Kargaroth

by Mark B Frost

  * * * * *

  Atheme and Serene left the Lord Councilor’s office with Kulara a step behind. Atheme was still weak from his injuries and forced to lean on Serene for support, but with the news of Abaddon’s death he refused to idle any longer. They had just turned toward Church property, when they saw Cildar several yards ahead. Kulara shouted and the paladin waited for the three to catch up.

  “Emle,” Kulara said gruffly, “I haven’t been able to track you down for days. What are you on about?”

  “I’m going to get Myris released,” he responded.

  The General’s face scrunched up. “Is that a good idea? We’re still trying to figure out if he’s a traitor or not.”

  “He was branded a traitor by Lord Abaddon while he was under the control of this thing,” he pointed over his shoulder at the bound package. “I assure you, I’ve done my research into the matter. I don’t wish to get into full details at this moment, but I will vouch for Myris on my honor.”

  Atheme looked up wearily and raised an eyebrow. “Kargaroth,” he said with heavy breath. “If it can wait for a bit, can you follow us? I would prefer to keep the sword within sight.”

  Cildar bowed. “As you wish, Lord Councilor.” The group then resumed their course to the Church.

  When they reached the infirmary Aveni was still sitting on the edge of one of the beds. He stood and greeted them with a bow, then wordlessly led them to the back room where Abaddon’s body lay.

  Cildar rushed over and checked the man’s vitals. “He doesn’t have a pulse!” he exclaimed. “Lord Aveni, we must act swiftly!”

  The elder healer hung his head. “Abaddon has been dead for some time now. There is nothing that I can do. Even the Staff of Ainshen has its limits.”

  The Lord of the Phoenix’s temper overcame him, and he punched the wall and let out a roar. “It’s one thing after another! First the ambush at Revian, then there’s a spy in Felthespar, then Myris is accused of being a traitor. Now Abaddon is dead and there is an army of Cainites about to invade our country!”

  Atheme and Kulara’s eyes widened. “An army of Cainites?” the Lord Councilor demanded. “What do you know that I don’t?”

  Cildar looked around the room. There were a few aides and acolytes working nearby, so he chose his words carefully. “We will need to speak more on the matter shortly, but it’s information the Children of Cain held. They had not told us before because they did not wish to meddle in affairs that were not their own. As I have been looking into Myris’ case, it came to light.”

  “Do we have a time frame?” Kulara asked. “Or a soldier count?”

  He shook his head. “I do not believe so. Keep in mind, the Children of Cain have been here for years now, so their information is dated. Even so, we have to assume the attack is coming. It may be in a month, or in a decade, but there will be a Second Arocaen.”

  Atheme extricated himself from Serene and dropped onto a chair. “How much worse can things get?”

  She dashed back over to him and started checking his wounds. “The city is about to lose its Lord Councilor if you don’t sit still and let me fix you up,” she chastised. “That would be worse.”

  Suddenly there was a choking noise from the bed. Everyone went still, then slowly turned to Abaddon. He began coughing violently and his entire body convulsed.

  Aveni quickly shuffled back to his side. “This cannot be. He has been dead for so long, how can he have revived? Even for a man of his considerable fortitude this is inconceivable.”

  Atheme stopped breathing. He watched in anticipation as Aveni worked, not daring to allow himself hope. Abaddon soon settled down and his coughing ceased. The Lord Cardinal stepped back and looked at Cildar.

  “I do not fully understand what I am observing, but this is Lord Emle’s doing. He is generating some incredible power that is rebuilding Abaddon’s body from the inside out. It is a healing so potent that I cannot tamper with it.”

  “Kargaroth,” Serene whispered timidly. “It has chosen Abaddon as its one true master. The sword will not allow him to die.”

  Aveni scratched his head. “Are you suggesting that the sword has the ability to overcome death?”

  “Death is part of Kargaroth,” she answered. “It’s a small obstacle for it to overcome. Quickly, take it away! If Abaddon passes we may yet be able to contain the sword.”

