"The threat to Seremoreh which we now face first rose ages ago. It was a time of both great knowledge and great conflict. Empires rose and fell in a generation. Warlords dominated much of the world and their conflicts with one another were prodigious. To each his victory over the others was paramount. For some, any means to achieve victory was an acceptable means to achieve victory. These men were willing to pay any price to accomplish their ends. One such leader was Iskandar the Black. Iskandar was one of the greatest of the warlords of those times and some said he was the favored of the gods."
"If he was, however, they were dark gods. Iskandar was not content with the lands which he could conquer using just the armies of men who inhabited his homeland, although those armies were very fierce and he himself was a military genius. He wanted to conquer the world. To do so, he needed more might than could be found in his armies."
"So he made a bargain with a wicked sorcerer who had gained evil arcane knowledge. Not only was the sorcerer with whom Iskandar dealt wicked, but his skill was nonpareil. His knowledge of necromancy, sorcery, and thaumaturgy was unsurpassed. Yes, I said necromancy. Even though such its practice had even then long been taboo, Draling had become an adept in the foulest of magics. The sorcerer, who is known to history as Draling, was not content to let the dead rest. He used the energy of their spirits and their fleshly remains to power his evil experiments. He also was well versed in alchemy and, using his dark arts, he created for Iskandar a new race made from human whose souls had been torn from their bodies and replaced by the spirits of dire wolves who had been starved and mistreated until both their hatred of human beings and their hunger knew no bounds. When they were fed, the beasts were fed manflesh, so that they would acquire a taste for their enemies.
* * * * *
The old mage broke off from his narrative and shook his head. He looked out at the rapt audience and growled, “Why this was supposed to imprint the beast’s descendants I don't understand. It makes little sense that simply eating something will give your children a taste for it as anyone who has ever tried to convince a child that the butter-covered mushrooms which they so adore are truly tasty. There had to be something more, something magical that invoked the law of contagion involved. But that is part of an argument that has little point in this story.”
* * * * *
“At any rate,” he murmured as he resumed his narrative, “To this evil combination, Draling added an alchemical elixir made from the glands of huge ferocious amphibians which roamed the land and seas of the far north then. This elixir changed the bodies of Draling's creatures from something human to something far, far different, the beasts we call trolls. The man-wolves grew and changed until they reached heights of over ten feet with skin that was scaled and leathery and lizard green in color. Their bones grew thick and their sinews enormous. Like many of the small amphibians which exist in Seremoreh today, these creatures gained the ability to regenerate parts of their body which were lost. Fortunately, they were not particularly intelligent."
Jerrod glanced nervously at the creature who was devouring the enormous platters of food by the taproom's hearth as he listened to Astall's story. The old man didn't seem worried about it, though, so Jerrod decided that perhaps he was safe despite the resemblance of their fellow guest to the evil creatures which the archmage described. Still, one could never be too sure.
"Their leader, however, was. Iskandar chose to become like one of his new race of monsters. Like them, he was treated by Draling with the elixir of amphibians. He, too, changed physically until no creature could stand before him. He kept his intellect, however. His ravening hunger for conquest made him just as rapacious as the beasts who had been created from humans whose souls had been replaced by the spirits of dire wolves."
"Instead of animal cunning, however, he had a human mind in that monstrous body and one of genius at that. He saw that magic could provide power that military might could not. He bade Draling teach him the arcane arts. He was an apt student, so apt that because of the enormous energy that his new body provided, he soon surpassed Draling in thaumaturgic strength if not skill. Skills, as you know, take more time. Still, Iskandar mastered the lore which Draling offered as if it represented countries to be conquered. Perhaps for him it did."
"At any rate he quickly grew in knowledge. Just as quickly, he grew tired of the discipline with which any practitioner of the arts of the supernatural must abide. He began to resent Draling for imposing that discipline. Iskandar decided that he must have absorbed all that Draling had to offer. Why else would the dark mage force such petty limitations on him? It was not his nature to bow to the will of another. The resentment that Iskandar felt soon grew into rancor and Iskandar decided to do away with his mentor in the black arts."
"Iskandar slew Draling in a duel arcane that surpassed any that had gone before. Perhaps had his teacher been prepared for the battle the outcome would have been different. Perhaps he could have overcome Iskandar's tremendous thaumaturgic strength and the prepared spells which the young emperor had awaiting him. But he wasn't and so he didn't. Draling died. But not before he cursed Iskandar. He called the wrath of the heavens down on the young emperor and using every bit of power and energy which was his -- and he was a great sorcerer -- he doomed Iskandar to die the moment the young emperor achieved his goal of world domination and to never have any progeny to whom he could leave his legacy."
