Chronicles of Fardel: The Rise of Syphon
The Forest of Illusions

Kephiyr woke early and met with his comrads for breakfast. Bacon and eggs was set at the table. Bear was busy looking pitiful begging for scraps. Her head currently resting on Eloff's lap, eyes looking up wantingly at the bacon in his hand.

"Well the way I see it we got two options. We can take the safe path to Ruden, cutting back around the Kodesh Mountains. Or we could take the shortcut and go straight through the Forest of Illusions." Kephiyr said while he plopped two eggs and some bacon on his plate.

"I've been through the Forest of Illusions multiple times, it doesn't worry me." Eloff said handing Bear a little bacon and Airidel agreed.

"That doesn't sound like a shortcut to me, just a death trap. The best way is to stick to the road." Doon piped in.

"Not much for adventure is he?" Bear said licking her lips.

"Taking the road is at least a week journey. Through the forest will cut the time in half. You are surrounded by us we'll protect you Doon." Kephiyr said.

"It's decided, we need to get our journey done soon, seasons will be changing soon and it may start getting cold." Eloff said.

"Do you think we'll find Sethnoth the fabled fortress of the forest?" Kephiyr asked and Eloff laughed.

"My dear boy, Airidel and I could easily take you by it; we helped build it."

"Really, I had no idea you were behind that."

"Yes, but not just us we had three other generals with us and an army. We also had to combine our powers to set the illusions on the forest, thus giving the forest it's name. Not to mention it's reputation. It kept us somewhat safe during the last trial of fire."

"Wow, so Sethnoth was like headquarters for the counter offense during the last trial of fire?" Doon piped in suddenly very interested.

"Yes, but it's not what saved us. The unsung hero of that time was Hoff. Hoff was an elf who disiphered some ancient writing on a token taken from Sarnen. This gave us the knowledge we needed to defeat the enemy. Had he not done that we probably wouldn't be talking today. Giving us weapons to help fight, and showing us how to put them back into the other plane."

"I heard the bronze leaf talismen is inside Sethnoth's temple." Doon said.

"Indeed it is, but you lack one ingredient to fetch it."

"What's that?"

"An elemental elf, if you have a wizard, an aquatic elf, and an elemental elf at the temple you can fetch it."

"Is it true it will give ordinary men the power of all three?"

"Indeed it is, minus the long life. We made it for one of our generals who was human. Made him much fiercer on the battlefield. After his death we locked it in Sethnoth."

"Well I would still like to see Sethnoth. Walk those ancient steps." Kephiyr said.

As they were talking a dwarf entered the room and bowed slightly.

"I'm glad I caught you here Kephiyr, may I speak with you privately?" The dwarf asked.

"Certainly." Kephiyr walked off with the dwarf.

"No offense is meant by this gesture I assure you." The dwarf began. "When word came to us that you were traveling with the prince, our jarls became very afraid. Kelpon already knows too much of our inner workings as it is. We don't want the prince visiting us."

"That's totally understandable, so I assume you've brought my gift here?"

"Indeed I have, I hope you take no offense."

"Of course not, and make sure your master knows that and send him my thanks."

Then the dwarf unveiled a large double bladed axe of a dark metal. The sharp edges appeared to be pure gold. Runes which the meaning had been lost ran down the blade and handle.

"This is Seren it is an axe blessed by our ancient magicians with powers of fire. Or so it is said." The dwarf said kneeling and presenting it to Kephiyr.

"It's beautiful, tell your Master thank you for me."

"I will, and thank you for understanding." Kephiyr returned and joined his friends.

"Well that's one stop off the list, I guess after we pick up Brock it's back home."

"Did he give you your gift?" Doon asked.

"Yeah, said there was no need for us to travel that far. With winter coming soon the jarl thought traveling to Melton and backtracking to Zolon could be folly."

"Well at least that'll save us a few weeks of travel."

"If that is the case, Airidel and I will accompany you to Ruden but then you're on your own." Eloff said.

"You won't accompany us into Ruden?" Doon asked.

"Honestly, I'd rather live in the forest the rest of my life. Ruden is a crooked cruel place, it makes it's living off the suffering of others." Airidel said.

"You will accompany us through the forest though?" Kephiyr asked.

"Yes, it would be good to see Sethnoth again anyway. It's been nearly four thousand years since I seen it last." Eloff said.

"Just remember to stay with the group. Don't venture off, you get lost in the forest; you stay lost." Airidel said.

"Is there even a way to get into the forest from here?"

"Of course they have a small gate that hunters will use from time to time." Eloff said.

"Well let's get to it." Kephiyr said.

