Tir Apollo, the Avatar of Crane

Tir Apollo, the Avatar of Crane

Tir Apollo, the Avatar of Crane, is Galeon's most popular Avatar, respected greatly as an academic and for her pull with the Windlords, who are also highly thought of in the region. She is also revered by the Tanisians for her heroic actions during the sho'kai invasion, to the point where a popular restaurant bears her name. Tir's most controversial position among the people of Comalan is her continued support of her predecessor, Richard Blackstone - more specifically, her personal concern for him and belief that he can be rehabilitated. This has caused many to, at best, question her ability as his successor, and at worst, question her motives. Despite this controversy, those who have met her or worked with her personally consider her to be both confident and trustworthy.

***

Tir was born in the Crowmont territory of Heron to her father Alim, a Galean machinist and inventor, and Leora, a Galean-Heronite writer and seamstress. Alim had moved to a small mountain village in Heron to live with his wife. They had a loving family until Leora disappeared when Tir was eight. She was presumed dead, and Alim told his daughter that she had died of an illness as she slept. 

Tir and her father were very close, and she often felt that he was the only other person in their village who understood her. He avoided telling her stories about Galeon, fearing that they would only make her feel unhappy with the small village that they lived in, but Tir was smart - from a young age, she loved to read, and had learned many things that her father didn't teach her. She was also highly rational for someone so young. She often chose not to discuss certain things with him in order to spare his feelings. 

As she grew older, Tir found she had an affinity for machinery and engineering, picking up the skill quickly under the instruction of her father. Engineering was how they made their living in the small village they lived in, constructing lamps, ovens, and lumbering equipment for the people there. All Tir knew was that the people there valued her and her father deeply. 

Despite the affinity Tir felt for the place she had grown up in, as she entered her teens and twenties, she felt more and more of an urge to leave. She desperately wanted to go to Galeon in order to train in one of the Intalan temples there, and to experience the life she could have had if her father had not stayed in their Heronite village. Seeing how restless his daughter had become, Alim could no longer keep her with him, despite how much he would miss her. He told her that it would be alright if she left, and so she did. 

Tir traveled to Galeon and found she had an instant affinity for the place. She traveled to the Temple of Crane in order to train in the art of foresight, and it was this action that started Tir on the journey that would acquaint her with the first Avatar of Crane, Richard Blackstone, which would eventually lead to her becoming his apprentice and taking his place as Avatar.

Tir in her Starlight Crusade uniform, of which she serves as Fleet Commander, as well as the commanding officer of the Selon Res.

Death Touch Chapter 22

First Chapter

Previous Chapter

Sara

Amelia Gold, or Mia as she preferred to be called, had been unsurprisingly cagey since her capture. Sara had lured Mia into a closed alley behind the restaurant and tried unsuccessfully for over an hour to form a dialogue that could reasonably end in her telling Mia the truth. There were just so many gaps that Mia was making no effort to fill in; her motivations and her knowledge of the gods among others. Although Mia was perfectly willing to engage in pointless banter, nothing she said made coming around to the topic at hand easy. Both women were beginning to feel frustrated and were showing it in different ways. Mia had adopted an expression of sadistic longing that could have ended in blood, while Sara’s wary tension made her warning spells even more frequent.

“Give it up, lady,” Mia begged. “At this point, I’m sure your magic can’t actually hurt me, so you’re just wasting time that I don’t have!”

“Whose fault is that? I brought you here because I think it’s necessary that we talk,” Sara retorted, her voice wavering with impatience. “This conversation could end much more quickly if you participated in it!”

“Just tell me what you want!” Mia raged. “You don’t need to know a damned thing about me to get to the point!”

For the sixth time, Sara encased Mia up to the neck in stone. She took another deep breath and sighed. “It doesn’t work that way. I need to know if I can trust you. Answering my questions would go a long way toward that.”

“You CAN’T trust me! Gods damn! I can’t even hide it anymore! I want to cut you so badly! Give me one little chance, I beg you!”

Sara rolled her eyes. “I’ve been tolerant of your foul language so far, but I’ll not suffer you to dishonor the gods as you have again!”

“What are you going to do, bitch?”

Sara turned her back on Mia and responded, “I’m sure the Royal Inquisitor would love to have a chat with you. I may not have any solid evidence of your crimes, but I can prove you were near the queen when she disappeared into the mist.”

“Bullshit!”

“If you are who I think you are, I can easily prove that you were the one who created the mist. That won’t tie you to any wrongdoing, but oh, won’t the Lord Inquisitor find that interesting?”

“What the fuck do you mean I created the mist? I don’t have magic!”

The poor thing has no idea.

Sara turned toward Mia and shook her head. “We ALL have magic. Harvesting its power is a skill that is teachable to anyone. The only difference in your case is that you have used your magic instinctively.”

“And how do you even know that was me?”

“I didn’t. I only suspected you when you decided to flee from me.”

Mia scoffed and shook her head dejectedly. “So… I messed up, then.”

“Yes, you did. From the moment I saw you back there, I could tell that you were distracted. It would have been smarter to just stay out of sight completely.

Mia rolled her eyes. “You’re telling me?”

