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==Human Histories: Lanival's Tale==
#redirect [[Human Histories (book)]]
-''by Bard Silvyrfrost''

===Introduction===
There are ten names in the time to which all follow -- and each is that
of people or things. Those names are Akroeg the Ram, Ka'len the Sea Drake,
Lirisa the Archer, Shorka the Cobra, Uthmor the Giant, Arhat the Fire Lion,
Moliko the Balance, Skullcleaver the Dwarven Axe, Dolefaren the Brigantine,
and Nissa the Maiden.

All know of the clans, and the Great Empire that rose from the ashes
of the wars of the races and the clans. All know of how this Empire
lasted and lasted, and finally fell to decay and shadow, a shamble of
jumbled alliances and broken promises. And how, from these ashes, arose
a new Phoenix, known as the Dragon Priests, and from them, the Dragon's
War, and from this the state of the world as we know today. But in
the winding threads of every one of these tales there are faces that have
surfaced and left hard imprints on the mind of the thriving creatures known
as Humans.

Lanival the Redeemer once said, "Those who are known with snorts of
derision as Humans, are only treated so because they are feared. In the
mortal brevity lies a desire to accomplish much before Time cuts their
strings, and in this they find the comfort that change is their immortality."

(Chapter One, Page Two)

That Lanival himself was not really true Human is of no concern; he
was more Human than he was Elven, and it was Humans who accepted him, and
Humans who he came closest to understanding.

So, while this accounting may not be entirely about Humans, it is Human
in that each is connected to one great Human, Lanival the Redeemer,
who I shall speak of after I have told the tale of the others.

===The Immortal Ten===
====Akroeg====
Akroeg the Ram laid down the tracks to the Empire. A king amongst lords,
he was a noble man who was the son of a clansman. At that time, clans
were scattered and many, each one quibbling and snarling at the other,
none attempting unity. Even with the disaster of the Elven-Human wars,
the quibbling still continued, albeit lessened.

Akroeg was the first of his people to try and unite clans. His attempts
were a mingling of soft words and a thick fist. His greatest virtue
was his fairness; not only to his own clansmen but to those he united.
His offer was this: join his clan, and those who did would be treated
with equality. Fail to, and he would bring combat down on them, until
in subversion they were won. Those who fought him were not given instant
equality in the Clan of the Ram, but their children were, and any who swore
allegiance to Akroeg and his line.

(Chapter Two, Page Four)

Akroeg did not treat himself as the one and only ruler. Indeed, while
he was identified as the leader, he was in fact only one amongst many
counselors. Each time a clan was added to Akroeg's, their past leader
(assuming he or she still lived) was taken in as a counselor to the
clan (assuming the clan had willingly joined). This idea -- quite
new in world of benevolent despots -- was to be the basis of the
Seven Star Empire.

Akroeg sired ten children with his wife, Lirum. She herself was a great
and noble woman, although not as visible as her husband. Still, the
realm of Therengia saw fit to include her face on their currency
when time came to choose such.

Akroeg died in a snowy battle in the wild northern wastes that lie beyond
Therengia. His son, Verek, took up his position. His fairness was
testimony that Akroeg's blood bred true, for when the Empire was established
it was created on the foundations of Akroeg's ideas, and it was one of his
descendants who was the first among Humans to sit at the table of counselors.

====Ka'len====
Ka'len -- called the Sea Drake -- was the master of the Dolefaren, a
great ship of war. Ka'len himself was a spunky Halfling with a massive
mop of black hair and one eye lost from past battles. Dolefaren has been
identified over time to be an Old Gamgweth word for 'Victory'.

Ka'len was active in the Resistance Wars, when the Seven Star
Empire was just beginning to fall. A master of ambush on the sea, Ka'len
both boarded and rammed ships, although it is said he used that last
only when the first was not possible (some say out of pity for the enemy,
some say because an intact ship is worth more than a sinking one,
I am partial to believe it was both). Ka'len was called a pirate and a
friend by Lanival in the early wars.

As Lanival's right hand maritime warlord, Ka'len supported the great wizard
in his tireless work to split the Empire into the five Realms. Ka'len
ultimately met his end in the straits of the Segoltha Sea, narrowed in
by five enemy Elven warcraft. Although he carried two of the ships with
him, he and the Dolefaren sunk in the icy sea, forever lost, to Lanival's
sorrow.

