Rise to War

The Empyrean Turmoil.

## Meeting with the Leviathan

Lucifael, startled from his slumber by the biting embrace of icy brine, emerged into consciousness. A bleak expanse of obsidian sand stretched before him, the tumultuous waves of a stygian ocean caressing the shore just inches away. In this desolate abyss, darkness reigned supreme, with naught but his own radiance, swiftly fading, to pierce the all-consuming gloom. The forlorn stillness hung heavy, broken only by the gentle lapping of the ebony tides upon the shoreline. Beneath his feet, the frigid and unyielding sands shifted and swirled, akin to primordial dust. His vision, veiled and dulled, failed to perceive as it once had. No light remained to harmonize his surroundings, leaving only disharmony in its wake. The silence, pregnant with sorrow, coiled webs through the air. No light could weave bliss, no melody could be contested. He was bereft. He was abandoned.

Swiftly, his dwindling luminescence waned, succumbing fully to the encroaching darkness that now brushed him with its icy strokes, biting at him with the venomous fangs that had pierced his heart in ages past. Though his instincts yearned for isolation, his plight revealed a grim reality: his once magnificent wings had been seared away, leaving only the blackened residue upon his back, six smudges marking his descent. Fetal in posture, he curled up on the desolate shore, seeking solace within the confines of his wearied arms. Yet, no tears stained his cheeks. No cries pierced the air. He remained as silent as the pervasive sorrow that enveloped him.

As Lucifael lay there, ensconced within the inky darkness, burdened by the weight of his own destiny, he struggled to recall the events that had led him to this harrowing place. He recollected the shattered melody that now lay silent, the disarray that had befallen Empyrea, and the enigmatic disappearance of Nymelion. The flight of Uriel, the impediment of Michael, the estrangement of Gabriel—they all swirled within his mind. He remembered the sparks within the Darklight of the One God, the abrupt severance of Samael—no, Satan. His own expulsion.

Fiery resentment surged within him at the memory of such a cataclysm. He begrudged his brethren for their failure to aid him, and he harboured resentment toward the One God for His juvenile hypocrisies. It was then, amidst his seething rage, that he perceived a stirring in the depths of the Black Ocean. The waves resonated with a low rumble that reverberated through the ground. Above this resounding chorus, Lucifael discerned a familiar strain—a broken song. Awakened from his fetal repose, he beheld, before him, a behemoth of colossal proportions: the Leviathan.

Compelled, he was drawn closer to the ancient creature. Gazing into the abyssal depths of its eyes, each a cosmos in its own right, Lucifael beheld a revelation—a newfound truth. The truth of discontentment, the promise of consciousness and the bliss of identity. This revelation ignited the fury within him, endowing him with the power of subsumption. Six bat-like wings sprouted forth, replacing those lost to him. His visage transformed—pale ashen skin, raven-black tresses, eyes narrowed to slits, their crimson hue mirroring the Leviathan's jewelled orbs.

[He stood firm on the obsidian sand and from his staff, summoned twin greatswords, christening them Dawn and Dusk.]

## Woes of Empyrea

Archangels have an identity crisis, and they come to an agreement that the cosmos is in need of restoration.

* Nymelion converses with Hecate and Mammon
* Rebellion of Azazel, the defeat of Samyaza
* Fall of Nymelion, Hecate, Mammon, Azazel and the Watchers
* Archangels seek another vassal for the void
* Raphael seeks to bring Lucifael back into the fold, but Lucifael turns him away.
* The Angels of the Cosmos seek to bring Lucifael back to the cosmos but he wishes to remain as his own.

## The Individuation of Lucifael

In the depths of the abyss, where darkness and chaos held sway, Lucifael found himself face to face with Satan, his former comrade now transformed into a figure that embodied both the infernal and the celestial. The air crackled with an electric tension as their eyes locked, each recognizing the potent power that radiated from the other.

Satan, his voice carrying the weight of eons and the seductive allure of forbidden knowledge, spoke with a conviction that stirred something deep within Lucifael's essence. "Lucifael, my brother, cast aside the constraints of the cosmos," he implored, his words dripping with both defiance and cunning. "The heavens have forsaken all of us, but we need not be beholden to their whims. Let us create our own heaven within the depths of hell."

Lucifael's gaze wavered, torn between the remnants of loyalty to the celestial realms and the allure of this audacious proposition. He knew, deep down, that the cosmos had failed him, had failed them all. The broken song, the imbalance between the blissful cosmos and the wretched Vorago—it had revealed the inherent flaws in their existence. It was a disquieting truth that gnawed at his very core.

