“It is the hard choice” the Druidess admitted, eyeing Cuihuil evenly “as hard as any the Ui have had to make before, but it will be made nevertheless”.
“My people will never accept it, they would prefer death than this!”
“Then they shall have death” the Druidess told him. She looked no longer young now, her eyes filled with the power of driachta.
“You all know this, the Fall has ended our paradise. Your lands, your tir are dying and your Ui are dying with it. Only the lar Riocht can sustain us now. All of the Ui must return!”
“To abandon our tir, how could the gods ask such a thing of us?”
“The tir is dying, not even the gods can prevent that, the battle with the Accursed has crushed their enaidi preventing any aid to us their people. The tir will be inherited by the new peoples, more suited to survive in these changing lands. That is our fate, the fate of this world!”
Cuihuil seethed with anger but did not speak.
“It is a hard fate the gods have left us with, this is true” Luithiul spoke to all of them “the Ui will return to the lar riocht and the alien races will depart from here and spread out across the world!”
“Can the Rifts not be opened once more? Return these aliens to their homeworlds?”
Cunuillin spoke for the first time. Her voice was shrill and desperate.
The Druidess shook her head.
“The Rifts were the power of the gods, a use of driachta beyond anything we are able to summon. The aliens will never be able to return home”.
They had known it, they had all known it. The three rifts had only opened for that brief time of battle but with the Accursed’s destruction they had collapsed, trapping the aliens in this world. The surviving Druids had spent the last year attempting to re-open the rifts but had failed every time. The aliens that survived this last year would be with them forever.
“It is time that they join this council. They stand below the Duncathair, awaiting our summons” Luithiul said.
“They have no place at this council, only one of the Ui may stand upon the sacred ground!”
Luithiul was not surprised by Cuihuil’s ire, the Ui Si would always hate the aliens.
Thuill turned on Cuihuil.
“They have a place Ui Si! They died just like us upon the Duncathair and have continued to die in the time afterwards. They will never return home so this will be their tir now! They deserve a say in their own fate!”
“The gods will not look kindly on us allowing such a desecration” Cuihuil declared, Cunuillin nodding in agreement.
“The aliens have chosen those that speak for them, they will be admitted to this council”
The Druidess’ words brooked no argument.
Luithuil motioned to one of his warriors who stood behind them waiting. The Elf nodded and trotted off. The aliens would be brought here to speak their piece before the Ui made their choice.
A fragile peace had endured around the Duncathair for the last year.
It was only a matter of time however before the many peoples grew too restless and embroiled themselves in strife. Already there were rumours of small battles being fought between the Sakhm’Yvar and the Goshaen in the deeper jungle. Further stories spoke of the rising hostility among the tribes of mankind. How long would it be before the violence spread and consumed them all? The lar riocht could not contain such multitudes any more.
The alien representatives made their way up the side of the Duncathair escorted by Ui Ulaid warriors giving Luithiul a little time to study them.
The Ankhamunite was a short and dark man with a long braided beard. His deep set dark eyes were painted under the eyebrows in the manner of his race. A large nose protruded above pursed lips. Of the human races the Ankhamunites were the most proud and showed little interest in understanding driachta. They worshiped the sun as the Ui did but named him Akhenaten and burned living things in sacrifice. They boasted how their civilization had been far greater than anything Ui could offer and yet they came to this land with only the clothes on their back and a few small possessions. He spoke the tongue of the Ui perfectly showing a deep intellect and yet his tone was one of loathing, his resentment of having to speak the alien tongue buried deep in his heart.
The Yurathian Ri was tall and muscular with long blonde hair and beard. His skin was fair and his eyes a light blue. He had long ago discarded his heavy clothing that kept him warm upon his cold homeland and now wore the softer garb of the Ui. His people had suffered the most of the four human races. They had come through the rift the greatest in numbers but a year of the Shivering Sickness had ended nearly two in three of their people. He had only buried his wife a moon ago, another victim of the normally mild sickness it seemed that no human could weather. Like all humans the man wore his sadness on his face for all to see. He took his place beside Thuill, nodding friendly greeting. Luithuil could smell the stink of cooked flesh upon him. Involuntarily his stomach grumbled. It had been a year since he or any of the Glenduir had last tasted the meat of a living thing and knew he would never do so again. Such was the Druids’ command though it had come too late to save the Ui from this fate before them.
Next came the Kushum and Sian. The Kushum was as tall as any Elf and wisp thin. His skin was a deep ebony and he wore flowing orange robes around his thin frame. His ears and lip were elongated with wood jewellery and he carried a long staff, a symbol of authority among his people. He alone of the humans seemed comfortable in the heat of the jungle though when he spoke of his homeland he talked of an endless desert that had consumed his people’s lands before coming through the rift. The Sian stood by the Kushum. He was a small man, golden skinned with curved eyes and short black hair. His beard was oiled and pointed which he continually stroked with his hand. They stood together, minorities among the greater numbers of the Ankhamunites and Yurathians.
