The first time anyone stood at the foot of Fort Barator and saw the twisted golden-red eye shrouded in flame-like mist, coldly looking down on the land. Anyone would feel fear from the bottom of their heart.
In the depths of those scarlet-gold pupils, there was a deep darkness that could make one sink into it. It had a power that could make one's soul tremble.
Elminster carefully avoided its gaze. He was dressed like an ordinary wizard, limping through the streets and alleys of Waterdeep City. From time to time, he had to avoid the drow patrols wrapped in sinister armor. He didn't even dare to use his handy magic tricks in case he was discovered by Morgoth's Eye in the sky.
The Eye of the Arcane Spellcaster that hung at the top of Fort Barator ruled the entire Weave of Waterdeep City. Elminster could feel the intense heat from the silver flames. This was Mystra's anger. The Eye of Darkness was a projection of Morgoth's left eye on the ground. In its line of sight, nothing could be hidden.
It was the Eye of the Weave, usurping a portion of the Weave's authority like a virus. To a certain extent, it was a blasphemy against Mystra's throne, and the last person to do so was the famous Casas Divinity Sealing Spell, which led to Mystra's death. The Eye of the Weave was like a cancer, parasitizing Mystra's body.
With the Eye of Darkness as its core, Elminster didn't dare to reveal any traces of himself. Be it Halaster Blackrobe or the fallen Kelburn Blackstaff, they wouldn't mind using him to please their master. Even if Elminster was in perfect condition, he wouldn't have any chance of winning in the Mystic Lock, let alone now that he was heavily injured.
The streets were filled with dark evil creatures. Heavily armoured orcs and ogres were stationed outside the city, while the drow, necromancers, and the Bloodhand gang were in the city.
Morgoth's lackeys were cruel and cunning. Under the harsh rule of the Demogorgon of Darkness, they followed the order set by him almost numbly. Under the rule of this' iron rule ', Waterdeep City was unexpectedly peaceful. Rather than saying that he ruled the city with tolerance, it would be more accurate to say that he didn't care.
The Demogorgon of Darkness gave his subordinates strange requirements of 'seriousness and liveliness', causing these bloodthirsty and cruel monsters to perform all sorts of funny acts. They had no choice but to do all kinds of funny things. They cruelly cleansed the city while acting like clowns.
Scantily clad drow, their uniforms no more than three yards of fabric.
Dead souls that grow flowers in their skulls.
The ever-elegant, smiling, well-dressed member of Blood Hand.
The city had a strange sense of beauty and atmosphere that even Elminster couldn't describe. The Dark Lord had turned this place into a city to practice his aesthetics. The dark, tranquil art floating on the galaxy and the ocean seemed to be a poem frozen in time and flowing in the mortal world.
The tireless dead souls were transforming the city, making it more and more distant from the mortal world, with blood, flowers, and cruelty. Dark, adorned with chanting and poetry. Praise the beauty of life. City of Evernight!
As Elminster walked through the city, he felt a sense of tranquility and emptiness from the depths of his heart. Even his thoughts seemed to be stretched out and frozen here. He could feel the poem that the Demogorgon of Darkness had written on it. It was a hymn to darkness.
Elminster wasn't fooled by the appearance of the city. He felt troubled and wary of all these strange things. The Demogorgon of Darkness was different from the demons and evil in the abyss. He was more secretive and confusing, and the light of order on the Demogorgon of Darkness might not be a joke.
Going around the square where the banshees were singing, Elminster carefully avoided the dead souls that were tending to the plants by the roadside and turned into the Dragon and Beauty Tavern. This was a relatively safe base for the Harpies. Thanks to the Demogorgon of Darkness' arrogance, this place hadn't been attacked.
"The tavern is closed! Come back another day! " As he pushed open the heavy oak door, the bartender's hoarse voice came from behind the counter.
"It's so cold. Let me have a warm cup before I go!" Elminster rubbed his hands and stepped into the tavern. The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, and the smell of burning oak brought him a sense of comfort. Several travellers, shrouded in cloaks and robes, were sitting round the hearth, and looking round at him.
