A darkwand could only be formed as a result of a willing sacrifice from the tanequil, which could only be given as a result of the supplicant’s fear for the safety of another. The tanequil formed the wand from its heartwood, deep within, bringing it to the surface and forcibly severing the resulting branch. In exchange, Pen was forced to sacrifice two fingers, blood for sap, flesh for bark, and bones for wood. But for the magic to work, Pen had to understand the true nature of sacrifice, giving up something of his heart as well. He had to lose his true love, Cinnaminson. The tanequil took her as a gift and companion for Mother Tanequil.
Once the staff had been given to him, Pen had to carve the symbols into the wood while blindfolded, activating the magic and binding the darkwand to himself. Only Pen could use the darkwand to travel to the Forbidding and bring Grianne back. Only he could use it to send the demon back into its prison and seal the breach.
The darkwand was alive with the life of the tanequil until its purpose was served, but it was never sentient. Warm to Pen’s touch, it was impervious to fire violence and magic; it could respond to his selfless need to save another, reacting in a limited way to protect and guide him.
The Land of the
Forbidding
Everything within the Forbidding whispers of death. And yet this world of demons has survived for thousands of years. —Grianne Ohmsford
he Jarka Ruus
Before the dawn of Mankind, the Faerie waged a terrible war that pitted the creatures of the light against those of the darkness, with the fate of the world caught in the balance. The forces of light eventually triumphed over the dark things, banishing them from the world for all eternity beyond an impenetrable barrier known only as the Forbidding, which was warded by the magic-born tree, the Ellcrys. In the Elven tongue, the demons were named the Jarka Ruus, banished people.
The Elves, one of many Races of the Faerie, were charged with maintaining the Forbidding and protecting the Ellcrys. But over time, even the descendants of the Elves forgot about the Jarka Ruus. Five hundred years passed, and the world was given a brutal reminder when the Ellcrys started to fail and the creatures of darkness began to break through the weakened barrier, prompting the War of the Forbidding. The forces of darkness were defeated when the Ellcrys was reborn, reinstating the integrity of the barrier and returning the Jarka Ruus to their prison.
That war gave the world a taste of the dark creatures locked within the Forbidding, but even then no one really knew or understood what the Elves had actually created all those millennia ago. Not even the descendants of the Elves who built it knew what really existed beyond the barrier. Many believed it was simply a kind of limbo world built with Elven magic. Of course, most preferred not to think on it at all.
The Forbidden Hadeshorn
The world of the Jarka Ruus was based on the world the Faerie inhabited, and the Forbidding remained attached to that world after its creation, as a mirror image of it. As the age of Faerie passed to the age of Men, our world’s geography changed and its identical twin in the Forbidding altered alongside it, two worlds being irrevocably linked. Entire civilizations of Men rose and fell until the holocaust of the Great Wars, but within the Forbidding the exiled demons were safe from the unleashed destructive power of Mankind, even while the continental upheaval and shifting the Great Wars produced in our world affected the land’s shape in the world of the Jarka Ruus.
But the Forbidding is not another world. Because of the records of Grianne and Penderrin Ohmsford, the only two humans ever known to have traveled within it, we now know the Forbidding to be the same world but on another plane of existence. The magical might of the entire ancient Elven nation, which was quite prodigious in that time, combined to open a doorway to a separate plane of existence only half a step removed from our world. The result was an identical, but permanently separate, world. Demonkind had fought for control of the world, so the Elves, in effect, gave them the world, or at least a version of it, while forever sealing them away.
Grianne Ohmsford wrote, “My world has seen Races created out of myth, out of a time when they were real, made new again by the changes wrought in the survivors of the Great Wars. The world of Jarka Ruus has seen its denizens frozen in time, unchanged by the tumultuous wars that destroyed the Old World, until the myth is reality born of nightmare.”
At the time Grianne saw it, the only similarity between the worlds that remained was the basic topography of the land. All the major mountain ranges, plains, and valleys share the same placement as in the world of Men, though they have different names. Everything else was altered. There were no major cities, only occasional villages and fortresses. The land itself appeared sickly and decaying, infected over the millennia by the dark magic leaching into it from the exiled demons. Most plants appeared blighted or twisted as if the soil itself sickened them, the flora as dangerous as the demons themselves at times. Most water sources were fetid and algae-choked. The earth and the sky above were gray and colorless. There was no sunlight, only a heavy, unbroken ceiling of clouds. Night brought only a deepening gloom. The weather rarely changed. It was either overcast or raining. No one knows if the lack of sunlight is a result of the altered plane or of contamination by demonkind’s wicked magic.
Grianne wrote, “Nothing of that world suggested that living things were welcome or encouraged.”
The inhabitants of the Forbidding still call themselves by the ancient Elven name Jarka Ruus, but they have changed its meaning from “banished peoples” to “free peoples.” They insist that the language they speak has nothing of the hated Elves within it, and that the Jarka Ruus chose to come to the Forbidding to be free from oppression and escape their enemies.
