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scarred-one — Chapter XII
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Published: 2019-01-07 23:25:58 +0000 UTC; Views: 1515; Favourites: 2; Downloads: 0
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The Reckoning of Olote
Part I The Reckoning of the Elaith
The Ocnarin (Record of Olote)
XII
The Living Flame, the Empire, and the False Light
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Following the fourth battle of the Jalraeth, word of ill tiding was brought to the whole of Olote as all had suffered great cost as many kings, chieftains, leaders, and valiant elai were lost. The fall of Insilor was told and mourned by all in a great wailing, and hearts of the Elaith, all, grew faint. Others, lost hope. As for Nintar, they were stricken with such grief that most were left speechless. In cairn for Insilor, amidst his tomb alongside of his fathers absent of corpse, many laid gifts in remembrance of the king. Some laid swords and arms of honor, and others laid arts of great fashion from steel to awe-inspiring jewels. Those who remembered him for who he was, laid down in leafs written passages from the Felaravous in dedication to his faithfulness. But in summit of it all was set a great gem the size of finger’s tip, and yet it outshined all that lay below it. The Firrimel, it was called, the elaiastaii (star of the Elaith), and it was said to have been fashioned in harnessing the light of the stars in the skies of night. It was rivaled only by Ilirwren’s memorable Lidennel.
Zildest was the son of Insilor, but he was young in his mid twenties of age, just grown past reaching his stature of elaiahood. So, Zildest ruled as king of Nintar, but while he respected his father and the elders in their rule, he did not embrace their ways as Insilor was greatly renowned. Whereby, he grew under his father’s name of honor. The young king did not believe in the promise of the Gift and the words of Etheruvar; wherefore, he sought to make himself a name among the people over all of the history of Nintar. So, Zildest turned to the ways of the foolish kings and did worst than them. He honored the dishonest and those with ambitious hearts he raised to his staff in ruling the laws to his favor. The Elnar were removed from the palace to the city, and they attended the king’s presence only when their counsel was sought for. A disheartening move against the faithful, and to their further discouragement, the priests of Nintara ordinance in proclaiming the truths of the Felaravous and ordaining pictures in oracles of things to come were replaced with Zildest’s own appointed. In their taking of office, the truths of Evar’s word were perverted, glory was misdirected to the throne of the king, criteria of the offices were exploited for filthy lucre, and the ordaining pictures of the Gift were extorted as they begun to murder in sacrificing the lives of the Elaith to Evar’s name. While there were Nintar-ai who followed suit with the new ordinances, others were confused, and in different sects, they raised idols and gave glory rather to them under new names. For they said that these will redeem them from Evar’s judgments and save them from Korar’s terror. Thus, the seed of Corbich blossomed to which fruit would soon bear.
As Corbich had said, Evar was displeased with Nintar, and he gave word to Norvemir, of the faithful, to speak warning to the king and to Nintar. So, Norvemir went to the gates, but he was not permitted attendance. Therefore, he went to speak abroad with the people of Nintar concerning the foolishness and the guilt in turning away from the laws and ways of Evar, and he spoke of how judgment would follow. Then the king took notice of him as the Vanguards escorted him to the king’s throne. “What words you would speak to the people, speak them to me.” Zildest commanded.
Then Norvemir told the king of how Evar was wroth with the king’s actions and how the hearts of the people turned away from him and to the injustice of their own. “For surely as Evar has given specific word for me to say you, if the people reject his ways and continue the injustice, the kingdom will fail and Nintar will no longer bare the mantle in oracle of things to come nor in minister of his truths in proclaiming his word and Gift of promise. Nevertheless, Evar will preserve his word and his promise of the Gift of redemption will be kept.”
Zildest was then fierce as he immediately raised his hand signifying a judgment to be cast, and he ordered Norvemir’s execution saying that he spoke treason against the crown and terror against the people. And of counsel of his own appointed rose to his support in declaring the elai guilty and vile. So, Norvemir was executed as he was submitted to the priests for their sacrifices.
Time passed, and Zildest was now aged. But then came a day that a band of marauders, or marauders they seemed, had ventured into the palace at unawares, for the Elnar were no longer accessible for such defense due to the king’s folly. Yet when they seized the sanctum, the nobles and king’s loyal were loyal no longer as they fled from him, faithless to his hour of need. And when the king was brought low and made abase in his court, Darahur revealed himself. His aged form bore great evidence of years in his flesh, and his eyes bore a glow of malice. Time passed without word, the heart waxed chill in the suspense, and the silence of the Witchmaster’s lack of words commended a tool of torment wherein the cold of it seemed to have frozen time. But then at last he spoke in words of ice, his words ever few. “Your house dies by my hand.” Darahur drew a knife of cold steel, and it was forged in the frozen peaks of the Gorthronda mountains. As it was implanted in the heart of Zildest, the king’s breath was stopped as he sat motionless, and he passed as he froze into solid ice.
