Seventh Sanctum Generators

They got together because of those little vixens, the ones claiming to be the new Avatars of the Gods. What rubbish. With the science and technology that their society had been discovering, also came a sound knowledge of forces of magic. Spirit and death magic, enchantment, and charm.

Once upon a time, those items also used to be covered by the Seven Gods. But now, they were the realm of magic.

Last harvest, word traveled fast as it was hardly past Thaw now, a foursome of girls no older than puberty had been shown off in a central part of the Church's district. Peasants and farm folk threw in gladly with cheering and celebration. They foolishly believed that these girls were the embodiments of the physical elements: earth, air, fire and water.

"Rubbish," said Enonaca. But then she was fond of the word. Her raven-haired companion, the mad Zardanal grunted.

"What if it's true?" He asked. "I mean, I manipulate the essence of Darkness, do I not?"

Pheletiri gave a pshaw-noise, tossing her hand into the air. "Any necromancer or dark lorist can do that, Zardanal, I can do it. It hardly means you're an avatar."

"But what if they are?" He asked again.

The four of these mages were uncomfortable with the thought. Their jobs - well, their lives in some cases - were going to be made much more difficult if the girls were really what they appeared to be. For what would come next?

A sweeping 'reform' of magic? Surely the high class and rulers would have to acknowledge the power of the Gods, if they really still existed.

"I've been doing some research," said the exotic white-haired Isange. He put down a huge tome onto the round wooden table they were sharing, it was open and held many other pages marked by strips of ribbon. "When I was cast out of the Church, it was - of course - due to my ... unique heritage."

"You don't still want us to believe you're a quarter demon, do you?" Asked Pheletiri with an annoyed sigh.

"You of all people should know better than to ask that," he said, grey eyes meeting hers. "You purposefully avoid reading my aura, Phele, why is that?" The white haired man gave a brief smile, and then turned back to his book. "The gods come and go in cycles. This is not the first time they have 'come back' from a long absence."

The others perked up with this information. "What happened then, last time they did this?" Asked Enonaca. She twisted her golden hair around her long fingers.

Isange nodded and flipped the book to another page. "When last, was Urdanh 'blessed' with the reappearance, that was some seven hundred years ago."

"A hundred years for each God," Enonaca muttered. "How droll."

"How appropriate," said Pheletiri. "It makes some sense, at least to me. But how long do they remain so powerful? No one in any of our lifetimes combined would have seen their Avatars."

"True," Isange continued. "For seventy years each reigns, then they appear to dwindle if not vanish completely for the rest of that time. The Avatars are not born again for more than two hundred years. More than time enough for ... well," he chuckled and rolled his eyes at Pheletiri, "seven generations to pass."

"But why let their reign end at all?" Asked Zardanal, "why not continue to enforce their power?"

Isange grinned widely at that. "I was hoping you could put the pieces together... The demons used to be allowed to rule, in that time. An unequal amount, certainly, but they were not as powerful as the Avatars or their Gods."

"Well terrific," Enonaca said, "how does that make us stack up, even if you do have demon blood in you, Isange? It means we don't even stand a chance against their Avatars, let alone the Gods."

Pheletiri muttered below her breath, an odd prayer that she knew from childhood. "Enonaca, please, we cannot take down the Gods, that would be pointless. We require them to keep the world running properly."

"We require the Gods to keep the masses behaving properly," Isange corrected her. "Technology and magic work perfectly well without the gods' power. They at the very least do not require worldwide belief to work - only physics and aether."

Zardanal's fist began to bubble with black waves of tarry-like color. "I believe that my power is stronger than any young girl's, Avatar or no."

"And I believe him," Enonaca nodded toward the black-haired mage and then back toward Isange. "We could work out an attack plan, and carry it out before they even know what hit them."

The others nodded, eventually.

They hardly knew that dozens of other such meetings were taking place around the world - some in a panic, and some with more or less powerful members.

