Wars and Intriuge
Cedric Gardener
The army of the Gardeners had come to a standstill. They stood before a river, meandering in its way into the Sea of Lunara, at the edge of their target: The Duchy of High Rock. Cedric Gardener, the leader of the army sat upon his brown warhorse at the head of the host, looking off pleasantly into the distance, his retainers, the Count of Nymeria, and Rex all similarly mounted by his side. Under normal circumstances, his force would be crossing the bridge into High Rock, set on taking the territory as his own personal lands. That bridge, however, was up in flames; likely set by the forces they were due to go into battle against in the coming days. Cedric smiled quaintly to himself, "Looks like the Carcaster boy's wisened up. It was to be expected, but I admire his effort nonetheless." Cedric turned to the Count of Nymeria, "Prepare to cross some of your men across the ford to construct and camp and bridges for us to cross, we'll work on our end here and should be able to cross by nightfall."Wymar nodded and rode back towards to host in order to command his men to march. Multiple raiding parties had been sent into High Rock already, but they had never been able to storm an actual fortress. With the army of the Gardeners, fifteen thousand strong, however, all this would change. Heremond Carcaster was young, inexperienced, never having endured an actual conflict. Cedric Gardener was a veteran of many battles, strong and skilled with a blade, but age was slowly creeping up on him. Knowing these advantages one might think Cedric was arrogant in the belief that he would have no trouble dealing with the Carcasters; this, however, was not the case. High Rock had stood for a thousand years only having fallen once to the forces of the Black Phoenix a century ago in a time before even his father was born. Now stood Cedric, about to cross the river so many other and crossed confident in their assured victory only to limp back across it defeated and in tatters. The Carcasters were a strong lot. Cedric clenched his fist,
I will not join in the number of those who have fallen at your gates... Heremond Carcaster, I hope you are ready...
Lance of Canem
"Don't..." she had told him with tears in her eyes. His mother, held by a stranger who had set their home ablaze, bloody and wounded. All he could do was stand there, paralyzed unsure of what to do other than glare at the man with all his might. Why was this happening? How could this be happening? Were the Divines punishing them all? Why? Why? WHY?! The fever broke.Lance awoke with a start breathing heavily as he sat up from a bed of hay. He was in a room with glasses, vails, and various assortments of plants were scattered about, with a green, fire-like energy flickering just below one of the largest of the beakers. A jagged wooden door sat in the far corner of his surroundings, with golden light of what could only be the sun flooding into the room.
How long was I out? Lance wondered to himself. It made no difference ultimately, for his eyes then glanced towards a wooden table next to him, were a girl sat with her head down, most likely having fallen asleep at his bedside. He recognized her immediately; Monika, the alchemist from just one town over... the one he was supposed to see on that day to ask her what had been brewing within his mind for quite some time.
He watched as her shoulders rose and fell, her soft, blonde hair falling in strands by her side, before sighing and sitting back onto the haystack he lay upon. As soon as he did, however, he felt a strong tension-like pain across his chest, starting near his lower left hip and ending near his right shoulder, causing him to grimace from the feeling. He looked down towards the source of the pain to find several heavy bandages wrapped around his chest and abdomen. This was the price of his failure. Failure to save his father, failure to save his mother, failure to save everything. He ran his hand slowly across the bandages and sighed, only jumping slightly when he saw Monika looking at her with happiness in her eyes.
"Ah-! uh..." Lance blushed and stammered, "Monika!... Uh, how long have you been... um..."
"Not that long," she smiled sweetly her blue eyes gleaming, "If anything you should be worrying about all the time you weren't awake to see me, you..." she faltered for a moment, "You took a lot of damage."
Lance's brown, downcast eyes looked down to his knees as he placed a hand to his chest, "How many made it how? Who found us?"
"Only you, Lance. Ieuan and a few of the militia discovered Canem after the Gardeners had already left. I'm sorry..."
He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it. Everyone he and known and loved in his home village... dead? The thought was impossible to imagine. Sloan, the butcher, who always
cracked a bad joke at the tavern, gone; Mildred the baker who always gave a piece of bread to the hungry children in the streets, gone; Omaril, the Dark elf blacksmith, who always talked about his service during the War of the Black Phoenix, gone; and his mother and father, the people who had birthed, raised, and loved him, gone. The weight of all their losses crashed upon him. Especially since he was the one who was responsible for it all.
If only I hadn't run back to the village... if only I hadn't run back to it..."Lance?" Monika asked with concern, "Are... you going to be alright?"
"No..." he confessed, "I won't be... not until I see that man rot in Dread... I'll glue his face to memory, so when I find him they'll be nothing stopping me from killing him. That I promise myself... That I promise my family. Monika," he turned to the alchemist, "What's the fastest way to High Rock?"
