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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 3663814" data-attributes="member: 5203"><p><strong>Troubled Times</strong></p><p></p><p>The Legacy appeared on the rise overlooking Dagger Rock, accompanied by a splash of lightning from the gathering storm clouds overhead, sending a terrified pair of beavers scampering toward the river. It would have been an impressive arrival for any sentient witnesses, except that everyone’s clothing and belongings had shifted one person over in the circle. Kyle’s eyes bulged and he nearly passed out as he found himself squeezed into Osborn’s hin-sized clothing, while Osborn toppled over in Autumn’s plate armor. As Autumn helped the hin up, Yuri was already shedding Tolly’s armor.</p><p></p><p> “This cr*p is way too heavy,” she complained, as she tossed the breastplate to the ground.</p><p></p><p> Kyle looked over at the Sargian, having cut himself out of Osborn’s pants. “I see our new recruit has become remarkably comfortable in our presence,” he said, as he magically mended the ripped pants.</p><p></p><p> “I served in a mixed regiment,” Yuri said by way of explanation. “They’ve seen mine, I’ve seen theirs, after a while it just doesn’t make a difference.”</p><p></p><p> “So, that would be one of those magical surges we’ve been hearing about, Kyle?” Arrie asked, handing Yuri’s armor and weapons to her.</p><p></p><p> “Yes,” Kyle said. “A mild one, fortunately. We only ended up exchanging clothing, as opposed to, say, limbs. Or heads.”</p><p></p><p> “I see. Perhaps we ought reconsider using teleportation as our primary method of travel, then.”</p><p></p><p> “We can discuss it later,” Tolly said. “Right now we have other business.”</p><p></p><p>They all turned, and looked down on the symbol etched in the ground a short distance away.</p><p></p><p> “That’s the Scion-Watchers, all right,” Kyle said with a grimace. </p><p></p><p> “The symbol wasn’t burned into the ground,” Osborn observed. “It’s like the ground just died there.”</p><p></p><p>“There’s a hint of necromancy in the ground, but nothing active,” Kyle informed him. “That probably accounts for the earth being dead.”</p><p></p><p>“Then I have even more cause to oppose this cult,” Tolly said.</p><p></p><p>“It really is like the whole town got scooped up,” Autumn said. “Even the foundations of the buildings are gone. If I hadn’t been here before, I’d swear that there was never a town here at all.” She glanced over at the dagger-shaped plinth of stone in the middle of the river, as if to confirm she was really standing in the right place.</p><p></p><p>“Well, we have three days before my people show up here with information about those false Ladtan priests,” Osborn said. “Let’s see what we can find out before then.”</p><p></p><p> A low rumble of thunder rolled across the river valley, washing over the party and leaving them with a strange sense of foreboding.</p><p></p><p> “So, what do you make of this mark, Osborn?” Tolly asked.</p><p></p><p> “Search me,” the hin replied. “That’s why I brought you along. I’ve never seen the symbol before. It’s not Tauric, which was my first thought when I heard that Grog was missing.”</p><p></p><p> “It is not familiar to me, either,” the Ardaran admitted. “Autumn?”</p><p></p><p> The aasimar walked over and joined the other two. “I’ve never seen it either. You’re the one with the head for this kind of thing, Tolly. That’s why you’re the Inquisitor and I’m not.” She smiled, and kissed his cheek before returning to her survey of the surrounding area.</p><p></p><p> Tolly sighed. “I still say we should have recruited a wizard to replace Lanara. They are more studied in this sort of symbol recognition.”</p><p></p><p> “There were no wizards available, remember?” Osborn said. “Most of them are too afraid to use magic after what happened anyway. Besides, Yuri’s worked out fine so far.”</p><p></p><p> Tolly looked around, and spotted the Sargian Dragoon on a wide patrol of the area. “She is more than capable,” he admitted, “though I would rather have not had to recruit her in the first place.”</p><p></p><p> “I miss Lanara too,” Osborn said. “But there was nothing we could have done to save her. She was assassinated by the Taurics while she was working undercover behind enemy lines. She knew the risks.” The hin looked around. “Speaking of missing people, your wife has got that look in her eye. You two haven’t spent much time together recently – go hang out with her for a while.”</p><p></p><p> “Agreed,” Tolly said, throwing a smile toward Autumn.</p><p></p><p> Having checked the area thoroughly and found nothing, the Legacy moved to a nearby hillside to make camp, even though it was still only mid-morning, since the clouds overhead threatened rain at any moment. Tolly and Autumn had moved off away from the camp and were sitting together, looking down at the strange symbol on the ground.