Chronicles Of Zefaria: The Realm Of The Ancients (1)
Michael Harris

 

Chapter One

Preparations for War



Seth Von York, along with General Hornblower and General Saddlehock, had just about come to the end of planning their surprise attack against the Osmadaania province of Wragafnifur, which was led by Wan Taan Boo. It had taken them most of the day to come up with a solid offensive. The rest of the company either spoke quietly to one another or here and there checked in on the progress the trio was making. Finally, after a protracted wait, Seth called the others and they gathered around the trio.

"Ok, we've come up with what I think is a competent enough plan against Wragafnifur. General Saddlehock will explain."

General Saddlehock was silent for a brief moment and then he started speaking.

"Our plan is two-fold," began General Saddlehock. "First, we will have a team of Dwarves to dig an underground tunnel that leads to one of Wragafnifur's military outposts. They will begin digging the tunnel when they are about five-hundred yards away from the enemy outpost. After digging, the Dwarves will plant explosives underground that they'll set off when we give the command. The explosives will be set up about fifteen to twenty yards away from one another. There will be about five explosive devices. After the command is given to set off the explosives and they are detonated, we will lead the combined allied forces on an assault against the outpost. Our hope is that the shock from the explosions will be so great that the enemy will be dumbfounded as to how to deal with the sneak attack. Any comments or suggestions?"

No one spoke at first. Everyone seemed to be mulling over the idea in their heads. Farimar was the first to give his opinon on the plan.

"It seems competent enough," said Farimar the Elf as he stroked his chin. "I just have one question. How will the miners know which spots to choose in terms of setting the explosives?"

"That's a good question," said Edith. "I was wondering the same thing."

"They will have a guide," said Seth. "A Man will be disguised as an Orc and he will patrol the Wragafnifur held areas. He will use a sword that he will drill into the ground and every spot he chooses is where the explosives will be set."

"But how will he know when the Dwarves are done digging and planting an explosive on a certain spot?" said Master Fenfarah.

"The Dwarves will simply push the sword back up toward their guide," said General Hornblower. "And the guide will go in a straight line, so as not to confound the diggers. It's a solid plan if I do say so myself. The closest thing that we could come up with that even competes with it was a simple attack under the cover of night."

"Yes," said Seth Von York, "and that was just a duplicate of our enemies tactics in The Battle for Fort Evner in Galtigor, when Dakaroth and Saunssussen converged on Fort Evner."

"I have a question," said Master Fenfarah. "Won't the topsoil give way to anyone who walks on it, let alone this supposed guide that you all are planning on including? I think that is probably the biggest obstacle to the idea. If someone walks on the soil and it caves in, then our cover would be blown."

"The tunnels won't be as wide as you might think," said Seth. "That would take up too much of our time and by then the enemy may very well be on its way to Fignufen."

"Well then," began Edith, "how wide will the tunnels be?"

"The tunnels will be wide enough for the diggers to crawl through," said General Saddlehock. "All three of the diggers will be laying on the ground as they make their way to the different destinations that their guide will choose."

"Well, I don't know about anybody else but I'm sold on the idea," said Le'on Bravada, the prince of the Bravada Empire. "The whole notion of digging tunnels underneath enemy encampments and then setting off explosives just flows naturally to me."

"Are there any other concerns that any of you'd wish to air before we begin making the preparations?" said Seth Von York. There was silence. Master Fenfarah, the wizard, spoke aloud.

"I think that it is a capital idea," he said. "The enemy won't be anticipating such exotic strategy. I think we should move forward on it immeadiately. The more time we waste here, the more time we give Wan Taan Boo and Var Heflekar time to mount their own offensive."

Everybody else was also quite eager to get started. Seth Von York, General Saddlehock, and General Hornblower converged together to iron out some last minute issues. They then gathered the three Dwarves that would be used to dig the tunnel and also they selected a lone man from the force derived from the Chisolites and not from the group of soldiers whose home was the Yorkian Kingdom. He (the chosen soldier) was quite eager to be selected and to know that he was assisting the alliance of the free peoples in a very significant way. General Saddlehock then lead the lone Chisolite to a dress shop not too far away from where he, Seth, and General Hornblower drew up their plans to invade Wragafnifur. General Saddlehock said the following statements to the shop owner:

"Hello! I'm looking for an outfit that looks like an Orc. You wouldn't happen to have one around, would you?"

