Cleave stepped inside, and at once, was herded along with the rest into a giant room. Various forest creatures and representatives from all of the kingdoms were milling about. Larkin and Padwin came up to a podium situated on a dais at the front of the room. Both wore big self-satisfied smiles. "Welcome friends to this wonderful event! We at the Crimson Kingdom would like to extend a warm welcome to all the forest creatures who played a major part in making all of this happen. The world as you know it is changing, and everyone here played an important role,” Larkin said.
The party looked at each other. A feeling of foreboding washed over them as they looked at Larkin and Padwin. Larkin had always been powerful, representing the strength of the Crimson Kingdom. However, they couldn’t help but feel that his power had increased in some nefarious way. They all felt a little anxious at the pleased look that the two representatives of the Crimson Kingdom wore. Something was amiss here.
"What is going on?” Cleave was the first to speak.
“Yeah, why were we called here?” another called out.
"You’ll get your answers in due time, everyone. Now, as I was saying, we at the Crimson Kingdom recently helped you, the forest creatures, with the problem you were having with the undead. Yes, I admit that in the beginning we were working with the Severed Elves, but they decided to act on their own accord, betraying our trust, and well, I couldn't have that. I finally told them I wasn’t interested in working with them anymore. What I was interested in was building a bigger, brighter future for myself and for all of the people in the Crimson Kingdom. So, in exchange for dealing with your undead problem and stopping every necromancer in the area from conjuring more undead, and courtesy of Laryhalla there who helped with smiting the undead so that we could take care of things, I'm proposing a change, one that I'm sure everyone here will enjoy," he stated.
The party looked at each other with concern. Padwin was smiling. He seemed almost giddy. Larkin pulled a drape off a mysterious picture that was next to him on the dais. It was a map of the forest, displaying a new trade route.
"In exchange for helping you with the undead problem, we’re going to be building a trade route through the forest all the way to Clearwater. The town has a port, and there are merchant ships that we can buy. We’re going to create a road to Clearwater in order to access these ships and the goods they carry. Hopefully, this isn’t too much of a shock,” he stated.
The party’s eyes opened in dismay, their mouths dropping at what they had just heard. Holy shit, so the Crimson Kingdom was going to take control of the forest. It seemed most of the forest creatures were happy to let them do this.
“So this was nothing more than a power play?” Tarka queried.
"Of course not. We are trying to set up an effective trade route. We are trying to make life easier for our people in the Crimson Kingdom, but all forest dwellers can benefit as well. We want to work with the forest creatures. We want to see for ourselves how a friendly alliance will work. I know that we’ve had our issues in the past, but I can assure you, that doesn’t have to be the case now. What’s in the past is in the past. What happens now is what truly matters,” he said.
There was a cheer coming from the crowd of forest creatures. The Fey Wilder group seemed to be the only ones against what Larkin was doing. Tarka and Cleave looked at one another, worried expressions on their faces, and Laryhalla’s eyes seemed to grow as wide as saucers.
"No! They’re going to kill the forest. You can’t do this!” she begged the forest people.
"Pipe down there, elf! Can’t you see that this will help the forest people rebuild what was lost?”
"Yeah, we lost our guild in the battles, and they’re helping us bring it back," someone said from the crowd of forest creatures.
"Of course. We want it to be like this for everyone. We can make sure that you’re all taken care of. Through this trade route, we here at the Crimson Kingdom will restore the glory that was ours in a former time, and we’ll make sure that you get everything you need to rebuild what was lost during this tragic war. You won’t be left behind,” he stated to them.
The party looked at the other forest creatures. All of them seemed happy to give up the forest life they were used to in order to get help from the Crimson Kingdom. Cleave was angry. He was angry that they played a part in this. The Crimson Kingdom was extending their power, and he felt responsible for helping the enemy. He approached Larkin and confronted him. “How did you come up with such a great solution?”
"Well, if you would like to know, Padwin was a key player, so you can thank him for all of the new and improved changes,” Larkin said with a beaming grin.
The party looked toward Padwin, who was sitting there with a sneering smile.
“No way. So he did lie!” Tarka cried out. She had never trusted him, but she couldn’t believe that, despite their distrust, they had played into his hand so easily. No one else in the room seemed bothered by the situation though. They were almost passive about what was happening, which meant that everything was a setup.
"I don’t like the way this feels,” Krug said.
"You and me both. I feel like there is something else going on here,” Cleave said.
Suddenly, on their screens, a message appeared:
You’ve managed to stop the forest from dying, but in exchange, you’ve given the Crimson Kingdom more power. If your powers of perception are strong enough, you’ll find out during this event what your next action should be. Be careful.
Phil
So this wasn’t the end. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
"I knew it,” Cleave stated.
