(SOLO) Lorenor: The Story You Knew...(chapter 1)

[Mutant_Lorenor]

(Coincides with the events of this thread: Karaoke Night (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?31413-The-Flesh-Failures-Empty-Orchestra-(open!)) thank you for your understanding.)

The lake was quiet at that time of the day.

Lorenor oft found himself in the depths of Concordia Forest alone, attempting to gather his thoughts and find his purpose.

The lake was ripe with a bounty of legendary Corone fish. The remains of the Ixian Knight's once fabled fortress rested nearby. Silent and empty, a relic of a long forgotten past of Althanas's history. Lorenor often thought about The Ixian Knights and their mysterious ways. Once, the Paladin had been little more than a mindless follower of N'Jal. The forgotten Thayne...or so the masses of Althanas would lead one to believe. Things forgotten did not simply cease to be despite what the masses wanted. What the masses believed. Lorenor wanted to believe that the past he was running from was truly behind him. It was never that simple...things often took off of their accord...and that day would prove no different.

The Paladin sat against the ground thinking about the recent events of his life...

He'd taken a trip to Salvar to settle some matters in Knife's Edge. Those events also took a mind of their own and he still had the scar from the certain injury he'd received. Try as he would, the scar never faded and was a reminder of the dangers of Salvar. As Lorenor sat there he touched his stomach where the scar lurked, for some reason it still hurt. An external event had healed him from the death-blow he'd undergone. And they were able to complete their sour adventure..despite the price the Heroes of The Ranceed Estate faced. Lorenor thought of his mentor, Sei Orlouge very often those days. He'd isolated himself from the masses after he'd returned from Salvar. The wilderness held it's own secrets. The Paladin thought about many things at that moment, but mostly...he thought of Sei Orlouge. I accepted Reformation when we met. You're one of the wisest men I have ever known. If a man like me could be Reformed...

He sometimes missed being in the fold of N'Jal.

That thought did haunt him periodically...but Sei had given him a new purpose. One that he was meant to hold close to his heart. As he sat there he thought about the past a lot, memories flooding his mind as he considered the situation at hand. The scar on his abdomen was an injury a previous adventure had inflicted. One that nearly left him to face is true death...At that point, Lorenor realized he was no longer alone.

"You're not a fisherman." A female voice called out to him.

"No. I am not." Lorenor responded truthfully to the female Forest Elf.

She walked towards the Paladin calmly, her eyes held a strange glow to them. Lorenor noticed that immediately but he also noticed how radiant and beautiful she was. "May I accompany you?" She asked.

"Feel free though I am little more than a humbler traveller." Lorenor said as she walked towards him and sat down on the ground next to him.

"The lake's waters have a calming effect." When she sat down she looked into his eyes. "What troubles you?"

Lorenor smiled softly and nodded towards the woman. "Your people always did fascinate me." Lorenor began. "So observant...anyway. A lot troubles me. I recently went through a dangerous event."

The woman was looking at the marks on Lorenor's uniform. "Those marks you carry. The Ixian Knights have not been in activity for a long time."

"Since Sei Orlouge vanished." Lorenor corrected. There was no malice in his voice, he was simply tired.

"Ah, The Mystic. Tell me, Ixian, what is your name?" She asked.

Lorenor nodded calmly. "I am called Lorenor." He said calmly, his name had almost become a title of sorts.

The woman seemed distant for a moment. "Schealla." She said casually. "That's what they call me."

"So tell me Lorenor. Are you running from something or searching for something...?" She asked.

Lorenor smiled calmly. "I already have that which I need. I am merely a Paladin of the old order..." Lorenor said.

"You knew Sei directly?" She asked.

"Yes. We were war buddies of sorts. Allies. I was deeply trouble to find the current state of the Ixian Knights was no more." Lorenor stated.

"Things forgotten are not necessarily lost. You could always rebuild the old order." The thought immediately hit Loernor like a ton of bricks.

"Rebuild...The Old Order...?" Lorenor said out loud. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I never thought of that." Lorenor said.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

"So yes...this one time..." Lorenor began and they spoke for hours and hours.

Well into the rest of the long day.

She laughed at his subtle jokes which was a good sign. Lorenor looked at her with a soft expression on his face. His eyes were studying her features, and attempting to get to the heart of who she was. But overall, she was quite agreeable. It's nice to have a friend... Lorenor thought to himself. He stretched for a moment after some time had passed and they continued to talk at leisure about a great many things. The sun shone brightly overhead. It was a warm summer day. The breeze was gentle and came in from the West. Lorenor periodically thought about a few other matters related to the Ixian Knights. As he did so, she continued to engage him directly in solid conversation. She is sincerely interested in what I have to say... Lorenor thought with a nod to himself.