</p><p></p><p> “You know,” Autumn said, “now that I look at it more, it kind of reminds me of a symbol that Kavan once showed me. Something to do with the history of the Eritan church, or one of the Heresies. Or one of their many secret societies.”</p><p></p><p> “How is she, anyway?” Tolly asked. “Madrone, I mean.”</p><p></p><p> “Still on her secret mission for Erito, I think,” Autumn replied. “I haven’t heard from her in a while.”</p><p></p><p> “Do we know any other priests of Erito?” Tolly asked. “Maybe they would recognize it.”</p><p></p><p> “Arrie spends more time in Noxolt than I have,” Autumn said, “she’s off tending to the horses. I’ll ask if she knows one.”</p><p></p><p> “Pretty unlikely, since Arrie does not typically associate with priests of any god.” He thought for a moment. “Perhaps I can send a message to Madrone.” He produced a pen and parchment from his pack, and after writing a quick note and copying the symbol on the ground, he placed it inside his silver raven and sent it off.</p><p></p><p> “You know,” Arrie said, watching the bird fly off as she walked toward them, “you don’t have to send love letters. You’re right next to each other.”</p><p></p><p> Autumn grinned. “That doesn’t mean I don’t still like getting love letters.”</p><p></p><p> The moment the bird was out of sight, they each had the sudden feeling like someone was standing behind them. They turned in unison and were greeted by the sight of a tall, thin, albino humanoid that looked vaguely elvish, except for his bone-white hair and the black pits that were his eyes. The figure seethed in rage, and blood red motes of power danced within the depths of his inky black eyes.</p><p></p><p> “Ardara’s Mercy,” Tolly whispered, “it’s a leShay!”</p><p></p><p> “Outside the Library?” Arrie gasped. “How?”</p><p></p><p> They had all, of course, first met the leShay in Erito’s Library, when they had all learned the truth of the Cataclysm and what was to come. Some of Erito’s most powerful servants, the enigmatic leShay were normally confined to operating in dimensions other than Aelfenn.</p><p></p><p> Osborn, Rupert, and Kupa came running up quickly from the camp, having seen the leShay appear. Moments later Yuri arrived as well from her patrol, but Arrie intercepted her in the way in as she began to draw her longspear.</p><p></p><p> “Don’t,” she said. “Keep your weapon sheathed.”</p><p></p><p> “Who or what is that?” Yuri asked, maintaining a defensive posture.</p><p></p><p> “It’s a leShay,” she explained. “Very powerful. You see how he looks angry enough to level a mountain range? He could probably do it.”</p><p></p><p> “I see,” Yuri said, who moved out of her fighting posture, though she didn’t relax one bit. “How do you know him?”</p><p></p><p> Arrie bit her lip, compelled by her vow to Erito into silence. “It’s one of those things that we told you we wouldn’t be able to explain,” she said.</p><p></p><p> The leShay finally spoke. “Are any of you responsible for this?”</p><p></p><p> “Responsible for what?” Autumn asked. The leShay simply pointed at the symbol.</p><p></p><p> “No,” the sentinel said flatly. “We’re not. We’re here to investigate it.”</p><p></p><p> The red motes faded from the leShay’s eyes, though they did not vanish entirely. “I see.”</p><p></p><p> “Can you explain what this is?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> The leShay thought for a moment. “Not in a way that your mortal minds can comprehend,” he said.</p><p></p><p> “Is there anything we can do about it?” Yuri asked. She figured that anything that would make someone that powerful that angry was probably worth fixing.</p><p></p><p> “Perhaps. I will explain.” The leShay turned to regard the symbol. “I was called here because of a disturbance in the threads of Fate. We leShay alone among all of Erito’s allies possess the knowledge and power to correct such anomalies. Someone from this time and place had gone back to the far reaches of the past, and thus altered the present. Erito is displeased, therefore, we are displeased.”</p><p></p><p> “Who did this?” Arrie asked.</p><p></p><p> “This even I cannot say,” the leShay answered. “Whoever is responsible acted from the thread of Fate that should have been, and not from the one we now occupy. That person no longer exists within this thread – clearly, they were willing to sacrifice their own existence to accomplish this abomination.”</p><p></p><p> “If it does not conflict with Ardara’s will, then we are at your service,” Tolly said.</p><p></p><p> “Ardara has no say in this matter,” the leShay replied curtly. “It is outside of her purview. Her opinion on the matter is irrelevant.”