Chapter 9 - Radok in Masha

I personally think the All-Father has a great sense of humor. Take for instance the Day of Silence, that day centuries ago when the gods went quiet and all the priests to a man lost their ability.

Rumor has it that it was because the thirteen gods were stunned by the discovery of a simple ledger of accounts. And only the All-Father could arrange such a joke on the warders he placed over us. What was on that ledger, one might ask? Only the final tally of the yearly taxes due to the overlord of a lost empire found somewhere in the land mass known as Mashapaloopa.

If true, the empire was larger than the entire domain the thirteen gods oversaw. Arisilon and its cities they knew, for it was their land. Zylonica they more or less knew - having been at war with that land’s deities for millennia.

But Mashapaloopa, the land without gods, they did not know. It lay on the far side of the world.

And with one little ledger possessing a dried leather cover, they were shown that not only was this empire bigger than any land they previously knew of, but it was an empire forged by mortal hands, one forged without divine guidance.

Truly, they must have been shocked. The first doubts that maybe they weren’t necessary crept into their conscious thought. But as history shows, whatever the cause of the Day of Silence, it only lasted but a single day.

My thoughts, well, I think they recovered their shock by saying and consoling to themselves in their godly halls that if this empire had truly been great, then where did it go?

And that thought consumes my thinking when I am seeking a contemplative thought to make me feel undull. Where did that empire go? Can divine guidance spare us the same fate? - excerpt from the private journal of High Tanier Lord Aloric

The land was troubled. The entire landscape lush with tall trees full of impossibly large leaves suddenly went quiet. The birds and insects paused their daytime arias in wary expectation. The clear blue sky became overcast, clouds forming from nothing in a few short seconds to obscure the suns. The growing clouds were then followed by chilled gusts of wind, the perfect springtime day gone and replaced with the foreboding quiet that precedes every great storm.

The troubled land started proclaiming its discomfort with a low rumble from deep within the ground. From a parting in the clouds, a single ray of light broke through to a clearing. Stone stairs appeared out of nowhere as if riding the last part of the sunray down. The stairs were made of light gray stone, weathered and worn, with no handrails or even walls to hang them on. They were simply stairs out of nowhere with no visible support. At the top of the stairs, out of a misty swirl of fog, a large wild looking man emerged and started his descent. His fur jerkin, fur wrapped boots, and fur cape added to his wildly blowing red strands of long hair and thick wiry beard gave him the look of some menacing sea raider.

He stormed down the stairs, looking around as he descended the great steps two stairs at a time. A long-handled pick-ax with a large head made of rune etched metal hung from his leather belt banging against his thigh with each step. Each step was greeted by a deeper rumble from the ground and finally with a loud roar which shook the leaves from nearby trees as he stepped off the stairs. He was the reason the ground was unhappy. The ray of light disappeared along with the stairs, but the early formations of a storm remained. Clouds swirled high above in a mighty foretelling of the fury soon to be unleashed.

The man looked around, surveying the surrounding land, not searching but analyzing what he saw. To the land he said with a thunderous voice, “Don’t like me, do you? We have left you alone these several centuries, but the time is at hand where we may need your help, oh great land. Fear us not, for we mean well.”

The land, lacking any true sentience, could still grasp the general theme of his statement and once again showed its discomfort with a groan shaking the entire valley coming from deep underground.

“Greetings Lord Radok, I was not expecting your eminence in person.” The man turned, brushing strands of wildly blowing hair from his face to look down at Solaria who was down on one knee bowing before him. Her vacant look and emotionless voice belied the courtesy of her words. She then started to stand before going back down to one knee as the shaking ground took her balance.

“Ah, it is good to see that the Time Mistress is indeed rising from her apathy to help out,” the wild looking god proclaimed.

“My Mistress sees many things, and the future is at hand. She has never abandoned the other gods, just acted when appropriate to preserve the future. Without her intervention, you all have done just fine in the past. This time is different. This time, you will fail if she does not intercede.” All this was spoken without any inflection of speech, completely monotone.

Barely pausing to start a new sentence, she changed topics, “The land is displeased with your presence, Lord Radok, are you uncomfortable?”

The ground shook once more. As soon as the earth stopped shaking again, Solaria quickly stood and walked to a small tree, grasping it with her hand to keep steady before the next growl of the land’s displeasure arrived.

“Bah, it is only a minor annoyance, this godless land. It is alive, you know? The power which would be granted to gods by its people is instead invested to the land. The land has a semblance of life and it fights to keep me at bay, looking upon me as a threat much in the same manner as a wounded animal growls at a caring kid. It just does not realize that it is in its best interest greet me as a friend, for without the focus of purpose we gods provide, all the lands would be defenseless.”

“Such a defense is why my mistress has sent me here, Lord Radok. This is the place and time where the storms will manifest in two days. The Sharlashtri will be here then and all presence of any divine intervention must be gone by then. The Shurandai will be here tomorrow also. Do you wish them to know of your presence?”

