Chaucer's mind was reeling. Tanis wasn't evil, but he had been the one in the High Clerist's Tower that day. They had walked in with Sturm's son Steel Brightblade. Thinking back on those events, staring in amazement at the heroes, he vaguely even recalls the young man, but what he does recall was a knight of the Crown, not a Knight of Takhisis. Of course, it isn't like he would have any idea what a Dark Knight would look like, as no one even knew they existed until this moment.
"But why would Sturm give items of goodness and light to someone dedicated to evil and darkness?" And why would these two want to protect Steel, a dark knight, from the Knights of Solamnia? There are many unanswered questions..." Chaucer thinks as Sir Thomas rises to speak. He smiled as many of the questions he himself had just mentally asked were spoken by the leader of the High Clerist's Tower. But then he made a statement that burned Chaucer to even hear. "Our numbers have swelled and these knights are dedicated to evil." Chaucer's frustration boiled over as he whispered quietly so no one else could hear, "Their numbers had swelled he says... Then why was it so blasted difficult to find someone willing to sponsor a future Knight?"
Though his faith in Lord Tanis and Caramon Majere had returned, Chaucer's faith in the heroism and honor he expected to find in the Knights of Solomnia was a bit shaken. "If they are bragging about their ranks swelling, then why is it that I have only seen nobles or rich young men joining as squires.
Realizing his pulse is quickening and his face is flush, Chaucer stops and takes a long deep breath, and tells himself, "Don't be shocked that an Order run by humans has its faults Chaucer ol' boy. Not to mention, this isn't about you. There is a threat of evil that is growing, that is what is important here. I must not forget that." Turning once more back to the conversation at hand, Chaucer tries to hear the response to Sir Thomas' speech.
Tanis Half-Elven replies, And this is exactly the type of attitude that will keep the free nations of Ansalon, Sir Thomas, from defending themselves. Evil is growing and this time the Dark Majesty has knights just as dedicated to her as you and your orders are to Paladine. These young knights are honorable. After all, Ariakan learned that from his time with you at the High Clerist Tower!
Justarius, Master of the Conclave speaks. The concern that the Wizard's Conclave is with these renegade Knights of the Thorn. We mages understand something that many do not. We understand the need for balance. We were once persecuted under the might of Takihisis and yet there are many of our elven brethern in the White Robes who can recall when we were hunted by the followers of Paladine, ordered by the Kingpriest Beldinas Piloforo. It did not matter if the Robes were Red, Black or White. If the person was elven, human or what ever race.
We wizards police our own. These wizards practice the Art outside of the structures laid down by the 3 Cousins. They are the greastest threat for we know what can happen when a wizard goes renegade. Galen Dracos, Fistiantdilus and Raistlin Majere are a few examples of renegades that have threatened the world as individuals, how much more of those who are organized in an Order. No, they are a great threat.
As Master of the Conclave I give permission for even those of the White Robes to slay a Knight of the Thorn who refuses to come into allegiance with the Towers of High Sorcery and take their Test.
The Conclave and the Heads of the Orders nod in agreement at this statement.
Torald stands besides his friends and listens to the debate. During the debate his facial features start to show signs of disappointment. At one moment he seems to be unable to hold his speech back and he approaches the assembly in an humble intonation.
Good men and women. I'm just a humble servant of Paladine and of the Knights of Solamnia. But hearing this debate, I must speak.
I have learned both the teachings of the clergy and of the knights. And as early as my first lessons, my masters learned me to follow x guiding principles.
First humbleness.
Second dedication to our noble cause
Third honor
Let's recollect these principles to explore if these statements are true and if they are true to repel this threat.
We all swore to defend ansalon. Let us honour this oath.
Lady Crysania turns to both the cleric and the paladin, While you both have valid points, you must remember that it is in little things that Paladine is best served. This discussion is in the realm of the diplomats and the heads of organizations. Speaking out, you may speak the truth, but politics is often unconcerned with the truth. We have not all sworn to defend Ansalon. The Red and the Black Robes are concerend with magic, one for balance and the other for their own purposes. Even the White Robes, who serve good, serve the Magic first.
Turning to the assembly the Revered Daughter says, My Lords, there is much to this discussion. There are valid points on both sides. However, I believe that wisdom and tact are in order. While it would be impossible for us as organizations to investigate and perhaps draw undue attention to the Dark Knights. What I recommend is that a small group, made up of representatives of the organizations here be formed, though covertly, to investigate these claims and do what can be done to gather information on them.
Faelyn sits quietly behind his companions knowing not to speak in such company. He watches as a couple of his new friends speak up. Do they not realize these are the most powerful men and women on Ansalon? He is especially intrigued as the three heads on the Tower of High Sorcery explain how the order works. I wonder what part Justarius has for me to play in this.
