Dulan 517

Zian and Ugdrasil find out about Archons

By now, Zian and Ugdrasil had begun to make names for themselves. Zian was known as an excellent young warrior. Ugdrasil was never quite accepted among orcs or humans, since he was half-blood, but his skill with magic could not be denied.

The two friends would get together once a year to go adventuring together for a month or so. They always met in Kuskut near the home of an old mystic, skilled in prophecy. But this year they arrived at the usual place and found chaos. Cyripus with his Dulan soldiers, and Prince Cerion with his Knights Corps had both come to consult with the famous mystic at the same time. Bloodshed was the inevitable result of the encounter, and the old man was trapped in the middle. His home soon caught fire from all the spell-casting, and when Zian and Ugdrasil arrived they found the mystic desperately trying to save a few of his prophetic scrolls while swords and magic clashed around him.

Zian and Ugdrasil waded into the fray. Ugdrasil used his magic to douse the flames, and Zian protected the old man from the battle, but it was too late - most of the scrolls of prophecy were destroyed. When Cerion and Cyripus realized this they ordered their men to fall back. They thought the mystic couldn't provide prophetic guidance without the scrolls. There was nothing left to fight over, so the soldiers dispersed.

Zian and Ugdrasil remained to help the old man, but there was not much they could do. The mystic sat down in the middle of his ruined house and looked around. He told them the story of the Archons and the magic of the Elementals. Then he looked closely at the young men. "You have both shown great honour this day," he said. "And you will both grow to have mighty power. But one of you - one of you will tread a dark path." He shook his head gravely.

The time had come for Zian and Ugdrasil to return home, and they went away wondering about what the mystic had said. When Ugdrasil arrived he found Kaliur looking very sombre. Something was not right, he said, and he planned to go away on a long spirit quest. He intended to leave Ugdrasil as his successor. The half-breed orc would become the lord of Gaiahon - Walcure's magical staff.