The necromancer – Norman stood there with a light smile on his face, his hair short and dark cold blue eyes and almost seeming to clean shaven Kadin thought irritated as his facial hair was at the annoyingly itchy stage before it could be called a beard. Other than that his target looked in even better condition than last time, he looked to be in perfect physical shape a man at the key most prime of his life. Kadin struggled against his bonds, but it made no difference he was held tight able to only slightly move his head, everything else felt like it was encased in stone. The necromancer smiled at him and spoke in an almost cheerful friendly tone saying

“Do you know where we are?” and waited silently for Kadin to answer, to which he did unable to do anything else.

“The blasted lands. Some sort of demon base.” Which made the necromancer chuckle, say

“No. This is not some sort of demon base, This place is called Asha Talana – which in their language means ‘Last Hope’. Here is where they made their final stand against the invading armies of men, elves and dwarfs.”

Somewhat confused by the conversation Kadin went on to say.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” while still working against his bonds.. he felt like he was able to slightly move his writs and right hand holding the dagger – but it was less than a hairs with. His target kept up his smile as he answered saying.

“The tunnel you came through was longer than it is now, the massive gouge out of the land by the entrance was once a city, where all manner of demons, devils and their ilk lived in peace.” To which Kadin said.

“I bet the free races didn’t think so, raids, massacres, burning and pillaging of defenceless towns and villages across the land!” a flash or irritation passed across Normans face, but his slight smile quickly returned, then he went on.

“History is written by the victors, boy! Did you know that the demons were the first race to settle these lands, from further north to well past where we first met in the south- before these ‘blasted lands’ were like this!” he said gesturing to the land around them then said

“This was once green and fertile land; the magical barriers were not there. The land between the North Ice caps of the snow elves and the southern green pasture was once a slow gradual change climate.” Then Kadin interrupted by asking

“Why are you telling me this?” While still trying to move his hand was gradually beginning to get a little more movement in them, Kadin suspected that the charm necklace of mental fortitude is why he was able to get forwards with his movement, hopefully his captor didn’t know about it and it would give Kadin an opportunity – however given how easily he was caught and the fact that this man seemed to know Kadin was there all along – he didn’t want to under estimate him again. The other man answered his question though.

“The demons lived in peace even when the elfs came to this land they were happy to share it, trading and supporting the elfs as they went into the forests or headed up north. Then the Dwarfs came, again there was peace, the dwarfs hid in the tunnels seeking gold and gems – there was open trade between all races. But then – THEN we came!

Again the demons wanted peace, helping the humans settle giving up their land in the south for humans. We humans spread like cancer across the lands and soon we were pushing back the borders. Taking more and more land from the Demons, spreading scare tactics amounts the other races – outlawing demons from their own land!” the necromancer seemed to realise he was ranting by now and slowly took a breath to compose himself. He turned back to Kadin and spoke again.

“It all came to a head when human ‘raider’ attacked and torched a small demon village – as you may have seen from the wall art, a small patrol finding the village in flames. The response of the human king at the time – the territory was theirs by right and the demons were encroaching on it!

King Rasten the golden. Rasten the Reverent” The necromancer sneered shaking his head then went on

“That was the last straw; the demons cut ties with us, sent a declaration of the borders of their land and a demand that we humans leave them be. The golden king tore up the declaration, bought golems from the Dwarfs and sent them forwards to cause havoc. He offered to carve up the demons land between them, the dwarfs and the Efls. Uniting the ‘free races’ in there; holy crusade. The demons were driven back to these blasted lands in the forty year war – but the human king had one last gesture of spite. Using a link of the strongest one hundred magic casters they turned the land to what it is now – the magical storms were so powerful that it began to threaten even their own lands and so the barriers were created. The blasted lands – a never ending magical storm left the demons with nothing but this one city Asha Talana. Surrounded on three side the free races left the storm to finish off the demons.”

Kadin was a bit surprised by the story, though not convinced by it, from his knowledge the blasted lands had always been here – they were what supplied this world with magic, and the forty year war was to fight against demon aggression not the other way round. He believed the demons were jealous of the humans lands compared to there hellscape and so tried to take it. But hoping to buy a bit more time to try and free his hand he said

“You still haven’t told me why you are doing all this? Even if your story is true the demons are gone, wiped out in the war.” At which point the necromancer chuckled again and said

“What do you think happened to Asha Talana?” he asked but didn’t wait for an answer

“Their last hope – the demons were able to teleport the whole city, not quite to a new world but to a temporal plane of existence. There they lived and still live! But the field is collapsing it will be gone in a few more years. So they have found a way to reach out to this world, communicate with a few looking for help; and that’s why I am here. I am going to bring the demons home!”