by Paul Yoder
“It does sadden me to see some of these seats empty, which brings us to the task of explaining their absence. Reza, most here know why Nomad and Cavok were not invited to this meeting, but I’ll explain their absence once more.
“Nomad refused attendance. He has not expounded upon his reasoning, but we are respecting his wishes.”
Reza nodded her understanding, replying, “I might be able to explain for him, though I’m only guessing as to his motives. A dryad in Jeenyre has made me aware that the curse of blood Nomad is under ties him to Telenth’s servant, the arisen lord that harried these lands not but a year ago. This link possibly grants him awareness to Nomad’s surroundings, conversations, and perhaps even his thoughts. We’ll need to be cautious of what we say around him, and even more cognizant of how we go about enacting our plans from here. Perhaps Nomad, in some way, knows this, distancing himself from us to protect us.”
“I see,” Metus considered, reflecting on the news a moment before continuing. “Cavok is not here tonight, and you’ll forgive my frankness with speaking on the matter,” he directed to Yozo, “because he and Yozo have been ordered to keep their distance from each other. We will have no more incidences as we did the other night, and Cavok is still recomposing himself after the trials of the road here. He’s been disallowed visitation to Nomad as well, at least until I can see a degree of peace from him. He’s been awfully agitated. A visit from you, Reza, might do him good when you feel up to it. He could use a friend, and as we are short a Finian, you would be best to fill that role I think.”
Reza agreed, voicing that she’d see him soon after the meeting.
“Speaking of Fin, you had mentioned that he had split from you on the trail a few weeks back. What is that about?”
“Yes, Fin had a friend in mind to recruit to our cause. He took off right after we passed by Ashfield in the dunes. I was hoping he’d arrive here soon after us, but it has been, what, over a week now? He said he was heading to Sansabar. Even with that adding many more miles on to his journey than we had left on ours, he is a swift traveler. I was hoping he’d make up the difference, but it may be that it could be a few weeks before his arrival.”
Metus considered the information quickly, privately adjusting his plans accordingly, stating, “Fin might miss this operation if that is the case. I hope not, perhaps he’ll show up today or we’ll meet him in crossing on the road, but time is of the essence, and I have plans to move out very soon. At the very least, I will leave instructions for him upon his arrival here if we do happen to be gone before he gets here.”
Reza jumped in before Metus could continue, feeling as though she was missing some information everyone else was privy to. “Operation? Arie mentioned to me that you all have had meetings while I was asleep. What did I miss?”
“Of course, forgive me for jumping ahead. Leith, why don’t you run through our previous meeting’s notes with Reza briefly?”
Leith shuffled around a few papers she had brought with her, sorting through the stack quickly before clearing her voice.
“Arie, as well as Cavok, and Yozo to some extent, have informed us of the happenings of your trip to Jeenyre, and the unfortunate results you’ve had with Nomad and his curse. It seems that there’s more at stake here than just his soul.
“The pull of his curse is strong. We believe that this denotes that the one he is drawn to is an equally powerful force in this realm. Nomad’s strength he had been given by the curse, before the healing, was unmatched by anything we’ve seen.
“This development, and your efforts to gather allies to combat this dark force, deems that the forces of the Plainstate become involved with whatever power holds Nomad its hostage.
“We propose a hunt for this force, led by, against my advisement,” Leith said, her tone biting in disagreement, “Sultan Metus himself. As Nomad is clearly drawn to this unknown master, we intend to follow him to the source of his curse to dispatch the unwelcome presence from our lands.”
A low rumble lightly shook the windowpanes and shelves as Leith finished her summary, as if the one she spoke of executing took umbrage at the speech.
The room darkened slightly as the sun hid behind a grey, heavy curtain of clouds. A light tapping of rain pattered along the wall and windows of the palace as the group sat solemnly there in session.
Reza shook her head. She wanted to, more than anyone, believe it would be as simple as Leith had made it sound, but she had to speak up.
“You make the task seem straightforward—as though this is a mere mortal you face, as though he were a king of a neighboring land. With all due respect, this enemy is like no enemy you’ve fought prior to, Sultan Metus.”
Her comment rustled a few members at the table, but they quieted when Metus replied, “You forget, we’ve faced this enemy before in battle and claimed victory in the battlefield. I do not underestimate who we face. Telenth and his chosen are terrors of our realm, of almost mythical power.
“The plan, though simple currently, requires finessing, hence why we’re here once more, to go over every detail before we sign on to this duty, that all might be able to execute their role without confusion.
“It is a monumental task to step up to, but I do believe in our own ally’s strength. I do believe that even Telenth’s incarnations might meet an end at our hand if we stand united.”
Reza, along with everyone in the room, was reminded of Metus’ acumen in persuasion and speech. The perfectly timed pauses, heartfelt tone, his delivery, was all flawless. If she had not faced the arisen lord personally, she would believe that their merry band could take on any horror Telenth sent their way.
