The Testament of Hagen

It was in the year 1096 that we marched under our Raven banner to join with our newly appointed Lord Protector Harriata and the other loyal troops of Teutonia in the Black Forest of our land. I Hagen Hagenson had been newly elected to serve the order as Hochmeister and to lead them South to aid in the ritual of the Renewal of Magic as the wise folk had told us was needed. Strange events were happening all over the world and the land was changing. Many thought that the end of the world was near and that the seas of chaos would overwhelm us all, but as is often the case strange events bring great opportunities and this meeting was to lead to the renewal not just of magics but also of the Church of our Lord Khoreg.

It was during the Sunday of that week that I was moved by the Lord to visit the circle where the great ritual was to take place. Nearing this circle I began to hear voices calling on me to enter and the more I resisted the louder those voices became until at last I could resist no more and I entered the circle. Directly that I did so the voices stopped but one loud voice boomed out “THIS CIRCLE IS SEALED” I turned to try to exit by the way I had entered but found it barred by magic and warned by the cries of the onlookers I turned to see a demon of great size and fearsome disposition enter the circle from between the standing stones. Fearing for my life I whispered a prayer to the Lord, grasped my halberd and engaged the foe. Despite the many blows I landed on this creature none seemed to do it any harm and I was thrown to the floor by it’s magic time after time. At last, unable to run and with my weapon useless I was picked up by the fiend and taken back between the stones. I cried another prayer for the Lord of war to protect my soul whereupon a blow to my head caused the darkness to engulf me.

I awoke in a great hall where the smoke of the previous day's fire lay heavy in the air. All around lay many creatures of all shapes and sizes some on the floor and others sprawled over the tables amidst the half empty plates, bottles and goblets of the previous night's festivities. Becoming accustomed to the gloom I saw at the far end of the room a huge shape slumped in a high-backed chair. Across the shoulders the creature was as long as I am tall and stood up must have been twice my own size, but believing myself dead I picked up my halberd strode over the prostrate forms and approached the creature. Summoning all my courage I cleared my throat and shouted “Am I dead?”
The shape moaned loudly and held it's head then whispered back “No but you soon will be if you do that again. What is the first law ofKhoreg priest?”
“Don't shout at deities with a hang over, and by the way I'm no priest

”
“Correct so why are you shouting at your own God, and if I say you're a priest you are clear?”

Falling to my knees I muttered my apologies and begged the Lord's forgiveness. He just shook his head and said, “Stand up Hagen I think I threw up just there last night.”

“Is that a sign lord” “Only one that you are kneeling in a pool of vomit idiot!”

Standing up I approached the Lord as he whispered in a low voice “Don't suppose you've any willow bark on you?”

“No my Lord” “Better have a drink then, you can mix elixir can't you?

”
“Certainly my lord, one part wine of jerez, one part oporto, one part vodka, all a large goblet”

“Vodka eh! Nice touch, whoever thought of that one should be a holy warrior!

”
“I take it then that you've never actually read my books?”

“I thought that we only had an oral tradition like all the faiths I've come across”

“Once it was not so Hagen. Tell me of the way of things for your time”

And so whilst mixing and drinking the elixir I told the Lord of our travels and the way of the world. I spoke of how the faithful had grown smaller in number each year, of how the other Gods we had come across on the way had won converts, how at last we had settled in Teutonia and come across the religions of that land. At the end of the tale the Lord let out a large sigh and spoke again “I have obviously been elsewhen far too long

”
“Elsewhen my lord?”

“Yes Hagen in another time. Let me see how was it Sachian Sachi put it last night in the wine bar”

“Pardon my interruption my lord but who is Sachian Sachi and what is a wine bar?”

“The latter you don't want to know but the former is a demon of marketing so named by Bane. He gives all the demons names, like the one that brought you is called Ataxy demon of transportation. I think it's some form of joke, a poor one if Bane's involved I bet”

“Knowing his son I would guess so”

“Ah you know Rasputin. Short guy, little hair”

“Bad dress sense”

“That's the one. Anyway as I was saying Sachian said I was a Transtemporal super entity. I told him he wasn't my type and he'd better get some more wine in or I'd flatten him. Then he explained that he just meant that I lived outside of normal time so I flattened him and threw him at the bar. Anyway as I was saying I've been away too long and it seems like everything's gone to hell in my absence so you Hagen had better get things back together for me because an old enemy's on the way and I need you folk to be ready for them to give them a good old style Khoregate welcome.”

“Why don't you just appear then lord, everyone will believe then and you can sort things out”

“Rules Hagen rules. If I start doing that sort of thing the other gods would start doing it then where will that end eh?”

