In a city ruled by the same family for generations,
a city of emense beauty and amassing great intellects, there is
one who will be chosen to defend it. A young man selected by the king
to become the next guardian of the Torretta Di Ultima Conoscenza; a Latin
phrase meaning Tower of Ultimate Knowledge. Only the guardians and the king
know exactly what the grand structure contains...and what it takes to keep
it's dark secrets safe. Of the countless guardians who have dedicated their
lives to the protection of this great structure, Sardis is by far the youngest.
The new king of Azariah however does not find anything out of the ordinary about
his selection of candidates. He assumes that the youth of his great city should be
able to comprehend all he needs, and should learn it rather quickly...
and further beyond that, the young have a wirey strength and certain
encompassment of agility that even the most experienced of fighters cannot rival.

Eventually it was passed that Sardis would become the next gaurdian, and he would serve
his position rather well. He would be able to outlast the others before him and
establish one of the longest timelines for the certain occupation. That is of course
so long as he survived the training, and then whatever creature hell
could conjure to terrorize his city, and ultimately the world. He was instructed by a knowledgable
man, a man who knew things that none should ever know, things about the torment
of the pits of hell, the creatures that dwell within it, and even the lord of the nine
himself....Asmodeus. Using his knowledge, he taught Sardis everything he would need to know.
Weapons, hand-to-hand combat, intellectual balance, acrobatics, etc...
an advanced version of a king's personal bodyguard. Indeed, he learned fast and
learned exactly how to use the skills taught to the best of his ability. The pure
taste of an untainted victory when one could control the battle at will.

He fought as Guardian of Azariah until the cities destruction at the hands
of Cyrus Grayson. In the anarchy that ensued, Sardis lost a large chunk of his previous
memories, leaving only his awakening in the remaints of that ruined city.
It was within the flames of failure that an unknown stranger came to him, taking
him by the hand and showing him a new world he had never seen. This man called himself
Amaris, and for the years that followed that was the only name he had ever known him
by. His task remained the same however...to perform the duties of his new lord's choosing
as his assassin, his chosen mercenary of war...and as his pupil of unimaginable power.
Now he once more returns to the realm of Beware...against the wishes of his master, he
seeks to find out who he truly is, who he was born from and where he spent his childhood.

It has been almost a year before he finally gave up the search, finding that his new
family had purpose and gave meaning to an already obscure existance. Ultimately, he had
begun to enjoy the lifestyle given to him, had begun to anticipate the movements of his
opponents and exploit their flaws. It was like some magnificent creation of
a game for the new Assassin. He had begun to enjoy the killing. It was not long after
Excepting Amaris as his father, that the lich asked him for a favor of the upmost
importance. He needed the seed of a mortal man to be planted within a young pupil of his,
A girl named Leandra De Angeles. They both would be the vessels for which Amaris' heir
would be born. He has already predicted much of the child, and has conifided within the veteran
Assassin, trusted him with the knowledge. For such respect, he in turn will keep the
secret safe. Besides, he would hate to ruin the surprise.


Artifacts

Amulet of the Planes - This device usually appears to be a black circular amulet, although
any character looking closely at it sees a dark, moving swirl of color. The amulet allows
its wearer to utilize plane shift. However, this is a difficult item to master. The user
must get the amulet to take her to the plane and the specific location on that plane
that he wants. If he fails, the amulet
transports him to a random location on that plane, or to a random plane.

The Moaning Diamond - The Moaning Diamond appears to be an uncut diamond the size of a human fist
connected to a long, thick golden chain. At all times, it gives forth a baleful moaning sound,
as if in pain. Despite the noise, the Moaning Diamond is not evil. The wielder of the stone can,
three times per day, call upon it to reshape earth and stone as if by the spell stone shape,
affecting 5,000 cubic feet of material. The Moaning Diamond can summon an elder earth elemental
that serves the caster until it is slain. Only one such elemental can be summoned at a time;
if it is slain, a new elemental cannot be summoned for 24 hours.


Weapons

Soul Eater - This Obsidian Bladed Katana bestows a negative level when it deals a critical hit.
The sword wielder temporarily gains life with each successful attack. These temporary effects
last for 24 hours. The unfortunate individual struck however will feel more and more drained with each
passing day until a high level healer negates the sword's effects.

One-Handed War-Axe - There is nothing truly special about the axe other than it was crafted by Dwarves to
be of extremely leathal quality. Able to cut through steel armor easily if swung hard enough.



All artwork courtesy of imagenetion.com and Frank Frazetta