  Atheme shot to his feet. “No! We’re not taking the easy way out this time. We’re going to find a way to deal with Kargaroth, and we’re going to do it with Abaddon, not against him.”

  Aveni moved to the Lord Councilor and motioned for him to sit down, then began going over his wounds. “Lord Emle, if you would, take Kargaroth and place it on the floor and unwrap it. Lady Serene, I think it’s about time for you to fill Lord Atheme in on what you know. Tell him as you told me, starting at the beginning, with Elzaniru himself. The more we understand of the sword the better equipped we are to deal with it.”

  Cildar complied with Aveni’s command, as Serene took a seat on the foot of the bed. “You’re right, Cardinal. Alright, Atheme. This is the story...”

  Chapter 27.

  A History of Morolia

  “In the beginning was Elzaniru, King of the Dragons, father of the gods. No one knows where he came from, or if there are more of his kind. In time he became bored, perhaps even lonely, so he began to experiment with his awesome power. He turned his mind to thoughts of creation, and carved worlds. He created life on these worlds, but his power would not take root and the creatures did not long survive. Each of these worlds eventually collapsed and ceased to be.

  “Yet he continued, eventually creating our universe. He crafted twin realms: Morolia, the world he had always desired; and Asteria, its inverse. Morolia would be the plane where his creations would reside, but the counterbalance of Asteria is what granted it stability.

  “He proceeded once more to craft life, and began by creating small animals. Birds, cattle, cats, lizards—all forms of lesser creature, some of which were extinct long before recorded history. Without the influence of the Asterian plane these creatures remained simple and never evolved or achieved intelligence. Elzaniru quickly became bored with them, and turned from them to design a new race.

  “This race he created differently. To ensure they would be able to draw power from the Asterian plane, he designed them to be born in Asteria, then transferred them into Morolia. This was successful. His new creatures gained intelligence, and he assumed a form similar to their own in order to move among them. So was born the race of dragons. They were given powerful and beautiful bodies, each unique, with life spans that ran for thousands of years. Because of their strange birth, they were able to draw upon the powers of Asteria to change the laws of nature that governed Morolia.

  “But over time the dragons proved to not enjoy life on Morolia, which was filled with lesser creatures they found disgraceful. They began to migrate back to Asteria. Elzaniru was not pleased by this. Asteria gave his children intelligence and power, but Morolia was to be their home. He did not appreciate this gift being shunned, so he turned his favor from the dragons and tried again.

  “Once more he set about to create a new race. Returning to the design of his earlier races, this race was again born in Morolia. To guarantee their evolution into a higher form, he split their spirits in twain and planted half into Asteria. He never told them of this half, and without his guidance they did not learn to use their Asterian powers. He gave them smaller, weaker bodies than the dragons, and shorter lifespans, trusting that humility would drive them to be more obedient.

  “His new race—humanity—prospered. Elzaniru was greatly pleased with them. They gained an affinity with the lesser creatures of the field, and often came to Elzaniru asking for new beasts to help with certain tasks, or to keep their children company. In time their creator decided he had helped them for too long, and decreed that from that day forth they should resolve difficulties on their own. They praised him and accepted his
word as law.

  “It was around this time that the dragons became aware of humanity’s presence. They grew curious and returned to Morolia to investigate. When they found the humans and realized they had been replaced in the eyes of their King, they became enraged.

  “Thus began the first war of mankind. The dragons destroyed human villages, gorged their appetites on human flesh, and killed without mercy. The humans besought Elzaniru for help, but he refused and they were forced to fend for themselves.

  “They created caves and castles, places where they could hide and defend themselves. Meanwhile, early scientists began to study the powers of the dragons they had subdued. Soon they discovered that the source of the dragon’s power was in the Asterian plane, and learned they too were able to tap into that power.

  “The news of this discovery spread and the humans became what we call mystics. They used their powers to battle the dragons, and because of their overwhelming numbers began to win the war. The dragons were still powerful, though, and refused to back down. The war lasted for over seven generations of man.

