The Empire might be dead, but chances are shadows probably still aren't welcomed in these parts. You're not afraid of a fight, but you aren't sure just how much manpower and support this warlord has and there is no need to take unnecessary chances. Besides, some of the shadows traveling with you have actual families; if there is going to be growth in this organization then you can't risk them.

"Okay everyone, we're heading off road. I'm warning you now, we may have to drop baggage if need be, but until then, we're continuing our journey to Delerg. I also want all of you Eternal shadows to cloak yourself and walk on our perimeter. If you see anything or anyone that might be hostile, don't reveal yourself, but instead report to either me, Cyrus or Talia directly and take a position that will allow you to ambush any interlopers when the time comes."
"Won't we look like an easier target with less people visible? Shouldn't we have a show of force instead?" Cyrus asks.
"We could, but we'd likely be attacked anyway since we're probably going to be outnumbered here. This way at least we'll have the drop on anyone who decides to attack. There's no easy way to do this, better that we play to our strengths and use stealth. That's why I want to avoid the roads altogether."
"Very well Shadow Master." Cyrus remarks.

As you continue your journey across the long stretch of uneven fields, Talia comes up to speak to you.

"I think you've made the right decision in traveling off road like this."
"Hope so, we're pretty open out here. I'd hate for some platoon of patrolling archers to start firing at us."
"Well the cloaked scouts around us should give us a little warning at least. That was a good idea too. In fact I'm pretty excited about this whole journey. It's a new chance to start over and I think it will do everyone some good…though I hope we will find a book or writings of the old ritual to open up the portal to Dendrin again."
"Well, it's a pretty old ruin and in swamp. I don't think we can get our hopes up too much that anything like that survived, but that doesn't matter right? I mean if people are going to follow Dendrin, then he'll find a way to reach them surely."
"I suppose you're right, I just…well it's silly I guess, but the new batch of eternal brothers and sisters never got properly indoctrinated by Dendrin and I think it would do them well to hear his words from his own voice."
"I don't think we need to worry about their loyalty or dedication at this point, you've probably trained and taught them better than anyone could've about the ways of the shadow save for Dendrin himself."
"Yeah…maybe that's what's needed..."

Talia at this point gets very quiet. Her face shows a combination of fear and guilt. It's obvious she wants to tell you more, but now she's afraid to.

"Talia, let's ride over there from the rest of the group for a moment." You say.

Talia nods and rides off and you tell Cyrus to take oversee everything while you talk to Talia privately. When you ride over next to her she's in the middle of crying.

"Talia, I don't know what this is all about, but you know you can tell me and not be afraid about it."
"I'm not afraid of you… (sob) I mean I know your feelings for me are so strong that you'd probably be willing to overlook almost any transgression and that's partly what I'm afraid of, because (sob) I don't want you to get in trouble because of my decisions."
"Wha…? How am I going to get into trouble? What IS this all about and start from the beginning."

After calming herself, Talia begins to tell you what exactly is troubling her and she starts from the beginning which apparently was three years ago. She tells you that she caught two of the male eternals raping one of the female ones in a storeroom and that she did nothing about it, because she wanted to see if they suffered from infertility like the old eternals did. Instead she let the two males off with a warning and convinced the victim that something like this would never happen again. She also tells you that of course the female never got pregnant so it would seem the infertility also exists in the new eternals as well.

"And you never thought to tell me this before?"
"You had other concerns on your mind and I had it under control, or at least I thought I did…"
"What? What happened?"
"While we were waiting out the snowstorm, remember how Brother Seminai broke his neck while coming back from look out duty? He slipped on some ice and fell down the stairs?"
"(Sigh) Let me guess, he was pushed?"
"Sister Grace did. It was apparently in retaliation when he had raped her two night before. She told me and begged me not to tell you since she didn't want to be punished for harming another shadow…it isn't her fault. Its mine, I should've taught them all better, I am their mother and they are my children and I've failed them."

You shake your head at this point. You know Talia's always had a maternal instinct towards the eternals, but you didn't think it would go this far. You also have always known the newer eternals to be a bit more "wilder" but that only seemed to be in battle and you could easily rein them in. You never realized there was a deeper darkness within them and who knows how many harbor these undesirable traits.

"Okay, first question. This Brother Seminai and Sister Grace were they also the ones involved three years ago? I mean is this a repeat action?"
"No, those were three different eternals."
"Wonderful, I was hoping to limit my worry. Anyway, I know we're low on the women folk in our order, but I think you know we can't tolerate wanton raping just because their horny and undisciplined."
"I know and it was wrong of me to keep this from you in the first place…I just wanted our order to flourish with the blood of eternals…I mean yes I have hope that the shadows will at least grow, but we're also eternals and we will eventually die out."
"Well, if these new ones are displaying these types of traits, maybe it's better that we do. I mean I don't pretend to be a devout clergy man that does nothing but good deeds and I will always have a desire for battle, I think most Eternals do having it bred into them, but I've never committed cruelty for the sake of it."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm not sure yet, but my other question is why did you think I would get into trouble?"
"Because while you knew nothing about this, you would still be innocent in Dendrin's eyes and because I know your love for me is such that no matter what you decide punishment won't befall me even though it should. Dendrin I fear would not look favorably on you if you decide to do nothing to all those guilty after hearing what I've told you."

