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Tirlanolir/D'nemy's Tales of Turgos: The Heroes of Goldfire Glen (UPDATE 7/26)
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<blockquote data-quote="Canaan" data-source="post: 2820265" data-attributes="member: 40239"><p><strong>Chapter 9: Balian's Mark</strong></p><p></p><p>Lilian hurriedly trailed her brother. I chose to lag behind. So consumed with calming her brother, she entirely forgot about me. I waited under the archway that bordered the great hall until I could no longer hear the echoes of either of their footsteps.</p><p></p><p>I stood there half cast in the shadow of the archway for a long moment. The decision I should have made was in direct opposition to the decision I longed to make; the decision, as fate would bind me, which I had no choice but to make. </p><p></p><p>I turned and faced the tall, narrow doorway on the far side of the hall. It had been left ajar. The small crack through which I could see the corridor beyond called to me with the irresistibly potent songs of the mythical Sirens. Though as you will see a bit later in this tale, the Sirens are not as mythical as I had once thought. But I digress.</p><p></p><p>I could just make out a black iron banister and the steps of a downward staircase. I muttered a quick prayer to Canaan and pushed myself past the long dining table, past Balian’s throne-like chair and through the doorway. I did not stop until I had come to the bottom of the staircase and was at another door. Like the other, this one was also ajar. I thanked Canaan for that, because it was constructed entirely from a solid slab of some black metal, much deeper and richer than common iron. Had it been closed, even unlocked, I doubted very highly that my meager physical potency would have been adequate to pull the door open. </p><p></p><p>I could hear Balian on the other side, though I could not see him. </p><p></p><p>“There” He said. “When the wick melts down to the next line of the candle, the tentacles shall recoil back. Immediately return to your friends. Lead them back into the Wildlands and find and destroy Veshra. Do not fail in this. Let this discomfort be a reminder of the importance of your task. Veshra is a most heinous of evils and cannot be allowed to run amok, whither and thither!”</p><p></p><p>I heard Hu Li give an incomprehensible, muffled reply, followed immediately by the sound of a door squeaking shut. </p><p></p><p>Balian stepped into view. He moved to a wooden table in the middle of the small room. It was covered with papers, scrolls, bottles stained with residue, and several bare quills whose feathers had long since sprinkled away. A leather bound book was clutched in his boney hand. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but I could have sworn I saw a bas relief image on its cover of a man screaming, his eyes closed tight and ropey flesh of his face burned away. I shook my head trying to remove the image.</p><p></p><p>He sat at the table and opened the book. I held my breath and squeezed my way through the opening. Balian made no indication that he had any notice of my presence. </p><p>He had opened the book to the front page. It was written in Draconic, the language of dragons, and magic. I had learned to both speak and read this tongue during my dalliances into lore judged heretical by the Curia. The title of the page read:</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>The Book of Abu-Abai</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Concerning the rituals to summon and bind the entity provincially referred to as “The Horror.”</strong></p><p></p><p>The book suddenly slammed shut. </p><p></p><p>“I do not suffer snoopers lightly.” Snarled Balian who was suddenly gone from behind the desk and standing behind me. </p><p></p><p>The whites of his eyes were like the surface of a frozen lake, holding me in my spot. </p><p></p><p>“Forgive me.” I sputtered. “I only wished to have a word with you.” </p><p></p><p>“No.” He answered accurately. “You wish to have several. Hu Li spoke to me of you. He told me you wanted an audience.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes.” I said, trying to gather my wits about me to speak clearly enough. My eyes drifted over to the wall from which I heard Balian speaking to Hu Li and closing the door. It was a solid wooden door, reinforced with iron bands. At head level was bolted a circular crest etched with an icon of writhing tentacles. </p><p></p><p>“Well, then…” Balian huffed, returning to his desk. “Get on with it. I have things to do. What do you want?” </p><p></p><p>“I wish to learn the arcane arts.” I said. “From you.”