Kataklysm : The Calm Before the Storm...

[Haunted]

The dark-skinned Bednine child wandered the great desert of the Anorauch,alone, thirsting,and starving.It had been three days since the great sandstorm.His head ached from a flying stone that knocked him out.The young Bednine child awoke from the blow almost completely buried in sand and without memory of how he got there or who he was.The great desert was known for extreme dangers and violent climates, but this the child did not know that anymore,his memory had been stolen from the blow to the head,leaving him confused without direction.So he walked.....

The desert was vast,the heat was devastating.The child pushed on.The heat and lack of nourishment was beginning to take its toll,but the child knew if he fell he would not get back up.Mirages began to create images,taunting the child with cool shaded oasis's ,just to find more sand,more disappointment.Maybe nightfall would bring refuge.Maybe it will bring death.The child would find out soon...The day was close to ending and he walked towards the setting sun.

Nightfall came....Weary beyond comprehension,the night made sounds,terrible sounds to the child,his imagination ran with wild abandon.Nightfall in the Anorauch was even more dangerous than the day,for it brought out predators hunting for prey.A weary boy child would make a pleasing meal for those that lurk in the darkness.Nevertheless,the boy continued on.In the distance he could hear the sounds of howling beasts,or was it the wind?He could not tell...The howling began to close in,the beasts were getting closer...It was not the wind!!

[Haunted]

Dark clouds gathered above...The sky was taking on a menacing appearance.A low rumble of thunder could be heard overhead,a storm was gathering .The howling persisted and the boy child prepared to stand his ground,he knew he would die,but he would go down fighting,tooth and nail if need be.With the storm,the beasts closed in!!

Lightning flashed in the heavens and thunder shook the ground!!No longer howls broke the night's silence,but snarls and growls,thunder And lightning.The beasts had the boy child surrounded.He crouched in a defensive stance,his primal instincts taking over.The beast's eyes glowed,their fangs stark white in the flashes overhead.They appeared to be large wolves,but more menacing,more vicious!!The boy child dug in...awaiting his death..

Little did he know,one of the beasts was not what it seemed.Wisdom and intelligence stirred within the eyes of the largest,their leader.The savage beasts prepared to feast!!
Overhead thunder crashed and lightning split the sky,the likes of none had ever seen.Within the havoc above, deep resonating laughter could be heard.Powerful laughter,godly laughter!!The creatures began to cower,but the boy stood unaffected,ready to meet his maker,weary from exhaustion.The wolf-like creatures attacked anyways.Right before reaching their target,lightning from the heavens accompanied by laughter,stuck the boy child,infusing him with the will of a god!!From the boy, electricity flew in every direction striking the beasts!!The scent of cindered fur and burning flesh could be smelt from the destruction...All were left to the scavengers,save the boy and largest of the beasts.

The two stood still looking into each others eyes...Electricity circulated within the boy,his eyes, orbs of energy and his skin darker than before.
The lone wolf beast cowered and lowered its head....Two words were spoken by the beast in a guttural,distorted voice of a man....Kozah...Talos.Laughter resonated loudly once more from above and the boy child collapsed...Kozah had left the boy drained..The god favored this one...And the beast became man!

[Haunted]

Slowly the boy child opened his eyes,blinking several times.His eyes hurt and he was in pain.Laying on his back he scanned his surroundings.Plants and tress shaded a spring which looked overly enticing to the boy.Making his way to his feet he collapsed,he tried again,with a few steps he fell once more.Too worn,too fatigued to let himself walk,he crawled to the shaded spring,casting aside his pride for the sake of nourishment.Arriving on all fours the boy cupped his hands and drank the cool water furiously,as if he would never drink again.A voice from behind him spoke."Boy!!Do not drink too fast,you will become sick!!"The voice startled him,he couldn't remember the last time he even heard another's voice.The boy's eyes narrowed at the man."What has happened to me?How did i get here?Why am i not dead?!"The man laughed hysterically."Slow down with the questions young one,you will have your answers soon."

