Guild History
Table of Contents
THE EXILED ARE BACK!!
"When the weak are suppressed, they will
always unite and return"
(Before LSD started UO, EQ, DAoC, SB, EQ2, WoW, or any of its other games, it was a guild of another game called NeverWinter Nights (NWN), an AD&D online game by SSI on AOL. As of April 19th 1997, NWN was terminated and LSD was drawn with a little problem. We no longer had a home or game to play in. We did not fall apart like other guilds much larger and powerful than us, but instead stuck it out to find another home. The first game we found was The Realm. We were unsuccessful in creating a guild there since it was not too welcoming to guilds. Parts I and II of this story were written while we were playing NWN, and are epilogues of the Lost Soldiers of Darkness and include the History of the Guild; thus, we kept them in the Charter).
Darkness Chronicles: Part 1
Two Soldiers of Darkness, lost after a return from a Dungeon where they had just recently slain the remainder of the Ogre infestation of a nearby town stumble towards a run-down farm. Laying next to one of the fields was a small dilapidated cottage. Although this cottage did not look the safest of places, it was getting dark, and the two men decided there would be the safest of places nearby to rest for the night and get their bearings in the morning when the visibility was better. The two Soldiers, Darius and Azhemin, bearing the symbol of the Dragon and the Moon on their chests walked into this cottage to surprisingly see an Old Man in a rocking chair, his hands clasped together, almost awaiting their arrival.
Darius and Azhemin looked to each other with a puzzled look on their faces, and then back to the Old Man to greet him. "Good Evening Sir, we mean you no harm. We expected this place to be abandoned", stated Azhemin.
The Old man replied, "Oh no, as you see it isn't… please come in, rest your weary bones, and give this Old Man some company tonight". "Much appreciated," as Darius nodded, and began to lay his equipment on the flood and take a seat.
Azhemin followed as the Old Man began once more, "Those symbols on your chests… I've seen them before, but not for a very long time." "We are Lost Soldiers of Darkness!" exclaimed Darius with some pride gleaming from him.
The Old Man began to chuckle and Darius quickly replied, "Do you find humor in this!?!" as he rose from his chair, obviously very insulted by the remark.
"No no, sit sit… I mean you no insult," he stated as the Old Man continued to chuckle, even with Darius, a large sized fellow, geared up from head to toe in full-plate and looking quite menacing. "A new recruit I take it?"
"I'm not new, I've been a member
for 4 months!" he replied. "That's pretty new in my books…" Darius
sat back down and scoffed.
Azhemin turned to Darius and said, "Darius, do not shame our guild by not
showing to be a good guest to our host here." Darius soon wised up, as
he knew Azhemin to be right.
"Well then, as I was saying, it has been far too long since I've see the Dragon and the Moon together in harmony anywhere in these lands. I have known of your guild far before even the Golden Age, to the formation of your fine guild."
"Everyone knows how it was formed", Azhemin replied. "It's imperative that all Soldiers know our fable history".
"Ahh, yes but do they know they period of the guild's Banishment?" retorted the Old Man.
"You mean of Lord Nasher's ancestors curse on the Lord Avatar to the Abyssal Plane?" replied Azhemin.
"Yes… the 100 years of torture those poor souls went through. It was terrible," spoke the Old Man. "No one knows of that era, not even Lothar!" blurted Darius. "Only the Founding 5 know," Azhemin interjected, "and they have long since disappeared".
"That's because Lothar never went through that portal, he remained in Neverwinter while his brother Darkness and the others disappeared".
"How do you know all this old man?" asked Azhemin…
The Old Man quickly cut Azhemin short, not even answering his question and continued talking…
"To understand what happened,
you have to understand the Abyssal Plane. It's a place unknown to most, you
have to be there to fully comprehend it, but I'll try to explain it to you.
Every second of your existence… there's war. From the moment you enter, till
your last breath."
The Old Man looked down at the floor as he was speaking, with a certain look
on pain in his face…
"The moment they entered they were under siege. It was impossible to avoid
it. It seemed they stumbled upon a battlefield of rival kingdoms, and they joined
to eliminate the newest threat"
The old man closed his eyes and a visible shudder overtook him. The images were so fresh in his memory, almost like a reoccurring nightmare…
"In the first few moments, many died. Some men and women of incredible power, it was all for naught. No matter how many they killed the Horde kept rushing on."
The old man was sweating profusely, his fists gripping onto the arms of the chair, visibly shaken from the retelling of this story. Darius and Azhemin looked at each other, and then back at the old man, skeptical that this was the true history of their guild. Then again, they were intrigued and allowed him to continue uninterrupted.
"There was Tyglacerin, the Strong, whose mighty sweeps with his halberd kept the hordes at bay, until the soldiers could find their bearings and organize an effective counterattack. Lady Eramus, who fell to the ground, going beyond her physical means to launch barrage after barrage of magic. Lady Anduisua and Lady Bartolea, two of the highest noblewomen of old Neverwinter, picking up the arms of fallen soldiers and charging into combat, alongside the common soldiers. Karnnon, the Quick danced along battle lines, his daggers silencing the voices of the Horde commanders, even before they knew he was alongside them.
"As you know, the Lost Soldiers of Darkness are trained excellently, but they derived their strength from their leader… the King Abyss, who at this point was still weak and unable to stand due to The Curse that was placed upon him"
The old man sighed and continued...
"It took them the better half of an hour to find a defensible position, an abandoned castle, and it was then that they started to hold back the enemy. It was a great sight to see, the soldiers of darkness at their best, the full glory of battle spread out before them. The only regret these soldiers had is that none of the daring exploits of their fellow warriors would ever be known to the sages and the bards of the time.
