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The Orb and the Scepter

Chapter 1: Fate

Karessa had a vision.
Not that that was weird, mind you. She had chosen the Path of Foresight, after all. The strange part was how important it felt. It was a whole vision, for one; it wasn’t fractured like the majority of a Foresight Traveler’s visions. However, even out of her whole visions, this one had a certain relevance that could not be ignored. This was made even stranger by how simple the vision was. It was simply an orb and a scepter sitting on a stone dais. Karessa knew better than to see it as two ordinary objects. Even without being there and using her heightened senses, she could tell the two objects radiated power and potential for something of vast importance.
She opened her milk-white eyes, a physical reminder of the Price her Path had tolled, and felt her way around her chambers. As her servants helped her get ready for the day ahead, she could only think of the vision. She knew she must bring this up to the council. They would take great interest in news of such objects. Gods above she thought. Who knows what’ll happen next


Emperor Andír sat at the low table with anticipation, watching the vatés lay card after card on the polished wood. The oracle narrated each card with a slightly raspy voice as she laid the cards left to right along the center of the table.
“...wagon: journey…sword: conflict…stone: object…crown: power…fog: unknown…trumpet: victory…” she licks her cracked lips as she reaches the end of the table. “Beacon: potential. Well, lord, who knows how the fates have twisted these cards, so interpret them how you may, but I’d say you have a great journey ahead of you. Should you succeed--which the cards imply, but they’re tricky--you will find an object of great power and great potential.”
Andír strokes his short beard and considers. “How certain are you of this drawing?”
“Very certain, lord. I sense great power in this reading.”
“An object of great power could help return these lands to Dormoraan rule. Do you see that as a possibility?”
“Beacon is an…uncertain card. It essentially means very good fortune under the right circumstances. I think that if you recover this object, it is a definite possibility.”
The emperor leans back and considers. “We’ve needed a dagger up our sleeve for a long time. Already, I feel the campaign grinding to a halt. I say let’s do it, despite the risks.” He turns to a servant standing by the door. “Alert the 7th and 21st that they’re being redeployed. We set out in three day’s time.”


High Priest Dallon Leckari sat at his desk, planning how to exploit the nearby townspeople at his next service. He’d been successful so far. Already, about 500 people had picked up and joined his religion. It got easier the more hapless villagers they recruited. All willing to hand over their life savings, which allows us to sell the illusion that much better. He gazed out of his tent flap at the sea of tents that covered the prairie. He already had more power than most men could dream of having, but empty power is not something he was content with. Dallon wanted, above all else, to ascend to godhood. And, if, no, when that happens, I’ll give these peasants the god they thought they were following. I’ll reward them, of course. They’ve been instrumental in getting me thus far. Oh, I can’t wait.
The flap to his command tent opened, revealing one of his advisors. “Holiness, the town’s religious leaders are ready to talk to you now.”
Leckari grins. “Let’s see if we can get these elders to denounce their god.”


The High Priest, flanked by some of his most devoted followers in white, gold and silver robes similar to his own, approached the somewhat dilapidated meeting place of the town elders. Leckari’s clerics all carried hidden weapons. He’d learned that lesson early, after getting chased out of one of the first towns he went to and almost losing his life. Now, of course, if he was killed, his head advisor would claim him a martyr, assume High Priesthood, and storm the town. Far too much of a risk for the elders or the town council. He opened the door and entered the dark, musky interior. The door closed behind him with a chunk. As the High Priest’s eyes adjusted, he realized he was standing in a large chamber, surrounded by old men standing perfectly still, as if dead. The chamber was lit by pale, ghostly lights. His nose caught the strong smell of dirt and rotting wood, as if standing in the middle of a forest.
“False prophet Dallon Leckari.” said the voice of one of the old men, although he couldn’t tell who. “The Council of Druids will hear you now.”
Despite the cool interior, Dallon started to sweat. “Great council, I have come to you today to renounce your god in favor of Ecleasian, the compassionate god of light and the sun.” He touched a tattoo on his wrist, a gift from one of his magic-wielding clerics. A bright light appeared in the palm of his hand. “Witness, elders, the light of my god.”
Laughter fills the chamber, though the old men stay staring ahead. “The council is not fooled by your party tricks. Ask your Illumination Traveler how his god feels about his joining you. A miracle his powers haven’t been revoked.
“So-called High Priest Leckari. I sense you aspire to ascend to godhood. Very well. The council has decided to aid you in your mission, so long as you leave our town and never return. Shall we proceed?”
Leckari considers denying and sticking to the lie that he is spreading the word of Ecleasian. No, this opportunity can’t be passed up. “Yes, I accept your aid--”
The High Priest is torn from the room, whispers and images flashing before him. Images of runed thrones, banners in the wind, armies with strange weapons, and hundreds more. But above all, the image of an orb and a scepter lying on a stone dais, sitting in a vast cavern. 


Mekellen surveyed the Valley of Time. Hundreds of years ago, to temporal deities and their followers had waged war on this vast valley. Their clashing left scars on the land, but more than that, on the space-time continuum in the valley. 
Mekellen’s people were nomadic scavengers, using whatever they could find to fulfill their needs. The Valley of Time was a frequent stopping point on their journeys, as rips in the space-time continuum occasionally delivered items from across time into the Valley. Most of the items that came from were strange, unlike anything his people had ever seen before. Regardless, once they figured out how to use the items, they became powerful tools for the group. Sometimes, they even figured out how to replicate the items as best as possible. Sure, they weren’t as good as the original, but they were better than nothing. 
Today was a good day to be a scavenger. One of the teams had discovered part of a building, stocked with strange weapons. Already, the looting teams swarmed the fragment, taking out armfuls of shiny, perfectly cut sticks with a rounded edge. One of the analysts had deemed that these would make excellent bludgeoning weapons. Some metal versions of these clubs had even been discovered. More weapons were taken out, this time looking like scythes, but instead of a blade at the end, it was more of the material the stick was made out of--smooth, strong, yet strangely flexible if you applied pressure at a certain point. On each of the items that was pulled from building was a tag, with words written in a strange language: “Brett’s Sports Emporium: All You Need For Any Season”
Just as the crews were unloading boxes of strange shoes with metal blades at the bottom, an out of breath scout ran up to Mekellen. 
“Sir! We found something! Just outside the town of Dranleth, a massive gathering! Tents as far as the eye can see!”
“Interesting. Should we plan a raid?”
“I thought about that, sir, but they seem heavily armed, and we’d be outnumbered.”
“A stealth mission, then? We haven’t done one of those in a long time.”
The scout grins. “Sounds like fun.”