Wilwarin

(( Creator's foreword

I think it's worth noting that all this History was created IC, by players, DMs and Key players. This is not a background that was invented before we started playing. This is the History as it was roleplayed by the people who play or played on Glorwing during our first year.

Glorwing was intentionally created without a pre-fabricated history, since I wanted the players to create the History. It is very satisfying to see my vision come true like this. My sincere thanks to all the fantastic players and staff of Glorwing!

A special thanks to the Map and History team. None mentioned, none forgotten. (Traditional Swedish expression....) The creativity showed is absolutely overwhelming! Great job, team!

Cornflower, proud founder of Glorwing ))

Dedication

I would like to thank the various persons, loremasters and archives that all have contributed to this compilation of the recent history of Glorwing. They are many and varied, and so the styles of presentation vary, as I have often incorporated people's reports verbatim, rather than editing or re-phrasing them.

As always, histories are seen through the eyes of witnesses. Some parts are fragmentary; some may be deemed inaccurate by others. However, here is an attempt at at least a partial summary of about the first one hundred years of Glorwing's story...

This work is dedicated to the people of Glorwing, whose story it is.

Giacomo Spellsinger

Introduction

For those who have patience only for a summary, I present the following, itemised list. It is dispassionate and dry, but it is short. I refer more studious and interested readers to subsequent portions of this work.

Forgive the fact that this summary presumes no knowledge at all, of Glorwing's history, on the part of the reader. It is intended only as a Primer, to whet your appetite.

a. Victor Lumens I was a hero who kept the people who came through the Rift alive, after it closed.

b. Victor Lumens I had no heirs, left his kingdom of Glorwing to his Champion, a Paladin, who assumed the name Victor Lumens II. The current dynasty is descended from that Paladin.

c. Victor Lumens III (Takezo) and Kadian were his sons, but did not know this, as they were raised elsewhere. An attack from the Archmage, Sebastian, killed the Queen, and the boys were fostered out, to be raised in safety, for fear of assassination. It appears that the Crown considered its own resources too weak to stop the attacks of Sebastian, or thought that this would be a temporary measure until he was dead.

d. Sebastian, former Archmagus to Victor Lumens I, comes back as some sort of undead, mind controls Clane and eventually all of the Night Blades, and usurps the throne. A reign of terror ensues, with Black Knights and Night Blades enforcing Sebastian's will. Sun Guards and a goodly number of adventurers are heroic rebels.

e. Victor Lumens II is slain by the Night Blades, under mental domination by Sebastian.

f. Sebastian is defeated, Night Blades exonerated. Black Knights are defeated and retreat to darksome woods.

g. Victor Lumens III, formerly Takezo, comes to power. The whereabouts of Kadian seem presently unknown.

h. “Attack of the Kobolds”. I have no details beyond a list of the fallen and a royal thank-you to helpers.

i. Anen Tane becomes Lord of Darkwoods in Vic III’s reign.

j. Victor Lumens III falls in the hells, destroying the demon lord Exterminator and helping some people who had somehow gotten trapped in the hells to get back. Victor Lumens IV, who grew to manhood while time moved in accelerated speed in the hells, assumes the throne. Archmage Gilmore closes the gate from inside and is lost.

k. “Sly/Tokana”: Deceitful creatures try to gain power over Glorwing. In the end, they are destroyed by some adventurers who risk permanent death to go through a gate to get items of power.

l. Evil powers accumulate and war brews. A storm of evil overtakes Glorwing, beginning with Drow incursions to mark and suborn the mighty, and ending with a huge onslaught of monsters and evil powers. All hell breaks loose, as dark gods get involved. Then the Sun Goddess and Quiet God get involved. Glorwing needs to be evacuated.

n. Victor Lumens IV dies under somewhat confusing circumstances, during which he may or may not have been deified. The Queen and retinue, which included Feith, sail away. Feith has since returned, as a private citizen. Rumours have it that a female heir exists and is being raised in secret.

o. The climactic battle between good and evil sweeps Glorwing, after which the Sun Goddess and Quiet God essentially tried to save everyone at the Stones by erecting a shield in which time did not pass.

p. Anen Tane, Lord of Darkwoods back in the reign of Victor Lumens III, was also chosen, after Victor Lumens IV’s death, to be Regent of Glorwing, until the new heir to the throne could be crowned.

q. Victoria Lumens was brought out of hiding at the young age of 8 to assume the throne. Before her 10th birthday, she abdicated.

r. Lord Torren Han-Lyle assumed the Regency after Victoria departed these lands. Although newer threats began to surface, Han-Lyle's command as Regent was seen as a relatively successful one.

s. The isle of Eorna sank. Most all the townsfolk escaped the island beforehand, so it's greatly considered that nothing of value was lost from Port Heany.

t. Through prophecies and visions, Kaveros Sennald began a quest to recover the Signet of the King, lost after the death of Victor Lumens IV. Another man also had visions and the two began a major conflict with each other, fighting for the right to be crowned King. After a long series of clashes, Kaveros slew his opponent and was ordained King by the Lady Herself.

u. At around the same time, unusual attackers began harrying the Darkwoods and Byrne Barony. They were traced back to a region between the two called the Eastern Steppes, where a tribe of Humans were discovered in a place called Liana. It was discovered they were all descendents of the Ancients, Humans native to the world before the Rifts brought others to this land.

v. The Lianites were discovered to be followers of Ravenos. However, war with them was not sparked until certain followers of the Sun Goddess slew prominent members of Lianite society. Their High Priest, Melki, vowed revenge.

w. Through a multitude of events, Melki came into posession of an artifact of great power, enabling him to create super-soldiers and summon forth undead Mind Flayers, all powerful enough and with numbers to destroy the Kingdom itself. A planeswalker by the name of Saerik took up the opposing artifact and supported the Kingdom. Under Saerik, a grander alliance was formed with support from the Kingdom, Darkwoods, Blacksilver, Byrne, and Dun-Ammon.

x. In the midst of the war, King Kaveros and his wife Mazuri disappeared. In short order, a new Regent, Alyssa Nurell was appointed to take command. She brought in an old friend and colleague, Lypher Silia, to be Commander of the newly christened Crown Guard, the military that was meant to be the force to engage the Lianites and replace the Sun Guard.

y. After a series of battles, Melki's artifact was shattered, his Alhoon fell dead immediately and his supersoldiers lost their powers. Liana was quickly defeated shortly afterwards and Melki executed. The cost was great for everyone, but the Ravenites were shattered.

z. Despite the lives lost, the Kingdom returned to a state of peace and normalcy under Regent Alyssa Nurell. Although many small conflicts cropped up, they were never enough to shatter the peace.

aa. Years after the Liana War, Eve appeared in the lands, and ran unchecked with a power never before seen. It wasn't until she unleashed multiple attacks at once in many different places that she was finally taken seriously and dealt with once and for all. By the time she was stopped, the damage was done: Crescent Bay's harvest was destroyed and the land made fallow, the Delta was poisoned and made nearly uninhabitable, Byrne Barony succumbed entirely and was forced to be abandoned, Eagle's Nest fared better and repelled a massive invasion.

ab. The Crown Guard attempted to evacuate and abandon the Delta, but many of its residents refused to leave, and Kep Falcon of the Antlered Horde established himself as Steward over the Delta and its people. He received assistance from elements of the Crown Guard that had officially went absent without leave and another group, the Lancers.

ac. The Lizardmen of the Delta, having seen events transpiring, prepared to drive the remaining people out of the Delta. Their movements caused a shift in the Underdark, and another unlikely group was discovered: a sect of Belil Drow, whom everyone had assumed were all dead, but just as importantly, these Drow had forsaken their goddess Araknia. Seeing the obvious need for each other, the Belil assisted the Delta in the battle against the Lizardmen.

ad. For years, the Crown slowly rebuilt itself while watching the Delta become more independent each year. Although the standoff between Kep and Regent Nurell escalated, many nobles in Port Sunrise felt the Regent was too inhospitable and they relieved her of many of her powers. Before they could complete the transition to a different form of governance, Alyssa Nurell died unexpectedly. The nobles, acting quickly, appointed a new Regent from among their own, Benjamin Harris.

ae. Harris continued the rebuilding of the Kingdom, and expanded the project to include civilian relief. His acts were largely successful. Despite this, the Kingdom still did not feel as if it were truly recovering. Other events, such as the Standing Stones shutting down forced the people to adapt in other ways, including the building of new roads and the use of beasts of burden to move large quantities of goods.

af. An unusual fire burned down a house in the Nobles District of Port Sunrise. This would later be exposed as the Regent's attempt to assassinate Crysannia Lumens and her family. It was thwarted by his own Commander of the Crown Guard, Alexander Nurell.

ag. Shortly after this event, the Regent surprised everyone by initiating a forced retaking of the Delta. The Belil Drow escaped south towards the unexplored lands of Aridia east of the Skuggian Mountains. The Horde, Lancers and AWOL Crown Guardsmen escaped north. The Helmsman Church took responsibility for the townsfolk and openly denounced Kep Falcon as a tyrant during his reign. The Regent was forced to accept this denouncement despite its hollow sound, otherwise he would risk open revolution at attacking the stronghold of a major popular religious sect in the Kingdom.

ah. The former Commander Silia, having spent years raising an army of his own in secret, finally revealed it and Crysannia Lumens to the world when he took Eagle's Nest and Arbar, touching off a civil war between the Regent and the young Lumens.

