Come, gentle but curious soul. Sit by the fire. I will tell you a tale of strange beings and wondrous deeds. With a wave of my delicate talons, I can open your mind to see the glorious threads in the rich tapestry of an exciting and sometimes sordid history.

And where do I begin? Hmm...

I suppose the place to start would be with the one who came to be known as VuDu Dawl. Her mother blessed her with the name of DeLara upon her birth. But Shanabethe Mandana knew her little girl would be so much more than simply her beloved offspring. Being a seer, she saw the potential in her firstborn. (Destinies http://coh.iswiz.com/destinies1.php )

DeLara, or Dawl, as she became known to most, embarked on an amazing journey. Set in motion by a mission to save her half-sister, Azazela, she found herself a citizen of Paragon City. It was a place she was destined to remain for the greater part of her life. She made friends among the brave heroes who made their homes there and bonded with several of them to form the ragged band known as The Canteen Warriors. (The Canteen http://coh.iswiz.com/canteen.php ). Dawl found herself most often paired with the brave Keres, who became a devoted partner and her nearly constant companion. This strong alliance persisted throughout thirty security levels and many of Dawl's less-than-stellar misadventures. It eventually resulted in her giving birth to her firstborn son, who did not survive the travails fo childbirth. A Kheldian energy being happened to be passing nearby at that exact moment, and hearing the tragic crying of the distraught mother, offered the child a new chance at life by fusing with the infant. A grateful Dawl quickly assented and dubbed the reborn child Zakai, which means "One who is pure".

Her sibling was not quite so blessed. She eschewed contact with humans out of a fear borne of an internal struggle with her demonic aspects. Living in relative darkness, beneath the city, her redemption would prove to be a long, painful process.

As Dawl accepted the tasks befitting a heroine in the city, Azazela continued to live a tortured existence that culminated when the minions of the demon Azazel, were sent to sway her to return to submission and serve the forces of evil. Their methods were most brutal. (Conversion -- MATURE CONTENT ADVISORY - This story contains mature/violent content. If you are not of legal age to view such content in your jurisdiction, you do not have permission to access this content. If dark violence offends you, please don't read this story. -- http://coh.iswiz.com/conversion1.php ) Though her diminutive half-sister arrived in time to prevent her destruction, Azazela was left with a dark reminder of her encounter: a demon-child.(Cataclysmic Birthright - MATURE CONTENT ADVISORY - This story contains mature/violent content. If you are not of legal age to view such content in your jurisdiction, you do not have permission to access this content. If dark violence offends you, please don't read this story. http://coh.iswiz.com/birth.php )

The child was surrendered to a convent upon her weaning, to be raised in their orphanage. This was according to the prophecy. However, Xandaros, the cruel demon who had sired the child, manifested himself in the form of a priest and spirited the infant away to be raised by a coven of his earthly followers.

Azazela grew in strength and determination to join her sister in the good fight. Her inner struggle was not yet to cease as she waged a war within herself against her demonic urgings. Her elder half-sister, however, tended to indulge some of those urgings, and became quite well known around Paragon City. She eventually bore five offspring, including the first with her longtime partner: two more sons to a handsome tanker she often consorted with, and a set of accursed twins born out of a forbidden tryst with a dark angel.

One twin was stolen by the angel's demonic brother at birth, and taken away to the Rogue Isles, where he was raised to fulfill a dire prophecy. The female twin was raised by her mother to be an upstanding, if not headstrong, young heroine.

Some time later, Xandaros and his legions, accompanied by Appolion, the youngest son of VuDu Dawl, and Lady Naimah, daughter of Azazela, came to this plane to retrieve Az's soul and the amulet that would allow them to free Azazel from the prison in which the archangels had placed him. It was their intention to precipitate Armageddon by freeing the demon so that he could lead the armies of the Dark One into battle. Taking Azazela's soul into the very pits of Hell, they underestimated the love of a sister, and the devotion of friends. Azazela was rescued, at a great cost, and all of their futures were shifted and shaped by the events of that fateful day. (Epic Roleplay Even: Canteen Warriors Roleplay group -- Winter 2005 --MATURE CONTENT ADVISORY - This story contains mature/violent content. If you are not of legal age to view such content in your jurisdiction, you do not have permission to access this content. If dark violence offends you, please don't read this story. - See http://coh.iswiz.com/prologue.php for parts I through III of this story).

