Spoiler: Julian's Prologue
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I remember the events in details as if it was yesterday. I dream of it often, too often. But it happened almost seventeen years ago. I was six and I was running and laughing at the great gray corridor leading to our goal, the wardstone chamber. I remember the corridor in details, the echo of my footsteps, the heavy smell of burning oil from the lamps along the walls, the nerves laughter of my friends from Ethel's orphanage who dared to follow me again into one of my daring adventures, this time to sneak into the wardstone chamber in the great keep. Adventures that got us all into troubles time and again, but still they followed.
I remember the awful smell of sulfur and rotten eggs that suddenly filled the corridor, and the hideous face of the demon who stepped into the corridor from the wardstone chamber. I tried to stop and run, only to fall and skid on my back towards him, stopping at his feet. He looked like a giant to me as he ducked his head and entered the corridor, taking one big step above me. I remember my friends crying and screaming, the sickening sound of bones breaking and then a terrible silence.
I sprang to my feet and ran to the wardstone chamber, there were dead soldiers lying on the floor all around. I dared to look back and was terrified to see the demon closing on me with a frightening wicked smile on his black face. I remember wandering if his teeth were red or was it blood. And then the pain between my shoulder blades and my astonishment as I saw one dark talon emerging from my chest covered with my own blood, lifting me to the air. The demon was laughing, a strange sound I never heard before, but there was no mistake in it. Than darkness crept in and took me and the pains away.
I woke up in pain, yet the pain was not what woke me up. The loud angry voice did.
I was lying in a bed and my entire chest hurt, I could smell sweet incense, clean sheets and it felt like my chest was bandaged. I kept my eyes closed, I already learned that it best to pretend sleeping when adults were angry, especially if I was involved. Sometimes it postponed the punishment.
I recognized mother Ethel's voice immediately. Mother Ethel was the head of the orphanage and she was angry. When mother Ethel was angry things went bad, her punishments were the hardest. “I must insist your highness” she was saying “I am sure you know that we take good care of the children, we will take care of her as always. She belongs to the orphanage, and yes, she will be punished for her responsibility of what happened to the others who ran with her. If not for her they woul all still be alive.” She was right, if not for me my friends would still alive. I could see in my mind the demon stepping above me and hear the cries of my friends. Jenny, Tomas, Ronald, Nicole and Nolan. “The demon is the one who killed them, not the child. if you need someone to blame he is the one” a new voice I did not recognized said. It was calm and soft voice, a man’s voice that drove the cries of my dead friends away from my head. “But surely you can see her responsibility, your holiness, if not for her they would never have been there in the first place” the softness in the stranger voice disappeared, there was power in his voice, power of a man who knew his superiority “The responsibility for keeping the children safe was yours, not the child's. I am sure this responsibility is not behind you capability. But enough, the child stays, at least for the time being”
Mother Ethel stormed away without a word, I knew that angering her will only serve her more reasons to punish me later, but I didn’t care much of it then. “Although Ethel is a rude woman, and I very much doubt she is the right person to take care of children, I must agree with her, your highness. I cannot see why you want her here.” a new voice, a younger voice, said. “She has been unconscious for five days now, we must help her” said the one they called highness “The lesser priests can do that, you know that better than me. I can arrange for her to be moved to the temple infirmary, though, as you said before, she has been out for five days and her chances are not good here or in the infirmary.” There was a long silence. I could hear my heart beats like a drum in the silence. “We cannot let her die, Brian. She is special.” The silence was thicker and longer this time. I was almost tempted to open my eyes and see if the two were gone. ““We owe it to her mother”.
Sixteen years later I was riding back the great city Kenabres, the fortress of the north, the wardstone sit, the untaken city, the city I was born in, the city who fell to the demons army only a few days before. I will not tire you with the details of Christopher’s death, the one everyone called your highness, a high priest of Iomedae and the only one I dared to call father. I will not tell you the long story of how I was sent with a foster family to the southern city of Xer only to find myself in the streets at the age of thirteen. I will even won’t bother you with the events that woke the sorceress powers within me. I have traveled long, loved, hated, won and lost.