</p><p></p><p> Tolly bristled slightly, but kept silent.</p><p></p><p> “If we don’t know who is responsible, what can we do?” Osborn asked.</p><p></p><p> “You can be sent back through the thread of Fate, to the point at which it was altered,” the leShay replied. “Prevent the alteration, and Fate shall be restored.”</p><p></p><p> “Not to sound ungrateful for the opportunity,” Yuri said, “but part of me wonders why it wouldn’t be more efficient for you to just go back and take care of this.”</p><p></p><p> “Because sending back five mortals requires significantly less power than sending back one leShay,” he replied. “One does not raise an army to overthrow a kingdom when a blade in the back will do. Beyond that, the time in question predates the Sundering, and in that time the eladrin still bore open hostility toward my people. My arrival would attract attention, and likely interference.”</p><p></p><p> “Sundering?” Yuri asked.</p><p></p><p> “I think that’s what they call the Cataclysm,” Arrie whispered to her.</p><p></p><p> “How are we to know what event we must prevent?” Tolly asked.</p><p></p><p> After concentrating a moment, the leShay answered. “The key moment is the assassination of Justin Godscion.”</p><p></p><p> “Never heard of him,” Yuri said.</p><p></p><p> “He was a Serenity of Erito, and was a guiding force in the war against the psions. His loss was a severe blow in the war against Silko’s rogue psions, and likely contributed to the success of Silko’s annihilation of The Consort. His untimely demise would likely have had other, unforeseen consequences as the threads of fate were rewoven to this point in time.”</p><p></p><p> “The who? The Consort? Silko the Paragon? What?” Yuri looked perplexed. The others, who of course knew the truth of Erito’s Consort and his destruction by Silko from their visit to Erito’s Library, looked at the Sargian helplessly.</p><p></p><p> “Got it,” she said, “something else you can’t explain.”</p><p></p><p> The leShay looked exasperated. “The limit of your knowledge of the Sundering will interfere with your performance,” he said. He reached out and touched Yuri on the forehead, and for a moment her eyes turned as black as his. A second later, she staggered back, shaking her head.</p><p></p><p> “Oh,” was all she managed to say. “Oh. Oh!”</p><p></p><p> “Justin Godscion’s assassination should not have been,” the leShay pronounced, ignoring the reeling dragoon. “Stop the assassins, and all shall be set right. As a secondary objective, if you find the one responsible for this abomination, then you must either slay them, or if such is not possible, attempt to place this on their person.” He produced a silver amulet out of thin air. “This will cause me to know who is responsible, regardless of how the threads of fate are woven, and administer suitable chastisement.”</p><p></p><p> Autumn accepted the amulet from the leShay, but felt Osborn tapping her on the waist. “Let me hold that,” he said. “I’ve got a better chance on sneaking it on someone’s neck.” Nodding, Autumn passed him the amulet.</p><p></p><p> “When must we leave?” Arrie asked.</p><p></p><p> “At this point time is essentially immaterial. You may take what time you need to prepare yourselves. However, for those who are preparing magic, know that summonings will be ineffective, as they will attempt to draw their target from this point in the thread rather than where you will be, and your mortal magic lacks the potency to accomplish that task. You will arrive shortly after the conclusion of a small surprise attack on the Serenity and his defenders, one no doubt designed to strip him of allies for when the true assassination is attempted.”</p><p></p><p> With no further questions for the moment, the leShay suddenly vanished, leaving the Legacy to prepare themselves. Kupa told Tolly that he would be staying behind.</p><p></p><p> “We dragons don’t react well to this sort of thing,” he explained. “Our connection to the world and its workings keeps us anchored here. Trying to relocate myself to another part of this thread would be… uncomfortable.”</p><p></p><p> The next morning, the leShay returned to find the party ready and waiting. He looked around at each of them. “Do you understand that if you succeed, there is no guarantee that you will return as you are now to the correct thread of Fate. In that thread, some of you may not exist, or may not know each other. Some that you know to be dead may be alive, and some that are alive will be dead. Friends may become strangers, and lovers become enemies.”</p><p></p><p>“We understand,” Tolly said, “and accept the consequences of our actions.”</p><p></p><p> There was a flash of darkness, and suddenly the Legacy was shooting backward through a tunnel whose walls seemed to be composed of the twisting and unraveling threads of Fate.