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Into the Icy Darkness II: The Next Generation
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<blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1658488" data-attributes="member: 15043"><p>Valaron had never been inside this particular Temple of Hieroneous, but as he was hurriedly led through its corridors and alcoves, he recognized it followed the same, simple layout as most of the others across the Empire. From above, its main building’s form would look like a sword, the blade forming the long hall down which one must travel to reach the worship chambers. The sermon hall itself would form a cross, the entrance coming from the ‘blade,’, two of its wings forming a ‘hilt’ and the nave where the priest conducted the service forming the ‘pommel.’</p><p></p><p>The priest cut to the left, and out a side door from the main hall, leading the croned Crown Prince out into the sunlight, towards one of the numerous side buildings in the temple complex. The building they headed towards was small, lightning etches along the edge of its roof.</p><p></p><p>“The Commander is here, I shall fetch him,” the priest said nervously, giving the old crone before him a bow before rushing off. Valaron had a few minutes to admire the well tended trees and gardens on the temple grounds, before his erstwhile escort returned, announcing that the High Commander of the Temple would meet him in his personal quarters.</p><p></p><p>Valaron was led around the small building to its northern side, where a single door lay. The priest opened the door gingerly, allowing Valaron through.</p><p></p><p>The quarters inside were simple and small... perhaps twenty feet long by fifteen wide. Along one side of the room was a large bookcase, containing volumes ranging from numerous prayerbooks for Hieroneous to a few volumes on the Great Rebellion, and one on the birds that could be found in the Valley. Hanging above the door was a longsword that seemed to shine with unusual brilliance.</p><p></p><p>A simple desk was in one corner, a rather simple bed to its opposite. Sitting behind the desk was a tall man, clad in robes far simpler than those of the priest that had brought Valaron there. The man gave a slight nod, and Val heard the door closing behind him as the priest took his ordered leave.</p><p></p><p>“Please, sit,” the man, undoubtedly the High Commander, motioned towards another wooden chair in the crowded room. With a nod, Valaron shuffled over towards the indicated seat, and made himself comfortable. Harrapias then sat down behind the desk, across from Val, and gave the crone before him a great smile. Val felt a hot, burning sensation suddenly wash over his face, spreading to the back of his skull. In an instant, the sensation vanished.</p><p></p><p>“You may remove whatever magical disguise you have on, sir,” Harrapias said, still smiling. “Should your identity need to remain secret, surely the Commander of a Hieroneous Temple can be trusted?”</p><p></p><p>Val’s heart stopped momentarily. <em>I’ve been discovered!</em> his mind jumped. <em>How? How did he know?</em></p><p></p><p>“I would like the courtesy of knowing who I am addressing,” the priest added, still with that large, if unnervingly calm smile.</p><p></p><p>Valaron gave a sigh. <em>There is no point to the ruse if he knows it is such.</em> HE cleared his mind, and followed Raven’s directions on causing the magic to cease. A few muttered words later (some of which he fumbled over), he could see the wrinkles on his hands vanishing, their paleness being exchanged for the deep ruddy look his skin normally held.</p><p></p><p>The priest’s smile did not change, but Valaron watched as his eyes grew wider and wider in recognition. Just when the prince thought that the man’s eyes could grow no wider, Harrapias blinked, and they seemed to return to a slightly more normal size.</p><p></p><p>“My prince,” Harrapias said, voice only slightly shaky. </p><p></p><p>“Commander, I apologize for my disguise,” Valaron gave a slight nod, “It was deemed necessary, given the urgency and secrecy of my mission to see you.”</p><p></p><p>“And what... may the Church of Valor do to help Your Highness?” Harrapias replied, his voice resuming his even keel as he regained control of it.</p><p></p><p>“I am in need of information... on an item called the Fire Stone. Outside my companion, Lady Raven Dice, is waiting. She has come to assist in the search.”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“So is this the infamous book on the Demon Rebellion?” Raven asked some time later, her voice hushed in awe as Harrapias laid before them a large, dusty tome, its cover cracked, its pages yellow with age.</p><p></p><p>“No... at least not the Demon Rebellion you are familiar with,” Harrapias said quietly. The priest had cancelled all of his duties for the day, after hearing of the assassination plot, and the Crown Prince’s mission to discover where the Fire Stone lay. “This assault on our world by demons is one that is far more ancient... have you heard of Ananias and his war?”