Frozen Soul, and other works: Chapter 229

Securing the Castle was child’s play, as there was still over two hours left before the effects of Twilight’s Caress wore off, allowing people to return to their bodies. Of course, even once the soul magic wore off, all the truly important people, the ones that might challenge what I was about to do, had all been turned into undead as their soul chains were severed. Most of them had been members of the Grand Crusade as well, and were now enslaved and waiting at the homes of their new owners.

Only one newly made Undead remained in the Keep. The Commander of the City Guard of Duskhaven had been in the castle, and was one of the persons of interest that had been hunted down by the assassins sent through the city. A devout follower of Helm, he had been evenhanded in dispensing justice throughout the city, according to the laws of the land. Whether those laws were going too far was not his concern.

The Lost Soul hovered near his former body, spectral sword unsheathed, as he barred the gate into the Keep itself. “STAND BACK, FOUL MINIONS OF DARKNESS! I WILL ALLOW NONE TO PASS!” Steadfast even in undeath, the Captain refused to abandon his post.

Helm and Selune were still ‘observing’ our actions, and by this point Mirelth had joined us in her human form. Turning to Helm, I said, “Lord Helm, one of your servants has fallen in our fight for the city, and yet remains steadfast. He is no member of the Grand Crusade, and so I have no further quarrel with him should he accept the new management of the city. The curse binding him to Undeath may be undone by any priest of the one he follows. I would ask you show mercy to this servant of yours, and restore him.”

Helm stared at me, obviously surprised by my request. “Indeed, he has proven his honour by remaining at his post, even when the pain of sundering and his new nature as an undead manifested. But why would you ask this of me, given that this man is not of your church, or your ally?”

I smiled sadly at the god, and said, “Because when I am finished with my work here, Ograin will need men like him, willing to stand by the kingdom no matter what it may cost them. According to my sources, he has never gone along with the excesses of the Crusaders, though he never stopped them unless they acted outside the laws of the land. The pain he has suffered is penalty enough, I think, and it may serve to mend bridges between the Guard and those who they protect.”

Helm nodded, and said, “Perhaps there is hope for this new land you will forge yet.” Looking towards the Guard Captain, he said, “Commander Cullen Rutherford, you have done your duty, such that even one who was your enemy has spoken on your behalf. Rise, and continue to serve, as you have sworn to do.” With those words, there was a pulse of power, and the Lost Soul disappeared. The next instant, the Commander’s eyes opened, and he breathed once more, restored to life.

I wasted no more time outside the Castle, for I had a job to do if I wanted to finish this night’s events with the proper bang. In the Throne Room, we found more than a couple corpses that no longer had souls attached to them, including the leader of the Crusaders. At my direction, those bodies which still had souls attached to their chains were moved over to the walls, so that they would be out of the way. The empty vessels with no souls attached, however, I laid out before the throne of Ograin, and began spilling their blood for what I must do next. Though their souls had been severed, the bodies still lived, and their blood still held power.

The Old Magicks, as they were now called, had once been known as Name Magic or Pattern Magic. It came from the belief that everything had a True Name and a True Pattern that reflected what they were to the fullest extent. Using the Name of an object could imbue it with power, which is part of the reason why the strongest weapons and armors all had names. Affect the Pattern of an object, and you changed what that object was, as if it had always been so. These concepts were easy enough to understand when you thought of an person or an object. But few mortals realized that a country had both a Name and a Pattern.

Malcanthet had shown me the way, when we had talked between bouts of passion in her bed in Shudderwall after she had ascended to godhood about my plans to deal with the Theocracy. I had not lied when I said that the Abyss held knowledge long lost to the mortal realm. The Demon Goddess of the Succubi gave to me a copy of an ancient tome, holding the secrets of the Old Magicks. The Ritual I was about to undertake was known as a ReNaming. With it, I intended to change the Name and Pattern of Ograin.

The runes I painted in a circle around the throne were not in any language now spoken amongst men. It was the Primordial language, the parent language of the tongues spoken in the Abyss, the Hells, the Heavens, and all the elemental planes. In short, it was the language of creation from the beginning of all things. Any other mortal who conducted this ritual would simply be aping the runes and their pronounciation, knowing what was meant without actually knowing the meaning, forcing them to rely on the texts they had dug up the rituals from as to what the rituals actually did. More than once, someone had attempted a ritual without understanding it, and ushered in calamity when they made a mistake, or if the text they relied on lied about the ritual’s purpose. Only those who had learned the ancient tongue, or had a quality like my ‘Subs or Dubs’ that allowed me to speak all languages, would know the true meaning of the words, and the power in them. Only those like myself could take these rituals, and create new ones based upon them.

When the circle was ready, I had my party gather around, to aid in the casting, and called forth the Slave Princess and made her sit upon the throne. Meanwhile, the rest of Aria kept watch to ensure the ritual was not disrupted. The ritual would take almost half an hour to complete, and the effects of Twilight’s Caress would wear off in little more than ten minutes. Anyone in the city who had the least bit of talent would know something was going on once the ritual began. Those who wished to stop the ritual would come to the Keep. A disruption would unleash a tidal wave of energy, likely destroying the city, at the very least. It was not impossible that the entire country might get caught up in the magical backlash.