In the minutes that followed, one by one, the heroes of the army were struck down…
Tyglacerin was overwhelmed when he charged the first wave by himself, ordering his men to stay and protect the Fallen King. Even after taking more than twenty arrows to the chest, he still managed to continue fighting, when his halberd broke, he used the bodies of the fallen to continue to battle. It took the better half of a hundred men to bring him to his knees, and eventually behead him.
Lady Eramus awoke in time to launch
one final barrage of magic into the horde. Hundreds of men and beasts died in
those seconds, but her assault left her lying lifeless on the floor, her body
drained by the magic that had coursed through her body.
Karnnon led the first group to secure the castle, the resident of the castle,
a great wyrm, and him battled to a stalemate until he let the wyrm swallow him,
just to kill the beast from within. Karnnon's body was never found…
Lady Andrusia and Lady Bartolea volunteered for the rear guard as the army withdrew to the castle, as the main group left, they were seen to be overwhelmed. They, along with a hundred of the army's bravest died in that glorious battle, so as to distract the horde for the King's body to be moved into the castle to be revived."
The Old Man stopped talking for awhile, and stared blankly into the fireplace. Azhemin glanced over at Darius once again and knew they were thinking the same thing… This man talks of this like he was there. Yet none of the people he's mentioned was in the lore of the guild. Obviously there was more to this old man than your common farmer. Either that or he was extremely senile and took a clever turn to the history of their guild. Before either of them could place their thoughts to words, the old man continued…
"It was in the final moments when it happened. The King awoke from his brush with death and with a roar, stood up, in the courtyard of his new castle. His soldiers around him… many nursing injuries; but none of them would stop fighting. He glanced around him to see many of his best men defeated. There were only four left, Eclips, The Holy, Pyscho, the Dark, and Dragon, the Shadow. Those three were the Commanders of each division in the army; their worth was proven to him time and time again. The last one was a brash young knight, who had not yet proven himself to the king, but showed enormous potentional. He came to be the last of the Founding 5, Lord Darkness.
The King grabbed his sword from his scabbard and raised it into the air, his soldiers rallied around him and at that most inopportune moment, the gates crashed down as the horde streamed in. With the king back among his soldiers and leading each charge, the horde was driven back to whence they came."
The old man stopped there and leaned against the chair, thick beads of sweat could be seen on his forehead, as if the recounting of this story took something out of him.
Darius leaned forward and stared
at the old man…
"Who are you??"
Darkness Chronicles: Part 2
(Coming soon)
A
hundred years ago, Lord Nasher's ancestor beat back a great horde of men, in a
titanic battle, the Lord Avatar slew Nasher's ancestor, but was driven back by
his Army. The dark army fought
valiantly, but was defeated. Many were killed, but none of them deserted. Using
every last ounce of magic he had left, Nasher's ancestor cast the Lord Avatar
and his army into the abyss. Then, before Nasher's ancestor could finish
Sealing the portal, and finishing his curse, he
died.
On it was scribed:
In the background of the tablet, was an insignia
of a Dragon flying in the air with the Moon behind him. The Dragon, seeing no
harm, flew up to the reflection of the full moon, and assumed the pose in the
tablet. Then, the tablet grew, and locked itself into a wall. It slowly grew
into a portal, and out stepped the Lord Avatar. The Dragon Flew Down, and
instantly, felt healed, just being in the presence of this man. The Lord Avatar
looked at the Dragon, and claimed "DeathWing, Our Savior!" as he
raised a sword into the air. The Dragon Roared out its approval.
The
Lord Avatar then said. "100 years have passed since our exile into the
abyss.
Freed by the power of the Moon and the Dark
Dragon ... we are finally back. Now we have made our way back to NeverWinter. Now we wait for the day
where we can reclaim our lost positions as rulers of NeverWinter and spread our
power. Then the throne of Lord Nasher will once again be in the hands of the
Lord Avatar!!" The Soldiers who stepped out of the portal yelled out their
encouragement.
------------------------------------------------1 year later------------------------------------------------
(During
the next year LSD grew and prospered, but the Lord Avatar did not look as
strong as he once looked. It seemed
that the Lord Avatar had grown ill and could no longer support his own
guild. It was said when the Ancestor of
Nasher cast the Lord Avatar into the Abyss; he also put a curse on him that
would one-day kill him. Because the
Lord Avatar was sick there was not a true leader to look to, The High Council
Members had all been putting in their best to deal with the responsibilities of
GM. No ordinary person could run this
job, though the Lord Avatar was no person, he himself was a Deity. LSD started to lose spirit. A war started, but it was not with another
guild; it was us).
The Remaining Soldiers Sauntered into the new
found Guild Hall. There was destruction everywhere. The only thing that
remained unscathed was the Dragon Insignia painted on the floor of the High
Council room where many members knelt while they asked questions and thanked
them for their promotions. Many of their fellow soldiers now lay dead on the
ground. Slowly, they moved around and tried to figure out what went wrong. The
memories came back to them, as a nightmare always reoccurs. The enemies of LSD Poured into the
Courtyard, and Many Brave soldiers rushed head on, to slow their advance. Many
a Brave soldier died that hour. They made their advance into the Base of LSD,
and into the Grand Hall. There, the weakened Lord Avatar, and his most trusted
companions waited for the enemy. A great battle raged, but in the end, the
weakened Lord Avatar was slain, and so were most of his members. This man may have not won if the Lord Avatar
was at his full strength. Then someone
spoke; " It was all the Lord Avatar's Fault!" yelled one rebellious
soldier. " It was..."