"As a matter of fact I have several," said the shop owner. He then lead the duo to a corner of the shop where costumes were hanging on racks. He sifted through the costumes for a time, and then he finally produced three different Orc outfits.

"Here they are! Top quality too, if I do say so myself. Which one will you be wanting?"

General Saddlehock chose the one that seemed to be the most diabolical. The face of the costume was more disfigured and twisted than the other two, and that would be the key ingredient if the Chisolite was to fool the Orcs in Wragafnifur.

"We'll take this one," said General Saddlehock. "How much will you be wanting for it?"

"Oh, I'd say about twenty-five penetts," said the shop owner as he stroked his chin.
"This here is fine material, some of the best in all of Zefaria I reckon. You'd be hardpressed not to be fooled when someone is wearing this here fellow."

"Fine," said General Saddlehock. He then produced the twenty-five penetts and the duo left the shop and headed straight for the military outpost where Seth and the rest of the company were located. There wasn't much talking going on when the duo entered the outpost. They were all patiently awaiting the arrival of General Saddlehock and the chosen soldier. When the duo finally did enter the complex, Seth greeted him with a shake of the hand and a smile.

"Welcome, brave Chisolite," said Seth to the chosen soldier. "I hope that you are as excited about this plan as we are. By the way, what is your name?"

"Brian, sir. Brian Waterloo. And yes, I am very excited," he said enthusiastically.

"Well, young Waterloo," said Seth as he placed his hand on his shoulder, "General Hornblower will now go over your required duties. Do you think that you can perform them under the circumstances? You already know that you'll be dressed as an Orc and in enemy territory. Do you think that you'll be able to perform under those frightening circumstances?"

"I will perform my required duties to the best of my ability, sir, and that's the best I can give."

"Well," said Master Fenfarah, "I'm sure that will be good enough."

General Hornblower then described to the youthful Brian Waterloo what was required of him: how he was supposed to act as a watch throughout his time in Wan Taan Boo's territory, and how he was to select sensitive spots where the Dwarves would plant their explosives. Brian Waterloo listened to every detail attentively and he waited until General Hornblower was finished before he aired one concern that he had.

"In terms of me sticking my sword into the ground as a means to direct the Dwarves, I'm concerned about something: won't it be difficult for me to firmly plant it in the ground as deep as I'll have to? I mean, won't I be drawing attention to myself, and a good deal of it too?"

Everyone was quite amazed to hear this. It was something that had escaped them and they were all wondering how that could have happened. Farimar finally spoke.

"That is quite an important observation that we all missed here," said Farimar Oakensly. "How are we going to get past it?"

"Maybe we can wait until it rains," said Edith Von York, the princess of the Yorkian Kingdom. "That would make the soil tender to the touch."

"But what if it doesn't rain?" said Le'on Bravada. "Then we'll be prone to any attack from Wan Taan Boo and Wragafnifur."

"Yes," said Seth Von York, the prince of the Yorkian Kingdom. "Yes, waiting for it to rain seems like too big of a gamble. We'll have to come up with another idea."

Everyone reflected inwardly on what could be done to solve this current dilemma. It was a long time before anyone had spoken, and it at first looked as if there wasn't going to be a solution, but then Brian Waterloo came up with one that he thought might work.

"What if I carry with me a pitcher of water? I could use the water to soften up the soil and then I could plunge the sword in the ground."

"Yes," said Seth. "That sounds like it could work. But I think you'd have to carry with you several pitchers of water on a stick. It would, I'm guessing, take an awful lot of water to soften up more than the uppermost sections of soil."

"That might just be the remedy to our problem," said Le'on Bravada.

"Yes," said Master Fenfarah. "It might just be. But let us first exhaust any other possible chinks in the armor of this plan before we plunge headlong into it."

