Editing Announcements - 2002/09 - Verdict (section)

=== Part 4 ===
{{Microsoft Zone
 |  Link = <nowiki>http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEeventteaser0902_4.asp</nowiki>
 |  Date = September 13, 2002
 | Title = Verdict
 |  Text =
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<font color=#FFFFFF>'''Part 4'''</font>
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(View the teaser movie [https://web.archive.org/web/20031010230253/http://download.microsoft.com/download/asheron/video/sept/WXP/EN-US/Pre-September.mpg <font color=#FFFFCC>here</font>] : 7.5 MB)
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The air crackled around him. The ground sizzled where he walked. Beads of acid flew from his hands as he furiously paced his study, located in the highest reaches of his citadel's library. Moisture condensed in his frozen breath and slowly floated to the floor as snow.
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"This is inconceivable!" Gaerlan screamed to the empty room.
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The words echoed throughout the library, "This is inconceivable. . . is inconceivable. . . inconceivable. . ."
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The third crystal had fallen, destroyed by the Isparian vermin. He sensed the power that it once fed him ebbing away to somewhere else, to where the rituals to summon the Harbinger had failed.
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"The fools will be the death of the world," he cried.
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Through the library, "Death of the world. . . of the world. . . the world. . ." echoed.
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Hundreds of years of effort were unraveling before his eyes. When first he had found the citadel, this temple that had lain dormant for centuries, he'd known that it would be the instrument of his ascension. The destiny he knew he had been born to would begin here. He had felt it in the pit of his being and had known he had been fated to find this. Nothing could prevent his destiny, not even the prison between worlds to which Asheron had condemned their people.
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After Martine had accidentally returned him to the world, Gaerlan had been so sure--it had been so obvious--that the force of history was behind him. It had all fallen into place, each piece he had used. . . That fool Martine, yearning for the life he had left behind, pushed further into madness. . . Nuhmudira, her unswerving loyalty to her people so readily twisted into a path abhorrent even to her fellow barbarians. . . The vermin's weak-willed Queen, so easy to manipulate, the tool that had exposed Asheron to Martine's assault. He had masterfully placed them against each other, almost as if it had been a game. His revenge, his ascension. . . It had been so close, so very close.
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Now he would fall, the world would be consumed by the magics loosed by the vermin, and Asheron would never pay for his crimes.
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"I refuse to believe it; it cannot be so!" he said as he turned a corner in his pacing.
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"It cannot be so. . . cannot be so. . . be so. . ."
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This citadel and its ancient library, constructed by that cabal of undead elementalists, these had been his tools. He had dedicated himself to using the magics found there, to using what those abominations had created, in defense of the Cerulean Throne. Why now, when his plan seemed closest to fruition, would it begin to fall apart around him? How had he failed? What had he done wrong?
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"I did everything perfectly!"
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"Did everything perfectly. . . everything perfectly. . . perfectly. . ."
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Although the magics had been born from those opposed to the Throne, in his capable hands they had become a weapon in defense of the Crown. They were to have been a means for him to rise to prominence in the Empire. Perhaps even a means for him to lay claim to the Throne! Where was the misstep?
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A thought occurred to him, and he paused in his frantic pacing. Perhaps Asheron was not the fool he had taken him for. Could the secret of Asheron's long life, the secret Gaerlan had discovered long ago, be a sign of his collusion with those who had forsaken the Light, those loathsome undead? Yes, the undead were infamous for trying to manipulate and control the living. Asheron was the cause of all of this!
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Yes! Yes! Asheron's meddling stretched back even to when Gaerlan and his brother had first arrived at the Knorr Lyceum, Asheron's academy for magical study. Asheron must have recognized Gaerlan's innate ability and determined that he would do all he could to hamper it. That was why Gaerlan's brother Delacim had been held in esteem, while Gaerlan had been virtually ignored. Asheron had interfered in Gaerlan's life, even using his own brother against him. And when his brother was of no more use to him, Asheron had arranged for Delacim to be killed. Asheron was behind all the problems that had plagued his plans, and now his corruption would be the doom of the world.
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"I am not yet defeated!" he shrieked, his frozen spittle clattering on the floor.
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"Not yet defeated. . . yet defeated. . . defeated. . ." returned the echo from the walls of the library.
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He would strengthen the guard on the final crystal. It would be inaccessible to all those protected by Asheron's corrupting magics. Gaerlan would focus his remaining power on that location and maintain it; he would resist Asheron's minions. His power would be enough to wipe them off the face of Dereth. The vermin had already seen the extent of his power, as his forces had plagued them for weeks. Now though, with this remaining crystal, the crystal he would secure, Gaerlan would scour the surface of the planet clean. The infestation, the taint brought to this world by Asheron, would be gone forever. Perhaps a scrap of pity had plagued him before, preventing him from using his full might against them.
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He smiled to himself when he thought of how future generations would remember this time. They would see it as the turning point between his darkest hour and when he rose to the challenge presented by the world. Yes, those future Empyreans would see this as the beginning of their return to power, when their greatest leader defeated Asheron and led them into a glorious future.
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He would not fail, nor would he fall. Asheron's corruption and meddling would be defeated. He would have his revenge on the man. Asheron would pay for Delacim's murder, the massacre of their people, and the near destruction of the world itself.
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He raised his head toward the roof and roared, "Asheron! I will see the vision fulfilled!"
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The chamber echoed for several minutes with his laughter, and then was silent.
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To be continued. . .
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'''Unlike any other gaming experience, the world of Asheron's Call continues to evolve. Join us, as we open our September Event, Verdict. Be sure to continue your part in this incredible ongoing story, and we'll see you in Dereth!'''

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