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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Canaan" data-source="post: 3092857" data-attributes="member: 40239">Chapter 27:  Talon Half-FaeanThanks for the continued support!  Real life kept me busy this last month, but I managed to squeak out an update for you!* * * * *There was barely a table scraps’ worth of energy left in me.  We had traveled far and with little rest.  By the grace of Canaan I was able to remove from Gabriel the fright he had experienced in the mine and remove the horrid, demonic malady that had plagued Lilian.  Gabriel insisted on going to Goldfire Glen.  So we parted company with him to deliver the news of Talon’s passing to Talon’s master.  Master Baern had been visiting when we arrived at Talon's Master's abode just outside of Goldfire Glen.  Both Master Baern and Talon’s Master appeared nonplussed.  For both of them, I suppose, it was the inevitable end for us all, so to see us alive must have left them befuddled, but pleased.On seeing our distress over the loss of our friend, Master Baern offered to take us to his Grove to use the Golden Cauldron and the Silver Sickle to perform a ritual to shepherd Talon’s soul into another receptacle.  We readily took him up on the offer.  We would leave the following day. That evening, we dined on bean pies and blackberry juice generously provided by Talon’s Master. Though I understand intellectually and philosophically the Celind’s belief that by disavowing oneself from all possessions, living or otherwise, one is lead to enlightenment, for Talon’s Master to show no signs of grief whatsoever at the site of his apprentice’s rendered body, troubled me. Talon, so I was lead to believe, was not just a student to the Master, but he was an adopted son to a father. How could a father be so removed to the death of his son?I dare not judge, but the only shard of emotion I could detect from the Master’s demeanor was a brief flash of annoyance, which was swiftly shrouded by his usual stoicism. I am sure my limited comprehension of the Celind’s enigmatic ways clouded my perception. After what amounted to a barely adequate rest, I was aroused by Lilian. “I wish to return to Goldfire Glen.” She told me as I drearily got to my feet. “I mean to check on my brother. I would be grateful for your company.” “And what of Talon?” I asked. “My visit shall be brief.” She said with the slightest hint of a melancholy smile. An hour before dawn, we left the Master’s home and journeyed in silence to Goldfire Glen. By the time the first rays of the sun were warming the cobblestone streets of the little town, we had made it to the square. Already, the streets were abuzz with early risers. Upon seeing us, one of the villagers, a mother with several children gasped and pointed to us. “Canaan be praised!” She shouted. I felt the gazes of dozens of faces. “Blessed be the Green! The Heroes have returned!” Before we could react, we were surrounded. Hands reached out. Lilian and I humbly obliged. My heart swelled with joy and sorrow. What did these simple, pure people hope to find in our touch? What could I possibly provide them? “Vat is all this about?” A harsh, grating voice rose above the crowd. Almost instantly the mood was shattered. The crowd moved back revealing a short, thin man with a long sallow face. He was flanked by two armored Justicars. His lips were turned down into a condescending scowl that eyed the cowed crowd with the indignation of a disappointed parent. How shocked I was when I realized by his white robe and golden cross that he was a Priest of Canaan. Lilian stepped forward. The priest’s features immediately softened.“Father Zeigfried.” She said. “How good it is to see you again.” “Lady Lilian Evenshire.” The priest answered. “Velcome home. Gabriel eez doink much better.” “I am pleased to hear it.” Lilian answered. “In fact, that is why I am here.”