Chapter 3; Masamune
It was a peaceful evening, but Jeremy knew that this was but an illusion. Since he had become a higher Cleric in the service of Mystra, the goddess of Magic, Jeremy had never tasted peace again.
He sighed and then looked at the letter one more time, as if that action would make the bad news go away. Unsurprisingly, it didn't.
"What shall we do, my lord?" – asked the servant that had brought the letter.
Jeremy put down the papers on top of his desk and then said: "Summon my three advisers."
The servant nodded and then seemed to hesitate. Jeremy knew the reason for the boy's hesitation, but he nevertheless decided to ask: "Yes?"
"What about the Wizard, my lord? He wants to have a word with you." – reminded the servant.
The high priest of Mystra sighed. He knew the messenger well or at least knew that the man was honest. He wouldn't lie about such grave news.
"Let him in." – ordered Jeremy.
The servant gave a small bow and then said: "It shall be done, my lord."
Few minuets after the servant had left, someone knocked on the door. Jeremy gave permission to enter, and a man stepped forward. The man was a Wizard that much was visible even for a non-spellcaster of the arcane arts. The man's staff and robe were covered in magic runes that would no doubt increase the Wizard's power and defense.
"Jeremy." – said the man.
The high priest of Mystra felt a bit awkward. He knew the boy since he was child, yet he barely recognize him.
"It has been a long time, Percy." – said Jeremy, while showing a bright smile.
"I agree." – said Percy.
Jeremy pointed towards the papers that were on his secretary.
"I have read your letter…" – said the high priest.
"I know. Terrible news, isn't it?" – asked Percy.
"I can not think of anything worse."
"Where are your men?"
Jeremy looked a bit uncomfortable. He could easily foresee some troubles… most of the members of the church hadn't accepted Percy's decision to leave the church of Mystra in order to join Oghma´s, Lord of Knowledge.
"My… advisors will come shortly." – said Jeremy.
The door to the room opened and three robed figures entered.
"What is the meaning of this, Jeremy?" – asked a woman, that Percy knew to be a powerful Sorceress.
"Do you know what time is it?" – said a young Wizard, even younger than Percy.
The third figure looked at the messenger and yelled: "By Mystra… why is he here?"
Percy sighed. He knew that his return to his former church would be difficult, but he would have never dreamt that he would feel so uncomfortable in a house that had once been his.
"Greetings, Robert." – said the messenger, while giving a small bow.
The old Wizard looked annoyingly at the high priest.
"Why is this… traitor… amongst us?" – demanded Robert.
"You still hold a grudge, old man?" – asked Percy.
The old Wizard looked at Percy with contempt.
"You were the best, Percy. You had talent and patience. I had high hopes for you."
"But?"
"You left Mystra´s teaching in order to join Oghma´s ranks."
"I found faith in knowledge and in Oghma´s word. Is that so wrong?"
"You are a deserter!" – yelled Robert and pointing his finger accusingly.
The high priest stood between the two Wizards and said: "Enough! I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour from high members of a church."
Robert and Percy looked at each other and then nodded in agreement.
"Why are you here, then?" – asked Karla, the Sorceress.
Percy looked at the beautiful woman and said: "I bring grave news."
"What kind of grave news, pray tell?" – asked Robert, his tones as sharp as an assassin's dagger.
"One of Oghma´s libraries was burned down." – said Percy, while ignoring his former teacher's dark mood.
"By Mystra!" – said Karla.
"Was it an accident?" – asked Ronald, the younger Wizard.
Percy shook is head sadly and said: "No, it wasn't."
Karla looked a bit suspicious. Was he blaming one of the clerks for this horrible occurrence? That was a very serious accusation, since the library was no doubt guarded by loyal men of the church, who would prefer to die over betraying their god's trust.
"How can you be so certain?" – asked the Sorceress.
Percy showed Karla a confident smile.
"I was asked to find out what happened. I am, after all, a very gifted diviner." – he said.
"Bah! Above average." – growled Robert.
Percy glared angrily at his former teacher and said: "Nevertheless… I discovered what happened."
"So?" – asked Ronald.
Percy made a few hand gestures and muttered a few words. Suddenly they were surrounded by bookshelves.
"What?" – asked the Sorceress.
They were not inside the high priest's room anymore, but inside a library. Karla studied her surrounding and spotted two men. Strangely enough, the men were a bit blurry as if they were but an illusion of some sorts. One of them looked as if he was a clerk of the library and the other…
The Sorceress felt a slight confusion. She thought that there was something strange about that other man. He looked like a warrior, a very experienced one, yet he was still very young. But he definitely had an aura of some sorts that made you shiver and fear him as if you were facing a lethal adversary.
"Fear not. These are but images of what happened that night." – explained Percy.
