The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Sage of Avendell

Osric and Talia followed Valen deeper into the heart of Avendell. The forest grew denser, the ancient trees towering overhead, their branches intertwining to create a canopy that filtered the sunlight into a soft, emerald glow. The air hummed with a subtle energy, a palpable sense of life and magic that seemed to permeate every leaf and blade of grass.

As they walked, Osric noticed the growing presence of otherworldly creatures. Ethereal wisps darted between the trees, leaving trails of shimmering light in their wake. Briarwolves, their fur a mix of earthy browns and vibrant greens, watched from the shadows, their eyes glinting with an uncanny intelligence. Tree-like humanoids, their bark-covered bodies adorned with leaves and vines, moved silently through the undergrowth, blending seamlessly with their surroundings.

As they walked, Cinder eventually rejoined them, walking beside Osric, which was a relief. Even though he hadn’t met the wolf that long ago, he’d come to really like his companion, finding his presence almost comforting. After a long time, with the number and variety of creatures surrounding them growing to a point that left Osric almost speechless, Valen led them into a clearing surrounded by evenly spaced, ancient trees. Each tree was unique, its bark bearing intricate carvings and symbols that seemed to pulse with a soft, inner light. In the center of the grove, an old man in flowing robes stood waiting, his silver-white hair cascading down his back, his hands clasped in front of him.

“Welcome to the Concordant Grove,” Valen said to Osric after bowing his head respectfully to the old man. “The heart and soul of Avendell.”

The old man smiled, his weathered features creasing with warmth.

“Thank you, Valen. You have done well in bringing our guests here safely.”

“Happily, Rodan,” Valen said, bowing once more before turning and disappearing into the forest, leaving Osric, Talia, and Cinder alone with the old man.

“I am glad you made it to Avendell unharmed, Osric Yarrow. I am Rordan Maddox, who some call the Sage of Avendell. We have much to discuss, I think.”

“How do you know me?” Osric asked.

“I don’t know you, not exactly. The Concordancy gifted me with knowledge of an artifact from long ago, one that has come through the veil and is important to the very survival of our world. The vision showed me a young man who found the artifact and was being chased by a group of people who wanted to claim it for themselves. Do you have the item with you?”

Osric hesitated for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the ring, holding it out in the palm of his hand.

“It’s just a ring now,” Osric said as the sage took the ring out of his hand. “The magic left it once we found the document you sent us for.”

The sage’s eyebrows rose, and he looked at Osric and Talia oddly. “I did not send you for a document.”

“Cinder led us to it,” Osric said, gesturing to the wolf. “Valen indicated that you knew Cinder, and I assumed that he guided us to the keep where we found the document on your orders.”

“Strange. That wasn’t my doing. It seems the Veilguard must have communicated with him directly.”

“He works for someone else? He can understand people? I mean, I knew he could, since he kind of does what we ask him to, but still... wow.”

“Cinder is a special animal, indeed. He was found as a runt on the very boundary of Avendell, left to be nurtured by its magics. He has always been touched by the Veilguard, possessing abilities far beyond those of normal animals. Perhaps that is why they chose him to aid you in your quest,” the Sage said, before kneeling down, coming eye-to-eye with the wolf. “Have your new friends given you a name? Do you like it?”

Cinder pawed at the ground, his tail wagging as he let out a soft bark of affirmation. Maddox chuckled, running a hand through the wolf’s thick fur.

“Who are the Veilguard, and how can Cinder communicate with them? What is this ring, and how did it travel through time? What is the Veil? What is the Concordancy you mentioned? The document? What is all of this about?” Talia, who had been growing increasingly agitated, finally let out in a near solid stream.

The sage laughed again, much as Valen had done the last time Talia became overwhelmed with questions. She was less amused than Osric was, scrunching her face up in annoyance, which only made Osric smile more. Thankfully, her attention was on the sage and not him. He had experienced enough of her ire at people finding her amusing when she was being herself as children, he didn’t want to taste it now that he knew what kind of power she wielded.

“I was told you were full of questions. I can see they were right. Curiosity is a common trait in those bearing the taint of magic.”

“What... what does that mean?” Talia said, finally glancing back at Osric, concerned by his choice of words.

“A good question, but not a simple answer. I was told you did not study with the conclave. Is this correct?”

Osric couldn’t help but wonder who had told the sage about that, since they had had that conversation with Valen, who hadn’t relayed any of what they had talked about before leaving to rejoin his people.

“No. I studied with an elder from my village. She studied at the conclave, but left many years ago after a dispute.”