“Ah.” The priest said, his eyes drifting over to me. His scowl returned. “Well, my Lady, he eez vaiting for you.” Lilian nodded and turned to me. “Would you care to join me, Evora?” She asked, sensing the sudden tension. I looked to the people of Goldfire Glen. How the very presence of this Father Ziegfried had filled the populace with nothing short of fear. This was not Canaan’s love. This was nothing short of coercion. My fatigue instantly vanished. I heard Canaan calling to me. I felt His glory fill me like a desert ravine after a winter shower. I knew what I must do. This was the day. This was the moment. “My place is here.” I told Lilian. “Give Gabriel my best. I shall be here when you are ready to return to Talon’s Master.” Lilian nodded and left me. Father Ziegfried watched her go. He gestured and one of the Justicars broke away from him and followed her. Father Zeigfried then turned back to the crowd. “Gather round, guud people of Tergos!” He said, raising his voice to demand their attention. “Canaan has a message for you. For each and everyone.”He held up his hand and stretched out his fingers. “Bevare zee Adversary. He is but one, but he has many means to catch you and brink you into heez clutches. Like my hand has five fingers, each able to move and act on its own, but each still attached to my hand, so are zee vays of zee Adversary. Through guile. Through temptation. Through sloth, greed, vretched libation and jes, even zee seemingly innocuous, but wholly false teachings of zee Green.” I stopped listening. He went on for quite some time. I caught references to paganism, to the “teachings of death” and the evils of “zee” Fae. Lies. All lies. But lies told with veracity become truth in both the teller and the listener. All is drowned under the sea of zealotry, and as I panned the crowd, I could tell that many of them were barely able to tread water. Father Zeigfreid finally finished. Two more Justicars had moved into the square. They remained as the priest was escorted back to the temple by the other Justicar. Once they were out of sight I moved up to the very spot he stood. My whole body began to shake from nerves, but I swallowed all fear, looked up to the heavens and began. The world bleedsIt cries out for healingAs a child, torn from itsMother and FatherCries out for comfortAnd as a childIt does not cry for itsFather aloneNor does it cry for itsMother aloneA child cares notWhether the embraceThat eases its sufferingComes from its motherOr its fatherIts tears are driedBy love aloneCaring not that the loveCame from the fatherOr the motherOnly caringThat its tears are driedAnd its fears, wiped away.Only through the loving kindnessBeget from the union ofThe motherAnd the fatherCan true healing beginAs banally as it began, so it ended. A small crowd had gathered and listened politely, only to disperse when I had finished. Only the Justicars showed signs of having truly listened, and I could tell by the clipped turn of their heels and swift march to the temple that the words had inspired them only to indignation. It would not be long before the heretical nature of my words were ingested and immediately spat out by Father Ziegfried. I knew what I had done and was ready to stand judgment. I feared only the wrath of the Green and the sentence of Canaan. Not long afterward, a woman approached me. Her features, though youthful, were etched with the lines brought about by long days under a merciless sun tending to acres of wheat. Her hair was shrouded under a sweat stained cap. She reminded me of my mother. I could not help but smile at her. Layered with nerve she thanked me for my sermon. “It was lovely.” She said. “It was about Canaan, yes? The Mother and the Father. He is both and one. Yes?”“The Father is Canaan.” I answered. “The Mother is the Green.”Her eyes flashed from repulsion to curiosity to, at last, a reluctant acceptance. “I see.” She simply said after a long silence. “I will contemplate what you have said, Father.” She turned and walked off. I watched her go, pleased that I had touched at least one soul. My moment of self-congratulatory bliss was cut short by Lilian’s return. “We may go now.” It was all she said for some time. Her whole countenance showed unusual signs of irritation. I began to ask her if she wished to talk, but she cut me short, apologizing. “Your presence alone is enough.” She assured me. “I do not wish to discuss it at this time.” I left it at that. ***********Our journey back to Wiltangle Forest was happily dull. I kept Talon’s body in a continual state of gentle repose, but beyond that task I had little to do. Hu Li’s encapsulated body was bound to the back of a cart that was then pulled by two horses and driven by Talon’s master. Shallahai and Master Baern walked beside the slow moving cart. Lilian and I kept to the rear. Both Masters kept to themselves the majority of the time, allowing only Shallahai to gain any useful access to their counsel. All attempts to inquire of the druid what he spoke of with the Masters were rebuked. “It remains between us and the Green.” Was all he said. After several days of surprisingly relaxing and rejuvenating travel, our small band arrived at Master Baern’s grove in the heart of a slowly healing Wiltangle. Master Baern performed the same ceremony on Talon’s remains that he had on Shale’s. As before, Talon’s body was consumed by the surrounding foliage in a bright green glow and after several minutes of waiting, we heard a rustle on the outskirts of the grove. A short, thin, angular figure stepped forth. He was completely naked. Before I shielded my eyes from his most personals, I caught a glimpse of his face.It was without a doubt Talon, but at the same time, not Talon. His features were more angular and his eyes almost almond shaped.  