The Nine Trials of Magnus Regulaides

The Nine Trials of Magnus Regulaides:

It is known that in the last days of the Republic, a child was born to the house of Regulus, the House of Kings. Though in those days the Kingship had been relegated to a position of ceremony, with the Senate and the consuls truly governing, still was the patrician house of the Founder greatly revered, and the birth of a child celebrated. As it has always been, there was not outcry at his mother being unmarried, for it has always been that all folk have the freedom to do as they will with their bodies and love, and bring life into the world when it seems meet to them. She was not firstborn, so he was not heir to the throne, but still, there was much rejoicing.

It was not known, initially, how momentous his birth was, nor how great he would become. His first few years, he grew and learned much as any other child, if perhaps a good deal larger than average, and possessed of fiery red hair (it darkened with age) and dark blue, almost purple eyes. But at the age of three, much became apparent. It came to pass, then, that three assassins made their way by stealth into the royal household, using magic and skill to avoid the guards. Their intent was to slay as many of the royal family as was possible, that the bloodline of Regulus, and thus of Saevios, might die out in the world. But they reckoned not with Magnus. Though they slew his nursemaid, that act so enraged the child that he tapped into the strength and rage of his father, and took the murderers by storm. Lightning flashed from his eyes and hands, his voice echoed like thunder, and his grip and strikes were as the might of a dozen men. In instants, he had slain the evildoers, revealed in death as corrupt serpentfolk in service to Interitus.

It was mere hours later that the priesthood of Saevios came, bearing word that their master had acknowledge him, that he was the first demigod in generations. And again, there was much rejoicing...but some trepidation, because demigods are usually engendered before times of great turmoil.

Thenceforth, Magnus was raised with great care, and taught his responsibilities to the people, to the common folk, to the Republic. It was no difficult thing to raise him so, for it accorded with his inclinations...although it took some effort to teach him to control the temper that was his birthright.

Indeed, it is that legendary temper that led to his greatest disgrace...and thus his greatest trials. For when he had seen 16 turns of the seasons, he quarreled with another man over a woman they both desired. (For her part she turned her back on both of them, wanting none of their ridiculous squabble.)

In his anger, he struck the man too hard, and slew him outright. For that act of manslaughter, the High Priest of Saevios demanded he pay recompense: not only gold, and apology, and the standard penalties of the day for an accidental killing, but also penance. And so he was sent to the Temple of Judgment, where the Oracle Priest of Solis stood ready to hand down the word of the judge of the dead, with a priestess of the Lawgiver and a priest of Regulus standing by for counsel. That triumvirate was seen as the only ones to have authority over a demigod for such matters.

The judgment handed down was this, after much consultation between the judges, and communion with their respective gods: Magnus would have to prove his worth with a series of Nine Trials, mighty deeds and challenges to test both his mettle and his character. The Trials would be chosen, in turn, three by each judge, starting with the Oracle of Anona.

As his first Trial, he was sent to deal with the problem of the Great Bear of the Arkean peninsula, a creature with an impenetrable hide, who had become a monster and man-eater after tasting of the the blood of Invidia from a hidden pool, by sheerest bad fortune. Driven mad by corruption and pain, it left a swatch of destruction behind it, and it was moving toward more settled areas...

Given the Trial, Magnus wasted no time, but garbed himself in his lorica segmentata, and set forth. He carried no weapon, for he had never needed such. He found the beast easily, for it was three times the height of a man, and left a trail of death and broken trees behind it. At first, he threw rocks at it from a distance, to no avail. He then uprooted a nearby oak, and broke it over the monsters head, to no avail. Finally, after some consideration, he charged it, and grappled it, and their striving was mighty indeed. The ground was broken into a crevasse a mile long, and a hundred yards across, by the force of their impact with the ground, leaving the Canyon of Magnus (which can be found in southern Arkea to this day). The fight went on for hours, but at the end, Magnus made it to the bear's back, and got a hold of it in what wrestlers call even now the Full Magnus hold, arms beneath its forelimbs, hands up around the back of its neck, despite its enormous size. He could not clasp his hands together, but his strength was such that it did not matter, and he broke the beast's neck. He stood, bloodied and bruised, his armor destroyed. He then used the monster's own claws and teeth to skin it, and make new armor for himself that would sustain his might and rage, and gave thanks to the gods for his victory, and reverent apology to the Bear itself for the necessity of its death, since it was no true fault of the bear. And that was the first of his Nine Trials.