Everyone agreed that was a good idea. And so they began to fervently think of any other potential problems that would hamper the success of the operation. They did this for about five minutes, though none were able to think of anything. Finally Seth broke the silence.

"I think it is safe to say that the plan is fool-proof."

Everyone agreed.

"Let us now make the final preparations for our attack on Wragafnifur," said Farimar Oakensly the Elf.


Chapter Two

A New Journey Dons



Maphador the scholar lead Tonomoli, Prailee, Nefandus, and Jebzian out of the enclosed Fignufen territory. The morning had just begun. The thoughts of everyone was a mingling of enthusiasm and wonder. Just who was this guy who informed Maphador where he'd find the core members of the alliance? Could he have been a prophet? Tonomoli had known of only one prophet in Zefaria's long history, a man called Guggenheimner. Guggenheimner had claimed that Monafia Dalaysis--labeled the steward of Zefaria by scholars because of her uncanny wisdom as it relates to political and social issues--would be reborn and would lead the Zefarian peoples to the truth concerning their origin. Tonomoli didn't know when this prophecy was supposed to occur, and he wasn't even sure if Guggenheimner gave a time table for it. To tell the truth, Tonomoli didn't even know if Monafia Dalaysis even existed. But he could not dismiss the truth of the matter: just about all of Zefaria's religions were centered around Monafia Dalaysis. Tonomoli mulled over the matter in his head for a while until he finally decided to speak to Maphador about it.

"Excuse me, sir Maphador, I was wondering--what exactly are we going to find at these so-called ancient ruins?"

"That, young lad, is precisely what I intend to find out."

"You mean to say that you have no idea what to expect?" said Nefandus.

"You speak the truth," said Maphador. "I must confess that I know little to nothing of what we'll fnd there. But I'm also privy to the fact that things will become more clear in time. We just have to extend our patientience."

"Couldn't you tell us a little bit about that cryptic figure whom you say led you to us in the first place?" said Jebzian the wise wizard. Maphador paused for a moment as if he was reflecting on what Jebzian had just said. He then spoke.

"He was--well, oh dear me--I guess it wouldn't hurt to share my encounter with him. It was around midnight and ten days ago. I had retired to my study. I was currently reading over a few journals from Zefarians long since deceased when I suddenly noticed that a man was standing above me and in front of my desk. He wore a gray cloak. Well, you can imagine how frightened I was. I at first thought that he was there to try and pillage anything that he might consider valuable. I questioned him and he told me not to be frightened. He remarked how I was a well-known scholar of my time and asked me would I be interested in discovering the secrets of the ancient world. I mulled over his proposition for a time. It seemed foolish to me, but ultimately my curiosity outweighed my scepticism. I told him that I was interested. He was pleased with this, evidenced by his smile. He told me that I was in need of assistance. He then told me the exact date and time where I would find those who would assist me and he left. And that is--in essence--my tale. I must confess that I wrestled with the decision to follow through with my decision for several days, but--as I said--my curiosity outweighed my scepticism."

"Now just hold on a minute," said Tonomoli. "When you say he left, do you mean he disappeared, or walked out the front door?"

"The latter, young Tonomoli."

"Is that the extent of your tale?" said Nefandus. "You didn't even ask the questions that needed asking, like 'Where are you from?' or 'How do you know all this?' If I were in the same position as you were I would've transformed into question man."

"Yes, yes," said the scholar. "I know that I didn't ask any pertinent questions, and it is certainly the reason why I have chastised myself over the past several days. But you must put yourself in my position. A whirlwind of thoughts were present in my mind at that time, and, after he left, I was finally ready to ask the questions that needed answering, like 'Who are you?' and 'Where are you from?' But it was too late. I would've greatly liked to know how it is that he knew what he knew, but I suppose that question will have to be posed at another time."

"I am under the impression that this cryptic individual is not wholly in a class of his own," said Jebzian the wizard. "Monafia Dalaysis is widely considered to be the wisest person who ever lived. Where did she get her knowledge from?"

