The Iron World

The stars were uncountable but in truth most of them were nothing more than illusions. It had been difficult dealing with the disappointment upon discovering that fact. The Universe had limits, you see. It was encapsulated within an immeasurable sphere of unknown origin. Upon its inner surface, runes the size of worlds dominated the endless expanse while racing in an endless circle upon its surface was an enormous galactic beast which took a new animal form each mortal year. Upon its back the iron world of Baltoriax rested and revolved upon its own axis. There were suns in this most ancient of spheres, two separate systems orbited them but no heat or light ever touched the surface of the iron world.


To say it was dark upon the surface of Baltoriax would not be correct. In truth the planet had a source of heat and light all its own. Not very deep beneath its surface molten iron moved and shifted, occasionally erupting in huge gouts that would scar the landscape. Nothing had ever evolved there. Since time immemorial it had been the chosen battle ground of the gods. Not their armies, mind you. Only personal battles were allowed and once finished the consequences were always dire.


When two gods chose to bring their enmity to such an extreme as personal combat Elderspace demanded some compensation. The god that loses the duel is banished in every godly form from Elderspace. Only after a thousand mortal years have passed may that deity return in any way shape or form to the universe which cast them out. Even then they would be forced to pass a series of tests in order to do so.


Orfaeus Faezir had ridden his celestial Pegasus alongside the scuttled vessel, The Scarlet Waif, as it plummeted at increasing velocity toward Baltoriax. The Celestial Beast which carried the world was so incredibly immense it never took notice of the tiny pests flying nearby.


Orfaeus was human once. He had since become something more after taking up the mantle of Celestial Knight of Halren. He’d stopped aging centuries ago and he no longer had a need for air or food, although he still enjoyed good charred beef from his home world. He had turned a dark blue color for some reason his god never felt the need to explain but he rarely met human beings in the far reaches of space anyway. There was no reason to worry over harsh reactions.


He’d found the scuttled ship, broken and holed in several places three days ago. Since then he’d followed it with hopes of keeping innocent’s safe from its passage. Such was life as a servant of the god of law and vengeance.


The ship looked much like a seagoing vessel. It would have resembled a caravel most of all but there the similarities ended. It was painted in garish reds and yellows while its pennants were a striped affair that hurt the eyes upon staring at them too long. Whomever was responsible for overhauling the vessel however had been nowhere in sight. He had called out and even landed on the ship’s deck at one point but it seemed nothing living remained on board. Now as the ship hurtled toward Baltoriax it looked like its journey was coming to a crashing end. Orfaeus would be free to return to his favorite haunts until another threat needed to be dealt with.


He could feel the heat coming off the planet as its shadow blocked out the endless gray of the sphere. The giant runes and winking lights that resembled stars to those on the surface of the many planets in the universe were too massive to see completely since he was so close to its surface. As he looked forward in the blackness of space he could see the light pouring from the endless runes like curtains of light pouring up from the sphere into space. It was breathtaking in its magnificence. The Celestial Knight nearly jumped from his dragon leather saddle when he heard the high pitched scream.


He looked back toward the ship and he saw her. She was waving frantically at him. Clearly she’d determined what was about to occur. Without delay he tugged the reigns of his mighty steed and it screamed out in reply. Its mighty effervescent wings never moved as it simply willed itself to match the speed of the plummeting vessel. The stink of the poisonous atmosphere began to touch their senses. Orfaeus could see the woman covering her mouth with her robe.


The Pegasus approached with perfect form. The Knight lowered one arm and held tight to the reins with the other as he prepared to lift the woman to the rear of his saddle. Her aura gave her away just before he let her hand touch his. As he pulled away and his steed suddenly veered off he could hear her wretched screams calling out curses after him.


She wanted vengeance, something he could understand but her evil was palpable. She was not human and nor was she even alive. He looked back and saw her gleaming fangs, knowing instantly what that meant. Now, he realized what had happened to the Scarlet Waif. Clearly the vampire had been attacked and the ship had been sent purposefully toward the edge of the sphere. Although the winking non-stars gave off no harmful radiation it was instant destruction to anything not divine which touched them.


