When they came to the northern village of skorn they made such an entrance that it was not to be ignored. It was full of all the pomp and circumstance of a changing of the guard. They brought horses and a parade, and swords and bows and everything Guldivine had been trying to warn Edwin about. The worshipers of Mardoc came to Skorn to spread their divine word by force if necessary it seemed.

Melethan was there to witness it all, just as the rest of the town was. They had all stopped what they were doing at the sheer perplexity of what was happening. Melethan thought "Who are these people and what do they want?" As everyone else had been thinking too.

The parade stopped in the middle of the village in a space they considered 'the town square'. It was where the community water well was located, but it was really just a small dirt square inbetween the middle of town buildings. Barbadds Tavern was to the right, The town Stables were to the left. Up head was the community center and boarded up chapel.

The main rider with a black veil and crown got off his horse and addressed the crowd of villagers.

"Greetings citizens of Skorn!" The man shouted out to the crowd.

Melethan could tell that the man was elderly, much older than Melethan's Father, who was also watching silently in the crowd nearby.

"We have come to bring you tidings of joy!" The old man shouted trying his best to sound uplifting.

"Your Supreme god has called attention to you, good citizens of Skorn! He wishes to spread his good word and influence right here! He wants to reward your faith with all of his blessings! He wants to show you mercy and light." The old man Preeched. He dipped his voice softer and more sympathetic for the next lines. "Now I know that Mardoc is not a favorite around here. But yet Skorn has continued to thrive and prosper. Its no secret my children that you provide, but you do not accept Mardoc as your savior. I am here to tell you the grand news. You are all Mardoc's children in his eyes, and all is forgotten if you simply pledge your name to him now. In servitude, we may all co-exist."

A hand was placed on Melethan's shoulder, startling him. It was Guldivine, Dressed in a hood, trying to conceal his face. "Dont listen to him, kid. This dragon is no god."

Melethan nodded to Guldivine accepting his advice but didnt say anything back. He was still stunned from how angry his father had been at the man.

"You may call me Shandor!" The old man addressing the crowd named himself. "And we will be here as long as it takes for you to realize that Mardoc is the one true savior of the realm!"

"Get out of our town!" Someone in the crowd shouted, and the majority of the crowd cheered in agreement.

"I did not expect all of you to come willingly so easily." Shandor lowered his voice from a shout. "But those of you who wish to join us at this time may follow us to your chapel, which will be the new house of Mardoc."

With that, the old man named Shandor climbed back up onto his horse, and the pack of robed men began their walk up through the middle of town to the chapel on the outskirts. It was an old boarded up brick foundation that no one had used in generations now. But Shandor had come prepared and immediately had his men begin to work on fixing the place up.

Back in town, the crowd had thinned and Mage, Barbadd, Melethan and his father Edwin stood off to the side. Guldivine had dissapeared when some of the crowd did follow Shandor. The four others mused about what would happen next for their village.

"Well nothing good." Barbadd continued the thought. "People dont worship the dragon up here. Im not sure what this Shandor priest guy plans to achieve."

"He's here for the Exile, Guldivine." Edwin narrowed his eyes.

"He's here for all of you." Mage interjected.

"Careful Warlock, that sounded like a threat." Edwin warned.

"Its true Dad!" Melethan said. "They did come here to get all of us! This is what Guldivine was warning us about! We have to defend ourselves!"

"Enough of him! He's the whole reason we are in this mess!" Edwin snapped and shouted. This caught the attention of a few bystanders and they glanced over curiously for a moment before returning to their own conversations.

Then Edwin stormed off angrily.

"Its the end of the Harvest Mel, He's just stressed." Barbadd told the kid. "Theres a lot on his mind. He'll calm down about it."

"I know." Melethan said. "But Guldivine was right to try and teach me how to fight. We should all know how to fight."

Mage raised a hand in objection. "Sometimes fighting dosnt have to be the answer. Always look to reason first."

And with that they went their seperate ways and the days of the Zealots had begun. Shandor fixed the chapel up and he and his men lived there. They spent their days preaching out in the streets and recuriting more townsfolk to the cause. One by one, the villagers became changed by their message. They were becoming zealots themselves.

