BUILD YOUR OWN WORLD Like what you see? Become the Master of your own Universe!

Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild

Ending the Archmage of House Zaphresz

The talisman fits easily into place. It took the tall dark elf ballistics expert little time before she found the perfect place to wedge it into a small niche a few feet off the cavern floor near the glowing stone of Valis Narbonensi-transivisse. Releasing the smooth metal object to hang there on the cold hard rock made her breath shallow and her heartbeat echoed in her ears.   Removing the speaking stone from his belt pouch her large asdroku companion brings the smooth stone close to his lips and whispered.   "Quevvin. It is done. The talisman is in place."   Far off in the vast underrealm through the inky darkness lit only by the glowing cold light of foxfire luminescence, somewhere in the center of a dark stone tower surrounded by a crowd of freed slaves, the message was heard. Sitting legs crossed and motionless in a near trance-like state the figure of the dark elf mage Quevvin Zaphresz continued to chant a repeating in a slow deep cadence the powerful arcane words gradually growing louder.   "...con tra meh di es, meh di es por tus, fas mah dol es, po ten tee uh co gee tot us, con tra meh di es, meh di es por tus, fas mah dol es, po ten tee uh co gee tot us..."   Then the old elf opened his eyes. He had heard the message. He knew what must be done, and yet he hesitated. Never interrupting his chant he braced himself for what he knew he soon would unleash. All the many months planning this moment, all the years of training, the decades of understanding, the centuries of struggle culminated at this pinnacle of his achievement. With a sad, almost heavy heart, if he still had one any longer, the Archmage of House Zaphresz committed to his actions and finished the incantation.   "fas mah dol es, po ten tee uh co gee tot us...soo par em ah flek toh!"   And with the final words of power uttered he held out his arms wide, his wrists twisting palms up as he tilted his head back and was consumed by blinding light.   Miles away, at the center of the dark elf metropolis under the flickering shadows of Valis Narbonensi-transivisse, the whisper was repeated louder and with more urgency into the magical speaking stone, "Quevvin do you hear me? We have done as you asked. The talisman is in place. I say again, the talisman is ready Quevvin. Do you hear us?"   Almost in response, the talisman began to grow brighter and brighter even as the light glowing from the towering spire in the center of the city grew dimmer until it outshone everything. In the distance, the sounds of tens of thousands gasping at the same time could be heard as the spire erupted in blinding light so bright even those protected by hundreds of feet of solid rock wall could not escape it. From slave in the fungal field to High Priestesses performing vile rituals within their temples and the beasts roaming the nearby expansive underrealm wilderness, none were saved from this moment of near celestial brightness brought into the world. Throughout the realms every living thing could feel that moment and know instinctively, something had just happened.   As the near silent gasp was replaced by terrified screams a sound, like that of rolling thunder gathering force echoed through the streets even before sight had a chance to return. The sound like a tsunami crashing upon the shore, a tornado tearing through everything in its path and the trumpets of heaven sounded again, and again, and again, and again.   Clearing your eyes you slowly recover from the overwhelming onslaught of visual effects enough to squint through and see the massive level of chaos occurring around you. Everywhere you look from house towers on the ground or hung from the ceiling powerful magic and uncounted bolts and arrows were being tossed about. Explosions from powerful ancient eldrich protections erupted as the entire city rose to alert. A single elf staggered out towards Narbondel to reignite it's glow only to have the magic reflect back upon him and knock his body back like a rag doll into the darkness of the streets beyond. Valis Narbonensi-transivisse responded by pulsing from dim to high red glow, oscillating and cycling the faerie fire within and about its surface until it came into cadence with the sound of thunderous earthquakes that shook the entire cavern. In cadence with the glow of the talisman now seared into its very rock.   Between the flashing of light and dark your soul sinks and your heart bursts as the corruption of the abyss begins to race throughout the city. Then, as reality twists around you destroying millennia old buildings and towers of the Loluth dark elves with the very essence of the abyss itself, all is suddenly covered by a thick unnatural grey green fog of corruption racing towards you from all sides like the waves of the sea towards a lone island until striking the visible and yet invisible barrier of the glow emanating from the talisman, holding off the destruction and ruin around narbondel even as the final screams of the whole city ends in what can only be its final terrible destruction.   As quickly as the cacophony of sounds arose they fall into silence. The silence was broken only by the words of the last elf to light Narbondel. Broken an battered he begins to mutter to himself.   "He comes in the winter, compassion, and trust.
He dances in spring with your love and your lust.
He calls in the summer and serve him you must.
He withers in autumn, you save him from dust.
Your father, your mother, your lover, your child, his son, his daughter, his minion beguiled.
And now that you've offered your life and your soul, he'll drag you to ruin and swallow you whole."
  In a far-off tower, deep in the ever-present darkness of the underrealm, the light of Quevvin Zaphresz crumpled with him to the floor as he died.

Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!