Answald checked every nook and cranny within the dwelling before gloomily announcing that no treasure was to be found. Everyone slept uneasily in the ruined city. Something had happened here that had obviously destroyed much of the place and wiped out or scared off the dwarves.
The night was otherwise uneventful and the morning came quickly. As of yet, no hostile presences had been detected so it was decided that, in the interest of time, we would split up to search for treasure individually. We would still stay within shouting distance of one another, just in case.
Answald immediately took off for the biggest looking structure within sight, no doubt assuming it to be a noble’s manor of a sort. Vaughn chose the building next to Answald’s in order to keep the nobleman close by. It was his duty to protect him after all. The rest of us chose seemingly random buildings nearby and the search for treasure began in full.
At noon we reconvened and ate together. I had yet to find anything of value while Answald had found an old rusted sword, the leather grip long faded into nothing. He also found a few gold coins with symbols, which Dendar confirmed were ancient dwarvish currency.
Dendar himself had discovered what seemed to be a smithy, finding much of it surprisingly intact. He had found a battle axe of differing design than his own. Instead of being double bladed, it had a single blade curved almost to touching the handle. He said he had found it within an obradian box, which was why it hadn’t rusted. Obradian was a rare metal that never rusted but was too hard to fold into a weapon, so it was mainly used to make lockboxes and other such things. The Wayfinder commented that the box was likely worth more than the axe. Elana and Vaughn found a few pieces of pottery that no doubt would be worth something to the right person. I alone hadn’t found much other than a handful of coins, some silver and some gold.
Vaughn announced then that we would only spend three more days searching the city before we made our return trip. There was only so much we could carry along throughout the dangerous terrain anyway. Everyone agreed, though none were looking forward to retracing our steps through the treacherous mountain passes and valleys.
The days passed quickly as we searched the ruins. Treasure was to be had by all. The amount of gold and silver coins began to pile up as well as pieces of pottery and jewelry. Most of the weaponry found had rusted away long ago but a few pieces were stored in obradian lockboxes or enchanted. As most of it was made for dwarven size, none save Dendar could use it so we gave him the choice but he chose the axe he originally found. Only a few of the weapons, mainly those enchanted, were kept for selling. It would be too bulky to carry a pack load of weapons through the mountains. Most of us filled our packs with gold or jewelry. Answald appeared the most depressed of us when looking at the mound of items we set aside to be left behind.
It was on the final day of searching that I stumbled upon a mostly intact building wrought with faded depictions upon it. The meaning of the illustrations were mostly lost due to the passage of time, though I did notice a drawing of a simple weighing scale above the doorway. The scale held three standing people in one bowl and a pile of three skulls in the other. Entering, I found evenly spaced, curved rows of stone benches split by a walkway in the middle. Enough light filtered in through the doorway and various holes in the structure allowed me to see clearly. Dust and stone scattered as I made my way past the stone seats and arrived at some sort of shrine. The white marble altar sat high atop a rounded dias against the wall, encircled by a set of three large marble stairs. A similar engraving to the one outside adorned the altars base.
Something about the place felt familiar to me. I took the marble steps up to study the altar. It was clear this was a shrine to some deity that the dwarves had worshipped or at least heavily respected. Perhaps Dendar would know more. With no immediate treasure to be found, I turned around to leave when I spotted an unfamiliar figure standing in the center aisle. Reacting, I pulled my steel sword from its sheath and prepared to defend myself.
A light, feminine chuckle sounded from the figure. Taking a closer look, it was clear that she was female. She stood around five and a half feet tall with loose dark robes draped about her, bare, pale arms folded in front of her. Long, straight hair reached down to her waist, black as night. Her pure black eyes studied me. She had an otherworldly beauty about her, almost too perfect in her fine features.
A slight smirk lit her face, “You have nothing to fear from me, mortal.”
Mortal? My eyes widened as the implication shook me. My readied sword began to lower. I glanced at the altar behind me before returning my gaze to the woman. This woman was a deity? A goddess?