A Bolt of Lightning stole his next Word. He
looked down Stupidly, and saw the Hole in his chest. He fell onto his knees,
and dropped dead. All eyes went to the door. Standing there, was a man, Dressed
in all black, with the Dragon Insignia on his Platemail. His Gauntlet glowed;
Blue from the Lightning Bolt.
All
was silent when he walked to the center of the room. " Our Lord Avatar, is
Dead, and we, the remaining faithful, have come back, to fulfill his Dying
Wish. We Lost that War, not because of our Lord Avatar, But because of our Own
Weakness. We were once the Lost
Soldiers, but we are no more. We have found a place in NeverWinter. We have
found a purpose in our meager lives. We will avenge our Lord Avatar, and
fulfill his Wish. We will become the guild, which all will fear. The simple
mentioning of our name, will strike fear into people's hearts."
The
Lord Avatar's powers left his body and took the form of DeathWing, it then
spoke, "Though my body is dead my power remains, and I can carry it in one
of you, though this may not be anybody, it must be one of leadership and
commitment. You, you are the one."
As the Lord Avatar pointed to a man dripped in blood from the fight in the back
of the crowd. Bent over taking huge
breathes the man stepped forward to reveal his face. It was Lothar, Holy Knight of the First Knights and High Council
member. Lothar walked towards the
Dragon. He then got down on one knee
and bowed his head to the mighty beast.
"Lothar, you have shown yourself worthy of Being a true leader and
spent hours on end to satisfy the needs of our members weather they be Dragon
Knight or Squire. That is what a real
leader is about, suiting the needs of thy members. You shall now behold the powers of the Dragon and the Moon; you
shall decide weather the Darkness reigns over the sun covered by the Moon. Though your powers may be weakened at first,
you'll soon be at full power in no time.
If you are to venture outside this Plane, you shall experience the same
thing, though your powers will come back slower, you are no longer a man, you
are now a God, a Deity, an Avatar!
-------------------------------------------Many Months Later-------------------------------------
As the New Lord Avatar stepped in as the new
Guild Master, and sat in the royal throne, he thought how the old Lord Avatar
left him with much work to be done. He
said, "I cannot take this sitting down." He stood up and quickly ran to his quarters. For days and nights he say at his desk
writing new ideas for the guild. He
only hoped the guild could support itself while he tried to turn the guild
around. After weeks of work at his
table, Lothar noticed change in the guild.
Though many did not see the improvements because things were not good,
they were just better. Lothar chose a
new Ranking system which many objected to, but was harder for members to attain
the positions sitting below High Council, instead members had less quests to do
and more leadership skills to show.
After two weeks Lothar had worked at his new job well but there wasn't
enough time and members were getting impatient. One night he went walking through the halls of the Head Quarters
and glanced at the Bulletin Board and noticed a new post. It read, "NeverWinter has been attack
by a powerful wizard." Lothar
thought it was a joke, he thought how one human could conquer all of the NWs
and all the guilds including the Soldiers of Darkness be destroyed. Although; if it was true, not even he could
stop it because his powers were not at full power yet. He woke the next day walking down the same
hall and noticed it was covered with new posts from every single member in LSD. Lothar's heart started to beat faster. As he read the unbelievable letters he
thought to himself, "Why now?"
He started to pace back and forth in his quarters. He then sat back at his table and began to
write his own letter, actually they were not letters, they were more like
speeches. He was finally ready to make
his speech, he told a private to gather a meeting in the Guild Hall. As he stepped to the stand, many members
were puzzled what this was about. He
then spoke, "Loyal Members of LSD, we have faced everything imaginable
that could go wrong in a guild and have overcome them. If we joined with our allies and enemies we
can easily destroy any Wizard weather he be Elminster himself! The time has come where every single guild
in NeverWinter has a common enemy and we shall lead this fight to
victory." Although the Lord Avatar
had no idea how powerful this man was, his members took it well, as they all
charged at the assault. The Wizard
barely moved as he cast wishes upon wishes of death and decay. This war of NeverWinter versus one Man went
on for almost 2 months. Finally someone
fell, though it was not the Wizard, the walls of NeverWinter collapsed and soon
the Lost Soldiers of Darkness no longer had a headquarters to go back to. Lothar motioned his men to retreat to
LongSaddle, which still stood. Their
LSD made camp and Lothar said, "I need Scouts on the Double…who shall
volunteer?" Every single member
rose their hands, "good then, lets get to work!" For the next few weeks members were cast
into other realms: Through the teleporters, to other planes in LongSaddle
Under. The first Realm to be discovered
was the land of Britannia. Although
this land was new, and huge, it was also blocked from getting to as of yet. Only through the pools of guidance, could
you see the land that showed much to stare about, though it would have to wait,
and LSD kept looking.
The next place to be found was plainly called
The Realm. A name used by a lot of
people for the city of NeverWinter and its surroundings. Dough, the new AGM of LSD and Ace, the
Captain of the Darkness Elite both journeyed there and had settled down. They sent word that weather or not LSD went
here, this is where they would be. This
put the Guild in a problem….
We later moved to The Realm, but our stay there
wasn't too long, the mist soon rose and the world was mostly destroyed as well
as our strengths, the mists made us weaker, and we quickly retreated to another
land we had heard of which was called Britannia. This world was much larger, a most powerful goal to try and
accomplish. The Soldiers were up to the
job. It shall be our home, now and
forever, and if anything ever comes to attack it again, we will be ready for
it, because…
"We are Soldiers, and we do what
is expected of us."
