Van Arthog
by
Sage Wastrich Tychris
of Port Toli
553 CY
The Van Arthog family was one of the earliest and greatest to aid in developing Berghof to its ultimate greatness before the Sea Princes rose to power. As soon as magic became a regular element in Berghof, the Van Arthogs were the primary advisors to the Grand Duke for three generations. They became as celebrated as the Grand Duke's family, but remained much more private and isolated in their lakeside villa. Everyone wanted to know what the Van Arthogs were doing, but one rarely found out; the annual Brewfest celebration at the villa was highly attended—even by the Grand Duke—but it was the only time others entered their lives in other than a business capacity.
Herman Van Arthog was the first of the family to come to Berghof. Being a moderate spellcrafter Herman wanted to find a place to open a magic-user school without the overwhelming competition found in a large city. He just wanted to teach. He lived in Keoland in the city of Niole Dra. He moved there from the north, which he abandoned when he felt the corruption of the Overking in Perrenland to be too great. When he heard about Berghof he was immediately interested. It was remote and quiet, magically unschooled, and it had cooking he grew up eating. What could be more perfect? He and his young wife, Greta, and son, Fritz, went to Berghof with high hopes of starting a fresh, exciting life.
When Herman arrived in Hallbridges, he was one of only three wizards in the area and those two others were recluses who dwelt in the wilderness. Herman revelled in his lost culture found again in a remote part of the world with no Overking. It was his dream come true. They bought a house in town and Herman immediately made friends with the neighbors and became a respected member of the community. He also began teaching young folks who thought they had the ability to become spellcasters. Herman taught in his house initially until his class size could not be contained there and it demanded a greater staff and a separate building. Greta also grew tired of constant traffic in her house.
A large four-story structure was built in a single season. It became the focus of conversation in the burgeoning nation for many years and this talk brought students from all over the valley. The coffers at the magic school were filled with tuition and generous donations and Herman put it all back into the school to make it better. He made contact with a small time merchant named Matthias who knew of Berghof and Herman promised to make him rich. He gave Matthias a list of things to bring back—things of very odd aspect and difficulty to obtain. Herman knew Matthias was resourceful and despite the difficulty Matthias was successful and Herman made good on his promise. Their lasting relationship made the merchant very wealthy.
In just a few years, however, the route became rather dangerous. Matthias described the scrublands to the north of the mountains as crawling with predatory bandits. He told Herman that he travelled it light with one horse and he tried to look poor and very tough. He carried a sword and crossbow neither of which he could use. He never tried to look like a merchant. As orders increased, he increased his riders, so he and his men began to look like a group of bandits themselves. When the orders became so large Matthias was required to use wagons, his mood changed, but he was willing to continue. Herman gave his friend a necklace of fireballs just in case. For a while Matthias got to Berghof without any difficulties, but finally Matthias never arrived.
Herman Van Arthog went to see the Grand Duke, Halve Morgen, at that time. He explained the situation to the Grand Duke and Halve said, "Very interesting," held up a single finger and said, "but first do you play chess?"
Herman was exasperated as he said, "Yes, of course, but …" The Grand Duke motioned with forceful invitation to a game table before he could finish his statement. Herman would play to see what he was about. As they played, Duke Morgen began a casual conversation to get to know Herman. Van Arthog knew what was going on, so he played along answering the questions truthfully, but the game ended rather rapidly with a decisive victory to Herman. He would not placate the ego of this minor lord. Halve congratulated him and invited him to a rematch the next day.
They played three more games of "chess and conversation" the next day each won by Herman. He was invited back the next day for the same. Herman was wondering where this was going, so he decided to alter the game by losing one match. The next day in the middle of the first match, Halve casually swept the board clear and said, "Now, really play." Herman never underestimated the Grand Duke again.
After a full week of "chess and conversation," on the final day, the Grand Duke sat back in his chair, smiled at Herman and said, "My, I had no idea wizards could be so agreeable." Then he began to tell Herman that the disappearance of his friend was a symptom of a far greater concern. Halve was aware there were enemy forces to the north vying for possession of the Spendlowe valley. He knew that Berghof could not just sit idle waiting for the eventuality when the warlords gained a foothold in the mountains and could freely raid the villages. Berghof had to act now. But the Grand Duke didn't have the time to do the research and implement a plan, as he was more of a diplomat and chess player. He needed someone else to do it; someone who would be better at it than he would, which wouldn't take much. From his week with Herman Van Arthog he determined that this schoolteacher was the best man for the job.
Herman accepted the task with trepidation. He knew nothing about war or defense and his reflexive wizard's reaction was, "Just blow the bandits all to Hell," but the Grand Duke could have thought of that on his own. The problem was grander than that and the solution needed more finesse. He started at the beginning—in the library.
He read the psychology of war and defense first, and then technical manuals on fighting styles in one on one combat to battle strategies and fortifications and war machines, and then he read historical texts of wars and great battles and powerful heroes. He became quite knowledgeable about combat and war from the ground up. By now, Berghof had become a great nest of wizards and spellcasters, and so Herman opened up discussions with friends for ideas. In no time, he had too many suggestions and wizards continued to eagerly offer up more ideas in hopes that their plan to save Berghof would be implemented and they could accept the accolades. Evokers, illusionists, abjurers, transmuters, all came to him with intent of proving supremacy of their magical style. Herman Van Arthog not only was intelligent, but he was also wise and none of this posturing to him was proof of any superiority even if something looked particularly impressive.
Herman began to feel that the search for the necessary results began deeper than any of these fantastic ideas addressed. Why is an illusion of a dragon better or worse than a fireball, and how do they work on the victims specifically? One kills, one doesn't—is that better or worse? One draws attention to the magician and one draws the attention away—each seems effective in their own way to accomplish certain ends. All of these developments of war were resultant from basic reasons that seemed to have been forgotten. As the director of this project, he had to decide first the results he was after and then how to achieve those ends. There were a few things he had to know first, such as who were his enemies? What was their motivation? And what were his own resources?
Without much research he learned from travelling merchants that just to the north of the mountains in the dusty scrublands were poor little kingdoms organized by petty warlords scratching out a subsistence existence preying on each other and passing merchants. They were many disorganized, opportunistic packs of undisciplined warriors each led by a power hungry leader with a limited focus of ambition. From Herman's point of view this was nothing that several units of Keoish soldiers could not deal with, but that would bring Keoland into Berghof, which was not at all desirable. So their foes were small-time thugs.
