Lidarion 45

The next morning Trent shared the letters with the others and explained the door knob.

Brooke took it and tried it immediately. They blocked the door as Trent had done the night before and went into the restaurant for breakfast. Trent Harruff and Obla'reth stayed behind. "So last night while I was wandering, I found this room." Trent started. "All the books, I totally understand those. But why do you have a room full of tree trunks?" He asked.

Harruff perked up. "Carved tree trunks?" He asked.

Trent nodded. "How did you guess that?" He asked.

Harruff shook his head. "Not a guess. Mine is back in the port city." He explained.

Trent cocked his head to the side. "Why do you have one?" He asked.

Harruff smiled. "They are how my people tell their stories. We carry them with us almost everywhere. We carve the events of our lives into them, when we die they return to the cliff cities and are hung from the Wall of Songs." Harruff explained.

Obla'reth nodded. "There are very few places I regret never having seen before I became a Librarian. That place is that the top of my list." He offered.

"Why do they call it the wall of songs?" Trent asked.

"They hollow out each log and hang them from the cliff high above the city. The wind blows them into each other, creating a wind chime more than a mile long." Harruff looked like he might cry.

Trent was in awe of his description. "That sounds incredible." He offered.

Harruff nodded. "It really, really does." he agreed.

Trent turned to Obla'reth. "So how come you have a room full of them? He asked.

Obla'reth realized that Harruff was now even more interested in the answer than Trent was. "They are very old. And many of their original owners were not the most honored dead by your races standards of purity." Obla'reth explained.

Harruff nodded. "It has always been a strong belief among my people that the purest and most honorable souls made the best music for the wall." he admitted. "When my people reject my story, may they send it here?" He asked.

Obla'reth nodded.

"Why would they reject your story?" Trent asked as the others came back through the door.

Harruff smiled sadly. "A story for another time perhaps." He dismissed the conversation and walked back to his things as Trent closed the door and dropped the knob back into it's belt pouch.

Lidarion Page 44

They had only been at the library two, maybe three weeks and so very little of their time had been free for them to explore. So the night before they departed, Trent found himself aimlessly exploring the massive building.

About forty minutes into his wandering the found an unmarked door. He placed his hand on the knob and a realization hit him like lightening.

He had not spoken with Alex since the day they set sail. He opened the door and slipped inside to find that the room was full of carved tree trunks. Dozens of them lined the walls of the room. Dozens more hung from the ceiling. His entrance caused the closet few to sway slightly.

He found an empty patch of wall and pulled the door knob from his belt pouch. Alex had said to just touch it to a wall and while he trusted her he still felt stupid doing it for the first time. A thin electric silver line emerged from above and below the door knob and traced out the shape of a door into the wall. When the line was complete he knob turned naturally as if it had always been where Trent had just placed it. The door opened a crack and Trent peaked through the gap.

He saw the darkened central area of Alex's bar. It was the middle of the night and the place wad dark but a quick reach through to touch the wood slatted floor confirmed that it was really there on the other side of the doorway.

He dragged a log over and used it to wedge the door open so there was no change it could close on him accidentally. Once he was absolutely sure the log would stop the door he stepped through into the restaurant.

He was sure the building was deserted and yet he realized he was tiptoeing as if was expecting to get caught. He reached the bar and saw a fairly large rock holding a stack of papers down. He moved the rock and discovered the papers were letters that Alex had been writing them. She had started the day they had left, which is when she realized that something like this late night arrival might occur. Each letter was dated a little later into their journey, she had kept detailed notes as to the state of Lidarion and the status of the captives and the king. He had glanced at less than half the letters when he felt the beginning pangs of homesickness.

He took the letters and found a scrap of paper and pencil behind the bar. He left a simple note, apologizing for such a long absence and promised to return again tomorrow during the day.

With his note finished he gathered the letters and went back through the door, closing it behind him.

Lidarion: Page 43

Deciphering the rest of the rhymes, riddles, and stories took them days. They spread throughout the library, following half remembered lyrics, and here say until they were confident they had properly figured out how to reach out to all the paragons.

Squints and Obla'reth compiled everything they had learned into a brand-new book. Something Obla'reth had never done before and was very emotional about. He sat with his copy of the book in the central greeting area of the library as the others packed their supplies for the return trip. He was overcome with joy and equally sad.

"You can come with us you know." Dean offered stepping back into the library to grab more supplies.
Obla'reth looked up from the book. "I'd be dead within days of leaving. Besides, someone has to be here when the new librarians arrive." He smiled.

Dean nodded. "So if you're not ready to leave, why the long face?" He asked.

Obla'reth stood and place the book on his chair. "I have overseen this library for so long that time has lost all meaning to me. Just as I assume it did for every generation of librarian before me. A line so unconcerned with its own history, that I have no way of knowing who came before me, or for how long they were here." He sighed and picked the book which bore his name. "But those who come after me shall know at least part of my story." He explained with a soft smile.

Dean nodded. "Good on you. A legacy you can be proud of is nothing to be sad about." He still seemed confused.

Obla'reth nodded. "What I have begun can not be stopped or undone, but it does leave my heart heavy to realize that in our quest to preserve the history of the world, we sacrificed our own." He took a long look at the endless stacks in the wing to his right. "How could so many generations of us been so blind?" He sighed.

Dean was silent for a moment and then cleared his throat softly. "Where are you standing right now?" He asked.