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * *</p><p></p><p> “I thank you for your assistance, strangers,” Justin Godscion said, as he healed the last of his wounds. “Your arrival was most timely. Were you sent by the church?”</p><p></p><p> The Legacy looked around at the carnage surrounding Serenity Godscion. Dozens of bodies were scattered about; several wore the garb of Eritan clergy, but most of them were enemy warriors, still clutching bloodied weapons. They’d appeared a few yards away, and had intercepted the last of the ambushers as they charged in, easily cutting them down.</p><p></p><p> “We were not sent… by the church,” Tolly said to Justin.</p><p></p><p> Justin prodded one of his assailants with his boot, a savage-looking orc. “Strange creatures,” he muttered. “I’ve never seen their kind before.”</p><p></p><p> The Legacy exchanged looks. The orcish race was not created by Grabâkh until after the Cataclysm, and so of course he wouldn’t recognize them. Arrie examined a couple of the orcs; their armor and weapons were similar to what she had seen in their own time, but then again, the orcs had had little reason to change their implements of war over the centuries, so there was no clear way to tell what time period they might have been from.</p><p></p><p> “They are called orcs,” Tolly explained, “and it would have been best if you had never seen them at all.” Tolly looked around. They were in a hilly land, and were standing in a small vale amidst the hills. Nearby, a small cliff face loomed over them. “Do you have a destination?” Tolly asked. “We shall accompany you there.”</p><p></p><p> Autumn immediately moved up to stand next to Justin.</p><p></p><p> “Thank you again,” Justin said. “What are your names?”</p><p></p><p> They were about to answer when Tolly spoke up again. “You can call me Nightsleaving. This is Duchess, Slip, Psi, and Dragoon.”</p><p></p><p> Autumn leaned over to her sister. “Why is he making up names for us?”</p><p></p><p> “You tell me. You married him.” She looked at Tolly. “Sometimes I think you’re too clever for your own good, Tolly.”</p><p></p><p> “Not clever enough, this time,” said a raspy voice above them.</p><p></p><p> A figure in plate armor, clutching a quarterstaff, stood atop the nearby cliff. The same symbol that was burned into the ground at Dagger Rock was embroidered on his tabard. The face showing through the visor was that of a young human.</p><p></p><p> “Another friend of yours?” Justin asked.</p><p></p><p> “Hardly,” spat Arrie. “He’s the man trying to kill you.”</p><p></p><p> “That is no man,” Tolly said, peering at the figure on the hill with <em>true seeing</em>. He could see that the young face shown to them was nothing but an illusion cloaking a skeletal face with glowing red eyes. “He is a lich.” </p><p></p><p> “I’m afraid that the position of Serenity will soon be vacant,” said the lich. “I apologize to you, Justin Godscion, and wish this was not necessary. But for the sake of the safety of the world, I’m afraid you must cease to exist.”</p><p></p><p> “Many have tried,” Justin called up to him. “None have succeeded.”</p><p></p><p> “They did not have the resources of history that I have at my disposal.”</p><p></p><p> “The only thing that will be disposed of is you,” Tolly shouted.</p><p></p><p> The lich calmly tapped his staff on the ground, and suddenly the Legacy was surrounded by dozens of the same swirling black distortions that they had traveled through. Dozens of frightful creatures appeared all around them. Many of them were human… mostly. They actually appeared to be a stitched-together amalgamation of several different humanoid creatures, with limbs of varying sizes attached to a patchwork torso. There were also several packs of trolls, who looked like they had steel plates embedded in their green flesh. Steel caps covered their skulls, and steel claws were embedded in their hands. Blood oozed from the edges of the plates and dripped down the length of the claws. The crazed look in their eyes spoke of unspeakable torments. Another cluster of their assailants were ogres, clutching their massive, flaming battleaxes and ready for battle. Above them, on the cliff, the lich had been joined by five women in mithral chain armor, obviously some sort of practitioners of magic, and off to either side, where the cliff dropped and became more of a steep incline, there were units of cavalry – dark-skinned humans that looked somewhat like primitive Zhintai, mounted atop fierce, two-legged lizards much like the raptors they had seen in the Khag Steppes.</p><p></p><p> “Thorough, aren’t they?” Osborn said.