Forgive Me Mother for I have Sinned

"Something feels off here." Lorissia stopped short of the stone building that was the house of worship for the followers of fire.  I noticed no smoke was coming from the top of the building which seemed odd for fire worshippers (and it was odd, that flame is always supposed to be burning).  There also wasn't anyone on the outside to greet people.

"A stone building in the middle of nowhere that a bunch of martial fire worshippers cloister around? What could possibly be odd about that?" Ok so sometimes my dickery gets the better of me. I was prepared for a physical rebuke (we had been riding pretty close to side by side since leaving the cave and she'd demonstrated she was a puncher earlier when I made a joke about getting lost on the way to her own church (which admittedly she had gotten lost, thats hilarious), when an elder Red Hand Judge emerged from inside.  He had dark black hair and wrinkly skin, but wasn't coated in blood so that was a positive for those inside (unlesss of course he magic'd them all to death in a none bloody manor). Lorissia hopped off her horse and bolted for the entrance, I followed though my running was a little ragged (look I've never been in that great of shape, especially post prison, not like they have a jogging ring or something in there).

"Murderer!" That Lorissia always jumping to conclusions.

"Calm down heathen no one is murdered everyone is inside and they are fine, go look for yourself." He waved his arm and Lorissia ran past inside, I huff puffed my way to the judge and hung my head low trying to regain the oxygen (in retrospect riding my horse up there would have been the smarter move).

"So I guess *deep breath* that just leaves *coughing* me and you old man." I'll admit my bravado didn't sound so good broken up by my out of shape breathing problems.

"Old man? A young upstart untrained little speck bothers to insult my age when he can hardly run?" Ok he had a point.

"Yeah well if things go south this untrained little speck is going to be kicking your ass." And yet I ignore any points I don't agree with.

"Please, you and your friend are as much at fault as that child in there, if you hadn't pursued him as you did this might have come to a more peaceful solution earlier." I hate when people lie, doubly so when its obvious, and triple when its coming from someone whose a total dick (yes all of these can be applied to things I do, I hate myself if that isn't bleedingly obvious).

"Oh a Red Hand judge magically is down in Ronerawth territory with a loose corrupted child he managed to pacify? Right I wasn't born yesterday." I gathered my power a little bit, trying to keep it on the low side so as to not alarm the Judge.

"Oh sure a Necromancer is going to talk to me of morality, I smell the taint on you boy." Damn that taint, you wash and you wash, but it never ever comes off.

"Yeah well..." I threw fire at him, he easily side stepped the spell and didn't return fire, I was wondering what he was going to do when I heard his voice again, it was changed, soothing almost like a song.

"Come now boy don't you want to sit down take a load off, you look awfully tired." You know the fact he put an entire church of martial war worshippers to sleep should have been an indication of what kind of magic user he was, alas for me paying attention to the little things is not something I've ever done.  I hit my feet, my eyes slowly started to close, I choked out a you suck before I laid on my back.  I saw him coming up to me a dagger in hand, the wicked kind (not like theres a nice kind or anything, but this blade was the twisted kind of makes wounds that don't close type).  I was just wondering what the afterlife would be like when an arrow punched out of his chest, he turned around to say something when another emerged lodged in his throat.  His body hit the ground like a wet sack and I could see Lorissia behind him at the entrance of the church, she had another arrow notched just in case he wasn't actually dead.

"Get up Trezlan you're embarrasing me." I felt the haze wearing off, though it would have been nice to have a nap, I got to my feet and made my way to Lorissia.

"Everything all right inside?"

"Everyone's asleep, but look mostly unharmed, the corrupt is there, he's wearing some kind of collar I need your help." I didn't say thanks for saving my life, though I felt it, I'm sure it was implied, probably. The church was a ciruclar building with a lone branch off hallway (a set of stacked double stone doors served as the entryway in that hallway, probably used in case of defense). Circular stone pews surrouned the smouldering remains of what looked like a bon fire, everyone was asleep, closest to the fire was the corrupted.  The boy was all the way gone, blackened and twisted he hardly resembeled a child at all, let alone a boy.  Around his neck was a collar I hadn't ever seen before (nor had Valrya, not very surprising she did her best to avoid direct red hand confrontation). The boys mother was near by, but thankfully had not embraced the thing.

"Can you do something about him?" I figured the magic would wear off shortly now that the caster was dead (depending on the ability really, could have been something he maintained to pacify them, or just used all at once), I had no idea what the collar did though, could keep the boy subdued without magic.  Or merely subserviant to his now dead master.  I knew that Valrya had brought me back from corruption using necromancy, but I also know I wasn't as far gone as this child, and I don't think Lorissia was really that fond of the idea of ritualistic sacrifice to save the kid.

"Yes I can, stand back, this could go bad." She withdrew, I took the child up on my shoulder and brought him outside, Lorissia followed (despite me telling her to stay back). I placed the boy on the ground and took out my sword, I cut across my palm (ouch ouch ouch, this is the easiest way to get blood for ritual magic, its also damn painful, I tend to use my right hand so that I'm at least not entirely incapable afterwards), and scrolled some sigils on the boys flesh.  I could hear Lorissia's breathing from where she stood even though I'd moved away from the entrance of the church and she stood near the doors (I figured in case the spell turned explosive she'd have something to hide behind).

"What are you doing?" No one ever just takes these things on faith honestly, especially the church folk.

"Releasing him." I willed power into the sigils and the boys eyes lit up, his chest thrust upward and he screamed, the scream was terrible, a long drawn out beastly thing.  In a moment it was over, his body slumped to the ground, no movement came at all. The magic locked in the child dispersed in the air, I could see it just drifting away like smoke from a large fire.

"You killed him?"

"Wasn't that what we intended anyway? There was no other way, what I did was merciful compared to what he did to others Lorissia, I will make no apologies, there was no coming back." She turned from me and went back inside. With her gone I gathered some power and torched the body, no mother should have to see her child like that, no one should see any child like that.  The body burned to ash easily enough (magic is oh so efficient like that), the collar still remained though, the metal able to stand up to my fire, oddly enough it was also still cool to the touch (though I didn't trust my eyes like some idiots would, I held the back of my hand to it first).  I went to my horse and got some rags I used for washing and put the collar inside them, whatever the damn thing was I was intrigued.  My "prize" secured I made ready to leave when Lorissia came back out alone, I could see smoke had once again resumed from inside, so either she lit the fire or the followers had awoken.

"Leaving so soon?"

"I have business elsewhere, I did before, and I have to get to it, or bad things will happen, or should I say worse things." Yeah its kind of hard to use the bad things line while the body of a corrupt young boy is still laying close by.

"Well then I shall join you Lorentino." She mounted her horse before I could even say no.

"And what of your duties?"

"My duty is to the fire god and her followers, you may not believe in her Trezlan, but I know she'd want me to keep an eye on you, both in fact, at the very least you can use my help as I thought I showed today already." I couldn't exactly find fault in that belief.

"Well just don't slow me down with your whining, you're so high maintenance." I could hear her laugh as I bounded off away from the circular stone building and the followers within.  I didn't exactly know what we'd find where we were going, but I couldn't exactly be upset that I had company for the journey.

Don't Beat Yourself Up About It

Even when you know you are in a weird mind based trap, stabbing yourself is still a tough prospect.  I mean I'd just "killed" real Valrya in this world, and here I was about to stab myself to free myself (now I see why real valrya didn't do it either, I mean she'd considered it a lot, but in the end couldn't pull the trigger, me I'm crazy anyway and I'd only get nuttier the longer I waited in that hole). I looked over my sword, held the weapon by its hilt away from my body, I felt the tip on my chest, I aimed for a bit lower than straight through my heart (that way I could possibly live through the blow? I don't know when you're about to stab yourself in a dream memory world you start to wonder exactly whats going to happen). I took one deep breath for I guess posterity and stabbed myself, I could feel it! A searing pain right through my stomach and back , I felt the blade piercing me and felt the cold metal in my insides. It was great to feel something to have a connection, not so good to have it be utter pain all through my insides. Fake Valrya was there immediately, she was angry I could see it in her face (which was also wracked with pain).

"You petulant little child, I was going to let you remain here, but now, now I'll destroy you!" She coiled back her hand to hit me with something, I don't exactly know, and I didn't want to find out, with a simple wave of my own hand I sent her flying backwards, she looked stunned for a moment and then I materialized a stone wall behind her and she slammed into it with so much force the stone crunched from the impact. "How?" She mouthed out as I was instantly beside her.

"This is my head Valrya, my rules, my universe, you are the one out of your element, you are a soul without a place to be, and now, now you'll finally get to visit the hell you avoid all so long ago." She tried to fight back, but the pain grounded me, it put me back in control, I could feel my connection to my body returning and with it what little power she had. Her spirit was broken, the impact had destroyed her, and now she just needed the killing blow

"I could teach so much Trezlan, don't destroy me! Work with me!" She was pleading, she knew the end was coming.

"Yeah no." I took the sword from my insides and sliced her head off in a clean strike, the spirit was gone, fake valrya was destroyed. As she disappeared I was free, the blackness faded, I was in a cave (always caves and dark places I swear fake Valrya was a bear) a camp fire roaring right next to me, I could see Lorissia nearby she was on an altar of sorts tied down with marks all over her body (body swapping ritual naturally I guess being me was not Valryas first choice), for a brief paniced moment I was afraid she was already dead but I could see her breathing and knew she was alive. My next worry was the injury I'd inflicted on myself in the dream world, but I saw my sword was still sitting nearby and not currently in my abdomen (I did have a horrific head ache though, so not all dream wounds were gone). I got up and cut the bond on Lorissia, and snapped my fingers in front of her face, she startled awake (it wasn't anything magical keeping her quiet she was apparently just sleeping).

