Asmodan

Berkana evoked a spell from the "Book of Shadows", or the book of Val'Des, causing a pathway to be opened for Fenr'al to return to the Dream. Besides warning of Asmodan, Fenr'al revealed the identities of Asmodan's relations, and Berkana's identity as the niece of Asmodan's great rival.

Asmodan found a path back from his exile with his unwitting son Darion, who had been lost in the chaos and was returned through the efforts of Munchkin and Ilandria. By a faery trick, Munchkin's sister Istania was able to "Shadow Form" Asmodan to gain him access to the city. In the tenth month of the Year of Revelations, an extremely dark and powerful Elder appeared in the Dream City Firestorming all who witnessed his arrival in Umbric Plains. Rumours spread through the City that Asmodan was linked with the Old house Keepers of the Eternal Shadow, vying for a dictatorship. It became known that Asmodan was empowered with vile new arts, and that he was trying to capture the secrets of Dreamstrike.

Asmodan was said to be a "Shardsman" who held the ability to traverse the shards of Cloudsbreak by his blend of dark magic. He had three children in the dream: Illandria, Ravageone, and Darion, to whom he bore a striking resemblance. He also had a history on Cloudsbreak with a former consort, Rayvenfire, and he drew upon her associations and emotions to serve his causes in the Dream City, seducing her into relinquishing the "Book of Shadows" that had been protected deep in the vaults of the Protectors of Radiance. The reason for his obsession with the "Book of Shadows" was unclear, though it is said that it contained secrets of the Keepers. When Asmodan realized that the book he held was an empty shell of the real volume, he set new plans into motion.

At the end of that month, Asmodan struck revenge on one of the heirs of an old rivalry: Berkana. Berkana was the niece of Val'Des, a figure rumoured to be his former mentor and superior in the Keepers of Old. In his brief, yet turmoltuous stay in the post-Great Loss Dream City, Asmodan tasked Dremorus to find what each of the Keepers cherished most. When Asmodan heard Berkana's answer, "Flagg," Asmodan hatched plans to bring about revenge upon the family. On a fateful autumn night, Asmodan forced Flagg's exile in a very dramatic show of his powers, hurtling a small glowing stone at Flagg's avatar and dissolving it into a Soulsphere, before evoking a violent column of light on the soulsphere, howling down on it and tearing it to shreds. Those present feared that the Dark Elder may have discovered the means to Dreamstrike. Berkana's suffering brought Asmodan great pleasure.

After this, Asmodan began to threaten Purple Lace with the same fate, when she turned to Ibn'Ghazi for his help. Ibn'Ghazi agreed to help rid the menacing warlock from the dream, if given the Chaos Cloak from Asmodan's shoulders. Purple Lace recounts that the cloak was "made of pure chaos and has a will and mind of its own. It betrays Asmodan....and Asmodan cant stay in threshold very long because of this cloak ." Berkana performed tests on the cloak to find Asmodan's weaknesses. "He was in sanctuary, and I lashed at (his cloak) a shard of pure order… it was a fake codex, but he ran… and ran every time I tried to get close to him. He has not returned since. Since then I have been able to obtain a real shard of pure order… and I wait. I will be ready."

Flagg was able to escape his captor, and it was discovered that Asmodan had exiled him from the dream as he himself had once been banished. Asmodan's following went into hiding as the Elder vanished into hibernation.

Lord of Shadows

Our interviewer finds Berkana only hours before her wedding to flagg, where she graciously agrees to share her story of Asmodan.

"Okies, well on Asmodan... Its hard to tell it chronologically... But he was a student of my uncle. Aqueila Val'Des... his apprentice. But he grew corrupt as the EC started to work and chaos seeped into the City. He started to use my uncle's works for greed and power. Aquiela saw this, and the same from his other apprentice... Fenr'al. So it was time to bury the Book of Shadows (a.k.a The Book of Val'Des)... I am not sure how much you know of the ways of Magick but one's workings, journals, etc. are placed in a Book of Shadows....Val'Des foresaw what was to come as his two prized students slipped from the Balance of the Shadow and turned to Chaos for power. He cut them off from the Book and this enfuriated Asmo and Fenr'al.