"It's so cold! The streets are filled with bones that don't have any warmth. Oh, and cold banshees. This winter is colder than usual … "Just as Elminster was nagging like a normal customer, a sword covered in frost landed on his shoulder." Who are you? No one here has seen you before! "
"That's not necessarily true …" Elminster laughed as he took off his hood. "Alustriel, it's been too long since we last met. Have you forgotten your old friend?" He quickly hung his coat on the rack and locked the tavern door.
However, the cold blade made him stop and hug her passionately. This time, Alustriel even pulled out the blade. "What good news do you have for us? Did my husband betray me? Or is it Waterdeep City's warm welcome to us? " She pushed the blade forward and pushed Elminster against the corner of the wall. "You have to give me an explanation for what happened to Kelburn. You have to give me an explanation as well as the Goddess!"
"I will! My Lady! " Elminster had no choice but to raise his hands. "As you've seen, we suffered a terrible defeat against the darkness. The City Guardians and City Sentinels were the first to betray us, followed by the major guilds. Most of them chose to watch from the sidelines. We and the major temples fought back, but the darkness spread over us like a tide. "
"But this has nothing to do with Kelburn's betrayal!" Alustriel said angrily.
"Kelburn has the ring of the Dark Lord, one of the nineteen rings that represent his power in evil and darkness. It has the power to bewitch people, a temptation that no one can resist. It's part of the essence of the universe. The more powerful you are, the more you will be tempted, until your soul falls into it. Kelburn was captured by this power! "
"He tried to use this power to break free from the corruption of the darkness that the Dark Lord brought to his plane, but he fell into it."
Alustriel looked at him calmly and finally removed the blade from Elminster's shoulder. "I hope you can help him. The power of the Goddess is severely rejected here, and we need your wisdom. The Dark Lord's power grows stronger by the day, and as long as Morgoth's Eye exists, countless monsters will be summoned and become his captives. "
Elminster looked around and saw two people hidden under black robes sitting on either side of the fireplace. One was a tall, mysterious wizard with a staff in his hand, and the other was a graceful lady.
"The Demogorgon of Darkness has been paying close attention to this place. Why are you risking exposure?"
"For the light!"
The mysterious wizard answered, standing up from his chair. He was too tall to stretch in the room, and he walked clumsily to Elminster. "For the hope of fighting against the Dark Lord, Mirko!"
When he got closer, Elminster's eyes widened in shock. He saw the same face as Chen Ang, but this Chen Ang was even more sacred and handsome. He had a suffocating aura about him. Even in the dark room, he radiated holy light.
"Don't be surprised. This is the white-robed wizard Saruman, an ally of the gods against Mirko!" Alustriel hurriedly stopped Elminster from overreacting, introducing him to Elminster.
Chen Ang nodded calmly. His current identity belonged to the light and good side. Although the one with the Supreme Ring was also the Demogorgon of Darkness, that was only an identity formed by a part of his power attached to the Supreme Ring. "Greetings, Great Sage of the Shadow Valley," Chen Ang said with a nod, and his hood slid off his head to reveal his full appearance.
"Greetings, respected Great Elf Wizard!" Elminster's eyes were unreadable. He looked at Chen Ang and the other black-robed wizard, his gaze focused on Chen Ang's slightly pointy ears. They represented the divine essence of kindness and light, as well as the blessings of nature and the world. They circled around Chen Ang like a hymn of praise.
Compared to the elf that Elminster was familiar with, Chen Ang and the other female elf were so beautiful that they didn't seem to belong to this world. They were elegant, ethereal, and possessed the divine essence of immortality. Every single one of them was a demigod.
"We were all born from the Gemstone, Enu. The world is made up of light and darkness. When Morgoth was born, we received the blessings of the world. We were born with the Gemstone of Light, and we share the great divinity of the Origin Force with Morgoth."
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