"Am I free of the taint?" She asked in a sleepy way, I was still trying to process being free of my mind prison so I hadn't really gotten into what I'd missed since Valrya had been in charge.

"What?"

"The taint? You said the boy had poisoned my mind and you had to cleanse me?" Lorissia was not really modestly dressed (I could see just about everything and I'll admit it was a nice view) and after her moment of sleepyness and I guess my stare, she quickly started redressing herself in her armor.

"Uhh yeah of course yeah completely cleansed, it was touch and go there for a moment but I really sliced the head off the problem."

"I'm sorry I was an issue Lorentino, magic is not my strong suit to be honest, I'm better at tracking and trapping beasts." This was the best thing ever, she thought I actually helped her when in reality fake valrya was about to steal her body, optimal solution all around.

"Its ok Lorissia, we all have our weak spots, lets get back on the road, that corrupt child isn't getting less corrupt while we wait." We packed up the small camp and exited the cave (I followed her since again I didn't remember my way in, so getting back out was kind of a pain, it took me about a week of serious thought to get all memory of those three days back).  I couldn't see where the boy had gone, whatever tracking I had was long ago lost to Valrya's goals.

"Can you see anything?" It was dark out, and we appeared to be in some kind of dense forest, I almost wanted to laugh at the question.

"No, I've lost the trail entirely, I'm sorry Lorissia." I really was, as this was entirely my fault, if only I'd known I hadn't really killed valrya and instead taken her horrible soul into my body to emerge and try and body swap someone else, if only!

"Its ok Trezlan, its my fault, we shall return to his mother and at least inform her of where he is, perhaps the Red Hand will just kill the creature outright?" She had a hopeful tone to her voice I didn't want to drag down with reality.

"Of course, I mean if anyone could, its the Red Hand." And so we left, our mission not accomplished (well one I didn't know I had was, but overall we hadn't done a lot of good), if only I could tell myself that in reality we were going the right way after all I could have turned that frown upside down.  Oh the beauty of hindsight you always see the right decisions after you make the wrong ones! If only I could live life in reverse.

Conversations in The Black

When you are all alone in the darkness of your own mind you start to lose time. Its why I really can't tell you how long I was trapped there.  I mean I know how long it actually was (3 days), but how long that felt in there? I lived an entire lifetime. At first I just ran, ran and ran, there was no air to need or muscles that got sore, I don't know I figured if I kept running I'd eventually run out of my self? After that I shouted, no one was listening.  In the end it was crying that got me heard, like any child will tell you people just can't stand the sound of someone sobbing.

"I see she's found someone else to torment." It was a voice that sounded like Valrya's but wasn't, she was and older lady, I could hardly make her out, like I was looking at her through a stream of water.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my head?"

"You're head? So she moved bodies again, once upon a time this was my head long ago I figure, I've been here so long, my punishment for my crime." I could see her own sorrow lines (if three days felt like forever to me, I don't want to know how long that time had felt for this lady as she'd been there for hundreds of years).

"You were one of Valyra's victims I take it?"

"In a manor of speaking, I am Valrya, she must have taken my name along with my body, I forget her name, remembering things is hard with as long as my soul has been here you see, its why you can't fully see me, I felt I was gone, gone to the abyss a soul goes when it winds up in a place like this, but your tears, your sorrow brought me back in a way." Its funny crying tends to bring spirits out in the real world as well, well the good kind, the bad kind of spirits might come but they'll just be there to mock you.

"You were her teacher? I don't think, I can't think, I have no, I can't even put to words what I want to say." When you're in your own mind you don't have much of a thought process, you kind of do, glimpses, flashes, but nothing solid, and nothing for long.

"You have no memory of me in her memories I think, you were her student, and took her like she takes others? I wouldn't think she'd keep a memory of the one she betrayed in her own mind." She smiled, it was almost warming in a way, I felt soothed.

"How did she betray you?"

"When I met her, she was an old woman dying from some disease or another, I forget how or where it was, its been so long ago, it might have been some kind of cave, I offered her comfort and a place to stay, it wasn't a day later that I woke up here, I figure she must have carried out some black art on me while I slept, took my life for her own."

"How long have you been here?"

"Time out of mind, and I can not die young man, or I couldn't, she used to come to me, torment me with her exploits and what she does, its how I knew of her students and other such horribleness, I think she allowed me to retain memory so that she could hurt me more, as if taking my body was not enough."

"Can I help you?" I felt the need to help her, despite meaning I'd be stuck there alone, I couldn't imagine her soul deserved to be stuck here, I mean I certainly did, she didn't.

"Kill me, if you end my soul here I figure I'll have nothing left and can leave, as a gift for my freedom I will impart on you my memory of this place and of your enemy, may it free you from her as I failed to do."  Another murder, this time to free a soul long dead, it felt righteous. I was about to say I had no weapon with which to kill her but my sword was in my hand, as if it always been there. The spirit shimmered and kneeled at my feet, I raised my sword up and brought it down, she was gone, no scream, no blood, just there and gone.  In her leaving I felt a wave of memory wash over me, I didn't just get the real Valrya's memories of being trapped, but her memories entirely, her life and her betrayal. At first it was draining, and then I smiled, I knew a way out, Valrya had thought of it but hadn't figured it out, but I did.  And I planned to free myself and end fake Valyra for good this time (and like for real the sneaky necrobitch).

A New Kind of Prison

I've been in a lot of prisons in my life (a lot of prison you don't even know, you will eventually but tip of the iceberg at this point).  The worst one is the one that Valrya put me in, in my own damn head. It was like I was able to see what I was doing, what I was saying, but not able to influence anything (well not entirely I moved my pinky toe, that was an accomplishment).  At first I raged around angrily shouting (all I was was a thought in my own head, so all I could do was shout, even when Valrya slept I could not be in control and I couldn't sleep, so it was true madness).  Eventually I reached a kind of contemtuous silence and worked to free myself (it was my own body I figured I had to have a back door out of it).  The most terrifying thing was knowing if I didn't wrest control from Valrya I'd be stuck there forever, a prisoner in my own mind until madness took me. So there I was watching Valrya leading Lorissia the wrong way (I could see where the corrupt had gone and how Valrya ignored the trail on purpose obviously).  I had no idea what she planned, or was currently planning (which is how I got stuck in my own head in the first place, I guess despite sharing the same body we did not share thought as much as I had believed we did).  So much like a child wanting a toy I spent a lot of time screaming.

"Shut up Trezlan your incessant prattling is making my head hurt."

"My head you necrothief! And I feel fine really fine, fantastic, other than the fact I LOST CONTROL OF MY BODY TO YOU!!!" Being a petulant child is what I'm best at.

"Well someone should have been more careful when killing a fellow necromancer, I've been at this a lot longer than you, hell what you killed wasn't even my original body, not that you really care." I did care, I cared a whole lot, because that was a hint of what would come to me if I didn't defeat her.

"I'll stop you with uhh magic!"

"Yeah you'll burn yourself to death and defeat us both I'm sure Trezlan, though I do have to say you have a lot more power than I thought you did, still you are as dumb as a post about using it, so this is a favor to you, I'm giving you a gift here you get to see your true potential without being you to mess it up, now be silent!" I felt a shove and then fell, it was weird, previously I was able to see things, see where I was, not be able to move, but still be there, but now I was in form myself, but all alone in a dark place.  I don't know where she'd shoved me, but I no longer got to see what was going on, and there I was, all alone in the darkness of my own mind unable to stop Valrya from murdering the crap out of Lorissia. The dangers of necromancy folks!

Red Hand Job

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Cruelty and Other Childish Pursuits

"Dead for at least a day." Lorissia was hunched over a smouldering pair of corpses.  It appeared like a parent melded with a child. Probably the parent attempted to stop our murderer from killing the child, it had not worked out for either of them, but thought that counts right?

"Well he definately doesn't like people." I was at a loss really, I mean I'd been reckless with power, I'd been angry, but I'd never just been a cold hearted murder whoever gets in my way kind of guy.  Despite the stories of me doing exactly that (its odd being this old, Valrya also had this, that she lived long enough to actually hear the legends form about her, though honestly her legends and mine are way different, and half of the ones about me are completely made up, where as the ones about her are being polite way way polite).

"Get off your horse and get down here." I had remained mounted because frankly being down next to two dead bodies not my favorite thing, especially not the way that Lorissia was almost arm deep in the corpses. I hopped down and walked up, I couldn't make out the sexy from either body, but if I had to guess I'd say two women, just from the way the bodies looked.

"Still dead, lets move on."

"Use your damn magic and figure out where he's gone." I swear people never have any idea how magic works with regards to things in the world, its not like I can wave my fingers and bam know where people are.  Well I sort of can, but damn it I'm not a hound!

"Are you sure we want to go after this guy, I mean he's killing indiscriminately, maybe he'll uhh kill himself out you know, tire of it?"  I had sort of lost my nerve to keep pursuing the dangerous fire user seeing what happened to two people he just ran across.

