View source for Fawn - Gem of Law

'''Psychic impressions of the Gem of Law'''

Fawn using Psionic power to get Psychic Impressions from the Gem of Law


== [[Balor]] the Balrog ==

What comes here? Fawn wondered, becoming increasingly concerned. He felt safe in the darkness.   It had been a long time since he was ‘separated’, perhaps hundreds of years.  The regular, ordered passing of time, in the silent darkness was comforting. Whatever it was, Fawn thought, it would tear apart this blanket of calm.  Suddenly it was before him, wreathed in fire and smoke; so hot was its breath Fawn thought he would melt before it. It smelled like father – of death and destruction – and spoke in the same tongue.  

“So, it is true; the stupid conjurer scattered his artefacts…Which one are you, I wonder?”  The creature’s huge, coal-black nails pincered Fawn lifting him high off the ground and bringing him close to the abomination’s grotesquely disfigured face.  Wreathed in boiling, sulphurous smoke, Fawn was subject to intense scrutiny. 

“No, this one I will keep, though it pains me to hold; perhaps I can trade it for something equally aged but more aligned to my cause…” mused the beast out loud.

== [[Yosho]] ==

Light smashed the darkness and once again brought Fawn from his safe, impenetrable lair. For years he had laid undisturbed, dreaming of some greater order. Now what was this? His nerves screamed as the torchlight punished his senses.  All he felt was relief that the beast had left him in peace, seemingly unable to trade him for some more ‘appropriate’ power.  Thankfully, not father Fawn thought, as he was again pulled from his resting place.  This time, however, he felt no revulsion, no searing heat of hate, deceit and lies.  The human that looked upon Fawn was oriental.  Clearly a learned, wealthy man, not some brute given to wield a sword instead of a pen.  Dressed in a fine crimson kimono edged with gold leaf and lined with silk, his beard and hair had turned white, not necessarily through age thought Fawn who regarded the man’s black eyes carefully.   

“Mmm, I wonder…” said the oriental before turning to his companion – a dwarf warrior.  “This must be a shard of the Sarnim Stone, look at its colour, its shape and size…”

“Mmm, you’re right of course, Yosho-san” replied the dwarf whose great helm carried two distinct marks, separated by a narrow gold line: ﻕ - ڠ ([[Garag]] of Emras).  His armour was sky-blue overlaid with gold and platinum tracery, marking out his lineage in ancient runes.  His axe was nearly as long and wide as he was tall and broad; it would need considerable strength to wield effectively.  Plaited and tied, his hair and beard were thick, wiry knots of red and silver from behind which two clear blue eyes twinkled. The dwarf stroked a stray plait back under his helm with his left hand on which Fawn notices a gleaming white platinum ring, set with a lustrous pale-blue gem (''Ring of Air'').   

“What will you do with it?” asked the dwarf.

“Take it to Sutur, the Council will need to know what we have found,” came the blunt reply.



== [[Mariku]] ==

“I am leaving this Prime, my dear friend,” Fawn heard the oriental man whisper, his voice rasping in his throat. Fawn had been studied, prodded and poked, had spells cast upon him and had sat for hours, days, weeks, months and even years on a bare desk, seemingly waiting for some great determination as to what he was.  He knew there was another close by; definitely nothing like Fawn – far too random and flighty, but not diabolical either…Fawn was intrigued.  How could one so unruly and muddled be so sure that his was the right path?  There was absolutely no balance according to this cousin – life would always prevail and needed nothing more than the occasional helping hand.  Sometimes, Fawn thought, a tree needed pruning to grow in the right direction and become strong.  This is madness he had thought countless times; wishing this man would find his family and bring them together so that order was restored to this chaotic realm.

“No!” a female voice cried, “You have so much left to do.”

“You must take up our quest for knowledge now my Lady,” he wheezed, struggling for a last breath, “take the artefacts and discover the others…” 

“Yosho-sama! Of all the evils that could take you, why did you not fall in battle?”

“Do not despair, I have learnt so much; I know the Gods await me.  They will wait for you too, my Lady, for you are a trusted disciple.” 

Fawn lay heavily inside a pouch, which the oriental mage had carried on his travels ever since freeing him from the clutches of the foul beast.  He realised something was wrong when he was no longer studied by the man named Yosho. 

