Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 06

Silvertree Chronicles Book Six, Faith Unlost, (Enhanced Edition)

Synopsis: Following the loss of Jarronus'via Silvertree the sword was transformed and transitioned to Serius Silvertree. He could not predict the challenges he would face to try and just stay alive.

***Inspired by multiple fantasy environments. Not endorsed by any of them. © EmotionalStorm June 2020. This story cannot be transferred to any other site besides Literotica.com without the prior authorizations in writing from the author and EmotionalStorm must be credited for this work.

Authors Note: For those who have not read my bio, please note I write as a form of therapy for a Traumatic Brain Injury. I know the English majors will probably encounter issues that annoy them. If these are your focus, instead of the story itself, then this is not the story for you. I am not and will never be a professional writer.

I do it to tell the story, for those who wish to read them. I originally submitted this story back in September of 2018. I have worked to try and improve my writing style while struggling with this issue. I have added some editing software and written a few other stories. Now I am revising and editing this earlier work to try and bring it up to a higher standard from what I have managed to learn over the last few years.

Juna 27th 8479

Serius Silvertree was born to Brima Silvertree. Along with his two other brothers, Branar and Vilmarius Silvertree. The eldest child among the four wives. Thirteenth child in all, counting all of his half-dragon siblings born in the months before.

Jana 16th 8491

All of the first children, half-dragon to fully elven, entered the Academy to begin training. Serius divided his time between the Academy and the church of Corellon Larethian during its construction. He studied magic, physical combat, and started to learn to be a cleric, as clerics were in short supply after the destruction of 3 churches. A Magus Cleric gestalt.

Septa 6th 8510

Word reaches the family that Jarronus was taken but his sword dropped in the altercation. His wives knew he was alive but nobody could track him or where he went.

Septa 10th 8510

The wives' rings went dark. They all knew he was dead. A new sheath for the sword had been constructed using the previous design. It arrived as the ring went dark. A master leather smith in Porzcosa copied the design from Moon Ray's sheath. The finer details were added from his wives' description of the outer markings.

The holy symbol and the house symbol with the other houses of the blades being on the backside of the sheath. The upper conference room in the palace was used by the Queen because of all of his children being present. The mother's issued their cautionary warning concerning the sword.

Brima spoke for them, "Anyone that draws the sword is dedicating a lifetime of service and that time could be bitterly short."

The Queen entered and she waved everyone off, "When this occurs, and it occurs too often, I wish for you to speak plainly."

Shortly after that Majisa entered with six other dragons including two females. The wives hugged the two other ladies as did their father's Silver dragon mate. They took a seat and motioned everyone else to grab a seat. She pulled the tube holding his will.

She sighed, "His will is rather long. Part of it will not be read today. His house laws are tied into provisions of his will. An unusual step he was taking to ensure the family stayed free of corruption. Certain conditions have to be met for those sections to be revealed. I can tell you that each of those sections has a separate envelop in them so even I do not know what those provisions contain."

She cracked the seal and started reading, "To my family all of my love. If you are reading this then I did not live longer than the Knight Paladin. I either died in the war or shortly thereafter as I am writing this last will on my hundred fourth birthday. I will start with the Master Trainer's ring. As we are at war, I have set an order to it based upon who survives. Moon Ray, Silver Moon, and Storm Blade.

If anyone challenges it has to be a fight to the death, as they are challenging the will of the gods in how the gods stated the ring was to be assigned. If none survived it is to be held for a hundred years by the royal family. At which point a tournament will be held.

The final two in the tournament will fight until one of them yields or dies. I tried to get them all to teach directly and they all chose to join the war instead and look to teach afterward."

The Queen sighed, "This part was stuck in because of how his trainer, my cousin, died."

She shook her head, "Next is the sword, assuming it survived. Only my four eldest, one from each wife, are eligible for the sword. The order to take up the blade is set by the birth order of these four children. Unless divine direction has been given.