"I thought you were all 'Its my duty to stop someone like myself' getting cold feet now Lorentino?"  She had picked the adult of the child and I could see some clothing and flesh had not been burned, it was a young woman child, clutched in her dead arm was a childs doll, the only surviving member of this group.

"Duty only means so much when you're dead, and I really don't want to be dead."

"Then you should help me now or I'll kill you myself." Subtle Lorissia real subtle.  I kneeled down next to the corpses and scrolled some sigils I recalled from Valrya (she was blissfully quiet in my head, its rather difficult to scry when some harpy is shrilling at you within your own mind). They were not the traditional tracking sigils, Valrya knew magics that were long forgotten (for good reason at times, this spell utilized well lets just say the dead bodies weren't really dead all the way and I kind of borrowed some of the remaining life), I was able to not only see where the killer had gone but got an impression of the final moments, the mother did die protecting her child, her great crime? Not answering fast enough, and the biggest shocker was that the killer was a child no older than ten.

"You said the killer was a child, you didn't tell me he was barely out of his mothers arms."

"That's why he needs to be killed, I heard as much from the family he murdered, but I'd hoped they were mistaken and it was something else, I assume your scrying can tell us where he's going?"

"In a manner of speaking, he's going north to the Red Hand and we better get to him before they do." I had resaddled my horse and wanted to be away from the dead.

"Why can't they handle one corrupted?" She paused next to the bodies I know she wanted to give them some kind of ritual, some kind of peace, but I knew we didn't have the time.

"They can, but not in the way you'd want, corrupted to the Red Hand are tools, they would enslave the boy and keep him on a chain, or worse use him for study or any other horrible things."

"He wouldn't be our problem anymore though, and a life of enslavement might do him good for his crimes." Did I mention that the followers of the fire god are vindicitive people? Yeah they are the most vindictive.

"Depending on who finds him they might simply unleash him back down here to kill again, kids fully corrupt barely a person anymore, you don't want this loose anywhere." We rode on, he had a days head start and from what I saw also was on a horse (probably some farmers son damn idiots teaching their kids to be more mobile). I had hoped we'd catch him before he made the Red Hand lands, sadly we did not. And we suffered for our inability.

Notched Arrrow Diplomacy

I hear a drawstring being extended back (its a distinct sound even when asleep), "Murderer."  The voice is low the kind of angry husky voice you hear from someone who suffered a throat injury and never fully recovered.  I open my eyes and see a woman dressed in mostly red leather, a drab maroonish red, like dried blood. Behind her a brown horse sat absently eating dried out weeds.  Dyed leather was big back then as I recall. It was all functional no style (most leather armor was, now morons wear it to be all scary looking and don't protect anything).

"I am a murderer, but probably not the one you are thinking about." I could hear Valyra's voice scream something in the back of my head, but I was dealing with this. I mean when you're laying face up staring into an arrowhead notched back to kill you, you can either A. Be sarcastic try and calm the situation or B. Kill the person with the arrow before they can kill you, since she looked kind of hot I went with A, also I really didn't think I could pull off B.

"Get up!" Still with the growling.  I got to my feet with minor difficulty (I was sleeping prior to being threatened), I got a good look at her, she was taller than I was (and I'm not a super short guy so that put her as fairly tall lady) with dark black hair and pale white skin (which stood in contrast to the red armor). "Where's the boy?"

"Boy? I don't know what boy you are talking about, I'm a man lady." Again sarcasm, Valrya's screaming gave me a headache now, I almost ate an arrow for putting my hand to my head to hold back the madness.

"You just don't know when to stop talking do you?"

"Well when you ask a question I assume its not just a rhetorical, I can only assume the boy you are looking for is the one who burned down the houses nearby." You have to give armed people some info past a certain point, or they start to regret not just killing you, well aside from me, I love to talk.

"How are you involved with that family?" She had suspicion, but I think she wrote me off as a danger, at least for now.

"I'm not, I was just passing through, all the fire and smoke kind of clued me in that something was up."

"Where were you traveling?"

"Somewhere else, decided to check out the fires, made a camp here close by to inspect the ruins after..."

"To loot it?" She pulled harder on the bow string.

"To find out who did the killing, its what I do, I find, but now I have to wonder what you're doing in the middle of nowhere dressed to kill." Not to be all anti female or anything, but they tend to work in groups not solo, I'd suggest its because men are loners and women tend to work better with others, but thats purely speculation from a loner who doesn't work well with others.

"Surviving family member came to the church burned up claimed a child did it, I decided to look into it and here I find a lone male sleeping nearby. And from the look of you, you're a magic user."

"A warrior priest out in the middle of nowhere who knows magic users, I'd be touched if you weren't planning on killing me, speaking of which can you back off with the arrow lady, I'd hate for you to get tired and I end up impaled." That actually started a war once, well not just one archer, but same prinicipal.

"Not a priest just a follower of fire, as was the family the corrupted killed." I'd suspected it was the result of a corrupt (too much damage to just be a lone jerk, I mean its possible I could do the same, but why kill a family in the middle of nowhere?)

"Follower of fire? So you worship campfires?"

"The fire god moron, are you a none believer?" She lowered her bow, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not much of a believer in anything really lady, but thanks for the insult to my intelligence."

"When you start showing some I'll start worrying about the insult." Ouch.  "I'm losing time speaking with you, the corrupt is out there, if you want to help I won't turn you away, you seem capable enough, well aside from just falling asleep near a road."  I wanted to say the only thing I have to fear is my own insanity, but I really didn't want to get an arrow through me for being honest.

"Names Trezlan Lorentino and you are?"

"Lorissia Trumane, servant of the fire god, now if you're done chit chatting lets go hunt us a mage." She remounted in one swift move and off she went.  I was left for a moment to repack my gear and catch up, thus began my education on the fire god.  In retrospect I should have just picked up one of their books, would have been a lot easier and less painful in the end (both physical and mental, one of those scars hasn't healed and its not the physical one).

Worst Concience Ever

"Everyone leaves you Lorentino its what they do." I don't know whats worse, that while I was speaking the words I heard it in my head as Valrya's voice, or that even when I refered to myself it was with my made up last name (its funny now people just assume I was born with it and not that I made it up entirely, I guess that's what happens after three hundred years).

"Oh great I get this talk, well thats good glad to see my crazy is going for low blows." I don't know why I responded, other than that I was truely crazy and it was nice to have a conversation even if it was with myself. I'd been riding out of Dolak for a couple days now, the talking to myself had been internal for the last day, today was when it got vocal.

"You're Aunt left you, I left you, Malcyr left you, noticing a pattern." The voice referred to itself as Valrya, I guess it makes sense.

"Two of those people are dead? One of them I killed myself, yeah the pattern is that I'm dangerous," A pattern that remains true to this day.  I learned my lesson never keep anyone close to you who can be used against you/hurt by you.  Well its what I claim anyway, truth be told I'm a hard man to know, and a harder man to like.

"Two of those people you killed, or you don't blame your aunt on yourself because you want to think it was all me? You killed her the second you met her."

"I wish I could hit you without hitting myself." I rode in silence for a bit (its weird having an argument with yourself, because uhh you can't do it without feeling like utter shit house crazy person, weirder still when you have to stop talking because you're mad, you're mad at yourself...) I probably would have kept riding in silence had we err I (even now without the problem I had back then I tend to think of myself as +1 during those days) spotted the burnt out remains of a couple houses. We were technically still in Ronerawth though pretty close to the border, I would have written it off as a consequence of the war if the fires weren't still burning along with the bodies.

"Fresh kills." Valrya's voice again.

"Yeah most likely magic, you can't set a house on fire and cook people outside of it like this without some kind of flame weapon." They have weapons like this now you can use, I saw them, big bulky things that are utterly worthless in a real fight, especially since a fire thrower could easily cook your ass without carrying the fuel, but the fuel makes it way funnier.

"Could have been archers, I staged a set up like that once." You have no idea how creepy it is for your own self to claim credit for killing someone else did, I mean I had the memories, but the voice knew them better (this should have been my first clue that well I wasn't simply crazy, I mean I was crazy, but not that crazy).

"Whoever did this, we better find them before they do it again."

"Why? You aren't the law, you are actually about as far from law as things can get, honestly Lorentino, you should just let this one pass, you have bigger problems, my children all won't be idiots like Shira, and they'll be coming for you now that they realize you're after them."

"I'm tasked with killing dangerous magic users thats what this is!"

"Whatever, when you're burning to death we'll revisit this conversation again." Honestly no one ever gives me credit ever!  Least of all me, I think I have self esteem issues. At the very least this whole situation would give me a taste of two things to come, people worshipping the fire god and a real honest to go woman who I wasn't related to or had tricked me into being her servant (I was willingly her servant... err wait that sounds worse).

You Can't Just Leave

"I'm done with you, done with this! Work this crap out without me!" We'd made it back to Dunlok without incident (well I mean you kill some necro magic horrific flesh beast nothing really rates on the "incident" level). We were sitting down waiting for our food from some local vendor when I told him we'd need to go back into the Red Hand lands for another apprentice (I kept avoiding the Morley situation, I had only met him briefly but even then I knew that he was not someone to tangle with).

"You're supposed to help me Malcyr you can't just dodge out now." This was one of those he had to choose for over thirty minutes what meat that wasn't what they were calling it but we'll just pretend thats what it is dish to get (despite him being a royal assassin and me having a little bit of money we didn't have enough to actually eat where real food was served, the restaurant was a hovel the walls were blackened from improper smoke venting and the smell didn't inspire confidence in the food, honestly I don't know why we went to eat there).

