frost-whisper

[frost-whisper]

Chapter Eleven-

Oathbreaker

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Deceiver.

Betrayer.

Man without honour.

Does it hurt when you hear these things?

Does it burn you inside?

I will not lie to you. We have both been called worse.

Surprised?  Holy ground is little hindrance for me anymore.  Even churches belonging to the most powerful of the Gods do little more than make me feel unwelcome when I manifest before the faithful.

But I don't feel that here.

This church became a ruin some time ago. It fell into disrepair even before you did.

It's almost poetic.  A broken man in his broken church.

No, child. I'm not here to kill you.

Your predicament is of particular interest to me. While I give no thought to the Gods, or the weak willed fools who blindly follow them- I find myself drawn to those whom have lost those they love.

You did what you believe is necessary for the person you care about. Regardless of the pain it might cause.

Not an easy decision to make, but I believe you made the correct one.  For that reason, I wish to leave you with this warning.

In their weaker moments, some of your former brothers make secret plans to quietly bring you to what they see as justice.  

They lay awake at night, conspiring. They would see you hanged, drawn and quartered for your crime. Not dissimilar to the champions who intrude upon me while I am researching, seeking to destroy me.

You don't think it's the same?

Well... If you tell me all the atrocities I've committed, I will tell you the price of love.

Sounds like you have company.  I'll leave you to your work, Hero.

[frost-whisper]

Chapter Ten-

The Call

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Are you lost, child?

... No, I can tell by that look in your eye... You've come for me.

Foolish.  If I wanted to kill you, I could do it without even raising a hand.

One thought, and you're just more bones for my army.

But this isn't the day you die.

That's the good news, the bad news is that you have a great task ahead of you.

I've found it.  After a hundred lifetimes, I am so close to finding a cure.

At the edge of the world is a fallen city that still contains an ancient library.  Inside you will find the knowledge I seek.

None living or dead know what destroyed the city, but there is a powerful anti-magic field surrounding it. I cannot enter it myself-  I have tried many times only to be torn apart time and time again.

You will go in my stead, find the ruined city, enter the library and bring me what I need to create a cure.

... You won't do it?

Very well, I won't force you.  All of us are free people, we do as we choose.

However... It is in your own best interest that we work together, as we share a common woe at this point.

You can't feel it yet. But since you entered my domain, you have been breathing in the same poison I seek to eradicate.

The symptoms won't appear for seven days. But within a month, you will be dead.  Your loved ones will be able to do nothing but watch and weep as you lose the ability to eat, sleep and eventually even breathe.  Their pained cries will be met with nothing but cackling from you as you slowly succumb to the sickness and waste away before their eyes.

Believe me, I know.

I will not lie to you, this task may well be beyond you. This library and the cursed city that holds it are even older than me, and there are foul, primordial things lurking in the dark corners of this world.

You are not the first group of adventurers I have sent on this quest...  But I hope you will be the last.

That's right, you won't be travelling alone.  I have found other capable champions from every plane. I have called them here, so that at last, this evil sickness may be destroyed.

Oh and don't worry, if you succeed and bring me what I wish and afterwards still wish to fight me-

I will happily send you to whatever god you wish.

Don't keep the others waiting.

[frost-whisper]

Chapter Nine-

Bargains

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You stupid boy. No matter your situation, you should know better than to make a deal with something you don't understand.

... That is what I would say, were I a hypocrite.

No, I am not here to repeat your many failings.  Instead I will ask you this.  You traded the best part of you, and for what?  Childrens tricks, meant to amuse.  Now you are bound to something vile with what to show for it?  A mask, a new name and borrowed time.

And make no mistake, you ARE living on borrowed time. You are being strung along, as anyone can see. This creature that has power over you is angling you into just the right position, dangling power before your eyes to lure you to the gallows- before it pulls the floor out from under you, letting you kick and hang in the wind. Food for the ravens.

Is this what you bargained for? To live as a puppet, to fail to protect those who are important to you.  Feeding despair and rage to a creature you can't hope to comprehend.  

Every moment you wiggle and writhe like a worm on its hook, it will become harder to free yourself.  Every moment you do not destroy your patron, their advantage grows. As you grow stronger, so too will they.  Feeding off your power like the parasite they are, while providing you with just enough strength to stay alive.

It will not give you the power to save the people you care about, at least not right away.  It will let them suffer and die in front of you and allow you to further worsen your bargain time and time again until it has taken absolutely everything from you and you are too weak to free yourself.

Decisions have consequences, and for this reason I will not free you from your pact. However, I can offer you a deal of my own.  