What these warlords wanted took a little more effort to discern. Divinations, spies, and interrogations of prisoners informed Herman and his cadre of professionals that what the warlords really wanted was the valley. This was reinforced with memories of an earlier attempted invasion along the Adlerweg that was stopped by a small group of magicians attacking from the air. So right then those bandits were attempting to cut off trade and starve Berghof into submission. Since most trade goods into Berghof were largely luxuries as the combination of Berghof's high food production and low population would allow the nation to last indefinitely, the only result the bandits were successful at was pissing off the magic-users who were having their lab equipment stolen in transit. And if these warlords' true motivations were conquering the people and lands of the Spendlowe Valley, then when all the trade dried up and there was no appreciable response to this trade reduction, the bandits would certainly redouble their efforts at invasion.
So, what did Berghof have available to help solve this problem? Resources from the land were plentiful. There was ample fish and game, much vegetable food—both farmed and naturally grown—plenty of stone from the mountains, small deposits of iron and an endless supply of water. There were more magicians per capita in Berghof than almost anywhere else on the western half of the continent and that was their greatest resource. But there was no standing army. In fact, there could be no standing army because all of the people required to make a fighting force needed to be farming, hunting, fishing, or mining. Herman realized that whatever solution he decided upon had to virtually run itself.
With this restriction in mind many of Herman's magician friends devised elaborate magical traps or gateways that would limit travel on the Adlerweg. Some even wanted to seal the Adlerweg and have the only entrance be a secret dimensional gateway. None of the magical ideas were practical. Mostly the spell-casters still wanted to show off. If Berghof wanted to maintain regular trade then the solution would have to be simple and not overwhelming or fearsome. If merchants had to remember a rhyme, password, or pass through a gauntlet of illusory dragons, they may not want to bother coming. The answer was in simple psychology.
He had read in a weapons master's training manual that sometimes novice warriors will forget to attack their opponent's body and will instead attack the opponent's weapon. Better warriors will do this when confused or flustered. Thus, sometimes it is good to put your weapon before you menacingly and let your foe get tired attacking it while you block the blows all day long, or don't meet their attack on your weapon and let your weapon meet their body. Herman thought it was time for Berghof to extend its weapon to the warlords. He would build a fortress on the Adlerweg.
There was no time to be lost. With the aid of magical engineers and a large group of laborers they erected the Keep on the Adlerweg. It was and is to this day a relatively small fortress overlooking a bend in the Adlerweg so that the road had to go around three sides of the structure, each side pierced with many arrow slits. The keep was easily defensible by a small group of soldiers and the road was rigged to break away so that attackers would have to go through the keep to continue to Berghof. Now Berghof also had an exquisite site to intercept merchants and act as a weigh station, money changer, and levy taxes on goods coming in. This occurred in the undercroft of the keep so the garrison levels would not be disturbed. Also on this level were several magical guardians conceived and constructed by Fritz Van Arthog, Herman's son.
Fritz was a young boy when he moved with his father to Berghof. With so much magic surrounding him and his father so excited about teaching magic, Fritz's fate was sealed. But he took to it like an otyugh to shit. His ability even astounded his father. He reached basemind at the age of twelve. He cast his first spell that same year. Herman was very proud. Fritz found his greatest fascination when he discovered a book on golem construction. Even more, he wanted to make household objects come to life. He wanted to make machines to follow commands. He researched as much as he could on this subject and became an expert before even making his first construct. He knew he could make any golem easily maybe even with some twists, so he was not interested. Instead he chose less expensive more captivating constructs. There were constructs all over his workshop. He began teaching early at his father's school and he liked to enter the classroom with his lectern walking in behind him. He wasn't attached to his work though, for there would always be new construct ventures, so when his father denied his first three ideas for construct designs in the keep he was not offended.
Eventually, Herman said, "You're a brilliant designer, but you're a sucky observer, my boy. Look, we're starting with psychology. We don't want to scare the passing travellers and we don't want the guards to dread having the thing around. We want something everyone can understand, but acts as an able defender if it's necessary to activate it. And don't go making something cute either. We don't want to incite attack. Also, you need to make them controllable by anyone with half a brain. Regular soldiers will need to activate these things."
Number four construct was acceptable. I myself have not seen it. Passing merchants have recorded experiences with The Four Dreaded Chairs of Adlerweg, but that is all I know. When travelling to Berghof to do research I passed along the Adlerweg and saw the grand old keep. I shouted to the guards on the parapet and asked if I could see the undercroft guardian. They said that the lower level was magically sealed since the last Guardian of Adlerweg, Karl Van Arthog, left. So the lower level has not been opened since the Sea Princes came to Berghof. I must wonder what mysteries await inside.
As the story goes, once the garrison was established in the Adlerweg, including the magic-user Guardians, a brigand ambush site was discovered at the entrance to the Adlerweg. The magic-users put an end to that and opened up trade again along the road. Shortly, thereafter, the keep was tested by a massive attack brought by the joined warlords' armies. They were repelled by the garrison without even dropping the road. Herman's idea was a success.
The Grand Duke was very grateful and offered Herman Van Arthog anything in his power to give. Herman asked for a moderate villa on the lake. The Grand Duke had it built in a week to the wizard's specifications. There was a great hall, a central courtyard, a couple libraries, storage rooms, living quarters, and even a "boathouse" because Herman wanted to take up sailing. Unfortunately, Herman was not a building designer. He was so excited about the libraries and great hall he completely forgot to make a kitchen or dining chamber. Accounts I have read from guests at Brewfest celebrations wrote how impractical the structure was, but despite all of the comments or maybe because of them Herman refused to have the Grand Duke make any additions. As he told it, he preferred to cook outside and eat in the garden or the great hall anyway. Herman was known to have difficulty admitting to his own minor mistakes. There is a common phrase used throughout the Hold that has come from this small part of Berghof and this totally insignificant fact. The phrase or term "to vote the cushion" or "he votes the cushion" means that someone is doing something or is making a decision that is not fully thought out. In the House of Princes they often say that Prince Chalm of Sybar always votes the cushion. But if you go to Berghof the locals may ask you where the kitchen is. It means the same thing; you have not thought something through. But the origins of the phrase come from Herman's own mistake, for the guests at Brewfest would ask him throughout the night, sometimes in a grand chorus, "Wo ist die kuchen?" The meaning has survived commonly even if the origins have not. When I visited Berghof, I asked if I could go see the villa, but nobody would take me and they suggested I not go alone. Upon further investigation in the Hallbridges library I learned that it was advice well heeded.
