Do the Gods Despise Us?
Book Two of A Prayer for Peace
By
Jeff Henrikson
Key Move Publications, LLC
Copyright Jeff Henrikson, 2014
Version 2 Copyright, 2018
Falls Church, Virginia
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
Dramatis Personae
Elves of Armena
KING TITHAS – King of Armena for one hundred twenty years, killed during a surprise attack by Talon Guild forces, symbol of Armena is: the black silhouette of an evergreen tree in front of the rising sun
- COREENA TITHAS – his wife, Queen Mother of Armena
- SHANE – the Queen’s closest advisor and the King’s foreign advisor
- DEVIN TITHAS – First Heir of Armena, fifty years old, rightful king after his father was killed, kidnapped by the Talon Guild
- JALID TITHAS – second in line for the throne of Armena, thirty-eight years old, crowned King of Armena after his father was killed and his brother kidnapped
LACRUE TALISMAN – personal bodyguard of King Tithas, the King’s closest advisor, General of the Army, worshiper of Invictus, killed defending the King from the Talon Guild
- EVISAR TALISMAN – his older son, forty-five years old, favors the sword and shield, originally slated to take his father’s place once he reaches adulthood, worshiper of Invictus
- JEFON TALISMAN – his younger son, forty-one years old, favors the bow and arrow, worshiper of Martel
HOLIDOR – senior member of the Royal Guard, elevated to personal bodyguard of King Jalid and General of the Army after Lacrue’s death
FALON – member of the Royal Guard, captured by Talon Guild when King Tithas was killed
ADEL – the Royal Wizard of Armena, advisor to the King
Philosophers of Armena
NERO – an elf, one hundred twenty-one years old, recruited by the Philosophers one year ago, specializes in assignments involving the Krone, worshiper of Venal
COUNCIL OF WIZARDS – the true power behind the Philosophers, a group of wizards who guide Armena, are rarely seen, prefer anonymity and dispense orders by messenger; motto: No matter the cost, complete the mission
INVIS – Lead Philosopher and head of the Council of Wizards
Talon Thieves Guild
GUILDMASTER – a human male, over four hundred years old, leader and founder of the Talon Thieves Guild, resides in Guild headquarters in the Kentarian city of Locus
NERO – an elf, one hundred twenty-one years old, joined the Talon Guild more than forty years ago, serves as a double agent with the Philosophers while his true allegiance lies with the Guild
INNER CIRCLE – also known as the Thirteen, the true power behind the Talon Thieves Guild, consists of the Guildmaster and the twelve most worthy members of the Guild, always consists of thirteen members (no more, no less), symbol of the Guild is: a dragon with its wings spread wide and its mouth held open in mid-roar
- GASTON – a thirty-seven year old human thief, the Guildmaster’s most trusted aide
- GRAM – a human wizard, appears to be forty-two years old
- KETH – a thirty-one year old half-orc, commands the Talon Guild warrior caste
- DANIEL – a human vampire, age unknown, resides in Locus
- SIVAN – a fifty-three year old male halfling, operates the legitimate businesses of the Guild
- RAFA – a forty-five year old human wizard
- LIDEA – a twenty-five year old human female, master of interrogation and coercion
- ARCHON – a seventy-eight year old dwarf male
- TOMEL – a thirty year old human male
- LINDA – a twenty-nine year old human female
- SIRUS – a thirty-two year old human male
- CYRONE – a thirty-eight year old human male, paladin of Seker, KILLED during the attack on the King of Armena
RAMON – a thirty-one year old human male, priest of Seker
Humans of Kentar
KING RENOLD BENJIN III – King of Kentar for the last forty-two years, senior member of the Benjin family which has ruled Kentar peacefully for the last six hundred years
SHEVAL – a thirty-five year old human, captain of the Kentar frontier town known as Endwood, killed by the Philosophers
JON CAMPBELL – a twenty-seven year old human, lieutenant in the Army of Kentar, stationed at Endwood, battlefield promotion to captain after Sheval was killed
DARRON – corporal at Endwood
MARC – captain of the garrison in the Kentarian city of Locus
VANDERHOFF – a fifty-seven year old human wizard, current High Wizard of Kentar and leader of the Sorcerers, trapped in a large diamond by the Talon Thieves Guild, symbol of the Sorcerers: palm up wizard hand with flames emerging
FORTIAC – High Priest of the Basilica to Fortuna in Locus
Krone of the Underworld
ARUN – female Krone priestess, worships Evona, First Daughter of the Matron Mother of the Underworld city of Evox
SERIL – a male Krone general
Others Characters
XANDER – a half-elf thief, sixty-three years old, worshiper of Fortuna, briefly employed by the Talon Thieves Guild
VALIHORN – a half-elf wizard apprentice, thirty-two years old, lives in the wizard tower of Wessex
- AUSTEN – his master wizard, fifty-five year old human, guardian of the portal to the Plane of Chaos
ELLEN – a twenty-four year old human, lives with her daughter in Wessex
LORD SHETLEY – a seventy-nine year old human, Lord of the Land, lord of the new Shetley Keep and the town of Wessex
- WILLIAM – his son, thirty-seven years old, heir to Shetley Keep and Wessex
- TRISTAN – twenty-eight year old human male, captain of Lord Shetley’s guards
