Goddess

Valadain & Fly Tarin in the presence of Andurien Willowstar

            The flower of elven kind is before you both. Her eyes are sunken and dark, her cheeks streaked with tears that still flow for her son, and her whole demeanour is of a broken woman. Yet there is a strength about her, a vitality that makes you fear her.

            “I cannot express my gratitude enough for what you have done, Valadain and Fly Tarin, for you risked everything for the sake of honour. The amulet was a gift to the queen of the Elenorians and whilst it was instrumental in the death of Azael the theft of it cannot go unpunished. The good queen Illythar is so incensed, so enraged that I believe she will hunt this thief down until the end of time. Alas the elves bear grudges longer than most…yet they express love in similar fashion.

            “I sense your fear but you are quite safe. I had no stomach to pit myself against Malkar, or to watch the elves struggle once more against the hordes of humankind that would come against us in a religious war. The balance of power on Grayhawk is delicate at present; there was nothing to gain from such a dire war. It has brought me round though, brought me from the brink of despair back to what is going on. I deeply regret losing my son…but my grief will be silent and private from now on. Sacrifices have to be made for the good of the many and I have given up much…I am not going to throw away the lives of those I loved for nothing.

            “Which brings me to the reason you are here. Much will be said about the gathering of demonkind in the Elenorian Forest, many rumours will spread about the queen’s motives and the overall wisdom of such a venture. Illythar has my support in this action. We are not without power when it comes to such things…better to gather as many together now so that their numbers can be controlled. Do not listen to the dissenters or to those who spread rumours; I am gathering demons for one reason alone…to banish them. When I am ready I will send them all back into the black Abyss – I realise that many will avoid my traps but the world of elves (and men) will be a better place without them.

            “I know of your heritage, Valadain, and of your links with Malkar. I see your mistrust – I feel your antipathy towards me. You perceive that I was less than helpful in the council of war that led to the fight with Azael? You feel that I sent my son into battle with the aim of destroying you all?

            “You are wrong.

            “I begged Aliandir not to go but he refused. He said he could not stand aside whilst his friends – particularly Sarrik Ramadius II – faced such a threat. I considered forcing him but I did not have the heart to do it to him…I wish now that I had. You are wondering why? Why I should forbid my son to go?

            “Because I was told of his impending death…indeed I was told that his death was the coin that would buy Azael’s soul. The man that told me this was a fop, a man of silks and fine fabrics, a man of exquisite manners and even more exquisite power. He was called Muziel. It was then that I realised that this fellow was the man that was gathering souls for Azael…but I saw no shackles on him, no hidden bindings that enslaved him. I doubted whether any creature could bind him.

            “I asked him about this. Muziel was confident – arrogant even – he just said that it served his purpose to allow Azael to bind him. He also said that he was a willing participant in the deception…though he was not unduly concerned about it. Again I asked him about this but he was cagey…the world is changing he said and I am not willing to take sides with anyone.

            “I have the sight of truth and not even I was able to see through his protections and barriers…all I could see was that he was from Echeron. This is not a secret but I took the liberty of sending an emissary (or spy) there to retrieve information.

            “Echeron is a strange place by anyone’s standards. For a start there is no death…not one person has ever suffered it since the beginning of time. The souls usually outlast the physical bodies of Echerons’ peoples – when this happens the aristocracy, who rule in large palaces that litter the world of Echeron, provides a new body. A soul can have many different shells and each new body maintains the experiences and abilities of the previous one.

            “As with any aristocracy there are higher nobles and rulers – several in fact – though each race retains the immortal souls. There are feuds, jealousies and general treachery between these regions but recently Echeron has seen something it had previously never witnessed. A funeral. In a world where death is impossible it came as a shock to them…in fact it cemented the noble houses together and united them as a people.

            “There was a murderer in their midst. One death was bad enough but soon many of the noble houses were losing souls…a rogue aristocrat was killing Echeron’s finest. That rogue was called Muziel.

            “The plane of Echeron is a powerful place; its sorcerers are the most adept at utilising and retaining the power of the soul – far more proficient than demons (who just drink them as nourishment). To have one of their number as a killer was unheard of. In fact by the time they gathered a force to hunt the killer it was too late…Muziel had taken what he wanted and fled Echeron…we can only imagine where he went then.

            “My spy was a sorcerer and she soon discovered that the Echeron mages were unrivalled in their abilities with magic and souls. She learnt that Muziel had targeted specific individuals, possibly with the intention of extracting abilities from them, and once he had what he wanted he fled. The aristocracy do not have the resources to hunt the murderer, though they sent individuals out into the universe. Trouble was that outside their own plane they were vulnerable; weakened once away from the crucible of their power base. Many died in the attempt and soon they had to abandon the quest…leaving Muziel to roam free in the world to do whatever he wanted.

            “And we now know where he went next. His binding to Azael cannot now be taken at face value…it is clear to me that Muziel used Azael as a vehicle to get onto Grayhawk…perhaps he wasn’t aware of the impact of his reaping skills – perhaps he was. It is difficult to imagine that he happened accidentally upon Grayhawk. I strongly feel that he has a purpose – one that is not universally known yet – but we must take into consideration his conduct on his own plane. Is it the conduct of a creature that can be trusted?

            “You must watch this one, Valadain, and watch him closely. I will speak to your master about this but know that I bear you no ill will, no malice for your thoughts, and I am no threat to your status here. Despite your misgivings you will be treated with respect by my followers…a disciple is a profound individual…

            “Go in peace Valadain and Fly Tarin…and most importantly go as friends…”