Story name: Winds of Destiny
Author: Phil Geusz
Publication date: February 17, 1998 (on TSA-List)
Date: Spring 706 CR
Location: Metamor Keep, Whales, Spake
Overview
A prophecy of Metamor Keep is revealed, and Phil tells a story about one of Whales's costliest battles.
Summary
Thomas, Bob, and Phil visit Dr Channing in his tower for an urgent meeting, leaving a King and a minor Lord in the throne room. Channing has re-translated the original prophecy of Mad Felix of Lee, and found an error in the original translation. The prophecy tells of a great battle on land and sea against a wizard, fought at a place of three gates where knowledge freely flows, led by a horse-king. In the common translation, he is said to be accompanied by a fat old knight with hair of white; in Channing's translation, they are actually two figures, a rat of might and a hare of white. The horse-king, who people had assumed was a cavalry leader, must actually refer to Duke Thomas himself.
Thomas faints, and Channing and Bob hurry for help. Phil opens a window, and is nearly blown out, which awakens Thomas. With the two of them alone, Thomas reveals that he knows not only that Phil was a Fleet Admiral of Whales, but the heir to the throne of Whales. The King in the throne room is none other than King Tenomides, Phil's adopted father.
They hurry down to call the Keep to take shelter from an oncoming storm in the Deaf Mule, the Keep's safest shelter. Tenomides calls for celebration as the storm passes. Thomas proposes that Wanderer delight them with stories, but Wanderer's throat is sore, so Thomas proposes that Tenomides or Phil tell the tale of the Great Storm of the Central Sea, and the Battle of the Wind in which it happened. Phil is angry at having to relive the memory for others' amusement, but noticing the somber looks on both Tenomides and Thomas, Phil prepares to tell the story.
He begins with a story set in Whales's tyrannical past, of a man named Greek with two sons, one of whom invented a liquid fire, the other of whom equipped it to his merchant vessel. Together they took control of the seas from the pirates who raided them, and eventually overthrew the Empire and installed a new government. The two sons would rule jointly, one as King, the other as Guildmaster of Greek Fire. While the King held a direct line of descendence, the Guildmaster would select his most capable student as successor to the secrets of Greek Fire. Traditionally, each successor also trains a Fleet Admiral to study the affairs of the other; the King chooses an Admiral of Ships to direct naval movements, while the Guild's Admiral of Fire commands the Fleet's flagship.
Someone in the audience argues that if the Guild makes money of its Fire, and the Fire determines the winner of battle, then how could it be just to let a war be decided by wealth? Phil argues that the rulers of Whales are good at heart, that the economic pressure ensures stability, and it is better that each kingdom face one commander of the seas than to face hundreds in a series of minor wars.
Phil continues: in the Eastern Kingdom of Spake, a few years before the Battle of the Three Gates, King Iro began building a navy and conquering smaller kingdoms around him. Fearing that he would threaten their domination of the seas, Whales sent most of their fleet east, with King Tenomides and the Admiral of Fire leading. Their flagship Fist arrives later with a message, that the Guildmaster has been poisoned, and that Crown Prince Hector is aboard to escape the assassination. The new Guildmaster questions the wisdom of keeping so many rulers of Whales abroad, but Tenomides believes that his son will be safer here.
In Spake Harbor, they prepare to attack Iro's fleet when a magic storm of winds renders their ships helpless as they are driven towards the Jaw of the Devil, a line of rocks jutting on the outside of the harbor. As their ships are sunk one by one, the Guildmaster orders a shocking maneuver to steer directly towards the rocks, and get enough leverage with the wind to steer around it. Very few ships will survive it, but it is better than guaranteed death on the Jaw. The flagship Fist with the Crown Prince does not survive, and in a moment of despair, Tenomides names the Guildmaster his heir.
With only twenty ships surviving the Jaw, the fleet prepares to fight Iro's fleet of forty ships. Tenomides then reveals that he has a morph ring, with which the two of them can turn into seagulls and attack the wizard causing the magical storm. They fly to a tower and peck at a window until they are let in; inside is a demon being held by a pentagram and an array of wizards harnessing his power. They ignore the gulls flapping inside, as they are not breaking their concentration as they did at the window.
Inside, the Guildmaster finds jars of chemicals, and mixes together some Greek Fire with his beak. As King Iro storms in and demands they work harder, the Guildmaster tosses it onto him, lighting him on fire. Stumbling about in agony, he breaks the pentagram and lands in the arms of the demon, who feasts on his pain as he ravages the city of Spake. The Guildmaster becomes separated from the King, and takes a full day to return. In the aftermath of the battle, only one hundred forty-three sailors remain of the ten thousand who set out.
