Awakening

The sensation was excruciating and elating simultaneously. Muscles that hadn't moved in eons now twitched with ferocity, veins that had not held blood now ran freely. Arcaddes was feeling life return to his body... and it was a bittersweet hell.

His eyes, now revived, were not prepared in any way for the sudden flood of light.

It filled everything. Every crack and crevice of the space and time around him, and every part of him. It was blinding, nearly incomprehensible, but then...

...slowly...

it faded.

Just enough.

"Ah. Good to know I've still got it."

To reveal a man in armor made of yellow and white gold.

With a blazing sun emblem on it. Pelor.

Or, something of Pelor. He watched Arcaddes for a long moment, then took two steps forward. The were impossible steps. Pelor had seemed a few hundred feet away at first, and suddenly he was there. "Pick yourself up," he said. "We need to have a talk."

Arcaddes said nothing. Despite the fire it created in his restoring body, he raised to his feet and squinted.

"Painful, isn't it?" Pelor began a slow circle around Arcaddes. "Mortality. Never really understood it. I mean, you might argue that I was a mortal once but... well, once you ascend it becomes... something else to you."

Arcaddes steeled himself, and hoped this wasn't going to get too wordy for too long.

He was wrong.

"Anyway, we're not here to talk about me, are we? We're here to talk about you. The not-so-faithful servant of Darigaaz." Annoyance crossed Arcaddes spotty, now bleeding face. Pelor smiled. "Stings, doesn't it? Both the feeling and the fact that a restored undead body doesn't completely restore. Oh, careful!" Pelor pointed to the white hot light-ground, where blood was beginning to pool from the various gashes and missing parts of Arcaddes' body.

"Come on, Pelor, stop screwing around with him."

Garl Glittergold and Yondalla stood, watching the proceedings with their own brand of annoyance. It was Yondalla who had spoken. "We are messengers, Arcaddes of Darigaaz."

He couldn't quite stand it. Arcaddes allowed a raspy chuckle. "'Of Darigaaz?'"

She stepped forward, and when she touched him it brought a moment of real peace. It radiated from her.

And... hunger. For food. It was strange.

She smiled.

"Your peoples believe we have abandoned them," she said. Pelor grunted in disapproval. She ignored him. "We have not. But our power is weak in comparison, and we could not pretend in the face of the return of the Old Ones."

"And we could not hope to defeat Orannis," Glittergold finished.

"We do not need to explain anything to him," Pelor said.

Yondalla looked up at him sharply. "Yes, we do. We are fickle in their eyes. Beings of fear. We have ruled with arrogance, pretending, when such darkness was out there, waiting. Not even Lolth, in all her cunning and malevolence is a match for Orannis." Her warm gaze returned to Arcaddes, who swore he saw pools of light somewhere in the depths of her eyes. Briefly, he appreciated Halflings. But only briefly. "We three are agents of Darigaaz-"

"For now," said Pelor. He sniffed, looking away. "Until they leave again. Then we will, of course, resume our places."

"We three are here to tell you that there is yet hope, Arcaddes. The wheel is turning, perhaps towards its final days, but they are not all days of sadness. Do not lose hope, and do not lose heart. Darigaaz is proud of you, even if you cannot understand it."

"Darigaaz has forsaken me in this shell of undeath. I chose this path to be sure, but to what point or purpose? To see the Ancient Evil arise again? TO banish him AGAIN? TO HAVE HIM RETURN AGAIN?" Arcaddes' anger grew, power surged through him, indignation like had not felt in years. Who were these fools to educate him on his god? These children at play in their games when the ones who fashioned the world had returned, and he a servant...... once a servant, now a slave... a slave doomed to repeat the same tasks until the end of time.

Yondalla watched him closely for a second. Then, she stood and rejoined Garl. Pelor, for his part, remained seemingly uninterested. She smiled, and again it felt warm. Warm and hungry. "Yes," she said. "And you will fight for the freedom and the future of the planes. Again. Consider, Arcaddes of Darigaaz, that fighting for one freedom is fighting for all freedom - including your own."

"My own? There is no freedom from myself? I chose this life, Darigaaz made me this way, only he can end it, by taking it back..... I will never be mortal again, I know this, the only release is death" Arcaddes responded with resignation.

Yondalla smiled.

And then, there was the great thunder of what Arcaddes immediately recognized as a wing beat. The wind of it blew across them like a storm, and the light and the lesser gods dematerialized like sand. And all was dark. Dark and still; there was no ore pain, no hunger, no pulse, just silence and darkness.

Until two red eyes opened.

Arcaddes fell to the ground in deepest reverence. Even in the utter darkness there was no denying who it was before him.

Darigaaz.

"Greetings faithful servant"

Arcaddes remained prostrate before his deity fearful to move a muscle.

