7th Day of Fireseek, 565 CY
The Brass Dragon Inn, Furyondy
As they stood up to greet the new arrivals, Aslan whispered to Argo, "Remember, our enemy can read thoughts. Be careful what you say." The ranger gave him a sidewise glance of wounded pride, then shook Dorbin's hand with great gusto and a huge smile.
"Good to see you again, Sir Dorbin! It's been several years, has it not? Allow me to introduce, er, re-introduce our party!" Gesturing, he continued. "Our esteemed leader Elrohir I'm sure you've already caught up with. And here is the mighty Aslan, our pious paladin and steadfast companion!"
Aslan rolled his eyes at this but shook Dorbin's hand firmly, ignoring the knight's curious glance at the mention of his name.
"Over there," indicated Argo, "is the honorable Tojo, of the Yanigasawa clan of Nippon."
The samurai bowed silently. Argo knew Tojo well enough to know the depth of this particular bow indicated only a medium level of respect, and that was probably due only to Dorbin's knighthood. Argo then pointed over the head of Sir Dorbin's companions.
"Somewhere back there is my wife Caroline and Elrohir's wife Talass. Say hello, ladies!"
A giggle and a stern "Argo!" could be heard from somewhere in the common room.
Smiling, Sir Dorbin nodded his acknowledgements, then turned around to regard the rest of his party. They were still clustered in a very tight knot, staring with curiosity, even trepidation, at everything around them, as if the walls of the inn themselves might suddenly rush forward and squash them all flat.
"Forgive my compatriots," Dorbin stated, turning back to Argo and the others. "Ever since we discovered that we were in fact no longer on Aarde, they have been exceptionally cautious."
A balding man about ten years older than the knight, wearing chainmail armor emblazoned with the rune of pursuit, leaned in close to Sir Dorbin.
"We cannot assume this world is just like ours, based on our limited experience thus far," he said. "Even a small matter may prove fatal in any one of a hundred ways. We cannot be lulled into complacency."
Dorbin turned to him with a patient expression. "Elrohir and Aslan, for starters, are also from Aarde, my good Monsrek. I'm sure they will alert us to any unforeseen differences that might imperil us. In the meantime, we must not forget common courtesy!"
He pointed at his companions, one by one.
"Allow me to introduce Monsrek, Torlina, Aiclesis, Fee Hal, Sitdale, Unru, Flond and Wescene."
Elrohir and Aslan blinked and tried to connect the faces with the names.
Argo smiled broadly.
"Forgive me, good sir knight," the ranger said. "I am thick of head and have already forgotten every name you have just mentioned. In fact, I've even forgotten the names of my own party!" He turned to Aslan. "Who are you, good sir? Should I know you?" Aslan scowled and banged his gauntleted hand on Argo's helm.
Dorbin smiled agaiin. "Come, now!" he said to Elrohir. "Let us retire back to the main room, where we can all spread out and get comfortable!"
Elrohir and Argo turned to look at Aslan, who had a grim, somewhat embarrassed look on his face.
"I am sorry, good Sir Dorbin," the paladin said. "I cannot leave this room."
Nine pairs of eyebrows went up.
From somewhere within the knot of Dorbin's companions, a smooth, masculine voice rang out.
"Dorbin, please find out if there's something about this inn that we should know. I don't have enough gold for a lifetime stay."
"Unru!" Monsrek scolded. "Cease your yapping!"
Argo turned to eye Aslan. "And what were we going to learn about again today, master? Something about togetherness and teamwork?"
Aslan merely sat down again in his chair, cradling his face in his hands, while Elrohir stepped forward, taking Argo by the elbow and motioned the others back into the common room. "I will explain as best I can, good people. Let us get comfortable, as you said!"
Awkwardly, the mass of people (including Tojo, herding the dogs along with him) squeezed back through the door into the common room, leaving Aslan alone in the room to close the door behind them.
"Not to be disrespectful, Sir Dorbin," Elrohir stated, "but did you not see the sign outside? We are in a very grave situation at the present time and cannot be responsible for the safety of innocent patrons."