"Oh yes I can! You almost killed us with your dumb magicry, god knows what you'll do when we're not in Ronerawth lands, you're crazy Lorentino." That's what always hurts, the you're crazy talk, because its mostly truthful.

"Fine fine just let me go off and get killed cleaning up your mess." When in doubt blame someone elses problems on a neutral third party.  Hey it works in politics.

"My problems? You're the Necromancer! You're the one that if anyone is to be blamed for anything! Is part of being a Necromancer being this delusional?"

"That hurts Malcyr."

"SO DID GETTING SMASHED INTO THE GROUND BY A FLESH CREATURE LORENTINO!" He got up and stomped off.  I was a bit sad to see him go, I mean eating alone sucks.  Still it was probably for the best, Malcyr would have hated what I had to do in Ronerawth.  Well he might not have, you never know.  It also meant I was riding alone which meant more talking to myself (a nasty habit I'd picked up in prison, the worst is when I replied in a different voice to substitute conversation, in prison it helped keep the rest of the prisoners away from me, no one messes with the talks to people who isn't there guy, no one). I finished my meal with my eyes closed (it helps to pretend the food is something else when you can't see it) and paid for Malcyr's uneaten items.  My horse was outside the restaurant and I checked her bags to make sure I had enough stuff to comfortably make Red Hand territory. I told myself maybe Malcyr would be back in the morning and slept on it at the local bug infested hotel, he never came back and I left without him.  About an hour in the talking began again, except the voice that was there wasn't just my normal mania. But that will be for tomorrow, The Madness Of Trezlan Lorentino! (Don't worry I'm not crazy anymore, mostly, ok aside from writing to my journal like its a real person, so like a quarter crazy).

Necromonstrosity

"Well I hope this works." The church service had been called, Malcyr and I had filed in with the rest waiting Shira to work another ritual of sacrifice (honestly I don't know how she still had forty followers if she sacrificed them all the time).

"Wait you hope this works?" Malcyr whispered back angrily, we had taken time during the night to arrange a series of sigils and ritual magic on all the bench's except where we had chosen to sit (towards the back so we knew no one would take the spot).

"I haven't done this spell before Malcyr, I mean I'm pretty sure it will work you know mostly sure." I was mostly sure.

"Damn it even in that statement you lost sure levels, I'm not sure you're even sure anymore!" His whispers and body language said "I'm angry" but his eyes said "I'm going to kill you."

"The word sure is losing its meaning here." We got shushed from a nearby cultist (really shushed at a cult meeting, that was a new low).  We waited as Shira worked her ritual (in sadness I must admit the cultist she was sacrificing looked really attractive, well as attractive as someone whos in cult attire can look from a distance).  I felt the hum of magic, and then it expanded like a forest fire, it started at the podium and worked its way down each of the bench's.  Channeled by the raw power of the necromagic Shira had been using and augmented by my own sigils scrolled under the altar, the cultists all screamed out in agony.  Shira was locked in place her eyes rolled up in her head as the power flowed from her cult members to her directly.  I told Malcyr now would be a good time to run, and so we did (not too proud to say really).  Behind us in a flash of screaming and white the church became a real tribute to death. The screaming stopped and I shrugged to Malcyr.

"See I told you it would work." He visibly sighed and started walking back to the church, I followed after him ditching my cultist robe as I went (becuase it was itchy).  What we saw at the Altar was horrifying, I expected maybe a bloody explosion, a bunch of dried corpses or something, but no, there was some flesh monster given form from all the cultists. It had a bunch of different arms of different people melded into it, the head was definately shiras but it was warped and expanded into barely passable for human. I could see from a couple strewn bodies nearby Shira's necro assistants had tried to calm the beast but had become its victims. I had half hoped it wouldn't see us and we could just uhh leave the shira beast to die of starvation (I mean even necrobeasts have to eat, its the law of nature), but she saw us and came lumbering infinitely fast.  I tried to conjure some fire to slow it down but was sent flying by the rage of the creature (there must be some handbook for dealing with me, step one throw lorentino), I smacked my head on one of the benchs as I came down and felt woozy.  In the haze I could see Malcyr had drawn his sword and dagger and sort of half climbed the flesh monster trying to stab it to death (not the greatest move, but you know its at least trying). The creature twisted and tore at itself to get Malcyr down, which made me realize in terror that the parts that melded on were still alive, they screamed in agony with each clawing swipe. Malcyr almost got to Shira's head when she caught a hold of him and smashed him into the ground, he slashed one of the arms off which caused the beast to roar an inhuman wail.  I managed to stumble forward with my own sword drawn to give him time to get away, it was a bad idea.  Shira batted my loosely held sword away and snatched me with one of her multitudes of arms (I didn't know what I was going to do honestly, I didn't even try and swing my sword).  I could feel all the arms pulling at me (it was one of the few times I got the sensation of trying to be ripped apart, its not the greatest feeling in the world let me assure you), I'll have to admit I kind of lost it. I tapped the magic inside me and felt the fire burning all around my body, Shira dropped me from the pain, and I took up my sword.  I swung a huge vertical strike and split the creature up the middle, with her insides expoded I did an overhand thrust with both hands plunging my sword in fully.  The Shirstrosity screamed as I dove the blade in deeper and then wrenched it back out, with a loud thump the beast fell behind me. I turned to check on Malcyr, and I could see in his eyes maybe the job wasn't entirely done, without even turning around to face it I wracked the remaining monster with my fire.  I turned around to the sizzling burning flesh.

"Mostly sure it would work." I said with a smile.

I Believe In Me

The one thing thats paramount to me with whatever religion people choose in this world, is they are abdicating responsibility to someone else for their own actions. Its kind of like how a small child will blame an animal for when they destroyed something, except in this case the adult is blaming it on a being that probably does not care about them, nor care enough to have caused an action either way (I mean seriously, you're a god, do you really care if someone cheats on their spouse? Omnipotence must be a pain in the ass when everyone blames you for their own personal failings).  Personally I'm pretty much a god anyway, I can live forever, I have the power over life and death, and on top of that I CONJURE FIRE WITH MY HANDS! People should worship me! The church of Lorentino! Now accepting all comers all you have to do is worship me! I could even make personal apperances thats a lot more than most church's have.

As you can probably guess not a huge fan of churchs, and the one that Shira had set up did nothing back then to make me feel better (only church I like is the fire god, and thats only for the martial displays, because just when I'm about bored out of my mind hearing about the chronicles, two guys go up front and beat the crap out of each other, only way it could be better is if I could order some meat and a beer while they do it).  Death Cults are as old as this world, its easy to worship the one constant force in the world (sadly there are no tax cults).  Shira did take it to a whole new level in that she would kill someone in front of the church to emphasize how death was always a part of them (and also extend her own powers, but I don't think that was the advertised effect of her sacrifices).  The dumbest part here THEY LINED UP TO BE SACRIFICED!  Honestly thats like a herd animal asking to be your dinner.

The "church" was little more than a stone altar surrouned by bench's over looking the sea (not a bad idea for a sacrifice, magic is easiest near bodies of water, some kind of conduit for latent power, I once fought on a boat and honestly by the end the boat was annihilated by the force of the spells).  Malcyr and I had found some unused robes in town and managed to "sneak" our way into the congregation to watch Shira practice her dark arts.  There were at least forty followers on top of the poor bastard who died while we watched, which was not a great numbers game for me and Malcyr (I mean I'm the gods gift to killing and Malcyr was passable in the day, but a sheer numbers game like that doesn't benefit either one of us).  Shira also looked to have a couple elevated spiritual advisors with her (they were also necromancers, Valrya wasn't the only adding "children" to her flock, honestly thinking back on it, I'm like the anti necromancer, I never taught anyone else how to be one and I killed more than my fair share, in fact I might be solely responsible for necromancy entering legend). Malcyr and I made our way away from the main group (not too hard cultitsts aren't exactly watching each other closely, its the problem with such a generic outfit). We both had the same thought, we were pretty much screwed here.

"We could just you know leave this one alone?" Malcyr actually suggested it, its one of the few times I wanted to actually shout someone else stole my idea.

"No we can't, well I can't, because Tolar would kill me for failing here, also what she's doing is very bad, I don't know whats going on, but its not good for the rest of Ronerawth if we let it keep happening."

"So you're plan is what? Kill them all in a blaze of magic?"

"You said my plan and yet I detect a note of sarcasm." I heard him mutter an idiot under his breath as we walked back to our horses. I tell you no one ever gives me respect!

The Trouble with Not Listening

"Get down!" I pulled Malcyr down just in time to avoid a massive fireball. The fire spell smashed into the building behind us with force igniting the entire structure with a fwoosh.  The enemey who had thrown it was now joined by two others, also magically inclined from their conjurations (they all were fire throwers, at the time it was a suspicion because we were running away).  Our pursuers followed with balls of fire chasing after us.

"What did you you say?" I was confused, I had just unsaddled my horse and went to grab a drink from an empty bar (the greatest tragedy of all, not actually getting that drink), when I came back out to Malcyr almost getting roasted.

