Interview with the Vampire... of Sorgar
Session One of the Third Iourn One-Off

Morday, 20 Dark Days 204

It is midnight in Sorgar. Raza de Luna has walked the Pilgrim's Way past the Coral Palace and now he crouches at the very end of Jenkin's Wharf, staring out across still bay. The night is clear and cold. Zephyre shines her full face down upon the world, and Raza can make out the shapes of the hundreds of tiny islands that make up the city. He can see the Isles of Dead. Somewhere out there is the home of Altara, the Vampire of Sorgar. The reason he is here.

The light from the moon is distracting. Thanks to the elf, Rhiana, he has disciplined his mind to keep out the mutterings of the gods, but they are still an ever present distraction. He feels them acutely now as he attempts to send his mind out across the bay, to pick up the tatters of the link that once existed between him and the Vampire of Sorgar.

Within this city the Vampire is near-to omniscient. Raza knows that if he stays in one place long enough, Altara will know he is here. They last met back in the summer, almost exactly five months ago. Much has happened in that time but Raza has not forgotten the promise he made to return to Sorgar and continue his discussions with Altara.

For several hours Raza sits and he waits casting his mind to snare the vampire. He hears an explosion just over a mile distant, and sees the brief orange flash of a fireball going off. It seems that Ravenna and Elias have encountered some problems before they have even left for Tibrai. Raza is weighing whether he should help his friends when there is a voice in his mind that is not his own.

"Yisweran Larrien," hisses the dark and ice-cold voice of Altara, the Vampire of Sorgar. "So you have returned as promised." Raza tries to reply but he cannot. The will of the vampire has lanced through his mind like a scalpel, severing any control he had over his body. This time there is no Blade of Temperance to withstand the psychic assault. "Take a boat and come to me," says the Vampire.

Raza descends from Jenkin's Wharf by ladder and takes one of the boats tied up there. Although dimly aware of his own actions Raza is completely unable to fight this compulsion. Straining against the oars, Raza rows out through the canals of Sorgar. It is ten miles to Altara's island and, although Raza could not point to it on a map, he finds his way there unerringly.

Beaching the boat, Raza crunches his way across the black sand of the tiny volcanic island. He looks up at the dark escarpment that rises into the sky, and it crosses what mind he has left that this could be the last time he sees the night sky, the last time he breathes fresh air. Has he made a terrible mistake coming back to this place?

Pushed forward by the will of the Vampire, Raza stumbles downward into the maze of dark passageways beneath the island. All around him is movement, but in the darkness he cannot see anything. He turns left and right at the mental commands of his host and is soon completely disorientated. Raza can hear muted conversations that he believes come from some of the scores of vampires that Altara has created over the years. Then he feels cold hands on his arms.

The stench of death is heavy about the two vampires that take hold of Raza. One sniffs at him closely, and Raza can feel the second press its face to the vein in his neck. But they are as much the thralls of Altara as Raza is, and they resist the temptation to feast. Suddenly, Raza is borne aloft and he is flying through the darkness. Moments later he has come to rest, and then he is alone.

Raza can hear the heavy foot steps approaching him. The nearer they get the more control Raza regains over his mind. Altara still has a presence within it, but now Raza is free to move and to speak. Then he hears the voice of the Vampire of Sorgar. He cannot see the creature, but it can only be standing a few feet from him in the darkness. "It has been many weeks Yisweran Larrien," it says in a deadly whisper. "I do not believe you have returned now solely to keep our bargain. What is it you want here, godspeaker?"

"You are right that I am not here to keep just my end of the bargain," says Raza fearfully, "but I did promise to honour my word that I would return, and I have." Raza is terrified, although the ever-chattering voices of the moon gods are actually distracting him from his fear.

Raza continues, "The Blade of Temperance has served its purpose. I cannot resist your domination, but you have no need to use it on me, for I have not come here to deceive you. We both share a similarity, we both have questions that we want answered. You're just curious, but me….. a great duty, burden, obligation - call it what you will - has been placed on me. There is no-one I can turn to."