Obla'reth looked at him. "In the heart of the library." He replied.

Dean nodded. "And did you build this place?" he asked.

Obla'reth shook his head. "Of course not." He answered.

Dean nodded again. "Then they didn't sacrifice their history. You are standing in the middle of it." He pointed a finger at Obla'reth. "You, are the result of it." He smiled. "Not all history can fit in a book or be contained by mere words. Your people are proof of that." Dean gestured to the building they were standing in. "You aren't disconnected from your past Obla'reth, You live in it every day, preserving it for the future." He pointed to the book. "And you've just found a new way to add to it." He said before he walked back toward the grand feast hall.

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Obla'reth returned to the podium. He opened the book and continued to translate. "It is in the best interest of all races and the paragons for the paragon's to be left alone. But the titans were not stupid. There was no point to creating stewards of the world if the world could not call upon them when needed." He turned the page. "And so there were legends and songs placed in every society. Seeded into every generation."

Obla'reth looked up from the book. "You already know how to contact the paragons." He said.

Squints sighed. "I'm pretty sure I'd remember knowing how to summon the paragons." He said.

Obla'reth looked down at him. "Do you have a particular interest in nursery rhymes, and bed time stories?" He asked.

Squints opened his mouth and froze for a second.

Brooke jumped in. "Blessed is the king of the Earth, Sitting in the heart of the crown."

Squints shook his head. "There is no crown mountain or mountain range. It's just a song, it doesn't exist." He sighed again.

"Yes it did." Harruff spoke up for the first time in hours. "Names rarely live as long as the things they identify. Crown in the oldest Minotaur language roughly translates to Urune." He explained.

Squints shook his head "I thought Urune meant hat?" He asked.

Harruff shrugged "I did say 'roughly'" He replied.

"How does this help us?" Lisa asked.

Squint's eyes lit up. "Because before we referred to that range as the 'The cliff cities' it was the Urune mountain range." he said with a smile.

Trent looked skeptical. "Who thought that 'The hat mountains' was a good name?" He grumbled.

Squints sighed "I think your missing the point."

Lidarion: page 42

Obla'reth returned to the podium. He opened the book and continued to translate. "It is in the best interest of all races and the paragons for the paragon's to be left alone. But the titans were not stupid. There was no point to creating stewards of the world if the world could not call upon them when needed." He turned the page. "And so there were legends and songs placed in every society. Seeded into every generation."

Obla'reth looked up from the book. "You already know how to contact the paragons." He said.

Squints sighed. "I'm pretty sure I'd remember knowing how to summon the paragons." He said.

Obla'reth looked down at him. "Do you have a particular interest in nursery rhymes, and bed time stories?" He asked.

Squints opened his mouth and froze for a second.

Brooke jumped in. "Blessed is the king of the Earth, Sitting in the heart of the crown."

Squints shook his head. "There is no crown mountain or mountain range. It's just a song, it doesn't exist." He sighed again.

"Yes it did." Harruff spoke up for the first time in hours. "Names rarely live as long as the things they identify. Crown in the oldest minotaur language roughly translates to Urune." He explained.

Squints shook his head "I thought Urune meant hat?" He asked.

Harruff shrugged "I did say 'roughly'" He replied.

"How does this help us?" Lisa asked.

Squint's eyes lit up. "Because before we referred to that range as the 'The cliff cities' it was the Urune mountain range." he said with a smile.

Trent looked skeptical. "Who thought that 'The hat mountains' was a good name?" He grumbled.

Squints sighed "I think your missing the point."

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The Librarian looked up from the book to check on his audience. "I understand that you have come a long way, but your questions have ancient answers and while I appreciate you suffering through my translations, we've only just begun. If you would kindly join me for dinner we can continue the book this evening." The Librarian looked tired and had significantly less pep in his step as he led the group out of the scroll room and back into the main library.

The windows were dark now, the librarian had been translating most of the day, Squints moved up to join him and they quickly fell into a conversation.

Brook, Dean, Lisa and Trent began their own conversation in hushed whispers. "I think we may have bitten off more than we can chew with this one." Brook started.

Dean shrugged. "That's assuming any of these stories are even remotely true." He countered.

Lisa nodded. "Assuming they are true, how do we know if the Paragon's are even still alive today, or trapped in physical form, or what ever it is the Titan's did to them." She asked.

Brook looked at the distant glare coming from Trent. "Thoughts?" She asked.

Trent cleared his throat. "It's a long journey no matter what. We've already traveled further than I ever have in my life and this thing has barely even started." He looked to Dean. "If you need to go, go. With what we brought in Gold we can buy a ship that will serve our purposes." He looked to Lisa and Brook. "You two can be back in Lidarion today by way of the door." He finished.

Brook shook her head. "If you are staying, I am staying." She said with finality.

Lisa nodded. "Brandon wanted us to work together and his efforts led us here, so here I stay." She agreed.

Dean shrugged. "I have no desire to ever let my sister beat me up again so my ship is your ship for as long as you have need of it." He offered.

Trent nodded. "Your all fools, but your my kind of fools." He said with a warm smile.

"Hey guys!" Squints voice echoed down the hall the group had stopped in. They looked up to see him peeking his head between two gigantic hand carved wooden doors. They were large enough to make Harruff look small and had barely needed to be opened for him to pass through. Squints was on the far side of the doors. "When you're done with your little meeting, you might want to look at this!" He shouted happily. and disappeared back behind the door.