====Lirisa====
Lirisa the Archer was a Ranger and -- or so it is rumored -- may have had
Elven blood in her. Some claim she was a daughter of the Huntress Sable,
who in turn was the daughter of Sorril. Lirisa neither confirmed or
denied the rumors.

Lirisa was a devout follower of Kuniyo. A tireless tracker and incredibly
competent hunter, her arrows never missed their mark. She brought to
justice several traitors of the Empire, bringing each down with one
shot from her silvered bow. Another of Lanival's close friends, she also
neither denied or confirmed the rumors that she and the Redeemer's right
hand mage -- Arhat -- were lovers.

Lirisa appeared and disappeared with enviable silence. The only mark
of her arrival was the whistle of an arrow and then the blooming of
a shaft in a chest, neck, or eye. Her last hunt she never returned from,
although it is known that the man she hunted -- an Elven warlord --
did fall. It is believed that she was badly injured in her last
trip out with her bow, and probably died someplace in the forest.

(Chapter Two, Page Seven)

Rumors persist that Lirisa became a saint of Rangers, appointed by
Kuniyo, and some Rangers claim to have been guided along their
life by a slim, almost Elven Human with pale blonde hair and glowing
green eyes. These tales may or may not be the product of active
imaginations -- even if they are, Lirisa is still revered by Rangers,
and some carry images of her in their pockets alongside holy symbols
of Kuniyo.

====Shorka====
Shorka the Cobra was a S'kra Mur who was the first to join with Lanival
to create the five realms that exist today. Shorka, to whom the
S'kra Mur have varying opinions of, was also one of the first people
to openly worship the World Dragon.

Shorka's main claim to fame was her ability to convince the S'kra
Mur that what Lanival wished was for the best. Not an easy task, since
Lanival was Human (or partly). Shorka lived a long life, through
the hardships of the Resistance Wars, and eventually retired as a
politician with many children amongst her clutch and a home in the
sands northwest of Therengia.

====Uthmor====
Large even for a Gor'Tog, Uthmor the Giant earned his namesake when
he was still a toggler, carrying it to his headstone. His size often made
people underestimate his intelligence, a dangerous thing indeed.
Uthmor was a tactical genius. Born into a family of slaves owned by
a rich S'kra Mur (Gor'Tog slavery was not totally abolished amongst
S'kra Mur, and those who could still afford them kept them), he was
released from this captivity when a band of Lanival's men swept through
Uthmor's master's home. At the time, Uthmor was ten -- his parents
were dead from ill treatment and his brothers and sisters had been
sold off or died in the same way as his parents. A Lorthew named
Benjor -- who happened to be one of Lanival's counselors -- saw the
young orphan decided to take the toggler in and educate him.

When Uthmor reached eighteen, it was already obvious from his bruised
sparring partners and often heated debates with Benjor that he was
an unusually talented 'Tog. He helped to change Lanival's men from
a band of energetic warriors to a corps of trained warriors.
He became invaluable after the battle at the Segoltha River, where
he cornered the S'kra Mur war party and cut them down with minimal losses.

(Chapter Two, Page Ten)

Lanival made Uthmor his honorary General, and left much of the battle
planning to the 'Tog. The Resistance Wars ended two years later thanks to
Uthmor's tactical execution and his cooperation with Arhat, the Human
Warrior Mage.

Uthmor's main weapon was a massive axe given to him by the
Dwarven King Hexoch. Legend has it that the weapon's name was much more
elaborate and involved than "Skullcleaver", but the 'Tog disliked long
names, and opted for the simpler -- and he said, more appropriate -- one.

Skullcleaver was lost after Uthmor's death. Its location is as yet
unknown.

====Arhat====
Arhat the Fire Lion was to magic what Uthmor the Giant was to combat.
An incredibly competent and original Warrior Mage, Arhat was a little
crazy, but still very good at what he did. Keenly in touch with the
fire elements, his bright red hair and gleaming blue eyes made him
a favorite among the ladies and a force to be feared among the enemy.

Arhat went on to establish the first of what would be the nine guilds
of the Realms. Previous to his arrival, most mages were trained
individually or learned from books as they went along. Arhat insured
consistency where otherwise there was none (which had sometimes lead
to painful and frequently lethal "accidents").

Arhat died of old age, one week after Uthmor passed away due to the
same causes. Some believe that the two were such good friends, neither
could live without the other.

