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AVATAR CHRONICLES I : THE RETURN OF THE AVATAR

On one of the many parallel worlds in the multiverse…

Episode 3

(Insert “Enchanted Festival” by Matthew Pablo at www.matthewpablo.com)
Chapter Two: Gabriel’s Story
LOVE
Earth, Poughkeepsie, NY
The Present…
Sunset fell on the battlefield. The medieval battle reenactment was over. Lord Gabriel
Dane’s forces had defeated those of Lord Robert Darrington’s after a fierce three hour
battle. As the members for the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) sat down to a
medieval banquet in their finest noble attire, they began to talk about bestselling science
fiction & fantasy novelist Gabriel Dane’s latest novel.

“A toast to Lord Dane for a hard fought victory! “, said John as he raised his wine goblet.
Everyone else raised their goblet in response.

“Gabriel, I must say that I was not expecting that last disarming maneuver. Most
impressive!”, said Robert, “By the way, I heard that the first book in your new fantasy
series, The Avatar Chronicles, reached #1 on every Bestseller’s List in its first week of
release. Two million hardcover copies! At this pace, I think it’ll outsell your Time Lord
series.”

“So, how did you come up with the idea for your new book series?”, asked Henry.

Gabriel Dane paused for a moment before answering. “For the last nine months, I’ve
been having these strange dreams about a realm named New Britannia. It seems so real
to me, as if I’ve actually been there…”, said Gabriel.

“Come on, quit joking, Gabriel!”, said Sarah, ” You probably came up with the idea over
drinks at the Foxfire Club.”

“So, Gabriel, any truth to the rumors that you are currently dating supermodel
Alexandra Covington?”, asked Brian.

“No!”, answered Gabriel, as he touched the white gold ankh pendant dangling from his
neck, “You know that Shannon was the only love of my life!” (Loop as needed. Music fades out.)

(Insert “Ireland’s Coast (Game Edition – Live Players)” by Matthew Pablo at www.matthewpablo.com)

Gabriel suddenly thought back to when his late wife had given him the pendant as a
fourth anniversary gift following a romantic candlelit dinner in their suite at Ashford
Castle in County Galway, Ireland.

“But Shannon has been dead for three years!”, said Brian, “Don’t you think it’s about time
for you to move on?”

As Gabriel looked at the Irish Claddagh ring on his finger, he remembered the first time
that he and Shannon met. Gabriel had been on a book tour of the United Kingdom to
promote the thirteenth and final book in his Time Lord series, The Death of a Time Lord. After
wrapping up the book tour, Gabriel had decided to spend a couple of days taking in the
sights of Cardiff, Wales. As a VIP member of famed Irish mezzo-soprano Shannon
Donohue’s fan club, he had been one of the twenty-four lucky fans chosen at random for
a meet and greet with Shannon following her concert that evening at Cardiff International
Arena. When it was Gabriel’s turn to have her sign a photo for him, their eyes locked and it truly was love at first sight. Later that evening, they met for drinks and talked long into the night about their interests, their hopes, and their dreams.
One year later, they were married in a lavish wedding ceremony at Ashford Castle in
County Galway, Ireland. At the wedding, one of Gabriel’s friends, Charles Whittaker,
Professor of Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame, noted that Gabriel was a very
lucky fellow because Shannon was a striking beauty who bore an uncanny resemblance
to Brigid, the Celtic goddess of fire, water, & healing. Gabriel had dated many beautiful
actresses and models before he met Shannon, but all those relationships were shallow
and short-lived. Shannon was different. She truly was Gabriel’s soul mate. The five short
years they had together were the happiest days of Gabriel’s life.

Jessica saw the sad look in her dear friend Gabriel’s eyes. Jessica had known Gabriel
since their freshman year at New York University twenty-two years ago. They had even
dated briefly, but soon discovered that they made better friends than lovers. Jessica
knew that Gabriel had never really been the same since losing his wife, Shannon, to lung
cancer. The best doctors in the world couldn’t figure out how someone in excellent
physical condition could suddenly develop Stage IV lung cancer and decline so rapidly.
The doctors had been unable to identify the pathogen, other than the fact that it appeared to be
extraterrestrial in nature.