Their first attack met with failure, but only because of the sheer volume of power that hoards of 'believers' gave the girls. On a pilgrimage to one of the holy sites of the world, the girls were paraded about and followed by literally thousands of pesants.

"Don't these people have anything better to do? Isn't there a harvest to plant or something?" Enonaca sighed. Their powers didn't even eclipse the back quarter of the crowd, and there was simply no way that they would place themselves in such danger as to reach the children on foot - among the throng? Impossible.

But they now knew they could wait until a time when the girls were less well padded.

They would wait another month, perhaps less. Striking again...

This time they learned the power of the Avatars were not misrepresented in Isange's book - with but one wave of her hand, the white-haired fire-Avatar Fante almost burnt Zardanal to a crisp. But she couldn't do it, the flames didn't miss, they merely did no damage.

The look on the other girls' faces were precious, even though the mages hardly had time to notice as they were scrambling for Pheletiri's enchanted transportation discs.

"So perhaps you are more than you seem," Enonaca said, drawing herself up to the ebony-haired mage. He allowed her to drape herself over his arm and entwine her fingers through his hair. She sought power like a moth to a flame.

"I've always said," he laughed.

"Well that was interesting," Isange said, brushing the ash and soot from his clothing - all that remained of the fire-Avatar's power. When they'd gotten back to the castle that Pheletiri allowed them all to use as a base, it was plain they had more research to do.

What about the other Avatars? Earth, Fire, Air and Water were represented. But... Mind, Time and Absence? Those things were never adequately portrayed in church documents. The elements were clear, and though some tried to claim that Mind wasn't really a non-physical element, it could only occur where life did, time and the negation of things were pretty obvious.

Absence appeared to be Zardanal's domain. It was easier to believe now that the Avatars were real - that the Gods were coming back, with that display of both power and nullification of it.

Enonaca too seemed to be of the 'negation' persuasion - after all she had usually been able to snap her fingers and magic would go awry. Isange was firmly and clearly of the Demonic inheritors of that last two hundred-ten years, and Pheletiri... Perhaps she was a devout Mind type after all. Magic could only be worked by those of a higher degree of intellect, it was just as hard as higher math and sciences.

Eventually, the group realized they would need more of an advantage if they were to disrupt things. They realized that even if they didn't succeed in killing the girls - perhaps even one of them could be destroyed before the mages would be caught and killed. That would throw a wrench into the Gods reformation, now wouldn't it?

The form that they decided to get in this 'advantage' was to be found on another world, a parallel place where dragons fought endless epic battles.

The Citadel of Shadows.

Once they would find companions there, perhaps, this job of keeping the power in the hands of the powerful would be much easier...

Would it have been too much to ask that the four mages maintain their cool during and after their bonding? Even though they could easily all be labeled 'evil', who could really blame them for reacting with inner pride, beaming smiles, perhaps a giddy laugh now and then?

When the hatching had occurred, it was a tummult of small, weak hatchlings and a number of stronger larger ones who ate them. Well - some got eaten, some just got nibbled or torn or slashed.

Taking interest in the activities, the mages watched. Throwing one of his siblings aside, a four-headed red beastling charged forward, skidding across the sands and stopping directly in front of the dark-haired sorcerer, Zardanal. Your foes cannot hope to stand against you now that I am here. I am Crian.

Crian speaks true. The voice of a three-headed violet female purred as well, as her seemingly delicate steps brought her before a woman in red. We will crush them, and feast upon their entrails. I am Ailarulle, and I claim you, Enonaca, as my own.

Shortly, after another few others were 'claimed' by their fierce beasts, an icy blue female from Kahan's brood finished tearing through one of her lesser siblings and made her way towards a particular dark-skinned mage. Selthet is my name, Pheletiri. Your power is great, but I will make it greater.

