The Artifact Chronicles, Volume III, by Garkin Gnoll, Enchanter
Chronicler

The Ring of the ShadowLord.

-=-=-=-=-=:PREFACE:=-=-=-=-=-

"The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with
their bones. He who accepts evil without protesting it is really
cooperating with it."

-- Untitled book discovered by Garkin Gnoll in Kuril during the Clone
War of '51, private collection.

"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be
ruled by evil men."

-- The Drow Zax, former Guildmaster of the Paladins,
who died in battle in '49.

"Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood."
-- The Bard, before the time of Gods and recorded history.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"The mere apprehension of a coming evil has put many into a situation
of the utmost danger."

-- Rufus Tenderfoot, reknowned adventurer, missing since '42
-=-=-===-=-==-===-=-=-

The ring emerged within the realm in the same manner that it left:
Unexpectedly, quietly, and without great fanfare. Although it will be
argued for years I am certain that its owner found it, I tend to believe
that it found its owner: An occassionally noble swordsman of unparalleled
skill within the Realm--Edanomel, the Head Hunter. This warrior also had
a great temper, befitting his life as a creature ruled by the green moon
of the weretiger. In combat, none could best this fighterr, who had slain
the Ice Mammoth at the age of 14 years, and whom even the Undead Ice Drake
feared. He was a collector of weapons, and was the finest judge of
weapons in the Realm. It was said his collection of swords were the
deadliest in the Shadowlands. Perhaps only a Paladin aided by his god (or
a Lord of Chaos aided by his) would have been able to best this hero in
combat. Something which was sadly proven later. Regardless of who found
who, the ring came into the posession of Edanomel, who was pleased at its
discovery. Even an apprentice still unschooled in the intricacies of magic
could sense the power radiating from the ring. There was no small
enchantment on the item. There was no LARGE enchantment on the item. Its
magical aura blinded the apprentices and made Masters grimace. Only a few
had the opportunity to see the swordsman's new posession. And those few
knew at once. Edanomel had somehow uncovered an artifact. Days passed,
and the great warrior was seen less and less within the realm. Both
figuratively and literally. The ring became one of Edanomel's most
coveted posessions, though none could tell why. It was even highly
treasured than the fighter's own sword, a weapon so highly enchanted that
it's aura blazed--but whose magic appeared to be a single flame in
comparison to the bonfire that was the Ring of the Shadowlord. Edanomel
was always seen, (when he was seen, that is) with the ring in his
posession. He was never seen wearing it. He kept it in a dragonskin bag
he carried with him, or looped through a chain of mithril he had had
specially made to carry the ring. It was said he was always touching the
item, caressing it and occassionally speaking to it. Eventually,
rumorspread that one had seen the warrior wear the ring and disappear in
thin air. In two weeks time, Edanomel had seemed to disappear himself.

That was when the killings began.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Every unpunished murder takes away something from the security of every
man's life."

--Lord In'gar, Akkad
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Late one evening, a scream was heard on the northen borders of town in
Akkad. The savagely mutilated corpse of a young Tinker named Kalis was
discovered in the hills to the north. With his dying breath, he whispered
the name of his murderer: The Shadowlord. What began as one death led to
more.. Bodies began to pile and none knew who was this ShadowLord,
although they could guess at his purpose. The bodies of the corpses all
seemed to carry the same qualities: in parts shredded, other parts
horribly burned and seared. It was a mystery. Edanomel himself returned
to the realm as one of the most dedicated hunters of this terrible
creature. At the height of the killings, some of the more clever
Akkadians noticed that Edanomel always seemed to be gone when the
ShadowLord appeared. Suspicions were proven, however, when Garkin the
Enchanter Chronicler sent a telepathic message to the mercenary, only to
be answered by a powerful mind full of evil and chaos...The mind of the
ShadowLord! Yet still nothing was done immediately. Others learned of
the true identity of the being that was the ShadowLord, and of the true
powers of the Ring Edanomel wore during those times. Among those who
learned were the Elementalist Master of Plasma and Fire, Dakra...And the
ambitious Sword-mage Blud. When Dakra himself was attacked and nearly
slain by the Shadowlord, he realized it would serve his own best interests
to pass the ring to one who might be able to control such powers and use
them for a shared purpose. In darkened rooms in Kuril, Blud and Dakra
began planning how to pass the ring into the posession of a truly powerful
and truly evil creature of the Realm--Kojin, Overlord of Marghuul. Kojin
was the right hand of Marghuul, and currently on a dark mission outside of
the Shadowlands. It was whispered that Kojin already posessed two
Artifacts of incredible power. And they knew when he returned, he would
be able to take the artifact from the great warrior as candy is taken from
a child...And the Realm would then know TRUE terror. However, others were
forming plans at that same moment. Lord Torque, Justicar of Celeborn and
Guildmaster to the Paladins had also realized that it was a matter of time
before the ring changed hands. True artifacts of power, he knew, have
more control of their owners than the owners themselves...And artifacts
tend to seek an owner with the most power. He consulted with the
Chronicler. It was well-known that Artifacts could not be destroyed.. And
this particular one could not be held by an individual who could be
corrupted. Soon, another plan was formed....

