The Aerith Chronicles - Book 1 : The Dark Servant
Deep inside the mountains between the swamps and the great plains of the ancient country called UmbleMyre, there is a lone mansion known that only Adventurers knows about from old legends and tales from mad men who have lost their mind by being alone in the deep mountains for way too long time.
The forces of evil that usualy raid or occupy any standing structure does not go near it and traveling monks has declared it to be holy ground for there is a strong force in that area, but nobody has ever been allowed inside the great mansion… that is until now...
This night was a no different then any other night in this cursed country the eternal storm and darkness still covered the land as it had for hundreds of years, the only change this night had that parted it from the others where a group made of a young mage mage and a fighter escort had the quest to find the old artifacts rumored to be lost in the mountains alongside the old ruler of the country… Lord Aerith Mahza.
Nobody knows where he went after breaking free of the curse that he had been given by the symbol of evil, the deity known as Zarâg-Thuk or Darkforce, by destroying this concentrated evil he caused an unbalance in the flow of good and evil and the world was to pay dearly for his mistake…
Something more horrible then Zarâg-Thuk was released upon the world covering it in an eternal shroud of darkness and a horrible storm filled with evil creatures more vile then the worst nightmare a demon ever could dream…
Once the group got close to the valley where the great mansion was said to be located they where ambushed by band of thugs... the fight was fierce but short, thugs will always be thugs no matter how hard they try and knights will always beat them....shocked by the ambush and the loss of a few good soldiers they managed to walk deeper into the Storm and the deeper into the dark valley below them, they knew that they were doomed for sure if they where discovered by the evil ones this deep in the storm….
The captain wanted to know how the bandits could know they where out there so he called the party to a halt and turned to the mage in order to ask some questions...” How did the bandits know we where to pass upon that road tonight? This place is haunted and bandits usualy awoid it, I need answers and I need them now before I change my mind and order everyone back to town” the mage sighed and took a deep breath before answering....”the Bandits were probably mercenarys payed by some corupted noble, or a member of the council...”she look around as if worried that someone was sneaking in the shadows but shook his head and continued to speak ”Remember that the council knows why we are out here and I doubt they want to loose all that power with they have amassed during these years... they have been manipulating things for decades ....”again she took a break from talking and explaning as if he had heard something.... slowly drawing her blade while keeping his eyes on some shadow that only he could see he walked forward loooking around, however as he found nothing and apperiantly lost sight of the shadow she was seeking she returned and resumed speaking “The Artifacts we seek belonged to the old lord of this country, he who damned it into this darkness by slaying the shadow keeper... Darkforce... I do not blame him, it could be done in no other way...” all of the sudden she stopped and looked around... the wind had died out and the mist was gettin thicker.... after looking around with magesight she finaly spoke again this time voice dropped to more of a whisper then a normal conversation... she was afraid to be overheard by something.... or someone..”The Artifacts could be used to summon in our old lord and master again, hopefully he can set things right and bring balance back into the world, mayhap he can understand what he must do this time in order to maintain balance in this world but the council is not specialy happy about... no... never mind that... we must continue, I can feel there is more bandits and mercenarys on the way here....” Deeper down in the valley they could see that a still living forest stood tall this was a rare sight indeed in these cursed lands since most forests had died without the sun as if their life was drained from them…
Somewhere in that forest down in the Valley… deep in the mists of the storm and deep in the lands of evil was the great mansion, the only safe place to rest in these parts... It was an amazing sight to see, especially for weary adventurers that needed a rest but nobody was ever allowed to enter the main house…
Slowly but safely the drew themselves closer to the great mansion and when looking around for a way inside they noticed that somehow they had been followed by Undead… those whom hungered for the eternal rest but never received it, they had no other choice now for in the storm these Undead minions where too powerful to handle even for this group….
It was not until they where just outside the mansion that they saw the doors slowly open with a horrible creak, these doors had not opened for hundreds of years since the Dark Elders return
Since they was both weary from the storm and the battle with the bandit group they had no other choice but to enter the mansion…
They expected to be ambushed by Undead, bandits or even shades as soon as they walked trough the door but to their surprise they only to find a large chamber with five chairs near a fireplace, and a throne carefully placed a bit more towards the back wall…half hidden in the shadows, upon the throne near the fireplace sat an old but still powerful man, the party’s female mage, Arrena could feel the magical power flowing in the air around him... this was not a man you attacked by your own free will... Their leader Malagor, a Knight Captain of the Dulakhian "Stareye" Brigade could see the old mans strength even though he was trying to hide it beneath thick clothing’s… he was in overall reeking with more power then anything they had yet encounterd or seen....