  “After these long centuries the dragons began to lose heart. The humans had forgotten peaceful times, as younger generations had been fighting their entire lives and became obsessed with wiping out dragonkind. The dragons retreated back to Asteria, but with the powers they had gained humans soon learned to follow, and even how to kill a dragon in Asteria so that it could not be reborn from its old spirit.

  “Finally the dragons turned to the King that had forsaken them. They begged his forgiveness, confessed their childishness, and pleaded for him to prevent the humans from exterminating them. At first Elzaniru refused them, proud that his favored race had become so self-sufficient.

  “Then humanity made a grave mistake. They came before Elzaniru and—recognizing him not as their god, but as the Dragon King—attacked and tried to kill him. At first he tried to reason with them, ignoring their attacks and calling upon the memories of their fathers. But unlike the dragons, humans do not inherit the knowledge of their ancestors, and Elzaniru was unable to make them believe in him. Eventually, in one of the most powerful spells ever performed in Morolia, they caused Elzaniru pain.

  “His reprisal was swift and unparalleled. He unleashed his rage in one strike of emotion, and the entire Morolian sphere was destroyed. This was not the end of the human race, however, as many of them were still in Asteria waging war. Again the dragons came to Elzaniru and begged for aid, and this time he answered their call. He would take away the humans’ powers, so long as the dragons agreed never to start another war. The weary creatures happily agreed.

  “Elzaniru resurrected Morolia a dozen times larger than before. He hoped this would give humanity room to spread, so they would not be driven to seek Asteria again. He placed the humans in Morolia and the dragons in Asteria, and erected a wall of his will separating the two planes. Thus was the Veil created.

  “To the dragons—who once again had become Elzaniru’s favored race—he granted the ability to cross the Veil and return to Morolia as they might choose. The humans he stripped of all memory and powers from Asteria, and they were forced to start anew.

  “Time passed. Though humans had forgotten their magic, they had not forgotten their warring ways. They turned their hostilities against one another, forming groups and cults that warred among themselves. Every so often a human would be born who, for unknown reason, was able to ignore the barrier of the Veil and access his or her power from Asteria. These mystics would sometimes go their entire lives and not discover their abilities, but many times they would erupt in violent outbursts and they were strongly discriminated against.

  “There were also times that dragons would cross the Veil in order to learn more about their Morolian abilities. Often they were captured by humans, who began to breed, experiment on, and mutate them, either not realizing or not caring that the dragons were a race of equal intellect.

  “Seeing these things Elzaniru became increasingly displeased with the human race, but he did not wish to directly intervene further. Instead he set about creating one last race, intended to guide and watch over the others. He took the vast power from his mighty spirit and split it into distinct parts. For human understanding, it would be easiest to think of these divisions as a different one of Elzaniru’s emotions.

  “He planted the emotional seeds in Asteria, and there they evolved and achieved sentience. From these the fifteen gods were born. Life and Death; Virtue and Deception; Mercy and Cruelty; Order and Chaos; Ambition and Corruption; Peace and Terror; Kindness and Hatred; and finally, Destruction. Two of these gods you are familiar with. You know Ambition as Vaelius, and Order is your own Pecoros.

  “Elzaniru gave the gods free reign over both Asteria and Morolia, and for a time he remained with them in Asteria to oversee their rule. Often they came to him and asked for his help, or asked him to punish one of the others. They took direct control over the races of humans and dragons alike, and played with them as their personal toys. Elzaniru grew weary of this pettiness in yet another of his creations. He locked the gods in Asteria and told them they must maintain order in Morolia without direct contact. As for himself, he returned to Morolia, cleared an area to the north in the lands we call Elzanirusal, and there he has slept since.

  “The gods were not pleased by having their authority stripped. Blame was passed, and soon they started fighting. As fierce wars began in Asteria, dragonspawn began migrating back into Morolia, recalling the terrible times of war with humans. The gods became split into two groups, both sides wishing to control Morolia but with different intentions. The gods of light—Life, Virtue, Mercy, Order, Peace, and Kindness—wished to preserve peace on the Morolian plane. But the dark gods—Death, Deception, Cruelty, Chaos, Corruption, Ambition, Terror, and Hatred—wished to turn Morolia into their personal playground to ravage as they pleased.