-------------------------------------------Another Year Later---------------------------------------
After
the Lost Soldiers of Darkness members settled into their new
Unfortunately,
things did not turn out the way everyone wanted it to go. Members spent little
time going out of their homes and continuing the legacy that is and was LSD.
Lothar remained Dormant himself while Taran worked hard to keeps things alive.
He himself, regretfully, did not have much time to do his duties. The guild
suffered terribly, but there was nothing he could do for LSD. LSD still had not
reached its golden age once again, and members wondered if it would ever get to
the size it once was. Lothar reappeared once in awhile to see how things were
going, he felt sad that things weren't in the best of shape, but it was no
longer his duties. He was now just another elder, there to watch and give
guidance to those who needed it. Members started to get upset with what was
happening, and a little power struggle arose which was quickly extinguished by
the Lord Avatar and the Elders. People started talking about wanting to change
the whole system of things because they weren't working for the guild in its
current size. The High Council agreed as well.
One
day Taran met up with Lothar and Dough, who was once the other Baron and now
another Elder. They met up in Britannia and sat down to discuss the fate of LSD.
They spoke of how and what would be done to restructure the charter and then the
guild. Taran said if he had some work lifted off his back, he would be able to
do what he's been trying to do for a year, and that was to summon forth the
power of the "web" to create a "Lost Soldiers of Darkness Home
Page." This would surely aid us in making new recruits join the guild. The
only problem is that he wouldn't be able to do this while being Lord Avatar for
the other problems he has to deal with. Lothar knew what Taran was getting at,
but he wasn't at leisure to take up the responsibility with that power again.
Taran just came out with the question asking if Lothar would return as Lord
Avatar and lead them to their Golden Age again. Lothar agreed and once again,
the powers of the Deity, the Lord Avatar were passed back to him. His elderly
age regressed back to an immortal with the power of DeathWing, and the Essence
of the Moon. Thus the renewing of the Lost Soldiers of Darkness begins….
The
first step the Lord Avatar took once he came back was from the advice and
knowledge of a new land. Norrath, a place that had been discovered by several
people. Many old members who had left Britannia and ones who have been waiting
patiently for a place they could call home were to move here. The Lord Avatar
took up the opportunity to gain a foothold in these new lands with many other
members. Over the next few months, our numbers grew rapidly there. While Lothar
maintained both the rank of Abyssal Lord and Lord Avatar for the infancy of this
Division, he finally thought it time for his second in command, Ace, now known
to all as Azrael to be given the powers to command the legions of the division.
Lothar
returned to Britannia to find it doing quite well under the command of Abyssal
Lord Belzadar and Baron Gorath. Numbers had risen to new highs here, and we had
hit a short Golden Age. Anywhere you would go, you’d see a Soldier of
Darkness. Unfortunately, history repeated itself once more for LSD. Just like
the great influx in Neverwinter, where in a few months, we went from the 5
founding members, to 100 strong, LSD shook at its peak, and the numbers came
crumbling down, things went bad for awhile. Belzadar and Gorath were having less
time to share with the guildmates, and so did the Lord Avatar. This caused a
drop in activity.
Meanwhile,
in Norrath, Azrael had worked his magic in raising LSD’s numbers in the now
over-populated lands. Azrael would soon command a size larger than LSD had ever
had, in Britannia or Neverwinter. Lothar was extremely happy to see this. He
then started turning his attention to the expansion of the Lost Soldiers of
Darkness into farther lands. He searched the waters and lands. To his great
surprise more than a handful of lands were found. Unfortunately, only one of
these lands could be reached. It seemed no one wanted to move these lands
though, so Lothar looked towards other lands. He saw something in the corner of
his eye…
Neverwinter!?!
Impossible! He rubbed his eyes, to see if he was seeing some sort of magical
illusion. NO! It was true, it was there. A sudden emotion came over the Lord
Avatar. Lothar’s birthplace, the birthplace of the Lost Soldiers of Darkness,
and the lands the Lord Avatar had once controlled was once again there, and not
in Ruins, it was almost like when he had left. Something was different though.
He wanted to check further, but he could not, it was not reachable yet. Lothar
pushed the awesome powers he had gained while in the abyssal plain, but to no
avail, the barrier would not budge. He was shocked, and furious with this, but
he decided to sit and wait and watch. He spread the word to all of the 12
members that had come with Lothar out of Neverwinter of the reappearance, and
they too felt a great longing to return, weather or not it may be a different
reality of the original, it was home, their home.
Belzadar’s
Division in Britannia had gone up once more, and regained its foothold, only to
have it fall apart after the betrayal and deception of several members. The
Shadow Guard went into full action once more, after being dormant for so long,
and learned of some interesting things. We had been scarred, but all was better;
or was it? No, we didn’t regain our numbers, we continued to drop, we had hit
an all time low in Britannia. Why was this? Perhaps the own aging of the lands,
and the appearance of all these new lands, took the good people from Britannia.
The Lord Avatar noticed this to be partially true. But LSD was at fault also; it
had lacked a full High Council for a long time. It is something he realized
needed to be fixed.
Azrael’s
Division in Norrath had hit a peak of 160 members, almost the combined numbers
of the
Unfortunately,
Azrael’s time in Norrath was decreasing fast. He was rarely seen in the lands.
