The Order/Rediscovery
The Discovery
The events leading to the founding of the Order began first when Tsubaki saw a reflection of moonlight on metal near his stables. Thinking it was another batch of assassins, he charged the hill. When he arrived it was not an enemy, but rather a dull and ancient door handle. The entire doorframe was covered in reeds and debris. He pulled at the handle but it would not give. A couple of swift kicks and the rotting door splintered and Tsubaki burst through. There were stairs leading downward, but the air from inside was not dank or musty like a cellar, but instead almost as fresh as the spring air outside. He called for his page who brought a torch. Down the flight of stairs he went, and what he saw upon his arrival took his breath away.
As he descended the stairs he next came to a cavernous wide gallery. It seemed as if the entire hilltop had been excavated. There were four Gates exiting from it. On each was inscribed a riddle or thought. He quickly read them but had not the time to contemplate any for the time being. In an anxious hurry, Tsubaki quickly passed through one of the gates and descended yet another flight of stairs into another gallery, this one filled with statuaries of various warriors and gods. It contained rows and rows of pew-like benches, leading up to a dais atop which stood one lone chair and what looked to be a reading stand of some sort. Behind it was a large engraving, the most intricate and beautiful of any Tsubaki had ever seen. It depicted a Lion intertwined in a death struggle with a Dragon. Each had its teeth buried into the other's back. Its sheer size invoked awe.
Hurriedly he ran up the stairs and through another gate. This room had eight chairs, and though it was the smaller of the first two rooms, it was the more ornate. Along the walls were carvings, and in the center were two altars. An ancient tome rested on the first underneath an enormous lamp. Tsubaki lit the lamp and carefully pried open the ancient text. It was dedicated to fallen brethren, and had names written next to many symbols that Tsubaki could only guess was some sort of cipher for ancient and forgotten dates. Fascinating as it was, there was more still. In the back corner of the room sat another shrine, this one detailing the geneological table of a forgotten Order, and again with the same cipher for the dates. Tsubaki turned to his page and smiled. He was going to be rich auctioning off all the objects in this strange old compound! He again walked back into the main chamber and through another of the gates. This room was an old storage room. It too was an enormous room. Racks of weapons lined the walls, Tsubaki saw some old grain containers and racks where kegs of beer were once kept. Eureka! He discovered a wall with about a third covered in a wine rack. These he would keep himself. Feeling very happy and sure of his newfound riches, Tsubaki made one last journey into the main room and through the last unexplored Gate.
This gate led to a vast warren of living quarters. He opened door after door - all empty. He went down hallway after hallway - nothing. He finally reached a dead-end door, and it was locked. It took a running start and a hell of a bruise to the shoulder, but the door caved in, bursting off its ancient hinges. Tsubaki rubbed his shoulder and looked up with a start - a leering skeleton sat on a stone bench watching him. It still had remnants of a beard and some gray hair stuck with mummified flesh to the exposed bone. A moth-eaten blue robe still loosely clung to its shoulders, and in its lap was a leather sack, tied at one end. "You're not looking so good, old man," Tsubaki said to the old bones, "Better let me hold that for you." He grabbed the leather-bound bag and peered inside. The bag contained a well-preserved manuscript. It read:
"I am Hari Roku-Nan, last of the Mountain Lords of the Order of Ered Luin. I have been locked in this room to finish out my days as punishment by those who seek to destroy our way. Be you thief or nobleman, you will find this of interest, for unto you passes the last of our knowledge. Our Order contained members of all ranks of society, from the lowliest thief to great warriors and heads of state. We were finally broken into by government spies, and every last member was slaughtered. Much like our persecuted Five Ancestors, we were hunted to the ground. In this complex, you may have found riches, but before you sell them, I urge you to consider this - the greatest riches are to be found within. Continue to read. Learn the way of the Mountain Lord, the Dragon's Head. Then make your decision..."
Read he did. Tsubaki read and read. He attended a tournament in Azzal, but was quickly beaten because he had been reading so much instead of training. He took on a new vigor he hadn't felt in some time. When he returned home to Tarasac, he ordered some men to quietly begin work on restoring the guildhouse.
The Order of Ered Luin would be reborn...
Recent History of The Order
Zadar greeted the guards politely as he entered the guildhouse of the Order of Ered Luin. He went, as usual, to the Chamber of Eight and started to study the ancient tomes again.
The first was the genealogical table of a forgotten Order. He had found that the Order was much older than most could even imagine. He read the names of past warriors and rulers, and suddenly he realized that he could read and understand that old text. Yesterday here was some sort of cipher for ancient and forgotten text and numbers. And now I can read this... What I have done? thought Zadar to himself.
What has happened? What did we do yesterday? Ah, yes... we had a ceremony in which I earned a seat among the Lodge of Eight. Indeed, I am now Heung Chu-Incense Master, and that means I am the High Priest of this guild! ...Can this be possible? he questioned himself.
Well, let’s find out, he decided. He started to move to an ancient tome which rested on the first altar. Zadar Nargath opened the tome and started to read text that had not been read for hundreds of years.
Zadar read the text and he realized that the tome was more than it looked... much more. Symbols, numbers, and letters started to run, filling his mind with ancient knowledge. Suddenly he knew what the Five Ancestors had looked like, what they did and why.
Much time passed, and Zadar did not even notice when some of the members led him to his seat.
"Zadar, what have you done? Didn’t you hear anything?" asked one member. "And what have you done to yourself?" asked another.
Zadar looked and realized that his tunic was gone, as was his sword. "Hey!" he yelled. "Who put this robe on me? Now I look like..." His voice trailed off. "What's that?" he asked.
"Sire, we think that you should see this yourself. Can you walk? It happened outside."
Zadar climbed the stairs with several members, and after he entered the sunshine, the first thing he saw was his loyal knights kneeling before him. He walked towards them and started to ask what was going on, but those words never left his lips. "My loyal knights, you have served me longer than I can even remember. You have done what I have asked without questioning. You are more than friends to me. Now our path has come to the end. Please... please stand up and let me kneel down."
Zadar knelt for a while, and after he stood up, he looked at the citizens of Tarasac. He wondered, Why have they come here, and what are they looking for?
Zadar turned towards the guildhouse and gasped as he noticed that there was a large, shining temple on the top of the guildhouse of the Order of Ered Luin.