Shannon died three months after her initial diagnosis. As Gabriel’s closest friend, Jessica
had been one of the few people with him at Shannon’s bedside as she passed away.

(Music fades out.)

Jessica shot Brian an accusatory glance and then tried to defuse the situation by quickly
changing the subject.

“Honestly, Gabriel, I don’t see how you have any time to write these days, in light of
your blossoming pop career!”, said Jessica, “Your debut album, Shadows and Light, has
been # 1 on the pop album chart for eight weeks now. Ten million copies sold! Every
time I turn on the radio, I hear your debut single, Song Of Love, and all I ever hear from
my teenage stepdaughter Lori and her friends these days is “Who is that sexy masked
NIGHTSHADOW fellow?”

Everyone laughed.

“Gabriel, you are a true Renaissance man – author, singer, songwriter, martial artist,
armourer and swordsmith.”, said Morgan, “Is there anything you can’t do?”

Gabriel was about to respond when, suddenly, a lunar rift appeared a few feet behind
him. As the shocked diners looked on, a tendril of white energy emerged from the rift
and pulled him in.

In the confusion, the other diners failed to notice that Jessica smiled as her eyes briefly
glowed. “I hope you find what you’re looking for in New Britannia, Gabriel.”, she
whispered to herself.

The lunar rift deposited him on a grassy field. Gabriel got up and looked around. He
saw a lone white dove soaring overhead. Suddenly, there was a slight breeze and Gabriel
noticed a skull lying at his feet. He picked it up and was instantly flooded with
memories from the final battle with Lord Shadowreign forty years ago. Gabriel quickly
dropped the skull and staggered back.

“Where am I?”, said Gabriel, ” This looks like Falura Field in New Britannia, but that can’t
possibly be…”

(Insert “Heroism” By Edward J. Blakeley)

Gabriel suddenly felt a tingling sensation in his head and quickly turned around to face a
seven and a half foot tall , highly muscular, bald warrior with a Van Dyke beard, who
was wearing black studded leather armor with a skull-shaped belt buckle and wielding a
massive, two-handed red battleaxe, which had an eerie black glow. Gabriel could swear
he heard the battleaxe whisper “Feed me!”

“Ah, another avatar for me to kill!”, bellowed the warrior, “Never let it be said
that Malgor the Mighty wasn’t fair. Pick up the sword and defend yourself!”

Gabriel reached for the sword lying on the ground. Malgor the Mighty swung his
massive battleaxe directly at Gabriel’s head. Gabriel tried to parry, but the force of the
enchanted battleaxe shattered his sword in half. Gabriel barely managed to dodge the
next blow, thanks to the lightning fast reflexes he had developed during his many years
of martial arts training in the Far East. He quickly dropped the broken hilt and countered
with a dragon fist punch followed by a butterfly kick. Malgor was knocked back a short
distance, but quickly recovered. Gabriel did a quick combat analysis. Malgor’s armor
prevented Gabriel from attacking his pressure points and paralyzing him. Furthermore,
Gabriel’s powerful punches and kicks barely seemed to faze Malgor. The only vulnerable
area seemed to be Malgor’s unprotected head.

“Is that the best you’ve got?”, laughed Malgor, “I’ve killed over 600 other potential
Avatars since I arrived here from Earth six months ago, and most of them were a lot
tougher than you. No one can escape my Muramasa Battleaxe! PKs rule! In the end,
there can be only one Avatar!”

Muramasa Battleaxe? How was that possible? Everyone knew that Muramasa was a
famous swordsmith, Gabriel thought to himself as Malgor swung his mighty battleaxe at
Gabriel’s head again. Gabriel dodged the blow and countered with a phoenix eye strike
to Malgor’s temple. Malgor immediately coughed up blood, dropped his battleaxe, and
fell flat on his face, dead. Gabriel noticed that Malgor’s corpse suddenly began losing
muscle mass rapidly. Soon, his corpse reverted to its true, five foot tall, 130 lb form.

