Sharday, 40 Mizzle Month 204
Two days after their arrival in the sea cave near to Gallworth
the dwarves Brack, Blaine and Halbeara leave for Kûlhazan.
Brack has realised foe some time that his place is among his own
people. With Halbeara and Blaine at his side, and Abrinthor sitting
on the throne of Kûlhazan, he will be able to rejoin dwarven
society, and be an outcaste no more. But first he has to get to
Gunstadtan. The the north a war is raging between the forces of
men and the undead armies of the Wraith Haunt. The three will have
to wade their way through that to get home. Brack relishes the prospect.
He wishes his companions farewell, and vows always to remain their
friend. They are all sorry to see him go. Brack has saved all their
lives countless times in the past year and a half. But on a cold
Mizzle Month morning, he is gone. Whether those who remain will
ever see him again seems unlikely, but Brack has always been a dwarf
that defied the odds, and with Shredder with him, the odds may not
be so far from his favour than one might think.
Vítday, 43 Mizzle Month 204
Following Raza’s suggestion (mostly to get him out of his
hair) the venerable Zookie agrees to lead an unlikely company to
the safety of Salmaynak. Alberdark, Count Dolanz, Princess Celestine,
Sanjay and Selgin depart on this day. Raza knows where they are
going and promises to make contact with them later. He has business
to attend to. Raza tells no-one what that business is – that
he intends to keep his promise to the Vampire of Sorgar and return
to him to finish their discussions. Dolanz is beside himself with
grief over the death of Rowena Caled, and feels responsibility to
the help the rest of the Caleds. Raza hopes that he isn’t going
to do something stupid like look for Elenor Caled. Princess Celestine
promises to keep him safe. Alberdark wishes the party well. He has
never seen eye-to-eye with them (or even liked them) but Raza is
his king and, even in exile, he will serve him.
Caladay, 46 Mizzle Month 204
With Parvan and his mother, Sendress, finally recovered Arvan decides
that it is time for him to go. He will not be going with Elias to
Tibrai. The Order is calling to him. Not only has he agreed to stand
for a position on the inner circle in four weeks time, but his fellow
druids are fighting tooth and claw against the undead and he must
join them. Nicos decides to go with him. With the power of the Firewalker
still coursing through his veins, he wanted to lie low for a while
and believes that the Úngorn is the best place to do it.
Besides, he wants to see his bud, Arvan, become a true druid. Rio
will also go. She seems to have put the persona of Wren far behind
her, and now seems utterly devoted to Nicos – something Elias
cannot understand. Nicos and Elias say goodbye to one another like
brothers, and Nicos is genuinely sorry not be helping his friend
in Tibrai. But if he is to be the new first flame of Scaldarnus,
then he has a lot of bridge building to do, and his place is here
in Norandor. Alicia Shai'ir, rather traumatised by events will stay
near to her newly found sister. Arvan, Nicos, Parvan, Sendress,
Caius, Rio and Alicia Shai’ir depart at dusk. This leaves only
Elias, Ravenna, Raza, Drasha, Misgon, Derriac, Jhasik and Lucien
in the cave, and only Jhasik has yet to fully recover from his suffering
at Mínaris’s hands.
Morday, 48 Mizzle Month 204
Jhasik is much better today. The group is of the opinion that they
should be able to move from the cave the following morning. This
is something Lucien advises as, despite the war in the north drawing
Galahyde’s attention, they are still fugitives and should not
stay in one place for long. Elias says that it is his intention
to travel south to Sorgar. There he intends to make contact with
Dysan of the Order of the Dragon. Alessandre trusted Dysan (which
is good enough for him) and Dysan has the means to procure ships.
He could be just the contact they need to get a vessel to Tibrai.
He agrees with Ravenna that they will stop on the island of Varosh
to find out what they can about the fate of Ravenna’s parents.
Ravenna hopes that the inquisitor, Malant, keeps his word. They
retire for bed.
Ravenna sleeps lightly. Part of her is waiting for Misgon to creep
into her cave and share her bed as he has done of two previous evenings.