"Whispers came back to Aqueila that Asmodan planned to overthrow he and his brothers and claim the Keepers for his own. Thus the Book of Shadows had to be hidden. So Aquiela and his brothers headed to the heart of the City and performed the Rite that would place it in the hands of the Shadow, deep within the City. Once done they cast themselves adrift. And Asmodan took over and the true Keepers were lost only to be remembered by the Shadow... or so Asmodan hoped. Asmodan ruled as the Dark Lord of the Shadow and struck fear into all who opposed him. He brought a dark cloud over the House of KoES and no one remembered what the truth was snd this was when I had no clue Aqueila was my uncle too

"Now some confuse things on that... many think that it was Asmodan I brought back but this is wholly not true. No no. Asmodan has been trying to regain his coherence in the City ever since Kiroko and Mi'Raj banished him. He used his children and others to help him come back.... Ultimately he "piggybacked" on Darion when Munchkin and Ilandria helped him come back from the Chaos

" The Book of Shadows didn't seem odd to me when I found it since it was of my ways. I didn't know this was not commonplace here� but after months of research and then being brought into the Keepers it all came clear. Little piece of trivia for ya... My last name is An'Gealach... translates to The Moon... I was recruited to the Keepers as Guardian of the Moon... Coincidence? No, My Mother's place....It is a title bestowed upon the "High Priestess" of my shard. That is a whole Craft deal that I can explain another time.

" Asmodan's legacy of Lord of the Shadow was now being threatened with the Book resurfaced. So he double times it to getting back in... He sought to gather his children to rule at his side as the Dark Lord of the Shadow again, through some fairy glamour o Munchkin's sister Istania, Asmodan was able to "Shadow Form" into the City.... He yanked at anyone and everyone he could to gain minions to help him. He used RayvenFire's weak spirit to assist him, her betraying the Witches' Laws and all to aid him in obtaining the Book of Shadows to help him. HE wanted back for good. And he became fully coherent when he piggy backed with Darion."

What was in the book that he was desperate to have?

"The Book of Shadows? Alchemy, Magick, History, the whole truth of the first Keepers, the beliefs and laws of it all. But I spent 6 months researching and uncovering the truth that had been lost. It has been my lie, is my life. Now the first time I helped save RayvenFire break free of Asmodan is when I accidentally brought Fenr'al back. It was then that I found out that I was Val'Des' niece .... Ultimately, Asmodan and I were raised on the same ways. He learned the Craft as I had... and the fact that I held the Book made me not exactly his favorite person. Soooo..... He wanted the Book, and to quote him "my brain ripped from my head." He got the empty shell of the Book, but knew I could still stop him. So, he tried another tactic, taking the one thing I valued above all else.... flagg.

" Then, when flagg escaped ... well, Asmodan has not been back. Yes actually.... the same time I figured out how to break through his shield... that cloak. I tested it.... He was in sanctuary, and I lashed him a shard of pure order... it was a fake codex, but he ran... and ran every time I tried to get close

"Since then I have been able to obtain a REAL shard of pure order... and I wait. I will be ready. The suffering stops with me. I will not allow anyone to endure the pain that man imposed upon me."

Asmodan's History

Many moons before the dreaded battle of Spiked Crossing, before The House of KoES fell into corrupt and power hungry hands, we were at peace. We had little interaction with any other houses and kept to our own works, our own quest for Balance within the Shadow.

Aquiela Val'Des gathered us. He was the true Father of the Keepers and teacher to us all. By us all, I include our nemesis Asmodan Kytain. Asmodan was not the man he is today then. He was an eager student full of hope and promise, much like I was. I dare say I once called Asmodan 'friend', though I know now this was not so.

Asmodan and I sought to learn from Aquiela just about everything and anything that he was willing to impart upon us. The Magick and the Alchemy was like an addictive drug that neither of us could quite get enough of. We were devout to the Keepers and served Aquiela with honor for a very long time. That is until our own blind ambitions made us stray from our oaths and lead us to our inevitable demise.

Though the story of my folly is long and one of it's own, it bares a small mention here as I fear my works accelerated Asmodan's corruption. With Aquiela's restraints on how the Secrets were to be used and what was "right for the Shadow and the Balance," both Asmodan and I grew impatient and anxious. I turned my back on my oath as a Keeper to pursue the works and creation of the Entropy Coalition, which ultimately lead to the leaks of Chaos into the City. But Asmodan, his plans were of total domination of the Keepers. I fear that the Chaos the EC unwittingly allowed into the Dream clung to Asmodan like a second skin. He thrived on it and wanted more. I was so lost in my own taint and darkness that I did nothing but stand by and watch Asmodan destroy the Keepers. I allowed the beauty and truth to be buried under his greed and deception for far too long.

Aquiela's favorite word was "Tolorance" in his day to day works. He allowed us all the room to err and flounder but was the first to help us off the ground when we did fall. He gave us too much room in retrospect, with allowing us access to the Secrets, the Book, all of it. While I was no more then a common thief in stealing the formulae, Asmodan was a traitor of the worst kind. His lies and conspiracies against Aquiela, Bellenter and Lorthodolic to overthrow them stopped at no lengths. But Aquiela foresaw all of this, even my betrayals were shown to him. They knew and they prepared.