====Moliko====
Moliko, a quiet and beautiful Elothean woman, oversaw the writing of
the laws for much of the original Empire. Black of hair and silver
of eye, she was firm in her convictions, and it was her idea to employ
a single guard for all the Empire rather than allowing merchants to
hire their own. "Justice for all," was her motto.

Lanival followed Moliko's ideals very closely, and quoted her frequently.
Her decrees still color many lawmakers today.

====Nissa====
Nissa the Maiden was an Elven lady who escaped the warlord Teiro's
ironclad fist during the beginning of the Resistance Wars. The story
of her arrival into Lanival's army is that she -- a healer for Teiro's
men -- had come upon Teiro and some of his captains testing a whip out
on the back of a Human child they had found. Outraged, Nissa had cast
a sleep spell upon the Elven lords and then plucked the child from
the post where they had bound him. She then mounted the closest steed
and rode it into Lanival's camp under a black flag of peace.

Lanival was charmed by the elegant lady's strength of will and
calm insights. She eventually became his closest and dearest
advisor. An Empath, it is said Nissa was kept near at hand by Lanival to
remind him that while war may be necessary, bloodshed must be avoided
at all cost. Nissa stayed with Lanival for many long years,
but when Lanival was captured by Lord Teiro, she offered herself
to the evil Elven lord in exchange for Lanival. Teiro may have hated
Lanival, but he despised Nissa for leaving him and for being outcaste.
An upstart was one thing. A traitor to the Elven Clans -- that was
insufferable. True to his word, he released Lanival, but not before
he slew Nissa before the Redeemer's eyes.

(Chapter Two, Page Fourteen)

If Teiro planned this to humiliate the Redeemer's army, he was wrong.
The Elven lord's armies were crushed by Lanival's enraged men and women,
and Lanival borrowed Uthmor's axe specifically for the purpose of
Teiro's head in the final battle.

Nissa's body was never recovered, but Lanival carried a symbol of her --
a ring of clasped silver hands -- forever with him, and many believe
that if Lanival ever had a true love, it was her.

===Lanival The Redeemer===
====Introduction====
Lanival was born the son of Sorril and Kanton, and raised partially
by members of Kanton's Clan until Akroeg arrived and invited the
clan to become part of his. The young Lanival, who most considered
lazy and often annoying, watched with disinterest as his clan became
dissolved into Akroeg's, and eventually wandered off to teach himself
the ways of the Warrior Mage.

Lanival spent many hundreds of years as a vagabond, flitting from place
to place in life with little care for himself or anyone else. His
sister, Sable, remained with her clan, and was later appointed by
Akroeg as the "Protector" or "Huntress" of all clans. Sable mostly
avoided her brother after he left, although from time to time he
would appear and they would speak. Mostly, however, the twins remained
apart.

====Lanival's Journey====
Lanival was a thin, intense young man. Dark haired and bright eyed,
he was charming despite being a nuisance to many.

Lanival's drifting eventually drew him into a place to the south
of what would become the present-day Zoluren. In the range
below Leth Deriel -- the mountains known as the Spine of the World Dragon --
Lanival began to hunt the caverns and hills, searching for the creature
for which the range was named.

For a long time Lanival wandered the mountains, relying on his hunting
skills and his magics to survive. What he did not expect, however,
was to be struck by a disastrous blizzard while in a cave near Icespear
Reach. Stuck for nearly a week, he subsisted on what food he had, then
had to resort to eating his leather backpack. When this ran out and
the storm had abated enough for him to struggle into the snowy wastes,
he found no landmarks to identify where he was, and no prey to hunt
for food.

(Page Seventeen)

Lanival wandered for another week, becoming delusional toward the end.
With nothing to eat but snow and the withered leaves of a few trees that
he stripped of vegetation, he was weak and close to death when he
stumbled across a cave high up in the mountains. With what remained
of his strength, he dragged himself inside the cave, lit a small fire
with his spells and curled up near the warmth, hoping that should death
visit him, it would be from starvation and not hypothermia.

What Lanival failed to notice in his weakened state was that he had
stumbled upon the cave of a creature very much like that which he had
sought out. As he laid down beside the fire, the dragon, just awakening
from slumber at the sound of magical words being spoken, watched with
curiosity as the not-quite-Human and not-quite-Elven mage fell asleep.

Well aware of what most mortals thought of his kind, the dragon -- whose
name was Glacis -- altered his form into that of a mortal and moved
Lanival further inside the cave and closer to a larger fire that the
dragon himself built up. And then he waited.

