"Now now," said the King, "prophecies should never be dismissed."
With that the meeting of the Governors of the realm ended and King Blackthorn departed in his usual dramatic fashion. He rose from his chair and with a flourish of his red cape vanished into thin air without so much the casting of a spell or sound produced. If the remaining audience of Governors and citizens in attendance wondered where he goes (in his own castle) they didn't say anything.
Jepeth, the Governor of the small fishing island in the west of Britannia, nearly missed rising for the King's departure. Only a few minutes earlier he had excitedly told his King and colleagues of the success Skara Brae had in fighting vile Fellowship occupation of the holy shrines of the virtues. But now he was uneasy, even a little shaken.
Their meeting concluded as it often does by comments from the gallery and of all things what should appear to make a gloomy prophecy but a full-sized Gazer of the forests. It politely hovered over a chair in the audience until it was invited to speak and after delivering its message (and ignoring the threats from the hungry Goblins in the room) it floated away. It left the chamber as at home in the castle meeting room as it was in a clearing in the woods.
"Bad omens and bad luck approach," it said before leaving.
The Gazer directed his comments at the court, but individually warned that an unlucky comet would pass closest to the island of Skara Brae. It spoke of ether and fate and other matters of magic and mysticism to the crowd without explaining itself or offering a solution.
As the other Governors began to group into their regular factions to evaluate the political winners and losers of the previous meeting Jepeth remained in his chair. He had many questions but none of which he, the child of innumerable fisherman and farmers, felt equipped to answer. Ignoring the sounds of continued political in-fighting he tried to make sense of the warning.
There was an element of prophecy in nature, he knew this. How crops grow and what schools of fish pass by had not been entirely explained. As a member of the Order of Paladins there were always prophecies made about the safety of the realm, he knew this too. His order often rode out to face dangers on the basis of a spooky warning alone. Finally, he knew nothing in the virtues specifically ruled out prophecy. Spirituality would have you believe in the unseen. Humility asks you not to rush to judgement. Honor requires you to listen to a foe, even if you are unsure of their motives.
Perhaps this happened at the Court often. He looked around the room noticing that none of the other Governors seemed particularly fazed by the promise of doom delivered by a floating eyeball. After a few minutes of contemplation Jepeth left the meeting in a rush, determined to not be the last Governor of Skara Brae.
***
"I assure you, Governor Jepeth, you have been misled."
Willebrord the astronomer was past the point of annoyance. This young man in unpolished platemail armor was not only eating up valuable observation time on a clear night, but he nearly blinded Willebrord and his assistants with a lit oil lantern when he approached. The astronomy group had only an hour earlier quaffed their special night-sight potions to aid in peering into the dark heavens above. An open flame from a lantern was like a dagger in their eyes.
"You say that, sir, but I remain unconvinced," said Jepeth. "This Gazer risked coming in front of the King Himself to deliver this warning to me. Why would it mislead us? All I ask is that you confirm the creature's story."
"Governor," Willebrord sighed, "the heavens are complex. The sky turns in ways only we, the learned few, can explain. The Council of Mages of which I and my cohort belong are all in agreement. Celestial events do not effect the ether. The ether is controlled by us, not the other way around. And, certainly, not in ways mindless forest creatures could hope to understand."
At the mention of the Council of Mages an old spark of anger flared inside Jepeth. The Faction Wars raged during his childhood and like many of those born in the old lands he still felt betrayal at the rebellion of the mages of Moonglow.
"There is no comet," Willebrord continued, "and if there was I would have informed the royal council on sighting it."
"I am not satisfied by your answer, sir," Jepeth replied. He took a long moment to examine the astronomer-mage once more before uncovering his lit lantern and walking back down the path towards the center of Verity island and its moongate.
Willebrord pulled his hat down in a huff covering his eyes at the unveiling of the lantern. A moment later as Jepeth disappeared into the darkness the astronomer turned back towards the massive telescope of Moonglow. Even in the darkness the telescope's gold, brass, and copper construction gleamed. He walked along the perimeter of the scope with an outstretched hand feeling the runes carved along the rim and ascended a small ladder so as to optimally situate himself at the eyepiece. He closed his left, weaker eye and with his dominant right squinted into the eyepiece of the telescope. The scope was aimed west and in its eye piece a glowing white, blue, and purple object appeared to hover in the void.
Willebrord didn't need to check the metal dials which marked out the orientation of the sky. He could see the comet was getting closer.