They were not far from the doors, maybe a hundred feet and quickly made their way down the hall to see what ever had cheered him up.

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There were endless speculations as to how and why the create at the end of the bone road came to be. The reason most often shared among the races is that there were Titans that were not quite ready to pass on, and their desire to stay in the mortal realm festered inside the mountain, eventually coalescing into something not alive and not quite dead.

The Paragon of Death was a vile, angry, dark, and uncaring monstrosity that was obsessed with but entirely unable to pass through the great barrier it sat watch over.

All who spoke with the Paragon reported the results of their meeting from the afterlife. A place as real as this reality but apart from it, populated only by those who had already passed through this realm.

On the other side was a creature of equal size and power but with the polar opposite ability, demeanor and focus. The Paragon of life was the guardian of the far side of the eternity gate. The physical manifestation of the barrier between this realm and the next.

With the crypt of the Titans no longer available it became unclear where the Titans went to die. and as their numbers dwindled it became clear that it was a secret they would be taking to their now unknown graves.

The first stories of interactions with the paragons came almost immediately. Before long there were grand narratives of adventure and treasure, danger and excitement. As the narratives grew from simple stories to legendary tales the Sigil's became a greater part of the overall narrative. Some stories said they granted wishes to whom ever held all six. Many other stories reported them bestowing upon their owners  the gift of immortality. Some even touted the sigils ability to create a living god.

None of these stories has ever been confirmed, No reliable information about even the existence of the sigils exists. They are mentioned here as a matter of hystical record relating to the Paragon's.

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With water and fire the Titans found themselves facing a new and particularly difficult challenge. Water and fire naturally possessed a will, an elemental consciousness that while vastly different and less complex than true sentience, was still a very dangerous and difficult obstacle.

Ultimately the Titans chose to change the rules. They crafted a container of glass and container of stone. They filled the glass container with water, and the stone with fire. They infused the sealed containers with energy and absolutely nothing happened. Undeterred they set the containers aside and recorded them as failures.

Sometime later the Titans were surprised to find physical creatures breaking through and emerging from the containers. From the glass a winged lizard of electric and ice blue emerged. It chilled the room and waves crashed in the ears of all who heard the flap of its wings. From the Stone an ember orange and furious winged lizard emerged. If it weren't for the differences in color and temperature they could have been twins.

The Titans learned quickly that the dragons could not or would not allow themselves to be tamed. As they got older they grew larger and the Titans accepted the fact control of the creatures was not possible. The larger they grew, the more explosive their bursts of anger became. When they finally chose to take to the open skies None of the Titans tried to stop them.

With the elemental guardians freely roaming the planet, the Titans once again turned their attention to the business of their own extinction. They had, during the ancient war turned a small mountain into a crypt for the Titans that passed on. Now as their time was coming to a close more and more of them longed to take their place in the mountain crypt. During the war many people had seen Titans take their final walk or be carried into the mountain. A legend filtered through out the fledgling races that to place some of the bones of your ancestors along this road brought great fortune to your family in the mortal realm and great peace to them in the afterlife, thus the bone road was born and over the years small towns had popped up along the bone road and even grew plentiful.

Driven as a race to create the elemental paragons, the Titans stopped walking the bone road. The other races began to notice a change on the road, and a darkness coming from the mountain crypt and as time passed the towns dried up and people left the mountain crypt and the road of bones to the darkness. But with their mission complete, the Titian's finally returned to the crypt they had very nearly abandoned.

They were not prepared for what they discovered in the darkness.

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There is little written about the differences in difficulties of harnessing air and fire. Even less on the subject of how the Titan's discovered the solutions for each. What is know is that air was tricked.

More than anything the sky and all its citizens were free. Free in ways that no ground pounder could ever hope to comprehend. What walkers and crawlers dreamed of, fliers personified. The titans couldn't just imbue the sky the way they had done with inert stone, they needed a vessel.

By this time Humans had discovered music. Over time hollow log drums were accompanied by simple flutes and rudimentary stringed instruments. The titans took the concept of music and carved giant singing caverns filled with holes for the wind. These holes created a playful area that sang a deeply haunting tune when the wind ripped through the tunnels.

Once the wind discovered the gift, it was only a matter of filling the tunnels with energy and waiting until the wind came through in a large enough gust to be trapped in physical form.

Needless to say, no one was prepared for the raging fury of the wind's retribution. Storms tore across the planet, the result of the winds desperate attempt to free itself from captivity. Storms of such great intensity that their size and power had never before been seen, nor had they ever been seen again. In its blind rage, the wind reshaped the coast lines of the world, tore trees from the ground like fresh flowers, and wiped whole settlements from existence. None of it was enough to break the wind free.

Unlike Moun Tain who struggled against nothing more than the endless spans of quiet eternities, Ty Phune could barely stand to focus on the unbearable certainty of being physically linear. To be limited to a single direction when three hundred and sixty was just barely enough.

So the Titans sought to strike a deal. They would very nearly free the wind, in exchange for a period of service once a generation and support in times of emergency by playing 'Ty Phune's lament" on a flue of red stone. With the agreement struck, the wind was freed for a generation.

It never returned to the singing caverns again.