They marched over to a small door in the wood wall. At first glance the forest looked quite ominous. A permanent dense fog hovered roughly three feet off the ground. Everything below this fog was faintly visible. The trees were so close together they blocked out the sun. Only on the worn path was there any light, yet even there the light had to fight through overhanging branches. Kephiyr looked down at his compass to see it spinning and showed Doon, he didn't like that much.

Not long later an orc came running out of the woods right at Doon. He was welding a curved blade and screaming. Doon let out a yell and ran into the woods.

"Quick after him!" Airidel said

Doon tripped on a tree root and fell. Looking back the orc was mere feet away, he scrambled on hands and knees panting. In a moment the orc stood over him with a smirk. It drove it's sword into him and vanished. Doon lay there looking perplexed and yet unhurt.

"Congratulations your dead." Eloff said.

"What happened?"

"The forest randomly shows you various things you fear. They seem real enough, but they're illusions hence the name. Keep an eye on us, if we don't react it's in your mind, that is mainly how you can tell if it's real. It'll happen to all of us, but you need to stay on the path."

"What use could that be in a battle?" Doon said immediately knowing the answer.

"Imagine not knowing which is enemy and which is illusion in the heat of battle."

They walked tentively watching the sides at all times. Voices seemed to plague their minds, it was as if the forest entered their minds. It would cause them to compulsively think about minute details. Eloff began to play with a ball, throwing it up and bouncing it. Then he threw each of them a ball.

"Fix your mind on the ball, the way it moves, nothing else exists in the world. The illusions are also designed to make you go mad. Push the thoughts out, focus on the ball and the path. Or you'll likely run off into the forest."

"Why is that so bad?" Doon asked.

"On top of making you compulsively think and Illusions the forest will grow in your mind. It will cause you to forget the way you came and make it seem as though the trees have moved. As you've noticed compasses are useless here, odds are you'll never find the path again. Think of the forest as having a mind that wants to enter yours, and it wants to kill you."

Doon focused on the ball, the way it moved through the air and bounced. He kept Eloff's back in the edge of his sight. Nothing else exists he thought, the ball is all there is. But if the ball is all there is, then what am I? Am I the ball? Do I even matter? Is all the evil in the world a direct result of my inability to stop it? If the ball is all there is does God exist? If God doesn't exist what is the purpose for life? Are we just doomed to repeat history over and over, and simply being forgotten when we're gone? If God doesn't exist why are we moral? If there is no God doesn't that mean right and wrong are inventions of our own minds and have no real consequences? Do they know how insecure I am? Or are they just figments made by my own fractured psychi? Are they me, or am I them? Would they be safer if I wasn't here, or would they cease to exist as well? Shadows began to encompass his steps. What happened to the ball? No matter, it's probably better off without me. He felt a pulling from behind and he was suddenly looking directly at a very angry Eloff.

"Confound it all Doon! I know you have a stronger mind then this! We haven't even been in the forest an hour, and you've already wandered off twice!"

"Why don't we tie ourselves together hun." Airidel called out.

"Yes, that old trick always works as long as one of us keeps their head."

So they tied themselves together including the dog and the unicorn and walked single file.

But as they began walking again Doon was suddenly no longer in the forest. He stood at the base of a singular enormous and ominous looking tree in a desolate valley surrounded by mountains. The ground itself seemed to vibrate and clouds and stars moved swiftly overhead. So swiftly that it was if night and day changed in an instant.

"Where am I?" Doon whispered.

"Well technically you're still in the forest, your body is sort of steering itself. This is in your mind. Though it is an actual physical place as well." Said a very breathy chilling voice that almost made his blood run cold. An giant being roughly ten feet tall stepped out from behind the tree. He had bright white skin, two rows of fangs, and six fingers and toes each sporting four inch claws. A crown of horns was on his head and what appeared to be black paint on his face. He wore a black cloak that covered nearly all of him and in his hand he held a black staff. The staff had a skull at it's summit and glowed a fainy purple.

"Where is this place?"

"It was once a portal between planes, I reckon it still is but it's been unused for over four thousand years. Not likely to be used again as they tried a new magic hoping to stop it from escaping again. However, I know a little secret, eventually we win. It is also the location from which evil first entered Fardel."

"This is the tree of knowledge? I thought that was just a legend."

"Ha time is a funny thing for you mortals, history becomes myth and legend. You forget so easily. Granted I suppose you can be forgiven because you never seen."

"Who are you?"

"That's hardly of any consequence to you. At least not yet. You see I know a secret about you, one that you know in the darkest depths of your soul. But you're so afraid, you fear everything. Even your own emotions scare you. You're a little pity party waiting to happen... so insignificant."