Despite that assertion, the Jarka Ruus enjoy very little freedom, save that granted by the savage anarchy of survival of the fittest. Those within the Forbidding were banished because they were unrepentant and unable to overcome their instincts for killing long enough to function in a civilized manner. That has never changed. Their inability to form civilized, supportive societies guarantees that the Jarka Ruus will remain forever trapped in their primitive way of life. They have never known great civilizations, or great wars. They have never known peace. But whereas the Elves lost most of their magic due to misuse, the Jarka Ruus retained all of their magic in all of its forms, its use necessary to survive the brutality and evil nature of their own kind.
Most of the land is divided into territories, each ruled by the most powerful demons, usually witches and warlocks known as Strakens. All who live within a warlock’s territory, including any lesser Strakens, owe fealty to the Lord of that territory. While there are no cities, massive fortresses dominate the land, marking the seat of power for the area. Most of the intelligent beings live in small villages or colonies outside the fortresses, but within its realm of influence.
Strakens
The most powerful demons within the Forbidding are the witches and warlocks known as Strakens. These creatures not only have the use of magic but are adept shape-shifters as well. The most powerful of the Strakens can appear in whatever shape they wish. Their most common appearance is that of a black-skinned humanoid covered in spiky growths. Taller than a tall human, they can appear even larger when their spikes are raised. The spikes react to emotion, rising or falling to indicate displeasure or interest. When using this appearance, their faces are usually flat and devoid of expression, save for cold blue eyes.
Most Straken do not wear clothing, but they always have an assortment of wicked, edged weapons strapped to their bodies. While they are skilled in the use of weapons, they usually prefer to use intimidation or magic. One of their favorite tools of control is a conjure collar.
While some of the demons in the Forbidding live in villages or colonies, only the Strakens build castles and fortresses. Only the Strakens make servants of lesser demons. Among themselves it is believed that the Strakens are ranked according to their power and the strength of their magic. Powerful Strakens even make servant
s of other Strakens, sometimes choosing from the strongest members of the opposite sex for breeding purposes to continue their line and expand their territory.
Tael Riverine, Straken Lord of Kraal Reach.
Weaker beings serve the Straken Lord to gain access to its protection. Within the keep it is not unusual to find lesser demons such as Goblins serving as servants, or demonwolves serving as guard dogs and hunting animals, but the most valued servant is usually the “Catcher.” It is the Catcher’s job to track, locate, and capture any prey the Straken requires. A rank of honor, each Straken Lord has only one Catcher, though he or she can be of any Race. Skilled Trackers are highly valued. Only the best Tracker can be elevated to Catcher. Once elevated, the Catcher lives in the keep and answers only to the Straken Lord.
Ulk Bogs, one of the more intelligent Races of demon, occasionally serve Strakens as Catchers. Like the Gnomes of the world of Man, Ulk Bogs have a primitive tribal culture, living in homes burrowed into the ground. They resemble Spider Gnomes in appearance, small in stature, with monkey-like spindly limbs and hairy, gnarled bodies, but are more advanced culturally. Usually growing to a maximum height of four feet, Ulk Bogs have elongated limbs and bony protrusions on their bodies. Their skin is dark and leathery beneath a wiry hair-coat, and their teeth are long and sharp.
Weka Dart, the Ulk Bog
Thrown out of his tribe for eating another tribe’s young, Weka Dart faced certain death in the unforgiving land of the Forbidding. The Strahn Lord of Kraal Reach, Tael Riverine, recognized Weka’s talent as a Tacker and offered him the position of Catcher. Knowing this to be a position of honor, the Ulk Bog took it, aware that the alternative was death in the wild. There were only two ways for an Ulk Bog to survive—within the safety of a large tribe or under the protection of a Strahn.
Weka Dart often bragged that he could track and trap almost anything that lived. But he could not always please his master, and found himself replaced by another, a creature named Hobstull.
Once again reduced to surviving on his own, he wandered the land, plotting a way to get his job back. He knew his master was waiting for something, and he was determined to get to it first. He found Grianne Ohmsford shortly after her arrival in his world, and used his skill at lying to convince her that he would aid her, while plotting to deliver her to his former Lord.
When she disrupted his plan but was captured anyway, he decided instead to help her escape. Impressed by Grianne’s magic and fueled by his anger with his former Lord, he led Grianne out of her prison on the condition that she must try to help him escape the Forbidding. Using his woodscraft and mimicry to keep them both alive, he delivered her to her nephew and the way home.
Before Grianne could make the attempt to take him out, he disappeared. No one knows if in his loneliness for his own people, Weka Dart decided it was better to live in exile in the land he knew than attempt to reach a land with no other Ulk Bogs in it, or if he really believed he could survive on his own.
The Conjure Collar
One of the tools that has allowed the Strakens to be so successful in their domination of the Jarka Ruus is the conjure collar. Designed to be used on beings with magical abilities, the collar effectively neutralizes a captive’s magic. When activated, the collar inflicts blinding, debilitating pain on the wearer at the first hint of magic use. Once locked in place, the conjure collar can only be removed with a special key. Any serious attempt to remove it results in the same punishment.
Strakens primarily use conjure collars to control prisoners and to train pets, though they have been known to use them on one another.
The conjure collar.