</p><p></p><p>“Um... wasn’t he the ancestor of the Countess?” Raven asked, and Valaron gave a nod.</p><p></p><p>“Yes... he was the Count of Holstean and your father’s ancestor. He reigned several hundred years ago, and it was he that originally made the staff and the two stones that gave it so much evil power. His creation destroyed his human form... and so your father encountered him in a form that was frightening, to say the least.” Valaron nodded, remembering the stories they told of the ice demon under the mountain. Suddenly the prince’s brow furrowed, confusion beginning in his mind.</p><p></p><p>“He was a powerful sorcerer, as his grandfather was not... human,” Harrapias continued, not seeing the prince’s reaction. “He placed within the Ice Diamond the power to control the orcs of the mountains, and create creatures of icy power. No one, however, knows what he put into the Fire Stone, though an obvious guess... what is it, Your Highness?”</p><p></p><p>“Um...” Valaron started slowly, “this Ananias was my father’s ancestor?”</p><p></p><p>“Why yes... his loins gave birth to the Caladron family line, a line of Counts and Countesses that went unbroken until your father surrendered the title to take up the Imperial Crown,” Harrapias said, his voice gently conveying what he thought was obvious.</p><p></p><p>“So... this means father did not take the title from the Countess?” Valaron asked, repeating the phrase Lucius had told him when asked how he took the title of Count from the evil leader of the Demon Rebellion.</p><p></p><p>“He did, of course! When his mother signed that pact with the demons of below, he took the title of Count and led the fight against her! Right brave and valorous thing to do, leading a fight against your own mother, and indeed, your whole family...” Harrapias’ voice trailed off as he saw the Crown Prince’s face.</p><p></p><p><em>The Countess was... my grandmother...</em> Valaron’s mind raced, confusion and fear mixing together. <em>So... I have demon blood in me! The blood of the same that created the evil staff, and the blood of the one that used it for so much destruction... they all run in my veins!</em></p><p></p><p>“Um... Val?” Raven asked, gently touching his shoulder. “Are you okay?” To her surprise, a few moments after her hand touched his arm, it was shrugged off.</p><p></p><p>“So... I am the grandson of the evil Countess herself,” Valaron said slowly, his voice breaking lightly.</p><p></p><p>“Yes, but-“ Harrapias jumped in, now reading the confusion in the boy’s head, “...but the evil hasn’t spread to you. Your mother, father and their friends took care of that!” The priest’s halting speech during the last sentence told Valaron there was far more to the stories than he had ever been told.</p><p></p><p>“How?” the prince said, his voice growing heavy. <em>Why did they not tell me?</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Maybe they were merely trying to protect me. Maybe they did not know if I would understand? Maybe... if I knew... they were afraid I would misuse things, and hurt people like the Countess did? Why... how...</em></p><p></p><p>“Would it be wise if I continued, Highness?” Harrapias asked slowly, now realizing he was treading on ground the boy’s parents had not told him about yet.</p><p></p><p>“Continue... that is a command,” Valaron’s voice grew darker. <em>I must know! If the Countess was so evil, and her magical blood is in my veins, why should I be free from that curse! How was my father free from that curse?</em></p><p></p><p>“Are you sure Valaron? You could wait to ask your father-“ Raven started, before Valaron’s stare cut her off.</p><p></p><p>“Well... um... do you know of the Battle of Irulas?” Harrapias started slowly. At the prince’s nod of assent, the priest continued, “Well... um... the Countess’ goal was to corrupt your father... and just before the battle, she succeeded in kidnapping him.”</p><p></p><p>The prince’s eyes went slightly wide. He had heard that during the battle his father had been injured, and his mother had fought mightily to save him and the city. </p><p></p><p>“The Countess managed to turn your father evil... and at the height of the battle, sent him to kill your mother and his former friends,” the priest continued slowly.</p><p></p><p>“So my own <em>father</em> went evil, and tried to kill my mother?” Valaron asked haltingly, fear in his eyes. <em>So then, it DID spread to him? What is to keep it from spreading to me? If it made him go so far as to try and kill the love of his life, I... I could hurt my mother... father... Vin... Raven... any of them!</em></p><p></p><p>“Yes... but your mother and Tess saved him!” Harrapias interjected again, as quickly as possible. “Your father bore down them, and your mother stood in his father, refusing to even draw her blade! Your father paused, long enough for Tess to knock him out, and for them to use some magical force to bring him back to his senses!” Harrapias thundered in the voice of one who was present, and witnessed the entire affair.</p><p></p><p>“But does the Countess’ blood still flow in my veins?” Valaron asked.