The woman sighed. “I am known as the Goddess Kykrena.”
As if expecting a reaction, she paused. When I merely stood there waiting, she muttered under her breath though loud enough that I could hear it. “It seems knowledge of me has faded.”
She now looked at me with a curious gaze. “It has been some time since anyone has entered here.” She tilted her head slightly to one side. “I sense my essence upon you yet I don’t recall how it came to be. Who are you?”
Sheathing my sword as I realized she meant no harm, I told her my name. “I am Ruvaen.” I then began to consider her words. Her essence? It couldn’t be. “Do you speak of the tainted mana?” I spoke my thoughts aloud.
Kykrena smiled, “You can speak.” Then she frowned, “A taint? Show me.”
Cautiously, I obliged by creating a small sphere of black wind in my hand.
The goddess shook her head at the sight, “That is no taint. It is my divine essence overflowing into your own mana and causing it to appear as if it was tainted.”
“Divine essence?” I asked, dispersing the magic.
Kykrena replied. “It is a more powerful force compared to a mortal’s mana. In a sense, the magic of the gods. It is possible for mortals to use it directly although you seem unaware of this. The question is how have you acquired it?”
“I became stranded in Foxthorn Forest, the cursed forest to the south. My only way out was in attempting a ritual to remove the curse. I succeeded by drawing the taint, or divine essence, into myself.”
Her eyes widened as I spoke. “You removed the seal upon the forest?” A hand went to her chin as she began to mutter under her breath. “Is it possible? The seal couldn’t have faded over the millennia as divine essence should make this impossible. Unless, my power itself has waned?”
Unable to resist asking, I questioned. “How can a god lose power?”
The goddess then glanced at me with a frown. “Gods are immortal, though our power to affect the mortal realm does, in part, come from those who revere us.” Kykrena looked around the ancient and weathered temple. “Many have forgotten my name. Perhaps I’ve spent too long away from the affairs of mortals."
Changing the subject, the goddess pointed at me. “The problem is in that you have broken the seal on the forest. There isn’t much time until it awakens once more.”
Confused, I asked. “Until what awakens?”
“You didn’t think that an entire forest was sealed without purpose did you?”
I hadn’t given it thought before but now it made sense.
Kykrena continued. “Let me tell you a story.” She began to slowly pace between the rows of seating as she spoke. A single finger dragged along at her side through the dust and debris, although I noticed that the goddess left no sign of her passing from either her steps or touch. “Ages past, this place was a thriving city. The dwarves had found a sanctuary here within the harshness of the mountain range. Plentiful food and water were found and all was well. The city prospered and grew. The balance was kept.” She paused then, her gaze returning to me for a moment. I felt anger within her dark eyes but it wasn’t directed at me. “But others existed who desired chaos. Those who worshipped a being from another plane; a Devourer. The cultists called themselves The Ascended. They believed that this being would bring them great power if they obeyed its commands. It lead them here, to the mountains
. A convergence of the world’s ley lines would allow them to summon the being to this plane.”
She paused again to shake her head in disgust. “The fools. So easily had they been deceived. Following its instructions, the cultists were able to bring the being forth. Per its namesake, the creature devoured their life essence. To the end, The Ascended thought it would fulfill its promises but it had only used them for its own purposes... To satisfy its endless hunger. Afterwards, it turned its gaze upon the teeming life within the walls of the dwarven city. As it was, it wouldn’t be able to take on a full city alone. So it bided its time, carefully taking what life force it could from the mountains or far-straying dwarves. Eventually it gained enough power to attack the city head on. The dwarves fought fiercely but its power was immense.”
I interrupted her story suddenly, “And what of you? Did you not help?” I asked somewhat harshly.
