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The man looked down at the deer and made a muffled noise under the mask. Before Rodill could react, the man struck the bewildered hunter across the jaw with the pommel of his sword. Rodill went down and passed out before he hit the grass.


Rodill struggled to his knees and looked around at his surroundings. He was surrounded by around two hundred people, who all looked worse for wear. Rodill suddenly sputtered and coughed up a considerable amount of blood. He was then pulled to his feet by two men. The man to his left began speaking.
"Excuse me sir, any word of my father?" the young man said in concern "Comeon, speak man!"
Rodill peered into the mans eyes and said weakly
"Look here lad" Rodill said, attempting to sound angry, but failing "How in the name of Keldor do you expect me to know your father if I dont know you?"
"Oh..." the young man said, an apologetic look clear on his face "Im forgetting myself... two months in this hellhole and I already forget my manners. I am Prince Emerand, son of Armal Mann, King of Thale. You are from Thale arent you?"
Rodill nodded and the Prince hurried on with his barrage of queries.
"Is my Father well? How fares Thale?"
Rodill slumped against the wall and ignored the young Princes questions.
"I will answer but please, where am I?" he asked politely, suddenly feeling sorry for the prince. What was a Prince doing here anyway? It wasnt the Prince that answered his question.
"We are in the cells, situated under Unmer Keep" said a small man with a striking multicoloured robe clinging to his small frame.
"By the Trees of Prayer! You are a Rainbow Apostle! How in the hell did they get you here? Why didnt you use your arts to blast your captors to another world?"
The small man laughed bitterly before saying
"My peoples arts are somewhat over estimated, Thalian"
"Well im still bewildered. Why would the slavers even dare to imprison such important people? So far, the only people ive met in here are either rich or powerful. Im hoping this is coincidence"
The old man looked closely at Rodill, and stroked his white beard.
"You are observant Thalian. There is indeed a pattern. The slavers are almost certainly in league with another force, and that force is obviously powerful enough to give these slavers ideas above their station. The main reason I was overwhelmed was not the amount of slavers that challenged me, oh no. They had someone with them. The man was my equal in the use of the Rainbow arts. Before my inevitable capture I was able to read the mans mind, as mind reading is my specialty, and I have gained knowledge of the this plan that this foul alleigance has in mind. This I will reveal later. All I will tell you is that the plan concerns the four trees of prayer which are spread out over the four countries" at this most of the prisoners stood in shocked silence "and the slavers are imprisoning everyone who is considered a threat to the plan. Everyone in this prison is indeed either rich or powerful. They intend to bring the defenses of each country to its knees"
Rodill stood in shock. The trees were the only link to the gods the countries of Keldor had and the link these trees had maintained the welfare of each country, the crops, the water source all these things were the work of the trees.
"Listen apostle, you have no choice but to reveal the agenda. Our families are out there. What have the trees got to do with the plan?"
The small man sighed
"Ok..." he raised his voice "The main part of the plan is the destruction of The trees of Prayer"