Claiming the sword is tantamount to signing the provision as an adult to service to the gods, the kingdom, or the army for life. I request that this should be resolved at the reading of my will and before continuing."

The Queen looked across, "Would the eldest of each wife step forward." The four of them got up and stood next to their mothers." They were all young and in training. She was worried about putting a relic into one of their hands but she had to comply with the will.

Serius heard from The Lady of Dreams in his mind, "You are the eldest. You are destined to wield it next. It was your father's wish and Corellon Larethian's wish."

The Queen looked at them, "Does the eldest wish to take up the burden of the sword. The promise to the elven people to be a protector. Has anyone received any divine guidance on this matter?"

Serius looked at the Queen, "I believe I just heard from them. I am also the eldest by minutes or days from the others. I figured I would be an unlikely candidate given my class mix. It seems the gods do not believe this is the case."

Hunted

The other three breathed out a sigh of relief. She held out the sheathed sword to him. He took the weapon, backed away from the group, put his hand on the grip, and pulled. He fell to his knees in pain as the sword probed every crevasse of his mind. Finally, he heard. "Why do you seek the blade?"

He responded back to the sword, "I wish to have a destiny even a fraction as good as my father's destiny was."

The sword asked, "You swear to work to keep corruption out of your own house no matter what? Even if it means working to disown or potentially having to kill a family member because of their actions? To face my wrath if you fail to act?"

He thought back to the sword, "I know my father's efforts in this regard. I will not let him down. I will not let you down. I swear it."

The sword responded, "I find you worthy Serius Silvertree I am Varus'Nor. I have the following abilities locked in over the years. Intelligence, telepathic, and Moon Fire. Built into the blade at the beginning and unchangeable. Summon to either hand, immunity to mind control. Immunity to fire, electricity, and poison. Evil dragon and undead bane.

Spell turning, Dragon vision, Danger telepathic warning, teleportation circle, and a lay on hands ability added by your father. All locked by the gods or a former wielder. Also, the God ability added which I do not have access to and cannot confirm."

He regained his feet and the Queen smiled in relief. His mind was perplexed. He thought to the sword, "I thought your name was Karti'Ros?"

Varus'Nor responded, "The gods gave me a new name and purpose. To ensure your father's wishes for his house are followed. To never let it fall into that level of corruption or disrepair again. As such a visit with the Queen is needed. Let her know clause seventeen and nineteen are in effect."

He looked across the room, "The sword has a new name, Varus'Nor. Faith Unlost. It has me set as a guardian against the corruption of the family. On top of being a protector of the elven people as a whole. He said I have to keep corruption out of my house even if it means killing them. I was told to tell the Queen that clauses seventeen and nineteen are to go into effect.

The Queen sat back down and started going through a stack of sealed envelopes. Meanwhile, Brima and the other 3 wives smiled at him with tears in their eyes. His mother Brima looked at him, "What does Varus'Nor know of your father's death?"

He thought back to Varus'Nor, "What can you tell me of his death?"

Varus'Nor responded, "Selfless as was the wielder of the Moon Bow Blade. They wanted to use the Moon Bow Sword for creating Draco-liches. It is the most powerful of the blades. It should be recovered with all haste. Ask the dragons to track it. Speak with Majisa in private with the Queen. Tell her that you know of the ability to track magical items.

He was captured by a teleport ambush to be sacrificed to recover the spirit of the Draco-lich. He formed a plan. Tell them it was a plan formed under the eyes of the gods. To have Dame Moon Bow strike off the champions holy symbol as she was captured with her sword. A ploy in how to remove the holy symbol without it exploding.

They both died to keep this threat from being a possibility. That destroyed the Draco-liches phylactery for all time, killed the necromancers wanting to use her blade to power the procedure, and the Shadow dragon parent of the hybrid killed by your sister the other champion. The Shadow wanted to be the next Draco-lich. His journal was lost, but I will transcribe them back to you once you set your course on this task.

