Nightmaregoddess and Spellbinder

[Nightmaregoddess]

Deep beneath the ancient, abandoned chapel of Hallor, lay an ceremonial chamber with the sole purpose of raising the demons who dwell in Hallor, The Third Shadow of Hell. The entire room was floored, walled, and roofed with slabs of polished obsidian. The craftsmanship was so fine that only upon close inspection could one see the cracks between the slabs of glassy rock. Indeed it was as if the room had been carved from the stuff and polished later. The room was forty paces long, twenty paces wide, and four pairs of white marble pillars connected the floor to the ceiling, evenly spaced down it's length. In the dead center of the room lay a ring of marble embedded into the floor, and around that ring were nine people dressed in white robes, kneeling and chanting.

"Calla....neetra.....dora....calla....neetra.....dora..." The chant cycled over and over without end. The nine people rocking back and forth on their knees, their backs lit by torches hanging from the walls, casting eerie shadows throughout the room. One man stood up and threw back his hood, then cast his hands up into the air.

"EX"TERRA! HEED ME! We humble mortal creatures beg of you to accept our modest display of fealty and hear out our plea! By blood begun!" He drew a ceremonial blade from his robe and cut a ragged line down his cheek, then sliced across his palm and squeezed out some blood into the ring. "By blood be done!" He then went around the circle, repeating the words and cuts on each person until he came back to the circle.

"I beg you mistress of naught! Lady of Hells Shadow! Hear us! Grant us audience!" As he continued the ritual the blood drops in the circle began to expand until it nearly filled the ring. The worshipers chanted louder and louder, becoming more and more enthralled by the ceremony until a small army could march down the stairs to the summoning chamber and they would not notice before a sword was pressed to their cheek.