Almost. He almost saved an evil creature from ultimate destruction. Halren would not have been pleased. He watched as the ship finally breached the hazy atmosphere of the iron world and smashed onto its surface. Although it had not reached the sphere the iron world was rumored to be instant death to anything or one who was not a deity.


The poisonous gases could harm neither he nor his steed so they neared the surface to ensure the vampire’s destruction. What they discovered was beyond imagining. The ship had not reached the surface after all. Instead it had pierced the back of a colossal being who was even now reeling on the ground as the Scarlet Waif protruded from his massive back by its prow. Its voiced anguish made Orfaeus clutch his ears and scream and his steed was struck with a sudden vertigo that sent it wheeling recklessly through the vapors.


Another voice roared through the barrage, laughing of all things.


“Ha! My servant has dealt you a grievous blow, prepare for your banishment!” Another massive deity stood nearby and this one was clearly a vampiric god of some kind. It bore the telltale fangs and gleam in the eye that told the tale.


His opponent reeled on his knees. His skin was a deep blood red and covered in bleeding runes while the vampire god was a pale and dry contrast. Orfaeus took all of this in and struggled to aid his steed in regaining its bearings. A gout of molten iron shot up into the air and nearly destroyed one of its wings. It had little concern for the battle as it tried to gain altitude.


The vampiric deity loomed over the fallen blood god and laughed again. He reached down and seemed to be picking something up and just barely could the Knight see the female vampire in the palm of his hand. The deity didn’t take a moment to consider as he clapped his hands together and completely destroyed his loyal servant, her sacrifice unrewarded.


The blood god seized on the momentary distraction and thrust both hands forward with knife like precision. Each of his fingers pierced deep within the chest of the vampiric god. His red skin began to glow brightly as he poured most of his power into his ancient nemesis. The vampire could only scream and shudder as the power coursed through him and continued to build. Finally, far above the obscured surface Orfaeus could see the final explosion take place and wash over Baltoriax. It bore the bright red signature of the blood god and he knew then the victor.


“Be gone from this place, child. We have seen enough.” It was the whispered voice of his god, Halren.


“I hear, my lord, and obey!” Without hesitation Orfaeus tapped his heels onto his steed’s sides. This was a command it knew well. With faster than light speed it left the spinning iron orb far behind. At the last instant the Knight looked back and watched as a blood red bird of prey took shape over the world and took flight from its surface. Thankfully it seemed to ignore him as it passed him at an impossible speed. While his steed was gifted with the ability to fly as fast as stellar craft the gods were gifted beyond mortal ken.


Wherever it was going the blood god was clearly victorious. The evidence was written on the surface of the vampire god’s skin. It had gone from parchment pale to blood red and each of the runes that marked the skin of the blood god was present as well. Through his connection with his deity Orfaeus sensed the trepidation his god was feeling. It appeared a law had been broken and his job was not quite finished. Clearly rather than destroying his enemy the blood god had done something much more insidious. He had taken the form and identity of the vampire god and made it his own. Rather than creating a swathe of godless vampires across the universe he’d simply taken over the role. Not even the vampire god’s closest priests would know what had occurred. Their domains of influence were so similar it would be a simple matter to hide the truth from the outside world. However, Halren was a god of law and vengeance. More importantly he was a direct son of Gaea the current All Goddess of the sphere. Therefore it was his duty to dispense justice when the laws of space and time were disobeyed. Gaea was not to be deceived.


Shrugging his shoulders Orfaeus steered his steed after the fast moving deity. It left a trail of corrupt plasma behind that a blind captain of a floating comet could follow. It would stop eventually and when it did it would have much to answer for. Wondering what he was going to do if the deity ignored his decree and struck at him he urged his Celestial Pegasus to even faster speeds. The last thing he wanted it to realize was exactly how powerful it had become. With the power of two gods it would be nigh unstoppable by even the greatest of champions.


Orfaeus clutched the pommel of his favorite lance and prayed to his lord and deity that it would strike true. No matter the power of the offender his will was reinforced by Halren. The law must be obeyed.

