The Wolf's Challenge

Centuries of aggression have taught the members of the Karn clan one thing: if you go looking for trouble where there’s none to be found, someone will be happy to make it for you. No one understood this better than Tuya. As the sister to the clan leader, Altan Karn, her wisdom had become a vital part of the policies that guided her house. The Karns had spent many winters defending their precious home atop Mt. Phoenix from their enemies. The Piers of the west and the Crowmonts of the east had been some of their greatest adversaries while the Brokamac had been known for driving fear into the hearts of every clan leader. But the days of Pyris and battling both each other and the elements were over.

It was thanks to Tuya that Altan finally opened their home to the Piers and Crowmonts. It wasn’t that they trusted the other clans, but they had little choice but to learn to coexist. Their territory, while not completely comfortable, was more than large enough for all of them. Another thing that each of the three clans could agree on was that the Brokamac were not to be invited to these discussions. That clan was a threat the others would have happily discussed extinguishing together if the Coronosians to the south hadn’t already drawn their attention.

So, without the Brokamac to stir up the long-forgotten hatred between these families, the Karns, Crowmonts, and Piers combined their strength to form a more powerful nation. It was presumed that the Brokamac would fall in line eventually, but they did not survive to see the founding of Heron thanks to the eastlanders they foolishly tried to enslave. The news of the fourth clan’s utter decimation was met with mixed feelings, to be sure. The Piers Clan, who had enjoyed a particularly warm relationship with the Brokamac, called for war. The Crowmont Clan, who respected the Chaotic spirit of the Coronosians destroying their oppressors, called for restraint. The Karns, however, needed a long time to deliberate on this choice. With the Coronosians’ discovery of the arcane, they had become a threat that couldn’t safely be ignored, but they couldn’t advocate for war against a nation that hadn’t directed any aggression toward them.

The question of what to do about the eastlanders found its answer twenty years later. For Tuya, it had been a normal day of bonding with commoners, who the Karns particularly adored. She was sad to see the division that grew between the descendants of the original clan leaders of Pyris and those who followed them. Thus, she worked extra hard to minimize this effect by making everyone feel valued. In her conversations, however, she had learned something from passerby that her brother had not seen fit to tell her: the Lords of the Piers and Crowmont clans had paid them a visit once more. This in itself was highly unusual since Dalaska now existed as a meeting place for their three houses. 

Tuya rushed back up to the house and indeed found two carriages parked beside their own; one marked with a lapis sunfish and the other emblazoned with the symbol of a rose. Why they were here was a question with no positive answer that she could possibly think of. Fearing the worst, she burst into the sitting room and found her older brother sitting with the other lords, Torvald Piers and Borna Crowmont.

“Ah, Tuya! It’s good to see you home so early!” Altan said with a grin. “We could really use your help!”

Tuya took her usual seat beside her brother, to looks of disdain from the other lords.

“You would entrust this matter to the wisdom of a woman?” Torvald said with a scoff. “You Karns have really gotten comfortable on your mountaintop haven’t you?”

“Tuya is currently the wisest person in this room,” Altan said firmly. “As I am once again the tie-breaking vote here, she is going to have some say in what we do, whether you like it or not, Piers.”

Borna rolled his eyes and said, “Her rude interruption aside, I have no problem with this so long as we can settle this today.”

“Yet we must now waste time letting her catch up?” Torvald groaned.

Altan sighed and held out a scroll of parchment for his sister to take. “This is going to take some time. You may as well read this while the men bicker.”

Tuya unfurled the message, which bore the seal of a great Sunburst as its header. The words that followed read:

To the Lords of Heron, 

I am Hem Maloran, one the revolutionaries responsible for liberating Coronos from Pyrisian occupation twenty years ago. I am writing to inform you of my intent to join my house with that of the royalty of Necros, our neighbors to the south. What was once two weak countries is soon to become one that I hope will have the power to protect its people from any invaders. This is of relevance to you because of our previous hostilities with your Brokamac brethren. While war is not our intent, it is important that you understand the following words. Rest assured that we do not regret doing what we had to in order to save our people from yours and that this new kingdom of Resta will be ready should you decide to turn your swords in our direction once more. May you all be blessed.

Tuya frowned as she completed her reading of the short letter. She furled it once more and handed it back to her brother as she pondered its implications.

“Surely if this woman’s as smart as you say, she will agree that this is a challenge!” Torvald said insistently.

“You can’t be serious!” Borna declared with a scowl. “This is obviously a paper shield, meant to discourage us from seeking vengeance!”

“Vengeance is exactly what is deserved! Those wretches have killed thousands of our kinsmen!” Torvald boomed angrily.

“Torvald, you will control yourself in my house!” Altan snapped, a little less patiently than before. “Tuya, what do you think?”

Tuya frowned at the question, wishing she’d had a little more time to think. “I think they’re both right. This is clearly a challenge, but not one that’s meant to lead to war. The wolves are baring their fangs. Nothing more.”

