The Tower in the Shadows

Rickle did not want to be here, but all had been summoned.

They had all gathered in an amphitheatre that existed on the divine plane. It was the site of many gatherings and discussions throughout the history of the Pantheon. Oda was the one who used it most in the past, but others had called meetings when they deemed it necessary.

It had started off well, but this meeting of all the divine beings was threatening to turn into chaos. The tensions within the gathered body were starting to build to the point where it was threatening to tear them apart.

Nictor and Xandus were trying to keep them focused on the goal of dealing with void corruption. The problem was that, though they were united in seeking to contain the corruption, it was obvious to all that their desire for what methods to be used was radically different.

These divisions were being exacerbated by other members of the courts who wanted more radical solutions. Some were demanding purges and far more violent solutions. They were calling on their followers and all the faithful to mobilise to destroy those affected by corruption. The problem was that they could spread it, and that was a counterargument used by others. Some were calling for the destruction of Bhaldor, but that had been shut down very quickly by the more powerful members of the Pantheon.

There were very few true neutral gods, and they were getting petitioned by different groups to support them and their views. Rickle himself had been approached many times in the last few days. He was becoming increasingly frustrated now with the selfishness of many of the divine.

The mortals believed that the gods were these higher beings of power and intelligence, but in truth, they were just as flawed and power-hungry as they were. Rickle was one of the few who admitted it to himself.

The present gathering is quickly devolving into separate discussions and heated arguments as the two organisers are losing control of it.

Rickle could feel his frustration building in his chest as he looked around.

Part of him was sad, as he thought this was how they would all end. The void corruption would win, and they would all be consumed. Their natural divisions would lead to their destruction, and yet none of them would find it within themselves to bend their stances even slightly to survive.

Xandus and Nictor realised they were losing the group, and they were trying to bring them back to the point at hand. The problem was that they couldn't force them, as that would cause greater divisions within the group.

"Here marks our end. Not in ignorance but discord." Rickle said softly to himself. Around him, harsher words were being exchanged in louder voices as the group began to fall apart.

They were afraid.

He understood this. He realised this, but also understood that there was that fear that was tearing them all apart. It was their fear that would destroy them.

Fear was controlling them.

Around him, a storm was building, and he simply watched it all from the back. He was ignored, yet he could see it all so clearly. It was a bit of a revelation, but what could he do with it?

The courts would divide along their traditional lines. Eventually pulling their leaders with them. Some would take more extreme measures, which would be viewed by others as excessive by the opposing court. Tensions rise, and somewhere, someone would do something stupid. Tension and harsh language then would be turned to violence, and they would all be doomed.

The noise spoke to him that it was getting to the point where they would come too late, and they would be too divided.

Action was needed. Something needed to happen to refocus them on what needed to be done.

He stood up, not understanding what he was doing.

Many were on their feet, yelling at each other, while the heads of the two courts attempted to restore order, but failed.

He was being ignored.

Something has to be done.

"Enough!"

The word thundered, backed by divine power.

It brought silence in its wake.

In a horrified realisation, he realised he was the one who had spoken.

Every member of the divine turned their attention and looked at him. Shock and surprise were the two most common emotions that he could see. He was the focus now of the entire Pantheon and was both elated and terrified.

The part of him that had spoken started again.

"What are you all doing?" Rickle started walking towards Xandus and Nictor. He descended not using the stairs but simply walking down the seating areas. Some of the divine moved aside as he walked slowly but with a strange purpose emanating from him.

"You bicker. You plot. You scheme." The silence continued after his words. "Oda has fallen. Astraus is dead. Void corruption is spreading. The mortals are divided and afraid. We are divided and afraid."

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There was a ripple of unease and denial at those words.

"How can we seek to defeat the void when we can't even come together to face it? We must stand together, or we will be consumed alone. There is no other option." He had now reached the bottom of the seating area and walked onto the slightly raised platform that Xandus and Nictor were on. He turned and took them all in.

"Oda knows us. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. Together, we can beat him, but it won't be easy. Inadvertently, he has created through Bhaldor the means to bring an end to void corruption on the mortal plane." There was another ripple of unease at those words again, but he knew they needed to be said. "Folly's End is gathering to explode, and we need everyone ready for that. Once the corrupted monsters there crossed the river, and we all know they will, they will be heading in one direction."

Every member of the Pantheon knew where they would be heading.

"When they cross, we must be ready to defend the Tower in the Shadows even if we sacrifice every nation and city-state between there and him."

Many were shocked by his apparent indifference to the lies that were about to be exposed.

"The monsters that will emerge from there will be some of the most powerful we have ever seen. We must be ready to face them. That means we must have the forces arrayed against them be just as powerful as we can make them."