Sara nodded. “Yes, I am. Frankly, you’re not the same girl I met in Palon. That girl was cold and clever. I like to think of myself as a decent judge of character, but there was something enigmatic to your aura that I couldn’t make out. Now, one needn’t be an empath to read you like a book. You’re not thinking straight. There is literally evidence of that all over the eastern district.”

Mia’s rage was suddenly misplaced as she looked at Sara in disbelief. “Are you saying that fog happened because I was confused?”

Sara nodded and began to lean against the wall. “It’s very well possible. But from my point of view, it’s just as possible that your connection to the fog was a coincidence and all I’m looking at is a monster. That’s why I’d appreciate your cooperation.”

At the word monster, Mia seemed to flinch. She said nothing, however, so Sara continued in earnest. Please, talk to me!

“IF that fog was created by you, then you will have cast one of the rarest forms of magic in the Salican tradition. To do so instinctually would be a sign that you’re the ally I seek here.”

Mia scoffed once again, halfheartedly this time. “You must be outta your mind.”

“Did you kill the queen?”

“I dunno.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I mean, the fog was already there when I lunged. I got her, but I have no idea if she’s dead or not.”

“Did you kill Prince John and Princess Esther?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Why?”

Mia hesitated before finally responding. “I dunno.”

“Is there nothing I can do to get an honest answer out of you?”

“Not unless you’d consider the answer I just gave you an honest one.”

“I think you‘re telling the truth, but not the whole truth.”

“Well, it depends. I have no idea why I killed my confirmed victims at the time. I knew when I got here to kill my third, and now I don’t know anymore.”

“Well, what was the reason you came here with?”

“I dunno.”

“Seriously?”

“I don’t know if I want to tell you.”

“Fair enough. I wouldn’t suppose you’re religious?”

“No, but I had a pretty religious experience recently. I’m thinking of joining the faith.”

Sara scowled as she responded, “That’s not something I expected to hear from someone who’s threatened to kill me several times.”

Mia smirked. This is becoming fun for her. “I said I was thinking about it. But if this is the initiation I can expect, I might just pass.”

“It would take unimaginable penitence to free yourself of the sin of treason.”

Sara could tell from Mia’s scowl that she had just hit another sore spot. “You don’t like it when I call you a monster or a traitor. Those are refreshing reactions to see.”

“Yeah? How about I take out your eyes so you can get a closer look?”

“I can see your shame just fine,” Sara responded coolly. “The fact that you’re so uncomfortable with these negative labels tells me that there is some good in you. If you don’t consider yourself a traitor or a monster, then perhaps you aren’t, deep down.”

“Hello! I killed three royals! I cut one’s heart out and enjoyed it! I doubt what I think of myself is relevant.”

“Of course it is!” Sara said, almost soothingly. “You’ve made some terrible choices, and you will have to live with them for the rest of your life. But I think you were just following orders. I prefer to save my disgust for whoever gave you those orders.”

“I wanted to do it!”

“You’re lying.”

“I liked it!”

“Then why are you telling me? Why try so hard to convince me that you’re evil?”

Mia roared in frustration. “What other choice do I have? I know when I’m caught!”

“You have a choice to do good things!” Sara insisted. “You could join me as Salica’s Champion and restore peace to this land!”

“Are you for real?” the young assassin shrieked. “I’m not a champion of anything! I wanted to bring justice to the meek, but that doesn’t matter anymore! When we finish Operation Lighthouse, the meek will cease to exist and we will all face the dark truth of this world as equals!”

“There is no dark truth!” Sara retorted angrily. “Love, hate, joy, suffering, life and death! It is ALL the will of the Gods and therefore beautiful!”

“All of it? From the scummiest thief to the most sadistic killer? Limp-dicked assholes who’d mug and kill a couple in front of their child? BEAUTIFUL?!”

“Yes!” Sara exclaimed. “Adversity is a source of strength! Tranquility is a source of comfort! Most of us have all felt a little of both! Your actions have brought fear to many, while I choose to bring comfort instead! You have that same choice!”

Mia raged at her earthen bonds as she screamed. “You naïve bitch! You don’t know the first fucking thing about fear!”

Sara instinctively leaped back from the girl as a bolt of lightning crashed into them, shattering her stone prison. Sara crumpled to the ground where she looked up at the escaping assassin. With her vision blurring and the smell of burned skin assailing her nostrils, the champion blacked out.

When Sara came to, she was being resuscitated by a chapel healer adorned in the familiar green and white of the Serene Temple. Sara attempted to sit up, but was held down by her brother acolyte.

“You mustn’t move yet, Miss Marle! You‘ll be okay, but you need to rest!”

Sara tried to extricate herself from the healer’s firm grasp. “I need to… find…”

Try as she might, however, she could not seem to find the strength to get up. With little else to do, she rolled her head back and let the healer do his work. Looking up, she was finally able to see two other forms standing over her. One bore the unmistakable gold trench coat of the Royal Inquisitor. The other, an older woman, was adorned with ruffled robes similar to her own. She knelt beside Sara and waved the healer away. He backed up sheepishly as the older priestess took over his healing magic.

“Do you know where you are, my child?” She asked kindly.

“Resta City.”

“I’m glad to hear that your mind is mostly unimpaired. What is the last thing I remember?”

“I was with the Champion of Salica… I think. Then I got struck by lightning.”

