Sons of Ironstorm - Book 1: Griffon's Rise

Chapter 8: Truth in Chaos

                                    “Formed by Aecalyx, the First Man to remind his people

                                    of their connection to both the Maker and to Nature,

                                    the Druids are the spiritual

                                    and mystical heart of Humanity.

                                    They have charge of keeping Humanity’s history,

                                    culture and lore.

                                    By their discernment is truth made from chaos,

                                    And by their resolution is Humanity

                                    saved from darkness.”

                                                - from druidic writings concerning

                                                    the origin of the Druids

 For a long moment the only sound filling the room was the soft scratch of a quill pen dancing across the parchment beneath it, guided by a firm and resolute hand.  A pause to renew the ink depleted in the pen’s hollow shaft by quickly dipping it’s angled tip into a nearby inkwell, a crystalline container filled to half with black fluid formed from a careful selection of plant juices and ground minerals then the final words were being written.  Punctuation followed then a light skiff of fine sand to dry the excess ink before the parchment was held up for examination.

“And that was the end of the vision?” Alric quietly asked as he scanned his handiwork for flaws or mistakes by the light streaming in through the chamber’s only window.

Seated across the small table from his friend, Jerald slowly nodded, his thoughtful expression unchanged from when he began relating the vision in its entirety to his druidic advisor.  Burned into his memory with fire and ice, he had perfect recall of the terrible scene that unfolded before his eyes not but a Watch ago in the throne room before the magical storm was disrupted and dispersed by powers unknown.

On the heels of the storm’s failure Jerald dismissed Court and sent for Alric, hoping the druid would have some insight on the vision.  Or, in the very least, dismiss it as vain imaginings caused by some issue from the cursed storm.  Still in the palace though not in Court, the master druid quickly responded to the summons, meeting with Jerald in the throne room only a handful of turns of the small glass later, one of the king’s surgeons with him at the king’s request.

Subsequent examinations by first the surgeon then Alric, unfortunately revealed nothing amiss with Jerald’s health, much to his dismay.  An examination made with Alric’s druidic skills, however, yielded a mystic energy clinging to the bemused king, evidence that something had, indeed, occurred.  Intrigued and not a little disturbed himself by his find, Alric continued his examination, extended into the throne room to search for other residuals while he had Jerald recount the vision to several astounded listeners.  Those listeners included not only Captain Markus, Vascomb, and the surgeon but, oddly enough, Lords Bethane and Cadmon as well.

Knowing it wouldn’t sit well with the two powerful lords to be dismissed along with the rest of Court and seeking to thwart the flow of rumor that would surely spring from the events preceding and following the storm’s failure, Jerald had asked them to stay.  Better they hear it directly from him than a garbled version on a street corner, or even in the Chamber itself.  Seeing an opportunity to delve into a strange affair with possible consequences to Talemon as a nation, and thereby strengthen their positions in the Chamber, the two quickly agreed to Jerald’s request for discretion.  And, along with the others found themselves listening, with skepticism at first then growing horror to Jerald’s account of his vision, each word reaching in to touch their souls, leaving none unaffected.