The Adventures of Brandar Odaron
Book 1: The Hidden Continent
Chapter 24 The Seven Reunite
Brandar called for a long period of mourning in which he performed many solemn ceremonies in memory of the fallen; the dead of Geranost and Akouyein, and Vordurus and Baertunas, and of Jesan’s Rise, and of all the nameless confrontations on the rest of the Borderlands. But he was especially moved by the memory of General Baeren, Knight of the Realm, over whose grave Brandar openly wept. After three weeks of mourning Brandar threw a lavish feast, by tradition of the Sereghran, then a week-long celebration, both of which were echoed in all the Lands, although the celebration was subdued and in many places lasted not the whole week. Yet, the tale of how Brandar had slain the Dragon of the Forest was the talk of the Sereghran for many months. And when the other five Northrons heard the tale they were all the more determined to go and join up with Brandar and Tomas. With the fall of Vastus, King Strabos had the traitor Raeden arrested, along with all of his supporters and other disloyal conspirators in Sunthakis. And the King placed them in his prison together with the evil Mage Striglis, and all those traitors of Baertunas whom he deemed should be jailed with them. Then Strabos set to making ready to go to the Frontier himself, deeming Brandar would have need of his aid. But it took him longer than he had wished, being delayed by affairs of state. Then news came to him upon his Aefarin that Korligen were coming into the Southlands at the same time that the enemy was attacking in the west. And Strabos viewed the Korligen the most dire of the threats and thus split his Army; sending Soldiers to Baersunthas and Askondor and taking only half of his Army westwards through the Jungle. But so late was he arriving at Baertunas that he found the war was done and that he could do little more than aid in reordering the Lands. Even so, the forces he sent into the Southlands helped greatly with hunting down the Korligen, and that was no trifling effort. Furthermore, Strabos would leave a great many of his Soldiers upon the Frontiers west, to replace those who had fallen whence he later returned to Sunthakis. And these Brandar gladly put to use, together with many a new recruit, in securing the Forest for the Sereghran. And soon did folk begin arriving for the purpose of establishing settlements in the Forest.
With the Kings Strabos and Aetas and other Lords dwelling in tents upon the grounds of Baertunas ere they returned to their homes, and as they busied themselves with the repairs to the Fortress and healing hurts to the People, Brandar separated his new Army into Divisions which he spread along the Border north and south of the ruins of Vordurus; for the Tower had been destroyed soon after he had abandoned it. But he vowed to himself that he would never again flee in the face of an enemy. And he ordered that the Tower must be rebuilt as soon as could be, and also the Tower at Geranost. Then he sent Scouts into the Forest to keep watch on any Durwolc and other monsters that may yet be lurking therein. And next he ordered monuments to be erected in memory of the fallen; upon the sites of all of the major battles of the war.
Jesan was promoted to Royal Baron by Strabos, though Brandar asked him to go again to his Rise upon the Border west of Kombros and there command another Army. But Strabos and Aetas promised to build there a Fortress from which Jesan could rule his Barony. And they gave to him much wealth in gold, as befits a Baron of the Borders.
Ergon was made an Admiral in the Navy of Baerakis, which was to be restored, in time, to its former strength. But he was tasked, for now, with rebuilding the Tower at Geranost, assisted by Palphus the Wizard. And the Armies sent there were Soldiers from Sunthakis, though the Men of Geranost also returned with Ergon.
The forces Brandar obtained from Phaedus of Baersunthas he placed south of the ruins of Vordurus, while a much larger force of the Lowland Elves given to him by the Lord Turlin he placed at the Tower of Dhwinos.
Flaven remained as Duke of Baertunas, while Calaren desired to remain in the service of the Warlord, and was became close in friendship with Brandar, next only to Tomas himself. And these four were responsible for finalizing the ordering of the Borders, and ensuring that they remained safe from further attacks from the West.
Brandar and Tomas were thereafter counted among the greatest of Heroes of the Sereghran, and became so popular that their deeds were put to song and voiced about in all the Lands for many years. And try as they might to ignore their fame, they could not wholly set it aside, for they were often applauded loudly where-ever they went. So it was that they began attending many a feast and festival, and giving speeches, and spake also of their deeds, though Brandar most often had Tomas do this.
Upon the time when repairs to the Fortress of Baertunas had neared completion, Strabos and Aetas held a secret meeting with Brandar at which no others were allowed to attend, not even Tomas. And they renewed their view that they held Brandar as a fellow Royal, a King, where he had the right to choose any third portion of the Lands of the Sereghran to rule as he would but for the territories of the two seaport cities, as Strabos had promised, though Strabos now said that he hoped Brandar would choose the Borderlands. But Brandar surprised them, turning down their gracious offer, saying: “Honored am I, and you are very generous. But I must release my claim upon you and repent of the bargain we made beforehand, for things have changed in my mind.” And Strabos and Aetas were dismayed by this. But Brandar continued: “Nay, I shall take not any of the Lands which are rightfully yours, but rather, if you will, grant me grace to remain as your Warlord in no settled Kingdom, so that I may gather forces to be used in extending the Borders into the Forest.” And very pleased were the two Kings, standing and shaking Brandar’s hand and clapping him on the back. Then they made a toast to him. But when they had sat back down he said to them: “Behold! The Dragon is slain, and the Durwolc defeated. And Modeus is humiliated but has not now the strength to retaliate against us. He is weakened, yes, but shall not remain so forever. Now is the time to strike, ere he can rightly defend the Forest against us.
