AC2:Announcements - 2004/02 - The Consequences of Chaos
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February Episode: "The Consequences of Chaos"
From her vantage point high above the city of Cragstone, Ciandra gazed at the roiling black clouds that dominated the southwestern sky. Those quickly-spreading clouds marked where the glittering port city of Yaraq had once stood. She slowly turned her back to those clouds and hobbled towards the tower where the Council should have by now assembled. After casting one more worried glance towards the churning clouds, she stepped into the chamber.
As she had assumed, all of the Council members had arrived and she made her way to her seat near the head of the table. Ciandra thought back to some of her first Council meetings. It had been so overwhelming for her at the time, and she had been so young, yet the responsibility of representing the Arcanum before so many greats had fallen squarely on her shoulders. In those early days, it had merely been High Queen Strathelar's Council. The world had changed since then. The long-departed Queen was celebrated as a hero, even called 'Saint Elysa' by some, although this irritated Ciandra, who thought Elysa would be shocked to find herself a religious figure. The High Queen's Council had become the Council of Races, where the leading members of Dereth's factions met to resolve their differences and discuss the issues that troubled the land. It was this Council that had watched over Dereth and led it through its Golden Age. Now it would watch over that age's dissolution.
From the head of the enormous table, Matriarch Kytheos's booming voice called the meeting to order. To her left sat the current High Queen, Sirda Strathelar. Ciandra still found the woman's resemblance to her "sainted" great-grandmother striking. To the Matriarch's right, Shi Xamatah sat uncomfortably. No matter how excellent the chair's workmanship, Ciandra had never seen a Tumerok comfortable in a high-backed chair. Surrounding these leaders were the Council's other representatives, all of them prominent merchants, nobles and archmages. And then there were the representatives of the so-called Kingdoms.
To represent the Order of Dereth, Lord Asheron had sent his pupil Nalicana. The woman was young by Empyrean standards, not yet three centuries old, and her height was slight, scarcely nine spans. Of course, Empyrean standards were not human standards, so the woman looked as if she were seated in chair made for a child. Ciandra was still unsure what to think of her. Ciandra did not share the prejudice some felt towards Empyreans, but she still wondered how this woman had escaped from portalspace while the rest of her race remained trapped.
Opposite Nalicana was Isin Dule's lieutenant, Naokim. He had been sent in Dule's place to represent the Shadow Kingdom. This man -- if man he was -- presented even more of an enigma. From his stature, Cianda guessed that he had been an Empyrean before his transformation into a translucent ebon shade. She had some familiarity with ancient languages and suspected his name was Dericost in origin, but Naokim always met questions regarding his past with a cold silence. He spoke rarely, and when he did, his rumbling voice echoed and reverberated in the minds of his listeners. Few were confident or daring enough to speak to him.
The final Kingdom representative was perhaps the most unusual. This cloaked figure floated several inches off the floor at the far end of the table. The eyes of the corpulent merchant seated next to it darted towards it every few seconds, as if to make sure the creature had not pulled a scalpel from the ether to flay his skin off. While Ciandra understood the man's nervousness, she did not share it. Actually, she found the creature's presence reassuring. In the long years since the Council was formed, only this creature and herself had been at every single council meeting. No matter how the world changed, she knew that this Virindi--which still insisted on calling itself "Claude"--would be present.
Matriarch Kytheos's voice boomed again, startling Ciandra from her reveries. "I'm sure the reason for this meeting is apparent to everyone; however, let us briefly review the night's events." She turned her attention to a human seated on her left. "Ketral, would you please do so?"
Ketral, the Explorer's Guild representative, nodded. He stood up and crossed the room, standing before the great map of Dereth that dominated the eastern wall of the chamber. "What we know of last night's events, we have been told by those few eyewitnesses who survived them."
Raising his hand to point at a town located on the eastern coast of the Inner Sea, Ketral continued. "During the middle of the second watch, the townspeople of Yaraq were jarred from their sleep by a deep, rumbling sound. Most fled from their homes into the street, fearing an earthquake. These people were shocked to see that the waters of the Inner Sea had vanished, leaving ships grounded and fish gasping for breath. Several terrified townspeople fled into portals leading to other towns, and wisely so. A few minutes later, a great bolt of darkness erupted from the Inner Sea, shattering the moon Rez'arel and obliterating Yaraq. So far, the scouts that we've sent into the area have not returned."
Kytheos nodded as Ketral took his seat again. "Thank you. Magus Ciandra, has the Arcanum sent any scouts to the area?"
Ciandra cleared her throat and nodded. "We have, and they have not returned, either." Looking down at the table, she quietly added, "I do not expect them to."
"Nor do I," Queen Sirda interjected. "We all realize that this event signals the return of the Hopeslayer, do we not? His ancient threat is now made manifest."
"Let us not assume anything," Kytheos interrupted. "Naokim, your Kingdom is...well, closest, for lack of a better term, to the Hopeslayer and his realm. What can you tell us of these tidings?"
The room remained silent for many moments. A few representatives shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Abruptly, the silence was broken by Naokim's deep baritone.