When they came into the main hall of the mansion the doors slammed shut behind them and vanished without a trace, as if it had never been there in the first place…They where trapped with this man….now deep inside his mansion...as they approached the chairs they could see a painting on the wall of a handsome young lad wearing a golden crown and wielding a Golden blade, he had fiery red hair and green eyes, the picture reminded them of what the old legend’s back home always said, the old tomes always spoke of a man with hair that looked like fire and a golden sword taking a fight with one of the greatest evils of all times… The Zarâg-Thuk.
Thus cursing the land with the eternal storm and darkness…Beneath the painting’s frame was a small golden plate, and upon the plate was a name written in one of the ancient languages that had allmoust been forgotten...
Lord Aerith "The Guardian" Mahza, Emperor of UmbleMyre
But according to the Council this man was branded as an outlaw and exiled into the depths of the abyss so can this really be the same man that sits and watches them upon the throne?
The old man lifted his head and looked at the group as if he was thinking back on the years that had past since his own adventures...then finally he spoke to the group… not with his mouth but with his mind… "Greetings and welcome my friends to my humble domains, my name is Aerith Mahza…" The leader of the group, the man named Malagor did not believe that he truly spoke with the most powerful Knight and Lord in history... his response was fast but still filled with respect towards the old man… "I do not believe what I see... my eyes must be deceiving me, are you truly Lord Aerith?" this was apparently amusing since the old man simply laughed…looked at them and then spoke "The One and only Aerith, has there ever been anyone else with a name like mine?" he looked at the lady mage a little almost as if he remembered something when seeing her… when noticing that he was staring he continued his speech while centering his gaze upon the fire " I know what you think and I can tell you that I am not dead yet, you trust your so called Council too much my young friends... I know more about them then you will ever do..." Aerith laughed and then continued with his speech as if he had all the time in the world to tell what he wanted… "It is a cold and stormy night outside isn’t it?" he sighed deeply and shook his head, apparently the storm made him depressed, after looking at the fire for a while he Finally continued to speak to the travelers… "Please have a seat and Let me tell you about my adventures that I had when I was young like yourself, it’s been a while since I had any visitors up here in the mansion..." He started to think back as the party sat down; they had no other choice then to obey him since he was truly a man of great powers…
After thinking for what seemed like an eternity he finally spoke "I think it was an early spring afternoon year one hundred and fifty before the great cataclysm…the one that shook this world the state it is now..." Aerith started to tell his tale and the team listened closely to his words, they where honored to hear the true adventures of the most powerful man on the planet and trough all the ages that had so far passed…"I think it was an early spring afternoon year one hundred and fifty before the great cataclysm…" after a short stop he finally started to tell his tale..
Part 1: The Awakening Darkness
We lived in constant fear of a war with the race called the Arazon’s, they where creatures of the Night and always had the advantage of the great storm when fighting, Somehow it seemed like they controlled it but yet it was wild...
During the first hundred or so years it was peaceful and calm but then one day came the great war and with the war came a storm that brought darkness upon the land and with the darkness came the Arazon's… Nobody knew where they came from or why they came, all we knew was that they hated us and all that we stood for, they where true Evil…
Why they attacked and who their leader was is yet unknown, rumors say that they are an ancient race that first owned this land before the Humans arrived and caused havoc in their peaceful land, now they are out for revenge and has sworn to take all living beings along with them.. But that is merely a rumor like many others…
((The City of Evengraud was protected by the great castle and fortress Evengraud…))
((Located in at the edge of the country it was home to many merchants and noble escorts since all trade roads passed trough this city, also subject to many raids by not only the usual bandits and thugs but foul creatures and failed creations made by mad warlocks and powerful necromancers, also since it had a location close to the Godless Lake that later stranded out into the ocean it was a nice place for Ships to come and visit…))
During my time as squire I was introduced to the great Paladin Alradun, he became my friend and master at the same time but after a while he was sent out into the caves beneath the Castle on a mission for the High Council…
Many prayed for his safe return and the King told us that no new paladins would be trained until Alradun came back with the "Scepter of Power" for the High Council, I suspected that the King was getting greedy for power and Glory, with my friend Alradun gone the local monsters knew that we where greatly outnumbered for Sir Alradun fought like twenty of our best knights, my father was the only one left in town that could truly defend us against the Unholy creatures that lived in the Dark Caves beneath the Castle…
One day my father was ordered by the King and the council to go down with a dozen or so knights and find where Sir Alradun was and bring him back in one piece, this was no easy task for we knew so little about the caves and the creatures that live in them… my father was also a great Paladin of the Phantom Heart brigade... Part of the First royal army.