It's funny, but you've been keeping a bigger secret than Talia for decades. You almost feel like telling her that Dendrin isn't going to give a shit what you decide especially since he hasn't seen fit to even speak to you in years.

In any case, you probably need to do something, though you just aren't sure it needs to be now. You're in the middle of potentially hostile territory and settling an internal dispute might not be the best thing right now. Still the new eternals are going to have to be dealt with on some level and the sooner the better. As for Talia, she's right in that you wouldn't do anything to her, but it is somewhat surprising that she allowed this to happen. She might be a bit delusional, but you still love her. You give her an answer that should seem impartial though.

"Talia, I need to know the names of the brothers involved in the rape three years ago and I need to know of any other eternal who has displayed potential disruptive behavior within the shadow order. I will have to consult Dendrin on this and decide what should be done with them…and you."
"I…I understand. I know you must be fair on this matter and I will accept any judgment that Dendrin sees fit to give."
"Well, I will have to as well and despite you only just now telling me, I may still be in trouble as well. After all as Shadow Master I really should've been more aware of my own people, but don't worry about me. I will beg Dendrin for his forgiveness and that of all involved in this. Perhaps he will show mercy."
"We can only hope." Talia replies and tells you the names as the two of you ride back to the group.

Later that night you continue to ponder whether or not to dispose of your more troublesome followers. Granted the two in question haven't done anything in three years, but that potential is always there, and so are the ones that haven't done anything yet, but show signs of it. You can only guess this is more due to their breeding not anything they've been taught since they still uphold the tenets of being a shadow without question and that's a bigger problem.

If you kill them, is it going to stop there? All of them came out of those Derro tanks and who knows what the hell kind of magical concoction is coursing through their veins to make them behave in such an unstable manner and why is it becoming more of a problem lately?

It's times like this you almost wish that you actually COULD call upon Dendrin for his help…

And why can't you?

What could it hurt?

If you actually pray to him for help and he doesn't listen, then nothing was lost and you're back to what your plan was originally, which is dealing with the situation yourself in a violent manner.

Of course if he actually does listen, he might very well help, but with a "catch." You've known Dendrin for too long to know that when he does help, he doesn't often do it in anyway that could be considered generous.

You pray to Dendrin

You never thought you'd ever be doing this willingly…

"Dendrin, if you're still watching me, we need to have a talk and you probably know what it is about already. So have your giggles if you must about all this, but I'm asking you for your help and I mean real help, not cryptic answers or hollow words. And if you don't listen to me, then I suppose I'll figure it out myself as usual."

About ten minutes later after your "prayer" you drift off to sleep and find yourself in a place you haven't been in a long time.

"Been a long time Eternal. While I'm glad to see it is you who initiated the dialogue for a change, I am a little hurt though that you've only called on me because you need help. But I suppose any progress with a cynical soul like you is better than nothing. Why its almost like you're taking a leap of faith…"

Great he's going to milk this for all its worth.

"Anyway enough of that, what can I do for you exactly today?"
"Well I figure you being all knowing and all, you're already familiar with the dilemma, so I was hoping that…in your benevolent wisdom, you'd see fit to help me."

A loud chortle echos throughout your mind.

"All knowing and benevolent wisdom is it? A word of advice Eternal, don't attempt to grovel, it doesn't suit you. Though I do appreciate the attempt as it shows there is hope for you after all, which I always believed would be the case. The answer is yes, I will help you."
"That's it?"
"Yes. What? Is there more you required from me?"
"No, but…well what are you going to do exactly?"
"Get rid of your problems of course."
"That's what I'm talking about. You're not being specific, I mean for all I know your version of getting rid of my problems means killing me."
"My dear Eternal have you gained faith in me only to lose it so quickly? (Sigh) I suppose this is a bit too much for you. Very well I shall explain MY end of the bargain. When you reach Delerg, I want you to go to my temple and in a very hidden location on one of the walls near a pillar you will find a button. Press it and you shall recover most of the lost shadow history in an area below the temple. One of the books includes the ritual to open up the portal to my realm. Send your remaining Eternals into it and I shall do the rest."
"That…that's almost exactly what Talia had hoped for when she suggested this journey."
"Yes, I know. That's because she's a believer. So if you're still wondering what my price is, it's just gaining more loyal followers that will no longer cause potential strife within the order… and the assurance on your part that you will be doing your best to restoring my temple to its former glory."
"Of course…wait you said remaining Eternals. What did you mean?"
"Oh you'll find out soon."

Suddenly you are pulled out your state of numbness and into the real world.

"Get up! We're being attacked!" Talia yells and picks you up by the arm. A bright light is illuminating the nighttime sky along with several fire arrows. You roll under a wagon to avoid immediate danger.

