Isle of Mhy
- Enekos
- Aug 15, 2023
- 11 min read
“Kira. We have guests. Could you please go and welcome them?”
The wild-looking man nodded, turned, and headed for the harbour, leaving the Sand-Mage Artimisia alone with her thoughts. Kira’s backstory would have been fascinating to many – but he preferred silence and secrets. He came from across the Blue Sea a few moons ago with the idea to sell his mechanical horses that ran around a circular track attached to poles. It was entertainment for children, a moment of rest for their mothers and some silver coins for him.
But a shipwreck in the shadow of the Forlorn Hills ended those plans, and he took brief refuge in the Tavern du Amanshi (home for the shadow group we encountered during Balder Grimm’s flight from the nomadic Vikings).
Kira arrived on the Isle of Mhy by a pure chance encounter with a strange purple cloud and howling wind. Such portals are unheard of across the Blue Sea and between his curiosity and the whistling wind he failed to heed the warning: “Out of the way!” as Artimisia’s horse galloped towards the portal. He was knocked unconscious and tumbled in after her. Naturally, she felt obliged to take care of him and promised to return him to the land of men once a suitable ship had arrived.
Now, he walked down through the gardens and saw a nameless black-and-grey tall ship. He smiled to himself, but this faded the closer he got. It looked broken.
The Behemoth limped into the harbour: Bia had been at great pains to request they visit the settlement on the Isle of Mhy rather than the bustling town on the mainland. They arrived to see a wild-looking bearded-man on the dockside who waved them ashore. He looked sad.
Once the ship had been secured, Jean Flint, Tsar, and Bia disembarked and the before any could speak, the other man stated: “Lady Artimisia has been expecting you my lords, my lady. Would you please follow me.” He didn’t say a word after this.
On the Behemoth, Mr Leaf oversaw the immediate repairs to the ship – everything from securing barrels and crates, to taking down the torn main sail and catching escaped chickens. As the assessment of damage began, Lady Euph retired to the captain’s cabin with their new guests.
All had been prisoners of the Lord of Eyes; taken for simple misdemeanours such as (in the case of the one called Fastgunner) being drunk and bathing in the Eldo-Sulo or, (in the case of Pilsonator) being in possession of the Epumatara talisman and (in this case) taking said talisman out of the leaded box because he thought he heard sobbing. And then there was Njal Ulf, whom she questioned extensively.
“So, you were Van Bastardo from the Uog tavern who was heading to see a friend: one Arcturus, Fenrir or whatever, who resided in the Lion’s Den islet in Veraku. Along the way you visit Epumatara and ask for a de Careno artifact from a trader – one,” She consulted her notes, “One Eqbol Rhushi.”
Njal Ulf nodded and smiled.
“Why?” she asked, with a quizzical expression.
Njal Ulf twisted in his chair. “I hadn’t seen him in a long time. I missed him.”
Lady Euph stared blankly at him. Could he really be this stupid? “The de Careno. Why did you ask for a de Careno artifact?”
Njal Ulf blinked, looked to the corner of the room and then to the other corner. He bit his lower lip, gently as the brain fog began to clear. He nodded. And smiled.
“Well?” she pressed.
“Yes. Bit embarrassing really. I was in the Uog tavern having a drink with friends and I was talking about going to Veraku and seeing Fenrir. And this bloke says I should visit Epumatara cos… well…” he shifted in his seat. “Well, he says they have talismans that would make me win games.” Lady Euph stared at him. “And they do because I was so lucky in Veraku but then I got a but drunk and dropped it. I tried to find it, but they wouldn’t let me back in. So, I went home but I really wanted to get it back. So, I arranged with Fenrir for me to go back and he suggested I need a disguise and change my name. So, I did and got a job working with someone called FFS, but I don’t know what it meant. And then I got kidnapped, escaped, and then got another job and that’s where I found out where the talismans are made. So, I went to Denaviim and was quite happy to spend my coin, but they didn’t like me and well I met Pils, and we talked about old times until my coat went boom and we were able to escape. Everyone was running towards something, so we ran too and now I’m here.”
He smiled reassuringly.
Lady Euph wasn’t reassured. Had they travelled across the known world, faced peril and danger, and who knows what the hell happened this morning – searching for this man who just wanted a lucky charm? She turned to the tall lean man who stood one pace behind her right shoulder. Venu Enarum looked passively at her.
Deep in the bowels of the Behemoth, a long crate shifted. It had been forgotten and smaller, empty crates had been placed upon it. Inside the box, she pushed again. Why did they do this? She wondered to herself. Of course, she liked to sleep. Bears hibernated, why not bats.
Artimisia, mage of the Isle of Mhy was a vibrant and gregarious character, adorned in flowers who welcomed her guests before asking Kira to help organise the repairs to the Behemoth. Jean Flint judged she received visitors seldom, but that she embraced them with over-indulged hospitality. Before he knew it, he had a mug of peach juice in one hand, a scented cake in the other and a strange smelling flower tucked behind his right ear.
