Long ago, before the Circle of Nine was corrupted by madness, they served as the shepherds of the human race. They provided guidance and protection for all. They existed solely to provide for the well-being of Nosgoth's people. So when the vampire population started to grow to incredible numbers, the people were afraid. They looked to the Circle for defense. 

     It was Mortanius the Necromancer who first proposed the vampire purge, a war to rid Nosgoth of vampires. All members of the Circle agreed, except for one. Chyramek the Seer, then the keeper of the Pillar of Balance, refused to support the genocide. After numerous futile attempts to sway his favor, the remaining members of the Circle decided to move forward with the plan. Chyramek openly voiced his disapproval, until he was ultimately expelled from the Circle and banished. 

     This was not the first time a member of the Circle was excommunicated. Throughout Nosgoth's history, many Circle members have been evicted from the Circle. Many more have died. The Pillar of Death was the only pillar to have had one keeper through its entire existence; Mortanius.

     Chyramek retreated to the north, and lived out his life in solitude. But despite his banishment, he never regretted his actions. For he could see every possible future, every outcome of every act before it was done. And he knew that the vampire purges would plunge Nosgoth into centuries of turmoil. 

     During Loki's travels during his many years of solitude through the wilderness of Nosgoth, he happened upon Chyramek's refuge. It was a massive fortress carved from the side of a mountain, and from the outside it appeared as though it had not been inhabited in centuries. Loki ventured within to find an old man dressed in a red cloak seated on an ancient throne. Loki drew his sword, but the old man held his hand up with a well-meaning gesture.

     "Sheath your weapon, vampire," Chyramek had said, "For I am not your enemy. You look weary, friend. Perhaps I could offer you a drink." And with that, Chyramek produced a dagger from the folds of his cloak and sliced the palm of his hand. He then picked up a goblet and caught the stream of blood dripping from his hand.

     Loki, seeing that the old man was indeed no threat, sheathed his sword and accepted the goblet from the old man. After drinking the blood that he was given, Loki stepped forward and spoke.

     "Why is it that you offer your life¹s blood so unsparingly?" Loki asked him. "A death wish of some sort?"
 Chyramek laughed. "I have nothing to fear from death, vampire. Mortanius saw to that. And blood returns in time." 

     Chyramek told stories of centuries past, of his days in the Circle of Nine, and  of his opposition to the vampire purges. Loki told of his training with Vorador, and his elusion of  the Sarafan. He told of Vella and his battle with Malek. For what seemed like days, they went on, trading tales of their many adventures. Finally, Loki's strength had returned after the long period of recreation, and he felt it best to continue on his journeys. But before he left, Chyramek offered one last piece of advise.

     "Venture east, Loki. You will find a place of great importance to you." Chyramek said as he sat in his throne. "Your kind is devastated by water, but you will soon overcome that weakness."

     And so, Loki left Chyramek's refuge. Following Chyramek's advice, he went east. The path led him to a timeworn shrine. It had remained hidden in the mountains for ages; It was possible that Loki would have been the first to enter it in thousands of years. Upon entering, Loki found the interior to be rather familiar. It was a spirit forge. 

     A ghostly voice whispered, seemingly from all directions. "Shed your blood for me, and this artifact will be yours.'

     Loki ventured further, until he reached the altar. 

    "So, you come to Spirit Forge for help, do you Vampire?" the wraiths whispered in their somber tone. "Trade you secrets for the blood of the dead, I will."

     Loki observed the wall above the altar. It was decorated with golden lattice work, in its center was the likeness of two lizards circling each other. Loki took a deep breath and drew a dagger from his belt. He sliced open his wrist and held it over the gold basin that sat atop the altar. The altar began to glow a ghastly shade of green as blood poured from his wound with unnatural speed, as if pulled by some strange force. After a moment, the flow of blood stopped and the altar's glow subsided. Loki collapsed to the floor.

     The wraiths extracted a heavy price for their many gifts, but this one seemed to take more than usual. Loki was left dreadfully weakened. He slowly tried to stand as the spirits spoke again.

     "You have sacrificed your blood to the Reptile Forge, vampire, and for that you have been rewarded. You are now bestowed with the form of Reptile. When you assume this form, water will bring you no harm." Loki staggered out of the ancient forge; his progress mired by blood loss. He was forced to extract blood from wolves, since the mountainous region was utterly devoid of human life. Animal blood was bitter, but would sustain him nonetheless. 

     Loki had been greatly enhanced with the acquisition of the Reptile form. It offered all the speed and agility of the wolf form, but with a few improvements. When he assumed the reptile form, Loki was endowed with a hard, scaly covering which protected him from weaker forms of human weapons, such as arrows and flamethrowers, and it also protected him from the harmful effects of water, allowing him to swim. In addition, the reptile form allowed him to blend with his surroundings like the chameleon, making him nearly invisible.

     Now Loki intended to seek out Chyramek the Seer once more. If he were to bring down the Sarafan once and for all, he would need the old man's council. Upon leaving Vorador's devastated mansion, Loki shifted to his bat form and and took flight toward Chyramek's refuge.