The High Council pleaded for him to do something. He did not respond. Finally,
one member of the High Council, Wistie took a stand, started pushing to keep
Guild Activity going, she had stabilized a crumbling Division, she also
contacted the Lord Avatar for his advice. Azrael finally returned and saw the
wonders Wistie had done. When Azrael finally stepped down, Lothar had to choose
a New Abyssal Lord, and it came no supprise that Wistie was the one. She had
become our first female Abyssal Lady and helped push the guild back up on its
feet. Finally a sadness came over the Division held in Norrath. A plague swept
over the Soldiers of Darkness. Several started leaving for new lands, like they
were starting to do in Britannia. Nothing seems to have replaced Neverwinter as
a good home to its most loyal of citizens, the Lost Soldiers of Darkness. Again
the Search was on…
The
lands Lothar had found, were finally almost ready to open their portals to us,
and let up their barriers so that we could traverse to them. Neverwinter as well
as a newer land called
Gorath
who had recently been appointed to Abyssal Lord after Belzadar had left the
lands of Britannia finally had expressed great interest with several older
member from our days in Neverwinter with also members who had left Britannia and
Norrath to all meet in this new lands. We soon had easily 30 current members
living there within a Moon’s cycle. We hadn’t even started to recruit and we
already had a excellent number to start a new Division. The best chance yet for
LSD. Gorath took charge in
There
was yet one last land to be discovered though. It had been spotted very early
on, but the powers that blocked its entrance were very strong, and would not let
us in. It was a world in total devistation. This new Realm, although the looks
of it at first, with its Black Sun, and blood soaked soil may not look like
somewhere LSD might want to Settle, it has shown great potential. Unlike the
three lands of
While
Britannia and Norrath’s Divisions may be weary, they still persevere.
------------------------------------Almost Two Years Later--------------------------------------
The Lost Soldiers of Darkness expaneded, though the occupation in the lands of Norrath had been given up, the guild still pushed on. It had been the first time LSD had disbanded a Division, but it will hopefully be the last. Time passed slowly in the lands of Britannia, LSD had been there for going on 5 years now. It had been a home to many for years, including Lothar's. Even with all the new lands, he still could not give up on the 2nd home he found away from his true home, Neverwinter. And there was the thing, for the gates to Neverwinter had once again opened, and what the Soldiers of Darkness had seen was not of their home at all. It was extremely different and hard to accept, but try they would for we gave up on Norrath, but we would not give up on our birthplace. Taran, Lothar's right hand from when he first took up the arms to lead the guild had come back, with promises of reclaiming these lands. He more than anyone wanted it back, and he would win the favor of Lothar to take command of it, as Abyssal Lord of Neverwinter. The troops that now existed in the army knew not of our birthplace, and many were becoming settled in other lands, so it was hard for the members to flock to this dream-like Neverwinter. Strength came quickly, almost too quickly. We wondered if we were really asleep, but it was not a dream, nor a nightmare. It was a different Neverwinter, a different Faerun.
Gorath had done well as Abyssal Lord of Hibernia. He had fought valiantly to protect the lands against Midgard and Albion, their enemies, and formed a great alliance of a dozen so guilds to group together to eliminate these foes. Lothar had accompanied Gorath there for the first month of settlement. His patience with it was not sturdy though, as it was not to his liking. He felt at odd in the lands, even though so many of his friends were there. He wished he had given it another chance, but he kept having the passion going back to Britannia in him. He unfortunately had other problems as well. For some reason, the strength he once possesed, as Lord Avatar wasn't there like it once was. The passion, the driving force to lead had all but escaped his essence. He wondered for awhile, had his time come, and why was it so? He never meant to be Guild Master, he had always admitted it, yet he always felt if he did not, things would have fallen long ago, and others had agreed, but who would replace him? The thought of his 2nd in Command had been an idea. He had done well in his duties in bringing the guild's numbers up in Britannia while he was resting from his continual exhaustion. Some had become to know this man as the only leader of LSD. And thusly so, when Lothar returned, he felt a power struggle. It would not have been so, if it were not for his 2nd in Command's refusal to accept that Lothar was not going anywhere soon, and that for him to ever become Abyssal Lord, he would have to learn to obey the orders of the Lord Avatar. Unfortunately, this would not come to pass, and the lies and deciet would soon unveil itself to the Lord Avatar. His very own 2nd in Command, had betrayed him, taking with him close to half of the armies of that division with him. He preached, that LSD was his to care for, and that the current Lord Avatar did not care for them the way he did. It was obvious those who left were fooled badly into believing him. He took up arms against us in an attempt to rouse us to better his cause. For he knew that the guild that he formed, with the turncoats of LSD had no cause, and was but a poor clone of the true Soldiers of Darkness. It is this reason it failed, and it is that reason why so many of them wished to come back, but were denied. For they had all done the worst of betrayals, they have committed Treason against the Lost Soldiers of Darkness and its Leaders. Those that remained proved their loyalties, and took the Lost Soldires of Darkness on, into the history books, as it completed its 5th Anniversary.