The Lady lifted the pouch and opened it, saying, “you are not of this Prime, of that I am certain.” Turning back to the corpse that lay before her, she said, “Goodbye my dear Yosho-sama.”



== [[Orodruin]] ==

“Yes, Mariku-hime, it is the Gem of Law, as your late master suspected; each piece was aligned differently when Lastar ended The Balance,” an ancient half-dwarf whispered.

“Thank you Lord Orodruin, my master was right,” the oriental lady said, nodding.  She had taken Fawn on a long journey, keeping him wrapped in silk and pressed close to her breast in a pouch tied to her neck.  He had not seen light since he was handed over on the deathbed of his previous host. “What would your wise council have me do now?”

“There is only one thing to do with such a power – return it to its origins before it destroys us,” Orodruin said sadly, not daring to lift his dark solemn gaze to meet hers.

“And where would that be?”

“Ahh, there is the problem.  It cannot go on its own, as that would create even more imbalance whilst the others remain on the Prime; no, they must be re-forged – here on the Hearth of the Effreet.” The old, wizened, diminutive half-gnome pointed to a large, gently glowing, ornately decorated fire pit, which lay at the end of the long, windowless room in which they stood. Multi-coloured lanterns hung from beautifully carved escutcheons, illuminating a richly decorated, pink-marble hall. Orodruin had the prominent features of a gnome – the bald head, enlarged nose and protruding forehead – and the square, stocky stature of a dwarf.  He was old, that was clear, and Fawn thought him to be older than any living being on the Prime. Not that he was bent and frail, as he stood tall and firm, but because his eyes spoke of ancient wonders and far off lands and he had the calmness and surety of someone who had seen it all before and knew that things would turn out well in the end.

“Then here,” the oriental lady said, holding out Fawn on the palm of her hand, “take it and, when the others come back to Sutur, re-forge the gem.”

“No my Lady, that would not be wise.  You see, well…” the half-gnome paced, “Like all the first peoples, it is not of the Prime and, as it was shattered, each part took additional power according to its alignment.  That one would enslave me in no time…” He paused, trying to divine the words that would offer a more complete explanation, “I would bring such order to the Prime that the very will of all free people would be subjugated to me. I would build an Order, a Dynasty, which would rule over every element of all life on the Prime.  No, no, that would not be…healthy,” he said.

“Then what am I to do?” pleaded the oriental lady.

“Find the others, but be careful not to forge them until you have all pieces.  There is only one way to hold the shards in balance and that is with the Claw of Horus’ -  the talon-clasp that joined Lastar’s Staff to the Gem – which also seems lost.  Lastar told me it came from the God himself.”

“And you believed him?”

“He had never lied to me before and had no reason to start…”



== [[Guerin]] ==

“So, I wondered if I might find you here,” the man’s voice echoed in the small, dark room, “you have been a very busy bee.”

“Fuck off!” the oriental woman snarled.

“Now, now…I have some questions that I hope you’ll be able to answer,” the man said calmly, secure in the knowledge that she was in no position to threaten him.  

“I will not help you,” the oriental said quietly, on the verge of tears.

“Well, we shall see; you could spare yourself a great deal of pain and misery…Or you could continue to be stubborn – I care little,” the dark, hooded figure paced in front of the woman as he spoke.

“You’ll have to do your worst, dog,” spat the woman, before turning to hide her fear.

Throwing back his hood and opening the front of his grey robe, the man revealed strikingly handsome features: high cheek bones, a strong straight nose and a firm jaw.  Dark well-kept, shoulder length hair fell neatly into place after the removed hood ruffled it momentarily.  His black eyes regarded the prey before him closely.  Beneath his robe was a burnished breastplate covered in strange gold runes; the metal had a faintly purple aura. Fawn was suddenly held aloft, secured between finger and thumb of the man’s left hand. His right rested easily on a plain, white staff, which looked slightly short – or at least not quite in proportion.  It didn’t take long for Fawn to recognise the Staff, but it lacked the headpiece and the pommel.

“That will be a pleasant distraction,” he chucked, “I know what it is anyway,” he continued eyeing Fawn intensely, “and I know where you found it.” He paused briefly to look at her, before asking, “Perhaps you know where others might lie?”

“Fuck off, dog,” she repeated her curse, desperate to be free of him.