You can add it to the main book from there. Always keep the blade wielders journal in a safe place for future generations. When you become of age you need to find a fertile wife or several. Find the Moon Bow heir apparent. The Queen can help you with the later."

He looked back at everyone, "He got hit by a teleport ambush. This lines up with what the dragons who recovered the blade told us. He was not alone. Dame Moon Bow, the Moon Bow Blade wielder was captured as well as her sword.

They wanted to sacrifice him in some ritual to try and get the spirit of the Draco-lich back. He formulated a plan. A ploy under the eyes of the Gods with the wielder of the blade. The only way to remove the holy symbol without it exploding was with it being cut off with a Moon Blade. Dame Moon Bow struck the blow on the holy symbol knowing they would both die. It destroyed the Draco-liches phylactery.

The Shadow Dragon who wanted to become a Draco-lich and was a parent to the champion. Also, any half-dragons or necromancers in the area. In short, they made a selfless sacrifice. Varus'Nor also told me my father's journal got destroyed but he can help me to transcribe it."

The 4 wives nodded with a slight grin but still cried. He looked at the Queen, "I need to talk with the Queen and Majisa in private when this is over."

Brima pulled it together first, "Did he suffer?"

He thought to Varus'Nor, "Did he suffer?"

Varus'Nor responded, "Tell them he loved them all. He loved all of his children and hoped they would live up to his ideas for the house. He felt the blade impact the symbol and then nothing. Instantaneous and painless. Tell her of the promises you made. Tell the wives to remember the promises he made to them."

He looked at the ladies, "The sword is providing more information than I expected. He wanted to pass along that father loved you all. He loved all of his children. Father felt the blade's impact and then nothing, painless and instantaneous. He wanted me to let you know of the promises I made. Which I did, but fighting corruption was a big and new one. To remember the promise he made to each of you."

The Queen looked over, "I will continue now."

He sheathed the sword and set it for a left-handed draw. He preferred to have his right hand for the intricate casting some of his spells require. She looked at them, "All of my half-dragon children have opted to not follow the life of service. I do not fault them for this. I expected this because of a dragon's draw to hoarding. To each of those still living I am leaving another 250,000 gold pieces. To all my wives and to those who bore me children a million gold pieces.

To those wives who retire from the field and raise the children to adulthood another 4 million gold pieces each. Each of my fully elven children and my half-elf daughter if she survived the battle another half million to each of them. If any clauses have been activated, those sections should be read now."

The Queen sighed as she shook her head, "He put in 80 hidden clauses and different conditions that will trigger them. Some have hidden clauses that require other conditions to be read. The two he activated have several sections that cannot be read now, which is why I am explaining this. Let me start with clause 17.

If for any reason the trust rules are attempted to be circumvented there are clauses to deal with both those planning it and the fund itself. The Blade wielder is charged with working with the Queen on the trust. This is a warning that must be given every time the blade changes hands or a member becomes of age. Any awards someone receives goes to them.

The only way the trust grows is if you will all or a portion of your holding back to the trust itself or die with no will and it goes to the trust. Any business or money-making ventures are to be immediately sold in that case.

Any family member who decides against the service to the Gods and country has a second option. They can remain a non-active non-voting member of this family or they may elect to start their own house. The trust rules apply regarding death with no will.

Any that elect to start a new house will have their standing with House Silvertree noted. Also, another 100,000 gold pieces transferred to the Silvertree member. This includes ladies who marry into other houses. This is an effort to keep greed at bay in the Silvertree House. This is not punitive. The house has a history of destroying houses and people rarely see the houses we helped to create.

Like House Storm Blade. These are the options. Any branch that remains in service to the Gods and country can change in the future except for the Blade wielder. They would be required to establish a new house with no additional funds. This decision is important, weight your options carefully for when you come of age.