</p><p></p><p>“You’re offering to become my apprentice?” He asked, his eyes narrowing with curiosity and delight. “</p><p></p><p>“I am.” </p><p></p><p>“Which school? Conjuration? Evocation? Transmutation?” </p><p></p><p>I had not, up to that moment, given such a question any thought.</p><p></p><p>“All of them.” I said, not fully understanding what that meant.</p><p></p><p>“Interesting. Quite hungry for power, aren’t we?” Balian cooed. </p><p></p><p>“I seek only knowledge.” I said, not entirely convinced I was telling the truth. </p><p></p><p>“I was never one for splitting semantic hairs.”</p><p></p><p>He moved closer to me, his tall, gaunt frame looming over me. He took my chin in one hand and examined my face, in particular my eyes. His eyes glazed over for a moment.</p><p></p><p>“Yes, this specimen will do nicely.” Balian almost whispered, to whom I know not.</p><p></p><p>Then he held out his other hand and touched my forehead with his finger. </p><p></p><p>“You’re a good man, Evora Faro, Priest of Canaan. Never let that go.” </p><p></p><p>I felt a warm tickle slither at the spot he touched. </p><p></p><p>“There.” Balian said pulling his hand back. “Hu Li’s apprenticeship is near its end. You shall take his place. When you return, your training will begin.”</p><p></p><p>“Thank you.” I heard myself answering him. Something wriggled in my forehead. I wanted to ask, no, demand, Balian tell me what kind of mystical vermin he had implanted there, but I dared not, for I wished not to upset my new Master. For that is precisely what he was to me at that moment. Canaan was my Lord, my Light, my Life, but Balian was my Teacher. </p><p></p><p>I bowed low. “Thank you.” I repeated. “Master Balian.” </p><p></p><p>“Be off with you!” He said. “Hu Li will join you momentarily. I have no doubt you shall prove to be a worthy apprentice. Yes.” </p><p></p><p>He voice trailed off into a quiet chortle. He sat back down at his desk and reopened the book. </p><p></p><p>I obeyed his edict and turned about, leaving him to his studies. </p><p></p><p>I found Lilian just outside the tower, standing on the lowered drawbridge that straddled the deep moat. Bird dung stung the air beside the shrill, angry quacks of the Tower’s ducks. </p><p></p><p>The Champion of Canaan stood sternly and silently next to her ashen faced brother. They both greeted my arrival with little more than a glance and a nod. </p><p></p><p>“Where is Jordan?” Gabriel finally asked me after a long silence. </p><p></p><p>“He is still with Balian.” I answered. </p><p></p><p>“I’ve had enough of this.” He said, striding past me, and pushing his way past his sister. He strode forward, but was stopped by the emergence of Hu Li, wearing a clean, white robe and employing a slight limp. A smug, satisfied smirk split his face. </p><p></p><p>“My Master has officially released me to continue our quest. We are off, then, to the Wildlands! Come, my friends! We must make haste!” </p><p></p><p>He scurried past us. I noticed he had an extra tome tucked under his arm. I immediately recognized it as the book Balian had been studying when I interrupted him. It did indeed have the image of a screaming man on its cover, carved as though it was trying to escape the bounds of the book!</p><p></p><p>While catching up to Lilian and Gabriel who had joined Hu Li on the far side of the drawbridge, I slipped a reminder to myself in the back of my consciousness to inquire of the young wizard just how he came to acquire such a seemingly precious artifact from his Master. Perhaps Balian had entrusted his apprentice with it. Perhaps the Master believed the tome would aid us on our quest. Perhaps… but a private little imp of doubt nagged at me. It was whispering to me that Hu Li had somehow pilfered it.</p><p></p><p>Flirting with the ire of an eccentric arch mage did not seem to me the wisest thing to do.</p><p></p><p>Rejoined, we four headed north, back to Goldfire Glen and the Wildlands. </p><p></p><p>It was decided that we should stop at the village and look into how Shale was faring. We also thought it prudent to include both Talon and Aesendal in this task. Without the druid’s aid we would need all the strength and power the monk and sorcerer had to offer. </p><p></p><p>When Balian’s Tower vanished beneath the horizon behind us, Lilian suddenly stiffened. She turned back to me, the same serene smile she wore when we rendezvoused with her at Goldfire Glen days before. </p><p></p><p>“I forgot to tell you.” She said with a dreamy intensity. “Something has happened to our small village, something… profound.” </p><p></p><p>She turned to her brother. </p><p></p><p>“You know Tanner, the merchant, and his wife?</p><p></p><p>“Yes.” Gabriel said. </p><p></p><p>“And their son, Tanner, Jr.?