A battle between light and darkness in a stark urban fantasy milieu.

Your eternal soul is at peril. The king of this world, Satan, has made of it a complex web of illusions and half-truths. He lies, he is the Prince of Lies: climate change is a lie, evolution is a lie, homosexuality is a lie, socialism is a lie, almost all religions are lies. Roleplaying games are a lie, a secret front organization for the witchcraft conspiracy. Humanity is entirely depraved and entangled in Satan's world.

The true gnosis of this world is that there exists a Creator, God the Father, who stands above the turmoil in the untainted Heavens. He has sent the Gospel to be the salvation of humanity. The process is clear, objective, near-mechanical and utterly amoral in its efficacy: whosoever repents and claims salvation in the name of Jesus Christ, the God-Man, will have their every sin cleansed. No bond of Satan, no prior oath or covenant withstands this sacred promise.

Contrariwise, those who refuse the Gospel are utterly doomed, for sin cannot exist in Heaven, and to be a human is to sin. God is all-powerful and all-just, Christ will judge and condemn without error. Eternal hellfire is the promised reward of sin. This is the most important thing, the only important thing in your selfish existence. It is horrible to die by fire, and ever more so to live by it, eternally. Obedience to God's will and faith in Jesus Christ is the only remedy.

The Bible is a holy book, the only one that documents the true knowledge. It is without error. True Christians are known for their signs, the blessings of the Lord in their lives. Miracles are theirs for a prayer, and the forces of Satan cower in their wake.

This is the reality you live in. The battlelines are drawn, but only a few on both sides of the struggle know of the war they are waging. A war for souls.

Theme: Existential horror, urban fantasy hijinks with witches, demons, angels, saints. Note how morally agnostic the Calvinist universe is: the Lord rules with fear while “good” and “evil” are merely theological designations, not actual descriptions of what humans do.

Debbie and her best friend Marcie are college freshmen at a small university in the southern parts of the United States. They've gotten into Dungeons & Dragons after moving to college. The local gaming club is run by Ms. Frost, a pretty, raven-haired veteran gamer, the veritable Dungeon Mistress, as she prefers to call the DM of the game.

The girls have really taken to D&D's wonderful fantasy world over the last few months, it's become their favourite hobby for its intricate situations and lively adventures. Marcie plays Black Leaf the Thief, while Debbie plays Elfstar the Cleric. Unknown to the girls, Ms. Frost, on top of being a top-notch DM, is also a witch in a local Wicca coven. She enjoys the game, but it's also proven a great way to meet like-minded people interested in witchcraft in an otherwise rather straight-laced town.

The game group's life takes a turn for the worse when Black Leaf, Marcie's character, dies on adventure. This happens occasionally in D&D, but it's a lot bigger deal when the character is on the brink of “name level” like Black Leaf, having already survived many grueling adventures. Marcie is really depressed about it, especially as the rest of the group makes fun of her. Ms. Frost is all professional about the stark contrast in fortunes, she can't afford to be partial about game mastering.

Elfstar, however, survives the adventure and gains name level! After the session Ms. Frost invites Debbie to come meet with her witch coven. By passing the preparatory gauntlet of D&D she has proven her mettle, and learned the basics of how to be a witch. Now it's time to learn how to really cast spells!