The Dwarf of the Goshaen world seemed too young to represent his people here but Luithuil knew he spoke their tongue better than the other Thegns. He spoke in the Dwarven tribes interests though only the gods could understand what common interest the Dwarven Thegns could hope to forge such was their division. He was short and wide like all of his race with a powerful upper body and arms. His face was deep set with large black eyes and a ruddy complexion. Luithuil knew that this young Dwarf had sat with the Druids every day for seven moons learning the lore and tongue of the Ui.
“I am Roald, son of Imyrr” he announced to the others in the manner of his people.
Behind him came his companion, young in years like his master.
“I am Rhirid Cadaern, son of fire and stone” the young warrior proclaimed.
The Dwarves had brought armour and weapons of iron with them, far stronger than anything the humans possessed and unlike anything the Elves and Sakhm’Yvar had ever encountered. Despite this strength they were a deeply divided people, prone to fighting amongst themselves and engaging in cruel passions.
The Sakhm’Yvar representative was one of the larger beings of his race, taller and more intelligent than his smaller brethren who were little more than the beasts that roamed the jungle. Like the humans he had been chosen for his ability to speak the Elven tongue rather than having any real power among his people. Many of the Sakhm’Yvar races had chosen not to attend this meeting. Many of them had already departed the lar riocht, seeking out new lands to the north without the guidance of the Ui. Luithuil doubted that many would survive the journey – only the Elves could navigate the depths of their jungle and hope to live. He wore no clothes at all and his green scaled skin glistening gently under the twilight.
“You are all welcome to this council my friends” Luithiul addressed them.
They were not mollified my his warm greeting he could see. They returned the greeting as they always did, echoing the same demand they had since the first months after the Fall.
“Let us go” the Sakhm’Yvar told the Elves firmly.
“Let us go” said the Ankhamunite, threat he
avy in his voice.
“Let us go”. There was a deep regret in the Dwarf’s words but was nonetheless resolute.
The Yurathian nodded sadly. Of all the humans he stood closest to the Elves yet he too longed for somewhere far from the lar riocht for his people to settle. He spoke the tongue of the Ui haltingly but with a great passion nonetheless.
“A hundred years or more have passed since our own Fall, when the Accursed wrought destruction on our world. Our land and gods were broken and for a century we withered and died, until but a shadow of a shadow yet lived”.
“Our world was already dying when the Accursed came” the Sian lamented “our ancient ancestors brought ruin to it, forgetting to love nature, to revere the gods…”
The other humans nodded in agreement.
“..then the portals opened and we the people and our gods , both nearly lost to death, abandoned our beloved home and came to this world!”
“Aye, such is our story” the Dwarven Thegn agreed “the Accursed, as you call him, subverted the hearts and minds of our peoples and even the gods themselves. He tainted the soul of our world and in the end left it in death and ruin. On such a wasteland but a handful of my people survived and would not have lived much longer had not the portals opened to this fair land!”
“Our sorrow is greater” spoke the goblin “the Accursed took the lives of all our gods and tainted the very soil and trees of our land so that nothing would grow and give sustenance to those that yet lived. For five centuries my people eked out an existence, growing fewer and fewer, godless and alone. Only the portals allowed us to survive and bring vengeance upon the Accursed!”.
Luithuil nodded.
“Your sorrow, all of your sorrows, are well known to the Ui. Our gods heard your cries in the darkness and opened the rifts so that all of us might join and defeat the Accursed, who has blighted our worlds. Thus, on this holy ground, revered by my people since the dawn of time, we defeated him and freed the world from such an evil!”
“Our sorrow continues” the Yurathian spoke again “as does yours Elvenfriend. How many have died in the last year to sicknesses we have never seen before. How many of the Ui have fallen to the Black Sickness of my world, how many of my people have perished to the Shivering Sickness of yours? The stories say that once my world was like yours, covered in the thick jungle and beautiful. Mankind lived in peace there but now we have changed. We can never live in a place such as this!”
“Nor can the Dwarves” the Thegn spoke with regret and a little sadness. “The Dragons have already departed, taking with them our lore and wisdom, we must follow them or be lost forever!”
The Sakhm’Yvar nodded.
“The Sakhm’Yvar cannot dwell here any longer. Our peoples need the wind and ice to flourish. The heat and wetness of this land will end all of us if we tarry here much longer. We must search out new lands, new gods, if we are to have any hope of salvation!”
“We have decided that we will go with the Ui Nin” declared the Yurathian “we would continue to learn of driachta and the lore of the Ui”
The Ankhamunite sneered at the mention of the power. His people refused to recognise the driachta as the Yurathians did. The Kushum and Sian, as always, kept their own council at the mention of it.
“Our world was destroyed by the Accursed because we lost the old ways. We forgot the gods and wallowed in lust and greed. We must regain what we have lost or truly face our end!”
Thuill smiled at the Yurathian king.
“Your people’s company will be most welcome brother. The time of dying is over I think, the Black and Shivering Sicknesses have done their worst upon us. We shall go together to the northern forests where the air is not so thick and the water runs purer. There we shall ride the eagles together and build strong halls to keep out the night!”