(Music fades out.)

(Insert “Conquerors” by Alexandr Zhelanov)

Gabriel heard the battleaxe whisper to him, “Take me…” He felt compelled to pick up the
battleaxe and examine it. As soon as Gabriel grasped the battleaxe, he was instantly
bombarded with images from the battleaxe’s past.

Despite its massive size, it did not feel heavier than a normal sized, one-handed ax. The handle had strange runes engraved in itand there was a blood red gem embedded at its base.
Gabriel heard the battleaxe say,”Feed me blood and I will make you strong! Strong enough to defeat
all of your enemies!”

“Do not try to tempt me, foul demon!”, said Gabriel, “The battleaxe has revealed the
truth to me! Malgor’s real name was Marvin Blatz aka Hack N Slash, a professional video
game player. You were simply using Marvin by preying on his bloodlust and his need to
win at any cost. Once he decapitated his 666th victim, you would have been freed from
your prison to wreck havoc on New Britannia. I will not let more innocent blood be
spilled!”

Gabriel’s eyes suddenly turned bright white as he strongly gripped the battleaxe.
Suddenly, the battleaxe was engulfed by white fire which erupted from Gabriel’s hands.
Gabriel seemed unaffected by the flames , but the battleaxe screamed out in pain,
“Arghh….the white fire burns…How dare you resist me!…I am the demon lord Argax…I
will not be defeated by a mere mortal !” The battleaxe began to glow bright white.

Gabriel hurled the flaming battleaxe high into the air. The battleaxe screamed, “No……!”
as it exploded. Gabriel’s eyes reverted to their normal appearance.

(Loop as needed. Music fades out.)

(Insert “Tower of Great Lords” by Alexander Zhelanov)

Gabriel’s keen sense of hearing alerted him to the sudden presence of three hearts beating
behind him and he quickly turned around.

“Most impressive, Gabriel.”, said the elderly,white bearded robed figure standing in front of
him, “I’ve been expecting you. Allow me to introduce my assistant,Theodric, and my good
friend, Carlin.”

The young monk standing next to the old man stared in awe at Gabriel as the small metal fragment in the palm of Nystal’s right hand began to glow bright white. The archer standing
next to him seemed intrigued by this turn of events.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the Avatar’s Sword of Virtue appeared in
Gabriel’s hands. The sword suddenly began changing shape, transforming into the
Masamune Dragon Katana! Being a highly skilled swordsmith himself, Gabriel marveled
at the level of craftsmanship. At the base of the golden blade was a circular hand guard
comprised of two intertwined dragons (one red and one black). The red silk wrapped hilt
had a solid gold dragon’s head pommel with red ruby eyes.

Both of the red ruby eyes and the eight Runes of Virtue engraved on the hilt began to
glow and Gabriel could swear that he heard a dragon roar emanate from the sword!
Unbeknownst to anyone, all across New Britannia, the Nine Legendary Dragons
suddenly began to awake from their forty year slumber.

Upon opening his eyes in his Underworld lair, the black dragon Kuroseth used the
bond he shared with the members of the Nightshadow clan to appear to Gabriel
in a vision and said, “Greetings, Gabriel Nightshadow! I am Kuroseth, one of the Nine
Legendary Dragons. Long have I waited to renew the covenant with the Last Dragon
Lord!”

At the abandoned ruins of Castle Genar, former base of operations for the Nine Dragon
Lords, overlooking the cliffs of Avan, a strong gust of wind blew away the cobwebs in
the main Council chamber as all of the torches throughout the castle suddenly lit up.

Meanwhile, back at Falura Field, a startled and somewhat confused Gabriel sheathed the
katana in the red lacquered scabbard which had suddenly appeared at his side. Everyone
failed to notice that an image of Gabriel’s late wife Shannon briefly appeared in his white
gold ankh pendant as well.

