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This is one of the articles that was submitted to the contest and won 2nd place. It was written by Buffalo Soldierr

A Demon Hunter’s Dream

By Buffalo

Ahh… an adventurer! I don’t see many in these parts!

Finally grow tired of digging with the gnomes? Or does Goshnar scare you?!

Or… perhaps, you are here for Excalibug…Oh?
You haven’t heard of Excalibug?

Well with the Seven back under control of the Pits… I could use some help.

But if we are going to be successful, you’ll need to understand the beings who protect it,
and to truly understand the Ruthless Seven you must start with…

The Beginning

The gods struggled at their first creation, but after understanding their powers, a struggle ensued, beginning Fardos and Uman’s eternal war with Zathroth, and we…

Well… we were pawns for their war,
at least… In the beginning.

Many beings were driven to extinction in the godwars, and while many clamored for glory on the battlefield – some found they were blessed with an understanding of magic. Ancient spiritualists are even documented to have constructed their wildest imaginations using a certain dream magic. We eventually discovered that all of this is possible through:

Neither place or thing, it is the fabric through which all is connected and created.
Most of us have traversed the void, some live in it, and others seek power over the void through creation, hoping to ascend to godhood!

However in the case of creation, sacrifice is required,
and of course, the greatest creations are only possible through the greatest sacrifice.
Tibia itself was the first creation in the void, by the death of the goddess known as Tibiasula.

Among all mortal creators exists one whose strength in magic equals that of their might.
Responsible for creating the most evil beings of any realm.

The Demons!

An ancient force so strong Zathroth himself fears the creation, it is not certain how they came to be, but a truly evil force was unleashed that day

Made in the truest image of Zathroth, the demons would stop at nothing to ascend even its own ranks. Their relentless drive for power makes them feared, but this desire has also become their greatest weakness.

You can find transcripts describing the immense amount of energy required to open rifts connecting the demon realm to ours. The demons are drawn to volcanic places where the energy they require is most concentrated. The demons use this energy most commonly to summon demonic hordes or great demon lords. Demons are also responsible for constructing many horrific realities out of the void.

The most ancient records of mighty demons will lead you to Orshabaal or the Triangle of Terror,

but among these great demons rose an ancient faction that even the gods feared…

The Ruthless Seven

Ancient demons, created by the destruction of the godbreaker, the mythical weapon Zathroth used to kill Tibiasula. The Seven withstood the test of time ascending to Archdemon.

The Dream Master is among the last of a mystical order known as the Nightmare Knights. The NKs waged war against these

Archdemons. He can be found hiding in the void, and if asked about the Seven, he explains how they came to be:

He tells us their climb to archdemon started “aeons” ago (1aeon=1billion years) making them among the oldest demons in existence. The following books found around Tibia tell us more about the Seven.

The Seven are described as rulers to the Pits of Inferno. Inside of PoI there is a gate which functions like a volcano. When the volcano erupts the gate to the demon realm opens, allowing their hordes to enter. During their reign in the Plains of Havoc, the Nightmare Knights could track these eruptions to prevent demons from entering our realm.

The last known massive eruption of the volcanic gate in PoI destroyed the NKs. The demonic hordes released by this eruption overran the Pits and remain there to this day. This attack was orchestrated by the Seven as a strategic means to end their extensive campaign against the NKs.

The Brotherhood of Bones is a group of defectors that abandoned the ways of the Nightmare Knights and allied with the Seven.
Their remaining leader can attest to this event:

History mentions many groups who were drawn to the Plains of Havoc for its concentration of dark energy.

The oldest known group connected with the dark energies here, were inspired to construct a massive Cathedral known as the Dark Cathedral. The Cathedral was destroyed by an earthquake, a monk from the order guarding the final outpost here can tell us more.

We learned about a volcano located below PoH that will erupt to open a gate to the demon realm.
A strong enough eruption could surely shake the earth. This monk order existed long before the NKs.
The Seven would have controlled the Pits during this time and likely caused the earthquake that destroyed their cathedral.

This provides evidence that the Seven spent ages in the Pits practicing the art of creation, eventually learning to construct their own realities. Out of the void they created private chambers to their liking. They continued on to create demon minions to lead hordes of their favorite pets. The Brotherhood of Blood described this place as a “kingdom of terror”.

