epilogue, Gry, Heroes 3 - maps, Maps, Maps
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This is the Epilogue to accompany the Heroes III map, Goldheart, by Timothy Duncan. Please do not read until AFTER you have beaten the map. Send Questions or Comments to tduncan@haverford.edu. Thanks!EPILOGUE - The Demon Within"I'm sorry," Roger said, holding up to King Sorlan the tattered piece of Anna's clothing. "But there was nothing I could.. She was already dead. I..." At a loss of words that made sense, the Lord of Valkynborg fell silent.The Arythian King took the scrap of cloth and stared at it almost fearfully, as if it was a viper. It was Anna's favorite night-gown, given to her by her mother several years earlier before the elder woman had died of consumption. "I picked it out. Deep green like the color of Anna's eyes," Sorlan muttered, rubbing the gossamer fabric between his shaking fingers. "So smooth..." The king closed his tired eyes and let his fingers caress the flawless piece of cloth, as if he could divine his daughter's last words from it.Suddenly, Sorlan's eyes opened, and they turned to Roger. The Lord of Valkynborg shied away from his liquid blue orbs, suddenly feeling ashamed of the fact that for the second time he had brought the king news of the death of a daughter. As if it some how made it Roger's fault. But the King did not lash out in anger or remorse. He simply stared at his vassal with reflection, thinking of something meaningful to say. Finally, Sorlan spoke, his voice faltering from his tears and sorrow. "How?" was all he said at first, choking on the word as if it was a piece of rotten fruit. "How has this happened?""It was my fault," Roger sighed. "I was not fast enough, could not stop it from happening. Valan was too quick, too determined to free the spirit Akamaresh.""And what about the fiend Valan? What of him? Is there no body you can bring me?" Sorlan said coldly, clutching now to his daughter's tattered clothing with white-knuckled fists. Clearly, he sought some object on which to focus his distress, something that he could point at and say, "Yes, that is the thing that has hurt me. But now I shall hurt it back." Roger felt a pang of regret that he could not at least offer his king this much. It hurt him so to see Sorlan so upset, and he wished dearly that he had something with which to assuage his friend's sorrow.Emptyhanded, Roger turned to excuses. "I'm sorry," he said again, pleading with his king to understand. "It was... horrible. I can't describe... he is dead," Roger finally says. "Dead. That is all that matters." The lord of Valkynborg turned away, the vision of Valan's last moment still haunting him."How? Tell me. I would know this," the King urged.Roger shook his head, unwilling - unable - to conjure forth the words necessary to describe it. The memories clouded his every thought, and for the last two days since the incident he had been unable to sleep. The words Valan had spoken, the last blood-filled curses. It was too much, the anguish was to great. "My king, please," Roger implored, "Do not force me--""Tell me, dammit. As your king I will have this information!" Sorlan nearly screamed, slamming down his fist in rage.Roger bowed his head. Arguing was pointless. The King would have his story, no matter what he had to do to get it. Heaving a sigh, Roger began to speak. "The battle went smoothly," he said. "Akamaresh gave Valan the use of his minions of fire, for some reason, but my own army was too great. Before three hours had passed, we stormed the gates of that unholy citadel. But to our dismay, the battle was just a ruse, a device meant to give Valan time to begin the ritual with which he hoped to free the evil spirit Akamaresh from his eternal prison..."Roger of Valkynborg scrambled across the jagged rocks that led down to the Aurespi Springs, Koltair stumbling along awkwardly behind him. As soon as they had stormed the castle of fire, Roger realized the ruse. Valan had outsmarted him again. Taking advantage of the confusion of battle, the lord of Erlos had escaped the compound and fled west towards the Aurespi Springs, wherein the essence of Akamaresh laid in waiting. Struggling to no avail against the unnatural strength of her captive, Annabel, daughter of Sorlan, cried in pain and confusion as she was dragged towards the place of sacrifice. Roger ran as fast as he safely could over the uneven ground of the cavern, but could not seem to lessen the distance between himself and his target. Koltair, carrying his heavier sword and shield, lumbered along behind, more focused on the object of his wrath than keeping his balance.Finally, the cavern opened up, and Roger suddenly came to a halt. Koltair nearly crashed into him. Roger had never seen a place so beautiful. The underground lake, the Aurespi Springs, was a study in tranquility. Crystal clear blue water filled