“I see. Well, the simplest way to answer is by starting at the beginning. You see, Peridia is surrounded by a powerful force, call it energy or magic, if you will, that not only brought our world into being but also protects it from the rest of reality. This energy keeps us separate and protects us from those other realities, planes of ice and fire, spirit and life, death and all the other infinite realities that surround ours.”

Osric couldn’t help but let out a soft “wow” under his breath.

“I know it’s a big idea, Osric. But it’s important to understand that we are forever separated from those other realities, each protected from the other by this energy we call the veil. Tell me, Talia, where do you believe your magic comes from? The ability to weave the power you do?”

Talia hesitated for a moment before saying, “From the energies around us. Magic is everywhere, surrounding us.”

“Yes, that is what the conclave teaches, but it isn’t quite right. The magic you wield is a part of the veil itself. When you manipulate those energies, you are pulling at the very fabric of the veil, accessing the immense power it contains. And that,” the sage said, his tone growing more serious, “is where the danger lies.”

“What do you mean by danger? How can using magic be dangerous?” Talia asked.

“I know this is hard to accept, but it is because you, and the rest of the conclave, misunderstand the nature of magic itself. When you wield the energies from the veil, it is possible to remove a piece of it. A tiny thread, so small you might not even notice its absence.”

He plucked a single thread dangling from the sleeve of his robe, holding it up for Osric and Talia to see.

“Individually, it matters very little. As you can see, even though I removed this, my clothes are still functional,” he said, releasing the thread, letting it be carried away by a breeze. “But, over thousands of years, done by thousands of mages, those threads begin to add up. Worse is when the energies are used to imbue power into a more permanent object, such as a wand, a potion, or other enchanted items. What most enchanters probably don’t even realize they are doing is taking one of those threads and putting it into the item, cutting it from the veil entirely.”

“Surely the Conclave must know about this,” Talia said. “They... control magic. Teach everyone to use it. They have to know what it is.”

“Maybe they do, it is hard to say. All I can tell you is that no one I, or any of my predecessors, ever met from the conclave understood the true nature of magic. But... I can give you proof that what I’m telling you is true. You see, all of these together have damaged the veil between realities. It is why more... strange things have been happening in recent years, as the veil weakens. It’s where the strange creatures that wander our world, out of sync with it, have come from.”

“Do you mean Valen and the rest?” Osric asked, gesturing towards the forest where the stag-folk and briarwolves had led them into the grove.

“No, the stag-folk, the briarwolves, and others that live in harmony with our world. They were created by the gods, who made the veil when they created our world and are able to access it and use it safely.”

“Does that mean... should I stop using magic? To keep from damaging the veil?” Talia asked, paling a bit as she absorbed what the sage was telling her.

“No, not directly. There are ways to use magic without harming the veil, and we can teach you those methods.”

“Really? I don’t have to give up magic entirely?” she asked hopefully.

“Of course not. Or at least, not entirely. Some magics, yes, you will have to avoid. Summoning, enchantments, raising the dead—these require pieces of the veil to inhabit something, to turn the energies into physical form. Such acts always cause harm to the veil and should be avoided. But magics that redirect, move, and shift energies, those are more like when a thread is pulled but then snaps back into place. You are using it, without breaking it,” he said, and then laughed softly to himself. “The metaphor isn’t perfect, but that’s the general idea.”

“I think I understand. Please, I would love to learn whatever you could teach me. I want to learn how to use my abilities without causing harm.”

“This is all fascinating, but I think we’re getting a bit off track here,” Osric said. “What about the other things? The Veilguard, the ring, the document, and most importantly, why these people are trying to kill us?”

“I can answer many of your questions, Osric, but not all of them. Some knowledge I do not have, and others are not mine to share.”

“But you can tell me something?”

“Yes. The Veilguard are a group of gods who came together thousands of years ago, after an event known as the Reckoning. I should say they do not call themselves the Veilguard; that is what we call them. As I said before, they do not communicate with us directly, so we are often left to our own devices when it comes to defining the things they tell us. The Reckoning was a cataclysmic event when a single great tear in the veil destroyed the plains that have now become the Shadowfell Marshes, unleashing creatures from other realms onto our world. It threw our world into chaos where much of what was known was lost, which is why hardly anyone remembers a time before those dark times, thinking our world started there, instead of much earlier.”

“Who were these other people, who existed before our current kingdoms?” Talia asked.