The Seven continued to rise in power, defeating anyone that challenged them. A fear of the Seven developed across demonkind, converting some foes to allies. The Seven built the greatest demonic force ever seen, but they couldn’t stop there, the Seven longed for godhood and for this they needed to master creation. Thus they constructed a powerful device that would allow them to ascend their creative bounds, the Demonforge. To ensure the forge’s security, the Seven chose their lieutenants as guards, powerful demons from other realms who pledged their loyalty to the Seven.

Now poised for greatness, the Seven were on the path of becoming a truly unstoppable force of demonic nature.

Zathroth, aware of their advancements, maintained interest with the Seven. After the completion of the demonforge, Zathroth acknowledged the supremacy of the Seven and entrusted them with protecting his greatest possession, the godbreaker.

The Seven knew what powers the godbreaker possessed and the importance of ensuring the weapon could never be re-assembled.

To fulfill this request, the Ruthless Seven constructed realms hidden around the void. Each of the Seven created a minion out of their very image and likeness to lead the demonic hordes that defended these realms. The resulting Minions of the Seven were more powerful than the combined forces of the very hordes they led, setting a new precedent for demonkind.

It was around this time the great demonwar had unknowingly begun. Either out of jealousy for Zathroth’s bond with the Seven or their demonic nature, the great Demon Princes pledged their loyalty to Variphor, an almighty god of unknown origin, existing in the void.

Which brings us to Roshamuul – a place created from none other than the substance of:

Dreams

Eruaran, who can be found near the Dream Catcher in Roshamuul, is the last Teshial elf in Roshamuul. The elvish race is classified by castes, the Teshials are among the most ancient and are notorious for being highly skilled in dealing with dream magic, the most practiced among Teshials are even able to create their own realities. The Teshials were known members of the group responsible for creating Roshamuul, The Dreamers.

Eruaran also tells us why the Seven sought to end the Nightmare Knights.

The Knight’s dream magic was seen as a threat because it gave the Order power over the Seven.
We also learn of the Seven’s fear of dreams – this can be explained by events that took place in ancient Roshamuul.

If you search Roshamuul you’ll find six papers documenting the story of Roshamuul’s colonization and destruction, seemingly written by a leader of the Dreamers, who I assume is a Teshial Elf. The Dreamers were an ancient alliance who used the power of dreams to construct the mighty city of Roshamuul. The dreamers tapped into unthinkable magic that sparked a relentless hunger for power, ultimately leading to their demise. Their story reveals many new strengths amongst demon elites, and in the case of The Ruthless Seven…. we learn of their mortality:

We learn many important things here:

Zathroth’s favoritism for the demons.
Betrayal plans revealing the cunning nature of the demons!

Demon Princes are introduced as the mightiest demons
in existence!

We also learn that the princes abandoned
Zathroth for Variphor, explaining their power.

The Ruthless Seven are listed among “the next finest batch of demons”
We learn Bazir seems to be the unspoken leader of the Ruthless Seven.
The unleashed power of the Dream Catcher devastated all in its path,
including the Ruthless Seven, explaining their fear of dreams
And last but certainly not least Ashfalor is shredded to bits – showing the mortality of the Ruthless Seven…

The Dream Master can speak more to the fate of the Seven

The Dream Master tells us the Seven will fall victim to their demonic nature, and according to the story about Roshamuul it seems Apocalypse and Infernatil had already begun to succumb to their selfish desires.

Now vulnerable from the casualties of the demon war, the Seven returned to their home to recover from the damages caused by the Dream Catcher. We know from history they remained there and endured war with the Nightmare Knights, most accounts claim they reside there to this day…

Now, you are ready, come with me. I will show you what I’ve learned about Tibia’s greatest mystery…

The Pits of Inferno

We have all been here to touch the thrones of the Seven and collect the treasures sealed away by the NKs.

Just beyond the NK’s treasure room we find a mysterious room where we can see… the sword!

I, like many, never thought much of this place, until I started to notice the signs around POI. Follow me, I will show you the many mysteries and some hints to a deeper quest that remains unsolved.

To start our journey into the pits we first pull the infamous 15 levers
removing two stones opening a path here:

While there are many interesting objects in
this room, only the hidden switch has

a known use – part of a small puzzle allowing us access to the “Spa” or as I call it:

The Sacrificial Chambers

While this place is full of intrigue, we are only here for a moment to stand on this switch:

Leaving most to ignore things like: the inaccessible lever, and human corpses with (Vol:5)

Then in the very center of this place…

Let’s offer a sacrif…i…what?!

The altars seem to accept whatever you sacrifice! What might happen should one sacrifice the correct item(s)!?

What if you offer each essence of the Seven’s minions?