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes. He’s, what, around eight now?” </p><p></p><p>“Yes.” She answered. “The Curia is sending a delegation from Soliel to collect him.” </p><p></p><p>Lilian had my complete and undivided attention. I knew what this meant.</p><p></p><p>Gabriel stared at her. </p><p></p><p>“Collect him?”</p><p></p><p>“Father Nimitz told me. He was nearly beside himself.”</p><p></p><p>“He has good reason to be.” I thought, but I stayed my tongue and let her continue her story.</p><p></p><p>“It seems Tanner, Jr. has been discovered to be a potential Voice and Will of Canaan.” </p><p></p><p>“The current Voice and Will is aging.” I said. “The Curia is anxious to find his legatee.”</p><p></p><p>“And they believe they have found it.” Lilian said, gleaming. “In Goldfire Glen! In our village!” </p><p></p><p>Gabriel looked away and shook his head. </p><p></p><p>“The Curia.” He hissed. “In Goldfire Glen. No doubt there will be Inquisitors and Justicars with them.”</p><p></p><p>“This is glorious news, Gabriel!” Lilian said. She looked to me for support. </p><p></p><p>“She is right.” I said. “If he is chosen to succeed the Voice and Will, Goldfire Glen will be held in the highest esteem in the Church. Your little village will hold great sway for this.” </p><p></p><p>“I’m not interested in sway. I’m also not interested in the village. In fact, most in the village don’t even like me.” Gabriel said. “Especially the priests. They all have problems with my… attitude. Whatever they consider that to be. To me, more priests equals more problems. If I am in town when they arrive, I’ll be weathering their visit at the Feisty Fox.” </p><p></p><p>Lilian stopped and kindly placed a hand on her brother’s shoulder. We both stopped and looked at her. Gabriel held tight to a scowl, despite, or perhaps in answer to, her gentle, serene expression. </p><p></p><p>“I wish, Gabriel, you could just… let all that anger go.” She said sincerely. </p><p></p><p>“It gives me purpose.” He said. “And strength.” </p><p></p><p>“What are we stopping for?” Spat Hu Li, who had strode several paces ahead of us. “Haste! Haste! We must maintain our haste!” </p><p></p><p>We journeyed on in silence for some time. Hu Li clutched the two tomes under his arm while muttering to himself. He stayed well ahead of us, moving briskly, forcing us to keep up with him. </p><p></p><p>“I only hope the boy is happy.” Lilian finally said.</p><p></p><p>“Why wouldn’t he be?” Asked Gabriel.</p><p></p><p>“He was taken from his parents and placed under the protection of the Church, in order to await the arrival of the delegation in safety and solitude. Surrounded by stuffy old priests and nuns, no matter how doting they may be, cannot be the most pleasant of experiences.” </p><p></p><p>“Well, I am sure his parents are allowed visitation.” Said Gabriel.</p><p></p><p>“Normally, yes.” Lilian answered. “But they have left Goldfire Glen. No one is certain why, but they sold their shop and moved away.”</p><p></p><p>“Sold their shop?” Gabriel said with suspicion. “Sold their shop? Or were they driven out?” </p><p></p><p>“I don’t know.” Lilian admitted. “I went by their shop to purchase some torches, as well as give his parents my blessing and well wishes, but I was greeted by a most disagreeable Shuuthian man who told me he had purchased the shop from them and that they had moved away. I told him what I needed to purchase, and to my shock, he tried to sell me a clutch of five torches for five full gold pieces. I tried to bargain with him, but he was beyond stubborn. I left and went immediately back to Father Nimitz who corroborated the new shop keeper’s story about the Tanners. He said he helped them load their cart. When I asked him if he knew why they left, he simply shrugged his shoulders and said he did not know. He said they were overjoyed to hear the news about their son, but insisted it was their time to move on, and that was all.” </p><p></p><p>“Do you think the boy and what has been happening in the Wildlands is at all connected?” Gabriel asked. “Perhaps.” Lilain said. “If so, then the Church is most wise to sequester the boy. He will be quite safe under their care.” </p><p></p><p>“What of Jazzad?” I asked. “How is he faring?”</p><p></p><p>Lilian sighed. </p><p></p><p>“Poor man.” She began. “I left him with the Herbalist Menion, who was very happy we had found him. After my second visit with Father Nimitz, I stopped by Menion’s shop to inquire about Jazzad. Menion told me he had given the ranger something to keep him sedated while he took a sample of his blood for study. Menion said Jazzad was poisoned, but he was not sure how or by what. He asked me if I had seen any strange plants or fungi in or around where we had found him. I admitted we had seen nothing of the kind. Menion said he would try to concoct an antidote from his store of remedies, but he held out little hope.”