“All the more reason to crush them!” Torvald said impatiently. “If we do nothing after receiving this message, it will make us look weak! Then, if they decide that killing the Brokamac isn’t enough to satisfy their rage, they’ll turn their swords toward US!”

“That’s a fairly bold assumption,” Borna said distastefully. “Would wiping out an entire clan not be enough for you in their position?”

“Their feud was with the Brokamac, not us,” Tuya mumbled. “To be honest, I don’t see why we need to consider them enemies at all. Even you have to admit that the Brokamac were unstable, Torvald.”

Torvald grumbled something beneath his breath, in which Tuya was sure she had caught the word “woman” yet again.

“What would you recommend?” Altan asked.

“Torvald is right when he says that ignoring this message will make us look weak,” she said, her confidence raised by her brother’s sincere question. “But let’s respond in a way that shows we do not fear OR hate them. I’ll be right back!”

When Tuya returned with the letter she’d written in response, all three of the lords nodded in agreement. Even Torvald seemed duly impressed.

“Yes, yes, that will do,” the Piers lord said with a big, toothy grin. “If Hem doesn’t respond to this, we’ll know his words are hollow!”

“Let’s sign it,” Altan said with a wink that was only seen by his sister.

Spiral Island Swindle, Part 1

Here's another short story about Zara and Volt's past. As indicated in the title, this one takes place on the lovely Spiral Island. Enjoy!

***

The gentle sound of a string quartet filled the air as the seabreeze caused Volt's azure gown to billow artfully behind her. She giggled coyly and fumbled with her pearl pendant, the large diamond ring on her finger glittering in the setting sun as she leaned into Zara, prompting him to snake his arm around her shoulder.  

"Oh stop," she whined, gently swatting Zara's chest with the back of her hand. "Honey, you're embarrassing me!" The woman spoke in a perfect aristocratic Restan accent.

Zara laughed and replied, "You know you like it, dear," only a hint of his usually-heavy Ravager dialect evident in his speech. He straightened his silk cravat before turning Volt's chin towards his own and giving her a chaste kiss. 

The couple opposite them smiled and exchanged looks before turning back towards Volt and Zara. The woman wore a fine calf length dress of light peach and a fine gold chain with a diamond pendant. Her golden hair was piled atop her head elegantly and accented with a comb covered in tiny jeweled flowers. Her husband was a handsome, dark haired man in an aubergine brocade vest. "How would you two like to join us for dinner? We have reservations for six, if you're available," the woman replied, tilting her head and smiling politely. 

Volt and Zara looked at one another before smiling. "That would be lovely, Patricia. Thank you so much!" Volt replied enthusiastically. "Shall we meet you at the restaurant in an hour, then?"

"Absolutely! I could use some time to freshen up and get out of this old drab thing," Patricia replied, motioning distastefully to her expensive looking outfit. She looked at her husband and frowned. "I'll have to buy something else while we're here!"

Volt waved dismissively and shook her head. "Oh, hush! You look absolutely stunning!" A small smirk curled her lips.

*

Zara snickered as he helped untie Volt's halter. "I was gonna ask how you found them so quickly, but I don't think I've ever seen such an easy mark. I almost feel bad for those poor, silly sods."

Volt chuckled and stepped out of her dress, letting it pool on the ground around her before walking over to the wardrobe. "You really shouldn't. I was talking to Patty and apparently they have two vacation homes! One in Heron and one on Lake Whitetree. They're completely loaded, Zara. Apparently her man is the son of this really wealthy Maloran and a Crowmont daughter." She began shuffling through the collection of outfits she had amassed for just this purpose.

Zara's eyebrows perked in surprise as he considered their find, leaning back against the four-poster and folding his arms across his chest. "Wow." He cocked his head. "In that case, it's true what they say about Crowmonts. He's quite the looker."

"Ain't he, though?" she replied with a smile as she pulled out a violet gown with a jeweled neckline and stepped into it, pulling it on and buttoning it up the side. 

The man whistled. "Speaking of lookers."

Volt giggled and grinned at Zara over her shoulder. She tapped her chin before turning back to her wardrobe and pulling out a teal scarf. "This'll look nice with your vest. You should wear it tonight!" She tossed it over to him. "Then, we can go work some magic. It's almost six."

Zara smoothed out his vest and tied the scarf around his collar before tucking it in and pulling on his fine jacket. He sighed uncomfortably. "You know, the only downside to jobs like this is having to wear all these clothes. Don't Restan men ever get hot?"

Volt turned and smirked pointedly at Zara, prompting a chuckle from him as if the implied joke didn't even need to be said to be shared. The pair then stepped into the ornate hall outside their room and gave each other a once over and a smile before they started towards the grand staircase, arm in arm. 

