The new Queen of Silverwood sat upon her throne. She still wore simple, homespun robes with leather sandals, but they were at least of a finer quality. Upon her head rested circlet of flowers as a crown, completing the image of the Beggar Queen, which is what the people were already calling her.

It had been a tenday since the army purged Naht-strat’holm. In the end, seven out of every ten citizens of the capitol had been killed. In a twist of fate, it was the poor citizens in the slums who survived, for the most part. Not due to any moral purity of their own, but rather because the priests and druids of the elven pantheon walked amongst them, in their walled off section of the capitol, and supplied them with conjured bread and water. All the better to keep them out of sight of their ‘betters’.

For centuries they had been discouraged from being seen by the elves of the middle and upper class, unless they wore the livery of a servant. Indeed, the main two ways out of the slums, once you were there, was the Army or to move into a wealthy family’s home as a servant. It was part of the reason that then Crown Princess Findelye caused such a stir with her vows of poverty. The sight of royalty in what was little more than rags? Disgraceful!

But, because of that prejudice, the slums had been spared the destruction of the rest of the city. Even the Traitor Queen Aerith had overlooked the slums, not even bothering to put her tainted food there, a blind spot brought on by her arrogance. Because of that, a portion of the city still stood, and there were still citizens of Naht-strat’holm to witness the inauguration of the Beggar Queen.

The Queen rose, and said, “Our land has been rocked by treachery most foul. A mother slain by her own daughter. Siblings sold into slavery, either upon this plane, or by selling their souls to demons. A queen sacrificing the souls of her people for her own twisted gain.

“We still do not know the extent of the treachery, or how far the taint has spread. Already tales of illness and plague are spreading from farming villages around the land. Not as advanced as the tragedy suffered at Andor’s Hall, but We have dispatched the army all the same in order to save those who may yet be saved from damnation.”

She paused, and said slowly, in a firm voice, “Upon the day siblings rival, a suspicious accident shall bring forth an age of inhumanity and justice.” She looked over the crowd. “All of you have heard these words of prophecy. Well, sibling has rivaled sibling, and the ‘accident’ of a queen’s death has led to great inhumanity, the reach of which we have no way of knowing. But justice shall be ours. The traitors are dead, and we shall root out every last trace of their corruption.

“But they are not the only ones who have suffered injustice. For too long, our land has been ruled by those who lorded their stations over the ‘common’ people. Though this neglect and abuse saved many lives, as they were locked away in the Rootrot District, separated from the chaos that erupted, it does not change the fact that, for far too long, the kingdom has failed its people. And justice shall be done, as we raise up those who were ‘lesser’, and ensure that such divisions will no longer divide us.”

She paused, and then said, “Gods willing, this will be the end of the prophecies involving this land. But there are those who are bound by their gods to follow the threads of fate, and play their roles in these prophecies. To that end, they have aided Us in our time of trouble, and though they be not righteous in heart and deed, they are true to their word when given. Knowing this, how can We be any less than they?”

She looked over to us, and said, “Hear now, the words of the Queen of Silverwood! These adventurers, who shall be known henceforth as the Sable Wing, shall ever be Friends of Silverwood. Though they walk in darkness and serve powers darker still, they have proven that common cause can unite even those diametrically opposed in belief and virtue.”

I had to fight to keep from smirking as the Queen went and named our party, but I had to admit that it fit us well. Three out of our four had black wings, after all. Fartooth’s cloak that formed into magical wings also was black in color, when it wasn’t alight in flame.

The Queen continued on. “Without them, We would still be in bondage in a foreign land, and Our kingdom would be hurtling ever faster into the maw of oblivion. Such service shall be rewarded, as is fitting of their great deeds. Unto them, I bestow treasures from what remains of our treasury, to aid them in their quest.”

Three elves clad in royal livery stepped forward, each holding pillows with several items resting upon them. Upon the left, there was a large shard of what looked to be obsidian, shaped in the form of a crude knife. In the center, there were several silver chains resting on the pillow, arranged around a metal plaque of some indeterminate metal in the middle, and upon the last there was a cube made of adamantine, but shimmering slightly, moving through different colors. I did not have to use my powers to see that all were magical.

The Queen motioned to the first of the servants, and they stepped forward, offering the black blade. “The Veilsplitting Blade. It can be used to cut open a portal in the air, large enough for a large wagon or cart drawn by horses to pass through with ease. Thus, you may find your path open, even if you need traverse the planes.”

She motioned to the second servant, and said, “And, should you find yourself upon a plane hostile to life, these necklaces of silver chain shall aid you, whether it be the unending depths of the plane of water, the hellish inferno of the plane of fire, the depths of the Abyss or the heights of the Celestial realms. Seven chains I present to you, one for each of your party, and your steeds. Fear not, for they are enchanted to not interfere with other magical items you might wear.

“Of course, it would not do for you and your steeds to be left unharmed, but your possessions lost to the inferno. So, with the necklaces, I give unto you this charm of adaptation. Place it within your wagon, and the wagon, as well as all who ride on or within it, shall be protected against the ravages of the planes.

“Note that this protection, as with that of the necklaces, protects only against the natural ravages of the plane. It will not stop a conjured thunderbolt, or a dragon’s fire, nor will it be of any use against the divine flame brought down by the Celestial court. Should diplomacy fail you, you will needs seek other means of defense.”

She waved the last servant forward. “Next, I offer unto you this mobile redoubt. Wherever you find solid ground, you may pace this cube, and a fortress shall rise up in an instant, and remain until it is recalled or destroyed. This is combined with spellwork to cast a dome over the tower, ensuring that clean air and comfortable climes surround it whenever it is raised. And, should you find yourself someplace where no solid ground may be found, blood offered can create a wall of force that the tower may anchor to.”

She smiled as we took the tokens, and said, “Finally, the wheels upon the wagon you have shall be replaced with those of elven make and elven enchantment. They will speed your travel, and allow your wagon to fly, when pulled by creatures who are capable of it. And for the two horses tasked to pull that wagon, We shall have them fitted with shoes from the Royal Stables, allowing them to gallop or draw loads across the sky as though it were land.”

I could not help but smile, now. It was well played indeed. The Queen knew our plans, for we had spoken of them openly enough. She knew that we were heading to Thedra, and the rift to the Celestial planes there. This would bring us into conflict with the forces of goodness and righteousness. Both as Queen, and as a follower of the good gods, she could not aid us in such a task.

And yet, she had made promises to us of payment for our services. The gifts she gave to us were worth a small fortune, all told, to say nothing of the worth of other items we had plundered, but none of it would give us a direct advantage against the forces we’d be fighting. However, it would still aid us far more than any precious work of art would, allowing us to go where we would without suffering from some of the more intractable threats the planes could throw at us.

As we took the offered gifts, I bowed to the queen, and said, “May the Winter find you and your people with solid walls and full bellies, and let the Frostmaiden’s fury fall upon those who take up arms against this land.”

The Queen nodded regally, and said, “And now, let us thank these adventurers of the Sable Wing as they strike out into the wider world, and go where the winds of fate take them!”

I smiled, and bowed once again, as every elf in the hall offered a salute to us, though some of the remaining nobles from outside the city clearly only did so grudgingly. The commoners witnessing the ceremony did not care, but the Queen, who was known ever since she was a Princess for helping the people how she could, bade them honor us, so they did. As we left the hall, I could only smile.

The next adventure awaited.

End of Book 4: Queenslayer.