The Savage Tide was prevented. The plot to unleash insanity in untold force upon the mortal world was halted and the instrument of it's activation, the Master Pearl was no more. Also ruined was the plot by one of Demogorgon's heads to use the power from that insanity to fuse the conflicting awareness' of the two heads into one mind. All the better for some, Prince of Demons, Lord of All That Swims in Darkness, Demogorgon, was dead. Slain by a small band of heroes. A small group of heroes who had done the impossible and had forged a short lived but all the same effective alliance between Demogorgon's many, many enemies and even one of his own minions and another of his supposed allies. Never trust a Succumbi. Ever.
Of course, this left a power gap in the Abyss, the afterlife of all chaotic evil souls and the birthplace of all chaotic evil Outsiders. The Abyss desired for there to be a prince among demons, even if this title was purely in name. The crown serve it's purpose of giving the chaotic demons something to strive for and fight for, rather than turning in on themselves and their personal short term desires. They were creatures of evil and -chaos- after all.
One of the heroes' only slightly more trust worthy allies (which was NOT much at all) The Queen of the Witches, in a plot all her own, claimed the abomination's spirit the moment it's material form was destroyed, already planning on reviving her own lost empire with it's power. Her plot has no true context in these events other than why Demogorgon could not be re-spawned by the Abyss to reclaim his title.
The black shadowy crown of Prince of Demons, became material and fell from Demogorgon's heads and became one at the moment of his death, the shock wave being felt through out the Abyss. It was up for grabs. And a few indeed did desire it.
Orcus, prince of undead, always on a look out to join the pantheon as a god of undeath unstead of a mere demon, had always desired the position. Obox-ob, the prince of vermin and the -original- prince of demons, was more than eager to reclaim his throne, and restore the Abyss to the way it once was before the demons born of mortal evil and degeneracy overthrew the previous demons of the Abyss. And of course, there was Dagon, even older than Obox-Ob, the one had given Demogorgon so much knowledge and information, waiting for when his ally would make the mistake that would cost the prince of demons everything. And now Dagon, Prince of the Depths, a thing of deepest nightmares, also had an eye, many of them in fact, set upon the prize.
And what of the heroes who had laid the final blow upon the master of the Gaping Maw, the Brine Flats, and Abysm? By logic, they too, technically had a claim to the black shadowy crown. But thank goodness, these heroes were not fools. While they didn't know of the hidden dangers the crown held, they did know that the position of Prince of Demons in of itself brought with it a giant bulls-eye on the back. But they also knew, whoever claimed the shadow crown, would gain unspeakable power. What was the solution?
Using what precious magic the heroes had left, one of their number opened a gate, not declaring a location, thus leaving it truly up to fate to where it would go. And with Telekinesis, never once touching the shadow crown, threw it into the gateway before the demon princes could arrive to claim the prize, it was lost forever. There would never again be another prince of demons.
The Abyss itself howled with rage, the impudence of mortal creatures once again astounding it, the heroes didn't wait to see what the Abyss itself had in store, only knowing that the various demon princes would desire their heads, hearts, spinal columns, and small intenseness for this.
With one last gate, the heroes escaped back the relative safe haven of the Court of Stars, out of the Abyss' and it's spawn's wrath for the time being.
But what about the crown of the prince of demons? The one that would give the position of el facto alpha of the domain of selfishness and degeneracy? On the Abyss itself it would have made the victim develop a split personality and eventually a second head if one was not already a demon prince before hand, just as the Abyss would wish it.
But now outside the Abyss, while this booby trap was now negated, it carried much as it otherwise did. If claimed, it would either totally ignore, or accept this being, if their strength of personality (charisma) and strength of presence (level) were strong enough. Vanishing, becoming one with them it would. This person would turn either chaotic in thinking, or evil at heart, the wearer was free to decide which they would become.
This being, if strong willed and strong heated enough, would wear this crown, and become the NEW prince/cess of demons. With unspeakable control over lesser demons, and become a mark for all greater ones, and with the power to warp much of the Abyss to their design.
The question was, who would stumble upon this crown of shadows?
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(Posted Wed, 22 Aug 2007 23:01)
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