The Stone of Tomorrow

Once upon a time…

There was a great wizard who loved a priestess of cilius and a rash prince who also adored the same woman. The Wizard’s name has been lost to the ages of time, as has the name of the priestess. The prince however was Prince Morgan Toshom.

The prince was a vile man, having his guard kidnap young maidens for his enjoyment. Causing various strife whenever he visited the town square. Morgan hated the Wizard, and it only filled him with rage that the beautiful priestess despised Prince Morgran whilst she held great feelings for the Wizard.

Now this Wizard did indeed marry the kind priestess. On the night of thier wedding, the prince stayed awake in his room, devising a scheme. Many times had the prince tried to kidnap the priestess, always being unable. He finally decided that if he could not have the priestess, Noone could. He decided on that wedding night to murder the object of his obsession.

The Prince knew that the Wizard kept a very special staff…A staff blessed by Cilius, Some say the Wizard always had the staff, Some say that it was the betrothal gift of the Priestesses father. The origins of the staff at the time, were unclear. The staff was a very simple staff, made of wood, with a simple stone attatched to the end.

So, The prince snuck into the wizards house, early in the morning on thier wedding night, and removed the stone from the staff, replacing it with another simple stone.. The duplicate looked perfect.. The prince snuck off, holding the stone of tomorrow.. Half of the Staff of time. He left behind the Staff of yesterday.

The people of the town knew that the stone on the wizards staff would allow them to glimpse the future.. and possibly even travel to it, but no one knew of the staff of yesterday.

The Prince watched the clouded future for a time when he could get to the princess, and murder her with his dirk. Of course, he was able to see exactly when to do this… And so less than a week later, the prince murdered the priestess.

The Wizard was distraught. His wife had been murdered… Quickly and without morning the Wizard fetched his staff, and looked into the clouded past.. and watched with horror as the prince murdered his wife. His instincts were right, and he had to do something.. So he willed himself to a time before his wifes murder… and rescued her from the wretched prince. Now of course, the prince foiled, decided to try again…

On and on this went, Morgan no longer waited for the future but willed himself to it, and killed the priestess. Each time the Wizard would travel to the past and Prevent the murder. Again and Again, the wizard geting older and older as the prince got younger and younger. The loop of time affecting them, and noone else. As each past affected each future, Each future affected each past.

The Wizard was fooled, But he was not an idiot.. He eventually realized that the prince had stolen the stone of tomorrow. He had no reason to attempt to use the stone of tomorrow… But he was able to see when the prince stole the stone of tomorrow… So again he went back, to the night before the wedding.. and he replaced the stone of tomorrow with a fake stone, Knowing that the prince would not know what the real stone of tomorrow looked like.

The prince broke into the house, and stole the fake stone.. The murder was foiled, the prince was exposed, and the Wizard and his Wife lived a long happy life.. Morgan disappeared.. presumably exiled. Time marched on.

Not long ago…

There were two adventurer’s, Achae and Kyris. They called eachother by the names Kay and Kyr. The two had heard a Tale of the stone of tomorrow when they were children. It was spoken to them as a fairy tale by the LoreKeeper in Huede.

As time went on, It became apparent that something must have happened to the stone of tomorrow. They heard rumors that the stone of tomorrow lay in a cave deep within the westrise mountains. There was a strange guardian, The Gralkiroc also called the Grazakalin, who they believed would know the story of the Stone of tomorrow.

After finding the cave, in the moonlight, they came across a strange noise.. it was music.. singing.. it grew strange, twisted, dark… it began to fill thier heads with pain. It demanded that they show themselves. The two pressed forwards… and saw the demented bard.. A tall and old looking human.. quickly it struck at them, and they defended themselves.

There was a mighty battle as the guardian flung knives faster than the shivverjeck towards the two. Doing her best Kyr deflected the knives as Achae attempted to fight the beast itself and Destroyed his terrible lute. During the battle, the Grazakalin spoke a riddle, Who am i that does not scream, What am I that does not sing, Who am I that speaks with words of motion.

As the fighting continued its odd repetative dance, leading nowhere the guardian Demon spoke one last time, Hissing .. “if you answer my riddle, you shall pass, but before you finish this delicate dance, strike fast, answer not with your words, but seek to speak with your blade, lest first I end this facade.”

As the two fought for what seemed like an eternity, as if they were continually being blocked the moment each blow hit, Achae thought of the answer to the Riddle. He looked at Kyris and Said a Mime…. Kyr was busy fighting the daggers that appeared to be enchanted by Sheglarn himself. Achae turned to help kyris and saw a stone on the ground… He picked it up and whipped it towards the grazakalin. The Grazakalin busy singing the magic to animate the blades, and filling the cave with a horrid sound did not notice the rock that flung towards him.

