The Punishment Of The Gods (Omnibus 1-5) Read online

  As a name, it was a symbol of the strength and preeminence of the Galvahirne people. But Daryas never quite fit the description. He was constantly ridiculed and taken advantage of as a child. He was not weak, but for whatever reason, he refused to defend himself. His father taught him and his brother to fight, but Daryas would never put what he had learned into practice. Against all the conventions of his people he refused to defend his honor, which to all others seemed to be more important than life itself. To his mind, solitude and silence seemed more virtuous than a good name.

  He was quiet and obedient, but nevertheless a poor student. It was not that he was lacking in wisdom or intelligence, but for whatever reason he seemed to be cursed with a sort of apathy that kept him from striving for the honors that his birth and education were expected to bring him.

  It was always in his father's mind to train his sons for the defense and preservation of Noras, even as his own father had done. Every day they were trained in the arts of combat as well as the politics of Eastern Weldera. Daryas' brother learned all of these willingly and enthusiastically. Daryas, however, was driven through his education like a beast of the field. In his youngest years his mother quite literally had to restrain him and teach him his letters by force. As he grew older things remained much the same, and the only thing Cheft Biron could do to coerce him into studying was to threaten him with depravations.

  Regarding Goblins

  But whether Daryas was prepared or not, war had come to Noras. Scouts arrived in Galva on the fifteenth day of Primus with dreadful news. Goblins had been seen on the slopes of Mount Coronis and the villages of Wesla and Cronla were all but abandoned.

  'Only the burnt husks remain where the homes once stood,' the scouts reported. 'Only those who were too old and sickly to fight now remain. All the others are either slain or taken. Many men lay dead upon the ground, but of the women and children we have seen no sign.'

  Of course those who were taken had no hope of rescue, for the goblins are not human enough to demand ransom. That would require a sort of cunning with which nature has not equipped them. 'Of the women, they will too soon learn the ways of the goblins, and the children will too soon forget the ways of mankind. My only hope,' lamented Cheft Biron as he spoke to the Galva Council, 'is that they will learn and forget swiftly, and suffer little. But we must be mindful, my brethren, that whatever course we take, whether we march or stay, we can do nothing for these poor stolen lives. If we stay, we leave them to their misery. But if we march, we bring Death upon their heads by our own hand.'

  'Nevertheless,' Cheftan Ponteris added, 'we cannot leave such crimes unavenged. These goblins must be stopped, lest we find ourselves gathering again to discuss the ravaging of Oastir-la and Lavri-la in a year's time. These children and these wives and mothers - we must think of them as we do our own beloved families. Would we leave our blades sheathed if it was our own towns and cities that were being razed and robbed by these wild men?'

  With these words and many others Cheft Ponteris and Cheft Biron moved the Council to action. 'We must act with urgency,' Ponteris said impassionedly. 'For the other Clans of Noras will not be so eager to come to our defense should these goblins encroach upon our lands. As it has been from the beginning, it is to Galvahir and his sons that we must look for our protection.'

  He spoke these words to the Galvahirne, and he knew that they were well received. For the sons of Galvahir, more than all of the other Clans of Noras, understood the dangers these devilish creatures represented.

  But there are many these days, particularly in areas far removed from the haunts of these wild men, who have only a very inadequate notion of what a goblin is. To listen to some talk, you would think there was very little difference between a goblin and a man. On the other hand there are those who see them as stupid animals and no more. But as is very often the case, the truth lies somewhere between the extremes.

  Those who belittle the goblins as simple brutes are both unwise and unskilled. The creatures are lacking in reason, but they are clever nonetheless, and only a fool would belittle the danger of an enemy who combines strength and cunning with passion and instinct.

  Many otherwise great warriors have met their end for being of this unfortunate opinion. Old Cheft Ghinges, who led an army of two-thousand men into the Megd-la pass to drive out the goblins in that region some two-hundred years ago, was of this mistaken belief. With two thousand he entered the passes, but scarcely four hundred men returned, all because he took their nature for granted. Thinking them to be less than human he marched against them expecting his brilliant stratagems to grant him the victory. But goblins do not respond very graciously toward strategies! The natural passions of the wild men combined with their unpredictability are more than enough to frustrate even the most carefully crafted plans. Many proud incursions on their territory have been quickly transformed into humiliating retreats for lack of this consideration. It is true what they say in the Dadron schools, 'In all the arts a little knowledge can be more perilous than a great deal of ignorance.'

  This is, as most of the lore of Dadron is, very sound counsel. But equally true, though said in less refined terms, are the last recorded words of the misguided Cheft Ghinges: 'These devils have no regard for strategy! They are an army of madmen.' A lesson learned, but at too late an hour!

  And of course goblins don't care about things like strategy. Aside from the basic animal concerns like food and water, goblins are primarily motivated by two principles: Envy and Emulation.

  It is basically understood that goblins will do nearly anything for something shiny. They will pay any price, risk any danger, and suffer any torture for the sake of something that happens to captivate their desire. This concern forms the foundation of their societies.

