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"Yes, Constable?" The An-Havva burgomaster of one of the outlying villages asked the old, iron-tough man who stood before him.
"The constabulary has found three young human males, two in armor and one
in robes. They wear the heraldry of the Serra Paladins." The constable was
gruff, and was not too fond of the Aysen or the Paladins. Of course, these
three had been quite young, more like squires, and their appearance led him
to believe they had been traveling for some time, probably nearly two
months.
The burgomaster was not as old or old-fashioned as the constable, and he
felt that friendly trade between the An-Havva and Aysen would be highly
beneficial. He thought for a minute and then said, "Bring them here
tomorrow morning after giving them clean clothes, rooms with baths and a
hearty meal. I'll ask what they're doing here in the Autumn Woods."
That same burgomaster stood with the three young men in front of the
An-Havva council of elders, people who ran the many communities of the
sylvan folk. There was also a representative of the Elves present, for
relations between the two, humans and Elves, were crucial for the survival
of the Autumn Woods.
"My friends and colleagues," he began, "I have been presented proof that
the Orcs and Goblins of the Shiraz Mountains are planning an assault upon
us or the Aysen, our friends." There were a few frowns and sour looks. Many
of the older and more isolationist leaders felt that the Aysen were hardly
their friends.
"These three are Serra Paladins," the burgomaster declared. "They are
survivors of a surprise attack on Azak-Kaghk-K'korr, which they claim
resulted in the slaughter of all but two other Paladins. Each will tell you
their story, as they told me. Then, I will be moving that we begin scouting
the mountains nearby for Orcish armies." He stood back and allowed Turth,
the apprentice magician, to walk to the small podium and speak.
Once they were done, there were no holdouts. The motion to begin
mobilizing was passed unanimously and the Elf promised to get word to the
Dwarves and Anaba tribes as well as to his own kind. However, to get access
to the true power of the Autumn Woods, Talen, who acted as the leader of
the three Aysen, was required to petition for the aid of Autumn Willow
herself.
He agreed and set off that day, knowing it would take another for him to
reach his goal, while Gerrold and Turth were sent to the constabulary
barracks of a local community where they could train.
"My proposal is quite simple," the Baron told Ihsan. "I and a contingent
of my Vampires will attack the most powerful Orcs and Goblins, well before
the battle. I will release you and your companion at the same time, and I
will insure that you are returned to the Aysen. However, you must never,
never tell them anything about me. You may only tell them that you escaped
from the Orcs after the attack on Azak-Kaghk-K'korr. I will know if you
mention me or my vampires, or Veldrane, or a Nightmare, and I will take
steps to see you, and," the Baron added a good deal of malice to his voice,
"Leillani...killed. And then turned to vampires yourselves."
Ihsan managed to keep his face still, and he nearly totally suppressed a
brief, tiny shudder. Almost nobody could ever have seen it, but Baron
Sengir did, and he knew he had won. He had once wondered if it was possible
to tempt a Paladin into evil, but now it seemed like it was indeed
possible, in Ihsan's case.
"If you cooperate," the Baron said, "I will make sure you know roughly the
plan employed by Tormoth. You can then lead a successful defense against
the Orcs and gain power and fame for your role in saving the Aysen from the
hordes of the Destroyer." He smiled thinly, watching Ihsan's face brighten
up a minute fraction. He had indeed caught the fool in his web, and he had
no doubt that the Inquisitors would have him killed for his crimes of
associating with evil and lying. While the two had been very desperate when
Veldrane had rescued them, they had now had time to reflect and refuse.
According to the Code which they swore to obey, they would not associate
with evil, unless in the direst circumstances and it was a lesser evil to
something far worse.
Unfortunately for Ihsan, Baron Sengir was far worse than even the largest
army of Orcs and Goblins. For he, like all his servants except Veldrane,
was Undead, the most horrible, vile, evil dark monsters which could walk
the lands. Only the creatures of the Underworld were worse, and only the
most powerful wizards could bring those entities to this world and expect
to control them.
"I will give you and your companion a day to consider what I have said,"
the Baron declared. "You are dismissed." Ihsan was led out by two Vampires.
Once he was well out of earshot, the Baron began to laugh evilly, a cruel,
heartless laugh of one who was so irreproachibly evil that his presence was
enough to wilt flowers and put a gloom upon all who lived for miles around,
such as the many serfs in the Sengir Barony.
Gnorrbb waited impatiently for Kakraalk, his Nettling Imp familiar. The
Imp, as part of his bargain with the Dark Powers, was capable of
teleporting to the fabled Lost Ruins of Mox, where he could avail himself
upon the Oracle which lay among the broken homes and shrines which once
adorned the richest of Dominiara's cities. Kakraalk would then report back
to Gnorrbb with the results of his consultation. At present, Gnorrbb had
ordered the scrawny thing to reveal the destinies of the four escaped
Paladins and the Mage.
