Private Tales the crystal of darkness

[general la'ue]

in a random bar in vel anir......

the bar was loud and roudy with humans, my comrades and i chose to sit further towards the back of the room. my second in command my medic and my mage are all thats left of what was a large contingent of soldiers sent to this land by our king to find artifacts of value to bolster the defenses of our home land if only we had known that humans had ravaged the mainlands, our people have not been here for many generations.


"sir i have heard rumor of something you may find interesting." my mage smiles as he says this. i look to him questionly.

he continues giggling a bit as he does.

"there's rumor of something these humans call a power stone, from what ive heard it sounds very similar to something we know in our home land"

he pauses for what i can only assume is dramatic effect.

"i believe its the long lost crystal of darkness, our religious texts have mentioned a stone that contains a god of darkness once sealed away by powerful mages only to be used in times of unending war were only a stalemate is expected, it can turn the tide of any war or battle."

i roll my eyes knowing our trusty mage there's a catch. he sees my reaction and giggles once more.

"yes sir you are right there is a catch, the stone is supposed to be deep in the forests of falwood in the heart of what is now savage territory"

i start rubbing the sides of my head. the crystal would be a great find but going through savage territory even for us skilled magic casters and warriors i fear we would soon be killed and eaten.

my men look rather shaken by this revelation they look at me worriedly my medic is the first to speak.

"sir it would be madness to enter those woods, we barely escaped the last time. we were completely surrounded if it hadn't been for our foot men we would never have escaped those lionmen-"

i growl at the mention of our kind.

"they are not lionmen they are demons their fur is neither white nor pure they lack honor they lack morals and i refuse to hear them be referred to as lionmen, only the purebloods should hold that title"

i slam my fist on the table slightly cracking it in the process. my medic looks a little sheken. i don't know why that made me so angry but it did. i sigh and return to rubbing my head i sigh once more before continuing.

"its okay sha'raw im not mad at you for your slip of the tongue im mad at our situation mostly"

sha'raw may be our medic but he turns 14 soon and still hasn't grown his mane, only a monster would yell at a practical cub. i give him a smile and a pat on the head.

my mage seb'raw is sha'raw's older cousin. my second in command da'ra looks at me questioningly.

"getting back to the matter at hand sir, i propose we enlist the help of a furless folk (general derogatory term for non lionmen) it always helps to have more men at our disposal"

i burst out laughing at this.

"what could a furless folk possibly do? hold our items for us, become demon food after the first night in falwood. you are funny i haven't heard a good joke since i was a child"

the serious expression on da'ra's face told me he was not kidding, but perhaps its something to think about

 

[Vulpesen]

The bar around Vulpesen all seemed to pass by in a soft haze as his hand closed on another ale. Finally, he had earned himself a furlough from Varos' busy schedule after taking down an especially tricky slaver and a few of his buddies as a bonus. Now, he spent some of their liberated coin on some of this establishments most wonderful tasting libations.

Between his tilting mind and noise of the bar, his ears did manage to pick up on one set of voices which carried something of interest. Magical artifacts, dark gods, and a distinct lack of manpower. For him, it sounded like the perfect opportunity to get out and stretch his legs in a place other than a tavern.

Rising from his seat, Vulpesen approached the group, his tail flicking invisibly beneath his cloak and illusions. "And what would be the pay for such disposable men should they find themselves non-disposed by the end of your little adventure," he asked, taking up a nearby seat and setting his drink down on the table.

general la'ue

 

[general la'ue]

my men looked notably startled by the sudden intrusion but didnt react. the question was a fair one though a little rude to but into anothers conversation.

i look him up and down quisidly eyeing his clearly altered form both my medic and mage could see what i see my second in command was born magically inept so he most likely couldnt sense it. i take a sip of my drink.

"the darkness rewards those who serve it, if you help us our lord will reward you handsomely name your price and my king will pay it, though i must warn you in savage territory we are likely to be attacked every night and watched every moment, you need to be okay with killing their young as well just as we purebloods use our young for healing the savages use there young for war, because of their small size they can hide in the trees and often will attack in groups with poison tipped arrows, if they cant arrow you to death they pounce and the next thing you know your head is a kids first trophy, they can look innocent but they are trained killers. our young are more adept at healing magic so we train them as field medics perhaps we aren't any better using our children in war too but at least we have morals. ive seen a group of these monsters men and boys happily tear one of my men to pieces the children were excited the look in their eyes pure evil''

my medic speaks up sheepishly for the first time.