“There was once a great nation, caretakers of magic and the veil. They are, in fact, my ancestors. The gods that wanted to protect and save Peridia gathered together the remnants of this civilization and brought them here, to what we now call Avendell. Together, they managed to close the tear and repair the damage to the veil. Since then, the Veilguard has worked through us to ensure the veil between realities remains intact, repairing what damage they can.”

“But they haven’t done a great job, have they? If, as you said, there are more and more tears in the veil.”

“Talia!” Osric hissed at her.

“No, it’s okay, she isn’t wrong. They have failed, in part because there are others who want to see the veil gone, the boundaries between realities removed. Some of their fellow gods have been helping these other groups, undermining the Veilguard’s efforts.”

“But why?” Osric asked. “Why would any god want to destroy the veil?”

“That is something I cannot answer with certainty. The gods do not speak to people directly. At best, they give visions, which are often hard to understand and interpret. As for the motivations of the gods who do not grant me visions, it is difficult to say what drives their actions.”

“So you really do speak to them?” Talia asked in an awed voice. “Get visions from the gods themselves?”

“Some of them, yes,” he said, sounding almost proud. “The gods who stand neutral or against the Veilguard do not speak to me, but I receive visions from the gods who want to protect our world, guiding me and my people to doing their bidding. It was they who planted these, creating the magic of Avendell. From here, I can commune with them and be blessed by their presence.”

Osric looked at the trees with their intricate carvings. The idea that the very trees surrounding them were planted by the hands of gods was almost too much to comprehend.

“So, they sent me the ring? Through time?”

The sage looked at the ring in his hand and shook his head. “I don’t think they sent it, or at least, they didn’t send it to you. The gods don’t act so … directly. They nudge, they suggest, but they do not command. I don’t know if they allowed the ring to go through, or one of the caretakers realized it was possible and sent it through on his own. If that is the case, then your finding it was happenstance.”

“And if they assisted in sending it through.”

“It was still probably chance. The gods do not pick their champions. They are sustained by those who worship them, and worship without free will offers no value. No, they will empower those who serve them, but they will not offer power in exchange for service. Not even Aracus or Parios would. There would be nothing in it for them.”

Osric wasn’t much into religion, although Master Ironhand kept a small altar to Forus, the god of smithers and tinkers, in the smithy, as most craftsmen did. They’d branded the symbol of Aracus in a sword once, for one of the nobles from Wolfsridge who came all the way to Eldham specifically for one of Master Ironhand’s swords. He’d said he wanted the blessings of the god of war to help him send his enemies on their way. Until coming to Avendell, Osric hadn’t even been sure the gods had been more than superstition, or at least, not something a small village like his ever needed to worry itself about.

“But, they sent Cinder.”

“Once you had the ring, then yes, they would have become involved, in their own way. Although, it’s unlikely even an animal as smart as Cinder here could have found directions in a vision, enough to take you to where you found this document. Without examining it and the ring, it’s hard to say what they have to do with each other, or where exactly they came from. All I know is that the ring bears the symbol of the caretakers of the veil, before their fall. It’s the symbol of the Calaphium.”

Both Osric and Talia sucked in a sharp breath. Osric might not have been well-schooled in magic or the gods, but he knew who the Calaphium were. Everyone did. A name only whispered in scary stories, fiends from the time of Chaos, before the rise of humanity, who tried to destroy the world.

“Why would monsters send anything through and why would the gods be willing to help them? They’re evil.”

“So everyone believes, but it isn’t true. The world has been led to believe that is who the Calaphium were, but it is a lie.”

Talia and Osric both took steps back. What kind of person would defend them, and what were they capable of?

“Do I seem evil to you? Does this place?” The sage said softly, not moving or making any threatening gestures. “Did Valen seem evil? Does Cinder?”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Talia said.

“Very true, but consider the adventure you have been on so far. Who was it who tried to stop you, to kill you? You have some magics and felt the ring. Did it feel evil to you?”

“No,” Talia said hesitantly.

“How would a lie like that even work?” Osric asked. “Everyone knows who the Calaphium are. Every child grows up afraid of them.”

“Stories can be twisted, especially over thousands of years. The truth is, civilization is far older than Aeloria and the tribes that came before. Before the Reckoning, the Calaphium had a great society that lasted for almost three thousand years. They were the first great empire on Peridia.”

“That doesn’t explain why everyone thinks they’re evil,” Talia said. “If they were so powerful, how does no one remember them?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have all the answers,” he admitted. “Much of the Calaphium’s past has been lost to time and intentional distortion. However, the ancestral knowledge of the druids and the forest itself records a very different history than what the world beyond Avendell believes. According to our tradition, the Calaphium were caretakers of magic, not the monsters they are portrayed as today. Yes, they were the ruling government that controlled all of Peridia, but our memory is that it was a benevolent, peaceful society. More importantly, the Calaphium had the power and understanding to repair any damage to reality and limit what weaving could be done to prevent harm from occurring. Until they fell, that is.”