"Although my master, Isin Dule, has long since severed all ties with his former lord, we still sense many things that occur in the realm beyond. We believe that a great struggle has taken place in that realm, and that our former lord was the victor. Bael'Zharon has returned."
The room was quiet once more as the impact of Naokim's words sunk in. Finally, Kytheos' spoke again. "And where does the Shadow Kingdom stand on this?"
Naokim responded much more quickly this time. "Our position is...difficult. We can come to no decisions until our Master returns to us."
"When do you expect him to return?" Shi Xamatah asked.
"We expect him when we see him," Naokim answered. "Until that time, we cannot and will not declare ourselves against the Hopeslayer. Nor will we serve his cause."
"Even if your neutrality means the destruction of the world?" blurted Queen Sirda.
Before Naokim could answer, Kytheos interrupted, "Please, Sirda, we must have order." Turning her attention back to the assembled Council, she nodded slightly. "Thank you, Naokim. Your forthrightness is appreciated. Mistress Nalicana, have you received any word from Lord Asheron?"
As everyone's eyes turned toward her, Nalicana blinked. "I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. Yes, I spoke with my Lord this very morning. For many years he has feared the return of this threat and prepared for it. He has been studying the Menhir rings and their sources of power. He believes he may have discovered a means of tapping into that power and using it against our Enemy. However, the enchantments are difficult, and he fears that he may not bring this new power to bear in time."
From the far end of the table, Ciandra heard a voice like a swarm of buzzing bees. "Fascinating."
Barely able to keep the irritation from her voice, Kytheos' looked at the cloaked figure and asked, "Do you have something to add, representative...Claude?"
Ciandra still wondered about the entity's choice of name. She knew that the Virindi had once thought to disguise themselves as humans; presumably Claude had chosen its name during that time, before its people had realized the futility of their deception. Yet it still insisted that it was Claude. Perhaps it thought mortals were reassured by familiar names? The Virindi failure to understand mortals would almost be humorous, Ciandra thought, if their attempts at understanding did not sometimes extend to vivisection.
In that same buzzing voice, the figure continued. "We of the Singularity have long studied the power that flows through Auberean, yet we have been unable to completely grasp it or tap into it. It is always fascinating to us when flesh creatures are able to do what we cannot."
"And what are you proposing?" Nalicana shot out.
"Nothing, Mistress Nalicana," the creature continued in its toneless voice. "We have no interest in seizing this power, especially now, with the Dark Walker returned."
"Silence, please!" Kytheos boomed. "We must not allow this Council to dissolve. Now more than ever, the Council must be united." She paused, weighing her words. "Magus Ciandra, what can the Arcanum do to oppose this threat?"
Ciandra shook her head sadly. "We have little strength to offer. We are researchers and scholars, not warriors. Although we continue our study of the Shrine of Transcendence, so far it has yet to unlock new potential in any of our volunteers. I fear it will not aid you in this conflict."
After a moment, Ciandra continued. "Of course, our knowledge is at your disposal. However, I must warn you that our goals in the coming conflict will be very different. You must work for the preservation of life; we must work for the preservation of knowledge. If we stood victorious over the Hopeslayer, yet lost all the knowledge we have accumulated, we would achieve nothing at all."
"So the Arcanum, too, will stand idle?" Queen Sirda exclaimed.
"Not at all, your Majesty." Ciandra's normally quiet voice grew louder and more stern. "As I stated, our knowledge is at your disposal. We will continue to research the Shrine. We will also study this new manifestation of the Hopeslayer. However, above all, we must work to preserve all that we have discovered."
"How do you propose to do this?" Kytheos asked.
"The Arcanum possesses a great library, as well as many artifacts of ancient power. No wards or spells will prevent Bael'Zharon from seizing these treasures once he becomes aware of them. Instead of allowing this, we will scatter our stores through out Dereth. I have commanded that hundreds of caches be hidden, containing the very finest of our artifacts and lore. Our Lugian adepts will summon minions to protect each cache, while other students will cast wards to hide them from our enemies."
Kytheos pressed her, "How will you record the locations of these caches? And how will you dispel the protective wards when it is time to reclaim them?"
"The location of each cache will be recorded in a gem. These gems will lead the Arcanum's searchers back to the caches, even if they remain hidden for hundreds of years. After that, our agents will use a complex device called a 'recondite machine' to dispel the wards and minions protecting the caches."
One of the archmages replied, "These are impressive preparations, Magus, but do you really feel this is necessary? Why, things don't seem that desperate yet, do they?"
"I lived through the Hopeslayer's last assault on Dereth. We were extremely fortunate to have defeated him once, and we cannot expect to be so lucky a second time. I fear the prosperity and peace we have enjoyed for the past hundred years is over. It ended last night."
Ciandra paused, looking at the assembled Council, then continued. "I can sense that my time is nearly upon me. Few of us indeed may live to see another spring. We must face this threat, we must fight it, but we must also prepare as best we can for those who follow us. Our Golden Age may be over, but our sweat and spilled blood may one day help our children, our grandchildren, or our grandchildren's grandchildren to create a Golden Age of their own."
Ciandra crossed her arms and looked defiantly into Queen Sirda's eyes. "I do not call that standing idle. Not at all."