Tag: planar travel

#Lore24 – Entry #206 – Supers Month II #25 – A Tempest Brewing

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

You know, for all your talk of keeping supernatural threats out of your world over the centuries, you’ve done a rather terrible job of it.  Did you know that there’s an entire family of succubi living on your world?  And all of them clustered around Sentinel City?  They’re not of any relationship to me and my line, but I can sense them just as easily as I can any other of demonic blood.

Oh?  So, you were aware of them!  How very curious.  Why, then, my pet, have they been allowed to remain upon your world?  Hmmm… you’re telling me that this Order of Hecate has made arrangements with them, or at least the head of their clan, this Claire Tempest, and that they have been allowed to stay there?  That is quite an interesting agreement!  One would think that the chaos swirling around them would have led to their destruction or expulsion long ago; were not demon hunters a thing in your world at some point? 

Most curious indeed…perhaps these succubi are of a different breed altogether, then?  Or perhaps demonkind from this realm, or whatever realm they were spawned from, are simply an inferior breed to my own, for their powers are insignificant when compared to my own.  Their ambitions are certainly nothing compared to the demons I’m familiar with; they seem to be thinking entirely too small.  This Claire Tempest seems the only real threat, honestly; from what I’ve observed, the others barely register any dangers given their rather miniscule desires and ambitions in the grand scheme of things.  Although the facility ran by Jennifer Tempest is of some interest;  could be some wonderful recruits waiting for me there…yes, indeed, there are a pair of souls absolutely craving power right there…

Still, I think I’ll be keeping an eye on them.  Something tells me they could be trouble for me down the line… Oh, yes, you’re quite right, I should just eliminate them now, but where’s the fun in that?  I’m curious to see just how they react when I start my invasion in earnest.  Will they stand up and defend their world, or will they move on, or perhaps join me? 

It’s not knowing that keeps me coming back for more, my pet.  I’m a demon; I thrive on chaos, after all.

#Lore24 – Entry #205 – Supers Month II #24 – A Seer in Darkness

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

You know one of my favorite things to do before I invade a world?  I mean, of course, there’s the preparations and gathering of information, but that’s work that must be done.  What I love to do even more is mess with its inhabitants.  Just to target a random morsel here and there and gift them with a little speck of my power so that they may see and know what comes without fully understanding what it is they witness. 

Well, yes, I suppose my gift does drive them mad, for the minds of mortals, especially humans, are especially fragile.  Even a mind as resilient yours has been broken while you’ve been in my care, has it not?  But you see, the chaos of madness, that is something to savor all on its own!  The only commandment I give forth to my chosen playthings is to not kill themselves as the visions of the future continue.  The rest I leave to them.  What will they do with their knowledge, with the sliver of power I’ve granted them?  Yes, things may become a bit more complicated now that this world has been so infused with raw magical power, but truly, it is a wonderful chaotic mess that’s developing!

Take this one, this little, insignificant fellow in, what was this city called again?  Ah yes, Sentinel City.  Yes, this little nobody who had a meaningless existence before, now has a purpose!  He’s fully embraced the power of chaos, as you can see.  I don’t bother myself with the specifics of what he’s seen in the future, but he seems to have taken on a bit of a dramatic and whimsical air about himself, hasn’t he?  A clown, bathed in blood, and preaching of the End Times to a growing flock of believers he’s cultivated in his image.  Can you see it, that little detail that binds them all together?  No?  Well, let me enlighten you, my pet.  He’s tapped into the very strings of fate, you see, and can see when death comes for them, and he’s intervening to stop it.  In his own twisted way, of course.  His entire gang of heathens now exists to find more to try and bring into the fold for the sake of saving lives that would otherwise be snuffed out.

Oh, this must be causing an absolute fit with the powers of fate in your world.  And to think, he’s but one of many across the face of the mudball! 