Unfortunately, it had seemed that there was something wrong with Lothar, his powers still growed weak, as if the curse of the Avatar had still remained with him, even though it had been casted on and died from. How could he have been affected by this unless the curse was in fact cast upon the soul of the Lord Avatar, and not Abyss, the man. For when the powers of the Lord Avatar passed to Lothar, so too did this curse. He was uncertain that this was the case, but it had made him much too ill to try and lead. He did not have the energy for it anymore, and so, nearly 5 years after leading his troops, Lothar would once again step down as Lord Avatar. He was certain it was for good, and he knew that his successor would be able to bear the burden of the awesome powers that is the Lord Avatar! It was no supprise to most that Gorath, former Abyssal Lord of Britannia, and current Abyssal Lord of Hibernia was to become the new Lord Avatar. As Lothar relenquished the powers of Deathwing over to Gorath, his body once more shriveled up. His hair grew increasingly longer, turning a light gray, nearly white. His strength wavered, with all but a shimmer of strength remaining in his body. Deathwing's essence once again took shape, flew into the air and came back down directly in front of Gorath. "Gorath", he spoke. "You have been chosen among all else to be the embodyment of what it is to be a leader and you shall lead the greatest of armies with which to lead. It is this greatness that I give to you, the new Lord Avatar." And so Gorath's body filled with the powers of the Moon and the Dragon, and took his seat on the throne as Lord Avatar. Lothar walked over to his side, placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "Lead them well my friend" as he stepped down the stairs that lead to the throne and stood next to the Elder Council joining them for a 2nd time. Lothar felt at ease being there. He felt his position as Elder could do good to the new leader, and to the new High Council of Britannia. It had been nearly replaced with many people, due to the losses of the betrayal, for it had been the worst blow ever to the Lost Soldiers of Darkness. We had a long list of enemies, the strongest of them all always being former members, but for one to come so high up as this, it had never happened before. It indeed shook the foundation of the guild, but never could it break the foundation. Those that had been with us for years. Almost as a calling, many Elders had returned to Britannia to join the ranks again in Britannia. Among them were Elder Dough, who had been with the Lost Soldiers of Darkness since the begining, Elder Kuriel, who had done great things for the Division of Britannia and Elder Swywalker, who had been in and out of activity, but always been there when it counted. It was with their help and the many other members who stayed that saw through the lies that kept the Division together.
Gorath had continued to keep his previous rank of Abyssal Lord of Hibernia, in wait of someone who would replace him, and he felt it might take awhile with the coming and going of several members in that Division. It was the Division of Britannia that was to be finally given a new Abyssal Lord after over a year without one. One of the final acts Lothar had done before stepping down was to appoint long time supporter of LSD, Baron Barnes with the position of Abyssal Lord. He was quite shocked, and uncertain of fufilling this deed, but he took it none the less, knowing that Lothar had faith in his potential, and that Barnes would never give up on them, just like he.
After another 2 years the gates to Aerynth had still not become open, and the soldiers who had signed up to migrate there had become extremely upset at its delays. Gorath purged his newfoound powers to reasons why they could not enter. He could not understand why, but the Lost Soldiers of Darkness would wait, and wait we did. In the meantime, the lands of Hibernia grew, and so did those of Britannia. It was slow and hard for Britannia to get back to its duties. It was struck hard back all the drama, and it just seemed in a state of hibernation. Lothar visited occationally, after a couple months away. He wondered what could be the problem that plagued the guild. It was not just the realm of Britannia, the Neverwinter Divsiion had problems getting off the ground as well, and with the anxiety of Aerynth, things were looking grim. Lothar started to frequent High Council Meetings in Britannia, helping to bring together a full High Council, and get them mobilized. He felt at times restricted in his abilities to motivate them, and still felt the lack of passion to do. His attempts failed, and the Division staggered for many months. It had been nearly 8 months since he had resigned, and their was no resolve in the problems of Britannia. It was these problems that started digging into Lothar's heart. He was unearthing that willpower he had had so long ago. He felt an almost uplifting feeling come over him one day. He felt he could not stay an Elder, sitting on the sidelines any longer. His destiny was to be an active hand, not a passive one. His abilities were best used through direct orders, not suggestions as he had been doing so. It it been that reason why he had contacted Gorath. It was extremely hard to, as he was sending a psychic message through different realms, for he did not know the road back to Hibernia, perhaps due to his old age. He waited and waited for a reply, and a very long week had gone by, and Gorath had agreed. He would allow Lothar to assume the rank of Elder Lord, formerly called Abyssal King. He would be the Lord Avatar's aide, to assist him in maintaining the now 4 Divisions running. It had been no supprise to many that Lothar would return. Some could never picture him not there, it was Lothar himself who was the most supprised to be honest. Sadly, his love for the success of his mates is what brought him back, even during busy times in his own life.
It was at this time that Wistie, former Abyssal Lady of Norrath had approached Lothar one day. She had spoken to him very casually, asking him how he was. He knew Wistie better for this to just be a catching up of time. She asked then, if he would help her with what she had come for, and Lothar said he would. For she wished to see the first disbanded Division to rise from the ashes. She wished to ressurect the Division of Norrath. Unfortunately, she could not do it alone, and Lothar was more than happy to help her do it. With his regained strength from the Lord Avatar, he traveled through realms to the world of Norrath, and gathered the Troops. He would stay there a few days attempting a restructure. It would not be easy, for the Gods of that world needed to recognize Lothar as the former leader for them to restart, and the Gods were rarely seen in Norrath.
The 6th year of the existance of the Lost Soldiers of Darnkness was almost upon us, and with 5 Divisions now in service, the Lost Soldiers of Darkness had been present in more worlds at one time than it had ever been. It would look into the coming months with pride, for the doors of Aernyth were soon to open, and with the strong Alliance with the Elves there, they would be one of hte strongest forces upon the lands. Britannia which had been thought to be dead long ago still had much more life than could ever been expected. Hibernia had proved more than just a world to pass the time by while they waited for other lands to open. It had become a permanent home for us. Norrath had once again started up, and although it may have few troops remaining, our name is mightier than any in the land, and there are few who do not remember the power of the Lost Soldiers of Darkness. Neverwinter is becoming a reality, as interesting events are starting to unfold, and dozens of other lands are starting to appear upon the horizon. Far distant lands, so extremely different than anything we've experenced, with spaceships, and exotic alien races. Others which many seem much too familar, but we cannot place our finger on. All these lands and more are at the grasp of the growing armies of the Lost Soldiers of Darkness. We may not be Lost anymore, for the world is ripe for the taking, and those who stand in our way shall face the reality of our Dominance in all that we touch... Hail The Lost Soldiers of Darkness!