</p><p></p><p>“Yes... but it is worthless, inert to evil,” the priest replied. “Tess used some magic I do not understand to banish away. It was arcane magic, power I do not understand. A mage like your mother,” Harrapias nodded to Raven, “would have more understanding of it possibly.”</p><p></p><p>“I don’t trust it,” Val growled. <em>The evil that ran in the Countess was deep... deep enough that it pulled in my father! And he is far stronger of heart that I am! It will pull me in as well!</em></p><p></p><p>“Val... don’t worry,” Raven put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “You won’t harm us. If the priest states this is so, and he was a witness, it <em>must</em> be so!”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>It was getting towards afternoon, and Hemmel absently gnawed on a small roll he had purchased from a vendor on the temple plaza. It had been some three hours since he’d seen the Dice girl go into the temple... and he had no idea when she or the old crone she’d gone in with would come back out. He highly doubted the old crone was really an old crone, however.</p><p></p><p><em>So simple,</em> his mind chided him for forgetting about the Dice family’s magical powers. <em>Magically alter the prince... well... tricked once, shame on me...</em></p><p></p><p>His ears, ever alert, were picking up the first nervous rumors and undertones of something major. Rumors were circulating that something had happened in the capital, and Hemmel had to chuckle at the stories circulating among the provincials. Kulloden was near the remote edge of the Empire’s western border, and rumors were circulating that the Emperor was dead, that the local Count had declared martial law, and all sorts of other nonsense.</p><p></p><p><em>A herald has finally made it through the other towns closer to Iskeldrun, and teleported here,</em> Hemmel chuckled. <em>Heralds will probably go out and proclaim the Emperor’s safety tomorrow...</em> It was always how major news worked in from the capital.</p><p></p><p><em>Yet none of this provincial backwoods chelpers knows that the Crown Prince himself is here...</em> Hemmel chuckled.</p><p></p><p>The rumors and hushed gossip were lost on Hemmel shortly, as he returned to tracking the crowds coming in and leaving the temple plaza. He had already catalogued two other cloaked individuals that seemed to be hanging around the marketplace as guards, and he’d made sure to keep shifting about so they didn’t see him staring too long at the Hieroneous Temple.</p><p></p><p>He was rather surprised, however, to see the form of the original Dice girl he had been tracking come back into the large plaza... another cloaked figure in tow. Carefully, Hemmel made as if he was headed to the Temple of Pelor... which took him on a path closing with the two.</p><p></p><p>Drawing closer, he could see a faint glow of some kind reflecting off of the dull green interior of the second person’s cloak.</p><p></p><p><em>Ah... so the dragon makes his presence known</em>, Hemmel realized. <em>Myself versus the Prince, Raven, and two bodyguards is reasonable... but myself versus those, the other Dice girl, and a prismatic dragon? Hardly fair odds.</em></p><p></p><p>The assassin checked his pocket with a hand and, to his relief, found numerous jingling coins. He knew in the small pack on his back were several platinum trade bars as well.</p><p></p><p><em>More than enough to teleport out of here, and return with some reinforcements...</em></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“I will worry about that later,” Val added, somewhat gruffly. His attempt to hide his continued fear and concern was not masked well enough for Raven to be bluffed.</p><p></p><p>“Val, if you-“</p><p></p><p>“You were saying, Commander,” Val said rather coldly. He saw Raven’s face fall after his rebuff, and part of him immediately regretted the sharp comment. The rest of him willed himself to quiet. <em>The priest had more to say that involved that Fire Stone. We must find out what this Fire Stone does! And if it hurts someone like the Ice Diamond!</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>What if it does pull one towards evil?</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>It is no matter... I alone here in the Valley can carry that stone. I must, regardless!</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Duty over self... it is the way,</em> he thought, shoving aside his own fears for the problem at hand. <em>I cannot let it affect me!</em></p><p></p><p>“Um... well...” Harrapias paused, unsure of whether to continue until the prince’s concerns had been dealt with. Seeing Valaron’s icy stare, the priest took his cue to continue. “We do not know much about the Fire Stone, other than it never fell into the Countess’ hands. It was originally part of Empress Zoe’s dowry to marry your father, but in the chaos of her reign and death, it was lost, somewhere around Irulas.”</p><p></p><p>“What exactly does this Fire Stone <em>do?</em> You said it <em>might</em> give on the ability to control fire, but does anyone know for sure?” Valaron pressed.