I was about two days walk from Kenabres when I started meeting people fleeing away from it. Tales of demon invasion, of the wardstone distruction and of slaughtering in the streets was told by every man, woman and child I met. I was about to turn back when an army scouting unit appeared. They asked all the civilians to join them and promised a safe place to stay and the protection of the queen’s army. At that point a safe place looked like a good plan to me.
It was evening and I was warming my hands by a fire. The moon was showing its pale face through the great oaks treetops and the cold wind of the north blew through them. Men and women, fathers and mothers were siting hugged together with their children, desperate expressions on their faces. Some less fortunate missed a parent or a child and their soft cries carried through the wood. Some children were alone, the next generation of the orphanage, if they were lucky. Or maybe not.
A middle aged man was walking among the refugees, talking to them, trying to lift their spirits, he was dressed in plate armor and the tabard of Iomedae covering its front and back. As he passed by my fire he stopped, staring at me “Julian? Is that you child?” I was not called child in such a tone for a very, very long time. When I was, it was either patronizing or pity. It took me a second before I recognized Brian, Cristopher's aid. He looked much older, his hair was mostly grey now, and his chin was not as strong as it used to be, but his blue eyes were the same.
He came and hugged me, a hug I did not return “Still angry with me for sending you to Xer? It was the best for you Julian, your dreams did not stop haunting you in Kenabres.” I kept my hands folded across my chest and he took a step back “Don’t talk to me about my dreams. And yes, living in the streets of Xer for so many years did me great, thank you.” The look of shock on his face angered me, did he really expect me to believe he did not know? “What? What do you mean? I sent you there with the Baker’s, they wrote me time and again you are fine, and getting better” “Really? I guess they lied” I replied acidly. “When all this will be over I’ll…”, “Don’t” I stopped him, sighing. I should let the demon of the past go, or at least try to. That what Christopher always told me. “The past is over, I don’t want you digging for ghosts, not mine anyway. Just drop it”. It took him few seconds to calm “You have grown wise child, Christopher would have been proud”. “Christopher is dead” I replied coldly. The pain was clear on his face and I regretted my words. Maybe he didn’t know? Maybe he did care? “Will you at least accompany me back to my tent? I’ll arrange a better place for you to stay. For old times sake.” So many questions were running through my mind. Was my anger with Brian unjustified? Did he not sent me with the Bakers just because he did not want a young girl running around in the temple, bothering him? Did he really think it was the best for me? Did he really believed I was taken care of by the Bakers? I was lost in thoughts, staring at the fire. His presence brought so many memories I thought I left behind. He took my hand and I followed, a turning point in my life I regretted many time in the weeks to come.
Kenabres, four days later. The queen’s army did not need to storm the city, nor did any of us fight any demon. While the queen’s army was advancing to the city a group of heroes fought their way to the Hall of Heroes, slaughtered some of the major demos there, reclaimed the legendary sword Radiance and then, with the help of the mole people who surfaced to aid the city, for everyone surprise, they fought their way into the wardstone chamber. Something they did there destroyed the wardstone that was tainted, or so I have been told. Then, the out leash of power that was released killed all the demons in the city.
A day after we arrived to the city I was searching for the wardstone chamber among the remains of the great keep of Kenabres. It was not an easy task as the wardstone keep was destroyed by the wardstone explosion, yet, I felt I had to try and find its remains, even if I did not understand why. It just felt like the right thing to do. Brian did not like me searching for it, but he could not sway me from my decision. Finely, he gave up and decided to come along, despite my protests.
I spent most of the day digging through the rubble. It was evening when I crawled through a tunnel among the debris and found myself in a mostly destroyed room. Even in its current state I recognized the room I kept seeing in my nightmares almost every night, the wardstone chamber. Brian crawled right after me, barely managing through the narrow tunnel. Some of the wardstone fragments were still there, still glowing faintly, like a dying creature. As I reached for one of the fragments I could hear Brian’s alarmed voice “Don’t touch…” it was too late, my hand closed on one of the fragments.