MALACHITE – enormous green dragon who was ancient when the first elves came to Tellus
Gods Worshiped by the Mortals of Tellus
NU – the Overlord, creator of Tellus and the gods, so powerful he does not require worship
INVICTUS – head of the elven pantheon, creator of the elves
EVONA – head of the Krone pantheon, evicted from the elven pantheon several millennia ago
MARTEL – member of the elven pantheon, patron god of scapegoats and outcasts, looks after the wrongfully imprisoned and brings down those who abuse their power, despises the Krone, sponsored Venal’s ascension to demi-god status, known as the Faithful Falcon because he travels alone; his symbol is: a falcon in flight; his words are: Loneliness and despair abound; trust in the flight of the falcon and be saved
VENAL – member of the elven pantheon, a demi-god, the only elven god to have once been mortal, fought the Krone throughout his mortal life after they murdered his family and destroyed his village, hates the Krone with all of his being, will not rest or smile until all the Krone have been wiped out; his words are: Death to the Krone; only then may the joy of life begin anew
SENTINEL – human god of justice and neutrality
SEKER – a human, God of the Dead, keeper of purgatory, all mortals must pass through his halls before they can be claimed by their god, his symbol is: a jawless skull on a red sunburst
TIA – human goddess of righteousness and truth
FORTUNA – human goddess of luck and good fortune, worshipers are taught to flip a coin when at a crossroads so that their goddess may decide their fate, her words are: Losers whine about the odds; let Lady Luck control your destiny and good fortune will abou
nd
Prologue:
Excerpts taken from the Testimony of History
Contributed to by each Lead Philosopher during his time
In the beginning dragons ruled Tellus through fear and fire. They broke the continent into kingdoms and warred with each other, for no one but a dragon could oppose the will of a dragon. Their reign was long and brutal. Their slaves built wonders the like of which had not been seen before and have not been seen since. Over time it became obvious…
Eventually, the age of the dragon gave way to the age of the elf. Elves came to the shores of Tellus and established many kingdoms in the forests of the land. The greatest of these kingdoms is the Elf Empire that spans Glenmyr Forest. Like the dragons, our ancestors also built magnificent temples to the gods, created beautiful cities, and studied the mysteries of the cosmos. All was harmony on land and in the heavens until Evona challenged Invictus for control of the elves. Evona lost the war for control and was thrown into the Underworld, along with all of her followers. In the abyss beneath Tellus, the elves who followed Evona were cursed. Their hair turned white and their skin grew dark, along with their souls. These dark elves became known as the Krone. The Krone have always hated their surface cousins and constantly dig tunnels to the surface in a futile attempt to wipe us out in order to please Evona. The Krone have many unique abilities that include …
The age of the elf went on for some thousands of years before man came to the shores of Tellus. Man was neither good nor evil. He was simply self-absorbed and multiplied at a rate we did not understand. One by one, the smaller elf kingdoms of Tellus were forced out of existence. The elves in Glenmyr Forest saw the disappearance of our brethren and decided on two courses of action. First, we reached out to the kingdoms that surrounded Glenmyr Forest and signed a peace treaty saying that we would not attack the humans so long as the humans stayed out of Glenmyr Forest and never cut down a living tree. Second, I and a number of other wizards formed the Philosophers as a secret organization that would learn about our enemies and accomplish in the shadows what the Elf Empire could not bring itself to do in the open. I have high hopes that these measures will …
Written by Invoma, Co-founder and first Lead Philosopher
There can be no doubt that the Treaty of Glenmyr and the Philosopher organization have served us well for over a thousand years. During this time the Elf Empire has watched slowly and helplessly as the last of the other elf kingdoms in Tellus have been eliminated or overrun. But now, finally, the incursions of man and other, fouler creatures into Glenmyr Forest have become a constant disruption that can no longer be tolerated. The King and other high lords of the Empire recently held a great council where, after much debate, they decided to begin a retreat. I support the decision and hope that future generations …
Written by Invain, Lead Philosopher during the Retreat
In the space of a moon’s turn, most of the elves in Glenmyr Forest left for more peaceful lands where they could live in peace as the gods intended. Those elves that could not bear to leave their homes stayed behind and formed the last elven Kingdom of Armena deep inside Glenmyr Forest. The King’s own brother stayed behind with his wife and children to found Armena, beginning a line of kings that has remained unbroken to this day. We flourished for more than three hundred years in undisturbed solitude. The elves who stayed behind looked after the forest as best they could, but my brothers were too few and the trees were too many.