As they appeared at the top of it, the foyer that led to the restaurant came into view. Spiral Island truly was a beautiful place, even if some found the decor rather ostentatious. Zara led Volt down the white marble staircase, which was accented with an ornate railing carved with an intricate spiral pattern, similar to that found in much of the Resort's architecture. The mosaic on the floor of the foyer depicted a stylized scene of a pair of merfolk, positioned in a romantic embrace. Volt giggled when she saw it, but appreciated the whimsical kitsch of the place nonetheless. Zara said nothing, but seemed to find the romantic ambiance of the Resort far more affecting than his companion did. 

As the pair approched the maitre d' with a pair of winning smiles, they could see Patricia and her husband waving at them merrily from inside the restaurant, glittering with what seemed to be half the gold in Resta. 

Mages of Destiny Preview

The following is an excerpt from the follow-up to Death Touch, titled Mages of Destiny. I won't be adding this story to the queue until I am 100% finished with Death Touch, but in the meantime, let's meet the sequel's three main characters!

Joseph

There is no greater terror than meeting one of Comalan’s greatest heroes. This was the lesson that awaited a spellwarrior named Joseph Baldus as he strolled through Whitebark Grove toward the mansion nestled on the tallest hill, beneath the tallest and oldest of the white trees that had taken over the landscape outside Palon. He was there to visit his wife, Chloe, who had left their home in Beldor to visit her family, taking their son Kyle with her. But she had always been secretive about her family, even six years after their marriage. He had met her mother and older brother very briefly at their wedding, but they didn’t talk much and Joseph strongly suspected that they weren’t being honest about their names. This secrecy nearly ended their marriage, but Chloe finally relented when he voiced his intention to leave her otherwise.

He should have been more careful what he wished for.

Joseph walked up to the cobblestone footpath leading up to the mansion and frowned. He could sense a faint trace of magic.

“Esia,” he murmured, causing his eyes to glow with blue light.

Joseph’s spell allowed him to see the magical energy that had been manipulated nearby. He was unsurprised to find the entire house ahead of him covered in what he could only guess was illusion magic. He knew Chloe had to have come from a magical family, given her own magical skills and this discovery lined up well with the secretive nature she had projected. Chloe could have told him that the mansion wasn’t real, but she seemed to expect him to figure this out for himself. That’s just like her!

This left Joseph looking for the real entrance. Following the tendrils of magic from the base of the house, he found what he was looking for in the base of the magnificent Whitebark’s Promise that was said to have spawned the seeds for every tree in the grove. He plunged his hand into the trunk and was satisfied to find his hand permeating the tree without any trouble. This could only mean that his in-laws’ magic made it impossible for intruders to get any further, or he was intentionally being let through the door. With a sigh, he took a step into the tree and found himself in what appeared to be a spacious sitting room. The room had a modern look, with great windows stretching between the outer walls to allow plenty of natural light. He looked outside the window to see a great forest, but the trees without weren’t whitebarks, but ordinary redwoods. What is this place?

“Ah, Joseph! I see you’ve found us!”

The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn’t the voice of Chloe. Joseph turned around and found the source of the voice to be his mother-in-law, who had wandered into the room from elsewhere. She wore a half-smile as she took a seat on a nearby sofa and patted the cushion next to her. He wanted to ask her real name, but didn’t think it wise to let on that the name he knew her as wasn’t real. 

“It’s nice to see you again, ma’am,” Joseph said awkwardly. “So, where’s Chloe?”

“Oh, she’s around somewhere, rowing with her father,” the mother said with a smile. “My husband only tolerated the idea of each of our children being married, but he was absolutely against inviting you here, I’m afraid.”

Joseph frowned and glanced toward the window once more. “I see. Well, I’m sorry if my being here puts you out. I just think I ought to know more about the family I married into.”

“Oh, I agree!” the mother said with a fervent nod. “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that we’ve had to keep our identities a secret from someone Chloe loves for all this time, but doing so was my husband’s decision and I understand his reasoning, even if I don’t agree with it.”

The more he heard about his father-in-law, the more he regretted forcing Chloe’s hand. If he knew he was going to start a fight among Chloe’s family over this, he might have considered being a little more patient. While his spellwarrior instincts urged him to look more into this hidden discord, his care for Chloe caused him to wonder if he was making a big mistake.

Moments later, another woman walked into the room. She shared her mother’s sable hair, but her skin was less pale, just like Chloe. Unlike Chloe, however, she wore glasses, behind which a deep scar could be found, grazing her eye. She had a cold expression on her face as her eyes met with Joseph’s, but it wasn’t to him that she spoke.

“Mother, Henry called. He wanted to let you know he’s not going to be here tonight. His flight was delayed because of a fire in the skyrug terminal.”

The mother gasped. “Is he okay?”

The other woman nodded, “Yes. It happened before he arrived. He sends his regrets and assures me that he’ll be here in time for your birthday party.”

The mother sighed and shrugged. “It sounds like it can’t be helped! Since you’re here, say hello to Kyle’s dad! This is Joseph! Joseph, this is my eldest daughter, Karen!”

