Lord Of The LEGO wrote: Viktor flung himself into the chair.
"Then get on with it."
Grid: K-10
Location: The Dancing Tom Cat Inn
Date: August 19, 2005
Solesstorn narrowed his eyes at the arrogant Easterner, and then continued his tale.
“The attack went smoothly at first. I led the forces on the ground as we launched a diversionary assault to draw out Vermicus’s forces. Meanwhile, my brother Orlan led a group of his best knights up through a secret tunnel into the depths of the Dark Fortress, where they killed Vladek, the commander of the Shadow Knights, splintering the defences of the Fortress.”
At this point, Santis broke in. "Hey! Vladek, you say? Ain’t he still alive? Only about a year ago, I saw him myself, leading his Shadow Knight scum."
Solesstorn sighed.
Another interruption. When will these impertinent Easterners learn to shut up?
The wizard held back his sharp tongue, and answered slowly.
"That was Vladek I that my brother killed. The Vladek that currently rules the free Shadow Knights is named Vladek II, in memory of that malicious shifty-brick."
"What do you mean by ‘free Shadow Knights’?” Jaythus asked. I thought they were all ruled by Vladek and the Shadow Council."
Solesstorn was beginning to loose his temper. When would they be quiet and let him finish his story?
"I'll get to that bit in a minute. You have to hear this part for it to make sense. Now, as I was saying...
"Once the warriors of the Fortress had been scattered and defeated, there was only Vermicus himself left to destroy, brooding at the top of his tower. But the Great Sorcerer was unbeatable by practical means. He was immune to any weapon or spell we used on him, and he killed many brave men with horrible ease.
“But then we brought forth our secret weapon: the Shield of Ages."
"The Shield of Ages!?" Mikelen shouted, in a manner that betrayed his age. "That can't be possible!"
Solesstorn gritted his teeth, but kept his cool.
"Yes, that was the Shield of Ages that your legends speak of. It was a mighty weapon that had been forged in years past, in a far-off land to ward off darkness. Orlan and I recovered it during one of our previous adventures, on a mission for the Council. Indeed, my brother held it up, and sent Vermicus’s spells of death right back at him. The Great Sorcerer, not expecting such a cunning move, was thrown down, and his staff broken.
"But there was still the Vladmask to deal with. We had to destroy it quickly, as Vermicus was already recuperating his mana. I was supposed to use my own magic to finish Vermicus, as Orlan had used most of his energy already, with the Shield of Ages.
"But...I couldn't."
At this point, Solesstorn’s voice started to waver. The three Easterners leaned in closer.
"As I started to tear the Vladmask apart with my power...Evil spoke in my head. He told me to leave it, that Vermicus was as good as dead anyway, and that my brother should finish him off by rights."
"I stopped. I failed. I didn’t destroy it . The Vladmask was damaged, but not broken. I tore my hand away, but - " he raised his Undead hand, with its pale green and grey colours, and peeling skin - "My failure scarred me. I was cursed for my foolery with the curse of undeath. Forever.
Viktor stared at the wizard and his defiled hand with a mixture of sympathy and disgust. Jaythus blinked a few times, his eyes dim.
"Orlan was furious with me, and cursed my name, but he knew that he had to bring down Vermicus, so he gave his own life’s energy to kill Vermicus’s physical form instead.
"As soon as Orlan plunged his sword down into his enemy's body, Vermicus’s spirit was instantly banished to the astral plains. His armies fled mindlessly into the hills and mountains, like ants without a ruler. The Dark Fortress crumbled and broke. The Vladmask splintered, and fell into a deep chasm. The entire Scopos clan was scattered, just like the Orcs and Trolls. Ankoria – and all of Dametreos – was freed from Vermicus and his machinations.
"But my brother paid a terrible price for his sacrifice. Giving his life's energy removed his immortality, and he became a mere mortal man. I was branded with the scar of Undeath.
"Orlan, as I said, was furious with me. He called me a coward and a traitor, and he was right. I tried to tell him of my meeting with Evil, and of the insights I gained – but he wanted nothing more to do with me. He disowned me and set off with his knights and the now-broken Shield of Ages, to form a new home for himself in Dametreos. They became known as the Knights of the Citadel, as they formed the Citadel of Orlan in the Moorlands and became masters of fighting. They were the ancestors of the Knights’ Kingdom, but they mingled and their noble blood is now all but spent. Bur it exists still...in the veins of the Knights' Kingdomers. Because all of you are descendents of the Knights of the Citadel, though your blood has mingled with the others."