"I said hello how are you, I didn't think that prompts fireballs!" He was dressed more casually then the royal purple leathers he wore into battle (I convinced him to not wear purple at all as its out of fashion, so he was in an off white tunic and light tan slacks, his weapons concealed in rear hilts, not that we really had much of a chance to be concealed).

"Thats just the kind of thing that prompts fireballs, how are you? Thats like stepping on a mans foot and spitting in his eye!" We ran around the rear side of a building that wasn't on fire (the town was a fairly small port side hamlet, one line of hard ceramic housing which helped against the fire attacks its a bit harder to catch ceramic buildings on fire, not impossible, but harder), sadly there was no other place to go, and we'd run out of buildings to run away too.

"You magic people are weird." He pulled out his weapons, a sword and dagger, I drew my own sword, we silently called out which side of the building to watch for (I took the left where we'd come from, he took the right in anticipation of them trying to flank us). We waited and heard nothing, I didn't see shadows or sense anyone coming.

"Can they turn invisible?" It was in a half whisper half shout from where he was on his side.

"How would I know? I didn't even know there were magic users in this stupid town other than Valrya's child!" I didn't honestly, again I got fragments of her memory some were stronger than others, I just knew this town had one of the children and that she was planning something.  I didn't know who these three jerks were or why they were trying to fry us.

"Well you're the one who said to come here!"

"Look mistakes were made, this is all your fault Malcyr." When in doubt blame the other guy, always. He was about to make some insulting comment about my good looks when the wall between us exploded. We were both thrown backwards in the explosion, smoke and ceramics marred my view, my vision swam a bit.  I could hear Malcyr saying something, but my ears were ringing. Something moved in the darkness and I thrust my sword into it.  The blade drove home and I twisted it opening the wound further, I could see my attacker thankfully was not Malcyr (that would have been awkward), one of the fire users who had just tried to kill me and Malcyr (pro tip to any idiots attempting the old blow them up to catch them off guard, these kind of attacks tend to leave you just as clueless as to whats going on, thus allowing your enemy to surprise you in the ensuing aftermath). The smoke cleared and I could see that Malcyr had already killed another one of the fire users and had the last from behind with his dagger.

"Well I'm glad to see you weren't completely useless." He has always treated me so nicely.

"Look one of us is a trained assassin the other someone who just spent some time in prison, bite me." The fire user struggled against the dagger, I could see from his face he wanted to attack me, but not enough to sacrifice his life.  His robes were fairly plain and brown, obviously meant to hide out in plain sight or something, nothing as flashy or amazing like mine.

"Where's Shira?" It was to the point, I needed to know where his master was.  He spit on my face, not a very polite thing to do to someone, also not a smart thing to do to a necromancer. I took the spit and used it to do a simple sigil on his bare chest, Malcyr gave me a weird look.  "I'm going to ask you one more time where is shira?"

"Do your worst!" Never ever ask someone to do their worst, because frankly for some people thats an invitation to get creative. I made a fist and used a bit of my power, the sigil burned in his chest, his screams escalated and he started to fight against Malcyr's hold (enough to partially cut his throat against the dagger blade).

"That was my bare mininum of effort, talk."

"Go screw yourself!" The pain flared again and I waved malcyr off, the assassin stood back as the man hit the ground in a pile of writhing agony.  I could see he was trying to gather his power to burn me down or Malcry, or either of us.  But in his agony and with my sapping of his power he didn't even have enough to light a candle let alone burn down two men.  I could sense he was trying to talk, to give me something, but I was already taking what I needed from him, stripping his memories (I didn't need the ritutal I'd learned from Valrya back in the day, I now knew her method of necromancy, a lot more efficient if not less showy) was difficult, a mind fighting you while its dying is hard to get a good read on, but in his struggles he kept returning to a certain place up the coast.  A church actually and Shira would be there.  I closed my fist, his eyes went wide his breathing picked up tempo, and then his heart exploded out of his chest.

"Subtle Trezlan."  Malcyr had that look you get when you just saw something you didn't ever want to see.

"I got what I needed, she's in a church up the way, guarded by a pack of rabid followers like these, converted townsfolk really." When you've got the time, stealing memories from the living is actually really easy, its just kind of taxing to anyone watching and mostly fatal, but hey I wasn't the one dying!

"What are they worshipping?"

"Death, what else?" Malcyr gave me another stare and then we saddled up for the ride to the church, we were about to give the greatest sermon on death these cultists had ever seen.

My My What Have you Done?

It's bright out, my eyes sting from the sunshine.  I'm on top of Dunlok Prison, there are no railings or ways to prevent someone from going over the edge, there is a guard in armor that must be impossibly hot during this time of day standing next to the one exit/entrance.  The roof area is that hard scrabble type favored in warmer climates (most of Ronerawth is made of it), aside from a table and a couple of chairs the roof is empty.  I'm brought to sit at one of the chairs (There were two guards with me, I've been chained at my ankles and my wrists, hard cold iron chains that made movement difficult), after the guards sit me down they exit, leaving it just me, the guard by the door and the heat (I was in my personal robe, which thankfully kept the heat to just intolerable levels).  I was about to ask the guard if this was some new form of punishment when the door opened and Tolar stepped out. He was dressed casually, a short purple tunic with gold embroidering on the short sleeves (kind of frilly really), his pants were baggy silk affairs also in gold, shoes were the slipper variety (in obvious contrast to just about everything else in this prison).  He didn't appear to be wearing a weapon, though he had my sword with him.

"So you're a necromancer? That's new." He sat down across from me.

"Well I had to keep busy Tolar." Trying to play things casually with my hands chained is difficult, not impossible, but difficult.

"I see, I've also heard you did a stint in prison five years was it? Seems like you just love being locked up."

"Or I'm always just wrongfully accused, its the system thats broken." Damn that system forcing me to sell goods at exhorbitant prices.

"Was it the system that drove you to kill your aunt and her hunter guild? Or was that just your lust for power?" Tolar kept his tone even, but I could sense the dislike inherent in the words.

"Why don't you just get to the point High Inquisitor Tolar, I take it you don't want me in shackles this whole time."

"Oh you've figured out who I am?" A high inquisitor is a particularly nasty player in Ronerawth, part judge, part jury, all venom, they hand out the marching orders for the royal assassins.

"Well Malcyr was a royal assassin, and he handed me to you instead of killing me outright, also Valrya was aware of you in ways I'd prefer to not recall." She got around, its weird, when I took Serrah's life I didn't get all the gritty details of her sex life, but for some reason I got all of Valrya's in a way that was worse than all the murders (I'm a prude sue me).

"Oh Valrya such a pretty flower," He seemed to be recalling a memory I probably knew, I shivered, "It's a shame she was just using me for my connections oh well I got what I wanted as well."

"Like a war with the red hand that almost destroyed your nation?"

"Like an elevated position after she helped me slip my men behind the enemy lines, apparently you don't have all her memories Lorentino, or you'd know I gave her you as well." I wanted to leap over the table and break his neck with that smug grin, but unfortunately with my feet chained and wrists locked I'd probably just trip and look like more of an idiot.  I could have burned him to death, but it wouldn't accomplish anything, no matter how awesome it would have been.

"What do you want Tolar, other than to shove me in a dark hole forever apparently."

"Lock you up? You break my heart Lorentino, no I need you, you see with Valrya not keeping the peace between her children they are going to cause trouble, and I need someone to show them that the trouble they seek to cause can not happen." Everyone always wants something.  I just want to be left alone, well and make a lot of money off of suckers, look we all have goals.

"You want me to go out there with limited skills and try and kill all of Valrya's lost children."

"Not alone god no, I'm sending Malcyr with you to make sure the job gets done." Only in Tolar's mind could sending the guy who kidnapped me in the first place inspire confidence!

"So the guy who drugged and kidnapped me will be my ally?"

"Worked well enough so far, just don't eat anything he hands you and you'll be fine." Yeah thats how he drugged me, special drinks! I'm a sucker for a special drink.

"And this time spent in prison is to?"

"Remind you of what should await you if you try and run away or fail me, trust me I'll make your five years in The Red Hand look like a day at the spa, now if you don't mind I'd rather get going, its dreadfully hot out here." He stood up and left, I resisted the urge to murder him back to the dead age (full of dead), an hour later I was released, my sword handed back to me and Malcyr was waiting with a couple horses.  He looked at me with the kind of dread a child does when they've done something wrong and fear the punishment.

"Only only in my life could you drug me and bring me here and I feel guilty for that look you are giving me." I checked the horses saddle bags, my meager supplies were there and had been augmented by field rations, bandages, and coin.

"Just whatever you are going to do to me, make it quick and not maim me, I need my skills if I'm to help you."

"I'm not going to hurt you Malcyr, well not today anyway, but one day, one day when you least expect it..." And with that I mounted my horse and rode off, we had business further south.  The best revenge is an undeteremined one, and Malcyr was about to find out how petty I could be!

Dunlok: Boring Capitol of The Empire

Ronerawth doesn't even have a capital city named Ronerawth! That doesn't make any sense.  I mean the Red Hand didn't either, but their empire was named after their movement, not a proper name like Ronerawth (so named after the first emperor of the empire, and they didn't even bother to name a damn city after him!) Their capitol is a fairly boring place named Dunlok.  Small no grand name to this massive complex of a city.  Dunlok is built like a bowl, only with a large jutting royal complex in the middle of the bowl (so like a tiered circle with a huge structure jutting out of it).  It was originally a mine (naturally most major cities started out with at least some mining to them) with what is now the Royal Palace the former head of operations (since majorly expanded and reinforced, more so today).  The Palace has four bridge ways that connect it to the outer rim, each one can be raised so as to prevent someone from Assaulting the palace (well aside from winged beasts and wind users, but I only found one wind user who could float and he was a master and at best could float a couple of feet off the ground, its a really really long ways to the palace).

