by Sean Oswald
“No Daughter of Redemption is an enemy of Albia. She is a Chosen of Shanelle not a spy or political agent.” The paladin’s response came too quickly and cut off Dave’s chance to reply.
“Well we shall see now won’t we? You will all submit to my command, and I will lead us in an assault on the Moon Elves who have attacked this town.”
“Hardly, my family is there, not to mention Max’s lieutenant. We can’t risk them being harmed.” Dave said protesting the Duke’s proclamation.
“You aren’t invited anyway, elf lover. You will have to stay here under guard.”
“Neither I nor my men will help you do anything that endangers the Chosen, and don’t you dare imply that I have any affiliation with the godless Moon Elves.” Jaselm’s tone was like stone, making it clear that he was not going to budge from his position.
Once again, Max clapped loudly getting everyone’s attention. “All of you be quiet. I am the military commander appointed by the King to act with his authority. Sir Von Marek, you and your men would be a great asset, and I ask you to join with us. You have my word that we will do everything possible to protect all of the innocents. As for you, Your Grace, if you cannot comply with the King’s will for this town then you had best stay out of my way. But be sure that how you act now will factor into my report.”
Dave smiled and Jaselm seemed to relax at Max’s words, but Edwin was clearly furious. The little wheels turning in his head were almost audible as he clearly was trying to figure out a way to wrest control of the situation back to himself. The church soldiers badly outnumbered his men though, and despite the strength that he possessed, he didn’t think it would be enough. Especially since Seimion was nowhere to be found. He was furious, but there was nothing he could do about it, or was there?
“Captain, you take charge of the military matter as you see fit. Never let it be said that Edwin Holstein wouldn’t fight to defend the good people of Albia.” The Duke calmed, and he sat down as if to listen to instructions.
Not wanting to fight it, Max, started organizing everyone and formed a band made up of his squad, Jaselm and a dozen of his best men, Dave, and the Duke along with his bodyguards. The rest of the church soldiers were going to be used to form a perimeter around the sawmill while the balance of Holstein’s men would act as a final defense for the villagers in case the Moon Elves had hostile intentions.
Once everyone was arranged and they had all endured a number of comments from Duke Holstein, the mission got underway. Nothing in Eris’ Rise really is that far apart, and it took less than five minutes at a brisk walk for them to be in place. After surrounding the mill, Max called for the elves to come out. This was followed by the sound of some movement inside, mumbling by low unintelligible voices and then what would pass for a thirty something tall slender elf stepped out. His silver hair was bound into a single braid down his back, and he was wearing a set of color shifting leathers similar to what Emily and the kids had when they first arrived in Eloria. Across his back he wore a pair of scimitars and a long hunting knife was in a sheath at his belt. He carried the quiet aura of a man who was sure of himself.
Raising both his hands with his palms facing out, he said in highly accented common, “We mean you no harm, we have come from the Moon Elf people to treat with the humans of Albia. I am Eisuke Myoji, a Shinrin Hogo-Sha. That is what you would call a forest warden. Further, I am the voice of the Circle and speak for the druids of Chenhou Forest.” Pausing to make sure that he was understood, Eisuke took quick stock of the humans arrayed before him. Most of them would not present any challenge to him individually, but he realized that as a group he and the other elves were far outnumbered. “Please direct me to who is authorized to treat on behalf of the humans of Albia.”
Four voices all spoke up at the same time ranging from Max and Edwin, claiming that they were the person to speak with, to Dave and Jaselm demanding to know the condition of his family and the Chosen respectively. Without answering any of them directly, he turned and said, “Then will you four please follow me,” as he strode back into the sawmill.
It wasn’t lost on Dave how condescending the elf was, but it wasn’t the brash in your face arrogance of Duke Holstein, or the urgent need to prove how smart you are he had encountered back on Earth so many times from young attorneys. No, it was an ‘It’s so obvious that I’m better than you that it would be rude to mention it’ sort of condescension. That wasn’t going to stop Dave from checking on his family, and he was the first of the four men to spring forward following after the elf. Even worried about his family, Dave continued to take in his surroundings. His esoteric senses told him that there were twenty-two figures inside the mill, which must have made it very cramped. More interesting was the odd observation that the way the elf in front of him walked was so graceful that he somehow kept the floorboards of the saw mill from creaking as he stepped. The builders of the mill had hardly been experts, and while Dave hadn’t spent much time here before, he remembered cringing at how loudly the floor had creaked every time he put a boot down.
He entered the interior of the mill, and there she was. The past few days since Sara’s kidnapping had strained things between him and Emily to the breaking point. He remembered reading once that most marriages couldn’t survive the death of a child and he wondered what would happen to them if they didn’t find Sara. None of that mattered though. His breath still caught at seeing his love, not just because she was so smoking hot in her new elf form, although that didn’t hurt. No, it was because she was the center of his world. If Eloria had taught him anything it was to remind him of what is really important in life.