The goddess glared at me with her fury and I physically stumbled, dropping to a knee. There was power in her gaze. Her claims were all the sudden made more real. But then her visage softened, a saddened look overtaking her as she looked around the broken and dusty room. “Gods are immortal and powerful. It does not mean we are all knowing, nor all powerful. There are many of us, though there are many more mortals. By the time I discovered the situation within this small part of the world, the dwarves had lost to the Devourer. Some attempted to flee but it was now strong enough to summon its own, smaller beings into existence. They hunted the dwarves until none remained.”
I stood up again, no longer feeling the harshness of the goddess’s glare.
Kykrena glanced at my movement but didn’t pause in her story. “The balance had been broken. Lives were being taken that weren’t meant to be taken. The Devourer had to be stopped. It began to make its way south through the mountains, heading straight towards the Foxthorn Forest. I gathered what followers I could that were close enough, imbuing them with my divine essence. It would be needed to hold the creature for any length of time. When the Devourer reached the forest, my followers released their prepared spell. The forest was sealed, causing any and all within to be forever lost. An eternal prison, or so it was to be. It was the most I could accomplish without directly interfering, which is forbidden.”
A moment of silence reigned as I took in the information I had just learned. The cursed mana not being cursed, yet divine essence from a goddess. A single being capable of destroying an entire city. And I had released it upon the world once again. Was there any way to undo my actions?
“There is yet hope.” The goddess replied. I had accidentally spoken my last thought aloud. “The Devourer has been asleep for ages, losing much of its gathered power over the years. By its nature, the creature grows weaker without consuming any life essence. I suspect it to be severely depleted to the point of ending its existence once and for all.”
“And I must be the one to do so?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
Kykrena narrowed her eyes at me, this time without the her power forcing me to the ground. “Who else? You were the one who let the beast free. You shall be the one to stop it.”
“How?” I asked disheartened.
At this, the goddess smiled. “You will not be alone. There are others in the world who wish to prevent such chaos and destruction. As for the gods…” Kykrena paused and closed her eyes for a few moments before reopening them. A wide smile spread across her face. “The gods have agreed for once. This creature must be dealt with. You shall not be without aid.” She waved her hand in the direction of the altar behind me. A bright, white light appeared upon the shrine and I turned to inspect it. Covering my eyes due to the intensity, the light slowly began to fade.
Upon the altar sat a shining, polished ring of pure Qashil. I only knew it by sight as an elder of my home village had owned a small amulet made of the same. Qashil was an ancient elven metal, though I didn’t know much about it other than that. The white light seemed to have originated from it, though only an echo of its glory remained. I reached for the ring but stopped before touching it, glancing back to find myself once again alone in the ruined building.
A faint voice whispered in my ear. “Take it. If all else fails, speak these words aloud.” A songlike language that I didn’t understand began to flow from the voice and into my head. The few words were seared into my mind but I knew enough to not utter them unless the situation was dire. “The gods have taken action. We do this to restore the balance. Alayash nevale, Ruvaen, alayash nevale.”
With the finals words alayash nevale, which meant ‘stay true to your heart’ in elvish, ringing in my ears, I slowly picked up the ring and placed it upon my left forefinger. Hopefully I wouldn’t need to use it but who was I to deny the help of higher powers? I took one last look around the ancient temple before leaving and returning to my companions.
Chapter 17
That night the party spent time sorting loot and treasure. I mainly filled mine with coins as I had no use for dwarven weaponry. Most of the party had rather high morale, though Dendar was still silent for the most part. He spoke only when spoken to; his eyes randomly stopped to stare at the wall for no apparent reason.
I was fairly quiet as well, pondering the path laid out before me. I would need allies. Glancing about at them, I realized that it would be too dangerous for them to travel with me. Other than perhaps Elana, the rest wouldn’t likely survive an encounter with the Devourer. I needed stronger, more powerful allies. The gods had said that such people existed within the world but where would I look? Perhaps I could ask Braddick to see if he had knowledge I could use. There was always the mage schools too, although they might be wary once they learned of my peculiar magic.
