Agents of Chaos

by Des Pensable

Darkmantle walked over to Aquitain and bowed formally.

  ‘My Lord Warden, please accept my humble and sincere apologies for the rude words I spoke about you earlier. You are a worthy opponent and it is unfortunate that our contest was interrupted. There is no doubt you have saved us all. We are in your debt. I am extremely sorry about Queen Miranda. It was a cruel and unjust way to go.’

  ‘Thank you Lord Darkmantle but I cannot take credit alone for the fortunate outcome tonight. My fantastic friends Yllandril, Llalorax and Bellen here were most instrumental in our success. In fact without Bellen you would all still be mindless.’

  ‘I think we were very lucky tonight. We have identified an enemy but they raise a lot of questions. Who are they? Why are they here? How have they got control of your people? How do we stop them possessing people?’

  ‘Eventually I suspect we will have to fight them and for that we’ll need unity amongst the Lords. Do you think that’s possible?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ replied Darkmantle. ‘What do you suggest?’

  ‘It’s your world and these are your people. I suggest you have a council meeting and work out amongst yourselves what you want to do about it. I have other urgent priorities at the moment, like working out how to turn Miranda from a statue back to a person.’

  ‘You can do that?’ asked Darkmantle surprised. ‘Surely she’s dead.’

  ‘No, she’s not dead yet. Her spirit is still in the statue and although it looks and feels like stone it isn’t permanent. Not yet anyway. It’s some unusual type of polymorph effect. A rod of greater dispel should reverse it.’

  They both stood thinking about Miranda when Prendergrass appeared in front of Darkmantle bowed and shouted

  ‘My Lord, they’ve taken Argenta from us.’

  ‘Who has?’ asked Darkmantle. ‘Was it Snowbelle?’

  ‘No. The Yith lizards My Lord and Lash fought with them against our troops.’

  ‘Damn. You can’t trust anyone these days.’ replied Darkmantle.

  ‘Prendergrass have you met Aquitain the new Lord Warden of Moonmist. He has just banished the spirits that have been plaguing us. Did you know that there were nine of them here?’

  ‘Aquitain … isn’t that the name used by the spirit Schlum when he was parading about as a small Llanllean before he possessed Dragonfly, my Lord.’

  ‘Yes. You’re quite correct Prendergrass.’ then he looked at Aquitain uncertainly.

  ’I suspect Schlum must have had a reason to use that name.’

  ‘I’m not that mad spirit if that’s what you’re concerned about,’ stated Aquitain forcefully.

  ‘That damn thing stole my body and my name. Unfortunately, it destroyed my body before I could catch it. However, it is now dead and I have my name back.’

  ‘You killed Schlum?’ exclaimed Darkmantle greatly surprised.

  ‘Well done! That spirit has been the bane of our lives for years. It seems I am doubly in your debt.’

  ‘That will make them extremely mad, My Lord.’ added Prendergrass. ‘We had best prepare for the worst.’

  ‘Help Aquitain!’ screamed Miranda through the mindlink then her spirit aura vanished from her stony prison.

  Aquitain ran over to the statue of Miranda and used his crystal sight to look into the stone. It hadn’t changed. Her body container was intact but her spirit was gone and replaced by the spirit of Slivver.

  ‘What happened?’ asked Yllandril in a worried tone closely followed by Llalorax.

  ‘You heard it too?’ said Aquitain.

  ‘Something has happened to her spirit. It should have been okay. Her body is still intact. She should still be in there.’

  ‘What have you done with her spirit Slivver!’ he demanded.

  ‘Please don’t harm me Aquitain. Miranda is my friend and my mistress. Her body was snatched away and I was somehow pulled into it.’

  ‘By the Powers.’ thought Aquitain. ‘Slivver’s spirit is keeping her body alive. Perhaps I can save it for her.’

  Aquitain looked towards the ceiling and saw a scrying globe, he thought carefully for a few seconds then said so that all could hear.

  ‘Bellen, Queen Miranda was a great druidess who dedicated her life to protecting the plants and animals. We should honour her memory by placing this stone statue of her in the maze where she may rest amongst the plants. Can you arrange to move her?’

