The Holy Covenant of the Triumvirate

by rathgood

Book 5: Trial of the Wryms

Book 5: Trial of the Wrym

Not all trials to strengthen a bond come from within. The most trying of them will come from outside. Testing all parts of the group. If one part fails, the entire group can fall. Real strength comes from the parts supporting each other, strengthening them, making the whole more than the sum of its parts.

The Harmony tribe having; organized itself under a ruling council; built a magnificent city; and finally came to a unified currency was settling into a normal rhythm. The Weather-born brought the rain and clouds when and where they were needed. The Magic-born crafted spells and elixers to aid the others. The Earth-born tilled the land and built settlements around their fields. Thus further cities were founded. Expansion, as always will bring people into conflict. It was such an expansion where the tribe encountered their first external conflict. They had stumbled upon the great Wryms. Giant sapient reptiles that could fly like the Weather-born; Use spells like the Magic-born; and even expel breaths of acid, fire, ice, and every substance imaginable.

Long thought of as legends among the tribe, these beasts were rare to see in person, almost as rare as spotting the three heavenly sisters. But all that changed a decade after the unification. Thousands of wryms erupted from the lands west of the Forest, which acted as the western most border of the land. They descended upon one of the communities in the gem rich mountains, decimating it with their breaths. Their fires razed the structures and liquefied rocks. What the fires did not melt, acid did. They tore into the mountains, ripping out the gems, gorging themselves on them. Sated, they rested, turning the cratered land into a magma filled proving ground. A lone weather-born was the only survivor, having just left after having delivered a message. With the swiftest speed she could muster the courier headed for the council chambers, now located in the cliff side castle, intent on delivering her new message.

Bursting into the room, she breathlessly told them of the horrors she had witnessed. She told of the massive ebon wrym who had been the first to spew his molten breath onto the settlement. Members of all of the groups had died in the onslaught, none had been sparred save for her and purely on luck. The High Commander immediately began to organize an expedition to expel these invaders and avenge their fallen. As news of the slaughter spread, and grew with each telling, recruits for the military expedition streamed in. Be in Earth-born, Weather-born, or Magic-born, all headed the call. Trained by the best the Weather-born had; outfitted with enchanted armor and weapons, crafted by the best the Magic-born had to offer; and provisioned with the best the Earth-born had grown, the newly formed army marched for the border.

The sisters were aghast at what had occurred. While the elder sisters had not seen such a large congregation of them, they had met the Wyrms in the past and they had not been as openly hostile. Normally they were solitary creatures, building hordes of gems and previous metals, the former which they ate. Very long lived, the few they had encountered were wise beings, who only defended what was theirs. Knowing the strength of the Wyrms, the Sun and Moon feared for the harmony tribe's new army. No amount of magic and weapons could stand against that many wryms. With great haste, the Sun herself made for the mountains, hoping a misunderstanding had occurred. The sky lit up with a fiery trail heralding her passage.

Arriving at the now volcanic area, the Sun searched for any Wrym she might know. Coming upon an immense matriarch, the princess recognized the brilliant purple scales and emerald back spines, it was one she had dealt with in the distant past, prior to the ascension of the Moon. Alighting on the edge she called out to the great creature, asking why they were here and not in their mountain lairs far to the west. He response was curt and to the point, the elder wrym remembering the Sun as well.

"This is one of our ancestral grounds, used on our centennial migration to the mountains far to the east of here. What reason do you have for being here?"

The Sun told the matriarch of what had transpired, how the people she guided and watched over had been living in this very area and had been destroyed by the Wryms landing here. The Elder was mystified, there had been no buildings, no settlements here, from the sky, the land was just as it had always been. The Sun, with new information to digest needed to meet with her sisters and figure out what had happened. On her parting, she informed the wrym of the marching army, intent on avenging their brethren. The matriarch gave the celestial sister her word that she would do her best to keep the others in line, but if they were attacked, they would respond in kind.