Jean Flint began to mouth a question, but she cut him off.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you. Alive and well. It was a bit touch and go there. Welcome, welcome my friends. I am Artimisia, a Sand-mage of the Isle of Mhy, between the land and the water and I sense when things are… off.” She smiled. “And goodness there were off this morning in Denaviim. Magic being traded between foes, the arrival of the Lord of Sky and perhaps one of the most powerful instances of a de Careno I’ve ever felt.” Jean Flint knew the mages had seers, but he imagined they saw the future, not what happened this morning hundreds of leagues away. He wasn’t quite sure who she meant by ‘Lord of Sky’, but they’d get to that soon. “Now, you have questions.”
Jean Flint did. Many questions. And Artimisia had many answers. And she was surprisingly willing to share, with none of the obfuscation he’d experienced from other mages.
“Well, Mr. Flint if I begin with this morning it will be meaningless without some context.” She recounted the story of the mages from their exile 3000 years ago to the journey undertaken by Remvarma until his passing to the Shadow Realm some moons ago. She spoke of their conversations and debates and of a time when he met de Careno.
“Remvarma told me of his return to Denaviim and a chance meeting with de Careno. He really didn’t want to be bothered by a mortal, but circumstances kept pushing them together. And,” she smiled again, “He stubbornly admits that he would have been in the Shadow Realm 2700 moons early, if it hadn’t been for de Careno.”
Artimisia told the story of Remvarma and the portal that opened for two figures: one of whom wore a talismanic ring fused to his bone – a custom from the golden age of magic, long before the exile. Artimisia retrieved some parchments as Jean Flint sat in silence. “Yes, here we are,” Artimisia placed some glass to her eyes and began tracing some text on the parchment. “Remvarma saw destruction the other side of the portal and saw a man on a black and grey ship that was not on land or in water. He remembered being drawn to that man due to a high-pitched whistle that one expected only from advanced magic.” She looked at Jean Flint over her glass and mouthed, ‘I think that was you’. She smiled.
“Ah, Remvarma mentions the travellers, not by name but that he spent time alone with them and treated their wounds. They had battled the Lord of Eyes.” She stopped and looked up again. “Not a pleasant mage from what I recall. Quite cruel. Deranged. Oh, but he fell into the forge. I thought I felt someone pass into the Shadow Realm, but there was so much happening that it was difficult to keep track of everything.” She smiled again. “Some tea?”
Jean Flint nodded. In truth he wanted rum, but tea would suffice.
“Hmm it seems the Lord of Sky dealt the final blow and that he was the second mage to pass through the portal. My, you do keep an eclectic company, Jean Flint. It took less than a moon to recover their Sakti.” Artimisia looked up once again and mouthed the word ‘life force’ before continuing.
“During that time, Tsarinaya was destroyed in fire and stone and the Eldo-Uma sealed. Remvarma recalls gas that crept into the lake, which became shrouded in the fog that we all take for granted.” This time she looked at Tsar IYI who had joined Jean Flint. He sat motionless at the tale of Tsarinaya’s destruction.
“If they are deep in the past and they met de Careno, why did my associates never mention him?” asked a perplexed and slightly disappointed Jean Flint.
“Ah. Time. Yes. Well for them, they will have met de Careno this morning and they haven’t seen you since. They are locked in the past, for now but not forever. Let me read the rest of the journal and you will understand better.” Jean Flint nodded.
“Remvarma speaks for the friendship he made with Alfonso de Careno and how they created the forever stones together. These talismans are from the Eldo-Sulo and Eldo-Yara. They are known as the Athanasia and they may be used to recall life, protect life, or hinder it. Some are mischievous and some are benign. But each should be inscribed with the sigil of the House Remvarma in woven gold. She showed Jean Flint a sketch of the sigil.”
Jean Flint reached for his dagger and looked at the same sigil. It looked like JF. It was woven in gold. He shook his head in silence. Not once had he considered these were anything more than the letters of the name of the watchmaker’s end. An emptiness crept into his gut, and he knew only magic would uncover the truth of de Careno’s final moments.
“I still want to know who killed de Careno,” he asked in a flat and toneless voice.
“You will – but first you must rest. Your ship must be repaired, and I’ve asked Kira to ensure you have everything you need. I would like to meet with Remvarma’s apprentice.” She beamed a warm smile at Bia.
He nodded in response before adding, “How did the Behemoth get here?”
She smiled. “Your Athanasia.”
He cocked his head and shrugged.
“In Denaviim, the Lord of Eyes is a potent force of Sakti, but it’s warped by his hatred of mortal men. But he needed those slaves…” she stopped to consider her words. “Yes, I think ‘slaves’ is the most suitable word, and so his bitterness only grew. This alone put strain upon the rivers of the Pashtarak. And then you arrived with an ancient mage, the Lord of the Sky and an Athanasia that hadn’t been home in hundreds of moons. Denaviim wasn’t ready for any conflict, but it happened.”