SECTION 1: Preamble.

About a century ago, a mage named Gilmor made a great discovery. Gilmor lived in the old homeworld, called Drakmark, after its principal empire. Some of the allied kingdoms surrounding Drakmark were Thorander, Larsander and Donnerheim. Ones associated with particular species were: Kelonde (Humans), Harad-Ram (the country of the Dwarves, essentially almost all a massive mountain range) and Carandor (the Elven nation).

SECTION 2: The Old Storyteller’s first story.

An accounting of a story of the exodus from Drakmark, told by the old storyteller whom some call Fjäril:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The storyteller looks at his young audience. For once, they are still and listening to his words. He draws breath to tell them of the background of this beautiful world.

"Right. Glorwing is a young world, you know. It was discovered about a hundred years ago by a young mage, called Gilmor. The mage was trying to make a love-spell when he accidentally created a rift in the fabric of space and time. This might teach you all something about not messing with love-spells.

Anyway, Gilmor reported this to the proper authorities. After the initial confusion, it was decided to send an expedition to explore this new world. The expedition was diplomatically selected from all the peoples of the kingdom: Elves, Half-Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, Half-Orcs and Humans. Even a Gnome or two joined.

Alas, as soon as the expedition entered the rift, it closed. Despite desperate attempts to open the rift again, nothing worked. The rift seems to be closed forever. After a time of great despair and sadness, the expedition accepted their sorry fate with surprisingly good grace and began to explore the lands of Glorwing.

After a while the portals were found. None knows who made these, but they allow us to travel swiftly across the lands. The portals all lead to the same place, called the Standing Stones. The Standing Stones is a strange place, anchored somewhere else in time and space. No one has managed to solve the riddle of the portals and the Standing Stones, despite years of trying. Perhaps one of you youngsters will be the one to solve this mystery?

Now, a hundred years have passed. This great Capitol, the city of Port Sunrise stands proudly as a testament to the initiative, drive and skill, which we all possess. Different families have settled in several places, building villages like Crescent Bay, Eagle's Nest and all the others.

But still, much remains to be explored. So go forth, my young ones, go forth unto this world and explore! But, be careful, there are strange beings afoot. Not all of them are friendly. *ahem* Actually, none of them are friendly, as a matter of fact."

The old storyteller falls silent.

SECTION 3: Arrival, the Stones, spread.


When the new immigrants arrived, they were somewhat to the south of present Port Sunrise, and made their way, camping, in that direction. The city site was chosen for a variety of reasons: natural resources, the harbour—and the Portal Stone. At that time, it was obviously magically-potent, but not functional. However, when the Rift closed, the Portal became usable—obviously, there had been some magical interference from the Rift that had kept the Portal from working.

Once the first few brave souls went through the portal, the Stones were found, but the settlers cautiously decided not to investigate the other portals until they could do so from a position of strength and safety. So, the town, later city, of Port Sunrise began to grow, and the huge amount of hard work that entailed kept the population busy for many months. During that time, the first King of what was later to be the Kingdom of Glorwing came into power: King Victor Lumens I.

It was he who decided that the Stones portals should be systematically explored from east to west. Only when a group of settlers had been at least established in a decent palisade, would the next portal be checked. That was the official plan, but it is quite possible that some enterprising, adventurous or just plain selfish individuals may have made quick jaunts through some of the portals. Since to do that was illegal, they kept it to themselves or to a friendly few, if they did.

Crescent Bay’s portal was the last traversed, although a new Portal has very recently “grown” at the Stones, much to the interest of adventurers and scholars alike.

SECTION 4: Rise and Fall of Victor Lumens III (Takezo).

Victor Lumens III (and consequently Kadian as well) knew nothing of his parents because of some events that happened around his birth.

The Royal Sorcerer, Sebastian, was enraged that he was not chosen to succeed Victor Lumens I to the throne. Through him a series of attacks were performed on the royal family itself. While Victor Lumens II was able to save himself, his wife (a powerful sorceress herself), was not. Even though she was critically injured she managed to live through giving birth to twin sons. The first she named Victor, and the second Kadian. She used the last of her energy before dieing to mark the two with a magic mark (which looked similar to a crown) that would respond to her necklace. This allowed the loyal servants of the king to hide the two boys, thus keeping them safe from assassination.

Victor Lumens II hated the idea of losing his wife and sons all in one fell swoop, but he cared more for the safety of his sons, and the kingdom, than he did about losing the ability to raise his sons. So Victor and Kadian were sent to live, and be raised by, secret families. The former champion of Victor Lumens II retired to stay close to Victor Lumens III and to train him as well, but nobody but he and the new archmage knew the truth of where the boys were; not even the king himself.

Eventually Victor Lumens II was assassinated by the Night Blades, who were mentally-dominated by Sebastian.


The Fall of Victor Lumens the Third and the Ascension of Victor Lumens IV to the Throne.

(Note that the Gilmore referred to here is not the original Gilmor.)

Three hits to the heart son,
And it’s poetry in motion;
One could send you down the river,
Three’s a strange way to be delivered.

Prologue

When Irgnor started his day he had no clue whatsoever it would be his last. Irgnor, while a minor fiend, had lived for several millennia quite successfully so far; thus he certainly could have had a vision, seen a portent, read the bones, etc. but he certainly did not. Sadly he did not even make the logical deduction that being the guard handy when your lord and master (and lest we forget, Blood Demon) finds his favorite prisoner of the last several millennia missing could perhaps put you in a position to experience his rage; not at all. Irgnor’s eye sockets hosted twin demonic digits and were used to suspend him in the air whereupon his chest had a fist put through it, and most of his internal workings went from inside his chest to covering a roughly 40’ square foot section of this particular grotto; all before Irgnor saw any of it coming. The Devourer, who’s real name is ‘he who devoured the heart of a sun to kill a planet that harbored Vestiar, the divine paladin’, whipped his hand sideways spraying the ichors of the destroyed demon along the wall…he was sucking on two fingers of his left hand…he has a fondness for eyes you see.

“Damned impossible to get any competent help in hell”, the crazed Blood Demon muttered under his breath before bellowing, “Find Adriana Elversult! Find her now!”

The Devourer listened intently as literally thousands of demons scurried to be the one to please him by finding Adriana…the Devourers greatest prize. The Demon reflected on how he found her oh so long ago. He had followed a trail of silver from the ether of the astral plane. It had led to a strange new place, which he found he could see through the connection. He soon became bored of waiting though and seized the cord of silver with his magic; drawing whatever was at the end to him. He was very surprised at what he reeled in…Adriana. A small evil smile played across his features at all the memories they shared. Never had he been able to capture such a pure spirit…he had tried to break her for nearly 4000 years…he still wondered if he had come close at times, or if that was just his hubris. Insupportable…he MUST have her…and then it dawned on him…he knew how to find her.

A perfectly round pool of crystal clear water stood in the chambers of the Devourer, and this is where he went to see how to get to his Adriana. He caught glimpses of her…she had escaped Hell. Not surprising really…it was not the place for her; his magics held her once…they would again. The Blood Demon spent many hours searching until he found the proper place. A place that was narrow one might say…a place where you could slip through the cracks between worlds. He prepared his travel spell, including the point for his return, and teleported no more than 20 seconds after he had discovered the required location in his scrying pool.

He could feel Adriana’s essence close by…and knew he had teleported to the proper place; that is when he noticed the sun shining in his vision. He could not fathom what could glow that way…how can it be possible that there is a being goodlier than his precious Ana? The Blood Demon almost resisted the temptation to investigate but he had to know, in the end. He crept quietly to a place mere miles away…almost as if he was afraid this amazing entity would sense his presence in this other plane. When he approached he found conditions not suitable for ‘slipping through”, but he HAD to see…he had to know what that was…

Long did the vile demon ponder what he should do…he could simply make a hole…the place was weak enough for that…they seemed to move rapidly hither and yon, but they often came to one particular spot . The Devourer contrived to actually craft a hole between the planes, and have it waiting for their return to the coordinates he had determined. The fell beast was a bit worried about how much energy he would expend doing it, but with his special protection spell that made him immune to any attacks by a goodly being he was looking at (yes, he devised that nasty little number to deal with Ana), he was not too worried. He stretched one long, bloody talon and arcane fire danced along the wickedly curved digit. He slowly traced a large oval in mid-air apparently, but the effect was far and away scarier than the implementation. An eight foot hole was showing a small pool, with a couple who was dressed for battle hugging and staring in wonder as the suddenly materialized image of the Devourer stalked through the hole, seized them both in nets of magic and took them immediately back through the dimensional portal. The demon allowed a small smug smile to creep onto his bloody fanged mouth when his transport spell successfully completed itself by immediately returning to his sanctum sanctorum.