In the present, Tenomides and Matthias ask why Phil talks as if the Guildmaster were not him. Phil replies that he should have died that night with his men, and he could never accept the crown in his condition anyway. Tenomides counters that the Battle was the greatest naval engagement in history, that he owes him his life and his kingdom. At that moment, a tornado hits the Deaf Mule, and everyone scrambles for shelter. When the dust clears, the roof is gone. As the storm clears and the Keeper goes to find, Thomas quotes part of the prophecy mentioning a storm, and asks the "Hare of White" to take his place. Phil accepts his title as Prince of Whales, but asks that he wait at the Keep until he is ready.
Characters
Main Characters:
- Phil: A headmaster of the Writer's Guild, a rabbit morph, and the Keep head of intelligence. He is also the former Guildmaster of Greek Fire, and the Prince of Whales.
- Tenomides: The King of Whales, and Phil's adopted father.
Supporting:
- Thomas: Duke of Metamor Keep. He consults with Tenomides before telling Phil of the King's arrival. He faints when he learns that he is the "Horse King" of Mad Felix's prophecy. He then tells Phil of his upcoming duties, and prompts both Tenomides and Phil to tell the story of the Battle of the Wind.
- Channing: A headmaster of the Writer's Guild, a goose morph. He is easily distracted by minutiae. He calls Thomas, Bob Stein, and Phil to his tower to reveal crucial information from one of Mad Felix's prophecies.
- Channing spent the whole story studying graffiti on one of the Deaf Mule's doors.
- Iro: The former ruler of Spake.
- A few years before the Battle of the Three Gates, he began purchasing shipbuilding supplies from several of the Eastern Kingdoms. He then began training his fleets to stay at sea for longer periods of time. With his new fleet, he began conquering several smaller kingdoms that had previously been allied with Whales.
- Concerned with the growing power imbalance, the Whalish fleet made a show of force. Iro instead tried to sink their entire fleet with demon-powered weather magic.
- His initial attack left several ships alive, and when Iro ordered his mages to redouble their efforts, a jar of Greek Fire burst at his feet, having been mixed and dropped by the Whalish Guildmaster in disguise. Blinded and in flames, he ran into the pentagram and into the demon's arms, dooming both himself and his kingdom.
Minor Characters:
- Bob "Posti" Stein: Lord High Chamberlain of Metamor Keep. He visits Channing with Thomas and Phil. After Thomas faints, Phil tells him to run for help. Thomas is able to recover, and tell Bob to call the nobles off for a day to recover.
- Charles Matthias: Headmaster of the Writer's Guild, a rat morph.
Cameo:
- A larch tree in the courtyard, around whom barricades have been erected.
- Michael: A young man and a newcomer to the Keep. After the tornado hits, he is told to stay close to Channing for his safety.
- Wanderer: The beloved Keep bard. His voice is broken, however, and he is unable to tell the Keepers a story, which is why Phil is called to tell a story instead.
Important Mention:
- Mad Felix of Lee: A seer whose prophecies are well-known to the Keep and available at the Keep library. He was illiterate, and had to dictate his prophecies to scribes.
- King Zachary: A minor king from the West. When Tenomides visited Thomas, Phil was instead told that Zachary was visiting, to avoid embarrassing him.
- Hector: The former Crown Prince of Whales, Tenomides's son. He died of poison during the Battle of the Wind.
- He was fond of Tenomides's ring from Metamor.
- Doug Linger: A friend of Phil's, who helped him out of his feral state years ago, and continues to.
- A historical trader from the Greek family, his two sons, and a cousin. One of the sons invented Greek fire by accident; the other, a ship captain, installed a Greek fire projector to defend his ships. They were initially horrified when they first used Greek fire on pirates, and resolved not to use it, until the cousin was burned alive by pirates in revenge. They kept Greek fire a secret between them, and they refused to give the Empire a Greek fire projector; their resistance inspired other merchants, leading to the Empire's overthrow, and the two sons started a Royal Family and the Guild of Greek Fire (see Society below).
- They belonged to one of the oldest families on Whales.
Referenced:
- Harold: Someone who likely died in the Battle of the Wind, and is deeply missed by both Tenomides and Phil.
- Pascal: The Keep alchemist, known for her odd inventions.
- Nasoj: The Evil One whose name Phil does not speak. It is rumored that the Eastern Kingdoms are working for him.
Locations
- Channing's tower is a tall structure. In the room at the top, Channing has collected a variety of odds and ends for his studies, most half-finished. Among other things, he has a pewter mug filled with green sand, a thousand-year-old unopened scroll, a skull of a beaked creature (currently stained by a jam sandwich on top, a cabinet filled with dead insects, a collection of toothpicks (possibly an empty display case), a boiling cauldron, a totem pole, a rock collection, a collection of pottery shards (tossed to the floor by Phil) and writing on every surface available.
