Loki emerged from the Termogent Forest, and entered the clearing to find a contemptible sight. The once stately mansion of Vorador had been burned to the ground. What once towered over the treetops with overwhelming nobility now lay in charred ruins. This was undoubtedly the act of the detestable vampire hunters from the south. Loki scowled with disgust at their self-righteousness. 

      Loki moved forward, scanning the remains of the mansion with his black eyes. He knew that the crypt would still be there, since the stone walls of the underground sepulcher would not have burned. Eventually, he entered what used to be Vorador's dining room. He located a specific spot on the floor, where his footsteps echoed below him. He knelt down and slung his pack across his back. He reached down and pulled back the soot-covered rug, which nearly fell apart at his touch. Beneath the rug was a false floor; the entrance to Vorador's secret crypt. Loki tore up the floorboards to reveal a stairway. He cast a simple fire glyph to light the torches that lined the walls, and descended into the dank blackness below. 

     In the center of the crypt was a pedestal, within a wide circle of torches. Loki stepped up to the pedestal and set his pack on the floor. He hesitated briefly as thoughts of the past forced their way into his mind. He remembered when Vorador had first taken him under his wing. Loki was a mere fledgling at the time; he had not even mastered the wolf form yet. Vorador taught him to survive and thrive among mortals, and to control his undead powers to get the most from them. Vorador had protected him during the vampire purges. Loki realized that he owed everything to Vorador.

     Loki broke free from his daydream. He knelt down and reached into his pack. He removed a somewhat large object wrapped in a bloodstained cloth. He unwrapped the object, and upon the pedestal he placed the head of Vorador.

     He had stolen it from atop the ramparts at the site of Vorador's execution. The vampire hunters had rounded up the vampires from every town of Nosgoth, and beheaded them all for entertainment, with Vorador as their main event. The heads were placed on stakes high on the ramparts, and the bodies were burned to cinders. Now, Loki hoped, in a proper resting place, Vorador's soul would find some respite.

     "I should have been there," Loki said to himself. "If I had not hidden myself away in the hinterlands like a coward, I could have fought by your side, and prevented this tragedy."

     You would have died along with me, a familiar voice echoed in Loki's mind. It was the voice of Vorador. You could not have prevented my demise.

     Loki raised the cloth in which he had wrapped Vorador's head. He let it hang before his face as he gazed upon it. After a moment, he gripped the hanging end and twisted the cloth fiercely. Blood trickled around his clenched fist as it was wrung from the cloth. Loki dropped the rag on the floor and looked at the blood that now ran across his palm. He raised his hand to his mouth as he slowly lapped the blood.

     "With your death, I shall find new life," Loki said. "There shall be repercussions for your murder; for all the murders of my kind." Suddenly, another thought occurred to him. Loki shrugged as grief returned like an old wound reopened.

     "Vella!" Loki whispered. There was another time long ago when Loki had lost someone close to him. Vella, a love from centuries past, was the other.

     In life, Vella was a princess, and one of the most beautiful women in all of Nosgoth. From the moment he saw her, Loki wanted her more than anything in the world. But his heart ached knowing that he could never have her. Until one day, he could bear it no more. He climbed through her window after dark, drew his dagger and cut her throat while she slept. Then he used the same dagger to slice open his wrist, and quickly squeezed a drop of his own blood into her open wound before his skin could close again. He left the way he came, then waited. In the morning, the kingdom thought she was dead; and she was, for the vampiric transformation took time. She was buried in her family's crypt. Two nights later, Loki stole into the crypt and waited for her to awaken. But when she awoke, she screamed in terror at the sight of Loki, and cursed him for what he had turned her into. 

     Loki realized the selfishness of his act, and was stricken with shame. He fell to his knees before Vella, drew his dagger, and plunged it into his chest. Moments later, he awoke to find that Vella had removed the dagger. As the wound in his chest closed, Loki sat up.

     "Why did you do that?" Loki had asked.

     "Because he who repents may one day be forgiven," Vella responded. 

     And in time, as Vella began to appreciate her newfound immortality, she did forgive him. And as time went on, they grew to love each other deeply. Under the instruction of Vorador, she became a formidable warrior; more than a match for any Sarafan. 

     But one day, Loki and Vella were discovered by the human vampire hunters. As they tried to escape, the found themselves confronted by none other than the Paladin himself, Malek. His fighting skill was incredible, not even the two of them were a match for him, since at the time, though skilled, they were still mere fledglings. 

     Malek thrust his polearm toward Vella with great force, impaling her. Then with one swift motion, he removed the staff and swung around, taking Vella's head off with the blade. Loki, enraged by his lover's murder, fought Malek with great fury. But it was to no avail. The battle ended in a stalemate, with Malek sending forth a wave of kinetic energy to stun Loki while he escaped. 

     After Vella's death, Vorador advised Loki to withdraw from Human affairs. He often said that the Sarafan vampire purges were far too tedious to concern himself with. So Loki retreated to the hinterlands in the far north of Nosgoth. There he sought out spirit forges and blood fountains that were so well hidden, they remained untouched for thousands of years. 

     Now Loki had come out of hiding, and he stood before the head of Vorador. Even in the secluded mountains of the north, he had received word that Malek had been vanquished for good by Vorador, and that the Circle of Nine had fallen at the hands of another vampire. 

     "I am the last," Loki said. "The last of the ancients." Loki knelt down to retrieve one last item from his pack. He had searched the courtyard where Vorador was executed, and sifted through the ashes of his fallen brethren, searching for a specific item. And at long last, he had found it. From his pack he removed Vorador¹s ring. He held it up in the dim light of the torches and observed it briefly, then slipped it onto his own finger. He returned his gaze to Vorador¹s head.

     "You killed Malek once and for all," Loki said, "and I am grateful. You have avenged my love Vella, so I shall avenge you." 

     After Malek was destroyed, and the Circle was vanquished, the humans once again felt endangered by the undead. So three of the greatest kings of Nosgoth took action to protect humanity from the perceived threat of vampires. They scoured Nosgoth, and found six of the greatest warriors in the land. These warriors were then ordained as priests, thus the Sarafan resurfaced. From Willendorf came Zephon and Turel. Melchiah was recruited from the town of Uschtenheim. Rahab hailed from Steinchencrøe, and Dumah from Vasserbunde. And finally there was Raziel, a brave and cunning warrior from Coorhagen. They vowed to prevent the vampire scourge from spreading throughout Nosgoth. They were known as the Coven of Six. And so Loki vowed that the Six would join their Paladin in death. 

     Loki knew that the Circle of Nine had fallen at the hands of a vampire, but he knew not who it was. Perhaps Loki would have an ally in the future. 

     The vampire Loki left the remains of Vorador's mansion with one purpose. Revenge.