Somewhere In The Kingdom Of Crenallia...

The messenger shivered as he left the cool blue light of the teleportation room and made his way into the dark, damp cavern of the secluded secret cultist base. Lit only by flickering torches 40 feet apart, the shadows seeming to dance and dart ominously in the dim firelight, the open space seemed more oppressively claustrophobic than the small room he had just left. Small streams of water dripped down the walls, and there was iridescent green moss covering the rocks closest to these areas. The lack sufficient lighting made the messenger feel highly anxious, and he pulled his hood over his head as he went, muttering softly to himself as one would whistle past a graveyard.

The long corridor eventually led him to the main ritual room, and he glanced around nervously as he entered. Nine figures were standing in a circle, at the nine points of the dark purple summoning circle in the center of the room. In the center of the circle, laid upon a large stone table, was a young blonde woman dressed in a white robe, just having reached her 18th year, and unspoiled by the hands of any man. Chanting filled the room, deep sounds in an unknowable language reverberating off the walls. The messenger waited.

As the chanting ended, the figure at the head of the table approached and drew a long ceremonial dagger with a handle made of solid gold, a black crystal embedded in the hilt. He looked down at the girl, who was weakly struggling against the bonds that held her to the alter. Their eyes met, and the girl's eyes widened as he drew the dagger across her throat, a deep red splash of blood spilling from her throat as the gash the figure left cut through the pale flesh, severing arteries. The girl made gurgling noises that went on for far too long for the recently arrived man's taste. He looked away from the macabre sight as the light slowly faded from the eyes of the sacrifice. Eventually, the gurgling became a soft whine, then there was silence. The messenger looked back, knowing what would happen next.

The crystal embedded in the knife's handle turned the same dark purple as the circle, and a disorienting wave of magic washed through the room. The circle itself turned a brighter blue, pulsing multiple times, and a figure appeared in front of the altar. The abomination wore what looked like pitch black robes, and swirls of purple energy swirled around it. Dark eyes looked down from the hairless head, and below them, slits for nostrils. But the man's eyes were drawn to the mass of tentacles where the thing's chin should be. 

It stared impassively at the corpse on the alter before raising it's head and staring at the figure with the knife. "Insufficient," the abomination spoke, and disappeared from their presence. The figure cursed and waved at the other figures. "Clean this up," the male voice spoke, "We need to find a more powerful sacrifice." The other figures nodded and got to work, wheeling the table away.

The messenger approached the leader, who looked over at him. "What is it?" the leader said, gruffly. "Sir, we have a situation." He handed the leader a sealed envelope, which the leader opened and read. His eyes arched as he read. The further into the letter he got, the deeper the furrows in his brow became. He looked up at the messenger. "Has this been verified?"

The messenger nodded. "Many were present in the room at the time, including the agent who sent this message, and myself. I can corroborate everything in the report, sir."

"And this person is as powerful as the agent says?"

The messenger nodded. "She was accompanied by her summons. A griffon..."

The leader inhaled sharply. "A hedge summoner summoned a griffon? Are you sure?"

The messenger laughed. "That's not even the incredible part. Griffons have been summoned before, even if only rarely. The best part was her original summoned familiar."

The leader looked disbelieving. "What manner of beast was her first summoned creature?"

"A human male, sir. From another realm."

"WHAT? This... this cannot be."

"It is all true, It was verified by the court magician."

The leader grabbed the messenger by the shoulders. "We must have her. Use every asset at your disposal. Acquire this hedge summoner and bring her here at once."

The messenger bowed deeply. "As our leader commands. He turned and headed back toward the summoning room. The immediate future was about to get much more hectic. "The blood will flow, and the master shall be summoned." He muttered to himself as he stepped upon the teleportation circle. The mage who overwatched the circle bowed. "The blood will flow, and the master shall be summoned."

The messenger disappeared in a flash of blue light.

**********

Kingdom of Demontes, Capital city of Rolithia, Demon council chambers

Lord Helston Argyle sat at the head of the long table, one hand propping his head up as he listened to his advisors discuss the drudgery that was the financial state of the kingdom. His eyes were slowly drifting closed, and he nodded from time to time before shaking himself back awake. 'Peacetime,' he thought to himself, 'such a dreary state of affairs.' He longed for the days of political intrigue, the long cold war that his predecessor had left for him to clean up in his wake as he faded into the history tomes.

Those had been good days, he thought to himself. Not that he longed for the death of his people, or the instability and backstabbing that such times brought, but there was something to be said for the adrenaline rush that came along with such times. He had negotiated peace in masterful fashion, finally convincing the other kingdoms that demonkind weren't the mindless killing machines or ruthless oppressors that the other kingdoms made them out to be. In fact, he had welcomed ambassadors from other nations to set up embassies and trade relations with his own people, ushering in an age of peace and lessening tension with the other races, save for the vampires, who remained secluded by their own will. 