The company took to navigating the road. Many caravans had already passed them during this early morning period, no doubt headed to Fignufen with spices and other relevant goods. As Prailee the Dwarf watched the latest caravan go past he became concerned about his stomach. He suddenly realized that they'd had nothing to eat all day. He approached Maphador to air his grievance.

"We haven't had a bite to eat all day, Maphador. When do you think we'll get a chance to?"

Maphador pulled his map from his pocket and went silent. Finally he spoke his thoughts. "I haven't been so caught up in this journey to forget about our bellies," said Maphador. "In fact, I actually planned on making a stop in Foster Village where we could eat and take in the latest news."

"Foster Village is about seventy-five miles away from Fignufen," said Nefandus. "We should have worked up a healthy appetite by then."

Tonomoli tried to calculate how long it would take them to make it to Foster Village but he couldn't come up with a figure that he felt represented an accurate enough time. He felt they'd make it anywhere from seven to nine in three days time. That was an awful long time to wait he mused. He secretly hoped that this wouldn't become a staple of how this new journey would turn out, the company eating only one meal every three days.

Jebzian was concerned about something and decided to air it.

"It would be wise if we were to buy some foodstuffs in Foster Village for the remainder of our journey. If you look at the map and trace your finger along the route that we are to take the next possible stop would be Bandersnatch. Bandersnatch and Foster Village lie about one-hundred and twenty miles from each other. That's an awful long time to go without any food."

"You're point is well taken, Jeb--Jeb--"

"Jebzian."

"Yes, Jebzian," said Maphador. "We will purchase some foodstuffs in Foster Village. I do hope that you all brought money with you. If not--well, we'll just have to wait and see."

Tonomoli looked inside of his wallet. He had only twenty penetts left! Where could he possibly get more penetts? Perhaps he could ask to borrow from someone in the company, his long time companion of Prailee for instance. He privately scolded himself for not having the foresight to bring more money. But how could he possibly have seen how long this journey would last? How could anyone have seen the latest developments: the company being split in two, one half left to confront the terror that is Osmadaania while the other looks for answers concerning the origin and perhaps even the cure for that plague that knows no bounds. After pondering over it for a time he finally told himself that there was no use worrying about it. Things will work out in the end, he told himself. The company continued on with little discussion for about seven miles when a thought struck Tonomoli and he felt he had to share it with his companinons.

"What's the likelihood of us running into Orcs on our way to these ancient ruins. We ran into two bands of them when it was just myself, Prailee, and Nefandus. I wonder if we're on course for future meetings."

"Orcs?" said Maphador. "I should hope that we don't run into any of those beastly folk."

"But the enemy doesn't know about this traveling company," said Jebzian. "Though he does know of our companinons in Fignufen, thanks to Ranmah's antics. I should think that if he ever found out what we were up to we'd be in a pot of boiling water."

"I think you're overly concerned about things," said Prailee Orensadden the Dwarf. "You would have to stretch your imagination indeed if you think that there's a potential for Lord Osmadaan to get wind of this traveling company. Though I do see no reason why Orcs would stop harassing the free peoples."

"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the resources of Lord Osmadaan," said Jebzian. "He has eyes and ears all over Zefaria. He found out about the outcome of the Great Council and had us all fooled just before the Battle for Fort Evner, didn't he? I don't think it is so much of a stretch of the imagination as it is acknowledging proabability."

"Yet still, why would Lord Osmadaan be interested in a company that seeks to find out the secrets of the ancient world?" said Maphador the scholar. "I just don't see the connection."

"I think he'd be interested because he himself was a part of the ancient world," said Tonomoli. "Farimar said that he knew of nothing linking Lord Osmadaan to the Elves, yet he's existed these many years. If we can somehow unravel the secrets of the ancient world then who knows what kind of information we could obtain about Lord Osmadaan. If he's not an Elf then what is he?"

"Well spoken, young Tonomoli," said Nefandus. "I, too, see a link between Lord Osmadaan and the ancient world. Hopefully we can find out some pertinent information on this journey, some information that might help us dethrone Lord Osmadaan."