The world spanned around me. I saw hordes of demons marching. I saw armies of men facing them. Great battles raged. Demons slaughtered men and men drove them back. New waves of demons arrived, dark waves threatening the sweep over the face of earth. The armies of men were falling, losing. And then a line of power, of light, stopped the wave of darkness. Somehow I knew it was the magical defense line of the wardstones. Than the line exploded with a searing flash of light, pushing the darkness back, but then fading.
I opened my eyes. I was lying on the floor of the wardstone chamber. The fragments of the wardstone flickered and died. Wisps of light were traveling from the fragments to me and were absorbed in my body. What the hell? I though as unconsciousness claimed me.
I woke up and kept my eyes closed. I was lying in a bed. Old habits die hard I guess… Brian was talking to someone, reciting the story of what happened in the wardstone chamber. I thought Brian knew when to keep his mouth shut. What the hell was he thinking? Unlike the last time I was almost killed in the wardstone chamber this time I did not feel weak, I did not feel pain or ill. Actually I felt power running through my veins. I never felt so much alive and so strong before, I could actually feel the power of my magic burning in my fingertips.
It was time to stop Brian, he already said too much. I was as surprised as everyone else as I found myself jumping, no, not just jumping, it was more like flying to my feet from the bed. Several armed men in full plate drew their sword instinctively. And then I did something that surprised me even more, in a blink of a thought a powerful magical force surrounded me like an armor, and a long list of spells I did not knew even to exist ran through my mind, only waiting for me to pick one and lunch against my opponents.
Brian looked alarmed “Julian, calm down, you are with friends. And, umm, in the presence of the queen”
What the hell was happening to me? The magical power was etching through my entire body, but it was not driving me, I was in complete control. I was the one who created that magical armor force in a blink of a thought. I never knew how to create such a force. And so many spells? Before I woke I knew how to cast about twenty spells, now I knew how to cast hundreds of them. Why? How could that be? And why the hell I was in the presence of the queen?
Sh*t, only now it downed to me, the queen. I dropped my force armor as I dropped to my knee “I apologize my queen, I meant no offense” I said to queen Galfrey, who was sitting by a table on the far side of the room. She only smiled and looked at a woman who was standing beside her, wearing a mage robes “It looks like you were right, the wardstone either gave her, or awaken within her powerful abilities”.
Spoiler: Julian's Story, Chapter 1- A named hatred
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(The start of this chapter encompasses the short piece I posted before. If you wish to move ahead of it, just go tot the bolded part marked Two hours later Also, the player used some of Queen's speech from the log itself in his own journal, so some things may look quite familiar. )
“It is silly, I will not go. I will only get these people killed.”
“You must go, child.” Brian replied calmly. Unlike Brian, who at least kept a calm posture, I was furious.
“I am not a child anymore!” I yelled and stomp my leg on the ground. Gods, I do behave like one, and for the first time since a very long time, which infuriated me even more. Brian was not moved.
“The queen believes you are destined to go, along with the heroes of Kenabres. This is a great honor.”
“An honor that will get me and many other killed. What do I know of leading an army? As you might recall they threw me out of the Iomedae scouts, and even in the orphanage I made a mess.” I could hit him when he smiled at my words.
“I can’t forget that, yet I also recall that where ever you went, the others always followed you, to whatever mischief you decided to do. And besides, you will not lead the army alone, there will be an experienced army commander by your side and also the rest of the heroes of Kenabres”.
“Ha, great. The heroes of Kenabres. A group of people that no one heard of before, surfacing from the tunnels beneath Kenabres with a small army of deformed man, and then destroying the wardstone that defended Kenabres from the demons. You might as well send a group of demons along.”
Brian sigh “Look at me Julian” He used to do say that when I was a small girl and did not want to listen to him. I looked into his eyes, holding his gaze. He looked very serious. “This is not just the queen asking you to go, Julian. All those powers you showed us when you woke, they are not something someone just get. You were chosen not by the queen but by the gods themselves, and for a reason. And with great strength come great responsibility.” “The gods?” I asked, my voice rising “Where were your gods when my friends were slaughtered by the demon? Where were they when I was thrown out of the Bakers? Where were they when I lived in the streets for so many years? And where are they every night when I ask myself why I survived and my friends died. Can you tell me that Brian?” Brian kept his gaze locked into mine “maybe, just maybe, those powers and the chance to go against the demons were granted to you so you can get an answer to that last question. Have you considered that?” and with that he left my room, leaving me staring at the door, confused.
