Editing Journal - The Heart of Karmana (section)

==Origins of the Dragon Clan==

I had a long conversation with the Saloroc that called himself the "Keeper of Hisstory", with his guard "Telok’hranitel" not participating. It seemed that I had traveled either back in time or out of time, as Keeper did not know Death and the Saloroc were not divided into clans in the same way we knew them to be. He listened to my story with interest, although it was all alien to him, but assured me that he remembered everything and of course fully expected to be alive in my own time as the concept of death was not something he could comprehend. He looked at Falcor's soul, but said that I should seek him out in my own time when he might understand more about it and be able to help. He did say that Falcor's Elvradrak body could only be restored in the Forge... but then added that the Ardroc might also work. If his soul and his human body were brought together, though, then the soul would transfer to the body, even if it took time.

I think I created at least some of the names of the Clans in my conversation, which was a little unsettling! He liked "Dragon Clan", as well as "Tiger Clan", and of course they would come to be in his future. I advised him to seek out the Elvradhil and seek shelter in their deepest places of safety before the events I knew would come to pass played out. I would try to seek out the Elvradhil in my time and ask after him or his guardian in the hope of seeking his help when he knew more about death. He helped with my wounds, restoring my body with energy, and bid me farewell before disappearing suddenly. It was me, though, that had actually disappeared as I had just returned to my time. The nature of my surroundings had changed, although I was in the same place. It was older and rougher, and the breeze had shifted. More blatantly, the crushing sense of pervading Death was all around again.

I used dweomer to help shield myself from detection again and then headed towards the southern edge of the mountain range, where Falcor had spoken of an old Elvradhil hall (although I don't think he had ever visited). I was wary, knowing that there would be danger here, and about an hour into my journey I heard the sounds of a moving armoured force to my left. I stopped by a tree and saw marching legionnaires approaching, about half a dozen by the look of it, with what looked like a golden Pegasus symbol on their shields. I didn't know the legion, but as they had a habit of putting creatures they killed onto their pennants I was not expecting them to be helpful.

Instead of fighting, though, I tried a bluff. I slipped the ring of lies onto my finger (for the first time), and leant nonchalantly against the tree and waited. Eventually I was seen and a cry went up. They approached with weapons drawn and their leader called out to me to identify myself. I said that I was a priest of Treddar, dressed for hunting the Elvra, and seeking to kill them. They eventually seemed satisfied, although a little confused, and I urged them to continue with their own orders. At that point their training kicked in and they marched off on whatever mission they were dedicated to.

I walked on, but it was only a half hour or so before I heard shouting and the sounds of combat. Not wanting to miss the chance to help an ally, I headed for the noise to find more legionnaires, but this time fighting Wolf Clan Saloroc. There were dead already, all Saloroc, and it was clear that the legionnaires had the upper hand. I could see a miasma starting to form over the bodies, and I rushed forward to try and close it. The legionnaires noticed me, but were focused on the Saloroc for now, especially as one of them was cut down. I managed to close off the portal that was opening, but of course that would have got Ilyanna's attention. I used it again to close whatever portal was forming over the human body, and this time sensed Ilyanna trying to focus on me, but then another human fell!

The legionnaires seemed refreshed as a portal fully opened above the latest casualty. Two Saloroc dropped as I engaged the nearest legionnaire, leaving only the Saloroc leader still fighting. I finished off my foe just in time to see the bodies of the Saloroc get sucked into the open portal. I threw an orb of Ithnak Alna into the portal, hoping that Treddar might investigate that place, but then the last Saloroc fell. One of the two remaining legionnaires just jumped into the portal with an expression of rapture on his face, and the other paused with a similar look but then turned and pressed his attack on me. The last Saloroc body was sucked away like the others - feeding Treddar with power, no doubt. A strange hand reached through the portal to help the legionnaire, putting force behind his blow, but thankfully the surprise of this intervention made his aim just wide of the mark.

I countered with two good blows, but I could see the wounds knitting immediately after I caused them. I commanded Aramat aflame, hoping that this would counter the healing power, but as soon as I did so the portal snapped shut in an instant. I guess Treddar didn't want to face Death just yet. Without his aid, the last legionnaire fell quickly and I was alone again. Except every fucker knew exactly where I was now, of course! I set off towards the mountains quickly, but this time angled to the right of my previous path, before veering left of my mark and then straightening up, hoping it might help to avoid pursuit. Being clean and white in a forest, though, there wasn't that much I could do to avoid standing out.

