Dawn of Darkness: Part 1 (Where the Shadows Stalk)

by Adam Watson

  Aiden was starting his third drink when a sudden commotion began at in the back of the inn.

  “Make way! Make way!” yelled a voice. Aiden tried to peer through the crowd to see what was going on - at least something was happening. About time too. If he was going to buy and drink three pints of bredwah, there had better be some kind of payoff.

  Aiden could see the crowd parting as the barkeep made his way to the podium in the centre of the room. He was being followed by the old man in the dark orange robe and his bodyguards, once on the podium the barkeep began.

  “All right you rabble,” he roared, and the crowd cheered him like he had just praised them all. “You all know why we’re here. The country is in peril, and it needs us!” That got another mighty cheer from the crowd. Peril? Aiden thought, that was news to him. What is this ... peril? “And so without further ado, I present to you straight from Amalicia City, straight from the royal palace itself: the King’s Messenger … Edward Dante!” The crowd cheered as the old man in the dark orange robe made his way to the podium, even the barkeep himself clapped as the King’s Messenger made his way to the stage. King’s Messenger? This was strange, why would the King’s Messenger be here in Thorngrove? Thorngrove was hundreds of miles from Amalicia City. What’s he doing way out here? The only thing that was clear to Aiden was that he was in the midst of a crowd of hard-core royalists.

  “Twelve hundred years ago!” boomed Dante, commanding and getting an immediate silence. “The great demise began.” All eyes were on Dante, this was a man who commanded respect and when he talked ... people listened. “The birth of the shadow corrupts and thus begins the fall of the greatest nation the world of Mya has ever known: The nation of Greater Amalicia.”

  Aiden thought back to his youth when his mother had schooled him in the ways of the world. Dante was talking about the history of Amalicia. At one time Amalicia was a much bigger nation than it was in its present form, it stretched from the elven forests far in the west to the Arynthian Sea in the east. The lands where Ravona stood today in the north, all the way down to the Cartagian Mountains in the South were also part of Greater Amalicia. Those were the glory days, but about 1200 years ago, when Amalicia was still at its peak, the Shadow of Lashka appeared.

  The shadow was a mysterious dark cloud of mist that appeared around the peak of Gorath Mountain - a huge and some say cursed mountain. Over time the mist spread across the skies, but this was no ordinary mist - this was something much more sinister.

  As the skies darkened with the gloom of the mist, lands that were once lush and green slowly began to wither and die. Creatures of the day in these lands became creatures of the night, the living became the dead, and the dead became the undead. It was a place no mortal dared to travel, and this doom spread out, like a cancer, across the land.

  Something had to be done, but the mortals of Amalicia had no way to combat the mist. Fighting evil in a land of evil was almost impossible, and even if they could, there was no way to turn it back. The great King Urlic in his desperation finally turned to the magic of the Solexus.

  The Solexus were an elven race imbued with powerful magic. They were dominant on Mya once, but after a catastrophic war, they became a race spread thin across the world. They agreed to help the humans if the king agreed to give them some land that they could call their own. He gave them the lands to the north-east of Gorath Mountain, which they eventually turned into the Solexan Forest.

  Using their magic and knowledge of the arcane arts, they managed to contain the spread of the ‘Darkness’ as it was now known, but they soon found that the Darkness had its own kind of potent magic at play, and was now too powerful to reverse.

  It has been a stalemate ever since, and even to this day, it has been the duty of the Solexus to contain it. If they ever stopped their magic, even for a moment, the Darkness would begin to spread and devour once more. Aiden stopped his thinking - Dante was speaking again.

  “What was once one nation now becomes nine. What was once united has become divided, and what was once mighty and strong now becomes crippled and weak!” Dante pointed to the crowd as though they were the people to blame, and even Aiden found himself questioning whether he actually supported the Kingdom as much as he should have.