</p><p></p><p>“Now that we’re returning to the Wildlands,” Gabriel said. “we should all keep an eye out for any unusual plants or mushrooms, for both Jazzad and Shale. Did you hear that Jordan?” </p><p></p><p>“That is the Acolyte HU LI! And yes, yes, distinctive flora. Yes, yes. Remedies and antidotes! I get it!” shouted the wizard without so much as turning back to us. </p><p></p><p>“My worry is that none of us will be able to tell the difference from one flower or weed to another.” Lilian said grimly. </p><p></p><p>“We’ll do our best.” Said Gabriel. “And that’s all we can do.” </p><p></p><p>Lilian nodded. We continued northward, quietly keeping pace with Hu Li’s persistence gait.</p><p></p><p>Gabriel broke the silence, turning to his sister. </p><p></p><p>“Why didn’t you tell all of this to us earlier?” He asked.</p><p></p><p>“Balian may have been able to provide some insight into what ails Jazzad.” I added. </p><p></p><p>“I don’t know.” Lilian sighed. “I suppose my fretfulness with regard to meeting Balian face to face preoccupied me at the expense of all else.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, that’s understandable.” Her brother said. They both looked at each other and let out a short familial laugh. </p><p></p><p>Night fell before we had reached Goldfire Glen, forcing us to make camp by the side of the road. Hu Li had been uncharacteristically silent the entire day, staying well ahead of us and ignoring any attempts to include him in our conversations. I agreed to keep first watch over the camp. </p><p></p><p>Lilian and Gabriel immediately fell into a deep sleep as the last embers of the campfire died off. All was silent, save for two things, the chorus of crickets and the incessant mumblings of Hu Li. He was still awake, sitting cross-legged, his back to me and a small lit lantern at his side. </p><p></p><p>I moved over to the wizard and saw, peering over his shoulder, a glimpse of the Book of Abu-Abai, opened in his lap. He must have heard me coming, for he, in a manner that perfectly mirrored Balian, slammed the book shut and turned to me. </p><p></p><p>“Do you mind?” He spat. Gabriel stirred at the noise, but turned to his side and proceeded to quietly snore. </p><p></p><p>“I saw Balian reading that book back in the Tower.” I said.</p><p></p><p>“What of it?” Asked Hu Li, clearly suspicious of my suspiciousness. </p><p></p><p>“What is in it?” I asked. </p><p></p><p>“Spells. Rituals. Arcane things. Things you could not possibly comprehend.” </p><p></p><p>“Why do you think that?” </p><p></p><p>“Because you are a Priest of Canaan! And Canaan does not… appreciate arcane lore. Not like the Eyeless Hollow Ones. They feed upon it as a newly hatched fowl feeds on its mother’s vomit.” </p><p></p><p>“You don’t believe in Canaan, do you?”</p><p></p><p>“Of course I do! I just have little respect for Him.”</p><p></p><p>“Unlike your Master. Balian claimed to have communed with Canaan and the way Balian spoke of it, the experience was… most pleasant.”</p><p></p><p>Hu Li rolled his eyes. </p><p></p><p>“That was a joke, you fool! Balian has no more communed with Canaan as I have bedded with a harpy! You’re so blind by your faith that you have lost the clarity of mind to recognize when something is said in jest!”</p><p></p><p>Bile churned up from my stomach into my throat. Hu Li was treading on shaky ground and I was too tired to continue humoring him. I looked down at the book in his lap and quickly changed the subject.</p><p></p><p>“Why do you have that book?” I asked, trying to sound more curious than accusatory.</p><p></p><p>I failed. </p><p></p><p>Hu Li jabbed an icy, dark glare at me. He pulled the tome from his lap and up into his chest. </p><p></p><p>“Are you implying something, Priest?” He snarled. “Are you implying that I may have… stolen it? That I am no better than a common thief?” </p><p></p><p>“I am merely asking…” </p><p></p><p>“Posh!” He interrupted with a sharp click of his lips. “If you must know, it was a gift.” He said coolly. “A… graduation gift from my Master. Yes. In honor of my reaching the 1st Valance. Yes. That’s right. A bit late, perhaps, but that does not spoil my appreciation of it. I am not at all petty when it comes to such things.” </p><p></p><p>The mark in my head, the one that Balian had implanted there, squirmed. </p><p></p><p>Neither Hu Li nor I were adept at lying, but I chose not to push the issue and left him to his reading. I returned to the smoky remains of the campfire and sat down next to it, settling in for the remainder of my watch. I silently prayed to Canaan for patience, guidance and wisdom. </p><p></p><p>Balian’s mark wiggled again. I added a prayer, begging for forgiveness. I was beginning to worry that I had