"What?” Tarka said.
"This isn’t the end. This is just the beginning of our next quest. We need to find out what new hell they have planned to torment us,” he stated.
"We need to be careful,” Krug said.
"Yeah, we do,” Tarka muttered.
The party had been on edge since they got here, but the news only made everyone feel worse. They needed to confront Padwin. They looked around for him, but he was gone.
“He’s probably up Larkin’s butt.” Berryl who had stayed quiet was finally putting her two cents in.
"We should go look for him. We need more information on what this means for us,” Cleave said.
Everyone agreed, and soon, they split up to begin the search. Laryhalla and Berryl went towards the north wing, where they noticed several of the forest creatures. They were all talking animatedly about Larkin’s announcement.
"It’s a new beginning for us!”
"Yeah, we won’t have to run around in fear anymore!
"This is the best outcome imaginable! The Crimson Kingdom is amazing!” one of them stated.
Berryl grimaced, and Laryhalla looked around. She noticed that the surge of magic was stronger here than before, and she feared that maybe there was a charm in place, and that was the reason why everyone seemed so happy about the new situation. It bothered her because she knew that most of the fairy creatures in the forest would be devastated.
Krug went to the west. His hulking body towered over everyone, so people mostly left him alone, feeling he was too scary to approach. He made the trek through town and ended up at the harbor, where he noticed a bunch of ships. They were all big and sprawling and heavily armed. Krug realized that they weren’t merchant ships. They were pirate ships.
A look of fear immediately shrouded his face. They weren’t just trying to be a commercial power with mercantile ships. No, they wanted to control the forest and surrounding areas. They weren’t going to help the forest inhabitants; they were going make trouble for them, even more so than usual. Krug watched the ships go by. He noticed they were all going through a small strait near where the forest began, and he realized that the waterway hadn’t been there before. The Crimson Kingdom had torn down a portion of the forest to create the waterway. The Crimson Kingdom was already taking over. This didn’t look good.
Tarka headed east, making
her way through the commercial buildings there. They all seemed to be part of the Crimson Kingdom, each of them large and spacious. As she was passing through one building, she noticed a map of the forest that looked the same as the one that was revealed earlier in the meeting room. She stopped in her tracks. She walked towards the map and saw a scrap of parchment sticking out of the corner. She pulled it and a scroll fell. She picked it up and began reading:
"The plan for this initiative is to go to the forest kingdom first. We will get the inhabitants to work with us. Once we have achieved this, we will head to the north where the monsters live. The ogres are already allied with us there and Stinking Shiva won’t be a huge problem. We will get most of the tribes in the area to join us. Anyone who fails to join us we will eliminate. We’ll build stronger armies and take out more and more of our enemies. The goal is to gain total power over the area and become the largest commercial power in the game!”
Tarka’s hands started to shake as she realized what they were doing. The goal of the Crimson Kingdom wasn't just to help the forest inhabitants, so they could make a trade route. It was to gain control of the forest and all who lived there, and take out any who stood in their way.
Meanwhile, Cleave raced towards the north, seeing Padwin and Larkin in the distance. He hid behind a wall and listened as the other elven man was talking to Larkin.
"It’s all going as planned,” he heard Padwin say.
"Yes it is, but we have to be careful. Our...friends from Fey Wilder are trying to meddle, I think,” Larkin said.
Yeah, but don’t worry about them. They’re just bothersome. I think it is safe to say that we are well on our way to making a fortune. With the warped crystal, we’ll be able to take over all the other kingdoms and force them to trade with us, so we can create more weapons. I have another plan for these trade routes too. We can connect all the different trade routes, controlling the entire network. I'll put soldiers at every post, so that anyone who has to travel to the city will be required to pay a toll for passage. We’ll become even richer and grow more powerful!”
“So all is going according to plan?” Larkin asked.
"Perfectly sir. It seems our little friends believed everything I said. They seriously thought I was acting alone,” Padwin boasted.
"How tragic for them. With all the changes you’ve put into place, with all of the little actions we’ve taken in the past, we’re set to become the most powerful guild in this area. Though I must say, there were some hiccups.” Larkin said.
Padwin shuffled his feet. "Yeah, there were some problems. I thought things would go much more smoothly. But it all worked out in the end. Cleave and his band of mishaps are so gullible, thinking I'd actually go out on my own. You promised me everything I could ever want and one of the best positions imaginable. I will be your second in command and have money greater than in my wildest dreams. I know that together we’ll be unstoppable!”
"That is true. We will be unstoppable. With the warped crystal attached to our weapons, the entire realm will be ours for the taking,” he said.
They both laughed, and as Cleave listened, anger boiled in his body. He had to tell the others.
He slipped away, surprised that neither of them sensed his presence. He then went to the central area where the group was to meet up. They all had looks of disdain and worry on their faces.