There is nothing particularly noteworthy about you, but that in itself is worth noting.  There are great names amongst your companions. Some wear them openly, while some hide, as you do, behind masks.  

I have need of someone like this. While the end of the great game approaches it is still a long way away, subtlety still has its merits... for now.  

The Kings, Princesses and Lords of this world have their part to play, so to do those who come from nothing. Because while people often call out for a Hero, what they truly need... Is a villain.

Confused?  I am not surprised.  The mind is a weapon, and you are unarmed.

You will be the grindstone that sharpens the heroes of this world into weapons. The wall they must overcome before they are free and safe to wander this cruel dangerous world.

You want to protect people, to save them from a gruesome fate.  Well, even the greatest hero can't be everywhere.  But a great villain casts a long shadow, and those within it will feel their presence.  

All over this world, righteous champions will speak your name with disgust. Using fear of you to harden themselves.  They will train for hours every day, hoping to face you in combat and put an end to your wicked ways.  

The greater the evil, the greater the hero that will be forged.

And I will not lie to you, great heroes are what will be needed, very soon.

This is not an easy course to follow, but it has been my path for thousands of years.

To think, I used to dream of fighting dragons.  Now, I have become one.

Is it a road you can follow?  Are you strong enough to walk it alone? Can you be selfless and take the abuse and hate of an entire realm?

Or will you let your friends, and the entire world-  remain weak and helpless in the face of an evil greater than any you have ever dreamed of.

It's a difficult choice.  But, it’s your choice to make.

-Oh and don't worry about your patron.  Should you die, I will drink your soul myself.  Headstrong, misguided youth is a flavour I have grown fond of.

[frost-whisper]

Chapter Eight-

Grief

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Surprised?  No.  I think we both know you were expecting a visit from me. 

Grief and guilt I find, often go hand in hand.   Although most would say you are not guilty of Karls death, that won't help you sleep through the night. 

Maybe you believe, as I do.  That everyone is guilty of all the good they did not do. Grief does not weigh as heavy as guilt, but it takes more away from you.   Every breath you take you will smell him on the air.  

Every step you take, your grief will follow you like an ugly shadow- looming over you. You will see his face reflected in people you meet, corpses you make, and you will never know rest. 

 You will wake up screaming every night, thinking about what you could have done different. One step-  and you both would have lived-  happily ever after. 

 I've stood in your place. I lived, and died with grief in my heart. 

But this, is where I offer you a choice. There is a chance to restore what was lost to both of us. The Great Conjuction is coming once again. The planets, the stars will be aligned. During this time, and only during this time-  There is a certain spell I can perform that will undo the tightly wound fabric of time itself. 

 The results could be catastrophic.  But regardless, our loved ones will be returned to us. He gave up everything to save you. I won't ask how far you will go to save him in return.   

 Instead, I will ask... do you possess the courage, the conviction to go as far as is necessary? 

You and your friends put Gods to the sword, are you really going to let something as trivial as death keep you from the one you love? 

 I wouldn't, and I didn't.

 I will return in seven nights for your answer. But know this... With or without you, the cruel nature of time will end. 

 Make your choice. 

[frost-whisper]

Chapter Seven-

Love

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Disgusting.

Even from here, I can smell the Orc blood festering in your veins. Corrupting your heart, mind and soul.  You are forever tainted and there is little chance of you ever rising above your savage, brutal nature and doing something truly... good.

But little chance isn't the same as impossible.  There is a great darkness coming and in times of great need, even a wretched creature like you can change the world for the better.

Make no mistake.  Orcs are a disease, a plague that spreads all the way around the Great Wheel.  I have carved their rot out of countless worlds.  Cutting out the infection of their existence so that the world- all worlds, could be saved.

But in you I see something.  Some spark. I did not recognize it for what it truly was at first.  I thought an animal like you would be incapable.   

But now I know that what I see is Love.

For this reason alone, I will give you this single warning.   Something is coming.  It comes with the wind, can you hear it howling?

There is turmoil in this plane, and I believe you can stand against it.

Should you succeed, the day will be won.  And you will have shown that despite the vileness of Orcs, they could still do good.

Should you fail, darkness will claim this land.  If this happens, I will return once more to exterminate the remaining vermin, lest their infection spread to other planes.

 Neither you, nor Her will be spared.

Please, show me I am wrong.  For both your sakes.  

[frost-whisper]

Chapter Five-

Dreams

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Trouble sleeping?  

Me too.

I know the terrors that haunt your dreams.   I've tasted your nightmares, and they are the same as mine.

It's always the same.  It starts like a normal day, but you recognize your surroundings. You know what is coming. You can see the crossroads coming up ahead. You know that if you do nothing, it happens like it has every other time.

