“So, we are free from your Light?” asked Farris, afraid of what the answer would be.
Meadhbh didn’t respond to Farris directly. “Since the moment Humans were created, the fate of the land was sealed. A young girl named Morrígan was destined to find a means to usurp the gods, and even Seletoth would fall to her power. Every Human, from the highest earl to the lowest peasant, is bound to this destiny. King Diarmuid could not spurn the tides of fate, even when he saw what end awaited us all.
“The Simians are not bound by the same limitations. It happened once long ago, when the engineers of Penance began building their tower. Destiny dictated that it would not exceed Mount Selyth in height, but the tower kept on rising. This was the first and last time Seletoth would interfere with the Simians and their efforts to stray from my Light.”
“The Tower of Sin,” whispered Nicole.
The Lady gazed down at Farris. “But Seletoth is no longer as strong as he once was. Now the Simians’ seeds of chaos have been left unchecked, and their roots have dug deep into the Tapestry of Fate, unravelling its threads one by one.”
“I don’t understand,” said Farris, shaking his head. “How—”
A burst of blue light filled his vision, and Farris saw himself, more than a year ago, climbing the cliffs of Alabach. Then he saw himself fighting off the highwaymen that jumped him on the way to Point Grey. Next, he saw himself interrogating the false druid at Sin, the one who was supposed to carry out the Crown’s attack on the tower. He saw himself picking Cormac from the crowd of the refugee camp, and then swinging through the window of the king’s private quarters in Cruachan. Finally, saw himself and Nicole in an old hangar in the Steamworks of Penance, a blue fire burning amongst discarded papers at their feet.
“Do you see now?” asked Meadhbh “Farris Silvertongue, you are but one Simian, but your actions alone have caused ripples throughout the lives of those bound by fate. From the moment you choose not to die amongst the cliffs of Roseán, you walked outside of my Light. From there, your choices, though minor in themselves, have turned many from this path, even Morrígan. It was she who was supposed to stand before me today, not you. Even I did not think it was possible to fight fate in this manner, but it seems I have been proven wrong.”
Farris’s mind reeled at the revelation. Me? I caused this? He turned to the others, who looked expectantly at him. I… saved them?
“But what about Morrígan?” asked Padraig. “What is it she wants? Is she still a threat?”
The smile vanished from Meadhbh’s face. “It was destined that she would seek to usurp the gods. First, she sought power, which she found in her undead horde. Now that she has claimed the king’s power for her own, she no longer craves more.”
The Lady closed her eyes, as if in pain.
“But she has caught a glimpse of the Truth, the same Truth the Church was established to conceal. She will come for me next, and on taking my power, she will learn what no mortal should ever know. What lies beyond the Eternal Sea, why poison flows through the Glenn, why Seletoth created Man…. These revelations will drive her mad. From there, destroying Seletoth and bringing an end to all life, will be the only reasonable response.”
The others stood in silence, but Meadhbh stepped down from the altar, towards Farris. The Simian did not flinch, even as the Lady’s holy light strained his eyes.
“However, this destiny may not unfold as it was supposed to. I once said that we are all thralls of fate, and there is no hope in fighting what was meant to be. But through the fires of steel and steam, the Simian people have sewn chaos into this world.” She raised a hand and placed it on Farris’s shoulder.
“And where there is chaos, there is hope.”
Guide to Alabach, Her Places, and Her People
AC: After Conquest. The Thralls of Fate begins in AC403.
Aislinn Carríga: Lady of Keep Carríga, Rosca Umhír, sister of Sir Bearach and Cathal Carríga.
Aldrich Canal: Simian-built canal connecting the Rustlake to Móráin Sea.
Aoife Ní Branna: Morrígan’s deceased mother. (Ee-fa Nee-Branna)
Ard Sidhe: One of the Seven Seachtú of Alabach. (Ard Sid-heh)
Argyll the Silverback: Leader of the Simian dissident movement in Penance, formally the head of the Guild of Thieves.
Beadhbh: flightless bird of prey from the Glenn. (Bayve)
Borris Blackhand: One of the Triad, the governing body of Penance, along with Cathal Carríga and King Diarmuid Móráin III, XIX.
Cathal Carríga: One of the Triad, the governing body of Penance, along with Borris Blackhand and King Diarmuid Móráin III, XIX. (Ca-hal Carry-ga)
Col: Once was a settlement north of Penance, but long since abandoned.
Commander General Plackart: General of the Triad’s Army in Penance.
Cormac O’Branna: Father of Morrígan.
Divine Penetrance: Also known as the Gift of Immortality, this is a power passed from father to son through the Móráin line, ensuring the royal bloodline stays intact.
Dromán: Capital of the Woodlands of Alabach, home to the Academy of Mages. (Dro-mawn)
Dustworks: A residential sector of the city of Penance, home to Simians of low social standing.
Earthmaster Seán: Master of geomancy, based in Penance.
Elis Point: Northernmost point of Alabach, where the Simian Elis Highwind tested the world’s first airship.
Eternal Sea: Sea to the west of Alabach, with no known land beyond it
Farris Silvertongue: A double agent infiltrating the Crown, relaying information back to the dissident Simian movement of Penance.
Fionn: A young Pyromancer. (Fee-un)
Firemaster Conleth: Master of pyromancy, based in Penance.
Garth: Brother of Farris Silvertongue.
Geomancer: Mage capable of manipulating the earth and Her fruits
Grey Keep: Residence of King Diarmuid Móráin, Third of His name, Nineteenth Incarnate of Seletoth
Grey Plague: Mysterious force that the Firstborn fled 400 years ago. Some speculate it was a sickness, others claim it was a supernatural blight on the earth.
Iron Concordant: Peace Treaty written up following the Fall of Sin. Promising Simians would not interfere with the workings of the Church and Crown.
Jacob the Blind: Simian smuggler based in Penance and Point Grey. Aligned with the Silverback.
King Diarmuid Móráin: Third of His Name, and Nineteenth Incarnate of Seletoth. Son of King Flaithrí IV, Diarmuid spent his reign attempting to bridge the gap between Man and Simian. (King Dear-myid More-ain)
Lady Meadhbh: One of the Trinity of Alabach. Called the Mother, the Lady, and the Weaver of Fate. Said to have determined the destiny of every living soul in Alabach. (Lady Mayve)
Lord Seletoth: One of the Trinity of Alabach. Called the Father, the Lord, and the Creator. Believed by some to be the One True God, rather than one of three as the Church teaches.
Móráin I: The First King of Alabach, also known as the Old, or the Great. Instead of accepting true divinity from the Lord, he chose to be with his wife. As a compromise, Seletoth bestowed upon him Divine Penetrance, in order to ensure that the Móráin line would never be broken.
Móráin Sea: Sea on the east coast of Alabach
Moray Head: Headland north of Point Grey
