The demon taunted, "King Viba, you are old and naked. You command an army of women. You ignore your people. You are covering up fear with a few moments of pleasure."
There was fire in the king's eyes. He stood up, naked, and approached Ravasha. Despite sagging, his body was muscular. "My people learn to fear demons. It is unfortunate, but you seduced many of my people, and those remaining need to know the truth behind who you are. Your little display ends now."
The water rose like snakes and coiled around Ravasha. He slashed at them, but it was too late. As they restrained him, they became hot. Boiling tentacles flowed through his skull, and scalded his insides. Ravasha shifted in the hopes to gain an advantage, but he could only shift into a rat with mange.
King Viba laughed and pointed at the rodent. "This is what Ravasha becomes. I will let you live as this rodent. Go, lick your wounds and remember the might of Jaya. Know that we will always be powerful and you survived at my whim."
RAVASHA REMAINED A rat for three decades. Jaya thrived and grew far past the numbers left after Ravasha was allowed to devastate the kingdom. Some people continued to follow the demon, though there were grumblings and some fled. No one who fled was brought before Ravasha as a traitor, and the inability to enforce his word made Ravasha weaker still.
Then one day, while near the ocean to the west, and hearing it slam against the mountains, he was brought in by the beauty of one peak. He turned back to his towering self and shouted, "This is our home. We will never move again, but we will squeeze Jaya and make it bleed. Stone will crumble and turn to dust. We will devour their men and enslave their women. Their children will be our livestock." Then he looked to his people and said, "Mine the mountain ten miles to the south. Build a great city here while I am away. My sanctum waits for me here."
A small pool at the base of the mountain showed him his reflection, as well as the city which would be. With that, he looked up from the pool and his followers were gone, as he had entered a realm of his own creation. He created a sanctum, though at the time it was only a mountain. He went to the mountain and chiseled it with his hands. Mighty spires were revealed as he stripped down stone. Thralls were brought over to help with the construction and start populating the city.
However, these thralls schemed against each other more with each day. Often Ravasha stepped in to settle disputes, or he simply killed the conspiring parties. Some attempted treason, desiring to usurp Ravasha, but he was too powerful for them to overcome, or they would not take into account the many loyal followers. All plots failed to come to fruition, as it would be the realm's purpose.
Ravasha’s exploits in conjuring the sanctum and trying to take Jaya became famous, and several demon lords approached Ravasha in a proposition to take Jaya, including Ogrebracht. However, Ravasha turned them down, as his pride blinded him to any other insight. Due to his inability to plan for King Viba being powerful, the curse of hubris cast a long shadow over the domain, and Pride's Shadow was created, finished less than a century after starting.
When Ravasha saw the city built outside his domain, protecting the pond which would give entrance to the sanctum, he was pleased with his chattel. They were good and dedicated, and with such a band he could conquer Sankive, as was his plan. However, he knew he had to find another way.
Ravasha wandered Sankive when not taking care of his sanctum until one day he found a nest of angry shape shifting vipers cast out of Jaya.
Chapter OneThe Monkey and the War Council
Age of Finality
Sugriva sat on a window sill, one leg and his tail swinging out the window. The breeze was nice five stories over the mythical city of Bahimatt, and Sugriva closed his eyes to focus on the winds blowing through his golden fur. Down below children played tag with a chakram, throwing the wooden weapon at each other. It wasn't hard enough to cause serious injury, but it would leave a few bruises. Sugriva remembered his own bruises as a child, along with those his uncle added.
The bear general, Humbari, towered over the war map, wood pieces scattered about. Even with the cluster of information, the generals were certain they only marked half of what was out there. Scouts had stopped returning from the demon-infested Sankive Jungle. The Empire hid or moved the gods and samurai with such efficiency it was impossible to have accurate numbers. The demons and Empire were set to clash with each other, and either side coming out victorious would be disastrous. To the south, thousands swarmed from the desert. Rumor was that the lake, which sustained life, dried up. Eventually the desert refugees would reach Bahimatt, where it would help fill out the massive city. Maybe then they could start regularly using the ancient infrastructure.
Paws slammed on the war table and Sugriva popped out of his head and back into the room with the council. General Humbari growled, "Are you with us, Sugriva? Do you have anything to add?" It was a show of force to belittle the monkey, as they both knew Sugriva was only there for his popularity with the people.
He waived his hand in front of his face, black nails emitting smoke to obfuscate his face. "Gods, demons, and southern locusts will meet here,