"Will loyalty, honor, and order mean anything if they are working for evil purposes? Won't evil inevitably turn on itself? Isn't it too chaotic too control?" Chaucer couldn't help but wonder. As the conversation lulled, Chaucer once more found himself in the uncomfortable position of watching and listening as another of his companions seemed to speak out of turn. Again, truth was spoken, and in a tavern or in the common room of an inn somewhere in Southern Solamnia, Chaucer would have toasted the wise words of the servants of Paladine, but not here.
As Torald finishes speaking, Chaucer catches himself nodding as the Reverend Daughter gives them a slight rebuke. He then is left with nothing but admiration for her wisdom and for her ability to get through the talk and find a way to act in the most appropriately way possible. it might have taken these proud men hours to finally draw the conclusion that most in the room knew must be done, but here she speaks and immediately it is plain and simple too all.
"I wonder who will go. Tanis and Caramon are obviously known to the Knights, so they are out. The Reverend Daughter obviously shouldn't be the one to enter into the enemies lair. This requires men and women skilled in subterfuge, in diplomacy, and in deceit. I wonder who the most skilled, the most reliable men and women from the mage orders, from the Knights, and from the church in Paladine will wind up being."
The Revered Daughter of Paladine continues. My Lords, if you would allow me, I would chose the team. In order that their individual identities be known to only a few, I would know the complete identity of the team that has been chosen, while the Head of their order would only know their member or members. Do you agree with this? .
Sir Thomas speaks, You speak wisely, Revered Daughter. Though I do not think it is important for us to prepare for a threat that is not a thread I defer to your wisdom
The Master of the Conclave responds. This is something that the Conclave will need to discuss. While your idea may have some merit, Revered Daughter, we will not bow before the demands of the Church. We did not do so during the time of the Kingpriests nor will we begin to do so now. The Conclave, should it decide to undergo this action, will inform you of our decisions.
Faelyn continues to listen in on the conversation. His heart beats with excited expectation that he and his companions may be chosen.
Dalamar the Dark speaks, Perhaps it is best to retire for the evening and reconvene after the Conclave has had the opportunity to talk over these grave matters.
Sir Thomas speaks, How do we know that you Black Robes won't betray what we know to these Dark Knights. After all you all work for the same Queen.
Tanis Half-Elven retorts, Sir Thomas, the mages of Nuitari server the Son first and through him the Magic.
Justarius offers the guest rooms in the Tower of Wayreth for those who want to stay. The Knights decide that it is best if they leave as they do not trust wizardly magic. Lady Crysania says it would be imprudent for her to remain especially if this meeting is to remain secret. She turns to you and asks Will you stay?
Urgosh will nod toward the lady Crysania
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"I will remain Lady Crysaina. It was Paladine's will that I travel to the High Clericist Tower and arrive the very day the events occurred. And now an acolyte such as myself is embroiled in affairs that may well affect all of Anasalon. We of the Khur believe in fate and the gods go hand in hand and it is by this I have arrived where I am."
Chaucer's shock at the question coming from the Reverend Daughter is plain as day on his face. During his stunned silence, a few of his companions speak. Finally regaining his voice, Chaucer approaches the Lady and says, "Forgive me again malady, but when we came I said we were not worthy of such an honor. Now, this offer, I must admit, I don't understand it. Shouldn't we come back with you? What is there for us here? We obviously are not going to be the chosen ones, the conclave should choose ones more skilled and more experienced, so why should we stay here? Forgive me boldness, but I am confused as to why you even extend to us the offer. However, if you say you desire for us to stay, than I shall, otherwise, I would return with you if you will allow it."
Free will is one of the greatest gifts of the gods, Chaucer. Your destiny is your own to choose.
Choice. Destiny. Freedom. These things were far above Chaucer's head in the moment that he spoke. But as the Reverend Daughter spoke, they were brought down onto his level, forcing him to deal with these lofty ideals in that moment. As Lady Crysania stood, watching his face, Chaucer entered the battlefield of doubt and destiny.
The dream came again, "Move along boy, this isn't your business, this is Knight's business, you aren't a knight." The doubt came as well. "Who am I? I am just a commoner with armor and a horse. I am no one and I have done nothing. Why should I even consider the possibility of this? Can I ever become more than I am now? Nothing. Can I become more? How, if not now?" The words of his Aminah ring through his mind as well. "We of the Khur believe in fate and the gods go hand in hand and it is by this I have arrived where I am." Destiny, could it have brought him here. Could the gods have somehow orchestrated this to use him, Chaucer Tarsi, son of Jeptha and Rebanek Tarsi, to do something good? The doubt, and the questions assailed him and the battle raged for what seemed like eternity, but in reality, was just a few moments.