Councilor Lhoris Varian of the Wise Council
Dark storm clouds clashed in a monstrous fashion above his head as Lhoris slowly rode into Isnhrion atop his horse. A group of guards from his manor accompanied him, with the Golden Eagle of the Varians emblazoned proudly on their armor. Fergus rode to his right hand, hand placed securely on his steel broadsword, surveying the scene around them. Lhoris had thought at first that it was a bit much for the newest member of his guard to worry so much about his safety, but knowing how hard he had taken Ruven's death as a member of the Order of the Phoenix and the new threat of the woman in black put aside his thoughts. His safety, however, in entering the city would be most assured in the way they had come. In the Arcanium District, where many of the rich and powerful of the Empire resided, the College of Mysteries dominated the division. Lhoris had been a student of the College in his youth and had even risen to the position of Archmage during his tenure there. The current Archmage, Selywin Cadmus, was a personal friend of his so he was likely to find allies among the College masters. It, however, was not the reason Lhoris was in Isnhrion. The reason he was there was because of the masked woman."An enigma," she had called Julek,
"No ordinary elf," she had said to him with a dagger at his daughter's throat. Lhoris clenched his reigns in anger at the memory.
The bitch... He had no desire to get Alesane involved in more of the capital's intrigue, and he prayed to Kuruth that she would never be dragged into it. As much as he loathed the masked woman, he knew that what she said wasn't a farce. He had seen the magic Ruven had unleashed on the day of the Proving, magic that no one could survive; no one but Julek. Julek, the man that had killed his grand niece; Julek, the man that had killed the person that had been like a son to him.
I'll investigate Julek, but I'll do it without your help. He first, however, had to meet with an old crone.
"Hama Far-Seer, it's been too long." the well-armored Reachman cordially greeted the Priestess of Kuruth. Lhoris entered into the Temple of the Divines as they spoke, and, weary of the Reachman, cautiously approached the two as they talked. It was clear from his armor, full-plated steel with trimmings of gold and a stripe of purple, was that of a General of the Ashen Legion.
"Nothing is long when you have the sight, Flavius. You still are the same ambitious young boy I met on the Orcish Wastes," Hama smiled honestly. It was one of the few times that Lhoris had seen her do it. On a different matter, he now knew with whom she was talking with. General Flavius Silva of the Ashen Legion. His short grey hair and neatly-trimmed beard were almost impossible to mistake up close, "It seems, however, that we have a visitor."Flavius turned a raised eyebrow towards Lhoris, "Lord Varian? I wasn't aware that you were the religious type. What brings you to the temple outside of service?"
"I could ask the same of you, Flavius, last time I heard you were freezing your ass off in Norravägg. I trust you aren't violating orders?"
"Nothing of the sort," he shook his head vehemently, "Emperor Julek and Chancellor Sentinel have recalled me to the capital. Finally, some recognition for my talents and service. I'm to meet with both of them today."
"All very well and good," Lhoris shot the General a downward look, "But I think it'd be best if me and the Priestess talk... alone." He would not have General be privy to what he was about to say.
"Very well, Councilor," Flavius nodded stiffly, "I shall take my leave then. I hope you'll not talk foul rumors about me behind my back. In any case, good day to the both of you." With that Flavius turned heel and began to strut out of the Temple, his footsteps echoing loudly through its tall, empty halls. Once the white doors of the Temple of the Divines closed behind him, Lhoris finally felt safe casting a spell to prevent any eavesdropping on their conversation.
"A counter-intelligence spell?" Hama chuckled lightly, "I guess it is something you wish not to get out that you wish to speak to me about?"
"Yes," Lhoris nodded, "it is," Hama was one of the few people in the world that possessed the power of the premonitions, "the Sight" as it was called, often confused with the Sight from which arcanists did magic. Her knowledge would be useful in any investigation Lhoris was to conduct, "It's about the Emperor and his... activities."
"What you're about to ask is tantamount to treason, you're aware of this yes?"
"I am aware, indeed," Lhoris' expression hardened, "But that is a risk I am willing to take... Tell me, what can you ascertain about Julek's mother?"
The Echo
Nobody
Why did he keep going? He could see nothing in front of him. Every second he tripped, every moment he ached, why did he keep going? It seemed to be paradoxical, impossible that he could still be alive, but here he was in the flesh, walking in the depths of Divines knew where. Why am I even alive? he asked as he continued to grudgingly drag himself across the hard stone- road? Was this a road? How- no, that was a question for another time. How did I even survive? was the thing that was on his mind. He shouldn't have, no, he couldn't have. The Leap of Ryenar had no end; this much was clear to him, and even if it did, he would be long dead by the time he reached it. What was stranger still was even though he had escaped relatively unharmed save for the lack of his arm and the multiple wounds that covered his body, his armor was not so fortunate. His helm was long since gone from the time of the duel, but the rest of his set looked much worse for wear. It was blackened, different from the pristine silver shine it held before the Proving. Pieces were bent every which way like broken limbs, but miraculously, none of them had gone so far as to pierce him. In the end, he couldn't just go hauling around the equipment he had left with. He felt some sort of guilt leaving it all behind, especially the shield which... seemed to mean something to him, who he was. In the end, all he took was the sword... because he had no idea what awaited him. The first thing he had to remember, however, was his name. My name?... he came to a halt looking with pain into the darkness ahead of him."Ah Ruven," she had said, "You have such a loving tender heart."
