Kai's Orb
This is a very old story and I am telling it as I heard it. Might be
some things wrong in it, but some information is better than none at
all.
Is a well-known fact that, during the war between the Ur-Daemon and
the Drakes, Kai alone of all the Arkati -- who were those Drakes' servants
-- fought hand-to-hand in the battle. Kai, with the inherent physical knowledge
of a true warrior, came across a particular way to kill Ur-Daemons. He could
not do it always, of course, nor in great numbers, but he could manage one-on-one
to kill an Ur-Daemon, though such involved a monstrous and bloody struggle
always. But through this method as well did Kai find that he could always
defeat the servant demons of the Ur-Daemon.
When the war between the Ur-Daemon and Drakes ended in neither side
"winning" and in the virtual destruction of the Drakes as a race while the
Ur-Daemon returned to their own netherworld, Kai decided the knowledge he
had of the Ur-Daemon might be needed at some future time, if the Ur-Daemon
came again out of their own sphere. He therefore asked Lumnis for the power
to imbue this knowledge into a vessel, and Lumnis reminded him that the power
to do so had always been his. Armed with this revelation, Kai came upon a
way to fill a vessel, an orb of mithril was his choice, with the knowledge
of how an Ur-Daemon might be successfully battled and how simple demons could
be destroyed.
This orb, therefore, held great significance to many of the Arkati.
And Fash'on'lae wished to gain access to it as a scholar, to study its abilities.
But, as we all know, Fash is none too picky about how he gains such knowledge,
so the orb in his hands could prove a very dangerous thing. And Eorgina sought
the orb to claim true power amongst the Arkati. But, as we all know, Eorgina
is none too picky about how she uses power, so the orb in her hands could
also prove a dangerous thing. So Kai, therefore, decided to hide the relic
where none could find it.
He happened upon a glacier, which seemed to him a good place to hide
the orb as the area was very remote. But what he hadn't reckoned upon was
one day a town being built on that glacier, the old town of IceMule Trace.
Now, who built the old town is in question. Halflings built new IceMule Trace,
but not the old. Some say was only the makeshift town of a group of nomadic
giantkin. Some say was where the dwarves housed themselves for a time after
the Red Plague destroyed Kalaza. But the truth has never been known. All
we do know is that was built by some mortal Elanthian race.
With the building of the town, much of the glacier was changed through
the work of the builders. And one day under the ice, as it was being reshaped
and flattened in a certain area, one of workers espied something round and
shiny. He called his fellows to take a look. The orb under the ice emitted
a warm golden glow which was wondrous to behold. So the workers did not disturb
the object, rightfully thinking it magical, and many of the town thought
it a blessing upon them by the gods themselves. So the tale of what they
had seen spread far and wide and reached the ears of the Arkati.
Fash went to find the orb, found it, but also found he could not touch
it. Eorgina found the same. It seems Kai had wisely imbued the orb with magic
which made it accessible to only warriors. So Marlu, who many thought to
be himself at least part Ur-Daemon, came to take possession of the orb as
he had a warrior's mien. Ah, but he too could not touch the orb! Kai had
imbued the magic so that only a warrior "true of heart" could access the
orb!
When he realized this, Marlu went insane with rage and leveled the
old town of IceMule Trace. All the citizens-- whatever was their unknown
race -- died horrible deaths, and the town was left but the ruins we see
today. But the orb remained and remains still, so legends goes, hidden in
the ice of the glacier, waiting for that "warrior true of heart" to uncover
it and access its store of knowledge about the Ur-Daemon and their servant
demons.
And that's the tale.
Iscikella's puppeteer
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