Chapter 18: The Tale of Adria, Huthain and Uther
Long had Kavak sat in the dungeons of Herophet, since the fall of Gort, and his heart was filled with despair. So did Huthain and Adria remember him and they called to Oida to take them to the shores of Herophet and there they found men who lived there as slaves and were filled with torment. And they rallied them and gave them courage and all saw the beauty of Adria and were captivated. So they followed her and Huthain and yet more came to them, for here was their salvation, and they came unawares to the palace of Herophet, for Hakkan was the new master there now and with him was Voln and they thought that none would come and challenge them now.
So it was that Huthain and Adria crept up to the great palace and there bided their time, until the gates were opened and in the guise of devils and using all their wiles, as if with human slaves in tow, they gained entrance to the palace and to the dungeons below, where Kavak was discovered, incarcerated in great chains and guarded by Pheobub, a great two headed hound. And Huthain called to the men that now followed them and bid them make Pheobub chase them so that Kavak would be alone. So it was done and many men did die in the jaws of the beast, but Huthain made it to Kavak and there roused him, while Adria remained hid. But try as he might, he could not break the chains that bound Kavak and soon Pheobub had returned and made for Huthain and grabbed him in his powerful jaws and savaged him.
But before Adria could come to Huthain's aid, Hakkan and Voln were made aware of the disturbance and they bid Pheobub release Huthain and they laughed, for Huthain was now their captive also. And the men that had followed them and survived the jaws of Pheobub now returned, only to find Huthain captive and they were set upon by Pheobub once again and it seemed their lot to die in Herophet.
And in her despair, Adria looked down and there saw Ered, the great Spear of Onnus that had been lost as he sought revenge for the murder of Desdemar, and she picked it up, even though its weight was nearly too great for her, and she leapt from where she was hid and thrust Ered into Hakkan, who screamed and felt a great pain within him, and he wrenched Ered from his body and cast it away and he fell to the ground. And a great pain went also through Adria as the spear was so thrust through Hakkan and her mind felt both his torment and his suffering and she was greatly weakened and fell also.
And in her rage, Voln's breath was like fire, which erupted over those who had dared to challenge the might of her son, Hakkan, who had conquered Gort, and the men that were descended from those that had come to Herophet with Kavak and had followed Huthain and Adria were mostly cast aside and destroyed in the great fire that scorched them. And Pheobub tore into those that ran and flung their bodies aside, which had been made limp in his great jaws, and more yet were made captive. Yet it was not the lot of these men to die in Herophet, for some managed to escape the wrath of Voln and the jaws of Pheobub. And the greatest amongst them was Uther, a mighty warrior and leader, and he rallied them once again and those that remained followed him and they did escape the dungeons of Herophet.
Adria and Huthain were also now captives. Adria was chained there alongside Kavak, while Huthain was cast into the dungeons of Sota, for Voln swore that they should never set eyes upon the other again. And then she took Hakkan, who neared his end, and tended his wounds and used her greatest powers to maintain him. And so he recovered, slowly, though the pain of the wound would remain and he looked to his mother and swore his revenge on all of Damarkan.
As Uther fled, so he discovered Ered and grabbed it from where it was cast aside by Hakkan and made off. And Uther led those that followed him through the hells of Herophet and many did perish from flame or ice and many from the foul beasts that dwelt there, but always onwards they marched, facing each struggle and challenge with stout hearts, until their numbers dwindled and the lot of their lives was a harsh one and their hearts were filled with despair and sorrow. And in their darkest hour, when their feet would take them no further and their hearts could sink no more, they came to Tuska and there lay down to die, for they had naught left in them but desperation and despair. And then it was that to Uther came a vision of Onnus and strength flowed through him renewed and he knew his lot was to die not in the hells of Herophet.
So Uther rallied his men and he brought hope to them, for he told them of his vision of Onnus and they felt themselves as men again and stood straight where before their backs were bent and Uther felt the strength of Ered flow through him and he was renewed. So he led his men from the hells of Herophet and came to other worlds, where they overcame great strife, until they came to Arrasia, on an island, which they called Norvsond, and they felt the wind on their faces and knew that they had survived. And there they made their homes and for a time prospered.
But Uther's heart was not content, for the weight of Onnus now sat heavily upon him and he knew there was yet a role for him to play out, though he knew not what, and he knew that he could not dwell in the land of Norvsond anymore, for his destiny lay elsewhere and its path were set out before him, even if he were blind to it. So he bid his people farewell and began a new journey, to return to Damarkan and took with him the greatest of his men and they built a great ship and set sail upon the seas to find Lima and then to Damarkan.
But the world was filled with the chaos of war and all seemed set against one another. So Uther and his men landed their ship upon shores unfamiliar and there came to Lima, which had been destroyed and war raged all around. So it was for a time they made no progress and Uther and his men instead fought against the evil of Arrasia and allied themselves with good men. And the world shook to the might of Uther and those that followed him and he ploughed through the fields of evil. And many gathered around him until he commanded an army of tens of thousands and the lands around Lima were cleared of the evil that had for so long lain there and the people made for themselves homes and were happy to follow Uther.
