The Unfated Wanderers Canto 33
The sun crested the horizon, heralding a new day for Shatterbone, their long night of horror under the tyranny of Myrwungebinyd neared its end. The Darkling Fomenter had been masquerading as a god; for the pleasure of torment, the delicacy of sorrow and the ecstasy of terror. He once again entered the village, loudly demanding his human sacrifice. None of the villagers could see him. But they heard his voice and his presence exuded fear. The yelling ceased when he found Tong Shatterbone presenting two men as tribute.
The Darkling said, “Such a treat! You have two prizes for me? This pleases me. I will guarantee your safety for two more days. Do you see how generous I am? You may go, little king, unless you wish to stay and witness my knife’s feasting.”
The Unfated Wanderers stepped forward and brandished their weapons. Myrwungebinyd saw the Terror Spike but did not know his peril. He laughed, “You wish to challenge me? I do not know how you can see me. It does not matter. Special spells or magical trinkets will not save you.”
Billet and Vilerend valiantly slew the overconfident Darkling with ease. The body of the dead Terror was dragged out of the village and left to rot under the sky. They returned to the hall with Tong. The three of them found that they had received a Boxing message while tending to their violent work. It read,
The land is rife with terrors. There are groups of Weavers recruiting survivors of the Apocalypse. They are providing food and shelter. I think that they want to restore order at the cost of forming a theocracy. It is too early for them to succeed. I do not think that the Apocalypse has even ended yet. But we need to watch out for them in the future.
Tong said, “This message came from someone tasked with monitoring those radical Weavers that were haranguing on street corners after the giants first arrived. It looks like they were more organized than we thought. I do not like the idea of Icebrunt becoming a theocracy. But will there still be an Icebrunt if nobody is alive? At least they are helping people…”
His musings were interrupted by a messenger entering the hall. They said, “Someone is seeking admittance to the village. Shall I send them in?”
Sunny Cloudgrass entered the hall, followed closely by three Stormcraft wizards. The Unfated Wanderers easily identified them by their prominently placed symbols and regalia. They told Tong of the visitors identity and he said, “Sunny. You are welcome here. Despite our past problems, I am pleased to see that you are alive. Why are these people with you? They are complicit in bringing the Apocalypse.”
She frowned and said, “Our past is complicated and I accept full responsibility. I hope that you can forgive me. I was not there when I should have been. I am grateful for what you did.”
She continued, “These wizards sought refuge in Sprybull. The village has been destroyed, if you did not already know. We escaped and have been fleeing from horrid monsters and invisible death. They regaled me with the tale of how this all came to be. It seems that my daughter was their leader. Fern caused the Demon Plague and then she tried to fix it by contacting the Lord of Terror who then snatched her soul.”
She paused as uncontrollable sobbing seized her. “A god stole my daughter’s soul and turned her into a Lich,” she wailed. “Is any of this true? I have read The Demon Plague Verses, who hasn’t read it? But is it really true? Did Fern cause all of this?”
Tong sighed and said, “It is mostly true. My friends here, Vilerend and Billet, confronted Fern and put an end to the Demon Plague. We have it on good authority that, though the Demon Plague was ended, the Apocalypse that it triggered would happen anyway. The Children of the Gods sent the giants as the first phase of remaking the world. That is when Fern contacted the Lord of Terror. She wanted to try to save the world again. Yet again, she made things even worse. He tricked her and she lost her soul for it. Her becoming a Lich is news to me. I remember reading about a Lich in Finder Cloudburst. Is that an accurate description of what Fern has become?”
“I have not seen my daughter in years but I believe that yes, she is like Typhoon Mistridge now.”