made a horrible error of judgment when I asked to become Balian’s new apprentice. </p><p></p><p>Balian was not an evil man. Of that I was certain. It was not the mage’s morality that concerned me, it was my own willingness to give in so easily and allow him to brand me thus. I feared my own lust for knowledge and power was already beginning to corrupt me. </p><p></p><p>I looked back over to Hu Li, who had commenced with his studies. Bent over as he was, clad in his dusty white robes, his back to the camp, his shape, half caste in shadows that danced on the edge of the lantern light, elongated his already lengthy and gangly frame. He appeared to me more as a rabid wolf, selfishly hording his kill, than a human being, thirsty for knowledge and truth. </p><p></p><p>I had taken the first step in becoming a Theurgic Mystic. I kept that image of Hu Li fresh in my mind, serving as a warning of what I must not allow myself to become.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Canaan, post: 2820265, member: 40239"] [b]Chapter 9: Balian's Mark[/b] Lilian hurriedly trailed her brother. I chose to lag behind. So consumed with calming her brother, she entirely forgot about me. I waited under the archway that bordered the great hall until I could no longer hear the echoes of either of their footsteps. I stood there half cast in the shadow of the archway for a long moment. The decision I should have made was in direct opposition to the decision I longed to make; the decision, as fate would bind me, which I had no choice but to make. I turned and faced the tall, narrow doorway on the far side of the hall. It had been left ajar. The small crack through which I could see the corridor beyond called to me with the irresistibly potent songs of the mythical Sirens. Though as you will see a bit later in this tale, the Sirens are not as mythical as I had once thought. But I digress. I could just make out a black iron banister and the steps of a downward staircase. I muttered a quick prayer to Canaan and pushed myself past the long dining table, past Balian’s throne-like chair and through the doorway. I did not stop until I had come to the bottom of the staircase and was at another door. Like the other, this one was also ajar. I thanked Canaan for that, because it was constructed entirely from a solid slab of some black metal, much deeper and richer than common iron. Had it been closed, even unlocked, I doubted very highly that my meager physical potency would have been adequate to pull the door open. I could hear Balian on the other side, though I could not see him. “There” He said. “When the wick melts down to the next line of the candle, the tentacles shall recoil back. Immediately return to your friends. Lead them back into the Wildlands and find and destroy Veshra. Do not fail in this. Let this discomfort be a reminder of the importance of your task. Veshra is a most heinous of evils and cannot be allowed to run amok, whither and thither!” I heard Hu Li give an incomprehensible, muffled reply, followed immediately by the sound of a door squeaking shut. Balian stepped into view. He moved to a wooden table in the middle of the small room. It was covered with papers, scrolls, bottles stained with residue, and several bare quills whose feathers had long since sprinkled away. A leather bound book was clutched in his boney hand. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but I could have sworn I saw a bas relief image on its cover of a man screaming, his eyes closed tight and ropey flesh of his face burned away. I shook my head trying to remove the image. He sat at the table and opened the book. I held my breath and squeezed my way through the opening. Balian made no indication that he had any notice of my presence. He had opened the book to the front page. It was written in Draconic, the language of dragons, and magic. I had learned to both speak and read this tongue during my dalliances into lore judged heretical by the Curia. The title of the page read: [CENTER][B]The Book of Abu-Abai Concerning the rituals to summon and bind the entity provincially referred to as “The Horror.”