"But that means..." Jaythus began.
"Oh, leave it, lad." Santis cut in. "I want to hear the end of this thing. Go on, Solesstorn. Speak."
Solesstorn shut his eyes quietly, thinking back on memories he'd rather forget.
“I turned my back and left the ruins, too broken and ashamed to talk further. I considered impaling myself with my sword, but in a fit of sanity I didn’t.
“I watched the rest of the war from afar. As you should know, Inion was crushed by Verlin the Great, and his spirit was later defeated by the Fellowship of the Pendants, about half a year ago.
"Peace was restored to Dametreos. The Classics came into power, and established the Yellow Castle. The One Brick To Rule Them All was used to heal the corruption of the land. The Emperor came to power. The factions developed, and after hundreds of years, humanity became the dominant power in Dametreos, ruling over all others.
"But fate had one last trick to play. When I returned to Dametreos, after years of travelling, to check on my brother, I found that due to his mortality, he had married, had children, and had died. My brother and I had never reconciled. I had missed my one chance to reddem myself. I had missed his death. My brother was gone forever, and it was my fault. His son – my nephew – became the new leader of the Knights of the Citadel. I left Dametreos behind, and returned to the Council. But they were enraged with my failure, and expelled me from my home. So for many hundreds of years, I was a wanderer, an exile, travelling the spheres of the world, trying to fight evil and heal pain wherever I could.
"That wasn’t the last of it though. Inion’s spirit infested my brother’s line, and for hundreds of years, the evil within my brother’s line grew stronger, until one day, it manifested itself, in the form of his descendant, a boy who became a mighty wizard, training under Lord Void. At first, he looked like he would be a powerful sorcer...but then he too fell to darkness, just like Vermicus, so many years before him, and took up evil magic. He changed his name to BloodVaine."
There was a shudder throughout the room. Outside, a wolf howled.
Storm spoke quietly. "So...BloodVaine was related to you?"
"Yes." Solesstorn smiled, mirthlessly. "You could almost say he was my nephew. But anyhow, you all know what happened to him. After a terrible conflict, BloodVaine was killed, and my brother’s once noble line was destroyed. Still, Dametreos was freed of that scourge forever. As I watched from afar, I secretly prayed that Dametreos would be peaceful in future times.
"However, the land has begun to darken again. Though Inion and BloodVaine may have fallen, Vermicus is now at large again. His spirit has found a new body, and he is gathering the forces of darkness to him again...many of the Shadow Knights have rebelled against the Cult and joined him. The Ankorian tribes of wildmen have joined his cause. Orcs from the hills once again serve him. Mercenaries, seduced by his promises of gold, march to his gates. Trolls, bred from the pits, are armed and made ready for war. He has even summoned Gargoyles, to drive fear into the hearts of the good. Many rogues and traitors, drawn from the other factions, have also sworn allegiance to him, and have betrayed their nations. And who knows what else? His arm has grown long in recent years. His armies now number hundreds and hundreds. The Dark Fortress is being rebuilt. The Vladmask is slowly being reforged. Vermicus is getting stronger every second. Soon, he will launch an assault upon all of Dametreos."
"How do you know this!?" Viktor demanded.
"I've seen it."
"Won't the Classics stop him?" Storm asked.
"No," Soelsstorn replied. "They won't. Because by the time they learn of him, he will have grown too powerful for the Emperor to deal with. No, it's up to us."
Solesstorn lifted his head. “That is why I’ve returned. To make things right. I’m going to bring Vermicus down and his Fortress around with him! I failed my task last time. I will not do so again. Other evils may come, yes. But as a wise man once stated:
It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.
"We must head into Ankoria and recover the Shield of Ages from the abandoned Citadel of Orlan, so that we can destroy Vermicus, once and for all."
"That's the most tyco cliche thing I've ever heard." Viktor replied.
"He's right." Santis added.
"True," said Solesstorn. "But it's what we must do. You all have a part to play in the coming battle. I only know Jaythus's part, that he has to be there when the Vladmask is destroyed."
"But...why me?" the young Easterner asked.
Solesstorn groaned. "Now who's being cliche? How the tyco should I know 'why you'? It's your destiny, that's all. There has to be a young man at the right moment, and Orlan was that man, all those years ago. At first, I thought it would be Jayko Falconensis who would fill that role. But he declined that duty, and so I know now that it's you."
Solesstorn looked around the table. "Any questions?"