“No!” Radok boomed, thunder flashing in the skies to emphasize his intent. “We trust them little more than the Sharlashtri. They hide their actions, thoughts, and intents from us gods in much the same fashion as their evil brethren. The Shurandai are all but dead anyway, useless and a matter of history. If we are to ally ourselves with anyone, they should at least merit the potential to matter to current events.”

“Kristor has nonetheless chosen to trust the Shurandai, for in centuries past have they not sacrificed much to aid the gods?” Solaria’s response was cut short with a quick gesture of silence from Radok.

Radok sensed a presence in the distant. His realms of control were storms and the earth. It was the farmer which primarily called on him, looking for good crops and a healthy rain. Once in a while, the scared sailor might pray and request aid, but it was those who worked with the earth that felt the need to owe allegiance to Radok the most. And it was this empathy with the land that demanded his presence here instead of one of the other gods. The land was just uneasy and mildly trying to repulse his presence.

Any of the other gods would have been too preoccupied with the land’s psychic assault to be of much use in the delicate matters at hand. It was also this connection to the land which allowed Radok to sense the approaching entity.

Radok raised his hand and motioned to silence Solaria before shielding her presence from all onlookers with a quick glamour of concealment. The land was not concerned with Solaria since she was not channeling any of the powers of her goddess at the moment. The lands rarely objected to the followers of the gods. In fact, certain parts of this great land contained several followers to the various gods. It was just the gods themselves which did not appear or directly interfere within these borders.

The entity which was coming to investigate Radok was an entirely different matter. To the land, Solaria was just another being. That her life energies were not overflowing into the land’s essence like the rest of the surrounding life was of no concern to it, only that she was not draining energy like Radok. Solaria took heed of Radok’s motioned silence and stepped to the side and somewhat behind him. Radok was now standing tall, chest out, head high, and intently gazing while waiting with the firm stature a warrior meeting a threat. While he didn’t draw his pick-ax, he had one hand on it.

Three wisps of light quickly approached and started circling Radok. One was a yellowish brown cloud of light, looking like a ball of dust. One was a dark bluish mist of water, carrying with it the miasma of a swamp in its trail as it swirled around the clearing. The last was a perfect small orb of flame.

They circling Radok with an agitated speed, darting from fast to faster then back again in their spiralings, every so often moving in to physically attack Radok’s person. Each attack carried with it enough force that even at several feet, Solaria was stung by the indirect discharge, forcing her to back up further. Each time the orb of flame flew at Radok, the ground at his feet would smolder. No matter the attacks, Radok’s person seemed totally unharmed, not even showing the slightest sign of noticing the attacks.

You gods are not welcome here. The land hates you and this is not your land. Go home. We have claimed this land. We will not let you play here. Let us be.

The statement was more projected than said, coming fast and almost all at once. To Solaria, though she heard it all and it sounded like a swarm of buzzing insects trying to speak, she knew that what was heard was in her head only. The whole message came in just a few seconds, words and sentences uttered at the same time, but the whole meaning was still perfectly clear.

“This is not your land either. We have allowed you and your kin free reign in Zylonica. This is neutral ground, for now. And what is your purpose here, last I checked the lands here should despise your corruption here far more than mine.”

We have made peace, we have. The land loves us and nurtures us. It thinks of us as its own creation. We are the children of the elements, kin of all lands. Our spirits coincide. You are but creations from the minds of man, perversions to the purity of spirit which all lands should be. You must leave now. This is ours. Go!!!!!!!!!

Radok was troubled by this. These spirits represented what remained of a vast organization of elemental lords which had called themselves the Elemental Conglomerate. They had numbered in the hundreds at one time. In truth, each lord was little more than a spoiled child in attitude and actions. But a child with the powers of a minor god. That they ruled in the lands of Zylonica was of little question.

They called themselves gods in Zylonica and functioned as such. The true gods didn’t permit this, they just had no choice. They didn’t have the power to oust them, or if they did, the gods still hadn’t figured out how to do so. True, the manner in which the Conglomerate gained power from followers was a mystery to the gods, but they did, for as their followers increased, so did their power.

What bothered him was that when he tried to focus on the lines of power as they flowed from the life forces of the surrounding foliage into the land, he saw no energy flowing from the land to the three elementals. He even saw himself absorbing some of the lands power, albeit minuscule in comparison to what he would in his home lands. Even now, he was in the background trying to coax the land into better behavior.

It was as if the elementals were completely self-contained. Radok could severely limit how much he absorbed but couldn’t stop it altogether, it was just too much of his nature of being a god. That the elementals could indicated yet again the alien nature which separated the elemental lords from true gods.

“I am not staying. If you leave for but a few days, I will then be gone” He spoke this out of honor more than anything. He knew that elementals were never satisfied, always taking. Compromise and bargaining just didn’t exist for them.

Go now, you are not wanted. WE HAVE DOMAIN HERE!

“That is simply not true. I need you to leave this valley alone for the next few days and then I will be gone.” Radok said diplomatically, trying his best to not be demanding or confrontational.

No, you will leave now! they screamed with a painful shrill.