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do
nothing."

-- Xylem Ent, Knight of the Crown, martyred priest of Celeborn in '48.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The next day, as soon as the first innocent fell victim to the ShadowLord,
the plan was acted apon. Garkin the Chronicler found Edanomel in the
Realm shortly after the slaying. It was only then that the true
deviousness of the Artifact was discovered: Edanomel never knew that he
himself was the ShadowLord! During the times in which the Artifact took
control of him, it gave him false memories of what had actually passed.
Although Edanomel was a tool of the Shadowlord, he clearly never realized
it himself. Garkin used a ploy he knew the collector of weapons could not
turn down. He told the swordsman that he had created a new staff for
himself, and wondered if Edanomel could spare the time to look over his
latest creation with his practiced eye. Garkin asked to meet at the base
of Tower Wood in DrakonWood Forest. The weretiger Edanomel was blind to
many things that day. He did not know that the forces of Evil plotted
against him to pass his ring to Kojin. He did not know that the
Shadowlord was part of his soul and was using him as a fighter would use a
good sword. And he did not know that when he met Garkin in the castle,
Lyrith the Mouse, Guildmaster of the Thieves, was working with Garkin and
Torque to steal the ring from him. Lyrith the Mouse was merely 12 years
old. A halfling with an unnatural gift of charisma, unnaturally quick
hands, and a strange dagger which at times glowed blue .. and sometimes
glowed red. He often displayed wisdom beyond his years. And was the
adopted nephew of Garkin. When Edanomel arrived, Garkin greeted him.
Lyrith quietly approached Edanomel and searched for the ring. It was
nowhere to be seen. But the swordsman carried a bag. Lyrith used his
best skills to steal the bag.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Power will intoxicate the best hearts, as wine the strongest heads. No
man is wise enough, nor good enough to be entrusted with unlimited power."

-- Draxanar, First Mage, who disappeared thousands of
years ago in a failed experiment.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

It failed.

For a brief moment, a voice not belonging to Edanomel came from his mouth:
"What's this? You have betrayed me!! You will not escape the wrath of
the ShadowLord!!" In one swift motion, Edanomel had reached into his
dragonskin bag. His hand emerged and he wore the Ring of the ShadowLord
for a final time! His features seemed to melt and shift, and become the
leering face of childhood nightmares...Then his entire body seemed to
disappear into the shadows! The ShadowLord immediately attacked Lyrith,
stabbing him repeatedly and leaving him on the floor, bleeding and
unconscious..And turned towards Garkin! Garkin knew he had little hope of
besting this creature alone, and retreated up the stairwell of Tower Wood,
knowing his chances were better if the creature might be lured into the
castle defenses. While Garkin retreated, Torque arrived in the foyer and
confronted the terrible creature. The battle was long and hard, but
Celeborn's power barely emerged victorious. Torque bested the Shadowlord,
severing his ring finger. The Artifact was gained, but would the plan be
successful? Torque raced out of the castle to try to find out. Edanomel,
suddenly finding himself torn from whatever lies he had been told by the
Artifact, assumed his closest friends had betrayed him for no reason..
And attacked him! In his heart was a terrible emptiness and longing for
the powers of the Ring. It was soon replaced by madness and hatred. His
madness turned him into the monster he had been..Only this time, he was
not wearing the ring. He only knew it was taken from him, and his friends
had turned against him. And they would pay for that in blood.... Lyrith
recovered by a healing rune placed on the second floor of the Tower.
When he awoke, his cuts were already slowly mending under the soothing
blue light of the rune. But he seemed out of sorts for some time to come.
He ranted and raved, hoping to touch the ring, craving it. Merely being
exposed to it seemed to affect him... And his dagger glowed an odd red.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"There is nothing evil save that which perverts the mind and shackles
the conscience."

-- Saint Ambrosian, Priest of Akkamish
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The plan Garkin and Torque had devised was simple: If you cannot destroy
an object, lock it away so that none may use be able to use it. Make
others think it had been destroyed. Using such reasoning, Torque made it
known that the ring was gone forever. He had thrown the Artifact into a
magical bag of holding Garkin had given him. Such bags could only be
created by skilled arch-mages and were actually linked to pocket
dimensions of other realms, able to carry far more than outward
appearances would suggest. Garkin had once discovered a powerful cursed
sword which summoned hordes of undead. He noticed that keeping it in the
dimensional pocket of such bags seemed to lessen the powers of the weapon
and had reasoned...rightly, it seemed...that such a bag may offer a
temporary solution. Even brief contact with the ring caused voices to be
heard in Torque's mind..Voices offering power, the true power needed to
bring about Celeborn's glory. But the Justicar's strength came from
Celeborn himself, and he could see through the ShadowLord's lie. He
passed the ring to a pure, uncorruptable servant of Celeborn..An Elder
Seraph named Garrent.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Criminals do not die by the hands of the law; they die by the hands
"of other men.