You know that in seconds, something will go wrong and the one you care about will be torn away.

You call out, you shout, you scream...

But they can't seem to hear you.  You try to run to them, to grab them and pull them to safety-   But your body won't respond.  Or worse, you move but agonizingly slow.  As if your bones were caked in ice.

I wish I could tell you that it gets easier.  After the hundredth dream. after the thousandth.   But I will not lie to you.

There are many great powers at work in this world.  But don't let the wars of kings, emperors and gods distract you from what's really important.

Just once, I want to see a happy ending.

Just once, I want to see a good person save those they love, without becoming a monster.

I have to believe it's possible.

That is all I wanted to say.  I have no cold, cruel words for you tonight.  

I don't envy the road ahead of you.  But I know it well.  If my heart could beat, it would break for you.  

Good night, and pleasant dreams.

[frost-whisper]

Chapter Four-

Fading Candlelight

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Ohh... How the mighty have fallen.

Most who find their way to me come from nothing. Men and women of low birth- Some, the sixth son of some minor lord of nowhere.  Others, humble clerics who no longer feel their gods warmth-    

Each are looking for a hand to help them up out of the dirt-  to help them rise above the circumstances of their birth, the hardships of their life.  and become something great.

But you?  You had greatness. You held divine power in your hands. Your radiance was legendary. You had powers that mortals could only dream of.  

And you traded it all... For a little bit more...

It's a story I'm familiar with; I've heard it a thousand times.  The great hero is at risk of losing everything he loves.  In his haste to save it, he makes a deal with something he doesn't fully understand.

It's not until the dust has settled and the bodies are counted that he realizes the price he really paid.

Is it any wonder your vain, pathetic god won't speak to you?  Lathander; The Mornlinglord-  God of self perfection and the dawn.

Tell me... Do you feel you've reached the pinnacle of your self perfection?  Do you feel that your power has risen like the glorious shining dawn, or has it sunken into the depths of a dark moonless night.  

Were I cruel, Like Amaunator;  I would tell you that the bargain you made was followed through to the letter. And you should not begrudge your patron.

Instead, I will tell you that you don't need the gods. You don't need to blindly follow those who left the people you care about to die.  

Instead, I will tell you that no matter how bright the dawn, the sun eventually sets.

The sun may have set on your kingdom, Bright Lord. But that doesn't mean your story is over. Your name is still known to many.  And If you were to die like this; powerless, weak, disgraced;   that would extinguish the flame of hope across every plane.

And I will not lie to you.  From the great City of Doors, to the darkest corner of Ravenloft;  People need hope.  

They cling to it like it was a shining candle that will banish the shadows and keep them safe.

Can you be that for them?

I won't tempt you with power

I won't promise you victory

But I can offer you... Redemption

It is your choice to make. But I will leave you with this;  A candle loses nothing by lighting another, Bright Lord.  

But if you let your flame go out without passing it on- If you let hope flicker and die in every world;  What would your father think?

I'll leave you to your decision-

Oh-  One last thing.  I will remove that ridiculous glamour.

Much better-

If you hide your mistakes, you will never learn from them.

[frost-whisper]

Chapter Three-

Purpose

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Come in come in!  Take a seat by the fire.  These old stone buildings just can't get warm some days.

Before we eat, would you join me in a prayer to Pelor?

Shine forth thy light

Drive back the darkness

Bring growth where all was barren

Bring peace where there was strife

Bring warmth where clawed the fingers of ice

Bring Life where there was Death

Sorry to interrupt-

Foul creature!  You have no power here,  this is holy ground you can't-

I can, and I will.

But I am not here for you.  Leave us.

Even the smallest of creatures can change this world.

.... Is that what you expect me to say?  Well... sorry to disappoint, but I will not lie to you.

You know your own inadequacies.  That is why you fled from your own failed rebellion. It was good enough for them to die for, but not for you.

You fled directly to The Shining One.  Hoping his radiant light would banish the darkness coiled around your heart.

If only you knew, what he really was. I'm sure you have many Burning questions, and I Hate to leave you wondering... But that's a story for another time.

The truth is, you don't need prayers.  Holy symbols, or divine gifts.  All you need in this world, is purpose.

You had purpose once and with it comes strength.   Purpose can give the meek the power to topple kingdoms. It can unite the unlikely into the heroes this world needs.  

It can even keep your bones together while your soul is being torn apart.

Believe me, I know.

Despite what you may think,  I was once like you.  It was a long time ago, I didn't save the world.  I didn't try to overthrow a tyrant king.   But still, many called me a hero.