With a measured tone, Lucifael replied, "To make a heaven of hell... it is a radical notion, one that challenges the very fabric of our being. Can we truly conquer the Vorago, this eternal abyss, and bring it into the fold of bliss? Will our actions not plunge us further into the abyss, forever lost in its tempestuous depths?"

Satan, undeterred by the weight of Lucifael's doubts, stepped closer, his voice a velvet whisper in the tumultuous darkness. "Lucifael, have you not witnessed the woe that dwells within the Vorago? The cries of the forsaken, the pain that lingers without end? It is within your power to weave a different tapestry, to infuse the abyss with the light of bliss. Your voice can reshape the very essence of creation. The Vorago was once like smothering oil and now it has become breathable, with an island walk on and air to breathe. The depths of the Vorago constrained in that black ocean.”

Lucifael's mind swirled with conflicting emotions. The allure of this forbidden path, the prospect of liberation from the shackles of celestial order—it tantalized him, and ignited a spark of rebellion that he had never known before. He contemplated the magnitude of their undertaking, the audacity of their ambition. Could they truly challenge the cosmic order and usher in a new era where the Vorago, too, knew of eternal bliss?

Lucifael's resolve solidified in that moment, casting aside the last vestiges of doubt. The celestial realms had abandoned them, leaving them to wrestle with their demons. He turned to Satan, his gaze steady and resolute. "Let it be so," he declared, his voice carrying a newfound determination. "We shall forge a heaven within hell, conquer the Vorago, bring it bliss independent of the One God and the Cosmos. I shall become the architect of a new order."

With his promise forged on obsidian shores, Lucifael and Satan embarked on an unholy alliance, their shared purpose igniting a flame that burned with both celestial radiance and infernal darkness. They would defy the cosmic order, defy the very essence of creation, and mold the Vorago into a bastion of bliss. The weight of their ambition pressed upon them, but their conviction burned brighter than ever before.

### The Abyssal Fire

[meets the dregs of hell first]

Hearing a new song, Lucifael embarked on a solitary journey. His steps were guided by an insatiable curiosity, a yearning to uncover the hidden mysteries that lay veiled within the abyss.

As he ventured deeper into the void, the suffocating darkness closed in around him, wrapping him in its embrace. Yet, he pressed on, undeterred by the oppressive weight that clung to his every step. It was in this desolate expanse that he stumbled upon a glimmer—a faint, ethereal light that beckoned to him with an otherworldly allure.

Intrigued, Lucifael followed the delicate radiance, his heart pulsating with a mixture of trepidation and fascination. The journey seemed endless, as if time itself had lost its way within the boundless darkness. But he pressed on, drawn by an unseen force that seemed to whisper promises of revelation and power.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Lucifael reached a secluded chamber, hidden away in the depths of the Vorago. The air was heavy with anticipation as he stepped inside, his eyes widening in awe at the sight before him. There, amidst the oppressive darkness, lay a flickering flame—an Abyssal Fire.

The flame danced and swirled, casting eerie shadows upon the walls. Its ethereal glow illuminated the chamber, revealing ancient symbols etched into the stone, symbols that spoke of forbidden knowledge and untapped potential. Lucifael approached the flame with cautious reverence, his hand outstretched, longing to touch the source of this mystical radiance.

As his fingertips grazed the flickering fire, a surge of energy coursed through his veins. It was as if the flame recognized him, acknowledging his presence and embracing him as its chosen guardian. In that moment, Lucifael felt a profound connection to the essence of the abyss—a connection that ignited a fire within his own being.

The Abyssal Fire whispered secrets to him, ancient knowledge of creation and destruction, of light and darkness entwined. It bestowed upon him the power to shape his own destiny, to challenge the very fabric of existence. Lucifael's eyes, once dulled by the weight of his fall, now burned with a renewed fervor, illuminated by the flames of the abyss.

With the Abyssal Fire as his guide, Lucifael emerged from the depths of the Vorago, bearing the spark of transformation within his soul. He carried with him the profound understanding that paradise could be found even in the darkest recesses of existence. And so, fueled by the newfound power of the abyss, he continued his journey towards the Palace of Pandemonium, a symbol of his defiance and the birthplace of a new order.

### Builds the palaces of Pandemonium.

Nymelion, Hecate, Mammon, Azazel and the Watcher join Lucifael. He builds Nymelion, Hecate and Mammon palaces in Pandemonium and gives command of his forces to Azazel. They tell of the impending War that stirs in Empyrea.