He appeared more lithe, yet more fragile than before.His Master draped him in a thick robe the color of sun bleached grass. He instantly recognized us, but just below his usual stoicism sparked a frenetic energy I had never seen before. Lilian and I tried to speak to him, but with each question, he began to answer, only to be cut short by a sudden urge to stare at a leaf flapping playfully on the wind, or climb to the upper most branches of a tree, just because it was there.Master Baern sensed our exasperation and smiled. “Talon had returned as a Half-Faean creature” he explained as Talon’s Master knowingly nodded. “He is not quite human and not quite Fae.”  Afterward, Master Baern attempted to address Hu Li’s predicament. He experimented with several esoteric Green infused evocations and divinations. All failed, "There's nothing I can do for him." Master Baern declared with some sadness.  "Your friend is afflicted by an arcane spell of some potency.  The caster of that magic must have been very powerful." He finished.While it was a miracle in itself that Talon was back among the living, I couldn’t help but feel defeated.The succubus was not vanquished and it was only by the unwilling use of a potent relic of a lost age infused with the essence of The Green that we had survived the Vrock attack at all.  Why was she taking peasants and farmers to the mine?  What was she looking for in there?  I knew.  I knew in my heart, and my mind wished it not to be so.  The green worms infesting those creatures in the mine are what finally clued me in.Allustan was right.  This is about Kharas'Vhoories.  Or about the appearance that Kharas'Vhoories is behind it.The Succubus must have been looking for the Tomb of the Wind Duke General.  She commanded the worm infested dead, creatures the like of which only Kharas'Vhoories knew the secret to make, or so I have read.  In the guise of the merchant from Shuuth, she had taken over the General Store from Tanner's parents, who had not been seen since they sold their store.  Of course, they surely died in the Cultist attack on Goldfire Glen.  Why was she in the guise of a Shuuthian merchant?  Her timing was either incredibly coincidental or impeccably timed, as the priests were then due in Goldfire Glen to collect Tanner.  My mind drifted to Archbishop Tagavarius’s command to me, “uncover the Adversarial plot against Canaan.”  This all smacked of an Adversarial conspiracy against Canaan, perhaps to interrupt the presence of the Voice and Will on Turgos.  If Tanner were killed and the Voice and Will to die before another Exalted Child could be found Canaan's followers might be cut off from him on Turgos.  Surely it would take more than that to separate Canaan from his followers, wouldn't it?  Canaan is the beginning and the end.  Would it be the end of all things?  I just don't know.  My head hurt thinking about it.  But what is Kharas'Vhoories's role in this.  The long dead lich surely has no power.  Someone or something is manipulating things to make it seem as though he is somehow still a threat.  Right?  Oh, I don't know.  One thing is however inescapably clear.  We must now, once again, beseech an arcanist for assistance.  Hu Li cannot remain in that block of amber forever, as much as I would wish it.* * * * “I release you!” Balian intoned in his characteristically shrill voice, his hand outstretched, palm forward, on the block of amber surrounding Hu Li.The block of amber blinked out and Hu Li fell to the ground.Balian turned away with a harrumph, walking to his easy chair in the study at his Tower.“Hu Li!” Lilian cried, lurching forward to see if he was alright.“Yes, my dear?” came Hu Li’s response as he opened his eyes, laying on his back with his hands folded across his chest.“You frightened us terribly.” She helped him off of the rug.  A log crackled in the fireplace.“Yes, you should be more careful in the future, Hu Li.  It could have been a deadly trap laid on that box.” I admonished the wizard.