The elder priestess sighed. “Champion, you say? So, the rumors are correct. It is a dark day for our faith when it takes followers of Ragos and Crane to convince us to stop ignoring our own deity.”

“I tried to warn…”

“Hush now, Sara. I am convinced of your truthfulness now. In time, the rest will come around. But for now, we must get you to the temple so you can rest.”

“But we’re on the other side of town!” the male healer complained. “Won’t they welcome her at the Temple of Crane?”

The elder turned toward the man with a sharp glare. “Show some respect, boy! Like it or not, Serenity herself has declared this woman the exemplar of our faith! You will carry her all the way to our temple--on foot if necessary--and feel honored for the opportunity!”

The man yelped. “Yes, Madam Celeste!”

“I hate to interrupt, but I have some questions for Miss Marle before you move her,” the Inquisitor whispered.

“Any questions you have can be answered at the temple!” Celeste snapped. “She’s in no state for one of your ham-fisted interrogations.”

“Miss Marle is a cooperative witness in an ongoing investigation!” the Inquisitor replied sharply.

“It’s alright,” Sara moaned. “I can answer a few questions if you can just… lower your voice a little.”

The Inquisitor knelt beside the priestesses and spoke urgently. “That lightning bolt that hit you wasn’t natural. Can we assume that this is the work the magic you mentioned earlier?”

“Yes. It’s a sign of anger.”

“Can you give me a description?”

Sara winced. “The details are blurry. She was young. A teenager, probably. She was dressed in a royal clerk‘s uniform.”

The Inquisitor looked disappointed as he scribbled the scant details on a piece of paper. “Name?”

“She never told me her name,” Sara said weakly.

“Is there anything at all you can tell me that will help me identify her?” The Inquisitor asked a little hotly.

“That’s enough questions!” Celeste snapped, cutting off the Inquisitor before he could speak again.

“Rest now, my child. If the Inquisitor has any more questions, he can talk to you again tomorrow.”

“Of course. My apologies,” the Inquisitor said dejectedly. “I shall call on you when you’re feeling up to it. Recover quickly, Miss Marle. Assassin or no, anyone who can do something this is too dangerous to be allowed free reign of my city and you‘re the only lead I have!”

The Inquisitor took his leave after a murmur of assent from Sara. When he was out of earshot, Celeste whispered. “I know you have your reasons for lying to the Inquisitor, but I hope you understand that we can’t allow this girl to harm you again. If she is the Champion of Salica as you say, you should leave it up to the Salicans to steer her toward her destiny.”

“It has to be me,” Sara said in a voice that was more firm than she felt. “Please find her.”

Next Chapter

History of Eris

In the early ages of humanity, everyone lived together in the eastern side of the great continent in peaceful cooperation. Together, they shared the goals of Ragos and Crane to grow strong and wise, so they may survive the mistakes of the people who came before. But the two brothers came to disagree on far too many things for this cooperation to continue. While those who followed the will of Ragos would settle in the north and form the nation of Pyris, someday to be redubbed Heron, those who remained loyal to Crane turned south to start a more civilized society called Eris.

While the people of Eris were conscious of the perpetual threat of Pyrisians, their concerns leaned toward the foundation of a stable society from the very beginning. While various mountain clans clashed for control of the north, the people of Eris had formed the very first government, which was referred to as the Council Republic. Their idea behind this early form of government was that towns would hold local elections to determine the most competent master of every trade. The elected officials would then be entrusted with collaborative power to make decisions on their town’s behalf. Electing councilors based on their trades was meant to offer equal representation for all lifestyles, but the system was far from perfect.

Corruption eroded the people’s faith in the Council Republic early on, but the objections of the citizens were waved off by the country’s growing intellectual elite, who cultivated a sense of mystique by meditating on solitary hills and returning with claims of epiphanies from Crane himself. It was this phenomenon that would change Eris’ future forever, as common people who were curious of the source of the elites’--known also as the Windtalkers-- power braved the hilltops themselves for answers.

Those who came back from these exploratory excursions were truly enlightened, but would not brag openly about their experiences as the elitists did. Instead, they had become even more reserved and distrustful of others. These conspicuous changes in people quieted talk of “communing with the sky” as the Erisians called it. But as the First Age neared its final decades, people had begun to notice those who had completed this ritual meeting together in private. The secrets of these enigmatic rendezvous were uncovered by a lone sworn man, the Erisian equivalent of a knight. He discovered that those who had communed with the sky had banded together to form a ring of spies. Moreover, he discovered that these spies had been in the process of studying the movement of the air itself and how to influence it. When the sworn man released his findings to the public, the people learned for the first time of the birth of wind magic.

The sworn men would chase these spies for years, hoping to bend them to the will of the people. But these spies, who would later go on to be known as the Windlords, were resistant to any authority. While they spied regularly on the other nations for Eris’ benefit, they never pledged their support to the Council Republic as an organization.

By the year 1E281, Eris had settled all of Mortanis’ southern shores, so many of its people had begun to move north, hoping to settle the eastlands once more. There, they found the people of Necros to be hospitable toward their southern guests until the fleet of Akis began to land on their shores. Pressured to turn back by the imperial invaders, the settlers retreated to Eris with haunting tales of Akisian barbarism, which made even the warriors of Pyris uneasy.