For the second of his Nine Trials, the Oracle of Anona set him a difficult test. He was to go to the city of Corvenna, in the north of Rega, and resolve a dispute there between feuding noble families.

When he arrived in Corvenna, it became obvious that the dispute was more than minor. The two families were brawling in the streets, dueling, even engaging in contests of destructive spellcraft. Magnus at first tried to bully them into peace, to strong arm them...but this approach did not work. They merely continued their feud in secret, in unexpected places, endangering many. So Magnus brought them to the negotiating table by abducting both their heirs. While waiting for the elders, he convinced the heirs that they must convince him not to kill them all. That his frustration would turn to rage, and he would end the fued by ending both family lines. As they worked desperately to convince him otherwise, they discovered, in the discussion, that they had much in common, that they wanted the same thing for their families, and for the city...but that their elders had started this feud , not over the issues that they thought were at hand...but over who's name would be first on the proclamation from the town council. By the time their elders arrived, they were free, and Magnus helped them depose the prideful elders. The two families then agreed to put out the new law without either name on it, and give all credit to Anona, whose law code had inspired the proclamation to begin with. They then exchanged hostages and introduced potential marriage partners to each other, and peace was restored.

The third of the Nine Trials seemed...not a trial at all. He traveled to Torretus, there to discover that his trial was...a month of service to the community. He felt, at first, that this was below his talents...then he realized that was the point. That this trial was to teach him the importance of his responsibility to the people, that nothing was trivial. And so, with a good will, he spent the next month getting kittens from trees, helping old ladies home with their shopping, cleaning chamberpots...he never once denied a request, that whole month. Living amongst them, he saw the results of his work, as most others in town began to behave the same way, each helping all. To this day, Torretus is known for the kindness and willingness to help of its people.

Then, it was the turn of the Oracle of Regulus to choose, and choose he did. The fourth Trial was to find and stop the Purple Worm of the Caputine Crags, a truly gargantuan monster which had been preying on the Dwarf folk of the Caputine Mountains for some time. Others had tried to hunt it, and might have had success, but the creature continually escaped beneath the ground. So Magnus hatched a clever plan. He set out bait for the worm, a poor hapless goat, to which he attached a very large hook on a ship's anchor chain. When the Worm took the bait, he fought it as a fisherman fights to land a fish. The battle lasted for hours, and caused several avalanches, but in the end, Magnus dragged the worm to the surface of the mountains, and while it lay there, exhausted, he slew it. Knowing it possible that the worm might regrow from the smallest of parts, he methodically crushed the length of it with boulders, then burned the remains in a mighty pyre. The wreckage of the battle is still known as the Wormlands, and occasionally still spawns foul monsters.

The fifth Trial was upon him. The Priest of Regulus thought long and hard, and consulted with the god. It came to pass that there was a half elven druid, a devotee of Tellus, in the Eastern Arkian Forest, in the north of Rega. She was in conflict with the nearby human town of Tirgestinus, as well as with the local elven settlement of Pinzuria and the dwarven stronghold of Tular Vers. Her anger was growing, because she felt the humans and the dwarves took too much wood from the forest, and that the elves had erred in allowing it. The dwarves and humans claimed to have no choice in the matter, as they could not range further for wood, and they must needs have it. The elves had agreed, which is why they grudgingly allowed it. Magnus took his time, and surveyed the situation, and spoke first to the elves, then the dwarves, then the druid, before giving his judgment. And his judgment was this: That the dwarves and humans should take of the forest north and east of Tirgestinus, that they had in prior times avoided due to the monsters that dwelt therein, and less from the forest of the druid...that they should plant three trees for each they took that the forest be not diminished, and that they should all three band together, under his leadership and that of the druid, to cleanse the Tainted Forest of its Invidian taint, and make it safe for the children of the gods and natural creatures again. And so it was done, and to this day, the folk of Tirgestinus are closely allied with the dwarves and elves, and their town council is always advised by a druid.

