Even Gods Must Fall - Christian Warren Freed Page 0,42
minutes of thought.
“Stop believing some might say, but it is more complicated than that,” Anienam answered. “Gods need us to believe in them. Our faith gives them power and the ability to manifest in greater, different forms. Take away that belief and they are considerably weakened, but not dead. Long ago, or so the histories tell us, the gods were born from stone and rock, water and fire. They stored immeasurable power in Malweir, drawing on it as the ages sped by. Never underestimate the strength buried within the stone at your feet.”
“Wouldn’t doing that keep the gods from becoming more? From reaching their full potential?”
“Indeed. It was as damning as it was meant to be liberating. The greatest scholars theorize that’s the source of the schism between light and dark. The dark gods wanted to pull their power from the ground while the gods of light sought to keep it buried, for all life on Malweir benefited from it. What started as debate quickly devolved into brutal warfare that continues on to this day,” Anienam explained.
“What is the Olagath Stone?” Skuld asked.
“A token of extreme power. There are several scattered across the world. Groge’s Blud Hamr is one. Phaelor, the star silver sword, is another. The very wisest of our races learned the ancient secrets. Some say it was the gods of light who allowed it. I do not know either way, but the lore masters studied and developed their strengths around the power of the gods. Once the war became evident, a council was founded, in Averon. There the leaders of the free world met to decide what to do should the gods bring their war down from the heavens.
“It was decided that a series of stones would be created. Each stone would be capable of power undreamed of. They could confine the gods or release them. You see, the lore masters might have been highly skilled but they were not gods. Their knowledge of the power was rudimentary at best. The stones were flawed. Only one survived the creation process.”
“The Olagath Stone,” Skuld finished.
“Yes. It alone has the ability to free the dark gods from their prison or keep them confined for eternity,” Anienam said with a smile.
“Through the Blud Hamr.”
“Very perceptive. I grow more impressed with your development daily, my young friend,” Anienam complimented. “While each stone was intended on being all powerful, it was also realized that there was the potential for corruption. Even then there were subversive races at work in Malweir’s shadows. Weapons were forged to counter the power of each stone. They too have all been destroyed over time. The Mages were partly responsible for hunting down and removing the weapons from the world.”
“I don’t understand why though. Wouldn’t each weapon be a powerful item to withhold? It seems to me that there is more evil than good in the world. We need all of the tools we can get if we’re going to win this war, Anienam.”
“Yes and no. The weapons were specifically tailored to their stones. Without the stone to draw power from, the weapons were all but useless. The orders of Mages couldn’t take the risk of some dark sorcerer discovering long-forgotten secrets of the weapons and actually finding a way to turn them evil. The weapons needed to be destroyed. So it is that only the Olagath Stone and the Blud Hamr remain. Should we lose Groge or the Hamr, we are lost.”
Silence fell over the wagon. Skuld tried, and failed, to digest what he’d heard. There was nothing natural about the direction his life had taken. Wizard. Magic. Gods. He was just a common thief until a few months ago when he overheard Dorl and Nothol talking about treasure in the Murdes Mountains. Skuld allowed his dreams of overcoming abject poverty to get the better of him and he stowed away on Bahr’s ship. Nothing would ever be the same from that moment. Ever. Skuld was faced with many decisions to make regarding where he wanted to take his life. Few of them were good. All he knew was there was no going back to Delranan. That life was finished.
“Anienam, can we succeed?” he asked.
“I want to believe in my heart that victory belongs to us,” Anienam replied. His voice turned soft. “It will not be easy, or pleasant. Some of us will not live to see the results of our efforts. A sad fact, but an inevitable one. The powers arrayed against us will be greater