Tales of Zalonia: First Age 4

Image Via Wikimedia

Isgard walked toward the edge of town and looked across the barren wastes. He could feel fear grip him without the comfort of his master being around. He felt angry with himself for needing Agonis to make him feel safe. He soon returned to the inn and went to sleep.

It was early morning, and it seemed like the whole village had woken up, as people out going about their business.  Agonis and his servants walked up the street searching for the village doctor. People who walked by gave them suspicious looks as if they weren’t supposed to be there.

“It seems this town has grown paranoid. Can’t say as if I blame them with what has been going on.” Agonis said. He was accustomed to not being wanted since he was a Knight of the White Rose. Many people didn’t like the knights because they represented war. The knights were trained to ignore the sneers from the common people and were taught that they represented the highest honor.

They came upon a house that was larger than the rest. It was two stories tall and was made of white stone. Agnois knew that only the richest of people could live in a two-story home such as this. There were various flowers that decorated the pathway up to the stone stairs that lead to the porch. The grass was greener here than it was in most places in the village, and Agnois guessed that servants were hired specifically for the job of hauling water.

This was where he was told the doctor lived. He was rather surprised, as where he came from, doctors generally didn’t live in this kind of luxury. These kinds of houses were reserved for village leaders and nobles. He walked up to the porch and knocked on the front door.

A well-dressed man answered and beckoned him in. The inside was large with a shiny wooden floor and a solid large table. There were plants hanging from the ceiling and on the walls. A woman entered the room dressed in a white robe that flowed down to her ankles. Agonis was taken back by her beauty with her wavy golden hair and curvy body. He knew by her white robe that she was a healer.

“Greetings, my name is Arlina. To whom do I owe the pleasure?” The lady said, her voice was a tad deeper than Agonis was expecting, but still beautiful… almost seductive.

“I am Sir Agonis from the land of Nagur. The pleasure is all mine.”

“From Nagur huh? You have traveled from a far. I hope you have found rest and comfort in Red Tree. Although, I must admit, the village has seen better days.”

Agonis nodded, “So, I have heard. We were on our way to Tarvon when we were passing through here. Upon our arrival, we heard of troubles within the village with citizens breaking out in scales and becoming stronger than usual.”

Arlina frowned, “It is true. I would say once or twice a week an incident occurs.”

“Can you tell me more about this my lady?”

“Garvin, fetch the gentleman a seat, make it a comfortable one.” The man who had answered the door quickly left the room and returned carrying a large cushioned chair. “Have a seat Sir Agonis. There is much to tell.”

Agonis sat down while his servants stood in back of him. Arlina took a chair herself and began the story. “It was a few months ago when the strange events began to take place. The first person to be affected was the village shoemaker. I remember it clearly. At first, it seemed like a normal day, as everyone went about their business. I was treating patients like normal when the shoemaker came to me. He told me that his skin had a green tint to it.

“I examined him closer and saw what appeared to be green patches on his back. I had never seen anything like it before. I gave him some herbs which I use to treat the skin and sent him on his way. Night came and suddenly there was commotion going on out in the village. I went out to see what was going on and the shoemaker was in the street yelling in some unknown language. His skin was covered in green scales. A couple of guards came out to restrain him, but he grabbed them and tossed them several feet in the air.

“After a minute or two, he ran off into the night, never to be heard from again. Since then, similar incidences have occurred with 13 villagers. The guards just keep their distance now and let the victims run off. The victims sometimes damage village property and even harm other villagers. I’m not sure what to do. The shoemaker was the only one who came to me before the outbreak, so I haven’t been able to examine anyone else before the transformation.”

Agonis pondered all this information. “Have all the incidents occurred at night?”

“They have, always when the green moon is at its brightest.”

“Yes, the green moon. I have heard that the green moon is a symbol of a plague.”

“That is correct, and being the village’s healer, it makes me feel responsible. I can’t even tell if it is something contagious or even figure out where this thing starts at.”