Then it was that the sixth Trial was proclaimed. When Magnus had rested for some days for wounds received dealing with the last Trial, the Oracle of Regulus came to him, saying, “You have overcome much, and dealt wisely with what Trials have been laid before you. Perhaps you should rest, and lay down your burdens, and ask forgiveness of the gods. Have you not done enough?” And at first, Magnus was tempted. But he found steel in his soul, and said, “I must do as the gods will, for I did a great wrong. The penance has been set. It would not be meet for me to seek to evade my just due. My ancestor, your god, would frown on me, and I would I know I was not worthy of him. Set my 6th trial, I beg you.” And the priest of Regulus said, smiling, “You have passed it, and your ancestor is well pleased. Seek now the Oracle of Solis, again, and begin the remaining three Trials.” And so it was.

Then Magnus did seek out the Oracle of Solis, and stood in the temple before the statue of the God. And there, in the evening, in the candlelit temple, shone a single ray of sunlight from above, and the Oracle stepped forth, and spoke. “My God has spoken. He has seen your strength. He has seen your cleverness. But he has also seen your arrogance. Your foolhardiness. The last three Trials will be harder than any before. Go, now, to the island of Koreta. There, you will seclude yourself in the Temple of Marea. You will serve the priests there for a year and a day. You will not speak, nor in any way tell others who you truly are. You will have your face and hair covered. You will eat only what is given to you as alms, drink only water. You will live entirely as a penitent and a mendicant. Whilst there, you shall receive your other two Trials...but this Trial shall be ongoing, even whilst those other Trials are in progress.” Magnus felt wrath, and shame...but he bowed his head, and accepted the judgement, and took himself away to the isle of Koreta, to begin his time of penance.

A full three months passed. Magnus faced many small indignities, many tests of his patience. He went hungry many times, until he learned the skill of begging without speech. He drank from the well in the center of town. He did menial labor for the monks and priests of the Temple of Marea. He faced scorn and derision for being a beggar when he was quite obviously hale and well. And through it all, he set his jaw, and gritted his teeth, and spoke not. The priests there treated him simply as another penitent, like so many before. He eventually began to settle in, to become accustomed to the life. He no longer had to fight his anger when belittled, nor bite his tongue when he felt the urge to speak. He simply...existed. It was then that the eighth Trial made itself apparent.

It came to pass that on a certain day, a fisherman came to the Temple of Marea on Koreta, and begged the priest for aid. A great and terrible sea monster had risen, he said, and was laying waste to the harbor, causing great fear and loss of life. Magnus knew he must act...but must do so without revealing himself. So he slipped out the back of the Temple while the fisherman explained, and hied himself to the harbor as swiftly as he might, by mountain trails others would find too difficult to pass. When he reached the harbor, it became clear, (as clear as it could be, at least), what sort of hideous thing he faced. Obviously engendered by some deep ocean pocket of Invidia's blood, the thing had many tentacles, and many heads, like some horrific blend of fish, and octopus, and several giant serpents...thus was seen the mighty Cetus, greatest of all sea monsters. Magnus knew time was short. Dashing to the docks, he grabbed a harpoon from a nearby fishing boat, and hurled it, with all his might, at the largest of the heads. His throw was such that it took the creature's head completely off...but within seconds, two new heads replaced the first above the waves. And all the while, tentacles dragged sailors and fishermen screaming into the depths, and vast fanged maws closed on dockworkers and travelers alike. Magnus realized he somehow had to move the fight away from shore. And if he did so below the waves, none would realize his involvement, nor his identity...so he took a deep, deep breath, so deep the wind changed tack towards him for a time...and with a silent prayer to Marea, and to his father Saevios, he dove into the depths. There, Magnus grabbed the monster by the tail, and essayed to drag it away from shore, down into the wine-dark waves. His prayers were heard, as well. His quiet service to Marea and her priests, asking nothing but survival, had earned her favor, and the waves themselves aided in the vast endeavour. Down, down, down into the depths, was Megaketos dragged, that great old monster likewise named Leviathan.

