The Land of Wild Adventure

“…And I woke from that pain to a serene disregard. I hurt no more; the thirst that had plagued me in my final moments had left me, and for a time I felt hopeful. I knew better than to expect an agreeable end, but the ground felt so soft before the horror set in.”

There is another place our world aside—a place of imagination, belief and the rule of story. Built upon the Dragon’s back, the land of Wild Adventure is where all aspects of imagination exist in a very real sense. Here, all things passed in story come to be; every fantasy tale, every romanticised aspect of humanity, every Heaven and every Hell.

Mages and Magic users of Earth would tell you this place is called Faerie. That it can oft be visited by the wary only; that its inhabitants can be called upon for power, for knowledge or even wishes. These very Mages, the ones that survived such treks, would tell you to also be careful where you tread. It is terribly easy to lose your feet, and so your path in this place.

If you find yourself in unfamiliar scenery—you are likely to find yourself in unfamiliar company; and the creatures of this place are as strange and fantastical as the land itself. They come with their own mystery, their own quirks and goals often derived from the stories people remember from their childhoods.

You might meet your hero here—the one from the story you recall, that saves the Princess from Dragon fire and damned tower. You might meet romanticised Cowboys from the Wildest West, or Knights in armour sitting around circular tables. You might meet Angels; the goodness you expect watching from on up high—every Religion played out in its own little corner of Faerie; every God and Pantheon ruling over their own little slice of the Human condition.

You might too then, also meet your Demons.

“I could smell burning. The scent of a world ablaze filling my lungs with dust and heat; it was apparent then, as I girded myself to open my eyes, that I saw the world of ashes and embers…”

Every instance of Hell imagined by Humanity also takes a slice of the Land—each unique, fiery and heated all the way to frozen and despairing. We, as mere mortals then, are bound to fall into whatever place we believed we should after our demise. Should you believe in Hell, should you believe in the laws of a God and wilfully break them—you end up Damned.

Styx, The Devil

“…I heard it, long before I saw it. The heavy sound of thudding steps rumbled the very ground of this Godless place; my heart pounding within my chest as I waited withheld dread for what came.”

The Devil Styx is a twisted figure of a thing—an abstract result of Human imagination, she is a monster from a monstrous place. The segment of Faerie she hails from is a dead, burned out husk of what once might have been a healthy world; The Doldrums are a layered place of punishment and strife.

Styx towers over most she meets; lending her a good deal of awe and intimidation to her cause and allowing her to control a good territory of her Hell, where she dominates the unlucky souls which fall into the place. Akin to a kind of limbo; The Doldrums are a place of purification at the hands of such creatures, making it Styx’s purpose to punish and torment those sin sullied souls that land into her realm.

Her experiences in that Hellish realm have moulded the Devil no little into the oft frowning creature that she is, yet she is far from predictable. Due to her time in the human world at the behest of Mages and Witches, she has an abstruse, often stoic personality which is difficult to read. Rather than being the personification of anger her horrific shape might lend itself to, she is capable of being calm and collected and indeed it seems to be her default state. This is not to say she does not enjoy getting riled up.

She acts with strength, aggression and no little determination in her purpose. She feeds off of the suffering of those in her grasp—the muscular nightmare gaining energy and power for all the pain and torment she inflicts, all in the name of purification. In effect then, she works on the side of ‘good’; to make those who believe suitable to meet their God.

“It was huge—towering nine-feet over me in the dim, a head crowned of Ram’s horns and legs of a goat to match. It was the heavy thud of its hooves which had so alerted me. It wears some grim invidious expression, and a desire meant for me…”

From there she is called. Those Mages and practitioners of Magic call upon the denizens of Faerie from time to time—and the Devil Styx is no different, summoned from her Hell into the mortal world via a mere Child’s riposte.

Power of a Whimsical Repartee

Any of you that have spent time on the play-ground will have heard the mischievous comeback to whatever insult or childish slur, and it is to this that the Devil Styx owes her existence.

Styx and Stohnz may break my bones, but names may never harm me.

Taught to children by parents wishing to break the cycle of anger and immature squabbles—it is substitute then to insult and ire from childish minds. The otherwise meaningless words have become known by so many, that they are lent power in the Land of Wild Adventure—Faerie.

In this place they have become personified in the forms of two individual constructions of the human imagination; one of them being the large Satyr like Devil, Styx.

