Post originally by Character_Lumine Ravenholm


He imagined the Redmonts were in a state of panic, and it amused him greatly.

The chaos surrounding the jump was still a bit difficult to sift through, to figure out exactly what had happened. Even now, so many millenia later, Lumine Ravenholm wasn't entirely sure what had happened.

At one moment, the Navidians had been engaged in a bloody conflict with the Redmonts and their Absolutioneers; the next, the sudden appearance of the dreaded Kinslayer had sent both sides into absolute panic. He had appeared so suddenly, in fact, that Lumine had withdrawn from the battlefield entirely to observe. At first, both sides were slaughtered. Redmonts began to retreat through some kind of opened gateway operated by Ainsley, along with Absolutioneers. It wasn't until the departure of Daphne Redmont that the Kinslayer had realized the obvious: his family wasn't defending the position they held. They were retreating entirely, and both sides were working together to achieve the exodus. But the appearance of the Navidians led by the Ravenholm had quickly turned a departure into a massive, bloody conflict that the Redmonts had been losing.

Maxim had started targeting the Navidians then, alternating between shots from some kind of projectile weapon and the use of his saber. Ainsley had actually given up her position along with the appearance of Danika McKennah and Jass Strata -- and the four of them had cut quite the swath of destruction through his remaining forces before escaping. Lumine still recalled the look of surprise on Ainsley's face -- she had been the last to jump through the rift -- as he had smiled, and lifted one hand in an utterly mocking wave. The rest of what had happened, well... that was unimportant.

What was important, was that Lumine Ravenholm was Emperor of the Outlands, of all that he surveyed. The realm was his, and had been his for millenia; roughly ten thousand years, to be exact.

Sitting there upon a throne carved from solid onyx, the Ravenholm simply grinned. Streaks of blonde hair complimented pale, angular features that were further characterized by the piercing, verdant jade hue of his eyes. The report in his hand was eventually handed to the lovely brunette at his side; whom took it and then stared at him with obvious surprise upon her face. "They're here? After all this time?" "Of course. We," he paused, to glance over the weapon he held in his hands that had been recovered, "always knew that they'd come. " The tone of the elder half of the dual-soul housed within the demon's body was suddenly prominent, which had become something of a rarity in the last few centuries. The brunette stared, and then glanced at the rifle that Lumine was staring at. It was marred by a new Redmont sigil -- one they hadn't seen before, which suggested that the Redmonts had been there for a while, and... had chosen to reveal themselves.

"It doesn't matter, Leona. We've spent centuries preparing for it -- we outnumber any forces they might have substantially. Even if Maxim Redmont is still leading them -- and he could've easily killed them all upon arrival -- he wouldn't dare lead them on a suicide mission. They have nothing that could possibly-" "They're protecting something," Leona interrupted, staring at the sheet of paper that contained the scout's report. She glanced at him, then back to the report before continuing to read, aloud, "...Redmonts have established some kind of perimeter and temporary base, with apparent intentions of permanent residence. All attempts to resolve the situation were met with lethal force. No survivors."

"They found the Gateway. Bastards," the older voice intoned, as Lumine threw the rifle to the floor in frustrated disgust. It shattered across the marble tiles of the palace's floors, a few pieces bouncing across the lush, indigo-hued carpet and pillows that Leona had settled upon. She smirked at his temper, before he turned that menacing glare upon her; crackling around the tips of his fingers were the arcs of electricity that had become the primary weapon in his vast arsenal. And while Leona, the Witch of Augustgrad, was no slouch on the battlefield, even she wouldn't tempt the wrath of Emperor Ravenholm.

Part of the reason the Ravenholm demon was so angry, was because the Gateway allowed for mass transportation between two linked worlds. They had already determined that the realm of Aleris was linked to the Outlands, but had trouble finding the built Gateway -- so they had created a flawed one. It allowed for travel, but only a few people at a time, and they had to return before anybody else could make the trip. It wasn't likely to get any better, either -- the Empire's best scientists and sorcerers couldn't find a way to replicate the original Gateways.

It was only when Lumine reminded himself of who he was, that he calmed down.

"We've prepared for this for a long time..." "...and it seems we'll be able to settle the score with them, once and for all."

He smiled slightly, and lifted himself from that throne before extending one hand towards Leona. As Emperor and Empress, they were dressed in the finest clothes available -- most citizens couldn't even afford the fabric required for the attire that Lumine and Leona wore, even those who had the luxury of residing in the region of Augustgrad. "Come, darling. We do need to inform the public of this new menace, as well as our military -- and I'm sure that our old friend, the Bluefield, will want to know of this."