"You saw it too, right?” Krug said.
"It’s worse than we could imagine. We were lied to,” Cleave said.
"Yeah. I discovered that they’ve been planning ways to increase their commercial power for a long time while going through their business offices,” Tarka explained.
“The forest people are taking it as a godsend. They think that this is the way to an easier life. It’s not,” Laryhalla said.
"They’re all dunces if you want my honest opinion,” Berryl stated.
"It’s more than just that though. They’re engaging in piracy,” Krug stated.
Cleave shook his head. "No, it’s worse than that. Larkin is trying to take over the entire world, and he’s using the Crimson Kingdom to do so. I overheard them talking. Padwin didn’t just lie to us to get us to help him defeat the undead, and he and Larkin aren’t just creating a trade network. They are making a power play to gain dominion over all the other kingdoms. He will reward those who fall in line with his plan and eliminate those who don’t. Padwin is going to place soldiers at every single outpost, so that anyone who comes to this city will have to pay a toll to the Crimson Kingdom. They’re creating powerful weapons. They have something called a warped crystal. He’s going to use weapons powered with the warped crystal to eliminate any kingdom that won’t work with him.," Cleave explained.
"Holy shit,"Laryhalla said.
The group looked at the elf, who stood there with her eyes widening.
"What is it?” Tarka asked.
Laryhalla looked at Tarka who seemed confused by her outburst. "I know of the warped crystal. It’s an ancient elven object, one that possesses great power and has the ability to decimate entire groups of people. With just a little bit of that crystal attached, Larkin could wipe out entire cities. It’s very scary to think about what he might do with all that power.
"How bad is it? If you don’t mind me asking," Cleave asked.
Laryhalla looked down, her face dark. "Did you ever hear of the Brinine civilization?”
"That’s an ancient civilization that died out hundreds of years ago, long before the Crimson Kingdom existed,” Berryl stated. “I read about it on the forums a few weeks ago.
"Correct. However, there have been archeologists who have wanted to find the connection between both of these civilizations, and it seems that we may have found it. The Brinine people were a very advanced civilization, but they weren’t good with magics. A rival group, one that was less advanced but more knowledgeable in the use of magics, forged together a warped crystal. They didn’t even have powerful weapons, just swords, and shields; but when they attacked the Brinine people, the entire civilization was wiped out within about a day.
The crystal is ungodly strong, but it also requires a great amount of magic to use it. From what I've been told, the crystal is unable to be wielded by any mere human or elf. It requires someone of high magical prowess,” Laryhalla said.
The party all listened, and then Krug spoke.
"So there’s got to be someone around here that knows how to wield this.”
"Correct. I'm not sure who in the Crimson Kingdom has that kind of power, but we have to believe they have already found someone who can wield the magic. We need to figure out a way to stop them before it’s too late. I've been studying the history of different magical artifacts, and this is one artifact you don’t want loosed on an unsuspecting world again,"Laryhalla said.
"I've never even heard of this,"Berryl said.
"It’s not mentioned in many texts. Unless you're studying wood elf magic, chances are you’d never come across it.”
"That makes sense,” Tarka said.
"If what Cleave heard is true, it could mean the destruction of the world as we know it. Countless lives lost at the whim of a power hungry mongrel. And not just people either. I heard the forest after we left, and honestly...it’s dying. The trees and vegetation are dying, not just from the attack of the undead, but from what the Crimson Kingdom has done. This will only get worse for everyone,” Laryhalla said.
The group heard her admonishment, and Cleave sighed. "So, I guess our next step is to go after the Crimson Kingdom and stop this, right?”
"Absolutely. We have to stop this. But we’re going to need a ship. I’m not familiar with this area, so I’m not sure where to find one around here.” Laryhalla shrugged and looked to the other members.
The party looked around. Tarka caught something out of the corner of her eye. She glanced in that direction and took a step back. "No way,” she said.
"What is it?”
"It’s her...” Tarka said, pointing in the directi
on of what seemed to be a pub. There, in the distance was a fiery redheaded woman. One who looked almost like a pirate. She was serving ale to the people in the pub, but when her eyes locked with Tarka, a grin plastered her face. "Oh shit," Tarka said.
“Everything okay?” Cleave asked.
"It’s just...I'll explain later. But I think I know where we are going next and where we can get a ship. Just follow me, and trust me on this,” Tarka insisted. She went in the direction of the fiery woman.
The party looked at one another, and Berryl grimaced. "Do you want to follow her?”
"What other choice do we have?” Cleave asked.
"I know that woman too,” Laryhalla answered, “and if you want a ship at a price you’ll be paying dearly for, go ahead and follow Tarka,” Laryhalla answered.
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