Chapter 5.1 The Cage
Chapter 5.2 The Disenchantment
Chapter 5.3 Back to the City
Chapter 5.4 The City is Ungrateful
Chapter 5.5 The Dragon's Head
Chapter 5.6 Queen Gauriel
Chapter 5.7 A Short Cut to Mushrooms
Chapter 5.8 The Royal Chase
Fourth Extract from the Book of the Acts of Kemendil
Part Six: THE PARLEY OF BOOTHAM
Chapter 6.1 Aldred Ruminates
Chapter 6.2 The Embassy
Chapter 6.3 The Coming of the Wainroad
Fifth Extract from the Book of the Acts of Kemendil
Part Seven: THE TURNING-POINT
Chapter 7.1 Daelum
Chapter 7.2 The Gate of Menrandir
Chapter 7.3 Midsummer Night
Chapter 7.4 Lake Cornen
Chapter 7.5 Born Again
Chapter 7.6 The Shadow of the Past
Sixth Extract from the Book of the Acts of Kemendil
Part Eight: KING ATHELSTAN
Chapter 8.1 The Hours at Caras Gulwen
Chapter 8.2 A Child of the Plain
Chapter 8.3 Weapon and Counsel
Chapter 8.4 A Worm on a Hook
Chapter 8.5 The Tale of the End of Athelstan
Seventh Extract from the Book of the Acts of Kemendil
Part Nine: THE SECOND RETURN TO RUMINAS
Chapter 9.1 Drumbeats
Chapter 9.2 Lord Lefnui’s Decision
Chapter 9.3 Healing Begins
Chapter 9.4 A Lack of Petty Warriors
Chapter 9.5 The End of the Tale of Aldred
Chapter 9.6 The Enclosing
Chapter 9.7 Her Majesty at Council
Chapter 9.8 The Third Dream of the Goddess
Chapter 9.9 The Third Battle
Chapter 9.10 The Mailed Fist
Chapter 9.11 The Cleansing of the Temple
Last Extracts from the Book of the Acts of Kemendil
More historical information
DREGINIABETH
Prologue: Extract from the Araquenta (Volume I)
THE HISTORY OF THE RISE OF THANDOR
By Engwe Parmandur, Lord Secretary of the Council, Keeper of the Greater and Lesser Seals, Knight of the most honourable order of the Eagle, Colonel of the Palace Guard, Associate Fellow of the Schools of Emynos, etc.
The sons of Kedral II were Keldur and Olostur. If a man were called to fix the period in the history of Midyard, when the human race was most happy and prosperous, he would, without hesitation, name that which elapsed from the coronation of the elder, to the death of the younger of these two brethren. [King’s Reckoning 305-445] The vast extent of the Kingdom was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wisdom. For over a hundred years the military skill of Keldur maintained the borders of the Kingdom in perfect security, while his œconomy ensured a consistent growth in the wealth of his subjects and the revenues of the crown. Among the blessings afforded by the general prosperity we may notice the flowering of the Schools of Learning in Thandor, with the foundation of the Artificers’ Guild or Aulendili. [K.R. 339] The Dwarves of the Black Mountains, ever devoted to the useful arts of metallurgy, then held it no shame to apprentice their sons to the smiths of Ruminas. With the assistance of the Dwarves, the smiths devised artefacts that were eagerly sought by Turmal and the potentates of the Desert Kingdoms. Such was the growth of commerce that the markets of Harost and Gilbarad were said to be the wonders of the world. Hither were imported the gold and gems of the desert, the woods and spices of aromatic trees, the purple shellfish, the scarlet beetle and the delicate produce of the silkworm. The acute mind of Keldur studied the operations of the market-place, swiftly perceiving that vending and purchase, tollage, taxation and usury tend to follow their own severe and inhuman laws. ‘It behoves us,’ he declared, ‘to marry these laws to the higher policy of benevolence, that the wealth of the Kingdom may beget the fair offspring of sufficiency and contentment for all.’ This laudable resolve could not be achieved without constant vigilance. Keldur became engrossed in the affairs of Turmal, abandoned the rule of his forefathers [Note – Kedrahil I, Kelohtar and Kedral II customarily spent six months of each year in Thandor and six in Turmal – A.S.] and settled permanently in Gilbarad. [K.R. 400]
