A human Cleric with an urgent task

While you are quite young, you are already considered one of the strongest Clerics in the world. You were raised in a Temple of the Goddess near the kingdom's capitol city by the High Priests, who gave you the name Liam Isaacson (the last name derived from the name of the temple's patron saint). From early in your life, the High Priests knew you held great power within you. You quickly displayed a strong natural affinity for magics of Light, from healing to creating light in dark spaces to generating a large flash of light which could purify creatures of darkness. You also have an unusually large amount of magical energy available for your use, allowing you to cast more spells before needing to recover. It is this strength which is why you were chosen for this quest.

A group was sent into the Country of Shadows in order to retrieve some undisclosed artifact, and no one has heard from them in weeks. With the level of danger the Southern Continent is infamous for, it is not hard to imagine that they merely fell to the darkness they faced. Apparently, the group lacked a member with proficiency in Light magic. The prince apparently changed his mind for the second try.

Your party is composed of two representatives of each of the four races. Aside from yourself, the other human is a female monk named Illiana, as reserved as yourself with an almost suspiciously compact chest, deep black hair, and cold steel eyes. The male dwarf, Ulric, is, unusual as it may be, a paladin, his longsword composed of dwarven mythril and inscribed with the runes of his native tongue, and his tower shield almost as tall as he is. He is accompanied by a female as well, Ruska, who's similar appearance to her fellow seems to suggest relation of some sort. Both have brilliantly orange hair-- Ulric also having a beard any dwarf would be proud of--, deep green eyes, and lighter skin thanks to lives spent primarily underground. Somewhat disconcerting for someone like you who has had little to no prior interactions with other races, both dwarfs are at best half your height. Next are the gnomes, again one male and one female. The female, Gressa, is a sight to behold, being a swordswoman with a disproportionately large blade. It is impressive that she can move so lithely in her heavy-seeming chainmail. Tribold, the male gnome, is a gunman, wielding two supposedly enchanted pistols with impressive speed and dexterity, almost certainly aided by his simple leather armor. Finally, the elves. They seem to have a different relationship from the others, their closeness leading you to think they may be romantically involved. The male, Raphael, is the other magic wielder of your band. Unlike yourself, he focuses more on elemental magics, both offensive and defensive. With his long white hair, delicate features, slim frame, and lilac eyes, it would be easy to mistake him for a woman. His companion, Lenore, is a rogue-- just another surprise within your group. Her knife skills are apparently unmatched, and she has managed to surprise you by appearing seemingly out of nowhere many times already. Her white-blonde locks are drawn back into a long pony tail, loose bangs falling in front of her crystal blue eyes. Her slim waist and decadent curves would strike you as alluring, if you were not trained never to experience such sensations.

After a long and arduous journey, including many battles against various forces of darkness, you arrive at your destination.

"It's here," Illiana announces. "I can feel it." You nod. The darkness of the catacombs before you is thicker than anywhere you have passed thus far. Undeterred, your party continues onward, descending into the dungeonous tombs deep within the Country of Shadows.

To your surprise and concern, the number of undead you encounter as you press on towards your goal is strikingly low. As you near the deepest reaches, they disappear entirely, as if whatever lies ahead terrifies even them. Finally, a door adorned with an ominous message appears before you.

"The Entity demands the Blood.

The Entity demands the Lust.

The Entity demands the Body.

The Entity demands the Soul."

"Well... that's... ominous..." Tribold speaks up first, your party standing before the door.

Enter... a voice whispers, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere. Enter and retrieve the great power within... You glance around subtly, trying not to show any reason. If any of your companions hear the voice as well, they are not showing it.

It must be you... The voice is now many voices. Their almost discordant whispering threatens to give you a headache. Only you have the strength to enter and survive...

"So... who's goin' inside?" Ruska queries, voicing the question on everyone's minds.

Do it. Do it do it do it!

No one speaks up, clearly unwilling to volunteer with such an ominous message before you. Without a word, the voices still echoing the same two words in your mind, you step forward. You think you hear one of the others-- you are not certain which-- questioning your action. However, as if hypnotized or possessed, you continue onward, placing a hand on the door and pushing it open.

The others do not follow, the door falling shut heavily between you. The room you have found is sparse, half flooded with water dripping slowly from multiple points in the ceiling. To combat the dimly lit space, you cast a small spell of illumination, a glow around the magic staff clutched in your left hand acting the role of a torch, casting a cold white light over the dreary space. The only thing in the room seems to be an alter of some sort straight across from you. Atop it is a chest. A knock resonates from behind you, a voice calling out.

"Liam?" Ulric. "Ye're on yer own, boy."

"The door refuses to open again," Raphael explains. You say nothing in response, your focus almost exclusively on the box you are slowly creeping towards. Each drop of water echoes in your ears, nearly drowned out by the hissing voices in your head.

The Entity demands the Blood.

The Entity demands the Lust.

The Entity demands the Body.

The Entity demands the Soul.

The whispers seem to get more numerous, the volume of the voices growing proportionally with each step you took.

The Entity demands the Blood.

The Entity demands the Lust.

The Entity demands the Body.

The Entity demands the Soul.

The chant is soon the only thing in your thoughts, your subconscious mind still driving you forward. As you arrive at the altar, coming to a stop, you reach down towards the chest.

The Entity accepts your Blood.

The Entity changes your Lust.

The Entity takes your Body.

The Entity destroys your Soul.

You open the chest, the voices chanting so loudly you cannot hear the sounds of the old, rusted hinges, the sudden, more urgent banging at the door, the shouting from outside the chamber. Before you can actually process the sight of what you have uncovered, your vision goes black. You can no longer feel your body. The only sensation you have left is hearing, but all you hear is the chanting voices in your mind:

The Entity Rises Once More.

The Entity Rises Once More.

The Entity Rises Once More.

__

While you are standing frozen before the chest, opening the Pandora's Box you were sent to retrieve, your party hears the sounds of a great number of undead coming near them, and begin pounding on the door, hoping to have your cleansing light spells to assist with the potential army incoming. Instead, the message on the door transforms:

The Entity demands you Leave.

The Entity has what it Needs.

The Entity will spare your Lives,

If you leave before The Entity can Arise.

A series of strange whispers suddenly echo around them, chanting one phrase over and over again.

The Entity Rises Once More.

The remaining members of your party waste no time and flee from the depths of the catacombs, fighting off only as many enemies as they need in order to reach the exit. The voices follow them all the way out:

The Entity Rises Once More.

The Entity Rises Once More.

The Entity Rises Once More.