November 09, 2004

Ghostknight: Resurrection - part 1 (very beginning)

The tomb held but a single flaw, although it was not one its designers could have prevented. The flaw was not in the construction or the materials used. The tomb was fashioned of the finest marble by the finest craftsman. The man whose body rested on the stone bier in the center of the main chamber was a hero, a true hero, and the empire he served treated him as well in death as they had in life. His tomb served as a monument as well as a crypt. The design was sound, the materials only the finest. Every consideration was taken to ensure that his enemies would not be able to enter. This was no small feat. The man had been a Ghostknight, one of the finest, and his enemies were numerous and nefarious.
Four of his lieutenants had died with him and all four were buried in the same tomb, although his crypt was by far the largest. The lights that burned perpetually in each room were in fact powerful enchantments, designed to prevent evil from gaining entrance. Where the light shone, no creature of evil could stand. The walls were warded, as were the ceilings and the floors. The doors held their own wards. There were no windows. The bars on the doors and their complicated locking devices were designed to foil human enemies.
Two guards were present as well, young Ghostknights honored to serve in the tomb of their order’s greatest champion and the four heroes who had stood at his side. The two Ghostknight guards were charged with protecting the tomb and guiding the few guests who chose to pay their respects. They were good at their jobs, if inexperienced. The few threats that manifested themselves the guards dispatched with ease. Only once did they fail to notice an intruder, a vampire who stood at the edge of the clearing and watched the tomb silently, as vampires do most things, for a long time. He had no malicious intention and left without being noticed or attempting to enter the sacred grounds. For that oversight, the guards could be forgiven. The flaw was not with them.
The flaw was not in the wards upon the walls, nor in the enchanted lights set above each bier. There were no imperfections in the complicated sigils, no scratches marred the silver inlay of the protective circles. Each rune was scripted with care by men of power and they made no mistakes. The locks were complex, sturdy, and strong. The guards were observant, able, and devoted. The flaw was not in the tomb, nor in those who watched over it. The flaw was in the hero.

1 comment:

Rob said...

I'm participating in National Novel Writer's Month this month - the short version of the story is that I have 50,000 words to write before the end of November. That means a few things will be a little different on this page. As I work on that, I'm putting the little snippets on hold. Instead, I'll share pieces of the story with you. I can guarantee it's going to be bad (you write 50k words in 30 days and do a good job) and the whole thing will not be available for a long time, but in the meantime, I'm at least willing to share this much. The entry above is the current opening. As usual, any thoughts or comments are welcome... just be aware that I'm going to ignore them until the end of the month when this is over. I don't have time to stop and edit...