The mood was somber as we finished our report on the events that had been plaguing the Moonwood. Not surprising, really, given the subject matter. There was little good news coming out of this, after all.

We had managed to defeat the lesser werewolves, and even some of the stronger ones, but the demon-enhanced ones were tougher, and it was likely that the leaders would be stronger still. We had no way of knowing what their abilities were, aside from what the Piper told us, and that was almost nothing. There was a good chance that some of the information would have been mistaken, especially if it was drawn from people looking on from afar, instead of getting close to the targets. And that was before they went and augmented themselves with demonic powers!

The other horrors that the cult had perpetrated, with the profane arrays that kept victims alive and regenerating their flesh so that they could be constantly ‘farmed’ for meat to feed the werewolves was enough to make one’s skin crawl. That macabre pantry was disgusting. It wasn’t that they were feasting on human flesh, though I didn’t much care for that, either, but just the sheer pointlessness of it all!

There were magic items that could keep one fed and watered indefinitely, and were quite inexpensive, as such things went. Hells, we all had them, even before we left Northport! Sure, the rations they provided were not exactly exciting, and didn’t have the same thrill as cooking meat you had brought down yourself, but there was no thrill of the hunt in those pantries! It was just cruelty and torture for the sake of it.

That was what got to me, really. Killing people, hurting them, making them suffer? I was fine with that, so long as there was a purpose to it. Violence was a means to an end. These cultists saw violence as an end itself, and that was not acceptable. That kind of thing usually resulted in forces allying together to purge evil, and they weren’t always particular about what kind of ‘evil’ they were purging. No, thanks.

I took a breath, and looked at the council members. “According to what we know, there should still be time before the barrier falls. What happens after that, however, is going to be… problematic, at best.”

Siora nodded once. “Yes. We don’t know the conditions inside the temple, for one. It may have been a couple hundred years in the world outside, but a magical barrier powerful enough that even the gods cannot scry through to the other side is not something to take lightly. For all we know, the battle for the temple is still being waged by those trapped there, both the living and the dead.”

The Raven cawed once to get our attention. “The Veil weakens! My Mistress managed to peer through on her last attempt, though the effort cost her dear. The spirits of the past have been awoken! The dead begin to stir, and the war they fought will be fought again!”

Celaena groaned. “I had feared as much. There is evil slipping through the barrier. I have scried to try and discover what I can of the cult’s objectives, but the evil is clouding my divinations. I believe Magdalin is correct, and there are more than werewolves moving into battle.”

I sighed. “That will complicate matters. We can only hope that any of these spirits will pay more attention to the werewolves than they do to us. Otherwise, I don’t know how we’ll manage.”

Frostmane shook his head. “We’ll deal with them when we get there. What about the cult? Did you manage to find out what they are actually after? Is it this Crown of the Beast King the Piper told us of?”

Celaena smiled wryly. “That, at least, is one worry I can lay to rest, though it opens up several others. It would seem that the Malarites were mistrustful enough of their underlings to not speak truthfully while they were near. The Crown of the Beast King is a true artifact, and one that has been lost for many years. But my divinations have revealed that the Crown was last seen in the far-off lands of Thul-zan, a decade after the Second Ork War.”

My eyes went wide at the realization. “Which meant that it could not be trapped in the Temple, which was already sealed by then. So, the Malarites lied to their own footsoldiers, keeping them in the dark. And, since the Piper was relying on their words as to what the cult was up to, they merely passed on what information they had!”

“Exactly so.”

Vestele laughed. “It wouldn’t be the first time that leaders have kept the truth out of the ears of the followers. They had to have planned against some of the less powerful wolves getting captured, and made to talk. We are hardly the most powerful group of adventurers in the world, after all, but we were able to clear out the wolf dens easily enough. Even if we had not had the testimony of the Piper, there are spells that can compel the dead to speak.”

Celaena nodded once. “That is what I believe, as well. The Huntlord kept his plans secret, to limit the risks should any of his disposable pawns be captured or killed. The attacks on the town were, as we’ve found, a diversion, meant to keep our power bottled up, and delay any response from outside forces. You would not put your most trusted people in charge of sacrifices there to slow the enemy down, no?”

“Damn it all!” I cursed, “Why can’t we find enemies who are as brutish and stupid as they look?” Shaking my head, I looked over to Celaena, and asked, “I don’t suppose that you managed to find any answers to what they are actually after, did you?”

The druidess smiled. “I did, actually. Though it was not easy. There are five true artifacts in the Temple, as well as several relics from the time of the Great Troubles. As best as I have been able to discover, the Malarites seek to claim all five of the artifacts, either to wield them, or to corrupt them into something that they can then wield.”

“What are these artifacts, then, and what do they do?”

“The first artifact is Selune’s Wrathbow, a powerful weapon. It creates arrows of moonlight, which can ignore armor, among other things. However, its most powerful ability is to slay lycanthropes in a single blow, making it a terror to those touched by the affliction.”

She paused, and then said, “The bow was used by the head priest of the temple, in its defense. It was lost when the temple fell. However, only a true believer of Selune can wield it. All others will be struck down with some affliction.”

I nodded slowly. “That sounds like a powerful artifact, indeed. What of the other four?”

Celaena nodded slowly. She took a breath, centering herself. “Selune’s Wrathbow is powerful, yes, but its power pales in comparison to that of the second of the two Selunite artifacts in the temple, the Moonmirror.”

“The Moonmirror is a silver mirror which can draw out all the flaws, imperfections, and maladies afflicting a person. Not just from their physical body, but from their soul, as well. Those who look at it are faced with a copy of themselves, split into darkness and light, like the quarter moon, each with half the strength of the original.