Having fixed his abode in the South, Keldur appointed Olostur as his viceroy in the North: the choice was justified by every visible result, and the brethren ruled in perpetual amity. It has been observed, with truth, that the first Olostur shaped and influenced the young realm more profoundly than did any other of her kings. In him the qualities of a military and civil administrator were united with the mystical devotion of a sage. He maintained the borders which his brother had set, he conversed with the Aulendili and he apportioned the land wisely between the new colonists and the native tribes. Neglecting no detail of policy, he yet reserved to himself leisure for study and meditation. On many a midnight hour did he ponder ancient texts and legendary themes; many a deep question did he propound to himself, as, ‘What shall be the inner meaning or burden of this renascent province? Sufficeth it merely for me to consider myself the defender of the Little Folk of my Demesne? Since the race of the Elves hath left us, how may we descry some vision of superior nature, some gleams of transcendental goodness?’ Such questionings, recorded in his journal, evince the peculiar weakness of this large and philosophic mind. He undertook a pilgrimage to old Onduial, returning sadly after a view of its remains. He revived the study of the elvish languages. His mind looked back in time, beyond the present era and the Age of Wizards, to the colourful narratives of the Long Age. Acknowledging his influence, we must deplore the excesses of his fantasy: deprecating his enthusiasm, we may admit the purity and the nobility of his intentions. ‘Since,’ says he, ‘the Elven-race hath left us, we lack the vision of their beauty and our lives are unilluminated. Yet let us not despair. Be memory for us, as it was for them, a source of joy; turn we our eyes to that beauty which fadeth not, to Pelmar, to the thrones of the Gods and the everlasting righteousness of Mindir. Will not Mindir behold us from his tower as we strive, however imperfectly, to do him this honour? Will not his Eagles visit us as once they visited the Lost Kingdom? Let us write on the pages of future time, in characters of indelible beauty, our oaths of allegiance to the high King of Kings, who ruleth as vicegerent of the Almighty; let us furthermore vow to to uphold justice with the same righteousness, that all vassals, all weak ones, all who shelter against tyranny and thraldom my turn towards the shield of Thandor, nor ever turn in vain.’
This sublime resolution had lasting results. The first was that great compilation called the Olosturian Code: the base of our present jurisprudence. The second result was the foundation of our state religion. [K.R. 415] The Viceroy elevated the obscure hereditary sect of the Orondili or Treekeepers, who had dutifully tended the sacred tree since the day of its planting by Kedrahil I, into a public body that was henceforth known as the Priesthood. The sacerdotal office was thrown open to men of parts; ambition was given scope, and merit rewarded, by the emoluments of an expanded hierarchy. In the absence of eagle-visitors, which default has lamentably continued up to the present day, Olostur took the tree itself as the living symbol of justice. The Priests were confirmed in their office as upholders of the public morals, interpreters of the ancient fables and intermediaries in prayer and sacrifice to Lord Mindir.
The heart of Olostur inclined ever to the snow-clad mountains, the green forests and the clear cold air. He shrank from the crowded marts of the South, refusing after the term of his boyhood to visit the kingdom where his elder brother held sway. King and Viceroy, though united by love, were divided by distance. On the death of King Keldur, [K.R. 423] both of whose sons had predeceased him, Olostur was crowned in Emynos as monarch of the entire realm. His first act was to lay the foundation-stone of the Erumar, the magnificent temple he had planned as a glass-domed shrine and reliquary for the sacred tree. The people of Turmal, however, were displeased by his remoteness. At their urging, and after a decent show of reluctance, the southern viceroy Ervon assumed the kingship. Thus did the realm of Kedral I relapse into a divided condition.