“Not yet, my Lady,” he chuckled again, “I have a scent and I want to know to where it leads.”


== [[Lucielle]] ==

Fawn was violently shaken and woke with a start.  What was this? After weeks of running he was finally motionless.  The grey, hooded man had kept Fawn hidden in a small metal container placed in a pouch close to his chest.  Fawn had ‘felt’ the presence of another member of his family, which was until he was incarcerated.  He felt it the moment the ‘dog’ took him from the oriental lady.  The encounter had been brief but Fawn knew it was not a ‘compatible’ associate – like the last, but not like it at all.  He was prepared for mockery, light-hearted jest like he had been subjected to previously, but the immediate verbal assault was harsh, “What have you done? Why are you not with the Father? Why are you just sitting here?”  Why was he just sitting here..?

The man had many questions too, but the most frequent lately was, “how did he get in?”  Fawn realised he meant how did the one named Iki Moko enter the labyrinth beneath Minas Aarda, the man’s hiding place after he fled south from Sutur and across the mountains. Well ‘in’ he got and out popped the Warlock – running, hiding and running again.  No longer was he at the head of a vast army. Travelling at night and without the seemingly ever-present Tana’Ri, the man had fled the old dwarrowdelf.  To Fawn’s surprise, absent too was his new associate…Had he been left behind by mistake?  Fawn had sensed that the Warlock and the new part of the Sarnim Stone had a very close affinity.  Why then would it be left behind? The Warlock had not even attempted to converse with Fawn nor, to his knowledge, had he spoken to the other unruly one.

“No friends are they of yours, my Lady,” Fawn heard the man say, “and I bring nothing but peace and ask nothing but the same in return.”

A heavily accented female voice answered, “You come to bargain with us for your life, Dark Wolf, do not treat me like a fool!”

“I would never dream of that, my Queen; no, you are right, I have been unjustly treated: hunted and driven out of my home.  I have come, it is true, to beseech you – have mercy on me.”

“And why should I do that? The benevolent powers of all free races wish to incarcerate you on charges of murder, torture, false imprisonment, theft and kidnapping.”

Pulling Fawn from his pouch and holding him before a beautiful Sylvan Elf, the man replied, “Because, my Queen, I have powerful, arcane artefacts that your people, above all, will recognise and use against your enemies.”

Her piercing green eyes examined every facet and flaw of Fawn, and he detected an inner struggle in the elf Queen – torn between accepting the bribe and throwing the man in prison.  “Nice try, Dordraug, but no…I will relieve you of these treasures and hand you to the Paladin’s descendent – he is the Law, as your people know it.”

“That is a mistake, Lady, you should accept my generous offer and let me leave for the West.”

“Oh, I don’t think so; is that where your master wished you to go?  Is that where the Lord of Everlost will emerge on the Prime, in Amarsland?”

“Orcus? You think I serve a Demon Prince?   Hahaha!” the man laughed so violently he made the Queen’s guards jump, and raise their bows. “Why, Lucielle, do you wish to join us?  Your folk would find a place to rival the Drow, hahahaha…”

“This is no laughing matter, Wolf!” then to her guard, “Take this monster away; your Captain, Dormarie, is entrusted with its keep.  He is to have no visitors and no access to his belongings; other than that, he is to be treated well, until the Council decide what to do with him.”



== [[White Council]] ==

The bright light was a shock, but welcome nonetheless. Fawn sat on a highly polished hardwood table surrounded by Lords from the free folk: 
A high elf dressed in shades of green and on whose chest was embroidered a stylised sun, and in front of whom, on the table, was carved a dwarven symbol: Ш ([[Essulin]])
A monk, similar in nearly all regards to Hintzu, except that a golden knot was embroidered on his plain, cotton Obi; in front of whom Ф was carved ([[ShonoNa]]).
The Sylvan Queen whose neck was now adorned with a simple silver chain on the end of which hung an exquisitely carved jade leaf.  Ж marked the table where she sat ([[Lucielle]]).
A young human was next, dressed in simple, well-made clothes coloured almost entirely in shades of blue, over a white silk shirt; rampant horses adorned his robe, facing each other across his chest.    Ŷ was carved into his part of the table ([[Ythanos]]).
A half-elf druid sat in a place marked with the symbol Ħ ([[Haemrandir]]). He was dressed in travelling clothes and held a short staff covered in mistletoe.    
A heavily armoured dwarf took up position opposite the high elf at a place marked with a dwarf rune:  פּ ([[Gloun]]).  A huge sword was propped against the table to the dwarf’s right.
The last of the group was another dwarf, of little difference to the first except the sword was replaced by a much smaller battle axe.  In front of this dwarf were the Symbols б ~ ﭲ ([[Grobdur]])
 
“Thank you for bringing these artefacts before us, your Majesty”, the high elf began, “we clearly recognise them as once belonging to Lastar.”

