*Dream:
You find yourself within a circular chamber, its walls, floor and ceiling are forged entirely of concentric rings of human teeth. Nine alcoves line the walls, each containing an unconscious and floating body. Physically, they share little in common. A human, an elf, half-elf, half-orc, dwarf, halfing, tiefling, dragonborn, gnome. Creatures of the realm.

At the centre of the chamber stands a stone dais upon which rests a tall stone basin. You step forward, drawn towards it inextricably. Within the basin swirls and ever-shifting liquid of wispy strands of greys, whites and blues. Visions of dozens of shifting, ever-morphing faces are visible in the liquid’s surface.

You see yourself, lying broken and bloody, bleeding to death. You remember that day to be unremarkable, until you died of course. A small game of Royal Gambit, a bit of cheating on your part, that led to a fight you couldn’t hope to win.

You look up from the basin. Behind it stands the creature… god, maybe? Each limb or body part of this monstrous, ten-foot humanoid splits into a separate mouth. In some places, many separate mouths, Each mouth is filled entirely with molars, fangs, canines or tusks and they constantly drool a thick, viscous saliva onto the floor. It’s a slow and eerie voice fills your mind,

“This is a gift.”

His sharp grotesque hand opens up before you. Cradled within is a string of blood looping into itself infinitely, like the head of a snake eating its own tail. Hypnotized, your pale hands reach out. At your gentle touch the blood loop quivers, breaking apart into a long string. One curls around your pinky finger, and you watch as the other extends, stretching towards the body of the tiefling.

Twin horns protruding from the forehead, fiery red skin and pointed ears like that of an elf. Devilspawn. You but not you. Not as you were. But alive, breathing. You close your pink around the string, unwilling to let go.

The beings voice scrapes against your ears, “It comes with a price.”

A bit ominous in your opinion, but better to live to fight another day, right?*