The high priest nodded and gestured for the others to calm down. Robert looked annoyed by Percy's mastery of this divination spell, but then again the old Wizard was always very grumpy.
"How horrible!" – said Ronald, as he watched the warrior cut the clerk in half.
The blood of the dead clerk seemed to pain the walls around them, and suddenly the illusionary images seemed to pause. The warrior stood very still as if he was paralysed.
"How can someone commit such… such… atrocities?" – wondered the high priest while looking at the dead clerk.
Percy sighed. He also felt pain at the loss of such dedicated and loyal companions. The Wizard muttered a few magic words and another illusionary image appeared right next to the warrior. It was a mechanical beast of some kind. Its yellow reptilian eyes seemed to reflect contempt and grief.
"What kind of monstrosity is that?" – asked Ronald, looking a bit intrigued.
"A golem of some sorts, I think." – said Karla, while examining the aberration more closely.
"Is he an arcane spellcaster?" – asked Robert while pointing towards the murderer.
Percy shook his head and said: "I doubt it."
"A Cleric, then? I can't help but feel a strong magical aura that surrounds him."
"Yes. I feel the same." – said the Sorceress.
"From what I could gather, he isn't a spellcaster." – said Percy.
"Strange."
"Maybe. Why are you showing this to us?" – asked Robert.
"Pardon?"
"Sure, it is a horrible disaster that demands a swift retribution. But why us?"
Percy looked at the high priest as if he was asking for permission to give the answer. Jeremy looked at the young Wizard of Oghma and nodded.
"Look at his sword…" – said Percy.
"What?" – asked Robert.
Jeremy pointed towards the murderer's sword and started muttering a few prayers. A tear crossed his old, wrinkled face.
"It's just a sword." – said Karla, failing to see why was the high priest so worried.
"Look again…" – begged Percy.
The Sorceress sighed and then looked again at the weapon. Then she understood her leader's reaction. Robert seemed to have reached the same conclusion as her. She could see it in his face.
"Heretic!" – yelled the Sorceress.
"Blasphemer!" – yelled Robert, while punching the illusionary image.
Jeremy begged for his two friends to calm down and so they did after a while. The shock had been too painful for them to remain at ease.
"It can't be!" – said Karla.
"Ah! But I fear that it is…" – said Jeremy.
Robert looked at Percy who muttered the dreadful sword's name: "Masamune."
"The sword that was forged with Mystra´s blood." – said the Sorceress.
"Indeed." – said Percy.
"Impossible! We were told that the demon that committed such atrocity was killed!"
The high priest nodded in agreement with the Sorceress and said: "Indeed. The demon was indeed killed and banished to the hells. But from what I have gathered, the sword was never recovered."
"What are you talking about?"
Everyone stopped talking and then glanced at Ronald, who seemed lost in all of this discussion.
"Only a few of us… know about this dark tale, Ronald." – said Jeremy.
Ronald didn't seem satisfied with explanation and said: "He seems to know it."
The young Wizard looked at Percy and the follower of Oghma said: "Well… I occupied your position before I left, Ronald." – said Percy.
"Then why wasn't I told about it?"
"The matter was never forced to be brought up. It is not a topic that we talk about lightly." – said Karla.
"May I know it now, at least? Now that the matter has been brought up?"
"Very well…"
Jeremy approached Ronald and put his hand on top of the young Wizard's shoulder.
"As you probably know there was another Lady of Mysteries before the current Mystra?" – asked the high priest.
"Of course. She was killed by Helm during the Time of Troubles, because she wanted to set things right." – said Ronald.
"She was a mortal then. Her flesh could be cut… she could be harmed."
"She died, I know that much."
"Yes, she sacrificed herself for all of us…"
Jeremy's face was full of sweat. It was quite visible that telling this tale was causing him great pain, yet he was decided to tell it to end.
"A demon lord of some sorts was able to acquire a vial full of Mystra´s blood." – said Jeremy.
"What? How is that possible?" – asked the young Wizard.
"We don't know… the Time of Troubles were chaotic. Little is known of what truly happened and of the perils that the deities had to face as mortals."
"So the demon lord had a vial full of Mystra´s blood. What did he do with it?"
"The demon lord crafted a magical sword… a katana from the little information that we could gather… and forged the sword with Mystra´s blood."
"But wasn't it the blood of a mortal Mystra?"
"Not when the Time of Troubles ended."
Ronald nodded. He felt his throat dried, and he started to share his leader's pain. Hearing such dark tale about your deity could be devastating for the soul.
"What happened, then?" – asked Ronald.
"The sword… that was named by the demon lord as Masamune… became one of the most powerful magical weapons of all the realms."