“Reza,” Henarus said, voice stern as ever, “I understand how you feel about this foe we all face. Without facing him in battle, it is hard to comprehend what sort of power we are dealing with. You have faced him, up close. You have witnessed the futility of contending with him on an even playing field. I too have had this unfortunate experience. Near Warwick, the forces of the Plainstate faced him a little less than a year ago.
“You remember it was us who fought his forces off, pushing them south, into the Badlands. I locked eyes with him and I did tremble. His might cannot be understated. Even myself, a prophet of Hassome, knew how badly outmatched I was to his wicked might.
“Though we struck down his army, I knew that if he wanted to continue the fight, it would be our whole army against him, and I do not know if we truly would have won that engagement. I believe it was of his own free will that he chose to head south, to recoup his losses and to regrow his fell army from scratch.
“If you feel we underestimate our foe, I assure you, we don’t. That is precisely why we are mounting an assault on him so hurriedly. We’ve not a moment to lose. And if we fail, by all reports we’ve received, it seems that the peoples of the Southern Sands region may be lost to the worshipers of Telenth, and that would be a horrible loss—a genocide of epic proportions.”
The tone grew dark, not just from the stark contrast of Henarus’ delivery as opposed to Metus’, but the rainclouds outside had darkened, a heavier rain smattering the wall and the roof, thunder crackling closer now, gently rumbling the building often.
“Henarus speaks the truth of the matter,” Metus agreed. “This agent of Telenth, he is no lackey. There are whispers of him being an Avatar, Telenth’s representation in the flesh in our realm. Avatars are precious to the gods that they serve and have a keen connection to their respective deities. If this were true, then we deal not with an independent threat, but with an enemy that is directly tied to an eternal entity, one of the original intelligences. His resources, strengths, army, may all possess a depth that we do not appreciate on face value.
“However, even if this entity were to be an Avatar, even Avatar’s have a history, individual uniqueness, and in turn, a weakness. Having as much information as possible on the head of this army that we face is crucial. For that, I have invited Bannon to the table t
oday. He is my wartime general and is trusted with the recruitment, training, deployment, gathering intelligence, tactics, etcetera, for all of Plainstate during times of war. He has some reports to share with the council regarding our enemy that might be of some use.”
The uniformed man took the cue promptly, nodding his head before launching into his report of their target.
“Of his origins and even his name, we don’t know much as of yet; though, the peoples of Highguard, our southern regional neighbors, are calling him, Sha’oul—”
Reza murmured as she stared blankly at the mahogany table, “hell raiser….”
The general halted for a moment before confirming Reza’s comment. “That’s right. Some of the older settlements in Highguard still speak ancient Tariganniean. This is what they refer to him as.
“He’s been raiding the nomadic peoples of the Badlands, by all reports creating a living nightmare for those unfortunate enough to be in his path. We’ve questioned refugees from the Badlands and Highguard and many of the stories are similar. Sha’oul and his forces enter a village by night, slaughter who they can, and leave by morning’s light. Those who have returned often find no bodies. It is assumed the bodies of the deceased are what make up his army, much like what we were dealing with here in the Plainstate.
“He’s growing his forces once more, and not just with standard arisen, but there are rumors that he’s creating arisen out of wild beasts to fill out his army—quadspire boar, dolingers, waste worms, sand drakes, and others.
“Judging by the villages that he’s raised, his path seems to be heading up through Imhotez Pass towards either Tarigannie or Brigganden once more, though, with his recent defeat at Brigganden, and with it bustling now more than ever with all the refugees it’s been getting, I doubt he’ll be coming back for seconds just yet with it being so well manned and fortified.
“I’m guessing his eventual target will be Tarigannie, first her smaller towns and settlements, then perhaps one of her forts or even taking Rochata-Ung by surprise if they move fast enough.
“Though their military might is great, they are highly divided right now due to the ongoing rift in its internal politics. With so many factions vying for power, they would be at a great disadvantage when it comes to unverified outside threats. They might work with each other if a known peoples were said to be attacking, but, if you recall, even our state was skeptical when we heard of the arisen army’s presence. They may be slow to respond.
“I don’t know how much intelligence gathering Sha’oul may be doing, but if he probed his potential targets’ weaknesses even preliminarily, Tarigannie is ripe for the pickings under their current regime.
“Their military might cannot be discounted though. What they lack in camaraderie and unity, they make up for in harshness of military follow-through. Their army is constructed of vicious warriors, many of whom are criminals themselves. They often take no prisoners of war unless it deems useful for them, and they have a well-connected underground information network. If Tarigannie is Sha’oul’s target, he may find her people more resilient than expected at face value.”
Bannon finished his report, leaving a moment for all to consider the current situation as they were aware of it.
“The Tarigannie people, they may prove to be a useful ally if we can enlist them to our cause. This is a communal threat to all local nations, after all,” Terra said in a soft voice, posing the thought to the group.
Leith shook her head, replying, “Mayhaps some of the smaller establishments of Tarigannie, but their people are a hardened people. Rochata-Ung, their capital city, is governed by a corrupt council. I highly doubt that they would preemptively wage a war on a threat that has not proven to be a direct threat to them. There’s no chance they would come to the aid of a neighboring nation unless they somehow stand to benefit from it.”
