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SWORDS OF FATE: THE BALANCE ALTERED
Chapter 1
The Council of the King
When the wizened Elvish lord Eagare received word that his old friend needed help in the council of some military matters, he was at once very worried. In the days of old he had been willing to help all that would come; and he still was. But Eagare was becoming weary with the comings and goings of the worlds as he traipsed along the old pathway. Immortal and fair he was with a cunning mind and skilled hands. But he was often troubled. Troubled by his task in the world. Troubled by his own life.
“Thousands of lives of Men have passed before today and still there are problems in Dorminath! Will these Men ever learn?!” Eagare mumbled to himself as walked down the Old Road leading to the great castle of Minareth Uduli. As an Elf, Eagare was wise, impervious to sickness and disease and skilled in crafts of all kinds. With his whitish-gray hair waving in the wind and his fair face shining in the sun, Eagare looked far from old. Eagare had been summoned by Etherom, the King of the greatest kingdom of Men, Dorminath to speak on matters concerning a response to raids on the kingdom at a secret council of only the king’s closest friends. At this council Eagare was to give advice as to what should be done about the frequent raids of the Narmin Annethe which daily harassed the folk of the Kingdom, pillaging and the like.
“Hail Eagare!” shouted a voice. Eagare whirled around, sword out. He began to reach for his calm centre, penetrated by nothing, preparing him for battle. Eagare almost laughed when he saw what he was about to strike. An old man with graying hair and a face that showed great wisdom and experience was hunched on the side of the dusty old road. And it was not just any man; it was Eagare’s old friend and partner Amileth.
“Amileth,” Eagare exclaimed surprised “I haven’t seen you in ages! Where have you been?”
“You know me Eagare, I was never the type for dangerous adventures,” Amileth responded “I only helped you kill the Raid-master because I was living on the streets and wanted to start a new life. So, here I am, on my way to a council in Dorminath. I knew the old King when he was but a boy! Still he can’t solve his own problems!”
Eagare laughed. “A stroke of luck, I am on my way to Dorminath’s council as well. Let us go together.”
“Now,” Eagare said becoming more serious, “what do you think should be done with the Raids of the Narmin Annethe? Although you and I destroyed the Raid-master years ago, it would seem that now the Narmin Annethe conceal an evil plot. These raids must be a cover for something, there is no point in them; the Narmin Annethe are already wealthy and they know that the might of Dorminath is too much for them.”
“You are right,” Amileth responded,” but I’m not sure what purpose the Narmin Annethe hope to accomplish either. The only conclusion I have made is that they are preparing for war and are distracting the King while they make their preparations.”
“War?!” Eagare exclaimed, surprised. “Would the Narmin Annethe dare go that far? I know they are opposed to the Kingdom, but to start a war against them, it’s unreal… But, you may be right,” Eagare continued becoming more concerned, “if the Narmin Annethe really are preparing for war, the King must be warned immediately. The Narmin Annethe must be stopped; we cannot allow their plans to continue, no matter what their purpose may be.” By this time, Eagare and Amileth had entered the realm of Dorminath. Minareth Uduli, the Golden City would be in sight in mere moments.
“Ah, there it is,” Eagare said, “The grand city of Minareth Edaria, built by the men of Arathrim in the days of his Kingdom.” Minareth Edaria was a sight to behold. Its walls were made of the best almost unbreakable stone. It was said that in the days of old, Arathrim had come on to these lands during his fight against the Demons. He was in desperate need of a standing position, as the war was still young, so he ordered that a mighty fortress be built. The builders were of remarkable skill, some of the first to raise structures. Arathrim did not like a cornered or squared off fortress as he was afraid of being flanked. He ordered that the fortress be built into Mount Nemin itself, its walls curving around until the met the mountain. Minareth Edaria was to be the centre of the High Seat. The Citadel was 800 meters above the first wall of ten, each one higher than the one before, but each one having a smaller circumference. It was said that the innermost wall would never fall while men faithful to the King defended it.
“I remember when that fortress was just beginning its construction,” Eagare said as he and Amileth passed under to tall sycamore trees, their branches seeming to reflect the light into an interesting pattern of gold.
The gate of Minareth Uduli was open and people could be seen passing in and out of the city. From the citadel, sprouted a shining tower made of the finest stone and crowned at the top with gold. At the tip of this tower, there was a large platform with a sculpture of a mighty dragon.
According to legend, if Minareth Uduli was ever in dire need, where not even the King’s Guard could hold off the storm of foul creatures that hammered at the gates of the citadel, the golden dragon would send a ray of silver light into the sky, and They would come. No one had ever really seen the Nirnaeth Edare, or Dragon Riders, before. Some said that the Nirnaeth Edare were actually somewhat dragons themselves.