Upon advancing this area we meet, possibly the most mysterious NPC, said to have no use… no story, nothing?

He seems to be among the only living humans to have pledged themselves to the Seven.
He must know something about the Pit’s secrets! I tried everything I could to strike a conversation.
He would only yell “Traitor!” and light me aflame…

South of this guard we find a message from Bazir. Given his deceitful nature, he likely constructed the puzzles that protect PoI.

Continuing north, we eventually arrive in the Throne Room:

Here we find the portals leading to the realms created by each of the Seven, bearing unique characteristics rarely seen around Tibia. Two seals in particular contain quite a bit of mystery…

Let’s begin with…

Ashfalor’s Realm

If you look, you’ll find many tombstones here, but one bears a particularly curious name.

A grave for none other than Alistair Cropwell, and why is this so strange?
Well if we look at Thais’ Royal Library you will find the following books.

Alistair was a famous Adventurer who explored Tibia for the Royal Thaian Body. He was executed by the Thaian King for claiming the discovery of another mighty dark kingdom.

The interesting thing we learn here however is that His Royal Highness, the Thaian King, demands the expansion of Thais graveyard to the east, and nearly dead east of Thais sits Ashfalor’s graveyard. This demand was also made the same year (943 p.g.) that Alistair Cropwell was sentenced to death.

So why is this interesting?

Well if you look around in the graveyard north of Thais, you will find a grave site for none other than…

Alistair Cropwell.

Which gravesite really holds the bones of Alistair Cropwell? The graves North of Thais and in Ashfalor’s realm contain the same types of occupants and the text of the graves in both locations seems to be by the same author… this must be the graveyard expansion that was demanded by the king!

At first glance the graveyard found on the surface of the Plains seems like the result of HRH’s demand. Upon further inspection, you will notice that most of the graves found in PoH bear encoded text that was commonly used by the NKs. Similar text can be found around the NK’s various structures.

However, if you compare the graves of Thais and Ashfalor’s chambers, you will find other odd correlations.
It seems the gravedigger responsible for this expansion might hold some answers.

Alistair’s son Erin was also royal explorer for king Tibianus I. Privately, he continued his father’s work to no avail. Erin’s body can be found in the Desert Dungeon …

If Erin was venturing to confirm his father’s findings, then perhaps his diary can provide some clues.

He tells us right away that his destination is: the world behind the great volcanic mountains, the world responsible for the volcanos! A fitting description for the volcanic place that connects us to the demon realm, The Pits of Inferno. If we look at his path, we can see he takes a turn south towards PoH, cutting through the Jakundaf Desert, where he meets his fate.

Alistair was likely aware of the rumors about the existence of PoI, and being a renowned explorer he likely was among the first of modern men to discover the Pits, which he described as a “mighty city inhabited by fearsome beings” – The Bone Master called it a kingdom of terror

In his log he also mentions seeing people, this may explain the likes of the Demonguard or members of the Brotherhood of Bone.

A final detail – Erin’s corpse is oddly Vol:5, same as the human corpses found in the Sacrificial Chambers

Then, the realm itself.

There is one room on the west side of the main hall where we can see a staircase leading down from a never before accessed room on the floor above. And it leads to a room with more coffins of interest.. one of each, blue, yellow, red!

2 rooms blocked by a mere gate, one to the north of the seal’s main hall and one to the southwest. Might the gates be removed by some lever or switch?

The room to the southwest also presents a strange staircase leading down… on the bottom floor of the known world, could this staircase act as a portal?

And then the throne room… we see a sole coffin marked by the yellow rose – it is rare to see or even have access to a coffin depicting this rose.

Could the yellow rose be a key, what if you placed a yellow rose inside the coffin… could that lift the gates? Maybe there is some mechanism here we don’t understand…

There are signs here… yet the direction is so vague…

Now for the real puzzle…

Bazir’s Realm

The caves here are more of a maze… with levers, portals, and more strange mechanics found in very few places around Tibia! One of the first keys to solving the puzzle found here are the “unreachable” rooms:

Alleged to be inaccessible – these rooms can be seen while wandering Bazir’s Realm.

The room with a hole is found north of where we use the portal to access Bazir’s throne, while the room with a lever can be seen near the entrance. Long before I knew much about anything we’ve discussed, I was on an expedition with a Knight and 2 of our companions. After many hours the Knight somehow got us access to the lever room.

This was years before we knew the significance of this discovery, so I thought little of it at the time, but that’s another story… The details are blurred, but myself and the other 3 others can attest, this room is accessible!

