Divine Intervention

One Century Earlier:

King Fairen sat in closed council with his court advisors. In striking comparison to his almost elderly advisors, the King was a young man in his mid-twenties. His brow was deeply lined with contemplative thought. His mind raced over the many details of the kingdom. He began to block out the sounds of his advisors' voices as his mind withdrew into its own thoughts.

"The tenth anniversary of our kingdom is but two months from today," said the Grand Chancellor.

"We may not live to see that day," said the General of the King's Army. "King Fairen's brother has been threatening to regain this part of his father's kingdom for almost a year now."

"Proving that nobility is learned and not simply bestowed," added another advisor.

The High Priest of Helm, god of protection, sat silently as all the others talked and argued. Suddenly, he saw the image of a fiery armored helm above the King's head. He looked about to see if anyone else noticed the sight. He was confused at first that only he had seen the apparition. But then, he realized that there was good reason why only he was seeing the image. It was the god, Helm come to speak with him. The helm continued to burn brightly and he had to avert his eyes to avoid being blinded by its radiance. "Take your leave and return to my temple," spoke an ethereal voice as the fiery helm faded away. The High Priest looked around again to see if only he had heard as well. It was apparent immediately that he was the only one to have heard and he stood up.

"If my Majesty does not mind," he said to the King. "I must take my leave for now. I shall return later."

The King looked as though he was lost in his thoughts. The Grand Chancellor nudged his arm gently to break him out of his meditations. He shook his head with a great start and looked at the High Priest. "What was that you said?" he asked.

The High Priest smiled and spoke again, "I had asked your Majesty if you would allow me to take my leave for a short while. I have sudden affairs to attend to back at the Temple."

"Please, noble Cleric," said the King. "Take your leave and tend to those affairs. I would not wish to delay you."

"Thank you, your Majesty," said the High Priest with a bow. "I shall return as soon as I am able." With that he turned and walked from the room.

Two other priests joined him as he exited the room. The High Priest moved quickly to leave the castle. "Helm beckons us," he said to them as he walked. The two other priests looked at one another long enough to exchange glances and then turned back to continue following the High Priest.

They reached the temple a few minutes later. The temple itself was larger than any other temple in the entire kingdom, and was almost certainly the largest temple to Helm in existence. In fact the temple was large enough to almost rival the size of the King's castle. At this time of day, only other priests to Helm were in the temple. As soon as the High Priest crossed the threshold of the doorway, the fiery helm returned over the altar, but this time, all of those present could see it. The High Priest moved forward towards the image as the other priests stood staring in awe. "Lord Helm," said the High Priest. "What causes you to appear before us at this time?"

"I have been watching this kingdom ever since the first prayer to me was uttered," said that same ethereal voice. "I have seen it grow and develop and am happy to see it doing so well. But I am also saddened by the fact that there are forces who seek to end the peace and prosperity that so many have worked so hard to bring about. If no action is taken, then all of that hard work will be undone."

"But what can we do?" asked one of the priests in attendance.

"Yes, Lord Helm, what can we do?" asked another.

"You must continue to have faith and never let it falter," said the voice of Helm again. "I will send to you eight who will guard and protect this kingdom and everyone in it for all time."

"When shall we see them?" asked the High Priest. "And how will we know these eight when they do arrive?"

"They will arrive during the festival to celebrate the kingdom's anniversary. When they arrive there will be no mistaking them. They are: an Archer from the land of the Elves, a nomadic Ranger, a priestess of Sune, a fiery Dwarven Soldier, an elusive Mage, an honorable Bard, a Royal Knight, and a Holy Paladin of Tyr. When you first see them in the crowd, gather them here and wait for me."

"What should we tell the King?" asked the High Priest.

"Tell no one outside this Temple of the events that are to transpire."

"Yes, Lord Helm," said the High Priest.

"When the time is right, I shall return and reveal everything to all."

The image of Helm faded away and the priests were left agape to stare at one another. The High Priest looked about. "You heard our Lord's command," he said. "We are all sworn to secrecy until the day of festival. Come, let us retire to a more private area to plan a proper welcome for the eight guardians' arrival." Silently, the other priests nodded their heads and followed the High Priest out of the main room of the temple.

To be continued...