It would appear General Ackerson's men have discovered you and have attacked in force. They're being smart about it too, attacking at night with archers and unfortunately also a couple of battle mages who are making the darkness disappear with their spells.

"How the hell did they sneak up on us? I had scouts around the perimeter to avoid this sort of thing!" you mutter to yourself. Doesn't matter now you suppose, what you have to do is get the hell out of here as fast as possible. You don't like running, but you'll end up losing more people if you stick around and fight. Besides, there are probably more troops behind the archers or at least on their way.

"Everyone, grab what you can, head for those hills, speed up and cloak!" you shout. Talia and Cyrus both repeat this order so everyone can hear it. You sort of figured you'd end up dropping most of baggage, but probably not exactly like this!

The soldiers are still shooting at you of course, but they're doing it blind. Some of the mages get a few people though by blindly throwing fireballs in the general direction. Of course not every shadow has listened to you, some of them decided to run in the direction of the soldiers instead. These are some of the eternals of course. As you get closer and closer to the hills, the arrows and fireballs have seemed to have stopped altogether, it seems as if some of the eternals have managed to tie up the troops by engaging in close combat with some of them.

The next few days also involve some fighting with more soldiers in the hills, but since it's mostly swordsmen you're got more of an advantage on your side and you lose no more people. Eventually the attacks stop altogether. You've either gotten far enough away, or General Ackerson has decided it's not worth losing any more men over.

You take a head count to see who is still alive and you now understand what Dendrin meant by the "remaining eternals" as most of the ones who did die were eternals. (Specifically the same ones Talia gave you the names of) Talia also asks you if you consulted Dendrin's advice on what is to be done about what was discussed before.

"I believe our recent attack has solved some of it, and Dendrin told me that when we reach the temple, he will solve the rest. He also said that you were right all along, we were meant to take this journey. I think we had to suffer a few losses before the shadow order can truly move forward." You tell Talia, she seems relieved that you or her aren't in trouble with Dendrin.

When the hills begin to flatten and ground starts to become soft, you know that you've reached the Delerg border. Brother Theo takes the lead from here and compared to your journey through Quala its downright uneventful other than annoying groups of Sul-monkeys that throw things from the low trees every once in awhile.

Eventually you arrive at the temple and everyone is filled with a great joy. You figure you should make some sort of uplifting speech about triumph and such, so you do. Then you tell everyone to start exploring the temple and get settled in where they can, you'll worry about fixing the place up later.

The inside of the temple is in surprisingly good condition. You waste no time in seeking out the stone "button" that will open up a secret place in the temple. Eventually you find it (which you doubt you would've been able to do if Dendrin hadn't told you) and descend down.

What you find is better than you could've hoped for when you first arrived and that's living quarters for what you presume would be for the old shadow high priests or whatever. It isn't fancy, but it's fairly clean. You imagine that this place hasn't been accessed in centuries. The walls are very solidly made so it doesn't even look like signs of any natural intrusion have occurred either. Just as Dendrin said, there is a fully stocked library which no doubt contain most of the shadow's history and wisdom, and more importantly the ritual that you can use on the eternals. Talia, immediately starts looking through the books while you and Cyrus explore the rest of the place.

There is one "room" that sticks out which isn't man made and that's a small natural cavern, which seems to be an underground garden of some sort with a shallow stream of fresh water flowing through it. Blue glowing fungus lights up the place and there are no exits other than the small openings the water is flowing through. Cyrus takes some purple berries off one of the bushes and pops them in his mouth and remarks how good they taste.

"Looks like we won't have to worry about clean water immediately, even our food can be supplemented here. Dendrin provides as usual." He says.
"Indeed and while I know we all serve Dendrin, rank also has its privileges. I'll be sleeping down here in one of those bedrooms with Talia." You remark.
"Heh, well there are three of them from what I've seen, surely the Shadow Master doesn't need ALL of them." Cyrus replies.
"Well I might've needed them to store belongings, but since we dropped most of them, I suppose I don't have any problem with you and Draven taking one of the rooms. How is Draven anyway, if it wasn't for you, I'd probably forget he's even with us."
"Oh he's fine. He's always been a bit more on the quiet side as you know."
"Mm, well since I'm in a generous mood, I guess Brother Theo and Sister Yvette can take the third room. The pair of them have helped the shadows in more ways than I can count. Besides I know they got something going on with each other, have no idea why they haven't bonded properly yet though."
"Maybe they don't want to be tied down to one person?"
"If that was the case, I wouldn't see them together almost all the time. I swear since we first kicked the Empire out of Rask, those two have been practically joined at the hip."

Before Cyrus can agree with your observation Talia steps in and interrupts.

"I found it! I found the book! We can perform the ritual!" she exclaims.
"Already? That was quick. Okay, well you study it and we'll get to it as soon as possible."
"But you are Shadow Master my love, only YOU can do it properly." Talia says and thrusts the book upon you.
"Oh…well I suppose my magical abilities have come a long way from what they used to be. Very well then, I shall study this tome and we can give the new eternals a proper induction into the shadows like we all were right?"

Talia and Cyrus both nod at your remark.

