Estemar stared despite himself. All he had ever heard of the Brotherhood of the Void described them as merciless killers, opportunists, and where they went, disaster tended to follow.
They were not people anyone wanted to see, because death usually followed.
And now he was looking at two of them.
One looked to be a halvyr adventurer of some kind, a longsword slung on his back, bow next to the quiver. His grab was in blacks and greys, not really out of line, save that he was with an army instead of the Rangers Estemar had encountered on his ride out to this area. He stood out among the mailed and shorter elves, with a finely trimmed beard and mustache that gave the impression of a wandering bard or swashbuckler, and the edge of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Estemar's immediate impression was that he was a rogue and skirt-chaser, not a master slayer.
The other figure took him a couple eyeblinks to focus on. He was actually shorter then the elves, his cloak pulled down to hide his head, slender and disappearing into the shadow of his taller compatriot. He had several knives about him, but was carrying little else, and seemed to be shoeless.
"A hyn?" he blurted out despite himself. What was one of the Short Folk doing here?
"Lad, if I'm not mistaken, that's one of the most dangerous members of the Brotherhood. You best not look down on him." Briggs' smile was slightly forced. "Them being here has all sorts of nasty implications. The elven army getting here so quick probably wasn't just due to them having lots of magic to call on…"
"They warned them?" Estemar wasn't slow on the uptake. "Because they are drawn to disaster coming?..."
"Exactly."
"How did… how do you know they are Void Brothers?"
"You can't see the Helices?" Briggs lifted an eyebrow at him.
Estemar blinked, and squinted. There was a breeze blowing about the two… no, their cloaks weren't moving, nor the grass about them. It was a swirl of not-light, very subtle, as if bending the light…
Contrasting spirals, very faint, moving around the two of them…
"That's magic, gathering to their Voids, being drawn in along the one spiral, and exuded forth by the other, purified. They are feeling the mana of the world, what they call the Breath of the Land. Impurities in it pull them along mercilessly to dispose of them, the same way you'd want to get rid of a flow of sewage across your lawn. This invasion from the Warp must be tripping both magic and dimensional stains…"
"I don't understand…" Estemar admitted readily.
"Ah, Void Brothers have Orders, like knighthoods. They are the rarest of us Forsaken, one member of each Order to a given area, usually the size of a continent or large country. Those two are the Wind and the Arrow, and the Shadow and the Knife." Briggs looked around calmly. "I'm kind of surprised to not see the Fire and the Sword, but he's probably with the Rangers. These two will likely advance to join them after seeing the battle here."
"Do these names… signify something?" Estemar asked thoughtfully.
"Yes. The Wind and the Arrow are most sensitive to the flow of natural energy and the impacts on the balance of the world and its laws. The rampant mutation of the ecology and the world's laws would be felt halfway around the world by one of them.
"They are also the only Forsaken who are halvyr.
"The Fire and the Sword are always human, and are the most sensitive to magic and magical imbalances, and so tend to act the most in civilized realms where magic-wielding is the most common. Since they kill a lot of spellcasters doing stupid things, the Powered particularly hate them. They feel magic more clearly then any Caster, but can never use it, only obey it…"
Estemar considered that, as Briggs continued. "While Hyn can be Nulls, the only Voids they can be are the Shadow and the Knife, and only Hyn can be them. As far as I know, they are the most respected of the Brotherhood, because they are the most sensitive to the Veil and the Grid… or time and the dimensions.
"They are the direst foes of things that mess with time, come from outside Creation, or rip holes in reality. They close the Gates, shatter the Portals, mend the Rifts, and eliminate the time-travelers. They slaughter the things that cross in from other Realities to our own with malevolent intent, and all those that work with them.
"This naturally makes them very, very unpopular with all sorts of cults, religions, mad wizards, gods, powers, and forces that want to come here and make us all their mindless slaves.
"Between the Windarrow and the Shadowknife, I don't think you will find any more unpopular members of the Brotherhood!"
"I… With such noble histories, why do not the tales of what they do throw off the ill words spoken of them?"
"Uh huh. So, tell me, Paladin, what if a mighty Priest of Aru tried to bring in an army of angels to eliminate all evils in the world, and bring us into an enlightened paradise? What do you think the Shadow and the Knife would do with them?"
Estemar fell silent, staring at the hyn who was so hard to focus on, and finally sighed slowly. "He would kill the Priest for bringing in an invading force from outside reality, and either slaughter the angels or send them back whence they came."
