Moonstone Rising

The Chosen One looked upon the throngs of humanoid deer surrounding Stonehenge, all rife with the artefacts and wonders of the Magic of All the Ages, and he recognised the great power and opportunity that the Mad Sorceress had given them.

‘Why?’ he asked her, looking to the soft white moon that had not yet disappeared from the pale blue sky.

The Mad Sorceress gave no answer.

The Chosen One felt alone and uncertain, despite having thousands of his kind all around him. He was unsure of what to do next, and so he sat silent meditating in the middle of the stone circle until a voice from inside him called out, “Those who led the herds before this magic, come forth. Come forth now and we will create order amongst our ranks.”

Ten stags and ten deer answered the call and their herds cheered as they were crowned kings and queens to rule ten clans in prosperity.

The Magic of All the Ages gave select deer the skills and tools needed to build and protect an advanced society.

The strongest of the deer became Knights, enlisted to protect the realm with weapons and armour fit for the most advanced warfare the world had yet seen.

The most intelligent and strategic of the deer were appointed as Politicals, entrusted to help the Royals rule fairly and with prosperity. They were given extravagant robes and jewels in reward of their service.

Those with the skill of the hand and creativity became Makers with all the tools and implements needed to build an advanced society.

There were also those who were blessed with the power to conjure spells and create magic. The Conjurers’ powers came from their enchanted antlers and could be used in battle and in other endeavours to further society.

Finally, there were the diverse and vibrant Citizens who had all manner of weird and wonderful clothing and trinkets from all the ages.

One night, a messenger arrived at the stone circle where The Chosen One and the Royalty were camped. The messenger reported of an army of humans attacking the outskirts of the settlement. “Flaming arrow fire and slingstones hailed down on us as we drank and ate and laughed around our campfires,” she said.

King Courage of clan Courience was appointed to gather the Knights of the Alliance and charge out to counter the attack. The deer were strong and well-armed, but it was their first battle and their inexperience showed with lack of discipline and organisation.

The First Battle was bloody and brutal, and the deer lost many Knights pushing the humans into retreat. Eventually, the human army fled and the camp around Stonehenge enjoyed peace once again.

The Chosen One gathered the Royalty, the Politicals and the Knights who had shown courage and strength during the battle. He encouraged the Alliance to build defences around their settlement and reinforce the defences with magic, and that the Knights practice their battle formations and that the Makers and Conjurers work hard to further their craft while the Citizens gather stores of food and drink and help out in every other way they can, such as making the fires and clearing the paths.

The Royalty and the Politicals agreed with this plan, except for King Glutton, who expressed distaste toward The Chosen One. “Who made you the supreme leader? I postulate that you made this Mad Sorceress up to trick us and gain power over us all,” he said.

“I did not ask for this,” The Chosen One said. “I merely suggest the words that come to me. It’s as if they come from some magic deep inside of me. I do not know why the Mad Sorceress called me ‘The Chosen One,’ and I do not know my purpose here,” he said.

“Then perhaps you should keep your nose out of matters concerning us Royalty,” King Glutton said.

Queen Prudence said, “We’re here to build a prosperous empire and The Chosen One was the first of our kind. Let us not fight each other, save it for the enemy. There will be plenty in this world who will not accept us for who we are now, and there are those who hunted what we once were for sport and food for centuries.”

All cheered, and King Glutton grunted and huffed, eyeing The Chosen One with daggers.

The Chosen One could feel that this would not be the last of the troubles from King Glutton, and perhaps others in the Royalty when they realised what levels of power and opportunity they now had at their disposal.

Time passed peacefully, too peacefully, The Chosen One thought, as the deer built a grand settlement of wood, stone and hempcloth buildings around the stone circle. It was fortified with an outer wall and all manner of defences made from stone, wood and magic. The settlement was named Moonstone, and it was magnificent.

Excitement and joy amongst Moonstone were widespread, yet The Chosen One could feel that those days of peace and happiness were limited.

One night, The Chosen One woke startled with the sound of a harsh whisper lingering in his mind from a dream he could barely remember. They’re coming! the whisper said, and it felt like the Mad Sorceress was hissing at him from afar.

Moonstone’s warning bells rang loud and daunting as the settlement came alive from its slumber. The Chosen One climbed to the top of the settlement’s tallest outpost and saw little dots of firelight growing in number across the deep blue and black night’s horizon. The dots of fire spread and multiplied with the silhouettes of an army of thousands. Infantry, siege engines, cavalry, and beasts unknown, approached Moonstone.

Archers, guards and Conjurers attended the walls and prepared the defences of Moonstone as the great human army marched upon the settlement.
The Siege of Moonstone had begun.