The Twice-Enchanted Blade: Part 11

The presence of these people who spoke the Manean language without any contact with the country itself for centuries was fascinating, to say the least. Between our initial encounter and our arrival in the village of Orion’s Watch, everything was explained.

After the tomb was built, a large part of the workers and soldiers guarding it were left behind. It was a part of the plan all along: they were to safeguard the tomb until a claimant of the sword arrived. After a while, the wandering Bele Wode arrived. Until recently one of the many peoples who lived in the Miriyevo empire, they were forced to leave after their homeland was rendered unfit for human habitation due to a cataclysmic magical incident. Diplomatic relations between the two groups were established, and a few generations of peaceful coexistence ensued. Eventually, however, another kingdom called Kharabourma grew to prominence, and its ambition was lofty. A war ensued, during which the remaining Maneans suffered catastrophic losses. Their population was never numerous in the first place, but now they have realized they were on a path to extinction. Thus, they entrusted their vigil to their Bele Wode allies, who swore a sacred oath to continue protecting the tomb.

What little was left of Maneans was assimilated into the local population within a century, but the Bele Wode honored their oath and established the small settlement of Orion’s Watch, where an honor guard, taught to speak the language of their former allies, kept waiting for someone to arrive and claim the sword.

We were the first such travellers to ever arrive, and as such caused quite an uproar in the small community, which didn’t expect their oath would ever be fulfilled. Honor guard members and their families poured out into the streets to see the strange foreigners. We were given lodging in one of the several houses which were kept for specifically this occasion – a small army was expected if anyone were to ever arrive, instead of a group as tiny as ours – and promised to be taken to visit the tomb as soon as tomorrow.

Orion’s Watch was a quaint little village, located at the western bank of a lake they called Barra, just across the island where the king was buried. It was the northernmost settlement of Bele Wode, and since there were no other humans between them and the desert, there wasn’t much need for fortifications other than a wood palisade to keep the beasts away. The houses were wooden, painted in bright blue and green, and often decorated with paintings of humans and animals. Similarly-decorated clay pots were present in front of most dwellings, with herbs and flowers planted in them.

Being in the honor guard was considered an important position, and their entire job was supposed to consist of patrolling the grassland in search of foreigners. Thus, they were given a salary and food, and other goods were shipped from larger settlements to the south. However, as nobody ever arrived for centuries, a lot of them took up farming, hunting, fishing, or crafts such as pottery, in order to stave off boredom. Small fields of rice, sweet potato, and various fruits surrounded the village.

Orion’s tomb was on a small island, visible from the village. After spending the night in relative comfort for the first time in a while, we got up relatively late. The crowd that gathered to see us was even larger than last night, this time including a lot of children, and we made our way towards the docks with great difficulty. From there, we got in two small boats and set sail.

As we got closer to the island, we could make out more and more details of the tomb. According to Bele Wode, it had been chiseled from a single humongous rock, and that story made more sense than any other theory I could think of. Dragging enough stone across the lake to build that monument would have been an unnecessary logistical nightmare.

The tomb resembled a large ziggurat, mostly covered in moss, the visible parts of stone darkened by the passage of time. Yet the most impressive part of the monument was a humongous statue of King Orion, crown upon his brow, resting his arms on a massive stone sword that was stuck in the earth, blocking what seemed like an entrance to the building.

Upon landing, we were greeted by three old men, who were sitting in front of the sword. They wore ceremonial masks and were dressed in white robes. One of the honor guards escorting us whispered that these were the Guardians, three sorcerers instructed in the mysteries of opening the tomb.

Not wasting any time on pleasantries, the three old men begin a chant.

“Know, challenger, that this is the tomb of Orion, King of Kings. Your journey here has been hard, and your skill must be great”.

“But a skill that is merely great is not enough to make you worthy. Another test is needed”.

“Three groups of champions you shall need, to complete three trials. For if you truly are worthy to claim the treasure of the King of Kings, other great men must flock to you like moths to flame”.

“You may send no more than three champions on each quest, and you yourself may be one of them. Yet no champion shall take more than one quest”.

“To the northeast, there is a mountain called Igla. At its peak is the nest of the Great Bird Roc. Inside it, a golden egg was planted. That egg you shall retrieve”.

“To the northwest, a dark forest lies, and in its heart a foul temple, abandoned in ages past. Inside the temple, there is a ruby idol. That idol you shall retrieve”.

“To the west, a marsh lies, covered in mist and illusion. In this marsh, there is a huge tree. At its top, an emerald apple is hidden. That apple you shall retrieve”.

“Once you accomplish those tasks, you shall present the items to us, and the Honor guard shall swear you completed them fair and square”.

“Only then shall we work our magic and open the tomb”.

“We have spoken. Go forth, now, and claim your destiny”.

And with that, the three old men grew silent, and we returned to the boats which were waiting to take us back to the village.