"...forms of darkness," Verchovai Poppy Gwynn began, the old poem floating quietly across the Tarn. About the fire, the six of them sat resting. It had been a hard day's ride for most, and only a chance meeting on the moors reunited old friends. The wood cracked and popped as Poppy Gwynn continued her tale.
"...and in the World Forest the Firstborn played and ran. Dancing above the green treetops was Chaos incarnate, an eternal night, vibrant and deadly. Until She rose above the wood and traced Her bright path through the sky. Behind Her trailed all of the little children," Poppy looked into the starry night sky, "who still mark the passage of Time.
"And those Dark Lords who are ever changing became enraged and came down into the Forest. They challenged Her light, Her new order and strove to strike Her down.
"And thus began the first great War." She fell silent.
Korinna McLaine looked up from polishing her sword. "The Shattering Wars. Correct, Verchovai?"
Gwynn nodded.
"The Dark Ones fought and tore at Her," Kori said, "And soon the Forest itself was broken asunder. In that timeless destruction, the many different peoples came forth, to live and hide in that shattered terror.
Kori smiled, "But, in the end, She rose at last and the Dark Ones were banished to a place Beyond. Beneath the Sun's light, the fragments of the world came to rest, these rolling hills on which we walk now. She marked the passage of the days, as Her children recorded the passing of each night. And soon the days passed into the years of the Bright Empire.
"Tcha. The Bright Empire. Lost long ago. King Yrick, who now watches from the night sky, brought forth a land of peace and prosperity. That's when the foundations of the Keeps were all first constructed stone by honey colored stone. Little did they know just how many times those castles would be destroyed and then built back up again. Yrick's Bright Empire stretched from Caer Maeyin on the still Sea of Pearls to the grand Port of Lys embracing the Opal Seas. The tales say that the Dall Gwynn was founded in that Ancient Age, bustling with people and life, now only lonely and treasure filled.
"Wise old King Yrick had forgotten a simple fact, and his descendants were equally unwise. Humankind flourished under Her light, and while many had forgotten Her power and turned to other Lords, humankind was not the only people born of the Shattering. The Dark Ones had lonely children too. And one sunset..."
The fire dimmed. Rafael Deynnekko stirred it back to life.
"...they came riding over those Black Mountains," Kori said, "the first time a wind from The East was ever felt. They brought with them their pale, white-haired children, and magics unknown to the true men... and their Four Lords of Destruction.
"The Shattering was the first war of the Gods. It was also the last. The Long War was the first of the mortal kind, but it was not the last by far."
The Captain's head shook. The Captain had seen all too many wars and all too many lost causes.
"And Caer Maeyin fell," the Captain quietly said, "and across the world the East swept, and at the Port of Lys the tides ran red, buying time. We are always only just buying time."
The fire crackled and leaped up as if to reach the cold, silent stars.
"When I was but a little terror," Duffy broke in, "we had at least one happier tale to tell of those dark times. That time, so dearly bought, made possible the victory in the end. Those scattered children of other Gods banded together and broke the tide that destroyed the ancient port. And back behind the Black Mountains the Chaos children were penned, and there they were trapped for an Age.
"But the new Lords and Khoralls of the Second Age mayhap were no better than the dark East.
"They called the alliance of the Second Age the Great Coven, and once the East had been swept away there was but a fell age left upon the world. There were many Gods followed, but I'm told that it was the witches who ruled. During this time, the great stone circles were made, for nighttime dances and horrid sacrifices. These stones still litter the land and are but haunted places to be carefully avoided.
"The foundations of the Keeps were still in ruins. Never rebuilt since the Long War. The world's people were scattered, most were farmers or prey, attempting to scrape out a living in the ravaged lands.
"It was then that a Warlord of Jvrill Himself walked across the High Tarn, oh so sad that the East had done gone and run away, leaving him with but none to fight. Talesan Tornblade his name truly was, and he was all done up in bright blue wode, a great darksteel ax, with unkempt and oh so wild hair. He was such a terrible sight to see!"
Barris Ironhand began drumming his finger on a nearby stone, an ominous, deadly drone.
Duffy, oblivious, continued, "Well ol' Warlord Tornblade spent his whole life searching for the East. He was told that they lived beyond the Black Mountains, but he could nae find them. All mountains were gray and rock colored to him!
"And one bright and sunny day, he awoke for breakfast. He went to a nearby stream to terrorize some fish, but lo! What did he find? There drinking, prancing on cloven hooves, a strange white horse but not horse! Surely such a changed creature must be a dread Eastern monster.
"The golden horn on its head only served to convince him.