As Akisian raiders took control of Necros, and warred with Pyris for control of Coronos, the people of Eris watched anxiously while conflict brewed between the wind talkers and the windlords. The former had maintained a firm grip on their influence with the Council Republic by exerting control on Eris’ flow of information while the latter group had formed a crusade to broaden the flow of information to all. Over time, these differences exploded into a mutual enmity in which wind talkers would slander and stigmatize the windlords while the windlords undermined the wind talkers’ power by sharing their secrets with the public.

These factions would declare a truce when an emissary from Pyris risked her life to cross the eastlands to petition the Erisians for aid against Akis. This was the start of an unprecedented, and never again repeated, alliance between Pyris and Eris which sought to repel the Akisian invaders from Mortanis. The elves of Terris would join this war on the side of Akis initially, which kicked off a time known across Mortanis and Midania today as the War of the Gods.

When this war ended, and the Gods punished the mortals for continuing to fight in their name after they had declared a truce, Eris was the country least affected by the fallout since their soldiers obeyed Crane’s will to lay down their arms without hesitation. So, while the other countries, struggled with the consequences of their stubbornness, Eris was free to look inward towards its own problems, which had grown to their breaking point during the war.

For their contributions during the war, Windlords enjoyed a wellspring of popular support which weakened the threats of the wind talkers. As the wind talkers began to lose favor with the public, their efforts to maintain their power became increasingly desperate and draconian. This led to a great deal of resentment toward the wind talkers that were curbed by the windlords’ continued attacks on their reputations and turned to ridicule. Without credibility, the wind talkers quietly faded away in the hopes of living comfortably on the wealth their lifetimes of exploitation had earned them. This left most of the country stagnating with a severe loss of capital and shared resources. This choice signaled the death knell of both the wind talkers and the Council Republic.

With the voices of the wind talkers long gone, the disenfranchised citizens of Eris advocated, for the first time, the abolishment of the Council Republic and the foundation of a system of governance that benefits everyone. This drive was supported by the windlords, who claimed that the increased freedom the people sought was the will of Crane himself. Some of the order's commanders began to engage in politics for the first time, using a wealth of skillfully acquired information to form logical arguments against the Council Republic.

This revolution would come to its conclusion with the Council Republic’s final election in the year 2E3. The new council of Eris’ capital of Rashara voted unanimously to end the Council Republic, ratify the Gale Accord--which established an open democracy--and name the windlords as its protectors. The Gale Accord, as the foundation of their new society, became the country’s namesake when the people voted to relegate their old ways to the past with a new name--Galeon.

The Boy Who Shouldn't Exist Part 2

Back

Following his desperate and traumatic escape from Orion, Kaleth would find himself awakening to the jarring of a rolling wagon. He jumped violently with the bump in his path, causing his arm to slam into the rim. Wincing in pain, he sat bolt upright while clutching his wrist. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness in his surroundings, revealing a cold stretch of open forest, its visibility thinning in the twilight. He found himself riding in the back of what appeared to be a steel-rimmed wagon trailer that was just large enough for him to stretch out comfortably within it. His ride was pulled by a pair of maulans running through the forest at full sprint without looking back.

Kaleth shook his head as he took in this unusual sight in a vain attempt to shake a little more sense into his situation. As soon as he sat up, however, the wagon slowed to a stop. Kaleth looked back nervously to the fey who had ceased to run. The maulans in turn, stood in place without looking back at him; waiting for something. For what, Kaleth didn't have to wait long to find out. A rustling of leaves and a soft thud later, the fighter that the boy had met while fleeing the city stood at the foot of the trailer.

"Make room," the elf said as he began clambering over the side of the trailer. "I can only let you hog my cart for so long."

Unable to contemplate any other response, Kaleth drew back his legs, giving the other space to lounge across the end of the wagon. With an imperious snap of his fingers, the new arrival willed the maulans who pulled the cart back into motion. He smirked at the dumbfounded expression on Kaleth's face.

"Let me save you the breath of asking your first question. Me and my friends took you with us when we made our escape. I thought it was a lost cause trying to save anyone back there, but I figured you for a survivor and you weren't exactly out of my way."

"I was going to ask who you were," Kaleth mumbled. 

The man smirked and rolled his head back. "My name's Aennin. Not many people have needed me to say so this past year."

Kaleth could never have identified the man by a face he had never seen, but his name was always in the mouth of the boy's father. Like his father, Aennin was one of the Avatars; a man chosen by the Goddess of Death to speak with her voice. This explained his strange control over the maulans who exist to serve her. He had just been rescued by the elf known as Moonstep; the Avatar of Maula.

"I've heard of you," the boy replied timidly.

"Who hasn't?" Aennin shot back as he tilted his head forward to give him a smirk. "The only difference with you, I'll bet, is that you have the extreme honor of having heard of me from someone I actually know."

"How do you know that?"

Aennin sighed and shrugged weakly. "Well, you caught me. I was in town for an errand, you might say, and your father got me to agree that I would check on you."

Kaleth couldn't help but scowl at that moment. "If my parents wanted to know how I was doing, they didn't have to--wait! If you know who I am, why did you almost leave me to die?"

Aennin rolled his eyes as he replied. "Well, it's not like your father and I are friends are anything. We had no agreement for me to risk my life for you. But what does it matter? You're here now."

