Light and Shadow

My Life Thus Far

By Matthias Lateralus

Before the Wall:

Growing up, I had the unfortunate honor of being the youngest of three sons to the head of the small Freeholder house Lateralus, located deep in the wilds. As such, my oldest brother Edgar was the favorite of my father, and I of my mother. While Edgar would be out hunting and training with the sword, I was inside being coddled by my mother. I quickly learned to read and write and spent most of my days with my face in a book. The rest of my time was spent with my other brother, Maynard. We would sneak away and play in the forests surrounding the manor. My mother would always warn me not to play in the wilds, for they are unpredictable and dangerous.

As we grew, my eldest brother continued to spend all his time with our father, and they were frequently gone, visiting the countryside and Father’s estates. I continued my studies with a tutor, since I had long learned everything my mother could teach me and more. I grew increasingly interested in mythology, especially the divine, yet couldn’t learn much due to a lack of text on the subject (and lack of text in general). I remember asking about my family history, and getting a cold look from the tutor. All I could ever get him to tell me was that, long ago, the head of the family committed some unspeakable act and the remaining family had to flee from Tiryns.

Meanwhile, Maynard was now allowed to practice every day with sword and bow, as his dreams were to go to the wall and become a glorious hero. I never understood his desire to fight horrible creatures and perhaps die, but he would just say that someday I might.

By the time I turned sixteen, Edgar had all but assumed control of the family, as my Father’s health had been failing in the past years. We all worried for him and the house grew silent and cold as if readying itself for his death. I was especially worried because I knew Edgar was not all he appeared to be. He had never been very nice to me or anyone else for that matter and as the years passed, he developed a sickly pallor, yet seemed to become more and more invigorated. Whispered rumors about Edgar dealing with men that had murder in their eyes reached my ears and troubled me greatly. Some even spoke of him digging in the family crypt.

One night I decided to follow Edgar to see if these rumors had any substance, and was horrified by what I saw. The night air coated my arms and face with a soft layer of moisture. It was not uncommon for there to be mist and fog, but tonight it seemed especially dense. I followed Edgar down to the family graveyard and watched as he entered the main crypt. Down and down I followed the flickering light of his torch, for how long I do not remember. I kept hoping that the incessant pounding of my heart would not be heard by my brother.

Just as I thought the passageways could not possibly delve any deeper I realized the torchlight had stopped ahead, and I crept up to the edge of an archway, peering inside. I gazed upon a large room twice the height of a man and five times as long. Lifelike statues lined the walls, and many broken wooden coffins were scattered across the floor, out of place in a family crypt full of intricately carved marble sarcophagi. Kneeling over one of the coffins was Edgar, waving his hand over the body inside. To my horror the body inside moved, and suddenly sat upright! It was then that I realized the figures standing about the room were not stone statues as I had earlier thought, but bodies that swayed slightly and stared with dead eyes.

I let out a choked scream and tried to run but my body would not respond. It was then that Edgar spun around and looked directly at me, and it was the blue fire in his eyes and hand that brought my body to life. Turning to run, something impossibly cold smashed into my back causing me to stumble and crack my skull on the wall. As blackness crept across my vision, I remember hearing shouts and battle cries as I saw what appeared to be three men and one woman all rushing into the room, clad head-to-toe in shining armor. The rest passed as if in a dream. Shining bolts of light sprang from the hands of the woman, and a large hairy man roared, swinging his gigantic axe among the swaying bodies.

As I lay slumped against the wall, a wet feeling trickling down my head and back, a bright light, brighter than any I have ever seen, shone throughout the room. I looked up to see a gleaming man holding a sun-shaped symbol above his head. From that sun the light gushed forth, destroying the walking corpses as flame destroys cobwebs. And just as quickly as it had come, the light vanished. Left standing in the middle of the room was this magnificent man, still seeming to glow, and nothing else. Feeling much weaker now, my head slumped and I tasted copper in my mouth. Before I lost consciousness I remember seeing the brilliant man striding towards me, his outstretched hand glowing with the light of the sun, and the words, “You will live young one, and one day you too will serve…”

After that night my brother Edgar disappeared. I had awoken back at the manor, under the care of several servants. The only information I could gather on the identities of the group that had saved my life was that they served the Watch and had come to deal with the trouble my brother had been causing. Everyone seemed relieved at his apparent death, all except Maynard. Being the eldest remaining son, it was now his duty to oversee the family affairs and stay at home. His lifelong dream had been to travel to the wall and serve on the Watch. But the duty now fell on me to travel north to the wall and serve in the name of my family, Lateralus. So I bid my farewells and traveled north, all the while wondering if I would ever see that magnificent man and the beautiful symbol he held in his hand.