“Yes,” joined the druid before stating what everyone knew to be obvious, “and they must be prevented from falling into enemy hands.”

“My father died attempting to do that,” said the second, axe-bearing, dwarf, “it is easier said than done.”

“Thank you,” the Sylvan Queen said attempting to restore protocol, and bring some intelligence back to the room, “you are right, of course, we must protect them.  It will not be easy, but then again little of importance ever is…”

“My father thought so,” the dwarf replied, “the Prince of Demons was just too powerful; perhaps he should have used its powers..?”

“No, no, no…I would counsel against that,” said the young human, “Mariku often spoke of her research in Sutur and one clear message was that use of a shard brought death to the gem wielder and, often worsened the overall position. I would recommend this learned Council peruse the libraries at Sutur, much is contained therein concerning the Sarnim Stone”

“Yes, we should not be tempted to use them,” added the druid unnecessarily.

“Then let us agree to keep these hidden, safe from both friend, who might unwittingly use their power in the name of good and from foe, who seek to destroy or subjugate the Prime,” said the high elf at the head of the table.

“We also took this from the Dark Wolf,” said the Sylvan Queen picking up a long, plain white staff from the floor.  “We presume it also to be the Arch Mage’s, but powerful dweomer hides its true purpose from us.”

“And we have none here that could divine its secrets,” chipped in the druid.

“No, but you are most wise in these things – at least of those assembled here - my friend,” said the high elf, “perhaps you should research it more?”

“As you wish Essulim, I will do my best.”

“Thank you Haemrandir.  Perhaps we should decide who should take up the task of hiding the other artefacts whilst we research their powers and decide what should be done with them.”

“Agreed,” said the young human, “Mariku-san said that shard,” he pointed at Fawn, “was of Law, and that Orodruin himself refused to carry it lest it overpowered him and set him on the highest throne, to rule all living things on the Prime, snuffing out their free will.”

“Then it should be borne by someone without pretence, hubris or aspirations to rule; someone with humility and who loves the Prime.  Perhaps Shono-Na would oblige?  My friend, you are the most solid of us all.”

“Of course, my Lord, I will serve the Prime,” the monk replied, bowing deeply.

“And what of the other stone?” the high elf asked. 

“I understand it to be of the type that would promote life, and should be safe for any of us to bear,” the young man said.

“They are all powerful and none should not be trusted; they have ways to pervert one’s very soul,” the axe-bearing dwarf shivered as he spoke.

“Then the one of us with the strongest soul should keep it safe; perhaps Queen Lucielle might consider it?” Essulim asked looking deeply into the Sylvan Elf’s eyes, “You are the oldest and most knowledgeable of ancient dweomer.”

“No need for flattery, I’ll do it gladly.” 

“With that settled, we must all commit to finding Dordraug,” the dwarf with the huge sword insisted.

“He will be making his way to Amarsland; at least, that is where he said he would head.  I have dispatched Domarie to find him.  She feels terrible that he managed to escape from her.”



== [[Shono-Na]] ==

He was there, in front of Fawn; his big, dark eyes fixed on him, and he was in Fawn’s head.  It was not painful, like an assault by a Gith, but it was intrusive.  Fawn wrestled mentally with the Monk.  It was brief, the monk was absolutely in control – a master of mind and body. Then his voice enters Fawn’s mind, “show me what Iki Moko plans for the Prime.”

Fawn immediately sees a chain gang of thousands of different peoples all carrying baskets of stone in a long column towards a distant castle.  Lining the road along which they marched were bushi warriors keeping order on the roads, moving the slaves when a samurai hurried past on horseback. As if taking flight, the vision rose above the column and Fawn flew towards a castle that he recognised to be Sutur, albeit much enlarged.  People near the main gates were being loaded into cages on carts; dressed in rags, they look pitifully malnourished.  Flying over the gates, Fawn looked down into the first square, before the second wall, where a group was assembled.  Here more Samurai appeared to be holding court, assessing testimony and passing justice swiftly – some into chains, others to the chopping block, far fewer set free.