“A pair…both as pure as Adriana…this will be delightful”. And with that laughing comment the demon turned to inspect his two new captives. His eyes settled on the larger…the male, they were always trouble first.

Hour One

Victor Lumen opened his eyes and staggered to his feet. He was repulsed by the sight in front of him. A creature the size and build of an elf; very much like an elf that had been flayed. The muscles, tendons, and bones showed through all over and it was covered in blood. Victor drew his Luminous Blade and jumped as if to strike at the creature, but his blade fell upon a barrier of some kind of magic and was wrenched from his hand. The Devourer took a closer look at the fallen weapon and shrieked in rage. The blade was an abomination…he gingerly picked it up by the hilt and then threw it into a far corner of the room. Aroha saw the demon as it turned on her husband and called on her divine powers from Tulkas. The implosion did not harm the Devourer in the least…it did, however, get his attention. Thus, the Blood Demon was not looking at Victor when he took the shield from his left arm and hurled it like a javelin with a scream of rage. The Demon did turn in time to get the shield right into its top row of fangs. The Holy Shield shattered the teeth, and then the bone behind them; finally imbedding itself into the stone pillar adjacent to the demon. The Blood Demons eyes held an amazed shocked look for a full three seconds after the impact before the light went out of them.

Hours later finds Victor standing guard while Aroha has been studying the diving pool…she eventually rises from the pool with a look that said it all.

“I found a way out”, was all she said with a look of total despair.

“Is it a long ways off?” asked her husband.

Aroha nodded and, very quietly said” a little over 100,000 miles…”

Victor and Aroha both looked together at Aroha’s stomach…swollen with pregnancy.

“Then we will find a way there my heart, and a way to raise our son…what else can we do? We will find a way…” was all Victor said as he hugged his wife closer to him, and they both stared out the window at a desolate sand blown plain with demons running across it like army ants. “We will find a way.”

Hour Seven

The trio is winding their way across a section of the landscape that looked as if a mage war had been fought there an age ago. Burn marks and blasted boulders litter the surface of the scorched earth, making quick progress an impossible task. The figure in the lead crested a rise and before he could motion for the other two to halt his seven year old son bounded up to him…and then stopped in surprise. Aroha followed moments later and she too froze at the sight in front of them. The valley they were standing above was easily two miles long, and several hundred yards wide; it was also filled to overflowing with all manner of imps and other minor fiends. Victor surveyed the demonic host with narrow eyes while weighing their options. The way back to another pass could take many long days, and this terrain below him was the first clear land he had seen in over 70 hours. The demons would follow if they ran, and the footing would be worse. Victor calmly stripped his golden shield from his left arm and handed it to his son, “ Stay alert Vic…they will try to stop us, but your mother and I can hand out far more than these can take…stay close to her.”

Victor turned to his wife, and accepted her offered sword. The two were like blades, but one calmly snowed while the other dripped acid without cease. The couple embraced, kissed and parted with a smile; Aroha was already chanting the beginnings of a spell. As his wife began her spells, and his son tested the heft of his father’s shield, Victor Lumen the Third began a series of exercises with the two blades. Seeing the two blades spinning lethally in his hands as he ran through a complex attack routine caused the bulk of the demons to stop and watch the display. Very foolish move that. By the time the host was starting to consider an attack on the three Victor glowed with the power of his wife’s spells. His full beard and long hair only lent aid to the spectacle. His armor no longer gleamed in the sun, but even after seven years as a nomad the armor of the King of Glorwing was still in excellent condition, and still quite obviously golden…perhaps they thought themselves confronted by fallen angels. With a battle cry to Tulkas Victor lashed out at the host and ripped into their ranks with a fury they rarely saw from mortals…within minutes several dozen minor fiends lay dead around him and he was actively cutting a swath through the army of outsiders. Aroha stayed never more than eight feet behind her husband, and she was sure to keep one eye on young Vic. During the thick of the fighting Vic blocked several strikes against him or his mother, keeping the attacker busy long enough for Victor to descend like a whirlwind of blades.

They fight seemed to last for days, but really took just over an hour before the majority of the host broke and ran…in that hour the trio had traveled roughly one mile. Not one square foot of earth was uncovered by a demonic corpse in their wake. Where one of the royal blades landed a demon died…Aroha’s magic alone had counted for dozens. Standing at the end of the thousand plus ‘honor guards’ they had taken with them across the plain Aroha asked her son, “How do you tell the smart imps?”

Used to his mother’s jokes Vic thought before answering, “The ones running away?”

Aroha flashed her trademark brilliant smile and stated, “Trick Question! There are NO smart ones”, she gave another smile to her son, and finished. “The ones you see running are just cowards TOO.”

They all laughed. Not because it was a great joke, but because there are times when you must laugh…or cry.

Hour Eleven

Adriana Elversult knew something was wrong when she found the decapitated body of a Sun Guard in the entry way to the castle. That was definitely a clue. She prepared herself before entering, but was still startled at the sight that greeted her when she opened the entrance to the castle’s interior. The place was an abattoir. Blood was splattered all over the floor, walls and ceiling. Corpses of Sun Guards and servants littered the place as if they were garbage left behind after a royal party. Ana was filled with an all consuming rage like few she had ever coped with. She stared across the open space at the hundred plus demonic eyes watching her, slammed her visor down, and without a sound began slaying them. The fury would be one for the bards to speak of for all time, but Ana did not find it easy even with all that rage at her command. When the immeasurable time of spraying ichors, and brimstone breath hot on her neck passed; more than five hundred demons lay in pieces on the castle floor. Dame Elversult was herself injured in numerous places, but gave them little thought while she wound down after the battle. She was searching the private rooms of the King and Queen for straggler demons, all the time praying they were alright. She herself felt fine (yes, even after killing five hundred demons)…until she made it to the Royal baths. A large oval hung suspended in the middle of the room, and what Ana saw through that hole made her skin crawl. It was hell. There was no mistaking it…somehow there was a door to hell open in the private royal chambers. With no sign of the King and Queen in the castle, and that being there last known whereabouts; Ana had a sinking feeling she knew what her duty called her to do. Before she could talk herself out of it Adriana stepped through the portal to see if the King and Queen were visible. This was definitely hell…the smell of brimstone and the burnt taste of the air were the same as she remembered…more memories lurked at the back of her mind; she dare not reflect on them right now. It was obvious they would need good trackers to catch up…who knows how long it might have been since they were taken away. Furious that she must return to Glorwing only to prepare to come back Ana strode through the portal; she was in a great hurry to get about forming a rescue party. Ana made it no more than 20 feet from the ‘door’ before a demon came slithering out. “What the hell is wrong with these things” she muttered under her breath as the demon raced towards her. Her sword slammed home ending this particular demons fell existence. “…and how did it approach the entrance so fast? None were near…” Ana raced from the castle in search of aid while her mind raced at the possibilities the demons appearance had brought up. She wondered what it was about the place she had just seen and her lost memories that bothered her so, but she would deal with that when her duty was completed.

Eleven years they had spent traveling across this terrifying wasteland, and finally Victor, Aroha and their child had met humans. A small group of 17 had been spotted by them and followed for days before the trio revealed themselves. The ended up bringing the group with them on their journey…what else could they do? They sought an escape from this place; it would take years to reach it, but it was an escape nonetheless. None of the refugees they found had even an inkling of a way out of this infernal realm, and all were willing to risk anything to find an escape. One of the survivors they found knew how to make bows, and several could make spears. With time and effort they found a way to make the simple wooden weapons effective…with Tulkas’ blessing. Aroha could bless the weapons and they would then hurt the demons as well as mortal creatures. The animals in this realm were not numerous or familiar, but they could be hunted with the bows and spears. Timely luck indeed; even though he religiously searched for and found all his hidden shuriken he could…Victor was down to his last seven throwing stars. After they were lost meals would have been hard to come by. Slowly Victor trained the warriors in unit tactics and Aroha found one who showed promise as a cleric. Aroha spent a great deal of time teaching both her son and the refugee, Kalas, in the way of Tulkas. As the months passed and more refugees were discovered the fighting force grew. Two more clerics were trained and the group numbered over one hundred eighty at its peak. The miles passed beneath them and every day brought them closer to their destination.

Hour Fourteen

Gilmore stared in horrified fascination at the sight in front of him. He knew a dimensional portal when he saw one; he had never seen one so stable before. The energy expended to make this gate must have been enormous. He made several notes of features the gate possessed in the hopes that something would reveal a way to close it. Closing it was a top priority. Several times in the long minutes he had studied the gate a demon issued forth from it. All fell quickly to his spells, but Gilmore was alarmed at the pace with which they issued forth. Guards needed to be stationed here. Immediately Gilmore sought out the mind of Thalion Tar-Minyatur, the King’s Knight. Thalion would gather a force of Sun Guards and secure the portal; Gilmore then sought out the mind of Angele. The Commander was with Mabd Tempests and Adriana Elversult preparing the rescue party that would be going after the King and Queen. Angele agreed that Thalion was a perfect choice to lead the Sun Guards who would watch over the portal, and further, she was setting a force around the castle itself in case things went for the worse. Gilmore related that he would need a few hours at least to come up with a solution for the portal, and Baroness Ju’end assented. They would meet at his School in three hours or so; he had that long to figure out a way to close this hell spawned portal…or risk Glorwing being overrun by demons.