#Lore24 – Entry #204 – Supers Month II #23 – Souls Fit for a Queen

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

Queen’s ego may be larger than even herself, and that’s saying something for a demon who has a fifty-plus foot body composed of nothing but tentacles, but when she puts her mind to something, she gets results!  Look at how many playthings she’s brought to me, and how curious they are!  Why, this one has practically changed fully into something that resembles a werewolf, and yet, its soul is distinctly still human, but infused with a most unique flavor of magical energies.  And this one, I’d call her a half-cow; you know, with her breasts being that large, I daresay she’ll make a fine addition to the milking stable, once properly trained.  This one would make a passable kitsune, I think; perhaps I can work with it and turn it into a mate for my Kitsune?  We’ll see…

What say you, pet?  What has occurred here?  You are the foremost expert on such things in your world, are you not?

Oh…yes, of course.  I forget that your magi are stunted in this realm and must have a bond with a familiar regardless of the powers they wield.  So, you’re saying that these humans have bonded with their familiars?  Oh, oh!  You’re telling me that they’re not aware of their bonds with them?  Oh, your kind is even dumber than I could have imagined!  Give me a moment while I enjoy a most earnest laugh at humanity’s expense!

And what do you make of those whom Queen has taken for herself, then?  The slutty teenager, the ponyboy, and the insane woman overflowing with raw magical essence?  What of their familiars?  Only the ponyboy comes close, but his animal features are all leather and latex, so that doesn’t count.  Oh?  A total merging of spiritual essences?  They and their familiars are truly one, are they?  Hence why there’s little in the way of limits upon their potential?  Ohhhh, how curious…so now you’re telling me that the familiars that were bonded with the others were essentially newly created by the explosion, and these are familiar spirits that have existed for a long time, and have grown much stronger since the flow of magic was dammed up?    

Hmmm…this is a potentially dangerous complication, my pet.  Just how many of these old-spirit familiars could there be?  And just how are they picking their targets, and choosing what powers they grant?  I daresay that ponyboy is as strong as Queenie in her natural form, and the raw destructive power of the girl she pulled out of the nuthouse is incredible; fortunately, Queenie has just the thing to keep her on the straight and narrow, something to keep her properly focused.  The slut, though…I still haven’t quite grasped her powers even though I can sense she’s strong, but she’s also an idiot…I suppose Queen saw something special, or just wanted another plaything.  She’s on the upper scale of attractiveness for a human, but I’m not even certain that she’s aware she even made a deal with a demon, let alone traversed to another plane of existence with all her complaints about not having ‘signal’.  Whatever. 

Now it’s your turn, pet.  We’re going to do some experiments while my minions are looking for those relics, and you’re going to learn exactly how to recreate this phenomenon for me.  And you’re going to do it because you are my loyal, loving slave.  Still, if you feel the need to disobey, I will never deny you my most loving punishments.

#Lore24 – Entry #203 – Supers Month II #22 – A Beautiful, if Unexpected, Explosion

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

I must admit, even with multiple millennia and countless wondrous experiences in my life, I too can still be surprised.

When I sent forth my minions to find these relics, I expected it to take some negligible amount of time, a few years perhaps, a decade, maybe two or three.  I’m patient, and what dangers do the humans of this piddly little world bring to bear against me?

Certainly, I was not expecting this.  Humans…ever the resourceful beings, even with their miniscule lives.  What were they researching in this facility, exactly?  How did they tap into the power of the reenergized leylines so quickly with no mystic training?  And, more importantly, how exactly did they manage to narrowly avoid destroying the entire world by flooding it with more raw magical energy than it has ever seen?  This made our dam bursting look absolutely pathetic in comparison!

It was rather pretty, though.  Almost like a flood of bright blue, mana-infused flower blossoms swirled up and exploded across the width and breadth of the planet and beyond.  I daresay that if this mudball had gone unnoticed by other beings in the galaxy and beyond, it was just noticed in a very dramatic way.  I do appreciate the absolute chaos here.  It’s quite lovely, actually.

BUT.  But…this is going to complicate my plans.  Do you see what I see?  Look at how the excess magical energy is fusing with people of this world.  Instead of burning away harmlessly or diffusing into the planet and its closest planar realms, or even simply igniting and turning the mudball into a fireball, it’s seeping into the people of the world, and some seem to be absorbing much higher amounts of this energy than others.  How very curious indeed.  My, what would it do to someone like you, pet, if you had been there when it happened?  Unfortunately, it seems to have been tied to the planar resonances of those from your world, otherwise my minions, and my own power, would have increased dramatically just now.  Is this a reaction by the planet itself perhaps, a fortunate accident that it engineered when it realized that it was being invaded? 