You excuse yourself and retire to your bedroom to begin a long night of studying.

You time passes...

Year 46

Took long enough, and sometimes it never seemed like it was going to happen, but you've finally restored Dendrin's temple. Restoring it wasn't easy either, especially not one as big and in such disrepair like Dendrin's. The surprising thing is you've not only restored it in appearance, but in use as well.

The one of the first difficult things was getting the stone. Delerg isn't exactly flush with rock quarries. The second difficult thing was getting help to restore it in the first place. The shadows might be great warriors and have more knowledge than the average peasant, but nobody in your ranks is a laborer or into masonry. Obviously outside help was necessary.

Fortunately since the fall of the Empire, Delerg had once again become a quiet place with no "leader." Most of the inhabitants were content to go about their simple lives like they once did before the Empire. When you arrived in Sinkhole, to ask around for workers to try to restore the temple, some couldn't volunteer fast enough to help.

This need to help you, was a combination of a few things. The most important one being that Delerg was always shadow friendly. The Empire may have ruled it for a while, but the respect that its people had for the shadows was always greater. The shadows after all were once the main protectors of the area before the Empire.

Combining this with the fact that the shadows were the main ones who helped influence so much rebellion and caused the destruction of the Empire, it was only natural that you were as warmly embraced like you were. Good thing too, because you certainly didn't have the coin to pay the workers in the first place!

As the temple was slowly being restored, more people started flocking to your aid. Some of these were old rebels that the shadows lost contact with when you started consolidating your forces in Rask. They remember you though and offer help in any way their skills allow.

While you were always a little surprised by how much free help you were always willing to get, what surprised you more is how little you really needed to do to get it. These people had no one telling them what to do or how to live anymore, and yet a lot of them seemed to be in a big hurry for that to change by becoming Dendrin worshippers! You understand gratitude, but to willingly surrender a portion of your earnings and time to serve an invisible being that you had no proof existed, while some guy claiming to be his "representative" tell you how you should live seemed like a step backwards for them at least. For you though, it was all beneficial as eventually some of these devoted souls wanted to become full-fledged shadows. Naturally you accepted them into your ranks provided they could pass through the testing.

Right now things have been better for you than they have ever been. You've got a nice restored temple, a fair sized congregation, the ranks of the shadows are slowly starting to grow again and most importantly you haven't had to deal with any problems with the new eternals (Now known as the Shadow Blades) ever since they all went through the ritual. Dendrin was true to his word on that, just like you were true to yours by restoring his temple.

Still, even after directly helping you, you still can't bring yourself to "worship" Dendrin. Not really. Part of you feels like it was the least he could've done after all the stuff in the past he's put you through. Another of part of you feels as if you've "repaid the debt" by restoring the temple.

He's probably granted you more power as you've noticed your magical abilities becoming superior to everyone else's and it taking much less effort, but again you still feel no sense of "awe" in Dendrin that would cause you to willingly worship him as a god.

To you, he's a very powerful being that is a whimsical ally at best. You've come to realize that he is probably deserving of your respect in regard to his power and you always keep that in mind when up keeping the charade of his religion. Perhaps it is enough, or at least it'll have to be since you don't see yourself changing your mind on the matter anytime soon, especially when you've been trying to figure out what your next big course of action should be.

The problem with a lack of conflict is that you find yourself very bored. Even in Rask, the monotony was broken up with the occasional giant or ogre attack. Here in Delerg there are no such great dangers surprisingly enough. Most dangerous swamp beasts prefer to stick to their own stomping grounds which all seem to be away from your part of the swamp and Sul-monkeys aren't a threat so much as they're an occasional annoyance when large groups of them decide to use the temple roof as a mating area! The last time you had any true conflict was when General Ackerson's men ambushed you and part of you hasn't forgotten that incident. From what you know, he's still in power and sometimes you'd like to change that just on principle.

Quala is still an area in a power struggle between competing warlords, but so far there have been no attempt by any of them to expand into Delerg, probably because there isn't much here in the first place save for swamp. Not to mention there are most likely trickles of news coming in about the return of the shadows to Delerg. Most of the warlords being ex-Empire probably would like to get some sort of revenge, but know that their losses would be considerable if they even attempted such a thing, so you are left alone.

Talia and Cyrus seem to be content with how things are now, why can't you be? Funny that you were concerned about the new eternals being restless and getting themselves into trouble, while here you are considering starting a fight because your bored with peace! The only real reason you can think of is petty revenge on General Ackerson and that's not a very good one even if you could easily tell everyone that Dendrin told you all to go kill him.

In your moment of introspection, you take another look at what you've accomplished. You went from being a lone unbeliever practically trapped in an organization that was determined to overthrow an enemy several times larger than itself to the victorious leader of said organization, which is now thriving under your watch.