- A box sits by his window, with a red light powered by magic. It blinks furiously at times, though Phil has only seen it blinking this way twice: during his current visit, and when he and the other Headmasters were judging stories in the tower.
- Whales is located on the Strait of Good Fortune, between the Western Ocean that adjoins the kingdoms south and west of Metamor, and the Central Sea. Oyster Bay is a prominent harbor within Whales.
- The Central Sea is almost entirely landlocked (presumably, except through the Strait of Good Fortune). It is said to be to the East (either from Metamor or from Whales).
- This is later contradicted by later stories, as the Southlands are established to be entirely separated from the northern continent, and the Eastern Kingdoms entirely separated from either.
- The Eastern Kingdoms, on the easternmost reaches of the Central Sea, are known for their strange customs. Lutins and demons work together with humans. Rumor has it that one of the kingdoms, Spake, is in league with "the Evil One".
- The city of Spake sits inside a natural harbor, formed by a jutting rocky spit known as the Jaw of the Devil.
- In the present day (or at least since Phil last heard), the city of Spake is now in ruins, and the harbor is now a vast desert.
Society
- Because of Whales's prominence on the Strait of Good Fortune, whoever controls Whales controls the Strait, and therefore controls all trade between the Western and Central Seas.
- The former Empire of Whales was said to be undefeatable in war and intolerable in peace. They demanded heavy tolls for any who crossed the Strait, yet failed to defend their own seas from pirates.
- The current Kingdom of Whales was founded by two brothers of the Greek family. The Royal Family and the Guild of Greek Fire closely share power, preventing the other from tolerating evil. Only one member of each group, each titled Fleet Admiral, is trained in the discipline of the other; they share equal power
- The inventive son was the first Guildmaster of Greek Fire. He had no children, but chose as his successor the most capable of his students. To this day, the Guildmaster of Greek Fire always chooses the most capable student, regardless of class or nobility. The designated successor is typically also made Admiral of Fire, and commands the Fleet, especially the flagship, at sea.
- The Royal Family is directly descended from the ship-captain son, providing the ships and crewmen for Greek Fireships. The Crown Prince is typically made Admiral of Ships and trained in the ways of Greek Fire, and given control of deployment, construction, training, and so forth.
- By Phil's admission, Whales's navy is mercenary in nature, working for the richest clients to roast their enemies. Phil argues that this forces the losers to make peace, and is necessary for Whales's upkeep of its fleet.
Chronology
- Circa -300 CR (a thousand years ago), Whales was ruled by a tyrannical Empire. It was overthrown with the help of the Greek merchant family and their secret Greek Fire, who established Whales's current dynasty.
- Circa 695 CR (a few years before the Battle of Three Gates), Iros began building a navy, threatening other cities in the area. Whales responded by attacking Spake, leading to the Battle of The Wind.
- Today, a storm hits Metamor in the evening, with a tornado ripping off the Deaf Mule's roof.
Story Connections
- Phil mentions that he, Matt, and Channing had been judging stories a few days ago in Channing's tower. In Errands and Editors they were concluding their story judgments in the Guild Hall. This seems to indicate that this story takes place either during the Easter-Equinox Festival, or immediately after it.
Points of Interest
- Tenomides had a Ring from Metamor that allowed him or the Royal Family to change form. This bears some similarity to Pascal's morph rings, suggesting that they were around long before the curse of Metamor.
| < First Cycle | Matthias's Second Cycle | Third Cycle > |
|---|---|---|
| Stories | Stories in yellow are not part of the cycle proper, but give important context for other stories. | |
| Winds of Destiny · Fetish · Admissions and Applications · Arduous Tasks · Attacking Cossack · Awake · Colors · Battling a Tree · Best Friend's Burden · Bonds · Keeping the Lamp Lit · A Long Patrol · Busy Schedule · Casting · Clothing · Conquering a Dead Man · A Place Where There Is No Darkness · A Shoving Match · Dancing with Shadows · Decisions · Declarations of Allegiance · Picnic · Delights and Diversions · Dialogues · Diplomacy | ||
| Characters | Charles Matthias · Kimberly · Misha Brightleaf · Dr Channing · Elliot · Garigan · Goldmark · Gornul · Hector · Father Hough · Julian · Lindsey · Loriod · Michael · Nahum · Phil · Rickkter · Saulius · Tallis · Chief Tathom · Thalberg · Duke Thomas · Wessex · Zhypar Habakkuk | |