Raza tells the stoic Vampire of Sorgar about the end of the quest to destroy Karatath, the death of Mínaris and the parting of the Chosen of Narramac. "It was not that I ever depended on them for answers… they kept reminding me that I am only a boy…. only a boy…. but I am also the Godspeaker, and now the rightful king of Norandor…."

Raza's voice fades away. The silence from the vampire is disquieting. Then he raises his voice again, and says defiantly, "But might I remind you, Vampire of Sorgar, that I have not come here to become one of your minions or to seek refuge in your arms or your blood thirsty fangs. I am here to find answers to the reason this path has been laid down for me, and you are the only person I know who has no selfish need to other than your curiosity to help me find those answers."

Silence follows Raza's speech. He can hear the vampire moving, but still he cannot see it. When it speaks it is only a whisker away from him, its carrion-breath cold on Raza's face. "You are correct in that your condition interests me. How did a mortal become the mouthpiece of the moon gods? Why do these gods need you to communicate for them? Why do they not use their clerics?"

"Do not fear for your immortal soul, Yisweran. The process of making you one of my family would sever the link between you and the moon gods, and it is this link that interests me. As for my control of your mind, I will have no need to exercise control as long as you behave yourself; but I will remain a lurking presence in your mind. Watching. Listening. Anything less would be remiss of me."

"So, you wish my aid in understanding the path you walk. Which path? The role of Godspeaker, the role of King or the role of hero in the war against Karatath?"

"I am not sure," says Raza. "Somehow, I believe all three paths are linked, but I think I must first understand the Moon Gods. Perhaps it would lay the foundation for me being the rightful king, and defeating Karatath in the future."

"There is no link between the Moon Gods and Karatath unless you make one. And as for taking up your role as rightful of Norandor, that necessitates you leaving my home, which is by no means certain."

Raza feels the hairs on his neck rise at the Vampire's words. No, his fate is by no means his own, and by no means certain. In coming here he has placed himself solely at the mercy of a creature that has no mercy. Only the Vampire's curiosity of Raza, and the outside world, will keep the monk alive in the days and weeks to come.

Raza speaks at length with Altara, the Vampire of Sorgar, but many of the coming days are spent in solitary mediation in utter darkness. Raza can hear the movements and the voices of the scores of vampires that make up Altara's family. He knows that his chances to speak with, and impress, Altara will be fleeting and he must take them.

Morday, 27 Dark Days 204

"What are the Moon Gods? Why can only a single person communicate with them?" asks Raza. Altara smiles slowly, "Of all the creatures that live on this world, I would think that you are in the best position to answer that yourself."

"What are the Moon Gods? I cannot say for sure. I have never had any reason to study them. The moons first came into the sky long after the destruction of my race, and my transformation into this creature you see before me. However, since our last encounter I have studied what knowledge I have been able to gather. I may know a few things that you do not."

"In the grand scheme of things the moons are new, but the powers behind them are not. They are old. Older than I am. Perhaps even older than this world. They were not given names until Uros named them, but they existed before then. There are accounts, some in the history of my own people, of powerful elemental spirits linked to the rings that surround this world. Desperate spirits trying vainly to affect the material world."

"It is my belief that the powers of the Moon Gods is sorely limited. The reason why only a Godspeaker can communicate with them is because that is the only contact their limited power will allow. And even then they cannot converse as you and I are talking. You must travel to a specific point, such as Mount Korvast, for them to speak with you properly."

"What can you hear from this distance? You told me of the words appearing in your mind. Calls for help, for vengeance. Calls to be freed. My conclusion is that the Moon Gods are extremely powerful elemental forces, but they have been imprisoned somehow. This imprisonment limits their power so much that the only way they can communicate with the real world is through a Godspeaker. Even then no more than one Godspeaker can exist at any one time, and conversations between them must taken place in very specific places."

