The War Without End – Episode 2.5
Ebon is deeply disturbed by Legagog’s revelation. Until now he has ignored the unsettling feelings that gnawed at his belly during the meeting with Sigora. Now the spider creature’s words bring those fears into focus.
“Perhaps the name was merely chosen to mislead those who interpreted its meaning” Legagog offers.
But Ebon is not reassured.
Legagog leaves the young man musing over what he has learned and turns to Baratus.
“Baratus, there is a matter that I would discuss with you”, he continues. “Perhaps, as a worshiper of Fharlanghan, the god of roads and wayfarers, you would see that a traveller who carries a message for the wizard Heiron reaches his destination?”
Baratus says that he will.
Then Legagog asks to speak with Elsabeth in private. Though surprisingly he adds, “Stanton, as a practitioner of the arcane arts, you might also wish to hear this.”
Ebon hesitates for a moment, wishing to ensure that Elsabeth is happy with the arrangement. The sorceress nods her assent and one of Legagog’s daughters leads Ebon and Baratus to a nearby cavern to wait. While they are there they are introduced to the messenger that Legagog spoke of, a Dwarven barbarian named Kellard.
Wary of possibile deception, Ebon questions the Dwarf about how he came to be carrying a message for Heiron. In answer Kellard plunges into an extravagant tale of the forest, a druid and a dragon. Once the lengthy tale has reached its rather outlandish climax, Ebon looks askance at the Dwarf and asks with a certain amount of irritation “Yes, but what about the message?”
“Oh, the message!” Kellard exclaims. “Well that’s another story”
After Kellard’s dissembling has frustrated Ebon and Baratus for some time, it becomes apparent that the, rather slow-witted, Dwarf has no idea how he comes to have the message, nor whom it is from, what it is about or even what form it takes. All he knows is that one day he woke up with the knowledge that he must find a wizard named Heiron and deliver an important message to him. He is not sure how he will achieve this, but he feels confident that he will know when the time comes.
Ebon is a little sceptical but hesitantly agrees that Kellard may accompany them.
A couple of hours pass and the three start to wonder how long they are expected to wait. Eventually Legagog’s daughter returns and provides them with an answer to this question. It seems that the business between Legagog and Elsabeth will probably take a couple of days.
“Do you wish to stay or to leave?” she asks them.
As Ebon has made arrangements at the Temple of Heironeous for Fallana’s redemption to commence at noon, he cannot linger but he is reluctant to go without first talking to Elsabeth. He doesn’t entirely trust Legagog.
A short while later, at Ebon’s request, Elsabeth comes to see them. She seems a little preoccupied and Ebon tells her that if she has any doubts about her safety he will stay, but she convinces him that everything will be fine. There are things she needs to learn, things that will further her mastery of the magical arts. She has sought to discuss them with Heiron for some time but the old wizard is always too busy. Legagog however is willing and able to teach her.
“Are you sure you know what you are doing?” Ebon asks. Wondering what Legagog will demand in exchange for such tutelage.
“Don’t worry Ebon, I can take care of myself” Elsabeth assures him. Then she looks at him sadly “Perhaps while I am here I will also find sanctuary from Kai’s ghost” she adds.
She tells Ebon that she will return to Sigil soon. She will not forsake him to face Marann alone. She will be there to stand beside her friend. Ebon thanks her.
“If you have need of me Elsa, send word and I will come”, he says tenderly.
And so Ebon and Baratus say their farewells and depart from Legagog’s lair, taking the Dwarf Kellard with them. Stanton remains with Elsabeth.
The trio follow the road to the edge of the spider creature’s domain and then Baratus magically transports them to a nearby portal that he knows of. They hope that by departing by a different path, they will avoid any more trouble with the creatures that ambushed them on their way there through the forest.
The air shimmers and Ebon, Baratus and Kellard step out onto a low knoll jutting from the swampy ground surrounding the portal. The gateway itself is an old archway in a partially ruined wall.
Cautiously they move forward, picking their way between the marshy pools. Flies buzz around them but the birds are suspiciously silent. There is a definite sense that something is not as it should be.
Then, with a great flapping of wings, a huge Green Dragon erupts from the waters and, as the three companions scatter, the creature breathes out a stream of noxious bile that spatters their armour and garments. Immediately, the acidic substance starts to bubble and hiss and the Dragon falls upon them, thrashing and tearing at them with teeth and claws.
Snatching Ebon up in its jaws it tosses him aside and then bears down on Baratus.
It is then that the cleric recognises their attacker. It is Leannapazrak the Dragon that he, Elsabeth, Kai, Sa’ara, Growler and Shredda defeated during their previous visit to Lexploor Forest. The cleric is surprised to see it again so soon after its apparent demise and wonders from what source the fearsome creature has gained its noticeable increase in power. It would seem most likely that a more potent adversary is behind it. For a moment, Baratus muses over who it might be and then he uses the power of his ring and promptly vanishes.
Roaring, Leannapazrak violently slashes him with its claws, catching him unawares. It seems that the Dragon can see him even though he is invisible.
“Don’t think you can hide from me that easily little man”, it spits.
As Baratus reels from his injuries he is at Leannapazrak’s mercy but, at that moment, Kellard launches a furious assault, distracting the Dragon long enough for the cleric to move away. Then Ebon also joins the fray.
But the Dragon proves more than formidable. Moments later its maw opens and it breathes out another stream of acid. The droplets corrode mercilessly through metal and flesh and even Baratus’s powers of healing are hard pressed to alleviate the pain.
With the situation worsening, the cleric calls upon the might of his god, Fharlanghn, and divine fire rains down on Leannapazrak, but the outcome is not what Baratus anticipated. The intense heat causes a necklace of fireballs that hangs unnoticed about the Dragon’s neck to explode. And the massive fireball that erupts envelops everything in the vicinity. Within the terrible inferno, trees and grass are scorched to ash, water boils from the pools and the four combatants are consumed.