Emily was crouched next to a man lying prone on his back with the telltale signs of having been struck by the icy blades Mira could conjure. Behind them were five humans with their backs to the far wall and two elves standing in front of them with weapons drawn. One other human lay on the floor, obviously dead, while Mira, Jackson, and Max’s young blond lieutenant were huddled together watching Emily work. Standing in a corner of the close wall was another elf. His clothing was not the typical leathers of the other elves but rather a tunic almost long enough to be a robe over trousers. His clothing was clearly finely made and appeared to be silk with fine embroidery all over it, and the look of dismissiveness upon his face spoke volumes.
Upon seeing their father enter the room, Mira and Jackson ran the few steps to him, and he embraced them both. Emily looked up from the healing work and gave a weak smile to Dave before continuing to focus on her patient. They exchanged words of greeting and comfort. Dave was glad that Mira, even with her recently developed cold logic, still wanted to be comforted by him.
The next few hours went by in a whirlwind. He learned a little bit about the elven leaders, Lord Itsu who was apparently representing their king, but he kept saying that he represented the throne and Eisuke, who seemed uncomfortable in his role representing something called the Circle. Many times it appeared that the conversation would be derailed by various accusations. Duke Holstein accused the elves of invading the human lands, but what seemed to offend them the most was his accusation that they had been working with goblins and undead. Then Lord Itsu would offend the humans by accusing them of stealing elven lands. The back and forth was quite intense and neither Max nor Talvenicus seemed prepared to handle the situation. This prompted Dave to add points into his diplomacy skill, maxing it out. Social skills didn’t work as obviously combat skills, but there was no doubt that it made a difference. Dave seemed to know what to say to defuse each potential blow up, and his words seemed to be received with more weight even by the Duke and the elven Lord. It was sorta odd to behold, how he wished he could have had a skill like this back home. Would have made dealing with clients and other attorneys so much easier.
By the time the sun was setting, nothing had really been accomplished other than that it had been agreed upon that they would meet the next day. Numerous factors were in play. The elves were insisting that Emily had to appear before the throne
because she was something they called a Mitsukatta. Dave found it odd that his knowledge of the Moon Elf language told him that the term meant something like ‘found one’ but that he couldn’t understand the social significance of the word. Meanwhile, Max was insisting on the fact that the Albian king needed to be informed about what was going on and that Dave at least would have to report to the king with him. It was all complicated by the clear racial tension. The humans, apart from Max and the Nelsons had a clear animosity and distrust of the elves, and the elves for their part had a clear antipathy towards the humans. What was most glaring, though, was the distaste that both sides, especially the Duke and Lord Itsu had for Dave’s children. Each side had their own derogatory terms for their mixed racial heritage. At one point, Jackson asked Mira what they were calling them, and his sister had replied that essentially the elves were calling them Mudbloods, and the humans were calling them half-breeds.
In the end, the elves retired to the forest, refusing accommodations in the human town. Duke Holstein co-opted the mayor’s home for his sole and personal use. Jaselm was kind enough to offer tents to Talvenicus and Aloysia who really couldn’t argue with the Duke. Dave asked the paladin if he had tents to spare for his family. It was late summer, but the nights still were pretty chilly if they had to sleep outside.
“Of course, I was sent with special accommodations for a Chosen, should I find one.” The paladin spoke as if it was the most obvious thing. His turn of phrase added to the mystery of how quiet he had been throughout the day’s discussions all the while staring at Emily. As if in response to the unspoken question, Jaselm, pulled out a velvet pouch out of his backpack. It was a deep purple in color with runes sewn into an intricate pattern covering its entire surface. Reaching into the pouch, he pulled out a disc which was about four inches wide, slightly thicker in the middle and cut with seven sides.
Holding it out to Emily who looked at it suspiciously, he said, “This is what we call a tabernacle. It is a magical artifact from the old world which will only function for a Chosen of any of the true Gods.” Upon hearing that, Dave pulled Emily’s hand back before she could grab it and immediately cast Identify upon the item with mixed results.
As soon as the mana left his body and the spell form settled onto the item, there was a bright red sparking and the loud cackle of energy in the paladin’s hand who immediately dropped the item, pulling his singed hand back to his chest. An instant later, a wave of mana feedback struck Dave who fell to his knees clutching his head groaning in pain through gritted teeth. Emily reflexively reached out to him to cast a healing spell but saw that he wasn’t taking any physical damage, so she asked, “Are you okay Dave?”
Worry crossed Emily and the kids’ faces as Dave didn’t immediately answer before he finally said, “Wow, what a headache.” The family sighed in relief as he stood up. “I got a notification, but it’s sort of a mixed bag.” Then he related the pair of notifications that he got.
You have been struck by a mana feedback. This occurs when you lose control of an active spell, improperly cast a spell, or on occasion when the target of your spell is too far beyond your level. Psychic damage sustained: 8. Psychic damage cannot be healed by normal healing magic and will recover naturally based upon a variety of factors. There is a small chance that psychic damage will become permanent. Death results if you ever receive psychic damage greater than your combined Intelligence and Wisdom scores.
Then the second notification which was the limited information his spell had produced:
Tabernacle of the Gods
Item Quality: Lesser Artifact
Active Effects: ???????
Passive Effects: ???????