There Magnus was joined in the battle by the merfolk servants of Marea, who kept the great creature distracted for him, and brought him air to breath while he battled. The conflict stirred the seas all round, and set mighty waves against all the nearer shores. It lasted days, some say. Every wound done to the monster healed as swiftly as it was made. Every limb or head lost was replaced by two.

So Magnus thought, while he battled. His keen eyes pierced the submarine gloom, and he noted that the monster did not have gills along its body. It instead breathed through all its multitude of heads. So, with mighty effort, step by step, he tied the necks of the creature together, each to the other, blocking its breathing and stopping its strikes. Many times did tentacles drag him back and strive to crush him. Many times he struggled forward. At last it was done, the mighty monster all in knots. It could not breathe, nor fight, but the Leviathan was truly immortal, so Magnus was forced to drag its body to a deep sea grotto, where the merfolk imprisoned it with magic and coral, where it likely rests to this day.

Exhausted, Magnus lost consciousness, and awoke back in the Temple of Marea, transported there by the merfolk. It was many years before any of this was known, for Magnus himself never spoke of it. And that was the penultimate Trial of Magnus. The greatest was yet to come.

More months passed. Magnus had become accustomed to being unknown, to being a beggar, to being a menial laborer. He found himself, oddly, content. At peace. But peace was not to last. A demigod is not born for peace, nor contentment...save perhaps Aristus and Klepus. But that is another story. It was near to the end of his year and a day, and Magnus found himself dreading the return to his public, demanding life. Interitus, it seemed, had plans that he would not so return...

It was the middle of winter. It was colder than had been seen in a lifetime. Snow lay heavy on the ground, even in the lowlands of Koreta. Aquilo's bitter chill held all in thrall, and ice glistened on every surface. Magnus was called to the Temple of Marea, and warned that his greatest Trial was about to begin. But it did not come swiftly. More days passed. The chill grew stronger. The people of Koreta began to grow frightened by the unnatural cold. Clouds blocked the sun, and all was in shadow. It was then, in the darkest, coldest part of that dismal winter, that misery struck. For the constant enclouding was not natural, nor was the chill...the Eye of Solis could not pierce the gloom, nor that of Lunos. Koreta was isolated, cut off from the love of the gods...only Interitus and his children had such power. And Aquilo...some said he aided them, or that he simply refused to intervene.

The true misery came when the people of Koreta, already hungry, dying from the cold, were struck by a plague. Their frozen breaths came harder, their lungs filled with fluid. Very swiftly all were ill. All save Magnus. So Magnus hied himself to the highest peak of the island, Mount Ignea, a dormnt volcano sacred to that goddess, and closest to the sky, thus nearer to his father. And there, he stood, stripping away his robes and hood, for there was no mortal there to see, and he called out to his father and his eldest sister in a voice that shook the heavens. He called out to Solis, in whose purview disease rested. He asked, he begged, to know what Koreta had done to deserve this, and what he might do to give remedy. But for a long time, there was no response, and the cold grew so deep even Magnus shivered. Then Magnus bowed his head. Just that once, in all his life, he felt truly defeated. And he made a grim and solemn decision. He would offer his own life for that of the people of Koreta, offer himself as sacrifice, if Saevios and Ignia would intervene. He called, again, forlorn and wild, his voice echoing on the wind. There was still no answer.