"That means we must stand together or we will die alone."

The amphitheatre was now silent as they all thought about what he had said.

## ## ## ## ##

The Kingdom of Nygar was looking to the west with fear.

Folly's End was seething with movement now.

The wooden watchtowers across the river had been fortified and strengthened both physically and with additional guards. All were now reporting increased movement on the other bank, and the size of the monsters reported was growing larger every day.

Like all other nations, they have suffered when the temples were burned.

Oda had a following within the lands, but it was not as great as that of others. There were also a few militant orders dedicated to him, but again, they were heavily outnumbered by the others present. When the void corruption was revealed among them, they caused damage but were quickly put down.

What damage had been done was repaired, and the casualties suffered were replaced. Additional units were raised from the population, and more arrived from other lands and nations.

The gods had made it known that they were expecting trouble and were gathering to face it.

The Paragons of the Guilds were also supporting the military buildup.

The river was the first and most obvious defensive line for the kingdom. It was acting as an effective natural barrier for the lesser monsters right now, but as soon as something powerful enough was able to cross, things would change. It was completely impractical to fortify the entire riverbank, as there were many places where, once forded, the river ran next to flat grassland or farms.

The watchtowers were constructed as a means of observation and as points from which alarms could be raised. They can also be used to guide long-range spells to strike targets crossing the river. Each was well-designed, similar to the towers of the old empires, and each was in line of sight with two others.

Cavalry units regularly patrolled the road that connected them. These patrols were not composed of small groups of horsemen, but entire companies of a hundred men and women on horseback, ready to engage any target or threat they encountered while sending others to raise the alarm.

Further into the kingdom, the military planners recognised the need to establish a second line of defence. They were not ignorant enough to rely on the river alone to defend them from the horrors that were gathering. These men and women were experienced in the ways the world knew that such monsters would only be held back by the river until one was strong enough to pass across it.

It was here that no defensive position was to be found. The military planners decided to use mobile cavalry units to slow down any potential enemy advances. Specialist teams of mixed adventurers, militant orders, and other specialised individuals were gathered to try to engage the larger and more dangerous targets.

The military planners knew that they could not hold back such abominations, and the roles of these teams were not to achieve this but to slow the advance of such monsters. The local population's evacuation was the primary role of the cavalry units assigned to this area.

These units were far from the kingdom's best and were selected with the cold logic of them suffering extensive losses. Publicly, the King had decreed that the civilian population would be given a chance to evacuate once the river was crossed. Privately, he had told his commanders not to sacrifice any imported units in the attempt.

The local population was also prepared to evacuate if needed. How many would obey such instructions was hard to tell. It was expected that most would flee when the alert was raised.

The problem was that their kingdom beyond that river was mainly flat, but there was one defensive point that they could rely on for a time, and that was the city of Castin. Castin sat on the next river, which later bent towards the capital. It was not a large city by the world's standards, but it was situated in a strategic location, with the river flowing beneath a great bridge built during the days of the old empires. The city itself still held most of the defensive fortifications built by the Empire's legions. The rulers of the city had maintained them over the years since the fall of the Empire.

From what intelligence they could gather, the military planners expected the abominations to follow a predetermined path. Castin then onto Nygar, and if they pass through onto the mountains far to the east.

The King's military planners informed him that they were attempting to hold Castin, but he needed to be prepared to fight for Nygar. Some even broached the idea of evacuating the capital and allowing the monsters to pass through unmolested. This notion was quickly dismissed, as it was believed that monsters, even if they were merely passing, would have a profound impact on the land and surviving animals.

No, they would have to fight and hold the line if they could.

Castin and Nygar, over the last few months, have seen massive public works dedicated to military fortifications begun. Many of the more basic and straightforward defensive positions were finished. Many others were still under construction or undergoing renovation and strengthening. This would have placed an enormous financial burden on the kingdom, potentially ruining it. Still, money was coming in from across the continent and even some from beyond, alleviating the strain on the kingdom's economy.

Treaties and agreements, some ancient, some new, or brought forth and called upon. The neighbouring kingdoms and noble lands were gathering their banners and preparing for the battles to come. Many of Nygar's neighbours knew that beyond the first river, there were two more lines of fortification that the kingdom could rely on. They made their plans to send forces to either Castin or Nygar.

Quietly, many of these neighbours were also eyeing the borderlands and making preparations in case things went badly, considering what they could acquire in the event of the collapse of their powerful neighbour.

Far to the east, in the intended target of the monsters' advance, there was another city, and within that city, its Lord was forced to make similar plans to those of the monarchy of Nygar. He had resources, but nothing on the scale of what the kingdom of Nygar was deploying.

He did, however, have one massive advantage.

The Tower in the Shadows.