The place had the appearance of a large oasis..It was quite comfortable to the youngster.There was water and there was ample shade.It was much better than his situation prior,so he accepted the mans words without argument.Staring at his reflection in the spring,he noticed his odd eyes,they were almost white..Thinking hard he wasn't sure if that was normal or not.Though his skin..His skin was no longer brown like before,it was now almost completely black.This bothered the child.He remembered the spectacle above and the beasts,then the laughter with the power he felt,then everything was blank after that.He looked over at the man...He sat there inthe shade of a large palm..His skin a light brown.He wore a thin brown robe and around his neck a pendant of some sort hung,a dark metal in the shape of three lightning bolts.The child whispered "Kozah."Why he said it he didnt know,but he wanted to know more.Something inside him stirred making him feel as though the symbol around the mans neck should be his.It made him feel alive just gazing at it.What as this feeling?It felt like the power he felt before awakening in this place,that night he thought would be his end.But the power wasnt nowhere near as strong or potent.The man saw the boy child staring at his pendant in awe."Soon boy,soon boy."

[Haunted]

It was midday..The sun was blazing overhead,beating down upon the middle aged Bednine.Every time when the sun was at its peek in the vast sky,the man known to the others of the oasis as Teylanz,would condition himself.He was always conscious of his health and his physique.Never let to his age cripple him.Teylanz was a druid,a druid of great power and knowledge.He worshiped and paid homage to the fury known as Malar.It was he that discovered the boy child alone in the desert.It was he that witnessed the great power of Kozah!!The large Oasis inhabited up to 12 druids,all worshipers of one or more of the Four Furies.Not all were Bednine,some were from the northern wastes of terrible cold,others from the sea side.The followers of Malar had traveled from forests that surrounded the great desert,save for Teylanz.The followers of the great Kozah have always been in the Anorauch.The Oasis was known as The Circle of the Four.

Once a year the druids of the furies would travel to the oasis.They would stay for 3 months,conversing with each other and relay information of the realms.Also they would condition their selves and pay homage to the four as one..To the followers of Kozah,the Circle was their constant home.Kozah reigned supreme over the others furies,he was the mightiest and revered by all!!

Teylanz brought the boy there after his amazing display of power...It was a mystery to him that one so young was thus gifted with such powers.He was actually on his great trek to the oasis,it was that time of year.Teylanz was from the eastern side of the Anorauch,thus his journey was less rigorous than most.He handed the limp body of the boy child over to Sulteth a lesser druid of Kozah,but still powerful compared to most.Teylanz told his story to the Talassan druid...Sulteth accepted the child and laid him upon a soft bedroll...Teylanz took his leave and Sulteth watched the dark skinned child dream..."You are a gift young one.."

[Haunted]

His skin blackened and eyes the color white-blue lightning..Changes that took time for the young man to grow accustomed to..There was no doubt when man,woman,or child looked upon the 7'2 desert man,awe and fear stirred within their hearts,within the very depths of their minds and souls...He was a sight to behold.Some wondered if the heritage of mighty storm giants mingled within his blood..It is a possibility,Vader's amnesia prevented him from knowing such things.Who was he?Who were his parents?Did the storm give birth to the giant man itself?No one knew the answers..These questions always haunted the walking cataclysm,would he ever know?

Kataklsym...Vader Kataklysm,a name given to him by his mentors.His birth name far as he was concerned,for his true name is a mystery even to himself.A walking cataclysm they called him..Unable to harness and control his god given gifts,death and destruction followed him..Only when he obtained enough control,he could leave the sanctuary of the Oasis..And so he did..

A grand storm brought him westward..A slow and devastating storm..He reveled in its power,following it out of the Anorauch.The keeper of storms...the almighty above guided him..The storm was ever present in his trek..Stopping in small towns and villages leaving destruction in its wake..The people were scared,fearful of the giant man and the storm that accompanied him..He payed them no heed,with a look of apathy and grim determination he continued on his path...to where it led,he did not know,for he trusted in the storm to bring him to his destination...to his destiny..Turning around once,Vader stood at the edge of the village before leaving..The first village of many, before he reached where the storm would bring him..Villagers had gathered slowly behind him,keeping a safe distance away from the giant blackened human.They looked upon him as his gaze fell in their direction,his eyes flashed brightly with blue-white electricity and everything grew silent..Save for the baritone laughter of the mighty and furious god Talos overhead..A god is with him...A terrible god!!!

[Haunted]

He slept uneasy that night,the trek through the upper reaches of the High Forest had been slow and cautious..The storm above settled into just flashes of wild lightning,no rain and thunder accompanied it while he slept.Dreams,vivid visions, visited him..A trident of power,a Sunite paladin..A knife held to his throat by a beautiful woman with blazing red hair as he struggled to remain conscious..The visions swirled together violently in his mind's eye.