When the villa was built, there was Herman, his wife, Greta, his son, Fritz, his daughter-in-law, Anya, and his granddaughter, Heike. Life in the villa was happy and carefree—aside from the whole where-should-we-cook-dinner fiasco—and allowed for both wizards to study as they desired. Herman retired from teaching and would spend his time sailing or advising/chatting/gaming with Grand Duke Morgen, but Fritz teleported to the school every morning. The child, Heike, grew up at an alarming rate having the same ravenous appetite for knowledge as seemed to befit a Van Arthog. Anya also gave birth to another son. His name was Grau.
One day, Herman's boat did not return. Fritz searched magically for his father and brought the boat back in the night. His father passed away upon the lake earlier that day and the boat was drifting aimlessly. It looked as though he fell asleep in the sun and his soul never returned from the dream realm. Two days later a great funeral was held with many students, wizards, common folk and the Grand Duke in attendance. In passing, wizards cast spells upon the body and the Grand Duke gave his tears to the old man and all farewells were said. Everyone agreed the day was beautiful. I have seen his simple gravestone in Hallbridges.
Fritz took up sailing a few weeks after the funeral to understand this love his father had learned. With magic it was boring, but when he allowed himself to be at the mercy of the weather and waves, it became exciting and exhilarating. To be at the mercy of anything was entirely unnecessary for a wizard like Fritz. He learned that giving up control was an incredible release. He found he loved sailing, but nobody else quite understood.
Heike and Grau both grew up healthy and well versed in the world of magic. Early on Heike let it be known that she was not interested in teaching at the school. She wanted real power. She chose evocation as a specialty and loved to blow things to smithereens. By no means can I say that she was an evil figure, but friends said she loved the feel of energy surging through her body and the release. And she was good at it too.
Grau, likewise, grew up magically gifted except he focused his mind upon emotion. This was odd because magic is not often emotive, but he found a master who taught him how to harness emotional energy and create effects from it. He quietly learned its power and the restraint it required. His abilities later became imperative to his sister.
For reasons mentioned in my previous work on Berghof, the Grand Duke once again called upon the Van Arthogs to aid the nation. Fritz firmly declined, citing the age and abilities of his children, his role in the earlier emergency, and the fact that he had not yet sailed every inch of Lake Spendlowe. The Grand Duke happily absolved Fritz of all responsibility.
Heike eagerly stepped up to the task. The problem was that the same warlords from the north had obtained a powerful magic item. Through various scryings and costly investigations they found that the item was designed specifically to destroy the Keep of Adlerweg. Heike created another wizard council to oppose the threat and they thought the opposition was laughable. Being so narrow in purpose, all they needed to do was protect one thing. Heike thought another powerful magic item made with the specific purpose of destroying the first would be sufficient. And, of course, the magic item should be stationed in the Keep of Adlerweg.
Dame Van Arthog designed a magic item that spat forth fireballs and great bolts of force and ice and built walls of stone and iron. She was very impressed with her idea and knew it could be made with ease at extreme cost. She proudly showed her brother her design and asked what he thought.
He casually looked it over, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Yes, yes you will certainly slay many bandits with this. Most impressive."
She said, "No, dear brother, this will challenge the weapon of power being built on the other side of the mountains."
"Oh, they are building a large catapult?"
"No, it is a powerful magical item designed to destroy the Keep on the Adlerweg."
"Oh, then you shan't be successful. But you look like you're having fun so don't let me stop you."
Annoyed that sibling rivalry had not lessened with age she took a deep breath, made a choking sound, and said as pleasantly as possible, "Whatever do you mean, brother. It sounded more like you were voicing consternation at my placement by the Grand Duke."
Grau set down his quill, screwed up his face as if about to retch forth a stream of abuse (chronomancers describe his overall demeanor as "pixie-like" in his youth, though no original accounts mention this), and then clearly made a concerted effort to recognize the power of restraint within him. "Please, understand, dear sister, I only mean to say that what you propose does not address the threat. The thing that opposes you does not fear or respect fire or force. Remember what our grandfather would say, 'Examine your foe.' What confronts you is a powerful specific invader. What challenges an invader? Specifically, a sentinel—not a ball of fire, you bloody bitch."
After Heike's anger subsided, she returned to Grau and they exchanged apologies. She asked Grau's advice and he shared his ideas. He was not on the defense council, he was not invited, and he did not want to be in the presence of so many evokers and transmuters looking down at him, a stupid emoter. They worked together for several days. Grau explained his perspective on the problem through the paradigm of emotion. What motivated the evil item—and before that, its creator—was the reason of survival and prosperity, which is actually fueled by ambition, fear of failure and weakness, the search for completion, and a home, which is all just a development of need. They must oppose that need with an equal one, a need to defend the home and a need to destroy the attacker. For Grau, the opposing item would have to be symbolic to the enemy, a duality of sorts for attackers and defenders alike to identify with. This identity would empower the secondary item with emotive energy and give it strength over the adversary. The power could be harnessed with the right preparatory incantations. Created abilities would give that power direction.
She created a whole new design for the item, but given their time constraints she would have to give it a very specific purpose. She brought the idea to the council without telling them of her emotive counseling. Most thought that the item was incomplete and insufficient, but she assured them and demanded agreement that it was just fine.
Once the item was nearing completion, Heike rode back to the family villa with it. Grau performed final ensorcelments upon it. It was done.
The impending battle was awaited for by all. It was the battle between the two items; whose magic was better. The invading army crawled up the road to the keep bearing the fortress' destruction. When the battle was joined the two items became engaged in an unseen battle over the great distance. The Sentinel would prevail.
The other mages on the high platform with Heike described the scene. Her hair blew wildly in the wind and her eyes flared with the fire of expectation as the bandit army approached. She held aloft the item and directed it at the advancing horde. There were a few tense moments and then they saw the bandit leader stop within the group below. Heike's teeth began to chatter as the item drew upon her energy. Her eyes rolled back and her body began to convulse uncontrollably. She began to moan softly and as the magic item continued its attack she grew louder and she shook and shivered more intensely. When the magic item released its hold on her, she smiled broadly with a sparkle in her eye and took in a deep relaxing breath.
Just then tragedy struck. One of the great metal support cables for the nearby towers snapped with a loud metallic twang. The force of its release sent the loose end flailing about the battle platform. It hit Dame Van Arthog in the throat and severed her head from her body. Her head tumbled into the ravine far below the keep.
Though blame for such tragedies is beside the point, there was immediately speculation for responsibility for the accident. Most thought worn materials caused it, some suggested that the extreme magical forces in the vicinity weakened the cable, while fewer still thought it was a vengeful stroke caused by the enemy magical item. Nothing has been verified. In any case, Heike's death caused great sorrow in Berghof. The Grand Duke became depressed and saw no one for a month. With the introduction of the magic item to the keep it was decided that it would remain at the keep and be possessed by the Van Arthog family, so from that point on the honorable title of Guardian of Adlerweg was held by a Van Arthog and a member of that family was always posted in the keep.