Desperate to prove to his father that Shandor and his men had to be silenced, Melethan decided to break into the chapel and find evidance of Shandor's plan. He began planning it by attending one of the chapel meetings that more of the town was showing up at every day. He was able to blend into the crowd unnoticed and witnessed the entire ritual which mostly consisted of Shandor telling everyone why their spirits are longing to get back to Mardoc. It sounded like nonsense to Melethan, but he was busy getting a good picture in his head of what the inside of the chapel looked like. Behind the alter was some personal living quarters. Melethan knew there was a cellar too but had no way of reaching it during all of this.

Three nights later Melethan decided to strike. He waited till well after dark when Barbadd was closing up the tavern for the night. Most people were in their beds asleep, Melethan was sure. He had stolen back the short sword that his father had tried to hide away from him. He belted it in its sheath onto his side like he had been taught. Staying low, he cut across town and over to the chapel, which was mostly dark aside from some lit candles within. Melethan gathered that the candles were always lit, some homage to Mardoc.

His back pressed up against the side of the chapel under a window, Melethan caught his breath and listened. The inside sounded completely silent. With any luck, everyone inside would be asleep.

Melethan peeked over the windowsill and saw that the main chapel was empty. He quickly hoisted himself up through the windowsill and into the chapel. His feet hit the ground with a loud thud that echoed throughout the hall. He froze in place, heart racing, but after a moment there came no reaction.

In the space behind the chapel's alter there was a hallway with a series of four rooms, each lacking doors. One room contained a bunkhouse for the other zealots who were all stacked on double beds sleeping. Melethan counted 20 of them in all. The next room at the back of the hallway was the priest's Quarters. Shandor was asleep in the dark in there. The third room appeared to be a kitchen and dining area. Melethan beleived that was where the entrance to the cellar was. The fourth room was the one that peaked Melethan's intrests.

Having being taught how to read by his father, Melethan understood the value of books. This room was full of books and scrolls and loose sheets of paper. It looked quite chaotic. In the middle of it there was a table with a few key items clearly spread out. Melethan tried to make sense of what he was looking at. There was a map of the island with certain locations circled. Melethan recognized his own town of Skorn circled with 'Sword?' written next to it. Then there was a crude sketch of a sword on a piece of paper. It looked different than Melethan's short sword, it was more curved, larger. A note underneath read 'Sword of Jherick'.

The final item of interest on the table was a small black book. Melethan flipped through it and found it was half written into, making it a journal of some sort. He opened it to the last page and read the passage to himself silently.

'Today we make progress. The boss should be proud, even he could not expect us to move this quickly. The sword is underneath this chapel, I can feel its power calling to me. We have been digging under the cellar and none of the villagers suspect a thing. It is good to see our efforts here are not in vain.' - SHANDOR

"Looking for something?" Came a voice.

Melethan spun around and found six of the Zealots holding clubs, standing in the doorway.

"Its just a kid." One of the Zealots commented.

"Take him! He saw too much! We must wake Lord Shandor." Another Zealot ordered.

Then Melethan was quickly grabbed and subdued. He tried to struggle but they had him in binds quickly. Then he was sat in a chair in the very room he had been snooping in, and two of the zealots stood at the doorway and watched him.

After a time, Shandor walked in so briskly that he almost seemed to be floating like a ghost. "Alright speak, what did you see?" Shandor asked.

"What are you doing here?" Melethan asked.

SLAP!

Shandor struck the child across the face, and then turned back to calm. "I am asking the questions dear boy, and you will be providing the answers. Now tell me what you saw here tonight."

"I saw where you live and a map of the island. Something about a sword. Sword of Jherick, I think." Melethan admitted, frightened of the priest.

There were whispers among the other zealots. "He knows too much." One of them had said with seeming concern.

Shandor held up a hand for them to quiet and they did. Then he asked, "Do you know who Jherrick is?"

"No sir. Never heard of a Jherrick." Melethan said. "Who is he?"

Shandor turned back to his fellow zealots. "See? He dosnt even know. He is not a threat, nons of these people are. Tomorrow we will take this boy into town and make an example of him to the rest of the folk, and explain what we are doing here. It will be fine."

"What dont I know?" Melethan demanded. "What's the big secret about this sword that you are keeping under wraps?"

SLAP!

"Now I warned you once, boy. You are not asking the questions. Enjoy your night at the chapel, tomorrow is your punishment for acting against Mardoc."