"Iskandar's goal was one which the rest of the world would rather not see fulfilled. The other warlords and their magicians banded together to stop Iskandar and his armies and his newly created armies of trolls, for that is what Draling had concocted -- trolls. Even so, the dark emperor almost succeeded in his dark quest. His armies and their monstrous allies were all but unstoppable when directed by the military genius of Iskandar. Somehow he had to be riven from them."
"Assassination was attempted. It failed. Mortal wounds healed in moments when inflicted on the dark one. Poisons didn't seem to have any lasting impact. Even attempts by sorcery failed. Perhaps it was the alteration to his makeup which the elixir had wrought. Perhaps the curse of Draling kept Iskandar alive to ensure that he would see his greatest triumph reft from him just as it came into his grasp. More likely, the two worked in tandem with Iskandar's own black skills to keep the evil emperor alive."
"The councils of the other warlords decided that if Iskandar could not be killed then he must be imprisoned somewhere he could never be freed. That was a far greater task than mere assassination. It required both military prowess to fight his armies to a standstill and magical might to offset that of the dark ruler."
"To the second end, seven items of power were forged. Each had a role to play in imprisoning of Iskandar. Each was keyed to one of his abilities, its role to suspend Iskandar's ability in a specific area. There was one for his sorcery, one for his wizardry, one for his necromancy, one to remove his alchemical transformation, one for his thaumaturgic abilities, one for his military genius, and one for his theistic influence."
"Each item was attuned to a single hero who must needs activate it in Iskandar's presence. Each hero was singular in his abilities whether magical or military. Some were skilled in both arts. But all were the cream of the warlords' military and magical forces."
"In order to accomplish the task of negating Iskandar, a desperate battle was planned in which all of the forces of the opponents of the evil emperor were committed. The forces of the warlords far outnumbered those of Iskandar, but the only way in which they could guarantee that at least a draw would be gained was by offsetting Iskandar's military genius with numbers. And at least a draw was necessary, for the plan demanded that during the battle the seven heroes come into Iskandar's presence so they could subdue his powers and capture him. With a draw or in the unlikely circumstance of a victory, they could perhaps in the confusion of battle draw near enough to activate their individual agent of Iskandar's defeat without being slain immediately by the villain's minions."
"Suffice it to say that the seven were successful. During the conclusive battle in the war against Iskandar, they drew near enough to Iskandar to activate their objects of power. They battled through his bodyguard, which was no mean feat for it was made up of the fiercest of the trolls and the most doughty of his human minions. The seven survived Iskandar's magic, again no mean feat for, as I said, his troll body generated enormous energy both magical and mundane."
"The heroes' might and skill surpassed those of Iskandar well enough in that battle that they could imprison his abilities. With his abilities went his ability to control the trolls. And with the loss of his powers and his dominion over the trolls, his freedom departed. The trolls turned on Iskandar's human armies, their erstwhile allies, and tore the men limb from limb. Having briefly sated their hunger and no longer being under the sway of Iskandar they quit the battlefield and left the evil emperor to his fate."
"The seven captured the one. They negated his magic and locked him in chains. He was dragged from the battlefield like a felon. His death was again sought but none could find its key. In time, the warlords forsook the task of slaying Iskandar. Instead they imprisoned him in the far north and scattered the objects which confined his powers. One each went to the seven most powerful of the warlords for safekeeping."
"That was thousands of cycles ago. Despite occasional attempts by the warlords of that time to collect the objects of power for their own nefarious ends, the artifacts gradually were lost to human ken. They found places of safety in the dim corners of the world."
"I recovered one from the queen of spiders. That is how I met the warrior twins. The others must now be recovered and the chains with which they bound the powers of Iskandar must be reforged. For once again, the power-mad monster stirs. He seeks the restoration of his might and the recreation of his empire. That is why the unseasonable chill has crept into Seremoreh. The chill makes life more comfortable for the trolls whom he once again influences. The trolls search for the keys to Iskandar's mystic powers in order to return them to him so he can regain his strength."
"We must stop them. We must gather the items ourselves and reinforce the bonds which secure Iskandar. That is the task of you and your companions-to-be. You are this age's analogues to the heroes of Iskandar's time. Only you can activate the items and renew the bonds which confine the evil demiurge. No one else can accomplish that task and will you or nil you, whether you have come into your powers or not that is the geas I lay upon you."
Astall's eyes grew abruptly more intense. Jerrod felt a sort of panic deep in his soul which was quickly replaced by a feeling of steely determination that seemed to come from outside him to accomplish the binding of Iskandar.
"You must expect intense opposition to your quest, however, Jerrod. Despite your own nascent skills and those of your companions, no easy task has been set before you. Most of the objects which bound Iskandar have been lost over time. The only one which we know the whereabouts of for certain is this wand which I bequeath to you now. The others are yours to seek. As I said the trolls will attempt to stop you and gain the keys. Perhaps other minions of evil will attempts to hinder your attempts to gather the keys. They will attempt to gather them for themselves and their master. Still others may seek to prevent you for their own less nefarious reasons. There are certainly going to be guardians whose sole purpose is to protect the keys from treasure-seekers. You must win through all difficulties by your strength and your skill and that of your companions."