"With a wild roar and the sacred Jvrillian battle cry, 'Die foul beast!' he charged the small, helpless unicorn."
Barris looked unamused.
"But as fierce as a Warlord can be," Duffy said, "a unicorn is just a wee bit faster. And so it ran away.
"'Cowardly beastie!' Tornblade cried and gave chase. And did he give chase! He would have made a Hunter of Khannish proud. He chased not for days, nor weeks, nor seasons, but for years he chased that unicorn. And what a merry chase it be. He ran through a Midsummers feast in a farmer's town and took a break for lunch. Three cows, two chickens, a pig, and it was only halfway through the sheep that he remembered he was chasing a unicorn. And so he left. The farmers were never quite sure what had happened or who had passed by. He got thirsty once on his chase and stopped at old MacMurphy's Tavern for a brew or two or four. Alas, it did him ill. He lost many a day tracking down green unicorns, pink ones, and occasionally a purple one too!"
Barris frowned.
"And then, many days later, after many years of frantic chasing," Duffy continued, "it was on the rocky cliffs of a western sea that old Talesan Tornblade cornered the dancing beast. Talesan threw his long, long beard over his shoulder and approached the unicorn. He tripped and fell, so he decided it was better to tie his beard around his waist. He drew his great ax and walked right up, nose to muzzle, to the golden horned horse.
"'Before I cleave thee in two, you wretched Eastern Beast, have ye any last words to say?'
"The unicorn reached out and gave him a big, wet, horsey kiss.
"The unicorn then danced away across the sea. Talesan tried to follow, but being armored, he couldn't dance upon the waters as the unicorn did. He simply sank. Now tired, old, and very, very wet, he made his camp on that rocky shore, to forever, or so he said, guard against the unicorn's return. To his fire, many a traveler came to listen to Tornblade's heroic story of how he and he alone banished a fearsome Eastern horror. And many of these travelers chose to stay and farm the land, so around this silly old man a village was born. Talesan's Village, on Talesan's Bay. A place of great importance, and great..."
Barris removed his gauntlet and clobbered Duffy, effectively silencing the irreverent storyteller. Soft laughter was heard around the fire.
"I, though, do not make too much fun of the Jvrillian kind," Barris said. "For yes, Talesan built his village, and then built a keep, and soon the other keeps were rebuilt across the lands. And yes, the Dark Coven held sway, but as their powers grew, it brought the attention of those who lived beyond the Mountains."
Duffy picked himself up and sat quietly by the fire. He rubbed his chin. Barris wasn't called Ironhand for naught.
Barris continued, "And the end of the Second Age was nigh. Slowly the East once again reached out across the world. Jeminy's Hill fell, and then Brementown. Bordertown collapsed to the Eastern Horde, and across the Black Mountains, the newly rebuilt Keeps of the Highgaard valleys collapsed once again. The Coven raised their witch forces and mustered the world against the East.
"The East met the Coven at Silk Creek Bridge, at that small town of Highside Heather. And there the forces clashed and fought over the Only Bridge, the gate to the open and defenseless farms of the Tarn. The last night at Silk Creek Bridge, it rained... a dark and ominous sign. Davidson the Black summoned demons from the shattered realms and strange hunting beasts ran amuck through the ill-trained farmer armies. The Coven Lords died that rainy night.
"But at the break of dawn help arrived on chargers dressed in steel with banners tall, proud, and brave. The Knights of Roth charged the Eastern Hordes and caught them between their lances and the deep ravine. The Eastern forces broke, and ran terrified into the lowside of the Tarn.
"Across the ravine, the might of the Witch's army lay broken. The Only Bridge lay shattered in the Silk Creek bed.
"The Rothian Knights, tall and proud, were trapped on the lowside of the High Tarn. Defenseless now was the Highside, its many farms, rich lands, and simple towns.
"The East took its great army, once scattered, but now rallied and strong again. There was one way to bypass the Ravine, to safely get into the belly of the Coven lands. And that was through the great woods that border the High Tarn.
"The East brought an army one million strong, and they entered the forest called Dirkwood on a dark Raven night.
"None ever returned. It was as simple as that. The Second Age was over, both the terrible Coven and the horror of the East once more broken."
Barris warmed his hands in the fire's glow. "But no matter how hard ye push a farmer, if he's got his land he'll plant and grow his crops again. After a while, the towns grew back up, and eventually the Keeps were raised once again. Each Noble house bickering with most every other, greedy for power as Nobles are wont to do."
Rafe looked across at Barris and said, "But Barris, soon to this new Third Age the Empire was to come. After the light of Roth had been snuffed out in a single night, and when Talantal was young, the fishers of Talesan's Village came home one day with a new catch.