</p><p></p><p>“If anyone does, it is not me,” Harrapias replied. “As I said, if the Ice Diamond gave one the ability to control cold, logically its partner the Fire Stone would give one the ability to control heat and fire.”</p><p></p><p>“But does it do anything else?”</p><p></p><p>“I do not know... and I am unawares of anyone that would know,” Harrapias said again. “It is a gem that supposedly has great magical power... and up until Zoe taking, it had been locked in the Imperial vaults for centuries.”</p><p></p><p><em>And now it lies out in the wilderness... its terrible power undisturbed...or so we hope to the gods...</em> Val thought.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Emperor Valerian, post: 1658488, member: 15043"] Valaron had never been inside this particular Temple of Hieroneous, but as he was hurriedly led through its corridors and alcoves, he recognized it followed the same, simple layout as most of the others across the Empire. From above, its main building’s form would look like a sword, the blade forming the long hall down which one must travel to reach the worship chambers. The sermon hall itself would form a cross, the entrance coming from the ‘blade,’, two of its wings forming a ‘hilt’ and the nave where the priest conducted the service forming the ‘pommel.’ The priest cut to the left, and out a side door from the main hall, leading the croned Crown Prince out into the sunlight, towards one of the numerous side buildings in the temple complex. The building they headed towards was small, lightning etches along the edge of its roof. “The Commander is here, I shall fetch him,” the priest said nervously, giving the old crone before him a bow before rushing off. Valaron had a few minutes to admire the well tended trees and gardens on the temple grounds, before his erstwhile escort returned, announcing that the High Commander of the Temple would meet him in his personal quarters. Valaron was led around the small building to its northern side, where a single door lay. The priest opened the door gingerly, allowing Valaron through. The quarters inside were simple and small... perhaps twenty feet long by fifteen wide. Along one side of the room was a large bookcase, containing volumes ranging from numerous prayerbooks for Hieroneous to a few volumes on the Great Rebellion, and one on the birds that could be found in the Valley. Hanging above the door was a longsword that seemed to shine with unusual brilliance. A simple desk was in one corner, a rather simple bed to its opposite. Sitting behind the desk was a tall man, clad in robes far simpler than those of the priest that had brought Valaron there. The man gave a slight nod, and Val heard the door closing behind him as the priest took his ordered leave. “Please, sit,” the man, undoubtedly the High Commander, motioned towards another wooden chair in the crowded room. With a nod, Valaron shuffled over towards the indicated seat, and made himself comfortable. Harrapias then sat down behind the desk, across from Val, and gave the crone before him a great smile. Val felt a hot, burning sensation suddenly wash over his face, spreading to the back of his skull. In an instant, the sensation vanished. “You may remove whatever magical disguise you have on, sir,” Harrapias said, still smiling. “Should your identity need to remain secret, surely the Commander of a Hieroneous Temple can be trusted?” Val’s heart stopped momentarily. [i]I’ve been discovered![/i] his mind jumped. [i]How? How did he know?[/i] “I would like the courtesy of knowing who I am addressing,” the priest added, still with that large, if unnervingly calm smile. Valaron gave a sigh. [i]There is no point to the ruse if he knows it is such.[/i] HE cleared his mind, and followed Raven’s directions on causing the magic to cease. A few muttered words later (some of which he fumbled over), he could see the wrinkles on his hands vanishing, their paleness being exchanged for the deep ruddy look his skin normally held. The priest’s smile did not change, but Valaron watched as his eyes grew wider and wider in recognition. Just when the prince thought that the man’s eyes could grow no wider, Harrapias blinked, and they seemed to return to a slightly more normal size. “My prince,” Harrapias said, voice only slightly shaky. “Commander, I apologize for my disguise,” Valaron gave a slight nod, “It was deemed necessary, given the urgency and secrecy of my mission to see you.” “And what... may the Church of Valor do to help Your Highness?” Harrapias replied, his voice resuming his even keel as he regained control of it. “I am in need of information... on an item called the Fire Stone. Outside my companion, Lady Raven Dice, is waiting. She has come to assist in the search.” “So is this the infamous book on the Demon Rebellion?” Raven asked some time later, her voice hushed in awe as Harrapias laid before them a large, dusty tome, its cover cracked, its pages yellow with age. “No... at least not the Demon Rebellion you are familiar with,” Harrapias said quietly. The priest had cancelled all of his duties for the day, after hearing of the