The Fall of Kolyartus, the Blizzard

By: Agrias Posted on: June 25, 2012

The frozen Tundra landscape glints, like diamonds all aglow,

As the walruses and wendigos move across the burning snow.

The skyline sits precarious, perched upon a mountain range,

And the sounds are all of silence, of a land opposed to change.

Yet not always was this placid scene, so robust and full of peace,

Not always was this wasteland, so full of such caprice.

In the shadows of the mountain, a graceful tower lies,

Guarded by the shuffling golems, with beady crystal eyes.

A wizard calls this fortress home, and rumors of him spread,

The magics that he weaves around, are based in fear and dread.

They say he covets ice, in and on all things,

And a blizzard in a stranger time, they say, is what he brings.

Deep within his tower, he plots his wizard schemes,

And fantasizes of his life, in which he'd reign supreme.

Further north than Maklak's lair, further still to tread,

Lies the village of Hriddan, its chieftain at the head.

The minotaurs are a proud old race, all so willful to survive,

That every day's spent training, to make sure their people thrive.

Hidden in a cavern, that branches out like roots,

Dwells the demon Kolyartus, and his horde of ill-repute.

I remember all of it clearly, though the years have come and gone,

Of the battle and the bloodshed, and the final denouement.

Those days named me a Sentinel, of the forests, I resigned,

To protect Her from Her enemies, was the job I had assigned.

And in those days of youthful flair, I was brash and full of zeal,

That flighty temptress, Adventure, put forth her plaintive peal.

The world was falling autumn, and a cold wind deigned to blow,

When most would see just chilling winds, we became besieged with snow.

Then came reports from city criers, of death and carnage wrought,

And then I knew, when I set out, this fight was what I sought.

Reports continued coming in of good men who were slain,

As an apprentice clad in snowy robes trudged through our treetop lanes.

He spoke of the calamity that the blizzards had become,

And made mention of a icy beast, that sparkled in the sun.

The Spear of the Watchers rested hot and level in my hand,

And I gathered others from my friends, and we formed a motley band.

And we searched all through the snowstorms, the blizzards and the hail,

When we saw a massive, glittering beast, inside a mighty gale.

I tossed my flaming spear at it, but it glanced off of his arm,

And the trailing smoke left nothing changed; it did the beast no harm.

Again I struck, again it failed, and he took to his own attack,

I parried with this living spear, and somehow drove it back.

"Regroup!" said I, "This does not work! We need another course!"

And my rag-tag group then mounted up, and all nerves, there on horse.

We retreated through the blizzards, back to the village fare,

And it was then I saw the apprentice; his breath misting in the air.

Casually our eyes met, and his widened in surprise-

"You can stop him! Yes, you can! With that spear, you'll end his reign!

With that weapon at your side, you will cleave his world in twain.

My gaze at this apprentice, leveled out to meet his eyes,

"Well, I have already tried as such, so you're in for a surprise.

I've already encountered the demon that hides inside the gale,

And tried my attacks with Spear in hand, yet all to no avail."

The apprentice became shifty, and his eyes then looked away,

"I admit I have not been entirely truthful, I believe there is a way."

"Far to the north, in the Tundra's hills, a tower looms the land,

And the master, Maklak sent me here, to gain the upper hand.

He gifted me a circlet, silver pure with studded gems,

And borne me off to strengthen it, and that's when I met..him."

"We've no more time for planning, I know what you must do,

I hope that Spear will lend you aid, and your aim is straight and true.

The circlet I was gifted, now lies upon his brow,

And that is where the Spear should strike, which I hope will bring him down."

A plan to act is a plan to act, I was thankful of the tip,

Though the act itself still troubled me, and I chewed upon my lip.

First is first, as I set out; I will need to track him down,

And my thoughts then drifted back in time, and focused on that crown...

In truth he was not hard to find, his trail of blood quite keen,

Though the way the blizzards swirled around, he was not directly seen.

I ventured out to Thera fair, and briefly paused to check around,

When icy tendrils spread, like a spider's web, racing on the ground.

I leapt to the side as the demon's arm missed me by but a hair,

And my breath grew hard and furious, despite the arctic air.

Kolyartus clapped his hands and glared at me, pure malice in his eyes,

And all that I could focus on, was that circlet, and the demons final demise.

Suddenly from out of the ground, rang a long and chiming din,

As a circle appeared, and from it stepped all of the demon's kin.

They surrounded us, there was no escape, and they closed in from all sides,

And though mounted as my cadre was, there was no way to ride.

Yet my friends and I still withstood, dodging where we could,

I with blades of tempered steel, my friends with shields of wood.

More demons join the fray, and more then, after those,

And all the world is slowing down, caught in the fight's repose.

A cackling behind me, more akin to crackling ice,

And his demons lie defeated, I feel I've cast my dice.

I see him there, mocking us. I see him there content.

I see his soldiers closing in, I see our sad lament.

The days grow long and cold, each precious second leaves,

And this will be our final stand, our kinsman all shall grieve.

A fury builds inside me, and the spear I hold burns hot,

Flames erupt from the massive point, and dance, and leap, and cut.

"I will not fall to you today!" I boom out to the snows,

And I can feel that blessed Spectre Thoth, closing in His throe.

A corona of flame is all I see, the heat is all I feel,

And the waves of power from my spear cause me to sway and reel.

Yet there was a moment in that heat, where the spear seemed to grow with me,

A living, breathing, flaming limb, was all that I could see.

I stand a little taller, wipe the blood off of my brow,

Through the blizzard, sleet and hail, I charge, and I plough.

I draw my arm back, slow and long, the burning spear gives me my strength,

I pour all of my life force in, and a spark dances down its length.

It seems that aim is a trifling thing, I never needed it;

And a nebulous explosion rocks the lands, as the circlet itself is hit.

For a tenuous moment time seems to stop, and flame and snow combine,

Icy flames, and burning snow forge the spear anew as trine.

I breathe in deep as the blizzards abate, exhale as the sun comes back,

And drop the icy spear to the ground with sharp, derisive 'CRACK!'

I follow it as my legs give way, all my strength just ebbs away,

And the roar of battle quiets down, at the closing of the day.

I gaze up to the heavens then, and I close my eyes, relieved,

And my hand closes around the spear, at this victory I achieved.

The sun brings warmth, the breezes, life, which places all in scope;

It wasn't just the lives I saved...I also rescued hope.