"They brought back the small fleet of young Prince Dherrick Bankorpool, who landed and claimed these new lands for his father's Empire. He had sailed across the Seas of Opals to find the edge of the world, and instead Dherrick had discovered only the place we call home. Talesan's became Imperial very fast, and they brought with them a small force of the Imperial Guard. Prince Dherrick himself laid the first stone of the great Cathedral at Talesan's Village. The Imperial Court had arrived on the mainland.
"But, while Talesan's Village was very happy with its new lords, the rest of the mainland viewed them with suspicion and dread. As Prince Dherrick's men claimed more and more land, the Little Kingdoms became more and more fearful. It was the forces of Amber that struck at the Imperial Guard first. Not wishing to have the Empire's name on their green Plains, they rode and attacked Prince Dherrick's men on the fields around Talesan's Keep. The strong Imperial shield wall not only held the Amber warriors back, but moved forward and drove the horseman back into the Plains of Kaa. The same happened when old Brockman came from his mountain retreat, and later when Lord Jeremy Korie and his army died on the Highland Path.
"It seemed as if there was no stopping this conquering wave from across the Sea.
"But on the bloody Highland Path, a young boy dragged his father's sword from a dead hand's grasp. The great sword stood taller than the youth. He disappeared into the Tarn, lost for many a year.
"Prince Dherrick's men moved east along the Highland Path, consolidating all underneath their gauntleted fist. In a scant ten years, they were pressing the lands about Bordertown.
"Then the Prince had his first defeat. From the woods around Bordertown came a small barbaric army. It had men from Amber, next to refugees from Brockman's Hold. There were warriors from Allaine and Highgaard. And leading this new strong Little Kingdom alliance was a fighter with a darksteel great sword, inscribed with his father's crest, the star and laurel of the Kories out of Talantal Castle. He was Andwise of Talantal, and from Bordertown he drove a Prince of the Bankorpool Empire.
"Khorall Andwise's knights then drove west. Quickly they moved along the Highland Path. Brockman's Holdfast was returned to the mainlanders, and then, soon after, grand Talantal.
"There seemed to be no stopping this young Korie lord. And within the year, once again Talesan's Village was liberated. And Dherrick Bankorpool lay dead on a fisherman's pier."
Rafe stopped and drew out a flask of heather wine.
"Ah, but that canna' be the end of that story, eh, Lord Deynnekko?" Kori chipped in, a slight chuckle in her voice.
"No," Rafe said, "it's not. And it's my father who's the Imperial Lord, not me, you young pagan wench." Rafe chuckled, ducking as Kori threw a rock at him from across the fire.
Poppy Gwynn grabbed her feisty charge and sat Kori back down.
"As I was saying," continued Rafe, "Andwise of Talantal was a good lord. He created a brief period of safety and prosperity on the mainland. For a short time, there was one law over the Tarn, and Andwise's knights rode the hills to protect the land's farmers.
"Two fullhand of years passed by, and then, on a clear spring morning the Imperial Fleet returned to Talesan's Bay. Once again, Talesan's Village was swiftly under Imperial rule. Prince Lhannon Bankorpool had come to avenge his father's death.
"Andwise of Talantal had been dead for twenty years. And with him went his judgment, experience, and power.
"Prince Lhannon took his Imperial Troops up the Highland Path. None could stand in his way. In a desperate measure, the mainland forces gathered at Skaefla Pass, and once again there were Amber forces, Korie warriors, and Highgaard, and Brockman's. But they lacked a Khorall such as Andwise. They bickered between each other as fiercely as they would face the invaders. Indeed, Allaine never even came to the battle.
"Skaefla Pass ended any resistance to the Empire. The last great mainland armies were torn and shredded by the Great Bankorpool Empire. Jvrillians died under the swords of the Imperial Knights of Rames. The shattered remnants of the mainland forces fled in all the directions of the winds.
"In the end, even Dawnview Vale fell. Though the Snowqueen cost the Imperial forces an army or two up in Snowgate Pass.
"And to the wonder of all," Rafe smiled at them, "the horrible Bankorpool Empire didn't turn out to be so terrible as everyone feared.
"Prince Lhannon named the mainland the Imperial Colonies and to them he brought all the benefits of the Empire's power.
"First he brought the Imperial Court, the true Gods of our world: Lord Rames the Strong, Lord Hastur the Just, and Kind Lady Attera."
"And let's not forget," Barris Ironhand reminded his companion, his voice grim and fell, "Lord Jagnar the Dark..."