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As powerful as the titans were, the creation of new life was not something they were capable of. They discovered how ever that they had the ability to bind massive amounts of natural energy within natural elements.

First they experimented with earth. The resulting race of Golems were by Titan standards, small and imperfect creatures. They did however possess the single trait their creators desired. They were obsessed with the care and maintenance of land. They preferred to dwell within the mountains and stay below ground where possible. Over time they dug massive and highly impressive tunnel cities that remained impressive feats of engineering even to present day. But the Golem's were a short lived race. Eventually they all slowed and crumbled to dust, leaving only their empty stone cities behind.

Not long after the Golems began to fade, the Titan's discovered that the larger they made the construct the more energy it could hold. Thus they created a statue they named Moun Tain. It easily dwarfed even the most impressive of the Titans and held more energy than they thought possible to ever use. Upon his creation he walked the earth, but only once. It was the only time the Titans worried they had made a mistake. Moun Tain's walk was known among the other races as the Time of Tremors.

By this time the Elves had spread around the planet. Some tribes went high into the mountains and discovered the first tribe of sentient bovines, still walking on four legs. Other tribes of elves traveled deep into the darkest forests and learned quickly to avoid the earliest packs of sentient rat creatures. Many tribes of elves had settled by and on the oceans, eventually adapting to their surroundings and becoming the gnomes and mermaids. Other tribes explored the mountain tunnels left behind by the first Golems, after several generations they adapted to life in and underground and called themselves Dwarfs. The high mountain tribes bonded with the bovine tribes and declared themselves wild. In the plains Elves found the hard work of taming the land and building towns turned them to stockier rougher tan skinned creatures over time and they became known as Humans.

Moun Tain's journey reunited the shattered bloodlines of the Elven race in a moment of global history. Each race recorded the Time of Tremors in their own way, it was the last time the children of Elves would be peacefully united.

Moun Tain ended his journey at the beacon of the Gods. The largest mountain on the planet. He sat on the mountain and quickly fell asleep. Over time the land grew up around him until he was nothing more than a long forgotten shadow within the mountain.

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The first and most important thing to understand is that even for Gods, creating a world is no easy task. Existence is an internetworked set of complex systems that must constantly be checked and balanced. Creation is not just an act of will, it is a mental and emotional endurance trial.

The second most important thing is that to create something like life on a planet is not a short term act. The process undertaken by the beings that reached out and touched this planet did not do so under the impression that they would set into motion a series of events that would outlast them.

It is not known if the guiding hands that shaped life on this planet fully understood the complexity of the undertaking, or if the creation of conscious life was part of their plan from the very beginning. What is known is what the Titans recorded of their one and only meeting with their creators.

The titans were designed to be the stewards and overseers of the planet. They were to live on and take care of their home all the ages that it would exist. Time was not something the titans had any interest in quantifying but their creators bred into them an understanding of its passage. It was not until the creators disappeared that the Titans felt they had anything worthy of recording or remembering. The first record created by the Titans is a simple rudimentary comment.

Today, for the first time, we are truly alone.

Once this observation had been made. The titans saw a need to protect and oversee history in the same way they had safeguarded the planet. Even still, it is not known exactly how much time passed between the disappearance of the creators and the evolution of the elven race.

What is known down to the minute is the date the elves killed the first titan.

The Elven record of the titan war is a never ending nightmare of blood and fire. The titan record is nothing more than a list of names and their date of death. There are several recordings that detail how the war ended. The elder elves claim that the death of the king’s son turned his stomach and heart away from the desire for war. The wild elves records claim that their exodus from their ancient homeland reduced the elven numbers so low that they could not sustain the fight against the titans.

What is known is that ultimately the war caused the Titans to lose the desire to pursue the very purpose they were created to fulfill. Even the titans records post war were fewer and farer between.

As the Titans recorded less, the Elves recorded more, and one of the things they took note of was the constantly decreasing numbers of titans wandering the planet.

It was in these final years of the titans that the paragons were created. So like their creators before them, they created life.

It was in the pursuit of this final goal that the world entered its second age.

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Dean was the first to speak. “All right squints, do your thing.” He said a huge smile on his face.

Squints pointed at the scrolls. “Oh sure, only two problems, even if I could unroll scrolls the size of a house, I can’t read Titan!” He said in shock.

“I can.” Haruff offered.

Trent gestured to Haruff. “There we go! I knew you were going to be good for somethi – You’re Blind!” He finally caught on.

Haruff’s mouth dropped open in mock shock. “Since when?” He asked sarcastically.

Trent stuck his tongue out. “Very funny.” He spat.

Dean had been inspecting the locks on the lowest scroll. “Can we even open these? They look incredibly old.” He said.

Squints looked at Obla’reth. “So can we even open the scrolls and if so do you know anyone that can legitimately read Titan?” He asked.

Obla’reth shook his head with a smile. “No we cannot, and no I do not. No one had read or spoken Titian for more than ten lifetimes.”

Brooke sighed heavily. “So we came all this way for nothing.” She said.

Obla’reth walked over to an ancient wooden pedestal that had a wooden cover closed over the top of it that was split down the middle. He flipped the wooden cover open to reveal a large book. “I wouldn’t say nothing, before the locks rusted and the language of the Titians had faded from memory, one of the librarians translated the scrolls into Mer.” He explained.

Squints scurried over to the podium. “You can read the language of the Merfolk?” He asked with a huge smile on his face. The weirdness of the book being written in Mer struck him. “Why Mer?” he asked.

