Despite his isolation in both time and geography, Cogline discovered he could not avoid the Druids. It is believed that he met Allanon while the Druid still lived, and that Allanon knew who he was and what he had been. Cogline respected Allanon, though they were never close friends. It is likely that Allanon made use of that respect when he warned Cogline that his descendant, who was also Brin’s, would be the heir to his legacy. The Druid may have even used his power from beyond the grave to make certain that Cogline would live long enough to act in his stead, ensuring the safety of the man who was, in many ways, heir to them both.
Cogline acted on Allanon’s warning and became Walker Boh’s mentor, saving him from his innate magic before it could consume him. He also made a point of teaching Walker his own special knowledge of science and explosives. But to him, it was much more than a task Allanon had given him. In many ways, he saw Walker as his son, not just part of his bloodline. He knew that Walker would have to take the path that he himself had rejected. Despite his misgivings, he did all he could to make that path easier. He even entered Paranor, with Allanon’s protection, within the limbo of the netherworld, just to recover a volume of the Druid Histories. The book was necessary to give Walker Boh the incentive he needed to complete his charge. To get it, Cogline had to face the keep he had known so well while he floated “within a realm of yesterdays filled with gray haze and death.” His writings from the time prove that his regard for Walker and his respect for Allanon’s visions of doom were all that drove him to face such horror.
The same book later saved his life during a Shadowen attack. Instead of being killed, he and his moor cat were transported by its protective magic to Paranor.
Unfortunately, Paranor still lay in limbo. Cogline was trapped within the halls of green mist he had braved months before. His only chance for salvation was linked to Walker’s destiny. If Walker became a Druid, Cogline would be free. Otherwise, he would fade into the mist of the lost keep.
This may have been part of Allanon’s plan, for it is unlikely that Walker would have braved the ordeal required to become a Druid if Cogline’s life had not depended on it. Fortunately, he did survive the ordeal and returned the keep, and all within it, to the world. No doubt, when Cogline found himself facing the awesome sight of his student as a newly made Druid, he wondered if he had chosen the right path.
Less than a year later, Cogline returned the favor by rescuing Walker from a Shadowen. He was mortally wounded but succeeded in tipping the balance so that Walker could destroy the creature. Because of the prophecy, he had known he was living on borrowed time for Walker’s sake, and he was willing to die so that Walker could live and carry on the Druid tradition.
Though he had never been an ordained Druid, he had lived longer and done more for the order than most who had held the title. He was buried in the woods below Paranor, a prodigal son come home at last.
Realms of
the Dead
I have studied the magic that wards the netherworld and its portals into our own, and I have traveled such roads as exist between the two and returned alive. —Bremen, Druid
s there life after death? This question has dominated much of human thought since Man was capable of reason. Both the Druids and the earliest rulers of the Four Lands believed in the afterlife. The ancient kings believed they could reach it through death ritual and protected burial in sacred ground. The Druids believed they could breach the barrier between the living and the dead through the use of magic. The rulers built the Hall of Kings to protect their bodies as they awaited passage to the next life. The Druids used the mysterious lake known as the Hadeshorn as a portal to the netherworld.
The Hadeshorn
For thousands of years the influence of the Druids shaped the course of history within the Four Lands, yet their lives have always been mysterious and shrouded in secrecy, hidden behind the walls of Paranor and the cloak of their magic. Their deaths are no less mysterious. Druids such as Bremen and Allanon influenced events in the world long after their mortal bodies died. Some scholars believe that the Druids have conquered death entirely. In actuality, they have not defeated the reaper, but rather have found a way to reach beyond the grave through a portal to the netherworld known as the Hadeshorn.
Located two days’ travel from the walls of Paranor, the Hadeshorn lies within a hidden valley, known as the Valley of Shale, just beyond the edge of the Dragon’s Teeth mountain range. The Dragon’s Teeth surround most of the region around Paranor like a protective wall, rugged and uncrossable save for a few passes. To reach the valley from the Druids’ Keep, it is necessary to cross the mountains through the Kennon Pass, a channel nature cut through the heart of the mountains when they were yet young. The Kennon Pass leads to a trail that skirts the southern edge of the Dragon’s Teeth, above the Mermidon River. Here a poorly marked and seldom-used trail leads back up into the foothills of the southern edge of the Dragon’s Teeth. Just beyond the foothills, this trail narrows, becoming rugged with broken rock and clusters of fallen boulders. Thousands of years ago, these boulders were part of the core of a mountain destroyed by a great cataclysm—a mountain that once may have stood where the Valley of Shale now lies.
Beyond the final ridge of broken boulders, the trail suddenly opens onto a great barren bowl that appears to be made of glittering black glass. This is the Valley of Shale, the doorstep to the Hall of Kings and home to the spirits of the ages. Its name comes from the crushed shards of glistening, razor-edged shale that cover its surface. The slippery rock makes footing treacherous. Within the valley, there are no trees, plants, or life of any other kind—only the crushed black rock that seems to both reflect and absorb all light. An oppressive silence blankets the entire valley, as if it were cut off from the outside world. Even the Druids come here only when the need is great, and then only at night.