Blazing back to the castle, the Sun informed her sisters of what she had found. Distressed, the three agreed to a plan of action. The Sun, being the most powerful, would stay at the castle, to maintain the celestial cycle. The Moon would shadow the tribe's army, cooling their anger, trying to slow their inexorable march. Lastly, the Twilight would go to the only member of the tribe who saw the incident and try to discern what went wrong. The three in accord, left for their respective duties. The Sun remained behind, pacing the halls. Inaction was not in her nature, but the choice for her to remain was valid.

The Moon approached the army, deepening their slumber, enriching their dreams. The soldiers and their commanders slept later than normal, rising near dawn, losing many hours or marching time. Many who woke felt the fire in their hearts cooler than when they had gone to bed. The rage they had felt upon hearing of the unprovoked attack was still there, but was now tempered, clearing their heads. The commanders, seasoned warriors all, did not let this get in their way. They had been trained to follow the mission, to not doubt their orders. The high commander knew what he was doing. The army marched on, the Moon followed, preparing for the next option. At the castle, the Sun continued to pace.

The Twilight tracked down the courier, resting in one of the castle spires. She had been well taken care of since her report. Avoiding the normal guises the sisters wore when dealing with the tribes in person, she instead wore her normal form. As the moon set and sun rose she descended upon the balcony, landing with a flourish of purple light blending with the coming day. The arrival, as planned did not wake the sleeping woman. Using her magic to silence her footfalls, the Twilight approached the edge of the bed. Shrouding herself in her celestial raiment, twin bands of energy radiating from her back like wings, she woke the lone weather-born. Wrapping the room in a spell, preventing her light and words from leaving it she spoke, her voice like thunder.

"To prevent a war. To save the lives of both the tribe and the Wryms I must know what you know. I must see what you have seen. Will you let me into your mind? Will you allow me to delve into your memories?"

The shocked woman could only nod her head, still in awe of what she saw before her. This was one of the three sisters, one of the All-Seeing's Trinity, and here one was, asking for her help. The Twilight, seeing the nod, placed her hand onto the head of the weather-born, entering her mind. She turned back the clock, passing the telling and retelling of the incident until she reached the incident itself. The settlement was carved from the very rock itself, blending with the natural curves and environment. From the sky, it would have appeared as nothing but the mountain. She saw the Ebon wrym circle. She felt the awe of such a massive creature. She felt the panic when it let loose a burst of magma from its mouth, melting the buildings the courier had left moments ago. She heard the screams, cut short by the pyroclaysm. She felt fear, not the weather-born, she felt the primal fear. Not as atuned to mental diving as her elder sister the Moon, the Twilight had to pull herself back from the abyss, less she lose herself in the memory.

The shock of having been so close in minds, then being ripped apart disoriented the princess and caused the weather-born to collapse backwards into bed, drained. Regaining her composure, the Twilight thanked the woman, giving her a blessing of renewal. Recalling the incantation she had placed on the room, the Twilight left for their castle. She had to tell her elder sister of what she had learned and to consult her over the next course of action. Cloaking her presence, she sped home. Their she recounted the courier’s memories. The Sun was relieved that it truly had been a misunderstanding, but was none-the-less still concerned of the impending conflict. Speaking to her sister, the Twilight lamented that if only there was a way to show the sides what she had seen, to take them back to the event an clear up the misunderstanding. This ignited a memory of a spell in the Sun. One her Magic-born emissary had recorded prior to his fateful trip to the northern land; one that might work. Hastily the Sun delved into her archives and found the incantation and shared it with the younger princess. Memorizing it, the Twilight took off to the west, hoping to get there before any blood could be spilled.