On the Wall:

When I arrived at the wall, I was quickly processed and sent to train with all the other new recruits. The days were grueling and spent under the scornful eye of the drill master who seemed to love nothing but grinding us into the mud. After a time we were deemed worthy to advance to the rank of Private, and I was sent on my very first patrol.

As we were gathering up to depart, I gaped when I saw the very man who had saved my life stride up to our group. He said his name was Dryden and he would be leading us on this raid against Orgoshi camps to the north. Not wanting to gush and seem out of place, I said nothing, but couldn’t help glancing at his shining armor and shield with the wonderful symbol of the sun upon it.

The raid was unfortunately unsuccessful when we were ambushed several miles before reaching the camps. I fought as best I could but was in awe of Dryden and his skill in dispatching the attackers. After the battle he went among the wounded and I again witnessed the golden flame in his hands mending the wounds of my comrades. I could no longer contain myself and began asking questions about the source of the light and golden flame I had seen in the crypt and again after the ambush. Dryden smiled and took me aside as we all began the long march back to the wall.

The journey back was filled with my questions about how he was able to mend the wounds of the fallen. He told me that he served under the great god Pelor. It was by praying and devoting himself entirely that he was given these gifts to aid others in need. I then asked him if he could teach me in the ways of these mystical and divine arts. With a smile and a nod I was to become the disciple of Dryden, Radiant Servant of Pelor.

Over the next few years I learned to pray to receive the wonderful gifts granted by Pelor, and use those gifts to aid those in need. Dryden also spoke of always bringing the light to the darkness, seeking out the evil which plagues man. I was delighted to discover that I took to the teachings very well and quickly mastered many different incantations and spells.

But this mentorship was not to last forever. One day, just like any other on patrol, we were investigating rumors of some giant beast prowling the woods near a small town over the wall. Nobody was prepared when a fifteen foot beast came roaring in a full charge out of the trees and leapt amongst us, swinging a tree trunk and causing devastation. In the initial rush I was caught in the side by the massive hunk of wood and sent flying to the wide of the fight. Struggling to catch my breath and heal my wounds, I looked back to the fight to see Dryden standing alone amongst fallen comrades. He seemed so small next to the behemoth and yet shone like a star in the sunlight. Lifting his holy symbol and crying aloud a jet of golden flame shot down from the heavens directly on the beast. But this amazing feat was in vain as it only seemed to enrage the monster and reaching above its head with both hands on the trunk, it swung down in an arc, catching Dryden by surprise and catapulting him through the air where he smashed against a tree.

I let loose a cry of anguish and rage and charged directly for the beast only to be met with the side of the tree trunk, and blackness took me. I awoke back in the wall infirmary and was told that another patrol had come upon the devastation left by the beast. They told me that Dryden was dead and I was the only survivor of a twenty man patrol. Presenting me with Dryden’s armor and crumpled shield, they silently left the room and left me to weep for my fallen mentor.

That night I had a very strange, vivid dream. I was walking alone in darkness, through a valley or perhaps a forest, when I suddenly heard a singsong voice calling my name. I followed the voice for, in the way of dreams, perhaps 100 yards, perhaps 100 miles, when I came across a still pond with a glowing white ball in the center. A voice seemed centered upon the ball and it sang to me these words:

“Twice to run, twice to fade, once more for the glory repaid.
Never to see, always to look, in time, everything is remembered by book.
One Sun for the glory of ages past, two more for the screams of
remembrance dashed.
Still one more for night, and the last one for pain, at the end of the
light, all will be plain.”

To this day, I have no notion of what the voice was speaking of, but I do know this was no ordinary dream, even though the healers told me false visions were common among head trauma patients.

Time passed and I healed in body and soul, and was to take over as the unit’s healer. Showing great prowess on the field of battle and with my healing abilities, I was quickly promoted to Private, First Class. I only hoped that I could live up to the teachings given to me by Dryden and aid all those in need.

A New Journey:

I received orders today to meet a new group of privates and escort them on some mission of which I do not know the details. But my goal has always been the same: complete the mission and keep everyone alive. I was surprised when I came to learn that I had been promoted to Specialist for the mission and told that if I continued to display my cunning leadership I might be granted the honor of Sword Leader.