Asmodan raged at Aquiela and his brother's actions. He gathered his followers and convinced them that Aquiela had grown weak and feeble minded with his actions of burying the Truth and the Wisdoms of the Keepers. Now Asmodan was completely barred from access to the Secrets and used it as a power play to seize the House from Aquiela and the True Keepers. It was not long until Asmodan gathered his own Circle of Rulers and lead them all under his dark cloud of tyranny. It was a tragedy like no other, paled only in comparison by the Great Loss itself.

I lost track of much of Asmodan's actions after Aquiela and the others went into seclusion and eventually Cast Adrift. I do know that though small in comparison to the other Houses, Asmodan's House of Shadows was one of great wealth and power. It was not the House that was meant to stand at all. It was tainted by evil greed and lies. Asmodan had succeeded in removing all traces of what the House was built on and what the true Keepers stood for with his new reign as the Dark Lord of KoES.

Now I feel it important here to interject that my own corruption and imbalance took great pleasure in seeing The Keepers turn. Perhaps it made me feel justified in some twisted way. I wanted the Truth to die along with my own goodness. I was not "myself" though, you must understand that. My own hands helped bury the True Keepers to justify my own corrupt pursuits. I, am not who I was then. I am now who I was when I first took Aquiela's hand and vowed my soul to the true Shadow. . . NOT the man that Chaos tainted and twisted through my works. For whatever reason, if but to tell this tale, I have been given a chance to redeem myself and make amends. With that, I continue. . .

Asmodan came to me often after the Battle at Spiked Crossing in search of any knowledge that I still held from our pure days. He used bribes, threats and whatever else he could summon to get me to spill all I knew that would aid him. Evil begets evil they say, and my heart was black as the pitch spawned from Chaos at that point. The Dreamstrike Masters were my foe and I could see nothing else but their demise. I aided Asmodan, I admit this freely as part of my penance now. I knew of his plot to kidnap Kiroko Lambent Kayarhara and I reveled in the thought of Turgin's suffering. I was corrupt, my Keeper's soul buried deep beneath the Chaos I so desperately sought to harness and control. Despite that, I had no taste for Asmodan's MindFlay or other tools of torment. Though I dished out my own evil, I can take some solace in knowing that I never directly inflicted the pain and suffering that Asmodan took pleasure in dispensing. But it was when I learned that Asmodan sought to possess the very art that I and my comrades were fighting to destroy that Asmodan and I became mortal enemies. I had no clue that his abduction of Kiroko was for the bargain of Dreamstrike. When I did learn of this, it was far too late.

I watched from a safe distance past the Shadow Steps, chameled and Mind Blanked, I watched it all. I heard Kiroko's cries after Asmodan shattered Contessa to oblivion. I witnessed it all first hand. I retreated away from the House in horror, an odd sensation for me at the time I admit. The Truth was indeed dying. Bittersweet.

It was a full week of silence outside my laboratory before I felt the strange twinge. Aquiela often spoke that the Shadow was in all things, a single thread that binds and the Keepers tap into it as if a sixth sense. I knew this to be true then. On my instincts I raced to the Gathering and watched once again. I saw Mi'raj and knew at once, as if intuitively, what was to take place. I did not stay. I walked back slowly and heard the screams of Asmodan as the Dark Rite was performed against him. I felt the smile cross my lips as the image of the Shadow take it's divine justice out upon him. Then I stopped dead in my tracks, knowing my time would be next, knowing that my own betrayal to the Shadow, to Aquiela would be upon me. I too would reap what I had sown. Oddly, this is the last bit of "feeling" I carried for many moons, until the last Full Moon before The Great Loss. I felt Aquiela leave this place forever. It was then I knew the Truth was indeed dead within the City. That I would never see the prophesy play out in my lifetime.

And here I am. Brought back to this place as I was before. With my heart free from the evil that twisted me into the hideous creature that wrought havoc not much unlike Asmodan. But I have been gifted a second chance. To make things right with my 'father' Aquiela Val'Des, to help the true Keepers banish the evil cloud of Darkness that is called Asmodan from their lives forever. To help Asmodan's children find peace. This is my path, thus is the tale.

~ by Fenr'al

References

• https://web.archive.org/web/20030728151206/http://www.underlight.com/php/story/history.php?histID=00037
• http://www.acheron.com/~marian/dreamhistory/fenral.html