When the time came for Aeyenth to open its portals to permit our members to enter, the intended leadership found themselves at a great disadvantage. Although much preparation had been made to ensure that passage to this realm would be successful and fruitful for our guild, it came at a time when the intended DGM was no longer available to fill his role. A new DGM was quickly chosen, and Gorath himself left the realm of Hibernia to aid him in his newly appointed duties. This newly appointed DGM, Etheric, was only able to perform the duties of DGM for less than 2 weeks after the portal was opened. This left Gorath with a division that had little in the way of leadership, but much in the potential of the guild acquiring a reputation in the lands as an equal member of one of the largest Tri-guild alliances the realm would know. As time passed in this realm, our guild became strong, and our reputation grew as an honorable guild, even to our enemies.
Our mission in Aerynth was successful, dispite the fact that our city was temporarily occupied by the enemy that nearly every guild on the server fought to destroy. Even when our own city was threatened as a result, we showed honor in helping to defend those that had either helped us, or coordinated their efforts with those of the new alliance that Gorath had set out to build. That alliance, although not led by Gorath in the end, continued and succeeded in removing those that had intended on ruling the server.
It was soon realized, however, that the realm of Shadowbane would not be one that the Lost Soldiers of Darkness would remain in. After taking the steps required to ensure that the land that we occupied would be left in good hands, and that the threat of anhialation of our neighbors was removed, Gorath decided to officially close the division. Some members, faithful to the realm in which they lived chose to remain on other planes of the realm after the one on which our first true city was built was destroyed by the Gods of the Realm.
While Britannia’s Division may be weary, it still perseveres. Hibernia
has proved its potential as did Aerynth and we still wait for NeverWinter to
open its portals where we definitely know LSD will be rulers once more. We shall
see the Lost Soldiers of Darkness become that of Legends. Are you ready Soldiers?
------------------------------------3 Years Pass--------------------------------------
It has been an amazing ride the Lost Soldiers of Darkness have gone through. Who could have ever imagined this guild would last as long as it has. I will tell you who knew…, I did. I, Gorath, am the 4th Lord Avatar to have claimed the title. Even before I came to lead this guild I could see it. Now with the guild at is largest ever, 5 entire divisions at once, it had reached a history high. It would be unfortunate, not due to LSD, but the worlds we inhabited that this would not always be so, but I am getting ahead of myself. I have been Lord Avatar now for 3 years, we are approaching our 9th Anniversary, and even I cannot believe it.
The 5 Divisions, Britannia, Aerynth, Hibernia, Neverwinter, and Norrath have dwindled down to just 3, Britannia, Norrath, and a new world called Azeroth. The Hibernia Division continued after the fall of Aerynth, and I returned there after appointing Beauty, now known as Angela, as 2nd Abyssal Lady in LSD history. She had been with us since the begining, and had been a DAGM in Britannia, so it was a sound move with that kind of background. The division did go through its own struggles like every division before it has, but this time, it cause the collapse of the Hibernia Division. New lands had been opened, and with it, a rift in opinions amongst Soldiers. The sides were fairly evenly split, and with it, many members decided to leave. I had not yet returned from the lands of Aerynth for the start of the turmoil, but I was also too preoccupied with personal matters to devote the time needed to help Beauty save it. In the end, the Hibernia division fell, and it sadened me, even thought LSD had not carved out its name as grandly as we had in other Divisions before it, I still consider it to have been a sucessful Division, but more of a stepping stone for those surviving members, who were mostly also survivors of the original Norrath division, to wait for new lands to open with more promise.
With that though, the reborn lands of Norrath had opened again. It has rekindled much of the brethren who once first lived there to return. I myself, decided to lead this Division, and restore it to its former glory. Afterall, Britannia may have been our oldest guild, and some say our greatest, but it was the Norrath Division that grew to be the largest. The guild continues to do well in the new lands of Norrath, as many old members came to my aide and assisted the guild during its infancy. Unfortunately, my duties were bound between two worlds. That of Norrath, and the other being Azeroth. This world, although ever so familiar to myself and others had opened its portals to us at almost the same time as Norrath reopened its own. This caused a rift in many guildmates in where to settle. Myself, Wistie, Caethiel, Kyrs, Molokan, and others from Hibernia and the old Norrath. Clron, Belzadar, Rekoj, Arrna and others were the first to travel to Azeroth.
It would be Clron's enthusiasm that would win him the role of Abyssal Lord of Azeroth. Clron had been an old timer since the original times of Norrath, but for some reason decided to travel to Azeroth instead. Norrath had changed too much perhaps for him to accept. As always, many old members sprang from the shadows as they always tend to, to join the new worlds in its infancy. Azeroth had brought the likes of Elder Lord Lothar, Elder Swywalker, Elder Dough, Savannah, and more to its lands. Some came to be known as other names in Azeroth. Belzadar would name himself Feeber, Rekoj was now Xahar, and Swwalker was called Razziel. It seemed those three Elders who changed their names also changed the world with it. It was those three who would take LSD into a quickly rising power in Azeroth. Clron had been an active leader for the first few months, but unlike Etheric who quickly disappeared as soon as the Division started, slowly started to fade from his role. Belzadar and others would quickly take the reins to take control of a world which was entirely showing that it was teeming with riches to be had. I knew what had to be done in regards to leadership, the obvious choice of Belzadar. Afterall, he had already been an Abyssal Lord once before. I knew his capabilities were more than able, as there had been a time when I had once served him in Britannia before I too become Abyssal Lord. Belzadar quickly chose his left and right arms to grab the Division by the horns. Xahar and Razziel were chosed. Both former High Council members of Britannia, it had almost seemed like a reunion of old in new lands. So many had come from old realms.