“Well, it certainly took you long enough to remove the enchantment.” Hu Li retorted.  Balian was reading a book, “Secrets of The Great Rift.”Talon remained sitting cross-legged on the plush rug, preferring to play with a fuzzball he found rather than engage in the conversation.Shallahai merely stared into the fire, eyes glowing white with the introspective power of The Green.Remembering my vow of patience, I chose to ignore Hu Li’s comment.Balian looked up from his book.  “Bah! None of them had it in their power to release you, fool.  You’re just lucky they had the wherewithal to contact me.”“Yes, Master.” Hu Li bowed toward his master.  “Of course.  You are most kind.” He added patronizingly.Balian scowled and was about to return to his reading, when something on Hu Li’s finger caught his eye.  His eyes bulged.“What is THAT?!” He stood straight up and pointed, arm outstretched for maximum effect, aimed at Hu Li’s ring finger.The ring he had acquired from the troll at Brightstone Keep.Hu Li quickly hid his hand behind his back.  “N-nothing master.  It is b-but a trinket.”“Show me!” Balian commanded.  And Hu Li’s hand came unbidden from behind his back as if thrust forward by some unseen force.  Hu Li cried out, whining.  “It’s mine!”Balian stepped forward, staring intently at the ring then addressing Hu Li squarely in the eye, fury apparent on his brow.  “Tell me, apprentice, how you came to be wearing one of the Nine Rings of Perdition?”Shallahai turned from the fire and glared at Hu Li with white, glowing eyes.  “Which one is it?” Shallahai asked Balian.“It is the Band of Caarcrinolaas” announced Balian.  “It is a Ring of Betrayal, the most potent of the three.”Fitting, I thought.  But I bit my lip.“Should you continue to wear this ring, you will slowly become corrupted by it until you find yourself betraying one of your friends so frightfully that your soul will be forever stained by the betrayal.  Your soul will go straight to Hell when you die, where you will serve eternity in the Lake of Fire.” Balian leveled his gaze at Hu Li.“But it’s mine!” Hu Li whined.“How is it removed?” I asked.“With great effort.” Balian replied.“Can you do what must be done?” I asked the great arcanist.“Of course.”“Then, do it.” I said, surprising myself at the brusqueness of my tone.Balian cocked an eyebrow at me and turned to Hu Li.  Pointing at the ring, he intoned, “Resecro!”  Nothing happened.  He followed that intonation with another, waiving his hand over Hu Li’s hand, “Resolvo Venificus!”  A bead of sweat fell from Balian’s brow.The ring fell heavily onto the rug.  Balian sighed.Hu Li dashed for it.Talon, who had been collecting several fuzzballs into a small pile, quickly swiped the ring up and threw it into the fire.  Shallahai adjusted his stance so he was completely blocking the view to the fireplace.Hu Li looked at the fire, then to Shallahai.  Realizing defeat, he pouted and stormed off to his room.Balian chuckled.  Then he glanced at me before walking back to his easy chair.  My forehead squirmed.  I fought the urge to touch it.“Where is your friend, the one with the bum leg?” Balian asked as he once again seated himself.“Gabriel?” Lilian asked.“Yes, that’s it.  That brawler.  I miss his visits.” Balian responded.“W-well, he didn’t want to come here.  He doesn’t much care for you, Balian.  Besides, he’s decided to stay in Goldfire Glen and help the village recover from its recent horrors.  We left him there on the way to your tower after Master Baern reincarnated Talon.” Lilian explained.  “I mean no offense.” She quickly added.She glanced at Talon with a worried expression.  He was now making three-dimensional pictures with the fuzzballs on the rug, arranging them in meticulous fashion.“Offense?” Balian chuckled again.  “None taken, my dear.  If I were so easily offended, I think I might not make it out of bed in the morning.  I’m not a terribly well-regarded man, you know.” “No.  I don’t know.” Lilian innocently responded.“Well, no matter.”“We brought you the troll blood you requested.  Do you really think you can restore Gabriel’s leg?” I asked, going over to our packs to retrieve the troll’s blood.  I had managed to transfer it into a large bladder. It was easier to carry that way.“Troll’s blood?  What did I want troll’s blood for?” Balian asked, confused.“To create a ritual to restore Gabriel’s leg.” I responded, equally confused.  Surely this great arcanist doesn’t have the memory of a fruit fly.“Oh yes!” Balian exclaimed.  “That’s right!” He was excited.  