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What Fools These Mortals Be

(librarian's note: This was published in wide distribution by Sir Tetch in 1002)

Date: Sept 13-14, 997
Place: Chimeron (Paxton Boy Scout Camp)
Gathering: What Fools these Mortals Be
(my 77th as a PC)

>From the History Section:
Titania plotted to cause a war to drink the life essense of the dead with her magic (cursed) chalis. A Blackstar courier arrives with the Seventh Wayland Blade, Elidor, bringing all Seven together. The coming together of the Wayland Blades set loose the Furies. Heron Silver sacrificed all of his magical ability to become the Wild Mage, so that he could destoy one of the Blades, allowing the Realms to defeat and destroy the others. The Lich's childe was killed, Meerkat was cured.

>From my own Recollections:
I should note a few things that happened previous to this gathering... After my sanity was rescued from Pathos, Peregrin asked for my assistance in coping with what happened to him during his imprisonment and torture by the Nameless One. He never shared in full what happened to him, I only know that he was broken, and feared that She would call and control him later... He was determined to keep that from happening, or at least use himself as a hidden dagger against her. I took him to Between, to a safe place there.
He was on a quest for his Soul Name, hoping that Stuart, or someone he trusted, would be able to use the Name against him should he be turned to the side of the Nameless One. He found the Name, and gave it to me to give to either Stuart or Shane, should the need arise. I didn't know if it would be possible for me to give the Name to anyone, as I have peculiar limitations in some respects to Names. Over the course of this rather grueling week of soul searching, a bond, albeit a weak one, was forged between Peregrin and I. Peregrin, I learned, was somewhat afraid of me, not understanding my rather unconventional ways. Spending so much time with me, he was no longer afraid, and declared me his 'Shaman'.. his spiritual guide. The Bond was no magical thing, or true soul bond.. it was something I was unfamiliar with, but couldn't help but feel it's alien presense in my head and heart... I wanted to protect him, and keep him safe. I wanted him to be happy, and strong.. it was so like a Soul Bond, but so different, I didn't quite know what to do with it. I thought perhaps it was due to my knowledge of his Name... but the bond was uncomplete, since he didn't know mine.. Peregrin seemed to be unaffected, and didn't mention it at all.. I ended up moving back to Tuath Fasach, as he and his people of the Burning and Green had taken over the area for thier horse farm. We hunted together much, and talked from time to time, as he tried to recover from his ordeals in the
Citadel.

Also, sometime previous (I cannot figure out when from my notes or the histories, but I would I think it was sometime in the winter of 995, roughly around the time of the Tournament of Chiron..) I went with a few members of Folkestone, and Martel, to a small dungeon to get the Wayland Blade Albion. Oberon, as per our agreement, gave me the directions to find the blade. Martel was captured by the Black Star guild, but though magic, I managed to get him free... The blade, Albion, was over 5 feet long. As I had no use for it, I left it in Folkestone's keeping. TopKnot ended up bringing it to
this gathering.

By the time the gathering known as 'What Fools these Mortals Be' came
round, I found this was my chance to help save Meerkat from the hold of the Lich's childe. I learned during the first day, that unknown to anyone, Meerkat was actually fighting the Lich Childe's control, and unlocking the secrets of Belith. His magical abilities made him uniquely suited to the task, and he had much time to think, while trapped inside his own head. We ended up leaving him alone, letting him forge his own way. We attempted, and to some degree succeeded, in killing the Lich's Childe, though.. freeing
up Meerkat to some degree. He still held Belith, and refused to give it up. I do recall Titania and the chalis, the demented look on her face as she got more and more drunk on the life essenses of those that died. She gleefully raised the fallen, allowing them to go fall again.. and gave the Lady Dee a present of a unbreakable circle of Healing, that she could continue to raise, and raise, and raise... feeding Titania's insatiable thirst.

It was before nightfall when I got the vision.. The Kal believed they would die that night. Staggared by the enormity of that, I lost most of my strength, and thought not to use any of my magic if possible, allowing Them to stave off whatever doom they thought would occur.