Jean Flint’s mind was racing. “So, this Lord of Sky brought the ship to me?”
“No Jean Flint. You asked for it. Perhaps silently. Perhaps unconsciously. But you asked for it and your Athanasia responded. Just as it responded when you asked it to bring you to the sanctuary of Remvarma.”
He shook his head. “I asked for nothing, but I saw visions of an old man and someone who reminded me of de Careno.”
She smiled and added. “’De Careno, Athanasia, Remvarma’ was the request for sanctuary. You’re almost a mage Jean Flint. Almost.”
Hundreds of leagues to the north and west, high in the Menavariyam mountains a crack appeared, dust began to swirl lightly before gathering pace. Sparks of lightning filled the cavern and purple clouds began to form. If someone was watching, they would have seen two hooded men emerge from the cloud of dust and gas. They walked with a purpose.
Someone was watching.
The repairs to the Behemoth took several days and Artimisia was true to her words. The crew worked hard and took time to improve some niggles they had – such as a door that wouldn’t open, while Mr Leaf added twin cannons to the stern, adding gruffly: “If this doesn’t get Mr Enekos’ head out of his parchments, nothing will.”
Between here mage duties, Artimisia gave Jean Flint access to Remvarma’s research into the Athanasia stones, including a codex on how to harness the various abilities forged into his dagger. Written thousands of moons ago, these were far more in-depth recordings of Remvarma’s journal. They mentioned de Careno often, foretold prophecies that Jean Flint’s history had proven true, and showed how portals could be open.
His studies spanned long days and one parchment spoke more of the ring fused to the bone of an ancient mage who was able to move through time and space. Such a mage had presented himself to Remvarma and a companion via a portal from a future Denaviim on the brink of collapse. This mentioned the Lord of Sky too and showed some interactions with de Careno and the Athanasia stones. His hopes rose at one paragraph:
As the new moon rose, the Pashtarak awoke in Tsarinaya plunging the city into flame then darkness. The Eldo-Uma closed and bubbled while a mysterious fog evolved on the Eldo-Yara. The ring fused to the bone of our nameless guest bristled with new Sakti and we said our farewells as he and the Lord of Sky returned not to the fires of Denaviim, but to a cavern in the Menavariyam, not far from Chemont. Given how things shall pass, he asked me to write a code for a future apprentice to know the location. The nature of time baffles me still but in thousands of moons she will be the one to deliver a future and answers.
The parchment continued in an unknown language, and he assumed Bia was key to deciphering it.
______
Hundreds of leagues to the north and west, high in the Menavariyam mountains not far from the city of Chemont the hooded figures carved symbols in walls made smooth by magic. Someone watched them and the Lord of Sky was aware. “You may show yourself when ready,” he whispered softly.
A shadow peeled itself from the wall and looked at the symbols. “I think that one needs a negative symbol,” he offered. The other hooded man turned to face him, before returning his gaze to the wall. He nodded, reached up and added the new symbol. It glowed a deep shade of blue. He shrugged contently and turned back to the shadow, removed his hood, and said, “Thank you Akac.”
______
“This,” Jean Flint showed the line of symbols to Bia. “Can you read them?”
“Yes. They are directions to a cave near Chemont,” Bia quickly scanned the preceding text as one could never have enough information. “One more thing,” she added. “It says Jean Flint should bring a Fidlyra.”
______
With the repairs to the Behemoth complete, Artimisia had two final requests: that Kira be allowed to join the crew and travel back to the world of men, and that she accompany them. “I would like to gaze upon the Menavariyam where your quest concludes Captain Jean Flint. I would love to meet your mage, but I am forbidden from the Menavariyam, So we will part ways when we arrive.” She smiled once more. Reassuringly.
They sailed to the Tempest Isle, replenished with supplies of fresh mountain water, before setting for Elsewhere. At the Dabbakins Alehouse, they were reunited with Mearaithe who told of travels in the Menavariyam, and a nomadic group of fighters who were searching for new adventures. He knew they were heading for Weifu.
Njal Ulf and the other prisoners of the Lord of Eyes had proven useful. Pils was particularly handy with a mop, while the others had fought in a battle with Kraken. Jean Flint asked Lady Euph to return to Veraku and seek out her friend with the Fidlyra and either convince her to join them in Chemont, “Or maybe she drinks too much and falls asleep, and you bring her anyway.”
Lady Euph began to object: the journey was half a moon’s ride, day and night across the fertile lands and the Menavariyam. Only to return. In theory she was happy to do this, but. “I understand Lady Euph. Please, Artimisia will open a portal for you, travel with you. You may take a few days to attend to your business and when you are ready, Artimisia will open the door for you once more. We shall meet in Chemont, yes?”
Lady Euph nodded and Artimisia’s face lit up. “I’ve always wanted to see Veraku.”
Deep in the bowels of the Behemoth, the long crate bumped a little more. The empty crates place carelessly atop shifted. Some fell to the floor. One broke. If anyone was listening, they might have heard a bad word.
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