"So are you real, or are you me?"

"Don't flatter yourself. Although I suppose the answer is yes to both. I have my own body but I will need to borrow yours in time."

"If you have your own body why do you need to borrow mine?"

"The plane can only be broken by one who isn't purely evil. Though you have plenty evil in you... it smells delicious."

"But if you hijack my body am I not then purely evil?"

"Perhaps if I did, but no you will do it willingly. And then, I suppose we shall see. The trial of fire will be unleashed once more. But success? That I can not see."

"I would never."

"Oh, but you would. It's no use lying to me I know you better then you know yourself. I can see through you like a window into your soul. Your fear is your greatest enemy, followed swiftly by self bitterness and self pity. Pouring through your books and enquiring others always seeking more knowledge. Ever learning, yet never coming to the knowledge of the truth."

"What is truth?"

"Ah, now you're asking the right questions. This question has even eluded me. I can come no closer then saying truth is both relative and absolute at the same time. Just as time itself is. But how to understand truth, and know it when it is spoken that is beyond my power."

"I thought you could see through me."

"You I can, with all the doors you've opened namely through fear, you've left yourself barren in front of my eyes. So now we come to it, you must stretch forth your hand and slay Kephiyr."

"Kill my oldest and perhaps only friend!? Never!"

"You must, it is your destiny. A strange turn of fate that the chosen from either side should be friends."

"Chosen? I can't be chosen."

"There's that fake self doubt. You didn't believe that even as you said it. You know it to be true. Stop working through pity to get peoples attention you little maggot, you're a Kings son, nobody pities you. And you know your father loves him more. He's more noble and valiant than you are. You're passive and fame humility and nobility with selfish motives. And yet somehow I got stuck with you. I know you want to kill him. He makes you feel insignificant and wreched."

"So what if I do?"

"If you kill him now while he not expecting it, they won't have a leg to stand on. He is the chosen without him you will be king of planet indefinitely. Granted somewhat bound to me but how else do you expect to live forever."

"I can't it's not in me."

"Lies! All lies! Do not lie to me!"

"I'm not the..."

"No! Shut your mouth, I don't wanna hear another sentence! You're talking out of fear! Fear is the biggest liar of all, it breeds lies like wildfire!"

"What would you have me do?"

He lead Doon to a mirror on the tree and as he looked into it he saw Kephiyr. The forest encompassed around him Kephiyr's back turned to him. Then it looked swiftly down to his sword.

"Kill him, I will handle the other two! I'm putting you back in control of your body now. Do it!"

With a flash Doon was back in the forest and he quickly unsheathed his sword. But as he did he noticed several eyes in the tree line.. Terrible dark red eyes staring down at their group with malicious intent.

"There are eyes in the woods!" Doon shouted almost without realizing it.

"Draw your swords and stand your ground!"

Eight giant spiders slowly emerged from the trees. Eloff threw a ball into the air and struck it with a fireball. Airidel did the same with an ice ball.

"Come at us if you dare!" Airidel shouted. The spiders didn't back down but slowly advanced. Eloff whispered to Kephiyr.

"Shoot one with your bow, use it's ability. We will each shoot one and hopefully they will back down."

Kephiyr pulled his bow and whispered a few words that he didn't understand. His bow glowed a bright golden color like the sun and he shot. The arrow went through one spider and straight through a tree behind it leaving a trail of smoke. Eloff set another on fire and Airidel froze a third. The remaining five spiders haulted, obviously wondering if this query was worth the trouble. Slowly they turned away to seek prey with a little less fight.

"Dang, did you see that! My arrow went through a tree!"

"That is a blessed bow, your axe and sword have similar abilities." Eloff said.

"I can't believe we just we just ran into wild giant spiders, I've only seen tame ones." Doon said.

"Be thankful is was spiders and not something else. The titansnake is not so easily intimidated. And a pack of glarks is even worse. Not to mention that a direbear would be horrible to run across at the moment." Airidel said.

"Okay so titansnake sorta speaks for itself, but what are glarks or a direbear?" Doon asked.

"A glark is a bulky eight foot tall lizard with rows of serrated teeth. It also had four inch claws, shrewd intellect and hunts in packs. A direbear, is a humanoid bear with immense strength, less intelligent but almost impervious to conventional weapons."

As they walked on again Doon was whisked away. But this time he was in a gloomy dead valley riddled with ash.

"So pathetic you have one job! Stab him in his sleep if you have to!"

"And why should I listen to you?"