Beyond his instinctual revulsion at hearing their name, Osric didn’t really know what to make of all this. He was a simple man and this was all too much for him. He glanced at Talia, who’d always been smarter than him, but she seemed as confused and skeptical. He wished Elder Miriam, or even Master Ironhand, were here to tell them what to do. What to believe.

“I know this is a lot,” the sage said, seeing the expression on Osric’s face. “I know it’s hard to have heard something your entire life and then to be told it’s a lie. I don’t blame you for your skepticism.”

“If they were so powerful and had so much control over magic, how did this reckoning even happen?”

“Again, this is very ancient history. It’s not entirely clear if they were overthrown or fell from within. What we do know is that, once they were gone, there was no one left to heal the damage caused to the veil. We also know that the last members of the Calaphium came here, to Avendell, seeking refuge.” He spread his arms, indicating the forest around them. “The Great Forest was always one of the strongest points of the veil, where the energy was most potent. They were able to use the energies found here to close the tear over Shadowfell and stop the worst of the damage from the Reckoning. Then, they pulled back, made this part of the forest a refuge. Here, we have been able to limit the amount of damage occurring within our borders, living in harmony with those energies, never forcing or taking from them. That has brought us safety for a time, but that time is coming to an end. Even our forests are starting to be encroached upon as the small holes across the world become tears, some of which have even stretched through our own barrier.”

“So what do we do?” Talia said. “The ring has lost all its magic, but people are still after it. Do we hide here forever? Run until they catch us?”

“I don’t know yet. I know the gods are interested in you because you found the ring. You may not have been chosen, but you’ve been given a burden all the same.”

“What about the torn paper?” Osric asked. “If the ring, or Cinder, or whoever led us to it, then it’s important, right? It’s part of this? I tried to look at it, but I don’t know what the symbols mean.”

“You are right, it is clearly important. When I brought you here, I only knew that you had found the artifact and there were people who wanted to take it from you. Until I saw the ring, I didn’t know of connections to the Calaphium, your finding the document, or even that Cinder here was sent to aide you. I will need to spend some time examining both the ring and the paper, to see what I can learn from them. I know you two have been running for a long time and must be tired. If you’ll allow, I will spend the evening in study while you eat and rest. We can then speak again in the morning, after you are refreshed and I have had time to study.”

Osric knew Talia was still suspicious and the thing with the Calaphium was kind of terrifying, but ever since he’d been thrown into this, he’d been running without a clue as to what to do. Not even Talia knew what they should do, and she was brilliant. He wished Elder Miriam or even Master Ironhand were here to guide him, but they weren’t. He desperately wanted someone, anyone to tell him what he should be doing. Where he should be going. He was ready to settle for any help they could get, and he honestly didn’t care who it came from anymore.

Osric glanced at Talia, who still seemed uncertain, but he could see the exhaustion in her eyes. They had been through so much in such a short time, and the promise of a warm meal and a safe place to rest was too tempting to resist.

“I think we should accept the Sage’s offer,” Osric leaned over and whispered to Talia. “We need time to figure stuff out, and we can’t do that if we’re constantly looking over our shoulders.”

“Okay,” she said, looking almost as ready to give up as he was.

“We accept.”

“I am glad to hear it. You will be safe here in Avendell. Go with the Stag-folk. They will show you to food and a place to sleep.”

Although the Sage hadn’t called out or made any kind of sign, several of the strange deerpeople came through the trees, standing patiently a few steps away. Osric started to walk to them and then stopped.

“Can … would it be alright if Cinder stayed with us?” Osric asked, turning back to the sage. “I’d feel better if he was.”

“That is not for me to decide, Osric. Cinder is a creature of Avendell, and he goes where he pleases. But it seems he has grown quite fond of you, so I suspect he will choose to remain by your side.”

As if to confirm the Sage’s words, Cinder let out a soft bark, his tail wagging happily. Osric grinned, scratching the wolf behind his ears. He took Talia by the hand and they walked to the Stag-folk who were waiting. He couldn’t say how he knew, but he was pretty sure none of these were Valen. In fact, it seemed like two of them might be women. Their horns were different, as was the shape of their faces, although they still looked like deer.

With one last look back at the Sage, Osric, Talia, and Cinder followed them out of the ring of trees.