We rested up at night and in the morning we set out, packs heavy with treasure. Climbing the gradual slope into the enormous valley was much harder than descending it, especially with our full packs. We kept our eyes peeled as we traveled and we didn’t stay long upon the flat expanse where we had encountered the trolls. Dendar stared blankly in the direction of Hafoki’s grave, though silence was to be had by all.
We found Sehas’ half-eaten remains two valleys over. We only recognized it due to the frying pan he had kept with him. The rations were picked through by wild animals and we had no need for even more gold. Vaughn spit on Sehas’ corpse while Answald covered his mouth and nose at the disgusting sight while shaking his head. Dendar only glanced at it and sighed before turning once more to the mountain pass ahead. Elana and I shared a look of concern for the dwarf but there was nothing to be said. It seemed fate had settled things for Sehas. I almost felt bad for the man but he had stolen our provisions.
For food, we had been able to gather a decent amount of food within the dwarven valley, though as most of it wouldn’t keep throughout the entire journey back into the mountains we were prepared to hunt for our meals. Luckily, Elana continued to be an excellent tracker and when our provisions from the valley ran dry she was able to easily find enough food to allow us to keep on moving.
Two weeks into the return trip, we were once again set upon by the dire wolves. Perhaps due to our lesser number they sensed weakness. Again, they paid the price. Elana took two down with her bow before they even came within range while Vaughn stayed near Answald and the two easily took down one on their own. I prepared to use my magic, but in the end I only had to play a supportive role to the furious rage that overcame Dendar. He finally had an enemy to kill and he wasn’t going to relent.
The dwarven fighter held two axes; his own battle axe in his right along with the single bladed one from the dwarven city in his left. A dire wolf attempted to bite him and receive a slash across the muzzle with the single-bladed axe which caused the beast to turn slightly, opening up its side for the deadly double-bladed axe. I only made sure that the wolves couldn’t completely surround him as he let loose his wrath upon the wild creatures. Once again the beasts attempted to run yet only two escaped as Elana killed another as they ran. It had been a slaughter. For a
moment I reconsidered having Dendar within the party but I truly didn’t want to burden him with more than he already carried.
Aside from the one-sided skirmish with the wolves, we avoided other conflict when we could. The return journey took us longer as we had to occasionally hunt for food and take more rests due to our treasure-laden packs. Eventually, a full three weeks after leaving the lost dwarven valley we bid farewell to the mountains. From there it was a matter of the handful of days travel back to Greypoint with most of it being along the road.
~
We arrived at the Keeper’s tavern late at night as everyone agreed to push hard the final day for a soft bed to sleep in. There were some in the crowded place that recognized us from the party that had set out so long ago and the rumors began to spread. Answald took care of the rooms for us all, proudly producing his hard earned ancient dwarven coin. Even Braddick seemed impressed when he paid in such old currency. It wasn’t two ales later, even after the hard day of travel, when Answald began his tale telling to those who would listen. A surprisingly large number of the patrons lent their ear. Dendar promptly retired to his room while Vaughn listened with half an ear while he drank next to Answald.
I sat at the bar alongside Elana, slowly sipping our drinks. Even Braddick, the stoically gruff and tough dwarf, appeared to have questions about the journey. It seemed the ancient dwarvish coin prompted his interest. Ol’ Wolf had moved to the far corner of the room as soon as I entered and watched me, prepared to move if I came any closer. I shook my head at the dog who looked more wolf than hound. I had noticed that other animals became nervous if I was too close for too long but Ol’ Wolf was different. I glanced at Braddick, wondering if the hound had encountered divine essence before and recognized it. Perhaps that was the reason for his dislike of me.
“You’ve been mostly silent during the last leg of our journey. What is worrying you?” Elana asked of me, interrupting my thoughts. The closer we had come to Greypoint, my mind had once again turned towards the Devourer and the goddess’s words. I glanced at the elf beside me, seeing the slight frown upon her face. I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t seem to find the words.
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