Arc will have Order. Chaos must be eliminated. Only through Order will there ever be peace in the lands of Lost Souls. Chaos will be crushed through whatever means possible.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Traveler's Challenge

My search for a cure to my condition continues. Healer after healer has puzzled over my lack of heartbeat, my sensitivity to sunlight, and my newly discovered ability to pass through certain solid objects. On occasion, my frustration at their stupidity has led to violence, but I seem to care less and less about that these days.

At first, I was convinced that my continued experiments with eskaris and necromancy had caused and/or worsened my physical state; now I am less certain. Whenever I bring the matter up to Ahrikol, he quickly changes the subject, and I believe I once saw a faint smile play across what passes for his lips. Nevertheless, he encourages me to seek a cure, as long as it does not interfere with the constant assignments he requires of me.

One of my recent tasks led me to the Lost Lamb Tavern in Losthaven, where I was to eliminate an upstart soldier of the Erisian Liberation Front. Evidently this drow had been speaking out of turn about the "power" of chaos; the fool barely realized that his abilities stemmed not from chaos, but from the whore Eris' relationships (carnal and otherwise) with a number of other deities. As I stepped through a wall to confront him, he drew back in terror, then immediately started to call upon his little pet gods. I silenced him with a flick of my wrist and, now powerless, he fell to his knees to beg for his life from a newer god. His pleas were answered with fire and death. Such are my tasks, and I have grown exceedingly good at them.

Afterwards, as Aildrek the barkeep mopped up what was left, I noticed one of the Travelers holding forth about the peace and tranquility offered by his beliefs. These creatures are generally good-natured and have a natural affinity to order, so I tolerate them and their proselytizing. This particular fellow is named Zerth, and seems to be quite a legend in these parts. The locals have even erected a statue of him in the town square (although I have noticed the statue is changed from time to time, probably depending on the whim of the current ruler of this town of idiots). I listened to Zerth for quite some time, and could see why the townsfolk were impressed - he almost seemed to be reading my thoughts and speaking directly to me. He spoke of fate, and challenges to be overcome; he spoke what I thought at first were outright lies, but with a slight nod of his head, I could see the truth in his words after all. Finally, after most of the village rubes had gone, and Zerth sat in meditation, I approached him. Before I could speak, and with his eyes still closed, he said "You seek an end to fear."

"I fear nothing", I replied.

"You fear what you are becoming."

I wanted to sneer and turn away, but at that moment Zerth opened his eyes, which seemed to flash slightly in the darkness. My words of disdain fell away from my mind, and I felt compelled to keep listening. Again he said, "You fear what you are becoming."

"And what might that be?" I asked.

"Something other than what you were, and something other than what you wanted to be."

I tried to roll my eyes at the mystical garbage, but could not. "I offer you a challenge," intoned Zerth. "Meet this challenge and, while you will still be... a thrall... your path to enlightenment will become clearer, and you may gain a measure of peace."

A thrall? Thrall?! I began to draw my sword, but the volition to do so suddenly seeped from my hand. Zerth mildly observed, "I offer you peace, and you seek to harm. No matter. Do you accept the challenge? Do you accept the opportunity to achieve a greater level of clarity?"

I weighed my options. This Traveler seemed to have some power over me that my magicks could do little to counter. More to the point, he claimed to offer me respite from my troubled mind. My physical condition, my growing anger, my outright disdain for most other creatures in this shadow, all this weighed heavily on me. I had been promised so much from so many in the past, only to be disappointed. But Zerth seemed at once both sincere in his belief that he (or rather his god) could help me, and rather amused at my struggles to overcome his mental influence. I had little to lose.

"Fine, I accept your challenge."

Zerth whispered some small prayer, and suddenly my mind left me entirely. I was unable to speak, barely able to think, and all of my demon-haunted past seemed to swirl around me, screaming at me, imploring me to stop. Through this cacophony of insanity, one thought came clearly and strongly into my mind. It was a voice, seemingly Zerth's but someone else at the same time. "This is your challenge: seek your path forward through this madness, and you will have clarity on the other side." Zerth vanished in a rainbow of colors, and I was left to stumble out the door of the Lost Lamb almost powerless, my magicks useless.

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