  “Twenty years ago King Elias the Cruel ruled this nation under a reign of terror. His iron fist reached across the land and held us all in its evil grip.” Dante held his hand in a tight fist and glared at the crowd. “But those days are over. The good King Aurien has risen up against his evil uncle and put an end to his tyranny.” The crowd erupted in a deafening cheer; it was only twenty years ago that civil war had broken out in Amalicia.

  Prince Aurien, unhappy with his uncle’s corrupt nature united the lords that he thought had the most integrity and went to war against his uncle. He won, and Amalicia has been a nation undergoing a rebirth ever since.

  “Twenty years it has taken to reclaim Amailica City. Twenty years it has taken to build an army made of courage, valour and integrity. Twenty years it has taken to purge the government from its corruption.” The crowd had become silent once again, Dante’s hypnotic gaze held them where they sat. “So Aurien has his city now.” Dante continued softly, almost to himself. “But he has not forgotten the rest of Amalicia!” Dante’s voice erupted in a flurry of passion, he raised his arms in the air and Aiden found himself caught up in a wave of emotion.

  “Aurien’s dream is the dream of the people! Justice for all! An end to corruption! The cleansing of evil! A land of peace and prosperity!” The crowd cheered Dante on with every exclamation. “It started with the king and the good lords rallied to the cause. Baltimore! Cascius! Brackenshire! Percivore! ... and many more. Behind them came the new army … an army reborn and reformed! An army moulded in the King’s vision.” Aiden realised why all these people were here. They all shared a dream, they all dreamed of a better world, and they saw King Aurien as the man who would take them there.

  “And now the time has come!” boomed Dante. “For the people of Amalicia to rise up and stand behind their king. The time has come for the people to show their support, to dream the dream and make it a reality.” Aiden looked at the faces of the crowd, there was a glow in their eyes, a glow of hope. There was excitement in the air and Aiden could feel it pulsing through his body.

  “The Kingdom needs your help!” shouted Dante, pointing straight at Aiden. “A new age is near … a golden age. An age of prosperity! An age of peace! An age for the ages!" Dante’s words rung in Aiden’s mind like the toll of a bell. “But we’re not there yet. NO! We who sit here in this room and those who sit in rooms like this all over Amalicia … we the righteous, must stand up in the name of the King and take back what is rightfully ours!” The crowd erupted again, clapping and cheering, Dante’s words inspired the people who heard them, and now there was a fire in their hearts. These men would die for their king and their country, Aiden would die for his king and country.

  “You will see that handouts are being passed throughout the crowd. These pamphlets will give each of you greater information about how you can help your country. Take them, show them to your friends and family, spread the word and together we will bring this nation back to its former glory.” With that, Dante thanked the crowd and let them know that he would be there for a short time to answer any questions.

  As the crowd began to disperse from the room Aiden found himself questioning what he was doing with his life, he wondered whether hunting boars was really the way to go. Sure, it provided a reasonable income and kept his belly full, and yes, there were many uses for boar hide, but still … his country needed him!

  A short time later, whilst Aiden was still deep in thought, Edward Dante walked over and spoke to him.

  “You seem troubled my young friend.” Aiden jumped with a start, looking around the room he realised that he and Edward Dante were the only two that remained, apart from the soldiers of course. “My name’s Edward Dante, what’s yours,” Dante continu
ed, offering his hand to Aiden.

  “Aiden Thun'dira,” replied Aiden, shaking the older man’s hand.

  “Well Aiden, as I said before … you looked troubled. You’ve been sitting in this spot for quite a while now.” Aiden shrugged.

  “I don’t know, I guess I am troubled Mr Dante.” Dante sniggered at Aiden’s formal address.

  “Please call me Edward, Aiden. Now, what is it that troubles you?”

  “It’s just that …” Aiden paused, hesitantly.

  “Yes, go on,” urged Dante, motioning with his hand for Aiden to continue.

  “It’s just that I didn’t realise that things were so bad in this country.” Dante smiled warmly.