Obla’reth nodded. “Yes I can speak and read Mer. I do not know exactly why the book is written in Mer. The Rumors passed from librarian to librarian say that the underwater kingdoms were the last place the Titans were welcome before their race passed beyond the veil. Strangely enough, I have yet to find anything old enough to corroborate that.” He opened the book. “Now what are you looking for?” He asked.

Trent stepped up to the podium. “Where each of the Paragon’s are located, how to contact them, and the best way to earn their favors.” He said with all seriousness.

Obla’reth blinked. “Oh, is that all?” He asked as he turned back to the book on the pedestal and turned to the first page. “The Scrolls of the paragon’s, a comprehensive translation in five parts.” He turned to the second page.

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It was not an easy three days of travel. The journey itself was easy enough, every fifty to a hundred feet they marked their path so they could find their way back to the port. Trent had been short tempered from the get go and by the end of the first day his attitude and the ever present fog had soured the group. They traveled the second day mostly in silence, there were bits of whispered conversations but nothing that lasted longer than a few sentences. By the end of day three they had all retreated into their own thoughts and followed Haruff in total silence.

Twenty minutes into the fourth day they found the library. It was large enough that the fog obscured its total height but what they could see was stunningly beautiful. A mixture of wood and stone that appeared to have escaped the wear and tear of time. As they approached the heavy wooden main doors they were able to see representations of every language they knew and several that even Squints had never seen. Haruff pulled the door open and they ventured inside.

The interior was even more impressive than the exterior. Their vision no longer limited by the Fog, everyone but Haruff was able to take in the architecture, the paintings on the walls, the tile work on the floor that appeared at first glance to be an ancient map of the world. The book stacks started almost immediately and rose high into the building. They could see ladders hanging off the shelves. A fair skinned elf with ice blue hair came around the corner to greet them. He wore a plain white robe that had one large pocket in the front that was filled with a book. The Ice haired elf smiled at them and clapped his hands in excitement. “Oh my yes! This is a wonderful day, it had been so long since we’ve had any visitors.” He ushered them further into the building as he walked by them to close the doors. “Come in, come in, come in. Keep that nasty fog outside where it belongs.” He turned back to face the group. “Before we begin I invite you to wash all that negativity and anger off here, I promise you’ll feel better once you have been cleansed.” He gestured to a basin of water and waited for each of them to clean their hands and faces. As they did they discovered that the ice haired elf wasn’t lying. The sour silent negativity was rinsed away as their hands and face dried. The ice haired elf nodded again. “Good, Good, now welcome to the City of Scrolls. A misleading name if ever there was one, because it’s a library, but as far I am aware it is the largest library on the planet which means whatever you came here to find, I can almost guarantee that it is here to be found.” He shuffled back to the front of the group. “Now then, how may I be of assistance?” He asked with a huge smile on his face.

Squints stepped forward with the book he had brought from Lidarion. “We’re ah, well. We’re looking for the five scrolls that detail the sigils of the paragons. He said. Do you know where they are?” he asked.

The ice haired elf nodded in excitement. “The five scrolls are easily one of our most treasured manuscripts here. Come! I will show you.” He said spinning around.

The group scurried behind him to keep up. “What’s your name?” Brooke asked. As they weaved through the stacks.

The ice haired elf laughed. “You may call me Obla’reth.” He replied.

After a few more moments of scurrying through the library they came to positively primal wooden doors, marked with some sort of ancient language. Squints was beside himself with curiosity. “Obla’reth what language is that? I saw it on the front door as well.” He asked.

Obla’reth smiled nodded. “Yes you did, it’s the language of the titans, the first sentient race we have evidence of on this planet.” He explained.

Squints shook his head. “I thought the Titans were nothing more than a myth, bed time stories for children.” He replied.

Obla’reth shook his head. “An unfortunate side effect of time, and a general disinterest in the preservation of history. Luckily it is a side effect those who dedicate themselves to the preservation of this city are not burdened by.” He said pushing the doors open to reveal five gigantic scrolls. Each was easily five feet tall and twenty feet wide. They were secured to the wall of the room they were stored in by giant leather straps. It was clear that the room they were stored in had been built specifically to house them as the ceiling of the room was no more than two or three feet above the fifth scroll on the wall. “Ladies and gentlemen, the scrolls of the paragons.” Obla’reth gestured to the wall as the others stood in stunned awe.

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The Fog was just as thick in the morning. But the rest of the port’s population was up and moving with what little sunlight made it through the fog. Brooke and Trent woke before the others to make their way through the shops available in the port to purchase everything they might need for a long overland trip.

By the time they were done shopping they needed to rent a cart and horse to get everything back to the INN. They arrived at the Inn with their fresh supplies and found everyone else awake and nearly finished with breakfast. They ate quickly and joined the others to divvy up the supplies.

Trent had no way of knowing what time it was but he felt like it was late morning by the time they had returned the horse and cart and made their way inland out of the port town. Haruff was at the front of the line leading the way. “So, what’s the deal with the fog?” He asked.

Haruff explained as he led the group. “Legends mostly. There must be a real reason for it but no one I’ve ever talked to has ever been able to agree on what it is.” He said.

Squints was intrigued. “What do the legends say?” He asked.

