Part I: Death and Rebirth
We set out on a ship across the dream ocean, emerging through a massive whirlpool into the south of Sirania. We arrive in Sairis. Two days remain until the New Moon.
The Summoning of Gamol
Master Súlin is welcomed by Izgiakus, the dignified Grandmaster of the Necromantic Guild. He is of indeterminate age, with graying hair and a cleft beard that gives him a devilish appearance. His study is filled with black tomes and paintings of the dead.
“Master Súlin and friends, enter my study; it is not often I can host such a… lively party,” Izgiakus greets us. “Based on your information, I have already arranged everything necessary to establish swift contact with Gamol. The auspicious time is tomorrow. Fortunately, Gamol Melissai Vinori is a long-standing and well-known figure here in Sairis. Thanks to you, we know the hour of his death precisely. For contact, the body of the deceased is ideal; in its absence, we have several other options.”
The Necromancer explains the three paths:
Deep Trance and Astral Journey: “A journey into the other world to find the deceased. I do not recommend this unless you are hardened experts. Too often, the trance turns into actual death.”
The Gate in the Depths: “In the depths of Sairis, there is a physical gate to the underworld. One can enter and speak with its inhabitants. However, in recent decades, communication began flowing both ways. Things on the other side were stirred to activity and started visiting us. That is not how controlled necromancy should function, so the gate is sealed.”
Summoning the Karmic and Astral Body: “The option available to you. A projection of the deceased. This requires offerings—specifically the blood of the correct being—and an object once in his possession. We also need his True Name, which we have.”
“For the offering, I have already consulted the horoscopes,” Izgiakus continues. “Our client requires Viper’s Blood. I have three snakes ready, should your client be exceptionally hungry.”
Anskar asks for the basics of safe communication with a soul.
“The blood you offer acts as the connecting point between you and that world,” the Necromancer explains. “To the extent he tastes that blood, he will be in connection with you. You may speak with him, and as long as you do not break ritual custom—do not cross the lines of the protective circles—the interaction will remain purely verbal. Beyond another sip of blood, all you can offer are promises and manipulations to win him over. Let us be honest: this often takes the form of promising, hoodwinking, and groveling. But a spirit recognizes simple manipulation; it is an art of self-manipulation that some find to be the most interesting part of the craft.”
The Ritual
At midnight the following day, we reach chambers geomantically and astrologically perfectly placed. (A plaque has been added to the wall: Master Súlin used this room).
Anskar regrets placing a shard from the broken node cage into Gamol’s mouth during the funeral and fears the consequences of the summoning. He offers one of Gamol’s boots for the ritual. A snake is ritually sacrificed into a special vessel. We all chant the refrain of a ritual litany.
Gamol appears: “Friends, it has been a long time.”
Omerin: “Greetings.”
Gamol: “The sweet voices of the living. Have you brought me what the soul of the dead craves?”
Súlin: “We have brought something to refresh your tongue and perhaps your mind.”
Gamol: “I smell it… I smell blood of a kin close to my nature.”
It seems to us that this is not entirely Gamol. Even in life, he wasn’t this theatrical. It is a demonic reflection of his nature—what remains of him in the ether. He leans down, sips the blood, and speaks:
“Good. Let us get to the point. You want something; I have something. What can you offer me?”
Omerin: “Perhaps what we want is also what you desire. We wish to know the details of the functioning of the Key you entrusted to us, and we wish to continue where you directed us.”
Gamol: “And what exactly is that direction?”
Súlin: “To get the better of Siva. To trip her up and bring her to her knees.”
Omerin: “And even further.”
Anskar: “And what we can offer you is vengeance upon the one who sent you to the other world.”
Gamol laughs: “Dear Anskar, how do you like my boots? Believe me, my blessing is hidden within them, following you at every step.” At that moment, he spits out something small that jumps the boundary of the circle—a metal thorn.
Anskar: “I see you also received something from me in exchange for those boots.”
Gamol (laughing demonically): “And what was that to be, Anskar? A coin for the journey?”
Anskar: “Exactly. I hoped that where you were headed, you might arrive with a new, changed perspective.”
Gamol: “Then I can tell you that you are not using your strength to its full potential. You carry a Key in the form of a human—the new face among you (Orm). He can hide you from the Network. With him in your midst, you can go anywhere through the Network and remain unobserved. If he carries the Key… My Key. And where does it fit? You know. In the heart of the Free Land is the oldest core of the Network. That is where the Key belongs. That is the first stitch; if you cut it, the Network unravels. You can hold its reins. Open it like a forbidden gate, like a closed flower. There you can step, unobserved by the Network, and reach your goal. That was my intent. My final revenge.”