None is known about the culture of these Dragon Worshippers except this: the Riders of the Dragons are Elves of some sort; but as for their Dragonish nature, there is no knowledge of where they got it and, even more importantly, how.
Although Eagare’s gaze was occupied with the brilliance of Minareth Uduli, he couldn’t help but notice something wrong amongst the people. It was as if there was a strong aura of fear surrounding the Golden City. And it was not until Eagare, being as wise as he was, looked into the face of a civilian passerby that he knew what was wrong. Fear. It was written on his face. Eagare soon guessed the problem. The people were scared for their lives and for their futures. While it was likely that Minareth Uduli would be able to hold out against the Raids of the Narmin Annethe, The surrounding villages would be razed to the ground, as would the farms and nearby ports. People, would lose everything.
The civilian spotted Eagare while he stared at him and quickened his pace. Unusual, thought Eagare, most unusual. “Amileth, these people, there’s something just not right, it’s not just the raids, and it seems as if there is something larger, a more complex scheme involved in this.
“All the more reason to warn the King!" If we don’t act swiftly, I’m afraid that the Narmin Annethe could gain valuable allies of which we know not.” Amileth said this in a strong tone but there was no mistaking the urgency in his voice.
“Eagare?! Amileth?! Is that you?” said a familiar voice. A thin young woman with shoulder length light brown hair and sporting a dark green cloak approached Eagare and Amileth.
“Why hello Jaina, what brings you here? Doesn’t the King have you doing some important errand or something?” Eagare asked.
“That is the precise reason I’m here.” Jaina replied. “In fact, the King has not been himself lately. He seems ill and he has become very short-tempered. He also resorts to killing for any judicial problems within the Kingdom.
“That’s grave news indeed.” Eagare said wearily. “I remember the King as being such a patient man with a good heart. Alas, things have changed” Eagare glanced at the woods surrounding Minareth Uduli. The Dark Woods were sacred to the people of the City. Nevertheless, it was said that these Woods were treacherous to anyone but the King himself and any he should choose to take with him through the woods.
For inside the woods, there lay a secret. A secret that shadowed the King’s every move. Whenever an important decision or law was made, the King, some of his Guard and his advisors would leave Minareth Uduli for a few days and pass into the Woods. Upon his return, the King’s decision was made, and, almost always, the decision was the right one.
But not always. There was one King, styling himself Nan- Teromnith, in the Common Tongue meaning the Sacred One, who made a decision that almost destroyed Dorminath. The decision in question was concerned with whether or not the Kingdom should go to war against the Wolfar who were closely affiliated with wolves, riding them into battle, admiring their cunning, and, most importantly, their leader was a cross between a wolf and a man.
As always, the King went into the Woods where he would come out with his decision made. The people knew of course, that the King would always make the right decision after consulting what they knew was in the heart of the Woods: The Golden Statue of the Law. It held all the records and laws of the Kingdom of Dorminath ever since it began. Of course, only the King was able to consult the Statue. In the presence of the Statue, the King would instantly be filled with knowledge of all laws ad records concerning Dorminath. Unfortunately, once the King had left the Woods, he would lose all knowledge of the laws he had known. Only one thing would he remember of the laws: his decision.
Unfortunately, it is the King who makes the decision, not the Statue. This would not have mattered to anyone except Nan-Teromnith. Although he was wise, Nan-Teromnith was ruthless and bloodthirsty. Not so much to those who lived in the Kingdom, but to anyone that opposed him in a militaristic or political way. Because of his character, it is only logical to think that Nan-Teromnith wanted to go to war with the Wolfar.
Everyone felt safe, even those who hadn’t wanted to go to war, when Nan-Teromnith came out of the Woods saying that the armies would be mustered to end the Wolfar. The next day, the gates of Minareth Uduli opened and an army with such a quantity of Men that had never before been seen upon Annethe marched out. Leading the army was Nan-Teromnith. It took many hours for the entire army to make their way out of Minareth Uduli, the force being five hundred thousand strong at the least.
The forces of Dorminath arrived in the southern land of Annethe where the Wolfar lived in their warlike tribes fifteen days after the departure from Minareth Uduli. Nan-Teromnith ordered his forces to “Kill them all!” and, with the King in the lead, they charged upon the Wolfar camps. Upon reaching the Wolfar camp, Nan-Teromnith stopped dead in his tracks. The camp was deserted. A stone was stuck in the ground only a few meters away from Nan-Teromnith. On it was engraved (in the tongue of the Wolfar) “You came seeking to destroy, yet you found only your own destruction.”