Haruff shrugged. “Most elves believe some variation of the fog coming from some place deep in the forested heart of the continent. A long forgotten wound in the earth where the fog, thicker than any steam pours from a lava vent that will never close, and that the cloud will ever increase until they find and close the vent themselves or the world is covered in the escaped soul of the planet.” He explained.

They walked in silence through the fog for a while until Lisa spoke up. “So, not a very relaxed people I’ll bet.” She said.

Haruff snorted. “If your home had been swallowed by an unnatural fog over the course of a generation would you be?” He asked.

Trent chimed in. “So you don’t have any idea where you’re going do you?” He asked as brook glared at him through the haze.

Haruff sighed. “The blind are leading the blind Trent," He waved his hand, gesturing to the fog that surrounded them.  "May as well get used to it my friend.” He said keeping his slow but steady pace. 

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Haruff bowed once everyone had stepped onto the dock. “As I said, my name is Haruff, and we have much to discuss and further to travel in order to reach the library.” He turned inland.

Lisa stepped forward to stop him. “How did you channel my husband’s spirit?” She asked hopefully.

Haruff turned back and smiled sadly. “Even if he could have told me I wouldn’t have been able to explain it. Madam. I may have found peace of mind when I lost my eyesight but I was a warrior by trade and matters of the soul are beyond me.” He turned back around. Lisa nodded sadly as she and the rest of the group followed Haruff in to town.

Haruff led them to a small Inn. Once they were in the building Haruff sat in a chair at the table closest to the fire place. A young elven boy ran up the stairs and after a few moments came back down with a full cloth sack. He brought it to Haruff and placed the bag on the table. Haruff reached into a pocket on his robes and unveiled a small coin that he put in the boy’s hands. The boy ran back upstairs with a smile on his face.

 “What’s in the bag?” Squints asked as Haruff felt along the bag for the sting holding the bag closed. He found and pulled the large knot.

Once the bag was opened he pulled out a large leather bound book. “This, is for Lisa.” He started.

Lisa reached out and took the book from him. “What’s in it?” She asked.

Haruff shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I’m blind, and he didn’t tell me.” He smiled, reaching back into the bag. He pulled out a piece of rolled parchment. “Squint’s here is the map of the library. You’ll need it once we get there to locate the book.” He explained.

Trent interrupted. “If your blind how are you going to guide us to the Library?” He asked.

Haruff smiled. “Another question I cannot answer. All I know is that the only person on this planet that can get you to the library is me. I’ve never been there and I have no map of my own, but Brandon sacrificed a lot to make sure the contents of this bag reached you and that I was able to meet you here, and he told me that It was my destiny to lead you to the library.” He answered.

Trent scoffed. “It’s your destiny to lead us to a place you’ve never been and don’t know the location of?” He questioned.

Lisa loudly closed her book. “Trent I don’t know how to explain it but he’s telling the truth, he’s absolutely who he says he is and I am fully convinced that Brandon sent him.” She said with complete sincerity.

Brooke looked at the cover of the book but couldn’t make sense of the symbol on the front. “Lisa what book is that?” She asked.

Lisa lovingly rand her hand down the spine of the volume. “It’s Brandon’s war journal.” He wrote it for me in the sprit realm. He gave to Haruff and it is unquestionably authentic.” She said with a determined smile. “If you cannot trust Haruff, then trust me. We’ve had a long journey and it is just beginning. I’m going to get some sleep. I suggest the rest of you do the same.” She stood up with the book under her arm. And headed for the stairs.

Lidarion: Chapter 28

The trip to Cela’an was uneventful until the very last day. The man in the crow’s nest called down early in the morning to warn of cloud bank It was impossibly thick and completely immobile. They changed their course to sail west of the fog bank and saw no end to it. Sailing into it was their only course. They slowed, drastically as their visibility wasn’t much further than a ship length or two. They had every potential to get lost and with no knowledge of how big the fog bank was they could come out of it anywhere, if they ever came out of it at all. It took a few hours but the crew began to whisper about the unnaturalness of what they had come across and the fate of the ship. The unease amongst the sailors grew until Dean had to forbid talk of the mystical nature of the fog and their impending doom.

By nightfall they had no come to the end of the bank nor found anything of note. They were destined to ride out the night and most likely get even more lost along the way. Dean himself took the wheel, figuring if they were to doom themselves to death then it should be by the Captain’s hand. Though they tried, neither sailor no passenger went to sleep easy.

He didn’t know when it was, the fog blocked all light from the stars and moon. But not too long into the night two yellow lights appeared. The man in the crow’s nest spotted them and called down. Dean acknowledged and steered steady for the only marked they had. As they got closer He saw that they were positively massive torches set into the side of an impressive cliff face. The further they traveled the more Torch lights appeared, leading like a trail. Dean steered she ship to follow the line until the lights got larger and brighter, and they passed a sign set into the cliff, written first in the flowering script of elvish and then in common below. “Welcome to Blind Man’s Bay.” The sign was as large, or larger than the Womamel, and inset into the cliff side and advertised to everyone within a maximum of five hundred yards.

Dean commanded a deckhand to wake their passengers, and by the time they arrived at his side they could just make out the furthest edges of Blind Man’s Bay. “How do we let them know we mean to dock?” Trent asked.

Dean pointed to another sign at the edge of visibility, there were smaller torch lights on it, and the sign cleared up as they came closer. ‘This way to port’ The sign said. He looked at Trent. “I don’t think they see many visitors.” He replied.