Karen took a seat in one of the armchairs and gave an appraising look to Joseph before responding. “Charmed. You know, Henry won’t be bringing his wife with him. I was under the impression that my partner was the only one father would ever allow here.”

“I didn’t really give much of a choice. I’m sorry,” Joseph replied. Curiosity fueling his boldness, he added. “What makes your partner so different?”

Karen looked perturbed by the question, but the mother jumped in to respond, “Her husband comes from a family with similar rules to our own. Neither of our families have any secrets from each other!”

Must be nice. “In that case, I’ll try not to pry much further than that. I really haven’t come to impose. I just need to understand why Chloe feels the need to keep so many secrets from me.”

“It’s really just the one,” the mother said, frowning slightly. “We’re a family who enjoys our privacy, but not for any sinister reasons.”

“So, then why?”

“Because if everyone found out where I live, we’d have to move!”

The response to his question didn’t come from either of the women he had been talking to, but a booming male voice from beyond the corner of his eye. He turned to see Chloe standing in an open doorway with an expression he recognized from the aftereffects of their recent arguments. She held the hand of their five-year-old son, Kyle, who looked happy and oblivious to the tension in the room. But standing to Chloe’s left was the man who had answered his question. One look at the man was all he needed to know about this family’s secrecy. They weren’t protecting a dark secret; they were protecting a legend. Seth Midas, the Champion of Chaos, was Joseph’s father-in-law.

The Bumblebee's Voyage

The following is an excerpt from the book The Bumblebee's Voyage, a collection of folk tales and information about a famous pirate ship that sailed the seas in the early Second Age. This short passage mentions the crew's fabled heist of a wealthy Restan noble's coastal estate, and the actions of the Bumblebee's Captain, Melina, who went down in history as a folk hero for all who oppose the rich and powerful. 

***

There are several contradicting accounts of the Solan Dunes Heist recorded from the years following the event. It was not entirely unexpected for many people to falsely claim they had seen such a momentous happening firsthand, but it has also been speculated that the family of Edric Blackstone and other local nobility deliberately fabricated and dispersed rumors in order to discredit the rather embarrassing narrative that had taken hold among the populace. Considering the subsequent crackdown by the authorities on commoners that were heard perpetuating this particular narrative, this speculation is not without merit. 

Despite these attempts to keep the tale quiet or, at the very least, destroy its credibility, this narrative is the one that persisted and eventually grew into the legend we recall today. The acts of Captain Melina and her crew at Solan Dunes have since been immortalized in song, poetry, and visual art. One of the most well known and succinct versions of the tale is a song heard often in seedy taverns or on the deck of a ship, but is rarely received well when sung amongst polite company and nobility in particular.

There was a Blackstone by the sea

Who robbed his peasants dry,

He laughed at their most desperate pleas,

From 'hind his walls so high

This Blackstone had no greater love

Than comfort, wine, and gold,

His wife, as lovely as a dove

Grew ever far and cold

Come, Come!  Melina comes to give the lout his due!

Come, Come! Melina! If you're rich she'll come for you!

The sky above the Dunes grew black

The Blackstone's fate was sure

From 'neath the Dunes, the Bees attacked

Right through the cellar door

The Bees had been bequeathed the key

By Blackstone's lovely wife

Who found Melina's honey sweeter

Than her Blackstone's life

Come, Come! Melina comes to give the lout his due!

Come, Come! Melina! If you're rich, your wife she'll screw!

The Genesis of Comalan

While any history from prior to the First Age is difficult to find and generally delivered from unreliable sources, the legend of Comalan's origin is well known to most. This is only due to the Windlords' expedition to Skyres City, where the truth was discovered in Crane's own text. Among the many secrets that were stolen from the city's grand, forbidden library, this was the most grievous of sins. The windlords were punished by forgetting everything they knew about Skyres City and the information they found within. But Crane wasn't able to stop them from dispersing this information before his curse eradicated them. This knowledge, along with the ancient language that the gods speak, has been passed on through the clergy since that day with the blessings of Serenity and Salica, who have been quoted with the belief that the mortals deserve to understand where they came from.

The world began with the two brothers, Chaos and Crane. Together, they survived a war that was never well described and a deadly plague that was driving their species to extinction. Believing that they were the only people left in the world, Chaos boldly declared his intent to master the evils that killed his kind. With his power and Crane's intellect, the two bound together to create a world where new people could form to fill the void left in the wake of such tragedy. The groundwork for this new world was laid in a once-unimportant city known only for being the birthplace of the brothers. This was the place mortals now know as Fadal, the sacred city of the Gods. Crane's mind went into designing the planet and all of the life that would inhabit it while Chaos' hands made all of these designs real.

Although their plan was described by Crane as perfect in theory, the brothers quickly lost control of what they had created. As such, any life they spawned was quickly threatened by the natural disasters which were commonplace at the time. It took the help of another godly creature, referred to as the King of Doran, for the brothers to finally bring order to Comalan. After declaring that Chaos owed him a debt for his role in fixing their imperfect world, the King left Fadal, never to be heard from again.