Victor Lumens IV was watching intently as his father spoke with the wizened old shaman they had found with a larger group of refugees just yesterday. Vic was careful to watch his father practice diplomacy during every opportunity that presented itself. The fourteen year old well knew that one day he would have a kingdom to run; his father and his mother did all they could to insure he knew his lessons. They often tried to give him time to be a child as well; they always had. He looked down at the leather armor he was wearing; it was finally starting to fit him properly. He had received the armor as a gift for his thirteenth birthday…never had he felt more a man than when his parents had joyously shown him his final gift, the leather armor. It was his prized possession, and he wore it for any formal occasion; although really those were few indeed. The young Crown prince’s reverie was interrupted though by the formal exchange between his father and the seer taking a turn towards actual information. The blind seer was speaking of dark days ahead. Hmmm, all very confusing stuff actually. A being known as ‘the exterminator of the ones who can not be named for they are no longer’ was the subject of their conversation; apparently he was some sort of special demon with three hearts. A Blood Demon to hear the wizened old man tell it. The old diviner pointed once to his abdomen, once to the center of his chest, and then once again to his throat; apparently the location of the three hearts. The King and the old man spoke for hours before a bad coughing fit took the old man unawares; he had suppressed several bouts of the coughing already. His father led him from the hide tent as two healers rushed in to attend the ancient man his father had taken council from.

“Vic…years of war are ahead of us; long years of bitter war to be precise. We have drawn the attention of the last of a particularly vile race of demons. The Exterminator seeks us. Ironic that a being known for slaying an entire race is itself the last of its own kind.” said Victor quietly to his son.

“Father, this is like the one that brought you and mother to this place; correct?”

The King’s reply was in an even tone, “Yes, the same species of demon as the Devourer. This does not mean they are overly similar though; this “exterminator” is apparently quite a masterful general, but very poor in turn as a diviner. He is also paranoid about using spell casters in his armies. This means we can use his limited foreknowledge against him in our battles with his forces. Still and all, the seer saw dark times and fierce fights ahead of us…would you like to spar with me Vic?”

Young Victor Lumen the Fourth happily raced to collect his practice sword; all dire predictions forgotten in his excitement to practice his swordplay with his father. The look his father wore as he raced off was immediately recognizable as abject sorrow, had he turned to look and see it; he did not though. Watching his son race to their tent the King softly whispered to himself, “I Wish I could give you more time as a child my son, but the storm is nearly upon us. Soon our journey will be put to the ultimate test.”

The two healers emerged from the tent, and briefly each looked at the King and shook his head. The King sighed and nodded…Malkiel was gone, but finding a druid here with such abilities may have saved all their lives. Victor again looked around the large camp, and revised his opinion. Finding the divining druid may save some of their lives.

Hour Seventeen

Thalion Tar-Minyatur had never killed this many demons in all his previous years of fighting the forces of evil. The staggering weight of the demons that had raced forth in the three plus hours he had been here with his small force of Sun Guards was in itself vile enough; that only told half the story though. Twice Balor Lords had raced through and three Sun Guards had died in the room fighting the horrors. Even now the Sun priest with them was raising the last guard when a blur ripped from the portal, and dashed at the priest. Thalion raced to intercept the strange demon, but was too late by a handbreadth. The demon drove a clawed hand through the face of the priest as Thalion's holy blade was descending. The head of the demon split right in two at the paladins strike, and one arm and shoulder separated as the blade continued its lethal arc. Too late by far in Thalion’s mind; he watched in horror as the resurrection spell backfired and the corpse of the fallen guard disintegrated in front of his eyes. Tearing himself away from the awful sight Thalion dispatched one of the guards to the Temple of the Sun, “Get a priest NOW! If you are fast enough this priest”, he gesture at the fallen Sun Priest,” may be saved.” The guard raced off as the Commander of the Sun Guards, Baroness Ju’end, approached with a force of twenty Sun Guards augmented by the presence of the former Commander, Adriana, the Royal Bodyguard, Mabd Tempests, and the Royal Archmage, Gilmore.

“Glad to see you are holding Thalion”, Angele grimly said to the King’s Knight and his bedraggled crew of guards.

“We will hold the portal until you get them. This I swear. Bring the King and Queen back; your exit will be open no matter how many demons must die to insure it.” The serious paladin had an even more determined cast to his features than usual.

“I do not doubt you for a second Thalion. The perimeter of the grounds is secure so I told Edarinna to give final instructions to the Sergeant of the Guard, he will hold the outside. I asked Edarinna to join your force.” The Baroness waited for the expected argument, and cut off Thalion before he could finish the first word. “Please Thalion; would you argue against fighting with Ed when the lives of our royalty are on the line?”

With a sigh Thalion acquiesced with a nod. “I can use her truthfully; she may not follow the code the way I would like, but she is an impressive fighter. I will not risk the King and Queen to satisfy my oath. I will simply relinquish command of the guards upon her arrival, and stay to fight the demons outside of her ‘force’. Will that do Baroness?”

“That will be fine…I do not know how long we may be, but with you here I feel a lot better about our chances. Fight well…all of you.” Angele bravely strode through the portal on that parting note, and the rest of the rescue party followed behind as quickly as room would allow. Thalion wondered at the odd expression on Gilmore’s face; it was not like the Archmage to be frowning at a moment like this. Normally he would be excited at the prospect of slaying demons; something was definitely wrong with him. Thalion did hot have long to ponder the mages strange behavior though; minutes after the party passed through the portal several demons emerged at once and Thalion barely had to time to acknowledge Edarinna’s arrival with a nod. The transfer of command would have to wait for the moment.

Three days the rescue party traveled towards the Royalty before sighting them. They found no tracks, but Gilmore had been able to make contact with them both shortly after arriving in this infernal realm. Without his guidance they would have been hard pressed to locate the royalty. The reunion was one of great joy and shock for both sides. Seeing Victor with a full beard and long hair running down his back in a single braid, and Aroha with a nearly ankle length braid, both obviously much older than expected as well, shook the rescue party quite badly. Victor and Aroha were stunned as well; they expected their friends to be nearly eighteen years older; not the same as they remembered them! They eventually deduced that time passed differently in hell than in Glorwing. It seemed roughly one year passed in hell for every hour that passed in Glorwing. The surprise as the rescue party met their Crown Prince was even more profound. The tall broad shouldered young man was an adult, and truly carried himself as a King. He even spoke well and seemed educated for a young adult that had spent his entire life as a nomad traveling through the abyss.

The night passed with many tales of their time in hell, and many introductions as well. There were a little over seventy refugees still alive and fighting with the royal couple. Also, news of what dread fate pursued them was shared. It seemed the Exterminator was fully enraged at the death of the Devourer, and sought revenge on Victor and Aroha for bringing his race to the brink of extinction. The Blood Demon had amassed an army of more than ten thousand greater devils and demons, and even now pursued the small band of guerilla fighters. This army was less than a day behind. It was decided to simply race for the portal and make no effort to cover their tracks. Gilmore assured everyone that he could seal the portal when the time came; thus it would not matter as long as they stayed ahead of the army. Whether they could stay ahead of the approaching army was the only question. Mabd Tempests, who had been unusually quiet up to this point, revealed her hidden position immediately behind the Royal couple to tender her offer to scout out the advancing force. She did, of course, immediately disappear into the shadows again. The final result was that the entire group would stay together, and race for the portal as one. Forced marching they expected to reach the portal in a day and a half. With their course decided everyone resolved to get as much sleep as they could in preparation for the grueling travel expected for the morrow.

When the eerie false dawn this realm offered in place of a real sun arrived in full, it found the band of just under a hundred traveling already. Before they end of the day they could see the approaching demons as a dark blot in the distance though. They traveled late, and lit no fires that night. The same question was on everyone’s mind once true dark fell and travel was no longer possible. Would the demons travel through the night? Could the demons if they wished to? None were sure, but Victor and Aroha both told of how rarely the demons would do anything but follow their whims in the span of true dark in this place. Something, be it creature or ancient fear kept them from roaming far at night. Thus assured the group rested fitfully, and rotated guards throughout the night.

Just before daytime the demons came. A small force of about twenty Balor Lords arrived in the hour before daylight, and attacked with surprising accuracy. As they prepared to leave an invisible Balor launched an ugly, barbed ten foot spear which impaled Aroha and launched her back a good six feet to be held off the ground by the wicked spear which had lodged in a boulder. In a flash the fight was on. Mabd and Angele immediately backed up the King, and with their lethal rain of arrows streaming around him six balors fell to his flashing blade. Adriana accounted for two balors herself, as did Gilmore. The remaining ten balors tore into the human ranks with such abandon that the number of refugees and Sun Guards was halved by the time they fell. The survivors looked around and, to their horror, discovered that all the clerics were dead. Victor immediately went to Aroha once the fighting ended. They spoke briefly, as she held on for a few minutes. The young Prince tried to heal his mother, but he was a young cleric yet, and could not help her. Her last words were to her husband and son. The Prince tried to object, but the Queen said something softly, and then went limp in the arms of her family. Thus died her majesty, Aroha Lumen, as she had lived…with a smile.