</p><p></p><p> The Legacy quickly prepared for battle. Tolly’s body turned to living iron, and Justin evoked a prayer to enhance their skill in battle. Arrie was briefly surrounded by a thin layer of ectoplasm, and exuded the scent of fresh earth. Justin, the Serenity of Erito, looked back at her gravely, and then nodded. “Vigor is a wise choice of powers, young ardent,” he said. “I pray it serves you well.” Arrie grinned – it was refreshing to be able to use her powers openly.</p><p></p><p> The lich’s voice echoed across the suddenly active battlefield, obviously magically amplified. “Now, all of you play nice, and I’ll be back soon.” And with a chuckle, the lich withdrew past the far side of the cliff.</p><p></p><p> “He didn’t do his homework,” Arrie snorted, as the enemy closed in on all sides, “we don’t play nice.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 3663814, member: 5203"] [b]Troubled Times[/b] The Legacy appeared on the rise overlooking Dagger Rock, accompanied by a splash of lightning from the gathering storm clouds overhead, sending a terrified pair of beavers scampering toward the river. It would have been an impressive arrival for any sentient witnesses, except that everyone’s clothing and belongings had shifted one person over in the circle. Kyle’s eyes bulged and he nearly passed out as he found himself squeezed into Osborn’s hin-sized clothing, while Osborn toppled over in Autumn’s plate armor. As Autumn helped the hin up, Yuri was already shedding Tolly’s armor. “This cr*p is way too heavy,” she complained, as she tossed the breastplate to the ground. Kyle looked over at the Sargian, having cut himself out of Osborn’s pants. “I see our new recruit has become remarkably comfortable in our presence,” he said, as he magically mended the ripped pants. “I served in a mixed regiment,” Yuri said by way of explanation. “They’ve seen mine, I’ve seen theirs, after a while it just doesn’t make a difference.” “So, that would be one of those magical surges we’ve been hearing about, Kyle?” Arrie asked, handing Yuri’s armor and weapons to her. “Yes,” Kyle said. “A mild one, fortunately. We only ended up exchanging clothing, as opposed to, say, limbs. Or heads.” “I see. Perhaps we ought reconsider using teleportation as our primary method of travel, then.” “We can discuss it later,” Tolly said. “Right now we have other business.” They all turned, and looked down on the symbol etched in the ground a short distance away. “That’s the Scion-Watchers, all right,” Kyle said with a grimace. “The symbol wasn’t burned into the ground,” Osborn observed. “It’s like the ground just died there.” “There’s a hint of necromancy in the ground, but nothing active,” Kyle informed him. “That probably accounts for the earth being dead.” “Then I have even more cause to oppose this cult,” Tolly said. “It really is like the whole town got scooped up,” Autumn said. “Even the foundations of the buildings are gone. If I hadn’t been here before, I’d swear that there was never a town here at all.” She glanced over at the dagger-shaped plinth of stone in the middle of the river, as if to confirm she was really standing in the right place. “Well, we have three days before my people show up here with information about those false Ladtan priests,” Osborn said. “Let’s see what we can find out before then.” A low rumble of thunder rolled across the river valley, washing over the party and leaving them with a strange sense of foreboding. “So, what do you make of this mark, Osborn?” Tolly asked. “Search me,” the hin replied. “That’s why I brought you along. I’ve never seen the symbol before. It’s not Tauric, which was my first thought when I heard that Grog was missing.” “It is not familiar to me, either,” the Ardaran admitted. “Autumn?” The aasimar walked over and joined the other two. “I’ve never seen it either. You’re the one with the head for this kind of thing, Tolly. That’s why you’re the Inquisitor and I’m not.” She smiled, and kissed his cheek before returning to her survey of the surrounding area. Tolly sighed. “I still say we should have recruited a wizard to replace Lanara. They are more studied in this sort of symbol recognition.” “There were no wizards available, remember?” Osborn said. “Most of them are too afraid to use magic after what happened anyway. Besides, Yuri’s worked out fine so far.” Tolly looked around, and spotted the Sargian Dragoon on a wide patrol of the area. “She is more than capable,” he admitted, “though I would rather have not had to recruit her in the first place.” “I miss Lanara too,” Osborn said. “But there was nothing we could have done to save her. She was assassinated by the Taurics while she was working undercover behind enemy lines. She knew the risks.” The hin looked around. “Speaking of missing people, your wife has got that look in her eye. You two