With their world finally put together as they envisioned, Chaos and Crane spawned the first person, a man who was known as Morta. It was from his image that humanity began to grow and spread through the great continent of Mortanis.  It was the ultimate goal of both brothers for their creations to eventually fill the shoes of their lost race, but their methods couldn't be more different. It was the intent of Crane for humans to develop intellectually so they could converse with him as equals. He fostered this growth by encouraging their curiosity and leaving lessons for them in every living thing that surrounded them. Chaos, on the other, prized those with the fortitude to resist the dangers of his past. Thus, he intentionally created both the feral beasts of the world and all of its evils with the express intent to promote strength.

The accord the brothers shared over the planet eventually crumbled when each became concerned that the other's methods set everyone back. Chaos began to find that the mortals' desire to understand the world around them was a distraction from the demands of daily survival. Crane, for his part, believed that Chaos' intentional creation of evil was killing more people than it helped. This disagreement spilled over into the mortals who listened to them. Divisions began to form among the humans based on loyalties to Chaos and Crane respectively. With the eastlands threatened by war for the first time, those who resisted this partisanship banished those followers of only one of the brothers. Those who worshiped Chaos and his Doctrine of Power moved north to form the first clans of Pyris while those who believed in Crane's Doctrine of Knowledge migrated south to form the republic of Eris.

The hostility between these two creeds placed the North and South into a long state of perpetual war that only ended during the First Age's War of the Gods. With more easily-navigable land, the tribes in the east were frequently caught in the middle of these conflicts.

Meanwhile, the westland forests were taken over by Crane for a series of biological experiments. From the genetic material of existing humans, he created two tribes. The lenof were breed imbued with some characteristics of Crane's own biology and he used them to study the effects of the plague that killed his people. It was through the data he collected in these efforts that he cultivated the genes of a second tribe--the dwarof-- with the specific intent of resisting this malady. However, these two tribes formed a natural enmity that caused the lenof to drive the dwarof deep underground.

The debt of the King of Doran would later be collected in the form of two new arrivals to Fadal-- his two daughters Serenity and Salica. They looked upon the world the brothers created with disgust and set about fixing their problems. Serenity touched the westland forests, changing the lenof who survived Crane's experiments into forms that more closely resembled the gods' race; thus the elves were created. Salica, meanwhile, claimed dominion over the various islands littering the seas to the east of Mortanis. There, using the model of Morta, Salica created humans of her own to play with.

Though the Gods did not all get along for most of the planet's existence, it was by getting to know each other through the eyes of mortalkind that they created a lasting bond with each other. When the mortals carried on their hatred long past the point when they had reconciled, they purged most of the known world and bid everyone to start over. Since then, the four elder gods-- and later, the three offspring of Chaos and Serenity-- ruled over Comalan as a close-knit family that shepherds mortals toward greatness.

Gyanda Maloran, the Third Archknight

Gyanda Maloran, the Cursed Mage of The Magister's Rage

Gyanda Artix Maloran is the youngest son of Karian Maloran, the leader of the Hem Order and a former leader of the Blackstone Order, best known as Matilda the Bear. His relationship with the latter has been strained for many decades because, while she hoped he would be the first of their children to follow in her footsteps as a templar, Gyanda would become the fourth in his family to enter Hem Academy. While he was eager to walk the same path as his father and the two elder brothers he worshiped, fate had other plans. An ancient curse was placed on his ancestor, Artix Maloran, for helping Helen Winstrom and Nicholai Desmond in defeating Maula during her first excursion into Comalan. This curse inflicted his mind with the spirit of one the Death Goddess' champions from the past who could inhabit and control his body nearly at will. The Demon Knight Garanda would kill several of Gyanda's classmates with his hands, forcing the young oni's expulsion from Hem Academy.

Disenchanted by the inaction of the other Gods in light of his tragic problem, Gyanda grew resentful of them and the society which venerated them. This made him vulnerable to the influence of Samson Amul, the leader of a secret coven of blood mages. The actions that he took while led by his anger and his legendary feud with the Demon Knight are best covered in the memoirs he wrote after a traumatic experience with Erdas, the God of Suffering, forced him to confront the truth of his past misdeeds. His conscience cleared, Gyanda began to lead his old coven of blood mages in a movement to bridge the gap between all practitioners of their forbidden magic and the rest of civilized society. With the Crimson Coven behind him, he brought blood magic into a state of public legitimacy for the first time in history with their discipline's unique ability to cure the Curse of Suffering. This dastardly plague, which nearly wiped out the ancient country of Necros prior to their unification with Coronos was found to be most efficiently treated by a technique developed by Gyanda.

Gyanda as he appears in his Starlight Crusade uniform. Years after his feud with Demon Knight Garanda, he leads Resta's soldiers as captain of the spaceship Morta.

