Inspired by the black & white samurai films of Akira Kurosawa, The Temple of a Thousand Tears is a tragic tale about a group of religious fanatics trying to find the Seven Lost Keys of Abraham.

Characters:

Abraham: Long ago, there was a boy named Abraham who lived in a village that was ruled by a goddess. One day, that goddess announced that the gods were holding a meeting on the other side of the country, and that their decision would determine whether or not the gods would leave the world of man forever. She asked for a bodyguard, someone to protect her on the journey across the land. Her decision would anger many of the gods who opposed her views, and they would no doubt try to kill her before she arrived. None of the villagers were brave enough to protect a goddess from the attacks of the gods...none save Abraham. Barely a decade old, the boy traveled with the goddess across the land, facing unspeakable dangers and adventures that have since become legendary. Upon arriving at the Council of the Gods, Abraham was given the chance to come with the gods on to paradise...Abraham turned down the gift. Instead, the gods granted him with 7 holy relics, which when combined would open a doorway to the land of the gods. Over a millennia has passed since the Time of Abraham, but the Seven Lost Keys remain hidden to this day....

Julian: The leader of our little group of religious fanatics, Julian used to be a priest for the Holy Order of Abraham before he was ousted by the Cardnial's bishops for his divergent beliefs. Julian is also a brilliant inventor, using his engineering and scientific knowledge to converge his beliefs about the human spirit and the soul into his ultimate creation: his one and only daughter, Shiri.

Shiri: The daughter of Julian is a mysterious young woman, who never seems to speak. In fact, she doesn't seem to do much of anything. She is always at Julian's side, however, and protects him with extreme measures when her hand is forced. Raised with a combination of religious and scientific beliefs, she is thought to be more open minded than the average person; the first of a new generation. For some strange reason, she has red eyes and pink pupils.

Seymour: A humble and insightful monk, Seymour used to study in a monestary and create educational texts for the further advancement of civilization. Having left the monestary to journey with his friend, Julian, the two embarked on a quest to discover the Seven Lost keys of Abraham. During their travels, they stumbled across information that Cardnial Milikin, the leader of the Holy Order of Abraham, was also looking for these holy relics. His plans, however, were to destroy them as objects of heresey. The two traveled to the Capital City, and attempted to plead with the Cardnial, but were denied an audience. On their way out of the city, they were attacked by a group of bandits, but saved by a Tojin named Marielle.

Marielle: Once a warrior priestess among her people, Marielle lead several assassinations on prominant political figures and religious leaders. Her race, the Tojin, are believed to be an obsessive and savage race that favors violence over diplomacy. Factions of their people have been at war with each other for centuries, battles over holy lands and blood feuds that have long since been forgotten. The Tojin also engage in suicide bombings, and act as assassins for hire. Their people are very honorable, but have a poor reputation because of the acts of their more violent ancestors. Having denied the ways of the assassin, Marielle was exiled from her village and forced to live as an outcast from her people. Upon arriving at Capital City to seek guidance from the Holy Order of Abraham, she came across two men being attacked by bandits....

The Swordsman: A mysterious and silent samurai warrior, this man has yet to reveal his name to his traveling companions. Some dark trauma haunts our reluctant hero, as he journeys to discover the true reason behind his hidden past. Whatever his past may be, it has something to do with the Holy Order of Abraham, and the Seven Lost Keys that the religious fanatics seek.

The Story Thus Far:

Chapter 1: The Journey: Walking down a trail, a swordsman comes across a group of religious fanatics being attacked by a group of bandits. He saves the group and forces the bandits to retreat. Believing this intervention to be a divine sign from the gods, the swordsman is invited to join the group and help them locate the Seven Lost keys of Abraham. Meanwhile, the bandits are discovered by a group of cloaked men that are following the religious fanatics, and are dispatched quickly and mercilessly....

Chapter 2: A Dream or a Memory: During the night, the swordsman tells the group that they are being hunted by their very own religious followers. The bandits had access to weapons that are only available to the military, which is controlled by the Holy Order of Abraham. They were obviously hired to thwart the fanatics in their quest. The swordsman agrees to accompany this group on their quest to locate the last Lost key of Abraham.

Chapter 3: Things Left Behind: Back on the trail, the group is once again attacked by a group of bandits. This time, the swordsman faces the leader of the bandits; a female Tojin. He bests her men without a scratch, and using only his bare hands, but is unable to stop her from shooting Seymour in the shoulder. She is about to mortally wound Julian when Shiri, Julian's daughter, does something unexpected and stops the assassin cold. The group bandages her wounds and leave her with a message for her boss, and then leave her to die on the side of the road....

Chapter 4: Into the Valley of Eternal Lament: The swordsman confronts the group about Shiri's abilities, and learns that she is not all that she seems. The swordsman runs off into the Valley, and is confronted by Seymour about his past. He reveals some information about the package he carries with him everywhere he goes, about his sorrow and his loss, and about his failure. He also talks about his lack of faith. Seymour tells the swordsman that it's not important to have faith, so long as you're a decent human being and that you care for others. Seymour talks about loss and faith, and how unneccessary it is to attend worship sessions so long as your believe in something higher than yourself. At the end of the conversation, Seymour leaves the swordsman to reflect on what has been said, and he falls to his knees and prays to the Temple of a Thousand Tears, completely unaware that he is being followed by a familiar enemy....

Chapter 5: Whispers of Sorrow: The swordsman returns to what is left of his home, and reveals his past to Marielle just in time to be attacked by the Cardnial's Bishops. Marielle returns to help the others, as the swordsman comes to grips with what he has had to endure all of these long years. Finally, he makes the decision to forgo revenge and to help his new-found friends. Upon arriving, he is attacked by his familiar enemy, a large man with beady eyes. The man with beady eyes kills Julian, and the swordsman flashes back to his dark trauma. He quickly slays the enemy, and stands in bitter defiance of the reglious organization that has forced him to live his life in misery and sorrow. Dripping with the blood of his enemy, the swordsman pledges to hunt down the men responsible for his past and the death of Julian, and the others reluctantly agree to follow him.

Chapter 6: The Way of the Samurai: The swordsman and company assault the Citidel of the Holy Order of Abraham, confronting both Cardnial Milikin and his Holy Enforcer, Lord Malukai. It's the final battle between what is easy, and what is just. And after the final battle has ended, none that survive can ever be the same again....

Okay, I'm a little new to all this, so bare with me. I'm gonna to try to make a few posts here and there, but I honestly don't have a lot of free time these days. I work full-time as a security guard at Best Buy (running the security department, actually), and then I post a web comic every week on www.trevor.exilecomics.com

Anyway, enjoy the future posts that I make...I guess....