by Jeremy Dwyer
“Point taken. According to the reports we were given, there are only a few probable locations. One of them is that Udovedaj-Pren Island. We should go there first,” Claudia said.
“The voyage will present a far greater challenge than you may realize, and a quite treacherous one, at that. That island is in the Ikkith Tar Ocean, and navigation is highly uncertain due to visual distortions from the darkness its water creates,” Pradrock said.
“We can navigate by the stars, and they are not affected by the distortions. I can correct for the differences,” Akylas said.
“There is a considerably higher probability of error, and we could easily find ourselves wandering the seas for a long period of time, traveling in circles. Navigating by stars can help, somewhat, but that ocean is difficult to navigate under ordinary circumstances. The alignment of the many suns will only increase our difficulties, as the variances from their ordinary relative positions will partially obscure what is already a very difficult determination,” Pradrock said.
“I’m hearing problems when I need to hear solutions,” Claudia said.
“The solutions may be in Emeth. There are maps of some of the islands in the Ikkith Tar Ocean that have been verified by multiple sources. We should refer to those first. Many travelers have disappeared over the years – numbering in the hundreds of thousands (100000) – from being lost in those waters. Entire fleets have gone unaccounted for. We have to calculate and prepare against that outcome,” Pradrock said.
Claudia considered this, and found it agreeable, saying: “Chart a course for Emeth. We should leave immediately.”
“Follow me,” Pradrock said.
Claudia, Akylas, Akantha and Pradrock boarded his ship, the Meticulous.
Akylas drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He listened for the positions and movements of the suns, and thereby charted a course for the ancient city of Emeth. They traveled southwest over the Medathero Ocean, toward the land bridge that contained the ancient City of Emeth.
Its many libraries housed much of the knowledge of the world, checked carefully for accuracy by the Verifiers of the Oath. The Seventh (7th) Hall – one of the many enormous archival buildings in Emeth – contained charts of stars and maps of the oceans and continents. New charts and maps were frequently added, and checked for accuracy by the Verifiers.
CHAPTER 3: Queen of Undead
The witch named Fallavakara was wicked to her core, and thirsted for blood as if it were greater than the water of any of the great oceans. She was one hundred thirteen (113) years old, yet looked to be only forty (40) and physically still fairly attractive. Such slow aging could only be attributed to drinking the waters of the Ursegan Ocean, as far as anyone knew. As her true age was a secret to most people, no one ever questioned how she maintained her youthful appearance.
However, the witch drank the waters of the Zovvin Ocean, which allowed her to reach into the spirit world. It was for this reason that the Zovvin waters were known as the “ghost waters.” By drinking these waters, she called into the spirit world to implore the demon named Gadamalto, who gave her arcane knowledge and energy. The demon taught her how to use blood magic so that she could slow her aging by mixing the Zovvin waters with the blood of the young. The Zovvin Ocean was vast and its waters were freely available, although purification of those waters to a higher quality did carry the cost of paying an alchemist for his services. Fallavakara found ways to threaten or seduce several alchemists with her charms and thereby obtain a purer supply of Zovvin Ocean waters. She mixed these “ghost waters” with blood, which she obtained through murder of the most helpless and innocent children she could find – especially her own, born of the seductions. The witch was a murderer without mercy, yet she often sought mercy, for she often failed in her duties assigned to her by the demon.
Fallavakara was previously tasked by Gadamalto with seduction of Imperial Prince Octavian, but was found unappealing by him, so they did not produce offspring. She was then tasked with obtaining the tiara from the Ahitan woman, whom she knew had violet eyes, but she was unable to strike quickly enough to either take the tiara or to kill the woman. Fallavakara had failed at many missions, but continued to ask for help or mercy. She even asked the demon Gadamalto for weapons and minions to fight against the Ahitan woman, and these were given.