Moments later, awash in blood and with the shrieking of a dying 'meal', there was a beastling which gave the appearance of white scales covered in spattered blood. Which there was plenty of, but there were markings to match. Grooming the blood off his pristine scales, his black eyes fell to the white-haired mage. Isange. I shall give you all that you desire, and more. I am Thess.

It would be an interesting few weeks, training these beasts to work together. The mages themselves found that they required more teamwork out of one another now, no wandering off to blackmail some priest, or disappearing for days to steal some powerful item. They could do that together.

The many heads of these hydra-creatures would hiss and bite at one another, but never inflicted too much damage. They certainly didn't touch the mages - that would be disasterous and one thing they did have going for them as a group was their strong sense of self-preservation. Soon, they would need it more than ever...

Chosen: Enonaca
Name: Ailarulle
Gender: Female
Dam: Lao
Sire: Ecothet
Breed: Mix (Whorling/Hath-Hydra)
Abilities: Telepathy, Dark Vision, Fire Breath, Poison
Notes: Ailarulle is Shadow-Touched.

As they had magically portaled themselves back to their 'homeworld' (they used the term they'd heard for it), the mages and their fearsome beasts settled into a routine of practice, research and terror. There were many more mouths to feed, after all, and practice took energy! The neighboring communities attempted one uprising - the pitchfork-and-torch weilding variety - which failed miserably.

And proved that the hybrid dragon/hydra creatures didn't much mind carrion as well as fresh meat for a snack. Of course that meant they had to go a bit farther in their pursuit of food, but that was all right. Cows and goats escaped from their human herders (who had been eaten weeks before) worked just as well. Once the dragons had tasted human blood, though... they really would always prefer it.

They would argue among themselves, trying to vie for who was their 'leader' and who had to submit. Their fights and spats resembled the four mages' of course, because that much ego in one place always acted thus.

It was the focus of the other girls, though; they had to focus on the Avatars if they wanted to keep up. They had to stay low for a while, because the Church had apparently sent out edicts for their arrest.

I will not let any idiot human take you from me, said Thess. He looked at the others, or you lot either, though you are not my bonds, I acknowledge that you are of use to us.

"So what is he saying," Enonaca said, examining her nails.

I am saying, woman, to let ME handle the men when they come to 'arrest' you. The blood-marked white nodded sharply, horns bobbing close to the blond's face. She did not wince, though 'trust' was too strong a word to use for what this bunch had for one another, she allowed this closeness and watched as the dragon went to their keep's entrance to wait.

I would just eat them, thought Crian privately to Zardanal.

"Well of course you would," Zardanal laughed. "But let us see how this pans out."

As they watched, and the gates were opened by servants as well as an adept gust of wind from Selthet's magic, Thess put on a performance like none other. He spoke - the mages had hardly heard him actually speaking - and the trio of law men (as well as the horse-mounted group of soldiers beyond them) stood as though entranced. Apparently the mages here in this keep weren't bad at all! It took so much love and attention to their dragon bonds that they'd changed their ways. Now how could they possibly want to destroy the countryside and all the people in it if they had that much love and joy in their hearts? Hmm?

The way Thess tilted his horn-bedecked head like a kitten made the four mages all but burst out into loud guffawing.

Make sure they sign a release for us thought Isange. If we don't have an official signature it won't be worth while.

Done, the dragon bespoke. He nuzzled a little toward the main lawman, who hurriedly took out a piece of parchment, unrolled it, read it, and then signed his name to it. All legal. All done.

When the group left, the doors swung shut of their own accord (or was it another of Selthet's magical pushes?) it was then time to celebrate.

***

"So.... we agree that it is true, then," Zardanal said. He paced around their tower's meeting room, they could all feel and hear their dragon bonds outside listening in, Selthet's sky blue form drifted around outside the tower without needing wings. "Isange's heritage is showing up along borderlands, breaking through mountains. I say we join them."

Isange nodded slowly, "They would like that, actually." He'd been in contact with true demons now, not just the little ones who were weak enough for him to summon. "They claim that it would look much better on the tapestries and paintings after their win, if there were dragons in it." He broadened his smile, it was actually true, that was really what the one general had said. Vain creatures, demons.