The outer rings are the richest parts of the city, for the most part, there is a bit of poor there (you can never truely get rid of the poor, for they are the work force of most any major population), but the streets are better kept.  There are four inner rings and then beneath the palace ground plateau is the "ditch" the lowest of the low, a patchwork of tunnels, beasts and the abject poor.  "Ditchers" as they are called is an insult of the lowest term (its commonly used on anyone really regardless of truth, really bad if you truely are a ditcher), most of them are used for only physical labor and even then its a smaller pay than everyone (thus keeping them in the ditch forever, entire families live their crappy lives in that ditch, I'd feel pity, but I'm not a damn ditcher). The upper ring is known as the Crust, the lower rings don't have a real nickname (the crust is funny because I tend to cut it off my sandwhiches).

The prison of Dunlok isn't even in the city (what a shock Trezlan you know where the prison is).  It's a hard days ride outside of the city and a massive complex, it was once a fort built by some hiearch once to safeguard against whatever. Since it was so far away it eventually fell into disuse as a military base, but was perfect for the growing prison popluations arising in Dunlok (in a bit of hilariousness former prisons are now military bases in the city). The prison doesn't have much of a nickname either just simply Dunlok prison.

It was there that Malcyr brought me after he drugged me and kidnapped me back to Ronerawth, and there where I'll speak of tomorrow.  The rise of the Lorentino begins!

What's the Coup of the Day?

"So whats you're plan?" Malcyr was poised on a cliff overlooking the make shift docks (though the weeds were tall enough we could have just hidden down there).  The docks were simple enough, a wooden plank to deeper water where a too large for this kind of dock ship was hiding.  I was inquiring to his plan because we'd been sitting there for two stupid days while he "observed" the men down below, there were at least twenty of them, greater numbers than Valrya's memories lead me to believe but such is the nature of someone else's memories.

"We wait Lorentino." Malcyr the ever patient, honestly in all the years I knew him he never made a hasty decision ever.  One time it took him an hour to decide on a dinner entre, I'm not even kidding.

"We've been waiting for two stupid days, and that ship looks like its about full of people ready to unleash a coup Malcyr, what are you going to do take down its description and send it on to your order?"

"Exactly I'm going to make note of everyone on board who looks to be an infiltrator and then have them all killed when they get to Ronerawth territory." So boring, Malcyr, all "silent assassinations" for the greater good.  I tell you if it weren't for me he would have never had any fun.

"Well good luck with keeping track of all those men, I'm going to actually do something." I stood up and felt how long I'd been lying down, Malcyr had apparently forgotten how long he'd been down as he was too slow to act to stop me.  I mounted my horse and made a move for the dock, I could hear his curses behind me (a trademark Lorentino plan, rush in and let the chips fall where they will), the men loading the final items on the dock turned to give me a look of "What the?" before I hopped off my horse and came rushing at them.

"Stop you have to stop the cargo is tainted!"  When in doubt come up with a really dumb story.

"Tainted with what?" The lead dock worker was missing an eye and an arm, apparently whatever he did, he wasn't very good at it.

"Bad poison, Valrya means to kill all of you, this is a decoy the real coup is elsewhere."

"Who? And what?" More of the workers had started to get off the boat, if I didn't act fast I would have been dock paste.  Just my luck Valyra wasn't directly involved in the planning of this coup.

"Uhh oh crap the boats on fire!" They turned to look just in time for me to lauch the fire and set the ships sails on fire (in retrospec that probably should have been my first move), they turned around to a wall of flame that scorched my immediate foes, I was slapping my hands together when I heard the "Sinkt" of a blade in flesh and saw a foe fall behind me, Malcyr had apparently grown tired of waiting.

"That was your grand plan."

"Worked didn't it?" In the background I could hear screams as men lept overboard on fire, we would kill them of course (fairly boring some fire some stabbing).  Malcyr was noteably upset with my handling of the situation, but he had to admit I got results.  Unfortunately he also kidnapped me and took me back to Ronerawth, oh to be young and dumb again, well how about young, because I'm apparently always dumb.

The Morality of Assassination

"So you're a Necromancer?" We had been riding pretty hard for a couple hours, we had to walk to Malcyr's horse because he had stupidly put it far far away (he said it was to disguise his presence, but as he got trussed up like a herd animal I don't think it worked).

"Figured that out did you? Well I guess it was finding a necromancers hide out, and talking about how I stole the memories from my former master, observant you are."  We were riding towards a make shift dock to meet up with some other assassins (not of the royal variety). Malcyr was a better horseman than I, but I knew where we were going and didn't tell him (because when dealing with assassins make sure to be more useful than killing you would be).

"You do know that means I have to kill you."

"Oh how nice of you, I'm helping you, and you're threatening to kill me, assassins I can't take you guys anywhere." I'd made sure he was on my right side, because despite probably being even handed, no one is that good with their left (well aside from me since that's my dominant sword hand).

"You're a murderer and abomination!"

"Oh you wound me oh royal killer, look I've only killed two people as a necromancer, one innocent young girl to extend my life and my master, so that like cancels out right? Besides I saved your sorry ass you owe me, on top of that I'm helping you stop a coup! Thats two!"

"You also killed that guy in the hide out." Why, why do people always get semantic with muder?

"Yeah I should have just left you with him, and I burned and stabbed him, no necromancy involved! At best I'm a necroprentice, hardly worth killing someone over.  Again this discussion is brought about by someone who kills on royal order, hardly a nice person." Assassins are always like this, just the other day I was talking with Valerind about this very thing, he claimed my killings are worse because of how I do it. Preposterous, if its worse for anyone its me, you have no idea whats it like taking the memories of a low level common murderer.  Well hopefully you have no idea, maybe you do.

"Completely different."

"Because of the uniform? I tried to convince Valyra we needed some, but alas she just didn't see how that made things more official." Malcyr just harumphed and we rode in silence, it was a nice change of pace (I love talking but honestly when someone tells you they want to kill you? Kind of heh kills the conversation). And so it went, I hummed to myself and Malcyr plotted to kill me.  It was like we were married without the awkward loveless sex. 

Meet The New Problem Same as the Old One

"Now hold on there mister." He had a sword pointed at me in a threatening manner.  I'd made my way to where I'd seen in my dreams/memories Valrya had been holed up. It was a former house in the middle of no where (so many of these exist all over really, people tended to move out to live away from a city, getting eaten by something horrific and then never heard from again), the house itself was nothing to write home about, rotting floor boards, any number of insects inside.  But in the basement cleverly hidden was an entrance to one of Valrya's many "safe" houses. She'd gone to ground as of late dodging out on Ronerawth assassins (when you cause a war they tend to hold a grudge who knew), funny she'd die to one of her children instead.

"Where's Valrya?" Oh yeah Mr. Swordy pointy at people, he was dressed in the traditional style of royal assassin, dark purple clothing, insignia over the left part of his chest, full face mask too, which seemed weird at the time for visibility oh yeah and the really long sword.

"Dead." Honesty at sword point is way easier than any other time, because you don't know what lie could get you killed.

"What? You lie." Ok so even when you're being honest no one believes you, really sucks. The cellar where Valyra had been hiding was simple enough, just two rooms, kind of cramped compared to her other caves.

"Well I'm not the only one assassin, pro tip for your next life the royal insignia goes on the right not the left."

"Ha right like I'd..." I felt the rush of power as he tossed me backwards (damn wind users you can't dodge a gust of wind, you just can't) I hit the stone wall behind me with a thud. He charged forward the sword coming really close to my very handsome face, rolling to the side I kicked his legs out from under him and readied my own magic, a tight beam of fire scorched the upper parts of his face mask and he screamed in agony.  Scrambling back to his feet he took up the sword again, with a scream he charged, but I side stepped and impaled him on the blue blade, he made a wet gurgling sound and then hit the ground in a heap. I removed the partially smoked mask to see my opponent and got a bit of a flash of Valyra's memories.  He was no assassin that much was for sure, he was one of her children, the one before me actually (which explained why he was such a bad fighter).  I was wondering why he was dressed so oddly until I heard the muffled shouts from the next room over.

Keeping my sword drawn in front of me I opened the door and was shocked to see a man tied up completely naked and gagged.  Figuring that I probably couldn't much out of him in this state I removed the gag and untied him, and handed him a nearby blanket for modesty (not that I hadn't already seen it, but you know the false modesty people desire). He was a smaller than a normal person, but not a shorty, muscle build was closer to someone who ran a lot than fight (at least fairly), close cut red hair that was all messed up and weird yellow eyes.

"Who are you?" He asked that right away. Like I hadn't just saved him from, uhh I have no idea.

"Trezlan Lorentino at your service and you?" I'm always honest with the naked.

"Malcyr Mobiart of the Ronerawth Royal Assassins."

"Like the guy out there claimed to be?"

"Yeah he got the jump on me when I was checking out this place for a dangerous Necromancer, he took my uniform as a trophy if you can believe that, I believe I was to be a present to the real owner of this place."

"Valrya."