Sadly, as the members came in droves to bring glory to a new and prospering Division, Lothar was headed in another direction. He had returned to Britannia, much to the upset of many old friends who had been enjoying fighting along him once more, but Britannia called for him. Britannia had been his new home since Neverwinter fell from vision again. I myself was happy to know that the Division always had someone like Lothar there to help if there was ever a need for I myself, despite my years in Britannia had become so distant from the lands, it had changed so much I could not find the will to return. I do not know why, and it saddened me, for it had been Britannia where I had first joined this grand guild, but I just could not return despite the requests. Besides, I knew with Lothar there, I could focus my attention to the new Divisions which needed much more care than Britannia's years of temperance.
As Lothar returned, it was obvious that Barnes, the current reigning Abyssal Lord, like so many before him had been worn weary and was rarely seen. Under his rule though, the guild had completely returned from its devastation a few years before to see a guild of many. We had returned to the Top 10 guilds in our lands and would remain there for 3 solid years. Acacia, Baroness and right hand lady to Barnes would be his successor as the only 3rd Abyssal Lady in the history of LSD. Her rule would continue the work Barnes had done for the Division to continue. Acacia was very pleased to have Lothar back, but she could tell he was not the same. It had been so for many years afterall. She had always been happy to have him there for advice when needed. Afterall, it was Lothar's pleasure in life to give guidance to those who came to lead after him. It was during this time too that Lothar's old apprentice had returned from far distant lands and his haunted past would bring joy and fear into many in the guild. His name was Cadmus Fane, and this holy knight who worshiped an unknown goddess to most named Luna had a villain who seemed to never stop following him, even beyond the grave. The Soul Seeker as he was called would cause much misery to the Soldiers of Darkness and Cadmus. He would be killed and resurrected, but what Cadmus would also bring to LSD is one of LSD's first unions. Acacia would soon be known as Acacia Fane, and twin children would soon join the family of LSD. The Soul Seeker too would seek interest in anything named Fane it seems and would always lurk nearby. Many guildmates would battle the Soul Seeker and his minions through the years. As the years weighted on Britannia though the soldiers living in those lands slowly started to disappear. Some moved to greener lands like Azeroth, other vanished from the world all together. It was sad days.
I myself had stopped frequenting Norrath also, and appointed Kyrs my successor as the 4th Abyssal Lady in LSD history. She would do well with the help of many Elders. I too seemed to be experiencing some sort of energy drain from the powers of Lord Avatar. Had my time come now too? 3 years had gone by, and before taking it as far as Lothar had in his dangerous condition, I decided it be best for a new man to be put in charge. Thankfully such a person was already present, and I would pick from a good selection, for the Grand Council was summoned to get a feeling who would even consider taking on the great powers of the guild. I turned to Lothar asking if he for 3rd time would like to rule, but he refused. Acacia of Britannia too shook her head. Was there a true fear of the curse of the Lord Avatar? The obvious choice due to his success in Azeroth and his high activity there, the best choice was Belzadar. Belzdar had been with LSD since its beginning afterall, and had taken over the Britannia Division while Lothar and Azreal had gone to start the first Division in Norrath and done an excellent job. Now he would be Lord Avatar of LSD and Abyssal Lord of Azeroth. Would the combined duties be too much for this humble man? I doubted it, but even Belzadar knows the burden of Lord Avatar… and with a shakey voice, agreed to become the 5th Lord Avatar of LSD. Gorath's convulsed in spasms as as bright flash of light flew into the air and took the shape of a dragon, flying into the air to materialized in front of the Moon assuming the pose that was the LSD emblem. Deathwing flew down and landed near the gathered Grand Council and once more spoke to a new leader.
"Ahhh… an old face I see here." Belzadar bowed his head and knelt as he knew he should in front of the beast. The dragon began to speak, "You have been chosen, not only by Gorath, the Current Lord Avatar, but by Lothar and the other leaders of LSD. You are obvious to be the host of my powers. Do you accept the responsibilities put forth to you?" Belzadar raised his head, still kneeling, and looked up to the Dark Dragon, "Yes my Lord, I do!" With a roar of acknowledgement, Deathwing said, "Good, then know that the 9th year is now upon us, you have a long line of leaders to have bore by weight before you, let their strengths guide you into the years laid before us." Belzadar rose, and clenched his right first together, and placed it upon his heart, saluting the great beast and spoke, "May The Moon Shine Forever And The Dragon Never Die!!!"
And So, a 9th year comes, and though the Division of Britannia lays in uncertain
turmoil, the leaders of that Division have made a pact to never let it fall
until the lands themselves are destroyed. Norrath continues its own history,
and though its numbers have wavered, shows it is not going anywhere anytime
soon. The true future lies with our Azeroth Division and the new lands just
around the corner. Many show great promise, and soldiers are already eager for
the embrace of these new worlds to conquer. What lies next, the Dragon only
knows… I myself, an Elder look towards a bright future as another guiding
light to those who take up the Dragon and the Moon…