Wouldn’t that be most interesting? 

Queen!  Oh, Queenie, my dear…I have need of you my loyal servant!  Go forth onto this world and bring me samples of its people.  I wish to study what this sudden infusion of magic will do to them.  And while you’re there, find out exactly how this happened, what they were researching and how they blew the font of magic wide open.  No, wait…focus only on bringing in samples for now.  I’ll use Kitsune to find out what caused the explosion; she needs her exercise, after all, and she’s got a more…delicate touch that could be useful here.  Focus on where your talents lie, my dear; concern yourself not with this.  Oh, and be sure to snare a few souls for yourself while you’re there and add them to your carnival.  I’m quite curious to see what you’ll bring back.

The souls of this world have suddenly become much more spicy than I could have imagined.  But did it spoil their flavor altogether, or have we just found ourselves a trove of the most delicious souls we could have imagined?  And I wonder…could an explosion of this nature be replicated for our own purposes?  Wouldn’t that be something…

Are you as excited by the possibilities as I am, my pet?  Why, you’re absolutely shaking with anticipation, aren’t you?

#Lore24 – Entry #202 – Supers Month II #21 – Go Forth and Seek, my Minions!

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

It is finally time, my loyal servants!  Now that the planar bridges have been restored, you will be able to traverse freely into the realm and to this little world known as Earth!  It is a pathetic little mudball to be sure, but the souls we’ll be reaping there have a deliciousness all their own!  But first, we have other business to conduct as the crop matures and ripens, for old contracts are coming due, and we’ll need a bit more chaos in the land before we make our move. 

I seek three ancient relics scattered upon this world, all of which were created by one of this realm’s most famous magi, called Scheherezade, a staff, a pair of bracers, and a ritual dagger.  Hundreds of years have passed since they were known by their true names, and if our previous invasions have taught us anything, it is that humanity has an uncanny ability to forget things with their miniscule lives, and to generally make a mess of things all over.  Your task may not be simple, but I have every confidence in your abilities to get the job done.

Bear in mind that those who bring me the relics I seek will be rewarded most handsomely!  Oh, you didn’t think I would reward you, my loyal followers, for your hard work?  Perish the thought!  The rewards will be great, I can assure you.  And if you’ve been feeling particularly neglected, this would be an excellent opportunity to earn my favor anew, or to prove yourselves capable after any particular mistakes you might have made that led to me being angry with you.

Feel free to sample the crop while you’re upon this world, though I warn you, they aren’t very ripe just yet.  Show a little patience if you can, but if not, I understand completely.  Just don’t do anything stupid that will bring attention to our actions.  As pathetic as the magi of this realm are, they are not an insignificant danger to my plans, and I wouldn’t want them to realize what’s going on too soon.  It would spoil the surprise, you see.

Now go forth and seek the prizes I desire!

#Lore24 – Entry #201 – Supers Month II #20 – I’m in a Resurrection Kind of Mood, but Let’s Spice it Up

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

Feeling more talkative now that I’ve loosened your tongue, my delightful pet?  I certainly hope so…then again, perhaps not.  The sounds you make when I’m having my fun are so very delightful, and the suffering that trickles down our bond is like a fine, soul-filled wine.  You simply can’t comprehend it! 

Now, tell me more of your world, of these “relics of great power” that you mentioned before.  With the flow of magic resumed, it’s only a matter of time before there is enough that I can begin my work there in earnest.  I’m feeling in the mood to resurrect a particular soul, to finish up that little pittance of a contract, but I’ve got something else in mind to spice that business up.  Something someone like you can surely help me with.  Speak, my pet, speak of these relics which hold the very essence of creation or destruction within them.

Oh, still defying me, hmm?  That’s why I adore you, my pet.  Don’t tell my other pets, though; they might get a little jealous.  Fine, I’ll humor you a bit; you know, I’d better be careful, or I’ll simply spoil you, and wouldn’t that be terrible?  Why, I’d have to punish you for such behavior!

