The Confessors of Serpantol

The key to the secret of Serpantol

The candles burnt on a low wick late into the night. Dusty tomes spread about the grand table of the library made it look more cluttered than usual. The smell of wood burning in the fireplace permeated the room. Sehvelarious pulled his blanket around himself and dragged his chair closer to the fire. Upon his lap was the ancient tome found at the fortress of Southern Serpantol, the aged cover with a newer wear by many hours of study.

From the Tome of Serpantol he had managed to extract the "Oath and the Code" a seminal work of the Knighthood of Serpantol. Together with the "Lost scrolls of Serpantol" found by Lord Leumas Circe, he had been able to decipher some of the works which now lay in the library. But the complexity of the older runes of Serpantol still eluded him. He snapped the book closed in frustration and stared into the fire.

The tome had told them the origin of their Oath, and explained the Code of the Knighthood of Serpantol. These had been lost since the fall of Gareth Keep to the successful Yinn General Tayana. This was a wondrous find during the recent Serpantol campaign for an ancient order seeking its roots. It explained why the Knighthood had been conceived, what its purpose was and how they were to act to attain this. It fit in well with the later works of Virtue, morality and the Rule of Law which binds Knighthood together.

But Serpantol had been so much more. Under the rule of Tesalon Gareth who had been assigned the protection of the barbarian human settlements by Ser'Phan, Knighthood had been responsible for turning them into an empire. For the lifespan of one man it was an heroic feat. The settlement of Serpantol had grown to a capital city which controlled most of the known world before the cataclysm.

How had he achieved all this?

He pondered the facts again, flipping open the book and scanning the runes, as if he expected them to share their secret for free. He'd been looking upon the runes for so long, they all began to blur into one another. He relaxed his concentration on the focus of his aged eyes and they all started to merge and darken till he fell asleep. With the fire crackling on the hearth, the light flickered on him as if he were a statue.

Sehvelarious Iolius was drifting through the darkness before arriving at a door with no handle. He tried to open it, but it would not budge.

"What do you seek?" a gentle woman's voice behind the door asked.

The old Loremaster was not sure. A keyhole appeared on the door and Sehvelarious looked through. On the other side was an ancient crown upon a pedestal. Carved into the crown were four runes. They were arranged in a triangular fashion with the more complex rune in the centre. He recognised one at once from the tome which represented the Order of Knighthood.

"Yes." came the musical voice again. "Your order of Knighthood. That is the one you can read isn't it? It is the rune which you were able to translate is the third in this sequence."

Sehvelarious seemed not to think of the voice as particularly odd, instead it felt familiar. He concentrated on the other two simpler runes. They stared back at him, unflinching in their sharing of identity. He could start to smell something herbal and soothing, but his nose wasn't what it used to be.

"The second rune is magical." continued the voice. "When the Conclave was formed and the first Tower built in Serpantol, and when the power of the moons was still raw, then this was their symbol. This rune symbolises Magic."

Sehvelarious found himself on the other side of the door. The crown shook with anticipation at his approach, making it hard to see the final simple rune. It wavered and rose, starting to rotate as a beam of white light hit it from all sides. The beam flashed into his eyes, blinding him. But as his sight was removed, he knew what it was.

"I know what the final rune is." he stated, "It is God".

He could feel the embrace of a warm, healing touch and his mind was at peace. The strong, sweet herbal aroma returned, restoring his vision.

As the scene faded, his could see the three runes merging together in the middle of the triangle.

An overwhelming golden aura of goodness pulsated before the runes once more only to be replaced by the flash of a silver sword of light which faded to a thickly cloyed smell of what-was-it?

Ah yes, it was lavender.

Sharing the vision

He awoke, but there was no need to shake the sleep from his head. He quickly scribed the last rune he saw on a sheet of paper and called for the Generals.

General Rithor Thorne was the first to enter the library. Much to the Loremaster's relief, he'd left his steed in the stables this time. Datai d'Aggravaine was quick to follow, her bright eyes looking tired from her lorekeeping. She swung her staff easily in one hand as she walked, while managing to shuffle several pieces of parchment together at the same time. The Lord Knight strode in purposefully, though with a look of undisguised curiosity on his face.

The old Loremaster bade them all to sit impatiently, as if he was telling off a group of small children. Secret smiles were passed amongst those gathered.

Sehvelarious shuffled some hastily scribbled notes in front of him excitedly.

"Not much knowledge has come to us from Serpantol, since that city and even this Keep was laid to ruin by the conquest of dae'Tok." said the Loremaster, pacing and gesturing wildly as he spoke.

The audience frowned grimly, apart from the Lance General.

"When we rebuilt this Keep, it was a fresh start. Much knowledge had died with the leadership which was wholly slain in the fall of Gareth Keep. Those gentlemen to their credit refused to retreat any further, but in their passing, we lost much of the ancient knowledge which forged Serpantol an empire. We have only morsels of information from Serpantol, through Pan-toll, the Dragonvale and some of the older histories. And here, the Tome of Serpantol and the Lost Scrolls of Serpantol which have been found more recently on Serpantol campaigns." said Sehvelarious, walking over to a blackboard on the wall.