Darahur pursued to seek the seed royal, for the king had nine sons and five daughters. Five of them he found and slew; two of his daughters also. But then the Elnar came, for they were made aware of invaders. The remaining four sons and three daughters were taken by Mildensa, the minister of the palace order, as he was alone of the faithful who had not been removed by the king and had stood alone in the palace when the others fled. Taking winding paths through the outer courts and through the armory, they made exit from palace. In the city, they scattered, each assigned to a different guardian. Two remained in Nintellithar, hidden amongst the common folk, others were taken to other provinces, but Mildensa took Sarick with him as they fled east away from Hildariand.
However, Darahur wreaked havoc against the Elnar, and they were themselves scattered in remnant as few were left. Then Darahur and company made quick work to pursue their prey. And it wasn’t long, alas for all of his craft, as he found them each. That is to say that he found all except for Sarick, and he could not account for him. So, after spending many months, he returned south, and the Urgoth-ai reclaimed Curnan, accompanied by the Urclins.
Nintar’s kingdom crumbled as the people fell into chaos, and every elai did that which was right in his own eyes. Hence, the light of truth and truths to come did no longer shine through that people.
Moreover all the while as Zildest had weakened Nintar’s state of watch and the other nations of Hildariand were crippled in the recovery from the ailing battle, Sirzar prepared Nundar as every asset had been invested into its navy and army.
The faithful who remained to Nundar, had fled to Eldan, and from Eldan to the city of Vitigon. For Vitigon was a fair city that was erected upon the borders of Eldan and Carnan in the days of Bildear after the fields of Carnan had been won from the enemy of the Pit. It stood in symbol of freedom and shined light against the dark walls of the mountains of Gorthrond. Nodran’s forest and mist loomed south of it, loathing the presence of smiles, laughter, and mirth. Many warriors, the Varwreth, trained in recollection of earlier days, under the direction of the wardens of Carnan. The city, and its people, stood unique as it represented the glory of Nintar, in its light of yore, of Nundar in its golden waters, and of Noman in its beauty and art.
When all was ready, Bullorn, his son, rose as king of Nundar, and at the word of Daeis, he commanded the attack on Carnan and the sack of Vitigon. But at unawares, another coincidentally had his eye on the city as well. For Darahur also had mobilized his forces in engaging the city. So, the city was beset by two fronts, and while the Varwreth held the city with the wardens, Macillen and Horvas, the other warden, Aphorton, led the refugees out of the city southward.
The Varwreth were massacred, but when the forces of Nundar met the Urgoth-ai and the Urclins, the Nundar prevailed. For Darahur was not prepared for them, wherefore they fled. Carnan was thereafter subjugated to the rule of Nundar, now to be established as a growing empire.
Aphorton worked diligently leading the people in attempt to keep them safe. The invading forces did not pursue as their chances were deemed slim against the odds of facing Nundar in Eldan, the walls of Gorthrond, or the Nodran forest and all of its horrors that dwelt there. But though it warranted great struggle and many hardships, they took narrow and steep paths up the walls of the western Gorthronda mountains over Nodran. But while they managed to avoid the vast population of predators from the forest, the Dorsaith still gave danger in their many forms of dread and snares. Many loved ones were lost on that perilous road, yet eventually the vast majority of their people safely ventured in the lands of Tilvariand. Overtime, the vast populations of Orvil turned to Teliquar and Noman for aid in securing liberty as Nundar grew in threatening the free world.
Nintar, in all of its chaos, was disturbed at the ambitions of Nundar; wherefore, they sought aid. But due to their lack of manner since the decline of Zildest, none gave it to them. Yet, Carreck gave counsel as king Caesion advised them to announce themselves a new king, and to forsake the failing laws of old as they would become a kingdom of their own right. So, Nintar heeded the counsel of Carreck, and in such notion, Havenil of the old counsel, who spoke only when he thought it to merit his own gain, took opportunity in finding occasion as he spoke as the diplomat that he was. Thus Havenil won the hearts of the people and became the first of the false kings to rule over Nintar. And under his rule, he absolved every connection of Nintar with its sobering past. Furthermore, there was much rejoicing as the people grew majority in crowd saying “Long live the king! The Light of Hope!!”
As for Mildensa and Sarick, they traveled east across the Cilith mountains into the lands of Castariand. There they settled in the pastures of Varieth, and Mildensa looked after the surviving son of the crown in raising him in the knowledge of the Felaravous, the ways of Evar, and the ways of his honorable forbears.
Thus followed the rising empire and false king while the flame of the light of promise endured. For while the Elaith failed at their word, Etheruvar remained true to his.
~