When the gods had first encountered the Elemental Conglomerate, they quickly determined that they could rule in any contest of might one on one. It was the mere number of elementals which made them dangerous. At that time, the gods were also still weakened by Coalescence. If the elementals had actually combined their forces instead of continually squabbling amongst themselves in the early years of the world, they may have actually defeated the gods.

Beyond that, the elementals had the ability to wax and wane in their existence. As they started losing a battle of wills, they would just fade into almost non-existence, only to return to be a nuisance as soon as they were forgotten about. They could seemingly be killed, only to return a few years later. And this immortality gave the elementals little fear of failure.

But the gods had also learned how to effectively combat the elementals when need be. It took great effort, but the gods did figure out how to finally kill one of the elementals permanently.

Fortunately for Radok, he could only sense these three elementals within several hundred miles. He was singly a match for any ten or so elementals, a few more and he would have to call for help.

Focusing his thoughts, he reached for pick-ax and swung it counter the direction the wisps were swirling him, catching two of them on one swing.

“I am here and you will leave!” he boomed.

Lightning flashed, tendrils of it trailing his swing. The two elementals he connected with felt the brunt of the blow, all of Radok’s concentrated will focused in a destructive attack of disruption. The two elementals struck shrieked in agony and fear as their essence was dissipated. Both of them quickly started to flee, along with the third elemental.

Radok stretched forth his hand in a quick motion flung a newly created net of electrical energy at them. The net encircled all three of them, and he drew them back.

Now trapped, the three elementals started pleading.

We didn’t know that you were serious, we beg your forgiveness. Let us go. We were just playing, we swear. We will leave now, please let us go. This hurts so, we don’t deserve pain, it is not for beings as great us. You demean us with this agony. Please, please. The last, still emanating as angry buzzes, came with gasping whimpers enmeshed with their strange psychic message. All was said simultaneously at once yet all comprehended.

As he had done in centuries past, Radok focused his thoughts in an effort to once and for all destroy these pests, but try as he might, he just couldn’t grasp the core of them. He would squeeze and they would scream in pain, but like trying to keep a hold of some slimy eel, they just slipped through his grip before he could totally annihilate their being. As he pressed in what felt like the center of their mass, it slid out to nothingness, yet the elemental remained.

“I will allow you to leave to land and vanquish you as we once did, without killing you. You have raised my ire, so if I let you go by these means, you will go now and immediately, else I will never let you go - Never! I will keep you for my personal playthings.”

The elementals ranted, threatened, pleaded for mercy, fought back, and tried to act submissive all at the same time, without any coherence to their thoughts or actions.

With this display of power, the land began revolting in earnest. Where before it had been mild shakes and rumbles, it was now violently shaking. Radok knew he needed to subdue these creatures quickly, or at least get them to stop lashing out. If he could get them completely on the defensive, then he could shield the land from the engaging power struggle.

“But now I don’t think so, I just want to keep and play with you,” taunted Radok, hoping to get them to agree to leaving faster.

We surrender, we surrender. We will be good, we promise. We will even swear allegiance to you, oh great Radok. Just let us go. Let us be your servants, just let us go.

Even then, they were being true to their nature, also sending out thoughts like. Take the other two, I am no threat. I will leave, I will even help you kill the others. Let me prove my loyalty.

Radok continued to press in. When the gods had attempted to kill the elementals before, they had just slipped worlds and escaped to a nearby plane of energy shadowing this world. There they would regain their strength and eventually return, though it might take years. When the gods finally learned this, they had sealed that realm from the elementals, meaning any death the elements experienced was real.

With not being able to subdue these elementals quickly, Radok opened up that seal to the other world. It still took convincing, but eventually, the three elementals fled to that other realm of existence. If they returned, it would be long after Solaria and Radok were finished here.

After close to three hours, Solaria saw the wisp of watery blue energy wink out of existence. At five hours the last wisp vanished. Radok had stood like a statue, hand outstretched toward the erratically flashing wisps the whole time. As soon as the last wisp disappeared, Radok turned back to her as if nothing had interrupted their conversation. “They have fled to their home plane. It usually takes them at least a couple of years to return. This land should be free of their interference for the near future and I detect no others nearby.”

For the next several hours after that, Solaria watched patiently as Radok stood still attempting to coerce the land to accept his presence. As the hours went by, the rumbling of the land came less and less. Then it rumbled for the last time.

Finally he turned and looked down at Solaria, “The land is now agreeable. It will accept the presence of your goddess, Kristor. We still have much work to do, Solaria. Did your mistress prepare you adequately?”

“Yes Lord Radok. I am prepared,” she said as she once again bowed.

With that, god and disciple set about the readying for the most important event to happen in last several centuries.

The Sharlashtri prided themselves on manipulating events of the world. They went so far as to call themselves the Kingmakers. They even considered themselves beyond the mandate of the gods and often worked in directions counter to what gods willed. This time, however, the gods were directly going to meddle in the affairs of the Sharlashtri and their counterparts, the Shurandai.