Kaleth's face fell and he nodded in response. "You're right. Thank you."

Both of them let the conversation drop at that. Still exhausted from the stresses of the day, they had nearly nodded off when Kaleth asked. "Where are we going?"

Aennin sat up and began to look around, smiling as began to spot the snow on the ground roughly a mile away. "We're going to Heron. The sai'mul seem to be mostly avoiding their borders for now. They won't be dropping dead in the cold, but a Heronite winter can't be any better for walking corpses than is for the warm meat sacks."

Kaleth frowned, stung by the morbidity of his statement. But he realized quickly the flaw in Aennin's plan. "Do you think they'll actually let us in? There is only half a human between the two of us."

Aennin rolled his eyes and chuckled. "I'm sure we'll be fine. Your father mustn't talk about us a lot if you can't understand the value of the two lives in this cart. No one would dare to turn away an Avatar and the son of another."

Kaleth sighed as he pondered Aennin's words. His father, Kartal Marle, was referred to by some that he had met as the Avatar of Geos, but he never fully understood the significance of these words. When the voice of the Time God was at home, he was nothing more than Kaleth's father. Once a templar, now a Restan diplomat who worked in Midania, Kartal had plenty more going on in his life than talking of his solitary experience of saving the world in the Gods' name. If his father had ever discussed what it had meant to him to be an Avatar, Kaleth would have stopped listening a long ago, so used to hearing about international relations that he was.

It was part of the reason he had wanted to leave Resta and study in Orion. He was so tired of hearing people whisper about his father, who tried so hard to pretend that he was normal. All of the questions he couldn't answer, all of the comments that placed him in his father's shadow; he wanted to be rid of it all. To imagine the irony, now, of once again finding himself face to face with an Avatar soured Kaleth's mood and Aennin was quick to notice.

"Most people would be thrilled in your shoes. Because of who your father is, you'll probably be well cared for!"

Kaleth looked into Aennin's eyes with a pleading stare. "Can you just vouch for me, please? I don't want anyone to know who my father is!"

Aennin raised his eyebrows and said slowly. "Okay. Not very fond of your father, I take it?"

Kaleth shook his head frantically and elaborated, "No! I love both of my parents! I just... don't like talking to strangers about him."

Aennin sighed and nodded. "After the talk I had with my sister this morning, I get that."

Kaleth looked at Aennin with a look of concern. "You had family in the city and couldn't try to at least save them?"

Aennin scowled for the first time to the boy as he said. "Who says I didn't?"

Kaleth's face flushed with embarrassment. "Oh no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to--"

"Forget about it," Aennin said with a firm shake of his head. "I tried my best and I wasn't quick enough. But I know better than anybody what's going to happen to her now. It's really not worth thinking about until we're safe."

Kaleth hesitated before asking, "What do you think will happen to her?"

Aennin pulled his knees up to his chin and grumbled. "Believe me. You don't want to know."

The two fell silent as the cart rolled past the tree-line and began to incline upward. The maulans would run them past an acre of tree stumps before finally finding a road again, leading deeper into hills Kaleth could now only assume were part of Heron. As they pulled higher and higher, the cart rolled past foliage Kaleth had never seen before, including a bush with odd, bright red leaves which caught his attention. He had only a moment to reflect on how similar the plant life in Heron was to what he had known back in Resta before he dozed off yet again.

Next

Divine Familiars

Among the many powers bestowed upon an Avatar includes the ability to summon the Divine Familiars, a set of creatures owned by the elder gods and the newest deity, Nidarys. These creatures have powerful bonds with their respective masters that were forged in various trials.

Gyandala 

A phoenix named for the first star of Chaos, Gyandala was actually first captured by Crane, who sought to study him as the last living example of his species. Following the resolution of the War of the Gods, Crane gifted him to Chaos, having concluded that his species could not be saved. The war god spent nearly a century attempting to break this bird's powerful will to no avail. One day, however, Chaos unleashed him on a village that templars suspected of harboring blood mages. The resulting firestorm endeared Chaos to the wild nature of the Phoenix and the god relented in his efforts to tame him.

Gyandala is consequently known for having a powerful will and a dangerous proclivity towards destruction. The latter is, however, far from the case. Under Elidol Dawnstrike's control, Gyandala is revealed to have an innocent nature and may even be more loyal to the Avatar than the god himself. Unfortunately, since every one of his feathers burn to the touch, he cannot help destroying anything he flies over, so he is seen rarely.

Selon Res

Like Gyandala, the sky dragon Selon Res wasn't always the familiar of the God who controls him now. He was once part of an advanced civilization of dragons who protected some of Comalan's largest secrets in a skybound city that is largely believed to be a myth. During the war of the Gods, Pyromancers hunted these dragons for sport, stopping only as the war drew to a close. By then, Selon Res, once a scholar among hundreds, was the only one left. In gratitude for Crane's gift of Gyandala, Chaos personally captured Selon Res and gave him to Crane.

Selon Res' trust in Crane was hard won, because he understood better than any of the other familiars that he was to be subjected to life as a pet after years as one of Comalan's most promising civilizations. But Crane found that the dragon could be reasoned with, and so they talked for over a decade until Selon Res accepted Crane as his god. Selon Res is now a source of wisdom to the Avatars he has stood beside and a powerful zealot of Crane's ideals.