You probably could defeat Ackerson, but at what cost? Last you heard he has thousands of men at his command still and that includes a few battle mages. The shadows may be growing slowly, but that's just it, slowly. You don't have anywhere near the numbers to start raising armies. Sure, you have the entire support of probably all of Delerg, but that doesn't mean much in the scheme of things if most of the people aren't warriors. You kill Ackerson and take his territory then what? You hold it? How long can that last with the numbers you'd have left? You doubt if the people of Quala would be as supportive, if anything they probably blame the shadows for the miserable warring state they live in now. This doesn't even factor in the OTHER warlords in the area. They may all decide to gang up on you and if you're in any sort of weakened condition they may even press their attack into Delerg itself.

No, the risk doesn't seem worth it compared to the petty gain. The shadows have never been about conquest and they probably shouldn't start now. However, that doesn't mean you should stay idle. Peace is fine, but perhaps there is a way of initiating conflict without actually doing it.

It occurs to you that the warlords of Quala won't always be fighting. Eventually one of them is going to win or manage to unite the area in some way. When that happens then Delerg might be in potential danger, so it would be in your best interest to make sure that doesn't happen. Keep Quala weak and disorganized while keeping Delerg the opposite.

You start sending in shadows into Quala to get a good idea of what the situation is there, but not to actually do anything yet. Theo is mostly in charge of this due to his previous experience of working extensively in the region during the Empire war. Eventually after a couple months you have all the information you really need and ready to put the second part of your plan into action, which is to keep the region destabilized. This is going to include sabotage, misdirection, more spying, and assassinations, all those things that play on the strengths of the shadows.

"I like it. So when do we start assassinating people?" Cyrus remarks causing Draven to chuckle.
"Well, we probably should decide who needs it first. Some of the leaders sound so incompetent that it might be better if we left them in charge." Talia adds.
"Shouldn't we have some sort of plan before doing this?" Yvette asks.
"We do have a plan, I just explained it." You say not understanding why she would ask such a question.
"I…think what my wife means is should we not have a greater plan other than sewing chaos. I do not presume to disagree with your reasons Shadow Master, but I do believe that causing discord for the sake of doing it might seem a bit…well…short term." Theo says.
"So you believe that we should actually take territory? I explained why I believe that would be a problem."
"No, no, I agree that we shouldn't be marching armies into Quala, I guess what I mean is perhaps this would also be a good time to launch an aggressive campaign of converting unbelievers. You know send our better speakers to some of the smaller villages that are unhappy with life under the warlords and telling them how Dendrin can release them from such misery. Given enough time, we would have so many converted that we wouldn't have to worry about raising an army or Quala ever being a threat because most of the population would all be believers in Dendrin."

An interesting suggestion from Theo and one you weren't really expecting from him. He also mentions he could get back in contact with some of the old rebels he knows are still living in Quala to help more directly as well.

You go with Theo's plan

It might be a bit a more complex than what you first envisioned, but it probably would be well worth it to try. You agree to Theo's plan and put it in motion.

Theo says that the first thing he should do is to directly contact Sam Jowin, one of the major warlords in the area. He's fairly sure that Sam will agree to help out the shadows especially if it means stomping out the remaining pathetic remnants of the Empire. Plus it'll be one less warlord to worry about if he's on the side of the shadows.

"Just like the old days eh?" you say.
"Yes, I suppose so." Theo answers.
"I don't see why we can't still send our Blades in to cause some problems yet. I mean we know they can do it without being detected." Cyrus remarks.
"We'll get a chance, don't worry. Just have to wait a bit longer for the right time." You remark.
"Hm, I suppose so." Cyrus answers.

You get the impression that Theo is more than a little excited about doing this and Cyrus is a little disappointed that he doesn't get to do more at this time. Looks like it wasn't just you getting bored with peace either after bringing this plan up. Though Yvette is looking a bit concerned mainly for her husband most likely, she really shouldn't though given how skilled he is, let alone the fact that it's part of his duty as a shadow anyway.

While you aren't actually getting into any action, it still feels good to be planning something more than the daily prayers to Dendrin.

Year 50

"Ackerson's men were seen at the edges of the Delerg borders again. Pretty sure they're preparing for an attack this time." Brother Gannon remarks.
"(Sigh) Call for the Blades to do double patrols." You say rubbing your head.
"I told you we should've just assassinated him when we had the chance, now that bastard's not only really entrenched, but he's also gained ground in Quala! What the fuck is Theo DOING over there, we haven't heard from him in months!" Cyrus exclaims.
"He's serving Dendrin and the shadows as he always has! Thanks to him, we've gotten converts and making our ranks grow! And don't you think I'm just as concerned about him not having reported in for a long time?!" Yvette snaps.
"Yes, I'm sure you are Yvette, but the converts we've gained haven't really strengthened us to any great degree and in fact they may have been a hindrance as it just brought more attention to ourselves." Talia remarks.
"And how would've Cyrus' plan of assassinating everyone not called attention to us? You don't think if leaders just started dropping dead people wouldn't have suspected us? Everyone knew were located here in Delerg and could've attacked us eventually anyway. At least now we not only have a few extra human converts, but also one of the warlords on our side." Yvette says.

Yevette's "human" remark gets your attention, despite everyone else missing it. What is she getting at?