Sir Dorbin turned to him, his expression now serious.
"Indeed we did see the sign, Elrohir. And I apologize deeply. It was not the weather that drove us to disregard it, but the plain fact that you are the only people we know in this entire world. If you cannot point us towards aid, it will be very difficult for us, I fear. If you do not wish us to stay, merely allow us to dry off, a drink if you have it, and we shall be on our way. And yet," and here his face darkened, and he leaned in closely to Elrohir, "if there is danger you expect, we will stand by you at your slightest request. Surely your foes would not expect to face an additional nine able combatants?"
Elrohir nodded soberly.
"I will tell you what I can, Sir Dorbin, but there is a limit to what I can share."
As they slowly shuffled towards a table, a woman at the edge of the group, perhaps thirty years of age, turned to Elrohir. She had long, very curly brown hair and green eyes. She wore a heavy brown woolen skirt and blouse under her traveling cloak.
"Elrohir?", she asked. "When last we met, you had a mage with you. I think his name was- Cygnus? Is he still around? Do you know where I might find him? I'd like to talk shop with him," she smiled, indicating the spell component bag hanging from her belt. "I am curious to find out what new things he may have learned from living here."
The ranger shifted uncomfortably. "Well, er- Torlina, is that right?"
She nodded.
"Well, Cygnus is still with us, but he's upstairs. He can't- that is to say, um..." he floundered.
Argo cut in.
"He won't come out of his room, either."
There was a dead silence. From within the group, Unru's voice piped up again.
"I don't think I like this world anymore, Sir Dorbin. Can we go home now?"
"Be silent, Unru", Dorbin said seriously, and then addressed his entire group. "I shall speak with Elrohir privately. The rest of you, dry off as best you can, but be warned. We may not be here for long."
As Caroline, who was used to replacing any of the staff, took their drink orders, Argo and Talass moved two tables together and sat down with the party. Sir Dorbin and Elrohir moved to the far side of the common room and sat down at a small table.
"I do not know how much time I have to talk, Sir Dorbin" said Elrohir. He wrung his hands together, looking at them, and then glanced up sharply at Sir Dorbin. "In order for you to be of any help to us, I would have to tell you- well, I'd probably have to go back to the very beginning, and I'm sure that's more than Aslan, Argo or even Cygnus would want me to say. However," and here he straightened up in his chair, "I am the leader here, and I will make that judgment." He ran his hand through his hair again. "So much history. Where to start?"
Dorbin shrugged and gave a wry grin. "Why not begin at the beginning, as you mentioned?"
Elrohir smiled wanly. "All right then. The beginning." Now that he had made his decision, the ranger's nervousness seemed to subside. He stared at Dorbin for a moment, took a deep breath, and then began.
"You are and I are from Aarde, Sir Dorbin. This world is Oerth," Elrohir looked up at the ceiling of the Brass Dragon, then back again at the knight. "But there is another world. A world called Rolex, and it is on Rolex that this tale truly begins." He used his closed fists to represent planets as he spoke.
"Now, Rolex and Aarde are different worlds, and yet the people on them are like mirror images of each other. I am Elrohir of Aarde, and yet there is a man, Mendoleer of Rolex, who is my exact doppelganger in every way. We call them counterparts." He saw that he had Dorbin's complete attention and continued. "You are Sir Dorbin of Aarde, and yet somewhere on Rolex is a man your complete twin, your counterpart. Whoever he is, his name is similar to yours, and he-"
Dorbin cut in. "Would this counterpart share all of my skills; my abilities?"
Elrohir was mildly surprised at the intensity of Dorbin's question. This news seemed to be more disturbing to his visitor than he would have supposed.
He nodded slowly. "Skills may be the same, although not always. Certainly, the paths we choose in life are dictated, at least in part, by what bounty the gods have gifted us each with. The skills may be similar, or perhaps not, but what we are; our strength, our appearance, our wisdom; these are always copied in disturbing detail."
Sir Dorbin sat back in his chair, lost in thought.