"You know her?" He seemed incredulous, I must look like a real dumb guy no one ever believes that I know anyone.

"I killed her."

"Bullshit." Insult to injury.

"Look can we continue this conversation after you get dressed this whole naked thing is distracting me, your clothes are mostly in tact, minus a spot in the chest."  He got dressed in the gear, remarking why I couldn't just stab the guy in the face, I told him I'd keep that in mind next time I kill someone wearing someone elses clothes.

"So why are you looking for Valrya to settle a score?" I had to know, because I really didn't want to have to kill this guy again, or for the first time, you know nevermind.

"The assassins were given a lead she might possess some knowledge of a coup attempt on Ronerawth, I had hoped to trade her some of our info for hers, but seeing as how you killed her, thats probably not going to happen."

"An attempted coup? So close to after the war?"

"Yes we are in a weakened state as is, we can not afford another battle on the inside now, we suspected Valrya was partially behind this, but had no solid proof, locals remembered seeing a woman..." I tried to think of a coup I'd recalled, I felt a spike of pain in my head, memories flooded me again and I passed out (I tend to pass out a lot as you can see).  When I awoke Malcyr was standing over me partially relieved.

"You're awake? Are you all right."

"Better than all right, but we have to go now we haven't much time if you want to stop those assassins!" And sadly I don't have much time for this entry today, tommorrow I'll write more I promise little journal, like you really care either way, but still principal of the thing!

A New Chapter In People Trying to Kill Me

"Are you sure you have to leave right now?" I had recovered from taking Valrya's essence, and the god blood, for the most part.  It took about a week of coming in and out nightmares (really terrible nightmares, not just like regular ones where spiders are eating my genitals), Valrym had me staying in a back room at his tavern (the hardest part of my moments of clarity was not trying to drink everything in the room, but it would not have been a good idea, and I say this as someone who is never one for good ideas).

"I don't really want to leave Valrym, but there are things that need doing." Valrya's memories had been a haunting trip down crazy town lane. For most people I've taken recovery time is minimal (if at all), when you get someones life in a necromantic act its like flipping through a book reading every other page, most lives are short novels, Valrya's was a compendium of being evil.  I didn't have it all, or even know it all (I still struggle with her memories to this day, one time I passed out and woke up a week later in a place that I didn't recall ever traveling to, that was a hell of a tale, one day I'll have to write that one down).

"And I can't come with you?"

"No Valrym you're still recovering from your ordeal, and you have her taint on you in a way that would make where I'm going a really bad idea." Valrya's essence was like a bullseye for the remaining "children".  That was what was readily apparent from Valrya's memories, there were others, and they would come, I had to get away from the demigod, he had recovered better than me (which made running a little silly back then, but you know like I said bad ideas).

"And you think you're ready? you just recently stopped screaming like a banshee in your sleep, I'm lucky business has been slow." Valrym had no reason to be as nice to me as he was, I mean yeah I'd saved his life, but that could have been accidental he had no idea.

"Do you have a sword I could borrow?"  Valrym had aquired me a horse, we were outside his tavern, I had my robes on, and some random supplies I'd managed to scrounge up from my hotel room (in a moment of clarity I'd mentioned to Valrym about the room, or my supplies might have tossed to the wind). He produced the blue bladed sword he had lent me earlier (fat lot of good I'd done with it).

"Keep it, you could probably use something for a grave marker." Optimism, Valrym has always been one.

"I'll take that as a vote of confidence Valrym, if I don't see you, thanks."

"For trying to get you killed for my vengeance and you saving me? Yeah you're welcome necromancer Trezlan, now go, go kill yourself for whatever reason."

"I'll see you later Valrym, and you owe me a drink or twelve." I affixed the sword and wrenched the reins, the horse bucked and off we went.  I had a destination in mind, I'd like to think Valrym looked after me longingly wanting to say more and then with a sigh he went back inside knowing how amazing I truely am.  But most likely he spit, cursed, and went back inside. If only I knew back then how dangerous where I was going, I might have just gone south you know, maybe some place warm. And not the Five Fires, though I hear they are nice this time of year.

Valrya The Necrobitcher

"Man what hit me?" I had a buzzing in my ears like a thousand flies had nested there.  My vision came and went with hazy imagery. My attempts to focus on any object ended up in not being able to concentrate and just seeing dark things drifting to and fro.  I couldn't make out where I was, I felt like I was laying on my back, but ultimately thats because I couldn't imagine I was sitting in any other position.  I tried to move my hand in front of my eyes, while I could see it, it felt like a million miles away from me.

"TREZLAN!" The shout was there in the background, panicked, sounded like Valrya, but I couldn't make it out for sure.

"TREZLAN YOU STUPID LOUT WAKE UP!" There it was again harder now angrier, but still far away.  Why would Valrya be yelling at me I pondered. The god blood had really knocked me out badly, my mind still hummed from it, I didn't even know what day it was. I found my feet and made an attempt to stand up and look around.  I appeared to be in a room of some sort, I didn't recall getting there, I had been laying on a bed, I could see near the bed ritual candles and some kind of writing (assessing things visually was one thing, reading writing? Yeah not going to happen).  I could see the rest of the room was in shambles, furniture lay shattered, blood was splattered all over and Valrya and Valyrm were across from each other both badly wounded (Valrya's intestines were hanging out, Valrym was wearing some kind of armor but I didn't recall it being red by design, he was also marked up from what I could assume were Valyra's bleeding attacks).

"Well this is new." I'm a master of assessing situations, trust me. Valrya had a book near her hand, in the other was a dagger, I could tell her time was short (even messed up when someones guts are hanging out, things have gone "badly").

"Trezlan stop being an idiot and help me before the godling recovers." She handed me the book, I could start to make out words and symbols, it appeared to be a neromantic spell for life leaching that would transfer it to another using yourself as a conduit (this spell is extremely dangerous, well for the person you are giving the life to most often the non necromancer, as a necromancer its just another day at the spell office).  I don't know why she'd assume I'd get the spell right in my state (probably because well her guts were hanging out this was one of those necessity things).  I started to copy the spell signals as best I could, first over here, and then over Valrym (he called me a traitor and other words I won't replicate here). When I finished and double checked my work (which was really still kind of difficult, to this day I'm kind suprised this spell worked at all).  I placed my hands on Valrya and nothing happened.

"What did you do it wrong you idiot?" Always the polite person even in her death.

"I can't work magic on you Valrya, you've locked me out of that."  She looked at me with utter contempt and drew a quick blood symbol on my chest, I felt searing pain from where the sigil was painted but then I felt my power surge over my hands.

"Good bye Val." With a flourish of power I ripped Valrya's remaining life energy from her, it was like trying to direct a waterfall, except instead of water in this case it was the evil essence of someone who'd lived longer than anyone should ever (well aside from me, I intend on living forever).  She didn't scream or react at all, honestly I don't think she had any idea I'd written the spell in reverse of what she expected. Using this raw beam of life I directed it to Valrym.  He grimmaced, but I could see immediately the look on his face improve.  I managed to keep some of the power for myself (because no good deed comes without a price and I wanted more power to be perfectly honest).  Valrym opened his eyes, I stood there still in a bit of a daze the power still pulsed on my hands, throbbing in a weird way.

"Why did you kill her and not me?" A good question.

"I don't feel so..." Ok so I was still under the effects of the god blood and then having just transfered Valrya's life to Valrym I kind of had a moment of weakness.  A lot of them honestly, it would be a full week before I actually was able to maintain being up for longer than a few minutes at a time.  What a horrible week that was, the one thing I retained 100% was Valrya's memories, and my dreams were this side of awful.  Eventually I recovered enough to be functional, just in time to almost be killed.

Baiting The Trap

"So what is this again?" It looked like brown sludge that twinkled, it had the viscosity of thick mud.

"Blood of the earth god, we went over this, just drink it." Valrym (one of the other val's in my life) was impatiently standing on the other side of the bar, he had affixed the hammer and dagger to himself and left me the sword (after asking insultingly if I knew how to use one).

"What if it kills me?" A serious question for serious people.

"Then you'll be removed from bothering me and I find another one of Valrya's apprentices, look Trezlan, it won't kill you, it will infuse you with the power of the earth god at least temporarily, which will get Valrya out of hiding." We had been having this discussion for about twenty minutes, Valrym was noteably angry with my refusal to just accept his creepy earth blood offering (I'm very cautious when drinking things well aside from liquor, but he didn't at least claim this was some kind of strange new super liquor).  With a heavy sigh I held my nose (doesn't actually work, but you know every once in a while you have to give yourself the illusion) and drank the solution.  It was like being set on fire combined with getting punched in the head (so like a flaming punch to the head), I felt woozy and didn't even notice Valrym behind me, he caught me before I fell and shortly before I passed out I heard him say.

"Well I said it wouldn't kill you, I didn't say it would leave you functional." And with that I drifted off to the land of dreams.  Trap set, the game was a foot.

Rosetia Land of Opportunity

The hardest part about leaving prison is adjusting to life outside of behind bars.  Usually there's been enough events that took place you feel out of place wherever you end up (most long term prisons are not in the same town where the offenses took place, like I was subdued out near Dorianna, I wound up in Rosetia almost a thousand miles away, trust me I felt the distance traveled, prison wagons are a royal bitch especially for the distance covered). I went in during a war, I got out during an unsteady peace.  To the far south the Ronerawth empire aided by the Red Hand were constructing the divider (it would be completed some fifty years later, in case you were wondering why the Red Hand would help, well the people they sent to help were criminals, and the last part to be constructed was on the Ronerawth side) Rosetia was a trade town, a lot of hustling and bustling, not on the coastal water, but near a river, and later on in its life a major train station depot (trains were the greatest advancement of our age currently, they are beautiful machines).

