After 350 years of blizzards and crushing ice, there is a slight lull in winter's fury, as if Mulcarn is distracted by something. The Children of Kylorin the last great Archmage take up their swords and seek to bring about The Thaw and save mankind!
The gods seemed to have forsaken man. Bound by their agreement they cannot enter Creation and even if they did they would likely destroy the rest of mankind in the war. But some hope remains. The goddess Nantoseulta, who loved Sucellus, whispered to her most loyal follower, and archmage kept alive from a previous age and told him what he must do.
Kylorin was unique among men, the first to be trained in the art of magic by the evil goddess Ceridwen, whom he later betrayed to follow Nantosuelta. Directly instructed by both the evil goddess of conjuration and the good goddess of enchantment he was the most legendary figure of his age, and now he is needed to be the most legendary figure of another age as well.
Kylorin has gone into the world and has sought out the bands of men that still survive in a battle against Mulcarn and his forces. He has set in motion a plan to reforge the Godslayer and to do what a god had failed to do, kill the God of Winter.
Great deeds are done. Charadon the Chief of Chiefs of the Doviello is dead. His most loyal barbarians, the White Wolf Tribe, is scattered and defeated. The Illian Seers who bound him with Mulcarn are dead at the hands of the Children of Kylorin. All the region of Dragon's Peak and King's Peak is now free from their influence. The Snowmask, friendly barbarian tribes, can return to their sacred duties of protecting the mountains and the ancient places of power such as the Huskarl King's Keep. It became apparent that this Huskarl King was none other than Kylorin himself.
With his great flaming axe in hand his Children followed Charadon into the heart of the Dragon's Peak and did battle with Charadon and a great white wyrm that guarded the first piece of Godslayer the mythical blade that was forged by the Gods during the Compact, and has the power to slay Mulcarn, or any god. With that shard in hand the Children have completed a major task.
Yet they can not simply seek the next shard. Recovered from the Illians is the Branch of Life, one of the three sacred branches from the Tree of the Anhel, given to the Nomanhel to secret away into the deep places of the earth and keep safe. Yet the Nomanhel failed, they fell to other evils for Mulcarn is not the only power in the world for ill. With the Branch in hand, Saeldur plans to lead the Children back into the mountainside, down to where the Nomanhel people have fallen and to restore nearly one third of the Anhel people on Erebus. It is an impossible task, but it will not be the first such task accomplished by these people, and it may not be the last.
Welcome back! Sorry for the delay.
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"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Saying their last good-byes the Snowmask turn back to their long task at hand of cleaning up the mess of the Doviello and getting back to their lives. There are still many Doviello tribes out there, but with Charadon dead there will a power vacuum among them, and they may fall to war with one another or simply return to their barbarian ways. However the Illians and Frostlings remain, and they will continue to use the Doviello as their tools as they have for centuries, but you can assume they will be less focused than before.
So you plunge into the ancient tunnels and make the long way down the carved stone passage to the great acid pit and the dwarf queen's tomb where you did battle with forgotten dwarven undead, and their devious traps.
Now out of the snow and the sun Saeldur and Ovind light up their items with magic and you may your way through the tunnels heading for the deep grotto.
This is 4000pix wide if you want to zoom in.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
"We'll have to go past the dwarven burial chamber, across the water, through Nantosuelta's light, and back to the Nomanhel chambers," Saeldur says with a hint of impatience in his voice. He's carrying one of the great treasures of the Anhel world, and he knows what this will mean to the spirits of the Nomahnel, who have waited an Age for its return.
Ovind smiles gently, a peace coming over her face that is rather rare. "I look forward to visiting Nantosuelta's light again. I hope it is as we left it. That is a place of life and peace, unique on this world."
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."
Ronk grunts in agreement with Saeldur's urgent request. The barbarian slings his great obsidian axe over his shoulder and moves towards their destination to re-enter the tunnels leading back to the strange and ghostly Nomanhel.
Lehros moves into the tunnel and looks around at the dwarf tombs and the bubbling acid below. "We should not assume things are still clear. There could be new dangers, or traps left by the Doviello. Let me scout the way." He then slips off out in front.
You retrace your steps through the dwarven tombs remember the various traps and treasures. So far the fears of Lehros are unfounded, and you leave the ancient tombs behind and move into the more natural caverns of Nantosuelta's Light. You cross the bridge and move down through the area to come to that place where the very spirit of a Goddess spoke to you.
The light is bright here, even though its getting late outside. As you move into light it washes over you and all weariness and worry leaves you. All aches and pains fade, and all bumps and bruises vanish. You are as fresh as the day you were born. The spell of spring is in the air, bees buzz, unseen birds chirps and the smell of lowers is on the air. You stop for a bit to take it all in.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Ovind sits down on a rock and just basks in the warm light. She looks relaxed and peaceful, unlike her usual intense demeanor. "This ... this is what life should be like. Warm. Peaceful. Full of life and light."
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."
Egbert kneels down in the light and prays to his god:
"You who are the source of all power,
Your rays illuminate the whole world,
Illuminate our hearts also,
So we too may do your work.
Lugus is high above us
shining down upon the land and sea,
making things grow and bloom.
Great and powerful Lugus,
we honor you this day
and thank you for your gifts.
You are hope in this long winter,
the heat that warms the earth,
the hope that springs eternal,
the bringer of life.
We welcome you, and we honor you this day,
celebrating your light,
as we begin our journey once more
into the darkness."
Saeldur moves into the light and lets his mind go back to his time in the Anhel enclave of his birth. This was the world he had lived in as a child, And he would never stop working until it was the world every child had a chance to live in. "The world can be like this again," he says. "It has to be."
Finally, after a time of simply basking in the light, he sighs and reluctantly voices his thoughts.
"As much as I would love to stay here for a long time, the Nomanhel have waited for an Age to have the Branch returned. I would not delay its return even longer just for my own pleasure."
The gods seemed to have forsaken man. Bound by their agreement they cannot enter Creation and even if they did they would likely destroy the rest of mankind in the war. But some hope remains. The goddess Nantoseulta, who loved Sucellus, whispered to her most loyal follower, and archmage kept alive from a previous age and told him what he must do.