"This is simply a theory. It is convincing, and it fits all the facts I have available, but it may not be the truth. The Moon Faiths themselves would certainly disagree with me. If Eckerbar were still alive he would tell us that Sharrash was a divine force, and that she was not imprisoned. I cannot say that his view is wrong."

Raza listens intently to Altara's words. The Vampire is right. His theory makes sense, but it is only a theory. There is no proof, and it does not answer all of Raza's questions. "If this is true, what about the body that eclipses the moon and the sun whenever I try to speak to the Moon Gods?"

Altara shrugs. "I do not know. It could be an embodiment of all six Moon God's collective will. It could be a seventh creature that we know nothing of. There is no way to be sure without actually speaking to them."

"But what do they want with me? What do they actually want me to do?"

"By continuing my hypothesis I would say that they want you to free them from whatever imprisonment they are in. How you would go about this I cannot say. Perhaps the gods themselves would be able to tell you."

"But if the Moon Gods are so weak that they need me to do anything in the real world, how do they have the power to grant spells to their clerics? And how did they suddenly becomes moons in the sky 204 years ago?"

"To attempt your second question first, Uros was a Godspeaker. Maybe the goal of the moon gods back then was to become Moons and more profoundly affect the direction of life on Urova and across Iourn. Perhaps they told Uros how to bring them into being. As for how they grant spells in their weakened condition, I have no idea. It is the one thing that does not fit with my theory. I can only say that no-one truly understands the nature of divine magic, or where the power comes from. It could be that the clerics of the Moon Gods do not draw their power from the Moons at all, but from another source."

But what source? Raza ponders for a moment and then he says, "Iourn is made from six elements, all bonded together to make the world. The Moons are too weak to destroy the planet themselves since they are imprisoned, but if their worshipers were doing it? The powers of the moon faiths don't come from the moons, but come from Iourn itself, chanelled through the moons. Every spell they cast loosens the elemental nature of the world. The more moon worshippers there are, the quicker the it be. I'm sure this is lengthy process since Iourn seems the same as it did two-hundred years ago, so this is not something we have to worry about yet. I think."

Altara listens to Raza's words, but does not respond to them. Whether he agrees or disagrees with the monk's hypothesis is impossible to say. Raza retires with much to think about.

Terday, 37 Dark Days 204

"Tell me," says Altara in a voice that belies his power and corruption. "Have you ever considered going to Mount Korvast, throwing caution to the wind and speaking directly with the gods? And if you have, what is stopping you?"

Raza tells Altara that he has thought about it. He realises that this is the only real way that he is ever going to get any answers. As for what is stopping him, he says, "The Brotherhood of the Black Rose. The elves would stop me. For some reason they fear what would happen if a Godspeaker ever talked to the Moon Gods. Ever since there have been Godspeakers they have been killing them to prevent such a thing from happening. Uros was their greatest failure. I've seen woodcuts of Uros speaking to the gods, that show members of the Brotherhood of the Black Rose trying to get to him, but arriving too late."

Raza confesses that he is deeply frightened of the elves finding him, if he should try to speak with the Moon Gods. He describes the fight between the Chosen of Narramac and the Brotherhood at Hadala Klazid's compound in Hadras and how, even with six Blades of Virtue, they barely won the day.

"Why do the elves fear you talking to the Moon Gods?" Altara asks. Raza replies that they believe that the world will be destroyed - somehow transformed into its elemental components. But Raza does not believe this will happen. He believes that the moon gods have something else planned. However, when asked by the Vampire, he confesses that he has no idea what that might be.

"I don't believe what the elves have told me. I don't believe that only Godspeakers can speak to the moon gods. When King Yaddagon was dying, he felt that he could see Mortis waiting to take him away. He was having a conversation with him. He must have been a Godspeaker too."

Altara is very interested by this. If this is the case, then his whole theory of the moon gods being imprisoned and unable to affect the world directly, could be seriously compromised. However, he can offer no explanation for what Raza saw in Yaddagon's bed chamber.