Calling the spirits of the dead, at the Hadeshorn in the Valley of Shale.
In the exact center of the valley lies the Hadeshorn. Broad and opaque, it is not really a lake in the traditional sense at all. Its waters pulse with a deep green inner light, as if the entire lake were alive. In the darkness of a moonless night, the green glow from the lake is the only illumination, reflected by the mirror-bright shale in eerie chorus. Like a living thing, the lake has been said to have moods. In the strongest wind, its waters may lie perfectly still, a sheet of unblemished glass, yet on the most still of nights it may swirl and writhe as if driven by an unseen storm. When awakened, the waters pulse and mutter with voices just beyond understanding.
No mortal can touch these waters and live. Indeed, the whole of the valley is a place of death, forbidden to all, the waters deadly poisonous. The Druids claim it is a portal, a breach between the mortal world and the netherworld—a joining between past, present, and future. Some of the ancient writings indicate that it is a passageway that leads to the afterlife. Allanon’s writings of Bremen indicate that it is a gate into the void between life and death, the same limbo to which Paranor itself was consigned for so many years—a void where souls may eternally linger between death and final peace. The lake itself is believed to be only a single portal into this void. The Druid’s Well is almost certainly another. There may well be many others that are as yet undiscovered.
It is said that all the spirits of the ages are consigned here, but only the Druids are strong enough to answer a summoning and reach through the portal to communicate with the living. There are no records of any non-Druid spirits being summoned, so it is unknown if someone who lacked magic in life could return through the portal in death. It is known that Druids have an unusual affinity with the lake. Bremen was able to walk into its embrace before death to enter a state between life and death. The Druid Allanon, near death at the Chard Rush, was able to cause the waters of the Rush to alter their behavior to mirror that of the Hadeshorn, despite the fact that the Chard Rush was many miles from the Valley of Shale. Since then, Allanon’s spirit has appeared at both the Chard Rush and the Hadeshorn,
indicating that the physical laws of this world may have no bearing on the lake or those who have passed beyond.
While it may not be the only portal to the realm of the dead, the Hadeshorn is the only place where the spirits of the dead can be summoned to communicate with the living. Such a summoning can be done only by a Druid trained in the arts, and even then, only at the hour before dawn. A summoning is very dangerous, even for the trained adept.
Bremen was the first Druid who was recorded as having summoned the spirits of the Hadeshorn. He claimed to have learned the art from the ancient texts of the Elves. It is probable that Galaphile, an Elf, also knew of the art, as did some of the earliest Druids, but if so, their knowledge was never recorded in the Druid Histories. The ability was lost until Bremen recovered the knowledge and used it to reach Galaphile’s spirit. Since that time, the Druids have passed the knowledge to each successor, that he might have the knowledge to learn secrets hidden from the living. To ensure that Allanon would be able to reach him, Bremen is said to have passed into the deadly waters before his time, so that his spirit would be available for his son and heir at need. Because of this, summonings were not as difficult for Allanon as for his father.
Summoning the Dead
THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT WAS TAKEN WITH PERMISSION FROM THE DRUID HISTORIES. THE ACTUAL MAGIC AND RITUAL WORDS HAVE BEEN OMITTED TO PROTECT THE UNTRAINED.
Calling the dead requires extreme strength of purpose and single-minded determination. It must not be done lightly, for there is always a price for daring to know that which is forbidden. The need must be great enough to justify the risk.
A summoning can be done only at the Hadeshorn in the hour before dawn, and the spirits summoned must return to the waters at dawn. The adept must approach the water’s edge at the appropriate time, being careful not to touch the waters themselves. The waters may begin to stir at the approach of a living being. The adept must then find within himself perfect stillness and firmness of purpose as well as the belief that what he will see and hear cannot touch him or shake his resolve, for he will be sorely tested by those he dares to wake from eternal sleep. Once the ritual begins, even the slightest hesitation or distraction can be deadly.
The summoning ritual must be performed slowly and carefully. This ritual will be slightly different for each adept, as it must be tailored to the skills and needs of the one who calls. It is necessary to speak the name of the summoner, and to speak of the history and need. If the spirits are willing to respond, the lake will suddenly churn and boil as they fight to break free of their bondage. The adept must stand fast despite the horrific nature of the cries from the souls the lake holds within.
Once the summoning has begun, the summoner will be encompassed in a realm that is not entirely part of either world, neither living nor dead. Only the dead and the one who calls will be allowed within this vacuum. Those outside may be able to see through its barriers, but they will hear nothing. The summoner will hear anguished cries without words and feel fear that demands escape. To survive, the adept must remain fixed on his purpose and stand fast.
When the called spirit appears, the summoner must speak its name. A spirit cannot remain unless it is recognized and named by the summoner. Once named, the spirit may choose to answer questions. These answers are most often in the form of visions. These visions are of the truth of the future as seen by those from the past. But the visions are often incomplete and out of context. Though the visions show truth, the spirits are of a realm beyond ours and have an imperfect understanding of the world they have lost. Care must be taken to avoid assumptions. It is best simply to memorize every detail for later analysis.