Finally, well into the fourth hour of their talk, Lorenor realized something.

"You must have come out here to hunt or something correct?" Lorenor asked.

The woman paused for a moment but nodded. "I have other business I must attend to too...but yes. I was looking to restock my town's food supply. Along with a few other Hunters that are in the area."

Lorenor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hunting teams, huh?" Lorenor said out loud. "I could help you out if you're hungry right now. And then when you're ready to depart I shall hunt alongside you."

"I'm but a mere squire." She said calmly. She looked at the ground for a moment. "This is my first time hunting alone. Kinda going pretty bad, was actually pretty scared of some of the bigger beasts."

Lorenor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You're also an apprentice then." He nodded. "Like I said. I can help you."

"But why? The Hunt is my burden alone." She attempted to protest.

Lorenor looked at her at that point and placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Because it is the right thing to do." He said plainly.

She raised her eyebrow. "I cannot offer much in terms of reward." She said truthfully

Lorenor leaned back and laid down against the ground...staring up at the sky. "It's all right. You don't need to pay me I simply just enjoy helping people." Lorenor paused for a moment after that. It's what Sei would do... He didn't say that out loud.

She was looking at him. Her warmth was a comfort. "You're very weird." She continued to speak. "But I think I like that about you. If you do decide to help me with The Hunt though I will agree to accompany you to the Ixian's castle."

Lorenor nodded, he would have helped her anyway. "That sounds like a fair deal." Lorenor was not tired, he was simply relaxing...he had no need for sleep anyway. He turned to look at her calmly. "What type of creatures do you have to hunt?" Lorenor knew Concordia well. "It is best if we plan ahead and start preparing our tools now." He added.

"Boars, Stags, and a few Avians." She said calmly. "I have not met my quota yet."

"Sounds tough." Lorenor said. "But together, we can complete the Hunt in half of the time." Lorenor suggested.

"Deal." She finally agreed.

And the two laughed together. "Let's rest a little a while longer. We still have plenty of time before Night Falls." Lorenor continued. Lorenor sat up at that point. "Are you hungry now though? I have some food I can give you."

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Staring at the old Ixian Knight's castle made a sense of foreboding swell up in his chest.

He knew the way around and within the original layout of the castle...but he had not been there in some time. Further, time and looters had not been kind to the old building. He stood in front of the castle with his partner, Schealla, and considered what he would actually do there. Many thoughts cascaded through his troubled mind as he stood there. Sei vanished...I wonder if he would approve of the state of the castle as it is now...? Lorenor oft thought of Sei Orlouge. He considered many matters about the mystic's vanishing and what had actually occurred. It was a mystery that very few living mortals even knew. There weren't many present when Sei simply vanished...

...A mystery that never sat well with Lorenor.

As he stood there, a melancholy wind traveled across the forest. His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he pondered their entry into the castle. An hour had past since they initially arrived to the old castle. Lorenor turned his attention to Schealla for a moment. "The old front doors are probably well broken into. I'm not sure what I will find here."

"Do you have a goal in mind? What do you intend to accomplish?" She asked.

"I am not entirely certain, I'm just winging it." Lorenor was afraid. He knew that spirits oft haunted the old places of power. Further, there were secrets that only the higher echelons of power within the old Ixian Knights knew about. Lorenor was not a member of that higher tier of knights. However, he would trust his instincts as he finally decided what they would do. "The front doors were once a majestic thing to behold. There would be many guards placed to protect against enemies." Lorenor had not been present during the time The Ixian Knight's castle fell. Looking towards Schealla, he nodded. "Let's head inside and figure things out from there." Lorenor said and noticed that the old great doors were both on the ground. Lorenor sighed. "Thieves must have had a field day looting this place..."

Lorenor knelt down and touched the old doors on the ground. They were covered with dust and debris of old battles long forgotten. Now, the castle merely slept in silence. A reminder of a forgotten age. Lorenor saw memories pass across his mind of his time he spent as an Ixian. His mind focused back on reality as they knew it and he turned his attention back to the Elf. Then something happened...something he did not expect....

An old memory poured forward from the sea of his soul...

In his mind he saw Sei, and an initial meeting after the time he spent in Reformation. Lorenor saw something that he had not seen in a long time. "The Tablet!" Then his mind returned to normal. Lorenor turned his attention back to the girl. "I know what we have come here for."