Omerin: “Do you have any idea what that will do to Siva, besides making her terribly angry?”
Gamol: “She will lose much of her power. She devoted herself to the Network like her own child. She is strong now through the presence of the Network. When you cut her off from its root, Siva’s power will shrivel to that of a mortal.”
Anskar: “And isn’t Thalis equally represented in the Network?”
Gamol: “Ha ha, the Lord of the Network. Yes, he is as sold out to the lust for power as she is, and like her, he will lose everything.”
Anskar: “How did you manage to infect the minds of the Paladins with this monstrosity?”
Gamol: “I am partly responsible for that, too, but I must say that in their current form, the Paladins are a wonderful pleasure to my eyes. When those arrogant puppets have darkness hidden in their bellies.”
Anskar: “Is that when you obtained the Key? Surely you didn’t do the work without leaving yourself a back door.”
Gamol: “The Paladins are a slightly different question. Their chief, Ocelot, trusts the spirit of a being more than any system. I fear in that direction, your only hope lies with the Network. Paladins only allow themselves to be controlled within a hierarchy. However, the Guardians of the Network—colleagues of mine, I can now say—stand high and guard the nodes. Once the Network slides into your hands, part of the power can be transferred to the ranks of the Paladins, and you will be able to control them. But here, it is very dependent on the human factor… I am thirsty.”
Gamol: “Now I have spoken; now you shall speak. What are your intentions? What is the goal of your journey?”
Omerin: “It is certainly necessary to deal with Siva and the Network. They are essentially one and the same now. For that, we must reach the heart of the Free Land. You were always good at walking in shadows. What would you advise us so that we might avoid the land of the Paladins on our way to the center of the Free Land?”
Gamol: “Correct. You must stop Siva and end the Network. You will be invisible to the Network, and if any Paladin eyes see you, it is enough to take their heads in time. You know how to remove a guard here and there; the important thing is not to raise an alarm.”
Anskar: “And do you happen to see from the shadows where you dwell… where Punar is?”
Gamol: “I believe His Majesty Punar is still spending his holidays in Xalgon. But what did you get those boots for? You have already tried the gold stripe; do not be afraid to use the black stripe as well. That is the particularly silent walk. One that, through its deep connection with the power of the New Moon, can remain unseen even within the boundaries of the Network.”
Súlin: “You have already demonstrated this power several times… we do not know if we can control it enough to afford using your means.”
Gamol: “I believe in your boundless talent… I am thirsty again.” (He drinks a third cup). “So, friends, final questions, for my dark paths call to me.”
Anskar: “What did you receive from Saurahan for triggering the inversion of the Auran?”
Gamol: “I swarmed and awakened Arkagant. I awakened the swarms of its moths, which set out to find a new home. I begot new worlds, a new people who have not yet seen the face of the world. That was the call that led me to the inversion of the Auran. A new path for the people of Arka.”
Anskar: “And now the inversion spreads around the Grand, destroying the space around it.”
Gamol: “And my people will be among the few who can resist the inversion. They absorb it. The inversion is their root, and they grew from it into a beautiful flower. The shadow of a thing is the form of the thing; it is not a monster. Not every darkness is a monster. Some darkness caresses like velvet. My velvet moths live in their own worlds and cannot be touched by the inversion. That is my vision, with which I can depart to the other world, for my voice will continue to be heard in the rustling of their wings.”
Súlin: “So can the Network stop the inversion?”
Gamol: “The Network works with the inversion; it can stop it, it can trigger it.”
Súlin: “Can it change it? Transform it into a velvet night?”
Gamol: “Siva’s imagination does not reach that far. She stands against these things. She fights for the old world, but she uses any methods that come to hand. I fight for a new world, elegantly, mysteriously. And no more. Live well!”
The cloak sinks into the darkness and vanishes.
Reaching the Free Land
Meeting with the Architect: Orm reveals the Seer (Žrec) origins of Thalis and Siva to the architects.
The Plan: To set out for the Free Land using a dream path from an angle no one expects or guards.
We head into the underground of Sairis to a recommended cave serving as a “sleep laboratory.” There are only remnants of decaying golems and half-erased dark incantations. We arrive in a Sairian auto-ship. We entrust the Network Key to Orm. It is a small branch of black metal tipped with thorns, slightly helical with miniature runic inscriptions. Our pearls glow with a brighter light, which turns into a mist attracted by Orm and the Key he holds. The mist becomes an aura around Orm and then expands to surround the entire group in the ship. We go to sleep. Anskar activates the silver stripe, and once asleep, we plunge into a nightmare.
We move through a fading world of sunset—muffled sounds, glowing berries like rowan occasionally growing on black bushes. Along the way, we find dead pilgrims: amulets for Garion, Uldar, Argolin, Asvittara.