Two hours later I was kneeling in front of the queen, the polished floor of the church of Clydewell smooth beneath my knee. The queen was clad in full plate armor, the tabard of the kingdom blue and red with its shining swords atop it. Light breeze carried the murmurs of the crowds through an opened balcony overseeing the great plaza beneath the church, where the surviving citizens of Kenabres gathered to see and hear the words of the queen.
“Rise Julian, today we have no time for formalities. I will not impose on you to go to war, but I do hope you have chosen to honor my request.” Could I put my dead friends to a final rest by accepting? Or is this some divine plan to make sure I’ll join them for my part in their deaths? “I will go your majesty, I just hope not to fail you as I have no experience leading an army.” The queen smiled “Good, and do not worry, you will lead only one of my army units accompanied by the unit’s commander to console you and help you. The rest of units will be led by the heroes of Kenabres and together you will form a council to lead the army. Have no fear, you are not alone.”
No sooner as the queen finished her words the great doors of the church opened and a group of men entered. Leading the group were two men, a tall and handsome warrior in plate armor, his figure almost angelic with its blond hair, deep blue eyes and pale skin. Must be an Aasimar I thought, and a paladin by the holy symbol of Iomedae on his chest. Next to him walked a man also clad in plate, he was almost a head shorter with black eyes and hair. The symbol of Sarenrae, goddess of Compassion and peace was imbedded on a magnificent silver necklace around his neck. Funny I thought, men of faith. How naïve.
Behind them walked a shorter man, wearing no armor and looking as if he wanted to be anywhere else but here. Although he did not looked like any sort of a warrior I sensed he was powerful, the power of magic was with him and it was strong despite the fact he looked only at his twenties. Next to him walked a man wearing dark clothes, though it seemed to me he had some sort of a light armor underneath. He had dark hair and light brown skin and was holding himself like a dancer with athletic body and confident movements. He was not from Kenabres, or even Mendev, His features were not Mendevian or from anywhere near. The last man at the group was a giant of a man, maybe a head taller than the tall and handsome paladin, with wide shoulders and a powerful built, his arms as wide as any human legs. His dirty brown hair ran long on his back and his unshaven face were rough.
A man standing by the doors announced their coming “Queen Galfrey of Mendev, the leader of the Mendevian Crusades, please accept the newly joined recruits of the crusade.” He waited for a moment before continuing “Andrew McClain, a paladin of Iomedae” and the tall paladin knelt gracefully “Senatef Aberdeen, Cleric of Sarenrae” the black haired man knelt beside the paladin, bowing his head to the queen “Harry the evoker” the small man walked to the other side of the paladin and knelt, looking a little embarrassed “Andera the foreign” The man bowed with flourish “and John, Mad dog, a ranger” the announcer finished with a distaseful expression, as he called John’s nickname. John mad dog took his place next to Harry with two large steps, placing his fist on the ground as he knelt. He looked more like a bear ready to charge than a man before his queen.
Unlike the announcer, it looked like the queen held little regard to formalities, she waved the group to stand “Rise my crusaders, It's nice to meet you at last, I've heard quite a lot about you.” The group rise and came to stand next to me, in front of the queen, eyeing me as questioningly as I eyed them. “Pardon me for going over the pleasantries, but there is a war going on, and I understood you are people of action.” She said. “I have summoned you more than just to congratulate you, I hope you'll agree to my offer. Let’s get to it then, shall we?” the woman was business without the bull**** of most politicians. I was beginning to like her. The men exchanged looks and return their full attention the queen, who continued “While there are some narrow-minded souls among the crusade who blame you for the destruction of the wardstone border, I do not begrudge you for what you did. Far from it. From the sound of it, you saved entire legions of crusaders from a most vile fate by preventing Vorlesh from transforming them, and the blast of energy gave us the time we needed to regroup and prepare for what will certainly come next. But you understand the implications of what you’ve done, I’m sure, the wardstones are gone but Iomedae has seen fit that you will be their replacement. I can think of no other reason that would explain why their power would have settled in your bodies and souls and didn’t merely fade into the ether. In time, the demons will regroup and reorganize, we can trust their inherent chaos to make this period of regrouping longer than it otherwise would take, but we shouldn’t underestimate them. They’ll be back soon enough. Already I’ve had reports from along the front lines that small groups of demons are attacking fortifications and settlements along the southern border.”