They followed the sign, and the two after it until Dean had steered the ship into dock and the hands had tied it down.

Trent and the others surveyed the foggy port area they could see. “Well Squints. I don’t know where we are, but you gave Dean the information he needed to get us here, so thanks for that.” He said with a smile.

Squints made a rude gesture and made his way toward the walkway that the hands had just placed between the ship and the dock. He stopped midway down the plank when a shadow appeared at the edge of the fog and was clearly making its way toward the edge of the boat. The creature was huge, it’s footsteps vibrated through the wooden dock. Squints thought better of disembarking and walked back onto the ship. He made his way to his viewing box and stepped up on top of it to see over the side of the boat.

He finally saw what the others saw. A minotaur, a large blind humanoid looking buffalo covered in shaman’s blankets, and a cloth blindfold over his eyes. He had a tree trunk strapped to his back and a large branch in one hand he used as a staff. He stopped just short of the ship and turned to face the vessel. “Ladies and gentlemen form the legendary kingdom of Lidarion. I am Haruff, of Cliffside and I am here to take you to the Library of forgotten secrets.” He completed his introduction and awkwardly bowed.

Trent’s jaw was on the floor. Squints gave him a smug smile. “Keep doubting me, see what happens.”

Trent pointed at Haruff. “Oh come on! There’s absolutely no way you knew he was here!” The others ignored him as they disembarked the boat. “Wait? How did he know we were coming? We’re just going to trust this, this –“

“Haruff.” The minotaur said again.” A smile on his face.

Trent pointed at Haruff. “How do we know we can trust you?” He yelled.

Haruff pulled a small clay trinket out of a pocket and broke it. He turned and looked directly at Trent. Even though he was blind, and could not see through the cloth over his eyes he looked straight at Trent and in Brandon’s voice he said. “Trent, you’ve got a job to do, so get your butt off the boat and do it.” Haruff closed his mouth and dropped the broken trinket.

Trent shook his head. “Now that’s just down right unsettling.” He said as he made his way toward the gang plank. 

Lidarion: Chapter 27

The Womamel was just short of a week at sea and Squints had yet to leave the top deck. He ate, drank, and slept as close to the open water as he could get. On the sixth day Trent found him watching the wake as they passed through the water. Squints was standing on a box so he was tall enough to see over the side. Trent smiled as he leaned on the rear railing of the ship. “I still cannot believe how quickly you took to the sea.” He commented.

Squints didn’t take his eyes off the turmoil in the water behind them. “It’s like a part of me I never knew existed. Just waiting to be set free.” He sounded hopeful and renewed.

Trent nodded. “I’m glad someone is getting something positive out of this at least. We’re not likely to have such good fortune every step of the way.” Trent sighed.

Squints looked at his friend. “Each of us knows what’s at stake. We all have our own reasons for doing this. And contrary to what ever fantasy is rolling around your little pea brain.” He ruffled Trent’s hair and Trent shoved him back playfully. “It’s not out of some sense of misguided loyalty for you.” He assured.

Trent nodded. “I know that everyone has their reasons.” He started. “But none of this would have happened if I had just settled things with the king thirteen years ago.” He said.

Squints looked to the starboard side where on the edge of the horizon you could just barely make out the eastern most Gnomish islands. “Look, one of those is my ancestral home.” He said. “Before I stepped foot on this thing I had less than no desire to ever find out where my family came from or what they left behind when they came to Lidarion.” He watched the horizon in silence for a moment. “You left for thirteen years. And everything that happened while you were gone could have been stopped multiple times.” Squints looked back at the ships wake. “The only thing you could have done back then was love her in the privacy of night and die a little more every day once she was married off to the prince of another house.” Squints sighed. “Personally where we are now is a situation far better suited for the talents we’ve come to possess.” He smiled.

Trent looked at the water but did not see the same majesty that Squints clearly did. All he saw was the swirling churn of counter currents crashing into each other and bubbling to the surface before they faded away back into the glass like uniformity of the rest of the ocean. “I hope that fate has as high a regard for our plans and skills as you do.” Trent pretended to pray. “But that’s not why I came up here.” He switched gears suddenly. “With all the excitement I never got a chance to ask you what is supposed to be in this book that were going to collect.” He asked.

Squints shrugged his shoulders. “All the book I found said was where the book that mentioned the sigils was located.” He admitted.

Trent tried not to look surprised. “Located on the continent, located in the building, located on the shelf between this book and that book? Where is this thing? I can read, what the hell did we just sail across the world to get Squints?” He was getting excited.

Squints held up his hands. “Relax I  have the name of the book we’re looking for, and where in the library to look for it.” He assured.

Trent nodded. “Ok and where on the continent is the library?” he asked.

Squints smiled awkwardly. “We’re traveling with royal gold, I’m sure when we dock it’ll be a simple matter to find someone who knows where the library is and take us there.” Trent was so mad he was turning red in the face. Squints hopped off his box. “Oh what? Like you were going to suggest we not go and let those people die? It’s more than nothing to go on so keep your pants on!” He shouted as Trent chased him into the hold.

Lidarion: Chapter 26

Trent stood on the water side of the walkway where the Womamel was docked. Nearly a dozen hands were loading the ship, walking Cargo on board and stashing it in the hold. He watched as the carts full of supplies were loaded with an intensity that he remembered his recently past life in the military. He sat on a wooden box and watched with a sense of fascination.