  ‘Yes, Lord Warden, she was also a trixie friend. We will honour her. We will do it immediately.’ And he ran off to make arrangements.

  ‘I’m very sorry for you.’ said Llalorax through the mindlink. ‘I know what it’s like to lose your loved one. I have not known her long but respect her greatly. We will honour her memory then avenge her death.’

  ‘Thank you all! I wish you well. It’s time for me to leave.’ he said.

  ‘This is a disappointing ending to my dream Terrin! You might have let me say goodbye to her. How do I wake up?’

  But he received no answer ... just silence.

  End of book 2 - Watch for Part 3

  Glossary

  People (books 1 and 2)

  *New Characters introduced in book 2

  Aquitain (Rob), a young mind wizard and magic item maker, the hero.

  A.G., Aquitain’s missing father, a powerful mind wizard.

  *Adonis, powerful dragon follower of Borse.

  Allalanllea, Queen Snowbelle’s female Llanllean Royal Wizard also nanny and close confidante of Miranda.

  Alin Amber, a mystical Yith druid and agent of Aquitain’s father.

  Alpha, Aquitain’s sentient memory crystal, a walnut sized construct.

  *Ansidian, yithmardu, alias of Alin Amber.

  *Asterix, gnome worker in Astaria.

  *Aurora, Queen of the Elendari on Moonmist.

  Barra, sprit totem of the green-scaled (water) little people.

  Beatrix, Queen of the Crin on Mudrun.

  *Bellen, Mudrun born Trixie Leader of the Queen’s castle Trixies.

  Belloe, mercenary fighter, leader of Zephira’s expedition.

  *Bhopingar, barra herder from the great swamp little people.

  *Borse, Head of the Mentarin, a minor Power

  *Buluk, shaman of the Bear people.

  Chantalot Rhythmesgrande, bard and spy, Featherdown’s brother.

  Curbut, Senior Wizard, Featherdown’s second in charge, Unity spy and assassin.

  Daisy Theolaur, Aquitain’s grandmother, a weak mind wizard.

  Darkmantle, Lord Wyvern, Elendari Lord, ex-husband of Snowbelle when she was a newman called Sindel.

  *Dragonfly, Miranda’s name and persona on Moonmist after she is captured by Darkmantle.

  Erastius, chaotic spirit mind wizard inhabiting the Mask of Chaos.

  *Esller, Llanllean clan leader

  Facit Decoid, Logicon spy and Aquitain’s shape change trainer.

  Featherdown, Archmage and Lord High Wizard of Mudrun.

  Gaston the Great, wiry old wizard in Zephira’s expedition.

  *Garret Axegrinder, newman wizard whose father made the Sceptre of Lordly might.

  *Gemelica, Princess, Elendari daughter of Queen Aurora.

  *Glammer, neutral Truth Radiant that helps Aquitain.

  Goth, a large metal construct used by the Theolaur family.

  Granddad, Sol Theolaur, Aquitain’s grandfather, a powerful wizard and mind wizard.

  *Granite, common name of an ancient elemental dragon, previously a Warden of Moonmist.

  Granwell, Archwizard and Conjurer, friend of Featherdown.

  *Rumple, Gnome leader of the gnome settlement.

  *Heteronimus, old High Druid

  Ishteth, Yith high priest.

  Jacintra, the Chaos Cat, chaotic spirit Power.

  Jaztrix Boonswoggle, female gnome illusionist, Featherdown’s apprentice.

  Kami, shaman of the Jancintra clan of little people.

  Kelnor, newman high priest of the Church of Spiritual and Financial Harmony

  *K
’wala, the spirit totem of the brown-scaled (earth) bear people.

  *Lash, Zephira’s name and persona on Moonmist after she had her mind altered.

  *Llanlorian, Llanllean gatekeeper of Astaria.

  *Llalorax, Llanllean Royal Wizard to Queen Aurora.

  Loopis, the wolf spirit totem of the white-scaled (air) little people.

  Loma, chief of Barra tribe of reptilian little people.

  Mask of Chaos alias Jacintra’s Image, powerful sentient magic mask designed to cause trouble, occupied by the spirit of Erastius a mad chaotic mind wizard.

  Melanie Darmon, Zephira, Rob’s cousin’s name on Panmagica.

