Of Fate and Glory - Prologue

There are more worlds in that complex thing called universe, than grains of sand on the greatest of beaches. One one of those worlds, a place called Verla, the last rays of the dawn shone over a scorched grassland, painting the hills with a reddish tint. Crossing the hills was a figure in a black cloak, its hood covering the figures head and keeping its face in half-shadow. On another world, in a land called England, a long time ago, the figure had been named Rian Parsell.
Although he had been on this world before, he still wondered why the Earthmother had sent her invitations. Most worlds he knew prefered the Lords of the Nailas, also known as the Soul Weavers, not to interfere with them. Still sunken in his thoughts, Rian searched for the spot where he could twist to the place underlying the Prime Material Plane on this world, where he would find the Mother.
As he heard a bellowing behind him he stopped. It looked like the hellhounds that infested the hills now had catched his scent finally. Sighing, he increased his pace. Finding the appropriate spot to twist below usually took some time, so some of the hounds would catch him eventually. A quarter of an hour later when he was close to the spot, a very close bellowing sound behind him announced the arrival of one of the dogs. Black as the night and the size of a pony, the dog was the sort of beast most people would prefer to see only from afar. Crossing the last few metres at full speed, the dog jumped to attack Rian.
Triggering the magical chronux construct that enfolded him like a tight fitting cloak, Rian waited for the familiar slowing effect of his surroundings. As the dog seemed to sail at him in now slow motion, Rian took a casual step back and brought his right hand down hard on the spine of the dog. Returning to normal state, Rian heard the sharp crack as the dogs spine broke and the beast sailed a few metres past him hitting the ground hard with a yelp. Only throwing a casual glance at the crumpled heap lying near him, Rian hurried to the twisting spot before the other dogs could reach him.
Relax. Blank your mind. Tap into the flows. Twist. Restrain the urge to throw up. Colors invert themselves. Black turns to white, white to black. Release the flows. Arrival.
Rian stood in a cavern made of glimmering crystal. Next to him stood a woman of indefinate age, glowing in a white light. "Hail thee, maker of the choice. Thine arrival doth bode well to the ruler of those meager surroundings", the woman said. "Dear Earthmother, would you please cut the formalites and just call me Rian? I'm in a bit of a hurry", Rian answered. "Then call me Verla, honored Rian", the Earthmother answered, extending her hand to the corridor that led away form the place of Rians arrival, "If thou wouldst follow me?". With a nod, Rian followed Verla into room holding a glowing white ball of energy in the center. "So tell me", he asked, "Why did you call for me?".
Looking into his eyes, the mother said: "The Black Hierophant seeks to shatter the Dominion." With a wink of her hand, the crystal ball showed a handsome man of middle age, clad in a black and purple robe, studying a scroll.
"So what?", said Rian, studying the ball. "The Dominion is practically chocking the northern lands. If someone establishes a new rule, he is doing a lot of people a favor." Verla shook her head sadly, "Not this one. If he hath his will, the world will be hurt beyond thine reckoning. The rule he seeks to impose will last for ten thousands of years." "And the fact that he is closely bound to Order died surely help you reach at this conclusion", Rian answered, a bit of irony in his voice.
"The Hierophant is so deeply steeped in Order and Death that his step fouls the very soil he walks", Verla explained, "he merged his soul even with a spawn of the second layer of Death."
"Could that be Usur'Rek?", Rian inquired. The moment he had uttered the name, the light of the crystals that lit the cavern seemed to dim.
"How doth thou dare to name him here?", Verla gasped.
"So I was right", Rian replied, a smile on his lips. "I already wondered where he went. There are loads of worlds that are very glad about his disappearance you know". "Nonetheless", he continued, "I still wonder why you have called me. Why don't you deal with this matter? Invoke the Septad. There are still rules, in case you didn't forget".
At his words, the mother sighed. "That is beyond mine power now. There must be beings on this world that shape fate and are not shaped by it for the stars of change to rise." She gestured with her hand again and the ball showed a person clad in a red robe, standing in a grey desolate wasteland.
"Who is that?", Rian asked, studying the ball. "This one could be the Harbinger", Verla explained. "Baeni Sidah? A High Elf?", Rian said while looking startled at the mother, "He is non-human. You know that those are imbalanced already. If he becomes the Harbinger, his meager magical talents will surely increase and imbalance him further. He is going to go poof when someone even waves cold iron at him."
"Alas, I know", the earth mother answered, her face grave, "but he and his brethen in the Order of Stormseekers might be the ones we need."
"How did they even get to this world?", Rian asked, "it doesn't look like he was born there." Looking into the crystal ball, Verla said: "The Order of Stormseekers are worldwalkers."
At Rians raised eyebrow, she explained: "They travel the flows passively. Not like you and your kin." Rian nodded. "Furthermore", Verla continued, "thou shouldst know that they follow one of the Soulless ones who leads them from world to world."
"A God?", Rian exclaimed. "Well I prefer to look at those only from very far away." "Speaketh the one who hath thrown a star unto the great god of Arienne, thus sending him to oblivion." Shaking his head, Rian answered: "That was my predecessor. Tell me now why you called me."
"The Order of Stormseekers is stuck on this trapworld without the guidiance of their god. They must come here with Moragai for the Septad to rise. Thou canst walk the flows. Thus I doth need thou to make them choose and bring them here", Verla said with a slightly pleading look on her face, "Willst thou? This and the worlds close will be lost otherwise."
Nodding, Rian answered: "You are right. I cannot let a being of the core planes exist here unrestrained. The danger is too great. I would even handle the matter myself, if there wouldn't be even more important troubles at hand. I will do as you say. Who knows? They may even make it."
He chuckled. "Even though the chances are slim, the path of fate can lead to glory too."
Looking into the crystal ball he studied the High Elf it showed who was concentrating very hard to control the Air Spirit he had summoned to scout the surroundings...