haven’t spent much time together recently – go hang out with her for a while.” “Agreed,” Tolly said, throwing a smile toward Autumn. Having checked the area thoroughly and found nothing, the Legacy moved to a nearby hillside to make camp, even though it was still only mid-morning, since the clouds overhead threatened rain at any moment. Tolly and Autumn had moved off away from the camp and were sitting together, looking down at the strange symbol on the ground. “You know,” Autumn said, “now that I look at it more, it kind of reminds me of a symbol that Kavan once showed me. Something to do with the history of the Eritan church, or one of the Heresies. Or one of their many secret societies.” “How is she, anyway?” Tolly asked. “Madrone, I mean.” “Still on her secret mission for Erito, I think,” Autumn replied. “I haven’t heard from her in a while.” “Do we know any other priests of Erito?” Tolly asked. “Maybe they would recognize it.” “Arrie spends more time in Noxolt than I have,” Autumn said, “she’s off tending to the horses. I’ll ask if she knows one.” “Pretty unlikely, since Arrie does not typically associate with priests of any god.” He thought for a moment. “Perhaps I can send a message to Madrone.” He produced a pen and parchment from his pack, and after writing a quick note and copying the symbol on the ground, he placed it inside his silver raven and sent it off. “You know,” Arrie said, watching the bird fly off as she walked toward them, “you don’t have to send love letters. You’re right next to each other.” Autumn grinned. “That doesn’t mean I don’t still like getting love letters.” The moment the bird was out of sight, they each had the sudden feeling like someone was standing behind them. They turned in unison and were greeted by the sight of a tall, thin, albino humanoid that looked vaguely elvish, except for his bone-white hair and the black pits that were his eyes. The figure seethed in rage, and blood red motes of power danced within the depths of his inky black eyes. “Ardara’s Mercy,” Tolly whispered, “it’s a leShay!” “Outside the Library?” Arrie gasped. “How?” They had all, of course, first met the leShay in Erito’s Library, when they had all learned the truth of the Cataclysm and what was to come. Some of Erito’s most powerful servants, the enigmatic leShay were normally confined to operating in dimensions other than Aelfenn. Osborn, Rupert, and Kupa came running up quickly from the camp, having seen the leShay appear. Moments later Yuri arrived as well from her patrol, but Arrie intercepted her in the way in as she began to draw her longspear. “Don’t,” she said. “Keep your weapon sheathed.” “Who or what is that?” Yuri asked, maintaining a defensive posture. “It’s a leShay,” she explained. “Very powerful. You see how he looks angry enough to level a mountain range? He could probably do it.” “I see,” Yuri said, who moved out of her fighting posture, though she didn’t relax one bit. “How do you know him?” Arrie bit her lip, compelled by her vow to Erito into silence. “It’s one of those things that we told you we wouldn’t be able to explain,” she said. The leShay finally spoke. “Are any of you responsible for this?” “Responsible for what?” Autumn asked. The leShay simply pointed at the symbol. “No,” the sentinel said flatly. “We’re not. We’re here to investigate it.” The red motes faded from the leShay’s eyes, though they did not vanish entirely. “I see.” “Can you explain what this is?” Autumn asked. The leShay thought for a moment. “Not in a way that your mortal minds can comprehend,” he said. “Is there anything we can do about it?” Yuri asked. She figured that anything that would make someone that powerful that angry was probably worth fixing. “Perhaps. I will explain.” The leShay turned to regard the symbol. “I was called here because of a disturbance in the threads of Fate. We leShay alone among all of Erito’s allies possess the knowledge and power to correct such anomalies. Someone from this time and place had gone back to the far reaches of the past, and thus altered the present. Erito is displeased, therefore, we are displeased.” “Who did this?” Arrie asked. “This even I cannot say,” the leShay answered. “Whoever is responsible acted from the thread of Fate that should have been, and not from the one we now occupy. That person no longer exists within this thread – clearly, they were willing to sacrifice their own existence to accomplish this abomination.” “If it does not conflict with Ardara’s will, then we are at your service,” Tolly said. “Ardara has no say in this matter,” the leShay replied curtly. “It is outside of her purview. Her opinion on the matter is irrelevant.” Tolly bristled slightly, but kept silent. “If we don’t know who is responsible, what can we do?” Osborn asked. “You