((Everyone was sent to a brigade when they joined the army; this way the council had better control over who went where and what brigade they could send to counter certain problems.))
Since this was an important task they sent the entire Phantom Heart Brigade with their Captain, My father… Sir Valero Mahza.
I was too young to join the army at this time but I had to swear an oath that I would do so once I became old enough, if the fact was that he would fall in battle down there or simply never get out again…
Even though I hated to give oaths based upon honor and blood I was forced for he was my father and I respected him above everything else...
Then the day finally came, the monsters lost some ground near the entrance and the King was too Impatient to wait any longer so he ordered my father to take his brigade and enter the dark caves below, but before he left my father gave me his pendant, for with that around my neck I was the head of the Family even though I was merely seventeen years old, with was no age at all to be head of a Family…
Days came and went and there was still no sign of the Phantom Heart Brigade, the caves was unusually quiet and no monsters tried to rush our scouts when we opened the great doors, I watched every scout enter… but I never saw anyone leave…this I always wonderd about... why they never returned with the good news that everyone expected and wished for....
Months came and went and the king did not dare to send down more scouts until the first ones had returned… months came and went with no sign of the scout untill one day they heard a silent knock on the doors and a voice could be heard… I was to far away to hear what the voice said but the doors was ordered to be opened as soon as possible…The Broken Star brigade and their Captain was there and escorted a cloaked person from the chamber with the door to the healers quarters… it was a one the scouts sent down into the caves so many months agao...Finally there would be some good news…
When I came to the healer I noticed that several guards where positioned outside, at my age we where allowed to join the army as Squires and then once we turned eighteen we could if possible become Knights of UmbleMyre...unless we died due to some silly war first...
The Knights that stood outside the door stopped me… seemed like I was not allowed to enter and no matter how hard I tried to convince them they would not let let me pass untill the Captain came out the door and yelled at the guards… "Let him Pass! I have some questions that I need to ask this lad..." to my surprise the guards obeyed their Captain immediately without questions… this was a sign of true respect towards their leader and captain, for they all knew what he could do in times of war…
As I entered the Healer’s hut I noticed that the scout was greatly wounded and that he could not speak… when I turned around the Captain looked me straight into the eyes and then spoke… "Ah Aerith, I do have a little favor to ask of you…" The Captain took a break and looked at the wounded Scout, .then continued to speak "This scout recently returned from the great caves, we do not know what has happened to him but he can not speak…" I was young and did not know what I should do so I simply stood there staring and the captain must have noticed this because he continued to speak even if he had hoped to be able to skip this part… "You must fetch the man called Mizribâr; he is probably down at the docks by now , go there and tell him that I need his help…" Everyone knew of Mizribâr, he was a scary man that could enter other’s dreams and minds…
The docks themselves was a scary thought, even though they where patrolled daily by the Crimson Guard there still was plenty of thugs sneaking in the shadows, even though I saw that the man was unable to speak I slightly hesitated to accept the task of Finding Mizribâr…
I did not need to go all the way out of the castle for I was seemingly lucky since he came walking near the kitchen to find something to eat, I rushed forward and yelled his name to get his attention, and that I got indeed…when I came up to him I felt uneasy and slightly frightened…but I had a mission to do so I took and bowed in front of him and spoke up… "Mizribâr, Captain Tzamir of the Broken Star brigade request that you come to the healer quarters at once... he has need of your special skills…" he looked me over as if thinking what I could be and the simply shrugged and walked towards the healers...