====Lanival's Dream====
While Lanival awoke many times -- and was tended generously by Glacis --<
mostly he dreamt, and in his dreams he walked....

From Lanival's Journal:
It has been a while since I have been strong enough to write. My friend
Glacis has been keeping a careful eye on me and has only just now
allowed me to take up quill and paper to scribe these things.

I had never met my mother before, but in my dreams, I saw her.
She was very pretty, much more so than the clansmen had ever reported,
and she was sad. In her eyes I saw that I had somehow shamed her,
but when I asked her what was wrong she said nothing.

My father, also, was there. It was clear that he, too, was disappointed
with me in some inexplicable way. His eyes reminded me of the hawk's --
very much like my sister's -- and I felt like the prey. I couldd not
hold his gaze for long, and when again I asked, what was the matter,
he did not answer, only folding his arms across his chest and challenging
me to meet his eyes.

(Page Nineteen)

I do not know how I *knew* these two to be my parents, but I knew it.
I saw bits and pieces of myself in both of them, and I figured that the
only two who would concern themselves with my fate were them. And
somehow...I knew...they were displeased with me.

My sister also, I saw. Crouched by a firering, the flames drawing
shifting lines on her face. She looked up and smiled, raising
her cup, and I wondered that she could see me. And then she said,
"I see you have got yourself killed at last, Lan." And she shook her
head, laughing, and I knew that what she saw of me was an apparition.
And I wondered that I was not yet an apparition....

And then it seemed that I walked beyond my family, and into other
families, and I saw the way the Empire was falling. I saw petty squabbles
disintegrating families and getting children killed. I saw on a scope
wider than just me, to everyone. It was as if I saw all
for a brief moment, and FELT all. Every small ache and pain...like
it was MY pain.

It was then I knew what a waste my life had been.

(Page Twenty)

When Lanival's fever finally broke, Glacis helped the young man to
return to health. He gave Lanival books to read and kept the delirium
from returning with herbal mixtures. When Lanival was finally well
enough to walk around, he was pensive, pacing about the cave with
his mind deep in thought. He talked for long hours with Glacis, who
knew much in the way of the world, telling Lanival stories of the
times before the clans, before many of the races, even.

One night before he was to leave, Lanival had another dream.
This time, his dream was of the land he knew so well. He saw it from
the raven's view, stretching out from the deserts and mountains to
the north to the forests to the south. Suddenly, the land buckled and
rippled, and a dragon's head rose up from the water of the Eastern Ocean,
its maw wide open and its eyes blazing. It breathed, and fire flew from
its steel-trapped jaws and spread over the land. But instead of consuming
it, it drew lines over everything, separating the great Empire into five
separate realms.

When Lanival awoke, it was to a feeling of conviction. He parted ways
with Glacis, thanking him heartily, but not before Glacis told him that,
if need be, the mage could return to him.

====Lanival's Foe====
Meanwhile, as Lanival wandered, his greatest foe was beginning to
marshal his forces.

Teiro was born of good Elven breeding and fought in the Elven-Human
Wars as a scout. His fine fighting abilities and keen eye for finding
the weak spots in people and strongholds resulted in many promotions,
but even his fervor did not save his people. Angrily, he watched as
what he considered to be weak leadership draw the Elven folk into
a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Humans. Perhaps the worst
of it all was the Dwarven retaliation, and the "reparations" they forced
on the Elves.

(Page Twenty-Two)

The years of peace at the creation of the Empire was tedious to the
war-thrilled Teiro. He married, had children, and began to find a
modicum of happiness in the complacency of a plot of land and a
pack of peasants until his wife (who he was very close to) died with
many other high Elven officials -- including the Elven ruler -- when
a Moon Mage spell set to transport them from place to place
misfired, killing them instantly. This reawoke the anger in Teiro,
leaving him now not only frustrated, but also in mourning.

His wife was a great and noble woman, a wizard of high power and
a member of the Elven council that the Elven nation's ruler convened with
on all decisions. After her death, her daughter (Nissa) took her
place, and Teiro was elected as the Elven nation's ruler,
also known as The Voice.

Regretfully, while many thought this decision wise -- Teiro was a
well-bred war hero decorated with countless medals and a great
love for the Elven people -- Teiro had twisted from whatever he
may have once been. When the Empire collapsed, he saw his chance --
and took it.