Everything became clear to Nan-Teromnith. The Wolfar were attacking Minareth Uduli. The Statue had been right yet he had not listened to it, only to himself. “They seek to attack Minareth Uduli while we are occupied here!” Nan-Teromnith yelled, and for the first time, he seemed frightened. He knew that even if he managed to save Minareth Uduli, he would be facing a revolt; his people had trusted him, and he had failed them. No, he hadn’t failed them yet, but if he didn’t hurry all would be lost.
“Ride to Minareth Uduli with all haste!” Nan-Teromnith commanded. Then, more quietly, he said to his horse: “Bear me to Minareth Uduli faster than the Dragon flies. Never have I had more need of haste than now, Shadowrunner! Now Fly!” And Shadowrunner showed all who had eyes quick enough to see him the true meaning of haste. With Shadowrunner’s leadership, the army made it back to Dorminath within four days. But as they moved steadily closer to where Minareth Uduli stood, they could see that some thing was wrong.
Smoke was rising from Minareth Uduli and seven of the ten walls had been breached. Nan-Teromnith was appalled to see about three hundred of the Dragon Guard make a desperate charge through the gate. Somehow, these forces must’ve been trapped, unnoticed somewhere along the first wall, and had steadily snuck along to the gate. However clever they had been, they stood no chance against the Wolfar army, one hundred thousand strong at the most.
Nan-Teromnith had to act swiftly. He ordered his forces to charge at the Wolfar army and quickly make their way to each wall. Soon enough, the Wolfar were defeated and later Nan Teromnith destroyed the Wolfar encampments. Very few Wolfar escaped.
Eagare pondered these things for a while. One thought came back to him: Very few Wolfar escaped. Very few, Eagare thought, but some did escape. Was it possible that they…?
“Amileth! I have just remembered something. The records of Dorminath show that Nan-Teromnith destroyed most, but not all of the Wolfar. It may be possible that after all these years, the Wolfar have arisen again. Perhaps they have been assisting the Narmin Annethe with their Raids.” Eagare looked very worried. If this were true then the Narmin Annethe might be able to do more damage than was supposed.
By this time, Eagare, Amileth and Jaina had reached the chamber of the King in the very heart of Minareth Uduli. The door-warden asked who was entering and what their business was. After telling the warden who they were and that they were there to give counsel to the King, Eagare and his companions were allowed to enter.
Eagare, Jaina and Amileth walked into the cool throne room. Along the walls were golden statues of all the Kings of the past. Nearby, there was a new statue that had only just begun its construction. The legs and lower torso but it seemed as if the sculptors were having some trouble with the upper body as the stone seemed to have been reworked several times and a fines dust of rubble littered the area around the mighty statue.
At the end of the hall was a tall, throne made of the finest gold and, in a silver outline, was the emblem of Minareth Uduli: a silver dragon with flaming eyes set in black background. In this grand throne sat a rather tall man who, with graying hair looked as if he had once been a man of kindness and wisdom. As it was, the King had an icy blue gaze; almost threatening that looked nothing like the warm, friendly stare that Eagare had once cherished.
The King looked so different than Eagare remembered him to look. He had believed Jaina when she said the King had changed. Or had he? His feelings towards the King as he had once been were powerful emotions that were hard to let go of. I’m losing my touch, Eagare thought to himself Just because he used to be a fair man doesn’t mean he is now; I must be cautious.
Eagare gave Amileth a warning look. But Jaina, she had no way of knowing how much the King had changed since Eagare had last visited him. He tried to warn Jaina about talking about Amileth and himself to the King by giving her the same glance he had given Amileth, but he was too late.
“Hail King Etherom, Lord of Minareth Uduli!” Jaina exclaimed. “I present to you Master Eagare and Master Amileth. They come here to aid you with counsel concerning the raids of the Narmin Annethe.”
Eagare and Amileth both bowed deeply. Better to include all the formalities, Eagare thought wearily.
“Ah, King Etherom, what a pleasure it is to see you in such health,” said Amileth kindly. “We came as your messenger requested, and, just like last time you needed help, we are there to provide it.” Eagare knew that Amileth was trying to be as polite as possible to the King, for he too had noted the change in the King’s face.
“You think I, King of Dorminath did not realize who you were?” King Etherom sneered. “Was it not I that called you to this council? The Narmin Annethe have arisen and with them, they bring a new nation of the cursed Wolfar. You come to my aid now. But I ask myself: what do you have to offer me? I already know that I must destroy all that oppose the Kingdom. It was only because of that little girl,” he glanced at Jaina who looked shocked at the King’s outburst “and her persistent whining that I allowed you entry into the council.