-- A Constable of Vo'Sangor, '47
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"The best-laid plans of hobbits and dragons will fall to naught," ....or
so it is said, and this plan fell to naught as well. Discovering itself
in the posession of an uncorruptable and mindless servant, the Artifact
began to radiate a black light.. (I am not certain how such a thing is
possible, yet Torque's account of what passed is very clear about
this -- GG) It soon became apparent that the seraph would be dead shortly,
twisted by ring's powers. When the Paladin realized this, he began to
pray with renewed vigor to his God. And by the time the seraph fell to
the floor (a twisted mass of blackened ash), a divine presence told him
that the Princess Heather-Scent in Ash could remove the threat. It is
interesting to note that the ring seemed to stop encouraging Torque to
wear it. It can be reasoned now that it had in fact, learned of what was
passing, and was sending its voice to any in the realm it could,
convincing the sides of Evil to stop the Justicar from reaching the
princess. Soon, most within the realm knew the Princess was the key to
it. Garkin made his way through the forests of Ash, finding himself alone
with the Princess. Murmuring a few words, he memorized the location and
transported himself to meet with Torque in the Tower of Justice. The gnoll
hastily produced a pouch from his belt, laying out a transport rune by
pouring yellow powders from the pouch. The Paladin nodded grimly and
stepped apon the glyph. He was instantly magically transported to the
wooded grove. Unfortunately, the Elementalist Dakra was one of those who
listened to the voices. In the time that the transport rune was being
drawn, Dakra had reached the same wooded clearing. Using treachery as his
weapon, he conviced the Guardians of the Princess that Torque was coming,
not to yield the ring to the Princess, but to slay her. He cleverly lied
that the Paladin had also fallen victim to the temptations of the
Shadowlord and was an enemy. When Torque stepped on the rune and
transported to the clearing, he was not met with open arms, but with
swords! He barely had time to draw his own sword before the Sharyas were
apon him. Dakra watched the massacre of the Justicar, cackling, as
Torque's armour was pierced in one hundred places. Garkin stepped onto the
rune only moments later, transporting himself to the clearing, a witness
to Dakra's glee and Torque collapsing to the ground. Dakra stepped
forward to search the corpse for the powerful artifact, but Garkin was
quicker. Reaching out with a furred paw, he snatched the bag containing
the ring and raced through the forest back to Akkad. Garkin narrowly
avoided other servants of evil who lay in wait for the paladin as he made
is escape out of Ash. Dakra, realizing he himself had missed his chance,
disappeared into the woods. When Torque awoke, he managed to undo the
damage and lies Dakra had wrought. It took a great deal more time to
convince them that Torque wasn't an ally of evil than it took Dakra to
convince them he was, I can tell you. The Sharya are very protective of
their Princess! The Justicar promised to return to the Princes in one
day. That would be enough time to return to Vo'Sangor, meet once again
with the Enchanter, obtain the ring, and raise a small army of his
lieutenants. Once again Dakra displayed his craftiness. He had been
hiding near the riverbank north of the clearing, waiting for Torque to
leave. As soon as Torque left the princess, Dakra returned to the
clearing. The Sharya attempted to attack him, now knowing the true enemy,
but they were too late. Weaving powerful magics, Dakra unleased an
unfathomable elemental storm apon the army in the clearing. One Shayra
managed to critically wound the Elementalist, but it was too late. The
damage had been done. He had had the last laugh. The Princess was dead.
There was no way to destroy the ring, now.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Evil wit no cheks growz, evil tolluraded poisons the whole siztum.
"I luv dat!

-- Skarsnik, Warlord of the Eight Peaks
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Torque gathered his lieutenants and his allies of K'Tach. They were
seven in number. They included the sickly elf Geos and the son of Kalis,
who bore his father's name. Garkin drew a final rune of transport and
the group returned to the clearing. There they found a smoking, blackened
clearing where the forest once stood. The Shayra lay dead on the ground..
And the Princess was no where to be seen. It was certain the sides of
light had lost. But that was when a final discovery was made: The bag of
holding, which had resisted the powerful magics of the ring for two full
days, had worn a hole in the dimension itself where it had been stored.
Looking into it, the Paladin of Celeborn watched as the ring tumbled
through the hole...and winked out of existence...to another existence,
perhaps. For a final time, those gathered in the clearing heard the voice
of the ShadowLord clearly, laughing,
"This is not the last you have seen of me."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his
inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the
injury."

-- Lord Torque, Justicar of Celeborn, Paladin Guildmaster,
Legend of the Realm
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

At the time of this writing, Late autumn of '52, a month has passed since
these events took place. There has been no sign of the ring's return,
though it is certain it will resurface one day. Edanomel the warrior is
still overcome with madness and feeling s of betrayal, and many have
fallen to his blade. The bodies continue to pile, although their source
is now known, and they pile with less frequency. The greater evil has
been averted, and Kojin remains in posession of only two artifacts.

Friendship has been destroyed, but the peace has been kept.

--Garkin Gnoll, Enchanter Chronicler, '52.