While they are humanoid and can walk and stand upright, Ulk Bogs prefer to move in a crab-like scurry using all four limbs. They rarely travel in a straight line, scuttling aimlessly back and forth over a given route instead. Gifted with a high metabolism, they do not seem to tire from their inefficient movement. It is possible the wandering motion allows them to detect more scents or food sources.
Most Ulk Bogs eat roots, mushrooms, eggs, and small rodents, but some have been known to go cannibalistic and eat their young. Those that do are usually expelled from the tribe. This is a terrible punishment. Members of the tribe separated from the group’s protection do not usually survive long.
Some Ulk Bogs are skilled at weaving and beadwork, while others excel as trackers. They have their own language and can adapt to situations quickly. Some can even mimic the calls of other creatures perfectly. All Ulk Bogs are natural-born liars. Such an adaptation is not surprising in a small, comparatively weak being. Speaking whatever they believe will help them the most, with no regard for truth, may be a necessary survival trait in a species that shares its world with Strakens.
The most powerful of the Straken Lords is Tael Riverine, Lord of Kraal Reach. His domain, the largest of all the territories, stretches from the Dragon Line in the north to the Quince in the south, and from Huka Flats in the west to Brockenthrog Weir in the east. His fortress stands on the same plateau that the city of Tyrsis occupies in the world of Man. But the Fortress of Kraal Reach is nothing like the city of Tyrsis.
A dark and forbidding structure hewn of stone, the fortress bristles with spikes, firepots, and demons. Multiple walls, magical wards, and murder holes line every path. Demonwolves guard the outer walls, ensuring that any who attempt to enter or leave without permission will not survive to reach their goal. Unlike Tyrsis, there is no mountain behind the plateau. It has worn away over the ages, leaving the keep to stand like a rugged, hard-edged crown above the desolate lands that surround it. But there are tunnels under the plateau, though they are not as numerous as those running under Tyrsis, lacking the extensive sewers and human-made passages that enlarged that network.
It is believed that most of the other Straken Lords deferred to or avoided Tael Riverine, hoping that he would not take their territories in his thirst for dominion. But the Lord of Kraal Reach wanted more. He wanted to conquer the world of Man and become Lord of all.
The separate plane guaranteed an unbreachable barrier between the two worlds—unbreachable except for the gateway guarded by the Ellcrys and her magic. Nothing, it was believed, could break through the dimensional barrier so long as the Ellcrys remained strong. Tael Riverine found a way to alter that equation.
The Straken Lord discovered that, while it was true that none of the beings imprisoned in the Forbidding could cross the barrier back into our world so long as the Ellcrys lived, it was possible to breach the barrier in small ways. Some scholars theorize that he may have used the residue of evil remaining in the Dark Lord’s domain to exploit a weakness left over from the time of the War of the Forbidding. Such a weakness would have created an impossibly tiny breach in the barrier, forcing the demon to spend centuries working to enlarge it enough to get information and, eventually, a small vial of demonic magic through the breach. Such a tiny flaw would never be large enough for a being to cross without an immediate response from the Ellcrys, but Tael realized that the magic of the barrier would allow a being to cross over without disturbing the Ellcrys as long as that being was simultaneously exchanged for someone from the other side—thus maintaining the balance on each side. He then further reasoned that, once one select demon made it outside the Forbidding, it would be possible for that demon to destroy the Ellcrys and open the barrier for all.
The Moric, Demon Changeling
When the demon Lord Tael Riverine discovered he could send one being into the world of Man, he chose the demon who called himself the Moric. Unlike the Changeling who had breached the Forbidding five hundred years earlier, the Moric was not a shape-shifter. It actually absorbed the essence of its victims, feeding on them and donning their skin. That essence gave the Moric access to their minds. So long as it wore a victim’s skin—like clothing—it had access to his or her knowledge and memories. The Moric usually removed the skin when it was not needed, storing it in a bag like old clothes. When it discarded a skin, it lost
all the knowledge and memories of that victim, but it had to discard one victim before it could fully feed on another. It was possible for the Moric to eat food, and thereby gain limited sustenance while in a skin, but it rarely chose to do so, preferring the satisfaction of a complete feeding.
A feral creature native to the swamplands within the Forbidding, the Moric preferred to live in swamps and sewers whenever possible, even while in the world of Man. To survive, it had to consume the essence of other living things, but it could go for weeks between feedings. As it absorbed its victim, the Moric’s body mass changed to fill out the victim’s skin. It often acquired a sallow, slightly emaciated look after a few days. Naturally appearing as an amorphous combination of amphibian and human, it had smooth skin, a sinuous body, and large claws and teeth. Much stronger than a human, the Moric proved almost impervious to physical attack, but it was susceptible to magic.
Toward that end, Tael worked for many years to concoct and perfect a dark magic potion that would open a portal and allow the exchange. He also used his tiny peephole into the world of Man to entice and subvert a willing pawn. Had his plan worked, the demons would have been able to cross over and invade the Four Lands and the world beyond. The conquest would probably have been terrible and short. The magic of Faerie, which has all but died out in our world over the millennia, is still strong among the creatures of the Forbidding. The Races of Man would have been hopelessly overmatched.