“I suppose so my lord so what do you want me to do?”

“Simple lad. Reform the church, get troops together and wait for a sign

”
“Nothing too hard then” “I have faith in you” “Shouldn't that be what I say?”

 The Lord groaned again and summoned a warrior from the shadows saying “Go with Sieglinde and she will show you how to fight with sword and shield”

“But I use a halberd” “See I told you that you were a priest"

The warrior approached me from the shadows. As she came close to me I saw that her face was lined with age but her eyes shone with an inner fire. I stood transfixed as her face split into a smile and her metal clad knee sharply stuck my groin. From my new position on the floor I heard the lord cry “Your first lesson Hagen never be fooled by outward appearances. The enemy I spoke of before will first come disguised as a woman. Enjoy your lesson I'm off for a fry up”

.
So saying the Lord turned and left the room. Sieglinde threw and kicked at the fallen heroes to make a space in the hall. After three hours of practice I again lay on the floor. Battered and cut across the face from the sword blows of Sieglinde I could fight no more. It was only then that the Lord returned and cleared the hall of those who had not had the strength to move themselves. Turning to Sieglinde he said, “Will he do?”

“Just” So saying she turned and left.

“Well Hagen things are worse than I thought and you have little enough time to do your work. Before I left for elsewhen I left one to guard the old ways. He will be waiting for your return and will instruct you as necessary. He will be able to translate the old books for you but mark well the order in which he does this for that is how you shall know the foe”

“Can't you just tell me?”

“Rules are rules, but for now you can tell the faithful that death really is no excuse, life and death are the same if the spirit is strong. Now go!”

I looked around and saw advancing on me the same demon who had brought me. Once the creature had grasped hold of me space and time seemed to dissolve around us and I could just here the Lord cry “The sod's not paid his tab”

I hit the ground running as I found myself back in the ritual circle. Fleeing the spot I was wrestled to the ground by others of the order who asked what had befallen me. Strangely I found myself unable to speak of the events in any clear way and was dragged off to camp still raving.

By the time of our great church service I was more myself and filled with the spirit of the Lord I was able to tell the assembled faithful mat we had forgotten the way of Khoreg and I recounted the message that the Lord had entrusted me with. Filled with fresh hope that our prayers would be answered we departed our service and prepared for the battle that was to come to seal the ritual of renewal.

Strangely at the time that we decamped to return home the one of whom I had been told had still not made himself known to me. Events over the winter however showed the truth of what I had been told. A strange plague descended upon the city of Munich. The Baron of Munich being a loyal follower of the faith summoned me from the university to that city to ask for guidance on why the followers of the faith were untouched by the disease yet those who worshipped other gods quickly died. After several weeks travel I arrived at the city to find it almost completely demolished and under tight security. It seemed that under the advice of Brother Aaron Von Darke the Baron had found this to be the only way of stopping the spread of the infection and the only sure way the citizens had found of saving themselves was to convert to the faith. This is of course completely in line with our latest understandings on such matters as the corruption of the soul is often made manifest in the decay of the body.

Shortly after my arrival the plague ceased and the clearing and rebuilding of the city began. For no known reason Aaron had insisted that one specific building be left untouched throughout the crisis. This building had long been in a state of disrepair and nobody had ever given it much notice, however it did have a reputation for being haunted and this had caused it to be left alone by the locals, but many with similar reputations had been leveled during the plague. One day Aaron came to me together with the Baron and his lady wife and asked that we all follow him to this building. Taking a key from his pocket he easily opened what appeared to be a long disused lock and led us inside.

“Welcome to the house of the Lord” said Aaron The surprise on this comment was clear on both the Baron's and my own face. “When I was young this was part of a great temple complex” continued Aaron “but now that glory has long faded into history. Follow me”

So saying Aaron moved to the back of the building. We followed as he cleared away the debris all around to reveal a stone slab measuring about ten feet in each direction. Aaron then knelt down beside the slab and pressed a smaller stone beside it. The larger slab slowly descended and moved to the left. Aaron jumped into the hole and began to pass up to us several old books a collection of decayed weapons and a moth eaten banner.

“These are the holy words and items of the Lord. I have guarded them as best I could down long centuries. As this town is reborn in faith so shall the church be reborn for this is now a city of the faithful and they shall rejoice in this re-found knowledge” So saying Aaron gathered the items in the banner and led us out of the building.
Over the past year Brother Aaron has translated the books from the old script saying at the conclusion of each "Read this well and mark the order it is given to you"
This ends my testament and as Khoreg is my judge I swear that all I have written is true.