Sweat was beading on Seth’s forehead and his heart was pounding in his chest as he looked at the mass of faces that were staring at him. When he had promised himself earlier in the evening that he would tell Tarun and Shon the truth about his mission, he hadn’t expected to also share it with an entire crowd. He especially hadn’t planned to share his story with a crowd that happened to include the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

Seth cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably on the log where he was sitting. He felt like the campfire next to him was burning significantly hotter than usual. “Well, it’s uh, it’s hard to know where to start,” Seth stammered.

“When singing,” Aluanna said softly, “I generally find it best to start at the beginning.” She gave Seth a little smile, which seemed to melt away much of his anxiety. The sorceress appeared to be about the same age as Seth, but there was something so soothing about the sound of her voice that made her seem wise beyond her years.

“And if that doesn’t work,” added Toj, “just start wherever you remember the lyrics and pretend that’s where the song was supposed to start!” There was a burst of laughter from the gathering, but it seemed to Seth to be friendly and encouraging, rather than mocking. The message was clear; everyone there was looking for a good story, not perfection.

“Heh, very well,” Seth said with a chuckle. “I’ll do my best.” Seth was relieved to hear much of the tension leave his own voice. “I suppose I should start with a question,” he said to the crowd. “How much do you know about the beings known as the Immortals?”

There was a quiet murmur throughout the crowd, and Seth saw most of the expressions he was used to seeing whenever the topic of the Immortals was brought up. Some in the crowd looked surprised at his question, some appeared bored, some looked at Seth skeptically, and a few even looked offended, but none answered him directly until Aluanna spoke.

“My father knows nothing of the Immortals, and my mother has little regard for them,” Aluanna said, matter-of-factly, “so I learned nothing about them in my childhood, when it seems their stories are most popular. But there are many songs written about them, and I have learned many of those songs since I began my travels.”

“I only know what Shon’s uncle told me about them,” said Tarun. “I know that in the early days of this world there were immortal couples of every race, and that they were the progenitors and rulers of their respective races. And I know that at some point each of those couples was overthrown by a second group of immortals. From what I remember, the Second Immortals acted less like rulers and more like protectors for mortals, but nobody has seen any of the Immortals for a very long time.” Tarun then stared down at a black stone dagger in his hand and added hastily, “Except maybe in a dream.”

Seth smiled and let out a single, quiet chuckle as Tarun finished speaking. Tarun immediately looked up with an expression of anger on his face, gripping tightly on the black dagger in his hand. “Did I say something funny?” Tarun demanded.

“No, not at all,” Seth said quickly, raising his hands. “My apologies Tarun, I meant no disrespect. It’s just rare to hear someone give such a succinct and straightforward summary of the Immortal’s existence. I merely smiled because I thought it was refreshing to hear it without all the usual flowery language.”

“Well,” interrupted Shon, “at the risk of sounding like a child, I’ll admit that I’ve always loved stories about the Immortals, and still do.” The volume of Shon’s voice gave Seth the impression that the wizard was trying to ease some of the tension, and Seth was grateful for it. “I could probably name off at least twenty of the most famous of the Second Immortals,” Shon continued, “and the Immortalium, the story of how Caster and the Second Immortals overthrew the First Immortals, has got to be my favorite story of all time. When I was growing up, every time a traveling storyteller would come visit us in Life’s Edge, I would beg them to recite the Immortalium.”

“Actually,” said Shon, turning towards Aluanna, “I’ve heard that there is even a version of the Immortalium that was put to music. I’ve always wanted to hear it, but we never had many musicians travel out to Life’s Edge when I was growing up. Do you happen to know that one?”

Aluanna raised an eyebrow at Shon. “That,” said the sorceress, “is a very long song.” She then turned her eyes back to Seth’s. “Perhaps we should first let your friend tell his story,” she said.

“Thank you my lady,” said Seth. “Like Shon, I have always been fascinated by tales of the Immortals, and that is where my story begins. Ever since I was a young boy, I have tried to learn all I could about the Immortals in the hopes that by emulating their ideals I could create a new name for myself.”

“You see, unlike Lady Aluanna, the history of my family is not a proud one,” Seth said as he looked at the shillelagh in his hands. “To my great embarrassment, the only noteworthy stories of my forebears come from their acts of shame and disgrace. My father was so ashamed of those stories that he refused to tell me any of them, even on his deathbed, so that all that was passed down to me were their humiliating epithets. I decided that I wanted to define my life by devoting it to some higher purpose, and what could be higher than the Immortals?”

Seth let out a deep sigh before he continued. “But my journey wasn’t as simple as the stories about the Immortals I heard in my childhood. And it seemed that the longer I sought for answers, the more complicated those stories became. Tell me, are any of you familiar with the Unanswerable Questions?”

“Of course,” said Shon. “Those are questions about the Immortals that nobody knows the answers to. There are three of them. ‘Where did the First Immortals come from?’ ‘How did Lord Caster learn the magic that won his contest?’ and ‘Why have all the Immortals disappeared?’ Every storyteller recites them before they begin telling the Immortalium to keep little kids from interrupting with those questions during the story.”

“Actually, depending on who you ask, there may be as many as twenty seven Unanswerable Questions,” said Seth. “But yes, those three are the most common. Over the years I’ve met dozens of philosophers, madmen, and charlatans who claimed to know the answers to those questions, but I personally believed that no answers actually existed for them. That changed two months ago when I learned what those answers were.”

“You’ll have to forgive my interruption,” said Toj, “but what makes you any different from those other philosophers and madmen?”

Seth straightened his posture and slightly raised his voice. “What makes me different is that I didn’t learn the answers by finding some secret scroll or deciphering obscure clues. I learned the answers by speaking directly to The Ancient One.”

“The ancient what?” said Shon.

“Not what,” said Seth. “Whom. ‘The Ancient One’ is the name of the being who spoke to me. He is the one who created the First Immortals and all other life on this world. He is also the one who has led me to this land to act on his behalf.”

“Well, we’re all interested to hear about this quest of yours,” said Roj, “but you’ve got a lot to learn as a story teller. For one thing, you’re going to need a better name than ‘The Ancient One,’ if you’re going to introduce a character that important to the story.”

Seth’s heart pounded heavy in his chest and he gripped his shillelagh and struggled to keep his voice calm. “Interesting names only matter when the story is fiction,” he said. “I am not about to make up a name for the most powerful being in existence just to humor a sarcastic satyr.”

“Seth,” said Aluanna softly. Upon hearing her say his name, Seth’s anger completely dissipated. “Your story hinges upon a character wholly unfamiliar to any of us here. Any story, whether true or not, is a path that the audience must be able to follow if they are to continue to the end. If you would be our guide, then perhaps you can help us by illuminating more of the path. Tell us more about this Ancient One so he is more than just a name to us.”

“Forgive my outburst, my lady,” said Seth, bowing his head. “In truth, The Ancient One commanded me to spread his story after he shared it with me. Since then I have rehearsed that story to myself more than a hundred times, and I’ve attempted to share that story with others more than a dozen times. Never once have I been permitted to finish the story of The Ancient One, and I have become wary of starting it. The interruptions and objections always become quite… severe.”

“I will not promise to believe your tale when it is over,” said Aluanna, “but your words have intrigued me and I would hear this story for myself. I assure you that none from my band will speak or disrupt you until you have finished.”

“If this is the being that allowed you to hurt that creature Laronius, then I would hear his story as well,” said Tarun.

“Well,” said Shon, “it seems that you finally have the attentive audience you’ve been looking for. I suggest you begin.”

Seth
Art by Ryan Salway