Restless,he shot up straight out of the dreams,fully awake and alert..Reaching for his crude,barbed spear,he stood up ready to defend.. Lightning continued to dance and weave throughout the night sky..Everything was deathly silent.The bugs quit chirping,the wind still...Something lurked in the darkness,something that awakened Vader's primal instincts...

His eyes darted from shadow to shadow...Whatever it was,he sensed it and it him.It was out there hunting,searching for what is smelled...Vader climbed silently into the boughs of a nearby tree..From above he felt safer and more secure,though getting there proved difficult due to his size..He would wait,hopefully whatever it was,it would just pass by without a fight..Vader highly doubted that would be the case.Spear poised and ready to strike, the giant man slowed his breathing,concentrated his hearing and sight to the dark woods surrounding him..The lightning above provided some light,but only in quick flashes.

A rustle in the brush nearby caught his attention.Vader knew whatever it was,it had made a fatal mistake..His eyes narrowed as his attention was drawn to the location of the sound..Lightning flashed above revealing the beast for what is was..He has seen a monstrosity like this before,a shape that druids of Malar were able to take.Its eyes yellow,a maw full of razor sharp canines and an uncanny beast larger than himself,A lycanthrope..He knew there would be no way to avoid this,the beast could smell him,hunted him.Another flash from above revealed that his target had moved..This was not good,not good at all.Looking about frantically,he tried to spot the beast before it was too late..

Lightning flashed again and again,rapidly it revealed portions of the forest below..Then everything fell dark..Blackness surrounded him.His heart began to race with anticipation,he crept closer to a large branch just below his position..He felt hot breath,a stench unbearable upon his face..The sky lit up,he was staring face to face with it.His eyes flashed with electricity and the beast roared..Within a heartbeat,they lunged.They tumbled through branches in a furious flury of chaos..Vader did well to avoid its teeth and claws in the process of their fall.He was not a normal man,he was a chosen and a giant among most humans.They hit the ground with tremendous force,which shook dead branches out of nearby trees.Rolling away from each other, the two quickly sprung to their feet..The beast roared,arms stretched out wide,claws bared.Vader narrowed his eyes at the beast and without his spear which he lost in the fall,he would fight unarmed.His body radiated electrical energy,Talos was with him,he would prevail.The large blackened man charged the giant werewolf,the beast roared saliva dripping from its maw..Vader collided against the beast,just to be thrown aside by its savage power..He went flying through the air,smashing through brush and breaking a small tree completely in half..If the Talassan was in pain,he didnt show it.Back to his feet,there was no time to feel pain,no time to groan or moan,this was survival.

Remembering the darts he had in his possession,he pulled two from his leg strap.They werent plain darts,but tipped with a mild poison,leaving its subjects in great pain and eventually paralysis . He wondered if it would be enough to slow the monster,most likely not.The werewolf roared in pleasure,knowing he just tossed the blackened man like a rag doll through the air.But,Vader was back up quickly and he was pissed..He launched a dart at the beast,which was batted away by a powerful swipe.He launched another and then another,one hitting home, burrowed in its bicep and the other in its abdomen..It howled in frustration,tearing the darts from its body..It charged Vader, swiping viciously with its claws.Vader ducked and dodged the first set,ducking low its maw snapped out missing Vader's face by an inch.The Talassan blocked an incoming right hook from the beast and sent an uppercut of his own into the bottom jaw.This knocked the lycan off balance and Vader saw his opportunity.He lunged forward,throwing his massive shoulder into beast's midsection,toppling it to the ground.Vader was on him in a flash.The beast rolled over and the Talassan was on its back..One of the lycan's arms was feeling the effect of the dart,for it was limp at its side..Apparently the other was taking effect also,for the beast was having trouble keeping the blackened man off of him.Vader planted a knee in its back,putting all of his weight into it.Gripping its maw after a series of punishing elbows and hammerfists,Vader pulled its jaws apart.He used all the strength he could muster,his arms corded with giant muscles as he pulled the beasts jaws away from one another..With a final burst of fury,Vader snapped the bottom and top jaw apart,completely from its head as blood sprayed everywhere.The beasts body convulsed violently,giving into its death throes..Vader looked on proudly at his work,breathing heavily with blood dripping from his face.The lycan went still and thunder boomed overhead...Vader was truly Talos's chosen..Hes screamed to the heavenS,"TALOS!!!" The corpse of the beast was then struck by terrible lightning,its body exploded sending bits and pieces of it throughout the woods..And the victor stood silent, basking in the power of his terrible god.