Role

Chapter 2

But even as he prepares to act, to do something, the being locks eyes with him
and speaks in a voice no mortal throat could produce. "Puny mortal! Knight of
Thera! Blade of Cador! These are nothing! Hear my words and know the future!"
Pausing, he lets Hollaran stand there and stew for moments, apprehension clear
on his face. "Know this! You will fail! Your blade will be broken! Your
Honor will be cast down! And you will be the cause for your own suffering!
Nothing you can do will change this, mortal, know this, and despair!" As the
final word leaves its mouth, the creature disappears with another dark flash,
though the sound of his words continue to reverberate through the hall for
several moments. As he recovers, Hollaran hears one of the dark mages speak,
"We go now, knight, and leave you with this. The words were truth. We did
not know what prophecy would come, the magic can only be performed on a newly
made corpse of a powerful mortal of the light. But whatever is said as a
result always, always, comes true. You will not be surprised if we find great
pleasure in this. You surely will not believe us, but when it comes true,
remember that once, at least, you were given nothing but unvarnished honesty
from the Shadows!"

Quickly departing, the Shadows leave Hollaran alone. He feels his body begin
to reform, but his mind is in torment, awhirl with many emotions, chiefly
disgust and disbelief. But no matter how hard he tries to deny it, deep, deep
down somewhere a part of him cannot discount the words and believes what he
has heard. He vows to make the prophecy false, and at first scoffs at the
idea. But as days and then weeks go by, he becomes more and more consumed with
worry, he begins second guessing his actions, holding himself back so that no
matter what he will not engage in dishonorable behavior. Eventually he becomes
so afraid to live his life, for worry of acting to fulfil the creature's words,
that his inaction, his fear, renders him unfit for duty as a knight, and as a
bearer of the unbreakable blade. Just as the dark being foretold, he has caused
his own fall.