When I returned to the quarters Mizribâr was already there and was ready to enter the dream of the wounded scout, this was just one of many abilities he had, everyone held their breath and some started praying…but after a while Mizribâr simply shook his head and spoke with his low, deep voice… "... I can not enter his dreams, there is something in there that is blocking me, and I need someone to help me do some things... I need someone to be my eyes…and ears…" I did not know what made me step forward to volunteer, or what I was supposed to do but that was just what I did…"I will help you Sir... that is if I am good enough..." I could feel that his eyes burned straight trough my body and stared at my soul…
After staring at me a while he smiled for the first time in ages…"Yes, you will do fine… let me explain what I am going to do here..." he took a slight break to catch his breath and then continued ..."Since I can not enter the dream of this man I will use my power to make you enter it, you will be my eyes and ears…" again he took a slight break to think on how to put the words.. "I do not know what you may encounter in there but I must warn you that it is Evil and powerfull….if you meet something in there do not try to fight it.." I stepped forward to the scout and placed my hands on his head… I did not know what Mizribâr did but I knew one thing… I was expected…
The dream that I entered was a dark and horrible sight, deep down in a cave… I do not know if Mizribâr could hear and see what I did but before my eyes stood a horrible creation... A knight with a blade dark as the night… I could hear its voice even though its lips never moved… "…so…you… have… come…at...last..." it was as if he spoke with his mind and not the mount... if he even had a mouth but only mages where supposed to be able to do that…
It moved its arm and pointed to one of the sides…. as upon a command a piece of the chamber lit up and I could see a man lying on the floor, out of a wound near the waist blood was slowly dripping… after seeing the man I could hear the voice again.. "You are too late to save this brat… He is mine now…" I did not know if I screamed with my mind or my mouth but out it came… "Release him foul one, I Sir Aerith of UmbleMyre shall put an end to your worthless existence…" what exactly happened I do not know, all I know is that he laughed and struck me down with his dark blade, apparently this made me loose connection to the host body that I called it and fell to the ground…and the last thing I could hear from it was a simple message…"You are mine now… Just like your father… I am coming for you, Prepare yourself…" then the voice slowly faded away in a deep evil laughter….
Apparently I had fainted for I woke up in one of the beds, I could hear that the Healers spoke about the strange wound and Pentagram that had appeared on the dead mans chest… it seemed like the patient died….I could feel Mizribâr searching my mind for something but apparently he never found it for his voice was low and muttering foul curses over something or someone thinking that nobody could hear what he said, but I could hear some of the words that he used and those I will not talk about… ever again… "…That damned fool, how dare he…" after looking at me again he walked into the shadows and disappeared, when he did that nobody knew where he would show up again…
The Voice kept haunting me in my dreams, always mocking me because I could not get rid of it… not even the powerful Mizribâr could help me with my nightmares, when I asked him about the Dark Knight he never answered…
Then finally one day the great one came home… The Paladin Alradun had returned to the Kingdome… along with him came a few groups of Knights and the Scepter of Power…. As usual they where summoned to the king…
After five more days we started to hear silent whispers from the shadows near the tunnel... nobody knew what was going on but they all had their fears.. specially the few knights that had survived down in the ancient tunnels… some of them was found screaming in the night and others where just looking around as if they knew something but where forced to remain silent…
One day the enemy burst trough the doorway but where fast beaten back by the ever so cautious guards that was Positioned near it… the royal guard was seemingly there and with the help of both Alradun and Mizribâr they sealed the ancient tunnels that ran beneath the castle and placed heavy rocks upon the newly crafted magical doors…
Everything to keep what ever was down there inside and whom ever is out here out…but would the seal last? What if the Arazon’s came and wished to enter? Would it be strong enough to halt even them?
After six months time since I entered the dream of the wounded scout I could finally speak with Mizribâr about the Knight and his Dark blade... "Master Mizribâr, there is a thing I have not told you about the time when I entered the wounded mans dream…" Mizribâr looked up at me from this book and smiled... this made me worried... and then I could hear his voice in my mind… "Open your mind to me boy... do not resist me..." It felt like someone tore my brain straight trough my head and then threw it back… but seemingly the pain for Mizribâr was ten times as bad… when he finally ended his search he started to talk to me… "The Knight you met in there is a spawnling of the Darkforce, a sibling if you say so… this is not good news…" after reading something in a book he turned it over and allowed me to read it… this was the first book someone ever was allowed to read from his collection, it was Indeed a great Honor for me to be allowed to read it…
The Book contained pictures of a strange being and lots of strange text this was also a Spawnling of Darkforce, but apparently a younger form for it was still pretty much Organic…
After letting me read he closed the book and looked at me, I could feel his voice inside my head again and I could see that he somehow respected me… ”You whom are the chosen one, he one who survive the Spawnling…and destined to untold deeds...” I did not know what I should do so I just sat down where I stood… to my luck Mizribâr summoned up a chair for me to sit on… and I could feel him searching my mind yet again… this time there was no pain… ”You are the first whom I can read without causing pain… the second time….” How I wish he could stop reading my mind…. I simply focused my thoughts on the great fire that we usually focused upon when meditating…. And Mizribâr gave out an abnormally high yell of pain, and then he spoke to me with his mouth… "Who are you? What are you? You are the first whom Focus upon the fire and make ME feel the pain, It felt like the fire was burning in MY mind instead of yours, but you are no Warlock…" He shrugged his head and then I was allowed to leave, but I had done something that nobody ever had done to him..
I had managed to hurt him and gain his respect at the same time…
posted by Myravon Z. Lamont at 7:35 AM
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