While traveling with the Crimson Coven, Gyanda was dismayed to find that his wife had been captured by the sho'kai, a race of aquatic invaders from the nearby planet Mennon. With her and several other people stranded across the stars, he would join Tir Apollo in spearheading a rescue from across two planets, known as the Starlight Crusade. In this conflict, Gyanda plans to brave the unprecedented trials that face him on the worlds of Allene and Mennon and confront Erdas once more so he can finally lay his demons to rest.

One Last Time

Once upon a time, I wrote a few chapters for a story that I was interested in telling at the time. Even though I hadn't added to the story in a long time, I thought that finishing it would make a good special series for the season of Summer. So, I posted those chapters, but now remember that there was a reason I hadn't touched the story in a while. So, I'm completely over FFFL for now. If I see any interest in it, I might pick it up next year, but for now, I feel it would be easiest to start a new story that can hold my interest long enough to finish it. So, I bring you the first chronicle of a fateful event referenced in the history of Resta and Heron's Summer Festival.

Long ago, in the early months of Resta's existence, celebrations of unity were extremely common. It was easy to be caught in the revels of the marriage between Hem Maloran, the king of Coronos and Ilia Marle, the last surviving heir to Necros. With the combination of Karla Blackstone's templars and the king's spellwarriors united under the same banner, this marked a new beginning for the people of both lands. This jubilee swept through the kingdom, but could not penetrate the home of the new royal family.

Gaius Maloran had become used to many things during the Brokamac Occupation, but none of those experiences had come close to preparing him for life inside a castle. Sunburst Keep, as his father would call it, was meant to be a symbol of strength for people who were used to being downtrodden. But living there only filled him with anxiety. The massive responsibility that establishing a new kingdom inflicted on the Maloran family was one that Hem had always meant to take for himself. However, that didn't seem to stop many of Resta's subjects from coming to him with their questions. He hated it, but not as much as he hated the hopelessness that came before Resta. His longtime comrades had grown weak from years of war while his new compatriots from the former state of Necros brought fears of a disease he didn't understand to the court. These two peoples needed to come together to survive, which turned out to be much more work than he could ever imagine.

As a spellwarrior, Gaius had been sure of everything he did. He had many enemies to defeat in their oppressors and no one to question his actions but his father. But as a prince of Resta, his magical skills were meaningless. He was now expected to be a symbol for a nation that hadn't yet found its direction. These thoughts often brought him to long fits of contemplation in the courtyard. He would often sit by one of the ponds and feed the ducks, while intensely threatening any who disturbed him with the most powerful of curses. Hem Maloran had tried to make excuses for Gaius on many occasions, but one day, he could no longer tolerate his teenage son terrifying their subjects. He visited the boy early in the morning with an unreadable look on his face.

"We need to have a talk," the king had said simply for he was always quick to get to the point.

"My ears are yours, father," Gaius replied insincerely.

"I have worked hard to build a kingdom in which everyone in the eastlands can defend their neighbors, both from northern aggression and southern attrition. Do you not see the importance of Resta?"

It took a conscious effort for Gaius to avoid rolling his eyes and he only made the effort because Hem wouldn't tolerate any disrespect from him. He shook his head slowly and mumbled his response.

"I understand why Resta needs to exist, father. I just don't understand why we have to change to protect our people."

Hem sat down next to his son and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "Gaius, we have to change because no one can better meet the needs of our people than us. I'm sure you can understand that our strength is needed to protect them, but it will never be enough. We also need the wisdom to turn our enemies into friends and our worn down citizens into an enlightened civilization if we are to survive. I know you possess that wisdom, but you must be willing to use it for the good of Resta!"

Hem sat in silence after his speech, hoping for Gaius' introspection to finish what he had started. Gaius could see the logic in his father's words. Without the wisdom to truly lead the Restans, what was to stop them from resorting to the savagery of their former Pyrisian masters? Conversely, without the strength that the Malorans had brought to the eastland in the first place, who was to stop the Pyrisians from returning? The burden on their family was immense, but Gaius couldn't think of anyone else who could handle it.

The prince's ruminations were interrupted by the arrival of a messenger that he recognized as Arnold Desmond, a warrior who proudly participated in Coronos' struggle for independence. Now a general of Resta's newly established Royal Army, it was unusual to see him delivering a message, but it didn't take long for the reason for his presence to become clear.

"A response from the... Heronites, I see," Hem murmured as he read through the letter. When he finished reading, he turned to his son. "As it happens, your transition to statesman will be a lot slower than I originally planned, my son."

In response to Gaius' unspoken inquiry, Hem handed over the letter and allowed him to read the following words:

"To the Maloran Family, Current Rulers of the Eastlands..."

Gaius frowned at the introduction immediately as he noticed the omission of the kingdom's name and the inclusion of the phrase "current rulers." It became immediately apparent that the northerners didn't take them as seriously as they'd have liked.

