Читать книгу The Return of the Ancient Ones - Gary Sr. Caplan - Страница 12

Over the course of the past months, the Valharri and other leaders of the dark elves, along with the Urshkaar lords, Ute Giants, Charachau, and other Darkspawn were working together to remove the interdiction and bring back their Great Lord Dormas, also known by the rest of Illúmaril as the Dark Lord. They were also securing the expanded territories that they had obtained during the recent war. The past ploy the Valharri and their ally, the powerful necromancer Mordru, used with the border lords of helping to remove wandering undead armies had been successful to a degree. Now the underground expanses and the Underthaurnan tunnels were being expanded to connect the new territories acquired by pretending to help the border lords vanquish wandering undead. A few of those new territories were actually below the enemies’ lands.

Long ago at the dawn of the first age, the Erradan lord Dormas through his will and by his powers altered a large part of a mountain range and forged his first fortress. His Great Citadel was located in central Morthaurnan. It was south of the Whispering Marshes and north of the once vast forest of Tanglewood. The Great Citadel was built in the mountain that Dormas had shaped like an immense skull to instill fear in those who looked upon the fortress. The Great Citadel was also known as Skull Mountain Citadel by most of the Darkspawn, and it was a foreboding fortress of over one hundred thousand rooms for Dormas’ staff. The “eyes” of the skull held an eerie glow when viewed from a distance and each pseudo eye socket was over a mile high. The entire mountain section was over five miles high and was the western edge a large mountain range.

Inside the more northern eye section were the docking bays and platforms for the sky ships and the aerial fleet. The other eye held the caves for the dragons and part-dragon, part-demon Trigoliths. The nose-like opening of the skull led to the other flying Darkspawn holds. Lastly, the mouth-like area contained part of the vast garrison of the Army of Morthaurnan. Near the back of the skull-like area toward where the mountain’s peak continued upward and the rest of the mountains began were the palatial chambers of Great Dormas.The palace section of the Great Citadel had many meeting chambers and audience halls formed mostly of various stone and crystals including corundum. Dormas created the palace area out of sapphire and ruby and emerald materializing the crystals to form the various chambers and halls. Over time the dark Alor, Urshkaar and other Darkspawn added and built new sections.

Deep in Morthaurnan in the Great Citadel of Dormas, some of the Valharri, the senior wardens of the Dark Lord, were gathering. They were planning a sequestered meeting and did not want to risk that the enemy spellweavers might be trying to remotely observe or scry the meeting. As the Valharri arrived, some of them examined the wardings and protections started earlier by the dark Alor or Urshkaar spellweavers. One of the Valharri examining the preparations was Lord Valestran who was dressed formally in robes of state, including a fine pelicium and branil-alloy mail shirt. Symbols and insignias of his ranks adorned his silver and black robes noting his status as a Valharri High Lord. Like all Valharri he was a High Warden of Dormas, a weapons master, archmaster spellweaver and senior noble. As a High Lord, Valestran was one of the more influential as a Gilthrondal or grand duke. He also achieved status as a grandmaster spellweaver as well as knight grand morphandar of two different militant orders. Lord Valestran was not overly haughty and would even help in strengthening the defensive wardings, as he deemed necessary; his piercing green eyes watched for weaknesses in the defensive spellweavings.

There were fifty high lords of the Valharri and almost a thousand Valharri lords with territories scattered across Illúmaril. About half of the Valharri had territories in Morthaurnan itself or in the neighboring provinces of Koman, Dagornan, Urundi, or Trollgaard, or in the Underthaurnan below ground. Some held lands in the Wastes of Tath to the north or in the Orloon Province to the east. Not all theValharri lords or other Darkspawn lords favored by Dormas attended each Ruling Council meeting. However, each carried a great measure of influence with those meetings.

Besides the powers Dormas had imbued them with, all the Valharri were considered to have great personal powers and abilities they had developed over time. This meeting would be well attended, likely by several hundred of the Valharri, as well as many more Urshkaar lords and other Darkspawn leaders. The goblin-like Urshkaar made up the larger portion of the Dark Lord’s ancient forces. Leaders of the Dread Giants, the four-armed Charachau Darkspawn, and the shape-shifting Rûhks, as well as leaders of the bird-like Urakeen who served Dormas, would also attend the Ruling Council Assembly.

As the preparations for this Ruling Council Assembly commenced, one of Lord Dormas’ chief wardens, the Valharri High Lord Ammaroth, glided down the hallway toward the main chamber. Ammaroth had been one of the High Lords to agree to try the ploy with the undead to obtain more territory after the Urshkaar Lord Marshal Balgan had deemed it a worthy program and then determined the strategy. Although once a dark Alor, Ammaroth had been a special type of greater undead for millennia, ever since he was originally slain by the senior Alor King of Lindorien Province and brought back long ago by Dormas, the god-like entity who originally created him and the other Darkspawn.