  Miranda, a young druidess, Aquitain’s girlfriend, Princess of Argenta.

  *Moonmist Collective, collective mind of Moonmist.

  *Warden of Moonmist, title bestowed on Aquitain by Moonmist Collective.

  Peter Darmon, Aquitain’s uncle, Melanie’s father, a merchant wizard.

  *Prendergrass, Newman house wizard of Darkmantle estate.

  Quab, Senior druid for area around Twin Towers, Miranda’s mentor.

  *Safronius, Quab’s deceased mentor and master.

  *Shastritara, female little person, last of the red scaled (fire) little people tribe.

  *Sindel, former High Druid of Mudrun, Snowbelle’s newman name before she was reincarnated as a nymph.

  *Slivver, the puppeteer minder placed on Aquitain to monitor his movements.

  Snowbelle, a powerful nymph druidess with a strange past, Queen of Argenta.

  *Somanller, Llanllean clan leader.

  *Squalash, Elder Water elemental and Waverider of the Great Sea

  Rob Theolaur, Panmagican name of Aquitain.

  Rori, courageous young assistant shaman in Jeti tribe of reptilian little people.

  The Orc, tough alien fighter in Zephira’s expedition.

  The Lady, The Lady of the Jungle, The Goddess of Nature. The druid’s deity.

  The Omen, a magical sentient wand of great power in the possession of the Barra people.

  *The Rat Catcher, mysterious feline servant of Llanlorian.

  T’Kwala, translates as The Enlightened one; the name of the Bear of Chaos.

  Teena Theolaur, Aquitain’s mother, a powerful mind wizard healer.

  Whooshoo, Elder Air Elemental, Master of the East wind

  Sanson, Crin Enforcer, Captain of Queen Snowbelle’s guard.

  Xentos, Crin Taskmaster of Queen Beatrice, friend of Miranda.

  *Yllandril, Royal healer, imprisoned Llanllean wife of Llalorax given a small stone spider body by Aquitain on escaping a soul crystal. Llanlorian’s sister.

  Zephira, (Melanie), a young female wizard protector, Aquitain’s cousin.

  Terminology

  Agent of Chaos, a creature employed to perturb the balance of nature.

  *antimagic zone, an area in which magic powers and their effects will not work.

  *Astaria, the gateworld containing the pathway between Mudrun and Moonmist controlled by Llanlorian.

  aura, the visual image of a creature’s spirit.

  aura sight, a power or power-like ability that allows a creature to see the spirit aura of another creature.

  barra, a large two pace long vicious predatory fish.

  Barra people, a clan of reptilian little people whose sprit totem is the barra fish.

  body container, a creature’s body that houses its spirit.

  buckler shield, small shield about size of a dinner plate often fixed to forearm.

  chaos matter, also called mind clay, a clay-like material that can be mentally manipulated by mindwizards to form objects. Its origin is unknown.

  charm, magical way of influencing another person’s actions to your advantage.

  city mind, an innate telepathic method of communication similar to a mindlink used by the Crin allowing them to be in continual contact with their Queen.

  collective mind, a mind composed of a large number of small pieces donated by a group of sentient creatures. It behaves more or less like a committee rather than an individual.

  construct, a magically created living machine, often newman shaped, that is capable of following simple instructions (a living robot).

  creature, an autonomous living unit comprising a sentient or non-sentient spirit occupying and controlling a body container capable of independent movement and decision making.

  Crin, a species of newman-sized sentient ant-like creatures.

  crystal sight, a form of sight available to Aquitain which allows him to see the structure inside crystals. (similar to the stone sight that stone elementals use to navigate underground).

  *dead magic zone, an area made of rock that avidly absorbs magic essence.

  dispel magic, a power effect that causes other power effects to be countered, removed or terminated.

  Divine Power, a god-like Power or deity.

  Divinity Seed, a small piece of divine knowledge forbidden to mortals.

  domination, magical way of taking absolute control of another person’s mind so that you may force them to do your commands.

  Draconic, high a language of power used by the dragons, language in which powers are written by other sentients.