Fritz and Anya both fell into depression. Two years later Anya succumbed to it. A year after that Fritz died too. Only Grau seemed unaffected, but as an accomplished emoter he had learned to contain his feelings.
The Van Arthog estate became exclusively owned by Grau Van Arthog. Every day he teleported to the Keep on the Adlerweg to maintain vigilance as the Guardian. On occasion he still gave a lecture at the magic school, but he no longer served as a regular instructor. At the keep he began research in further developments and future additions to the structure. There was no prison or cells in the building, so he was given the task of designing an incarceration technique. At home late at night he continued his own personal research. He was quiet and kept to himself. Brewfest at the villa was cancelled.
A few years later he married a woman named Anika, a maidservant at the estate. Many thought the marriage was one of convenience or simply to provide an heir to the estate, but when Anika walked down the aisle in the temple, Grau was seen to smile broadly. Reportedly the temple walls caught fire and the ceremony had to be continued outside. Such is the effect of a powerful emoter in the throes of an emotional outburst. A year later a son was born, Karl.
Grau continued his life as usual. Having a child seemed to make no difference to him, but then it was hard to tell. Anika left the villa four years later leaving Karl in the cold hands of his father and the remaining servants. She spent the remaining years of her life alone in Kusnir mending clothing for her coppers.
Grau didn't seem to care that his wife left him. He continued his work and let the servants watch Karl. His efforts in developing a prison were successful. He had been investigating ideas of space and time since both were intimately connected to emotion. He found a way to create a pocket in the ether to store a creature and place it in stasis—without time, without space. Such a prison would allow the incarcerated to exist without food or water, sleep, or require waste collection. This is the very best prison imaginable, but it took a lot of hard research and many failed experiments. Also, Grau's magic school naturally does not work well without an emotionally powered being or a device to collect the emotional energy emanations and release the spell, so he couldn't just create a spell to speak or a gateway to toss the prisoners into. Grau could throw someone into or take someone out of the prison at will wherever he was. His emotional power was the key to the ethereal lock. It became obvious to him that he would have to infuse his energy into some objects that anyone could use when he was not around or when he was no longer Guardian of the Adlerweg. He decided on gems. They are small, easily carried and stored, and can be cut and shaped any way desired. He chose to make a number of black and an equal number of white gems, one color for trapping and one for releasing. These he placed within the instruction manual for the prison he wrote and would hand them down to the captain of the keep since Karl would most likely be the next Guardian.
Karl, like all of the Van Arthogs before him, was being instructed in magic use, but he was a regular student at the school not being taught by his father at all. When he did see his father, he felt like he was alone in the room. He understood the unresponsive nature of his father, but that didn't lessen the hurt he felt all alone in the villa by the lake. As a young boy he began inventing imaginary friends to play with all day on the estate lands on the shore. He had many of them to while away the days with, but this only hampered him when it was time to go to the school. Being unfamiliar with real and willful children he never socialized well with the other students. It wasn't that the other students ostracized him, after all Karl was one of the renowned Van Arthogs, but the kid was a dork and it was painful to be around. One wouldn't want to be disrespectful, but sometimes it was all one could do to keep from staring in rapt horror at the future Guardian of the Adlerweg chatting and shaking hands with the empty corner of the room. So Karl learned loneliness and then maintained it. That is why when the specialists of each magic school were introduced to the students one day, he immediately became interested in the conjuration specialist's explanation of summoning magic. It was too good to be true. A magic specialization that could bring creatures—real creatures—to him upon command and then they would do his bidding. With such magic he would not need friends or a father.
He chose his specialization and succeeded at its mastery like a true Van Arthog. In a short time, while still in his youth, he could summon many creatures. His difficulty came in controlling them. He didn't realize that often a charismatic finesse was required that the thin, little geek with eyes that were too big for his small head just didn't have. Historic accounts suggest he never would. This was a situation that remained a problem throughout his life, but did not bother him as long as he could adequately defend himself. Unfortunates around him were on their own.
In time Grau grew restless as the Guardian of the Adlerweg. This happened at about the time the Sea Princes began their incursions upon the road. With the protective magic item passed on from his sister, he was virtually unstoppable. He was quite possibly the sole reason the Sea Princes were unsuccessful in the initial attacks. Such anger would be released from a pent up life of emotive repression that the walls of the ravine along the road would explode with a spray of dust and stones causing rockslides. Advancing soldiers would suddenly burst into flames. Grau was letting go now and everyone could see that he liked it. This was good for the preservation of Berghof, but Grau's ire was becoming uncontrollable and immediately after a battle he would have to teleport back to the villa to his hall to meditate and refocus. When the inevitable happened and Grau's wrath shredded ten keep soldiers, for their dart game grew too rowdy, Captain Weisshund, Grau's best friend if ever he had one, told Grau it was time to retire and pass the sentinel of Adlerweg on to his son.
Let me digress and say a little about the captain of the keep. Captain Weisshund—which is the only name he allowed to be used ever, so we don't know his first name and his early days as a soldier are lost to us—was the second captain of The Keep on the Adlerweg. He came to the Adlerweg experienced through combatting raids by hobgoblins from the mountains in the northern part of the valley. He was young but aged by battle and entrusted with the most vital artery of Berghof. He was at the battle when the two magic items were revealed and he commanded the desperate fight on the walls before the bandits retreated. At the funeral for Heike when the Grand Duke named the Van Arthogs as the Guardians of the Adlerweg, he welcomed Grau to the keep. His kindness and wisdom allowed him to understand the eccentric emoter and they shared many quiet conversations over games of chess. Grau became very fond of Weisshund in his own way and protected him in battle against the Sea Princes. Often, any foe that met to engage the captain burst into flames or exploded violently from within. Weisshund was truly honored to have such a guardian, but this respect made it much more difficult when he had to confront Grau with his loss of control. Grau knew it was true, but had difficulty leaving and accepting his retirement. When he left, he did so without a word to anyone.
When Karl came to the keep, the captain was a handsomely aged gray-haired gentleman, a little slower, but still quite fit as in his youthful hobgoblin bashing days. He had a loud commanding voice that he would use to issue a battle order, greet a friend, or request an ale at the tavern. His personal honor was unquestionable and he supported the regulations issued by the Grand Duke even if he had to bend some minor rules to achieve an acceptable result. His soldiers loved him and their loyalty was likewise unquestionable. His death was a blow against the integrity of Berghof itself.