Gadamalto instructed the witch to have a ruby dagger constructed and filled with drops of blood. This dagger was then cursed by the demon, so that whatever living thing it struck would become as the undead, and would be under the command of the one who wielded the ruby dagger. The witch had threatened to reveal the secret location of Cassius, the wicked former advisor to Imperial Prince Octavian, so as to coerce him to provide the service of constructing the dagger, which he did through a young assistant who drank the waters of the Kazofen Ocean. Cassius’ location was revealed by the demon to the witch, so she only did the physical work of threatening Cassius and arranging for the delivery of the ruby dagger, whereas the demon gave all guidance.
In the year since she obtained the ruby dagger and had it cursed, Fallavakara used it to strike more victims, making them into the undead, and commanding them. She had an army of over a thousand (1000) men – all in a state of undeath – at her command. She would surround each of her new victims with the expanding army she had, making each one easier to subdue than the last. Fallavakara wanted to accumulate more power, so as to have a sufficient force at her disposal, before she pursued the Ahitan woman further. She did not yet feel strong enough, but her strength was increasing as her undead horde grew in size.
Fallavakara was a terrible thing in her youth, and even more terrible now. She used the ruby dagger to strike young and healthy men in their prime: men who were to be married, men who had children, men who had served valiantly in their military forces and even men who were doctors. She had no mercy whatsoever. They became her undead followers, and they were strong, and had some weapons. They could pick up heavy stones that would have been too much in their life but not too heavy for the undead, who felt no pain or fatigue. A few of the men, however, she set aside to use, not as minions, but as sources of blood. She drained from them all the blood they had, until their hearts beat no more. She mixed this blood with the Zovvin waters to create a potion to extend her youth. Drinking this kept her young, and kept her evil strong.
Fallavakara lived in the continent of Ihalik, in a small wooden building not far from the southern palace of Lycaon, but outside of his notice, because he primarily resided in the northern palace. She would, on occasion, go into a dark room inside her abode and light a cold, onyx candle that brought – not light – but the deepest darkness. This would shield her from prying eyes belonging to someone who might interfere with her communications with the demon which was commenced in this darkness. The horde of undead followers would hide in the nearby woodlands, and wait until she returned to give her commands.
Once Fallavakara had this privacy in the deepest darkness, she would drink deeply of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean mixed with blood, and she always carried the waters with her in a vial she wore on a chain around her neck. On one end of the vial was a blade, designed for killing and draining the blood of her victims. The combination of vial and blade was known as a dagger-fount, and was like the ones used by the Ahitan in their own ritual sacrifices. Yet, Fallavakara was never part of the Ahitan Empire, and was not of their bloodline. She simply thirsted for the blood that extended her life and youth when combined with the spirit powers of the Zovvin waters, and prepared according to the knowledge and energy given by the demonic being, Gadamalto, when she summoned him for renewal. She used her dagger-fount to drink the bloody Zovvin water potion that preserved her youth.
However, the ruby dagger that she wielded was almost as precious to her as the blood she craved, because it enabled her to grow in power by gathering more undead servants, and using them to capture sources of fresh blood. She occasionally peered into the ruby dagge
r itself, seeing the drops of blood within it that were used in its construction. She knew that they were special, and thirsted especially for them. She suspected that to crack open the ruby dagger to drink them would destroy its powers, and bring a punishment from Gadamalto. About this, she was quite correct.
Fallavakara prowled the forests and small towns of Ihalik, followed by her undead army, and she captured unsuspecting travelers with the ruby dagger’s power. In time, she had an army of over two thousand (2000) undead followers, and she kept them carefully hidden in the forests and swamps, as they would otherwise be too easily noticed. She would need a way of moving them about, in large numbers, if she was to project her power to other locations. Fallavakara was also waiting for definite information about the location of the Ahitan woman, Victoria, who had the violet eyes.