"For now. How the hell do we know this Sam nutter isn't going to turn on us when he gets strong enough? Ever since he decimated Anu's forces, he's gotten into a position where he could attack us in force just as easily as Ackerson could, probably more so. Which brings me to the question of why the hell hasn't he been pushing Ackerson a lot harder? I mean, he's supposed to be our ally, move in man! Attack!" Cyrus shouts.
"Well from last reports months ago, Theo says Sam was having problems with the western front and to the south from Brenda." Talia interjects, in an attempt to keep Cyrus calm, it doesn't work.

"Oh that's bullshit Talia and you know it! Those assholes in western Quala are so disorganized they're barely a threat to each other, let alone Sam. And as for Brenda, I don't think so. I've got some of my OWN people spying down in Nalin and they say the place is pretty damn peaceful apart from the raids that Sam sends down there. Even the kobolds are mostly contributing members of society now. Shit, if Brenda wasn't on the wrong side I'd say she'd make a better ally than Sam would.

Now Cyrus' remark gets your attention, in fact it gets EVERYONE'S attention.

"Cyrus who and WHEN did you send people to the Nalin province? I didn't order such a thing!" you remark.
"I sent a few Blades last year and you're right you didn't tell me and if I'm in violation of the shadow code, then you by all means you're well in your rights to have me executed…but I felt like we needed to know what the hell Brenda is up to! I mean she's potentially the biggest threat to us military wise, not to mention she IS the last true remnant of the Empire."

You shake your head not so much at what Cyrus did, but the fact that you didn't catch it. You think back to when you first came up with this plan and now you wonder why you just didn't leave well enough alone. You wanted to be free of boredom and now you've got it in abundance.

"What's done is done now, but I'd like to know why the hell you didn't at least report what you found immediately considering that you said you send them a year ago!" you remark.
"They were still gathering intel and I wanted to make sure if this was going to cost me my life, it was going to be worth it at least!"
"Cyrus, stop being so damn dramatic, nobody's killing anyone here." Talia says.
"Maybe they should though…" Yvette says.

Another statement that causes a pause in the arguing.

"What was that Yvette?" Cyrus says in a challenging way, Dravin who has been quiet the whole time now gets up and attempts to hold Cyrus back. Yvette is obviously upset about more than a few things, her husband's disappearance being one of them, but she doesn't back down from Cyrus despite she'd be no match for him.

"I said maybe you should be killed! You directly defied the Shadow Master AND Dendrin's will! You know according to the ancient ways of the shadows, you would've been subjected to having your hands and feet cut off followed by your eyes ears and nose before your mouth was fused shut and you were dragged out to the swamp where the Sul Monkeys could feast on what was left!"
"In case you haven't noticed sister, these aren't the old days anymore." Cyrus says almost daring her to attack.
"Yeah, don't I know it." Yvette says, looking at him, Talia, then you before storming off.

"Well if you're going to have me killed, I'll be in my room waiting for your decision seeing as I can't break any rules there." Cyrus remarks dryly and walks off as well. Draven follows in an attempt to calm him, giving you a few worried glances as he leaves.

You and Talia are left in the room by yourselves. Sometimes you wish it was always like that.

"You can't seriously be considering executing Cyrus for this." Talia says.
"Probably not, but it's really not a good sign of what he did. We're supposed to be sneaking around against other people, not each other."
"His intentions were for the good of the shadows."
"Yeah and you know what they say about good intentions. Ugh, how the hell did I let that slip by me in the first place?"
"It slipped by all of us, Cyrus is skilled."
"Yeah and that's the problem. Call me paranoid, but in an order where everyone can cloak at will, dropping your guard for one moment could lead to a quick death if someone wanted to do it."
"Now, you can't start thinking like that! We're all Dendrin's faithful, we don't hurt one another."
"Forgotten about Brother Seminai and Sister Grace huh? Yes, I know that was a different situation, but the problem still stands. In fact it's the same original problem with just a few minor differences."
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you notice Yvette? It's obvious that she doesn't like our kind, meaning Eternals. I dunno if this is a new thing or if she's always harbored these feelings. Besides getting the new ones under control, I was also hoping it would prevent any possible conflict we might have had between the pure human shadows and Eternal shadows, but apparently not."
"Well what are we going to do about that?"
"Good question, I'm going to have to think on that and Cyrus' recent behavior, because while he might not be deserving of execution, I can't just have him going off and doing his own thing like that. Especially since it was only due to me showing him mercy and a hell of a lot of trust that I allowed him to live in the first place. Pulling a stunt like this is making me regret that decision."

Talia leaves you alone at this point, she just gives you the usual if you find yourself lost, to seek Dendrin's guidance. The funny thing is maybe you should've considering Dendrin warned you that Cyrus would still be a potential problem years ago.

You sit by yourself thinking and going back and forth on what to do about Cyrus and after an hour you're still no closer to a solution. At this point you don't even want to bother thinking about what to do about Yvette, though getting someone to seek out her husband would be a good start.

As you're about to leave the council chamber, Draven appears in the doorway. He looks like he's even more worried than when he left. He's even shaking a bit.