“Well, let’s try to figure out if these 13 people have had anything in common. Did they visit the same area during the day? Did they know the same people? What did they eat?”

“I have often asked that, but it is hard to get that information when they just run out of town and disappear. We have no idea where they go. Some people have looked for them the next day but found nothing. Even our trackers are running into dead ends. It’s like they just vanish and leave no trace behind.”

“So, you don’t have any leads to go on at all?”

“Well, there is one thing,” Arlina paused for a moment as if she were trying to figure out how to put it in words. “Early in the morning, on the days that there is an outbreak, there is an eerie mist that rolls into the village.”

Agonis stared at her in terror, “This has happened before. When I was a child, I had heard rumors about a village called Sanctity. The city would fill with a morning mist; however, that is all that can be remembered about that village. It simply vanished, as if it never existed. Not a person in that village has been remembered, and all its recorded history was wiped out. It cannot be found on any map. People only remember the name of the city and that there was a mist. Knowledge of where it was, how it got there, was just somehow wiped out.”

Tales of Zalonia: First Age 3

Image Via Wikimedia by Edward Dodwell.

Agonis grabbed a hold of his sword, as he glared up at the green moon. He knew a sword wouldn’t do anything, but it was habit for him to grab his sword when he felt like he was in danger. How could another moon just show up? He wondered if the moon could only be seen from this particular village or if it was seen all over the continent.

He looked around to see if there was anyone else who noticed, but there was no one around. He thought about going out to the guards of the village and asking him, but he didn’t want to show them any weakness or fear.

He made his way back to the lodge and told his servants what had happened. “Do either of you know any legends about strange moons?”

Isgorn tried to recall the knowledge he had. He was well studied in the matters of the sky, so Agonis thought that he might know something. “There have been legends of mysterious moons, but I thought that they were only legands.”

“What do you know?” Agonis asked.

“Strange moons have said to come in all shapes and sizes. They all symbolize something different. The green moon was said to have come over the land a thousand years ago. It can only be seen by the village it is affecting. It is a symbol of a plague that has come upon the land.”

Agonis found this interesting, especially since he had heard about the problems in the city. Was there some sort of plague that was making people lose control of their minds? “Perhaps I will find the village doctor in the morning. I’ll also stop by the wizard’s home.”

“Why do you always need to investigate things, my lord?” Isgorn said with irritation in his voice. “I suggest that we leave as soon as we can, so we are not affected by the plague.”

“Don’t tell me what to do! We are staying to find out what is going on. It would be wrong to leave this village to whatever plague is affecting them. I was a seventh-degree knight for crying out loud. I have a code of honor that I must adhere to.” It had been almost five years since Agonis was a Knight of the White Rose, the most prominent knighthood in Zalonia. Agonis had acquired many skills while being a knight, and sometimes he missed being one, but he had other matters to attend to.

The Knights of the White Rose formed several decades earlier when problems began to arrive at Zalonia. Their intention was to establish order and law and teach a system of nobility among their members. They adhered to strict rules and were to uphold all the laws of the land or else one could be banished. Anyone could join the knights, male or female, and rise up in the ranks. At first, Agonis didn’t like the idea of females being among the knights because he considered them to be weaker. However, he found that he was wrong, as women could move up the ranks just as swiftly as men.

Lande was next to speak, “Is there a way we can help?”

Agonis had to smile at Lande desire of always wanting to help. “I can’t think of anything right now besides to be on the look out for any strange activity. If you see someone acting out of the norm, report back to me.”

“I will my lord.”

***

Isgorn didn’t like this plan and waited for his master and Lande to go to sleep. As they were sleeping, he quietly stood up from his bed and made his way toward the door. He wanted to do some investigating on his own. After years of being a servant, he was sick and tired of being under someone’s authority. He had long thought of escaping, and now the opportunity presented itself to him.