Just before I began to start the ritual, I felt several presences descend behind me. Looking back, I saw that more gods had come forth to witness what I was about to do. Sharess, ruby-lipped and lovely as ever, stood in the center, watching us with a smile. Mystra and Sehanine Moonbow stood side by side, the two Goddesses of Magic looking on with a hungry expression at the thought of magic long lost returning to the world. Lolth was there, in her drider form, staying well away from Sehanine and Selune, but standing where Elistraee could not see her smirk at her daughter’s misfortune. Malcanthet, dressed in a slinky red dress that sparkled in the candlelight and which seemed to defy gravity (along with her bosom), smiled openly as she looked on. Nearby, Deep Duerra and Luthic appeared, watching on, with interest at the proceedings. At Sehanine’s side, Sheela Peryroyl appeared, eating an apple which she had plucked from the end of her staff. Beshaba and Loviatar appeared together, with the Goddess of Misfortune playfully teasing Loviatar like a schoolgirl pranking her friends, mostly about the ‘chair’ Loviatar was sitting upon, which consisted of Ilmater, bowed upon his hands and knees, with Loviatar resting upon his back. And last, though not least, was the Red Knight, in her crimson armor, stepped up to Helm’s side, forcefully separating Malcanthet from him as she teased the stalwart warrior with her… charms.

Seeing as it would be rude to ignore such august an audience, I turned, and bowed. “The world is changing. Ever since we Travelers came to this world, change has been constant, wherever we went. Now, we reach back, to the days of myth and legend, and use lore long lost to the realms of mortals to reforge a kingdom that was brought to ruin by the arrogance of its rulers, and then taken advantage of by those who corrupted the churches they served in an attempt to gain power for themselves. Never again shall Ograin be allowed to fall prey to such weakness. Therefore, from this day unto the last, the ruler of Ograin shall always be a slave, so that they may never again become so arrogant that they would destroy their kingdom rather than admit fault.”

Turning back to the circle, I took a breath, and nodded to the others. I began speaking, and the others joined in. Once we had started the ritual, we were committed, for the magic began to take on a life of its own. It was like when opening the floodgates of a dam. The magic flowed through us, moving as the runes guided it, but we had no more control of the spell at this point. We could not stop the casting any more than one could stop a hurricane from blowing. I had expected this, which is why the whole of Aria of the Twilight was now in Duskhaven Keep, ready for the defense.

And then, it was done. It felt as though ages had passed, and yet at the same time that the ritual had been completed in blink of an eye. Such is the way when one plays with the primordial forces of the universe. Mortal minds were not made to comprehend the full nature of what those powers represented. According to the lore I had read, all of those who dove too deeply into those mysteries would inevitably end up driving themselves insane, the knowledge of things beyond the scope of this reality we know being too much for their minds to bear.

WORLD EVENT NOTICE!

The guild, Aria of the Twilight, has completed a ritual using forgotten magics to change the shape of the nation of Ograin forever. The Kingdom of Ograin shall forever more be a place where all religions, regardless of creed, may be worshipped openly, without sanction from the Kingdom, though this does not protect worshippers if they break the kingdom’s laws. (i.e. worship of dark gods may not be prohibited, but slaying a free person as part of a sacrificial rite could still be considered murder if they did not freely volunteer for their role.)

Moreover, the rulership of Ograin has been bound to the bloodline of Helen Glendower, last surviving child of the last King of Ograin. From here until the end of days, the ruler of Ograin must be a Slave, such that, when the former ruler dies or abdictates the throne, their successor shall be immediately enslaved to the former ruler’s master should they be free, from the moment of the former ruler’s death or abdictation.

Realm Event Notice!

Long live the Slave-Queen!

Helen Glendower, daughter of the late King Glendower, has, according to the powers of the ritual reshaping Ograin, taken up the mantle of Slave-Queen of Ograin. The penalty imposed by the last king’s death has been removed. Long may she reign!

Legendary Feat!

You have cast a ritual long forgotten to the mortal realms, ReNaming an entire country and changing both its Name and Pattern permanently. All the gods of Magic have taken note of this achievement. Your names will be spread throughout the lands, for good or ill.

+20000 Fame

+20000 Infamy

All MP costs reduced by 10%.

I took a deep breath as the ritual finished. Looking up, I saw the bodies of several high-level individuals bleeding out in the throne room. Though the gods had not gotten involved, it seemed as though any players in the area had been informed that I was doing serious magic, and more than a few had tried to stop it. Probably most of the ‘light side’ types in Ograin that weren’t part of the Grand Crusade. Just as I had predicted. That is why I had Aria waiting there to protect me, after all.

With a smile, I regarded those around me. “Forces of Twilight! The World has been remade once more this night! The dawn approaches, and with it change the likes of which have not been seen since before the Scourge! Begin the preparations to return home to Lithaes, while I finish here.” Turning to look at the assembled gods, I smiled, and said, “I believe a couple of you have given me quests that I need to turn in, after all.”