Any branch caught breaking these rules will be subject to immediate disownment; or worse! The blade holder will have found this out already if the gods added the special-purpose I requested. That being to keep House Silvertree free of corruption. In short, if you are craving power and wealth start a new house as you will fare better in life."

She paused, "Those are the sections of seventeen I am allowed to read to everyone. Now, to jump into section 19 which only has a couple of entries that I can read to the group.

This clause is the safety valve clause. This clause would allow the Queen with the Blade wielder or title holder to make an emergency withdrawal from the trust to handle an emergency. Like the entire estate getting blown up again. It is also the means by which the guards on the estate are paid. This is managed by whoever has the hereditary title first. Which can be claimed once the eldest living is an adult. In the interim, the title duties are to be handled by my wives collectively.

With oversight from the Queen's accountants. Again, for staff at the Estate and repairs of the estate. Expansion into new homes on the estate falls under the responsibility of the one having them built. At no time can they be larger than the main house which is of modest size."

The Queen shook her head, "He definitely put a lot of checks and balances in here to deal with access to that fund. Let me continue with the main will as we are almost finished."

She sighed, "I do not know the state of my gear and what is left if anything. My assumption is it is close to nothing if I exploded. As such I am setting aside two accounts. One goes to the one who holds the title and the other to the blade wielder when claimed. Each account has two million in them.

These accounts will transfer and refill when there is a change of who holds those positions. Buy personal gear to protect you as you will be hunted. The Duke's or Dutchess's account is available to the heir when they turn 50 and have signed their letter of intent to stay with the house. Everyone knew how the heir to the title would be determined.

Use house gear where you can and have it upgraded by our in-house enchanter. IF she has the time or gets help from one or more of the six enchanters in training. You can pay the in-house enchanters 110% of the construction cost from that fund. Else, outsource it. This money is available immediately to a Blade Wielder after signing the letter of intent.

I know it would be possible that one person could have both. Here is the catch. They or the one needs to agree to give half of their funds back to the trust, to never exceed 10 million in holdings, and have the excess money go to the trust as soon as possible.

Those two accounts are included in that figure. If the Duke or Dutchess leaves the house and abdicates, this rule is still binding but only until they repay the 2 million gold pieces back that they received.

The Blade Wielder will help to keep them honest as he has to review all house finance records for all members of the branch every few months. The sword will keep him honest if the Gods made the changes I requested. House Silvertree has had too many champions and heroes and our enemies know our name. The drow even had a spell to track any House member. If you fear this, then start a new house.

While all House Silvertree members are targets those in a position of power or holding the blade will always be the primary target(s). The Council of Elders for this first generation is the eldest three from each of my wives and the blade holder. Each wife represents a separate branch.

If the eldest leaves or dies his position moves to the next eldest in that branch. Until they are of age my wives are the acting Elders. Know that I love you all and respect your decisions when you are honest with the house and yourselves. Live and find time for love. The tree is small and needs to grow."

She looked up, "The widows need to meet with me first. We can use the master bedroom in the War Room. Then I need to meet with Serius and Queen Majisa."

The Queen moved to the war room and the six of them went inside. She sealed the portal and walked to the room with the widows. Serius looked at Queen Majisa, "Your Majesty, there was one matter I needed to discuss with you concerning your ability to track magical objects."

She looked at him in surprise, "How do you know that?"

Serius looked at her, "Varus'Nor told me. I assume he will lead me to the Blade Wielders Journal as well."

She smiled and nodded, "You gained your father's dragon eyes. Yes, we have that capability. You are needing me to use it?"

He nodded, "When we are in with the Queen, Your Majesty."

She chuckled, "I was married to the Knight Paladin long ago. You can just call me Majisa. I save the royalty stuff in open court, usually my own."

Serius nodded, "Was he a good man?"

She nodded, "Yes, very much so. I wished he was able to spend more nights in my arms. His string of successes shortened his life. You should be aware. Holding that blade could lead to a short life."