"One of you is going to die before this is over. You'll either be on a throne forever, or exist only in the back of his mind. You have one choice, dig their graves, or dig your own."

Doon looked and seen thousands of graves open. Friends he had known his whole life staring blankly at the sky filled them. Everyone he knew and countless thousands more. Then the scene changed rapidly and only one grave appeared and he stared down at himself lifeless in the grave.

"You feel you're already there, but you don't know pain yet. Yeah you lost your mother and have a cold father who loves your friend more. Cry me a river."

"Don't mock my pain!"

"Or what! You are powerless against me. He is your enemy and I know you, you'll kill him before loosing your position. Your position is all you have going for you."

"My friends love me for who I am."

"Do they? Or do they love you for what you can do? Look at that lifeless face. Do you want that in your future?"

"No."

"Then you must kill him, you know I speak the truth. You shall be the new son of evil and all men will flee before you. Break their swords, smash their shields. Snap their spines while you taunt them.You shall smash the gate and the stone, hue the castle down to bones. Then take your women and slay the brats."

"How do I do this?"

"Now that's what I like to hear. Start by killing Kephiyr the rest I will reveal later."

"Doon, Doon it's time to eat."

He noticed a tug and suddenly he couldn't walk forward. He looked up dazed, head spinning and eyes glazed.

"Give him food and wine. When we walk again someone keep him talking, it will help his mind not to break." Eloff said.

"Yeah, if it hasn't already, I should've known something was wrong when he was being so quiet." Kephiyr said worried.

"Is he going to be okay?" Bear asked licking him.

"Eloff, why is it effecting him more than us?"

"I'm not sure, it effects everyone differently. My primary guess would be he is listening to the voices and regarding them as truth. Where as we are combating them with what we know as truth. Does he normally assume whatever enters his mind is truth?"

"I'm not sure... he does give off that vibe sometimes."

"I would've suggested the other route had I known. We'll be in Sethnoth soon, that is the one area of the forest the spell has no sway on. We'll get him back to himself and prepare him better for the remainder of the trip."

"All the same, I would feel better if he wasn't behind me with a sword, I don't like the way he's looking at me." Kephiyr said.

"Agreed." Eloff said noticing that Doon was glaring at all of then. It almost looked like it wasn't Doon at all but somebody else looking through him.

"It's almost like the forest has possessed him." Airidel whispered.

"Indeed." Eloff said and relieved him of his sword.

"You think that will stop me? I know the three are plotting against my father. We will crush your little rebellion." Doon's voice sounded like a deep growl and he eyed them all deviously.

"This isn't permanent is it?" Kephiyr asked.

"Semi permanent, he will come back to reality, but if he has allowed it enough it will change him. However, my hope is that when his mind is fully his again it will be a good thing."

"How could this be a good change?"

"Just because it looks bad or feels bad doesn't mean it is bad. It may give him more courage and a stronger mind."

"Well I guess that would be good."

Without notice Kephiyr began to see things he hadn't before. He'd seen giant spiders, and orcs, even a wraith that were illusions. He was rather used to it by now, but nothing prepared him for what happened next. An orc came out of the trees and decapitated Eloff right in front of him. He even felt the spray of his blood on his face, and assumed it was real. He took up his sword, Eloff tackled him to the ground.

"Kephiyr it's me!" Eloff shouted.

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"What!? The spell isn't supposed to go that far. Someone has done something to this forest."

"What do you mean?"

"Doon's reaction, what you just described... someone has added to the initial spell. Made it more sinister."

"But why?"

"To keep people away. My guess, Sethnoth isn't empty." Kephiyr looked around and gasped.

"Well, how close are we to Sethnoth because I think it's getting stronger." Eloff followed his gaze.

"No, I see it too, that's not an illusion."

"I wish you hadn't said that. Are they friend or foe?"

"That's a trick question for me, they once were all friends. Now I believe they're foes, loose Bear!"

They were looking out at men and elves. However, the light had gone from their eyes. They were walking shells of their former selves.

"Some sort of necromancy, Sethnoth isn't far. Whatever it is, is using my old fallen comrads."

"So what we fight our way to Sethnoth and change it from there?"

"This is more selective either by killing or chasing off the controller we should release them from the spell. My guess whoever it is has known we were here from the beginning."