"We have received your notice regarding the formation of the kingdom you refer to as Resta and feel that a message from all of Heron is necessary to respond to your declarations in kind. As such, these words represent the feelings of all three of our noble houses."

These words seemed to contradict his original feelings. The Heronites were taking them seriously after all. Could this mean that the message opened with an intentional sign of disrespect?

"Let it be known that the houses of Heron acknowledge the cruel treatment visited upon your people by our Brokamac brethren and we hold no ill will towards you for doing what had to be done to assert the will of the Necrosian and especially Coronosian peoples. Although the lords of Heron all mourn the Brokamac, their legacy is anathema to values of our own accord."

Gaius frowned at these words, sensing a deliberate effort to avoid an official apology.

"This is a time of new beginnings not just for the East, but for the North as well. As Lords of the newly confederated state of Heron, we share your ambition to change the ways of the past. That is why, in the spirit of mutual growth, we propose what we hope will be a symbolic event for both of our countries: a final tournament in the tradition exposed to your people by the Brokamac.

Gaius nearly shredded the paper at the very suggestion. How could they seriously be expected to repeat the tortures of their past as a friendly gesture? He looked to his father uncertainly, but he only nodded, willing him to finish.

"It is our hope that with twenty-four brave Restan warriors and eight more from each of our houses facing each other in friendly competition, we can produce an event that will both heal the wounds between our countries and please Lord Chaos. Should you accept our invitation, we would happily defer to any arrangements you make for the tournament.

Signed, 

Torvald Piers

Altan Karn

Borna Crowmont

Lords of Heron"

Gaius handed the letter to his father and sighed. "What do they take us for? They don't really expect us to accept this challenge, do they?"

"Why not?" the king said with a scowl. "That is exactly what I wish to do."

"Father!" Gaius exclaimed in shock. "I don't think this is as friendly of an invitation as they would have us believe!"

"It does not matter," Hem said while standing up with a tone of finality. "They issued this challenge in response to a declaration that we would meet any challenge. Whatever their intent, refusing is not an option!"

"Shall I gather our warriors, my king?" General Desmond asked.

"No," the king said in response. "I shall leave the assembly of our champions to Prince Gaius. I believe this tournament will provide a measure of the motivation he's desperately lacked as of late. I know you will make me and your kingdom proud, my son."

Gaius nodded reluctantly to his father. While he didn't look forward to meeting more Heronites, rallying people to fight them was what he once lived for. He still had little sense for what he could do for Resta as its first prince, but a tournament was well within his ability to handle. With a smile that showed more confidence than he had felt in a long time, he responded:

"I will find the best fighters I can and together we will show the Northerners why we continue to exist!"

Sara Marle, the Champion of Serenity

Straight from the opening pages of Death Touch, today's post spotlights the Champion of Serenity herself, Sara Marle. Born in the Restan midland city of Beldor, few could keep up with the passion showed for her favorite deities, Serenity and Crane. At the age of 11, she was already aware of the Bishop's Pinnacle and resolved to see it for herself. While there, she heard the voice of Serenity for the first time. It was from that moment that Sara pledged herself in service to the Goddess of Tranquility. Afterwards, she spent some time in the Theia Seminary, where she experienced friendship with clerics for the first time. After a year of studying the Doctrine of Dreams, Sara returned to the mainland to begin her theological education in the Blackstone Monastery.

Upon returning to the mainland, however, she learned for the first time how incompatible the Theian tradition was with other schools of Serene worship. Surrounded by fellow acolytes who favored the Doctrines of Tranquility and Beauty, Sara nearly gave up in her training to be a Serene priestess and started pursuing Crane's knowledge instead. That was until she met Matron Erina, an elder priestess who encouraged her to embrace the differences between herself and her brothers and sisters and assured her that keeping Serenity first in her heart was all she needed to be a successful priestess of Tranquility. So Sara continued her studies with renewed zeal and a new mentor, hopeful that she would hear Serenity's voice once more.

Although this chance encounter with Matron Erina marked the end of Sara's doubts, it didn't mark the end of her discord with her comrades in the Serene faith. After painstakingly completing the ritual that would allow her to become anointed as an acolyte, she prayed harder to hear the Peace Goddess' calming voice. This ambition soon became well known among the other acolytes of the monastery's Serene quarter. As a result, Sara had become the subject of some ridicule for those who believed that to speak to the Gods as she wanted to was far too rare to be a reasonable goal. This earnest desire, however, only motivated her to devote herself so completely to the monastery's teachings that her seniors would remark on her unusual spiritual power. Templars of the Serene faith began to teach her some of their earth-moving techniques in the hope that she might be better suited to their work. Despite this, Sara showed no inclination to harm anyone, which they began to see as a liability; thus they left her to continue her training as a cleric--now with a powerful skill that others in her creed lacked.