"No one cannot forget Death Himself, can one Barris?" Rafe looked into the fire for a long while before continuing. "And the Empire brought even more. For the first time, there was a time of peace that lasted more than a handful of years, and laws that were more just than a Noble's whim. The Empire was more than fair with those they had conquered. The Noble families were quite familiar with the running of their own lands and were given a simple choice: either pledge fealty to the Empire or be replaced by those who would.
"Not a Family declined the offer. Now the Empire is maintained by those they once fought and killed. And it seems to have lasted many years."
Rafe drew out a shiny crown and watched it reflect in the firelight, "See, here, a simple coin. I can use it in Talesan's Village, and Dawnview Vale, and even in Trundle-on-the-Hill where the last mainland Prince resides. That you could not do before the Empire arrived. With the peace and law and a common currency, these Colonies can grow and prosper.
"Not to say that the growing pains are all forgotten, no. Otherwise, a lot of you would be out of a job, eh? Just over fifty years ago the Montague branch of old Brockman's family tried to take over that Noble Keep. And having failed, struck out on their own, to build on a wasted land that no other wanted. And trying to get an Allaine and a Korie to agree on anything is as likely as an icicle in a forge."
"Aye, that be oh so true."
Duffy spoke again, rubbing the side of his head... as if soothing an older wound than Barris' cuff.
"Still is. You have heard the latest, the whispering of merchants between Cragside and Bordertown. The Kories were not happy with the Allaine's lack of presence at the Midsummers Council. Claiming a barren harvest, Talantal has cut the grain shipments they let slip to the Frontier and Dawnview Vale."
The Captain looked back, sapphire eyes narrowed, suddenly still.
Duffy nodded, once. "And in return...
"...in return the Allaines have halted the flow of iron west of Highgaard Keep."
A coda, somewhere on the lowside of the Tarn...
"I think it's going to be a quiet spring, Rafe."
Two people stood on a low rise, watching the lesson. Barris Ironhand was a rough teacher, as befitted his name and his ranking. Few could beat him, two of whom were watching him spar with the new kid. It was to measure the kid's grit and determine if they had what it took to ride with them.
"Do I even want to ask where you found her?"
The Captain chuckled softly.
"Things have changed; they have. We've been fighting them for so long because we were the only ones who ever figured out how to without being slaughtered. But now? Now, they can be hurt. And now that they can be hurt, they'll likely have second and third thoughts about raiding the lowside farms.
"She's not us and not them, Rafe. Who else would take her in?"
A third troop member joined them on the hill, dusting off his tunics. Dunwich Scott peered past the other two, watching the fight play out.
"Cor, someone's going to be sore at the end of this and more than a little bruised. Taking a real hard beating, there. You sure this is a good thing, Capt'n? I can already hear the grumblings. I mean, taking in McLaine was one thing. This is a whole different barrel of merebeasts, one that bites right close."
Nodding, the Captain watched with crossed arms. They looked at this fight very differently. True, when it came to the details of a brawl, the here and now, Barris was by far the better. But the long view, the fight before, the fight after, that had always been the Captain's strength, hard-taught in the alleys of far away Trundle-on-the-Hill.
"Aye, but look. Always, always gets back up. Be honest. How many of us can pick ourselves up after Barris knocks us into the ground? That gets the kid in, for sure. Look at Barris. He's concentrating on this. The kid's making him work at it. Isn't some over-proud Jvrillian that thinks they deserve a place here and can be backhanded so hard they end up in the next Keep.
"Besides…"
Rafe and Duffy gave their Captain a curious look, who chuffed out a grim and very earthy chuckle.
"I was there. I saw them, the Monster Lady of Talantal and the Scamp. If those two can get along, then why can't we?
"Isn't that what we fight for? What makes us different from the sellswords? We don't fight for the fighting; we fight so eventually we won't have to."
The Captain looked down at the one-sided sparring, a fight that the smaller one would just not let end.
"Things are changing, Duffy. Steel now moves from the Black Mountains to the Highside of the Tarn. In return, Dawnview claims the farmlands around Bordertown. The well atop the Bordertown ruins has been cleaned up, and clean water can be drawn from it once more. The Greenlands have been cuffed so hard that they've been silent in their Forest for seasons. I even heard tell someone entered the Dirkwood… and came out alive.
"If we don't change, we'll just be ground up and left behind. We'll be like an Old Jvrillian sword lord, sitting in a forgotten corner of some forgotten day's travel inn, getting drunk and telling sordid tales about our glory days."
The Captain reached their hand to the sky, as high as they could, palm up, and fingers splayed as if to catch the warm, yellow sunlight.
"We're folks of order; we are. And they say there is nothing new beneath Her light."
Grasping a sunbeam, the Captain smiled.
"And yet She reminds us, every day, that every day is a new day."