"Master," the Imp declared, "I bring you the Oracle's answers!" Part of
the deal was that the Imp would not use its razor-sharp tongue upon its
master, nor would it lie to its master. Given the other capabilities of the
Nettling Imp, Gnorrbb was glad these limitations existed.
Kakraalk knew that Gnorrbb felt he had an advantage over him, but this
simply was not true. He could not directly lie to his master, nor could he
use his provocative powers, but he could visit the Ruins of Mox, making him
superior to the squat Orc any day. And though total dishonesty was banned,
he could slightly over- or under-exaggerate the truth.
"Master, the Oracle has made six predictions," the little Imp told the
shaman.
"What is the first?" Gnorrbb asked, impatient with glee.
"Neither human, nor dwarf, nor elf, nor minotaur, nor any living or undead
creature shall slay thee, and nor shall Tormoth the Destroyer be slain by
these."
"And the second?"
"One shall be but a shade of grey, purity stained with evil and punished
for all time."
"Go on," Gnorrbb commanded.
"The second will be proud parent indeed, for the progeny shall be great."
"Go on," Gnorrbb said, frowning slightly at the lack of real detail. This
was the one problem with the Oracle. It never told you who it referred to.
Only "the first" or "the one" or "another," and so on, with few exceptions,
such as when one asked about oneself.
"A third will be horror's undoing."
"Two left."
"The fourth will die, martyr to the cause of virtue."
"Tell me the last one," Gnorrbb said. He was beginning to suspect that his
Imp was not telling him everything he'd learnt at the Oracle.
"The final one will duel and die."
Gnorrbb nodded. For the Oracle's five predictions, he would have to figure
out which of the five escapees was being referred to. For its first, of
course, there was the direct mention of his name and Tormoth's. He decided
never to let Kakraalk do such a mission. With the power he was soon going
to possess, he would find the Lost Ruins and finally get his information
for himself. Then he would dispose of the pathetic thing he called a
familiar, and replace the stupid Imp with a minor demon or something like
that.
Talen faced Autumn Willow, true Goddess of the Forests. She was
exceptionally beautiful, and radiated constantly about her an aura of
serenity and calm. She was immune to the magic of mortals, even elves, and
with her help, an army would be greatly aided. The creatures of the
woodlands would help scout, gather food, and fight. The trees and plants
would reveal the location of the foe, and whole sections of wood would seem
to suddenly be elsewhere. But one had to convince her to help, and as far
as the An-Havva and elves were concerned, if she didn't help, a war wasn't
worth fighting.
"You are here," she said in her melodic voice, "to ask me for aid in a
battle, between Orcs and the peoples of Aysen, who do not pay homage to me,
but declare my followers heretics. Do you believe that I will help for no
price?"
"No, Great Willow," Talen replied, using her title. "If there is a price
to pay, than I will pay it in full, if it means your help. Those who
condemn your worshippers are no better than the Warlord who seeks to crush
Aysen. And if he succeeds, he will move up here, to burn your forests and
communities to the ground, loot and pillage your resources, rape and
slaughter."
"Do you think the defenses of this wood are not great enough to stop
Tormoth?"
"They may be, but he is aided with all manners of dread magic, and his
shamans are powerful, capable of crushing all with their terrible spells.
While no physical assault can break this wood, the magic wielded by the
Warlord is enough to overwhelm it."
Willow thought carefully of the next question she would use to test the
boy. She needed to know she could trust him and his companions, or the help
she gave would be in vain. And what he said was true: the power of Gnorrbb,
now that he had the Disk, was enough to annihilate the Autumn Woods.
"Have you upheld without fault the strictures of the Code of the Serra
Paladins?"
"Great Willow, I have, since my entry into this sacred organization,
upheld the Code in its entirety."
"Would you allow yourself to be totally crippled or even killed to save
another, even if you do not know them? An old An-Havva woman or a young
Dwarven child?"
"I would," Talen said, knowing that in saying that, he had taken upon the
greatest challenge: to live up to what he had said. He knew he had to try.
"Will you support the cause of justice and truth, and of nature and love,
even if the odds are insurmountable and the cause is in vain?"
"I will, as is stated in the Code." Another heavy responsibility. Talen
vaguely wondered why he was the group's leader. The other two always seemed
to defer to him, and so he had always taken the leadership role. This meant
that while they waited, he did stuff like this.
"I will now consider your request," Autumn Willow declared.
"Thank you, Great Willow," Talen replied, and suddenly exited from the
enchanted grove in which the Great Willow resided. He was now in the Shrine
of Willow, where three old Elven priests waited for him to finish. They
motioned in silence and led him away where he would also begin training for
a combat.
Back in the grove, the Goddess motioned forth a bird. She looked at her
little songbird fondly, then she told it to spread the word, that the Wood
would help the Aysen in the coming fight against Tormoth. While some
statesmen had vouched for staying out, Autumn Willow, with her great
influence, had cast her lot. There was no turning back now.
Don't miss the next exciting chapter of Enlightenment!
Chapter Six: Deployment