Then in an abrupt turn around, he added flatly “I don’t know what I was thinking.  I couldn’t possibly put the bugger’s leg back on if I tried.  You need a priest for that.”I just stood there in the doorway to his study holding the bladder of troll’s blood with my mouth slightly agape. A woman’s hand gently closed my jaw as she entered the room from behind me.  Her scent was intoxicating and her voice warm as a summer day.“Now, now, Balian.  You shouldn’t tease them like that.  It’s not nice.” Helena purred as she gracefully entered the room and lounged on a divan near the fireplace. “What?  I’m not teasing them, I can’t do it.” Balian retorted.Helena  frowned slightly.“When did you get here?” He asked.“Just now.” She responded.“But my anti-teleportation wards?” Balian said incredulously.“You disabled them for me, remember?” Helena responded.“Oh right! Yes, of course.  I remember. Yes.” Balian said sheepishly.Turning to me, Helena smiled.  “I obtained some information that may be helpful.”  She paused.  “According to my sources, the Succubus that freed Veshra goes by the name Caladriel.  It’s not her True Name, but it is a name she is currently using.”“That’s great!” I exclaimed.  “But what use is this information to us?” I added, doubtful.“There’s more.” She paused again.  “An arcanist summoned and bound her for the task of freeing Veshra.”Balian’s eyebrow raised.“It was Cranston.” She said, as if to Balian only.“Cranston?!  What on Turgos would he do THAT for?” Balian bellowed.“I don’t know.  But this Caladriel is crafty.  She is apparently a spy for Dis and a frequent member of Graz’zt’s court.”“Dis?” I asked, combing my memory.  “As in Dispater?” “Exactly.  Called the Lord of Dis, the Second Hell of Perdition, His Iron Grace, and many other names, Dispater is a Lord of one of the Nine Hells of Perdition. He controls the largest city in Hell, and encourages regular trade between his city and every other place in Creation, doing all he can to invite mortals and immortals from across the Cosmos. He may seem a harmless diplomat, but he is one of the oldest devils in existence and he is thoroughly evil.  He was one of the first malefircareim granted the status of Lord of Perdition by the Adversary.  It is this that makes him one of the most dangerous of the Adversary’s servants.”  Helena explained.“Do you mean to suggest that Dispater is somehow involved in this?” I asked incredulously.“I don’t suggest anything, my good Evora.  I merely inform.”  Helena responded.  “My sources tell me many things, some true and some false.  The information I give is that which I have determined, based on my dealings with these creatures, to be truth.  When you deal with devils, you get lied to…a lot.” She lectured.  “Do with this information what you will.”“But Cranston lives in a place called Demonclaw, a morbid rock jutting out of the ocean a few days’ journey from Soliel.  I suggest you go there and learn more from him about why he did what he did.” Helena suggested.“That’s madness!” I exclaimed.  “If he has the power to summon and bind a succubus, he would tear us apart.” I continued, cheeks flushed with anger at the suggestion that we be sent on this fool’s errand.“You misunderstand, Evora.  Cranston is not evil.  At least, he didn’t seem it when last I spoke with him.  I’m sure he has a good explanation for all of this.” Helena explained cheerily.“A good explanation?” Shallahai finally spoke.  “You think he might have a good explanation for why he summoned a succubus to free the companion of a long dead lich, knowing full well that the first thing that creature would do is try to resurrect her master?”  Shallahai asked rhetorically.“Well, yes.” Helena responded.Shallahai merely stared at her.“You do not think we would be put in danger by meeting with Cranston at Demonclaw?” Lilian asked Helena.  She looked at Balian as well.“He’s harmless.” Balian responded.  Helena pointed at Balian and nodded her head encouragingly.“Very well, then.  But I think we need to find out what the succubus is doing at the Brightstone Mines.  And now that Hu Li is back with us, I think we should do that forthwith.  It is, after all, on the way to Soliel.”  I mused aloud.Talon stopped picking the skin off of the bottoms of his feet to look at me.  “We’re going back there?” He asked.“We must stop that Succubus.” I replied with conviction.Talon looked at me for a moment then nodded his head in agreement.“Yuindr, could use another drink.” Shallahai added.* * * *</blockquote>

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