Black cobwebs are everywhere around us, growing more numerous as we go, obscuring the glowing berries. When plucked, a berry smells faintly and rings. We each swallow one; our sight clears, and finally, we reach the Moon Hall. Through the Moon Hall, we chose a path that led us into the world of Gamol’s Moths. Orm with the Key is considered Gamol’s prophet, and Anskar, thanks to the boots, is considered Gamol’s friend, gifted by him. The Moths call the Free Land Zlobol. A massive Network was always around that place. Whoever approaches it rarely returns, and even then, they are changed.
Moth: “If you head for that place, you will surely die.”
Anskar: “It is the place where Gamol sent us.”
Moth: “Then you have hope.”
Feasted with water, the Moths carry us, two to each person, across dimensions and dark places. Finally, we emerge amidst storm clouds on the Grand in the Free Land.
The Abyss and Ocelot
We seek Erdun and discover a massive Abyss surrounded by a ring of fortresses. We go to the central fortress above the cliff. On the way, we ambush a special unit of Paladins and dress in their armor. We reach the fortress, rescue Erdun from prison, and are summoned to the Throne Room.
In the throne room sits the graying, short Ocelot. On the sides of the room are 16 Paladins who look as if they have stared into the Abyss for a long time. Ocelot measures the group with a look and says: “Friends, we meet again. Remove your helmets.”
We reveal the Seer origins of Thalis and Siva to Ocelot and probe to see if Ocelot is one of this trio of Seers.
Ocelot: “The Abyss behind my back is the last remnant of the world as it was before Order came. An age of infinite battle. The rise of many orders—one of them the Paladins—brought an end to this infinite battle. Because it is infinite, it cannot be completely abolished, but only bound. It lies bound behind us, and I am its guardian. Previously, the ancient, fateful Network guarded it. Dangers and enemies increased, so we had to improve the Network.”
Anskar: “We suspect that Thalis built into the Network a way to invert it. We brought Erdun to help check the Network at this level. Our fear, and the reason we came in secret, is the suspicion that you have become Thalis’s puppet.”
Ocelot: “I am no puppet; I am simply on their side. Friends, I will tell you one small thing about your friend Gamol. He remained in the service of the dark beings he invoked. He is a monster. I used him like a penknife, and then I put him away as far as possible. As far as I have had the honor of dealing with him, he is not a being I would trust an inch. You have interesting talk, but it changes nothing about the fact that I will not let you take a single step further in this direction.”
“However, I am a proponent of the old ways—the Palas’s Judgment. In any order, without armor, with only a weapon of your choice, I will face you. If I am incapacitated, you will be free to try your way. If not, then Palas does not wish for you to disrupt the Network.”
The Duel and the Betrayal
One by one, he challenges them. Anskar gives the greatest performance of his fighting career—he scratches Ocelot until he bleeds before being struck down. Súlin tries to stun Ocelot and is knocked out himself. Omerin gets a kiss on the forehead from Jezar (their companion). She adopts a strategy of out-breathing and exhausting Ocelot. She wounds Ocelot in the knee and continues to tire him. Finally, Omerin knocks Ocelot down and stuns him with a flat blow.
From behind Omerin, Jezar rushes to Ocelot, saying, “I am a healer,” and drags Ocelot a little further away. (He distracts Omerin by saying, “Hand me the medical bag”). From his tunic, he pulls a small black dagger, slits Ocelot’s throat, and drinks from it. This all happens before Omerin can even shout, “Wait!”
Omerin screams in horror; Súlin is in shock; Anskar cannot comprehend what is happening; Orm begins to flee; Jinotaj. The Paladins attack Jezar. Omerin partially stops Ocelot’s bleeding from a distance using elemental sympathy and rasps: “Drag Ocelot away!” Súlin tries to pull Ocelot away by the leg using his will. Jezar breaks Ocelot’s neck.
While Jezar is busy fighting the Paladins, the company passes behind the throne. Large, ancient stone doors glow and react to our pearls. Súlin opens the doors without resistance. We emerge onto the tip of the cliff above the Abyss.
The Choice at the Edge of Fate
A meteor-like rock, an ancient artifact, emits a massive amount of power that contributes to the Network. A metal net is woven delicately around it, visibly added later. It has 13 ornate ornaments around it; one is directly opposite the entrance. We identify a keyhole in the ornaments.
Omerin swears vengeance on Jezar.
Orm: “Do you really want to destroy the Network now? Isn’t it Jezar’s plan to rid himself of the Network’s bonds simultaneously with his transformation? He could have tried to kill Alquisaintri or another Seer at any time to trigger his transformation. Are we not playing into his plan?”