“Theodric, please fetch me the enchanted black plate armor we recovered from the
crypt.”, said Nystal, ” You don’t remember me, do you?”

“No, have we met before ?”, asked Gabriel.

“Something’s not right.”, said a puzzled Nystal, as he reached out and touched Gabriel’s forehead with the palm of his hand, “Someone’s placed a mental block in your head in order to prevent you from remembering your past lives. Let me fix that.” (Music fades out.)
(Insert “Dream Raid Full Version (Mock Up)” by Matthew Pablo at www.matthewpablo.com)
Nystal’s hand glowed for a moment and then Gabriel was instantly flooded with memories from the past. He remembered that he and his fraternal twin brother, Lucius, had both held the rank of Primus pilus (senior centurion of a Roman legion – equivalent in rank to a Lieutenant Colonel today) in the Roman army prior to being chosen by Lord Order and Lord Chaos to be their respective champions in their eternal battle. Gabriel had been reborn in many different bodies over the past 2,000 years, as were the companions who Lord Order had seen fit to grant him to aid in his never ending battle with Lucius. In addition to Nystal, there were always two other male companions and a female companion as well. Nystal was different from the other companions because his form never changed, as he was immortal. The only thing which comforted Gabriel was discovering that, as he was constantly being reborn into new bodies, so too was his beloved wife, Shannon. He looked forward to seeing her again in his next life, for they had so little time together in this one.
The last recovered memory which Gabriel had was being handcuffed to a chair in a darkly light room in an abandoned warehouse sometime in 1987. Seated across the table from him was a very tall (about 6’ 10”) albino man with long white hair. He was dressed in the attire of a proper Victorian gentleman, with a red silk puff tie, a black Bancroft double breasted vest, and a black Victorian Cutaway Coat.
“My master would prefer that I do a complete memory wipe of your mind, but it seems that your innate mental defenses are far stronger than I had anticipated.”, said The Tall Albino Man, “The best I can do is to place a mental block that will prevent you from remembering anything from your past lives.”
As The Tall Albino Man reached out towards Gabriel’s forehead with his pale white hand, Gabriel said, “One day, I will find you and I will make you pay for this!”
“You’re welcome to try, but I highly doubt that’s ever going to happen.”, replied The Tall Albino Man, with a wicked smile on his face.
The last thing Gabriel remembered seeing was The Tall Albino Man’s platinum, diamond encrusted ring on his outstretched hand. What was that symbol in the center? Gabriel concentrated on the memory and the blurry image came into focus. It was the symbol of Chaos! (Music fades out.)
(Insert “The King’s Crowning” by Telaron)
“I remember everything!”, exclaimed Gabriel, as gave Nystal a bear hug, “It is good to see you again, my old friend. What has transpired since we last met?”
“New Britannia is in grave peril! Lord British’s half-brother, Lord Shadowreign, is preparing to attack this realm in six months time with an alien invasion force he has gathered at the other end of the universe. Our only hope of stopping him is recovering the nine fragments of the Amulet of Vazur and summoning the Nine Dragons of Legend! But this task will be very difficult, for Lord Shadowreign’s minions are everywhere, including your brother, Lucius!”
“Why am I not surprised?”, replied Gabriel.
“Welcome home, Avatar!”, said a smiling Nystal, “We have much work to do!”

High above, the lone white dove happily cooed as its eyes briefly glowed. It turned and
flew off towards the horizon. (Music fades out.)

*****************************************************************************************************
(Insert “ Radakan – Old Crypt” by Janne Hanhisuanto for Radakan)
“At last, I am finally able to penetrate Nystal’s cloaking field!”, said the handsome, dark-haired young nobleman as he peered into the scrying pool, “So, that’s the new Avatar?”

“Yes, Duke Garen.”, replied the fat, balding, middle-aged wizard Marek, who was
standing to the right of him.