[/B][/CENTER] The book suddenly slammed shut. “I do not suffer snoopers lightly.” Snarled Balian who was suddenly gone from behind the desk and standing behind me. The whites of his eyes were like the surface of a frozen lake, holding me in my spot. “Forgive me.” I sputtered. “I only wished to have a word with you.” “No.” He answered accurately. “You wish to have several. Hu Li spoke to me of you. He told me you wanted an audience.” “Yes.” I said, trying to gather my wits about me to speak clearly enough. My eyes drifted over to the wall from which I heard Balian speaking to Hu Li and closing the door. It was a solid wooden door, reinforced with iron bands. At head level was bolted a circular crest etched with an icon of writhing tentacles. “Well, then…” Balian huffed, returning to his desk. “Get on with it. I have things to do. What do you want?” “I wish to learn the arcane arts.” I said. “From you.” “You’re offering to become my apprentice?” He asked, his eyes narrowing with curiosity and delight. “ “I am.” “Which school? Conjuration? Evocation? Transmutation?” I had not, up to that moment, given such a question any thought. “All of them.” I said, not fully understanding what that meant. “Interesting. Quite hungry for power, aren’t we?” Balian cooed. “I seek only knowledge.” I said, not entirely convinced I was telling the truth. “I was never one for splitting semantic hairs.” He moved closer to me, his tall, gaunt frame looming over me. He took my chin in one hand and examined my face, in particular my eyes. His eyes glazed over for a moment. “Yes, this specimen will do nicely.” Balian almost whispered, to whom I know not. Then he held out his other hand and touched my forehead with his finger. “You’re a good man, Evora Faro, Priest of Canaan. Never let that go.” I felt a warm tickle slither at the spot he touched. “There.” Balian said pulling his hand back. “Hu Li’s apprenticeship is near its end. You shall take his place. When you return, your training will begin.” “Thank you.” I heard myself answering him. Something wriggled in my forehead. I wanted to ask, no, demand, Balian tell me what kind of mystical vermin he had implanted there, but I dared not, for I wished not to upset my new Master. For that is precisely what he was to me at that moment. Canaan was my Lord, my Light, my Life, but Balian was my Teacher. I bowed low. “Thank you.” I repeated. “Master Balian.” “Be off with you!” He said. “Hu Li will join you momentarily. I have no doubt you shall prove to be a worthy apprentice. Yes.” He voice trailed off into a quiet chortle. He sat back down at his desk and reopened the book. I obeyed his edict and turned about, leaving him to his studies. I found Lilian just outside the tower, standing on the lowered drawbridge that straddled the deep moat. Bird dung stung the air beside the shrill, angry quacks of the Tower’s ducks. The Champion of Canaan stood sternly and silently next to her ashen faced brother. They both greeted my arrival with little more than a glance and a nod. “Where is Jordan?” Gabriel finally asked me after a long silence. “He is still with Balian.” I answered. “I’ve had enough of this.” He said, striding past me, and pushing his way past his sister. He strode forward, but was stopped by the emergence of Hu Li, wearing a clean, white robe and employing a slight limp. A smug, satisfied smirk split his face. “My Master has officially released me to continue our quest. We are off, then, to the Wildlands! Come, my friends! We must make haste!” He scurried past us. I noticed he had an extra tome tucked under his arm. I immediately recognized it as the book Balian had been studying when I interrupted him. It did indeed have the image of a screaming man on its cover, carved as though it was trying to escape the bounds of the book! While catching up to Lilian and Gabriel who had joined Hu Li on the far side of the drawbridge, I slipped a reminder to myself in the back of my consciousness to inquire of the young wizard just how he came to acquire such a seemingly precious artifact from his Master. Perhaps Balian had entrusted his apprentice with it. Perhaps the Master believed the tome would aid us on our quest. Perhaps… but a private little imp of doubt nagged at me. It was whispering to me that Hu Li had somehow pilfered it. Flirting with the ire of an eccentric arch mage did not seem to me the wisest thing to do. Rejoined, we four headed north, back to Goldfire Glen and the Wildlands. It was decided that we should stop at the village and look into how Shale was faring. We also thought it prudent to include both Talon and Aesendal in this task. Without the druid’s aid we would need all the strength and power the monk and sorcerer had to offer. When Balian’s Tower vanished beneath the horizon behind us, Lilian suddenly stiffened. She turned back to me, the same serene smile she wore when we rendezvoused with her at Goldfire Glen days before. “I forgot to tell you.” She said with a dreamy intensity. “Something has happened to our small village, something… profound.” She turned to her brother. “You know Tanner, the merchant, and his wife? “Yes.” Gabriel said. “And their son, Tanner, Jr.?” “Yes. He’s, what, around eight now?” “Yes.” She answered. “The Curia is sending a delegation from Soliel to collect him.” Lilian had my complete and undivided attention. I knew what this meant. Gabriel stared at her. “Collect