"Uh…um Shadow Master. I…"
"What is it Draven? And why are you shaking?"

He doesn't answer and just starts sniffling and trying not to cry. He looks like he's going to have a complete breakdown and then suddenly he breathes deeply and exhales.

"Draven what happened? Where's Cyrus and what's he done?" you ask sensing that this is the cause of his behavior.

"Nothing. And I'm sorry." Draven says and he suddenly speeds himself up and attempts to shoot you with his armbow!

Being more powerful in the ways of shadow magic now, you easily speed yourself up and dodge this attempt on your life. You react with a shadowfire bolt to his head, Draven falls back and drops dead instantly.

You briefly wonder why Draven would attempt such a thing, knowing that he couldn't have won, but you don't dwell on it too much since you figure that Cyrus was behind it in the first place.

"ASSASSIN! SHADOWS BLOCK THE ENTRANCES! LET NO ONE LEAVE!" you yell as loud hoping the whole temple heard it as you can and run out of the council room looking for Cyrus.

In the chaos, you continue bellowing orders to everyone while still looking for Cyrus and telling others to find him as well. Talia rushes to you asking what's going on and you explain that Draven just tried to kill you.

"WHAT?!"
"Obviously Cyrus put him up to it. If this isn't proof that he is not only disobedient to Dendrin's laws, but also willing to betray them, I don't know what is!" Yvette says overhearing the conversation.

Just as you're about to tell some of the shadows to go scouring the swamp for Cyrus, he suddenly pops up running into the gathering hall directly towards you. Thinking that he's trying to finish the job himself you immediately order him to be stopped and then create a small barrier around yourself. Several of the Blades, along with Talia gather around you as well. You're glad that the Blades' loyalty seems to be on your side, even if a couple of them did obey Cyrus' orders to go into Nalin.

Cyrus is practically tackled to the floor though he's confused to as why it's happening.

"What the…why is everyone holding me down?! What is this? Where's Draven?" he says.
"You know damn well where he is, you sent him to kill me not a few minutes ago!" you answer.
"WHAT?! I did no such thing! He was upset about went down in the council chambers and…wait where is he?"
"Where do you think? I'm still alive to confront you on your treachery aren't I? I mean you had to have known that I'd easily dispatch Draven."

This remark causes silence in Cyrus. He looks down, as you demand to know who else is involved in his little conspiracy. When he looks up again to address you, his face shows a mixture of anger and anguish.

"There is no conspiracy you paranoid fuck! Don't you think if I had planned one some of these people would've been trying to kill you right now? I would've thought that you would've at least thought higher of me that I could've come up with a better plan, which I wasn't doing in the first place! I mean if I had, I certainly wouldn't have allowed myself to be caught like an idiot like this. I thought we settled all this years ago when you first became Shadow Master. I pledged my loyalty and I meant that! I see my words mean nothing after all though, so do what you want. I submit myself to Dendrin and your final judgement as I always have."

Such in-fighting of the shadow leaders in a public display hasn't probably been seen since Brother Shade tried to kill Master Ebon. Cyrus seems resigned to whatever fate you have in store for him, but you're wondering if he's trying to stall for time somehow. He claims that he doesn't have others working for him, but for all you know they're just staying quiet so that they can't get into trouble and their courage to go through with your assassination has failed them completely.

Or perhaps they just want Cyrus himself out of the way so that they can take power at a later time.

You kill Cyrus

Cyrus has proven time and time again to be a thorn in your side. You tried to give him a chance, but there is just too much ambition in him. Even if he wasn't behind Dravin's actions, his behavior has proven time and time again that he isn't going to let Dravin's death go if you spare him. How long will it be before deep-seated resentment and anger get to him and he really seeks out revenge?

You can't take that chance.

Without another word you perform the same spell that Master Ebon once did to stop Brother Shade from killing him. Cyrus' silence is now broken by his grunts and gasps of pain as he clutches his head. He begins bleeding from the ears and eventually the eyes.

"I…join…you…Drav…" he manages to utter before her brain explodes inside his head. Cyrus' body lies motionless on the floor and you address the crowd.

"This was unfortunate, but necessary. Let this be an example to those that would seek to harm or conspire against their brothers and sisters. Dendrin will not tolerate traitors and neither will I. Someone get this out of my sight." You say waving to Cyrus' body.

The next few days are a little tense, but eventually things relax a little. You're still trying to find Brother Theo. When you manage to contact Sam directly he says he thought Theo was going back to report to you weeks ago since he hasn't seen him since that time. He goes on to say that Theo tended to move about a lot since he was also spreading a bit of the shadow faith in his spare time. He also apologizes for not keeping a better eye on General Ackerson and his latest patrols on your borders, but he's been having difficulties with Brenda and even some of the other eastern warlords lately.

Sam isn't the only one apologizing. Yvette also says she's sorry to you and how she's just been so upset about her husband that she didn't meant to speak out of line before. She says she knows that you've been leading well as Shadow Master. You tell her that you appreciate her support and tell her to just keep faith in Dendrin that you'll eventually find Theo even if he's dead, he'll be given a proper burial.