The first hour was fairly calm, with normal forest sounds and the feeling of life all around me. Did the coming of death change the nature of life? The time I had entered with the Keeper of Hisstory had felt completely different. A little farther on I heard the familiar sounds of clinking that gave away the movement of troops, and veered right to avoid them if I could. As the land started to rise towards the mountains I could hear sounds of combat to the south, but this time decided to leave well alone and kept moving upwards. I was looking to find somewhere to rest, knowing that sunset would come quickly in the lee of the mountains, but climbed up to see if there were any rocks that might offer shelter. I looked back over the forest, and it did seem that the area I had come from looked a little different to the surrounding forest, as if slightly better kept, at least in the near past. There was also a clear line of felled trees to the south with a few fires already alight where the Legionnaires were camped. That part of the island was obviously under their control. Looking towards my destination, there was a strange cloud on the mountain. It was too localised to be just weather, but was certainly ominous. I could see no obvious sign of Elvrabor trees anywhere to the east of the mountains, though.

As the shadows started lengthening around me I felt a slight twinge of irrational fear. Instinctively I used dweomer to protect myself, feeling calmer, but felt like I needed to do more. I began to collect wood and stones to build a wind chime, linking the wood of the forest, the rock of the mountains, and the air around them. Once I had a rough chime I added some healing ointment to add some life essence and began to dedicate it to the Creator. About halfway through the ceremony, I noticed that I was being watched by a bearded, horn-helmed figure in the shadows. I kept chanting, pacing around the shrine, but saw another figure appear from the shadows after about ten minutes. After another ten minutes or so a figure stepped from the shadows in the rock about forty yards in front of me - I was sure that there was nobody there before, so perhaps they had stepped out of the rock like the Elvradhil?

He told me to stop, moving to confront me, and it was clear that I wouldn't be able to complete the ritual, so I stopped and addressed him. He spat at any mention of the Elvradhil or the Gods, rejecting them all, and made it clear that he wanted to break the shrine I had built. He demanded that I backed off, but I refused, using dweomer to protect the shrine against magical attacks. He advanced, so I stepped between him and the shrine and drew Aramat, commanding it aflame. At this, all the figures dropped to a knee; the closest said "Armatrocbalvar - truely?" and then demanded to know where I had stolen "Armatumvar"? I knew that Umvar meant "Shadow" - and it seemed that these were some perverted Elvradhil that had devoted themselves to shadow. Another figure stepped from the shadows, and this time he seemed to be actually formed of shadow, drawing the darkness with him as he moved. I summoned a bright beacon of light with the word "Luc" into the shadows behind him, effectively a big "fuck you" to these foul creatures. The light rippled out, strangely slow enough to see, and the new new arrival disappeared instantly. The two that had been keeping a distance stepped into the shadows and then emerged much closer from others, but then I was in melee with the nearest. Aramat cut into him, and he looked at it with what seemed to be avarice, but he also landed a heavy blow in return. One plunged his hand into the shadows around him and pulled out shards of darkness that he then threw them at me, the shadow effectively streaking in a long line towards me before drawing back. Thankfully I was able to dodge most of them, and one glanced off my armour.

I struck another two blows with Aramat, although I was now beset by two of them, and my armour kept me in the fight. Ulric's sword struck the final blow on the first one, though, and I turned to the other. He was using two axes, striking more quickly, and we exchanged blows. His weapons seemed to bite as if they had unusual power behind them. The other kept sending streaks of shadow towards me, but I felt no pain from them and managed to kill the axe wielder, again striking the final blow with Ulric's sword. I turned and shouted at the last one to go, or to meet the same fate, and he stepped back into the shadows, disappearing.

I was sore and tired now, but I summoned more light - this time making the shrine itself a beacon. I then dedicated it to the Creator as I had intended to from the beginning, moving the bodies away so that they would not desecrate the shrine. Once that was done, though, I decided to return to the forest to rest... I didn't like it here very much! Fortunately I was able to find shelter and slept the night without being disturbed. As I was meditating in the morning, though, I head voices from up the slopes. I moved nearer, just looking from behind a tree, and I could see shadow dwarves around the shrine. The one that was formed of shadow was accompanied by heavily armoured warriors, although his form seemed affected by the light and he paced around the shrine warily. I watched for what felt like an hour as he kept using dweomer on the shrine, presumably trying to destroy it or at least remove the light, but he had no success. He finally swung a blow at it in frustration, but recoiled before touching it, then turned his back and marched into the rock in frustration, followed by the others. I waited for ten minutes or so, and then approached the shrine myself. I touched it and said a prayer of thanks to the Creator, then shaped the crude rock base into the lower half of a tree using dweomer to complete the shrine.

Satisfied, I returned to the forest and start skirting south around the mountains.