  The goblin who possesses the most wealth becomes what we refer to as a 'hob-goblin'. And his rule is established by cleverly sharing his excess with the groveling hordes of goblins that want what he wants but don't have the strength or courage to take it from him. He accordingly gives the most presents to the strongest goblins to 'court' their loyalty. These 'Orcs', as they are commonly called, become his bodyguards and protect him from the weaker goblins.

  This is a delicate system, however, since the moment it seems apparent that the hob-goblin is vulnerable and that another can take his place, he is swiftly and mercilessly overthrown. Hob-goblins do not die of old age.

  Such is the motivation for the 'higher' goblins. The lesser, for whom power and privilege is unattainable, are guided by a pathetic sort of imitation. They 'emulate' each other, copying to the most minute detail the behavior, attire and even the noises of the other goblins; especially the 'higher' goblins.

  Aside from those, like poor old Ghinges, who are confounded by their underestimate of the brutes, there are others who find themselves just as perturbed by overestimating the wisdom of their foes. Those who see goblins as more human than animal are wholly unprepared for the horrors that follow in the wake of a goblin conquest. For all intents and purposes, goblins have no conscience. With a little thought, anyone can come to this conclusion by his own reflection; but I think that we often take it for granted exactly how horrid a creature as clever as a goblin can become. Human soldiers, as hardened as they may become will by necessity retain some fleeting sense of humanity. But it is precisely that humanity which the goblins lack. They do not think of the future; they do not consider the consequences of their actions; in fact they do not consider much of anything that is not an immediate concern of their senses.

  That is not to say that goblins have nothing that resembles a conscience. It is well known that they empathize with their own kind. Some goblins have been known to even risk their own lives to rescue their companions, especially their own kin. It is said that a goblin mother is the fiercest of all protectors; and in far away lands, where goblins are seldom seen, children's rhymes have even been written about these ferocious mothers.

  But aside from these guttural sensitivities
the goblins have no real sense of justice, no sense of honor, and no sense of decency; at least none that resembles the more developed moral faculties of human beings!

  On the battlefield this characteristic has a terrifying effect on even some of the most hardened warriors. Brave though they may be, there is no way to prepare for the terror that comes from an enemy that does not hesitate in its strikes, and does not wince at the sight of blood.

  But in terms of mere appearances humans and goblins are actually quite similar. They are both somewhat ape-like in form and both rely more on cunning than on strength.

  The chief difference then would seem to be the strength of reasoning that our spoken languages provide. It would be very alien to my purposes here to give a full explanation of the dependence our superiority over the brutes has on our ability to utilize language, but suffice it to say the mental capabilities of humans and goblins are almost in every way the same, save for this one difference. But as history has shown, it is mankind who raises himself above the other beasts and lives in stone-hewn walls with roaring fires to warm his feet while the goblin lives in frigid mountain caves with the rotting bones of his ancestors tucked in every reeking corner.

  There was a well-known case that occurred sometime in the previous century in which a young goblin child was captured by hunters in the southern part of the Noras Forest and came to live among the humans for a time. As might be expected, he was at first carted around in a cage from town to town to be shown to gawking women and children. 'A True Wild-man from the Mountains!' was the way they announced their spectacle. And for at least two years this scheme was quite successful. But inevitably the people lost interest and the child was abandoned. He survived, it was believed, by stealing fruit and meat from some of the merchants in Daeva City and by catching fish in the Libron River.

  Some wealthy widows who lived at the time in the country just outside of Daeva took a liking to this boy. They paid a great sum to have him apprehended and carried off to their estate about a half a day's journey north of the city. The ladies pampered the boy 'mercilessly'. At least that is what they were accused of, however peculiar an accusation that may be. They gave him every comfort that their great wealth could afford. He was bathed and groomed, and his hair was neatly cut and combed. In every way they attempted to change him into a human child. They even had a switch made of soft wood that they would use to 'discipline the brute'.

  And as goblins excel in emulation, their design almost seemed to work and the boy once again became a spectacle. In his early adulthood, he became quite handsome to look at, a quality that attracted no small amount of attention from those idle rich women whom have little more to do than whisper and giggle about secrets and scandals.

  He never quite learned to speak, though he came to understand what was said to him with almost perfect clarity, or so it was believed. He even seemed to be able to imitate some of the more gentlemanly behaviors like bowing and kissing the hands of noble women. He became so proficient at this that there was even talk of having him take a wife and live on his own. Some stories, all of them from many years later, even describe him memorizing and reciting speeches and poetry to seduce various maidens and princesses. While that is almost certainly untrue, it does allow us a glimpse at the degree at which his reputation for imitating all things human had arrived.

  But all of this dreaming came to an abrupt closure. One particularly harsh winter was all that it took to reveal that the brute was in fact, still a brute.

  The roads to the ladies' estate were impassible due to an enormous snowfall. And for nearly an entire month the estate was completely cut off from its source of provision. This depravation proved to be too much for the brute and he 'just went mad' as the servants later described.

  I'm afraid that I must close my description of this creature here; for the crimes, if it be right to call them crimes, were so gruesome and so disturbing to the rational mind that it would not be fit to even hint at them.