Adriana was stunned, but accepted Victors shield. Her question went unasked when he started flexing with the twin luminous blades; he would not need the shield again, they both knew that. Adriana had argued bitterly to be allowed to stay with the King and try his gambit. It was a suicide mission, but she wanted to help anyway. Unfortunately Victor had raised the one argument Adriana was forced to accede to; duty. He had entrusted to her the responsibility for getting the Crown Prince to safety…King the lad would be soon enough Ana knew. Mabd and Angele would not be swayed from staying with Victor though; he had tried to argue, but gave up when he saw it would be fruitless. Gilmore could not stay; he had to shut the gate. Adriana was not happy, but she could not argue that her prowess might be needed to get the shrinking group to safety. She was even more displeased when Angele offered up her badge of office, and asked her to resume the position she had died to vacate before! Ana was again going to be beset by duty constantly.

Victor Lumen the III planned to hold a narrow pass against the horde for as long as he could; thus buying the group time to escape. He had also revealed his other plan…he wished to slay the Exterminator. He had stated this immediately after burying Aroha. That was when he pulled her holy symbol from his pouch, and slowly wound Tulkas’ token into the end of his long braid. The King bid his son a private farewell, and none listened in. They all saw the King remove a ring and put it on the finger of the Crown prince though. As the group started again for the portal Victor called after his son once more,”Vic! Seek a man named Ueshiba. I almost forgot; he is sworn to serve the line of our family. He will serve you well, and his loyalty is without question. He too is a Royal Bodyguard. Always remember; your mother and I love you!” Young Vic nodded, and turned his sorrow filled face once more to the trail at the urging of Adriana.

The swell of approaching demons did not shake the nerves of Mabd and Angele; nor did the fact that they were doomed. They had long stood with Victor in situations that seemed hopeless; even when it was as friends they stood with Takezo against the usurper Sebastian and his forces. They both thought only of one thing at these times…where to put the next arrow. Mabd and Angele waited for the mass of demons to fill the canyon until they could not miss, and then they unleashed a rain of death around their King. Victor stood poised with twin bastage swords in his hands and when the tidal wave of demons hit him it looked like a wave splitting apart on a rock. Where those weapons of goodliness flashed a demon fell, and many fell in the long three minutes they held their ground. The Exterminator avoided her arrows with ease so Mabd tried to take out the demons separating the Blood Demon general from her King. With Angeles help she soon bore witness to a spectacle that baffled her.

Victor was covered in demon gore and ichors by the time he closed with the Exterminator. The demon came at Victor with a vicious smile on its face; the kind of smile that haunts the dreams of a man for a lifetime. A look of surprise registered when Aroha’s magnificent sword passed clean through his abdomen and stuck there piercing his body. The surprise was so great that Victor had time to send his own sword sailing across the narrow space separating them before the demon could even close…to his horror Victor saw his sword pierce the body of the fell creature, but too low. It had not reached his heart. Stifling a curse Victor attempted to look the part of the weaponless and helpless victim; he needed the Exterminator to close with him. His ruse worked; seeing his enemy without weapons the Blood Demon rushed at him with claws raised. Just before closing Victor surprised the demon yet again by whipping his head to the left, and sending the holy symbol of Tulkas tearing through the throat of this beast. The Ancient demon could scarcely believe how close it had come to dying. The second blow had missed its heart, but with two of its infernal hearts stopped it was now time to flee this battle. He could not do it though…seeing his hated enemy standing mere feet in front of him, and weaponless to boot, was too much for the monster. He gurgled out a scream and lunged forward to strike the King. The King could see the demons streaming past his peripheral vision and he knew by the sounds that Mabd and Angele had fallen. There was no time. In a desperate maneuver Vic launched an aerial kick at the Exterminator, and used the foot he landed to push free with his sword in his left hand. The Luminous blade blocked one claw while Victor dodged the other. Then the demon realized, too late, that Victor held the braid of his hair in his right hand…with the holy symbol sticking out like the blade of a weapon. He drove the makeshift weapon and his hand through the hole his bastage sword had made in the lower chest. He then forced his lower arm up and could feel the release of power as the holy symbol tore through the heart tissue and the Exterminator died. He had no time to savor the victory or mourn the loss of his friends…hundreds of claws pulled him down and he could not be seen for all the demons that pressed in to get a piece of the one who had destroyed their general.

Adriana saw the swell of the demon tide as it burst forth from the canyon, and turned her sad eyes to Gilmore. The Archmages only reply was, “He got him. Once the portal is sealed no fiend here should have the power to open another.” Adriana simply gave a grim nod and went back to urging her charges to move faster.

The weary group reached the plateau where the portal was no more than a mile in front of the advancing demonic army. The group raced towards the goal and Adriana ushered one after the next through the portal as quickly as possible. Much to her ire, the new King refused to pass until his people were safe. When Adriana, Gilmore and Victor Lumen the IV were the only ones left the demons were a mere hundred yards behind. Victor started to insist that the other two precede him, but Adriana seized him and ran them both through the portal. Gilmore paused, collected his thoughts, and cast his spell without thinking of the demons rushing towards him.

Thalion and Edarinna were ecstatic when the refugees and Sun Guards started coming through the portal. That soon changed when Adriana came through with a youth neither warrior recognized and said, “Gilmore will shut it when he gets through…that is everyone.” Their hopeful looks were shattered and replaced with grief instantly. Then the wavy view through the portal straightened out, and Gilmore could be clearly seen on the other side. When he spoke the entire room had no trouble hearing…not a sound interrupted the Archmage.

“I have briefly stopped time so we can speak. Tell Emily…tell her I love her; and that I am sorry...The portal must be closed from this side”, with that short speech completed Gilmore immediately launched into a ritual; obviously the one to close the gate. Edarinna and Adriana both considered rushing through to Gilmore’s aid, but the simple declaration he made was irrefutable…the gate must be closed. Seeing the mass of demons mere yards behind him only further convinced all who could see that Gilmore was right…no matter the price, that gate must close. The flow of time picked up again and the wavy view of the plateau returned, but only a brief moment later the portal collapsed in upon itself with a strange wrenching noise. The entire room held their breath in the hopes that the Archmage somehow found a way to safety and would appear; he did not.

A long minute later Adriana Elversult turned to the young Victor, knelt, and proclaimed, “The King is dead! Long live King Victor Lumen the IV! The entire room followed suit, knelt almost as one, and swore fealty to the new king of Glorwing.


SECTION 5: Anen Tane, Darkwoods.


From the speech of Elith Gennosen:

“In the early days soon after the rift closed, there were many attempts to find our way back, often centered here in Darkwood. The elves that came were few in number, and we traveled often seeking answers. The area here was unsettled and dangers lurked everywhere. A great evil, the source of which is unclear was unleashed by one of these expeditions. Only one survived the attack and she died soon after being rescued having given little in the way of clues. Soon after this first attack it became clear this force was gaining power and controlling an army of creatures bent on our destruction. Our leaders fearing they may not be able to survive these attacks gathered in secret to formulate a plan to ensure the future leader would survive.

Fearing traitors in their midst, the decision was made by the elders to select three elves to carry the amulets you see before you. Only one would know the identity of the true heir to the Lord of Darkwood, and he recorded this information in secret. The times grew darker and the efforts to vanquish this unknown foe proved fruitless. An expedition was formed and fearing they may too never return I was entrusted a small gem. As proof bring you this gem. This is a portion of the very gem the amulet was cut from and only the amulet of the true Lord matches it.

The three before you were not chosen lightly and all have served their people well. I am pleased that they all have prospered and come here this day. The time has come to rise and defeat this evil that threatens our existence. The time has come to anoint the new Lord of Darkwood…

Anen Tane.”

Anen’s response:

“I do humbly and graciously accept the responsibilities and challenges that face me. But these are challenges and responsibilities for us all. I am no less a friend today than I was yesterday. We must face the future together, and all join to unite Darkwood against these threats, and build our future. “

SECTION 6: Attack of the Kobolds.

In the reign of Victor Lumens III – attack of the kobolds...
Here is the Official List, the King has Ordered it Posted:

319 Kobold's Dead, with Some left Over leg's and Arm's
39 Heros Fallen 39 Recovered With Magic -Estimated
3 sun guard's Fallen 2 recovered by magic's
24 Citzen's fell 17 raised due to magic

Takezo (Victor Lumens III) Replied

The loss of seven of our citizens is a tragedy, and I grieve for them all. I want to thank all who came to defend the kingdom. Your aid was greatly appreciated. It seemed needful to leave the Sun Guards posted in their positions around the city; depleting their ranks to fend off the attack could have left other parts of the city or kingdom vulnerable.

Without the aid of all you loyal citizens I fear the death toll may have grown much larger. The strength of the kingdom is its people; you have again shown our kingdom to be mighty indeed.

SECTION 7: Victor Lumens III. Sebastian. The Night Blades.