Something else you see very early are the demo..err… goblins, this is a very rare shapeshifting magic, only seen in one other place around Tibia, the Ankrahmun Tomb of Rahemos – one of the few sorcerers aside from Ferumbras who can summon demons.

Another odd parallel with the Pharaohs is the Seven’s Minions who guard their thrones in PoI. 7 Pharaohs each guard a secret part of the helmet of the ancients, they drop a key item that changes where the portal in their chamber will send you… Like the pharaohs, the Seven Demon Minions found in poi each drop an item containing their essence…

And speaking of portals… A portal you can find early on will teleport you to 1 of 3 places around Bazir’s Realm.

The Minion’s items or maybe the levers found here could impact how this portal functions.
My blurred memory suggests this was the portal that allowed us access into the inaccessible lever room

With that in mind, let’s look at the levers, 14 are found here in total.

Certain levers here disappear while some do not.

One lever that does not disappear creates a portal from a hole!

This portal is for entry to Bazir’s throne room, but notice the blue portal

that appears for a brief moment, something or someone may need to be
placed there before pulling this lever to alter its outcome…

Another lever you can find unlocks a door… Introducing yet another unique mechanic.

And now I will tell you about something that has never been discovered before…

Let’s look at that book we found earlier in that pile of bones.

We find the notes of an explorer who seemingly went mad trying to find some pattern in the levers.
Up to now, this book has been dismissed as only an acrostic, spelling: levers useless.

Let’s take a closer look…

Errors are red…
Stupidity is red…
See the colors change?

It seems our friend was tampering with the levers in Bazir’s Seal!

He seems to have discovered that the levers will only sparkle red when pulled in the wrong order.

And it seems he is telling us that the colors do change if the levers are pulled in the correct order!

Well…

While going mad many long nights… mostly trying to determine how to regain entry into the “inaccessible” areas…

I discovered that the levers do have a mechanic, and it does indeed involve the order in which they are pulled!

While I still have not exhausted anywhere near enough combinations to confirm if the colors do change… I can tell you…

Certain things… will happen when the levers are pulled in the correct order.

What I’m going to show you has never been revealed.

First, remember that lever from earlier which unlocks the door? Pull it.

Then DO NOT pull any other levers!

Now, there is another lever which I want to draw your attention to found here.

The lever to the north in this room does not disappear… and for the longest time I could not figure out its purpose…

Let’s pull this lever.

Now, come with me to the entrance…
Take a close look, something changes…

A HIDDEN LEVER!

The 15th Lever

Through a series of tests, I have discovered that pulling only these two levers is required to reveal the 15th, and order does matter.

For instance if you make too many mistakes or pull the second lever prior to the first, you too would think this lever is like our friend’s book says, useless

This also makes the third time we see Bazir’s 15-lever puzzle.

What might happen if we pull the right combination, and will the levers provide a colorful hint?

While I don’t have the answers yet, I have done the math:
With 15 levers – and even with a conservative use of logical reasoning, the numbers tell us there are a staggering:

1,052,366,515,200
possible lever combinations…

Just to determine without doubt if the levers sparkle a different color,
you would need to exhaust 3,603,600 combinations…

It would take quite a bit of time or luck to solve this puzzle – truly fitting the master of deceit.

And let’s not forget what our ghostly friend said:

Other factors could be at play such as being required to take a certain path, or the need for a companion to notice some change…

So what is this incredibly complex puzzle protecting?

Perhaps the last weapon that threatens the very existence of the Seven.

The Sword

The final mystery left by the Nightmare Knights!

This infamous sword is shrouded in mystery. Believed by many to be Excalibug – the mightiest weapon ever forged by mortals, crafted from an unknown origin and lost forever in ancient times.

Almost everyone in Tibia has something to say about Excalibug

Yet, most that is known about the weapon or its whereabouts are that of myth, but a few experienced warriors might actually be telling more fact than fiction.

Harkath Bloodblade, General to the King’s Army, when asked about Excalibug tells us this sword could grant its wielder power over the mightiest of demons

Avar Tar, veteran explorer and notorious demon hunter, defeated Orshabaal in single combat, and can even speak bonelord language. Surely an adventurer as traveled as him must know something of fact. Let’s ask…

He, like many others, believes Excalibug is hidden in the Pits, locked away by the NKs.
A book, written by a NK, confirms that they did keep multiple vaults.