Súlin: “It is one possibility, but the other is that these were perhaps the last remnants of Jezar’s will, to give us a chance to use the Network to stop him.”
From the roar of the storm, thousands of voices full of power and energy are heard. The Network trembles ever more strongly; we feel Siva approaching.
Orm prepares to insert the Key, and we bring the pearls to the grate. A shield of light forms around us from the glow of the pearls, within which no one can reach us. We feel we are stepping outside Fate; neither the Empress nor anything else can harm us. From the mists of the storm, a figure emerges. A red, weathered face, gray hair, short stature. Zandar. Behind him, we see an innumerable host vanishing into the shadows.
Omerin: “Zandar! Jezar betrayed us.”
Zandar: “Omerin! I know. Let me in, and I will set it right.”
Siva appears in the room: “Stop! By all gods and demons, do not insert that Key! The Network is our only protection against the dark forces that are in this world and beyond.”
Jezar arrives, but our white shield stops him. Súlin comforts Omerin; they place a pearl into a lamp and project the vision of the pearls to Siva.
Siva: “You do not need to continue with the other pearls. I know they exist. They have been part of me from the beginning; I always knew.”
Anskar: “So what is your missing third?”
Siva: “There is no third. This is our attempt to save the world. If you give me that Key, I will maintain the Network, and together we can deal with that monster, Jezar.”
Zandar: “Where you stand is between two barren legs of the world: Darkness and the desperate effort of Order to face that darkness. I have found the only solution on my travels. Rejuvenation. Behind me stand countless legions. If you let me in, I will ensure the rejuvenation of the Grand. There will be no Siva, nor my little brother Jezrabaoth. And there will be a new age. I cannot promise that your favorite cities and friends will survive. But it will be a new and clean age. No order, no chaos—a new beginning. New strength, new energy, immense destruction. My legions are ready.”
Jezar: “May I say something myself?”
Omerin: “You monster!”
Jezrabaoth (Jezar): “Everything you think you know is completely upside down. Night is needed for a new day to rise. I can promise you that under my rule, the Grand will have no network and no destruction. I am the son of the Creator. I bring you freedom and redemption.”
Siva: “A prophecy from the Amber Citadel: Peace can never be concluded between everyone. I am proceeding as best as I can.”
Our sphere of protection glows, and the voice of Suvarna (the divine child) speaks in the ancient language of Azharian: “I shall permit one small spell. in the following moments, each side shall speak in Azharian, without evasion and without lies. Then you shall decide.”
Siva’s Truth: “If you choose me, the world will be ruled by the decisions of the wise and the Seers. The Network will grow within it, being more or less of a burden. It will influence people’s lives and guard the Grand like armor that restricts movement but is safe. The Grand will age, the Network will grow heavy, but there will still be enough room for life in the culture and wisdom of what was gathered in past ages. The Network will be debated; you can contribute to its change, but it will remain.”
Zandar’s Truth: “Behind me are legions that have lived ages in infinite battle. Strangely, they are not old; they are the youngest things that can be. Blond beasts full of life, predatory. They will come to the Grand, and there will be an end to many empires and gods. New gods and new lands will be born. Sairis will fall, Sirgon will fall, Arkagant will fall, Gandharalehne will burn to ash. But a new world will arise, full of energy and new stories. Death and birth.”
Jezar’s Truth: “I will abolish the Network immediately; it will no longer be needed. The world will remain as you know it. Only the rightful ruler will sit upon the ancient throne in Garion. The Son of God, the Son of the Creator. Everyone will continue to live, trade, love, and be born. But everything will be the expression of one idea: joyful service to the Creator. There will be a great new story; all the old will become myths of the past. We will tell the myths, but we will not believe them. There will be only one Truth. For many centuries, this Truth may not reach far, but it will grow from the center of Garion; perhaps some will resist it. The forests will never accept it. That does not matter. The Creator will look upon everything with a kind smile. There will also be times of war and times of peace, though the Creator’s peace will be more and more. It will also be a new day, even a quite new time, without the destruction of your cities and under a single thought.”
After the discussion, we choose Zandar.
Orm inserts the Key. Ancient lines of force glow from the Key in all directions. The entire Network glows with terrifying energy and cracks. Nodes explode.
Omerin puts on a black glove and hurls her Adamantine Mambeles at Siva. Siva is consumed by black flames and seized by the growing storm around her.
We descend from the cliff at the edge of the storm. Legions from another world emerge from the tempest. The clouds tear, and infinite misty legions of soldiers emerge. Dragons take flight into the air.
Suvarna says farewell with the fading glow of the pearls: “We shall see each other at the flame of the Auran.”