  “Well Aiden, it is easy to forget the troubles of the world when one lives so far away from them, so don’t feel bad. A young farmhand like yourself is not expected to know the goings on of a city hundreds of miles away.” Aiden felt a bit better … well he thought he did, even though he also felt a little less educated than he did one moment ago. “But the problem is this Aiden, ultimately what affects the capital will affect the towns beyond, even towns further away than this one, but things aren’t as helpless as they sometimes seem.” Aiden looked at Dante and wondered what he meant by that. “The people of this country are strong, and that means we can fight back. We can make things right again.”

  “But how?” Aiden couldn’t see how it could be done.

  “Simply choose to,” answered Dante. “Here take this Aiden, it is some information about the ‘Call to Arms.' I have a feeling you will like it.” Aiden took the pamphlet. “Now I must be going, there are many more to tell of the King’s plans, and many more to join to the cause. Goodbye, Aiden.”

  “Goodbye.” Aiden remained in the room alone, he was lost in his thoughts again. Maybe he should join the King’s cause, maybe he should give up farm life for something a little more meaningful. He was still unsure where he fit into all this. It was one thing for the King to have a dream of restoring Amalicia to its former glory, but how could he help? Aiden decided to read the pamphlet and see if that could enlighten him.

  Minutes later he was done. He felt like a man with renewed strength. There was a fire in his eyes and a smile on his face. It was clear now, he knew what he had to do … he had to go to Amalicia City.

  ***

  It was nearing midnight when Aiden finally got home, he had to sneak his way in. It had taken him half an hour just to make it from the front gate to the house; he hadn’t wanted to run into Thunder again. It was all right during the day, you could at least see where he was, and then you could keep him at a distance, but at night? Forget it! At night he seemed to meld into the shadows, somehow Thunder was able to camouflage himself so well that you were unable to see him until he was right on top of you - he was remarkably quiet for such a big animal.

  Aiden was inside now, where he was safe; he almost giggled with relief. Why the horse scared him so was beyond him. It wasn’t just because he looked evil, there was more to it. Why did he always freeze when it came to Thunder? No other horse made him freeze like that. He could remember one time when old Huey Kissenger’s horse broke away and ran down the street straight for him, he had simply jumped out the way. Well, it was more like a dive-roll, but the point is he got out the way, he hadn’t even hesitated. Yet, when Thunder charged him, he had stood there frozen like a statue, paralysed.

  Aiden was too tired to think about it anymore, he was going to bed, but not before he had awakened Greegan and told him what had happened today. Needless to say, Greegan was not happy when Aiden did so.

  “What in the Seventh Hell? Aiden?” Greegan was blinking, trying to make out something in the darkness. “What do you want?” he sounded irritated, but Aiden ignored it.

  “You’ll never guess what happened today,” said Aiden, lighting a candle; the sudden brightness made Greegan’s eyes squint.

  “What? What happened?” Greegan asked, trying to push the burning flame to an arm's length - the thing was just too bright for him to handle at the moment.

  “I went to this meeting, and there were all these royalists there. Then there was the King’s Messenger: Edward Dante.”

  “King’s Messenger?” asked Greegan, cutting in - now this was interesting. “What did he want?”

  “Well,” began Aiden. “The King is starting up some kind of war …” but before he could say any more, Greegan cut him off again.

  “War?! With who?” Greegan sat up, the effect of the candle all but gone, now he seemed more concerned than anything.

  “The evil hordes …”

  “What?!” yelped Greegan. “The evil hordes?!” The look on Greegan’s face was one of pure disbelief. “What evil hordes?!” Surely if his country were being invaded by the hordes of evil, he would know about it. “Why has no-one mentioned this before?”

  “Well, I think it affects the areas closer to the Shadowlands more than it does here, look read this.” Aiden handed Greegan the pamphlet that the King’s Messenger had given him.

  “What’s this?” asked Greegan, looking almost baffled by the parchment.

  “It’s a ‘Call to Arms.' The King is looking for people to help him free the land from evil." Greegan eyed Aiden dubiously, but he opened the manuscript and began to read.

  ATTENTION WOULD BE HEROES!