Finally, he lifted eyes the looked fatigued and weary in a way that hadn't moments before and said simply. "Malady, I know not why, but I will stay, and will see this through with my companions."
As the Reverend Daughter begins to bid them farewell, Chaucer remembers something else and says quietly, "This might seem insignificant, but I must ask, if I stay, what will become of my horse, Juliette? She is a faithful companion, and if fate doesn't send us back to Palanthus, I will not see her for sometime, and that is an uncomfortable realization for me to handle, silly though it might sound. What will become of her?"
I will stay if my services are still needed.
We will convene tomorrow. Your noble steed will be taken care of. The Tower of High Sorcery indeed is a fantastic place to be but know that you will probably not have much access to anything, though the wizards will be hospitable. Though you do not wear the Robes. I bid you farewell until I see you in the morning. And with that the Revered Daughter is teleported away by the White Robe who brought you all here.
Faelyn nods at the offer to stay in the tower. He thanks the Revered Daughter for her generosity. We should rest. Tomorrow may prove to be an eventful day.
Chaucer nods at Faelyn's words, and looks at his companions. Could destiny or fate really have led them all here? He contemplated asking them that very question, "What are we doing here, do we really think they could choose us, or even use us for that matter in some plan or scheme?" But as he looks into the eyes of his companions, the fog of fatigue can be seen. Valid questions, but they need to be saved for another time.
"Goodnight, and may Paladine continue to guide our steps." With that, he turned and headed off towards the door. A servant quickly noticed him and led him to his chambers.
Undressing for the second time that night, Chaucer looked at the bed, and remembered the dream. Taking a deep breath, he sets it aside, and lies down with thoughts of destiny, battle, and of Juliette. She is going to be mad at me when we get back..."
That evening passes relatively uneventful for the majority of the party.
While the Silvanesti is in his room he hears a tap on the door.
While Chaucer is in his room getting ready for bed all of a sudden there is a figure that materializes in the room dressed in the Black Robes.
Faelyn looks up from scribing and sets his quill down. He walks over to the door and opens it.
He sees a group of White Robed elves, made up of Silvanesti who ask if they can enter.
Chaucer takes his simple linen shirt off and tosses it over a chair in the corner of the room. As he turns to get into bed, he finds that he is no longer alone in the room any longer. The figure is in the room wearing black robes and looking at him. His surprise is obvious, and his hands go to his waist where his warhammer usually hangs.
Cursing that he is unarmed and unarmored, facing an evil wizard, Chaucer has no real options. "Alright, you have caught me with my pants down... so to speak at least" He says with a smile as he looks down at his leather breeches, the only piece of clothing he still has on. "What do you want?"
Believe me Chaucer Tarsi, had I wished to do something to you, in either mind or body, such as draining the will from your delicate yet damaged psyche or the soul from your body, it would be no problem. There are also other ways to hurt you without harming you. Horse hooves can be used for a few magical components the Silvanesti elf says with a smile.
Faelyn opens the door wider to allow entry. By all means. He bows as they enter. How may I be of service masters?
They speak in Silvanesti Faelyn Sindrel, we have come to invite you back to the folds of your people and to invite you to return from your ways before you are labeled a dark elf. If these renegades are indeed such a threat, the power of Solinari and the elven people will be sorely tested and we will need as many elven white robes as possible both in defense of Silvanesti and the elven people, but also Ansalon.
"I have no doubt that if you desired to, you could do things to me that I could barely even imagine. However, as one of my hosts, that would seem an awful rude thing to do don't you think? Not to mention since you haven't already, I will assume you aren't going to, which is a relief, but really, you have to bring my horse into this? That just seems a bit silly and petty to me." Chaucer tries to joke to help his already frayed nerves and to keep him from saying something he knew he would regret. At this point, between the dream, the trip to the temple, the conclave meeting itself, and now, here, this meeting, he wasn't in the best state of mind.
"How about this, how about you tell me who you are, and what you want, and then we can all go to bed. I don't know what kind of day you have had, but that bed, even in a Tower of Sorcery, still looks pretty good to me."
We have met before Chaucer Tarsi, outside of my Tower in Palanthus. I came to give this to you he brings out a bag from his robes. A "friend" of yours wanted you to have this if anything happened to him. In the bag are clothes and a signet ring. There are also some very nice boots. The clothes and boots are very nice.
This bed should be comfortable and fluffy. Probably the last goodnight i will have in a while turning and testing the bed before going to sleep
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Aminah Mikku asks one of the wizards "Is there a shrine to the gods in this tower good sir. Surely as worshipers of the three moons you must have a place of worship. In my homeland many of our temples have shrines to ever god and goddess, even those of evil. I may worship the Paladine above the others but I have respect for the moon gods above us."