After moving from the dark caves beneath the city to a room in her sister's high-rise apartment, Azazela found herself struggling to understand and exist with the human inhabitants of the city. (Shades of Change - http://coh.iswiz.com/change.php )

The sisters went on to serve the citizens of Paragon City. Eventually, through Dawl's machinations, Azazela found herself paired with a kind hero. He was formerly a powerful Archmage known as Cale Westmarch ( Enter the Combat Mage -- http://www.sailormoonv.net/coh.txt Offsite related story by Troy A. Stanton). His career had been abruptly derailed by the intrusion of a dark Nictus known as Balregu. (The Cenotaph -- http://www.sailormoonv.net/cohsquid.txt Offsite related story by Troy A. Stanton). After this unexpected fusion, he became the Warshade known as Dark Cenotaph. Introduced by Dawl, he and Azazela became close friends, (A Darker Shade http://coh.iswiz.com/darker.php ) and eventually dedicated partners. (The Warshade and I -- http://www.sailormoonv.net/cohws.txt Offsite related story by Troy A. Stanton).

Much to the Warshade's chagrin, Azazela continued to work in the dangerous border islands near the infamous Rogue Isles. Her internal struggle continued as she became haunted by strange nightmares. (The Edge of Tribulations http://coh.iswiz.com/trib1.php )

Azazela began to long for someone to fill the emptiness she felt as she lived among her sister, her sister's mate, Keres, and their brood of children. Eventually, in a moment of emotional weakness, Az asked her partner to assist her in having a child. MATURE CONTENT ADVISORY - This story contains mature content. If you are not of legal age to view such content in your jurisdiction, you do not have permission to access this content. If sexual content offends you, please don't read this story. (Part I: Azazela - Story by Troy A. Stanton - Part II: A Change of Heart.)

Nine months later, she gave birth to a beautiful daughter whom they named Adara. The child grew up fighting at her parents' side. At her father's urging, she was sent to school in Salamanca, under the astute tutelage of the Cabal sorceresses. (A Proper Schooling - http://coh.iswiz.com/school1.php )

Azazela was soon to realize that even though she had a beautiful child with her partner, Cale, she could not dismiss the thoughts of her accursed firstborn. The nagging doubt smoldered deep within her until she succumbed to the temptations of making a dark deal in order to satisfy her desire for knowledge of her prodigal daughter. (A Deal Made in Darkness http://coh.iswiz.com/deal.php ).

As Adara Westmarch grew into a fine little lass, Sheken, the only daughter of VuDu Dawl, grew into a difficult teen. She was a good girl at heart, but had inherited her mother's stubborn and rebellious streak. This eventually brought her face to face with her fate in the form of a dark assassin. (Endgame --MATURE CONTENT ADVISORY - This story contains mature/violent content. If you are not of legal age to view such content in your jurisdiction, you do not have permission to access this content. If dark violence offends you, please don't read this story. - http://coh.iswiz.com/endgame1.php )

The scheming and manipulations of the vile Naimah finally culminated in a battle with her unfortunate mother. Sheken discovered that enemies can become allies in the darkest of times. Out of the ashes of defeat can rise great strength. (Out of the Ashes --MATURE CONTENT ADVISORY - This story contains mature/violent content. If you are not of legal age to view such content in your jurisdiction, you do not have permission to access this content. If dark violence offends you, please don't read this story. - http://coh.iswiz.com/ashes1.php It would come to pass that the dark assassin would come to be redeemed, by the love of the young Sheken. Her mother had a difficult time accepting this, and her anger and hatred shook the foundation of the entire family. It sparked a vile quest to confront the evil Naimah - one that would carry a great cost. ( Perilous Atonement http://coh.iswiz.com/atonement1.php) And so the threads weave wondrous tales of adventure, mystical power, and battles against unspeakable evils.

Is there more to come? That, my gentle friend, remains to be seen...