can be sent back through the thread of Fate, to the point at which it was altered,” the leShay replied. “Prevent the alteration, and Fate shall be restored.” “Not to sound ungrateful for the opportunity,” Yuri said, “but part of me wonders why it wouldn’t be more efficient for you to just go back and take care of this.” “Because sending back five mortals requires significantly less power than sending back one leShay,” he replied. “One does not raise an army to overthrow a kingdom when a blade in the back will do. Beyond that, the time in question predates the Sundering, and in that time the eladrin still bore open hostility toward my people. My arrival would attract attention, and likely interference.” “Sundering?” Yuri asked. “I think that’s what they call the Cataclysm,” Arrie whispered to her. “How are we to know what event we must prevent?” Tolly asked. After concentrating a moment, the leShay answered. “The key moment is the assassination of Justin Godscion.” “Never heard of him,” Yuri said. “He was a Serenity of Erito, and was a guiding force in the war against the psions. His loss was a severe blow in the war against Silko’s rogue psions, and likely contributed to the success of Silko’s annihilation of The Consort. His untimely demise would likely have had other, unforeseen consequences as the threads of fate were rewoven to this point in time.” “The who? The Consort? Silko the Paragon? What?” Yuri looked perplexed. The others, who of course knew the truth of Erito’s Consort and his destruction by Silko from their visit to Erito’s Library, looked at the Sargian helplessly. “Got it,” she said, “something else you can’t explain.” The leShay looked exasperated. “The limit of your knowledge of the Sundering will interfere with your performance,” he said. He reached out and touched Yuri on the forehead, and for a moment her eyes turned as black as his. A second later, she staggered back, shaking her head. “Oh,” was all she managed to say. “Oh. Oh!” “Justin Godscion’s assassination should not have been,” the leShay pronounced, ignoring the reeling dragoon. “Stop the assassins, and all shall be set right. As a secondary objective, if you find the one responsible for this abomination, then you must either slay them, or if such is not possible, attempt to place this on their person.” He produced a silver amulet out of thin air. “This will cause me to know who is responsible, regardless of how the threads of fate are woven, and administer suitable chastisement.” Autumn accepted the amulet from the leShay, but felt Osborn tapping her on the waist. “Let me hold that,” he said. “I’ve got a better chance on sneaking it on someone’s neck.” Nodding, Autumn passed him the amulet. “When must we leave?” Arrie asked. “At this point time is essentially immaterial. You may take what time you need to prepare yourselves. However, for those who are preparing magic, know that summonings will be ineffective, as they will attempt to draw their target from this point in the thread rather than where you will be, and your mortal magic lacks the potency to accomplish that task. You will arrive shortly after the conclusion of a small surprise attack on the Serenity and his defenders, one no doubt designed to strip him of allies for when the true assassination is attempted.” With no further questions for the moment, the leShay suddenly vanished, leaving the Legacy to prepare themselves. Kupa told Tolly that he would be staying behind. “We dragons don’t react well to this sort of thing,” he explained. “Our connection to the world and its workings keeps us anchored here. Trying to relocate myself to another part of this thread would be… uncomfortable.” The next morning, the leShay returned to find the party ready and waiting. He looked around at each of them. “Do you understand that if you succeed, there is no guarantee that you will return as you are now to the correct thread of Fate. In that thread, some of you may not exist, or may not know each other. Some that you know to be dead may be alive, and some that are alive will be dead. Friends may become strangers, and lovers become enemies.” “We understand,” Tolly said, “and accept the consequences of our actions.” There was a flash of darkness, and suddenly the Legacy was shooting backward through a tunnel whose walls seemed to be composed of the twisting and unraveling threads of Fate. [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] “I thank you for your assistance, strangers,” Justin Godscion said, as he healed the last of his wounds. “Your arrival was most timely. Were you sent by the church?” The Legacy looked around at the carnage surrounding Serenity Godscion. Dozens of bodies were scattered about; several wore the garb of Eritan clergy, but most of them were