Unfortunately when he does pop up again he's not dead and you find out what he's been up to isn't good for the shadows even though he believes it to be.

All the new shadows Brother Theo has been converting in Quala have been following a much different doctrine than the regular one. Namely one that doesn't see Eternals in the order at all. He claims that the Eternals have created a caste system where you're on top and humans are at the bottom. It doesn't help that he's also been manipulating Sam into helping him so he not only has a loyal group of heretics to his cause, but also an entire regular army.

This in itself is bad, but Yvette has been secretly helping him the whole time and spreading dissention to the other human followers in Delerg as well. Twisting your own words by claiming that the Eternals are not true brothers and sisters of Dendrin because they aren't human so it's perfectly fine to harm them. Going on about how the Blades were abominations that you and Talia saw as an opportunity to use as leverage over the human members. How she was forced to see the first hand horrors of where they were "born."

It is a testament to Yvette's speech skills that she managed to convince so many under your nose and fooled you as well despite your initial concern about her. You never knew she was so talented in that way, part of you always still remembered her as the girl who obediently followed your orders during the rebellion.

When it all comes out, you curse yourself for not being more observant and suspicious of her. Perhaps if you'd not worried so much about Cyrus being a major problem, you wouldn't have overlooked another possible coup from someone else.

Yvette's treachery is taken care of soon after the first Blade is suddenly attacked. It's at a great cost though, not so much due to the casualties on the loyal side, but more due to the fact that she convinced so many that you had to kill. Yvette herself attempts to escape when she sees the battle isn't going well, but she is brought down by the eternals she sought to destroy.

Of course this isn't the end. Theo and his army is still out there and they won't be as easy to put down.

Year 55

The Temple of Dendrin is in ruins and you're putting down the last of the culprits.

"You can't beat me Theo, despite all your treachery you cannot match my power." You say slamming him into the wall.
"It doesn't matter! You're finished! The shadows are finished!"
"Then you defeated your own purpose! Weren't you trying to save them?"
"YES! But I soon realized that if Dendrin continued to support you then what was the point of serving him at all?"
"Was this before or after you killed your own friend Sam and took complete control?"
"I have no regrets! Anything to ensure your downfall! Look at you now, you rule NOTHING!" Theo starts to laugh.

You imagine he's gone slightly mad from this little civil war. This latest suicidal onslaught of his pretty much proves it. You aren't wasting anymore time with him and you unleash a blast of shadow flame straight to his face. You watch as Theo alternates from laughing to screaming while his flesh burns away until nothing is left except a charred skull.

He's right though, the shadows really are no more. What tattered remains exist cannot possibly rebuild the order even if you still had any desire to do so.

One of your loyal shadows Brother Gannon comes up to you asking what should be done next and you tell them you don't know, only that you're going to rest and you don't want to be disturbed.

You collapse on the bed in your chambers, which feels lonelier ever since Talia died in battle a year ago, but you're used to it.

You drift off…

"Quite the battle Eternal, but I knew you'd win." Dendrin remarks.
"Leave me alone, this whole thing is your fault."
"Back to blaming me for things I see. Some things never change."
"Well I'll tell you one thing that's changing…I'm done."
"Done with what?"
"You know damn well what. I'm done with the shadows. I tried to lead them, but ultimately they were just as self destructive as the Empire. If anything they were doing better under it. Makes me wonder why the hell I bothered opposing it in the first place."
"You're just feeling discouraged, maybe you should…"
"Maybe I should what? Pick up the pieces and start all over again? What for? There's nothing left and I don't even believe in this fucking religion myself. Not to mention you did nothing to stop its destruction since I've known you, so why should I keep knocking my brains out doing it for you? What has it got me, except a lot of grief and a dead wife. So fuck this. I'm quitting this game and as far as I'm concerned this entertainment of yours is over!"

Dendrin is silent for a moment and then of course comes back with a retort as usual.

"Very well, you lot were getting boring anyway. Goodbye Eternal, it was interesting while it lasted."

You later wake up in the middle of the night hoping that's the last time Dendrin ever talks to you again. You then pack up some of your belongings and decide to leave the temple for good. You don't make a clean getaway though as Brother Gannon sees you exiting the front doors as he's wandering the halls.

"Shadow Master where are you going?"
"Anywhere, nowhere, I don't really know yet, but I can't stay here any longer. I don't think I ever was supposed to…maybe Yvette and Theo were right in a way. Maybe Eternals shouldn't be shadows." You say.
"You shouldn't say things like that! We need you to lead what remains of us, to interpret the will of Dendrin clearly."

You laugh.

"You want to see the will of Dendrin clearly? Take a look at the destruction around you. That's his will. THAT'S what he represents. Do yourself a favor Gannon, get out of this place and live the rest of your life doing what you want. There are already enough people in the earthly realm ready to tell you what to do, no need to add other worldly ones to that list. Goodbye."

And with that you leave the crumbling remnants of the shadows forever and travel to places unknown. What ultimately happens to you is lost to time, but safe to say you never hear from Dendrin ever again.