When Sara finally heard Serenity's voice for the second time, her experience was the subject of much confusion and debate. Since her desire for this very event was well known, many began to suspect that she was lying about the connection she had made to the deity. Others still questioned Sara's interpretation of the goddess' words, believing it to be a contradiction to their own long-held beliefs. With more people debating why she was wrong than examining her claims thoroughly, Sara became disillusioned with the Serene Quarter once more. So, without a clear idea of Serenity's intent or any hope that anyone would listen to someone with her level of credibility, she left the monastery for the first time in eight years. She experienced more in this journey than she ever expected to, but still carries on with unyielding determination.

Sara regards her role as Serenity's champion with earnest determination. As a lifelong servant to the gods, her sense of duty compels her to do whatever she can to ensure the Champions' victory, even if it means putting her life at risk.

Phoenix Blade Chapter 9

Start from the Beginning

Previous Chapter

The work began to pile in after that Tomb of Maloran job. With that victory, and the beautiful posters Oogura made for marketing, we had eventually become well known throughout the capitol. With our success, it didn't seem inconceivable that knights would begin to take notice of us. But I was still surprised when a templar entered my compound for the first time.

...

This man, who I only knew as Venaticus, had been looking to hire us to investigate a secret coven of warlocks operating right there in Resta City.

...

It wasn't the same as Shaville, thankfully. This was a coven who seemed to specialize in chimeras. Which is to say they were taking animals and using dark magic to fuse them to other creatures. Warlocks did this to create exotic beasts to sell as pets and guard animals. It was a twisted business for sure, but nothing on the level of human corruption and slavery.

...

It would have been nice to pound some warlocks senseless, but we didn't take the job.

...

I didn't like the man. He was cagey and bigoted to my immigrant friends. He gave us all the details one would need to find and take down this chimera farm, but we had some very obvious questions. Why the need for subtlety when he could have just waltzed in there and purged the place like what happened to Shaville? Why hire us instead of handling it themselves or actually working with the spellwarriors for a change? He wasn't exactly open to answering these questions, though, which made the whole thing feel like a setup. He seemed to take our implicit trust for granted by virtue of him being a templar, and we weren't afraid to call him on his arrogance. We rowed for a bit and, when I made it clear to him that we wouldn't accept the job without more information, he decided to take his business elsewhere. He left us with assurances that we would have screwed it up anyway.

...

I mention this because that wasn't the end of it. The next day, as I was putting the finishing touches on a jeweled ring, Venaticus returned and barged his way past our front office and into my workshop. He claimed to have been ordered to bring me in for questioning. He claimed to have a warrant signed by Matilda Maloran, which explained how he was able to get past Takaa. I was skeptical and, after the day before, nearly certain this whole thing was bullshit, so I gave him some push back. Told him that he was going to need to bring some of the local authorities to take me in. This demand didn't seem to bother him, so I decided to humor him by letting Oogura examine the warrant. When she told me that it was genuine, I informed them that they wouldn't be taking me unarmed regardless.

...

Perhaps I could have handled things better, but I was already on edge because this man had never given me any reason to trust him. The guild and I had plenty of time to reinforce the idea that his job had been an obvious trap. Assuming he could have forged this warrant to have another go at us, I threatened to cut down anyone who tried to touch me. He did warn me that wouldn't be wise, but I've never claimed to be known for my wisdom.

... 

He took me outside, where we met a contingent of Royal Army soldiers who escorted us to an office outside the Chaotic Temple in the Downtown District. I was ushered inside and taken to an interrogation room with the templar.

...

[Chuckle]

No, I'm pretty sure that wasn't it. When we sat down, we finally cut through the bullshit and got to the meat of why I was there. As it turned out, the son of a bitch accused me of being connected to these animal-maiming dipshits!

...

It may seem crazy after what you heard, but my experiences in Shaville would have been news to him. As it was, there was no reason I couldn't tolerate working with warlocks. He had a few things on me which raised his suspicions. The first was Bene, who wasn't around when he told us about the job. Despite my sincere desire to watch over him, he had been unaccounted for since well before the templar darkened my doorstep. He said that some of the charms and hexes being dealt by Bene were steeped in dark magic.

...

He was actually innocent. Venaticus proved that when he showed up with that job of his, then told me a day later that he was testing me. He figured that I would jump to any job no matter how it looked if I had nothing to hide and the fact that we refused him did not look good to him at all. Fortunately for the old con, the warlocks went into hiding shortly after the templar met with us. He told me that we were the only people he told about the chimera farm, which seemed like compelling evidence for someone in my guild being a traitor. This cleared Bene in my eyes because, like I said, he wasn't around when Venaticus showed up or at any point since then.

...

Bene didn't come back until after I finally agreed to cooperate with that insufferable templar. I knew Bene hadn't been the one to tip off the warlocks, but I had to talk to him if I wanted to get to the bottom of this business with his wares being associated with evil.

...

He denied having anything to do with the warlocks, of course. That sort of thing is a capital crime for anyone, even to those who don't have a pulse. That is when he revealed the source of some of his latest wares: Eione.

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