"What Tablet?" Schealla asked.

"Back when the old Ixians were in full operation...Sei came across a Tablet. The Tablet had a prophecy etched in the old tongue...it bound the original members of The Ixians as Heroes of that prophecy..." Lorenor thought more and more of that Tablet. It had to be the reason he was there now with his new friend. "I must recover The Tablet." Lorenor said to his friend.

"Are you sure it's still here?" She asked.

"I don't know. It has been some time since then..." Lorenor did not doubt his current destiny. He would recover The Tablet. As he stood back up he looked around the main hall of the old castle. There were several wings in the castle and a few large staircases. Very few items of value remained. But Lorenor had an idea of where to begin his search for The Tablet. And so he, remembered the old reliquary vault of the Knights. Only The Ixians knew were the most prized items of legend were...for the old order. "Come with me." Lorenor said without realizing why.

And she agreed to join Lorenor on his journey...

[Mutant_Lorenor]

The pair made their way through the ancient halls of the abandoned Ixian Castle.

The old and hallowed hallways did not resist the trespassing of Lorenor and his companion.

He was not certain what he expected, but he knew the magic that Sei and the Ixians placed there a long time ago had long since faded to the aether.

The castle had long since been ransacked, Lorenor knew of only one or two possible locations of where The Tablet could be.

If it even is here... Lorenor thought to himself. The Elf by his side was using her finely attuned hunter's senses to seek out any traps or other hidden dangers that could possibly not have already been triggered by thieves and robbers. Lorenor's eyes narrowed as he searched for the one chamber only an Ixian would know about. It was a deeper in the labyrinth like corridors, somewhere in the lower sections of the castle. Lorenor did not feel comfortable walking the old castle grounds. They lay dormant and empty where once, they were full of life and purpose. The stone bricks and mortar of the castle were architectural design of a different age of Althanas history.

The huntress loomed ahead searching carefully with her senses.

He'd put her on point details cause she was far more alert than he, but he would protect her with his life.

That was the very meaning of what it meant to be an Ixian.

Lorenor wondered about many things at that moment as they maneuvered through the empty castle. He found himself thinking of Sei. I think of him often of late. I hope where ever he has gone, that he is well. He gave my life meaning...

Lorenor looked at the woman before him.

She is on her own hunt. I will have to respect her wishes as well...I wonder how much of this was recorded in the old prophecies...

Lorenor positioned himself close by to the woman and they both made their way to the lower sections of the castle. I'll take point from here... Lorenor walked past the huntress and she nodded towards him. Her eyes were full of concentration.

"Do you know where we are going?" She asked.

"I have one idea..." Lorenor responded calmly. "It's a long shot. But if the locks still work we might be able to get in..." Lorenor explained.

"We're going to a vault...?" She asked.

"Of sorts." Lorenor knew The Ixian's higher echelons of power kept their secrets. Lorenor knew where only a handful of them were...

"I sense something ahead..." The woman suddenly said.

Lorenor nodded. "Come with me. It might be exactly what we're looking for..."

She followed Lorenor to where the hidden vault was. Then, something stepped out of the shadows. An old ghost...one of many specters hiding on the sacred grounds. It had a phantasmal form, and wore robes of the old Ixian Knights. His face was covered in darkness, and he wore a hood to cover his head. All of his clothing was tattered and ragged. Lorenor watched the ghost raise his hand to him, and instinctively he put himself in front of the huntress.

"You...are...Ixian..." The ghost suddenly said. It's voice echoed from the great beyond.

"The Ixians are no more." Lorenor corrected. "I am what is left of them..." Lorenor explained.

"You were connected to Sei Orlouge were you not...?" The ghost suddenly spoke and he kept his attention locked on Lorenor.

"In that age yes." Lorenor responded carefully. "He's gone missing."

"How long have I been in slumber...?" The ghost suddenly asked.

Lorernor shook his head. "Probably as long as me."

The ghost continued to speak. "You have the marks of Reformation."

"Yes." Lorenor responded. "I gave Sei five years of my life..." Lorenor's face was suddenly pained by emotion.

"Five years...you took five years to be Reformed? What crimes did marred you before that?" The ghost asked.

Lorenor sighed. He was looking at the huntress and then the ghost. "I was once a follower of N'Jal." Lorenor explained. "When Sei Orlouge found me I was a member of the priesthood. He gave me my life back. Five years is a small price to pay for freedom."

He saw the stunned expression on his companion's face, yet she said nothing.

Lorenor continued. "When Sei found me, I was in possession of a book..."