King Olostur I died without issue [K.R. 445] and was succeeded by his grand-nephew, Kedral III, grandson of Keldur. Although Kedral followed his predecessor in all matters of religion, he soon proved himself a man of vigorous and martial temper. Chafing at the secession of Turmal, upon which he desired to reimpose the rule of Kedral’s line, he yet displayed the true and royal magnanimity of that line in refraining from the attempt. Rather than involve both realms in internecine strife, he turned to the enlargement of his own. He first annexed the lands east of the upper Malog, and then the vacant coastal region, now called the Pel-Eredwaith, that lies beyond the eastern range of the Black Mountains. [K.R. 453, 462] The half-savage Dwarves of Mount Orogor were still increasing, but their hostility was now restrained by respect for the King’s armies. The tribes of the Forhoth, that is to say the colonists and barbarians who were insensibly blending themselves into a single people, might reject the missionary-priests of the Erumar, but the latter were more successful among the Hillmen of the North-west. When the Temple was completed after more than sixty years of building, [K.R. 483] the representatives of many tribes admired the majestic structure as the masterpiece of a new civilisation. As all must acknowledge, the ancient line had lost none of its vigour, being indeed full of restless ardour and eagerness for new exertions. In the eyes of the third Kedral the Kingdom still lacked completeness. He determined to complete his design by penetrating the southern provinces of old Athenor: the great wilderness of Undor, which lay largely unexplored, and the mountainous regions situated beyond the far borders of the Demesne. These retained their ancient and appropriate name of Daelum, signifying ‘obscure land’. The King now prepared two thrusts. He assembled an army in the angle between the rivers Breglin and Belechel: this would advance along the west bank of the latter stream, towards the old ford and waymark, if these still existed, that had marked the limit of the ancient realm. At the same time a combined army and fleet would invest the coast below the mouth of Nibichel before turning westward to strike inland. Both forces would be required to travel over two hundred miles through unknown territory, yet the sanguine mind of Kedral envisaged a juncture and a combined raising of the eagle-standard at some point fifty miles south of his Demesne.
These designs were brought to naught by the appearance of Fëaruk the Dragon [Presumably this is the point from which the Princess began to read – A.S.] then in the third century of his age and newly come into his full armour. [K.R. 483] Kedral was not slow to recognise the danger. He at once recalled the exploring armies, raised new levies of troops and commanded the Aulendili to construct great engines, iron crossbows and catapults, turtles and crabs of tempered steel, masks, armour and wagons equipped for the squirting of sudden floods of water. When all was ready he led his army forth to encounter the Worm. The weapons were not without effect. Wounded in foreleg, wing and belly, Fëaruk fled the field and disappeared into the far North. [Battle of Forlad, K.R. 485] The King returned in triumph; services of thanksgiving were held in the Erumar; but before eighteen months had passed, rejoicing was turned into new anxiety. The Dragon returned to his lair at Forograst. He now began to range far and wide, impelled by a peculiar malignancy that appeared to transcend mere bodily hunger or lust for wealth. He attacked the Hills of Aduchel and the Northern Downs. Emynos itself was partly burned. At length the Dwarves of Mount Orogor, with other savage tribes of the Forhoth, came far into Thandor and encamped, under the shadow of the Dragon’s wings, on the eastern shore of Aduchel. The King summoned a Council at which prescient words were spoken by Curuor, chief of the Aulendili: ‘We were better before, while the Worm remained in the far North. Why did we not leave him in peace?’
This judgement, frankly and courageously uttered, seems to have fallen on the King’s ears as a stinging reproach. In bitter anger he gathered such weapons as remained, mustered a force of fifteen thousands, offered the recommended sacrifices to Dru and made arrangements for a great battle. But the Dragon had enlarged his might and his cohorts were drunk with fury, while the courage of the Thandorians was undermined by doubt. When the heaviest bolts were seen to rebound from the Dragon’s sides, when iron melted and was consumed by the blasts of his breath, the greater part of the King’s army turned and fled, leaving him with but a single regiment, the knights of his own Household. [Battle of Aduchel, K.R. 487] Kedral entered a boat, bidding the oarsmen seek the eastern shore; alone he landed, wading through the heated water and stepping over sands that were piled with charred corpses and glazed with sheen of strange colours. Alone he encountered the Dragon, who raised one foot and struck him down with a single blow. Then Fëaruk slew the troop of faithful knights who advanced to recover their lord’s body, and the Dwarves hewed all the bodies into pieces.