     Though the refuge was hundreds of miles to the north, Loki could reach it in a matter of hours in bat form. Chyramek resided east of Dark Eden, and north of the former stronghold of William the Just. But as he flew over Dark Eden, Loki noticed something. It was true that Dark Eden's very existence poisoned the land, slowly spreading despair across the face of Nosgoth. But Loki saw that this poisoning had made visible progress since he last flew over the area only a day earlier. Dark Eden's cancerous growth had escalated. 

     In front of Chyramek's mountain refuge, a flock of bats descended to the front steps. They seemed to join together to form a large shapeless mass, shifting to and fro. After a moment, the mass began to take the form of a man, and finally a sword and armor materialized. Loki looked around, then started up the steps of the mountain fortress. 

     Upon entering, Loki found the interior to be dimly lit with only a few sparsely placed torches. Loki continued into Chyramek's throne room to find the seer kneeling; seemingly engaged in some silent prayer of sorts. Chyramek lifted his head upon hearing Loki's footsteps.

     "Loki, my friend," he said in a voice that sounded ancient. "I knew you would come." The old man stood up, and Loki caught a glimpse of his face. It seemed to have been beaten and weathered by the passage of time.

     "You do not look well, Chyramek," Loki replied. Chyramek nodded.

     "Aye," he replied. "The years have not been kind." Chyramek coughed, sounding very ill.

     "I have decided to face the Sarafan." Loki moved closer to the old man.

     "Aye, I have foreseen it," Chyramek said in a calm, calculating tone. "You will be faced with great danger."

     "Will I die for this cause?" Loki inquired.

     "You may die," he said, "Or not."

     "Have you not seen the future?" 

     "I have seen many futures, Loki. But I¹m afraid my visions are not as clear as they once were. You have seen the corruption spreading from Dark Eden, have you not?"

     "I have."

     "Then you must understand that a time of great change is upon us." Chyramek paused to cough. "The Sarafan are not the only threat you will face. There is another. A pestilence that began at the pillars. It has fed the dark hunger of the north and brings with it a darker one of its own." Chyramek entered a nearby corridor and motioned for Loki to follow. Loki entered the corridor as well.  "I have foreseen the death of your master."

     "Yes," Loki replied grimly. "Vorador has indeed been murdered."  The corridor led to Chyramek's bed chamber. 

     "And I have seen that the Circle of Nine has fallen, and I must soon follow. If you will indeed face the Sarafan, then you will find their leader, Zephon, at Avernus. Beware, he is quite a formidable adversary." Chyramek coughed again, then sat on the side of the bed. 

     "What do you mean when you say, 'I must soon follow'?" Loki asked.

     Chyramek sighed. "Have I ever told you how I have managed to live so long?" Loki shook his head. "Long ago, when I stood against Mortanius and opposed the vampire purges, he banished me to this place. He also cast a spell upon me so that I would never die. Now that Mortanius is dead, his magic is diminishing."

     Loki looked on in surprise. "You mean to say that you are dying?"

     "Yes, Loki." Chyramek began to cough again. "I am afraid my time has come. When I die, you may take my blood. You will certainly need it."

     "As you wish," Loki said.

     Chyramek reclined on the bed. "Loki, you must be certain that your motives are righteous before you act. Do you know why Mortanius kept me alive?" 

     "No," Loki answered.

     "Because he wanted me to live forever, to be tortured forever, by remorse for my actions against the Circle. He wanted my regret to drive me mad. But he has lost. Do you know why?"

     "Why?" Loki asked.

     "He has lost because I have had no regrets. Those who are truly righteous have no regrets." Chyramek grabbed Loki's shoulder and pulled him close. "Do you understand me, Loki? No regrets! Chyramek's grip loosened, and his hand fell limp across his chest. His eyes slowly closed as his life slipped away. Loki stood up straight and stared at Chyramek's body for a moment, pondering his last words. 

     As if breaking free from a trance, Loki looked down at his belt. He drew his dagger and used it to cut Chyramek's throat. Loki opened his mouth wide and inhaled deeply. A stream of blood poured out from the wound and surged into Loki's gullet. Once the last drop was devoured, Chyramek's body began to rapidly deteriorate, until there was nothing left but a layer of dust on the bed.

     Loki left, extinguishing the torches as he went. When he was outside the fortress, he observed the pillars that supported the terrace above the entrance. He stood between two of them, then pushed them apart with all his might until he heard the stone begin to crack. He then leapt clear as the stone terrace came crashing down. Chyramek's refuge was now sealed for eternity, so that no one would disturb the Seer's resting place.

     Loki was overcome with sorrow as he realized he was now alone in the world. Although he had been on his own for centuries, this was the first time that he didn't have Vorador to turn to in times of crisis. And with Chyramek gone, he would find no allies among the human race.  There was no one left that he could rely on. For the first time, Loki's success would depend entirely on his own abilities.

     Loki looked to the south. That was the way to Avernus, where he would find Zephon of the Sarafan. Loki shifted to bat form and took to the sky to meet his destiny.