Keep in mind also that the NK’s origin links them to the Dreamers from Roshamuul. The same Nightmare Knights who are also known for forging another famous weapon known as The Avenger. This weapon was imbued with holy powers used to slay Goshnar and his undead hordes.

If we take a closer look at this blade, we find it was formed from shattered dreams.

The author of the dreamer’s documents tells us they created weapons from the substance of dreams in ancient Roshamuul!
This further supports the legacy of the Nightmare Knights as a continuation of the Dreamers, this is also not the first time we have seen powerful weapons formed by Dreams:

Many stories point to the dwarves as being responsible for forging Excalibug. Dwarves are well known for their weaponsmithing, and were among the races who formed the Dreamers of Roshamuul. We know Excalibug was forged during ancient times and contains truly unparalleled power, the only known source of such power was lost with the dreamers.

A dwarven smith among the dreamers likely obsessed over the idea of forging mighty weapons with the dream magic they wielded. Excalibug must have been forged during the rise of the dreamers, giving them power to slay even the mightiest of demons, securing their position as rivals to Zathroth’s favorite pets. It would also make sense that no weapon can rival its power today, because the ancient art of forging dreams was lost with the dreamers. The little we know today resides with the remaining clans of Teshial elves and Nightmare Knights.

Now you may wonder why did the Dreamers entrust their remaining secrets with the Nightmare Knights?
Well we know the Dreamers were betrayed by the demons in the demonwar that destroyed Roshamuul. During their many dealings with the demons, the Dreamers must have learned about the Pits of Inferno. Dreams are also known to have prophetic value, so the Dreamers likely saw the coming of Goshnar’s undead horrors combined with the might of the Ruthless Seven, and had been awaiting a mystical group strong enough to protect the realm of humankind.

Thus the brave and mystical order of the Nightmare Knights was chosen to continue their war against the demons. The NKs were taught dreamwalking and used this skill to predict eruptions in PoI, this allowed them to stop demonic forces from entering our realm.

If Excalibug was created by a Dwarf among the Dreamers, then this weapon too may have been among the secrets passed on – knowing full well that the NKs may be humanity’s only hope to stop the spread of Zathroth’s evil forces.

These claims are supported by some books we find near the Dream Master, he resides in a realm constructed from dreams that exists in the Void, here we find a small library with these books talking about Excalibug

The book on the right resembles more of a poem, this looks to be flavour, but it lists a series of justices that once complete would return Excalibug to its former glory, insinuating a fall from glory, like that of the dreamers.

The book on the left, provides some more interesting context as to what the Nightmare Knights did with Excalibug. Firstly this corroborates Avar Tar’s theory that the weapon was hidden by the NK Order in some unholy place, what more unholy place than the very depths of the Pits, which would have been controlled by the ancient Order when this book was written. The book goes on to talk about the extreme measures in place to secure the weapon.

And the the most important in all of this:

“Even the Ruthless Seven themselves” – The NK knew the power this weapon bestows upon its holder, and that The Ruthless Seven would stop at nothing to secure this weapon.

Well when peering out at the sword, we find ourselves in a room filled with riddles, the NK’s secret wards left to guard the weapon.

One riddle we find here can tell us more, when one peers out through the mysterious brick structure we see: nothing special

We see nothing, how can this be?!!
We can look out any window, from any height and see anything!

Unless of course, the object we seek exists below an invisible floor.

If you look in Pumin’s seal we see this very magic.

The demons deployed many invisible illusions we pass on our journey.

What does this tell us and could we retrieve Excalibug to finally slay the Seven?

Well there is no doubt the Seven retreated to the Pits after being weakened by the explosion of the Dream Catcher. Furthermore, If Ashfalor was not reanimated even in a weaker form, then the Seven may no longer be the combined power they once were. Their war with the Nightmare Knights was also not trivial, leaving the Seven even more vulnerable.

If the weapon we see is Excalibug in all its might, then surely the demons have not destroyed it. They may have however installed puzzles to increase the difficulty of retrieving the sword.
The invisible ceiling we see is likely Bazir’s final act of deceit to deter people from retrieving Excalibug.

An illusion that shrouds the blade in mystery.
Leaving viewers only with wonder,
and most, from ever wondering at all.

So I say to you adventurer, whether you believe my stories or not:

You can chase Goshnar to every crevice of the void to reap the rewards of his evil horde!
You can endlessly dig to the core of Tibia in hopes of unearthing newly forged weaponry!

But as for demon hunters…
Well the real quest awaits us in the Infernal Pits…