The ghost spoke. "The book of N'Jal. The Necronomicon itself..." The ghost said.

"One of many volumes of the book...the book is a library and a vault at the same time. However, the book I had was a forgery. The inner circle of N'Jal's followers did not trust me regardless of what I achieved." Lorenor had a pained look on his face, the memories of that life were returning.

"N'Jal is a betrayer. What did you expect would happen?" The ghost asked.

Lorenor shook his head. "I don't know what I expected...I had a purpose. All I cared about back then was obeying her Word. N'Jal's word was Law." Lorenor was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable.

'You were a representative of N'Jal when Sei found you. That was when he began his Crusade to find the Artifacts and Relics of The Thaynehood. You were the connection to N'Jal. I understand now." The ghost considered the situation at hand. "Why are you here, Ixian?" The ghost suddenly asked.

Lorenor was in a very serious mood at that point. "I am here for The Tablet. You know which one I speak of."

The ghost considered what it had just heard. "What would you use The Tablet for?"

Lorenor shook his head. "I need it to start something."

The ghost continued. "...Start...or...finish...?"

Lorenor stared at the ghost for a long moment. "Is The Tablet here?" Lorenor had to know.

The ghost went silent as it contemplated something and then spoke a moment or two later. "The Tablet is gone."

Lorenor sighed. "I am too late."

The ghost spoke again. "No...I am connected to the old relics. The Tablet is intact but not here. Seek out a man named Drake in Radasanth. He brokers in information and is in one of those seedy night dwellings. Go. Seek Drake. Seek The Tablet. And the answers you seek will be found then...farewell Ixian."

***

Lorenor considered everything he had just heard.

Then he looked at the huntress. "I will seek Drake on my own dime. Me and you have a deal and a hunt to finish."

The woman nodded. She seemed very serious at that point as well but looked at Lorenor. "Ixian. With my life I will follow you." She said.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

A few days later, Lorenor returned from his adventure in Radasanth proper.

He sought out The Huntress at the small camp he had established near the ruined Ixian castle.

As they had agreed upon, The Huntress was waiting for him in his encampment. Lorenor bowed with a greeting when he arrived and she bowed with equal greeting. Then the two embraced in a warm hug.

"Schealla I am glad the hunt has provided you with a boon." Lorenor said calmly. He held his dear friend close to him.

"And you, Ixian. Was your venture in Radasanth successful? Did you meet the one called Drake?" She asked.

"I did." Lorenor nodded. "But you are not going to like what I have to say, what I have learned."

Schealla frowned, and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "It's here in Ruild is it not?"

Lorenor nodded. "Yes." Lorenor said. "But it is in the Shadow Ridge. Where The Followers of N'Jal dwell."

She reacted with disgust on her face. "The Spider Magi, the undead...your Forsaken."

Lorenor nodded. "It's a lot to take in all at once. But I was once a Forsaken."

Schealla seemed to consider those words. "Lorenor...do you intend to retrieve The Tablet?"

He nodded. "The Tablet is my destiny."

She considered the situation at hand. "I will go with you." She said calmly. "Our fates are now entwined."

Lorenor listened to her calmly. He responded. "The Forsaken...the ones who follow N'Jal...they are a terrible lot. I'm sure you've heard the stories, in reality it's much worse than that."

She listened very carefully to what he was saying. "Ixian, I swore an oath to follow you. I intend to keep that oath." She had a very serious expression on her face. "You do not have to face your trial alone."

He considered those words...it was a different sort of experience to actually be helped for a change. I won't have to go alone...into their fold. It was a welcome change of pace. The Paladin decided he would accept her help. "I thank you, Schealla." He said carefully. "The camp we are going to is particularly dangerous. It is one of their dens."

"Tell me what sort of dangers to expect." The Huntress said calmly...

Lorenor motioned for her to be seated by the fire. "I need you to enjoy warmth for a time. The campfire, and my own." Lorenor sat down next to her. A sort of sad expression on his face. "The Trial we must complete...the place we are going to...you will see things. You will feel things. Things that will bring out the monster in you." Lorenor was trying to prepare his friend and lover for what she would expect. "The Forsaken toy with your mind. They will mess with you, do things to you. To try and get to the nature of who you are. We will be tested." Lorenor was drawing on his own experiences as a follower of N'Jal to attempt to prepare the two of them for their trial. "We won't have to go right away. But I want you to remember what I am saying to you now. Because..." Lorenor hadn't realized it until then.

Schealla looked at him for a moment. "Go on...because what...?" She asked.

And he kissed her deeply.

Sometimes...actions spoke louder than words.