"when we first came here i was still in training, i was collecting herbs one day when i went too far into the woods to chance a butterfly, i had never seen one before. then i met a savage cub they tried to skin me alive lucky sir heard my mews for help and they ran away when they saw him . the next day we were ambushed by the adult savages and the children. we lost 5 that day including my mother."

he wipes a tear from his fur, then looks angry

"if you see a scout, cub or not you kill it immediately their escape only means reinforcements"

he says rather matter of factly

"thats the basics of our issues"
my second in command says half into his cup as he takes a drink

 

[Vulpesen]

It would be a lie to say that their terms and language didn't leave him a bit disquieted, but their final story did allow him an opening to gather some empathy with the feline warriors. The promise of reward also didn't go unnoticed. "I avoid killing when possible. Maiming, trapping, and otherwise incapacitating I can do without hesitation. But if you want me to handle children, even dangerous ones, you'll need to content yourself with them being trussed up and left to be found after the deed is done."


Of course, Vulpesen could and would kill if needed however he had been trained to fight with non-lethal means just as extensively as any other solider learned the art of killing. If anything, it made the zorren a far more dangerous combatant as he was used to holding back in the average fight. "I suppose I'd have to know what this prize is worth to y'all to decide what my price is. Wouldn't want to charge copper for something worth a king's ransom."

general la'ue

 

[general la'ue]

i empty my mug while thinking. sometimes the gods simply give you what you need, we needed help, this could be the help we need.

my men are quietly watching me for my response, the mear mention of spareing one savage let alone any of them that we happen to cross along the way would be pure harrassy in the home land.

"i believe the darkness would forgive us sparing the lives of any cubs we happen to come across, we aren't monsters after all, i believe my medic has a few spells that are non lethal."

my men look confused the slight growl in my words indicated to them now was not the time to object.

"as for the object in question its used to summon our gods and lay waist to our enemies, in the days of old before we left the mainland before the furless rained supreme we were the lords of this land but one day the people claimed the purebloods had traded their souls for power and that we were no longer lionmen but demons who threatened the existence of the old gods, a war broke out that pitted us against them, we began to call on our gods for power and they gave it willingly but it called for sacrifice, the blood of our enemies only made us stronger. on the last day of the war the arch bishop casted a spell calling our gods of darkness from their depths to lay waste to the savages that dared defy our purity. the bishop created a stone that would house the god of destruction once his will was done, the death and destruction was beyond anyone's expectations millions died and when we sealed our god away we were left alone, the rulers saw what they had done and mourned the loss of fellow lionmen to summon the god it took sacrifice of our own peoples energy a cost we did not foresee whole cities were filled with the dead, in destroying our enemies we destroyed ourselves, the three kings at the time made the arch bishop seal the stone away deep underground where no soul could find it, or at least that's what we have been told. my mage hear believes its not lost and has a good idea of were it should be. we have been studying the maps and have pinpointed the location of the lost city, its right in the middle of the savages territory, once we get there we should be able to sense our gods presence, once we have the object i will send word for supplies by the time we reach the shore in the north their should be a ship with your reward on board "

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen's tail twitched invisibly within its glamour and his hands tightened around the mug in his grasp. The story of their god was not an easy one, though few were when it came to umbral deities. Of course, such an answer brought new worries to the Zorren who's ears flicked caustiously to catch the various sounds of the tavern around him.

"I should hope your intent is to keep such a being sealed in your recovery," he cautioned. "Gods of death by legend rarely enjoy being bottled up and restrained. Once released, they do their job and they do it well. When the job is complete, they go into their hobbies. Such hobbies unfortunately are not bird watching or building, but simply doing their work on whomever they please. It sounds like your ancestors realized this." There was no pay for Vulpesen that would be worth unleashing such a terror on the world. But to stop it from being released, he would even consider lending his aid for free, not that he would tell them that.

As he waited for an answer, his golden gaze fixed on each member of the feline party, searching for any features that might betray the leader's words. Trust was a hard thing to come by after his past failures, and especially when it came to so man lives being at stake. Perhaps the leader could try to fool him with words, but he doubted all four of them had the diplomatic acumen to conceal such important lies.

general la'ue

 

[general la'ue]

i listend to the creatures words carefully.

i looked to my mage he saw my gaze and understood what he needed to say.

my mage cleared his throat.

"i am an ach mage for our tribes people, the king ordered me to join the general in his quest, i have the ability to harness the gods power to break a curse that has befallen our people, we used to be three tribes working together to pray to the gods and become one with them through life and into death, however 4 generations ago we were we were approached by a strange man who saw that we were powerful and thought we were mindless beasts, he wanted us to join in a war of his he promised victory and dominion of the above ground people, he did not know we lived in underground caverns not because we were primitive but because we were searching for solitude and enlightenment with our gods, the three tribes agreed that this offer was not a holy one, and so in his rage the strange man cast a spell that seems to feed on the war and blood shed that the very spell started.' with the crystal i can dispell the rage curse that forces brothers to turn on brothers, the purebloods were monks and now we are no better than the savages"

my second growls

"we are nothing like the savages we are cursed they cling to primitive weak gods"

i growl for him to be quiet.

