independent, so we are technically less an empire than a kingdom. For now, at any rate. You are the guests of the Mage-King Aetheric III, Emperor of the Imperial Reaches of Doegan. This fine city is our capital, Eldrinpar. The Doegan Empire is the most powerful of all realms here, and our navy is supreme throughout the seas of what you call the Utter East. I should say that the term, 'the Utter East,' is not used much these days except perhaps by poets. We refer to our lands as the Five Kingdoms.
'Doegan and the other realms were colonized just over two hundred years ago by a fleet of Ffolk from the Moonshae Islands. You have heard of these islands, yes?' Garkim saw the five men nod and nodded himself in satisfaction, looking away again at the street scene as they rode. 'This region was already long inhabited by my own people, the Mar. We are smaller and darker than the Ffolk, as you see, and my ancestors' ways were less civilized than those of the divinely blessed newcomers. The Mar did not fare well against the conquering Ffolk in their various wars and rebellions, but eventually the two groups made peace and settled into their present civilization, which has benefited everyone.'
Garkim paused. He could tell from the group's thoughts that they had already noticed that the short, brown Mar in the street around them were poverty-stricken, while the few people who had visibly pale skin were well- dressed and well-fed. He shrugged. He was so used to this that it made no impression on him. The newcomers could think what they wished.
'The original fleet from the Moonshaes was commanded by Duke Aetheric, an ancestor of our emperor, who is said to have left the Moonshaes to destroy pirates to the south. It is rumored that the duke hoped to gain enough treasure from raiding the pirates that he could pay off debts of his own, but who can say for sure? He had assembled ships from several sources in the Moonshaes-a Count Boarswic, a Lady Cambor, a Baron Parsane, some temples, and a group of Northmen in longboats. The fleet met no pirates but suffered dreadfully from the ravages of plague, which caused many ports to deny them entry, food, and treatment. The fleet was forced farther south by this and by great storms until it came to rest on the beaches of our fair land.'
'Which temples went with them?' said Kern, the red-haired holy warrior in the gold-scale armor.
'Hmm.' Garkim stared ahead at the high tower of the palace in the distance, weighing his reply. This could be a touchy spot. 'I will consult the old writings for you concerning that point,' he said slowly. 'The references are confused on this. Tern-pus and the Earthmother, certainly, were among them and are with us now.' He cleared his throat and resumed. 'As I was saying, the ships dropped anchor here, and the various groups held council to decide what they should do. Conflict swiftly broke out between them, and each group finally elected to go its own way.
'They called this place the Utter East and formed five different kingdoms. Duke Aetheric became the king of Doegan, Lady Cambor queen of Edenvale, Count Boarswic king of the debased and degenerate realm of Konigheim, and the Northmen settled their own rough spot, which they called the Mead-Hall of Clan Chief Harvald. Baron Parsane and his ship were tragically lost on the voyage over, but the crews of his surviving ships established the Free Cities of Parsanic, which are as chaotic a group as you could hope to deal with. Best for you that the gate led you here. Tis a pity it… ceased to function.'
They are thinking of the wizard-woman they left at the other gate, back in Undermountain, Garkim thought. Aleena Paladinstar was her name. The boy has feelings for her. Garkim rolled his eyes.
'Aleena must have done it,' interjected Noph with a gloomy look. 'She said she wasn't coming. I'll, uh, explain later.'
Miltiades stared at his young companion, then shrugged. 'Very well. Lord Garkim, please continue with your story. What happened to the temples' ships?'
'The temples' ships… The representatives of the temples were denied a vote in the fleet's last council. One high priest had been killed by a sea monster before landing, and many priests were dispirited and had lost their powers. They settled among the Ffolk in the various colonies. Many of these former priests gained power in an evil cult later, but that's another story.'
Jacob, the warrior with the two-handed sword, cleared his throat. 'Perhaps we might be of assistance in rooting out these wretches, if-'
'Let Lord Garkim continue,' interrupted Miltiades. 'We have other business to which we must attend.'