Suddenly everything stopped… The Rock lodged itself in the Grazakalin’s throat, and he could no longer sing… the awful sound when silent, the daggers fell from the sky.. and the grazakalin himself dissapeared. A hidden door in the cave opened up. Kay and Kyr walked through the door.

Inside, it was dark.. Achae picked up a torch and lit it with a tindertwig. Inside was a single figure, holding a simple wooden staff. It spoke… Who is it, that disturbs my slumber? Achae and Kyris looked at eachother. The torchlight lit up his face.. It was Hideous.. It appearead to be some sort of cross between a troll a goblin and an ork. Truly the name Grazakalin fit.

The previous battle had been but an illusion. The pair looked about, no sign of the stone, Nor a resting place for it.. yet clearly the Guardian was holding the Staff. The Grazakalin spoke. Youve answered my riddle. I will grant you three questions, and then you must leave or I will be forced to kill you.

Achae and Kyris looked at eachother, and first asked. Where is the Stone of Tomorrow? The Guardian answered. I do not know, Two questions left. Achae Spoke, What do you mean you dont know? Kyris glared at him, and the Gurdian again spoke. I mean, I was never told by the great mage what happened to the stone of tomorrow. I honestly have no idea where it is. One Question left. Kyris spoke before Achae could say anything.

How is it that the staff of yesterday came to be in your possession? The Demon stared back.. Surprised. How did you know this was the staff?… Kyris glared at him, At least give me an elaborate answer.. I know my lore. The Grazakalin began to speak..

And the Grazakalin spoke
“Once upon a time….”

There was a great Wizard who loved a Priestess of cilius….. And on he went, until the time when the Wizard used the Staff of Yesterday to replace the Stone of tomorrow before the Prince could steal it. But The prince was also quick, and saw in the future, that the wizard had this revalation, and carelessly spoke it out loud. The prince, decided he would not be out done, and knew where to find the real stone of tomorrow as soon as the wizard supplied his fake.

As the prince was sent into exile, he took the stone of tomorrow and jumped far into the future.. Knowing that the staff of yesterday would survive along. The Wizard, created me, and gave me instructions to guard the staff of yesterday. So that the Prince could never return to the past to finish the dirty deed that obsessed him so. And to this day it has survived here.

Kyris and Achae looked at eachother.. Knowing now why they had such a difficult time battling the illusion.. The Gralkiroc had gone back in time to block each of thier blows… It hadnt mattered that the rock had been thrown at his throat.. It only mattered that Achae had answered the riddle.

The Grazakalin turned to them, I am afraid, that whill i can see the past, I cannot see the future. And that you know this staff exist, puts the Wizard and His wife in danger. I cannot let you leave. It was silent, In that instant they knew that they would be killed. He could just go back in time and kill them in an instant.. knowing that they know before hand.

Achae acted first… His halberd moved in one swift movement… Just faster than the Guardian could react, and Achae knocked the Staff of yesterday from his grip.. It fell to the ground an instant after Kyris thrusted, her rapier hitting the Grazakalin in the left eye. Kyris instantantly picked up the staff and went back but a few minutes, and performed a surprise attack on the grazakalin.. She dropped the staff as she did so, to put her full power into the attack.

Achae stared a moment, before realizing that Kyris had gone back intime to save them. Surely this moment was destined. If it had gone any other way, it would have been over before it began. But that was not the end.

In that moment, A Man appeared… He stood not speaking, merely clapping. You dont know how long ive had to scrye for this moment… He was holding a small stone in his right hand, as he clapped. You are right. This moment was destined. He picked up the staff of yesterday as Achae realized who he was… Youre the prince! Youre Morgan!

Morgan Grinned at them, But he had spent so long looking for the earliest moment to take the staff, that he had not realized what would follow.. Achae swung his halberd hard towards Morgan, Who instinctively held the staff out to block. Morgan was confident that he could defeat them by going back in time… But Morgan was not the object of Achaes attack.

Achae Struck for the staff of yesterday, Hitting it with full force, and it exploded in a brilliant show of light. The surprised and stunned Prince dropped the stone of tomorrow, and realizing this, he quickly moved to pick it up, But Achae was already moving towards it.

Kyris quickly tumbled backwards, moving out of the way of the explosion of energy. When It subsided they were gone. The Grazakalin’s body was gone with the explosion of the staff. Achae and Morgan had reached for the stone and jumped into the future. To when, I cannot say. That was the last time I saw my dearest friend.

The Wizard did indeed live a happy ever after with his wife, And the Prince was exiled.. To the future. Perhaps The staff of yesterday was created at the beginning of time, and the stone of the tomorrow at the end of time. Each one can only truly exist with the other. Without the staff of yesterday the stone of tomorrow will be forever lost in the future. Until Then I wait here, on athus, wandering.. Hoping to again meet my dear Achae and For each day that passes, I know that I will age, and He will be the same as he was, before he left my present.