assassination plot, and the Crown Prince’s mission to discover where the Fire Stone lay. “This assault on our world by demons is one that is far more ancient... have you heard of Ananias and his war?” “Um... wasn’t he the ancestor of the Countess?” Raven asked, and Valaron gave a nod. “Yes... he was the Count of Holstean and your father’s ancestor. He reigned several hundred years ago, and it was he that originally made the staff and the two stones that gave it so much evil power. His creation destroyed his human form... and so your father encountered him in a form that was frightening, to say the least.” Valaron nodded, remembering the stories they told of the ice demon under the mountain. Suddenly the prince’s brow furrowed, confusion beginning in his mind. “He was a powerful sorcerer, as his grandfather was not... human,” Harrapias continued, not seeing the prince’s reaction. “He placed within the Ice Diamond the power to control the orcs of the mountains, and create creatures of icy power. No one, however, knows what he put into the Fire Stone, though an obvious guess... what is it, Your Highness?” “Um...” Valaron started slowly, “this Ananias was my father’s ancestor?” “Why yes... his loins gave birth to the Caladron family line, a line of Counts and Countesses that went unbroken until your father surrendered the title to take up the Imperial Crown,” Harrapias said, his voice gently conveying what he thought was obvious. “So... this means father did not take the title from the Countess?” Valaron asked, repeating the phrase Lucius had told him when asked how he took the title of Count from the evil leader of the Demon Rebellion. “He did, of course! When his mother signed that pact with the demons of below, he took the title of Count and led the fight against her! Right brave and valorous thing to do, leading a fight against your own mother, and indeed, your whole family...” Harrapias’ voice trailed off as he saw the Crown Prince’s face. [i]The Countess was... my grandmother...[/i] Valaron’s mind raced, confusion and fear mixing together. [i]So... I have demon blood in me! The blood of the same that created the evil staff, and the blood of the one that used it for so much destruction... they all run in my veins![/i] “Um... Val?” Raven asked, gently touching his shoulder. “Are you okay?” To her surprise, a few moments after her hand touched his arm, it was shrugged off. “So... I am the grandson of the evil Countess herself,” Valaron said slowly, his voice breaking lightly. “Yes, but-“ Harrapias jumped in, now reading the confusion in the boy’s head, “...but the evil hasn’t spread to you. Your mother, father and their friends took care of that!” The priest’s halting speech during the last sentence told Valaron there was far more to the stories than he had ever been told. “How?” the prince said, his voice growing heavy. [i]Why did they not tell me? Maybe they were merely trying to protect me. Maybe they did not know if I would understand? Maybe... if I knew... they were afraid I would misuse things, and hurt people like the Countess did? Why... how...[/i] “Would it be wise if I continued, Highness?” Harrapias asked slowly, now realizing he was treading on ground the boy’s parents had not told him about yet. “Continue... that is a command,” Valaron’s voice grew darker. [i]I must know! If the Countess was so evil, and her magical blood is in my veins, why should I be free from that curse! How was my father free from that curse?[/i] “Are you sure Valaron? You could wait to ask your father-“ Raven started, before Valaron’s stare cut her off. “Well... um... do you know of the Battle of Irulas?” Harrapias started slowly. At the prince’s nod of assent, the priest continued, “Well... um... the Countess’ goal was to corrupt your father... and just before the battle, she succeeded in kidnapping him.” The prince’s eyes went slightly wide. He had heard that during the battle his father had been injured, and his mother had fought mightily to save him and the city. “The Countess managed to turn your father evil... and at the height of the battle, sent him to kill your mother and his former friends,” the priest continued slowly. “So my own [i]father[/i] went evil, and tried to kill my mother?” Valaron asked haltingly, fear in his eyes. [i]So then, it DID spread to him? What is to keep it from spreading to me? If it made him go so far as to try and kill the love of his life, I... I could hurt my mother... father... Vin... Raven... any of them![/i] “Yes... but your mother and Tess saved him!” Harrapias interjected again, as quickly as possible. “Your father bore down them, and your mother stood in his father, refusing to even draw her blade! Your father paused, long enough for Tess to knock him out, and for them to use some magical force to bring him back to his senses!” Harrapias thundered in the voice of one who was present, and witnessed the entire affair. “But does the Countess’ blood still flow in my veins?” Valaron asked. “Yes... but it is worthless, inert to evil,” the priest replied. “Tess used some magic I do not understand to banish away. It was arcane