He walked out into the night and found that it was brighter than normal with the extra moon. He could sneak away from the village and leave his master forever. The light would guide him across the barren wastelands and back into his home territory. He would have to find a new place to live, so Agonis wouldn’t find him.

However, he was frightened at the same time. Freedom was a scary thought. What would he do with his freedom? Would he even be able to survive? The more he thought of it, the more he realized that just about everyone was a servant to some thing or someone. Humans were slaves to their own longings. Some longings were impossible to resist like food and water. However, humans had more longings than just that.

The streets were empty of people, as he walked along looking at the homes he passed by. Isgorn longed for love. He wanted to get married one day and share a home with the woman he loved. He didn’t know how he was going to meet a woman being a servant. Many servants got married, but they were still servants to their master and couldn’t really enjoy their marriage.

While Isgard was deep in thought, he failed to notice that he was being followed. A figure darted from one shade to another behind him, not making a sound. The figure was tired, for he had been following Agonis and his servants without being noticed for several days.

Tales of Zalonia: First Age 2

Image via Wikimedia Commons by Bigmiles154

The skies drew dark, as Agonis travelled through the barren waste. There was a great evil upon the land that was greater than anything in recorded history. The entire continent of Zalonia had become a war zone, and it seemed that there were traitors on all sides.

“Would you two hurry up?” Agonis called to his servants, who carried many of his belongings.”

“But master, we need to rest,” said the one named Isgorn. “We have been carrying your belongings all day and are losing strength.

Agonis felt furious, but at the same time, he thought his servant might be right. All Agonis had to carry was a sword, armor, and a shield. “You may rest, but only for a half hour. We must make haste. Tarvon needs my leadership and protection before they fall.”

“We understand my lord,” his other servant Lande replied. Agonis had just hired Lande to be his servant and a good servant he was. He never complained or got in the way, unlike Isgorn. “How much further my lord?”

Agonis looked out across the fields and replied, “We will take shelter tonight, and from there it should be less than a day’s journey.” Agonis had started out on this quest five days prior in a hamlet called Nagur. Nagur was the closest village to the largest city in Zalonia called Ruinoneo. Ruinoneo was a mysterious place itself because no one could live there and survive. There was some kind of magic about the city that drove away all kinds of beings with the exception of the gargoyle-like niceans.

He could feel himself grow weary from traveling such a distance. Warriors usually didn’t travel far due to their large size and equipment they carried, but Agonis had to make an exception. A large band of creatures called dorzins were making their way from the south in order to attack Tarvon. The inhabitants of Tarvon did not know battle, as it was one of the few places that hadn’t fallen to the troubles.

Dorzins were a vicious species that were populating Zalonia at an accelerated rate. They had extra long fingernails that were pointed and practically unbreakable. They walked in a crouching position, appearing as if they were about to jump. Dorzins were agile and could move very fast, but they never used weapons besides their claws. Most people believed that they were the offspring of the Soul Chaser, the son of the Creatress.

Agonis was skilled in combat and had battled the dorzins on a few occasions. They didn’t give him an easy fight, but fortunately, their flesh was soft and easily pierced with the sword.

After resting, they continued and soon came upon a small village that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Agonis had never heard of this village and assumed that it was one of the many isolated villages scattered throughout Zalonia.

Upon arriving at the village, they found two guards stationed on the outskirts.

One of them spoke in a stern commanding voice, “What is your business with Red Tree?”

Agonis guessed that Red Tree was the name of the village. “We have come from a far and are traveling to Tarvon. We seek rest for the night.”

The guards face didn’t budge, “I would come here and be gone immediately in the morning. Strange things have been happening around here lately.”

Agonis was curious, “What kind of strange things?”

“People have been waking up with their skin breaking out and run the streets mad. However, they are not sick, but their skin turns green, as they break out in scales. They lose their minds and become much stronger.”

“I have never heard of such a thing, what is causing it?”