She wanders why it was not all previous evenings. As romances go,
Misgon is nothing like Ralyon Artusi, which can only be a good thing.
She awakes to the crunch of boot on stone and a figure steps out
of the darkness. Ravenna thinks it is Misgon for only a second before
she realises her mistake. This figure is swathed in an ink black
cloak that completely conceals his person, and pools like water
beneath his feet. The hooded man turns and stares directly at her.
With a gesture the hood falls back revealing Malant: agent of the
Desideratum Veritas.
Ravenna sits up and pulls the sheets up to conceal her modesty.
Malant does not seem to notice or care. Ravenna gives a sign of
greeting, but the inquisitor has no time for pleasantries. He has
come to repay his perceived debt to the Chosen of Narramac, acquired
by their helping him apprehend Alastor Helm. He begins his narrative:
“Five years ago, in Sorostrae there existed a band of rogue
members of the Arcanum Incognita known as the Potentates. The Potentates
were a group of individuals who discovered that arcane power could
be gained by bleeding magical creatures of energy. They were mostly
wizards who wished for the versatility of sorcery but without the
price. They kidnapped sorcerers and used ingenious magical devices
to drain them of all their life energy, turning it into magical
force. They were able to fit sorcerers with devices and turn them
into walking batteries that wizards could draw upon to use their
magical spells. With each spell the wizard cast, the sorcerer was
weakened until eventually he was utterly consumed, melting away
into a grotesque pool of liquified flesh.
“Obviously, the church did not condone these activities and
acted quickly to put the Potentates down. The Desideratum Veritas
was assigned to find these rogeus and put an end to their experiments,
by any means necessary. It was soon discovered that the Potentates
were based on the small tropical island of Varosh, twenty miles
off the southern coast of Sorostrae. A force was sent, and after
a pitched battle the Potentates were killed, their notes and equipments
destroyed and the cult broken. Or so we thought.
“One of the leaders of this cult was a woman called Elsabette
Morketh. She was neither killed or apprehended. She fled Sorostrae
and disappeared from the knowledge of the church. A handful of other
Potentates also escaped. Among them was your mother, Alhanna. From
the research I have undertaken it seems that Alhanna held a position
of some authority among the Potentates, although at the time she
was barely older than you are now. I do not believe she fled with
Morketh. She eventually came to Norandor and to Uris, where she
met your father, Thorik and your Uncle Jhasik.
“Exactly when your mother arrived in Uris is conjecture. According
to parish records held by the local priest of Vítaeous your
mother and father were married in a simple service on 14 Crispeven
200, although it is likely that she had been in the city for some
months before that. By Mizzle Month 200 the Desideratum Veritas
were in Uris looking for escaped members of the Potentates. Alhanna
discovered their arrival by some means and fled the city leaving
you and Thorik without a word. Your father hired a man called Edoran
Galchen to help him find your mother, and she was discovered three
weeks later hiding in the town of New Galys. She was persuaded to
return to the city.
“The Desideratum Veritas did not discover Alhanna, but the
problems of your parents were far from over. Galchen was a man of
dubious moral character. He realised that the Arcanum Incognita
were looking for Alhanna and reasoned that she was a rogue wizard.
He began blackmailing your parents, threatening to reveal them to
the Church. They had little choice but to pay him.
“Time passed, and you began to develop sorcerous powers. Your
mother was a wizard and your father had no magic about him, so they
sent you to study under a man called Derriac. Highly unusual though
it is for a sorcerer to have any formal training, your mother wanted
to make sure you were in control of your powers, lest by some mishap
you reveal her to the Arcanum Incognita. It is then the Potentates
returned to the scene.
“The evidence I have seen has led me to conclude that your
mother did not part company with Elsabette Morketh on good terms.
We know now, from speaking to Alastor Helm, that Morketh came to
Uris looking for Alhanna on 44 Kindlesmoke 203. She was operating
under the pseudonym of Argesteine Fletcher, and had all ready forged
an alliance with Alastor Helm. Morketh wanted to set up the Potentates
again, and she wanted your mother’s help. Your mother seemed
to want nothing to do with Morketh.