(Page Twenty-Three)

Rallying some of the "old-guard" Elves, he began to form an army.
When the Council argued against him -- Nissa at the forefront --
he had over half of them assassinated, and quickly bullied his
own child into silence.

And that was when the Elven Lord began to take his revenge on the
Humans who, in his regard, had stolen the glory of the Ilithi
nation.

====Lanival's Redemption====
When Lanival returned to the Empire -- not the same as the man who had<
left it -- he found his dreams to be all too true. The land was in
turmoil, the wars raging similar to the great Elven-Human War to which
his parents had been so key to. With the aid of his sister, Lanival
began to unite the clans once more -- as Akroeg had done seven hundred
years previous -- and with them he began to wage a campaign against the
chaos of the Empire and especially the Elven lord Teiro who was trying
to reclaim the Empire as his.

The wars lasted for nearly twelve years. The first five were the best
for Lanival and his men, and the last two the grimmest. Lanival's
dream -- to make the Empire into separate realms that would be
more manageable but still retain the purpose of Moliko the Balance's
laws -- finally became realized on the day of his Victory over Teiro.

====Lanival's Victory====
Lord Teiro we are coming
No matter what the cost
Lord Teiro can you hear us?
The voice of those who were lost

Our sisters, and our brothers
Our children and our wives
Our husbands and our families
Are screaming for your life

You can walk with a thousand regrets
But the people do not forget.

The final battle between Lanival's corps and Teiro's armies was met
on the bloody fields below the Spine Mountains. It was a final battle where
both sides were equally matched, and both sides were ready to fight to the
death.

(Page Twenty-Six)

Lanival was, by now, sick of the fighting, while Teiro was not only
delighting in it, but desperate. At all costs, he was willing to extend
it, and so it was that he revealed a spell of power from ages before. The
same one that had caused the loss of several S'Kra Mur men and women
in the Elven-Human wars.

Scoffing at claims that the Guardians would come and put an end to his magic,
Teiro had the spell cast anyway. It blasted into the Redeemer's men and
women, destroying one third of two of his seven companies. Uthmor
immediately called retreat, and Lanival brought all the commanders together for a meeting.

(Page Twenty-Seven)

Hope was bleak. There was literally nothing they could do to stop the mad
lord's power. At dawn, they knew, they would have to make the decision to
fight a hopeless battle, or surrender.

What Lanival did then would put his name forever into the histories. Leaving
the tent and its contemplators behind, he walked away from the camp.

(The next section is in Lanival's own words, more fitting than my own.)

When I left the camp, I was not sure what I was doing or where I was to
go. I like to think that during my state of wandering (a dangerous
time, indeed, for who knows what foul villain could have snuck up
upon me and killed me or brought me again to Teiro's throne?) I was
guided by the insights of Nissa, but I am not sure that is so. I would
say that I imagined I heard her voice, talking to me as she was oft to
do, soothing me as only her words could.

(Page Twenty-Eight)

When I came to the edge of the forest that hedged in the back of our
army I stood for a long time and gazed at the trees. It was then
that I finally emerged from my stupor, and wondered where it was
I had wandered to. I felt a chill of fear, for I realized when
I looked behind, I could not see the armies. I could not smell
the blood. And I wondered if I *had* been murdered, and now
stood upon the Plane Between, where Urrem'tier sends those he
is waiting to place judgment on.

Then movement in the forest caught my eye, and I saw what I would
never think to see at this moment. It was Glacis, my old friend
and caretaker. I stared at him for a long moment, and then bowed,
not sure if it was trickery or....

"The war tells on you," he said. "You are not the youngster I knew
a few short years ago."

I shrugged. "All things change." And then, for I was never one
to wait long, I said, "What are you doing here?"

(Page Twenty-Nine)

He smiled at me, his eyes going past me to beyond. I looked over
my shoulder, then back at him. He said, "The war does not go well.
A powerful spell he uses. An unwise one. It invites attentions
he may not wish...."

I let out a slow breath. "I only wish that it would."

"Perhaps it has," Glacis said, and there was a rustling near him.

Something opened its eye beyond him. And when I say it opened its
eye, I do not say this because I saw a face and then one eye open.
All I *saw* was the eye. One giant, golden, luminescent eye. I
shouted and pushed him aside, drawing my sword as I prepared a spell.

Glacis' voice -- but much louder now -- spoke behind me, "Do not
attack your allies, Lanival!"