Pheletiri nervously nodded. "I would rather have a demon army at my back than hoards of knights surrounding me."

"At least we can all go out in a blaze of glory, then," Enonaca said. "What is in it for us, when the demons win this battle against the Gods?"

"Immortality, one would assume," Isange said, "we are mages. We can figure out what we want."

"Please don't jump the hurdle before you've reached it," Zardanal warned. Though he was hardly sane most days, he was deadly serious here. He had a sense of reality that the others seemed to sometimes lack. "We must win this battle first. We cannot destroy the Gods themselves, that is not the goal."

Enonaca and Isange both pshawed at that.

"The goal is to destroy their followers." Zardanal looked calmly at Pheletiri. "Isn't that what will work?"

She nodded. "It will destroy their power base. Even if for seven generations we've hardly had any reason to worship them, there's something deep down in everyone that knows they're there. But not everyone wishes to worship a fire god, nor a water goddess - they're picky, everything about their Avatars was picked carefully. Their followers are like that too. You'll find a lot of water-worshippers tending shipyards and on the open sea. You'll have blacksmiths following the god of Fire. See?"

"Of course." Zardanal said. "And then you'll have me, and Enonaca, pushing negative energy on people. The Gods themselves are not in accord with one another."

"That's how this is possible," Isange said, "the elemental four are much stronger than the others now. Time apparently has never been much interested in how all these things work, and only has a tiny following any way. But Absense? You've proven that you may very well be an Avatar of that aspect, Zardanal. And Mind? Well - technology is rivalling magic in its application and widespread use. Mind has no need to be gone for two hundred years. Mind was here all along."

"That rebel," Enonaca chuckled.

"So we have Absense - presumably - on our side, with the demons. Two abstainers in the Gods' camp." Zardanal said. He cracked his knuckles and gave a broad grin. "Let's fight."

Chosen: Zardanal
Name: Crian
Gender: Male
Dam: Lao
Sire: Ecothet (Onithris [Namonis {Anitraya+Lanix}+ Erallus]+ Cheran [(Angeronath + Wykorth [Tuieth + Dvantarth {Ajandeykth + Legolanth}]))
Breed: Mix (Whorling/Hath-Hydra)
Abilities: Telepathy, Dark Vision, Fire Breath, Poison
Notes: Crian is Shadow-Touched. Upon reaching adulthood, Crian has developed immunity to air-based energy, including magic.

Chosen: Pheletiri
Name: Selthet
Gender: Female
Dam: Kahan (progen?)
Sire: Breasal (Angeronath + Wykorth [Tuieth + Dvantarth {Ajandeykth + Legolanth}])
Breed: Mix (Whorling/AAM Beast)
Rank: Imperial
Abilities: Telepathy, Poison, Ice/Water Manipulation
Notes: Selthet is Shadow-Tainted. Her Ice and Water manipulation powers are very strong. She radiates an aura of cold, which tends to freeze water when she stands around it too long. Upon reaching adulthood, Selthet has developed immunity to earth-based energy, including magic, as well as a strong form of telekinesis - strong enough to use on herself to allow her to fly.

Chosen: Isange
Name: Thess
Gender: Male
Dam: Kahan (progen?)
Sire: Breasal (Angeronath + Wykorth [Tuieth + Dvantarth {Ajandeykth + Legolanth}])
Breed: Mix (Whorling/AAM Beast)
Rank: Soldier
Abilities: Telepathy, Poison
Notes: Thess is Shadow-Tainted. Upon reaching adulthood, Selthet has developed immunity to fire-based energy, including magic, as well as the ability to teleport himself and any other willing individuals within close proximity to himself. He also now has the ability to charm anyone who hears him, either by mental voice or physical sound, making them believe he is their ally in whatever way is most plausible in their minds.