  Draconic, low a spoken language used by the dragons and many races whom deal or are related in some way with dragons.

  druid, a sentient creature devoted to preserving nature especially animals and plants. A servant of the Goddess of Nature locally called The Lady of the Jungle.

  Druid Council of Mudrun, the governing body of Mudrun.

  elemental, a creature whose body container is composed of fire, water, stone or air and uses magic essence as food.

  elements, the five elements, fire, water, stone, air and ectoplasm.

  *Elendari, race of white skinned Moonmist sentients closely related to newmans.

  fey, an organic creature that can use magic essence as food.

  fairie world, alternate trivial name of Moonmist.

  Fount, also Fount of Wisdom, legendary creatures with strange powers.

  *Gatekeeper, Lord and controller of the gates of a gateworld

  gateway or gate, a magic portal allowing instant transport to a second portal located on a different world. Permanent gateways are hugely expensive to create and are closely controlled with restricted access. Temporary gateways require great magical skill to open and only exist for very short durations.

  *gateworld, a miniature world created by a Power, hosting permanent gateways to several locations.

  *glamour, a semi-permanent magical illusion used by the Elendari to cover their bodies.

  isoform of magic, one of the four physical states of magic essence.

  innate ability, a power-like ability that all individuals of a specific, often non-sentient creature type are born with and can use for offence or defense.

  Little People, several clans of different colored small sentient reptilian people with a mysterious past. Each clan has a spirit animal totem.

  jeti, a sleek black jungle cat.

  K’wala people, clan of little people whose spirit totem is the bear.

  Jeti people, clan of little people whose spirit totem is the jeti (jungle cat).

  Llanllean, a sentient shape changing spider that lives on Moonmist (pronounced thanthean).

  Logicon, a newman sized sentient intelligent slime creature that has evolved a complex logic based society and uses polyhedral mobile body shells as a mode of transport, protection and status.

  magical effect, an effect in the physical world caused by the use of a magical power that expends some magical essence.

  magic essence, a form of energy/matter that can be manipulated to do work. It exists in gaseous, liquid, solid and ectoplasm isoforms.

  mask, alias Mask of Chaos alias Jacintra’s Image, powerful sentient magic mask designed to cause trouble.

  memory crystal, a small walnut sized crystal that contains a small bit of the users mind.

  memcrystal, an abbrev
iated name for a memory crystal.

  mantras of Yith, seven sacred methods of mind manipulation. 1st mantra is a method of remembering, 2nd mantra is a method of forgetting.

  *meta-elemental, a creature showing mixed elemental and organic features.

  mind clay, also called chaos matter, a clay-like material that can be mentally manipulated by mind wizards to form objects. Its origin is unknown.

  mind wizard, ancient term for mind wizard.

  mindlink, a mind wizard method of private bi-directional mental telepathy.

  mindspeak, local name for mental telepathy, unidirectional mind to mind communication.

  Moonmist, a primitive magic rich world linked to Mudrun in a strange way.

  *mothra, local name for moth radiants. Tiny meta- elementals with a curious ability to form collective minds.

  Mudrun, a world of vast oceans and two continents covered in jungles with a mysterious past.

  newman, race of human-like people excelling in magic technology that spread throughout the universe in search of the ultimate knowledge.

  nymph, an alluring sentient female fey creature reputed to lure unwary male Newmans and Elendari to their deaths by excessive sexual pleasure.

  organic, creatures that can live without magic essence, most animals and plants.

  owl-bear, an magically engineered monstrous aberration.

  Panmagica, the city-state of knowledge, hub of the universe.

  trixie, genetically changed white scaled little people on Moonmist.

  possession, two spirits living within the same body container; one without the permission of the owner and often controlling the owner’s body.

  power, a magical ability that can cause a magical effect.

  Power, a sentient creature of great magical ability.

  power stone, a storage crystal containing one or more powers that can be mentally discharged by a mind wizard. Similar to a scroll used by wizards.

  *preserver, a creature devoted to preserving the balance of nature (eg druid).

  priests, members of religious orders that use powers given to them by Divine Powers.

  prime directive, the most important rule set that governs the life of a Logicon.

  mind wizards, also called mind wizards, magic users who have the ability to use their minds to control magic essence drawn from an internal font called the source, to create magical effects using powers.