Meanwhile, the Moon attempted her last gamble to dissuade the army from advancing on the Wryms. If they would not halt from doubt then perhaps they would halt out of fear. That night, the Moon invaded the dreams of all of the tribesman in the army. Polluting them with nightmares. Showing them the full might of the Wryms. They tossed and turned, wept and screamed as the demonic dreams tormented them. They were consumed, crushed, brunt, frozen, melted, maimed, and eaten. Over and over again the Moon forced this suffering onto them. Refusing to let them rise from the dreams and robbing them of any of the rejuvenating effects of slumber, the Moon found herself enjoying this morbid spectacle. Enjoying this level of control over the thoughts of others. Deep below the earth, the best of the forest drank of the despair and feasted on the malevolence the Moon was showing. Meanwhile, the Moon cackled, the sound of her own voice breaking her out of the trance she had found herself in. Sickened by what she had done, tears flowed from her eyes. She revoked all of the nightmares, removing their contents from the minds she had touched, bottling up that voice inside that had taken so much glee from it. Swearing to never embrace it again. The soldiers still tossed restlessly that night.

That morning the haggard tribesman awoke, most worse off then they had been before bed. Seeing this the veteran commander, himself exhausted, ordered each soldier to take two of the magically enhanced and crafted pills they saved for emergencies. These pills were packed with invigoration magic that melted exhaustion away and enhanced with medical powders that quickened the mind, sharpening the senses. The pills however, were not a miracle. If taken too often they would break down the body, draining years of usable life from the tribesman. This was why they were used only as a last resort. Swallowing the pills, each trooper felt instantly better and ready to march. Today they would reach the reptilian menace and put the fear of the All Seeing into them. The last gambit of the Moon had failed. The Twilight hurried to the pending confrontation as fast as she could with out draining herself, for she would need everything in order to cast the spell.

The army marched and the Wryms slept, unaware of the looming conflict. The forest’s tender drooled, preparing for the feast of flesh to come. Finally, the weather-born advanced scouts reported that they had spotted the Ebon behemoth that was their primary and initial target. They would launch their opening shot against this beast, striking fear in the other wryms. If they slew the greatest of them, the rest would scatter. With magic silencing their footfalls, the army advanced toward their foe. After attaining the range needed, the commander ordered the lance to be used. The lance was the most finely crafted weapon to come from any of the groups. Longer than three of the tribesman were tall, the lance ended in twin points, the entire length made of gleaming black metal. The weapon had been forged by both a Magic-born and Weather-born. The former enchanting the ore, metal, and weapon with all of the offensive enchantments and enhancements they knew. The latter folding the metal over and over, tempering it into the most precious and viscous of points. Together they had made a masterpiece, a weapon the boastful craftsman had said could slay a god. While not a god, the leviathan would put this boast to the test this afternoon.

Levitating the great spear, the entire armies Magic-born population prepared to launch the weapon upon their commander’s order. When the great Ebon wrym rose, turning towards them the command was given. In the blink of an eye the Magic-born let loose the divine arrow, leaving behind it a multi-hued wake from the combined magical forces. The beast had no chance to react before the lance pierced its thick hide, impaling it straight through the heart. The momentum of the spear pushed the beast through the air, pinning it to the side of the mountain. Its last roar echoing across the land, the only noise it was able to make. Rising to the sudden roar, the rest of the wryms spied their dying brother, their roars joining his own. Instead of scattering as the commander had hoped, the wryms, some even more massive than the one just slain prepared to attack. The battle was joined as the lesser wryms spewed gouts of magma, fire, ice, and poison at the army, most reflecting off of the protective barriers erected by the Magic-born, the rest being absorbed by the enchanted armor they all wore. Bolstered by their success, the tribes launched another attack, the scales of the wryms absorbing their attacks as their own armor has absorbed the wrym’s breaths. The Twilight felt the disturbance in the balance and hoped she would make it in time.

Enraged by the death of one of their own, the five remaining elder Wryms rose to the air, preparing to unleash their terrible wrath onto the lesser race who dared assault them. The Moon sensing the impending cataclysm of power erected her strongest barrier around the tribe. Barely in time, the barrier shunted the massive attacks to the side, shattering the barrier in its entirety. The lands around the army was laid to waste by the assault. Trees were frozen, melted, or both at the same time. Thousands of animals who called the lands their home perished. The tender drank of the draining life, preparing for the main course. The Behemoths, undeterred prepared another wave of their terrible powers. The tribes too, prepared their strongest spells and magically enhanced projectiles, hoping to fell another of the elder beasts. The respective barrages were launched, but did not collide. Between the two factions a brilliant woman appeared, forcing both assaults upwards, toward the heavens, both mingling together into an intense dance of devastation. The sky was carved in half by the torrent of powers, the night sky appearing after the passage of the terrible blast, the atmosphere displaced by the spells unleashed. The Twilight had arrived in time.