Ammaroth wore a black Zetheric-alloy, chain-mail armor; his cloak and symbols of rank adorned on his robe; his armor and cloak indicated his status as one of the highest of the High Wardens of Dormas. Ammaroth was a renowned senior weapons master. He held the rank of knight grand morphandar of his primary militant order, composed partly of undead and knight high morphandar of another militant order composed of Charachau and dark Alor. His mystical rank of archmaster was located on his cloak and he wore a crown representing his noble rank of Aharonal. Below his crown, Ammaroth’s hood framed his glowing red-hued eye orbs, the reddish light gleaming out from the hood of his robes as he looked at the other arriving lords and Valharri. Dark Alor lords and Charachau generals who had been invited to the gathering bowed to the Valharri they passed. Many bowed to Ammaroth and, when he passed Valestran, he nodded and stated his usual greeting by great Dormas. Valestran nodded briefly in return, but he seemed to have an excessive interest in the protective wardings.

As Ammaroth moved toward his place at the great table near the Valharri High Lady Nelendra, who had already taken her seat, Ammaroth nodded to several other Valharri, including High Lords Karth and Valagarth who had also recently benefited by adding small new territories. Just before the council was about to take place, he saw several Urshkaar lords talking, and there were two of Great Dormas’ old favorites, Lord Marshal Balgan and Lord Neral. Not only had Great Dormas granted augmented abilities to his Valharri but also to his favorite Urshkaar as well. Those Urshkaar like Neral and Balgan were blessed with additional power, including a virtual immortality. Neral was a grandmaster and Balgan an archmaster spellweaver. Both were high-ranking Urshkaar nobles. Balgan was also one of Dormas’ chief military leaders for the continent of Ascalon and outranked virtually any Valharri on military matters. As he glided nearby, Ammaroth could overhear them discussing the results of the search for the wielder of the Sword of Order.

“We can find no substantial traces of the Alor who wielded the sword,” stated Urshkaar Lord Winqresh. “Surely the Alor or the White Council are hiding him.”

“As far as the reports I am reading, none of our soldiers still living got a good look at him,” Marshal Balgan stated. “Only Lord Nossus-Thoth did before that Lord of Chaos was defeated and banished.”

“You are probably right,” stated Lord Neral. “We can only surmise that during the battle in the Savanath, the wielder of the Sword of Order was injured andtakentobehealed.”Atthispoint,ValestranandsomeotherValharriincludingonethathappenedtobeoneofhissonsnamedValkis,tookseatsintherows of long arched stone tables carved and shaped in the ancient days by Dormas’ will in a circle around the Great Throne of Dormas that was now empty. Some attendants sat and some preferred to stand near the sides of the tables, such as Kerthlutus, one of the Lord High Captains of the Charachau. He would be one of those to speak for the Charachau at this Ruling Council, as many went silent, the cue for beginning.

“As in the Old days,” spoke the Valharri High Lord Malthauron in loud voice, “so today, we discuss and lay plans for our future.” It was his turn to do the initial brief ceremonial part of this council. He paused and looked about as the other conversations stopped as he and everyone else bowed ceremonially to the throne area, even though Lord Dormas was not physically in attendance; however, his spiritual presence was felt by many and was centered in the throne area. A few millennia ago, Dormas had been interdicted and banished by several of the greater Guardians working together. They were the disciples of either the Lords of Creation, Balance, or Order. The force of power and the intricacy of the weaving of their interdiction were such that Dormas could manifest physically only a few times a year for short periods.That manifestation was not his true being but a temporary vessel he created.

Today, only a spiritual presence was possible, and there would be no actual voice with the presence. However, his wardens or priors among the dark Alor and the Urshkaar, as well as his chosen favorites, could hear a distant voice with that presence in their minds. The Valharri and many of the Urshkaar lords had begun to come up with a plan to return Lord Dormas to Illúmaril. It was a plan to find the shards of the Sword of Chaos and Entropy, a sword Dormas had forged in an earlier age with guidance from his mentor Sorgoth the Great Lord of Chaos and Entropy.

With the bowing toward the central dais completed, the ceremonial aspect of the council was over. Now the arguing, yelling, and name-calling began. Soon Kerthlutus the mighty was called and he headed to the ring of steps just below the central dais to speak.

“We have found another shard of the sword of Chaos. However, it is inside one of the great elder dragons and he won’t just give it up. We have tried, but his magic is too powerful. It would take a Valharri High Lord or the Great Dormas to pry it forth.”

“It’s in his belly. Can we not just get him to vomit it forth?” asked the Urshkaar Lord Crenthrunt, who had some lesser dragons in his air cavalry units.

“It’s not that simple. It’s lodged and will not easily be removed, and this dragon was also sire to many you use in your air cavalry,” Kerthlutus replied.