Burned and blinded, barely alive, Baratus staggers out of the conflagration. Behind him, seemingly oblivious to the flames, Leannapazrak emerges. She chomps down on the cleric and begins tearing him to pieces.
In the wake of the inferno Ebon’s charred body is revealed lying on the scorched earth. His fingers twitch slightly and then he lays still. The ghostly figure of Seraphine materialises but there is nothing she can do for him, he is dead.
Kellard is the only one of the three companions still standing. It seems that his body hasn’t quite figured out that he is dead yet. Though he is burned and blackened and maddened with pain, he screams obscenities and makes a last frenzied charge against the Dragon, but with little effort Leannapazrak finishes him.
Darkness… and then light.
A couple of days later, Ebon wakes up in the Temple of Pelor in Sigil with Heiron waiting anxiously at his bedside. The old wizard explains that as a personal favour, Ebon has been raised from the dead by Cardinal Harghan.
Ebon relates all that has happened, including Legagog’s revelation that Sigora Brern is an anagram of Grisa Reborn. Heiron is visibly troubled by this but adamantly maintains that the Lich Queen cannot be his daughter.
Then Ebon tells the old wizard that Legagog also stated that the Blind Clockmaker is the only being who might know the way to get Blanca out of Carynach. Heiron visibly pales at this and warns Ebon that any attempt to approach this deity-like being would be tantamount to suicide. The Blind-Clockmaker is one of the Beneloth, who are direct servants of the Enemy and the creators of the Yugoloth. Heiron has not brought his grandson back from death to have him throw his life away. He assures Ebon that they will find another, less foolhardy, way of saving Blanca.
After discussing these issues, Heiron transports Ebon back to the Fortress of the Second and leaves him to rest in his room.
The next day Ebon gets up and finds his old set of armour and a glaive from the armoury. He is still far from full strength, but there are things he needs to attend to.
Gingerly he dons the equipment and sets off for the Temple of Heironeous to find out what has happened regarding Fallana.
When he arrives the Prelate enquires as to what happened to him and then informs him that the raising of Fallana cannot be performed. In his great wisdom the god Heironeous has decreed that death is a fitting punishment for Fallana. Hence the Church will not be party to bringing her back. Ebon argues the case but soon recognises that there is little point in debating the god’s decree. The decision is final.
“I must ask you to remove her body from the church or we will be forced to dispose of it” the Prelate finishes harshly.
Angrily Ebon departs, taking Fallana’s body with him.
He sets off back to the Fortress of the Second but on the way, after an altercation with a couple of Doomguard, he encounters a serene young woman shrouded in white, who offers him guidance.
“You and your friend will find Pelor more forgiving,” she advises unbidden.
“Who are you and why are you helping me?” Ebon asks her warily.
The woman smiles and hands him an amulet that he recognises as his own. Blanca gave it to him when he left the Pale. He was wearing it when he died.
“I am but a lowly emissary doing the bidding of my Celestial mistress” the woman says. “I do not profess to understand her design. She wants you to know that a Balsam, who went by the name of Seraphine, has rejoined the Blessed Host. She wishes you well.”
Ebon is heartened to learn that Seraphine is safe but also saddened that he has lost yet another ally in the fight against evil.
Then he realises that the young woman has begun to fade. Her message delivered she is leaving.
“Wait…” he pleads.
But she is gone as mysteriously as she arrived.
Sensing he should trust the young woman, Ebon follows her advice and goes to the Temple of Pelor to seek an audience with Cardinal Harghan. The Cardinal sees him almost immediately and listens intently as Ebon tells him as much as he dares of what has occurred and of Fallana’s background, including the fact that he has already been turned down by the Prelate at the Temple of Heironeous.
When he has finished, Harghan regards him with a look of pious wisdom. The moment drags on, until eventually the clergyman speaks.
“I can see that you believe very strongly that this woman deserves another chance. Such faith in a friend is admirable and it would be remiss of me not to petition the Shining One on your behalf. Return tomorrow and you will have your answer. Rest assured that, for those who open their eyes and look upon his shining countenance, His Love is infinite. I feel certain that He will grace Fallana with another chance to embrace His Love for what it is – our salvation.”
Though Ebon is a little sceptical in the face of the Cardinal’s religious fervour, he does as he is bidden and the next day, as promised, Fallana is raised by the divine grace of Pelor.
When she awakens there is a flicker of recognition, which is rapidly replaced by suspicion.
For the time being she is placed in the care of the church and kept confined under the watchful eye of the clerics. Ebon has visitation rights whenever he wishes and Harghan preaches to her daily in an effort to redeem her. Wanting to do all that he can to help her, Ebon asks to be present at these sessions and Harghan welcomes him, as it is a vital part of the process to convince Fallana that someone cares for her.
There is a long, hard struggle ahead however.
Notes:
The Med-Jai previously encountered Leannapazrak in Episode 1.17: Dragons, Spiders and Trolls (Part Two)
During this episode we see a cut scene of Graffan conversing with the Dragon Leannapazrak. Graffan looks much older than he did when we saw him last and his armour is now adorned with symbols of Hextor. At his side is the Gelugon, the Ice Devil that the Med-Jai briefly encountered during the last episode. There is some indication that the Gelugon and Leannapazrak are in collusion without Graffan’s knowledge. The outcome of the proceedings is that Graffan and the Dragon reach an accord.
Graffan says, “Then we are agreed. They will not escape us. You wait for them at the other portal and I will wait for them here.”
“That is acceptable” the Dragon replies. “The swamp is to my liking” It unfurls its large leathery wings and takes to the air.