"Therefore irking the holy forces who wanted to spread around some Light and Goodness." Briggs shrugged. "The Land is ruthless. If you want Light and Goodness, it has to come from your own self, not because some alien ecology is coming in and mandating it." He nodded in the direction of the Brothers. "So, yeah, they are killers, and very, very good killers. The shit they kill often nobody hears about, to everyone's relief. I'm sure they have stories and stories to tell, that simply will never be told."
Estemar was impressed despite himself at the unsung nature of their duty, even if he deplored the methodology. "Can they choose not to serve?" he asked faintly.
"Well, I suppose if you could learn to eat shit, they could choose not to serve. Do you think it's likely?" Estemar shook his head. "Right. And the consequence of a Void Brother walking away means someone would have to pick up his slack, AND somehow know where the disasters are going to happen." Estemar frowned deeply. "Yep, that's just about the right expression. You'd need a Void Brother leading you around, in order to do his job."
"That seems to be a terribly lonely duty," Estemar said faintly.
"The next time you feel doubt, when hope seems dim, and all the world is dark and grey and has turned against you; your allies have abandoned you, and those you thought would stand with you have turned away and disappointed you… well, just remember that the Brotherhood has to endure that all the time, so why can't a Paladin?"
Estemar shook from head to toe for a moment at that thought, turning his eyes to Briggs, who had a sad smile on his crude features as he watched the pair conferring.
"You are a wise man, Master Briggs!" he said, and he meant it.
"How would you like to give them a shot of good news?" Briggs asked him, glancing over at the young man.
Estemar shuffled uncertainly. "How?" he inquired, interested despite himself.
"You have fulfilled the conditions for an Oath." Estemar blinked again. "There are three that you are eligible for… the Oath against Chaos, as all things of the Warp are of Chaos. The Oath against Evil, for likewise, all of the Warp is of Evil. Lastly, you seen these folk and the harm they wreak, the slaughter they unleash, upon those close and dear to you. You may choose the Oath of Wrath, and if Harse judges your vengeance to be worthy, you may take up His Cause and deliver final judgement upon them for their wickedness."
Estemar rocked back on his heels as the words thundered in his soul. He could feel them roiling there, something building that was awesome and powerful beyond his years.
Something of thunder…
He thought of his master, opening a path for him to flee, battling four foes at once, alive and laughing, even as he died. He thought of the knights of the Order, dying around him, fighting to the end, all their courage and strength not enough in the face of such numbers.
He lifted his eyes to the sky.
He disregarded the Oath against Chaos. His teachings had clearly told him that Heaven was not just of the Silver, but the Gold and the Rainbow, and so judging all Chaos was to set yourself at odds with a third or more of Heaven itself. Was not mighty Valus of Chaos, but also Mithar's great friend and the Champion of Heaven? Chaos might not be the best road to follow, but that did not mean it was not a worthy road…
An Oath against Evil… He sighed and closed his eyes. Truly the breadth of such an Oath was beyond this encounter. It would be a grand crusade that could never be fulfilled, for Evil would always be born in the hearts of mortals, and it stood as one of the primary Forces upon which Creation rested. He would be battling against infinity forever, while ignoring the fact that the greatest way to fight Evil, was to grow the Good.
But a finite foe, of dire and foul nature, whose Evil he had seen with his own eyes? Whose plans were obvious and were meant to be defeated, who could not be allowed to win, and should be punished… be Fed To The Land… yes, that was an Oath he could understand, he could devote himself to, and satisfy the souls of the valiant men he had rode with!
He did not know his eyes were shining silver as he turned to Master Briggs. "I swear, before Mithar and Harse, that I will oppose these creatures of the Warp; that I will see them swept away and their plans made naught; I will balance the scales of their dark deeds and take from them the price for their actions! I will return unto them that which they have given to others!"
The Symbol at his chest flared with The Light, and something echoed in his soul, a fire that had ignited and would burn, Thunder that would echo and roll, until the Oath was fulfilled!
Briggs just nodded. "As Will I."
For just an instant, the world seemed to go still around them.
------
Chatting with the general and his Caster, I turned around to look directly at Briggs, while both elves glanced up at him in shock.
Briggs' eyes turned away from mine, to look directly into the gazes of the startled Void Brothers. I turned my head to follow his gaze, and my eyebrows headed for my hairline.
"Ohhh, Void Brothers! You didn't tell me you had a couple of them around!" I promptly waved at the two, who looked a bit flabbergasted. "Brother Windarrow, Brother Shadowknife, could you come join us?"