Black Pathogen: Season One

## About:

The first season of Black Pathogen: Spread of Artharis follows an ex-Paladin named Reije Mensela, who works as a bounty hunter in the High Interior. It's revealed that Reije left the Paladins after a failed mission on Hanikol in the Northern Commune, where her partner Bov Vanara reportedly went missing. The Paladin War Council refused to search for Reije's partner, as they had felt a dark presence on the desert world; causing her to lose hope in the organization's cause and live out her days taking up bounties.

The Season also follows two more ex-Paladins named Serena and Mordred, who were shunned from the warrior order after investigating the secrets of Black Magick from a realm of The Void called the Dark Ruin. They showed extreme violence to get their information, even killing a few Paladins protecting the Vault of Knowledge on Varrados. This caused them to be exiled and marked with tattoos called the Dishonored Runes across their bodies that disenchant them, no longer making them Voidbornes.

Episodes:

## Summary:

### The Meeting of Kerloth:

The overall story of the Season starts out with a curious Reije going back to Hanikol, where she ends up running into Serena and Mordred, who were called to the desert world by a mysterious dark being. The two twins were under the impression that Reije had been called to the world as well, asking her to join them in their quest through the dunes. Realizing that something unusual was going on, and that it may be connected with the disappearance of Bov, she deceives the two exiles and claims she had been summoned to the world as well.

Together, the three travel the Bleeding Dunes of Marzeyek and find a gigantic, crashed monolith, and enter it to find a tall humanoid named Kerloth. Kerloth explains to the three via telepathy that he's from The Void, and that his realm-traversing Traveller crashed on Hanikol not too long ago. He also tells them that his kind knows of the Paladins of Artharis, and that he's developed a weapon which he calls "The Black" that's been prophesied to bring "peace" to the Overealm. When Serena asks why he called out to them, Kerloth explains that he's been watching the Paladins of Artharis for a long time, witnessing their self-righteous tyranny from afar. He called out to them because he was in need of allies who were once members of the warrior order, and later betrayed by them in some way. He wishes to use The Black to restore order to the Artharis Nebula, and wants them to join him so they may live in a better Overealm.

While Kerloth explains all of this to the three, Reije is looking around and sees the dead body of her old partner Bov, hanging from a mechanical spike. This immediately sets her into combat, grabbing Serena with her sword and pointing her gun at Kerloth. She tells them all that this "freaky shit" is over with, and that they're under going to pay for killing Bov. Kerloth just chuckles however, saying how now he gets to show everyone the true power of "The Black." He then shoots some black, flying goo onto Bov's body, which revives the Saichenomaran Paladin completely. It turns him into a grey-skinned zombie, and he picks up his swords and charges at Reije. The two have a small sword fight, with Reije trying to talk some sense into an unresponsive Bov. She is bested by her old partner, and is forced to retreat out of the Traveller of Kerloth. When Serena and Mordred ask if they should go after Reije, Kerloth says she'll never make it offworld because he's tasking the twins with taking Hanikol's capital city of Kastrikal.