“Five days after their meeting your parents fled Uris, leaving
you in the joint care of your Uncle Jhasik and Derriac. They both
had their suspicions of why your parents had left, but they did
not know where they had gone. Jhasik took over paying Edoran Galchen
his hush-money. According to Helm, Morketh tracked your parents
down swiftly. I am certain he does not know all the details, but
the truth seems to be that your mother had a change of heart. By
the spring of 204 Alhanna was once again a close ally of Elsabette
Morketh and, apparently, her lover. Of your father, I have no further
information.
“Together Morketh, Alhanna and Helm set about resurrecting
the Potentates. Not two weeks after you joined Narramac’s grand
quest Morketh and Alhanna returned to your Uncle Jhasik. They used
the man as a cover for their activities in Uris, getting him to
rent a warehouse for them from Dellan Gant, and to buy all manner
of bizarre comestibles they needed for their work. Slowly they started
to abduct sorcerers from the streets of Uris. This was the beginning
of their undoing. The Desideratum Veritas had never given up looking
for Morketh and Alhanna. The kidnappings in Uris smelled of the
Potentates and I was assigned to the matter.
“However, there was something else, perhaps more insidious
than the return of the Potentates. There was a second reason Alhanna
and Morketh came to see your Uncle: they wanted to find you. For
some reason you are extremely important to the Potentates, Ravenna.
It cannot simply be dismissed as a mother’s wish to have her
child by her side. Alastor Helm told me that Morketh was obsessed
with getting her hands on something called “The Vessel”
and that this vessel was you. Morketh and Alhanna went to Derriac
to find news of you. The sorcerer barely escaped with his life –
he destroyed his own townhouse and fled to Gunstadtan. I am surprised
he did not try to warn you….”
“He did,” Ravenna interrupts, fiercely. Malant nods and
continues, “After you won Narramac’s quest you were too
high profile for Morketh to move against without drawing attention
to herself and the Potentates. Therefore she approached the nobleman
Ralyon Artusi and promised my all manner of unobtainable things
if he would help her get to you. The puzzle of why you are so important
is one that Helm could not answer. It is one that I know that you
cannot answer. However, I think that answer will not be long in
coming.
“Helm has said that Elsabette Morketh and your mother left
Uris on The Blood Wench on 40 Brightday. This does not seem to tally,
as this was before you won the quest. However, Morketh is a powerful
wizard and could have come and gone many times between Uris and
her destination. That destination was the island of Varosh. She
had the Potentates set themselves up again in the ruins of her old
base. Why she did this in unclear. I can only conclude that there
is something there that they need for their work to continue. The
Desideratum Veritas is preparing a force to go to Varosh and wipe
out the Potentates once and for all. I cannot tell you the timing
of this assault, but it is soon. If you wish to go to Varosh and
find your mother, you must act swiftly.
“To finish my narrative. After Morketh left, Alastor Helm
took over the Uris end of the Potentate’s operation. He abducted
sorcerers and sent them to Varosh. However, when your uncle went
bankrupt towards the end of Suntask things got sticky for Helm.
Dellan Gant tried to repossess the warehouse, and you are aware
that Gant had some considerable support behind him. It is at this
point of the story that yourself and the other Chosen of Narramac
come into the picture. You tracked down Alastor Helm, discovered
the Potentates’ plans and helped me apprehend them. In giving
you this information I repay my debt in this matter.”
The silence that follows Malant’s speech fills the cave. The
inquisitor does evidenly not want to stay. His debt repaid, he melts
away into the darkness, leaving the sorceress alone. Standing, an
pulling a cloak around her, Ravenna can think of only one think.
Her uncle lied to her.
Jhasik awakes from his noisy sleep with a dagger to his throat,
and a mad-eyed Ravenna staring down upon him. “I want the truth!”
