Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Интерлюдия пятая: "Лабиринт обмана"

Interlude Five: "The Labyrinth of Deception"

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 19:56

Every eighth, ninth, and thirteenth day, when the first dawn rays touched the crowns of the forest giants, they came here to play the game of ascension. The ancient game, whose rules change depending on the time of day, the position of the stars, and even the mood of the players, was a true outlet for the two ancient Eternals, who could rightfully consider themselves among those who choose the direction in which the leaves on the tree of their Forest would sprout.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 20:24

Both of them were from a time when the Dawn Forest itself, as a state entity, did not exist at all. There was only a group of youth who were too crowded within the confines of the Eternal Grove, who wanted change, and who longed to decide for themselves where their eternal leaves would sprout and where they would fall. In the case of most other races they knew, such sentiments among the young sprouts would have ended in demonstrative purges or civil war. The children of the preternatural stars were alien to the very concept of fratricidal war, and so much of the unseen and incredibly intense struggle was expressed in a web of obscure intrigue and talk, diplomatic scandals, and unspoken half-hints.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:08

Years later, they both manage to realize that they were, in fact, allowed to win back then. The elders anxiously released the young sprouts to create their own garden, just as those who had once released them themselves had done. But then, with the Book of Right, grown from the sacred tree and sprouting living emerald lilies, clutched in their hands, they both truly believed that they had managed to outplay the Council of Trustees, that their youth and willingness to take risks had enabled them to win such a difficult and so sweet victory.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:12

They were let go, tested in an undeclared battle of wits and wills, and allowed to carry their Truth as they saw fit. Not a century has passed since then. A bunch of fugitives, forced to fawn before short-lived kings, hardly begging for protection and patronage and maneuvering between dozens of all kinds of forces and interests, has become a full-fledged kingdom whose borders are respected by neighbors, whose soldiers are hated by enemies and whose intrigues are known to be so perfect that their essence can be understood only by descendants of the current human rulers.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:14

Time flowed, still respectfully circumventing the children of the Stars, not daring to touch their bodies and souls. And the Dawn Forest, like its rulers, was slowly becoming accustomed to its sinlessness, its omnipotence, and its chosenness. No doubt they got the occasional insulting slap on the nose, but those were situations that were what one would call accidents. It's just that sometimes Lady Fortune turns her back on you, and there's nothing you can do about it. After all, a lord of such a mighty concept as Luck didn't care about the Stars' blessing or centuries of intrigue. To be offended or angry at such mishaps is as foolish as cursing bad weather. Sometimes it just happens, and all you have to do is mourn the fallen, learn the lessons, assess the loss of resources, and get on with your business. Flawless, as it has always been before.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:17

They had recently been shown that they were unacceptably arrogant, and their pride had nearly caused a fatal error that could have cost them too much. There were indeed black pages in the history of the Dawn Forest that they tried not to remember, but they were very old stories, often connected to a trivial lack of power and influence. The recent failure was not due to coincidence nor to the smile of Fortune that had fallen to the enemy.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:19

They were outplayed.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:19

Outplayed on their turf, brazenly, foully, and incredibly gracefully in their sneakiness. And losses of such magnitude, even if for the most part they belonged to loyal short-lived servants and carefully trained agents, would have taken many decades to heal, fearing even just to leave their borders. And such reclusiveness has always been dangerous: one century is nothing to the Forest, but only to the Forest. In that century, people can change too much, and here yesterday's irreconcilable enemies fraternize in blood, vowing to burn to the ground the lair of the vile nonhumans who are so annoying to everyone with their webs of lies and deceit.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:21

Sorz has always been a problematic neighbor, largely because it has been an intransigent neighbor and, sadly, a strong one. These people knew how to keep their secrets and possessed phenomenal cohesion, as for a human state. In the history of the Solar Dynasty, there has never been a significant rebellion, even though many have tried to provoke one. Starborn in the first place, sparing neither finance for bribery, nor venom for elimination, nor promises for aid and assistance.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:22

The Sorzs lived with the belief that beyond the border of their kingdom begins a room of no man's gold, and only they have the right to take that gold. What you take is yours. Whom you took is yours. As long as you are not under the eye of the Sun Crown, even the Sun itself does not see you, which means that its laws no longer exist. Steal, kill, deceive, torture, and betray - no one will say a word to you on your return. Only do it all for the good of your native state.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:24

And, characteristically, these short-eared creatures in the guise of humans not only managed to live with this philosophy but also very successfully live and rule. They may not have been loved, but going to war with them, where they receive huge bonuses in their native land, which the Sun is blessed, few risked, and almost no one knew success. Even though the Sorz rarely won in foreign territory, most often at the expense of numerical superiority. They learned how to operate in small raiding parties, arranging real terror deep in the rear of their enemies.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:29

This doctrine did not add to the love of the neighbors, but they had enough intelligence not to quarrel with all at once, and the fact that to smoke them out of their native land is a very difficult task has been mentioned more than once.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:30