Elrohir's questioning look was cut short by the slamming down of two mugs of ale on their table. Elrohir looked up to see his wife already moving back towards Barahir and Dudraug. The brief look he had caught in her eyes indicated clearly that she had heard enough and was not in full agreement with Elrohir's decision to be totally honest with his guest. Elrohir glanced at his son, recognizing the reason for Talass' reticence, swallowed hard, and then turned back to Dorbin, who was again gazing expectantly at the ranger, his question, if any, temporarily suspended. Elrohir continued.
"About thirty or so years ago, a great catastrophe engulfed Rolex, the greatest calamity in the history of that world, a Devastation. From what I have heard, it was caused by an unknown race from the stars, called the Invaders from Beyond. More than that, I cannot say truthfully. Even those living there now are not in agreement about the details. But much of the world was laid waste. A great forest in a land called Eschtren held over 900 elves, as well as about a hundred humans. Woodsmen, hunters and so forth. They lived in harmony with their elven brethren." Elrohir eyed Sir Dorbin. "My father was one of those humans."
Dorbin's eyebrow raised, but he said nothing.
"The greatest magic-user of the age, an elven sorcerer named Lemontharz, had advance warning of this catastrophe. He had created a magical portal that would enable those of the forest, both men and elves, to flee to another world. When the Invaders from Beyond attacked the forest, they did so. The world to which they fled- was Aarde." Elrohir picked up his mug of ale, looked at it, and put it back down again. "Lemontharz had gone through the portal earlier, to scout out this strange new world. He never returned. The denizens of the forest could wait no longer. They were under siege by the Invaders. They went through the portal, and eventually found the Wildwood, some distance northwest of Samseed. There they settled. They hoped that perhaps they would be able to start over again."
"They were wrong," Elrohir said grimly, staring at Dorbin now. "Lemontharz either did not know or hadn't told them about- the Neutral Forces."
He saw in Dorbin's eyes the question he expected to find. The ranger tried to find the right words.
"There is a balance to the universe. I've mentioned the counterparts. Apparently, Lemontharz's portal breached barriers that had been erected long ago. For good cause, mortals were not meant to move from one world to the other." Elrohir's eyes grew misty, as if he were seeing something that someone else, long ago, had seen. "When both counterparts are alive and together on the same world, the fabric- of what should be begins to unravel. The universe- tries to correct that imbalance." He now looked again across the table at the knight.
"It starts with storms, that slowly grow in frequency and intensity. Then, unnatural phenomena begin to appear. They swing back and forth, first trying to slay the interloper, then the original. If both counterparts last long enough- It appears." Now Elrohir's eyes were recalling something he himself had seen. "A great rip in the universe. A black circle, darker than the darkest night, a great howl of air rushing into it that never stops moving towards you. No force can stop it; no magic can affect it. All you can do is flee. Flee, and hope that it goes away- before you do." His face, frozen in a terrible expression of sorrow, turned to look at a wall. He voice was now almost a whisper.
"The counterparts of the Rolex elves lived in Samseed. The Neutral Forces came quickly. Eventually, they were all destroyed." His eyes indicated Tadoa, sitting at the table with the others. Dorbin's eyes followed his.
"That elven child; Tadoa. He is the sole survivor of the Rolex elves."
Sir Dorbin gazed thoughtfully at Tadoa. "An incredible tale thus far, Elrohir." His eyes shifted back to meet the ranger's gaze. "But if that elf is the sole survivor, what of your father? Were you born before-"
Elrohir shook his head. "No. Tad is the sole elven survivor. There were others, at least at first. Even that part of the tale though, has an unhappy ending." The ranger took a swig of ale, as did Sir Dorbin. They both stared at their mugs for a while, and then Elrohir continued, still looking down.
"Back on Rolex, shortly before the Devastation, my father and his companions had run afoul of a most wicked mage. His power was reputed to rival that of Lemontharz. His powers were fearsome enough, but what my father and his friends did not know at the time was that he had already become a horror, an undead monstrosity. A- lich."
Dorbin leaned forward, his expression intense again.