“Well that was pretty pointless,” Dave complained.
“At least you are okay, honey.” Emily said, before adding, “Don’t try stupid things like that again. You are supposed to be the one who knows about stuff like this.” Then she turned and looked at Jaselm, “Let me see that hand, I will heal it right up.”
“That is not necessary Daughter. I have some small ability to heal myself as a blessing of being a paladin to Shanelle.” He held his hand out examining the burns. They didn’t cover much of his hand but almost looked like a hot knife had cut wounds all the way to the bone and the smell of charred flesh was definitely in the air.
“Nonsense,” Emily said as she reached out uninvited and grabbed his hand. The paladin winced slightly but sighed in relief an instant later as first a regeneration spell and then a healing spell were cast. Talking to her patient to distract him as she kneaded the flesh together to promote complete healing, she asked, “So what does that tabernacle thing do?”
“Well, any Chosen of one of the true gods can simply channel a point of faith into it, and the item will activate. At least, that is what the bishop told me when he gave me the item. They are extremely rare, and I have never seen one used. But apparently, it will create some sort of tent that you can stay in. I was also advised that it should only be used in an area with some open space, but even the bishop didn’t seem to know the exact amount of space required.”
After he finished speaking, he pulled his hand back and admired Emily’s work. There wasn’t so much as a scar, and as he flexed his hand, it clearly worked perfectly without any pain. Dave then watched as Emily bent over and picked the disc up off the ground before anyone could stop her. It didn’t hurt her at all, and instead, a soft golden glow formed around it in her hands, and Dave felt like he could hear a distant melodious tune which he couldn’t quite but his finger on.
Without another word, Emily took off at a quick pace striding from outside of the saw mill where they had been talking to the area which had been cleared and leveled for the new church. No work had started on the foundation, but the ground was prepared. The attack on Eris’ Rise had just brought all of that work to a halt as hands were needed to prepare shelter for all the families before the weather got too cold. As they walked, Dave noticed Jaselm signaling his men to follow and form loosely around their group providing a ring of silent protection.
Once there, Emily asked, “Does it matter how many faith points I put into the device?”
“Um, well I honestly don’t know. I don’t think the bishop did either. Does it give you options?” The paladin sounded both embarrassed at not knowing and genuinely curious.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I should have told you all about the notification that I got when I picked up the device. Sorry, still new to all the gamey stuff.”
Jaselm gave her a weird look at the words she used, but Dave interjected before the paladin could say anything, “So what does it do sweetie?”
With that smile that had been so absent in recent days, Emily looked over at Dave and then read from the notification she had received.
Tabernacle of the Gods
Item Quality: Lesser Artifact
A divinely inspired object created as the pinnacle of craftsmanship from a team of grandmaster smiths, rune masters, jewelers, and enchanters. Note: only a Chosen may utilize the active effects.
Active Effect 1: 1/sunrise this object may be used to create an area of consecrated ground. Area of effect equal to 1’/mana point spent. Duration equal to 1 hour/mana point spent. If this object is used to create a second area the first area will disappear. Cost: As much mana as is desired to power the effect.
Active Effect 2: 1/moonrise this object may be used to create a temporary structure. This structure may serve as a place of worship, a hospital, a residence for a Chosen and their guests, or a combination of all three. The area of the structure will be equal to a maximum of 100 square feet/faith point spent. The duration is 3 hours per faith point expended although it may be taken down at any time by the will of the one activating it. The area within the structure and for a 10’ radius around it act as consecrated ground. All those invited within will enjoy the following benefits: +50% to health and stamina regeneration, +100% to mana/faith regeneration, a sense of peace and well-being promoting clarity of thoug
ht. The benefits are doubled for any of the Chosen. The structures created will be dependent upon the will and experience of the Chosen activator and will be consistent with what they are accustomed to.
Active Effect 3: Your tier as a Chosen is not high enough
Passive Effects: Bearer of this object received +2 to luck or +4 if the item is carried against their bare skin. If the bearer is a Chosen then the bonuses increase to +5 and +10 respectively.
“So what do you think Dave?”
“I think go for the gusto, sweetie. Put all your faith points into it, and make a space big enough for all of us to sleep in.”
Emily grinned and then told everyone to step back. Dave grabbed the kids and pulled them back quickly with him while Jaselm made sure that all of his men were sufficient distance away. As Emily poured all ten points of her Faith into the device, the golden glow expanded, and the melodic tones increased till it felt as though the ground around them was veritably alive with the sound of music. The use of her faith points felt like fiery metal going through her but was somehow offset by the artifact she was pouring the points into.
Then it was there. No poof, no sense of mana rushing out. It was just there, as if it had always been there. But it was definitely not what Dave had been anticipating. He had pictured some sort of grand tent like from a circus or one of those old Charleston Heston movies. Instead, what greeted his eyes was a sprawling single story ranch type home that Emily always liked so much with a little white picket fence around it. At first, Emily was not within sight, but then she opened the front door of the house. It was a house which would have seemed perfectly natural in any middle class neighborhood back home. She beckoned for him and the kids to come in. Jaselm took it upon himself to follow them.