In fact, the fact that the sun-worshippers were able to conduct a successful operation against the Dawn Forest meant very unpleasant news. No, it was not a defeat for the elves but a victory for their enemy. An enemy that had stepped up in one fell swoop with an extremely important and meaningful victory that could serve as a springboard for further action. Completely cut out or over-recruited agents, combined with the extreme fanaticism of the local population, making it difficult to train new agents, was to bite the children of the Stars like a poisonous viper. The wound might not be too great, but the lasting effects would not please anyone but the sorcerers themselves, cursing their fates with a thousand curses.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:31

The failure did not happen.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:31

Or rather, it was not allowed to happen, not just by leveling the situation but by redirecting the tipped scales in their direction. The Starchildren had long ago learned to appreciate any help, willing or unwilling, even if they preferred to pay for it only in gold rather than services. But there is such help that it is better not to accept it, no matter how wonderful it is. It is true that in this situation, it might have been an even greater mistake to reject said help than to accept it.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:34

That is why the two eternally young elders are silent, having never made a single move in their game, which has lasted longer than other dynasties. That is why the surrounding forest is silent as if it had died out in an instant, for they sense the iron will of the two immortals, who are ready to explode in action at any moment.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:34

But all silence comes to an end, such is one of the many immutable Laws that are inscribed in the world itself.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 21:37

Elves can speak very beautifully, floridly, and multifacetedly, as any literate person knows or at least has heard. There are legends about the fine language skills of arrogant snobs with pointy ears, and not to say that they exaggerate too much. Even if one bothered to study the complex and unnaturally intricate grammar of the elven language without limiting oneself to a common adverb, one would still understand practically nothing. In order to learn and begin to use correctly the half-tones, the hints, the unspoken truth, and the lies hidden behind it... you have to learn this language from birth. Stellar people also learn how to speak all their lives until the very end.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 22:00

But it also happens that no amount of floridities, no overtures, or deceptions without of lying, can be effective, or even become harmful, taking time and mental strength to recognize the answer and find a suitable argument. In such moments, the children of the Stars speak another dialect of the same language, the exact opposite of that in a peaceful setting. In times of battle or war, away from home, in foreign lands, or even for the sake of communicating with outsiders who simply would not understand overly complicated phrases, they speak differently.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 22:02

Words of steel.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 22:01

This is the name of the technique when your speech itself becomes another blade in your hands, becoming short and curt, which should convey the required order, request or warning as fully and quickly as possible, giving time to react to the changed situation.

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 10:19

They both chose to speak this way, which was already saying a great deal, a great deal. If the two of them had chosen to speak this way in a place that was as solemn to them as their own home, it meant a great deal indeed. Fear and impotent rage, cold calculation and the calm anticipation of a predator, a thirst to protect and ward off trouble-all this mingled in them, in creatures who had long since abandoned the separation between themselves and the Dawn Forest, becoming one with the fate of their greatest achievement.

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 10:20

"The risk is high." The first's words have the quiet rustle of the winds and the sound of spring rain falling on the ground, ready to be replaced at any moment by a fierce storm. "A miss will bring trouble, and a fiery lion will offer no forgiveness."

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 10:21

The coat of arms of the royal family of sun worshipers is mentioned for a reason. After all, the fate of one of them is being decided right now. Already decided, even if there is a chance to reverse the decision. But the first of them knows that the second cannot be changed. He knows all the arguments and arguments that will be told to him and all the answers, with which his opinion will be parried, proving the opposite. And nevertheless, he says them, either to maintain the game as old as the game of forgotten pieces or out of simple stubbornness, unwillingness to recognize the need for risk.

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 10:23

"Risk is always unacceptable." The other agrees through the rustling of leaves and the murmuring of streams without even turning his head in the direction of his interlocutor. "But to refuse it now would be a risk even greater in the future. The tree stands forever, and its leaves should not leave for the future those decisions that should have been made long ago."

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 10:26

The second had once failed to convince the first to destroy the fledgling solar kingdom, though he tried as hard as he did today. The risks were too high, the influence of the firstborn too small, the odds that their intrigue would be exposed, and the allies, enraged by their deception, would unleash their power on the real culprit of their troubles, not on those to whom the elves' skillful diplomats had carefully directed their sights.

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 10:46

"Blood has been spilled for a long time." He accepts the rebuke, bowing his head for a moment in a barely perceptible bow. "No one of us will allow a new one to spill. But that is not what frightens me, as you know."

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 10:48

The real reason for alarm now is not war, for the mercenaries alone are enough to hold back the first blows of any enemy that is close by. And no one will wait to be defeated, neither they, nor their allies, nor their patrons. But there is a certain detail in the proposed plan, the uncovering of which would automatically raise several questions that have been long and firmly buried in the past... An all too recent past for which there is still someone to avenge and shed blood. Star blood.

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 10:54

"Ellarinial will sew all the threads together." Now there is real doubt in the other's voice even though no one else, but an ancient elder like him, is able to discern it. "And the legend will hide the lore in its shadow, as it was before."

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 10:56

There is more in this phrase of wanting to believe that someone on their level is allowed to. But the reason for wanting this faith is also undeniably true. Too many threads have already been struck, and too many old stories have come back to life, threatening to dispel a canopy of secrets that cannot be revealed to anyone, which both of them would like to forget for good. But they remember as they will remember in the future.