"According to rumors, the sword makes the wielder completely immune to magic." – said Robert.
"A very powerful protection against a Wizard or a Cleric." – added the Sorceress.
Percy nodded in agreement and said: "It makes the wielder the perfect Wizard-slayer."
"How horrible!" – said Ronald.
"We sent some agents after the demon lord. We had to stop him and put an end to this heresy by destroying the sword." – continued Jeremy.
The high priest looked at the sword that the warrior was wielding and muttered: "The demon was defeated. The losses on our part were terrible."
"Few agents returned." – said the Sorceress.
"And of those few agents that returned, only two survived."
"Yes. Those two…" – growled Robert.
Percy noted the tone that his teacher had applied to the words he spoke. So he wasn't the only one that the old Wizard seemed to distrust? Interesting.
"So now do you understand why I came here, Robert?" – asked Percy.
Robert nodded and said: "Yes. The murderer will surely pay for his crimes against the churches of Mystra and Oghma."
"But if he is immune to magic… what can we do?" – asked Ronald, looking worried.
The Wizard of Oghma coughed politely, until he got everyone's attention.
"Send the two agents that survived the battle against the demon lord." – suggested Percy.
"What?" – asked Karla.
"You mean… to call those two aberrations?" – raged Robert.
Jeremy looked angrily at the old Wizard and said: "Robert! They have been both loyal servants of Mystra. I will not have you speak ill of them."
"Mercenaries, that's what they are. They are not even from our dimension!" – said Robert.
"Nevertheless, it seems like our best move. They stopped the demon when everyone else failed." – said Percy.
"Enough! You are no longer one of us, Percy!" – yelled Robert.
The Sorceress gestured for the old Wizard to calm down and said: "Do not let your anger cloud your judgment."
Robert looked at Percy, who seemed to be amused at the old Wizard's stubbornness, and said: "Why you little…"
"Robert, I will not warn you again. Disrespect our order once again, and I will have to ask you to leave." – said Jeremy.
"Very well. Summon forth the two mercenaries, then. Do whatever you wish!" – said Robert.
"But there is more…" – said Percy, after the old Wizard seemed to regain his posture.
"More grave news?" – asked the Sorceress.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"And do they involve the end of Toril?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"Your church isn't the only one with dark tales. Oghma´s church has also a couple of them." – said Percy.
"And what do they have to do with the murderer in the library?" – asked Ronald.
"From what I could gather he took a book." – said Percy.
"Yes?"
"A book that leads to the Chaos Gate."
"The Chaos Gate?"
"I remember that story. Oghma looked the chaotic energies inside a portal of some sorts. And asked a dwarven deity to build up a gate to keep Toril safe from chaos." – said Jeremy.
Percy looked impressed. Few outside his church knew about this tale.
"Indeed." – said the follower of Oghma.
"Dwarven deity?" – asked Ronald.
"Moradin, the Soul Forger." – said Percy.
"Why a dwarven deity?"
"Why not? I it's not my place to question my deity's logic. I assume that it is because of the dwarven impressive craftsmanship."
"The little buggers do have a fine skill in metalcraft and stonework." – said Robert, while showing a mocking grin.
"And lucky for us that one of our agents is well connected with priests of Moradin." – said Jeremy, while concentrating his thoughts on the murderer's possible dark motives for committing such a cruel crime.
"Indeed." – said Percy.
"I just don't understand… why is Toril in danger?" – asked the Sorceress.
"We think that he plans to open the Chaos Gate." – said Percy.
"And release chaos all over Toril?"
"Another Time of Troubles?" – asked Robert.
"I doubt it… it will certainly be the end of all of life. The destruction of Toril." – said Percy.
"What can we do to stop such madness?" – asked Ronald.
"Send your agents to talk with the priests of Moradin. Perhaps they know of the location of the Chaos Gate." – suggested Percy.
"What then?" – asked Jeremy.
"They must put a stop to these villains´ plans."
"Easier said than done." – said Ronald.
"Saving Toril was never an easy task, Ronald." – said the high priest.
Percy and the others nodded in agreement and the young Wizard looked a bit embarrassed.
"I will give the orders right away." – assured Jeremy.
"I thank you for you time." – said Percy, while giving a small bow.
The illusions seemed to be dispelled and they were on the high priest's room again.
The high priest looked at Karla and said: "Summon forth La´NaraK."
The Sorceress nodded and then looked at Robert, who looked uncertain if this was a wise decision. She knew that the old Wizard was usually too much precautious for his own good, but she couldn't help but agree with him. She also distrusted the agent's true motive for helping the church, but she knew for sure that they were very efficient in terms of results.
"Yes, Jeremy." – said Karla.
So it had come to this. They had to ask the outsiders to help them save the realms… again.