It has been postulated by Mages and people interested in the workings of otherworldly power as to why this rhyme would coalesce in a Hellish place such as The Doldrums and perhaps the most reasonable explanation for the random nature of Faerie came from a Sixteenth century Wizard named Peter;

“…It is possible then, that all the insults never said and anger not shared from mere children’s hearts has fed into these pair, and the power of the rhyme. Meeting them both was an experience…”

The rhyme is a line of summoning and indeed hints at the purpose of the two creatures called forth. It is said that a Mage whom controls both the Devils Styx and Stohnz gains great power from their union. In reality, the children's riposte becomes a defence against any magic laid upon the controlling Mage's name, with the power of the two Devils a great deal of intent can be turned back upon the caster of such things.

"They called my name; I heard them, felt their intent in its utterance and the fact of their meaningless loathing was perhaps lost on me... Their words and rhyme were nice, but all I did was grin as I felt the curse begin to close around me. It is when I uttered the rhyme, the retort of two Devils, and I watched as the curse washed over me harmlessly."

The Sister

It is true that creatures such as Styx do not normally claim to have family of any sort; but these two are an unusual case, linked to the one witty retort. Styx’s Sister Devil is Stohnz; a diminutive creature at first glance, patterned with torment and fractured it can be said she is everything the titanic Styx is not.

While Styx is often a large, gruff creature that tends to sulk; Stohnz is a lively pip-squeak of childish manner. Stohnz is often seen perched upon some part of her Sister Styx, be it broad shoulder or arm, or even her head she is seemingly perfectly comfortable around the mighty Behemoth. It has been noted that the Devil Stohnz is not terribly good at her role; an apparent weakness belies her power as the strongest of the pair, and her childish manner often leaves one unguarded when meeting her. This is, of course, if she is not accompanied by her Sister and Bodyguard, Styx.

Styx and her Sister Stohnz have always been together-- they were created by the same power, by the rhyme and so were born of imagination as a pair. They can be separated, however each of them is diminished by the act.

A Dragon Hide Collar

Called into this world with that simple rhyme, the pair of Devil's are significant magical entities and as such cannot remain in the Human world of their own account; they need an anchor of sorts, a power to keep them here other than their own. This power can take many forms; the power of a magical place, somewhere effected by curse or breach to else-where. Magical items which they might keep with them, such as ancient artefacts or cursed items-- pieces with a little story to them. More commonly however, the pair are called and bound by an individual who keeps them here in the Human world.

Currently, Styx and Stohnz are kept here by Torentus The Wizened

Torentus is an unusual, often capricious individual whose Magical predilections are not hard to gather, even if one were to ignore the company he keeps. A seemingly elderly man with a manner suitably cryptic, he can often out-maneuver individuals he meets with mere words and points lost behind babbling thoughts spoken right out of his head.

It is with this power of logic and speech and a seemingly genuine care he spoke his way into the considerations of both the Devil's Styx and Stohnz. They were the both of them left in this world after a foolish and botched act of summoning by an unnamed Magic user who did not survive the attempt. The event left the two Devils lose in the Human world for a limited time, which they have spent as they wished up until involvement of other Devilish entities.

To say the least; with patience, understanding on no little determination in his belief the Mage Torentus worked his way into a position of trust with the pair. They both wished to stay in the Human world, to have the freedom they could not in their ashen home realm-- so it made sense to them then, that they should actually chose to form an accord with the Mage that had shown them his quality.

It is an agreement based upon simple aspects of a bond. Styx and Stohnz would be kept in the Human world; allowed a degree of freedom they could not achieve in their home realm, to be allowed to grow and become powerful with his guidence, and to Torentus they would bow.

Let there be no mistake, their position is a clear one which they have come to accept as a fact of their being. They are his Slaves, and they serve him in whatever manner they can to meet the accord made between them as beings called from another place. His needs before their own, his safety and power above their own the two Devils stick to the arrangement to keep themselves from falling out of his favour.

And so the both of them were marked by his Magic, given restraint to wear about their throats in the form of a Elder Dragon Hide Collar; an item of magical potential in of itself, a rare material for rare Slaves to the Mage. It has potential to increase, to channel their power as well as the Mages own and in truth, it has yet to be utilized to its complete extent.

From this beginning of trust between Otherworldly being and Mage, the Devilish Sisters and Torentus have come to spend a good deal of time together. They serve as guard, as entertainment and as tools for his Magic; they have become important to his world and keeping a Mage often subject to mercurial aspects of Magic and thought rather grounded.

"True anger is not the flame, for it will burn and consume itself. True anger is the blade, forged in such flame. Made keen with steady hand and guided purpose. True anger is the control needed to draw such a blade and deliver it to the ribs. That, my boy, is what the Devil is." -- Torentus The Wizened speaking on the Devil, Styx.