The sudden disappearance of the elves left a large void, and it did not take long for man and the other creatures of Tellus to realize that Glenmyr Forest appeared empty. They moved into the forest and chopped down the trees – cautiously at first and then more boldly as time progressed and the existence of elves passed from rumor into legend. Out of necessity, Armena maintained some trade in the direction of the Ring Sea, but the Kingdoms of Kentar and Sena were left utterly alone. After the Shetley domain to the northeast collapsed, the only kingdom surrounding Glenmyr Forest with any kind of power was Kentar. As Kentar expanded to the east a confrontation with Armena became inevitable. It must never be forgotten that while Armena eventually went to war with Kentar, it was the Talon Thieves Guild that …
Written by Invis, Lead Philosopher during the Talon Guild War
Chapter 38: Gaston Returns
Nero crouched in the darkness of a moonlit night, contemplating his next move. Gaston had been thrown into a magic portal leading to the Plane of Chaos earlier in the night, leaving Nero as the only one in the Talon Thieves Guild who knew the location of the gem. The gem held the key to bringing down the Sorcerers and, consequently, the Kingdom of Kentar. It needed to be recovered and its magic reinforced or else the wizard encased inside its walls might break free and disrupt their plans.
Nero cursed softly to himself at what he had to do next. Thanks to Gaston’s buffoonery, Nero had no choice but to head for the nearest Guild stronghold in the Dragon Spine Mountains and report their failure to the Guildmaster. He was confident he could take the elves by surprise and steal the gem back if he wanted to, but Gaston had thought the same thing and failed. Since Nero was now all alone, and since victory was not guaranteed, he had to endure the humiliation of a full day’s hike through mountainous terrain to make his unflattering report. Nero stood in the shadows a while longer cursing Gaston’s stupidity for confronting the elves by himself, until he finally cooled down, realizing that if he left immediately and stopped his bitching, he might be able to make it back shortly after sunrise of the second day. Given the battle the elves had just been through with Gaston, there was little chance that they would leave Wessex before then.
Nero trekked through the Dragon Spine Mountains and made it to the Guild stronghold before darkness fell the next day. The Guild wizard there enabled Nero to speak to the Inner Circle in Locus half a continent away. Nero could not see their faces, but he could hear and answer their questions. As he went through the details of what happened over the last turn of the moon, he found it odd to speak to a room full of the most powerful leaders in the Guild when he couldn’t see them. He recounted tracking Xander through the forest day after day with Gaston, the near miss at Dowden, and the attack by Gaston at the wizard tower in Wessex. Throughout the debriefing, the Thirteen interrupted him with many questions. He didn’t recognize many of the voices, but there was no mistaking the iron authority of the Guildmaster when he spoke. “You have failed to recover the gem?”
“Yes, Guildmaster.”
There was obvious disappointment in the Guildmaster’s voice, but he never strayed from the business at hand. “Where is the group with the gem?”
“They are still holed up in Wessex.”
Nero could hear the Thirteen talking among themselves. “We don’t have time for this.”
“Gaston has failed us. I say we leave him to his fate.”
“We cannot continue to destabilize Kentar without the gem.”
After a good while the Guildmaster spoke up. “Silence.” Everyone quickly quieted down as he spoke. “There is a larger issue here. Nero, for several days now our wizards have been unable to locate Xander or the gem. Do you know why this is?”
This was puzzling to Nero. “No, Guildmaster. Gaston and I had no trouble scrying Xander’s location before he came to Wessex.”
There was murmuring around the table. The Guildmaster finally spoke. “This is very troubling. Xander must be magically concealing his location from us. This means Nero is the only one keeping us apprised of Xander’s location.”
Nero felt he must interject at this point. “My lord, if that is true then I will need someone to relieve me soon. I must return to the Armenien capital to continue my duties as a Philosopher, or I will not be able to explain where I have been.”
“I understand Nero, and your contribution in this matter will not be overlooked. You can rest assured your seat among the Thirteen is secure.”
“Thank you, Guildmaster.”
“Take two agents from the stronghold wher
e you are back to Wessex. They will track Xander’s movements so that you may return to your Philosopher duties. We will have to decide how best to recover the gem from this traitor who continues to evade us.”
Another member of the Inner Circle made his voice heard. “This is all fine and good, but what of Gaston? Do we leave him to his fate? He did fail to recover the gem.”
The Guildmaster lashed out. “Watch your tongue, Sirus. First off, don’t dismiss the issue of the gem. The future of the Guild depends on its recovery. Second, and perhaps most important, Gaston is one of the Thirteen; we don’t leave our people behind.”
The Guildmaster's voice softened once again as his attention returned to Nero. “Nero, you say Gaston was pushed into a portal leading to the Plane of Chaos and that the portal is in the wizard’s tower?”
“That’s correct, Guildmaster.”
The Guildmaster continued, “Could you gain access to the portal?”
“Without question, my lord. The portal is unguarded most of the time. There are magical traps surrounding the area, but they present no real difficulty for me.”
The Guildmaster turned his attention to the rest of the Inner Circle. “Very well then. Gram is only a day’s travel from Wessex; he has the power to open the portal and bring Gaston back to our reality. Although it will take him away from his work, I believe it is worth the attempt. Does anyone disagree with this?” Nero could hear murmurs around the table, but no one spoke. “Excellent. Nero, you did the correct thing by contacting us. Hold your position outside of Wessex and Gram will join you shortly. You are to escort him to the portal and make the attempt. Is this clear?”
Do the Gods Despise Us? Page 1