Sancha: A Spirit Animals Story

Chapter 33: Tales of the Past

Sancha found herself standing in Olvan's office with Lenori, Tarik, Meilin, Conor, and Rollan, eager to hear what it was they'd been summoned here for. Sancha sensed the tension and excitement in the room, finding a balm for her own nerves as she ran her fingers over Spes's soft and silky coat. Olvan's moose stood near the fireplace, highlighting the odd nature of this meeting, as the creature seemed to struggle to fit nicely within the walls of the room. 

At last, to everyone's relief, Olvan stood up, rubbing his hands together as he scanned the gathering before him with intense and keen eyes. 

"I know we have kept you in suspense regarding the roles we hope you will play. You can blame me for the delay. I prefer to know the whole story before I share it. Joining the Greencloaks is merely the first step toward a vital purpose we hope you'll serve, and given recent developments..." Olvan's eyes swept over Conor briefly before he continued speaking, "the time to act is upon us." The Greencloak's leader strode to the mantel, his face and manner grave as he regarded those listening to what he was saying.

"Eight centuries ago, in the last worldwide war, the four nations of Erdas battled against the Devourer and his army of Conquerors, as they sought to sieze land beyond the bounds of their own homeland, Stetriol."

Conor, Rollan, and Meilin showed visible confusion at the mention of Stetriol, and Olvan explained.

"I'm not surprised that the name is unfamiliar to you, for following the war, my predecessors worked to conceal the existence of Stetriol from the wider world, while denying its people access to the Nectar of Ninani...it is a shameful chapter in our history, I fear."

He sighed and continued on.

"Of the Great Beasts, two sided with Stetriol and the Devourer: Kovo the Ape and Gerathon the Serpent. Four of the Great Beasts sided with us. Three of them are here today."

Olvan paused to let that sink in and Sancha swept her eyes over the room, observing Briggan at Conor's side, Essix perched on a shelf nearby, and Jhi in tattoo form on the back of Meilin's hand. 

"Before the original Essix, Brigga,, Jhi, and Uraza joined the fight, we were just barely managing to stay above losing the war. None of the continents went unscathed. Most of Nilo and Zhong had fallen and Eura and Amaya were besieged. Cities were razed, food in short supply, and it seemed at times as though it was inevitable that the Devourer would declare victory."

He briefly regarded Sancha before speaking again.

"For a time, we had one strong ally beyond our own ranks. You see, not all of the Devourer's subjects supported his vision. And one of those who did not was his own sister, Criseyde. She and her spirit animal were forced to flee after she made objections to her brother's plans, and she joined our cause as an ally, with those who supported her not far behind. It was our hope that when the war ended, Criseyde would be placed on the throne of Stetriol in her brother's place, so as to help ensure peace. But Criseyde and her partner lost their lives before the war ended, killed on her brother's orders and their corpses fed to his spirit animal. It was in the aftermath of Criseyde's death that Briggan, Jhi, Essix, and Uraza stepped up to join our cause at last. With them, the Marked flocked to join what had been a fledgling organization and we began to turn the tide significantly.  The four Great Beasts gave their lives in the the fight, hence why they're known as the Four Fallen. But the Devourer fell as well, and Kovo and Gerathon were captured. The cost was great, but the four nations emerged victorious and began to rebuild."

"And what of the other beasts?" Rollan asked. "The other nine?"

Olvan gave a slight shrug.

"A few offered their aid at the very end after seeing the damage caused by two of their own. Tellun the Elk, the most powerful of them all, imprisoned Kovo and Gerathon for their crimes. Ninani the Swan gifted the Greencloaks with the secret to creating the Nectar. The rest...well, they are a strange group. They seldom agree on any issue, and their purposes are almost inscrutable. They tend to remain aloof, only getting involved during times of the direst peril."