Now, when Karl came to Adlerweg he was young, but he was quite accomplished. He took the role of Guardian very seriously especially since the road was frequently under attack again. He moved right in to the lower chambers of the keep, traditionally where the Guardians resided. He was unable to teleport home so he focused on his research during his continued stay in the keep setting up shelves and a work area to contain his books and equipment. It didn't take long for him to summon hostile beasts into the keep thus putting all of the guards in peril. Karl was, of course, unflummoxed and when the captain confronted him about his carelessness Karl told him to mind his own business. The captain said he would and so he had the wizard's chambers spiked shut and invited Karl to sleep in the barracks with the rest of the men. Nobody spoke that way to a Van Arthog. Yet no one else at the keep cared who he was; they had to work together or the keep would fall. Captain Weisshund was the boss, even if he was just a fighter, and the position of Guardian of the Adlerweg was cooperative and not of command. This blow to Karl's ego was necessary.
Despite the rocky start, and after his door was unspiked, the following weeks brought the two men together professionally and then as friends. Many nights would have them both up late in Weisshund's room at the top of the fortress drinking from a cask of wine until passing out. Eventually, the attacks from the Sea Princes lessened, though Karl's experiments and mistakes increased. One time, Karl conjured a small, flying ball of fur and lightning in the guards' living area on the first level and it practically destroyed the contents of the first floor rooms and killed three guards before Weisshund could send it to the prison. The guards were not happy. They threatened to leave the keep unless Karl was controlled.
The captain put the mage on probation. Karl was effectively scolded now a second time and this time from a friend. He was quite upset. There was tension for a couple of weeks but then their friendship resumed. Karl seemed to have curtailed his summonings, though he probably just contained them better.
Back at the villa, Grau was spending his days reading and writing and meditating. Karl had hired two servant boys to minister to his father's every need and the boys were with Grau day and night. Over time he calmed and continued his seemingly unresponsive life. Karl fell in love with and married a maidservant who gave birth to three more Van Arthogs over the years. The first was a girl, Gutrune, the second was a boy, Hans, and the third was another girl, Stef. As Karl was often away and their grandfather was always away in another sense, the children were raised primarily by their mother who loved them with all her heart. Since magic was no longer so attractive to the children as in all of Berghof, for it was in this period that Prince Cato slandered all magic-users of the land through his bard, only one child chose to be trained in the magical arts. Gutrune could not be trained young at home, but she took an interest in all of the magical trappings around the house, so at the earliest age she was sent to the magic school in Hallbridges.
Notice how the name of Karl's wife was omitted. That is because we do not know it. There are many parts of history that are left blank until the information can be gathered. I am sure much lies in the villa itself, but when I went to Berghof myself to gather information for my book I was dissuaded from going there for the dangers that lie within. Nevertheless, knowledge of what lies within the villa and answers to some secrets would be very welcome to me.
Now just before the Grand Duke ceded his lands to the Sea Princes to lift trade restrictions a terrible series of mysteries occurred that to this day shroud this group of the Van Arthog family in the suspicion generated through many unanswered questions and strange behaviors and motivations. Grau lived deeply within himself reading and writing all day reportedly with the hum of intense dammed up power cycling within him. If you stood near him you could hear and even feel it in the air surrounding him. Karl's wife was a simple mother tending the villa and receiving infrequent guests. The children had all grown. Gutrune attended the school and became a competent wizard coming home frequently now to spend the day with her mother tending the garden in the villa courtyard. Hans learned the skills of a warrior and had died in the Sea Princes' lands guarding a merchant caravan headed for the coast. Stef became acquainted with a gentleman from Gannaway who owned the inn there. They married and she joined him in operating his business. Karl and Captain Weisshund became the best of friends. They went about regular business during the day and met in the captain's room or in the guards' living area to play chess or cards or dice and carouse with the rest of the soldiers. This was the most acceptance in any group Karl had ever experienced and he loved being posted at Adlerweg.
Then it happened one evening. It was a quieter night. Most of the men not on duty went to bed early including Lieutenant Nussbaum. Captain Weisshund declared that he would be available through the night, but had much paperwork to complete. Karl Van Arthog later described his evening as a "quiet night of research" in the undercroft. When the sun rose, the captain was not present for the morning inspection of the duty shift.
Nussbaum figured he had fallen asleep at his desk. Weisshund was an older man not up to the usual rigors of a soldier's life anymore; he would be excused for his delinquency. When Nussbaum first saw him, he thought he assumed correctly and the old warrior had fallen asleep at his desk, but as he neared to wake him, he was shocked and horrified by what he saw.
Weisshund was sitting at his desk, arms slack at his side, completely covered from head to toe with a white mucilaginous goo. He was dead, most likely asphyxiated, as the white substance filled his nose and mouth. Karl was immediately summoned and at sight of the captain, Karl turned a pasty gray and promptly vomited. He sat on the bed and ordered a bottle to take a sample. He had the sample sent to the magic school to be tested. The captain's body was cleaned, examined, and given a traditional burial by the soldiers. Throughout the ceremony Karl was shaking as if chilled and sobbing violently. He could not speak and would address no one.
The mystery of captain Weisshund's death remains unsolved. It was unexpected and has never recurred. The tests conducted by the magic school showed that it was merely human mucous. Examination of the body showed no trauma, no marks, cuts, or bruises. There have been suggestions made of possibilities but nothing significant, and the matter was dropped soon after—after all he was only a warrior—even by Karl Van Arthog.
Karl changed dramatically. He locked himself up in his room in the undercroft and sent all of his research equipment back to the villa. Since access from the upper floors to the lower level required the guards to go through his room, he forced them to go outside and around the keep to receive travellers and merchants through the weigh station. This was a huge pain in the ass for the guards. He, also, never greeted the new captain and he did not join the guards for games and drink anymore. From all indications, he sat in his room all day long reading. Eventually, there came to the keep an order of paints and tile pieces for Karl. After several months, Karl began a mosaic in the control room for the Chairs of Adlerweg depicting the Sentinel of Adlerweg. It was a nice decoration and the guards liked it, but then he showed his personal room to them. He had painted his chamber as a scene outside the gates of the lakeside villa where he grew up. It was remarkable and it was obvious that Karl had a talent, but he refused the praise and instead suggested his desire to have the Sea Princes overrun Berghof once and for all. This bitter information drove a wedge farther between Karl and the guards.