(Page Thirty)

I turned toward him, but my old friend stood no more behind me.
In his place was something massive. Incredibly large, I would say
it approached the size of four Water Clan longhouses in length,
several stories in height. I stared up at what few have ever seen
and the gods alone know why I did not fall to my knees. It is not
every day one meets a dragon.

Glacis spoke, his voice loud and ringing like silver bells, "Once
we were known as Guardians. Some of us have remained so, observing
the world and using their Great Magicks to bend things around in favor
or against some mortals who dwell on their world. And some of us
who desired to be closer to those mortals we felt we were too distant
to chose a new form. We fashioned it after a fury you may have
known as the World Dragon. As terrible as that being is, it is still
an elegant form with much power in it. It is the closest we can
come to donning our true form without appearing as a god."

Two more floated out of the sky to land beside him. One I recognized
by her luminescent golden eyes, and she identified herself as Eerayn.
She was a shimmer of gold and rainbows, but I find it hard to describe her.
Much like describing red to a blind man. You must see it to understand.

(Page Thirty-One)

The second was a body of shadow, and the only part of him that stood out
were his eyes, which were clear as water. He was frightening to behold,
and something about him unsettled me. He introduced himself as Silduaa,
and I sensed that -- somehow -- he did not like Glacis.

"The Guardians who intervened in the Elven-Human war," Eerayn said,
"have chosen not to do so in this one. We do not question our brothers
and sisters, for since our acquiring these forms we no longer see with
their scope. But we who once stood in their council cannot stand by
and let happen what we stopped before. We shall aid you, Lanival,
but only until all the mages who know or use the spell have been
destroyed or allowed us to pluck it from their mind."

I bowed my head. "It is --"

"Gracious, we know," Silduaa purred, his eyes slitting wide, then tight
slowly. "We have our reasons."

(Page Thirty-Two)

I bowed again. There is a saying among Halflings. Do not look a
gift dragon in the mouth.

"Now, flight is a rare thing," Glacis said. "And something you should
experience, my friend. It is a long walk back to camp." He lowered
one wing and one lip pulled back in a smile. "Shall we?"

The war turned in that night from a loss for Lanival's to a staggering win.
Even though Silduaa and Eerayn remained true to their promise to only
stay until the spell could no longer be used, their presence struck
terror into the hearts of Teiro's army, resulting in a stampede of
demoralized soldiers. To top it off, Glacis did *not* leave as his two
brethern did. The war was quickly over with the help of -- as they
became known -- "Lanival's Dragons".

(Page Thirty-Three)

Glacis left as soon as the war was ended. Once again anonymous in the
form of the elderly hermit, he bid Lanival one final farewell. Again,
another log from Lanival's journal.

I was unsure a little of whether dragons drank wine, but Glacis
accepted the cup graciously, and settled himself down across from me.

The tent was quiet. Everything was quiet. The war had brought a
pleasant silence with its ending.

"And now?" Glacis asked, sipping his wine.

"And now?" I echoed, looking up at him.

He gazed at me, then said, "I heard of the woman. I am sorry."

I nodded, twisting her ring around my finger. It was too small for
all but my littlest finger. "Aye," I said, then shrugged. "I have
a lot of years left."

(Page Thirty-Four)

"That you do. Do you think you will make a good ruler?"

I smiled. "I will not be a ruler at all. I have no more desire for
power. I know what I will do with the lands...." I touched the
Book of Moliko. "She wrote it years ago. Let those who know...rule."
I shook my head. "I do not know. I will not rule."

"If not you then...." And he shot his brow up. "Who will?"

I smiled. "The Elven Council have a few remaining -- they shall become
whole again, I feel. The Elotheans also have kept their leader.
Uthmor would, I feel, be a good leader, and some of my other advisors...
would that Nissa still lived. She would have made a Queen as none
ever saw...." I touched her ring again.
"And what happens to the great hero?" he asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I think he will go back to wandering, or...."
I ran a hand through my hair. "Perhaps he will wander to another place."
I touched my ring. "A place where shadows cannot find us."

(Page Thirty-Five)

"And what happens if a new villain rises? What then?"
"Then they can damn well deal with it themselves," I snapped. "I'm tired.
I am so *sick* of it all. I...." I shut my eyes, realizing I had
not drunk any wine. Perhaps that was what I needed.

Glacis' hand touched my forehead, and from a distance I heard, "Perhaps,
for now, you should just...sleep." And I felt the brush of magic.