I believe the town originally grew up near the prison (which made sense with its location near a river for easy prisoner transport, and a town just grew around this), and then developed around the prison to the extent the prison is now apart of the city. What extra conflict comes from the just released is mitigated from all the basically free slave labor the prison supplies and then getting to hire these workers on full time after they are released (I was not involved in the work programs, something about a bad attitude). My first couple weeks out of prison were spent sleeping on the streets at night and doing odd menial labor jobs during the day.  Honestly at first I thought Valyra or Morley would find me and whisk me away back into the ranks of necromancy (for my first few years of prison life I thought the same, it was a happy fantasy that either of those two cared enough to find me), but as the days wound on and I made small coin enough to get a local inn room I started to feel at home, at peace.  Sure working the docks, or helping to unload trade carts was hard work on my hands and back, but it was honest work and I didn't have to murder people to do it (a serious plus) also with the coin I was able to put away I started to look into silks and other clothing again intending on trying my hand at clothing (this partly stemmed from growing tired of my crappy prison clothes and too cheap to buy someone else's wears).  I'd sewed before, Sal had shown me some stuff and I'd taken it from there, but five years out of practice lead to a lot of stabbed fingers and invented cursing (the local inn keeper actually inquired if I was ok after I screamed for a minute straight after sewing my finger to a piece of cloth). It took some wasted effort, but eventually I had a very nice robe and under shirt to wear when I wasn't slaving away on the docks (for that I used one of my sewing failures of a plain sleeveless shirt and a pair of coarse fabric pants that were ugly sewn, but very functional).

I think deep down I knew I wouldn't be a dock worker for long.  I mean I enjoyed the work, but when you have knowledge of necromantic arts and can conjure flame with your hands, its just a matter of time before you have to use these skills once again. I do have to say I was proud of myself that I didn't even buy a sword, I guess I was trying to live on the straight and narrow even if I didn't think I would be able to.  It was in this mindset I was wandering the streets looking for something (I honestly can not recall what it was at the time) and I bumped into a shorty, or what I thought was a shorty.  He came up to about my waist, with thick muscled arms and stout leg.  He was missing most of his hair on top, but had a long black braid on the back part (not from style he had clearly lost the first part due to time), facial hair was the long braided type, like shaving was against his religion (which funnily enough it sort of was in a weird way). I muttered I'm sorry and was about to move on when I felt a heavy hand holding my arm in a vice grip, I prepared for a fight when I saw his eyes, they had gone completely brown (like no black part or regular color just brown).

"I said I'm sorry." I tried in vain to release his grip, but it held steady.

"Necromancer," There was a sneer with the word, I could see his teeth briefly, they all looked impeccably white, "You are the one I seek."

"Whoa you got the wrong guy, I'm just a dock worker." I almost wanted to call for help, but him calling me out for being a necromancer would mean I'd probably end up in the gallows.  I felt like an animal with my foot caught in a trap.

His eyes returned to normal, but the grip did not lessen.  "Come with me or I'll scream your crimes for all of these people to know." So I wasn't the only one who knew that necromancy even then was not tolerated (I swear its hard being someone who takes life to propogate their own!) I wanted to fight back, or do something, maybe use fire or even necromancy, his grip and creepy eye thing kept me from fighting back. I followed him like the reverse of a parent (that being the smaller of the two lead me around by the arm).  We eventually arrived at a dug in tavern establishment that was thankfully empty. There were five steps to enter and the door was shorter than I expected leading to a nice bang as I failed to duck under it.  My keeper did not wait for me to recover but drug me inside shut the door and locked it under a heavy bolt.

"Look ok things were, ok not the greatest and I made some bad decisions." Pleading for my life, I do this often.

"I care not for the lesser you killed necromancer, I do care that you are one of her disciples." The tavern was fairly dark (no windows tends to do that no matter the time of day), there was a shorter than average bar to the left, some booths to the right and open tables in the middle, no one was inside.  Directly opposite me was a roaring fireplace that seemed to take up the entire wall, it provided the only light in the place.  My shorty companion went behind the bar and started withdrawing weaponry, a large hammer was the most prominent, it looked impossible for me to ever lift but he did so with ease.

"Valrya? I have no idea where she is."  I mean I sort of remembered the location of the cave with regards to Dorianna, but that was five years ago, and I didn't even know where I currently was (I'm terrible with directions).

"Oh I know that, I know all about you Lorentino."

"You were looking for me?"

"Not you specifically but I knew she would spread her filth and find others like herself, I guess I'm lucky the one I found is not experienced and cast aside for the most part."

"What the hell are you? You look like a shorty."

"I wasn't always, and Valyra is to blame for that, I used to be a demigod, one of a proud earthen religion, until that bitch murdered my followers and used their lives in a blood ritual to kill the rest, now look at me, I run a bar swarming with idiots, I SHOULD BE A GOD LORENTINO!" His words shook the establishment lik an earthquake.

"So I take you're angry." I'm subtle real subtle. "I mean I get the anger, but I don't know what I can do to find her? Its not like we're on speaking terms."  He calmed down from his speech, still placing weapons up on the bar.

"Oh she'll find you, you've got her taint on you, I felt it when you bumped into me, what we need to do is bait the trap," He had a vile of something on the counter now, next to the hammer, a sword that glowed a weird blue, and dagger, "Now I'm going to need you to do something for me..."

What will I have to do? What happens next? Who is this man? Uhh I'll write about that tomorrow I've been long winded enough.

War, War Always Changes

War is a constantly evolving thing.  The motives, the weaponry, the tactics, the players, they are always in a state of flux.  The war between the Red Hand and the Ronerawths started out about supposed border incursions (it would shame me to later find out that the death of my aunt and my subsequent murder spree was used as an example of one such incursion for both sides, so Valrya was really hedging her bets with trying to recruit me), it eventually would spiral into an invasion and attempted elimination of the Ronerawths.

I'd like to say I had a huge part in staving off the destruction of an empire, but honestly I didn't.  I didn't really do anything in this particular conflict (well ignoring that I was used to partially escalate it).  I started the conflict with blending in with some refugees to escape the shelling the Ronerawths were delivering, and then moved on from there.  The victory at Dorianna was short lived, the Red Hand were known for a lot of things, mercy was not one of them.  And unfortunately for the Ronerawths they didn't have much of an exit strategy for how deep in they were (oh I never really did explain where I'd been moved to, yeah I'd gone from being in the south near the Ronerawth, Red Hand border to being way far north past a mountain range, that Valrya was able to move me here without much of my knowledge explained how bad a shape I was in).  I'd like to think this was part of Morley's plan, have the Ronerawth force escalate the conflict and then get annihilated (and in that it worked beautifully).  With their forward artillery and expedition force taken care of the Ronerawths were in a bad position for the rest of the conflict, they mainly fought a losing campaign back to their own territory and then had to hold back the horde that was the Red Hand retribution.

I saw none of that as shortly after the conflict started I was imprisoned.  Yes again, you'll notice a pattern in my life I've been in and out of prison cells for the majority of it! You'd probably laugh at what I got busted for.  Was it all the murder? The necromancy? No, nothing so serious, war profiteering! Can you believe that? They busted me early on because I came across a dead merchant and sort of started charging refugees a lot more than the goods were originally worth. Apparently the magic rules all empire really frowns on charging peons for essential things like flour, the dicks.This imprisonment actually lasted the entire length of the war (which is why I had little to do with it.  Five long horrible years eating prison food and thinking of ways of escaping (the Red Hand had a crude anti magical runes that prevented my abilities, not that I really wanted to show them anyway as that could have gotten me conscripted or worse like mind slaved). I learned a lot in those years, specifically fist fighting (these lessons were taught to me weekly, mostly at my ribs expense, its hard being the mouthy prisoner).

The conflict ended before my sentence did, the war technically lasted four years, there were some flare ups afterwards (like any hot fire you never get all the coals). The end of the conflict I was told was quite dramatic, the Red Hand was marching on the capitol of the Ronerawths with their force ready to raze it to the ground when they were told to halt and retreat.  It wasn't immediately known at the time what saved Ronerawth (there was talks of dark magic and sorcery, deals with gods etc etc), the actual reason was a group of assassins had infiltrated the upper echelons of the Red Hand and held them at knife point to cease the conflict, as one can only imagine this didn't lead to much of a resolution in a conflict, but people in power don't really want to see their life blood fading from them. I got this all second hand, so maybe there was some kind of deal made with a dark god I have no idea, I've seen nothing to suggest it was anything but assassins.

My release from prison was much the same way anti climatic.  No big gesture, no grand coming to terms with who I was. They just ushered me out saying I'd done my sentence.  I had no money, no weapon (I guess my sword was confisicated for the war effort? I never heard back on that), my original robes and boots were also gone.  I was in what I spent my time in prison with, a rough cloth shirt, overly tight itchy pants, and a pair of overly large shoes. When I stepped out of the prison I was introduced to the city I'd currently end up living in Rosetia.  My first introduction was enlightening, shocking, and thrilling, a lot ing words.  And tomorrow it begins!