"The only aid which I can offer at present is the nature of each of the objects and the ability which it extracted from Iskandar. That, and a possible location for one of the items besides the wand. Perhaps over time I will be able to do more. I found the wand of wizardry created by Torvil which I have just consigned to you through the study of ancient tomes. Mayhap such study will bear more fruit in the near future. Barring that, you and your companions are on your own with the knowledge that I pass on to you."
"As I said there are seven items which you must gather. The first key, the wand of Torvil, I have given to Jerrod. It removes Iskandar's ability to use transformation to achieve his ends. I have given the wand to you because you, Jerrod, are the present day analog of the one for whom the wand was originally created."
"The powers that be have been kind to us, Jerrod. Or perhaps not. Perhaps it is just part of some grand design and we are just pawns or playthings in the hands of powers far greater than ours. In one land they believe that all of our lives are a part of a great tapestry which is constantly being woven and each thread in that tapestry is created and braided with a purpose. No single strand is allowed to destroy the integrity of the whole. For each strand or life which poses a threat to the balance of the tapestry, there is another or a group of others which offset its influence. Perhaps they are right in that faraway place. The threat that Iskandar poses to the world must be balanced by heroes who can defeat him. That was true long ago. Perhaps it is true now. We won't know until you have accomplished your quest."
"Each of those in the group which we have gathered has been determined by the best means at our disposal to be the analog to one of those heroes of yore. You, Jerrod, are the analog of the greatest wizard of that day. While you have not yet come into the fullness of your power, you have the potential to become the greatest of practitioners of the art of transformation of the present day. You must grow into that power in a hurry though, or all will be lost when Iskandar establishes his dominion over the world."
"Your companions-to-be are each are the analog of another of the great heroes of the past. Each is attuned to an object of power...."
Astall shook his head. "I must be getting old," he muttered half to himself. "There I go repeating myself again."
"At any rate, the other six objects are a sword, an amulet, a staff, a coronet, a ring, and a cape of black. The sword nullifies Iskandar's military genius when it is brought into his presence. It is keyed to Enki and Urki. Either or both. Because they are twins they are indistinguishable from each other in this matter. Both have the ability to meet the need and do that which needs to be done."
"The amulet severs his ability to contact the spirit world. It is keyed to that woodsman over there. The staff is keyed to his priestly companion and blocks Iskandar's theistic connections. The coronet is linked to the woman dressed in black seated in the corner. It prevents Iskandar from tapping into his immense stores of thaumaturgic energy. The ring can be activated by that large green person over there by the fire. It will reverse Iskandar's transformation into one of the trollkin."
The last item is an ebon cape. The cape is in reality more of a death shroud than a normal item of clothing. It serves a dual purpose. First, when worn in the presence of the evil would-be emperor, it frustrates any attempt which he might make to use or influence the dead. Second, if it can be placed over him it will put him into an enchanted slumber that will last for another ten thousand years. The cape can only be activated by the last of your companions. He is in some ways the most powerful of your associates. Although he may not appear to, in some ways he rivals me in magical skill. In others, particularly the darker arts, he far surpasses my abilities."
"Who is he? When will he arrive?" Jerrod interjected.
"Don't be dense, youngster. Like the rest of you, he is already here. You were the last to arrive. This is far to important a conversation to have when anyone but you and your companions or those who are as fully committed to stopping the tide of evil could hear. I may be getting on in years but I'm not completely senile! He is that rather nondescript fellow over at the bar."
"I suppose I should introduce you to the rest of your comrades-to-be. You will be spending quite a bit of time together from here on out." With that, Astall stood and strode toward the center of the common room. He climbed up onto one of the trestle tables as if he were as nimble as a young lad.
"My friends," he called. "It is time for you to meet the last of your company. Jerrod, come over here."
Jerrod seemed drawn to his old mentor as if he had no will of his own. It was almost as if he were a marionette on a string. He clambered up onto the table where the old mage stood and bowed to each of the gathered strangers, all seemingly without volition. The others in the room stood as one and began to approach in unison.
The moment was strange to say the least. There was an unnatural energy which seemed to pervade the room and made the world seem as if it were shrouded in a brilliant mist which clung to the others but did not obscure Jerrod's view of them. Even more singular than the strange mist which pervaded the room was another scene which seemed to fade in and out of Jerrod's view. It was almost as if he was in two places at once or as if two distinct visions of the world were at war with one another.
"My friends," he cried, "it is good to see you once again!"
Suddenly everything in Jerrod's world went black.
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