"This wizard, this lich. What was his name?"
Elrohir locked his gaze with the knight.
"Kar-Vermin."
Sir Dorbin nodded slowly.
"I have heard that name before."
Elrohir kept his face neutral. He had a feeling where Dorbin might be heading with this, but he let the knight speak.
"There had been an evil mage of surpassing power who dwelt within the Realm of Fargate," Dorbin continued. "He was known only as Venom. He and his ally, another wizard named Hoos, had long terrorized the surrounding lands from their dungeon lair. That, of course, was where you first encountered us."
Elrohir nodded.
"On our second visit to that lair, which unfortunately led to us being stranded here, we had heard from the local folk that, years prior, Venom had turned himself into a lich and was now calling himself Kar-Vermin. I see now that this was not the case."
Elrohir nodded again. "Yes. We knew of Venom as well. Our stories come together now. Unfortunately, Kar-Vermin, disguised as one of the elves, had slipped through the portal with the rest of them. Later, he killed Venom-"
"Who was his counterpart?" Dorbin asked, starting to put the pieces together himself.
"Exactly," Elrohir confirmed. "He then took over Venom's lair, with the nearby populace none the wiser. Hoos, I believe, had dissolved his partnership with Venom and left the lair some weeks prior to this. In any case, my father and his allies, aware that Kar-Vermin was now at large on this new world, made up their minds to destroy him, once and for all." He sighed. "What I have told you thus far comes mostly from the stories my mother told me when I was very young. For the rest of my tale, I must rely heavily on the memory of our horses."
Sir Dorbin shook his head, as if he had not heard quite right.
"Pardon, friend Elrohir. Did you just say, the memory of your horses"?
Elrohir permitted himself a smile at his guest's confusion. "Yes, indeed. My father's party stopped at a village to purchase some horses. Unknown to them, Kar-Vermin had placed a unique enchantment upon three of the horses for sale in the stables. This magic gave them human sentience and the ability to speak the common tongue, as well as allowing their master to see through their eyes. And lastly, the spell gave them a malicious nature, which they kept hidden. They were his perfect spies, subtly leading their riders into danger while the lich kept tabs on his opponents."
"What happened?" asked Dorbin.
Elrohir slowly took another drink, then continued. "My father eventually discovered the horses' true nature. Their party mage was unable to dispel the enchantment upon the horses, but instead of killing the horses, they," he paused, they showed them kindness. They treated them as equals and swore they would find some way to relieve them from the yoke of servitude to such a monster as Kar-Vermin. It was a long, slow process, but the horses saw how my father and his friends kept themselves in danger by staying with them (since the lich could still see through their eyes). Eventually, as Perlial tells it, it was a victory for the power of love." The ranger smiled to himself, then looked back at Sir Dorbin. "One of the three steeds was later killed, but Perlial and White Lightning are with us to this day." His expression turned grim. "But I digress. There's a lot more to tell, and time grows short." His glance took in the other tables, then the closed door of the Tall Tales Room.
"In brief," the ranger went on, a bit more hurriedly now. "My father and his companions were unable to slay Kar-Vermin, but they did manage to drive him out of his lair. They followed, taking with them for reasons I am not entirely certain of, a magical item from the dungeons called a 'Hoos Cube'. My friend Cygnus could undoubtedly explain this better, but the cube seemed to be some kind of source of magical power source for part of the lair-"
"Ah!" Dorbin exclaimed. He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled smugly at Elrohir. "I see my friends and I owe your father a debt, Our, er, trap-expert, Aiclesis," and here the knight indicated an elf at the other end of the room, currently talking to Tadoa, "indicated to us that certain of the magical traps and wards in the dungeons had been deactivated somehow. No doubt due to this missing cube."
"No doubt," agreed Elrohir. "The party then stopped for a while at Samseed Wood, where they stayed with the elves for a short time. During this time, my father became quite taken with a young elven maiden named Serena, and- well," the ranger smiled self-consciously at Sir Dorbin. The knight's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Your mother?" he asked. "You are half-elven, then? You do not show it, and yet-" Dorbin grew introspective, thinking. "Aiclesis and Wescene have told me that sometimes those born of mixed parentage appear fully human or elven. I believe the elvish word for it translates as The Hidden." He glanced over again at Tadoa. "That might explain the child, as well."