The Chosen Few

“There was a domain there once. Full of life and wonder…” Two spirits looked down upon a blasted landscape. An entire area the size of a large continent had been laid waste by a battle between two pantheons. One spirit resembled a short feline man with tufts of hair sticking haphazardly out of his disproportionately large ears. In life he had been an orphan raised by elves. Through them he’d learned to manipulate magic in a way that augmented and improved his psionic power.


“You must not let it bother you. The gods have simply decided to begin again. When they are through they will have created a domain to resemble the lost fields of Elysium, where the likes of us will not be welcome.” The second spirit appeared human with a wild mane of black hair and a full unkempt beard. He was gaunt and tall, clearly not a warrior. Even in his spirit form he smiled constantly as if he could not stop himself. In life he’d been known as the mad prophet.


“But…what will become of us?” The feline man asked.


“We have been chosen by the All Mother to replace a long ago fallen pantheon. There are a lost people who need us. We must pass the Lyr’Mar, an epic journey across the world to prove our worthiness.”


“You are no longer mad. Are you aware of that?”


“I am. I was never truly mad, my friend, not really. I played the role given me by the gods and now I am receiving payment for my millennia of service. I will be the god and I will look after my people as a god is meant to.” The prophet nodded and looked behind him. A group of spirits was standing nearby and listening quite attentively to their words.


“Come, Righteous Pack, we have a Lyr’Mar to complete and when we do we will have a new task where only our conscience shall be our master.” Spreading his arms wide the prophet sang out in a single note as darkness began to enshroud the gathered spirits.


They were gone an eye blink later.


Lyr’Mar Verse 1


Blood Red Phoenix, a deity reborn in flames


A war of ancient memory, one God Split in twain


To the Iron World where the soul of Akasha lies,


And the Great Root circles while keeping its surprise,


^ ^ ^


Orfaeus saw the last of the Blood Red bird hours ago but his stellar senses led him unerringly toward his charge. Halren was with him, guiding him and he would not fail. He was deep within the universal sphere when the Great Root came into view. It was only recognizable not by the light it reflected but by the way it blocked the light of the star dubbed Noalesce. This star gave off a powerful energy that had been causing swift evolution and unspeakable mutations in life throughout this system of Elderspace.


Said to have been spawned an eternity ago the Great Root was said to have started as a single seedling of Yggdrasil, the tree of life. Feeding off only the star’s radiation it grew unceasingly until it spiraled in its own orbit around the sun. Rumor said it also sustained itself by feeding on unwary travelers and interlopers. How this was done was anyone’s guess but Orfaeus doubted it was true. More likely it fed on the rotting corpses of stranded individuals left helpless upon its broad branches. Just as any earthbound tree utilized the fallen as fertilizer.


Rather than speeding past the Root the Blood Red god had taken a course flying along its length. The celestial knight followed and his Pegasus strained to find more speed. The broad branches of the Great root twisted and spiraled in angles only possible in null gravity. It had a breathable atmosphere clinging to it and it had become a favorite way station for any vessels seeking to renew their atmosphere. He watched carefully for any skulking raiders who might be waiting in ambush.


The broken hull was snapped in two as it slammed down across a section of the Root. The branch was as wide as three wagons abreast and many leafy branches concealed much of its surface. The Root was so large and spun so fast it had a gravity of its own. When the ship’s crew spilled forth from the wreck they plummeted toward its surface to their doom. The scorch marks served as clear evidence as to who was responsible. He urged his steed onward.


When the ship exploded behind him the Pegasus began to pull its wings inward so as to avoid searing debris. Orfaeus turned about and realized his mistake. The god had hidden with the broken hull. By turning his back he had sprung the trap. The bird screamed and he grit his teeth in agony. It spread its wings and left the Root burning all around it. Smoke quickly spread to contaminate the pure atmosphere. Still, he yanked forth his lance from where it rest by his left thigh and held his shield tight against his armored form. When he spoke his voice sounded like thunder and even the Blood Red god paid heed to his words.


“In the name of law I, Orfaeus Faezir, herald of Halren, son of Gaea and god of law and vengeance, demand you cease this mad rampage and be judged!” His legs clamped hard on his steed’s flanks as they wheeled about in preparation to charge.