Chaucer's mind goes back to when they first arrived in Palanthas. Standing distracted outside the Tower of High Sorcery, he had barely registered anything other than the not-so-surprising news that Kendros was a mage of some kind and was off to take his test. But standing there now, Chaucer realizes who he has been snarky with. This was Dalamar the Dark.
"Dalamar, master of the Tower in Palanthas" he states matter of factly. "What happened to Kendros? Did he not survive the Test?"
The female apprentice mage, dressed in white robes who accompanies Aminah to her room replies, I am sorry cleric of Paladine. There are only 3 gods who hold sway in any of the Towers of High Sorcery, Solinari the White, Nuitari the Black and Lunitari the Red. We wizards do not worship the Gods of Magic in the way that you clerics do.
Dalamar says, I come to bring you the personal property of Kendros of Solanthus. He will no longer need it. Since we knew of no family who we could it back to I decided to give it to you. He had considered you more than an acquatience, it was discovered as a part of his testing. What a talent we lost.
Chaucer quietly stares at Dalamar. "He had considered you more than an acquaintance..." His mind was still trying to process How could that be, I knew him for just a few days... He was a noble from Solanthus, he had to have family, or friends.. Kendros, how I wish you had proved me wrong, how I wish you had survived."
With a voice a bit more choked up than he intended, he says simply, "Thank you for this. Is there anything you can tell me about his death? I didn't know him long, but I prayed for him during his Test...
He was not strong enough in his magic to be able to continue his studies. Therefore the Test did what it was designed to do, cull the chaff from the wheat
My Lady, the very fact that magic prospers in the world, especially in our Towers, is shrine enough for the 3 Cousins. Here magic, white, black and red reigns supreme. There is no shrine. Now if you will excuse me I must be about my studies.
"Callous, but then again, so was I when Kendros and I parted company." "Thank you again for bringing me news of Kendros' fate, but unless there is more, I think it is time that I get some rest."
An interesting reaction from one who claims to follow E'li whose doctrine of care and compassion must have been lost to the lower classes and towards one who actually looked beneath his station in an attempt to bring a mongrel up out of the pallor of sewage that Tarsi is.
And with that he is gone from the room.
Chaucer knew sleep would be hard to come by as the Dark Elf's biting criticism still rang in his ears. He had hoped that Kendros would survive, dawn the white robes, and prove his understanding of him wrong. But now... Chaucer paces the room alternating between justification for his actions and accusation for inappropriate behavior and conversation. Finally, he settled down on the edge of the bed, head in his hands staring at the floor, closed his eyes and said, "Paladine, I have failed you. As Lady Crysania just reminded us, to be faithful to you means to be faithful in the small things, in how I speak, in how I act... forgive me. If it be fitting, allow me a chance to redeem myself, a chance to be faithful once more."
With that, Chaucer laid back on his bed, room still lit, and finally, exhaustion overtook him. The dream, the travel, the conclave, the conversation with Dalamar, all of it finally caught up to him and hit him like a punch to the chest. He closed his eyes, and finally drifted off to a short night's rest.
I am going to see how the Silvanesti conversation goes but I want to continue forward...
The next morning you are awakened with the smells of a wonderful banquet. There are breads and jams, roast pork and venision. There is fresh fruit and the smell of bacon and eggs. Fresh apple cider and water are also in jugs while chilled milk is available.
After eating you are brought into a small suite where the Revered Daughter of Paladine sits, accompanied by the White Robed wizard.
Good morning my dear friends. I trust that your rest was recreational and rejuvenating? Last night I spent the night in vigil and in prayer waiting for the dawn and Paladine to hear my prayers and offer guidiance. In supplication and with tears I asked for his noble guidance, and this morning, at the dawn, he answered. In the vision granted to me, the Platinum Father appeared not in his guise of the Valiant Warrior or the Platinum Dragon. Rather, he appeared in the guise of Fizban the Fabulous. In the vision the Platinum Dragon showed me each of you who have been chosen by the gods of light and neautrality to find out what you can about these Dark Knights.
Please understand that there is much risk involved. None can know of your mission. You must investigate in a most prudent fashion these knights. For some it may cost your life and for others your very souls. If you chose this, please know that I will be the only person to effectively know who you are. However, my involvement can never be known. Do you have any questions for me?
I am going to see how the Silvanesti conversation goes but I want to continue forward...
what do you mean by effectively know who we are ? asked Urgosh
The members of your group will only be known to me as a whole , Urgosh.
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She gives a respectful bow to the Reverend Daughter and says, "I an honored to be chosen for such an important task. I fully understand the risk that will be undertaken on this mission but I serve the cause of Paladine and his divine will be done."
"As for our initial search, we should make our way towards this Storm Keep. Our group will require travel directions as well as provisions to supply our journey. There is little more we can find in Palanthas on this mystery but perhaps as we get closer to the source of this evil we can gather more information."