The ranger nodded. "Possibly. Tad himself has no idea who his father was. In any case, my father and his companions moved on. Eventually, they attracted the attention of Hoos himself, apparently seeking to reclaim his cube. Although he transported them to his new lair in the Highstone Mountains, he was apparently slain or at least distracted before he could accomplish whatever purpose he had in mind for them." He shrugged. "The horses are unsure at this point, but apparently, the party, while examining the lair, triggered some kind of deadly trap. The horses fled with Tadoa, but the others..." the ranger shook his head, then went silent.
Sir Dorbin spoke quietly. "A difficult legacy to live up to, Elrohir."
"I am leader of my party only because I have been told that since my father led his party, it is my 'destiny' to do the same" the ranger grimaced. "I know that Aslan has more moral resolve, that Argo is more diplomatic and sharper of wit, that Tojo is more honorable-" He shook his head. "I have no time for this. I must skip ahead and end this tale quickly." Elrohir eyed Sir Dorbin somberly while slowly rising to his feet.
"It has been many years, good sir knight. I have traveled among the Three Worlds and survived the Neutral Forces. I have met my dearest friends, some that you see here, and others that have fallen. I have married and born a son. I have seen great evil fall, even Kar-Vermin himself, slain by our own hands. We have opened this inn and hoped to find some rest in our lives. But there is no rest. Nodyath is here. He is Aslan's counterpart from Rolex, and he has kidnapped Cygnus' son Thorin. He will arrive here shortly, to exchange the boy for a magical scroll we found back on Rolex. He will be here any minute, and Cygnus wishes to give him the scroll. This is our problem, Sir Dorbin of Aarde."
Dorbin looked alarmed. "But if Nodyath and Aslan are both here, would not-"
Elrohir cut him off. "No. This world is not linked to ours as Rolex is. Both counterparts may exist here without worry. The Neutral Forces do not appear upon Oerth."
Dorbin sighed heavily. "That at least, is good news." He then eyed Elrohir warily. "But then, I do not understand your great concern. Surely all of you are more than a match for this Nodyath?"
Elrohir very slowly took one more drink from his mug. "Nodyath, like Aslan, has the Talent."
Dorbin's dark blue eyes took on the burning intensity Elrohir had seen earlier.
"You mean," he asked softly as he rose to his feet, "like this?"
And he disappeared.
Which was just as well, since Elrohir's spittake of ale passed right through the spot where he had been standing.
"Forgive me, Elrohir." Dorbin's voice came behind the ranger, who, coughing and spluttering, spun around to see the knight standing directly behind him. "I am sorry, friend. That was unduly frivolous of me. Perhaps Unru has been rubbing off on me more than I would admit." A guilty smile crossed the knight's lips, then vanished as he leaned in close to Elrohir. He spoke quickly, his voice hard.
"Know this, Elrohir. Back in my homeland of Seltia, when I was young, a great wizard spoke to me of my Talent, and that of others. He told me what a terrible burden they are, and that they can never be used for other than a just cause. He also told me that the Talent is rare, but that it can pass from parent to child. Without the proper supervision, this must not happen!" Dorbin looked positively angry now. "Deal with Nodyath as you wish today. If you wish us to fight with you, we will fight. If you wish us to stand down, we will do so- today. But if this Nodyath is truly wicked, as you say, then he must die. There can be no exceptions."
Elrohir stared at Sir Dorbin. This rather genial knight had just revealed a darker side he would just as soon not have to deal with at the moment.
Suddenly, Aslan's voice came through loudly from the Tall Tales Room.
"Where's Cygnus?"
Dorbin looked puzzled. "Doesn't he know where your wiz-"
But Elrohir, Argo and the others were already running towards the closed door. Tojo shot a glance back towards the knight.
"That not Asran," he said.