Lucius (i.e. Duke Garen) immediately sensed his brother Gabriel’s soul in this new form, but decided it was best not to let the others know about this fact, for these mere mortals knew nothing of their eternal battle.

” I am not impressed.”, replied a smirking Duke Garen. He turned to the beautiful, red-
haired young woman clad in black leather armor and wielding a double-bladed sword
standing to his left. The young woman was the spitting image of Gabriel’s late wife,
Shannon! Marek leered at the woman while Duke Garen had his back turned to him.

“Annese, take two dozen of your best assassins and proceed to the Valley of Fallen
Heroes and ambush the Avatar and his companions as they pass through there. It is
fitting that their final resting place should be among the tombstones of our ancestors.,”
commanded Duke Garen, “Bring me back the Avatar’s body. Dispose of the others as
you see fit.”

“Yes, my Lord,”, replied Annese.

She pressed a button on the hilt of her double-bladed sword and twisted both halves of the hilt in opposite directions. The double-bladed sword separated into two single-bladed ones which Annese placed in the two sheathes on her back. She bowed, turned
around and exited the room. No one noticed the flames which momentarily danced in her eyes.

As Annese exited the room, she found her second-in-command, Lareth, waiting for her.
“Assemble the Black Scorpion, Crimson Cobra, and Yellow Centipede squads.”, said
Annese, “Our master has given us a mission and we must depart for the Valley of Fallen
Heroes immediately.”

“Who’s the target?”, asked Lareth, “Hopefully, more of a challenge than our last one…”

“It’s the new Avatar and his companions.”, replied Annese.

Lareth smiled. “Worthy foes indeed! Mistress Vala would have been proud to see what a
fine job you’ve done as the leader of the Dakari Sisterhood of Assassins these past
seven years.”, she said, before turning around and hurrying down the staircase to the
barracks. Annese followed shortly thereafter.

Meanwhile, back in the chamber, Duke Garen, waved his hand to dismiss Marek and
turned back to observe the Avatar and his companions in the scrying pool.

“And Marek, if I ever catch you looking at Annese like that ever again, I will make sure
that you suffer horribly before I kill you.”, said Duke Garen, “Annese is mine and mine
alone! Is that clear?”

Duke Garen’s eyes suddenly glowed bright red and Marek suddenly was flung
backward across the room. He hit the wall hard and crumpled to the floor.

“Yes, My Lord…”, groaned Marek, as he slowly got up and hobbled out of the room,
grimacing in pain.

Once Marek had departed, Duke Garen turned his attention back to the scrying pool, but
suddenly the image of the Avatar and his companions faded away as two large glowing
red eyes appeared in the now pitch black water. A disembodied voice spoke to Duke
Garen.

“Do not underestimate the new Avatar. He may be untested, but I sense great power
within him. He would not have been able to defeat my former servant Argax were it not
so.”, said the voice.

“I know. But even if Annese and her assassins fail to kill the Avatar, they will greatly
slow down his progress in obtaining the fragments of the Amulet of Vazur.”, replied
Duke Garen,” Without Nystal to guide him, the new Avatar will not know what to do.”

“Indeed.”, said the voice.

“I have good news to report.”, said Duke Garen,“ Our support of the Homeguard has reaped enormous rewards.
Marius has convinced a significant porion of the population that the offworlders are invaders who pose a serious threat to our way of life.
Many avatars are now being killed on sight by Homeguard members as soon as they emerge
from the lunar rifts. Even if Annese and her assassins fail, the new Avatar may yet be
killed by loyal Homeguard members or sympathizers. There is also growing
dissension in the Great Council over Lord British’s latest reforms. Lord British
has reduced the tax rate on the commoners while increasing the tax rate on the nobility.
He has been using the excess money to fund programs that benefit the commoners –
increased food distribution to the poor, and construction of affordable housing and
schools. He has also tried to reduce the power of the nobility by forcing them to
contribute 25% of their personal troops to the Royal Army. The most vocal opponents of
the reforms, the Dukes Gramal, Heron, and Jobin, have already joined our cause. With
their support, we now have over 400,000 troops in New Britannia at our disposal.”