  There was a trial and a sentence and for the last time the poor goblin was made a public spectacle. Naturally he showed no sign of remorse, except that throughout the whole trial he hid his hands behind his back. Some of the servants of his ill-fated benefactresses later explained that he was always struck on the hands with a switch when he was 'a bad child'. Apparently this youth was cunning enough to understand that what he had done would bring him some sort of punishment. But he was certainly not rational enough to comprehend the shame and wickedness of his betrayal. He was hanged the morning after his trial.

  Hopefully this anecdote will suffice to illustrate the nature of these creatures to those who may have had little experience with them. Experience is the master teacher, however, and I'm afraid that no matter how well I describe them I will leave only an inadequate idea of what they are truly like.

  The Land of Noras

  It was not uncommon for goblins to be seen in the Coronan Mountains. They had lived in the secret paths and caves of the western mountains for several thousand years, even before the coming of the Noras. But before I say anything more about these, I had better make my reader a little more acquainted with their land and its surroundings.

  In the Northeastern corner of the continent the Ancients named Weldera there is a land called Falsis.

  Now Falsis is one of the colder regions in Tel Arie. For at least three months out of the year the land lies buried beneath deep mounds of snow. The third winter month of Frohest is notoriously brutal. Were it not for the exceptionally fertile soil to be found in the eastern plains and the abundance of deer and other game in the northwest woodlands it would be difficult to imagine any group of people deciding to settle there.

  For many ages this land was a neglected wilderness inhabited by barbarians, delvers, goblins and many other evil things. But a strange and bold race of men who were to become known as the Noras appeared on the eastern shores about two-thousand years ago. They grew in numbers and strength until they had either eliminated the barbaric men who preceded them or absorbed them into their own ranks. It is not known from whence they came originally, though it is most likely from some place in Olgrost or Vestron, which lie far to the east over the Kollun Sea.

  But they were so fierce and strong that they swiftly overcame their enemies and subdued all the land from the eastern sea to the western mountains; altogether their country was more than seven-hundred leagues from east to west and just under five-hundred leagues from north to south.

  In the northwest the Coronan Mountains marked the edge of their dominion. These mountains stretched from the Frozen Sea in the north to the Gap of Amla some three-hundred leagues to the south. But the mountains also stretched out toward the east along the northern shore for about one-hundred and seventy-five leagues. It was in the shadow of these mountains that the Noras met their doom and their destiny.

  Coronis, or 'the Crown', is the tallest mountain in Weldera, rising high above all the other mountains around it. It was called Coronis because of the effect created when the sun passed over its peak on its daily journey. Each evening as twilight came, the 'Sun itself crowns Coronis, lord of Tel Arie, with its golden rays.'

  Tucked between Mount Libros, the eastern-most peak of the Coronan Mountains, and Falguar the southernmost peak, was a great forest of pine trees called the Gavl Wood, from whence the name Galvahir is derived. In this enormous forest the Noras encountered the fierce devil Agon.

  Being ignorant of the danger, and having been promised blessings and prosperity, many of the chief families of the Noras moved their people into the Gavl Woods. But they were deceived, and soon found themselves the slaves of an evil god, who demanded their very flesh as a sacrifice. For nearly five-hundred years they suffered under the bondage of Agon, until the Nine Heroes of the Noras appeared.

  As terrible as things were within the forest, things had not gone much better for those on the outside. Time and war conspired against the Noras and they were soon beaten back by the swords and spears of Knarse invaders fro
m Titalo. The Noras either fell on the battlefields, fled into the darkness of Gavl, or surrendered their cities and their daughters to the golden-haired conquerors.

  But even these bold men would not dare approach the shadow that lay over the forest. They fixed their border at the Libron River, which flows south from Mount Libros. They left seventy leagues at least between them and the edge of haunted Gavl, where the last remnant of true-blooded Noras dwelt.

  The eastern portion of Falsis became known as Daevaron and its people were from that day on a mix between the golden-haired Knarse and the stout Noras as well as many other races that later came to settle along the eastern shore.

  Some fifteen-hundred years ago, with help from the Fortress of Dadron, the Nine Heroes of Noras appeared in the Gavl woods and fought against the devil-king Agon. They drove him out of his dark lair and over the mountains of Coronan, forever to dwell in the wastelands beyond.

  The Nine Heroes divided the forest of Gavl, which they renamed Noras.

  Each portion of the forest was named after one of the Nine Ancient Heroes. Nestled in the northwest corner of Noras was the land of Cossa-la, where lived the descendants of Cossa who were called Cossirne. To the east, from the crossing of the Gavl River to the edge of the woods was the land of Dae-la, where the sons of Dael dwelt. Their land stretched fifty leagues from the Northern Coronan Mountains south until the land fell away into the lowlands of Lavri-la, home of the Lavrilirne. The sons and daughters of Lavri held the largest piece of land in Noras, stretching from the border of Dae-la for over one hundred leagues to the south where the forest ended.

  South of Cossa-la, running south along the western foothills were the lands of the Shaflirne and the Megdlirne. Beyond these lands the land of Coran-la, where the Coranirne lived stretched out under the shadow of the Great Mountains of Coranan, of whom Mount Coronan was chief.