Tales, Part Two

Within that tower, overlooking the City of Greyhawk, within the lands of Stormgarde of the Three Kingdoms, three persons were staring out.

"Where is he?" said one.

"He should've been here by now," said another.

"Patience, my friends, patience," said the third.

LordMage Xavier was a calm man, he had to be. He also knew how to bring to focus the most needful things, and how to distract those that needed distraction. "Let us walk down to the training halls." Without hesitation, without question, the three began their walk. Soon they found themselves on a lower level of the tower, and looking into a hall full of students, acolytes, clerics, and teachers.

"How many Schools?" asked a teacher.

The class responded in disciplined unison: "Sixty-four, Teacher."

"Of these Schools, what are their divisions?" asked another teacher.

"Eight by eight, that is the Rule. The first eight are Black, the second eight are White, the remainder are Grey."

"To whom are the Black?" This came from an elderly Priest.

"To the Black belong those who worship the Lords Ebon, the Dark Lords of War, Chaos, Madness, Hate, Death, Greed, Rage, and Fear."

"And what of the White?" Again the Priest.

"To the White belong those who worship the Lords Luminous, the Lords of Peace, Order, Clarity, Enlightenment, Life, Compassion, Serenity, and Love."

"What is the weakness of these Schools?" This time a new teacher spoke.

"They blind themselves to the full spectrum of the Octarion, their maxim is their downfall: "There are no shades of Grey."

"What is the strength of the Grey?" Another teacher.

"Flexibility; even as a willow in a storm we can bend when in need."

Urlathe the Tender looked to the HighMage. "Words truer were never spoken."

Xavier looked at the man. "You are a White Hand -one of the Grey Schools- of course you would agree." Urlathe reddened. "Do not fret, I simply speak the Truth. We must be careful in these days, only the Truth will keep us free from the terror that comes."

the HighMage continued to walk and talk with his two companions yet of their conversation we are not privy, instead we turn our ears to other moments in time...

King Emry Exultaine: The King of Allaria, a great kingdom within the lands of the Havnheim. Most of his subjects see him as their Leader and Commander, their Leige and Lord. Only a small minority are troubled by inequities within his lands and only a handful know of the duplicity within his soul. One of many children within the House Exultaine, he grew to be only one of two surviving sons (the others dying of disease as do many infants and children within the lands). Seventeen years ago the House Exultaine decided to invade the lands of Cogan and so began what has since come to be known as the Cogan War. Prince Emry took great pride and pleasure in his part within the war, his ability to devise tactical assaults was quite impressive. He planned and helped execute the engagement that ended the war: the Battle over Innsmouth. This took place eight years ago. Yet something else occured that day; an omen of fierce design spread itself above the skies over Innsmouth - a hand, shimmering with ethereal light, traced foreign signs and sigals upon the heavens, and images too: hawks and seagulls, snakes and scorpions, hands, eyes, and hearts. Terror befell all on that day, and though the Allarians won a war - a deep feeling of doom descended upon many of their numbers.

Time came and went, however, and no destruction overfell Allaria, and no uprising occurred from the defeated Cogans. Prince Emry grew and as he did so did his ambition. He grew tired of being on the third tier - he decided to kill his father and destroy his brother so that he would become king. With the aid of Duke Zular Mollari and a few others he had poison administered to his father and, two years ago, he died "of illness." When the coronation of the new king came to be, Duke Zular sedated Crown Prince Cedrik and stole him away into the Caves of the Shreken as an offering to the Wyrm-Beast therein. A story was fabricated, a grand funeral carried out, and shortly thereafter Prince Emry became King Emry.

But Dragons are crafty liars and the deal Emry had made with the southern wyrm bore no fruit. In anger he sent a Dragon-Hunter into the caves to kill it, he sent Lord Frederigo D'Honaire of Suffex. He also planned to kill the knight afterwards if he just happened to be successful in his task. But the knight unwittingly evaded his killers, and took his new- found companions to the closest village: Mudspot. Emry discovered, through his spy network that Fred was taken captive by Duke Mollari, that Zular was planning some kind of military action, and worst of all that his brother Cedrik had escaped the caves as well and was alive within the lands!

Emry immediately took his personal guards, the Troupes Divina and moved into the Duchy of Trescent. An uprising was taking place and he discovered it was in part at the hands of Lord Fred the Dragon-Slayer! Emry weighed his options and decided that Fred was too much a wildcard, he would have to be executed, but before that could be accomplished Fred fled. As to Zular, he too fled, but was beheaded by loyal kingsmen in North Umbria. King Emry sits now in a pacified Trescent, making plans on how to deal with a Dragon-Slayer who knows too much and a living brother - the proper King - whose very existance must be kept from the eyes of all the land!

1. still our lesson continues...
2. A message arrives in the ruin of Penn...

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