Takezo had awoken in the woods with a vicious head wound, and suffering from memory loss. All he could find in the area were signs of a battle, a sword, and a small pouch of gold with the name 'Takezo' on it. He assumed initially that Takezo must be his name, but he could not make sense of the battle that had taken place. Much later, when the rebellion against Sebastian was in full swing, Takezo realized that the heir he and Adriana Elversult had been searching for was...him. Initially this information was kept only to him, Aroha Jahee, Mabd Tempests and Angele Ju'end, but eventually the truth was made clear to all when he held his mothers necklace in front of a large group.

~ a little known side point ~ Sebastian, the undead form of Victor Lumens I's original archmage, took over the group known as the Nightblades and clouded their minds to get them to do his bidding in his attempt to seize the throne of Glorwing. Most people were aware of this.

What most do not know is how the mind control was broken. The necklace, which revealed Victor Lumens III to be the King, was made so the true heir to the throne could be shown. Victor Lumens III and Aroha Lumens (formerly Jahee) met Kadian and a group of NB near the old area controlled by the Black Knights. There were some weapons drawn and words exchanged, but before a fight could ensue Kadian had Huron Blackheart steal the necklace from Victor Lumens III. Once Kadian held the necklace it revealed him to be the heir to Victor Lumens III...his younger twin. The power of their mother's necklace also wiped away Sebastians mind control. Victor Lumens III and Aroha actually were there to witness the reactions of the NB, and especially Kadian, to the knowledge of what they had done under Sebastians mind control. This is why they were so forgiving of the NB...they knew that their actions were because of the mind control.

Morlocks history of the Sebastian Events.

It is for these reasons he is now standing in the Big Tree Inn, making this speech to the patrons there:

"I have agreed to champion the Nightblades' cause of proving their innocence in the light of the recent events, and to write a song proclaiming them to have been under a type of mental domination and therefore not fully responsible for their actions regarding the overthrow of the old King Victor.

"I am glad I don't have to raise my voice to get your attention. I have been away composing my defense of the Nightblades in the matter of Sebastian. I have spoken with their top three members: Kadian, Sister Allison, and Clane. I am ready to tell their side of the story. Judge them and me after you have heard this song.

Sister asked me to write this to help clear her name. I knew her not before meeting her in the Standing Stones, and while most would have killed her on the spot I listened to her sad story. I requested audiences with her exiled allies, Kadian and Clane, and pieced together their stories.

Here is their tale."

Morlock stands on the Engineer's table, pulls out his harp, and begins to play the tune.

The Ascension, Demise, and Aftermath
of a False King’s Reign

Prologue

The root of this evil lies deeply within
The heart of a bitter old man.
A long ago battle he lost fair and square
Ends his life—when he started to plan.

A spectre arises, a shadow of life
Feeding from innocence pure.
A priest, the first victim, beginning the strife,
He turns over his Sister demure.

This Sister of Night brings Blade leader to priest
And the spectre is pleased with his luck.
For the priest, with his spiritually new shining feast
Eats the will of the pleasantly pluck’d.

Part 1—The Players and Their Play

Now Clane was the first of his tools to be cast.
Found dead in the Hill Giant’s lair,
The future false king bonded souls with the priest
And revived him with life full of promises unfair.

Next came Sister Allison,
Requested at a meeting in the Night.
Her skills in the shadows unparalleled
Were so useful for the spectre of fright.

She brought to her priest their Leader of Blades.
To his knees he was forcibly brought,
The mark on his hand the priest pleasantly made:
The mark of fear to the people he brought.

Together these three subverted their friends,
Soon they’d acquired quite a group.
They rode through the land, killing without amends,
Such a perverted and evilly killing troupe.

Part 2—The Ascension

So begins the rise of the shade and the dark,
With his tools he will forge a new band.
They gather their friends; soon all ride with the mark
Which brings fear to good people all over the land.

He uses his tools to become the new king.
They remove the King Victor of Old.
And placed upon throne built from falseness and greed
Sits Sebastian, false king out for gold.

The lawless had ridden with king on their side,
Enforcing their will so unfair.
Killing dissenters with nary a care,
So blind to the rise of the opposite tide.

Arrests in the street were a common affair,
Bloody battles in the fields of our towns.
Black armor the killers were seen to wear,
The people were viewed wearing frowns.

A tax is levied upon all who should pay,
Per person in the kingdom a mere 200 K!
Should you not like it, you don’t have to stay,
Should you not pay it, your family we’ll slay!

Part 3—The Demise

Exiled and battered, dissenters did gather,
Preparing for war and for strife.
Preparing to die for their belief in the good,
Willing to sacrifice to save life.

The mighty Takezo, with armor blood red,
So colored for the blood of lives lost,
Meets with Adrianna, the exiled commander.
Together they plan for the worst.

A battle is mounted, allies are gathered,
In the morning before the real dawn.
The false king is taken from his false throne,
With much blood spilled on the castle lawn.

The rest you all know, good King Victor is here,
With his queen, the lovely Aroha.
But what is not publicly known to you all,
Is what happened to the rest of the feared.

Epilogue

Disbanded and exiled, spread to the winds,
The players were sent far away.
Their terrible deeds they’re unable to rescind,
Nor do they remember their actions today.

A charm can be fun when used as a toy,
To dominate is a mage’s party trick.
When used in a way such as Sebastian did ploy,
Makes a man and his allies very sick.


Morlock puts his harp carefully at his feet after the last notes fade and addresses the crowd once again.

"You see, good people, they did not act by their own free will, but were forced to do so by the stronger will of another, Sebastian. He dominated Clane first, who in turn subverted his friends. The mark they bore on their hand was the link with their master, and when he was killed, the power was gone. These people have murky memories of what transpired those few weeks, and although we know of what their bodies did, they do not. They have been exiled and punished for their "crimes," and I believe they have suffered enough at our hands. Do with this information as you may...I for one believe in second chances."

SECTION 8: An Inside Account of the Night Blades' Subversion and Redemption.

Many things are forgotten, some are forgotten for the best… It truly pains
me to write this, but at the request of Charsi Aethmyr I have. Do not
speak of this to me again.

Clane’s body lay in the cave for days, the Giants having so little respect
for the Half-Elf that they left him to the insects. Although, one being
watched with interest at the withering body. The being, a spirit of ghastly
proportion, emerged into view. He took position over Clane and began to
incant a Divine, or Infernal if one likes, spell. Clanes maggot eaten
muscles began to take their former shape and after a few moments of
regeneration, Clane regained consciousness and arose. The first thing
Clane saw was the glowing glint of red eyes framed by shadow, instantly
knowing they burned with power. “Wh… what happened?” He said in a
quivering voice of fear.

“You live to see another day… mortal.” Intoned the eyes.

“I…” Clane closed his eyes at the painful memory and swallowed hard. “I
remember…” He regained his composure. “And to who am I in debt.”

“I” Said the eyes at once. “And the likes of you shall refer to me as
Spirit…” Before Clane could reply, Spirit went on, “I offer you a
chance… a chance to become powerful.”

Clanes eyes glinted at the word powerful, for he was a rather
disrespected man among the community of Humans. “Perhaps… but
there is always a price.” Clane indicated his poor possessions, “And I’ve
nothing to trade”

Spirit became enraged, “No you fool! You didn’t let me finish!” Clane
flinched, for Spirits words seemed so loud the very walls seemed to
quiver, “You will bind your destiny to mine… so that I may be corporeal
and you, in turn, will share my power…”

Clane soon accustomed himself to the sharing of his soul with Spirits and
found it mentally gratifying to obey every command given. Clane didn’t
really understand or care why it felt good and didn’t bother to question.
Spirit commanded Clane to carry out several tasks that would have
seemed rather pointless and odd but with Clane’s mindless obedience, he
never really noticed. After a while, Clane found a friend named Sister
Allison who helped him carry out the tasks with a more alternative and
lateral point of view, not being bound to mindless obedience, therefore
the tasks were completed faster.

Soon the time came when Spirit called Allison and Clane to their meeting
place once more and intoned that before he could take corporeal form, he
must first have followers. This being said, Clane and Allison set out to
laboriously recruit and find new and willing men and women. Kadian
Aethmyr was one of the first, there was Saracen, Raven and a couple of
others who answered the call. Once the worthy were found, the group
returned to the meeting place. Spirit demanded Clane step
forward from the handful of people, to face him. The eyes started to
chant and Clane fell to the ground, feeling as if something was draining his vitality.

After a few moments of recovery while he sat, slumped on the ground, he
heard a more human voice than before say, “Get up Clane. I took some
of your essence to replenish my own.” Clane looked up with shock to see
someone who could be mistake for his brother or cousin at least, with
only a slight skin discolouration.

In the years to come, Spirit announced himself as Sebastian Locke, a
great wizard and former ruler of the Kingdom. He managed to gain
control of the throne and thus the Nightblades were created, the Crown’s
private guard. The Black Knights were also created to replace the Sun
Guards and were effective enough but the Nightblades consisted of the
more loyal and powerful citizens to Sebastian.