Karl had completely alienated himself from everyone else in the keep. When the news came that Berghof was becoming a province of the Sea Princes, Karl gathered all of his few remaining belongings and left hurriedly sealing the doors to the undercroft with the Sentinel as he left. He was never dismissed from his post and he clearly didn't care. Thus, Karl Van Arthog was the last Guardian of the Adlerweg and he took the Sentinel of the Adlerweg with him.
The next events in the time period are covered in darkness. This second mystery is preserved by lack of willing witnesses and records of any kind. I will tell the story as we know it.
Karl went home to the villa. He was welcomed by his wife and his daughter Gutrune. That night he told them he had given up spell-casting and wanted to retire to a life of fishing and artwork. Grau reportedly left the table upon hearing this.
One day Gutrune contacted the former Grand Duke and told him that a terrible accident occurred at the villa. Grau and Karl were doing research together when something went wrong. Grau, Karl, and his wife were all dead. There were no bodies to bury; there would be no ceremony.
So we continue our story with Gutrune who now lived in the villa alone. The servants and guards had all gone. In regards to who she was, Gutrune was an incredible beauty. She was dark haired, dark eyed, and solidly built. She was not tall and thin, but short with large hips and broad shoulders. She graduated from the magic school with distinction as an abjurer of remarkable potential. She continued her research at the school—and some report frantically so—and focused her specialization on protection through life energies. She recognized how life energy could provide an effective source of power for protection magics and she started her research with plants. Plants are stationary and their life grows through reliable and constant things like light, earth and the gods. Their power is renewable and acts as a constant ever-present guardian.
Of course, then, the plants in the courtyard and surrounding the villa were fantastically healthy. Gutrune was a master gardener. She was also a woman alone for many years. Sometime in that period, around nine months before the end of her loneliness, she met Lacksley, a woodsman from Keoland. Lacksley was a wild warrior who earned his coppers hunting and trading meat and furs in the larger towns. He wandered upon the villa one day and was captivated by the beautiful woman within. They had a meal together and talked and found they loved nature and growing things and so they did it. So started the relationship that created three more Van Arthogs. They never married, but Lacksley was a constantly intermittent part of Gutrune's life, which is just the way they both wanted it. Their love was kept alive by frequent separation. We have knowledge of Lacksley through chronomantic magic and a few very personal letters that somehow made their way to the Van Arthog file at the magic school in Hallbridges.
The next three children that grew up in the villa were named Jaggar, Brigitte, and Thorn. They were all very quiet, very well behaved children. Their mother was not the typical research absorbed spellcaster and spent most of her time tending the plants around the villa. There was always lush greenery around the home. On occasion Gutrune would venture into the library to look something up and try a spell variation, but she was never in research mode very long. She told her children about their grandfather and great grandfather and all of the Van Arthogs before and they knew all the stories. Despite the history and lineage of spellcasters Gutrune never pushed any of them into a magical profession and all three were very content not to be a part of that world. Instead the boys went on adventures in the lands surrounding the villa and down by the lake. They were not allowed to go boating, however. Brigitte would go with her father to the towns of Gannaway, Chiswell, or Kusnir and occasionally Hallbridges. She like being around all of the people and seeing all of the merchants and nobles in their finery. She longed for past Van Arthog glory when her ancestors would be invited to the Ducal Palace and they were considered the finest of folk. And so she became a master of etiquette and shopping. Her skill at spending money and being snooty grew exceptional.
Berghof was undergoing big changes now. The Sea Princes had been invited into the valley and the Grand Duke was still getting used to not being the sole ruler of the land. Most magic-users had gone from the valley choosing the anonymity of big city life once again. The magic school at Hallbridges was still open, but enrollment was down as magic-users had been reduced to common citizens in the eyes of the locals. When the Grand Duke capitulated to the Princes, Prince Cato immediately bought large parcels of land in the north part of the valley. Prince Dukaque bought portions of land in the southern part of the valley and built vacation homes and hunting lodges, and so the other Princes began buying land in Berghof, too. At certain times of year half of the ruling nobility would be in Berghof throwing money about and looking for more land to buy. Berghof became a wealthy resort territory.
Finally, Prince Morgen of Berghof put a cap on the landgrabs by putting his foot down and disallowing slavery in Berghof. Slavery was becoming an accepted practice on the coast and an important source of revenue for merchants and the Princes themselves. Slave attendants became necessary accoutrements for the wealthy to bring with them in the streets or at social gatherings, and slave workers on plantations allowed the Hold to grow very wealthy in a short time. But when Prince Morgen labeled the practice as atrocious and threatened to emancipate all slaves found in Berghof or entering on the Adlerweg in a month, the Princes were alarmed. Prince Cato threatened military action against Morgen, staking a claim on ownership of the entire valley if Morgen freed his property. It was important for Cato to win this argument for his primary source of income came from his plantations in northern Berghof. When the other Princes learned that Prince Morgen's mandate would cripple the most dangerously powerful member of the ruling council, Dukaque, the second largest landholder in the Berghof valley, was the first Prince to publicly denounce Prince Cato claiming that to oppose the power of a ruling Prince of a state threatens the sovereignty of each Prince in his own state. In addition, Prince Dukaque would provide troops and support for Morgen in his struggle to maintain sovereignty in the valley. This was no idle threat since Dukaque's standing army was just over the mountains to the north in his home state. Seeing the value in his move eight other Princes joined Dukaque, two remained neutral, and Cato began evacuating his property from the valley before the end of the month. He then sold all of his land to private, local landowners. Dukaque and Morgen held a banquet together in Morgen's palace in honor of the enlightened positions they shared and then Dukaque went home to his vast plantations worked by thousands of Amedian slaves.
It was in the early period of land acquisitions that Gutrune raised her children in solace by the lake and it was the excesses of the vacationing Princes that so attracted Brigitte. When Brigitte recalled the stories of the Brewfest celebrations at the villa, she pleaded with her mother to have another again—to revive the Berghof tradition. Gutrune agreed it was a good idea. When invitations to attend a celebration at the Van Arthog villa arrived at the Princes' manors, it was like being invited to the ether by some unknown spectre. They had to go. They had to see what Berghof bumpkin would invite the leaders of the nation to a beer drinking party. They had no idea what the Van Arthog name meant to Berghof nor did they care. To the Princes Berghof was a backwards little part of the world where they could escape and oppress a different population for a while. So at the next Brewfest a great crowd gathered—mostly out of curiosity—and a great celebration commenced. Noticeably, the traditional tour of the villa did not occur and Gutrune forbade entrance to any part of the estate except the grounds outside, the courtyard, and the main hall. Food was served in the hall, but most guests ate in the beautiful gardens. When the sun went down, the party stepped up and drinking continued to great excess. Many couples went off together in the garden to begin their own private party. For months after the celebration it was all anyone could talk about. Gutrune herself commented on how the party really energized the house. Brigitte was entirely sold on the lives of the nobles while the boys found them to be fairly useless, except that Jaggar found their purses to be delightfully filled with gold coins. So the Brewfest celebration at the Van Arthog villa became once again a yearly attraction that brought more people every year.