"Maybe it was nothing to do with the Moon Gods," says Raza, "I have a feeling that someone is trying to manipulate me." Raza pauses, the image of Aldric Kurst in his mind, but he does not say anything to Altara about him as yet. "I have to be careful. Perhaps when someone dies, Mortis opens to us all, making it easier for the Godspeaker to reach him. But that doesn't explain why Yaddagon could see him."

"This is all an enigma!" exclaims Raza. "There is only one way to find the answers and that is to go to Mount Korvast. But it carries so much risk!. If I do get there, can I risk daring to speak to them? What happens if the world ends split seconds later? A lot people would have a grudge against me..."

"I think they would probably hold more than that," says Altara.

Raza ignore him and continues, "Somehow I have a gut feeling that it is not their goal to end this world. I really don't know why I have this sensation. Perhaps if Io imprisoned the elementals, could this mean that they want revenge against the dragons and elves? This is not the time to open Pandora's box, when Karatath is rebuilding his army. Yet, Mínaris did say that I am a threat... and this has something to do with the Moon Gods. I can only become a threat if I speak to them, else I am just a monk. Altara, should I go to Korvast? Will you help me?"

"Help you?" says the Vampire of Sorgar slowly. "Do you really think I am here to help you Yisweran Larrien? Do you believe that I have existed and endured for more than a millennia simply to be of service to you? Do you think Fate would be that cruel."

Raza replies that Fate governs everyone's life (or unlife) - he has always believed that. But Raza thinks that Altara wants to help him. Altara is curious about him, about the Moon Gods and about the outside world. After a millennia in Sorgar it is only puzzles like Raza that keep him sane. "If only we could kidnap an elf for a short duration to dig some questions about the Moon faiths," Raza muses. "There is no way Rhiana would be the bait but I am sure she would tell me at some point when she finds out that Iam up to no good...." Raza's voice trails off under the gaze of the Vampire. But the monk is not to be dissauded.

"So will you help me?" the monk continues. "How can I get from Sorgar to Mount Korvast without the elves tracking me every step of the way? I can't believe I am actually thinking of it. This is utter suicide, it really is! Unless you lend a helping hand, of course."

Altara rises. Raza does not know if he has said too much, or offended his host. The thought of doing that terrifies him to the marrow. "I will consider it," the Vampire says at length. "Do not ask me again. I will think on the matter and I will tell you my decision in time." The Vampire of Sorgar strides from the chamber, leaving Raza alone to his hope.

Sharday, 40 Dark Days 204

"Aldric Kurst," says Raza obliquely. "I want to know where he fits into all this." Raza describes to Altara the Chosen's meeting with Kurst in the White Suite. He tells how Aldric Kurst told them of the Vathek Stone that they ultimately used to destroy Mínaris.

The Vampire of Sorgar listens carefully, all the time becoming more and more twitchy. Finally he says, "Describe this man." Raza does so, recalling every exacting detail of the genial old human from that day in Uris. When he has finished, the silence in the room is profound. Raza's ears become attuned to the scampering of the vampire minions about the underground complex.

Suddenly Altara unleashes a cry of such abominable rage and despair, that Raza seriously expects it to be audible across Sorgar. The Vampire beats his hands against the walls, crushing the volcanic rock to powder. The cavern begins to shake. Raza sprawls on his back, and nimbly dodges out of the way of falling rubble. "Deceiver!" Altara cries in bitter, soul-splitting agony.

"Deceiver!" Altara slumps down. "He still lives…." Raza approaches the Vampire cautiously. He has not seen Altara like this, and would prefer not to get his head bitten off by the creature. "Who?" asks Raza carefully.