When I opened my eyes again, it was dawn. Glacis was gone, and I knew
somehow that he had put me to sleep for a reason. It took me many nights
to realize what he had given me, and when I understood it at last, I
laughed.

(Page Thirty-Six)

With the end of the war, Lanival began to divide the lands amongst their
peoples. In the center of what had been the former Empire he established
the city called The Crossing, where -- mid-war -- he and his soldiers had
captured the Segoltha. To the Elves and Elotheans he left the ancient
Ilithi lands -- and the Spine of the World Dragon Mountains -- and to the
Humans he bequeathed all of Zoluren. Therengia became home to a line of
Barons, and the remaining two realms he left to the S'kra, Dwarves, and
'Togs. The Halflings, ever the wayward types, requested that all lands
be their lands, and Lanival ensured this.

His work done, Lanival expressed to his friend and companion Uthmor a
deep and abiding weariness. There were still many who disliked him,
and assassination attempts were sporadic but frequent. The Elves
mostly considered him an upstart, and hated him for his heritage.

His final journal entry is perhaps a clue as to what happened to him
next.

(Page Thirty-Seven)

Few understand. Uthmor understands, but he has stood on the
battlefield amidst the sweat and dust and blood....

Taking a life is not a simple thing. It is not something you
do without thought. Bards may think so, but I do not. You
*cannot* command armies to slay thousands and *not come out
unaffected*. This is not plucking flowers. This is a snuffing
of candles...of lives. Everything they are and would have been --
gone. Nissa taught me that.

I have her blood, my men's blood, the men my men murdered's blood,
and my own on my hands. My soul is a weight, and yet life is
now too precious, I realize. I will not take another life by
destroying my own. So instead, I will...sleep.

(Page Thirty-Eight)

Alone, Lanival slipped out of The Crossing and headed south. He left a
note to Uthmor stating he would be gone for a few years...ten at maximum.
What he did not anticipate were the five assassins waiting for him
in the mountains.

As the legend goes, he made it nearly to Glacis' home when the five
Elven men and women sprung from the snow with knives bared. He fought
well and furiously, but the odds beat him. Five assassins were dead, but
their target was nearly the same, and he dragged himself the rest of the
way to the dragon's home, where he collapsed, weakly calling out his
friend's name.

Glacis was a healer, but not a profound one. He knew of a way to
save Lanival, but it would be a dragon's healing -- it would take
not weeks, but decades. He made sure his friend trully wanted
what it was he would be offering, and then spread the sands of
sleep over Lanival's eyes.

(Page Thirty-Nine)

Lanival slipped into the magic-induced slumber, wounds no longer
bleeding, healing slowly. Glacis moved him deeper within the cave,
ensorceled the cove so it would not be disturbed, and then took
up watch at the cavern's maw.

Whether Lanival ever awoke is unknown. What scraps of legend remain
point one way or another like a crazed roadsign. Some believe he
sleeps on still, others that he wanders the realms now, fully healed
and under other names. There are some who also believe he has since
passed on to either the netherworld, other realms, or even another
world. The most popular notion is that the sleep Glacis placed him
in is spelled so that he awakens when his realms need him most. And
that, once his task is done, he returns to Icespear Reach to once
more sleep, and dream of his lady lost.

====Conclusion====
Lanival's calm attitude, strong insight, ability to stay cool under
fire, and ferocity in both hand to hand and magical battle earned him
many names, but the one that always stuck was the one attributed to
his seemingly inexhaustable wisdom. Even before Glacis' and his friends
intervention, the name that is most closely associated to Lanival came
to be. It is said that Uthmor was the first to begin calling Lanival
"the Dragon", and the name always stuck, even up to the formation of
the provinces. So much so, that they are still sometimes referred to
as, "The Dragon's Realms".

Whether, someday, Lanival may return...remains to be seen.

By my hand,

Bard Silvyrfrost - -

(Editor's Note: There is a story of a highly popular and well-received
Paladin of the Gor'Togs who helped drive back the Dragon Priests.
There are further claims that this Gor'Tog was Lanival returned.
Since Lanival's mother was Elven and his father was Human, this
claim is, of course, highly dubious to most knowledgable scholars,
and the champion himself never substantiated these claims by
acknowledging them. But...as they say in Shard -- "Stranger
things have happened.")

End

Latest revision as of 15:05, 17 November 2007

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