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 13:46

"You have chosen a strange weaver, my enemy." There is a bitterness of regret in the former's words, but it is too old and painful a theme, making the ancient rivalry blossom again in a lush flower of poisonous lotuses. "The other two would do just as well. They are better than she is."

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 13:51

The second is silent only one heartbeat longer than he would like, unwittingly showing his own excitement and pain from the decisions he makes. The words of the first are true, but the loyal rival and implacable enemy sees only the edge of the iceberg, which is hidden under the black water of other man aspirations. And the other has only to show the hidden truth, convincing his most loyal of friends that he is right.

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 13:55

"One of them relies too much on her gift, even if her will comes very quickly." His tone was now dry and businesslike, for the subject was more than familiar to him, shifting from political to tactical and professional. "This is good for cases that end quickly. And though time is inexorable to us, it would be a mistake to try to catch it by the tail, making it easy on ourselves. Speed in one will give a weakness that will be noticed by the eye of the Sun. The other... she will not be able to weave the threads for our puppet by simply replacing the puppet itself with a ready-made, new one. The Sun-face should not notice such a subtle counterfeit, but once we've already relied on our superiority, haven't we?"

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 14:32

The rebuke hits the target, and the words fall on the right soil, forcing the opponent to step back to admit he was wrong. They already knew the conversation would end this way, but how difficult it can be at times to move away from the usual rut of events.

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 14:33

"I only pray that you do not make a mistake, enemy of mine." The first one was the only one to say. "We both know exactly what the lion would know if he could figure out our plan and pull out the long-hidden thread."

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 14:34

"I know, the enemy of mine." Answer him in the same second, without even allowing himself to doubt. "She'll get over it. We have given her the most important thing, time. We will encase that time and hide it in the depths of existence, leaving only the ends of the threads, which cannot be found due to the lack of their foundation. And we will wait. As we always have."

Camrad_RIP 10.01.23 в 14:35

"We know how to wait, my friend."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.23 в 07:58

"And we will wait for the result."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.23 в 07:59

With the last words, a thin and graceful palm touches the figure of the armored spearman, moving him a few divisions forward, starting a new round of the endless game. The first left the deserted clearing, leaving the second to stare silently at the board, thinking about something of his own.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.23 в 08:00

He had a lot to think about.
* * *

Camrad_RIP 11.01.23 в 08:00

This artifact was found a long time ago, found almost by accident, having bought it for a truly laughable price. Justifying the sellers of the artifact, they could not even guess about the true potential of the artifact they found, just not having the right qualifications. That didn't stop the elven emissaries from mopping up all the participants of that expedition, as well as anyone else who would have known about the strange and ridiculous find. And the emissaries themselves, for the most part, were either eliminated or, in the case of the most loyal and useful, recalled to the depths of the lands controlled by the Dawn Forest, away from chance encounters. That's assuming a thorough memory wipe, which they also remembered to do.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.23 в 08:04

The artifact looked like the foundation for a small building with three rooms. The unusual-looking slabs of stone that would become the floor of the said building were covered with many subtle and elusive shimmering symbols. The most obvious property of these stone slabs was their incredible strength, making them even more indestructible than some legendary artifacts.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.23 в 08:07

It's funny, but it was as a material for some kind of gate that these stones were sold to fence-sellers who worked for the Fores, and the fence-sellers themselves didn't realize what value they had acquired. The slabs were not parts. It was a place. Put them as a foundation, build a house around them, close its walls, and you know what you got. What luck that the black archaeologists found this thing when all that was left of the walls was debris and ruins!

Camrad_RIP 11.01.23 в 08:09

Once inside these walls, Time itself retreated, obediently stretching out in such a way as to best serve those inside. Not such a rare ability, though powerful, very powerful. Thirty days in one - there are few accelerating rooms of the same caliber. But the limitations of this place are also too many to apply to the same training everywhere.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.23 в 08:10

First, it is available only once a decade to a single intelligent person, and not necessarily endowed just having a mind is enough. Try to go in again, and no warp will occur, as if you were entering a normal building. A month before the exam is certainly a very good help... but to find another use for this place, you'd have to try very hard.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.23 в 08:11

Secondly, this house was certainly spacious enough to live there comfortably for thirty days, given the availability of water and supplies, but it was not suitable for active training, which cut off most of its value. So, this a simple little trick in case you need to urgently create a work plan and do it quickly. Which is uncharacteristic for long-lived elves.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.23 в 08:13

Almost all the inhabitants of the Dawn Forest regard it as a testing ground, unaware of its true nature. No disbelief, but it is better not to give even a single clue to enemy clairvoyants or, in a far sadder case, to enemy executioners. But some knew what would happen if a strictly dosed amount of energy was applied to the signs from a very fragile reservoir located inside the largest of the plates.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.23 в 08:14

The Chambers of Oblivion took away memories.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 22:04

Literally.

Camrad_RIP 09.01.23 в 22:03