“If one of the two is slain by another’s hand, then the other one remains, pure good or pure evil, but still at half the strength they had before. If, however, one of the two strikes the killing blow on the other, then they vanquish their other self, and are returned to full strength, though they remain pure. It was meant as a means of purification, to cleanse the Moonmaiden’s followers of the darkness in their hearts, but it could easily be turned to wicked ends, if one sought to help the darker aspects overcome their light ones. For this reason, it was sealed in the Temple’s catacombs, so that only the worthy may retrieve it.”

Siora shuddered. “No, a weapon like that is far too powerful to be left in the hands of mortals. I want no part of someone literally splitting my soul apart! Especially as it seems there is no way to undo or reverse the change.”

Celaena nodded. “Indeed. Only the most foolish, or the most zealous, would wish for such an encounter. Fortunately, the other artifacts are less problematic, being weapons like the Wrathbow, instead of objects like the Moonmirror.”

Vestele frowned. “What are the others, then?”

“The Bloodspear of Gruumsh was the weapon wielded by the Warlord Guzhuk Bladeblood, leader of the orcish forces that attacked the Temple during the Second Orc War. He personally led the assault on the Temple, and it is said that his spear could spit three men in a single blow. Only a true warrior of the One-Eyed God can wield it, but it will increase their power manyfold.”

Sweetling nodded. “Dangerous, but only if it gets in the hands of orcs. That’s not so bad, then.”

“The Claws of Malar, however, are a pair of twin scimitars, and the personal weapons of Ran Frostclash, the demigod son of Malar that Selune slew during the Great Troubles. These blades were made for Frostclash by Malar’s own hand. These blades, I believe, are the true goal of the Malarites. Recovering the blades, and wielding them in the Beastlord’s name, would be a serious victory for the Beastlord’s followers.”

Frostmane chuffed. “And a serious pain in the haunches for everyone else, if they are as powerful as all that. I don’t want to know what the damn things could do.”

Celaena nodded. “Indeed. Though I said that the Moonmirror was the most dangerous of the lot, that does not mean that the Claws of Malar, wielded together by one trained in swordsmanship, would not be a far deadlier or more powerful force to face. But the violation of having one’s soul pulled apart, especially if it is against your will, like with the Moonmirror makes it a far more dreadful artifact.”

I nodded slowly. “I can imagine. The personal weapons of a son of a god, made for their hand by their divine parent, are not items to be trifled with. But what of the fifth artifact, then?”

Celaena smiled, a bit warmer than before. “Ah, the fifth artifact. That is one that should be of great interest to you, young Aurelite. It is the only one of the five not tied to a specific god. Instead, it is bound and enchanted so greatly that only certain types may wield it. Namely, Twice-born.”

I blinked in surprise. “An artifact that only Twice-born may wield?”

“Yes, Soul’s Violation is the name of the blade. It is strange, out of all the five, it was easiest to get information on this blade. Like someone or something wanted me, and therefore you, to know.”

“That’s not ominous or anything.”

“The blade, a strange weapon not often seen in these lands called a ‘katana’, is known as Soul’s Violation. It was forged from iron mined upon the Plane of Shadow, and quenched in the blood of creatures from that deadly plane, infusing it with the essence of shadow. According to the lore was the personal weapon of the Dark Queen, a Twiceborn Nymph who became a feared warlord in the northern lands, and made by her hands.

“The cause of her rage against the 'civilized' races is unknown. However, it is believed that, before she forged the blade, the Dark Queen tried, and failed, to find her way through the Plane of Shadow, seeking a connection to the world her soul was originally from. Failing in this, she turned her wrath upon the people of the world, and, for over a hundred years, the blade was continually infused with the Dark Queen's essence as she sacrificed countless souls to it, causing the blade to grow ever more powerful throughout her reign.”

Celaena paused for a breath. “During the Great Troubles, she was attacked by the goddess Selune in a duel. The Goddess of the Moon was tricked by the God of Lies, Cyric, into believing that the Dark Queen was the mortal incarnation of the Goddess of Shadow, Shar, and was somehow responsible for the Great Troubles. Cyric revealed his true nature to Selune during the battle when Malar sought to intervene. Cyric and the Dark Queen were killed in the ensuing brawl, and both Selune and Malar's mortal avatars were gravely wounded.

“With the Dark Queen's death, her blade disappeared for a long time, though rumors persisted of it appearing in different locales. During the Second Orc War, the the Doomsinger, Brakthik Ruinsoul, proved to the world that it still existed, as she wielded it alongside the forces of Bladeblood during the fateful campaign in the Moonwood.”

I frowned, even as I nodded my head, considering the bomb that the druidess had just dropped on me. “And so, a weapon of legend, forged for the hand of a Twice-born, is waiting in the temple where we, a group including a Twice-born, must go. That is… no small amount of coincidence.”

Celaena nodded. “No, it is not. But the Twice-born are beings outside the common sense of the world to begin with. Just like your coming to this world started the weakening of the barrier, I do not doubt that you were… guided by unseen powers to be here, now, when the blade can be found again. But what those powers might be, I cannot say.”

Vestele frowned. “I remember a bit of lore, saying that the Absolute Overlord of the gods took a hand in guiding Twice-born to this world. Sure, they are always sworn to one god or another in this world, but the power to bring a soul from another world? That would seem to be beyond the power of most gods.”

I sighed. “Well, that’s just lovely. I suggest we all retire for the night, so we can sleep, and then get an early start tomorrow. I want to get back to slaying werewolves because they are in my way, since at least that makes sense, and doesn’t involve cosmic power plays.”