Kephiyr loosed Bear who immediately tore into one of the corpses. Another came up from behind and was decapitated by her tails. Kephiyr gripped his sword and said words he didn't understand. The blade glowed blue and as he thrust it forward the light cast out along with lightning. Ten fell with one swoop. He then decapitated another and shot three more. Eloff caught a row of them on fire with a fireball. Spinning his sword around he sliced three in half and stabbed a forth through the chin. Airidel shot five arrows with lightning speed. Conjuring up an ice ball froze six more. Pulling water from the nearby Jordan River she propelled herself nearly fifteen feet in the air keeping herself afloat on a pillar of water. She manipulated the water into a swirling torrent that she could pull through the air and swept away several dozen.

Soon the corpses were useless ash and the four of them raced toward Sethnoth. Periodically they fought more corpses and a few orcs along the way. The illusions of the forest both came in handy and almost became their demise. Several times they caught an orc off guard as it attempted to attack a nonexistent foe. Had they not been watching eachothers backs they would've met the same fate. However once they passed the threshold of Sethnoth they realized the enemy wasn't as strong as initially imagined. Only a couple dozen foes remained and a dark figure standing by the temple.

"We must capture him, know he is and why he's here." Eloff said, yet even as he said it a portal appeared and the figure escaped to an unknown location. As it made it's escape the corpses fell lifeless again.

"Well there goes that plan. Any idea who or what that was?" Kephiyr said.

"No, but hopefully with it gone the forest will be a little less sinister. Though there's no guarantee of that." Eloff replied.

"All the same, let's camp here tonight. All of us could use a mental break from the spell." Airidel said and they set up camp.

"So how does this talisman work? It's supposed to give me skinchanger abilities." Kephiyr asked.

"Focus on what humanoid animal you want to be, really focus. I'll help say a hawk." Airidel said.

So Kephiyr focused and clasped the talisman. Slowly but surely he began to change until he was a humanoid hawk. He began to fly up a little but suddenly he changed back and hit the ground. Eloff laughed.

"It'll take some time getting used to. You have to constantly maintain concentration on that animal because you're not a true skinchanger. The easiest way is to picture the animal as if you were seeing it."

"Both useful and not at the same time, if I get hurt it'll be hard to maintain focus."

"Indeed." Eloff walked over to where Airidel and Doon were sitting.

"How's he doing?"

"Much better, but he seems different."

"I want to train Eloff, train me to fight." Doon said.

"Well, I don't see a problem with that. But if I may ask, why the sudden interest?"

"I don't want to be useless in a fight anymore. I know I'm a prince but I want to help, or at least defend myself."

"Very well I will spar with you and we'll work on your mind as well. That takes even longer so have patience and keep practicing what I tell you. They stayed three nights and both Doon and Kephiyr trained for most of it. Doon practiced honing his mind and with his sword and Kephiyr practiced using his talisman. On the morning they were to set out Kephiyr woke to Bear staring him in the face.

"Good morning, you look pretty funny as a dogmas, I think the hedgehog was my favorite though. If you were a Fishman could you breathe under water?"

"I would assume so. Have you been waiting for me to wake up just to ask me that?"

"Yes, and trying to picture what a Fishman would look like."

"Well what's breakfast look like?"

"Like omelets minus all the goodies."

"Could be worse I guess." Kephiyr yawned and walked toward the group.

Sethnoth was still beautiful, a small city of marble surrounded by woods. There was around ninety buildings not including the temple. The temple was twice the size of any other building with a dome shaped roof. The broken down marble pathways had columns neatly separated on either side. By now some of the columns were broken in half and some down to the base. Everything was overgrown, which in a way added to the beauty. In the temple was a stone chair with the head of an eagle carved above it.

"That's an eagle eye throne. With it you can see anything you want." Airidel said to Doon as he looked at it.

"How does it work?"

"You simply sit in Italy think of what you want to see."

Doon sat down and although he never told them he wanted to see that tree again. After a time they tied themselves together again and braved the forest once more. They soon discovered that the forest hadn't gotten any better, but rather just had a less controlled feel to the intensified effects. They hurried as fast as possible through the forest. They did their best to ignore the sometimes gruesome and frightening images. The voices that played on their emotions seemed less potent but still a nuescence. Close to four in the afternoon they reached the edge of the forest and looked into Ruden. Like Farmell Ruden was one big city. Though only about ten miles in total. The city was made of a greenish hewed stone and at the center of town one could hear both screaming and cheering coming from a huge collosium. Kephiyr had the guards fetch Brock from the collosium and they immediately headed for the Iren Fields. The Lebannon Forest was just south of Ruden which was now on their left. And they headed Southwest in order to board a ship bound for Legionor from Zolon. The remainder of their days were uneventful. Kephiyr practiced morphing with his talisman and spared with Doon. Eloff and Airidel had never entered Ruden as they had said before. Within another week they were safely docked back in Legionor.

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