Alex made her way down the dock and stopped next to Trent. “Brooke and Lisa are on their way. Squints is –“

Squints appeared from behind Alex. “Already regretting his decision to get on that floating monstrosity.” He grumbled.

Trent smiled. “Why not just stay here? I have the door knob. When we get to the library I can just bring you through.” He offered.

Squints shook his head. “No good, the only thing I trust less than boats is magic.” He shuddered. “Technology is so much more, civilized.” He lamented.

Alex laughed. “Well then little man, you best get on the ship and claim a comfortable bunk before its filled with cargo or a drunken sailor.” She gestured to the ship as a deck hand walked up the walkway.

Squints walked up to the walkway and watched it sway for a second. He hesistated and another deck hand came up from behind him. “Move it little man!” The human shouted. Squints flinched in surprise and started up the walk way without thinking. Before he realized it he was on the ship, the deckhand made his way onto the ship and went into the lower decks. Squints walked around the main deck with his jaw slack in surprise.

Brooke and Lisa appeared at Alex’s side. “How is Squints already on the ship?” Brooke asked. “I thought he hated the ocean.” She watched as Squints ran back and forth on the deck avoiding the actual working sailors.

Alex shook her head. “He didn’t hate the ocean, he’s just never been near it really. Sailing in the blood of his people. I’ll bet by the end of the voyage he’ll be driving you all mad with is love for the open sea and sailing.

Squints stepped up on to a box so he could see over the edge of the ship. “How come no one told me how awesome this was going to be!” He shouted at them with a huge smile on his face.

Brooke shook her head. “Or His blood will kick in the second he steps foot on the vessel and he’ll fall in love with it and bug us endlessly for the ENTIRE trip.” She laughed. “Come on Lisa, lets find our cabin. She waved her hand and the pair make their way up the walkway and onto the ship.

Alex looked at Trent. “You ready for this?” She asked watching the last of the gear get loaded on board.

Trent shook his head. “No, but if I waited until I was ready I’d never get anything done.” He said standing up. He turned to Alex. “I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

Alex hugged him. “Says the man about to save countless lives and go on a quest that most likely will turn out to be nothing but could change the future of our entire kingdom.” They separated. She wiped a tear from her eye. “I expect near constant updates. You understand me?” She tried to glare at Trent. 

He nodded as Dean rang the bell letting everyone know it was time to board and shove off. Alex waved her hand at the ship. “Now go on, get out of here.” She said as Trent made his way up the walk way.

The dock crew un did the lines holding the ship to the dock, setting it free. Dead spun the wheel as the crew moved the sails to catch the wind they needed to get out of the port. Trent looked back at Alex as the ship pulled away from the dock a saw her waving. He waved back until the ship turned toward the open ocean.

Alex stayed and watched until she could no longer make the ship out against the horizon.

Lidarion: Chapter 25

“Well then,” Brooke started. “I only see one way forward.” Everyone looked at her. “You’ll sail under the Lidarion royal flag. Let’s find out what the estimated value of the boat is and we will bring it plus ten percent in gold.” She sounded like she was planning a boring reception.

Trent waved his hand. “Brooke that’s- “ He started.

She stood up. “The easiest solution to our most recent problem. There will be others and I was going already so don’t even start on that.” She smiled sweetly as she stared him down. “Those people are my friends and their families and short of giving away the kingdom to set them free I will do it. This isn’t just your burden, it never was.” She finished her thought and sat back down.

Trart nodded, agreeing with everything she had said. But he decided to finish his sentence anyway. “Going to take up a lot of weight on the boat.” He smiled at her.

Everyone waited silently took see how long Brooke could hold out until she smiled. She lasted less than five seconds. “I hate you.” She threw a cloth napkin at Trent.

Dean stood up. “I greatly appreciate the assistance, and would be more than glad to take you to Cela’an, so please allow me to make two corrections to your plan. First the Womamel is a ship, not a boat. And secondly and I’m going to guess that I’m the only one present who has ever even met an elf, take that ten percent and bring it in the form of Lidarion’s best wine.” He stood. “I am beyond glad to have met you all, the Womamel will be ready to sail in thirty six hours, and we’re coming to the end of the smooth sailing season and will be cutting it close on passing through the southern straits as it is, so I’d recommend leaving no later than three days from now.” He walked over to the door and held it open. “You know where to find me, you all have a good evening.” He said as he left the bar.

Lidarion: Chapter 24

It was several hours of stories and reconnection before anyone mentioned the reason they had reached out to Dean, by the time they got around to the business at hand the restaurant had been closed for hours. Dean moved his chair back from the table slightly. “So how can the crew of the Womamel be of service?” He asked.

Everyone looked down the table at Trent. “We’re bound for Cela’an.” He cut right to the chase.

Dean smiled uncomfortably. “Well that presents something in the way of a complication.” He offered.

Alex leaned forward, placing and elbow on the table. “What kind of complication?” She asked.

Dean cleared his throat. “Ah, well, you see, I won the Womamel in a card game, but the original owner stole it from the high elf ship yards the night before its maiden voyage.” He smiled sheepishly.

Lisa dropped her face into her hands. “So literally the last place on the planet you want to go is the only place on the planet we can get the answers you’re looking for.” She groaned.