He drew out the runes as they had appeared to him on the Crown while the audience looked on curiously. Some clearly were wondering if the old Loremaster hadn't gone completely senile.

"Here is the rune for our Order of Knighthood we know from Serpantol. This one means Magic. You need to look at it from the point of view of a progression. Only when they are together will wisdom be found. The third rune is God, or our Gods..." continued Sehvelarious.

"I've seen that before." interrupted Rithor.

Sehvelarious turned around and stared.

"What?" he snapped, scoldingly.

Rithor looked about those around the table and after considering his words continued, "That is one of the most prominent runes in the Temple of the Serpents Eye. It has been a long time since the yinn conquered the lands of our grandfathers and drove us away from the Temple. For a long time, the Temple of the Serpent's Eye remained inaccessible to humans, and of course due to its spiritual and manatonic protections it remained inaccessible to all who were not initiated.

However, Tayana had such initiates in his ranks, completely unaware that they had the gift. Only when they were able to enter did they find the secret knowledge which lay within. They stripped out most things in the Temple which had not been taken in our flight from the fall of Serpantol, but the runes on the wall yet remain."

"Yes, well I knew all that already." Sehvelarious said, waggling one finger at the Rithor whilst hurriedly scribing new notes down. "But consider this, it is far more important!"

Sehvelarious paced in front of the fireplace, using wild gestures with his hands to emphasise his point (and dropping papers) as he went.

The origin of the ancient powers of the Confessor

"Long ago when Serpantol was founded, three lasting entities were created which would outlive Serpantol itself. The Order of Knighthood, the Conclave and the Temple of the Serpent's Eye." said the Loremaster, emphasising the last words and glaring pointedly at General Rithor.

"Before these institutions were created, Serpantol was a group of weak and barbaric settlements. After they had been created, Tesalon Gareth led the Serpantol Empire to control much of the known world. It had come to humans, who possess neither the strength of the larger races, nor the intellect of the smaller ones to achieve this. The Order gave Serpantol the might of arms and strength of purpose to see Her work done. How is it that a few human settlements were able to forge an empire which held the world in it's sway? " said Sehvelarious, now tired of pacing was sitting at his regular leather chair in front of the fire. The conversation was obviously exhausting the old man.

The audience looked at one another, before the first question came from the Crown.

"How did Serpantol rise to such prominence in such a short period of time Loremaster? You are saying that there is more here than meets the eye? What of the Conclave and the Temple?" asked the Lord Knight in measured words to direct the conversation to what was important.

"Yes my lord." beamed the Loremaster, looking pleased that he'd got his point across. He stared into the fireplace taking delight in the curiosity of the audience before a sharp word from the Lance General got him to his feet. He peered disapprovingly at Rithor before launching into animated conversation once more.

"Was it the Conclave, the new force in an otherwise unmagical land? Cathas Daroconus learned how to draw magic from the moons and was ordered to put it at the disposal of Serpantol. Eventually they would conclude that it was more in the Conclave's interests to further magic than the interests of the Empire. The Conclave would later leave for Shinalstin after their conflict with the political leadership of Serpantol over this very point. Their gift to Knighthood was the control of magic which assisted in the civilisation of Algoron." said the Loremaster.

"Through their gift to Knighthood?" interjected Datai. "Yah mean their early discovery of the first raw magics helped Serpantol gain the Empire, Boss?"

"How else?" Sehvelarious nodded slowly at her. "Have you ever wondered why so many of our common magical spells are based around attack, defense and militarism? Alas, so many of these weapons have fallen into the hands of our enemies. But this is where it gets interesting."

The Loremaster flashed a gummy smile at his audience.

"Within the tome are some old spells from the time when the Conclave of Serpantol assisted the Empire gain the world. Only they are in a progressive ancient runic which we will need to decipher!" cackled Sehvelarious in glee, rubbing his wizened and gnarled hands together, enjoying the full attention of his audience.

"Look here!" exclaimed Sehvelarious excitedly, flipping pages back and forth to compare runes. "When you put these header runes together they translate to....."

The old man's fingers were a blur over parchment and paper.

"...'purifications'. Mixing prayer and magic, this is what the Conclave left to Serpantol before they parted to Shinalstin."

Those present glanced amongst themselves looking heartened at the news.

"But there is more. Mixing of magic and prayer? What of the Temple of the Serpent's Eye? The most secretive of all of the products of Serpantol? How was it that Knighthood was able to defeat so many enemies and rise as an unchallengeable power? The rise of the spiritual power of the Monks, the warrior/priests of the Temple of the Serpent's Eye, overcoming physical barriers with their mind alone. Look what Serpantol achieved in this time, advanced beyond her resources." said the Loremaster, waggling his finger at Rithor once again.

"You mean to say Loremaster, that the monks of the Temple of the Serpent's Eye assisted in this as well?" asked Rithor.