"im sorry for my seconds out burst we have been on the road long and tensions are high after this quest we can go home and pray to the gods without conflict"

 

[Vulpesen]

The zorren sipped at his drink as he listened to the feline's placations. As far as plans went, it was certainly risky, though he couldn't find reason to deny the righteousness of their cause, at least not without any more information. "Harnessing such power can be difficult when such evils are looking for a chance to escape. Still," he took another long sip from his glass, "I've no problem with helping you out. Certainly something to add to my resume."

The second's outburst while not unnoticed, wasn't enough to perturb the outsider. "I've been on campaigns before. I know the feeling of wanting to go home. Hopefully with a little bit of help, y'all will be on your way home before you know it."

general la'ue

 

[general la'ue]

i felt satisfied with the creatures response his diplomacy abilities are of some respect the carefulness of his words were wise, the darkness would accept such a man into its grace.

"then we shall celebrate such a union" i reach into my bag and pull out a vile of bru,ka,de,la a strong drink that only needs a drop to enhance any alcohol.

"this is called bru,ka,de,la, a simple translation into common speak would be blood of the snake. it enhances the power of any drink be that wine or a potion, you are free to partake but its quite strong and may make you pass out"

i put a single drop in each of my mens drinks even our cub medic got a drop but since hes drinking milk it most likely will just make his milk thicker and sweeter as for the rest of us the ale will turn to strong liquor. i slide the small vile eyeing the man questioningly. i smile and say

"i will not be offended if you deny"

i give him a sarcastic smile as i take a drink of my now enhanced ale. my men are looking at him intently, the bru,ka,de,la is more of a closer drink, if he takes it we will consider him an ally and protect him as such if he doesnt he is a hired hand and treated as such but thats up to him to figure out. i only hope a thin taunt is enough for him to agree to one first and final test as it were.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen's eyes narrowed at the introduction of the new substance and every word of explanation only brought a smile to his face. The truth was, that as much as Vulpesen was enjoying his ale, it was only there because he was trying to save some coin between jobs. The disclaimer had hardly left La'ue's mouth when the newcomer set his glass down before them, making a motion for the bartender to top it off. "Son, I've had more drinks than you've had breaths."

Perhaps the word was a little presumptuous, particularly since the General would on the outside appear older than the golden eyed elven visage Vulpesen presented, but just like his disguise, Vulpesen's natural life span reached a millennium. Now well past his first century, Vulpesen had spent the last decade with a bottle as his closest friend, besides Varos of course (if a warlock's patron counted as a friend.)

general la'ue

 

[general la'ue]

i give the creature a drop of the liquid. and chuckle.

"i dont doubt that old timer purebloods dont really count age past the age of manhood but by common callender im only 29 my mage is 25 and my second is-"
i pause to look at my second who has passed out in his cup

"- a light weight 20 year old it seems, and our medic is but a cub barely 14, but i wouldn't trade them for the world they are good men"

i knock on my seconds scalp, he groans and lifts his head from the table. looking blurry eyed.

i shake my head and take a big drink of ale.

"you see purebloods dont live long lives its the price we pay for the use of the gods power. the only purebloods that live long are figures chosen by the darkness to lead us from the light. the king is said to be thousands of years old but no ones old enough to know that for sure"

i pull a small figurine from my satchel carved from bone and made black from fire its polished and looks like a little lion roaring at the heavens

"this is a rune of the saint ak'are'de'ra'sha'see theres no common word translation but the name means everything to our people, he represents sacrifice and strength in the face of the evils light. he reminds us their is always darkness within that without darkness light would not shine so bright therefore darkness must be pure more pure than the light for the light fades over time it fades away but darkness will always embraces us, every pureblood prays to a rune like this, they know that any spell could be their last as the light within is snuffed out and the dark embraces them and pulls them to forever peace bellow, we dont pray for long life we pray for a fulfilling life in service to the king and our gods in whatever form that may take"

i kiss the stone and place it to my forehead before putting it away.

"our gods are good to us though. after all they led you to us and you shall help us lead our people out of a devastating war and back to the path of enlightenment" i raise my glass once more.

"long live the king! may the gods forever grace him with eternal life"

me and my men smash our cups together each of us getting some milk from the cubs drink in our ale but not caring as we chug our drinks.