"Ah, I never made that connection with Lord Osmadaan and the ancient world," said Maphador the scholar. "But now I see clearly. Lord Osmadaan has been here for generation upon generation, yet he isn't--at least it's believed--not of Elven blood. Then what is he? Like you say, Nefandus, hopefully we'll find that out when we make it to those ancient ruins."

Midday had come and gone and the company had yet to have any food. Hunger had plagued them but they all took it in stride. It was about eight o'clock and three day's time when the company finally made it to Foster Village, an arrival time that was right in the middle of Tonomoli's estimation. They found a quaint place to eat. All ordered feelo fish specials, dinners that came with two pieces of feelo fish and fried potatoes and a glass of ale. After that they retired in an inn. Another days journey lay before them and all were quite eager to see what was ahead.


Chapter Three

Turmoil In Foster Village



Tonomoli was the first of the company to awaken and he gave the others who were in their seperate rooms the liberty of a little more sleep. The next one to awaken was the scholar Maphador and he hastily went around the rooms waking up the company. Tonomoli was visibly upset by this.

"Come now, off we go," said Maphador.

"Was that really necessary?" asked Tonomoli of Maphador. "What I mean to say is, they could've slept in a little longer, couldn't they? We're not in a hurry to get to those ancient ruins, are we?"

Maphador gave Tonomoli a thorough glance. He then spoke. "I beg to differ with you, young Tonomoli. We are in a hurry. The quicker we get to those ruins the quicker we'll find out the truth of Zefaria's long disputed history. And, if I may add, Maphador, and not Tonomoli, is the leader of this intrepid expedetion. You'd be wise to remember that."

Tonomoli took Maphador's comments in stride. He was a little agitated that Maphador had done what he'd done, but he wasn't willing to get into a heated argument over it. He could already tell that Maphador was a little upset over his comments, so he decided to let him have the last word.

"We are going to have breakfast this morning, aren't we?" asked Prailee. "I don't think I can do a repeat of the last three days."

"Yes, we'll have breakfast," said Maphador. "We'll have breakfast at that little establishment we went to yesterday."

"Good," said Prailee. "Then let us be on our way."

Now gathered together, the company made their way out of the inn. The establishment that Maphador the scholar was talking about lay a good mile and a half from the inn. It was called Blue Ribbons. It was a well-known eatery throughout all of Foster Village. When the company arrived there were quite a few patrons already present. Some gave cursory looks at the fivesome, others looked them up and down more thoroughly. Maphador the scholar took offense to the ones who looked him up and down without any restraint. He whispered his concern to Tonomoli and Prailee

"They certainly don't hold back their stares, do they lads?" asked Maphador of the duo. "You'd think we'd have a cowbell tied around our necks or something."

"Hmph," whispered Prailee, "they remind me of the inhabitants of Desendale. Remember how they kept staring at us, Tonomoli? It was like we were in a freak show or something."

"You two shouldn't be so uptight about it," whispered Tonomoli. "We're new here, so of course we're going to get stared at."

"Yet still, they could show a little restraint," whispered Maphador the scholar. "Are the inhabitants of Foster Village so devoid of the concept of common courtesy?

Finally, Nefandus led the company to a corner of Blue Ribbons that wasn't heavily populated. A waitress came speedily to take their orders.

"What can I get you boys this fine Wednesday morning?" she asked.

"Five pancake specials all with sausage?" asked Nefandus of the company. They all agreed. The waitress went about her way to process the orders. Soon the company was busy eating flapjacks, sausages, and milk. It took everyone about five minutes to finish eating. After that, the waitress came over to collect five penetts from everyone. Tonomoli looked a little reluctant to part with his cash, seeing as how he had so few left. Maphador was about to bring up the idea of gauging the inhabitants of Blue Ribbons for any news that they might have heard when the pleas of an Elf woman caught him and the rest of the company by surprise. She was a slender Elf woman, and yet there was a beauty in her that no man could deny.

"Is there no man here brave enough to fight for his own land?" said the mysterious Elf woman. "Paul," she spoke, entreating him. "Do you want to see Lord Osmadaan and his cronies running amok in Foster Village? For surely that is what will happen if you do not stand and fight."

 

 

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Copyright © 2004 Michael Harris
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