“Their leaders are extremely difficult to deal with,” Metus added, rubbing his smooth chin as he reflectively pondered aloud. “I’ve tried reaching out to them in the past, lightening tariffs, criminal extradition, offers for an ambassador exchange program or even establishing an embassy in each other’s capital—all attempts to reach out and establish an easier peace with them has proved fruitless. They have made no efforts or shown interest in strengthening our national relations.
“That having been said, Terra, may be right. We need to at least give them a chance to reject our offer to help form a unified front against Sha’oul and his forces. At the very least, we could but offer them a warning. Maybe they make no efforts to meet him on the battlefield, but perhaps they would remain at battle ready nationwide, ready to answer any attacks on their people.”
“An emissary could be there in just under a week, give or take a few days depending on the weather,” Leith supplied.
“No,” Metus dismissed. “Our company would be the one to deliver the news, myself personally at its head.”
Leith let out a heavy sigh. “I have advised against that line of action from the first time you mentioned it. An extremely dangerous military operation is not a place for the sultan of a nation—”
“—Though I appreciate your concern, Leith, I am aware of the risks, not to my safety, but to the success of this mission. If we fail to put down Sha’oul’s warmongering ways…call it a gut feeling, but I fear all is lost if we do not get out ahead of this threat.
“Thoughts of his shadow have been gnawing at me ever since running him off. By all accounts, what we dealt with all those months ago seemed like an aborted, half attempt at a conquest. It had barely gotten underway, and without the valuable information from Reza and company, we would not have had the preemptive opportunity to staunch the warpath he intended leading up to Sheaf. I doubt he will be caught off guard as he was before this time around, and the fact that he immediately changed course and began raiding the lawless Highguardian nomads, who have no information network to help give them warning, is a testament to Sha’oul’s military shrewdness.
“He was only known to us before today as Lord of the Arisen. We have never faced arisen here in the Plainstate, at least on a military scale, and it is beyond many generations since the history books and legends say that our land had to stand against the focus of a lord of the Deep Hells. When their eye is fixed, nations tremble and collapse.
“We have all the evidence we need to declare this for what it is, an attack on the peoples of the Southern Sands region. We are, relatively speaking, a small region, a simple wayed people, and not with the greatest resources or manpower to contend with a God’s hand. I would best serve this effort on the front lines, and I would not have even my trusted advisors bar me from lending my arm, my strength, to the cause. We’re all in this together, and that includes me. Our fate is joined.
“This, it seems,” Metus said, looking to all present at the conference table from all different sects and nations that were present, “we all understand to some degree. Destiny had drawn us together, here, in this room. Let’s answer her call clearly. We all have a part to play in the weeks ahead.”
The rippling pattern played off the rain-pelted windows, casting waves of shadows along the grand conference table, the room hushed besides the rolling thunder outside.
Though many had comments regarding Metus’ speech, Bannon was the first to respond.
“I still do not feel sending you into the heart of Rochata-Ung to be wise. Perhaps an emissary. Do you really need to be within the city limits? You would be making my task of protecting you extremely difficult.”
Metus flipped through his documents, finding a letter among them, holding it up and explaining, “I received this one month ago from my steward of Brigganden. He informed me that Zaren and Jadu took passage to Rochata-Ung in order to take advantage of the better equipped facilities within the enchanter’s guild there to accommodate Jadu’s insatiable growth in the art. It seems he’s taken to enchanting faster than any pupil Zaren has ever trained, and Zaren is the head of a promi
nent order of magic. His authority and understanding of the hexweave is unmatched. He’s surely the most senior member of the high magics that I’ve ever personally met, and I’ve held audience to many magicians. If he is this impressed with Jadu’s aptitude, then we need to see about recruiting them both for this mission.
“This is another reason I am so set on visiting Rochata-Ung first, before we set out to find Sha’oul, and it is another reason I intend to be there to ask him personally. Zaren is not the kind to heed the call of ambassadors. I need to be there to plead our cause.”
“Having master Zaren and Jadu in our company does little to ease my concerns for your reasoning in visiting Rochata-Ung,” Leith sighed, the mere thought of the pair exasperating her, “but you have the final word on the matter. If it is your full intention to lead this expedition and visit the city, then I would at the least ask of you to allow Bannon to oversee security of our visit.”
Though Bannon didn’t reply, he nodded his approval to the notion.
“Of course, that would be most appreciated. Hopefully the visit will not take too long. Once we have warned the council of the pending threat, urging them to head up the offence with us in the coming war, and entreated Zaren and Jadu to join our cause, we will straightway hunt down Sha’oul. With Nomad’s help, hopefully finding him will not prove too difficult.
“How we proceed from there I expect to be the difficult part. Gods willing, the forces of Tarigannie will be by our side and an opportunity to strike the arisen army presents itself. If not, I am leaving Leith in charge in my absence here in Sheaf. We will have our military at ready to move on a day’s notice to call for a mobilization of troops to come to our aid.