Amologra

Amologra is a massive stone golem to which Serenity gave life for the purpose of defending mortal kind. He was originally a statue the dwarves built to honor a hero named Elric, who was slowly rousing their courage with his dream of returning to the surface world in defiance of their old elven enemies. His dream and life were both lost when Serenity's quake sealed off the dwarves' only passages to the surface. Sensing their turmoil, Serenity gave life to the statue of Elric in the hopes that seeing a dwarven face as the protector of elves would ease the conflict between the two races.

Amologra has a patience beyond even the most devout of clerics and a slow wits. It is the deliberation with which he moves and thinks that contribute both to his elusiveness and his stubborn refusal to adapt to anything, even modern language. Communication with him is often difficult because he is stuck in the ancient language. But those who can bypass this language barrier actually find him to be a deep thinker.

Karashartal

The mother of all krakens, Karashartal was not always the massive, fearsome creature she is now. She was once a human girl, whose tribe had emigrated from Mortanis to the Vortex Archipelago, near what many consider to be the center of the world. But this was long before the terrible region had earned its name. Back then, the Archipelago was a peaceful place, where her tribe lived in peace and plenty. This changed when a band of pirates, possibly forebears of the Mariknights, raided the islands and pillaged the tribe, who were powerless to fight back. The ruthless attack left just one survivor, who stewed in the ruins of her village in the throes of unimaginable grief. What she didn't know, however, was that her island was home to a powerful source of divine magic. Salica's attention was roused as the magic twisted the girl's anger and sorrow into her body, transforming her into a vicious monster of the sea that terrorized the islands of Akis for centuries. Salica would tame the creature only be reminding her of the shock she felt when she was still human and showing her how she is inflicting that same pain onto others.

Among the familiars, Karashartal is easily the most volatile. Her anger has never fully abated, but she has regained her empathy under Salica's care. She lives peacefully near the Vortex Archipelago with her children, sired by other fearsome creatures of the sea. Although that peace is frequently broken by mortals who dare to trespass on the islands which were once her home. With Salica's magic, she is always willing to do her bidding in gratitude for quelling her darkness. When called, her presence can spontaneously be felt anywhere the water is wide enough for one of her massive tentacles. It is also said that her memory of pirates colors her attitude around mariknights, causing her to act more reticently in their presence. No one has ever seen her face from the deck of one of their ships.

Titan

Unlike the other four familiars, Titan is a life form created intentionally by its mistress, who was still exploring the limits of her power. It was created from a fraction of the sun's energy and Nidarys' own life force. The resulting creature was intelligent enough to communicate with its goddess and retain information and seemed to possess the ability to infuse itself with other creatures, including maulans, kerunites, geoli, and even the other familiars and share its energy and consciousness with its hosts. Nidarys encouraged Titan to explore this power further until it discovered that it can use this ability on more than one host at once, forming new creatures with three separate minds.

Preferring the memories it has made with its host creatures, Titan doesn't appear to be interested in an identity of its own. This singular preference for fusing with others and exploring life through their eyes is easily the only identifiable characteristic Titan has regarding personality.

Galeon's Festival of Winter

While Galeans also celebrate Salica during the winter season, paralleling the Festival of Winter in Resta and Midania, they have a unique set of traditions and folklore that differ greatly from the well-known Restan holiday. 

As with the Restan Festival of Winter, Salica’s Festival in Galeon is a time of hot food and drink, festive decor, song, and general merriment. It is common to see colorfully costumed theatre productions occurring in town squares, or groups of revelers drinking and breaking into song. As Salica’s holiday it is, of course, a time to embrace one’s emotions and celebrate that which the goddess gave us. Most major cities in Galeon host large celebrations, but many trek to one particular place — Moon Lake in northern Galeon — which has the largest Salican population in the country. The main attraction of the Moon Lake festival is a spectacular play portraying the traditional folklore of the holiday, complete with beautiful displays of storm magic performed by the Salican clerics who live there.

The folklore behind the festival is of entirely Galean origin. Rather than remembering King Dolph, it celebrates one of the country’s most honored heroines. The story of Zan dates back centuries, and celebrations of her heroism and bravery can be traced back almost as far. 

The tale starts in the fertile piece of land that lies in the center of where the Galean River (known by Restans as the Clearwater) diverges — a town now known as Zaniah. Most denizens of this town worked hard to cultivate their crops for themselves, and for the cities down the river. The people lived fulfilling, happy lives, and the land and rivers were kind to them. That is, until it suddenly dried up.

The people lamented for the crops that would inevitably die, and the people who would not have enough food to eat, and sent scouts out to try and discover the cause of the sudden drought. The scouts did not return, but the people had no time to mourn, as the sky suddenly grew dark with smoke and soot, lit only by small embers that rapidly grew in number. A large beast of flame suddenly emerged from the cloud, setting ablaze several homes on the edge of the town. The people would soon learn that the beast had been summoned at the behest of a power-hungry warlord from Resta, come to claim control of the river and its supply lines into the rest of Galeon. 

