Apostles of Doom

“There are alvar who would remember, if we can find them,” Aeris stated. “However, there is no guarantee how much useful detail they’d recall. Most of the leadership of that time has perished.” He looked at the off-worlders. “On Nysegard, leadership tends to shorten one’s lifespan considerably.”

“What we do know is that only a few saints of Tiernon came to our aid,” Grob said staring at Stevos. After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, he turned to Timbly. “The same goes for Torean.”

“Krinna, Namora and Hendel’s saints showed, however,” Aeris said.

“As did the remains of Doom,” Grob stated.

Stevos blinked, the last statement giving him a more comfortable entrance point to the very awkward situation they were in. “The remnants of Doom?”

Grob nodded. “The survivors of the Doompire on the Isle of Doom.”

“We came to their aid after their volcano stopped, and they came to ours. Even after we lost the support of Lord Orcus, the people on the Isle of Doom have continued our alliance,” Elden informed them.

“It has probably been a thousand years or more since last we allied; but we may need to call on them once more. We can only hope they have survived and prospered. There has been very little communication with them for hundreds of years,” Grob noted.

Stevos grimaced and looked to Timbly. “That should not be necessary, we will be here, and we will work to bring additional resources from Tierhallon to bear.”

Grob stared into his eyes for several silent moments and finally nodded. “I shall hold you to that, Saint. We have no idea what resources are left on the Isle of Doom, if any.”

Teragdor swallowed uncomfortably and looked at Rasmeth. They had not actually gotten to the point of telling the people of the Citadel where Talarius was, nor how he got there. The saints had wanted to be circumspect, given what they knew of the strange bedfellows of Nysegard.

“You have my word that I will discuss this directly with not only Inethya and Dashgar, but with Sentir Fallon himself,” Stevos said.

“Sentir Fallon?” Arch-Diocate Verablis Tierny spoke up. “What is his role in this?” The arch-diocate did not seem particularly enthused — in fact, quite the opposite — to learn of Sentir Fallon’s role in the current situation.

Stevos shook his head. “He is the archon in charge of our localverse. In principle, Dashgar reports to him.”

Grob snorted angrily. “That would explain quite a bit.”

“I’m sorry?” Stevos asked, puzzled, like Teragdor, at the seeming enmity towards the archon.

“You do understand that life for everyone on Nysegard got immeasurably worse after he betrayed Lord Orcus upon Etterdam,” Grob said.

“That’s the second time you referred to him as Lord Orcus,” Timbly said. “That is not the term we typically use for him, so we are a bit puzzled. He seems a bit more popular here than in Astlan.”

All of the Nysegard commanders were looking at Timbly in surprise. Aeris spoke as if in disbelief. “Orcus? Prince of Light, Lord of Oaths and Honor, Punisher of the Damned? One of the most powerful forces for Justice in the multiverse? How do you refer to him?”

“Uhm, well, as a demon prince?” Teragdor blurted out in shocked surprise.

“A demon prince?” Grob asked, sounding taken aback. Multiple people who had overheard their conversation started murmuring. “Well I suppose one could infer such, given that he ruled from the Abyss. However, it was he who fought to hold Lilith and Sammael in check.”

“And if you know your Five Siblings history, it was Orcus to whom the Siblings turned to deal with their accursed parents,” Arch-Diocate Tierny stated resolutely, as if such a thing was common knowledge.

Stevos’ mouth dropped open as if he wanted to respond, but had no thought as to how. Teragdor glanced to Timbly, who was also staring in shock at the arch-diocate. Clearly this was information they had been unware of. Of course, Teragdor had known very little about Orcus before the saints had arrived, but the fact that two saints, one of Tiernon and the other of Torean, could be so caught off-guard by mortal members of the churches, who seemed to know more than they did, was more than a bit disconcerting.

Astlan, Orcan Plains, Thirty-Five Leagues

Southwest of Jötunnhenj: Early Fourth Period

Tal Gor squinted at the needle-like spikes in the distance ahead of them. According to Leftenant Zargvarst, those impossibly tall spires formed the outer perimeter of Jötunnhenj. Jötunnhenj was a roughly elliptical mountainous region stretching about eighty-five leagues east to west and fifty leagues north to south. At its heart was the Doomalogue, a massive volcano that mirrored Mount Doom.