magic, power I do not understand. A mage like your mother,” Harrapias nodded to Raven, “would have more understanding of it possibly.” “I don’t trust it,” Val growled. [i]The evil that ran in the Countess was deep... deep enough that it pulled in my father! And he is far stronger of heart that I am! It will pull me in as well![/i] “Val... don’t worry,” Raven put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “You won’t harm us. If the priest states this is so, and he was a witness, it [i]must[/i] be so!” It was getting towards afternoon, and Hemmel absently gnawed on a small roll he had purchased from a vendor on the temple plaza. It had been some three hours since he’d seen the Dice girl go into the temple... and he had no idea when she or the old crone she’d gone in with would come back out. He highly doubted the old crone was really an old crone, however. [i]So simple,[/i] his mind chided him for forgetting about the Dice family’s magical powers. [i]Magically alter the prince... well... tricked once, shame on me...[/i] His ears, ever alert, were picking up the first nervous rumors and undertones of something major. Rumors were circulating that something had happened in the capital, and Hemmel had to chuckle at the stories circulating among the provincials. Kulloden was near the remote edge of the Empire’s western border, and rumors were circulating that the Emperor was dead, that the local Count had declared martial law, and all sorts of other nonsense. [i]A herald has finally made it through the other towns closer to Iskeldrun, and teleported here,[/i] Hemmel chuckled. [i]Heralds will probably go out and proclaim the Emperor’s safety tomorrow...[/i] It was always how major news worked in from the capital. [i]Yet none of this provincial backwoods chelpers knows that the Crown Prince himself is here...[/i] Hemmel chuckled. The rumors and hushed gossip were lost on Hemmel shortly, as he returned to tracking the crowds coming in and leaving the temple plaza. He had already catalogued two other cloaked individuals that seemed to be hanging around the marketplace as guards, and he’d made sure to keep shifting about so they didn’t see him staring too long at the Hieroneous Temple. He was rather surprised, however, to see the form of the original Dice girl he had been tracking come back into the large plaza... another cloaked figure in tow. Carefully, Hemmel made as if he was headed to the Temple of Pelor... which took him on a path closing with the two. Drawing closer, he could see a faint glow of some kind reflecting off of the dull green interior of the second person’s cloak. [i]Ah... so the dragon makes his presence known[/i], Hemmel realized. [i]Myself versus the Prince, Raven, and two bodyguards is reasonable... but myself versus those, the other Dice girl, and a prismatic dragon? Hardly fair odds.[/i] The assassin checked his pocket with a hand and, to his relief, found numerous jingling coins. He knew in the small pack on his back were several platinum trade bars as well. [i]More than enough to teleport out of here, and return with some reinforcements...[/i] “I will worry about that later,” Val added, somewhat gruffly. His attempt to hide his continued fear and concern was not masked well enough for Raven to be bluffed. “Val, if you-“ “You were saying, Commander,” Val said rather coldly. He saw Raven’s face fall after his rebuff, and part of him immediately regretted the sharp comment. The rest of him willed himself to quiet. [i]The priest had more to say that involved that Fire Stone. We must find out what this Fire Stone does! And if it hurts someone like the Ice Diamond! What if it does pull one towards evil? It is no matter... I alone here in the Valley can carry that stone. I must, regardless! Duty over self... it is the way,[/i] he thought, shoving aside his own fears for the problem at hand. [i]I cannot let it affect me![/i] “Um... well...” Harrapias paused, unsure of whether to continue until the prince’s concerns had been dealt with. Seeing Valaron’s icy stare, the priest took his cue to continue. “We do not know much about the Fire Stone, other than it never fell into the Countess’ hands. It was originally part of Empress Zoe’s dowry to marry your father, but in the chaos of her reign and death, it was lost, somewhere around Irulas.” “What exactly does this Fire Stone [i]do?[/i] You said it [i]might[/i] give on the ability to control fire, but does anyone know for sure?” Valaron pressed. “If anyone does, it is not me,” Harrapias replied. “As I said, if the Ice Diamond gave one the ability to control cold, logically its partner the Fire Stone would give one the ability to control heat and fire.” “But does it do anything else?” “I do not know... and I am unawares of anyone that would know,” Harrapias said again. “It is a gem that supposedly has great magical power... and up until Zoe taking, it had been locked in the Imperial vaults for centuries.” [i]And now it lies out in the wilderness... its terrible power undisturbed...or so we hope to the gods...[/i] Val thought. [/QUOTE]
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