Fallavakara wanted to know how she could move about with her many minions, without attracting unwanted attention. As their number increased, it became more difficult to conceal them, and the proper tactical maneuvering was not clear to her. She could not afford to let anyone know of her growing power by catching sight of her minions and her deeds, because they would then alert Lycaon or one of his generals, who would bring a much larger military force that was heavily armed and armored to overpower her followers. Fallavakara entered her abode and went into an inner room. There, she lit her cold, onyx candle that brought the deepest darkness and then took a deep drink of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean that she kept in her dagger-fount. She did not mix these with blood at this time, because she needed to focus on communication of tactics and strategy rather than maintaining her youth and long life.
She called into the spirit world, saying: “I seek thee, Demon Lord Gadamalto, Master of Spirits in the Maelstrom of Vengeance. I ask of thee how I might carry my forces forward and conceal their number from my enemies.”
Gadamalto’s deep voice responded, saying: “They are not your forces, little witch! I put the power into the ruby dagger, so they are mine, and I permit you to use them. Remember that!”
Fallavakara then asked: “Yes, you speak truth, Master of Spirits. I ask, then, how I am to move your forces strategically without notice by the powers of the material world?”
Gadamalto answered, saying: “You will need to gather more minions, and then take a ship. In time, an opportunity will present itself, and your enemies will be distracted. Stay aware and thoughtful and you will see it. Tame your thirst for blood, so that you are not also distracted.”
“Master, the taste of fresh blood extends my youth and life. How can I serve you if my vitality withers? My true age of one hundred thirteen (113) years will steal all strength from me,” Fallavakara said.
“Forgetful you are, little witch! I am the one who gave you the ability to protract your youth and life by mixing blood with the Zovvin waters and then calling out to me for the consummation. Yet, in your foolishness, you become blood drunk and careless, incapable of focus on the task at hand. If you do not obey me by abstaining from the blood ritual in this moment, I will no longer grant you even that advantage,” Gadamalto said.
“How can I be certain to succeed without all of my advantages at their fullest?” Fallavakara asked.
“There is no certainty that I can offer you – you must do your utmost with the ruby dagger you have been given. You know what I am, little witch. You know that you wagered your very soul to bargain with me,” Gadamalto said.
“I will give this my best effort, Master,” Fallavakara said.
“You will give this your every effort, little witch! The price of failure will be even greater than you know. You will never have the blood powers again. Then, when your true age is made manifest by your rapid weakening and shriveled appearance, I will turn matters against you by granting knowledge and power to your enemies, so that they will kill you. Then, you will come to me in the Maelstrom for endless torment!” Gadamalto said.
Fallavakara paused and then said: “As you command, Master.” She wasn’t sure that she meant this, however. She also feared that she was being setup for failure.
Fallavakara then extinguished the cold, onyx candle and left her abode to continue her work of expanding the undead army of minions, waiting for the opportunity of which the demon spoke.
~~~
Whenever Fallavakara lit the cold, onyx candle, a tiny sliver of darkness appeared upon each of the seventy (70) suns – the nine (9) large, hot blue suns; the twenty-four (24) medium, warm yellow suns and the thirty-seven (37) small, cool red suns – each dimmed a small amount, losing a tiny amount of light and heat. As soon as she extinguished the candle, the darkness ended.
~~~
In a private room in Baron Ottokar’s castle in the Citrine Desert, located in the western region of the continent of Volaraden, this darkness was noticed by a young woman named Indigo. She regularly drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from her vial to be energized. This attuned her to the sounds of the many suns, and she could thereby know their movements and positions, as well as their intensity of heat and light. Under the orders of Baron Ottokar, Indigo kept watch for signs of the darkness upon the many suns. The sounds of the many suns were ordinarily smooth, but became slightly chaotic – like the distant sound of splashing water or scraping metal – whenever the darkness appeared upon them. However, this was not enough to interfere with her ability to hear those sounds and thereby interpret them to learn the positions and movements of the many suns, or to learn of the intensity of their heat and light.