More than a Slave

Beyond the purpose and promise worn about her neck in the form of elegant Elder Dragon hide, Styx has been in the human realm for a good amount of time now; even when one does not count the past instances of her summoning to this realm, her current binding at the hands of Torentus have allowed her to stay here long past the Universes preference.

As such she has been afforded much more time, with a rather lenient Master holding her leash she has had time to explore and even 'socialise' with this worlds inhabitants. It could be said perhaps that this was a mistake-- she has caused problems, trouble and more than one fiery confrontation with people she has taken exception to. With her opinion of Magic users, especially Humans, as low as it is; conversations tend to start off on the wrong foot. Or hoof...

Styx tends to get along best with creatures she might relate to; these can include interdimensional beings, Monsters of one form or another or more specifically her own kind in general. She prefers the company of Devils and Demons she out-ranks, and while she isn't the bottom of the barrel by any means, she doesn't command legions either. This said, there are examples of Humans whom have wormed their way into Styx's good graces, if you can believe she has such things.

One person who has come to know Styx is Elianna

Elianna is a diminutive Imp from an unnamed realm, who sufficed to say resisted the yoke of oppression unlike most of the Demonic hoard and actually escaped her Lord's grasp; this was, admittedly, on account of some good luck after a tirade of bad.

Elianna is a complex individual who by her very nature does not adhere to the usual stereotypical Imp behaviours or personality. This is in truth because her skin belies her true nature-- a fact which has been difficult for the Devil Styx to come to terms with. Elianna, the Imp who is much more than she seems at a glance or even read of a synopsis; is an intelligent, modern individual whom it has been Styx's rather good fortune to meet.

The Devil has benefited from Elianna's honesty, her kindness and sympathies-- aspects of emotion and interaction Styx is not used to dealing with, which has lead to some rather curious encounters between the pair. Whatever the little Imp thinks of Styx however, she seems to remain glad to see her and willing to spend time relaxing with, and even teaching the imposing creature about the modern world.

She has seemingly come to hold more tender feelings towards the Otherworldly creature Styx, whom it cannot be said does not feel anything in return. They have shared close moments, and in casual encounters the Devil does not seem to mind filling in for a lack of seating. Like the Devil's Sister, Stohnz, the small Imp Elianna has rather taken to perching upon one part or another of the large Devil's anatomy. Styx would never say she enjoys the company, and serving a purpose.

"Never underestimate the power of a gentle touch." -- Elianna, speaking on the Devil, Styx.

Devil's in the Detail

The Devil Styx is a complex creature in a convoluted, complicated world. Listed here are some curious facts!

• The Devil Styx was summed by an unnamed Mage, whom did not survive the attempt. He was killed by the Magic he had wrought, taking his life in that moment to power the Devil's continued existence in this world. It is possible the Mage had relatives, or even friends.

• Styx has earned herself by mere dint of her appearance a considerable presence on social media; a small storm driven by metal enthusiasts, by those interested in Magic and by the general amazement of nerds in basements. Of course, there are a few 'normal' people on there as well. There are plenty of pictures, even videos taken of her in and about Millennium City, including several within the cursed halls of Club Caprice. There are both negative comments, revolving around prejudice against Magical beings such as herself, as well as her appearance. There are positive comments too, hype from Gothic and Metal enthusiasts as well as simple discussion about her on a multitude of sites. She's been blogged and re-blogged.

• This social media storm has been fuelled too by her propensity to confrontation; with peoples of a Magical nature, and with creatures and Humans in general, it seems apparent then that the Devil enjoys a scrap, or a challenge. There are a couple of examples of videos on the internet of her fighting in public places, though she has yet to make the news in a super-powered city.

• Styx seems to use little Magic. Indeed, she has a loathing of it despite how magical and otherworldly she is; this is an opinion she shares often with bland expletives.

• Her dislike, perhaps even loathing of Magic is easy to explain when one considers her history in this world. As well as the modern writings on her recent adventures in Millennium City, Styx and her Sister do appear in several tomes, old writings upon the subject of Faerie and Magic. The rhyme and their link to it is rarer, however.

• The Devil is a heavy creature-- weighing in at some 440lbs, or around 200Kg she isn't afraid to throw her weight around. Has a tendency to avoid furniture made by Humans, for Humans; as well as a small notoriety towards damaging flooring! Heavy hooves.

• Her hide is double-tough! Not least because of the sinew and muscle of her, but other-worldly energies form a kind of protective barrier over her skin, which can and does deflect and absorb attacks and damage. It is incredibly difficult to pierce-- normal blades and bullets won't even touch her skin.