I looked at the men as she spoke, they all listened carefully, Mad Dog was scratching his unshaved cheek, Harry putting his hand into his pockets and out again several times, Andera unmoving, a human statue, and both Senatef and Andrew focused and intent, they all looked ready for battle. So this are the heroes of Kenabres, I thought, they all looked skilled and confident, well, maybe Harry was not so confident, but still skilled. I doubted very much how I could help them in any way, with or without my newfound powers.
“But what intrigues me most” the queen was saying “Are news from several reliable sources that as our fiendish enemies are starting to mass in the southern reaches along the Riftshadow within the Worldwound, they have left several of their northern lairs relatively unprotected. In particular, the fiend Aponavicius has taken the bulk of her army from Drezen, leaving it only moderately protected as she joins with the Storm King in Iz to, no doubt, plot greater attacks on larger targets like Nerosyan, Karcau, and beyond. The time is right to strike into their territory. Drezen was the first of our cities to fall after the First Crusade, and we lost more than our kin and our pride that day. We lost the Sword of Valor, a magical banner carried by the Inheritor herself during the Shining Crusade.”
What the hell have I gotten myself into? War, crusaders, magical artifacts, leading an army to storm an ancient ruin? Have I completely lost my mind? As the queen was speaking I was begging to wonder how I was going to back of my accepting to join this group of suicidal heroes.
“If Drezen could be retaken” the queen continued “if the Sword of Valor could once again be held by the crusade... well, I trust I don’t need to explain how well that would affect morale. But with the imminent attacks along the border, I cannot spare many to lead an assault on Drezen. And even if I could, a large army attacking the city would only draw Aponavicius back to defend the place. The obvious tactic is to send in a group of capable heroes with a modest but well-trained army to strike now, while the proverbial iron is hot. And this is why I’ve sought you out. If you can retake Drezen and reclaim the Sword of Valor, not only will you silence the fools who would brand you traitors for destroying the wardstone, but more importantly, you would bolster the entire war effort with your heroism. And I fear we need all the bolstering we can get!"
While I was thinking how the hell I was going to dodge this arrow and run back south for my life, the five men seemed thrilled at this, they all started asking questions of Drezen, the ruined city they should conquer and the troops they will receive. The queen smiled at them approvingly, but raised her hand to silence them, she motioned to a Halfling at the side of the room to approach. "This here is Nurah Dandiwhar" the Halfling smiled and bowed slightly. She was at her forties, with a long blonde braid, and wore bright green tunic "She is a capable bard, as well as an astute historian, whose knowledge of Drezen and its surroundings can be invaluable to you. She can also boost your troop’s moral as you venture forth to the worldwound, and you will need it!"
"And this" The queen mentioned at me "Is Julian. She is a sorceress of some power, whom we met on the road to Kenabres. She too was granted with some of the power of the Wardstone. We think that... her power was connected to the wardstone. I believe Iomedae sent her to our path not by chance. I think her destiny lies with you. I would like you to take her on your journey" They all looked at me, and I had no choice but to nod meekly at the queen’s statement.
“One last thing” The queen continued "Hulrun, the ruler of this city had sadly perished by the hands of the demons. The city of Kenabres need someone to bolster the troops, give them hope, courage, and lead the city to a new age” the group exchanged looks and then Andrew the paladin spoke "My queen, I will be most honored to serve this city, and rebuild it for the war effort. However, I do not hold to the same views of the former ruler. I do not go for witch hunts and persecutions. I will not be another Hulrun." The queen smiled a faint smile. "I hoped you'd take my offer. I heard quite a bit of you, Andrew who wields the legendary sword Sirius. You will make a fine leader. As to Hulrun? Well, let us say we had more than one difference of opinion. Stay true to your values, and inspire the city to them, is all I ask." Andrew knelt before the queen and swore his aligned to the queen and Mendev. Why should I be surprised? The only one I liked on first sight will be left here while I’ll go to be killed by demons. The gods must be laughing their asses off now.
