[RamDez]

Book of SpiralHorns II: Chapter 3 - The Deceiver

The darkness closes in. The Leviathans onslaught, like that of the Horsemen, was more sustained than furious, more persistent than decisive. But in the end, the SpiralHorns could not meet the challenge and another battle is lost.

The homeland is in ruins. The unity of the Legion is fractured. There is talk of desertion, though no evidence of this is visible. What is seen is a division among the ranks.

One side remains loyal to the Great General. Led by the Furies of the Southern regions of the Legion, this group holds firm in their belief that the clouds are passing, that the storm is a mere Summer squall. The other side questions the leadership of the General, and wonders if the captains were truly ready for the battles that have been fought.

AvengerRam is torn. In his heart, he still feels hope. He still senses the proximity of the path of glory. But his eyes and his mind do not see what his heart feels. Rather, all that is seen is a path of darkness and despair. AvengerRam knows he cannot act as a seer. So he addresses to the Legion, and tells them that the prophesy of the redemption of the Legion's destiny may not have been a vision, but rather a mere fleeting hope.

With these somber words and a heart heavy with doubt, AvengerRam takes his leave of the Legion as they travel to the Southern GulfLands. AvengerRam begins a quest to find the great stone where the prophetic words were inscribed. But the stone cannot be found. Instead, a warning is heard on voice of the wind:

Beware the Deceiver,
the teller of lies,
He muffles the heart,
and then clouds the eyes.

His words you have known,
Since this quest was begun,
Denounce this Deceiver,
Help the Legion be one.

AvengerRam cries out "who is this Deceiver! Was it he who inscribed the prophesy that now seems but false hope? Am I to unite the Legion in the abandonment of false hope? It that truly my role?" The wind does not answer.

And so AvengerRam rides South to rejoin the Legion, as they prepare for battle with their bitter foe, the Scarlet Pirates. And the one-time seer is too troubled with the questions of his heart and mind to see this battle's outcome. He can only sense its ferocity and its animus, and he knows that the SpiralHorns are no longer on a quest for glory, they are in a war for survival.

AvengerRam shudders with fear at this thought, and then, strangely, he smiles.