“You have learned everything the village
has to tell; now it is time to enter the holy site itself.” Lila said.
“I am egger to see it. I have also heard that Shyla holds council
here. Do you think she will recognise
me?”
Lila took a moment before she
answered. “You have both changed greatly
and remained the same as you were in old Mathosia at the time of the shade. I believe she will recognize your soul. It shines through.”
Anneleigh considered this. It was an odd way to think. After all, the fact that she looked the same
was much more evident than her soul being the same; especially in Ascended who
have chosen their souls.”
She climbed the stairs to the basilica as
dusk turned to night. As she entered,
she was relieved to see the inside was welcoming. Lights and candles were scattered and lit to disguise
the darkness and although the domed ceiling stretched into the darkness, the
main floors remained bright.
Anneleigh was, once again, in awe of the entire
place. The walls, though made of stone, appeared gilded,
as did many of the ornamental banisters, railings, benches and pillars. She stood in the open space near the edge of
the main chamber and looked up to the ceiling.
A large, lightly glowing, object was suspended there, equidistant from
both the walls and ceiling. It appeared
to stand by magic. Anneleigh’s heart leapt
when she realized this was the ward stone that kept Sanctum safe from the
planes.
Across the room, she could see Shyla, Cyril
and Borrin and, though she had dreamt about meeting Shyla again, she decided to
explore the upper levels of the basilica first. The decision, it turned out, was not as
relevant as she believed because although she tried to take her time and enjoy
her visit there was little to see that drew her interests; she soon found
herself back on the main floor.
Anneleigh crossed the large main room and approached the trio of
Ascended who watched over all Guardians.
“Anneleigh!” Shyla whispered in
surprise. She was the first of the three
to recognise her, the first to greet her.
“I never thought to see you alive again!
When we destroyed the avatar of Regulos together, shattering his remains
so he could never return, I feared you, too, had perished forever.” Shyla smiled.
“It is apparent that the Vigil has a greater plan for you.”
Anneleigh smiled as well. “You are high priestess now. Look how the Vigil as raised you up.”
Shyla nodded. “Before the shade took me I was a sentinel of
the gods. I wished to know the wisdom of
the land from Tavril, the love of the heart from Mariel-Tuan, the courage of
the sword from Thedeor, the community of the city from Bahralt, and the mystery
of the sea from Thontic. My message
helped to unify many people and unite them to defy the tyrant king.”
Anneleigh wanted to hug her mentor. “And look at all you have accomplished.”
Shyla looked both honored and humbled. “The gods of the Vigil brought me back and
bade me continue to spread their message to all of Telara. I have taken the title of Pentarach to
represent my allegiance of the five who are one. I help to guide the clergy of the Vigil and
teach the other Guardians the meaning of the miracle of ascension.”
“I have been among the Guardian’s for
little over a week now. The spirit and
unity of the people have helped us overcome the darkness that Prince Hylas
planned to spread over Silverwood. We
work together with the Vigil to defeat him and yet he still does not see the
error of his ways.”
Shyla’s eyes fell to the floor and see
appeared still for a moment.
“I know he was your prince, Shyla, but it
is his own ignorance that causes his destruction.” Anneleigh said in an attempt to calm the
priestess.
“Hylas was ever my beloved prince. He led the High Elves through many ages of
Telara, protecting the land he loved so dearly from the depravations of the
goblins and the other minions of the dragons.
When the High Elves marched to support the Mathosians in the Shade War
he stayed behind to guard our Silverwood against the Servants of the fiery dragon
Maleforge. I believe he kneels to the
faerie lord not only to protect Silverwood, but to gain power of his own“. Shyla looked up as if only now remembering
who she was speaking too. “A matter for
another time, Anneleigh. Please, come
now and be reintroduced to Cyril and Borrin.”
Shyla led her to the men who completed the
Guardian leaders and told her story.
They, to their credit, also remembered her from the Shade Wars.
Cyril looked at Anneleigh. “You have been gone a long time, Anneleigh. While you defeated Regulos, and we were
victorious, my beloved country was a casaualty of that battle. They call the heart of the kingdom Stillmoor
now, a necrotic land with little of the beauty it once had.”
Anneleigh nodded and turned to Borrin. “And the dwarves, Borrin. I have met very few of your people here in
Silverwood; or in fact, here in Sanctum as well.”
Borrin looked down at his feet. “We dwarves sought the quick ways to power
and paid dearly for our arrogance. The
cities of the dwarves have fallen. Lord’s
Hall has shut its doors and is assaulted by creatures of the planes while
Hammerknell fell to corruption from within.
Our people are scattered, our culture lost.”
“It cannot be as bad as you say. You have turned to the vigil.”
“When the Shade came to our great delves we
had thought ourselves safe. ‘What army
or magic could breach our walls?’ Then our great advances in crafting turned on
us. Demons broke free from the bindings
that forced them to toil within our machines.
Our whole society was built upon evil.
That most of us were unaware of this is small comfort, we have paid with
the best of us.”
Borrin took a deep, steadying breath. “For now, Sanctum will be our home. Our people will grow strong as we will
rebuild the world side by side with the gods.
This is how it should be. This
was how we stared as a people. Together
with the Guardians we will redeem Telara. “
Cyril nodded and stepped forward. “We have our shared culture. We have all suffered since the rifts
came. Adversity creates a bond between
people. The gods of the Vigil have shown
me we will be victorious in this.”
The three of the council looked drained and
tired. Anneleigh wondered if they ever
had a chance to speak with anyone besides themselves about their shared
hardships. It must be tiring indeed to
hold your tongue in the face of so much turmoil.
“Stay here in Sanctum as long as you
wish. We have need of crafters,
scholars, and instructors to build this city into a shining beacon, as well as
soldiers, battle mages, crusaders, and operatives to defend ourselves from the
onslaught of the elemental invasions, the machinations of the dragon cults, and
the heresy of the Defiants. “
“Thank you for your offer,” Anneleigh said
as she nodded to them, “but I must be back to Argent Glade and into
Gloamwood. It would seem they too are in
need of assistance.”
Shyla took Anneleigh’s hands in her own. “You would do well to speak with Cabalist
Elsu. She can assist you in your return.”
Shyla lead Anneleigh to a young woman
standing beside a glowing blue archway.
It had a familiar look and Anneleigh struggled to recall where she had
seen such a structure before.
“Elsu,” Shyla said, “Can you return
Anneleigh to Argent Glade?”
Elsu smiled. “The Traveler smiles upon those souls that
discover new places and broaden their horizons.
To facilitate this he gave us the ability to travel through the
elemental planes and connect two disparate locations of Telara. There are porticulums all about Telara. Find them and gain more favor with Thontic.”
“Thontic blesses us with travel through the
elemental planes?” Anneleigh asked. This
technology is beyond anything she had imagined.
“Yes.”
Elsu considered for a moment. “Why
not take these offerings to Annette Kostral.
She would very much appreciate it, and you would be able to experience
the wonder of planar travel. She holds a
similar post in Argent Glade.”
Anneleigh nodded, focused on Argent Glade
and walked through the veil of blue light, immerging in Argent Glade.
Part 1 and Part 2 can be found here.
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