There was an embarrassed silence. 'Your pardon,' said Jacob, subdued.
'Your offer of assistance is appreciated,' said Garkim diplomatically. He paused, listening to the steady thump of the elephant's feet and the creaking of the wagon's wheels over the hard-packed earth of the street. The visitors were considering ways to find out where this kidnapped woman they sought was held, he knew. All in good time, all in good time. The mage-king obviously had something in mind for these gentlemen first.
'To continue,' Garkim went on, 'the various colonies were settled, and the Mar, the inhabitants of this fertile land, came to an accommodation with the inv-with the Ffolk. The-'
'Were you going to say, 'invaders'?' The voice was Noph's, from where he perched at the rear of the jostling wagon, holding on to his seat with both hands.
Garkim burst out laughing. 'In fact, I was, yes.
There are many points of view on this, and sometimes it is best not to take sides too obviously. You understand. The past is the past.'
'It looks like the past is still with you,' responded Noph. He was looking behind the wagon at a cluster of beggars following them at a safe distance, hands outstretched beneath pleading faces.
Garkim's smile faded as he read Noph's thoughts. 'Ah, yes. It is with us, you are right. It is everywhere, the past. But this is now, and we must deal with what is now. To understand the now, I will explain a bit more about the past and bring you to the present.
'The Founding Lords, the Ffolk who landed on these shores, explored this new realm. They investigated the old ruins that dot our land, meddled in sacred tribal lands, hunted for gold and whatever valuables they could pull from overgrown tombs. They were like puppies, digging for their treasures, but they were not wise-or so some of my people say. The Ffolk built their kingdoms, and this much was well and good, you see, but the digging into old ruins-this is dangerous even in your home lands, is it not?'
There was a general murmur of agreement at this from the others. Garkim nodded. They came here from Undermountain, after all. He mulled over what he would say next. He should tell them about the bloodforges, he knew. The mage-king had not forbidden it, and they would hear about bloodforges soon enough from any citizen of the kingdom. Still-the short version would do.
'A hundred years ago,' he went on, 'an explorer from Edenvale looted an old temple and found a great glowing stone. It was so large that he had to bring it back in a wagon, but the queen made him rich and had her wizards and priests set to work probing its secrets. In time, they discovered some of its powers, and they named this stone the bloodforge.'
Several of the men gasped audibly. 'The blood-forge!' he heard Noph whisper. 'That's what we came here to-'
'Shhh!' several men responded at once.
'You said the queen of Edenvale had her priests study this device, the bloodforge,' spoke Miltiades loudly, trying to drown out the whispering. 'Were these the same evil priests you talked of earlier?'
'No, no, they were not. A large number of priests had come on the voyage, and most are still honored in our kingdom today, though most of my own people, the Mar, prefer the original gods who held sway here. You understand, of course.'
'Any worshipers of Righteous Tyr around?' asked Kern with considerable eagerness.
Garkim's mouth twitched. Careful… 'No, I am afraid not,' he said at last. 'The worship of many gods known to the Moonshaes was never brought over by the fleet at the start.'
Kern sighed heavily. 'That is grave news,' he said, with honest regret.
Garkim decided not to comment further. 'Be that as it may, I must explain the role of the bloodforges in subsequent events. The queen of Edenvale learned to use the powers of this device to conjure up magical beings, sufficient to create an army of unthinking and loyal troops. This was power unheard of, as you can imagine, and she put it to use at once against her rival, the king of Konigheim.'
'Count Boarswic, you mean,' offered Kern. 'You didn't seem very fond of his kingdom when you spoke of it earlier.'
Garkim gave a long mental sigh and lightly brushed his temples with his fingertips. Deep in the back of his head he could feel the beginning of a dull pain. One of his headaches was coming. 'I believe the king of Konigheim
