Darbone - Legend of The Four. C. Michael Neely

      Prologue

      In the beginning, there were only a few that had faith in the power and magic of the Tower of Darbone. Over time there were fewer and fewer believers. Not because they didn’t believe in it’s magic, but that they didn’t believe that the magic of the Tower was meant for their people. The was particularly true for the kingdom of the rats. An unfortunate band of misguided souls that started out the same as all other creatures, but who have let the ideals of greed and power cloud their path to the point of being lost in the mud of despair completely. A mud so thick that no light can pass. The darkness had absorbed all of the energy around them like a black hole, drawing in and extinguishing anything positive that might have been there. This was a clan comprised of individuals acting on behalf of the group without regard for the simple principles of life as most creatures knew it. Rats did not care for other creatures at all. The ones they would call “friends”, were merely tools for their selfish goals, or pawns for their twisted and dark amusement.

      The motivation of the Rat King, Astor, was simply to avenge being cast out of collective society many millennia ago, and send the world into darkness. This had been the quest of all of his ancestors, and little by little, they had put small pieces of this plan together. Working towards a world where they and the darkness they possess, would engulf all the lands, expelling, imprisoning, or expiring all other creatures that have lived together in peace for so very long. Vengeance was the rat’s objective, and they sought to destroy all that was good in order to reshape the world into the chaos and anarchy it was at the beginning of the time of the animals. If they succeeded, thousands of years of order and cohabitation would be lost.

      The rats themselves lived in an hierarchical pack. A disciplined group of workers, with only one master. Their large packs moved in a cohesive and singular way, like a swarm with a group consciousness of sorts. Individuality had been lost for all of them. Disdain and anger were now simply basic parts of their personalities and their culture. They were innately unhappy, and would do anything to insure that no creature could be. Bliss was the enemy of progress. The old saying of misery loves company' was an accurate assessment, but if only the rats could love anything, especially 'company'.

      Astor, the Rat King, was the perfect example of selfishness. All of his subjects bowed blindly to his anger and will to destroy the light of the world. The rats followed the Rat King like water in a river bed, going with the flow in spite of their own losses throughout the years. Blind to the destruction of their own culture and individuality. The irony of all of this was that the whole concept of going with the flow didn't come from darkness, but from a place of neutrality and good. Astor was simply using it to keep his people in line for his close family’s selfish goal to control the world and everything in it.

      The rat village was a nest of sorts hidden amongst the ruins of human civilization, in the large briars west of the Dark Woods. The oversized thorny brush was perfect protection for the thousands that dwelled there. Not that they actually needed protection. Over the centuries, the rats had become quite large and strong. Their skills in battle were equally improved. With their collective intellect, they were very quick learners, and could adapt very quickly to any situation. Sly, cunning, and dangerous to anyone crossing their path. Just beneath the rat village were the ruins of the ancient ones — the humans. Rats and humans coexisted for a while until the humans were overrun by themselves, and not unlike the rats, ultimately destroyed their own way of life. A dystopian society persisted for decades as the humans slowly lost nearly everything they had built that was good. In time, even the humans themselves were so few, that the species had nearly disappeared completely. The only major sign that they had even existed in such large numbers and as a higher species, was in the city ruins and the expansive technological junk piles, located throughout the world and beyond.

      The rats had become very familiar with the techno junk left behind by the humans. To the point of understanding, repairing, and even using the machines they had discovered. Astor believed there was great power in these old relics, and had every intention of using whatever means left by the humans to accelerate his dark objective.

      The briar village actually surrounded many of the relics, twisting and turning in a synergy of nature and man-made objects and architecture, weaving around the ruins like a twisted braid from evil itself. An interesting and eerie light seeped between the limbs of the briars, just reaching deep into the interior of the village. The dim light cast scattered pools of blue throughout the dark green briar patch. Much like all of the other creatures of the world, the plants had also adapted and evolved. The thorns of the briars were enormous and often used on the ends of the rat’s clubs and shields. They were deep green with a dark purple to black gradient tip, and were hard, shiny, and sharp enough to kill.

      The briars went on for miles in all directions, reaching up as high as thirty feet high and miles deep. Massive. It was the perfect place for the Rat King and his subjects. The rats of the village lived a horrible conditions held together by fear. On the one hand, they were respectful and loyal to their leader. While on the other, they deeply longed for a pause from him. His family had been in control for so long that no one remembered how it might have been without them in charge. Their cruelty was well known, and rarely challenged. The young rats had no toys and rarely played. Instead, they ran along in small packs, skirting the edges of the briars in safety from the rat warriors, who would just as easily eat them as look at them, if they even noticed them at all.

      The brutal atmosphere that existed there was palpable, like the dirty air. Exciting the senses, but in the way that the stench of rot might smell. Harsh and distinctly pungent. Intimidation begins at the top, and trickles down to the bottom of any organization it exists in. The ones subject to it, brutally learn the ways of it, and as always pass it on to those below. An abusive culture hate breeding hate. The Rat King ruled by intimidation and fear, and strangely enough, his people loved him for it.

      They didn’t have homes in the briars, but mainly large hollowed out cave-like areas between the briars and amongst the human ruins, where large family groups dwelled. Many lived below ground in the pipes and drainage passages that existed there like huge caves. They were scavengers and warriors, with a poor disposition, removing anything and anyone in their way. Some say they may have even had a part in the demise of the humans to take their world from them. But no one knows whether this is true or not. It’s just a myth handed down from generation to generation. Nonetheless, they lived in what was formerly the human domain, and they have done so for thousands of years. This much was true.

      Five thousand years ago, when the first Rat King rose to power, the human race fell. The legend told of the Rat King being a young one, inspired by the things he saw the humans doing with technology and how they had grown into a huge race of creatures taking over the world and doing as they pleased! He thought that the other creatures of the world deserved to have the same. Especially the rats. He devised a brilliant plan against the humans that turned them against one another, and once that happened, they could not prevent their own fall, leaving the human world shattered, empty, barren, and lifeless. The Rat King crowned himself, and prepared to waste anyone in his way to glory and control.

      Treacherous and difficult times were upon the world. The time of the animals had begun, and the rats were wasting no time spreading their ideals, and removing any obstacles and dissidents in their way. Taking everything left behind, casting out those who would not follow, and killing those who stood against them. A great darkness spread over the world, and a time of hate, distrust, and war surrounded the planet like a thick impenetrable dark cloud.

      In an effort to bring balance to the world, four great wizards came together from the far reaches of the world to build a great tower of good. Sarnoc of the South, Warnoc of the West, Earnoc of the East, and Narnoc of the North. These four became known as the Council of Darbone. The tower of good, the Tower of Darbone—a safe haven for the good to recharge themselves. A peaceful place of light in a world of ever-growing darkness. A place of renewal and the foundation of good.

      The wizards spoke with the leaders of as many tribes as they could to let them know about their plans and to spread this word, so that everyone who wanted to could come there, and the good in all people could be revived before the darkness completely blacked out the world casting it into despair.

      They also spoke with