And thus, the war began anew... for the last time.

Post originally by Character_Leona Ravenholm


The lanky brunette rose from her prone position among pillows and lightly placed her fingertips against the palm of Lumine’s hand. Hands joined, their bodies naturally drifted closer to one another. Even so she kept what could be termed a polite distance between them. She had never been the type to be clingy or too forward in her actions towards Lumine.

There had been no tricks in their joining. She certainly had the ability. Even one as complex as Lumine had feelings that could be toyed with if given the correct enchantment. But to use her abilities to draw on emotions in an artificial way would have left her feeling as if the relationship were fake. She could not have created feelings that were not there, but as it happened, it was Lumine’s decision to act upon those feelings and not her powers that led him to first take her in his arms.

She had been his for the taking from practically the moment he had stepped foot within the house of her father, but she had let things progress naturally.

The stranger with the odd pale hair had entered territory of their tribe in the midst of the night. Guards had thrown up the alarm but none had dared to try and attack the pale man. A man whose face and hair glowed under the moonlight must have been sent from the gods. The man did not speak their language and he wore strange clothes. But the elders of the tribe were in awe of his ways.

He seemed to bring fire from his hands as if from magic from simple tools. And after residing among them for only a few nights, he had made improvements to their weapons. Vast improvements that made hunting easier. He had begun training their guards in unfamiliar ways of fighting and they were already showing improvements.

Ulra, their King, listened closely to what the elders said about the stranger. He bid the man attend him in his house for a feast in his honor. Ulra was wise enough to understand that this man came from another place. He believed him to have been sent by the gods to guide them. Ulra understood the man to be called Lumine and called him Lumine of the gods.

Ulra, King of the Illusia tribe, bowed down to Lumine that night and offered his daughter in his show of obedience. Ulra gave his only child Leona as wife to Lumine, so they would marry and Lumine would be Illusia’s new king. Lumine had hesitated only briefly. Leona had been bidden into the room and had entered quietly.

She was tall among her people. Her complexion, as the rest of them, was tanned. The brunette tendrils that cascaded down her back in a shimmering wave all the way to her waist complimented her tanned skin. But her eyes were the eyes of the enchanted. Liquid silver. The fire caught the bright color of that gaze and illuminated them until light danced in her eyes.

Lumine had looked neither happy nor pleased with her appearance. But the fact that she was one of the fairest among her people must have made the decision easier for he agreed to take her as wife.

Ulra rejoiced and the entire tribe feasted in celebration of the marriage of their princess to the man sent from the gods. Lumine had been courteous with his new wife. Tribal custom had forced them to share the marital bed, and Lumine had executed the act with minimal discomfort for her.

The next morning, once their union was confirmed by the elders, Ulra had given Lumine the crown of their tribe.

Lumine, King of Illusia, would only rise up from there.

The years that had passed between that night and now had been very happy for Leona. She had known that Lumine had a darkness inside of him from the moment that he had joined their tribe, but he was always careful with her. The years had given her full knowledge of the extent of that darkness. She wisely choice never to test her limits with him.

He had taught her everything; how to speak, the technology of his world, the art of warfare and weapons, even how to read and write. He had changed their world. And even though she now knew the method of his arrival in their world, sometimes she still believed the gods had sent him to her.

As they slowly move out of the throne room, she waves away the people attending them and draws him to a stop so that she may speak with him privately.

“My love, that last part of the report that I read aloud to you bothers me. Why were there no survivors? Our men, down to the very last one, is well trained and would not have tried to eradicate this group without enough men so I know they were not out numbered. Perhaps it is the discovery of the gate that they are hiding from us… But it seems as if there is more.”

She clasps his hand with both of hers, that silver gaze dropping to their joined hands to show that she means no disrespect by her questions.

“How great is this threat?”

Post originally by Character_Lumine Ravenholm


Time had passed, and whether by force or otherwise, eventually all the tribes of the region had been united under Ravenholm rule. Advanced tactics and experimental warfare created new opportunities beyond that, and gave way to other breakthroughs -- both mechanical, and magical. Two thousand years earlier, the fabled airships had been created using technology stolen from Aleris, and modified into the Outland Dreadstorms, a fleet designed to smother the enemy in bombardments of both classifications. Aerial superiority had granted the Ravenholm Empire a huge advantage; every uncontrolled territory had immediately ceased active rebellion and entered negotiations with Lumine's strategists -- a move which had seen most cities placed under occupation with new officials appointed specifically by Lumine himself. It wasn't uncommon to see a high-ranking officer promoted to the rank of Governor/ess in exchange for years of loyalty.

