Role

Chapter 4

It was obvious to Caldysias that something was wrong with his father from
that night on. He was unusually short with his answers and quick to anger.
He no longer prayed with the rest of the House, he ate openly while the rest
fasted and he stopped bathing. His once strong, determined eyes now seemed
cold and shifty. They conducted two more "exorcisms" in which Thaedysias
stopped mid ritual and simply slit the throats of the afflicted. Caldysias
felt this was unnecessary and soon began performing the rituals by himself.

It was during one of these solo rituals that he was again confronted by
another with an attachment to the Cult of Zurcon. A dark force that was
inhabitating a young boy in the Balator orphanage. During the ritual the
boy yelled in a growling, demonic voice: "We already have your father, Priest.
How long until we have you too?" It was then that Cadlysias realized that
his father was not simply depressed by his defeat, he was afflicted himself.

When he arrived back to Darsylon he was greeted by a member of the Royal
Guard who informed him that his father had killed two citizens of the
city and fled from the guards aided by a woman with no tongue. Caldysias
immediately armed himself and set out in search of his father. While the
guards rode north he went south, remembering tales of an altar dedicated
to the Demon-Lord just south of Darsylon.

When he entered the altar room he was immediately slammed into the cold,
steel wall by an unseen force. As he rose to his feet he saw before the
altar the figure of his father and Sheayla. "No more running, my son. All
this time we have been fighting, suffering and for what? I have seen the
truth and I know that is our destiny to see it freed upon the world. Join
us!" Caldysias, stricken with shock and grief, opened his mouth but found
no words. His father continued: "We can be free of all the limitations that
they have unjustly laid upon us. Look..." Thaedysias reached over and lifted
from the altar a simple iron dagger, the cursed metal seared his hand as he
lifted it, the scent of burning flesh filled the chamber but Thaedysias did
not grimace, he did not make a sound.

As he walked toward Caldysias the the younger Elf whispered: "Wethrinaer..."
(Elvish for Deceitful one) in reference to the spirit that now controlled his
father. Thaedysias stopped suddenly, his sparking blue eyes turning a hue of
red. In a flash the father and son were in battle, the father armed with a
blade of iron and the son with a longsword of mithril. As the battle raged
Caldysias easily disarmed the iron blade from the badly burned hand of his
father before throwing him to the ground. As he mounted the downed Elf he
raised the blade to deliver the final blow, looking down at his father he
heard a more familiar voice say: "Ndengina ta!" (Kill it). Caldysias froze,
his obligation as set forth by his family's creed fell aside as he remembered
his father.