Jaru and the Ivory Mark - Part 1

By: Hieyoko Posted on: September 29, 2007

It began shortly after the assassination of Lord Makarta.

Slowly, those who had hunted Jaru before the protection of the head of the Ivory Mark began returning to the village, bringing in their wake the carnage of years past. The villagers, who had grown accustomed to being able to wander the streets in safety, began to flee to the nearby City of Shallam, some opting to flee even further to the conflict-sheltered walls of Cyrene in an attempt to preserve their lives and the lives of their loved.

The Great Mother's refusal to allow several individuals to return seemed to seal the fate of the village. Within months, few remained - whether for duty, stubbornness, or resignation.

The Sleeping With The Fishes Inn was forced to close due to a lack of patrons. Charlie's Taxidermy went bankrupt, as well. Jephrey pushed his cart in the direction of Delos, intending to speak with Eithne, the Sweets Merchant, and was not heard from since. The Mayor became the only individual to patrol the streets, his appearance growing more haggard every passing day as he observed the empty streets and vacant shops.

A thought flashed through his mind - "Maybe it's for the best if even I flee..." - he discarded it immediately. "It is my life's calling to preside over this town, regardless of its state."

He ran his hand along the broken mechanism used to close the gate, and sighed wearily. It had been the first thing destroyed when the renewed raids began, and none remained who were able to fix the intricate mechanisms within. With a final glance about himself, he turned around, planning to complete his walk before resting for the night.

The short walk to the home of Lord Makarta seemed to grow longer as the buildings lining the streets fell into disrepair. Stepping through the doorway, he slowly paced the room, murmuring softly, "Lord Makarta... I cannot believe that you have left us here to perish."

"He hasn't, you dolt."

The voice from the shadows startled Mayor Cotridge, and his hands instinctivly flew to his face. "Oh Gods, please make it quick!"

A figure cloaked in ivory robes emerged from the shadows, his figure shifting from ghostlike to clearly material with a simple gesture. "If I had intended to kill you, you would have been dead before you walked through the door."

The Mayor murmured a quick "Thank You" to the Great Mother as he lowered his hands, surveying the stranger from the shadows with guarded interest. Adorned in pure white and wielding a silver bow made from birch, the presence of the individual seemed to radiate power and confidence. The glint of a

needle-pointed dirk and the iron tip on a slender whip triggered alarms in the head of the Mayor, and he stepped backwards slightly, bumping against the wall. "...who are you? Why are you here?"

The ivory-robed individual smirked slightly, revealing silver-tipped fangs. "I am a protege of Lord Makarta. My name is not important. My purpose will be revealed in due time."

Mayor Cotridge opened his mouth to speak, but the individual snapped his fingers in front of him, and speech became difficult.

"You will soon forget that I was here. I will contact you, and the village, when I am ready. Go home and get some rest - they are coming, and I have preparations to make."

The Mayor's mind went blank, and he vacantly returned to his home.

---

The panicked cries of a little girl broke the silence of the morning.

"OH MY GODS! SOMEONE COME QUICKLY!"

The Mayor started from his sleep and peered out of the nearby window, his eyes darting nervously about the area. Upon seeing the frightened face of the little girl, her kitten squirming uncomfortably against her tight grip, he shouted a quick "I'm coming!" and rushed through the front door, reaching her just moments after Charlie, who gathered her in his strong arms and gently soothed her.

Neither adult was able to comprehend her frantic, sob-choked babbling, and several minutes passed before she was calm enough to form coherent sentences. In broken words and a hushed, fright-filled voice, she spoke:

"The garden - the streets - blood - things don't bend that way - hanging..."

Charlie's face darkened. "I need to take her to Shallam. They have healers there. Don't do anything until I get back, you hear me? The last thing this village needs is a dead Mayor."

Mayor Cotridge's brow creased in thought as he poured through options in his mind. Nodding vacantly at Charlie, he slowly said, "I'll be fine. Go take care of your daughter."

Charlie returned the nod, and with a concerned look on his face, strode eastwards towards the Jewel, the sobs of his child drowning out the soft mewling of her kitten as they vanished into the distance. Mayor Cotridge paused slightly, struggling with himself as to whether or not to return to his bed and pray for safety, but his concern for the village quickly overrode his fears and he began a slow, cautious patrol.

"I hope it wasn't Jephrey's parents... they're far too old to defend themselves, and they've been wrought with worry ever since their son disappeared. It could ha--"

His hands flew to his mouth as he rounded the corner and witnessed the scene that the girl had described.

"Corpses!"

The bodies of several black-robed individuals - he recognized them as recent raiders - occupied the area near the shattered garden and the nearby street. A young Maldaathi knight, his swords still gripped in his hands, swung slowly from a rough vine noose dangling from a large tree. Near his feet, the crumpled form of an Apostate was spread-eagle on the ground, his legs mutilated beyond repair by ordinary means and his head resting at an angle indicating that his neck had been neatly snapped. The pale, bound figure of an up-and-coming Naga rested in the middle of a massive pool of blood, his throat bearing multiple gashes of impossible depth.

As he turned in horror, the sight of a final individual caught his eye - a headless, transmogrified Occultist, his mouth flecked with vomit and his skin covered in gruesome burns and small puncture wounds - and the Mayor sprinted away in a blind panic.

His trip took him to the gates - how he got there, even he was unsure, as he was certain he had initially ran towards Shallam - and an animalistic, frightened whimper escaped his lips.

"There's no way... it has to be some monster, a thing of Chaos lost from the Mhojave or something... even the Ashtani aren't this brutal in their slayings... Shallam would never leave the corpses... who c--"

His speech caught in his throat, and he slumped to the ground as he saw the message painted in blood where all who enter Jaru would be sure to see -

A NEW IVORY MARK NOW GUARDS JARU. THOSE WHO ENTER WITH ILL INTENT WILL FIND ONLY DEATH. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

The head of the Occultist rested on a pike near the message, flies already swarming around the gore.

"...what has begun?"

Mayor Cotridge leaned forwards, vomited, then returned to his bed, his slumber filled with nightmares.