Indigo left her private room and walked the castle hallways, heading toward the private study of Baron Ottokar. She found the door open and entered.
Baron Ottokar looked up from his books and said: “Indigo, do you bring me news of the stars?”
“Yes, Baron,” Indigo said.
“I must hear of it. Close the door and tell me what you have learned…in detail,” Baron Ottokar said.
Indigo closed the door and then said: “Baron, the darkness has returned to each of the seventy (70) suns. It does not come in any regular way, and does not seem to be part of the movements of the suns themselves. With the darkness comes a change in the star sounds that I hear – they are no longer smooth, but sound like scraping metal or splashing water. When the darkness ends, the sounds of the stars become smooth again.”
“Is this to a greater or lesser degree than before, Indigo? I must know if there is a change,” Baron Ottokar asked.
“No – it is neither more nor less. The only increase is in the intensity of the heat and light of the many aligned suns. The darkness, which lasts only a short while, does little to diminish it. When the darkness ends, the full heat and light of the suns is restored. And, with it, the greater danger,” Indigo said.
“Are you sure?” Baron Ottokar asked.
“I can sense the heat and light of the many suns by their sounds, which also give me knowledge of their positions and movements. I am certain that they are fully restored when the darkness ends,” Indigo said.
“That’s not what I mean, Indigo. Are you sure that the full heat and light is the greater danger?” Baron Ottokar asked.
“It is the intense heat and light – brought by the alignment of the many suns – that poses the danger of causing the burning sickness. What harm is brought by the darkness, when the sounds of the suns are still discernible and reveal the knowledge of the solar positions, movements, heat and light?” Indigo asked.
“The danger may be quite severe. We know of the past solar alignments from history, and we know that they end in a matter of three (3) years. With this latest occurrence, there are even defenses against the intense heat and light by way of the protective crystal structures designed by the architect, Fantine. No – about this solar alignment I have little concern, because the matter is more thoroughly, if not completely, understood. It is the darkness – which we do not yet understand in any way – that has me alarmed,” Baron Ottokar said.
“If you are afraid, then I am afraid, Baron.
What would you have me do?” Indigo asked.
“Fear only distracts us and has no proper place within our minds. Rather, caution and awareness are necessary. For now, you shall continue to keep watch. Please return to your post, Indigo, and tell no one of this matter, so that we do not create rumors or fear, which would serve no good purpose,” Baron Ottokar said.
~~~
Indigo left the study of Baron Ottokar and returned to her private room. There, she drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from her vial and was energized. She continued listening to the sounds of the many suns for any sign of the earlier darkness, but the clear sounds indicated that the darkness had ended and that the solar heat and light had both returned to their former, dangerous intensity: the inferno was at full strength.
~~~
When Baroness Elsa saw Indigo leave the Baron’s private study, she went in to visit her husband.
Baron Ottokar stood up and said: “My beloved Elsa, you look concerned.”
“That is because you look concerned. It cannot be the intense heat or light of the many suns that trouble you, because the architect, Fantine, has provided protection from those. I saw Indigo leave here a moment ago. Did she bring news of more darkness upon the suns?” Baroness Elsa asked.
“Yes. She did. Without warning, the darkness arrives and then departs,” Baron Ottokar said.
CHAPTER 4: Island of the Lesser Thief
Theodore and Gretchen were a very wealthy and happily married couple. He was fifty-seven (57) years old with a gray beard and thinning gray hair, and she was fifty-four (54) with short gray hair. They wished to make a financial investment to build a mining and farming town, in hopes of it having robust economic performance, producing diamonds and other precious stones, and to be self-sufficient with its own food source, as well as being able to sell surplus food at a profit. They both drank the waters of the Medathero Ocean, which multiplied their intelligence, and made them clever in matters of commerce and investment. This enabled them to plan out the details of the financial model for their prospective town and be confident that it could adapt to changing economic conditions.