“That I can’t tell you. It has been going on the last several weeks. It has happened to six people so far, and they have all had to be put to death.”

“Has anyone investigated these matters?”

The guard paused, “The village magician and doctor have been trying to figure out what is going on. There have been strange objects in the sky floating high above. No one knows where they come from or go.”

As their conversation ended, the three of them walked into the village and found the Red Tree Inn, which was a small inn with two rooms still available. Agonis purchased a room and said to his servents, “You two stay here. I’m going to see if I can’t figure out anything about what is happening in this village.”

He went out and looked into the night sky. The golden moon shone brightly while the red moon, Ishtorth, was dim.  The blue moon, Cadrone, was shining with strength which meant that something dark was going on.

Agonis looked down and then suddenly realized that something was wrong. In the sky there was also a large green moon. Zalonia never had a green moon.

The Temple

I look upon a temple

Invisible to all but me

Beautiful, yet tainted with evil.

I enter for shelter

These walls I have known,

With portraits of memories.

Silent corridors await,

Ready to trample me.

I hear the moans of agony

Cry out to me.

They are my own cries

Piercing through my soul.

There was once a light here

Its glow has dimmed.

I search for an answer

In secret passages within,

And find none

Just more pain to come.

I step to the altar of sacrifice,

With knife poised in my hand

I bring it down

Shattering the temple.

Zalonia, The First Age 1

Image via Wikipedia by Thomas Cole

Long before the ages of Enslavement and Chaos, the first age of Zalonia had begun. The land was in ruins, as the Creatress looked upon it. She wondered if anything ever roamed the lands. Was there a time before the first age? Not even the Creatress herself knew. The wastelands stretched out wide over the planet, and the only sign left that something once existed was a strange city.

The city was extremely large but uninhabited. As the Creatress looked upon the city, she could see writings all over the walls of the buildings. The language was told in symbols that not even she could comprehend. Some of the buildings soared high into the sky while others were short and small. The buildings came in all sizes and shapes. She walked among the streets of the empty city. The streets were clean, as if nothing had ever been there.

She could feel a sense of weakness as she walked through the city. She would not be able to destroy this city with her powers, as an ancient magic held the city together. The magic was strange and beyond her understanding. She wondered how this could be possible, as she was the only being in exists besides her son. Where did this magic come from. She used her spiritual eyes to view the threads of magic that were being used. They were more complicated than anything she had ever faced. This spell was intended to remain forever, as there was no known power that could undo it.

The Creatress had thought that she was the only being in existence besides her son. She didn’t know how she came to exist, as she had no memories of what came before. There appeared to be darkness and spheres of light which she was only beginning to understand. She had decided that the world of Aztharian would be the place to form her creations. Zalonia, was a large continent upon this world in which the Creatress would perform most of her work.

The Creatress’s son was her one burden. While pregnant, she had dreams of her son causing problems for her and her creation. When he was born, she attempted to murder him. However, he escaped into the darkness of the unknown universe. The Creatress knew that one day he would return more powerful – So powerful that she would be unable to destroy him.

She created all the beings of the earth, human and nonhuman, along with the animals and plants. It soon flourished into a beautiful world which brought 10,000 years of peace. The many races of the Zalonia worked together to form systems of government that were fair and just. Thieves and bandits were rarely found, and murderers would seem to always get caught.

There were only a handful of small wars which usually ended with a peace agreement. The Creatress was proud of her creation and would often visit with the various races. She could take the form of anything she created and often learned from her own creation. Over the years, she grew in wisdom, but this wisdom brought with it a darkness. She knew that the peace wouldn’t last and that bloodshed was the future of Zalonia.

The races of the world could soon feel that this darkness was upon them. They didn’t know what it was, as they could feel it coming from the sky. Days grew darker and the sun’s light lost some of its power. Soon, a shadow came over the land

It was soon after this time that her son returned, and with him, he brought greed.