Трой Деннинг - Waterdeep

In order to make it more difficult to see him from the streets of Waterdeep, the thief had hiked up the back side of the mountain. Then he had circled around the far side of the cliff before climbing to the summit. Though he did not expect anyone to prevent him from taking the tablets to the Celestial Stairway, it always paid to be cautious.

Cyric was glad he had been careful. From Waterdeep, he had seen that there was a tower and stable on the summit of the mountain. But he had not expected the tower to be close to the Celestial Stairway, or to find so many guardsmen milling about.

After studying the area for a few more minutes, the thief continued toward the staircase. There really was no reason for the griffon riders to stop him. Besides, even if they tried, he suspected he could rush the last hundred feet to the stairway before they could detain him.

From the tower’s door, Midnight watched Cyric advance toward the Celestial Stairway. Finally, when he was fifty feet from both the staircase and the tower, when Midnight believed Cyric could not escape, she prepared to attack.

“Now!” the mage cried, stepping out of the tower.

Adon rushed out behind her, followed by the two griffon riders. As they charged, Midnight tried to summon a death incantation, but found she was too weak. The gestures and words necessary for the spell were only blurs in her consciousness.

When Cyric heard Midnight’s cry, he did not waste time wondering why she was not dead. The thief immediately understood that despite her wound, the magic-user had found the strength to beat him to the mountaintop and set up an ambush. Reacting instantly, he sprinted toward the Celestial Stairway.

As Cyric ran, a deep voice boomed from the stairway. “No! Stop!” The words were so loud they echoed over Waterdeep like thunder.

A figure in glistening armor appeared and started down the stairs. The armored man stood nearly ten feet tall, and his body seemed stocky and powerful. His eyes were sad and compassionate, though they had a cold edge that hinted at his merciless devotion to duty. The Unsleeping Eye of Helm adorned the god’s shield.

The two guardsmen immediately stopped and kneeled. The entire complement of soldiers atop the peak came out of the tower and stable. Upon seeing Helm’s magnificent figure, they also fell on their knees and did not move. Several frightened griffons took flight.

The battle between the soldiers of Waterdeep and Myrkul’s denizens raged on, but the sight of Lord Helm further undermined the creatures’ lines. On the other hand, the brave guardsmen and watchmen were heartened by the god’s appearance over the city. Many prayed for divine intervention as they hacked their way through the routed denizen horde.

Down in Waterdeep, tens of thousands of refugees from the battle stopped what they were doing and looked toward the mountaintop. Several thousand correctly guessed that only a god could have spoken so loudly. They began drifting toward the slopes of Mount Waterdeep in the vague hope of glimpsing the speaker. Helm’s voice frightened many others, and they began seeking shelter in basements and cellars. Most citizens simply stood dumfounded and stared at the mountaintop in fear and awe.

Unlike the citizens of Waterdeep, the booming voice did not stun Cyric. He continued running toward the Celestial Stairway. The thief did not think Helm’s command was directed at him. Even if it had been, he was not about to stop until he had delivered the tablets.

The god’s command caused Adon to hesitate, but Midnight did not even pause. Cyric had killed Kelemvor and Sneakabout, had tried to kill her and Adon, and had betrayed them all. The mage did not care who commanded her to spare his life. She continued after the thief, her dagger in hand.

Helm met Cyric at the bottom of the stairway, then stepped in front of him protectively.

“This life is not yours to take,” the God of Guardians said, glaring at Midnight.

“You have no right to command me,” Midnight screamed. She slowed her pace to a walk, but continued toward Cyric.

“He must pay for his crimes,” Adon gasped, coming up behind Midnight.

“It is not my duty to judge him,” Helm said flatly.

Watching Midnight carefully, Cyric stepped to Helm’s side and gave him the saddlebags. “I have recovered the Tablets of Fate,” the thief said.

Helm accepted the artifacts. “I know who recovered them,” he replied, coldly staring into Cyric’s eyes. “As does Lord Ao.”

Adon, who could not see the reproach in Helm’s gaze, cried, “He’s lying! Cyric stole those from us, and he killed a good man to do it!”

Helm turned his craggy, emotionless face toward the cleric. “As I said, I know who recovered the tablets.”

Midnight continued toward the stairway. Her legs felt weak and unsteady. “If you are aware of Cyric’s evil, why do you accept the tablets from him?” she demanded.

“Because it is not his duty to pass judgment,” said another voice. It was hardy and resonant, without hint of anger or compassion. “Nor is it his prerogative.”

A figure two feet taller than Helm stood fifty yards up the staircase. Though his face showed no particular age—he could have been twenty or he could have been a hundred and twenty—his hair and beard were as white as alabaster. The being’s face, neither handsome nor ugly, had even, symmetrical features that would not draw notice on any street in the Realms.

However, he wore a remarkable robe that would have distinguished him in the most elaborate court in Faerûn. It fell as any cloth might, with wrinkles here and pleats there. When she looked at it, though, Midnight felt she was staring into the heavens. The robe was as black as oblivion, dotted by millions of stars and thousands of moons, all arranged in a pattern that was not quite perceivable, but which gave the whole robe a beautiful, harmonious feel. In some places, bright swirls of light lit small areas. The swirls were balanced in other areas by regions of inky darkness.

“Lord Ao!” Helm acknowledged, bowing his head in supplication.

“Bring me the Tablets of Fate,” Ao commanded.

Helm opened the saddlebags and removed the tablets. In the god’s mighty hands, the two stones looked small, almost insignificant. Helm took the tablets to Ao, then kneeled on the stairway to await further commands.

Ao studied the tablets for several minutes. In a hundred places throughout the Realms, the avatars of the surviving gods fell into a deep trance as Ao summoned their attention.

“On these artifacts,” the overlord said, sending his voice and image to all of his gods. “I have recorded the forces that balance Law and Chaos.”

“And I have returned them to you,” Cyric said, daring to meet Ao’s gaze.

Ao looked at the thief without approval or disapproval. “Yes,” he said, stacking the tablets together. “And here is what it amounts to!” The overlord of the gods crushed both tablets in his hands and ground them into dust.

Midnight cringed, expecting the heavens to come crashing down. Adon cried out in grief and astonishment. Cyric watched the dust fall from between Ao’s fingers, an angry frown creeping down his face.

Helm jumped to his feet. “Master, what have you done?” the god asked, his voice betraying his fear.

“The tablets mean nothing,” Ao said, addressing all of his gods, no matter where they were. “I kept them to remind you that I created gods to serve the Balance, not to twist it to your own ends. But this point was lost on you. You saw the tablets as a set of rules by which to play juvenile games of prestige and pomp! Then, when the rules became inconvenient, you stole them …”

“But that was—,” Helm began.

“I know who took the Tablets of Fate,” Ao replied, silencing Helm with a curt wave of his hand. “Bane and Myrkul have paid for their offenses with their lives. But all of you were guilty, causing worshipers to build wasteful temples, to devote themselves so slavishly to your name they could not feed their children, even to spill their own blood upon your corrupt altars—all so you could impress each other with your hold over these so-called inferior creatures. Your behavior is enough to make me wish I had never created you.”