Many tried to strike down the beast, and some even tried to sneak past in order to attack the man directly, but nobody was strong enough to defeat it. As the village continued to lose hope, a woman who had lost most of her family decided to try a different approach. Zan, a woman of the Salican faith who tended to an orchard of pomegranate trees, began approaching the camp. Tears streamed down her face, and the frail demeanor she moved with caused the beast to disregard her, as it did not see her as a threat. She reached the tent of the warlord, showing the guards the basket of pomegranates she carried, claiming they were a gift, and that she had come to personally inform the man that her town would be surrendering. The warlord found her pretty, and bid them to let her pass into his tent. 

Zan smiled coyly at the wicked man, setting down her basket and taking his hand, causing him to feel an inexplicable rush of affection and trust towards her. She bade him to come back to the village with her so that the people could make their offerings to him and swear their fealty. He felt the urge to believe her, and so he went, leading her safely past his guards and the flame beast. 

The people of the village finally looked upon the man who had taken their water and burned their homes, and this is when Zan let her true power be known. The storm mage harnessed the anger of her neighbors and struck the man with a powerful bolt of lightning, killing him instantly and sending his guards fleeing. The flame beast charged towards Zan and the villagers, but the woman then harnessed the sadness the people felt after losing their homes and people, causing a massive downpour that doused the beast and tore away the dam, restoring the river and saving the village. 

Galeans glean many messages from the story of Zan, the main one being that emotions are healthy and productive, and that even painful feelings can drive people to positive action. In remembrance of Zan and her actions, pomegranates and pomegranate confections are commonly eaten during the Festival of Salica. One archaic tradition that has been largely abandoned by modern Galeans held that anonymously gifting someone a bushel of pomegranates during the time of the festival was considered a curse upon the recipient and a sign that someone wished one ill-will. Nowadays, people will occasionally do this, but only in jest.

Death Touch Chapter 21

First Chapter

Previous Chapter

Clint

“So, Maya drops me, and suddenly I’m fucking surrounded by snakes! So I’m firing off spells left and right, but the only ones that seem to be working involve fire. Not so great in a forest, heh?”

On the day following their adventure in Lightning Ridge, the champions and their friends had returned to Palon. By dusk, they found themselves in the living room of the Midas home, where they had occasion to discuss their exploits once more. Alexis listened to her brother’s story with growing shock, but was positively enraptured. Seth seemed to revel in the tale, but he seemed to forget just how rarely he shared details of his exploits with anyone. Clint admired the recent change in his friend and enjoyed hearing the story for a second time. 

“You nearly burned me alive,” Sam grumbled. “Have you ever actually protected anyone with that monster magic?”

That complaint seemed to stop Seth in his tracks. “Well--”

“He had my back the last time we were up there together,” Clint offered.

“Yeah, there’s that!” Seth exclaimed. “Also, I protect people all the time! I didn’t necessarily know where you were, but you’re smart. I figured you’d be alright and, in case you didn’t notice, you are!”

“Well, I may have helped her a bit,” Maya pointed out.

“You see? That’s one of the important things about spellwarriors!” Seth insisted. “Some of us are supporters, some of us are there to put the hurt on stuff! I’m just one of the latter!”

“Maya’s not a spellwarrior at all!” Sam complained.

“Irrelevant!” Seth retorted. “I trusted her with your safety and it paid off!”

Maya smiled and shook her head. “I appreciate the trust, but there are moments when I thought you could have said something to us.”

Clint chuckled and resisted the urge to thump Seth on the back with his palm at the last possible moment. “You come through when it counts, mate, but you do have a habit of slipping into a monstrous state from time to time.”

Seth and his friends joined Clint in his laughter, leaving Alexis alone in her bewilderment. “This is funny to you all? Is this the kind of stuff you get into all the time, Seth?”

Seth shrugged and shook his head. “Not really. I mean, I’m still pretty much a rookie, so I haven’t seen everything a spellwarrior gets up to. But those maulans… they’re no joke.”

“Could have fooled me!” Alexis snapped.

“What do you want from me?” Seth retorted. “To admit that I’m in some dangerous shit? Fine, ever since I got cursed I’ve forgotten how to sleep right and when I do sleep, I always wake up in a cold sweat. But this crap isn’t over! How am I supposed to get through it without laughing stuff off!”

Alexis’ expression softened. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t imagine in my wildest dreams what you’re going through. I glad that you’re coping at least.”

Seth sighed and slouched into the sofa cushion on which he sat. Maya pulled his head to her shoulder and hugged him comfortingly. He looked up at her with a grin before replying, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got enough to worry about without stupid stuff like this to piss me off.”

“You’ve got that right,” Sam said. “So, what do you guys plan to do next?”

Seth shrugged, leaving Clint to answer. “Well, we’ve got Nicholai’s treasure. That just leaves two more pieces. We don’t really have a clue where to find the other two yet, but I figure that while we wait for Sara, I’ll head to the library and see if I can track down any legends similar to the sword.”

Alexis scoffed. “Seriously? You hate going to the library!”

Clint nodded. “Of course, but I’m willing to bet championing the God of Knowledge comes with the responsibility of figuring stuff out.”

“Want me to come with?” Sam offered eagerly. “I love to read and I know my way around a library!”

“I don’t see why not. I can use the help,” Clint said. “Do you want to come to, Alexis?”