  Greegan was taken aback, it was almost as if this letter was written especially for him. He looked at Aiden who was already nodding with a big smile on his face, he knew Greegan would like this. Greegan took a deep breath and began to read again.

  ATTENTION WOULD BE HEROES!

  By decree of the King, the Amalician City Council is leading the fight for freedom. The Council is looking for soldiers, mercenaries, warriors of all kind. Mages, rogues, clerics, heroes willing to come to Amalicia and free its captive lands from the infestation of the evil hordes.

  Greegan was breathing heavily now. It was clear he was excited. He had often talked about leaving Thorngrove and joining the royal army, but this was starting to sound even better.

  RICHES UNTOLD!

  Fortunes will be made! Vast rewards are given to anyone who can fulfil the requirements of any of the King’s Proclamations. Any treasure found, fulfilling a proclamation, is yours to keep. The wealth of an ancient land awaits those who are willing to reach out and take it!

  Greegan’s eyes glazed over. He was imaging what kind of treasures would be out there. Gold, jewels, priceless artefacts worth a fortune. He was almost salivating - adventure and money what more could he want?

  FAME & GLORY!

  Tales will be told. Legends will be written. Songs will be sung about the heroic struggle to reclaim the lands of Amalicia. The glory and admiration of the people is waiting for you!

  MAKE YOUR FORTUNE IN AMALICIA!

  When you arrive, see the Amalician City Council at the Amalicia City Hall for the latest news, information and a list of current proclamations.

  Greegan was frozen, his heart was beating twenty to the dozen. All he could do was read and re-read the manuscript over and over again. His mind was filled with visions. Visions of walking down the street in a golden robe, a mansion on the hill, swimming in a pool of gold coins, being fed grapes by beautiful women; the list went on and on. Imagine what he could do with that much wealth.

  “Brother, are you all right?”

  “Wha-What?” Greegan snapped out of his trance with a start. “Yes, I was just thinking about what I was going to do with all my gold. Good old King Aurien, I knew he was going to be the best leader this country ever had.” Funny, thought Aiden. Greegan had never mentioned the King before.

  “So what do you think?” asked Aiden, he was desperate to get his brothers approval.

  “You’ve done well brother. I know we’ve talked about going to the big city before, but this is our way out of here. I say we go and make our fortune as soon as possible.” Aiden was pleased that Greegan was so confident.

  “But what about Mother and Father?
Do you think they’ll let us go?”

  “You let me handle the folks,” Greegan scoffed.

  6. THE CREED: THE RESURRECTION

  High Priestess Katra Varta knelt before the large stone sarcophagus of the Priest-King Eefest. Behind her a large group of purple robed clerics chanted in a trance; their silver sigils glowing in the dimly lit chamber as they sung praises - praises to the Lord Solus Bal.

  There was a very meditative feel in the room; a feel of high concentration, a heightened sense of awareness, and with good reason too - for they were invoking powers far greater than themselves.

  Katra Varta had a fervent look in her eyes, this was the moment she had been waiting two hundred years for. This was the moment she could finally resurrect the Priest-King, and more importantly, it was the moment she could finally resurrect the conduit to her god; soon the Drakhar would have guidance, soon they would have direct contact with Solus Bal.

  She did not think the slaughter would end, but the mindless slaughtering of her own race - that would stop. Let the humans see what it feels like to have an unrelenting force hunting them and their kindred for a change. Thanks to the efforts of General Vuko Vlad, the Drakhar can finally reclaim what they had lost and return to the glory days of old.

  Magical energies swirled through the room like a grim vortex. Colours of gold and silver, and of black and purple. The air rushed around them like a great tempest as she invoked the words of the gods.

  "Hear us great one. Hear our calls, hear our pleas. Hear us now, come back to us. Awaken your messenger so that we, your faithful servants, the Drakhar, may be guided in the true ways of the world. Only with the guidance of Solus Bal will the Drakhar prosper. Only with the wisdom of Solus Bal, can the world be brought back into darkness. Only the will of Solus Bal, can awaken the messenger and invoke the great shadow."