But then, he heard a voice from out the rocks, and a long black serpent, somehow unfazed by the cold, slithered into view. It spoke, with a forked tongue, and a voice like a man, saying, “They do not listen. They do not care, son of the storm. But I listen. I care. Make your sacrifice to me, and I will spare Koreta.”

And Interitus, for so it was, smiled to himself. So close was victory. So close, the end of Magnus, and his corruption.

Magnus stood, shaking, chilled to his soul by cold and grief. He looked down on the desolation below. He turned, oh so slowly, and looked at Interitus, and said, “I would give all that I am to save them, son of the dragon, but not to you. I have but one thing for you.”

Interitus laughed, and swelled to his full, scaled, but human shaped form. He stood, in full war panoply, with breastplate, Shield of Dragons, the sword called Torment, the Serpent Spear...and on his head the Helm of Domination. And he turned his will upon Magnus, saying, “You will kneel. You will submit. You will die, here, for me, and in my name, or every living thing on this island will perish...and it will be your fault.”

Magnus lowered his eyes, took a step forward. Then another. His right knee bent, dropping toward the ground. He was almost close enough to touch Interitus...when his eyes snapped up, and his feral smile split his face, and he said, only this: “No.” And his motion to kneel became a lunge, his advance to submit but a ruse, to get him close enough. And Interitus was caught off guard, completely surprised. The Serpent Spear fell from his grasp, scoring the ground. Magnus grappled him by his belted waist and by his neck , raising him from the ground, inside the compass of that fearsome shield.

Interitus moved like a striking snake, dragging Torment from its sheath in a blur of motion. He hewed at Magnus, and thrust...and Magnus was sore wounded...but did not relent. He raised the Snake God over his head, and screamed to Heaven...and it was then that the wind changed, and a strong gust from the south broke the clouds for a moment, and the blazing sun, the chariot of Solis, shown down in all its glory for just one instant, bathing Magnus with warmth...and thunder rolled across the sky, and Saevios and Ignea answered.

From the dormant volcano, flames roared up Magnus' flesh, harming him not, but scorching Interitus most fiercely. From the suddenly stormy sky, lightning struck, down into that shaft of sunlight, striking Interitus where Magnus held the Snake God high above his head. The Snake God screamed, and squirmed, and shifted shape all manner of ways to attempt escape...but Magnus would not let go, and Interitus' body was wracked with the lightning, and seared by the flame. And then Magnus brought the Snake God down across his knee, with all the strength of his father and sister flowing through him, beneath the very eyes of Solis...and the armor crumpled, and a crack louder even than the thunder shook the island or Koreta, as the spine of Interitus snapped. And thus it was, the only time one not fully a god would ever defeat the Lying God in single combat, the god of War bested by one half mortal. And Interitus did the only thing he could, and fled his physical form, and unbodied, traveled secret ways back to hell. And all his gear burned and turned to ash in the fire, and the lightning, and the streaming sun. It was many long years before Interitus could again take solid form.

And then peak was thenceforth forever blessed, with an eternal flame burning in the rocks where the mighty deed occurred. And the clouds parted, and the air warmed, and Solis took the plague unto himself, and all the people of Koreta were saved. Some say there was great strife in Heaven that day, and that the halls of Aula Dei rang with argument, and only the intervention of Caela saved Aquilo's life from Saevios, and from Regulus, neither for the first time or the last. And that was the end of Magnus' ninth and greatest Trial. He walked down to the Temple, cloaked and hooded again, and sought treartment for his many wounds. He spent the remainder of his time on Koreta recovering.

But he was well content, for in the thunder he had heard words. “I am proud of you, my son.”

This was not the last of his heroism. As Imperator, he would save Rega from the hordes of the Serpent's Rage, and do many other great things. But that is another tale.

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