The crowd cheered as the queen and the heroes went to the balcony overviewing the plaza. While the queen gave them some medals and spoke to the crowed of their great deeds I sneaked out and back to my room. It was time to end this joke and go back, to Xer maybe, I’ll keep a low profile and let the storm pass. I’ll do a little good for the heroes, probably mess things up for them. It’s best for everyone, I thought as I threw my clothing to my bag. I must have been very distracted by my thought because I did not hear the door open “I thought I’ll find you here” Brian said and I jumped with surprise “sorry, I did not mean to scare you” he added.
I stared angrily at him “You!” I said with voice full of anger “You will not do this again. Once you sent me off to Xer to live on the streets and now you try to send me off again, this time to die” Brian looked hurt at my words “I guess there in nothing I can say that will convince you that I mean only the best for you, is there?” “No, nothing” I said with angry finality “I accept this, even though it sadden me” he said calmly “But please, walk with me, for years there was something I wanted to show you when you grow, and it seems now you are a grown woman who make her own choices”. “I don’t care, I’m leaving.” I said “I’ll give you my own horse Julian, but before you leave I think you would like to see this, it’s regarding your mother, your real mother” I dropped my bag to the floor.
It was not a long walk, and we walked in silence, I did not ask Brian where he was taking me and he kept his silence. Eventually we reached the damaged building that was once the famous Hall of Heroes. Some soldiers and civilians were cleaning the broken stones and the filth left by the demons, but the place still stank. I followed him till he stopped, resting his back on one of the old statues “What?” I asked “You took me here in hope to inspire me? You must be kidding me”. “No Julian” he answered “Look at the statue Julian, I took you here to meet your mother” my mouth dropped open as I raised my eyes to the tall statue, the statue looked exactly like me.
Diane Bearstorm, the legendary sorceress who killed countless demons and eventually assassinated by a human woman she saved from the demons. I looked at her beautiful, sad face, then I looked at Brian, then at the statue again and then I slapped Brian so hard his lower lip was bleeding, and stormed out. I ran to my room, I told myself I will never let anyone see me cry, but I could not hold my tears this time.
Several hours later I knocked on Brian’s door, as he opened I could see he did not cure the wound on his leap, though he could easily done so. “I’m sorry about that, I shouldn’t have hit you” I said while sitting in a chair he offered me “It’s nothing, and I guess I deserved it” he said “I shouldn’t have dropped this like that on you, especially in such circumstances”. Brian took a deep breath and lower his gaze to the floor “You must have been asking yourself why now, why we haven’t told you this years ago”. Ho, he was right, actually when I realized what I was seeing in the hall of heroes it was this thought that made me hit him so hard. All those years thinking I was not wanted by my parents, another burden thrown away to the orphanage and all this time they knew. I only nodded my head, keeping my eyes down. “The killer who killed your mother Julian, she was not acting alone, she belonged to an order who swore revenge on your mother and all her kin for destroying and exposing so many of them. They had to hide you in a place no one will think of, and they thought no one will think the daughter of the great Diane Bearstorm will be given to the orphanage, they were right.” They?” I asked “Yes” Brian said “Christopher and the heads of the church, I was not part of this back than” there was one last question I needed to know “Who were those cultists, who killed my mother?” Brian looked into my eyes this time “The cultists of Baphomet” he said.
So many years I have been alone. I was responsible for the death of my friends. I had to live in the streets as a young girl. I always blamed myself for this, for all of this. I always believed that it was my fate designed by the cruel humor of the gods and that even my true parents did not want me, as if somehow they knew I was bad luck. But now, all of this had new face, this all happened because of the cult of Baphomet. Nothing of this would have happened if not for them, and yes, they were going to pay. I will go with the others to Drezen, I heard many cultists are there. They will pay with blood. And nobody will know of this, this was my crusade and my alone.