Chapter 43 The Manuscript
When the three arrived back at the inn, they went to Aisha’s chambers where they found Misara watching over her as she slept. But Kort did not enter and stayed outside the room by the hallway. Revik then handed the satchel bag containing the manuscript to Misara.
“You found it!” Misara exclaimed. “Yes,” Beret said.
Misara took out the manuscript and began reading it.
Revik stepped outside the room and went to Kort.
“What is the matter?” Revik asked Kort “We were being followed from the library,”
Kort said to him.
Revik became alarmed. He considered casting warding spells to keep them safe from possible intruders. But he still felt weak from his encounter with the undying. He dared not risk it, he thought.
“I will stand guard outside,” Kort told him. “You can tell me later what you learn from this manuscript.”
Revik nodded.
He then went back inside the room where he found Misara carefully reading the pages of the manuscript. Beret was standing by the window appearing to watch the people outside. Revik could see that the view from the window was not obscured by other buildings or trees. There was no place for an assassin to position himself, he thought.
Minutes passed before Misara finally spoke. “This portion of the manuscript appears to have been written by my uncle,” Misara said. “I recognize the handwriting as he would write letters to me while I was at the Temple of Misar.”
Revik could see Misara appear a bit saddened by this fact.
“Let me read to you what it says about the Time of Despair,” Misara said.
Revik and Beret listened to Misara carefully.
*****
When the comet appeared seven hundred years ago, this heralded the beginning of the Time of Despair.
Qorath was a being like no other. From all the separate accounts, he is said to be invulnerable to physical and mystical harm. But his origins were unknown.
Qorath formed an army composed of scattered barbarian tribes and launched an assault on the kingdoms. As his conquests grew, his ambition became insatiable. He learned of the Tome of Ascension which held the key to attaining godhood itself.
A high priest whose temple was not identified came into possession of the Tome of Ascension. According to accounts, the ritual was to be performed on a high mountaintop. It also required that the world be blanketed by despair, which would fuel the ritual’s power.
In order for this to happen, Qorath enlisted the aid of a necromancer from the Tower of Dark Magic. They devised a plan to spread a plague that would cause despair among the people
In the Town of Selagim, the necromancer is said to have created what was called the Stone of Affliction. In it he imprisoned a spirit whose only purpose was to spread disease. The Stone was embedded deep into the ground and could not be moved. So smaller pieces of the stone were chipped off and then scattered throughout the realms. Each piece had the power to cause people to become sick.
By spreading disease, people would lose hope. And their despair would feed the ritual that would transform Qorath into a god.
In the Kingdom of Arkamas, the Seven Holy Knights of the Royal Order were tasked to lead the king’s armies to thwart the advance of Qorath’s barbarian hordes.
But as Qorath waited for the world to be covered by despair, the tide of war began to turn. Qorath’s barbarian hordes were now being defeated by the armies under the command of the Holy Knights.
Qorath began to fear that the armies of Arkamas would prevent the ritual from being performed. So he commanded the Necromancer to use the Tome of Shadows to summon an invincible army. It was the army of the undying.
While the undying was being unleashed upon the armies of Arkamas, the Necromancer together with his sorcerers of dark magic mounted simultaneous assaults on the other towers of magic.
When the wizards of the Tower of Elemental Magic were slaughtered, it was at that point when the Archon of the Tower Elemental Magic decided to join the campaign against Qorath.
Meanwhile, the armies led by the Holy Knights could not contend with the armies of the undying. The armies of Arkamas were now being defeated. The king then enlisted the help of the High Servant of Misar. Calling upon the power of the old gods, the High Servant was able to aid the Holy Knights in defeating the undying.
The last remaining Holy Knight, Lord Eruel had learned that despite his impending defeat, Qorath was still panning to complete the Ritual of Ascension. Together with the Archon of the Tower of Elemental Magic and the High Servant of Misar, they marched to the peak of the mountain where Qorath had planned to complete the ritual.
They found Qorath about to begin. But upon seeing the three, the high priest who was with Qorath fled and dropped the Tome of Ascension.
Confident of his invincibility, Qorath took out his fabled war axe and battled the three. He went after the High Servant first in order to eliminate their healer.
The Archon knew his offensive spells would not work against Qorath. So, instead he readied his Spell of Imprisonment. But the spell took time to cast. So it fell upon Sir Eruel to keep Qorath at bay while the Archon completed the spell.
Despite his unequaled skill and the Holy Sword in his hands, Sir Eruel began to tire as he blocked blow after deadly blow from Qorath’s axe. He had to keep Qorath from attacking the Archon while the spell was being cast. Moments before the Spell of Imprisonment was about to be completed, Sir Eruel failed to evade Qorath’s attack. Qorath buried his axe deep into his chest. Sir Eruel died there on the mountain.
But Sir Eruel’s sacrifice allowed the Archon to complete the Spell of Imprisonmentandtrapped Qorath deep in the mountain with powerful mystical wards. But casting the spell weakened the Archon greatly.
When the Archon’s apprentice finally arrived, they buried the bodies of the High Servant and the Holy Knight there on top of the mountain. He hence named it the Mountain of Sorrow. The Archon wrote an account of all that he had witnessed. He then attempted to destroy the Tome of Ascension. But having been created by the combined power of all the archons of the many towers of magic, the Tome was impervious to his power alone.
And so he and his apprentice traveled to the Howling Desert far to the east. Upon reaching their destination, with his last remaining strength the Archon cast a final spell burying the Tome of Ascension deep in the heart of the desert. The Archon then perished.
*****
After listening to what Misara had read from the manuscript, Revik wondered about the present time.
“Does it say anything about a prophecy?” Revik asked Misara.
Misara began to read further. Her eyes widened in alarm.
She looked at Revik and asked, “When is the next great eclipse?”
Revik knew she was referring to the time when Estar, the bright moon would shield the world from the light of the sun.
“Two days from now,” Revik replied. “Oh no,” Misara said in a whisper.