"Rise Arcaddes. It is time we spoke again. It has been to long. Speak freely to me, leaving nothing unsaid".

Arcaddes raised his eyes to his god. There was no dragon before him but what appeared to be a young man, strong, proud that glowed with inner power.

"Greetings my lord." Arcaddes thought long before he dared utter another syllable. Somthing was out of place, something not right. A factor that did not belong in this situation. Awareness fell upon Arcaddes like a crash of boulders. "How are you here? You and the other Ancients cannot enter the plane....unless".

"You are correct in your observation. I am here on this plane". From the folds of his robe Darigaaz produced a glowing orb. "I have made the sacrifice to come here and speak with you personally."

"This is the highest honor my lord. I am not worthy of this sacrifice. You take great risk being here my lord. To great...."

"I can handle myself Arcaddes".

"Of course my lord. What have you to say to your servant?"

"You forsaken me, Arcaddes"

"I have not".

"Haven't you? I have heard no prayers offered, no thanksgiving, no worship. You KNEW of my return, yet I have not heard your thoughts or voice lifted up to me. Your companions all lift their prayers in their moments of need, why haven't YOU?"

"What help can you send" Arcaddes snapped back, "You know better than I the implications of channeling divine energy through this corpse I have come to call myself".

Darigaaz looked upon his servant with pity, understanding coming into his eyes. "It is true, you cannot channel my direct power through your current being. It would destroy you in the end. Yet, that doesn't mean you cannot call upon me for aid. You spent almost your entire mortal life learning to harness my powers and eons of your Lichdom learning the arcane arts. You really think you, of all beings cannot learn to meld the two?"

"It cannot be done".

"Oh can't it. My former servant, your former master has learned the art, do you think so little of your power?"

"Acerak can do this? How?"

"The same way that you will Arcaddes. By lifting your voice to me once more, by seeking my aid when the need arises." Darigaaz strode forward and placed his four fingered hand onto Arcaddes breast. "And with this". He lifted the claw, his claw, from Aroudn Arcaddes neck. It shined brilliantly in the hand of its creator. "I have returned to you Arcaddes, now I ask you, will you return to me?"

Arcaddes pondered this proposition. The offer of such power, such proximity to his deity. "What would you have your servant do?"

"Kill him"

"What?"

"I want you to ensure this is the last time we face Orannis. You and the others will finish what we and our former champions could not. You, with the strength of the other champions, will destroy Orannis, Arcaddes".

"Yes, my lord." Arcaddes pondered his next questions carefully. Fearful of the prospects but hopeful for the answers. "How can this be done"?

Darigaaz held up the Orb. "You know what this contains don't you?"

"Your divine essence."

"Correct. You know that Orannis is coming here, to the plane. He must create one of these to manifest here. You, Arcaddes must find it, secure it safely, and then when Orannis is trapped here on this plane, in a mortal body, you and the others shall destroy him, along with his sadistic World Born Dead"

"Yes, master.... and if we should fail?"

"The plane would be lost, but you already knew that. You want to know what happens to you?"

"Yes."

"You and the souls of the other champions will be safe in our keeping."

"With the others as well." Arcaddes stated assuredly.

Darigaaz stood solemnly, a confused and saddened expression on his face. "They are not with us, Arcaddes."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that their souls never made it to us Arcaddes. Our best hypothesis is that they were consumed in the battle, with the Banishment.".

"NO! Thier souls are not gone forever. I cannot believe this."

"We know nothing for certain.".

"Well then I will find the answers. I must know"

"I shall accompany you, but not here. I am returning now to the others. Save journey, my friend."

"You as well master."

His surroundings emerged again from the blackness. Cavern walls and cave formations surrounded him once more. His companions came into focus, each of them busy with their preperations. Occasionally they would shoot awkward glances at him.

"How long have I just been standing here like this", he wondered to himself. He shook hiself to regain his focus and made his way to Gnaomi.

"Hello little one. May I see one of your gems, perhaps"

Gnaomi looked at him skeptically. Slowly she reached into her pouch and produced the first gem her fingers could clasp. She handed it to Arcaddes, unsure whether he would simply inspect it, turn it into a bunch of flowers, or have it explode in her face. Arcaddes took the gem from her.He studied it carefully, marvelling over the richness of the color, the complexity of the design.

"This is a valueable gem indeed. I would hold onto this if I were you. You may have need of it someday." He handed back the gem and with a nod of his head walked away. She watched him walk as she dropped the gem back into her pouch. Arcaddes walked on past all of his companions, nodding to each in turn, a reassuring nod of hope. Most of them nodded back and then went back to their preperations. He walked to Dido and patted her on the shoulder as he walked by. She rose and followed behind him, seeing what plans he would concoct.

He continued to walk on, and with a prayer to Darigaaz, began to fade away; and was gone.