"You said you've been this way before, right?" Zen asked as the cart rolled along. The journey was much smoother and easier than the trip to Lyn'Knoll, and anything was easier than the mountains. Flora was using some of the fabric she bought in town to patch a hole in one of Trace's shirts, while Trace was driving the cart. Her belly had shrunk down after loosing the baby. At the back, Natani tried to affix mana crystals to the earrings she had bought. Barret was laid back with his feet up, just enjoying the sun.
"Yeah, with my parents many years ago. We had gone around the southern coastline, and wanted to make our way back west. Pretty sure I traveled this exact path, though it was not this easy last time."
"So do you know anything about that?" Zen pointed to the blackened mountain in the middle of the plains.
"Mount Tanji. Yeah. I actually know quite a bit about it. It's important to Ishtaer history."
"Really? Now I have to know." Keith said, taking a break from sharpening his sword. Ears turned to listen as Barret sat up, and stared at the mountain.
"Mount Tanji is a cursed place. Nearly 500 years ago, that place used to be the center of Ishtaer society, for on the slopes rested the city of Nemurnal [Neh-mur-nahl]. A city of silver and marble, a place of trade and prosperity, and home to over fifteen thousand Ishtaer, as well as ten thousand others. It was a city of peace, but it was not without it's defenses.
Grand walls that stood 30 feet high, towers that could see you coming a hundred miles away, and a garrison of soldiers that could rival today's Templars in sheer ferocity. But the living soldiers were only a fraction of the defenders, for the city crafted soldiers of hardened clay, imbued them with magic, and laid them within the mountain until called forth. The city was impenetrable. It weathered countless assaults, sieges, and even mother nature herself couldn't make the city yield when a tornado ripped the land apart.
Today, though, it stands desolated. For within the walls, the greatest tragedy happened.
I cannot read, but my dad could. He read a firsthand account from one of the survivors to me. I don't remember it exactly, but I'll try my best…
The soldiers of clay were brought out without warning. They moved through the city to the walls as though they were under attack, though there was no alarm. The clay Sentinels went rogue, and barred the gates. They turned on the soldiers, then the citizens. The Sentinels were equipped with both pikes and magic, imbued with power through gems. They began burning the city to the ground in a lightning assault. Very few survived, very few escaped. Men, women, young, old, human, Keidran, Ishtaer, it didn't matter. They killed everything that moved. Those who watched from the outside said that fire filled the city, smoke filled the air, and the screams of the damned echoed off the mountains.
Today, it rests as a cold, lifeless husk. Some have tried to go there and salvage, search the ruins for answers, but some Sentinels are still functional, and attack intruders. It's wise to give the mountain a wide berth. Someday, I'd like to try and go there, but I know better." Everyone listened and looked at the mountain, almost able to see the fire burning, almost able to smell the smoke, almost able to hear the screams.
"Creepy." Natani said. "This happened 500 years ago?"
"Technically, just under 483 years ago. When Nemurnal fell, it heralded the end of the third age, also known as the Age of Silver, and the fourth age began."
"Crazy. And no one knows why the Sentinels attacked?" Flora asked.
"No. Some have theories, each more wild than the last."
"How many survived?" Trace tried to listen, but he was also driving the cart. "You mentioned that there were survivors."
"Not enough. Within the span of one day, the city was leveled. There were fourty thousand Ishtaer before, and less than five thousand after. Fear began spreading, and superstition that we brought misfortune to any we were near. People turned the Ishtaer away, turning them to nomads, wanderers, and refugees."
"That's not true though." Flora said. "You've not brought misfortune, you've saved our lives. Without you, we wouldn't be alive right now." Barret smiled, and watched the mountain.
"We'll be in it's shadow for a few days, but I'll make sure we stay as far away as possible." Trace said. "If those Sentinels are still active, I'd rather not have to worry about them."
For the rest of the day, they were quiet. Stopping for the night, they set up tents and made a fire. Barret walked over to Natani. "You offered to help me learn to control my magic before we left town. Does that offer still stand?"
"Of course." She put down the blankets she was carrying and led Barret a short distance from the camp. "Alright, let's start with the basics. I want you to hold out your hand, and channel your magic however you feel like you can."
"That's it?"
"No. But this is where we'll start. I need to see how you draw forth your power, and you need to feel how to draw forth the power. Both times you've used magic, it's been instinct; as you put it. So, we are going to start by finding out how to call the power first. Once you can call the power, we will begin to focus it."
"You make this sound easy."
"Easy? Then by all means, begin." Barret stared at his outstretched hand. For several long minutes he stared, slowly becoming more frustrated. His muscles flexed and tensed, and he began to frown and scowl. Finally, he lowered his hand.
"I can't feel it. I can't call forth the fire."
"Hmm… the 'fire'?"
"It's one of our beliefs. Ishtaer are related to dragons, and thus dragon fire runs in our veins, giving us power. We believe that, as they are creatures of magic, dragons are able to do more than just harm the body. Dragon fire consumes the soul, it powers our wellsprings, and it connects us to our ancestors."
"Interesting. I wish I could help you more, but until you are able to call forth the power, we can do nothing. I can't teach you magic if you don't have magic to learn with. Keep trying whenever you get the chance. If you manage to tap into your wellspring, your 'fire', come find me right away."
"And… what if you aren't there?"
"Then find Trace. And if he's not there, don't try. Unchained magic is dangerous. Lashing out without a purpose can cause magic to go wild, manifest as whatever is easiest. It could be shields, it could be a fireball, it could summon a demon, you never know. While unchained magic is more powerful, it's too unpredictable to rely on. Focused magic is all you should ever want to use. You've been lucky so far. But don't push your luck too hard."
"Thank you. I'll work on it."
"You seem to know a lot about Ishtaer magic for someone who has never used it intentionally."
"Eris could use it. He never got around to teaching me though. I wish he did."
"You can't change the past. Now, let's try again."