Drawing all of her strength together, channeling power shared to her by the Sun and the Moon, the Twilight cast her spell. Enveloping the entire area in mist, she obscured them from view and with a brilliant flash of light and crackling thunder, transported both sides to the day of the incident. She placed the tribesman in the air, to see what the wrym’s had seen, to see that the settlement had been obscured by its own instance on blending in. They saw the wrym’s circle twice, then engulf the land, creating their volcanic lair. For the wrym’s they saw the events through the eyes of the tribesman who had died in the assault. They saw the bustling mining village, living with the land. They felt the agony of being destroyed by the torrent they themselves had unleashed. Her spell complete, both sides were returned to the present. Exhausted from the exertion, the Twilight spoke.

“You have all seen what happened here. You have all looked through the eyes of the other side. Mistakes were made on both sides. Please do not make more. Look around you, the land weeps from the conflict. What was once full of life has had it all but extinguished. No more life need be lost this day”

The Moon, to punctuate the speech, spread a wave of calming moonlight, further cooling the rage and anger of both sides. The Purple titan was the first to speak, pledging that they would not push the assault if the tribesman did not push theirs. They had been at fault in the begging and would accept responsibility for their actions. The commander in turn pledged to withdraw, apologizing for letting their anger get the best of them and for the death of the Ebon behemoth. A small portion of the army requested to become vassals of the wryms, to learn about them so that other misunderstandings did not occur. The elders agreed, understanding the wisdom in understanding each other. The slightly diminished army left, making the long march home, weary of heart and weary of body. The wryms, removed the lance from the body, entombing their fallen brother inside the mountain itself. The great spear was given to the Twilight, for the elder matriarch felt the touch of the Sun in her and knew she could trust such a weapon in their hands. Mourning, the wryms departed for their destination far to the east. Preparing herself to leave, the Twilight was joined by the Moon, the latter who volunteered to carry the lance back to the castle as the former was more than exhausted. Out of the corner of her eye, the spent princess say an egg emblazoned with a flame pattern. Sensing that it yet lived, she took it with her. Life found among the ashes of destruction.

Upon their return and after a days rest, the three sisters combined their All Seeing given might to seal the weapon away, underneath their castle. Never would such a terrible item be needed again. Their task done, the Twilight presented the egg to her eldest sister, a gift for showing her the spell that saved the tribes. Under the warm embrace of the Sun, the egg would hatch into a near legendary bird, who, like the Sun, was a creature of primal fires. Deep beneath the land the Tender feasted. The blood of the slain wrym flowed into the land and was suffused with its hate and rage towards the lesser race who had struck it down. The forest lamented that for all the effort it had taken to turn the wrym to his cause, the millennia of subtle touches while it slept, it did not get as much use from it as he had hoped. Still, it was a useful pawn, no bishop. It had shown him the weakness found in the sisters, weaknesses he would exploit. In death it was also useful. Sending the roots of his forest to the tomb, he absorbed the corpse, dragging it to him. From this he began to craft a body. Something he had not had in many, many eons.

Comments

[rathgood]

Author here. This was originally supposed to be part of Book 4. Then was supposed to be the first part of Book 5, but I guess I got a little carried away and it became it own book. Oh well. Enjoy.

[Celestias Paladin]

Blood of a dragon forming a new body... oh frak Him. Keep it up my friend, the story must be told!

[Reader Wolf]

Blood of the dragon creating...it IS him.

And the seeds of Nightmare Moon. "Swearing to never embrace it again." SURE!!