The Armageddon Chronicles.

Chapter ]I[--The Signs.

"..And the Rains fell.."

It began on a cold Stoneday morning in the year 48. Many began their
days routinely, not realizing that the signs of the coming Apocalypse
were about to pass. First-hand accounts describe it as a day colder than
usual, with the winter still a month and a half away. By the docks
in Akkad, fishmongers hawked their wares by the crack of dawn. Morning
services were held without notice in the Temple of Risla. Peasants worked
in the fields, harvesting for the winter to come.
It was in these very fields when the sign of there was the first Sign
of the Apocalyps. Warm rain began to fall on these peasants, and clouds
formed overhead throughout the land. Blood rains. Puddles of blood began
to form, collecting in the gutters and sewers of the major cities. A loud
clap of thunder was heard throughout the Realm. And as abruptly as it
began, it stopped.

* * *

Chapter IV

"....And prophets shall blasphemy....."

And during this time, a promising young Paladin grew quickly in power
and reknown throughout the Realm. She received the blessings of Celeborn,
yet did not teach his ways. Once the most devout follower of Chaos, a
student of Marghuul himself, this young woman received a new life and body
and set out on the path of the Holy Warrior. Yet she earnestly preached
the words of Risla! Euri, Priestess of Risla, the Prophet, grew in power
throughout the realm in a matter of weeks. Speaking the words of Risla,
wearing the vestments of Celeborn, and tempting the wrath of Marghuul, she
accumulated power and enemies.
And then she vanished without trace. None have seen her since.

* * *

Chapter IX

"And the Gods themselves will walk the Land..."

It was only a week after the mysterious disappearance of the Prophet
that the first God appeared. During a routine morning session in the
temple of Risla, the giant warrior rose from the pews, his gargantuan
features dwarfing even the tallest within the church. Quietly, he walked
through the streets of Akkad, past slack-jawed guards at the city gates,
and was seen walking eastward across the plains. Risla appeared not long
after, an ethereal face in the sky. A gray, saddened face, she looked
down at her works and shook her head sadly. In contrast, just a few hours
later, Marghuul sent a Minion of incredible power apon the Realm in an
attempt to bridge the gate and return to this plane. Many were slain
in battle in the plains to the east of Akkad. The screaming could be
heard from the city. There were so many deaths defending the realm that
for days those plains remained red with blood. And this is how we have
come to call them such today.. From that epic battle, the Plains of Blood
emerged. When the creature was finally struck dead by the surviving
tattered heroes of the realm, the earth moved with such violence and force
that many thought the end was apon us then. Were it only blood that we
had to worry ourselves with.
The earthquake had re-opened the chasm that led to the Temple of Dark,
where the Key to Armageddon lay for millenium untouched. The end was
near.

* * *

Chapter XIV

"..The Race Begins.."

And so it started. The Key to Armageddon lay within the ruins of the
Temple. The one who found the Artifact first would have the power to save
or shatter the Realm. The sides formed quickly.

The Forces of Darke were more organized and were able to find the
ruined dark temple first. They were the Shadowkeepers: An young and
aspiring Lord of Chaos who called himself Guns. The Legend Mistress
Enchanter Phoxy--a demon herself. And a powerful elementalist cursed
with lycanthropy, Kronos was more often a tiger than a man.
Soon, however, the representatives of Light found their way to the
structure. Dravis Darlock, Legendary War-Priest of K'Tach. The Legendary
Master Enchanter Olgad Gustavis, who had ended his solitary life in the
mountains to prevent the Apocalypse, and the cunning warrior, Valen,
provided a nearly equal match.

The chronicles are unclear what exactly happened. It is certain the
two groups fought for opposing purposes. They must have walked the same,
ruined halls of that evil structure. Did they exchange words? Did they
even know of each other's presence? This will remain shrouded in the
mists of time, unanswered questions to unimportant issues.

* * *

CHAPTER XVII

"...And all shall Die. And there will be Armageddon."

Regardless of the historic controversies, one thing is certain. The
Forces of Darke prevailed, and the cold, ambitious Lord of Chaos held the
Key to Armeggedon aloft in his hands. A great keening was hard throughout
the realm. Powerful magics caused dogs to bray in the streets, although
it was the middle of the day. The oceans boiled, the heavens opened and
coins fell in the streets. It snowed in the desert. A woman in Vo'Sangor
gave birth to a goat. The elven King Fir'burger was overcome with
hysterical fits of laughter and died with tears streaming down his cheeks.
Several seraph and sword-demon blinked out of existence, called to their
planes.

Holding the Artifact in his hands, Guns found himself facing a choice.
He sensed he could crush the Artifact as easily as summon the Apocalypse.
His choice was quick and decisive. He was young. He was curious. He
craved power. He activated Armageddon.
More creatures fell that day in death than the world had ever
experienced. Guns fell to the ground dead, a victim of his own
curiousity, the Artifact dissolving in his already lifeless hands. Many
who had the means followed the example set by the seraphs, were quick
enough to escape this plane of existence. Others, like Dravis and Olgad,
were trapped within the ruins of the temple and faced Apolcalypse. There
was only Chaos, Screaming, and Confusion. Death fell like a blanket
across the land, enshrouding it in darkness.

* * *

Good men must die, but death cannot kill their names.

--Garkin, Enchanter Chronicler

Skullday, Biggus 9, 50.

Addendum.
It is guessed by this chronicler that the artifact may yet exist..And
we may find ourselves again facing another Apocalypse should the key fall
into the wrong hands. I hope it never does.