Gary Gygax: Come Endless Darkness

The dark lord of Shadowrealm smiled. "I only say that which we all know at heart. The loss of Basiliv is a terrible blow to us. It is by no means the loss of all, for we still have you, champion. The new, unknown enemy is a shocking setback to us, but even so great a setback as this one is not fatal… nor of great import."

"No import?!"

"What balderdash!!"

"Horseshit!!" Tenser chimed in.

Gord rose and spoke to the clamor. Truth," he said without heat. "If the ultimate enemy is beaten, the allies of Hades are of no great interest at all."

"We concur, champion," the multitoned voices of the Hierophants chorused. "Yet Tharizdun stirs and sends forth his strength to Evil. The end is near."

"Why does that surprise any of you?" The one-eyed bard suddenly was on his feet beside his friend, his face set in hard lines. "We all know that there is but one purpose for the champion, one reason why the power we have is his — our power and that of… elsewhere, too, as you know. It is to face and fight the greatest evil when — when, not if, he arises!"

Silence.

"We do not agree." That from the Hierophants after a full minute had passed without any sound save breathing.

They have always been fools." Mordenkainen quipped dryly. Tenser nodded and made a rude gesture in their direction.

That brought a flurry of name-calling, charges, counter-charges, and insults flying across the table. After quite some time, Shadowking managed to restore enough order to the conclave to make a call for adjournment.

The members of the council readily agreed to that. Immediately thereafter, over half of the lordly masters of Neutrality departed for their own places.

"What terrible disaster is now wrought?" Gord was sitting in dejection when he said that. With him were Rexfelis, Shadowking, Murlon, Heward, Lord Thomas, and Gellor, of course.

"Why, none!" the master of the shadowy sphere said happily. "It went just as we'd planned. You were superb, both of you!"

"Superb? Planned? All I am doing is asking questions, and I am getting very tired of that." Real anger was in his voice and his face.

"With evil so powerful, menacing us everywhere, we dared not keep so strong a force together, united. Now we appear weak, factious, disjoined, and plainly ineffective to contend against anything. Had you known, then there might have been a warning, and the foe might have discovered the ruse."

"We are not traitors," Gellor said with heat. "You could have explained!"

"You are not, but some agency seems to be able to spy out our great meetings, learn what is decided in conclave. You would not have been so convincing, the quarrel would not have seemed so real, had you been forewarned."

"We are safe enough now from intrusion," Rexfelis said. "Now you will learn all that we know."

"Who has joined with the vile foes, we know not," the Catlord said. "Perhaps Basiliv could tell us, but he is as a shell. His body lives, but his life force is elsewhere. We must assume that there will be no return before the final confrontation occurs."

That will come soon." Shadowking inserted. Tour success, Gord and Gellor, was great. It dealt a massive blow to evil and made our force greater. The coming of the unknown ally to the cause of Tharizdun has not necessarily strengthened the nether spheres. It has certainly brought the matter of Tharizdun's awakening into imminence."

"That one is now aware of his imprisonment," Murlon said with certainty.

There is but a single duty for me, then." Gord responded.

"I would it were merely a matter of sending you forth to the lists to meet the black-armored foe," Shadowking rejoined. "We had hoped to have six heroes for what lies ahead. Only you Gord, and the brave bard here, are left. The darkest one must be loosed, and it must be quickly. As things stand, Tharizdun will eventually be freed in any event, and in the interim all of the multiverse will be scourged by the warfare surrounding the tripartite relic."

"In short, you two must venture into the nether planes," Rexfelis told them. "It is in the realms of demonkind that the three parts of that artifact now rest. You must journey into the Abyss itself, seize the three keys, and yourself loose the greatest evil!"

That was absolutely unbelievable at first thought.

Then Gord considered. If none could resist the might of evil, and it was evident none could, then Infestix and his henchmen would soon enough release their master in any event. The struggle that was becoming more intense and spreading disaster and death everywhere would never end until the crux of it all was decided. Was Tharizdun destined to come forth and dominate all into an eternity of darkness? Or would the multiverse deny him and retain its equilibrium?

The ally who has brought so much to the nether-pit's plans for evil is in no great hurry to culminate Infestix's desire," Gord finally offered.

That seems true. I have observed no evidence to indicate otherwise." That, from Rexfelis, was seconded by the rest.

There is no benefit to all, to Balance and the multiverse, in destroying the ally of Infestix. To eliminate the archdaemon is simply to clear the place so another might ascend the throne," Gellor reflected. "Only the elimination of Tharizdun has meaning."

"Greater ones than we are could not accomplish that," Shadowking noted.

Gord sat unmoving, saying nothing. His mind raced, and a certain speculation grew in his brain. The others looked at him, and finally he nodded, saying, "Even the wise ones of the malign spheres realize the truth of what has just passed here. It is as if those of the Abyss contemplated this very time long before we realized it was here. Now it Is upon us. I am ready."

"Both of you will have much to learn yet, receive instructions that you will need to move freely in the underworlds. Augury indicates that you must leave in nine days," Shadowking told the two. "And that is all any of us can do."

"Not quite." Gord contradicted. "I have a growing suspicion and a dawning understanding, too. Have you still that ancient blade of crystal I left here for you long ago?"

The sovereign of the shadow plane nodded darkly. "I keep it in my own chamber, there displayed as a royal gift."

"Will you give it to me?" Gord asked. "Of course."

He knew that the monarch would respond thus, but Gord breathed a sigh of relief anyway. "Please have it fetched here, now. I would have all now present observe what I will attempt."

Despite urgings, the champion would say no more until the long, crystal weapon, the sword with which he had slain the lich-gloam Imprimus, was laid on the many-pointed table and the servant bringing it was gone. Then Gord acted.

"This blade was seemingly made by accident." he told the audience, holding up his black sword. "Its lightlessness was made by a foul magic from an even more foul dwarf. Then the demon lord Vuron placed some dark powers into it. The blade is potent. It grew more so by the absorption of other evil dweomers, and all without my willing it. From deep beneath the dusty wastes of the destroyed empire of the Suloise, through demons' spells and devilshine, and to here." Gord paused, drew a deep breath, and then went on.

"The sword of diamond brilliance that lies here before you and me is interesting…."

"It is a duplicate of your own blade. Gord!" The exclamation came from Gellor as he gazed closely at the crystal brand.

"I think it is a weapon of Weal, a sword filled with all that is of good and light. Let me place my own sword beside it." He did so. The result was to view a mirror image, one yang, the other yin.

"I am the champion to face Tharizdun," Gord said with measured words. "I am of Balance. I seek neither the light of the upper planes nor the lightless night of the netherspheres. I require day and dark, happiness and sorrow, the measure which lies between." And as he spoke thus he picked up first the crystalline blade, then the ebon, and brought them together.