In the Beginning

On the ninth day of the ninth month of the year 876 After Arrival, a child is born among the shadows in a drafty cellar. His mother, a woman in her mid thirties, with long black hair plastered to her pale skin with sweat, cried out with all her remaining strength as her child is born. She quickly succumbs due to the difficulty of the birth. The child, now alone, cold, in the dark cellar, cries with all of his infant might. Luckily for the child, a particularly astute man hears the cries of a child while walking by what he thought to be an abandoned house, arriving shortly after the mother’s death to find him. Unluckily for the child, this man happened to be the resident slave trader, Torold the Cruel.

Torold the Cruel, as it happens, was a cruel man. One thing he was not; however, was a man to forego a good deal. Yes, indeed, Torold was a shrewd man, and knew how to get as much silver from a deal as possible. And before was him was a kind of deal he loved the most: a free one. With no one to object to his actions, Torold the Cruel swiftly bundled the child up in his mother’s rags and ascended the creaky wooden stairs to the night above.

***

“That bastard Torold got himself stabbed in the alley behind the tailor’s last night” said a portly man to his friend. They were sitting at a table near the door of the Sailor’s Respite, an odd name for a tavern that was 500 miles from the nearest coast. “Serves ‘im right I say. He was a right fuckin’ shit, always ‘agglin’ with me over the price o’ godsdamned bread.” said the portly man again, who was evidently a baker. “You’re right Sam, who the hell even needs slaves here?” agreed his friend.

***

Deep in the mountain forests north of Samart, three hooded figures move quickly through the trees, one of them carrying a bundle. After travelling for an hour, the hooded figures arrive at a cozy house, firelight gleaming in the windows. One takes a step forwards and disappears as if he was walking through a doorway to another world. “There he goes again, always using it to do everything.” sighed the figure not carrying the bundle. twenty seconds after the first man had disappeared, he reappeared in a similar fashion, as if he was walking through a door. “Looks clear to me.” he said, breathing somewhat heavily. “Well I would fucking think so.” said the one carrying the bundle, finally speaking. “It is the damn conclave.”

The trio then proceeded to open the door and enter the cozy little house. Within, the first figure, the one who scouted ahead, picked up a handful of salt from the table, and with a flourish, threw it into the fireplace. Instantly, the fireplace crackled and started to burn blue, changing the mood of the house to a more phantasmic one. One by one, the hooded figures stepped into the fireplace, disappearing in shimmers of purple light. The last figure, paying close attention to how he carries the bundle, steps in after the other two with a sigh.

***

In a foyer furnished with fine tapestries, soft carpets, and bright wall sconces, three men, now unhooded, unfurl themselves from the dancing shadows produced by the fire. The first man holds a triumphant grin on his fair face, clearly pleased by the outcome of his task. The second, man, slightly shorter than the first, wears an annoyed scowl, blatantly showing his dislike for the man in front of him. The third, arriving after them, has a similar look of annoyance. The bundle was now crying. Loudly.

“Gods, the Spectral Passage must have scared the shit out of him” said the triumphant man. “I truly hope that I don’t have to listen to its wailing for the next two years” said the man holding the child, shuddering slightly. “Let’s just pass him off and forget about him. Surely they won’t ask us to look after him? Right?” asked the final man, similarly distressed. Suddenly, a man in what appeared to be his fifties, with slightly graying hair, apparated at the entrance to the long hallway leading to the foyer. “It looks like you’ve succeeded.” said the man gruffly. “I’m honestly surprised you shitheads managed to do something without fucking everything up!”

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The three younger men smile demurely, clearly embarrassed by their shared past of failure. After a short silence, the man in front replied quickly: “I hope that our past… transgressions... can be forgotten with news of our success.” The older man suddenly chuckles and says, “Getting the child isn’t shit to me. I could’ve gotten the little bastard with both arms cut off, two broken legs, and walnuts for eyes, and still have done it quicker than you lot!” With that, the older man turned and left, motioning for the trio of men to follow him.

***

The Conclave is where the Order of Abyss Walkers train in the art of traversing the Abyss. No one has truly understood what the Abyss is since the time of Canus, the demigod who brought magical tomes written by the Over Gods themselves. Only Canus truly knew what the Abyss was, and for reasons unbeknownst to anyone, he chose not to share its true nature. The tomes he brought contained the knowledge that allowed humans to practice magick, something only thought of at the time as mere fantasy.

It has been 876 years since Canus, the Light Bringer, arrived to the continent of Aestran, and the art of magicking has progressed by leaps and bounds since then. More and more techniques, spells, and uses for magick have been discovered by scholars, and the nations of Aestran become more and more prosperous. Chief among nations in Aestran is the Kingdom of Gleoria, where the descendants of Canus sit upon the Winged Throne. The country in which the Conclave is located is the small Duchy of Preanga, where the good Duke Bischoff rules.

The Duke’s men patrol the roads and towns around the duchy, and keep the peace where they can; however, the Conclave is far off the beaten path, in fact, there is no path to reach it, as the Abyss Walkers take care not to walk the same way twice. No one in the town of Samart has any idea of what exists just a few kilometres up the mountain from them. It is at the Conclave where the Abyss Walkers are trained at birth to --naturally-- walk the Abyss, and use it to further the Conclave’s agenda. What is that agenda? No one knows but the Central Cabal of Abyss Walkers. It is here, at the Conclave, where the child will grow up, under the close tutelage of the masters of Abyss Walking.

***

Deep in the Conclave, the men carrying the newly born child arrive in front of a heavy oaken door, weathered after ages of use. The man leading pushed open the door, and entered the smoky room. Several censers hanging from the stone ceiling vomited out sweet smelling smoke, filling the room with a thick haze. A large desk sat in the corner by a carved stone window, from which cold wind blew in from outside.

Within a fireplace was a slowly dying fire, subtly illuminating the immediate area around it. Tapestries were hung on the wall to give the room a more comfortable feeling than a plain stone room. A dignified old man sits in a ornate chair behind the desk, where he naps in the way most old men do: loudly. The middle aged man who led the trio down the hallway suddenly clears his voice, rousing the man from his slumber.

“Master, I’ve brought the three failures. It appears that they have succeeded in their task.” The elderly man donned a somewhat surprised expression. He truly had not expected this outcome. “Well… I must say I am pleased with your work. Alfred, take them to their quarters, and give them a hot meal.” Alfred nodded and led the 3 men back out the doors. “Leave the child!” said the old man annoyedly before they were out the door.

The child was now alone with the old man in his office. The old man looked at the child kindly, slightly smiling. “Welcome to our order. I am the presiding master of the Order of Abyss Walkers.” The old man continued on like this, knowing well that the infant couldn’t understand what he was saying in the slightest. “I don’t suppose you have a name yet.” said the old man, finally ending his speech. “How about… Simon. Simon Filius Umbra.”

Author's Note: Hey, this is my first fiction. Its probably shit. Idk. Lets continue it and see.