“Is it not he whom the Sereghran fear most? ‘Modeus the Cruel’ you name him. The Demon Lord who rules yet all manner of evil creatures roaming at will not a week’s ride from the Borders we have lately reformed. How can we let that continue unabated? More especially as we are owed war-guild for all of the slaughter he has caused.
“Grant me the muster I need; strength enough to enter and take the Forest which he thinks his own. This is your chance to stretch out your hands and seize those Lands! Yea, even to extend the Borders to the very feet of the Mountains themselves. Then shall the Demon find it that much more difficult to assail you in the future. And should the Forest be won, then that land only shall I claim, which will not then impinge upon your own great kingdoms. Nor shall I own the Borderlands, which should become settled by the Sereghran, as indeed they are now among the Old Frontiers.
“New Towers shall I build, away in the West. And any Sereghran who wishes to come into the Forest shall I welcome, and I shall protect them as their King, where my rule shall be as new to the Sereghran as is the Forest itself. But should the effort be vain, and Modeus keep his hold on the Forest, then shall the Borders upon which we sit stand as ever they have for all of these years. And while many a Sereghan may fall in such gamble, though I would have none with me who do not willingly follow my orders, may we do Modeus such harm that he shan’t trouble you again for another thousand years.”
Now, Strabos and Aetas were astonished at Brandar. But they took his words to heart and gave to him all the support that could be managed in the way of Soldiery, and weapons and armor, and silver and gold, and nigh anything else he desired. And when the Tower of Vordurus was finally fully rebuilt, there dwelt Brandar and Tomas and the Wizard Calaren, and began making Brandar’s new Army ready for war.
Ere the two Kings departed for their homes they gave Brandar a feast, at which Strabos announced Brandar’s intent. And then everyone cheered, whereas the news spread like wildfire in the Lands. Then the People were convinced all the more that the Northrons had been sent by the Gods to help them extend the Frontiers into the West. So, straight away, young Sereghran came to join the Warlord’s Army, and many older men besides, with a mind to someday lay claim to their own bit of Forest. And as this became common knowledge, ere long Brandar offered to all who served and partook in ventures to capture the Forest grants of land therein. Therefore, no shortage of Soldiers did Brandar command as the time to go forth approached.
Thus, while Brandar was busy swelling his forces after Strabos had returned to Sunthakis and Aetas had gone home to rebuild his Navy, Ergon at length, with the aid of Palphus, completed the rebuilding of the Tower at Geranost and began there also the building of his own great Armada, while Palphus did Brandar place in command of a large Division of mounted Scouts, assigned to constantly patrol the Grasslands in the North. Then, upon a day roughly three months from Brandar and Tomas entering the new Tower at Vordurus, called thus the “Warlord’s Tower”, all five of the remaining Northrons arrived to join up with the Frontier Army. And that was a joyous occasion, for the Emissaries were together once more. Then, after spending some time eating and drinking together, and drinking some more, as at their first sundering, though now with joy rather than sorrow, they all solemnly vowed never again to be parted -- although, as the Fates would have it, through no fault of their own, they would later be separated again.
Here were Brandar’s cousins Alak and Daram, and the princely Erek, and the elder Khalen, and gentleman Rosth. And they were clad as Royals, with each leading forces of their own from the Houses into which they had married, with Khalen’s the largest of them all. So, Brandar and Tomas were much the more glad that their friends had come. Yet, when Brandar made to give orders that their swords must be remade as Strabos had done for he and Tomas the five suddenly drew forth with flashes of light issuing from their blades and crossing them shouted: “Hail, Brandar, Warlord Odaron!” And when the blades had touched they emitted sparks and then glowed with silvery auras, just as the brands of Brandar and Tomas would do.
After sheathing the swords Khalen explained that the swords had already been reforged by the High King’s Smiths, and enchanted by his Mages soon after Brandar and Tomas had departed from Sunthakis that dark and rainy night over a year apast. Thus were all of the Northrons’ swords of the same fashioning, but with some magicks unique to each, at the request of the five. And this is what those magicks entailed.
It has been said what the powers be which are inherent to all of those blades, as these were the very weapons which were to become the Magic Seven of the Palaklar, in later days. And there, it was explained what were the powers of Brandar’s sword, Beliscaertos, and Tomas’ sword, Bhelewual. But now shall be given those which were not then said.
Alak’s sword is named Bhagharak, which means “Sword of Winter Breath”, for it could spit a blast of cold frost which instantly freezes anything upon which it impacts to a distance of sixty yards. Daram’s sword is named Bleikaran, which is “Sword of Mysticism”, as it could shoot to one furlong’s distance a spear of mystic energy which penetrates to three feet within its target. Erek’s sword is named Bhargillos, which means “Sword of Light”, for it could emit a beam of hot sunlight which does great harm to any evil thing of flesh or of spirit to a total distance of half a furlong. Khalen’s sword is named Blarafulon, which is “Sword of Devestation”, as it could cause a magical explosion at its target out to a full furlong. And Rosth’s sword is called Bheflados, which means “Sword of Magical Force”, as it could shoot a burst of energy nigh as powerful as Brandar’s mystic blast, exploding upon its target out to two furlongs distant.
This completes the telling of the magicks of the Northron’s Brands. But none were more pleased than Strabos to know that the Seven Emissaries, the Newcomer Heroes of the Mists, would be together wielding such potent weapons upon the Borders of Arzultaur. For these swords were among the most powerful of that Age of the world. And the Inheritors of those brands would go on in the very next Age to aid in the establishment of the greatest kingdom that had ever been to that time, mine own beloved country Andaria. Yet, Brandar’s sword, Beliscaertos, as has been said, was the mightiest of them all.