"Of course my dear General, and we even have proof. We know that there were some primitive skills which were passed from the monks to Serpantol, the art of meditation and the fighting styles of hand to hand combat. These are the skills which survived Knighthood's almost complete annihilation when Gareth Keep was sacked by dae'Tok. The few knights who remained hidden till General Tayana withdrew from this Keep could not take everything as they fled, and only the most senior of our decimated leadership had known the advanced techniques and they fell in that battle. These advanced skills gained an empire for both Serpantol and dae'Tok under Gareth and Tayana. The Order and the Temple worked together under the auspices of Serpantol to protect humankind from the evil and chaos upon Algoron. The monks shared their mental prowess, and devised ways how it might be applied to those who were not of their kind." wheezed Sehvelarious.

"Gareth gained advanced combat skills, logistics, strategy and an understanding of the warrior-priests whose mental abilities outstripped our own. The monks furnished the Knighthood of Serpantol with such, and only armed with this knowledge would Serpantol claim its empire." said the Loremaster, trailing off into sadness. He pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at his face.

"But Boss, we're not a bunch of manatonics like those monks from the Temple of the Serpent's Eye." laughed Datai. "How are we going to learn to become monks? I don't want to be a nun, I love Siccara, but it's not really a habit that would suit me."

Sehvelarious tut-tutted the Shield Dame.

"Neither was Serpantol when they carved their empire. The monks taught non-manatonic skills to the armies of Serpantol, only the ones that remain to those of Algoron such as meditation." snapped Sehvelarious irritably. "I speak of the ancient skills that were lost!"

"Alas, Serpantol invested all the resources of its empire to defeat the triple alliance of Eclipse, ogres and minotaurs. With Serpantol spent on it's campaign against Evil, even these advanced tactics were not enough to stem the numbers and fury of the dae'Tok assault. It is said that the yinn learned the knowledge of the Temple of the Serpent's Eye after they took Serpantol, and that is why they were never defeated in battle under Tayana. Think of when dae'Tok annihilated the much larger army of Shalonesti and Thaxanos, setting the superiority of their Empire above all others. They learned the mental and spiritual ways of the Manatonics of the Serpent's Eye."

"Serpantol destroyed."

"The Knighthood driven out. "

"All that remained lost or broken to ruin. Those who returned to the sacked husk of Gareth Keep after it had been deserted had lost not only their homes, but the knowledge which had given them such an advantage in combat during the glory days of Serpantol. Lost knowledge... ancient runes rediscovered?" Sehvelarious became lost in thought again, his aged voice cracking.

"This lost knowledge taught the Knights of Gareth how to get closer to God. The warrior-monks taught them how to mix magic and prayer to enter a state of holy fervour! It speaks of the priests of the Temple of the Serpent's Eye using this to channel a 'sacred bond' between Nadrik and Siccara and the set of 'purifications' which invoked righteous retribution against Evil." croaked Sehvelarious, stabbing his finger at runes in the Tome of Serpantol in excitement.

All that remains is for our scholars to distill the secrets from this ancient tome. Now we have the key to unlock them, the ancient lost powers of Serpantol can be at our disposal once again."

Finding the Confessor

Gwaine d'Aggravaine, Lord of Knighthood stood, followed by his command. He stepped forward to the old Loremaster who returned from his daze. Sehvelarious rose in front of the Lord Knight, his hunched form in contrast to the bold and grim paladin. He reached up and grabbed the shoulder of the Lord Knight with a firm grip, and hissed into his ear.

"Consider the power which Knighthood wielded in the days of Serpantol my Lord. Magic, new then, but so common amongst the folk of Algoron today. The spiritual power of the knowledge of the Temple of the Serpent's Eye. What an advantage over the halls of chaos and evil our forefathers had! Should we be successful in the recovery of these spells and if the advanced battle tactics can be found once again then we can regain the initiative which fell with Serpantol.

Together with the Serpantol Mages of Conclave, they taught Knighthood the required spiritual and mystical skills to create a holy warrior. This warrior has such power that along with the paladins in Serpantol's military structure, it led Algoron's first superpower. Most importantly these powers will be back in their rightful place - in the hands of the Knighthood of Gareth Keep in a time of Chaos and Evil when Algoron sorely needs our leadership. Now more so than ever in the dark days of Malachive's Chaos and Necrucifer's Prophecy will the Knights of Gareth have to ride together at the head of the armies of Good if there is any hope to stem both these evil tides."

"I can help with the knowledge from the Temple of the Serpent's Eye." said Rithor. "I think I know of a discipline that may be used to enter 'holy fervour' and how it might be taught to our knights to make them more effective in battle.

The Lord Knight grimly nodded to the ancient loremaster.

"We shall see it done together."

The Loremaster passed around manuscripts of the converging runes to the Generals and began the patient explanations. The low conversation and quill scratchings echoed from the library around the stone cold corridors while they wondered what ancient secrets they were about to unlock.