Meerkat, more lucid with the Liche's Childe absent, asked me and a few others to walk with him over the night.. the Sword was calling him, and he didn't wish to go alone. He had been my Braeling from the beginning.. how could I abandon him now? So, despite my frailty, I went. We followed where the Sword Belith led. It seemed an endless walk in the darkened land of Fey. My heart didn't like the path, the sense of doom from the Kal weighing heavily on my mind, and the darkness within my Braeling too... I was bound to both Meerkat and Topknot at the time..

When the Seven Blades came together, time seemed to slow for a momemnt.. there was a bright, bright light, where none but the seven could pass into.. Meerkat, Topknot, Lucas, Prospero, the DreamDemon Blak, Gonf, and an unknown BlackStar Mage held the swords.. I turned away from the light, backing away instinctively... this was wrong, so very wrong.. I saw the Puck, he too, was dismayed. He encouraged me to flee, before it was too late.. and he, following his own advice, fled... I followed blindly, unthinking.. Then, the light went out. My Links to Meerkat and Topknot turned to ash in my soul. I heard screaming. I heard howls. I kept running. Doom. I heard about the chaos that was wrought. McKrye was struck down, scalped instantly, his bond too, went dead in my soul. Three braeling gone, and the Kal holding their breath... I came to my senses when I reached the tavern. Weakened or not, I was a HEALER damnit, and I wasn't going to leave my friends, comrades and braeling dead in the dark. So I turned, and practically crawling, headed back... McKrye's link came back. It was full of pain, sorrow, and self-loathing.. HATE.. powerful, consuming Hate.. a darkness in his soul.. when I got back to the place where he fell, he... he asked me.. to ... He was slain by Albion. His Soul was called back by Killian, using the powers of the Dark One. McKrye lost his bond to the Dreamwolf Hroth. He was filled with darkness.. He couldn't stand to live like that.. He asked me to slay him, to scalp him, and to put his soul right. I .. didn't want to. But I couldn't leave him like that. I hoped the Kal would be strong enough to grant that request.. I killed him. I scalped him, feeling each blow to him like a blow to my self. I called, hoping this wouldn't be the end of me, the Kal, and him.. The Kal answered, and McKrye was returned.. and I fell in a heap.

I began to panic. If I died, the knowledge of Peregrin's Name would die with me. I couldn't willingly tell anyone the Name. McKrye saw I was failing, suspected, as I did, that I wouldn't live past the night. Knew the importance of what I held.. So, gathering me up in a hug, and leaning close, he ordered me to tell him the Name.. I knew it was the right thing to do, and I did try.. but the Ban on me killed me before I could utter much of it.

I came to some time later. I don't remember much of the rest of that hellish night. I recall Raven being there for me. The next day, I learned that the Furies, the souls within the Wayland Blades, had consumed and possessed those that held them. My Meerkat and Topknot were erased.. I was still horribly weak. The mage killer, one the blackstar mage fellow, tried to destroy me.. but I managed to avoid death by hiding. I was still good at hiding at a moments' notice then.

I tried, along with the others, to find a way to stop each of the Furies. I remember a black board and chalk, keeping tabs on each fury and what seemed to affect them. Belith/Meerkat was tricky for a while, as we were keeping track of what slew him, not the circumstances in which he was slain.. he was affected by groups, not by particular weapons. We determined that we would have to find a way to destroy a Blade, any Blade, to weaken and defeat the others. Heron Silver McKrye ended up donning the cloak of the Wild Mage and after a ritual which sacrificed all his magic to that of Wild Magic, managed to destroy a single Wayland Blade, allowing the rest of the Furies to be struck down and defeated.

When all was said and done, I crawled back to Tuath Fasach, to tell Peregrin of my betrayal.. I didn't realize that his Name was still safe.. He was very kind about the whole thing, and kept me safe. I was still in soul deep pain from the lost bonds, the scalping, and the trials..
Created by Cain (Jay Bonci) at 05-01-07 00:29 AM
Last Modified by Cain (Jay Bonci) at 05-01-07 00:38 AM