Chapter 5 Part 3: A Sliver of Hope

“I say the conspiracy was political in the making. Most likely one of the many rivals of the sea who contented with our subaquatic dwarven kingdoms at the helm, but others who wished to hide their plot from me and the designers of the stasis field itself. With my chief engineer on sight and the original designers they would not have been able to hide their subterfuge, and my agents on the ground did in fact seem to think a conspiracy was a foot. We were too busy surviving to act upon the reports. A mistake I will take to my grave which had best not be another three thousand years down the road or I will have serious words for our heavenly savior no matter his holiness.”

Xavos smiled at his gruff friend whose humor bespoke a heaviness that those coming near the end of their lives felt in the mortal toil. The Arch Paladin would miss him when the Kierter passed on to his eternal reward, but would be pleased at a soul well lived. Besides, Xavos could tell the time was far from today which was probably going to vex the aging ruler to no end.

“Perhapse, the undead were in the process of infiltrating the conspiracy as vampires are want to do when power and intrigue are involved,” the Arch Paladin mused as his mind began to ponder the possibility,” Not enough to stop the Stasis field from being deployed, but enough to influence the greed of the conspirators to do the unthinkable and weaken their defense against undead, and now that so many generations have passed…”

“The vampires and their thralls may very well have taken control of the conspiracy,” The High Kierter finished for the Paladin. Xavos clinched his fist. This was very much the pattern of evil that permeated the world before the final war that ended the living kingdoms of light. Always playing on that bit of darkness and lack of forethought in the scum hitchhiking on the backs of the true power players till all was corrupted. Three thousand years without Paladins would have meant there was very little to counter a coven of vampires and warlocks hidden within the ranks of the mortal races.

“The theory fits, after thousands of years they finally convinced or forced the races to turn off the Stasis Field. That is at least one event the pilot engineer of the flying vessel had paid attention to.” This information gained a grizzled long eyebrow raise out of the dwarf king.

“They are convinced it seems that there is no heavens or hells or even second heaven. Only the physical world exists to them now. I know, old friend, it's preposterous, but just sit down with that mule woman and you will see her ignorance is complete. They have gathered all the kingdoms under one banner, and the grand Viziar of science and understanding declared the Stasis Field obsolete. Whatever this Viziar of Understanding is he doesn’t seem to possess much wisdom.”

“Or brains to see an obvious lie from the guilty milk maid’s mouth.”

“My thinking exactly Ulen. Yet, when not fought, even obvious lies take root, and they’ve had thousands of years to overwhelm the truth with their word spells. Some rank called the Artificer Supreme with the backing of the Elder Scientists, which as far as I can tell is a kind of priestly order of the physical world, moved and succeeded in shutting off the stasis field. Not destroying her by all that was holy, only deactivating her to free their constraints and take back the old world. According to these odd missives they even had a parade for the event.”

“A blessing indeed. The stasis field would doubtlessly still be strong and holy in the minds of the masses. The conspiracy could not convince them to destroy her and figured shutting her down would be enough for the legions of the dead anyhow.” As they talked the bubble circled the bow of the ark showing the visage of the great kraken of vilo edged into stark relief on the hull of the great ship. Vilo’s Kraken also known as Xarmon turned on his fellows and became the first savior of the deep, leading the mortal race of the original dwarves to their ancestral home now far and lost. The relief was magnificent even through the scorch marks and growing barnacles on her hole. Funny to think even pests like these hullsucker had been preserved as much as the denizens of the ark and flying isle had.

“Which does beg the question as to why a portion still functions albeit in a less powerful form,” The Arch Paladin reminded his aging friend. Though still sharp of the mind the dwarf did have a tendency to wander and talk in riddles. Clever minds had a way of forgetting themselves with age.

“Ah yes, my counter conspiracy. You can thank me later for I faked the death of Zortham and his company of dwarves to smuggle them early into our sanctuary for one express purpose,” Xavos crossed his arms at this revelation. The Ark of Xarmon and those of the sea dwarves had been late for more reasons than sabotage it would seem.

“I had them build another minor stasis field. A net to catch the world from plunging into darkness if the unthinkable were to happen and the conspirators through their folly had destroyed, whether by design or accident, the stasis field in their machinations. Again I’m waiting for my thanks which has been three thousand years in the making.” Xavos laughed and shook his head. Relief coursed through his veins at this very unexpected turn of events. The good Lord did work in mysterious ways.

“I will thank our Father in Heaven for inspiring you to your conspiratorial ways.”

“Bah! You would thank an acolyte to his face but never an old friend.”

“Only a conceited one. Where is this secondary field array? For surely the conspiracy we imagine and have not yet proven to exist will be searching for her.”

“Where they will never gain access to her without summoning aquatic undead monstrosities of the deep which the Stasis Field will not allow. The array lies at the bottom of what was an unnamed wild bay with unfathomable depth which my scouts never found the end of. She rests in an underwater subterranean fortress protected by our last guardian of the deep. A scheme that seems to have paid off given the obvious results. Deep in the jungles that even these great flying machines will tremble at piercing," Ulen grinned with complete confidence in his machinations.

At this Xavos felt tension in his chest worse than when he first saw the undead hordes overwhelming the imperial mines while the dwarves were aided by both elf and man. The world had changed far more than his old friend had realized more than the Paladin could ever have imagined before his great sleep. Even these inhospitable waters might not be beyond the reach of their enemies.

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