Chapter 1
Of Wanderers
Darkness surrounded him. Darkness was all he knew. Darkness that continued for what felt like eons. Slowly he collected his thoughts together.
Whe-Where am I? He asked himself and to his great surprise, there was a response.
“You are home, brave one.” The voice seemed to radiate warmth and safety to his wayward soul.
The voice was like that of an old friend from a half-remembered dream, familiar yet distant.
Who are you? He asked as he felt more of himself slowly coming into focus.
“Do you not remember? I am Lyndri and you were my champion.” Her voice was laced with a deep sadness.
As the words collected deep within himself they stirred a collection of images from their resting places within the deepest parts of his soul. First came the mangled corpse of a young girl nearly ripped into pieces. Next came a cave imbedded in a hillside with a sinister pair of eyes reflecting the light of the sun. The third image was one of death, of bones, of a foul beast and a young boy both on the brink of death.
He now knew who he was, he was Telog of Alderali. He had avenged his sister's death and slain his first monster by thirteen. He had bested a giant in single combat by age eighteen, and by his twenty-fifth year there was not a minstrel in the land who had not told the tales of Telog of Alderali the man demons fled from. Yet who he felt he was the most lay in a promise he had made many years ago in an abandoned church to a weeping goddess. With the conviction of a man who had seen death’s face Telog of Alderali woke.
----------
Many miles away in a town that was little more than a few buildings situated around a tavern that was a popular resting stop for groups of adventurers on their way to seek fame and glory in the Unbroken Mountains. Within this tavern sat a group of adventurers in a somber mood each nursing a drink. The tavern around the party was boisterously loud and joyful, filled with laughter and cheerful conversation for they did not know that Telog of Alderali had been slain. The party however knew that the Savior of Tytan had died and so they were silent. Time passed around the party as they drank in silence each remembering their departed friend. Silence reigned over the party late into the night until finally it was broken.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"We need to go back...for his sword." A large man in platemail said.
"Ram, you know we can't do that." Replied a man dressed in blue robes.
A woman in leather armor spoke up "Why not? We can be back here in two weeks.".
"By then we'll be two weeks late. We should have ridden straight for the guild, whatever those damn bandits were doing in that place they succeeded." A man in the garb of a guardsmen said.
"We are honor-bound to retrieve his sword." Ram asserted.
"We are also honor-bound to finish our quest." The guard countered.
Ram pounded his fist on the table. "Damn you Sig! Did he mean nothing to you?"
Before Sig could respond the final member member of the party broke into the conversation.
“I’ll retrieve the sword. The rest of you ride for the guild and tell them about the ritual performed by the bandits.” The speaker was dressed in a hooded cloak of mottled green.
“If anyone can retrieve the sword it would be you Jakob…” The woman said thoughtfully.
Ram sat back in his chair and sighed, “Very well. We ride for the guild, however we will return here afterwards.” With that settled Ram raised his mug in a toast, “Telog of Alderali friend, companion, and hero”
“Telog” The man in the blue robes raised his glass as he spoke the name of his greatest friend in life.
“Telog” murmured Sig as he remembered a day long ago that changed his life.
“Telog” the woman said as she thought of final moments of her friend.
“Telog” Jakob said in a grim tone.
Together the party drank from their mugs, before one by one getting up from the table to retire to their rooms for the night.
----------
High in the heavens stood a chamber which no mortal soul had ever visited within that chamber, the gods argued; all the gods except two. Of the two who were not arguing one was smiling smugly at the other silent god Lyndri.
The smiling god was happy because events in the mortal world were about to become very interesting indeed. Lyndri did not know how to feel only that her champion's soul would not be allowed to reside peacefully in the heavens, instead he had been forced into serving the gods past his mortal life. His soul was now bound to the task that had been given him by the smiling god.
Lyndri did not think kindly of the smug god. In her eyes he was nothing more than a meddling nuisance that never did anything of worth, only hindering her with his incompetence.
Lothain for his part felt that Lyndri worried far too much. Yes he may have interfered with her tribute to fallen warrior a tiny bit, but it was necessary. If he had to trap Lyndri's pet mortal for the rest of eternity in order to stop the destruction of the mortal world he would. He was after all carrying out his divine duty to protect the mortals.
Being minor gods the two of them were mainly ignored as their exploits did not warrant the attention of the greater gods, however this time they had managed something that had not been done in 10,000 years. Their actions had caused a Greater Gathering to be called. As the rest of the gods argued Lyndri and Lothain glared at each other.