Oblivion Spores
"I'm sorry, sir."
"It's not your fault, doctor, come on, tell it to me straight doctor, what will happen to me? What's the worse that could happen?" The ashen sage of oblivion prompted.
"Oblivion, the cessation of self, and I'm afraid whatever malady ails you just might be able to inflict that upon you." He wasn't really a doctor, the dead had no need of such things, he was more of a sage, a philosopher, but he had studied many great and strange phenomena, many mysteries of the beyond, no one really knew much about a malady so grim and powerful, it didn't care that you were already dead...
"What, it's really that powerful? But how?"
"It's mostly a mystery, how such a thing can be, but you're not the first to catch this. Others have been afflicted similarly, before. Like Fanuk-dies-thrice... And Foolhardy Emerald Hoarder..."
"But, but, isn't it proof against this, that you remember them?"
"What else do you remember, but the names? I can't find them at all in the histories, just their names, and the fact that they were afflicted, by this particular malady... I'm afraid this is not good..."
"If there is anything in our power, to stop, or even slow this, know that you have but to ask..." "My Queen..." "No, my liege, when has our deathknight withheld anything from our service, in centuries? It is not fair for us to just abandon him to such a fate..." "I agree, we should help, but it is churlish to deny the facts, none have survived this... It takes away eternity from you... And none know if you reincarnate, or if you just cease to be..."
Elsewhere, in the grand city of stygia, ... A month before... "The council of signatories will convene now!" The bailiff for this assemblage ushered the cowed royals and the other signatories. "We are together this day to vote, we shall examine the proposition together, and vote in order of precedence, such is our decree, such is the law of Stygia, the bylaw of dead immemorial! Queen Khleeo, the living aspect of the black queen will speak." "I have spoken with my sister, Living aspect of the white queen, Queen Simantra, and she agrees, there is much turmoil and violence, strife and anger, vengeance unending. The dead are not dying in an orderly fashion when hunters winnow mortal into killing fields and leave none standing. There is no merit to dying, when you die alone." "I would speak more forcefully, dear, dread sister, I would mention my aide. The Ashen Sage of Oblivion whose service comes to an end..." "How you treat yours is your business..." "But he is afflicted, he is taking part of these... spores, he is becoming lessened. Ten centuries he has served me, and through me, served this body..." "The accords do not lend themselves to the accounting of the one versus the many..." He was blatantly lying, Simantra thought, but let him finish, if only for decorum's sake... The accords were very much to allow an accounting of armies that didn't devolve into attritional warfare of the no-longer-living, a table of conflict that left some standing that was not the Deathlords, nor their pansies... But then, The Mask of Winters was never the most truthful witness, and his presence at these deliberations were a trifle, an accomodation to higher powers than he, powers he didn't acknowledge willingly... Ramethus, The Wyvern Between Now and Forever had set much in motion this day, even if nominally, the mask considered He who holds in Thrall his liege... "The accords do what the calendar of Setesh says they do, for they are as much a creation of the calendar as night and day in the underworld!" "The accords are not as flexible as that! But I will grant you there is some flexibility in their interpretation, and I will humble myself before this audience... What do you wish us to do about our servant, whose service you claim is impeccable and above and beyond?" "I find it unsufferable that a loyal servant of death be snuffed, before his time, for indeed, it is common for one to have ten centuries of service matched by ten centuries of retirement before seeking the peace of lethe. He is looking at neither!"
"If there is anything in our power, to stop, or even slow this, know that you have but to ask..." "My Queen..." "No, my liege, when has our deathknight withheld anything from our service, in centuries? It is not fair for us to just abandon him to such a fate..." "I agree, we should help, but it is churlish to deny the facts, none have survived this... It takes away eternity from you... And none know if you reincarnate, or if you just cease to be..."
Elsewhere, in the grand city of stygia, ... A month before... "The council of signatories will convene now!" The bailiff for this assemblage ushered the cowed royals and the other signatories. "We are together this day to vote, we shall examine the proposition together, and vote in order of precedence, such is our decree, such is the law of Stygia, the bylaw of dead immemorial! Queen Khleeo, the living aspect of the black queen will speak." "I have spoken with my sister, Living aspect of the white queen, Queen Simantra, and she agrees, there is much turmoil and violence, strife and anger, vengeance unending. The dead are not dying in an orderly fashion when hunters winnow mortal into killing fields and leave none standing. There is no merit to dying, when you die alone." "I would speak more forcefully, dear, dread sister, I would mention my aide. The Ashen Sage of Oblivion whose service comes to an end..." "How you treat yours is your business..." "But he is afflicted, he is taking part of these... spores, he is becoming lessened. Ten centuries he has served me, and through me, served this body..." "The accords do not lend themselves to the accounting of the one versus the many..." He was blatantly lying, Simantra thought, but let him finish, if only for decorum's sake... The accords were very much to allow an accounting of armies that didn't devolve into attritional warfare of the no-longer-living, a table of conflict that left some standing that was not the Deathlords, nor their pansies... But then, The Mask of Winters was never the most truthful witness, and his presence at these deliberations were a trifle, an accomodation to higher powers than he, powers he didn't acknowledge willingly... Ramethus, The Wyvern Between Now and Forever had set much in motion this day, even if nominally, the mask considered He who holds in Thrall his liege... "The accords do what the calendar of Setesh says they do, for they are as much a creation of the calendar as night and day in the underworld!" "The accords are not as flexible as that! But I will grant you there is some flexibility in their interpretation, and I will humble myself before this audience... What do you wish us to do about our servant, whose service you claim is impeccable and above and beyond?" "I find it unsufferable that a loyal servant of death be snuffed, before his time, for indeed, it is common for one to have ten centuries of service matched by ten centuries of retirement before seeking the peace of lethe. He is looking at neither!"
Type
Supernatural
I like that you have worked at creating a story fragment here - and some suspense. It is excellent that the condition is expressed through the story. But the story is definitely incomplete. I think it would be very helpful if you added a link through article blocks to the previous and next articles where you provide continuity for the story in the sidebar.