Of course, discrimination still existed, on both sides. Demons, after all, could be as prideful as elves, as ruthless as the beastkin tribes, and as greedy as dragons. None of these traits made it easier for the other races to accept them completely. There were of course exceptions; succubi, despite being sensual and rather forward, were often seen as competent and sweet individuals and were often employed by the kingdom to be the face of the nation. Imps were hard workers, and nearly as proficient at weapon and armor crafting as dwarves, despite not having the racial perks focused on blacksmithing and metallurgy. Incubi were haughty but professional, often displayed a knack for financial matters, and had long abandoned the practice of consuming the souls of sentient beings, instead feasting on beast soul crystals and even the occasional weak dungeon core, though only royalty and those of high noble status could really afford the latter. Leviathans were hulking warriors who acted as guardians and protectors, also filling out the demon lord's army, and were a force to be reckoned with. Then there were the Kappa, water demons whose strength was drawn from the tides and water spirits. They patrolled the waterways, acting as the main naval force for the kingdom.

"...And another fifty thousand coins are needed to prop up the farmsteads in the valley of Lilith, your majesty. The drought has wreaked havoc on the crop yields this cycle, and not only do we need to subsidize those farms, but expenses will increase heavily as we need to import grains, beans, and vegetables to keep us from a hunger crisis."

Helston nodded. "Make it so, minister Lommonks. We cannot have our people starving as winter arrives."

"Yes, your Majesty. I believe that will conclude the finance report, sire."

"Very well, any other news or concerns before we adjourn?"

Minister of Secrets Joniatin spoke up. "There is one item of concern from the kingdom of Crenallia, your majesty. Our agents have reported the appearance of a potentially powerful hedge summoner, and she has already been found and recruited by their king."

Helston's eyebrows arched, and he leaned forward in his chair, propping his elbows on the table. "Elaborate. Leave nothing out." His expression slowly went from one of mild interest to complete awe as the minister laid out the entirety of the summoner's appearance, skill level, and familiars to the council. Olivia Greaves, daughter of a blacksmith from a backwater village, had just upset the balance of power across the world, all in a desperate bid to save her village. It seems, the Lord thought to himself, that the near future was about to get much more interesting. 

"Very interesting. Please, send a spy to the capital of Crenallia directly, and have them embed themselves into this summoner's party in some way. We need to keep a close eye on this hedge summoner of theirs. She may very well upset the balance of power in the world, if she isn't tightly controlled." Helston leaned back in his seat. "Yes, your majesty. It will be done." Minister Joniatin bowed deeply as he stood, and then left the room. 

"So, anything else?"

"No, your majesty."

"Then we are done. You are all excused." And just like that, the Lord of the demon kingdom was up and gone from the room.

**********

Queen Elizabeth Lorafiel stood on the balcony of her room atop the castle that was in the central ring of the capital city of Amalin, the economic and arts hub of the nation of Gilvain. She looked out over the thriving city, with its many parks and the seven districts clearly defined with ivy-draped walls, and sighed deeply. There were disturbing rumors of unrest in district 7, where the lowest castes resided, even though Elizabeth had sent the church to administer aid to those who needed it. She wasn't thrilled by the current caste system, but there was little she could do, even as ruler of the kingdom. Elves were a people of tradition, after all, and were very slow to accept changes. She couldn't even sway the rules for the practice of slavery toward the direction the king of Crenallia had put in place, though she was secretly gathering like-minded individuals toward this way of thinking.

The breeze blew her golden locks of hair across her face, and she stiffened, assuming a more regal and formal posture for the person the wind was subtly announcing the entrance of. "Hello, brother." She said, not turning her gaze toward the intruder. She could feel his smirk without having to bear witness to it. "Sister," replied Prince Alas, coming to stand beside her, feigning interest in the view provided by their location, "I beg my queen's forgiveness, but I come bearing news from our scouts in Crenallia." Alas wasn't fond of the word spy and tried to downplay their information gathering in foreign kingdoms as scouting and support missions, a laughable facade at the best of times. His tone also constantly betrayed his secret dislike of the matriarchial system of the elven kingdom. He was two years older than Elizabeth, and felt cheated out of his rightful place as ruler of the kingdom by his younger sister. She hoped that that was at least tempered by his role as her right hand and master of spies... er... scouting and information gathering.

"Our scout in the court of Thomas the Second has sent word of a fairly powerful hedge summoner appearing in the court and immediately being made a baroness and offered training and protection by their king. She is young, just 19 years of age, but managed to summon a human warrior from another realm and a griffon, all within a week of each other." He turned toward her as he spoke, and Elizabeth looked his way at the news.

"This is most concerning, Alas. Such a person could upset the balance of power, if she is not guided well. Who is to be her trainer?"

Alas' voice grew more serious. "Their archmage and court summoner, Willhelm Folds. I fear she may fall to corruption under his guidance if not held in check. You know of the reports coming in about his proclivities and connections to the underworld." Elizabeth nodded grimly. "Can we send a summoner of our own to the girl, one who could sense the signs of ill intent by Archmage Folds and correct the girl's training? I fear her two summons may not be enough or even know how to tell that she is in danger."

"It will be done. We shall send agent Laura Ellalan at once, under the guise of a diplomat to our consulate in Longhaven."

"It will be done, sister." Alas left the room, the preparations foremost in his mind. Elizabeth walked into her bedroom, sitting on a lounge chair in the corner, thinking deeply. It would seem that the human realm was getting more and more complicated to abstain from intervening with. She sunk into the chair, lost in her thoughts.