Ravenna yells, but then Jhasik screams in pain and blood begins
to trickly from his throat. Ravenna glances down at her hand. The
legacy of the Great Dark is still alive in her. In her anger, her
finger nails grew into claws and moved on their own volition to
steal Jhasik’s life from him. For a moment she is contrite,
but then her anger over takes her again and she throws the knife
into the wooden bed frame next to her uncle’s head.
“The truth uncle! The truth about what happened to my parents!”
Jhasik begins to mumble that he doesn’t know but this only
sets a fire under Ravenna’s anger. “What do you mean?”
mumbles Jhasik. Ravenna confronts her uncle with what she knows.
Jhasik seems to have been dealt a mortal blow and curls up, his
forehead resting on his knees. “Why did you help them?”
Ravenna demands. “They made me do it!” says Jhasik. “How?
With magic? With threats?” Jhasik nods. “So you stood
by and let helpless people be abducted?” Jhasik sobs, “I
was only trying to protect you.” – “I’m not
a little girl!” she yells grabbing him by the throat. “He
knows that,” comes the calming voice from the door. Ravenna
turns to see Derriac standing there. “Let him go, Ravenna.”
Ravenna releases her shocked uncle and turns to Derriac. The sorcerer
says, “Jhasik has only sought to protect you, little one. He
loves you.” Ravenna’s anger breaks and she runs to her
uncle. She puts her arms around the sobbing man and apologises for
her actions. Then after a few minutes she looks up at the patient
Derriac. “Did you know all about my mother as well?”
Ravenna relates everything Malant has just revealed to her uncle
and her mentor. Elias and Misgon, alerted by the noise, also hear
her tale. “I did not know that, Little One,” says Derriac
slowly. “I always knew your mother was a wizard, and I knew
that the Arcanum Incognita were looking for her. But I always supposed
this was because she was a rogue wizard, a fugitive from the church.
As a rogue, I supported her. I have no love for the church of magic
and mystery. When your parents left, it was your father who made
me promise not to tell you why they had gone. I took the view that
it was your mother’s repsonsibility to tell you about the past,
not mine, and so I kept silent. However, my opinion was changed
when your mother than that Morketh woman came to my home.”
Derriac relates the fight, and based on what Ravenna has told him,
believes they were trying to abduct him for the Potentates. “So
I fled to Gunstadtan. When I met you in Kûlhazan, I knew that
your mother’s soul was far from clean, but I chose not to tell
you.” Ravenna’s eyes flare at Derriac, but he continues
calmly. “There was so much else going on, Little One. The shadow
that was on the north, your mission for the Order, the Malficents
within the dwarf-hold and that whole business of Prince Abrinthor
and Thorangrim. You needed your wits about you. To tell you would
have clouded your mind. I was trying to protect you.”
“I am not a child,” Ravenna repeats. “I do not need
protecting.” Ravenna determines to go to Varosh and find her
mother. To make her pay for what she has done. “Do not be so
quick to judge your mother. This Malant may believe she is as corrupt
as Morketh, but when I last met her I believe that Morketh has some
sort of magical hold over Alhanna. In any event, I would advise
against going to Varosh. I hold the same opinion as your uncle.
Do not seek out these people Ravenna, it is too dangerous.”
– “What is the alternative? Wait for them to come to me?
They want me, they need me for some reason. If I don’t act
I’m never going to be rid of them.”
“Will Elias go with you?” Derriac asks softly. Ravenna
says that he will. She has promised with every fibre of her being
to help him save Alessandre from whatever fate awaits her. He will
stand by her through this. Derriac relents. The quest to find her
parents has driven Ravenna for almost three seasons. She is not
going to be stopped now. She will go to Varosh, and one way or another
she will have her answers or have her vengeance.
The End of Family
Affairs
Follow Elias, Ravenna and Raza in the Blood and Water campaign in
The Painted Lady
Arvan and Nicos next appear in The
Horn of Deliverance
Brack Ogrebane next appears in Down
Among the Dead Men
Family Affairs
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