him?” “Father Nimitz told me. He was nearly beside himself.” “He has good reason to be.” I thought, but I stayed my tongue and let her continue her story. “It seems Tanner, Jr. has been discovered to be a potential Voice and Will of Canaan.” “The current Voice and Will is aging.” I said. “The Curia is anxious to find his legatee.” “And they believe they have found it.” Lilian said, gleaming. “In Goldfire Glen! In our village!” Gabriel looked away and shook his head. “The Curia.” He hissed. “In Goldfire Glen. No doubt there will be Inquisitors and Justicars with them.” “This is glorious news, Gabriel!” Lilian said. She looked to me for support. “She is right.” I said. “If he is chosen to succeed the Voice and Will, Goldfire Glen will be held in the highest esteem in the Church. Your little village will hold great sway for this.” “I’m not interested in sway. I’m also not interested in the village. In fact, most in the village don’t even like me.” Gabriel said. “Especially the priests. They all have problems with my… attitude. Whatever they consider that to be. To me, more priests equals more problems. If I am in town when they arrive, I’ll be weathering their visit at the Feisty Fox.” Lilian stopped and kindly placed a hand on her brother’s shoulder. We both stopped and looked at her. Gabriel held tight to a scowl, despite, or perhaps in answer to, her gentle, serene expression. “I wish, Gabriel, you could just… let all that anger go.” She said sincerely. “It gives me purpose.” He said. “And strength.” “What are we stopping for?” Spat Hu Li, who had strode several paces ahead of us. “Haste! Haste! We must maintain our haste!” We journeyed on in silence for some time. Hu Li clutched the two tomes under his arm while muttering to himself. He stayed well ahead of us, moving briskly, forcing us to keep up with him. “I only hope the boy is happy.” Lilian finally said. “Why wouldn’t he be?” Asked Gabriel. “He was taken from his parents and placed under the protection of the Church, in order to await the arrival of the delegation in safety and solitude. Surrounded by stuffy old priests and nuns, no matter how doting they may be, cannot be the most pleasant of experiences.” “Well, I am sure his parents are allowed visitation.” Said Gabriel. “Normally, yes.” Lilian answered. “But they have left Goldfire Glen. No one is certain why, but they sold their shop and moved away.” “Sold their shop?” Gabriel said with suspicion. “Sold their shop? Or were they driven out?” “I don’t know.” Lilian admitted. “I went by their shop to purchase some torches, as well as give his parents my blessing and well wishes, but I was greeted by a most disagreeable Shuuthian man who told me he had purchased the shop from them and that they had moved away. I told him what I needed to purchase, and to my shock, he tried to sell me a clutch of five torches for five full gold pieces. I tried to bargain with him, but he was beyond stubborn. I left and went immediately back to Father Nimitz who corroborated the new shop keeper’s story about the Tanners. He said he helped them load their cart. When I asked him if he knew why they left, he simply shrugged his shoulders and said he did not know. He said they were overjoyed to hear the news about their son, but insisted it was their time to move on, and that was all.” “Do you think the boy and what has been happening in the Wildlands is at all connected?” Gabriel asked. “Perhaps.” Lilain said. “If so, then the Church is most wise to sequester the boy. He will be quite safe under their care.” “What of Jazzad?” I asked. “How is he faring?” Lilian sighed. “Poor man.” She began. “I left him with the Herbalist Menion, who was very happy we had found him. After my second visit with Father Nimitz, I stopped by Menion’s shop to inquire about Jazzad. Menion told me he had given the ranger something to keep him sedated while he took a sample of his blood for study. Menion said Jazzad was poisoned, but he was not sure how or by what. He asked me if I had seen any strange plants or fungi in or around where we had found him. I admitted we had seen nothing of the kind. Menion said he would try to concoct an antidote from his store of remedies, but he held out little hope.” “Now that we’re returning to the Wildlands,” Gabriel said. “we should all keep an eye out for any unusual plants or mushrooms, for both Jazzad and Shale. Did you hear that Jordan?” “That is the Acolyte HU LI! And yes, yes, distinctive flora. Yes, yes. Remedies and antidotes! I get it!” shouted the wizard without so much as turning back to us. “My worry is that none of us will be able to tell the difference from one flower or weed to another.” Lilian said grimly. “We’ll do our best.” Said Gabriel. “And that’s all we can do.” Lilian nodded. We