enemy warriors, still clutching bloodied weapons. They’d appeared a few yards away, and had intercepted the last of the ambushers as they charged in, easily cutting them down. “We were not sent… by the church,” Tolly said to Justin. Justin prodded one of his assailants with his boot, a savage-looking orc. “Strange creatures,” he muttered. “I’ve never seen their kind before.” The Legacy exchanged looks. The orcish race was not created by Grabâkh until after the Cataclysm, and so of course he wouldn’t recognize them. Arrie examined a couple of the orcs; their armor and weapons were similar to what she had seen in their own time, but then again, the orcs had had little reason to change their implements of war over the centuries, so there was no clear way to tell what time period they might have been from. “They are called orcs,” Tolly explained, “and it would have been best if you had never seen them at all.” Tolly looked around. They were in a hilly land, and were standing in a small vale amidst the hills. Nearby, a small cliff face loomed over them. “Do you have a destination?” Tolly asked. “We shall accompany you there.” Autumn immediately moved up to stand next to Justin. “Thank you again,” Justin said. “What are your names?” They were about to answer when Tolly spoke up again. “You can call me Nightsleaving. This is Duchess, Slip, Psi, and Dragoon.” Autumn leaned over to her sister. “Why is he making up names for us?” “You tell me. You married him.” She looked at Tolly. “Sometimes I think you’re too clever for your own good, Tolly.” “Not clever enough, this time,” said a raspy voice above them. A figure in plate armor, clutching a quarterstaff, stood atop the nearby cliff. The same symbol that was burned into the ground at Dagger Rock was embroidered on his tabard. The face showing through the visor was that of a young human. “Another friend of yours?” Justin asked. “Hardly,” spat Arrie. “He’s the man trying to kill you.” “That is no man,” Tolly said, peering at the figure on the hill with [I]true seeing[/I]. He could see that the young face shown to them was nothing but an illusion cloaking a skeletal face with glowing red eyes. “He is a lich.” “I’m afraid that the position of Serenity will soon be vacant,” said the lich. “I apologize to you, Justin Godscion, and wish this was not necessary. But for the sake of the safety of the world, I’m afraid you must cease to exist.” “Many have tried,” Justin called up to him. “None have succeeded.” “They did not have the resources of history that I have at my disposal.” “The only thing that will be disposed of is you,” Tolly shouted. The lich calmly tapped his staff on the ground, and suddenly the Legacy was surrounded by dozens of the same swirling black distortions that they had traveled through. Dozens of frightful creatures appeared all around them. Many of them were human… mostly. They actually appeared to be a stitched-together amalgamation of several different humanoid creatures, with limbs of varying sizes attached to a patchwork torso. There were also several packs of trolls, who looked like they had steel plates embedded in their green flesh. Steel caps covered their skulls, and steel claws were embedded in their hands. Blood oozed from the edges of the plates and dripped down the length of the claws. The crazed look in their eyes spoke of unspeakable torments. Another cluster of their assailants were ogres, clutching their massive, flaming battleaxes and ready for battle. Above them, on the cliff, the lich had been joined by five women in mithral chain armor, obviously some sort of practitioners of magic, and off to either side, where the cliff dropped and became more of a steep incline, there were units of cavalry – dark-skinned humans that looked somewhat like primitive Zhintai, mounted atop fierce, two-legged lizards much like the raptors they had seen in the Khag Steppes. “Thorough, aren’t they?” Osborn said. The Legacy quickly prepared for battle. Tolly’s body turned to living iron, and Justin evoked a prayer to enhance their skill in battle. Arrie was briefly surrounded by a thin layer of ectoplasm, and exuded the scent of fresh earth. Justin, the Serenity of Erito, looked back at her gravely, and then nodded. “Vigor is a wise choice of powers, young ardent,” he said. “I pray it serves you well.” Arrie grinned – it was refreshing to be able to use her powers openly. The lich’s voice echoed across the suddenly active battlefield, obviously magically amplified. “Now, all of you play nice, and I’ll be back soon.” And with a chuckle, the lich withdrew past the far side of the cliff. “He didn’t do his homework,” Arrie snorted, as the enemy closed in on all sides, “we don’t play nice.” [/QUOTE]
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