The years went by and the children grew up. Thorn joined a trading company and became a wealthy merchant. He moved to Monmurg where the Van Arthogs still exist today. Jaggar became a disreputable character loitering around Chiswell making quick coin however it was available. When Lacksley was imprisoned for hunting on Dukaque family land, Jaggar sneaked into the manor and heroically rescued his father. Seven guards died in the rescue and both men became wanted for multiple murders. They disappeared and were never heard from again. Brigitte was introduced to a wealthy merchant in Gannaway by her aunt Stef. She was young and attractive while he was older and reportedly unappealing to the eye. But he was very wealthy. Within a couple weeks they were married, but being a merchant he had to go away. He was away for long periods, so they rarely saw each other. When he would return to Berghof, he would spend a couple days at the villa, give Brigitte a large sum of cash, and be off again. Rotzimmer, the merchant, was a slave trader part time and a fur dealer other times. His soul was as unappealing as his appearance and in time it was learned that he had wives in many towns and cities. When he would come for his short stay at the villa he would be demanding and abusive and threaten to withhold Brigitte's money if she was bothersome. It is often wondered by sages why the kindly Gutrune allowed him in her house even though, as it is known, she strongly disliked the man. Her writings indicate her anger, but despite her power she seemed hesitant to give vent to her negative feelings. Eventually, Rotzimmer stopped coming at all most likely because Brigitte gave birth to a son and he made it known many times that he didn't like children. She named him Heinrich.
Heinrich Van Arthog grew up a nervous and tortured little boy. His mother scolded and belittled him constantly as his grandmother watched painfully on. The boy was not allowed outside. He was not allowed to draw or play games and he had no playmates. Grandmother was his best friend and sometimes she would sneak him into the library and tell him stories or read to him, but she could not spend too much time with him because she was still compelled to spend many hours a day in the garden. So all day long Heinrich would do the things that would not cause his mother to yell at him such as sweeping, scrubbing the floor or walls, or sitting quietly in the great hall imitating the faces and gestures of great-great-grandfather Grau's focus statues. When she would see him at dinner, Brigitte would always tell Heinrich that she would be so happy when finally he was old enough she could send him away to the magic school where he could learn to become a real Van Arthog man and start supporting her for a change. Some chronomancers who have witnessed this sad period say Heinrich seemed emotionally sturdy in that he never really cried while other chronomancers say he was just too afraid to cry.
Brigitte grew lazy and fat and slept many hours a day. Her bitterness was constant. She was cruel to her son and whined at her mother and when guests would come, even during the Brewfest celebration, she would hide in her room. Mostly she just slept. Otherwise we don't know how she passed her time.
Gutrune was aging rapidly and was getting tired. She was finding it more difficult to tend to the garden and the house, so the plants grew wilder and the villa became dingy and run down. Things that broke would not be repaired and Gutrune could no longer attend to the deterioration. One evening at dinner, the three lonely Van Arthogs sat down and Heinrich commented that earlier that day when he was sitting quietly in the hall, the statues spoke to him. Gutrune turned grey and excused herself and Brigitte smacked her son for frightening grandmother with the scary tales from a foolish boy. Gutrune went to the old study and began more research. A week later Gutrune had three cats brought to the villa from Chiswell and commissioned an artist, Johann Veldt, to come to the villa and design a throne and statues for the great hall. Veldt has said he made a grand sculpture of four great bronze cats supporting the throne. He kept it simple so he did not have to stay there any longer than he had to. He said the whole place made his flesh creep. With these new additions Gutrune felt content to relax a bit more and spend more time with her grandson before he was sent off to the magic school in Hallbridges.
When that day did come, Gutrune was there to see him off when his escort arrived. Brigitte was still asleep. She gave him money for the journey and wished him well. At the school he suffered similar difficulties as his great-grandfather, Karl, did many years before except that Heinrich did not have a magic bone in his body. Normal students would achieve basemind in five years of study, but Heinrich never reached basemind in the ten years he was a student. Near the end he had become more like a cleaning servant and carpenter at the school. He was understandably upset. He still went home on occasion all through this period to see his grandmother and the cats, but was too ashamed to admit his failure at the school to Gutrune. He did not know that soon it would make no difference.
One day Heinrich returned to the villa, we presume. The next thing we know is that he arrived back in Hallbridges, dropped out of school, rented himself a fancy apartment in the middle of town, and put the villa up for sale. He never told anybody what happened and when questioned about his family's whereabouts he said simply, "They are gone."
Of course, all of the wealthy nobles were familiar with the Van Arthog villa from the annual Brewfest celebrations and many of the Princes wanted to continue the tradition by the lake. Dukaque was the first to approach Heinrich to buy the estate and Heinrich took the first offer. With that out of the way, Heinrich began to drink.
Dukaque was quite happy with his new purchase, but he would have to remodel. He sent some guards and decorators to the villa to clean out the old furniture and get some ideas for the new. Apparently in the midst of the operation a couple of the guards were set upon by ghosts and enshrouded by their spectral mass. The rest of the group left rapidly to report to Dukaque. They claimed the entire place was evil to the core, that it made their very souls ache and that they would not return. Dukaque did not respect the superstitious nature of a group of interior decorators, so he collected a diviner and some priests and magicians to go deal with the problem. He very much wanted the Brewfest house. The team returned saying that the building was hopelessly contaminated with badness that was beyond any of their abilities. They locked up the doors to the main hall and magically warded the locks. They also refused to return.
Clemente Dukaque was furious. He sent guards to apprehend Heinrich Van Arthog for two charges—bad faith in business and disrespect to a Prince. The first carried a fine, the second potentially a sentence of death. Fortunately for Heinrich, he was able to get the attention of the Hallbridges constables who prevented his abduction by Dukaque's soldiers, protecting Heinrich under the auspices of jurisdiction. Heinrich was imprisoned in Hallbridges until the matter could be settled. While waiting Heinrich wrote a note to Prince Morgen pleading for protection as a favor to a Van Arthog whose families were formerly so close.