I intend to create a living vessel for this soul which I’ve contracted, you see, so that I may have another loyal minion, one that is more familiar with your world and whom seeks vengeance upon a particular order of magi that saw him destroyed a few hundred years ago.  Yes, that very one!  So astute you are!  To do this, I fully intend on using those relics you mentioned before, for I need objects of great power to channel my energies and make them work in your realm.  I’m sure you have a ritual in mind already for such a thing, don’t you, pet?  And surely creating a vessel for a soul is child’s play for you, is it not?  Oh, he’ll be delighted to be returned to life after all these years, but as I said, I intend to spice it up a little.  I doubt he’ll approve of the form of the vessel, but that’s not really his call, is it? 

Let us begin our preparations, my pet.  Yes, that’s a good girl.

#Lore24 – Entry #200 – Supers Month II #19 – Bursting a Dam

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

I think it’s far past due that your world have a magical revival.  It’s just such a dull place; I know I’m repeating myself, but what of remark is there to comment on but for the flavor of the souls upon it?  Why was the font of all magic closed to your little mudball, anyway?  Did your rather unimpressive arcanists and dark sorcerers do something to draw the attention of something they couldn’t hope to deal with, perhaps?  A great magic-eating plague that would have surely seen the death of the entire planet, maybe?  Surely it wasn’t a natural phenomenon, though at least that would be rather an amusing twist of fate, wouldn’t it?

Or, perhaps, was it that the humans found upon this world were so terribly repugnant that the other realms simply couldn’t stand to deal with your kind anymore?  Perhaps your kind bored them into leaving?  Wouldn’t surprise me, honestly.

Am I wrong?  Then do enlighten me, pet.  Why did the magic fade; why the dam at the font, hmm?  I’ve seen the like, certainly, but such wardings were meant to keep my kind out, not magic itself.  I can sense no lingering taint in the trickle that remains, and even now the threads are tied so very firmly.  Why, I would say this blockage would last nigh on eternity, insofar as your kind’s limited lifespans could understand it.  I’m sensing your touch here as well, my pet.  You are quite impressive in your creations, but even so, you were not solely responsible for this one, for I can sense the touch of many more here as well.

Still not willing to tell me?  That’s fine; you know I have many much more enjoyable ways to loosen that tongue of yours.  Let us conclude our business here then and let magic flow into your little world once more.  This is going to be so very entertaining!

#Lore24 – Entry #199 – Supers Month II #18 – A Vast Power

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

How did I find out about your tiny little mudball, you ask?  Quite simple, really.  Some of your kind, those with an eye for progress and the willingness to use their power, sought me out, dealt with me and those beneath me in, swearing their souls to me in return for more power.  It’s a tale as old as time, one repeated far too often, but what is a demon lord to do when a soul is freely offered, hmm?  I simply couldn’t refuse such requests.

Mind you, this was hundreds of years ago; after that period you call the Dark Ages, I’ve heard hardly anything from your little world, at least, no calls for power that were of any serious nature.  Stupid children calling for forces they didn’t understand in poorly conceived rituals in the local graveyards, usually.  Oh, I allowed my minions to handle the requests, as I said, how can I pass up a soul, after all, but the results were so minor as to be nothing.  I think what’s truly plagued your world is a lack of imagination, now that I think about it.  It’s just so very dull.

Where was I?  Oh, yes, that question of how I became aware of your world.  Well, my pet, there was a particular arcanist of some power during the height of your Dark Ages that actually managed to impress me with their abilities.  Well, as much as one from your dullard of a world could, anyway.  What was their name?  Hmmm…must have not been particularly memorable in the grand scheme of things…oh, yes!  Shadowmere, Raeshima Shadowmere, that’s it!  But Shadowmere?  Sounds kind of like something you’d name a horse, doesn’t it?  I suppose given your kind’s lack of creativity, it was the best he could do at the time. 

Hmmm, that does remind me, though.  The deal I worked up with him hasn’t been completed yet.  There is an entirely separate clause that hasn’t even been invoked.  Suppose I should probably look into completing that someday…perhaps sooner rather than later.  Yes…yes…why, I do believe that I’ve just had a wonderfully fun idea!  This will get very interesting, I think!  Oh, your world simply won’t be able to handle this surprise!  And I think I’ll be having a little more fun at the expense of that lovely arcanist whom I contracted with, too!  Oh, this will be so much fun!