“Excellent!”, replied the voice, “That, combined with the 600,000 troops that I have
assembled in this realm, should be more than enough to defeat the troops loyal to Lord
British. You have done well, my son. Lord British is a fool! He should have been paying
more attention to what the nobility wanted instead of trying to help the common people.
Soon I shall finally return to New Britannia and reclaim the throne from my weak and
pathetic brother!”

Lord Shadowreign’s maniacal laugh echoed throughout the chamber.

(Loop as needed. Music fades out.)
************************************************************************************************

(Insert “Covert Operations” by artisticdude)

Duke Garen failed to notice the listening device attached to the skylight above the
chamber. The young woman crouching on the roof pushed a button on her headset and
the device retracted itself. She turned her head and it was apparent that she was the
woman from Theodric’s vision! The athletic, attractive, young, red-haired woman was
clad in black leather armor with two swords strapped to her back.

“Hmmm, Valley of Fallen Heroes. It looks like Nystal and the Avatar will need my help.
Time to repay my debt to you, Nystal!”, said Amber Raine.

Amber turned and walked over to the edge of the balcony. She pulled out her grappling gun and
fired a grappling hook line down to a tree located below. After tying the other end of the line
to a chimney, she pulled out a leather strap and slung it over the line. After waiting for the guards down below to pass by on their patrol route, she slid down the line, landing behind the tree. Amber knew that her pet wolf, Mori Tura, and her black horse, Inferno, stood waiting for her behind the nearby hill.

One of the guards sensed something was wrong and circled back to investigate the area near the
tree. As he passed by the tree, Amber emerged behind him and choked him until he fell to the
ground unconsciousness. Propping his unconscious body up behind the tree, Amber quickly
scanned the area for other guards. Seeing none, she made her way over the hill, then mounted her horse. As she, Inferno, and Mori Tura rode off, the explosives which she had planted in the castle’s weapons storage shed began to detonate. Chaos erupted as the sharp weapons stored there became deadly projectiles, impaling many of the soldiers scrambling to put out the fires.

(Loop as needed. Music fades out.)
***************************************************************************************************
(Insert “Winds of Stories” by HorrorPen)

Back in Jerahl, two burly men dragged a blindfolded Mingo into the warehouse and shoved him

into a chair. Mingo’s hands were bound with enchanted, hand forged iron shackles which prevented him from using magic or his innate abilities. One of the men removed his blindfold.
A mysterious black hooded figure entered the room and said, “You two may leave now!”
The two burly German men turned and left.
As soon as Mingo heard the man’s voice, his eyes grew wide and he began sweating profusely.
“No, it can’t be! The Nightmare Man…”, whispered Mingo.
The Tall Albino Man removed his hood and smiled.
“Ah, I see you remember me from our last encounter, Mingo!”, he said, “Your cousin, Nystal, isn’t around to rescue you this time! Tell me where he is!”
“No, I will never betray my cousin!”, replied a defiant Mingo.

“We’ll see about that!”, laughed The Tall Albino Man, as his eyes began to glow

Mingo started singing, “I am a teapot, short and stout…” and prayed that The Tall Albino Man wouldn’t cause too much damage to his mind this time. (Music fades out.)

***************************************************************************************************
(Insert “The Path Revealed” by Eliot Corley )

Lord British and Fire Lotus were having afternoon tea on the balcony of the castle when
they both spotted the flash of light from nearby Falura Field.

“That flash of light…”, said Fire Lotus, ” I wonder what it means.”

“It means that the new Avatar has been revealed.”, replied Lord British, “It seems Nystal
was right after all.”

“This is good news, my Liege, because the next lunar eclipse is due to occur in six
months, “, said Fire Lotus,”I hope that the new Avatar will be ready by then.”

“Me too.”, replied Lord British, “The fate of New Britannia lies in the Avatar’s hands.”

“Well, I must be returning to my tavern to prepare for the evening crowd. Thank you for
the afternoon tea, My Liege.”, said Fire Lotus.