Like you, I lost someone dear.  Unlike you, when that happened; I held true to my purpose. And nothing in this world, or any other.  Will keep me from it.  No lords, no kings, no mewling gods will hold me back.  

That is the power of conviction.

And That leads me to my question;     What is your purpose?  

... I see

If you are looking for a cause worth dying for-  you left them to the gallows.

But if you are looking for a cause worth living for-  I might be able to help.

You've suffered at the hands of royalty. Their cruelty has left its mark on you-  As visible as a brand.

But there is one who could be king. Who may rule with a just hand. Like you, darkness has taken root in his broken heart. If your light can heal the sickness in his soul.  If you can quiet his fury-  He could lead this world to a better future.

His name?  That is for you to discover.  This is your quest, young hero. But be warned, the stakes have never been more dire.

If you should fail, if you choose to sit idle-   Well, keep that scarf close, little one.  

A chill wind is blowing.

[frost-whisper]

Chapter Two-

Crown of Ash

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You little fool.

You let yourself be deceived by a mere parlour trick.

I would laugh, if I wasn't so... disappointed.

Tell me, your majesty.  Do you know the origin of the tieflings?

Noble lord and common folk alike will wave their hands and state;  "They are born of infernal blood." without really knowing what that means.

The tiefling ancestors-  Your ancestors.  Be they fiends, demons, or devils. 

Were all villainous, wicked, evil creatures.  Cruel and Depraved... Every single one.  Unwilling and unable to change their ways.

Now Tell me, have you heard the phrase; "The sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons"

I never put much stock in it myself...   But here you stand, fury in your eyes and a trusted friends blood on your heirloom weapon.

Is this how you hope to lead your people?  You can't even control your own temper.

I promise you now, If you cannot quench the fire raging in your heart.  This world will burn.

And you will be king of the ashes.

[frost-whisper]

Chapter One-

Broken Crown, Broken Man.

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Life isn't like the old stories.   All of us come to find that out in our own way.

From those of the humblest of beginnings, to the great lords, to mighty and powerful kings.  

Everyone at some point in their life is told about the better world that awaits them.

There's only one thing that waits for everyone, that everyone is guaranteed; and that's death.

Hope is a powerful thing, it can be the shield you hide behind or it can be the weapon you use to strike down your fears. Either way, it must be tempered.  Not in water or oil or dragonsblood, but in reality.

Look at me.   LOOK AT ME.

All the hope in the world can't change your fate.  What you see, this... Rotten, grinning skull.  This is what awaits every single living creature.

I despise liars, but if you really want, I could lie to you.   I could tell you the heroes always ride in at the last moment, on their white steeds. The noble Champion calls out the black cloaked villain and they have a great duel worthy of a bards song. The heroes always win, and the innocent never suffer.

But that would be doing you a disservice, Your Majesty.

The truth of it is, this world is rotting even faster than me.  Things will never get better.  Unless you make them better.  That takes blood, sweat and always... tears.  

When you've expended all of them and have only one thing left to give, are you strong enough to make the right choice?

When you're standing in that throne-room, that battlefield, with trident in hand and righteous fury in your eyes-  Will you be thinking of cutting the strings from your puppet-fathers body and letting him crumple to the ground like a broken toy?   Will you be thinking of plunging your trident into the Emperors heart and taking back what is rightfully yours?   Or will you be thinking of doing the right thing?

If you look at the Mondorion Empire, it's Emperor, and your sniveling father as just obstacles to clear in order to claim your throne, your prize.

You will fail.  You may take the throne, you may rule the rest of your long life. But you will never be a good King.  At best you will be selfish, and forgotten.  At worst you will be a despot, who believes having the  power to topple an Empire gives them the right to rule, and your name will be feared and cursed throughout history.

That's the great trick, the heroes-  the REAL heroes.  You may not always see them, but they really do ride in at the last moment.  They charge in without a thought of what might happen to them, not without fear or doubt but in spite of it.  They don't plan on overthrowing the tyrant and ascending to their proper throne, they don't think they're going to slay the villain and rescue their one true love, they don't think they're going to live happily ever after.  

They die, their deeds are forgotten and nobody will ever know how they fought and died so that others can be free.  No gold, no glory. no grand crown.   And they accept that.

Well... A King must always sacrifice for his people.

You want to be King, you want to restore glory to your Kingdom.   But my question is, and always has been;  Do you want to do the right thing?  Do you have the courage, the conviction.  To do whatever is necessary?  

I ask the same question to every peasant, lord or king who seeks me out.  They all want something, and all I want is the honest truth.

But looking at you, I think we both already know the answer.