#Lore24 – Entry #198 – Supers Month II #17 – A Dreadfully Dull History, and a Solution in Sight

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

I find your world so dreadfully boring!  Humans are generally the most chaotic and unstable of the races upon the worlds I’ve visited in the past, probably due to their miniscule lifespans; they’re more like pets, really, but even with having them as the lone population upon the planet, you’ve barely managed anything amusing!  You call those events you spoke of wars?!  Those weren’t wars, those were minor quibbles!

You know what else I find amusing?  Just how isolated and small-brained the people of your world are!  Barely looking beyond your own world, preferring isolation in this little corner of your vast universe, even when you’ve had the ability to open portals to new realms and explore?  I begin to think that your kind are the dregs of another lost civilization, the dullards who were rejected by those of far greater interest and ability.  You speak of the religions of this world, of the gods and spirits that are worshipped here, and yet there is no divine power being wielded!  Your kind simply must be defective.

Still, having sampled the fruits of your world, I see potential.  Not very much, mind you, but it is there.  Oh, I could just sweep in with my forces and overwhelm your world, but where would the fun be in that?  It’d be like facing a newborn in mortal combat!  You know…I feel that it is my duty to advance your kind and your world, to spice things up a little.  What do you think of a little experimentation?  A little demonic chaos spread throughout the world, hmm?  Give your pathetic race some real power to play with, to see what you might do with it? 

Let’s find that dam that’s been blocking up the magical flows into your world, shall we?  Let’s find it and blow it to pieces.

#Lore24 – Entry #197 – Supers Month II #16 – Why Have One World When You Can Have Many?

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

For all of her flaws, I do have to give credit to my dear sweet mother for one thing:  spawning me.  The rest of her accomplishments, if you can call them that, have amounted to what?  A failed invasion, a pitiful attempt at keeping her hordes sustained during the lean times by feeding upon the souls of the kerryns and what few souls they could get through the barrier enacted by their annoyingly resolute goddess, all before it came crashing down when that upstart kerryn slave and her aerian murder machine put her down? 

Fortunately, I was never cursed with mother’s shortsightedness and refusal to take in the wider picture.  I suppose that’s why I’m senior amongst my sisters, and the most powerful demon lord around, isn’t it?  I knew long ago that focusing an incursion into a realm through a single world was doomed to fail, but for whatever reason, she simply could not see that.  I was happy to take up the rear guard, so to speak, during that whole fiasco, bolstering our defenses, gathering more power for myself, creating this realm that I have full dominion over, just waiting for the day of her inevitable failure, when there would be need to seize control from the others who so blindly believed in her plans. 

I figured this out ages ago, you see.  Why focus all of your power on invading a single world with the entirety of your forces to create a bastion with which to conquer that realm when you can much more easily invade a world here and there, take what you want, then slip away before you can be molested by the greater powers that exist within the realm that world is in?  Create a little chaos in your wake, deflect attention from your actions, and be gone with your diverse platter of tasty souls before the powers that be can retaliate.  Seems simple enough, doesn’t it?  Goes against the traditional mindset of my kind, I suppose, but that’s why I’m a visionary and still alive all these many millennia later, and dear old mother was snuff out.

Her desires far exceeded her capabilities, I would say; I’m much more pragmatic in that regard, and much stronger than she ever was because of it.  And that’s why, my delicious little morsel, that you’re here, and why you’re going to be telling me all about your world, the next world I’ve chosen to be graced by my illustrious presence, the one with the ever so boring name of Earth.  A pathetic world in comparison to many others I’ve defiled, certainly, but the souls there have a peculiar flavor that I simply must partake of.  So speak, pet, tell me of Earth, of the humanity of this world, and all that you know about it.  Oh, don’t worry; I love it when my pets resist me; your coming screams only sweeten the suffering that I will inevitably extract from you.  If it’s one thing that I’ve found universal in the many worlds I’ve plundered, it’s that humans are particularly responsive to pain.