One example was Alasiah Bluefield, a mysterious woman who had shown up nearly two centuries after Lumine had become leader of the Illusia tribe; by that time, they were a heavily armed, technologically advanced race. Gunpowder and steam engines were in development, the last major projects that signified the coming of what they called the Halcyon Days. She had simply appeared out of nowhere, shredded two of the Illusians' best guards, and demanded to speak to the Ravenholm -- who had naturally agreed.

Leona had been present for the conversation, and that had been the first mention of the other place, where both Lumine and Alasiah came from... and their hatred of the Redmont line. The Bluefield woman was soon promoted to captain amongst the forming militia that Lumine intended to use to secure the surrounding region and protect the rapidly-growing city that would eventually become the capital of the realm, and the center of the Ravenholm Empire.

But when news of a forgotten city surfaced some eight thousand years later (roughly two thousand years prior to the present day), both Lumine and Alasiah had shown distress at the description; a place built like a fortress, albeit heavily damaged -- and a survey of the continent a year earlier showed no signs of such a city then, so it had just appeared. Lumine had explained to Leona then that it meant the Redmonts would eventually come, even if it wasn't soon. Navidium, as the city had been named, was soon surrounded by three heavily-fortified military installations and then, rebuilt with Governess Alasiah Bluefield presiding over the territory. It was prospering as it had once before, second only to the capital city itself. And the massive amount of forces stationed there allowed them to easily mobilize in the event of dissension from the northern continent.

Only the three of them knew the truth about Navidium's origins; that it had once been sought after as a base by the Redmonts themselves, and sent to the Outlands by experimenting with the magic that would eventually bring Lumine there.

After Leona had pulled him aside and issued that question, Lumine paused to consider exactly what he wanted to say. Pride came first, of course, along with the reminder that he was ruler of the Outlands -- his standing forces had to outnumber the arriving Redmont forces by at least thirty to one, if not more than that. And as the Dreadstorms had been kept secret, there was no way that his hated foes would be expecting aerial warfare. Of course he had the supreme advantage -- he had ten thousand years to get ready for the battle that laid ahead. "They are a family based upon the ruination of their enemies. Some have said war is in their blood, and my predecessor fell victim to their wrath. But we've had centuries to prepare; how can they be a threat to us? Surely, they must realize the futility of attempting to engage our forces in open warfare, and if not..."

"If not, we will obliterate the continent they stand upon, Gateway or not. We can ill afford to allow them any kind of progress," the other half of the Ravenholm duality interrupted, making it clear that despite Lumine's belief, the elder demon knew that the Redmonts could pose a threat. For a moment following the outburst of a voice that had belonged to Christopher Redmont, Lumine was utterly silent, grating his teeth against each other in annoyance. "We can't afford to lose the Gateway, either. Aleris could prove to be a problem if their insipid king were to choose to side with one of the dissident factions here, or the Redmonts. We'll send a letter to their newspaper to spread the word that any action by Aleris or other realms will be seen as an act of war by this government." Those eyes gleamed with untold malice in their verdant jade depths, as he looked at Leona. "We will leave that task to you. You possess the tact and diplomacy we lack, and we will be better suited to preparing our forces, and our Bluefield ally for what lays ahead. Redmonts... aren't gracious losers. We will take heavy casualties, as you've seen by the report, witch," the older, far more sinister voice intoned.

It was likely quite irritating for Leona, who hadn't ever seen Lumine at a loss for words; then again, the elder half of the demonic soul within was reacting for him. It had no pride to speak of, nor any morals; it would resort to actions that even their own officers would normally frown upon, which was why Lumine handled most affairs of the Ravenholm Empire.

"We do need to gauge their numbers. It's been a while, and we have no idea who's with them, and who's leading th-" "Maxim Redmont. It must be him... and no doubt, Ainsley Redmont, Jass Strata, and Daphne Redmont aren't far from him. We must assume they are at full strength; it would be foolish to do anything else!" The interruption was hissed with a certain degree of malice in both Lumine and Leona's minds, rather than spoken directly -- and both of them could detect a hint of fear behind the hatred. Maxim Redmont was a problem, one that both sides of Lumine Ravenholm wanted to resolve immediately -- and preferably, with pain. "The day we warned you about is here, Leona. Failure... will result in the destruction of of everything we've built."

"We cannot fail."