Kadian Aethmyr soon took command of the Nightblades, followed by
Sister Allison as his second and all went smoothly until one fateful day. A
man called Takezo who couldn’t be broken despite all Clanes efforts at
torture escaped from his Dungeon in the Palace and somehow,
miraculously founded a rebellion. At first the rebellion was a mere
nuisance, stirring up resistance to the Black Knights and such but then
escalated to more. After a while they would attack and strike at Black
Knights in the outlaying areas of the Kingdom. Sebastian became
aggravated and sent out his loyal Nightblades to investigate the
problem… but that was a distraction. As the Nightblades left, the Palace
fell unguarded a group of the finest and purest hearted warriors
wandered into the palace.

Clane knew something instantly wrong as he sensed, through their soul-bonded link,
Sebastian expelling his energies. He waited, for it may have been
nothing to worry about but was soon struck with an intense pain in his
leg. Someone had injured Sebastian. He fells to the ground in pain and
tried to heal the wound with the his energies but it was not a physical
wound. He made his way as fast as he could back to the Palace, fearful
of his masters fate. The rain had started to pelt down and thunder struck
all around the Palace. He finally staggered into the Palace, nursing a few
invisible wounds to find Black Knights and other warriors laying in heaps
scattered about.

Clane walked into the Throne Room and found the unbreakable man,
named Takezo, about to strike down on Sebastian while others around
the room fought with their dear lives against the remaining Black
Knights. As he watched in shock as Takezo delivered the fatal blow to the
tyrant king, Clane yelled out in horror, although Sebastian laughed
hysterically.

Clane died the moment Sebastian did. As Clane’s soul drifted off to the
Abyss with Sebastian’s, he was compelled to stay and disobey for the first
time. Wrenching off the part of his soul that was fused with Sebastian’s,
he forced himself back to life.

He opened his eyes to find a couple of men and women standing over him
with swords leveled at his throat. Takezo looked down at him with disgust
and pity and merely stated, “Go and tell. Your cause is lost.” Clane used
all his remaining strength to stand and made his way from the Palace to
the others who were ignorant of what had just happened.

Takezo soon realised he was son of the former King before Sebastian and
appropriately renamed himself King Victor Lumen III. Commander
Kadian Aethmyr found himself to be Victor’s twin brother and as most of
you may know, Charsi is Kadians daughter. The Nightblades soon
regained their strength thanks to Commander Kadian and Senechal
Allison, they were great leaders.

SECTION 9: Regarding Sly andTokana.

From a Golden Dragon:

Firstly, and most important: There is a Lich, who has stolen the powers of a god. He is most likely the being whom Tokana and her minions refer to as 'The One.' He has wielded the power of death for the past 5000 years. It is his plan to begin the invasion of the middle world with our beloved land, Glorwing.

A summary. Tokana is a Lich. Sly is his daughter, who wishes him dead, and to steal his power. There was to be an excursion through a subaquatic power to a plane or dimension wherein Glorwing gods had no sway, so that anyone who went there might risk dying final death in an effort to defeat Tokana. Sly might be a temporary ally, but, being evil, should not be trusted.

[Giacomo: There follows an account by Morlock, with a lot of side-references to people like Levatine and Sendibar, for which I have no data, other than that Sendibar is/was another adventurer. There is also a male “Dark One” mentioned, in connection with a ring. I reproduce it here: ]

Morlock reads the scroll and adds his thoughts...

Last night, after a harrowing battle in Tamira's, Tokana's minions accosted Lonko, Fifi, and Mysef in Eagle's Nest, apparently attracted to Me by some form of Negative energy. We slew these foul creatures and returned to Crescent Bay, whereupon another group appeared in the Cornerstone, yelling about finding the stone to help in their teleportation spells. They refused our possible aid to get rid of them, and we slew them as well.

Then, this Sly individual Sendibar speaks of, confronted our small group and demanded my ring, which attracted her to our presence as well. After she slew several of our members several times over, raising each one after every death, for insults thrown her way, she teleported me far away to talk in isolation. She revealed to me two things--One, Levatine has already been killed by mortals about 650 years ago. Two, Tokana is "Death's" 2nd in command and is seeking to bring "Death" here. Given Sendibar's account, Sly may be able to help us at least stop Tokana. There appears to be some internal strife within their community, and we can use this to our advantage.

Sly wanted my Ring of Sorrows, which for reasons unknown to me is the source of the Negative Energy and will somehow aid Tokana and her minions in opening this portal. Rather than die and have Sly take it from me, I willingly gave her the ring, for I alone cannot handle the continuous onslaught of Tokana's minions. Too many times have I been caught alone. If this decision has bad repurcussions for us here in Glorwing, then I accept total blame, but I will fight to my death to save us and our world. I firmly believe this Sly, regardless of her background or affiliations, honestly wants to stop Tokana, and this will be a great boon to us in our fight against Tokana.

Before you kill me for giving Sly what she wanted, understand something first... If she wanted to, she would have killed everyone in Crescent Bay to take my ring. She proved that, and several people can attest to that FACT. She killed people who spoke against her or attacked her in vengeance--they were wasting her time. I tried to talk, but others didn't, and paid the price. I feel she is on a rather tight time line, and that means we should prepare for the worst. Hate me, Kill me, Shun me, but do so after we've dealt with this worldwide threat. There are greater things afoot to deal with, and afterwards we can debate who's right or wrong.

[Giacomo: Morlock got the ring from a slain vampire, according to Sendibar. “Dark One” is apparently an adventurer, and is mentioned as giving a teleporting-stone to a wizard, but that comes from fragmentary sources, afterwards.]

Here follow more recollections by some present at the time:

To defeat Tokana, Sly raised a tower from the sea and one of the greatest assembled raiding parties in the history of Glorwing embarked on the raid. We were to recover documents and 7 crystals. We were told that Sly wished to have all of the documents and that we should toss the crystals into the sea, but under no circumstances were we to combine them. The crystals were not discarded, but retrieved from the tower.

During the gathering at the Druid Grove in Darkwoods, just days before the "breach", a few gave their life forces to help hold the breach open longer. I remember Ischade of the Engineers being one of these. The reason we needed the breach to stay open longer was because any who were left inside once it closed would be lost forever, unable to resurrect.

On the day of the "breach”, many of us gathered a large army to fight off Tokana. She and her army wanted to get into the breach as well, so we had to defend the breach against them. After a long battle was won by all of us, Tokana was destroyed.

Six of us volunteered to go into the breach, in search of the final crystal. It was supposed to be five of us because the more we had in there; the sooner the breach would close. Somehow, due to confusion, we ended up with a 6th person. I can remember Emelina Steelwind, Kadian, and Dark One going into the breach. Those who went in bore a large risk, because if they died, they could not be resurrected, ever. There were also obstacles to overcome while inside, and it was a maze as well. We also had to be very quiet, so that we wouldn't wake up "Death" because he was invincible. We managed to get what we came for and even though Emelina accidentally woke "Death" up, we all made it out alive, with about 30 seconds to spare, as I recall. Sly showed up wanting the crystal. Instead of giving it to her, we destroyed her. And, well-- that was pretty much it.

SECTION 10: Thruck, Shakra Steelwind, Adventurer-Heroes of Glrowing, and the Dry Town Rift.

The Coming of Araknia

Thrucks story:

Thruck calmly exited the temple..... pausing for a moment to watch the cascade of water in the fountain before heading off to crescent bay.... there was a tension in the air tonight... something felt amiss. As he exited the portal and walked through the standing stones, he noticed people running around and an oppressive darkness manifesting itself. Unlimbering his hammer, he prayed briefly to the lady and waded into combat smashing shadows left and right, bellowing almost constantly.

The battle moved quickly..... though the people fighting for the kingdom gave no ground and no quarter. After what felt like hours, they found themselves deep in the forgotten and deserted city south of dry town. More combatants were appearing... both for the kingdom and from the shadows legions. They fought bravely, and soon found themselves standing at the door to hell it's self... a rift beginning to form.

A cyclone ripped the through the ancient town... shattering the old buildings like rotten twigs, and still they fought. Quickly realizing what had to be done... thruck threw down his hammer, and removed his helm... oblivious to the combat raging around him.

He knelt at the nexus of the rift...... praying to the lady of the light to aid him... he felt her... but faintly. More people realized what was truly happening, and soon the area around the rift was littered with kneeling people... all praying fervently. The ground began to tremble with the awesome energies being played upon it. Slowly the rift began to close.... the ground shaking ever more violently as the struggled continued, as though in protest, the ground gave one great heave, throwing people in every direction, but the rift was definitely growing smaller now. As the tear in the soil slowly reached a point, not more than inches apart, thruck suddenly felt drained... tired beyond words... as though his very life was leaving him..... as he crumpled to the ground, the last thing he saw was the rift closing completely... and then, nothing.

Thruck woke with people all around him, and try as he might, he could not stand... nor move for that matter. Seeing his long-time friend isilme, he asked her aid in removing the armor that had suddenly become to heavy to lift. Naked, flod and lonko of the horde helped him back to the temple in port sunrise, fighting only when they had to.... running when they realized he was burning with fever and drifting in and out of conciosness. Upon entering the temple, thruck felt a calm wash over him, and the fever began to subside almost immediatly. Though he still felt unbearably tired.