The spirits may remain only until dawn and will return to the lake at first light. The adept must not attempt to hold a spirit even if the answers are incomplete. A spirit cannot be held past its time; to try to do so can have disastrous consequences.
The Hadeshorn will reclaim its dead with vehemence equal to their release, but the dead will not return to their bondage easily. As a price for their disturbance, they always take something of the living with them. The summoner will pay for his knowledge with some part of his life force. If the summoner lacks sufficient strength, he may not survive the ordeal at all.
Allanon himself seems to have transcended the normal rules of the afterlife, in that he alone of all the dead managed to appear to nonadepts at a place outside the Hadeshorn. He also was said to have manipulated dreams from beyond death and to have appeared to those in need without being summoned by name. Perhaps Allanon, believed to be the greatest of the old Druids, found a way to use his formidable skills to eternally link himself with the world of the living in a way no other spirit had ever managed. Even so, his shade was reported to have said that he lacked “the power in death that I possessed in life. I am permitted to see only bits and pieces of the world that was or the future that will be. Death limits both time and being. I am the past.”
While most who dared the Hadeshorn came seeking guidance, some came looking for assistance that was more tangible. At least twice the power of the lake was used to enhance weapons. The first time was to empower a talisman already forged from both magic and steel. It is said that the Sword of Shannara gained its formidable magic for truth from the spirits of the Druid dead who consecrated it. The second time was to enhance a weapon of iron and make it something more.
No one knows exactly when the Hadeshorn was formed. Some scholars speculate that the lake must have been created by the earliest Druids while they experimented with passages to other dimensions; others suggest that it was created during the Great Wars in the aftermath of the terrible forces that changed the entire world. Still others insist that it was always here, though veiled from any who did not have eyes to see, and was revealed only as the presence of magic in the land grew stronger with the demise of technology. All that is certain is that the Hadeshorn, whether eternal or created, provides a chilling look into the future that none living can escape.
Hall of Kings
Beyond the Valley of Shale lies the only path to a place even more fearsome and forbidding than the Hadeshorn. It is the Hall of Kings, ancient tomb of the royal dead. But where the Hadeshorn has often served as a portal to allow contact between the spirits of the dead and the living, the primary purpose of the Hall of Kings was to keep them eternally apart.
The path between the valley and the tomb is an arduous half-day’s trek, rising northwards through the upper reaches of the Dragon’s Teeth mountains, where snow blankets the peaks year round and temperatures seldom rise above freezing. The footing is treacherous. Loose rocks underfoot, avalanches overhead, and hidden crevices present constant danger to even skilled Trackers. It is hard to imagine the heavily laden funeral parties of the ancient kings bearing their dead and their treasures over such terrain, but there is no other path to the hall’s entrance.
Once through the heights, the trail begins a slow descent toward an impenetrable cliff wall. Just when the traveler feels certain that there is no way out, the path dips sharply down into a canyon cut deep within the mountains, to wind through a narrow mist-covered passage between two cliffs. After several hundred yards, the trail widens and the mist fades to reveal a cavernous opening in the cliff face. Like the Hadeshorn, the place is unnaturally still, deathly silent. Two huge stone warriors measuring at least a hundred feet in height stand guard on either side of the shadowed opening. Despite the silence, the warriors seem almost alive, looming expectantly, their stone eyes appearing to follow every movement. They guard the entrance to the Hall of Kings, tomb of the ancient rulers of the Four Lands. The sole adornments on the opening itself are three words carved into the stone above the entrance. The words are undecipherable, written in a lost language, but the warning they give is clear: Only the dead and their priests are meant to cross beyond this portal.
Death of a King: Ancient Burial
In the first centuries after the Great Wars, organized civilizations of any kind were rare. The few ru
lers who managed to create a semblance of order were valued by their people and hated by their enemies. When one of these kings died, in order to insure his safe passage to the afterlife he was taken to the priests at the Hall of Kings to be given over to the Gods of the Dead. It was believed that a dead person could only have an afterlife if his physical body were protected from harm.
When a ruler died, his body was carefully anointed with scented oils and wrapped in fine linens in preparation for the journey to the Hall of Kings. The dead king’s attendants gathered his most prized possessions so he would have use of them in the next life. Then the king, his treasure, his mourners, family, and attendants made the arduous journey through the Dragon’s Teeth Mountains to the entrance to the Hall of Kings. There, under the watchful gaze of the fearsome stone warriors towering over the shadowed cavern, the final public funerary services were held, formally passing the ruler and his possessions from the land of the living to that of the dead. It is likely that favored animals, servants, and concubines were sacrificed at this time to join their dead ruler.
The priests took the bodies and the treasure deep into the caverns, leaving the funeral party outside the doors. Only the dead and their priests could pass the portal. Any other living creature that entered would soon join the dead; the creatures that guarded the passages allowed their masters and their royal burden to pass unmolested, but were alert for any other who dared to follow. Upon reaching the Tomb of Kings, the royal treasure was placed beneath the great coiled-serpent altar, where it would be treated with poisons to protect it from grave robbers. A ritual consecrating the treasure was probably performed at this time, as was the internment of the sacrificed servants and concubines.