The two kings, human and Elf, clasped hands. They had fought together on the Duncathair as strangers, now they were as brothers, a rare occurrence upon their changed world.
The Ankhamunite spoke.
“We shall leave these lands and journey east. We are weary of the jungles and have no desire for further company with the Ui. We will forge our own destiny now and worship Akhenaten the Living Sun under open skies!”
The Kushum and Sian kings nodded silently in mute agreement. Whatever the Ankhamunites plotted they were not alone in their planning.
Cuihuil’s face was like thunder.
“Be warned human, the lands to the east are the tir of my people. The Ui Si will never relinquish them easily. We will come for you I promise that!”
The Ankhamunite sneered at the Ui Si.
“You are welcome to try Elf. In this jungle with its fell beasts and dark vapours we have been weakened, but on the open lands to the east we will thrive and gain in strength and numbers. There you will find us no easy meat!”
“You show little gratitude to us human. Were it not for our hunters your people would have starved long ago. Remember that!”
Thuill was not given to anger but he truly hated the arrogance of the Ankhamunites. It had taken the power of all the assembled Ui to feed the alien races. The jungle had been exhausted to near depletion as the Elven hunters ranged further and further to find ever scarce prey. Yet another reason for the aliens to depart these lands. It would not be long before there was nothing left to hunt and then they would all starve. The aliens could not eat the fruit and nuts of the forest, it made them sick. Only the flesh of wild beasts could sustain them and soon there would none left.
Luithuil sighed. The Ui Si and the Ankhamunites would never know peace. The Elves burned with the despair of their dying tir and the humans held a similar fire in their hearts, believing themselves a chosen people, beloved by their sun-god Akhenaten. If there was to be war however, it would not happen here, in the heartland of lar riocht, where such strife might embroil all the other races and result in catastrophe. No, it would occur upon the dying grasses of the eastern plains, away from such dangers.
The Druidess addressed the aliens
“When Suthien rises once more you will all leave this place. Your old homeworlds are forever lost to you and I pray that you and your gods will find happiness and contentment upon this new world. The warriors of the Ui shall lead you out of the lar riocht to the jungle borders. You will depart as our friends but know this.”
She paused for a moment, her face hardening.
“The lar riocht is closed to you now, it’s tir inviolate to all but the Ui. If you enter it unbidden you will die. Find new lands, new destinies, live well and prosper but do not return here for you will only find death waiting”.
The aliens departed. Some left as friends, others as enemies and some, only the gods knew what intentions they held within their inscrutable hearts. Again the Elves were left to their own council.
“We err here brothers and sisters” Cuihuil spoke bristling “we should slay them all now while they are weak and close to spear and shaft. Let them flee, to seek out new lands and they will settle and grow. In a few generations their numbers will grow to dwarf us and we will be destroyed!”
Some of the others murmured agreement though Thuill looked troubled. Luithuil understood their worries for he shared them. Many of the Ui wondered what the future would hold with the coming of these aliens. They were but one, the aliens three, and eventually these new races could grow to devour the original inhabitants of this land. Some spoke that they had only survived the Fall to be destroyed by an even greater evil lurking in the hearts and ambitions of these aliens.
The Druidess stepped forward once more.
“I have spoken!” she answered firmly. “The Druids have spoken and all must heed their words, even the Ui Si!”
Cuihuil bowed his head to her but his face still held anger.
“Why do the gods place this burden upon us we do not know. Perhaps it is the price we must pay to have defeated the Accursed. The aliens have brought us nothing but death, that is true,
but it is not their doing and they have suffered as we have suffered. For good or ill we are no longer alone in this world. We must share it though whether we will share it in peace or strife I do not know…”
“It will be in strife, of that I am certain” Cuihuil answered darkly.
“Perhaps” the Druidess replied. “but it shall not be the Ui who darken their hands in blood first. If the alien races are too given to greed and violence let them slay one another but let them do it far from the lar riocht. This is our new homeland now, peaceful and inviolate. This tir shall sustain us and keep us strong and if the Accursed were to return we will stand as we have always stood, with spear and bow in hand. The Ui will stand guard over this world, eternally prepared!”
Despite her youth the Druidess had much wisdom Luithuil observed. She was wise enough to know that no one, not even those close to the gods, could fathom what was to occur now. Their world was gone, irrevocably destroyed by the Accursed and the Fall he had wrought. A new world was rising from the ashes. Where there had been one people now there were four and only the gods could know what future held for any of them.
“Brothers and sisters, the Druidess speaks the truth. We do not know what fate will echo from the deeds of this council. Our world has Fallen, our tiriu lost to the strong dark winds of this doom. All that we have left now is our obedience to the gods and our duty to the tiriu, the land and people. The Ui will stand ready, eternal sentinels of this world, awaiting for the day if the Accursed must be faced again!”
On that day they spoke of much more. They spoke of past times of innocence, of those loved ones they had lost, of the sickness and madness that had consumed their world. They despaired at their fate, was this the end of their world or was it the beginning of a new one? They spoke even as night fully took them, holding council until Suthien arose once more.