“Calm down, we are here to help you out of your troubles,” said Eagare consolingly. “But you must act swiftly if you are to do anything that will save your people. You must first wait until the other members of the council arrive and then you, with the others will come to a common ground on what shall be done.”
Slowly, one by one, others entered the chamber. There were Dwarves, Elves and Men. When all of the members of the council had arrived and found their seats, the King spoke. “You all know why you are here,” he said. “The Raids on my fair Kingdom must be halted and soon. I did not summon you here to ask your opinion on what must be done; in truth, I ask you if you will help me with what must be done. We go to war, tomorrow. You must decide if you desire to join me in my conquest.”
The other members were shocked. They felt tricked. It was as if they had come to this “council” only to be enlisted as soldiers. Eagare knew what had happened. He was trapped. If he didn’t agree to go with the King, then he would be seen as an enemy by him. Eagare now saw how much the King truly had changed. The old King would never have done such a cruel thing to those he had called his friends.
All at once, the room broke into noise. People were arguing with each other. Some merely sat still, shocked because of what they had just heard
Eagare took charge of the situation. “King Etherom, why have you done this to us whom you once called friends?” he said “Why have you so quickly chosen the path of war? And most importantly, why have you lied to us? Know this, you will never, while the Gods rule, enlist my aid by force.”
“Never while the Gods rule… that oath won’t hold for long,” the King said quietly so that no one but Eagare could here him. Eagare was puzzled by what the King had just said but he thought that it was just a retort. Besides, he had more important things to attend to. Suddenly, the King motioned to the Guards of the Throne Room. The Guards, who had been standing silently in the shadows walked forward with their weapons in hand.
Eagare looked at the King in disbelief as he drew his own blade. One of the Guards suddenly lunged forward, swinging his sword high at Eagare’s head. Eagare brought his own blade to bear and parried high. Then, without warning, Eagare made a strong horizontal swing which the soldier managed to block, barley; but that was exactly what Eagare wanted the Guard to do. He made a powerful vertical swipe at the soldier’s sword then reverse gripped and swung his sword around. There was no resistance this time. The swing had taken the soldier’s head right off his torso. There was a small stain of blood on the floor and on the blade of Eagare’s sword, which he then wiped clean.
“Are you sure you want to attack me?” Eagare asked as the second Guard approached him. The Guard froze instantly and, with a glance at the King, he returned to his post. “Etherom, this is madness. You must calm yourself! If we are to deal with this threat then we must decide as a group.
The King looked back at Eagare and spoke quietly. “I will leave this decision up to my son, Aromneth.” He then left the chamber. A young man with long dark hair and a handsome face rose. Eagare was instantly drawn to the man. He was not like the King, he looked kind. Like the King had used to look.
“Prince Aromneth, what is your plan? Do you wish to go to war?” Eagare asked the Price in a relaxed voice. He felt much more comfortable now that the Prince was overseeing the meeting.
“I feel that we must go to war,” the Prince said in a clear voice At this Amileth tried to stifle a groan Hopefully this didn’t turn out like Etherom. “But I do not think that we need do it rashly. No one need join me if they do not see it fit. I give them choice and they will not be viewed as enemies for disagreeing; but, there is only one way. The Narmin Annethe will not give in to diplomacy. If you do not wish to go to war, then I have only one other option: a select group is sent to infiltrate the Narmin Annethe and the foul Wolfar and uncover the secret of these Raids. If this is done, we will then know if it is necessary to go to war. It was a few minutes before anyone in the council spoke. Aromneth’s message was still sinking in.
Suddenly Amileth spoke. “I believe in you and your cause. I will fight for you. I wish to join this infiltration squad. If we can find a reason to go to war, then I speak for all of us when I say we will.”
Eagare then spoke himself. “I will come. I feel the same way as Amileth. I also guess that you will want to come along to?” Eagare said, looking at Jaina who nodded.
“I will come too. My name is Udaniath” This time, it was a young elf-lord that spoke.
“Excellent,” Aromneth said. “I myself will come on the Quest. We shall be called
The Five Journeyers. Let us depart as soon as possible, there is work to be done.”
And so it was that the The Five Journeyers came about. The Quest was to be simple and its benefits short-term. But, as in all tales of importance, there are hidden plots and new discoveries.
bear in mind that this is the most brief and unrevised of all the chapters and I am currently working on a much better version. Read chapters 2-5 before you judge me.
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