“My pleasure. You know how much I enjoy our daily conversations! “, replied Lord
British, ” The castle seems so empty while Lady Arabella is away visiting her relatives in
Jerahl. I’ve been so busy these days that I haven’t had a chance to catch up with any of
our other old friends.”

“Then you really must stop by the tavern this evening! David will be making a rare
appearance and performing some of his new songs.”, said Fire Lotus.

“I will definitely be stopping by the tavern tonight! It will give David and I a chance to
reminiscence about the good old days, catch up on current events, and honor those who
are no longer with us. It also gives me a reason to sample some of this new Fire
Mountain ale I’ve heard so much about. Is it really as good as they say?”, asked Lord
British.

“Indeed it is, My Liege. Demand has been so high, I’ve had trouble keeping it in stock.
My next shipment of Fire Mountain ale isn’t due to arrive until the middle of next week,
but don’t worry, I do still have a bit of it left in my private stock for both of you to
sample.”, replied Fire Lotus.

“Excellent! “, said Lord British, “I look forward to it.”

Fire Lotus departed.

As soon as she left, Lord British went to the library room. He searched one of the bookcases
for The Book of Aramus. After making certain that no one else was around, he pulled on the
book and a hidden doorway was revealed. He walked down the stairs to a secret laboratory
filled with strange equipment powered by Tesla generators. He walked over to the vertical
healing pod and peered through the translucent case where the real Lord British stood in
suspended animation. The impostor looked at the computer readout next to the pod. It said:

HEALING CYCLE 99% COMPLETE
TIME REMAINING 179 DAYS 23 HOURS 55 MINUTES 30 SECONDS

“Rest well, my son. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you were growing up, but I’m
here for you now. You’ve accomplished far more in your lifetime than any of my other
children. I’m so proud of you. Your people will have need of you again soon. I will
continue to watch over them until you are ready to return to us.”, said the impostor as
he began changing into his true form, that of Barek of the Old Gods!

(Loop as needed. Music fades out.)
***************************************************************************************************
Several hours later, Mingo finally lost consciousness. The Tall Albino Man was physically exhausted from his attempts to penetrate Mingo’s mental defenses.

The two burly German men returned.

(Insert “Melvin and Waldorf” by Joe Reynolds – Professorlamp at www.jrtheories.webs.com)

Hans, the taller of the two, spoke.

“Master, were you able to extract any information from him?”, he asked.

“Yes, although his mental defenses have gotten much stronger since our last encounter!”, replied a very exhausted Tall Albino Man, “ At first he tried to confuse me with some nonsense about a lizard named Krisskar, some adventurers named Jeb, Ed, Lyra, and Shania, armored squirrels, talking penguins, and some Red Hat and Blue Hat gnomes! “

“Gnomes?”, said the shorter one, Gunther, “Didn’t they all die out long ago?”

“No one really knows for sure, little brother,”, replied Hans, “But it’s been ages since one has been sighted!”

Gunther then made the mistake of saying, “It was good to see your sister, Vastra, again, master! She’s so hot!”

The Tall Albino Man became very angry and his eyes began glowing again.

“Don’t talk about my precious Vastra like that!”, he shouted, as Gunther suddenly began having trouble breathing.

As Gunther began gasping for air, his brother Hans said,”Please forgive my brother, master! He is still young and often speaks without thinking. I’m sure he meant no disrespect! Isn’t that right, Gunther?”

Gunther nodded, as his face began to turn blue!

“Very well, I will forgive you this time, Gunther!”, said The Tall Albino Man, as his eyes stopped glowing, and the color began to return to Gunther’s face, “But if you ever speak of Vastra like that again, you will die! Do you understand?”

“Yes…master!”, stammered Gunther, “Thank you for sparing my life!”

“Take Mingo and teleport back to Owl’s Head. Dump him at Fire Lotus Tavern and then return here.”, said The Tall Albino Man, “We will intercept Nystal and his companions in the Magasa Forest!”