After explaining what had happened to the priest and priestess, thruck asked lonko if the rift had indeed closed..... he was unsure if it was a memory or a dream. Lonko responded almost immediately. laying the champion's fears to rest saying "you did good paladin... you did good."

As he settled into bed, isilme watched over him as he drifted off to sleep. Though he felt weak as a lamb, his faith was as strong as ever.... he had done what he had set out to do... he had followed in his friend and mentor's footsteps. Like the king before him, The champion of the light had given wholly and completely of himself to aid the kingdom..... and it would seem he would live to do so again.

As his eyes slowly closed, he heard isilme bless him, calling down the mother's gaze to watch over him as he slept. He smiled inwardly as he sank into exhaustion, thanking the lady for the test to his faith... and thanking her for giving him the resolve to see it through to the end.

SECTION 11: The Storm of Evil and the Flight to the Stones.

It began with attacks on Crescent Bay. Drow assassins – fast, lethal, difficult to see or kill – cast clouds of darkness and attacked out of them. When their victims were bleeding, near to death, one of them – and there were a few, male, female – tortured them, playing in their blood like a fountain, sometimes. And then their ear was pierced with a silver pin taken from a small pouch, and a gold earring inserted in the now-pierced ear.

This went on for a time. Around the same time messengers began to appear, strange runes circled places in the city, and when they were destroyed evil waves of creatures broke through to attack. The messengers were shadows, most of them, shades of dead souls who carried notice that "he" was coming. The shadow lord – between the sun and the moon.

Around this same time there was a child – Natalie. Small, cherubic, and blonde little Nat said that her mother was carried off by purple monsters, and her dad was ate by dragons. She made her way through several different and upstanding members of the community. She led the Antlered Horde on a hunt for her poor mother – taking them somewhere where Kalutel eventually fell. The elven cleric Sylphen, some of his friends with him, also tried desperately to find the girl's lost mother. To no avail.

But Natalie was not what she seemed. Messengers of light warned against the child, but few believed. Sylphen Failshade refused to believe. Eventually, as Natalie feigned being kidnapped by spiders, causing him to chase after her, one of his friends ended the farce. She fired an arrow into the child's chest. The girl, unharmed and smiling evilly, announced that the game was over and disappeared – summoning a monstrous, demonic dragon to attack them. Natalie was not heard from much after that – but the whisper began to spread that she was the manifestation of Arkania herself.

The drow attacks – at first seeming limited to elves – soon spread to cover all races. They no longer confined themselves to crescent Bay, and struck wherever they pleased. Some of the more powerful defenders managed to fell their hunters – but always they returned again, raised by their own god the way that the soldiers of light are raised by theirs.

The earrings bound their wearers. When touched, pain and sluggishness rushed through your body, and it felt as if your soul were being pulled from your body. A few, desperate to escape, yanked their earrings free. They died instantly, most believe their souls still lodged in one of the hells, unable to escape.

More messengers of the gods began appearing – one more frequently than others. The dark god's control over that one wavered on and off, and sometimes he remembered that he had once been Kalutel, of the horde. He too vanished after a time though, his essence now dwelling gods only know where.

The attacks were worsening. Not only were their drow, but the messengers of the dark god were accompanied by huge waves of some of Glorwing's most dangerous, and unusual creatures. And in the distance, the sky began to darken as a storm the likes of which no one had ever seen threatened.

Chaos began to grow in leaps and bounds as people became afraid, unsure, and desperate. Attacks had struck the castle at one time, poisoning the Queen. Those of great faith managed to prevent the drow from piercing their ears – but they were struck with a worse blight, great dark runes across their face. The runes could control them, and even the mildest of them was led to fits of rage and violence when overcome by the magic of the runes.

For a time it seemed that things were getting better. A way had been found to counter the runes – freeing many, among them Astelderea leader Dyfan and the much-loved Tisiphone Tempestas.

And then the Queen was taken. She disappeared, and Glorwing lost a bit of its hope. In the end, though she was saved, she was lost anyway, abandoning the child she'd born during her imprisonment and leaving behind the life she had known. The King too, was gone. Some took hope as the gods of light sent messengers, claiming that the waning remnants of the good god Helm had been joined to the spirit of the King – forming a new champion for Glorwing, the Helmsman.

But still, the war raged on. People died, and many who followed a darker path began to serve the coming evil. Trust grew thin and brittle and hatreds flared like oil-fueled flames.

The end was both long in coming, and swift. The gods warred, and the servants of evil struck everywhere, all at once. The goes warned some – their followers, perhaps, the lucky ones, perhaps, none can say. And at the standing stones a day passed wrapped in protective magics.

Outside of that place, hell reigned on all areas of Glorwing for a year that seemed an eternity. The magic of the portals ceased to work, and most found themselves stranded and struggling to survive the onslaught. People of all walks and types drew together to fight against a common evil, cut away from all others. The story was the same all over – Blacksilver, Eagle's Nest, Raven's Call – all fought and died and prayed to gods that never seemed to hear, too busy elsewhere.

And then it stopped. The survivors suddenly found themselves free to use the standing stone portals again, and the skies cleared, and a new balance seemed struck. The world seemed harsher, more terrible and punishing – but they had survived.

The Queen was gone, her child vanished, and the world was changed. But the war was over . . . or so it was thought. Now though, as drow again flow from under the ground, and whispers of dark gods gain more strength, some began to wonder if the war had really stopped at all – and whether it would ever be won for either side.

SECTION 12: The Old Storyteller Continues.

In time, the old storyteller has a new one to tell, one just beginning, whose end has yet to be written.

"The days had grown dark indeed, when King Victor was dead, and the Queen sailed away. Everywhere, there seemed to be all kinds of dark and dangerous things, lurking under the banner of vile gods. They could not wait forever, and in blood and death they came.

"To have been there! In Crescent Bay is started, hordes of the most terrible creatures, stumbling through the streets. The Sun Guards withdrew to protect the Palace, but others came to the aid of the towns, sometimes with the aid of guards and priests.

"Lord Anen organized the defense, and saw that refugees made it to the Standing Stones, as the towns were decimated, one by one. Though every blade was raised to fend them off, always there were more enemies, and more, a stream without end. Nasty business.

"Where was I? Oh yes. It was then that dark gods began appearing among the foes, and it was clear that this was a battle to end all battles. In Port Sunrise, the Helmsman led the people to safety, while in the Stones themselves the Quiet God and the Lady of the Light spoke to their believers.

"In the end, the powers of good could not last the charge, and they sealed away the Standing Stones from those outside, in which the people crouched. Knowing that so many could not live that way for long, with the power of her followers, the goddess caused time to be moved forward, and a year and a day passed outside, while inside a moment was all that seemed to go by.

"In that time, evil outside turned on itself, and the world was rent in great destruction, the like of which few mortal eyes live to see."

"Oh, it was a terrible time, a horrific time, and afterwards the world was not the same. Some gods grew silent, magic seemed new and strange, and everywhere the world was changed, as the once fused armies lay scattered about the world.

"Glorwing, however, survived, my listeners. Although that was only the beginning."

"More you say? Perhaps another time."

The old storyteller falls silent.

"Ah, the memory grows faint. Has it truly been over twenty years since I last laid my eyes on Victor? Tis strange, I cannot remember his face anymore...."

The old bard sighed wistfully. "In the time since he and I last had chance to share a cup of tea together, many many things have since happened. Many things indeed. War with the descendents of the Ancients. A new King, the loss of a new King. Regent after Regent, making one misstep after another, bringing the Kingdom ever closer to ruin with their petty squabbles. The redemption of the Belil. The rebellion of a town. One man stands against the tide of darkness, and with but the power of his voice alone shouts into the wave crashing against the short, and lo it retreats, intimidated by his words!"

"And then what comes to my ears but to know a child of Victor is with us still, and to my astonishment, I find she had been growing up under everyone's noses all this time! It brings great joy to my heart knowing she has not merely endured like little Victoria, but prospered. And-- what's that?"

"Fah! You speak of ill-conceived nonsense. It matters not what I think of the Regent or the child for that matter. I am on no one's side but my own, and you would do well to remain the same. I am not here to sway you to action, only tell the next chapter. It is you who must decide what to do with yourself! If an old man's tale is all that sways you to action, then did you do so because it is what you truly wanted to do, or is it to please me?"

He chucked to himself. "No, my boy, do not look to glean insight into either from someone such as myself. I am no more a mind reader than you are a dragon. I know not the forces at work that sway them, or those who influence them. I am only glad to see a Lumens again because of fond memories of the family itself. It would be a true tragedy were it to be ended so easily regardless of the circumstances."

"But my time grows short. I have more years behind me than I do ahead, and soon the mantle of telling the story will fall to another. Do not feel sorry for me, for I am most fortunate to have lived in these times, to have experienced all that I have. There will be others that come after me, just as I join those who have come before me. And so too shall you follow on this very road. Should you return to this place and find another, then be happy. It means that despite all that has transpired, life is still happening. Introduce yourself, and help tell the story. That is my only message to you. There is much happening here in Glorwing. Do not let it pass you by."