“Then we will have to be more patient or wait until Great Dormas returns,” stated Valestran from the gallery. There were grunts of agreement from around the vast hall.

“Very well then,” Malthauron said, “we will continue the search for the remainder of the shards... How is the search for the wielder of the Sword of Order proceeding?”

“As yet, we found no one on our side that got a good look at the Alor, except perhaps Lady Vasha who now lies comatose,” Lord Marshal Balgan stated. “The trail stops, as there was no one left with the skills to gather his scent, so we cannot send any Gorghaun to track him.” There was angry murmurs and grunting around the chamber.

“We have even tried to contact the Chaos Lord Nossus-Thoth who battled the wielder in the Greenway,” interjected Lord Neral. “However, he is too deranged and incoherent for now to be of any help.” The decision to continue to look for the scion of Lith-Gilad was agreed upon, but the consensus was not given the highest precedence, since other pressing actions needed to be dealt with, including securing the borders and finding out more about the rumors that an ancient ally might now be awake.

Topics at the council drifted to other items, including the building of various structures. They discussed expanding tunnels and caverns and reorganizing underground waterways, even plans to extend the Underthaurnan out to the new territories. The Underthaurnan was ancient and was first carved out by Dormas to house his experiments. Later, over millennia, the cavern and tunnels complex was expanded for additional storage and living space for the Darkspawn. In the past several centuries, further tunnels were made to connect territories with underground travel ways so that the Alor and their allies could not easily find where the Urshkaar and other Darkspawn troops were mobilizing. It was important to continue to expand farther beyond the borders, now that they had new outpost lands that had been obtained during the recent battles. Secure expansion would allow a springboard for further strikes against their enemies.

Before the council was over, they discussed a new topic. “Now that we have heard reports of the Twelve having awakened, looking to reestablish their power and lands, what shall be done with this unstable ally?” High Lady Nelendra asked. “My own troops found that Lord Galvarex had awakened and pulled himself out of the muck of the Tharn Sea.”

“It is likely that Thatos has or will awaken soon,” stated Valestran. “In my opinion, he was always unstable and his loyalty to the Dark Lord questionable, especially when Great Dormas was not present to provide him guidance.”

“You may be right, Lord Valestran; however, he was considered equal with the chiefs among the Valharri in ancient days,” Lord Zhelavon said. “I did not work with him then, but I recall that you, Malthauron, and Ammaroth worked with him in the past.”

“Thatos does not work well with anyone,” intoned Ammaroth, the reddish glow intensifying from under his hood and crown. “He tends to believe he is in charge. Great Dormas told him to work alongside the Valharri and so he did.”

“Yes, he is notably independent,” Marshal Balgan said. “I recall he would not always take my advice for tactics, at times believing his own judgment to be better. Not until after the battle did he realize I was correct and adhere, at least for a short time, to my advice.”

“Many of us were able to work with him in the past. As long as the goals were the same,” stated the Valharri Lady Amonella, who had moved to the front of the discussion area. She was dressed in tight-fitting gold and black robes that accentuated her perfect physique. “In order to better serve Great Dormas, then, the appearances of the Twelve at this time can be taken as a good omen.”

“There have been distinct reports recently of the arrival of Thatos’ twelve ancient sorcerer-generals. Reports indicate they have been seen walking the lands, looking to reestablish military forces,” stated the Charachau Lord High Captain Kerthlutus. “Yet with no sign of their master.”

“Thatos is likely remaining hidden,” replied Zehlavon. “Like the lords of Chaos he descended from, they did not reveal their presence until they desired, and then they attacked our enemies.”

“Yes, I recall,” said Lord Eldreth in a deep voice. He was one of the halfdragon half-dark Alor members of the Ruling Council. “Long ago, chaotic entities not allied to us secretly gained entrance to Illúmaril and prepared the way for their leaders. Some of those beings integrated to a degree into the dark Alor societies and some into a few ancient Eldren clans before the chaotic entities were destroyed or banished.”

“We must also remember that they did not directly aid us, since we had no pacts with that group, even though our goals were aligned,” added Valagarth.

“Indeed, even though we have worked with other Lords of Chaos and Entropy in the past when we were weaker,” Lady Nelendra said, “these entities are not all allied, and they have factions. We cannot be sure of Thatos’ faction, since we will need to develop a formal pact if there is to be any enforcement of trust.”

Before the council adjourned, they agreed that some arrangement needed to be made with Thatos and those he might eventually summon. Thatos was actually the only one of the lords of Chaos and Entropy anchored by birth on Illúmaril. He would need to be carefully dealt with, for he could more easily than any of them and more like Great Dormas, call allies from the nether planes. Thatos could perhaps eventually call upon one of the greatest of the lords of Chaos and Entropy, even one such as Lord Sorgoth.