Thus perished Kedral III Formendacil, seventh king of Thandor. His son, succeeding to the throne as Kedrahil II, raised new forces and continued to prosecute the war. Turmal sent legions to his aid; while Fëaruk, though now almost invulnerable, was heedless of strategy and inconsistent in his assault. Sometimes he would return to his home in the far North, or make destructive forays over the great northern plain, which region is still to be found in a sadly withered condition. Meanwhile the friendly Dwarves and the Aulendili laboured to bring forth new and more powerful engines. Several times did it come about that when Fëaruk returned, clearly bent on the final destruction of Ruminas, he was met by such blinding fury of bolts, darts and foam-projectiles that he drew off once again, allowing the Kingdom a breathing space and a renewal of hope.
The next decade was marked by very varied fortunes. [‘Years of Attrition’, K.R. 487-497] The tears of widows and children might bewail, or the tender effusions of poets lament the perishing of the flower of Thandor, with the supersession of chivalry and all the old romantic ideals; yet the urgent times so greatly stimulated the Aulendili to project new inventions, such as have assured our subsequent prosperity, that the tribulations of the realm ought not to be dismissed as mere unmitigated evils. For the Aulendili no heroic code nor striving after immortal fame, nor quest for barren dogmata and ultimate truths of the soul: theirs the simpler satisfaction of fruit reached for, grasped and plucked: the new strains of wheat and cattle, the new metals and alloys, the new distillation of oily spirits, the new arts of mathematics and geometry. Though much of the Kingdom was devastated and many towns burned, the industrious peasantry of the Demesne, secure behind their impregnable bulwark, continued to toil with steadfast pride in supplying the needs of their protectors. At last, while Fëaruk continued to present an unpredictable menace, his armies were driven back. Meanwhile the science of the Aulendili was not untouched by the ordinary frailty of human minds. Before the end of these ten years, certain of their chiefs were allured by the charms of alchemy, astrology and the notory art. It is said that Curuor himself was among those who dabbled in these vain pursuits.
To his credit be it told, therefore, that rousing himself from his alembical fumes and lucubrations, he was able accurately to review the entire practice of the industrious Guild, and to discover amid its many projects the cure for the Kingdom’s malady. To the King he then said: ‘Sire, hear new counsel. Defeat the Dragon you cannot: it is proved. Let us show you the means whereby Fëaruk may be tempted to peace. We can raise the blood of the rock from the ground; we can refine the black liquor to a golden spirit that will be enjoyed by this Dragon as a delectable drink. With supplies of the rock-blood to bargain with, we may very likely persuade him to return to the far North and to leave us in peace.’ Words of advice similar to those which had inflamed the haughty mood of the father, might persuade the chastened heart of the son. Kedrahil gave his consent to the plan, thus acquiring for himself the honourable nickname of Leucamel or ‘dragon-friend’. A courageous embassy, led by the King himself, attended on Fëaruk. It is as hard to conceive of the peril and difficulty of this negotiation as to render sufficient honour to the principals, Kedrahil and Curuor, the latter of who expired, overcome by the dragon-vapours, before the King had emerged to discharge the terms of the new agreement. [Treaty of Lhygost, K.R. 497] The castle of Lhygost was built as a habitation for Fëaruk. New wells were opened, a refinery constructed, and a road driven from Lhygost to the great oil-fields of Beraid Moreithel, beyond Mount Orogor.
Continue to Book II, Light and Darkness, and to next chapter - Part 1, Chapter 1