“No!” the voice inside Fawn’s head screamed and the vision was gone.  Give me the power to change this; that is my will and you are going to help me.  I know the risk, but I am ready to perish to stop that from happening.



== [[Malor]] ==

“What did you think, Monk? I would let you take over all the Monasteries in Everinstar and change the order?  Why would you even want that?  I thought Monks required mental and physical discipline and strove for perfection in all things – that is what I have delivered,” the oriental screamed, pitch rising and becoming increasingly red in the face.

He was met with silence.  

Fawn recognised Shono Na, the monk that had controlled him and forced him to confront the new order – Iki’s order. The monk was kneeling, his hands bound and chained to his neck and feet. 

Fawn recalled the surprise that Shono Na had expressed at the invitation: Iki had invited the entire Council, together with their aids, advisors and men at arms, to a banquet in celebration of his entry into Minas Aarda.  

“What is this really about?” he asked no-one in particular.  Meeting with the other Council members before the White Tree on the green sward of Sutur, he got a different perspective.

“Oh stop being so…well, ‘monkish’,” Gloun had said, “he just wants to celebrate the defeat of Dordraug and the time of peace; he has no idea what we plan to do.”

“We are not ready yet, my friends, we must go along with his celebration – he cannot suspect our intentions,” said Eomere.

So, they went in: Shona Na, Master of Flowers; Essulim, King of the Vikriain; Eomere, Castellan of Sutur; Curial, High priest of Sutur; Gloun, King of Hama’Las and Minas Aarda; Renash the Blue, Lord of Eagles.  They did not come out; not until the end…

It was odd looking back.  The things Fawn thought were legal, ordered and sensible, seemed to be taken to such an extreme by Iki that it brought only chaos and death.  He had pruned the tree so much that it failed to grow at all.  The executions were the worst part – Eomere was first, before the ‘trials’ even began, in revenge for his son’s siege of the great Castle; then Essulim, Gloun and, finally, Shono Na.  His death was the last straw. All people had had enough of Iki’s rule; the uprising was short and swift but the damage had been done.  Iki had fled through the Portal first to Olga, and a hostile encounter with a Tana’Ri, then, on foot, across and through many leagues of mountains to a Cloud Giant’s Kingdom.  

Fawn saw none of this, however, as Iki kept him secure, and magically protected, in a dark place. Indeed, many years passed before he saw and heard anything. 


== [[Malask]] ==

“My Lady, I believe that you would be willing to allow me access to your Gate,” Iki’s voice sounded calm and confident to Fawn, who had not heard him speak for a very long time. 

“That depends on what is coming through and the price you would pay,” replied a female dwarf.  She was dressed for travel, in expensive furs, and high, soft leather boots. Her armour was gold, trimmed with ermine and inlaid with ruby and jet carved into the face of a dragon.  Her flame-red hair was shot through with silver.  The strangest part of her appearance was her eyes, which were white and had no pupil.  “I am told that Gith, under their Lord Grasgal, will pass and that I am to expect an artefact of some considerable power in return.”

“By Hel’s greatness, you do not waste time,” Iki was genuinely taken aback.  “Yes, that is correct; is this what was promised?”
He asked, holding fawn in the palm of his hand between them.

“It seems to be,” she hesitated, “I will need some time to analyse it more thoroughly; unless you are willing to tell me the truth about it?”

“The truth..?” Iki was incredulous, ”Why do you doubt me?”

“Oh,” she chuckled, as if remembering something amusing, “let’s say I have been burnt before…”

“It is the Gem of Law,” Iki confirmed, “something, I no longer need; I doubt it is to your taste either.”

“Not really, but it will come in useful nonetheless.  When do they arrive?”

“I am told to meet Grasgal here tomorrow evening.”

“I will not be here,” the she-dwarf said.

The oriental looked concerned, “Oh?  Is there someone that can ‘operate the Gate for me?”

“It will work, do not worry.”

“And where are you going?”

“I have business in Everinstar.”