  “Destruction stood apart. It is unknown why Destruction does not have a counterpart, as the other gods seem to. It’s possible that Destruction contains the elements of both destruction and creation, and his ambition is to destroy the cosmos in order to start anew and remake it. Or it’s possible that Elzaniru kept the powers of creation within himself, so that the gods did not have the power to change his universe. In any case, Destruction did not have the same goals as either of the two groups. His only desire was to destroy all things, both Morolian and Asterian, and none of the other gods sided with him.

  “The gods of light were more organized and too clever for the dark gods to overcome them. In time the dark gods became frustrated and turned to Destruction for assistance. They promised him they would some day help him attain his goals if he helped them overcome the light gods. The pact was sealed and the war began with renewed ferocity. The God of Ambition, however, did not believe that this arrangement would serve his needs, so he left the dark gods and joined the gods of light.

  “Even with Destruction’s aid the dark gods could not overcome. Yet they did gain a new advantage, for Destruction had the power to permanently kill a god. When the gods of light realized this they beat the dark gods until they were no longer capable of fighting. In time the dark gods recovered their strength and assaulted the light gods once again, and the cycle continued.

  “It was at this time that the gods of light began to employ Saints. They found a way to call the spirits of dying humans to them in Morolia and grant them divine powers. The Saints were capable of crossing the Veil, and they carried out the will of the gods in Morolia, as well as assisting them in their crusades against the dark gods. I myself am one of these Saints, serving under Order. In one of my lives I was known as Saint Serene, founder of one of the three great Churches.

  “Eventually only three gods of light remained. Pecoros, Vaelius, and the God of Virtue. Vaelius had discovered a way for a god to cross into Morolia again, but in doing so they would lose their powers and cease to exist. Pecoros proposed that one of them go into Morolia and drag the dark gods with them, to end thei
r threat. Vaelius, as the God of Ambition, was not willing to make the sacrifice. Pecoros, as the God of Order, did not trust Vaelius enough to leave him to rule in Asteria.

  “Only the God of Virtue was willing to make the sacrifice. The next time the dark gods attacked, Virtue carried them into Morolia, and Vaelius and Pecoros returned to the task of finding ways to rule Morolia from their Asterian prison.

  “The gods who were dragged across the Veil did not die as Vaelius had believed, they merely lost their powers. The eight dark gods retreated and hid themselves deep beneath a mountain. It is here that centuries later, during your Arocaen, the Cainites found the eight spirits and attempted to harness them to forge what they thought would be the ultimate assassin’s dagger.

  “But the gods’ power was something the Cainites could not comprehend or predict. The small dagger transformed into The Unholy Blade. Kargaroth was born. The Cainites, wise in many ways, realized the atrocious evil the sword represented and sought to lose it forever by throwing it to the bottom of the ocean.

  “As fate would have it, the sword never reached the ocean. The Cainite party was ambushed by a Felthespari war party. The sword fell into the hands of Cardinal Talis, who unleashed one of its secret techniques and destroyed both parties. The Arocaen ended, and Kargaroth was passed down through the Knighthood. Such was the fate of the dark gods.

  “The God of Virtue did not wish to isolate himself as the dark gods had. Instead, for centuries he went from human city to city, trying to find a place that he felt was right for him. When he found a suitable city, he chose an unborn human child and merged his spirit into the child’s body. That child grew and one day found his way to Felthespar. You knew him as Calvin Darmani.

  “Calvin was driven his entire life by the spirit of Virtue that rested within him. The gifts he gained from being tied to the god were numerous, as you well know. He became friends with a group of young men and women in Felthespar, and chose to live among them. There was Calvin, Leprue, Yovess Tarkanus, and a girl whose name I do not know. In time he became Lord Councilor and came into possession of Kargaroth, and they all remained the best of friends.