The bird was larger than three space going vessels combined. He’d seem tiny in comparison if not for his steed’s huge wingspan. It screamed again in rebuke and raised its massive talons in reply.


This was no simple beast however. This was the Blood god in possession of the form and power of the old god of vampires. Alone they were demi gods at least but combined they were an altogether more ferocious threat. Not least of the trouble with dealing with this sort of opponent was its ability to resist most types of harm. Thankfully the lance called Demonscyther was made for such foes. All along its silvered, adamantine length was carved a depiction of a battle between a lone rider and a horde of demons. There was a rider holding forth his lance, piercing his foes before him and leaving a wake of trampled demons behind. It was humming with anticipation of the coming blow. The celestial knight leaned forward slightly in his saddle and called out to his god.


“Halren dubs thee…forsaken!” He struck with the last vowel and pierced the breast of the Blood Red phoenix even as it closed its talons upon his steed and crushed the life out of it. He felt it die beneath him and he could not withhold a cry of anguish as he vaulted away from its twisting form. He began to fall toward the Root as its gravity took hold but he still held Demonscyther. Using his anger over the death of his steed as a focus he cupped both hands together and pushed the lance with an overhead launch. As he plummeted he watched it stab deeper into the god’s breast. Its screams were of pain this time and he laughed as it released the Pegasus’ lifeless body from its talons. Together steed and rider fell toward the hard bark surface of the Great Root.


The Blood Red deity exploded in a fiery mushroom that set alight a whole swathe of the Root’s branches. The two halves of the broken ship were immolated and engulfed in smoke and flames. The wings of the falling steed left burning contrails as it fell.


Orfaeus Faezir landed like a ghost upon the rough surface. It wasn’t the first time he had fallen from his steed and it would not do for a celestial knight to perish from something so mundane. However he bolted and weaved as debris from the ship came hurtling toward his position. He winced as his steed’s form crashed hard onto a cluster of large branches. He only had a moment to regret the damage his attack had unleashed on this sacred place. As the bright flash of the explosion subsided he dared to search upward in hopes of seeing the transgressor’s fate. Two colossal figures streaked like comets in opposite directions. It was not hard to guess what they were. One was the soulless corpse of the fallen vampire deity and the other the Blood god, whether still alive or not was impossible to tell. His part in this was over for now, he knew. With his steed gone and his deity otherwise occupied he was stranded.


^ ^ ^


On the six sided world of Ceaneada they had a legend. It said, The pale god falls and crumbles to dust, the Blood Red star streaks across the night sky, the spider king will be cast out and the last of the lizard kings dies.


The warships of the Driveen prepare for war and drive the scaly kind toward the edge of doom, the sixth side awakens and life is restored, all will know Ceaneada’s truth.


Only one side of the world, the fourth side, bears sentient life. The other sides of the planet were full of grandiose landscapes vibrant with only natural wildlife indigenous to its varied terrains and temperatures. The civilized races of humans, elves, lizard men and the Driveen coexisted more or less peacefully for the past age and served as an example for all other worlds. They shared in their advancements, otherworldly trade contacts and planetary protection. The prophecy had been made and all paid heed. As finally it appeared to be coming to pass panic gripped the various nations. Each race closed its borders for the first time in millennia and the Driveen, a spider like centaur race, herded dangerous human adventurers together in containment camps where they could be monitored and protected.


The pale god fell like a burning, charred comet and plowed into the side of a range of hills. In its wake it left a wide, mile long gouge in the earth and a smoking cloud marking his passing. Even undeath was no more as the Blood god had completely absorbed the power of the vampire god. This was nothing more than a husk. Colossal in size it would take years to rot completely but the sun erased any need for concern. Even the god of vampires was subject to the power of the sun when upon the surface of one of the sacred worlds. The immense corpse ignited and began to burn away sections at a time. Eventually all that was left was a giant heap of ash that began to drift in the strong wind. The black sooty cloud hovered over the area in a pall, commemorating the final end of the last vestige of the once feared vampire god.


Far above the cloud in the star filled sky a blood red comet streaked across distant space. The prophecy had begun to unfold.

Impressum

Texte: Joseph m Barnes
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 12.08.2012

Alle Rechte vorbehalten