Prince Stephen Morgen received Heinrich at the palace. In the meeting room he ordered Heinrich to sit and then he questioned him about the charges and the events that led to them. Heinrich remained secretive about the villa claiming only, "It is too horrible to think on," but he was open about the dealings with Dukaque. At this point Stephen Morgen leveled his gaze at the rumpled figure of Heinrich Van Arthog and spoke.
"I stand here looking at you, hearing you tell me of your deception and your half-truths, and when I know of your failure at the school and how you have spent the last two months sodden to the bones in the taverns of Hallbridges and then you send a plea to me in a drunken scratch saying, 'I am Van Arthog, I am Van Arthog,' and then I look at you and I think this is not unlike a pig or goat coming to me saying, 'I am Van Arthog.' Your greatest ancestor, Herman Van Arthog, has his picture painted in this room. Can you recognize him? No, you cannot. And you tell me you are Van Arthog. From the stories I have heard of Van Arthogs you do not match in integrity alone not to mention smell. I cannot believe that this thing before me is Van Arthog. I mean really, did you think you could fool another Prince? Did you think you could turn the stories of Herman, Fritz, Heike, and Grau that my father and grandfather told me into lies by coming here and telling me that you are their result? And do you believe for one moment that I accept that the fate of kindly Gutrune, the last good Van Arthog, is 'too horrible to think on'? I don't believe it! I really don't fucking believe it! And listen very carefully to me. I don't owe you anything. Not one thing do I owe you. If the other Princes came to me and asked, I'd say, 'Sure, take the little weasel.' But I don't have that luxury."
Prince Morgen reached into a vest pocket and flipped a yellowed piece of paper at Heinrich. It was a letter from Halve Morgen to future Grand Dukes of Berghof to grant one favor within the power of the Grand Duke to the future relations of Herman Van Arthog.
"So you see even though I don't want to believe that you are a Van Arthog, I know you are, and even though I believe this favor was not meant for the last sludgy swallow of a full stein of fine stout, I know that I must grant this favor. It doesn't matter what I believe at all. I am bound by something your family could not sustain and so am I bound to make an enemy on our borders."
At that there was a knock on the door and Stephen commanded entrance. Clemente Dukaque entered with a sweep, pointed his finger, and stabbed out his demands. Stephen sat, folded his hands on the table, the same table at which they sat together against Cato, they sat at opposed. When Dukaque finished yelling, Morgen said plainly yet forcefully, "This man is protected by the state of Berghof and my order, which you so nobly preserved twenty years ago. Only he can harm himself now and that is the law. Any claims of disrespect to you by him have been absolved by me." Taking a pouch from his waist he tossed it onto the table before Dukaque. "This exceeds the initial payment for the villa and dismisses the charge of bad business. Take the money and go." Dukaque sputtered. Morgen said again, "Take the money and go." Dukaque left.
Stephen Morgen looked at Heinrich and said with finality, "Berghof and Van Arthog are done," and Heinrich was removed to the street.
The next five years Heinrich stayed in Hallbridges spending money and behaving offensively under full protection of the Berghof Guard. He was commonly known as Prince Stephen's Sot and this thorn in his side was often discussed in courtly circles. Shortly after five years elapsed Heinrich drank himself to death and he was unceremoniously disposed of in a commoners' grave.
Heinrich's final years were the hardest to bear. He became spiteful toward his entire family and lineage particularly his mother who he would regularly refer to as "that contemptible sow." He would recite a litany of hatred for all of his ancestors and how each one personally led him to a life of failure and disgrace. Many of the accusations were cruel while some were strange and disjointed, most were just madness. Heike made that accursed magic item that slowly slays its bearer, Grau created that terrible prison and filled the villa with his hard soul, Karl cursed the family with his spite, Gutrune refused to save him from his mother, Lacksley and his sons were werewolves who drenched the Van Arthog name in blood and most of all Herman Van Arthog who accepted that promise that became the bitterest tonic he was forced to swallow. Heinrich was the unfortunate pawn in a world of overbearing history and cruel intentions. He was not to blame.
The name Van Arthog no longer exists in Berghof. The closest descendents to the family line in Berghof still live in Gannaway, the daughter of Karl, Stef's children, who are Schleckthimmel by name, still own the inn there. When I travelled to Berghof, I stayed there and questioned them about their Van Arthog relation. All they knew was that Stef kept her distance for she did not want to be a part of the sadness she knew would come. There are Van Arthogs alive and well in the Hold, however. Thorn became quite wealthy through the slave trade and his family continues the business in Port Toli to this day. They lack interest in any family history before Thorn and so they know nothing of their Berghof ancestors.
I went to Berghof to see the places and read the documents of ages past. I went to the magic school to see the rooms and halls built by the first Van Arthog of the valley. I went to the palace to read the letters and marvel at the paintings of Herman, Fritz, and Heike, reproductions whose originals are still displayed on the walls of the magic school. I passed beneath the solid walls of the keep on the Adlerweg, touched the doors sealed by Karl—and was denied access by the guards on the walls. There are so many mysteries about the family unsolved and I am positive that many answers are to be had within the villa on the lake. I am envious of those brave enough to go there and solve the mysteries.
Regardless of the mysteries it would be foolish to suggest that the Van Arthogs were not instrumental in shaping Berghof. But what really can give us pause is that the one who had the greatest effect was the saddest of them all. Sure, Herman built the keep and Heike made the magic item that saved the fragile valley from hungry marauders to the north, but it wouldn't be unfeasible that many others present could have done equally as well and additionally neither wizard worked alone to gain their notoriety. Their fame seems remarkable, but really it is born along by possibilities of which we only recognize the result. It is possible that Berghof could have survived without Herman or Heike. It was Prince Stephen's Sot, however, who has had a lasting impression upon Berghof. Named after Heinrich Berghof, the pathetic and accidental founder of a nation, Heinrich Van Arthog unexpectedly created an adversary for Berghof that to this day remains as a constant political struggle between the two states of Morgen and Dukaque. They disagree at the council merely to be opposed. There will never be complete agreement in the Council of Princes. And all of this he did with virtually no help and he was the only non-negotiable pitfall Morgen had left to be wary of. Heinrich did exactly the wrong thing to exactly the wrong person at exactly the wrong time as nobody else in Berghof could have done and Stephen had to address it bluntly and completely unwisely thus setting the stage for a so far unending political conflict between Berghof and its nearest neighbor.
One can see vividly the beauty of Istus in all of her unfortunatenesses and twisted coincidences. For her the most powerful are not necessarily blessed and all are given an equal chance to make an indelible impress upon history. It is when the odds are thwarted that she has chosen a champion.
~*~