His eyes widened with tears...
"Mother," he whispered. That was when a single light flickered in the distance.
A single flickering light, isolated in the darkness that was the depths. He... hadn't seen it before. What exactly was it? He limped slowly towards the source, it seemed to follow that path almost exactly. While he moved forward he bumped into something, a rock perhaps, almost tripping him to the ground onto his stump. It felt strangely brittle, yet solid at the same time. He almost ran into several more like it on his way to the light, which turned out to be a burning brazier. The brazier stood at a large crossroads, only illuminating a few feet away from it's burning embers. The fire looked weak swaying in the subterranean air, it was a miracle that it even continued to burn as he approached it. It flickered gracefully in the darkness, emanating as the one glimpse of hope he had in the Dread that he had fallen into."Wait..." he murmured silently to himself as he looked the brazier over. In the center on each of the four sides of the stone lay a symbol. It was hard to make out in the light, but it seemed to denote the sky over an impressive city. What was strange about image, however, was the noticeable lack of any stars but one large one in the center of everything, blocking out even the sun in its radiance. People kneeled in the city below at the display before them, showing expressions that he could not make out in the dimness of the cave. He ran his hand along the edges of the symbol, and a light glowed from behind him. Usually, he would have whirled around quickly in order to face whatever threat had come from behind him, but in his weakened state he could only move slowly to turn to see what had happened: another brazier had been lit, bearing the same symbol. He took a step forward, and another brazier lit revealing even more of the path forward. He took yet another staggered step forward, and the fires within the braziers began to burn with more intensity, revealing much more of the path around it. On each side strange foliage was revealed, unnatural to the world of the surface, and most likely native to the cavern. It stretched out like crooked knives into the air, bending in strange unnatural positions. He looked to the path behind him. He- his eyes widened as an overwhelming feeling of nausea overtook him.
Those... weren't rocks... They were bodies. Frozen in place and cowering in fear. Some seemed to be running, others held their children in their hands. Their eyes were all the same, however, hallow and devoid of all light. Their shadows flickered wildly in the darkness, stretching out like phantoms over the pathway. He wretched at the sight, not that much anything was left in his stomach and fell to his knees before the statues. They were everywhere, all running along the same path he was. Was this to be his fate? What dark path was he trodding? All these people dead and forgotten, people he had never heard of right beneath his feet. It was a thought was given him unease.
No, Ruven... he told himself,
You can't stop. NEVER stop. Keep moving. Keep moving if you want to get through this alive. He had seen burnt bodies before, they clearly had to be them. His time in the Legion was enough to show him the horrors of war. But this... this was something else entirely. They weren't running from some man with a sword or a skilled battlemage, they were just running in panic. What had they seen? What had happened here? It was a question he didn't know the answer to and one which even if he knew he wasn't sure if he wouldn't go insane by knowing. All that was left to him was to move forward, so he turned to look at the path illuminated for him.
A city, a settlement much like that depicted on the braziers stood before him with its front gate broken into ruins. In the center of it all, rising high above what he could see of the settlement's walls stood a monolithic tower of stone rising many meters into the sky before disappearing in a shroud of darkness. It looked oddly familiar to him, like something he had seen before in a distant memory.
How could I even remember this? I haven't been here... have I? Whatever the answer was he had no other choice. He staggered to his feet, blade held limply in hand, and entered through the city gates.
Signs of battle were everywhere; buildings destroyed by projectiles thrown many thousands of years ago and rubble and debris that covered most of the city's entrance. A statue of some sort had once stood near the center, but now it lay in pieces at his feet depicting some unknown figure of the past. In the middle of it all, however, stood yet another pit into some sort of dark expanse. There were even more statue-like corpses in the city, fleeing like the rest he had seen outside of it. "Wait..." he murmured as he narrowed his eyes toward a distant point near the black stone tower. He got closer than he wagered to the pit to get a closer look, but he saw the remnants of...
some kind of fortress? near the rock. There was something else strange, something almost too far away to see, but that was when he heard it:
Hissssssssss Almost like a snake but something was off, something unnerving, something unnatural, he turned around to face it, but he found himself falling, calling into the night as
the shade receded from view.