Rhye was a place of magic, mystery and extraordinary events. The empire held some of the greatest wonders of the world, and still was unaware of the majority of what it held. The Nation of Magic, as it was known by the rest of the world, was filled with wonder of both the most beautiful and the most terrible kinds. Man and his ingenious ways and ideas; elves of every sort and their sophisticated combination of music, magic and swordplay; The Citadel, a keep atop the tallest mountain the size of a city in and of itself, the only visible testament to the dwarves living therein; the fey of the forest, plains, desert and sea; even the undead wandered about, risen and commanded by necromancers as a grisly reminder of the battles in which many had perished. The very earth seemed to pulsate with life and energy, there was not a thing that did not seem to have a spirit of its own.<br/><br/>The vibrant nation was given a capital over a millennium ago, originally a city of a size now seeming to be a pale shadow of its current glory. This metropolis, dubbed Nevermore by most, was called such for good reason- when one entered, there was little chance of one leaving, for the marvels held within its walls could never be seen by one man in his entire lifetime. One could never find themselves unoccupied unless they were to put forth effort to do so. Though its original king was long dead and now considered but a legend with which to entertain the minds of the young, tales of magic and glory being spun from the storyteller's imagination, it was not without a ruler, but instead had two who each shared an aspect of the city. The pair, known simply as the Black and White Queens, held power based on the time of day. The White Queen was the matriarch while the sun was about the sky, bathing the city and the surrounding countryside with its blessed light, and was considered by many to be just and fair. Though such a statement would not be considered untrue, she was not one to be known as very kind. She upheld the law with an iron fist, making sure to enforce the law whenever possible, her forces consisting of warriors armed to the teeth that patrolled every nook and cranny. As the sun begins to set, however, her power over Nevermore wanes, and the Black Queen's presence is felt among the inhabitants. She is not one to consider nice either, though she is far more lax in her own enforcement. She rules over the going-ons of the night, and handles the darker facets of the city's trade, allowing the supernatural and other unpleasant folk who resided there to come about and peddle their dirty wares, everything from exotic and occasionally toxic spices to slaves of the living, unliving and merely animate varieties.<br/><br/>The city walls themselves were inhabited by creatures of all kinds, the concentrated magic radiating attracting many that were natural, and some that were rather less so. Many had marched toward Nevermore with the intent of claiming it and its power for themselves, while there were others still whose very existence was intended for the city's protection. As of yet, of the many who assailed Nevermore, none had succeeded. Few would even survive the retort of Nevermore's guardians, the most notable of them being one man who calls himself Great King Rat. A fiendish man, he controls a small army consisting of a menagerie of creatures, mortals, fey, undead, aberrations and the most evil of outsiders, all at his beck and call. His efforts are relentless, and though he is repeatedly beaten back, he refuses to let such a small thing as defeat deter him from continuing his attempts to overthrow the Queens.<br/><br/>Among those who guard Nevermore is a scarecrow duo, their names Patch and Kanis. Though getting along with one another is not considered a strong point of their relationship, one would notice there to be a difference between camaraderie and cooperation, were they to watch the two do their duty. Tonight was an example of their strange compatibility.<br/><br/>Having heard reports of Great King Rat's war troll lieutenant wandering about the outskirts, weaving between the trees of the nearby forests, the pair of scarecrows that held vigil over a section of Nevermore's northwestern wall had called for reinforcements, as there was nothing good that could come of the troll's presence, and they expected there to be more than just the commander. Though Patch liked to consider himself courageous, he was not fond of the idea of facing off against the troll with no more than Kanis and himself. Through the loose net of contacts among the strange folk that protected the city of their own accord, Patch had called for a few different people of noteworthy skill; gripping his scythes tightly, he felt a bit nervous at just how few would possibly show up.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>