Altara looks at Raza with unblinking eyes, and there is no flicker of recognition in the beast's face. "This Aldric Kurst," Altara says in a monotone, "is the creature that deceived me. More than 1200 years ago, when I was sitting at the mouth of the Mark, and watching it splutter pathetically into the vast desert that used to be the sea. He came to me - with his smiles and his words. I, who had just suffered the death of my entire race…. I was no match for his wiles. He turned me against Man and Elf. He convinced me that they were responsible for the destruction of the oceans. I killed hundreds with my bare hands, and my teeth. And when the carnage was over the blood lust had turned me into this creature. Into a vampire."

"I realised I was wrong, but it was too late then. The Men and Elves I destroyed were the force sent to stop the landing of Karatath's forces on this continent. The Deceiver, Aldric Kurst, was one of Karatath's greatest servants. To hear that he still lives."

But Altara says that he does not want revenge. He does not care of the fate of Aldric Kurst, or the rise of Karatath. Just like before he wants to play no part in a great war. During the last Great War he hid himself out of the way and did not participate in either side's battles. He does not know how Karatath was defeated.

"For a moment I thought you were going to shred me to pieces," says Raza uneasily. "Kurst seems like a man that knows the field he treads on. Charming as he is, he helped us defeat Mínaris. I wonder what runs in the mind of this man or even if he is a man? It could have been him that appeared to Yaggadon before he died trying to deceive him."

The Vampire looks at Raza malevolently, as if daring the monk to continue speaking of this man. Raza quickly back-peddles. "I am sure you want no pity from me...hence I shall leave this subject as it is. But we must not remove Kurst from this equation."

"We?" the monster exclaims, rising to his feet and towering over Raza. "There is no 'we' Yisweran Larrien. Do not deceive yourself that we are equal partners in any venture you would embark upon. Leave my sight. We will continue this conversation another day."

Morday, 48 Dark Days 204

Raza tells Altara of the final defeat of Mínaris at the hands of the Chosen of Narramac, and how it came about. Altara has not heard of the Vathek Stone at all. He therefore has no idea where the stone carried by Mínaris may be now.

Raza is worried that the ritual Mínaris was engaged upon, with Rowena Caled and all those skinned babies, may have been successful. As Raza understands it, the spell would have caused a darkening of the souls of the people of Norandor, turning them into the same corrupt people that inhabit the Mannenite lands to the south.

"I do not know how to tell if the spell worked, except to observe those around us and see if there is growing predisposition for evil," says Altara at length. Altara is a proficient spell-caster, but there is nothing in his repertoire that could discern such a thing. "Perhaps an accomplished spell-weaver in the place where this spell was originally cast might be able to tell more."

"That can only be Gaston," says Raza thoughtfully. He muses, "The Mannenite lands - I have been there, it is indescribable. I have never seen anything like it in my life. Quenqurial would know, but he has a lot in his plate at the moment with the problem in Tibrai. I hope it is not too late...but I must find out....hopefully it is not too late."

Zephday, 3 Baretwig 204

Now Raza tells Altara of the dreams he has had. He explains his time in the Dreamheart and the vision in the Cave of Fear about the End of Days. He is puzzled that the Rhiana should encourage him to summon the moon gods in his dream, when in real life she is a member of the Brotherhood of the Black Rose. Also Raza is stunned that the foretelling shows he and Rhiana romantically linked. Beyond the fact that he is a monk, why would an elf fall for a human - particularly a human like Raza who has less charisma than a badger.

"In the time before the Great War, there were unions between elves and men. Why any one elf should be attracted to any one human is a matter for the elf. As for this Rhiana's actions in your visions, sometimes dreams are just dreams. Your vision in the Cave of Fear somehow picked up on the dreams of slumbering Karatath. Your vision on the Plains of Acheron was induced by Mínaris, as was the vision at Castle Rock. Think about the origins of these visions and the reason you may have had them. In my experience, possibility and probability weave themselves together in these dreams. They may simply never come to be."

"Perhaps it is just a dream," says Raza, singularly unconvinced. "We will leave it there for now."

Terday, 9 Baretwig 204

Raza is considering what he should do about the future. He is the rightful king of Norandor, and although he doesn't have enough support to overthrow Galahyde at the moment, Zookie is trying to get him support. "Zookie wants me to become the head of all the moon churches."