Alexis shook her head. “Dr. Clark is out of town and Richard is gone, so Jason and I have to pull double shifts to keep the infirmary running.”

Seth raised his eyebrows. “When did Dr. Clark leave?”

Almost simultaneously, Clint asked, “Who’s Jason?”

Ignoring Clint, Alexis looked reproachfully at Seth. “Do you ever read the news?”

“As a general rule, no,” Seth replied.

“Honestly! Dr. Clark is a member of the royal family. Someone’s been targeting them lately, so it makes sense that the queen would want him in the capitol.”

“Oh. I had no idea the doctor was a royal. That kind of makes me wonder what he’s doing way the hell out here.”

“He told me he never cared for life in the court,” Alexis said with a frown. “I think he preferred it here. Even with his older brother and sister dead, the guards practically had to drag him back to the capitol.”

“You have to respect a man who would stick to his lifestyle even when his life is endangered,” Maya said admiringly.

“Oh, if this stuff blows over, you should totally meet him! He’s a great man,” Alexis exclaimed. “He travels over fifty miles each week to treat people down in Solan because they don’t have any doctors. He’s an inspiration to medics everywhere.”

Clint never did like the way Alexis’ eyes gleamed when she talked about her mentor and so he was compelled to change the subject. “Well, I’m sure you guys will all feel his loss. Luckily he has the best nurse in the kingdom and… Jason to hold down the fort.”

Alexis’ eyes narrowed so subtly that Clint was sure he was the only one who noticed. “Yep, that reminds me! I should get going! Bye, everyone! Maya, Sam, it was nice to meet you two! Seth, you better stay safe out there!”

Clint noticed that she had omitted him from her goodbyes while the others returned them. So, when Alexis hurried out the door, Clint followed her outside. Away from Seth’s eyes at last, Clint pulled Alexis into an embrace that he couldn’t help but think was accepted reluctantly.

“You didn’t think I was going to let you go without saying goodbye to me, did you?”

Alexis smiled up at Clint’s face. “I’m glad you didn’t. I’ve missed you.”

Feeling relieved, Clint responded, “Same here. I haven’t been gone long, but the next time I leave could be for a while. I know you’re busy, but if you can find the time, I’d like to spend as much of it as I can before that happens.”

“We’ll see. Things have been pretty slow since the Doctor left, but I still might be spending most of that time at work.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I’ll just bother you at the infirmary sometime.”

“I’m required to tell you that in the doctor’s absence, you won’t be admitted without any illness or life-threatening injury. But in your case, I’d be willing to lend you my scalpel to nick yourself with

Clint chuckled and gave her a kiss. “I think it’s been too long since anyone told you how scary you are.”

“It runs in the family,” Alexis said in warning. “Be careful with my brother.”

“I will. What are you going to do if Doc doesn’t come back?”

Alexis shrugged. “We’re working on that. He left us some medical books to read in our downtime. We can’t replace him, but Jason’s pretty good with herbs and I might be able to figure out some of Dr. Clark‘s magic. I just hope no one comes through here needing a major surgery.”

“Well, good luck! You’ll make an awesome doctor!”

Alexis sighed and turned to leave. “Yeah, but I didn’t want to learn this way. Thanks, though

As Alexis walked away, Clint called out, “Seriously! Who’s Jason?”

Alexis turned around and answered impatiently. “He’s the other nurse! How did you not pick that up?”

Clint waved to Alexis and turned back into the house only to find the door locked. He knocked patiently to which Seth’s voice called out in reply. “What’s the password!”

“I‘m best friends with a child!” Clint shouted back.

The door swung open in response and Seth let him back in. “It’s uncanny how you can keep guessing them no matter how often I change them.”

“Ha, ha,” Clint said dryly. “So, library?”

Seth shook his head. “No, there’s a Chaotic temple in town so I, at least, have the option of asking Ragos for tips.”

“You told me you never mastered the language,” Clint said, his eyebrows raised.

“I told you I couldn’t master it in the ungodly short time we got. Besides, I can always just get the priest to translate like Maximus did.”

“The guy in your temple’s an asshole. I think it’d be faster to hit the scrolls.”

Seth grimaced. “Yeah, you’re probably right. It‘s still worth a shot, though. It’s not like the priest’s going to hurt the Champion of Ragos… much.”

“Priests shouldn’t hurt anyone!” Sam exclaimed reproachfully. 

“You really ought to meet more Chaotics,” Clint said with a smirk. “They actually consider it a mark of shame to leave one of their temples without a bruise.”

“It’s better take a blow to harden your skin than the dishonor of not being considered worth hitting,” Seth said in mock sagacious tone.

“Your religion’s warrior code is fascinating,” Maya said. “But why is physical violence so stimulating to you?”

“They’re masochistic freaks,” Clint joked.

“Careful. You’re saying that in the home of a Chaotic,” Seth growled.

“You know a Chaotic loves you when they bother to be subtle with their threats.”

“Fuck you!” Seth snapped.

“I don’t recall asking your innermost desire today,” Clint retorted with a roguish smirk.

Seth moved to punch him in the shoulder, but stopped himself with a gasp.

After an awkward moment of hesitation, Clint decided to strike at the sudden tension with another joke. “It’s okay. I don’t need to feel your loving touch to know how much you care. Coming, Sam?”