“At once, master!”, said Hans and Gunther.

Hans and Gunther picked up the unconscious Mingo and carried him away.

(Loop as needed. Music fades out.)

*************************************************************************************************

(Insert “Colossal Boss Battle Theme” by Matthew Pablo)

Later that same evening, Duke Garen entered a secret chamber underneath his castle bearing
a bloody sacrificial dagger and a black bowl adorned with demonic images. A well-
preserved skeleton lay on a stone slab in the center of the chamber. Duke Garen placed
the dagger on the corner of the slab. As the clock struck midnight, Duke Garen poured
fresh, virgin, female blood from the bowl on the bones and cast an ancient, forbidden,
dark magic spell. Red smoke formed around the corpse and muscles, veins, and skin
quickly began to grow on the bones. When the resurrection process was complete, the
bald man opened his eyes and sat up. Duke Garen handed the man a black robe to wear.

“How long have I been dead?”, inquired the man.

“A very long time, hundreds of years.”, replied Duke Garen.

“Why did you bring me back?”, asked the man.

”I have need of a highly competent general to command my troops in my upcoming war with Lord British.”, replied Duke Garen, “Would you be interested in the job?”

“Yes, very much so. I must pay back my “old friend” for killing me in that magic duel!”, said the man, “Revenge shall be mine!”

“Excellent! Welcome back, Lord Blackstorm!”, said Duke Garen, with an evil grin on his face.

“No, Lord Blackstorm is dead!”, said the man, “From now on, call me Lord DarkStarr!”

(Music fades out.)

*************************************************************************************************

Sir Stile Teckel Presents
The Avatar Chronicles 1 – Return of the Avatar
Directed and Produced by Lord Baldrith
Writer and music supervisor Gabriel Nightshadow
Casting director and court Jester Time Lord
Assistant Casting Director and Director of Public Relations Amber Raine

Cast appearing in this episode:
Steven J Goldman as John
Thornrage as Robert
Asclepius as Henry, Morgan, Brian, Malgor the Mighty, Demon Lord Argax, Kuroseth and Lord DarkStarr
Joe Garrity as Gabriel Nightshadow
Elizabeth as Sarah
Dame Lori as Jessica
Lord Baldrith as Nystal and Mingo
Trenyc as the Tall Albino Man
Duke Greigor as Duke Garen
Chips36 as Marek
Indi Martin as Annese
Kami as Lareth
StaticGrazer as The Voice
Amber Raine as Amber Raine
Littlegeeklost as Fire Lotus
Sir Cabirus as Hans and Gunther

With Cipheruzmad as Lord British and Barak of the Old Gods

And starring Asclepius as the Great Storyweaver

Music Credits for this episode:
“Enchanted Festival” by Matthew Pablo at www.matthewpablo.com
“Ireland’s Coast (Game Edition – Live Players)” by Matthew Pablo at www.matthewpablo.com
“Heroism” By Edward J. Blakeley at www.opengameart.org
“Conquerors” by Alexandr Zhelanov at www.opengameart.org
“Tower of Great Lords” by Alexander Zhelanov at www.opengameart.org
“Dream Raid Full Version (Mock Up)” by Matthew Pablo at www.matthewpablo.com
“The King’s Crowning” by Telaron at www.opengameart.org
“ Radakan – Old Crypt” by Janne Hanhisuanto for Radakan at www.opengameart.org
“Covert Operations” by artisticdude at www.opengameart.org
“Winds of Stories” by HorrorPen at www.opengameart.org
“The Path Revealed” by Eliot Corley at www.opengameart.org
“Melvin and Waldorf” by Joe Reynolds – Professorlamp at www.jrtheories.webs.com
“Colossal Boss Battle Theme” by Matthew Pablo at www.matthewpablo.com

Stay tuned for the next and final episode in this enthralling saga!

Posted by Asclepius - Email Author
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Please note: This is a SotA community run project, and any and all content may deviate from the fictional canon of the game.