With that the meeting of the Governors of the realm ended and King Blackthorn departed in his usual dramatic fashion. He rose from his chair and with a flourish of his red cape vanished into thin air without so much the casting of a spell or sound produced. If the remaining audience of Governors and citizens in attendance wondered where he goes (in his own castle) they didn't say anything.
Jepeth, the Governor of the small fishing island in the west of Britannia, nearly missed rising for the King's departure. Only a few minutes earlier he had excitedly told his King and colleagues of the success Skara Brae had in fighting vile Fellowship occupation of the holy shrines of the virtues. But now he was uneasy, even a little shaken.
Their meeting concluded as it often does by comments from the gallery and of all things what should appear to make a gloomy prophecy but a full-sized Gazer of the forests. It politely hovered over a chair in the audience until it was invited to speak and after delivering its message (and ignoring the threats from the hungry Goblins in the room) it floated away. It left the chamber as at home in the castle meeting room as it was in a clearing in the woods.
"Bad omens and bad luck approach," it said before leaving.
The Gazer directed his comments at the court, but individually warned that an unlucky comet would pass closest to the island of Skara Brae. It spoke of ether and fate and other matters of magic and mysticism to the crowd without explaining itself or offering a solution.
As the other Governors began to group into their regular factions to evaluate the political winners and losers of the previous meeting Jepeth remained in his chair. He had many questions but none of which he, the child of innumerable fisherman and farmers, felt equipped to answer. Ignoring the sounds of continued political in-fighting he tried to make sense of the warning.
There was an element of prophecy in nature, he knew this. How crops grow and what schools of fish pass by had not been entirely explained. As a member of the Order of Paladins there were always prophecies made about the safety of the realm, he knew this too. His order often rode out to face dangers on the basis of a spooky warning alone. Finally, he knew nothing in the virtues specifically ruled out prophecy. Spirituality would have you believe in the unseen. Humility asks you not to rush to judgement. Honor requires you to listen to a foe, even if you are unsure of their motives.
Perhaps this happened at the Court often. He looked around the room noticing that none of the other Governors seemed particularly fazed by the promise of doom delivered by a floating eyeball. After a few minutes of contemplation Jepeth left the meeting in a rush, determined to not be the last Governor of Skara Brae.
***
"I assure you, Governor Jepeth, you have been misled."
Willebrord the astronomer was past the point of annoyance. This young man in unpolished platemail armor was not only eating up valuable observation time on a clear night, but he nearly blinded Willebrord and his assistants with a lit oil lantern when he approached. The astronomy group had only an hour earlier quaffed their special night-sight potions to aid in peering into the dark heavens above. An open flame from a lantern was like a dagger in their eyes.
"You say that, sir, but I remain unconvinced," said Jepeth. "This Gazer risked coming in front of the King Himself to deliver this warning to me. Why would it mislead us? All I ask is that you confirm the creature's story."
"Governor," Willebrord sighed, "the heavens are complex. The sky turns in ways only we, the learned few, can explain. The Council of Mages of which I and my cohort belong are all in agreement. Celestial events do not effect the ether. The ether is controlled by us, not the other way around. And, certainly, not in ways mindless forest creatures could hope to understand."
At the mention of the Council of Mages an old spark of anger flared inside Jepeth. The Faction Wars raged during his childhood and like many of those born in the old lands he still felt betrayal at the rebellion of the mages of Moonglow.
"There is no comet," Willebrord continued, "and if there was I would have informed the royal council on sighting it."
"I am not satisfied by your answer, sir," Jepeth replied. He took a long moment to examine the astronomer-mage once more before uncovering his lit lantern and walking back down the path towards the center of Verity island and its moongate.
Willebrord pulled his hat down in a huff covering his eyes at the unveiling of the lantern. A moment later as Jepeth disappeared into the darkness the astronomer turned back towards the massive telescope of Moonglow. Even in the darkness the telescope's gold, brass, and copper construction gleamed. He walked along the perimeter of the scope with an outstretched hand feeling the runes carved along the rim and ascended a small ladder so as to optimally situate himself at the eyepiece. He closed his left, weaker eye and with his dominant right squinted into the eyepiece of the telescope. The scope was aimed west and in its eye piece a glowing white, blue, and purple object appeared to hover in the void.
Willebrord didn't need to check the metal dials which marked out the orientation of the sky. He could see the comet was getting closer.
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