the large cavernous room and trickled down in the form of quaint waterfalls from small streams near the ceiling. The omnipresent light that came from no identifiable source was reflected in bizzare patterns from the surface of the lake, throwing sparkling and morphing shapes upon the walls and ceiling. The air smelled sweet and crisp, like a morning mist, and the soothing sound of water lapping up against a rocky shore soothed the very bones of the two onlookers, Roger and Koltair. Indeed, for several seconds, they completely forgot the frantic screams of the king's daughter.The sound of monotonic chanting brought them back to the present. Valan was weaving his spell! A renewed sense of desperation filled the two heroes as they ran clumsily down the narrow path cut into the rock around the perimeter of the chamber that housed the underground lake. Roger and Koltair dodged jagged stalagmites and rock pillars until they finally reached the bottom of the unnatural staircase, a large, flat rock platform that extended out some distance into the clear waters. Beyond the end of the platform, some twenty feet away, Roger could see the focus of power of this place, a large ring of stones jutting up from the still water. Valan stood facing these stones, waving his arms in circles and chanting in some arcane tongue. Anna, paralyzed with fear, cowered on the ground a few feet from the sorcerer. Neither of them seemed to notice or care about the presence of Koltair and Roger.With a mixture of stealth and speed, the lord of Valkynborg attempted to get closer to the King's daughter, tried to capture her attention while remaining unseen by Valan. In the second part he succeeded, and Anna was wise enough to not try to get up and run over to her saviors. However, the first part failed miserably, as he collided with a deep thud with an invisible wall of air. Pain surged through his arms and legs as small bolts of energy arced from the magical barrier to his vulnerable limbs. With grunt of pain, he threw himself backwards and landed in a heap. Koltair ran up to Roger to offer help if he needed it, but the barrier was meant more as a preventive measure than an offensive one. Roger sat up nearly instantly, but the damage had been done. While Anna craned her neck, trying to see what had happened, Valan turned, a wicked smile on his face."Foolish man," he sneered. "You insult my intelligence. To think that I wasn't aware of you sneaking after me like a wounded dog trying to steal meat from a lion. Pah... but I'm glad you've joined us. You can watch me become the wealthiest, most powerful man in the world."Anna whimpered and called out to Roger for help, standing up in the process. With a roar, Valan lashed out with an arm and smashed his magic-filled fist into the side of her face. "Silence, child. You'll have your moment on the stage in a minute!" Sorlan's daughter flew back from the force and crumpled on the floor like a caved-in melon.Valan chuckled and turned back to his incantation, calling upon the forces of fire and water. Roger yelled and screamed, but the wall of air prevented him from advancing. Koltair studied the invisible barrier with silent consternation, biting his lip in thought. These two men were not sorcerers. They had no chance of breaking Valan's spell. All they could do was watch as the warlock gathered his magical power. The air around Valan seemed to thicken, turning into invisible mud. The water contained in the stone circle began to bubble and steam, turning a bright red color. Light from the depths of the lake burst from the turbulent waters in visible rays, striking the roof of the cavern with a bang. As the spell grew in intensity, so did Valan's chanting. He sounded like a madman, speaking gibberish and flailing about like a fish. Yet Roger and Koltair could feel the growing power, a tingling that made their hairs stand on end. Suddenly, the entire cavern lurched, and Roger was thrown to his feet. Time seemed to shatter for instant, and space seemed to bend. Valan shouted even louder, concluding his spell.The waters parted with a hiss, and the creature rose from the lake with a deep bellow. Valan fell back a step as Akamaresh studied his conjurer and flexed his long-unused muscles. The fire spirit resembled an Efreet in form, with the red torso of a man suspended upon a maelstrom of fire and energy. The water of the lake shied away from the spirit, like similar poles of a magnet. Steam rose from the boiling waters with a noise that seemed to drown out thought itself. Fire mixed with the growing mist, jumping from the spirit's body as if alive. But nothing prepared Roger for the sound of the spirit's voice, which was loud enough that he had to clutch his ears."Who is it that has called me forth?" Akamaresh bellowed. "I have slept for a millenium, maybe thr...
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