continued northward, quietly keeping pace with Hu Li’s persistence gait. Gabriel broke the silence, turning to his sister. “Why didn’t you tell all of this to us earlier?” He asked. “Balian may have been able to provide some insight into what ails Jazzad.” I added. “I don’t know.” Lilian sighed. “I suppose my fretfulness with regard to meeting Balian face to face preoccupied me at the expense of all else.” “Well, that’s understandable.” Her brother said. They both looked at each other and let out a short familial laugh. Night fell before we had reached Goldfire Glen, forcing us to make camp by the side of the road. Hu Li had been uncharacteristically silent the entire day, staying well ahead of us and ignoring any attempts to include him in our conversations. I agreed to keep first watch over the camp. Lilian and Gabriel immediately fell into a deep sleep as the last embers of the campfire died off. All was silent, save for two things, the chorus of crickets and the incessant mumblings of Hu Li. He was still awake, sitting cross-legged, his back to me and a small lit lantern at his side. I moved over to the wizard and saw, peering over his shoulder, a glimpse of the Book of Abu-Abai, opened in his lap. He must have heard me coming, for he, in a manner that perfectly mirrored Balian, slammed the book shut and turned to me. “Do you mind?” He spat. Gabriel stirred at the noise, but turned to his side and proceeded to quietly snore. “I saw Balian reading that book back in the Tower.” I said. “What of it?” Asked Hu Li, clearly suspicious of my suspiciousness. “What is in it?” I asked. “Spells. Rituals. Arcane things. Things you could not possibly comprehend.” “Why do you think that?” “Because you are a Priest of Canaan! And Canaan does not… appreciate arcane lore. Not like the Eyeless Hollow Ones. They feed upon it as a newly hatched fowl feeds on its mother’s vomit.” “You don’t believe in Canaan, do you?” “Of course I do! I just have little respect for Him.” “Unlike your Master. Balian claimed to have communed with Canaan and the way Balian spoke of it, the experience was… most pleasant.” Hu Li rolled his eyes. “That was a joke, you fool! Balian has no more communed with Canaan as I have bedded with a harpy! You’re so blind by your faith that you have lost the clarity of mind to recognize when something is said in jest!” Bile churned up from my stomach into my throat. Hu Li was treading on shaky ground and I was too tired to continue humoring him. I looked down at the book in his lap and quickly changed the subject. “Why do you have that book?” I asked, trying to sound more curious than accusatory. I failed. Hu Li jabbed an icy, dark glare at me. He pulled the tome from his lap and up into his chest. “Are you implying something, Priest?” He snarled. “Are you implying that I may have… stolen it? That I am no better than a common thief?” “I am merely asking…” “Posh!” He interrupted with a sharp click of his lips. “If you must know, it was a gift.” He said coolly. “A… graduation gift from my Master. Yes. In honor of my reaching the 1st Valance. Yes. That’s right. A bit late, perhaps, but that does not spoil my appreciation of it. I am not at all petty when it comes to such things.” The mark in my head, the one that Balian had implanted there, squirmed. Neither Hu Li nor I were adept at lying, but I chose not to push the issue and left him to his reading. I returned to the smoky remains of the campfire and sat down next to it, settling in for the remainder of my watch. I silently prayed to Canaan for patience, guidance and wisdom. Balian’s mark wiggled again. I added a prayer, begging for forgiveness. I was beginning to worry that I had made a horrible error of judgment when I asked to become Balian’s new apprentice. Balian was not an evil man. Of that I was certain. It was not the mage’s morality that concerned me, it was my own willingness to give in so easily and allow him to brand me thus. I feared my own lust for knowledge and power was already beginning to corrupt me. I looked back over to Hu Li, who had commenced with his studies. Bent over as he was, clad in his dusty white robes, his back to the camp, his shape, half caste in shadows that danced on the edge of the lantern light, elongated his already lengthy and gangly frame. He appeared to me more as a rabid wolf, selfishly hording his kill, than a human being, thirsty for knowledge and truth. I had taken the first step in becoming a Theurgic Mystic. I kept that image of Hu Li fresh in my mind, serving as a warning of what I must not allow myself to become. [/QUOTE]
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Tirlanolir/D'nemy's Tales of Turgos: The Heroes of Goldfire Glen (UPDATE 7/26)
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