"Do you?" asks Altara, a strange light in the creature's eyes.

"No," says Raza without pause. "I don't want to head the religions, I do not want to be king. But if things take a change for the worse in Norandor…. If it turns out Galahyde is a servant of Karatath, then he must be stopped. Narramac said we have a couple of years before Karatath is a big threat again, but we can't afford to have a king that is loyal to him, when this happens."

"So, you would be prepared to unwillingly take up the reins of power to prevent this from happening. Admirable. Be wary of power, Yisweran Larrien. It has a habit of corrupting those who try to wield it."

"I don't need to be king, though," says Raza. "There was a man called Queston. He would make a fine king, if it wasn't for that fact he has a spider demon living in his stomach. If that could be removed, he already has some support. The spider was placed there by an evil sorceress called Llarucianna. I don't suppose you've heard of her have you?" Altara says he has not.

"We should be using this time as Narramac said - to develop a force that can oppose Karatath!" Raza exclaims. Altara looks at him searchingly. "I know that you don't care either way," the monk continues, "but I feel that I have a responsibility. Perhaps there is a way to draw the elves and dragons into this war."

"From what you have told me," says Altara, "the elves are completely isolationist, but there is more of a chance of involving them than the dragons. You said yourself that Karatath was an elf. For the dragons to involve themselves, you would have to find a means to break the Great Pact. Could you do that? Would it help if you did?"

"Hmmm….. breaking the Great Pact," says Raza airily, "that would be an accomplishment! In order to do that, we would have to convince the dragons that Karatath plots against them. To plant such an evidence would not be easy if it were untrue.... but I wander if there were dragons and elves whom did not sign into the Great Pact? I am sure there are some out there. If only we know where to look."

"Again you speak of 'we', Yisweran Larrien. Breaking the Great Pact would be an accomplishment worthy of a god. It could make you a god. Do you covet that power?"

"I have no desire for power, but I do believe in destiny. Everyone is born with a purpose, no man has an unseen event. Even those that spend 28/7 drunk in a bar serve a purpose in the smaller scheme of things. I would not make great king, but Queston…… If he could be helped…. would you be able to help him? I fear asking anything of you, for everything comes with a price. Sometimes I see myself making a pact with the devil when it comes to you. remember Alessandre. Where is the line Altara? What side do you stand? I am yet to place you as an ally, but neither are you a foe. For now, you are the closest thing there is to proving that destiny exists."

"I am not the Devil. I am not even close. You are wise not consider me an ally, for I serve only myself and the well-being of my family. And yes, I remember the girl. I remember her delicate flesh; the sweet taste of her blood in my mouth. I remember your attempt to find allies to battle the Dark One. I am the Vampire of Sorgar. I am eternal. I do not take sides, even in conflicts such as this. In the decay and the chaos of war my family and I will find rich pickings. And yet, war will disrupt the delicate balance that allows my family to exist her undisturbed. Over the centuries I have become comfortable in this place, and would not like to lose it. Speak on, Yisweran. Remind me of your plans."

"The biggest problem stopping me from acting are the elves. If only I can mask myself from them. It would allow me to roam free without being noticed. To be honest, I would like to speak to the Moon Gods. That is my greatest strength. It may be that my monastic life just a phase. If I can understand the gods, maybe I can use it against the Karatath's force when the time is right. But if am wrong…. put it this way, no one would know as every life would cease to exist. I wonder how Karatath was defeated before? This would prove useful when it comes to his next encounter. Rhiana might know more about this, but I don't want to involve her in any way. She's got problems of her own. Besides she would talk me out of it, or torture me... what do we do now Altara? So many unanswered questions. We could spend an eternity in this place. I can see each other driving one another insane...."

The End of Interview with the Vampire... of Sorgar
The adventures of Raza de Luna continue in Ill Met by Moonlight

Interview with the Vampire... of Sorgar Index