peacekeeper battalion outside the gates setting up some devices. From these devices, a field of purple energy stretched up and over the walls, completing in a dome. Turning back to the creature, she saw it in the distance moving towards a stone building in the distance.
 
A voice rang out through the air. “Decon Terminus, on order of Nodge-Gill, surrender yourself to us. We have encapsulated the town in an impenetrable energy dome and you cannot escape. If you do not comply within the next six hours, we will eradicate this town and everyone inside of it.”
 
Decon couldn’t condone involving innocents, but she also knew that they were not likely to leave witnesses. The only thing she could do was trust the instincts of that creature to see if there was a way out.