UO:2000-04-26: Lord Blackthorn's Recent Travels

Global Edition

Lord Blackthorn's Recent Travels / ロード・ブラックソンの近況

Author: Nalin Wren

Published: April 26, 2000

Stories abound as to where Lord Blackthorn has been for the duration of the current crisis that grips our land. Via an inside contact close to Blackthorn I was given some insight and details into Blackthorn’s travels. Within days of the fall of Trinsic, Lord Blackthorn disappeared and was not seen again until our liege Lord British gave his speech last week. Prior to the speech Lord Blackthorn held counsel with Nystul, the court mage, in his castle on the lake. My source related the following information from this meeting.

It seems Blackthorn had, using great magicks, disguised himself and traveled to the lands from which this plague of evil has spewed forth – the lands of Minax. He described a land not unlike our own except for the foul corruption, which seemed to be almost alive and spreading out in every direction. He told of a city very much like out own beloved Trinsic with walls that appeared to be made of black rock. Upon closer inspection he was surprised to see that the stone was not black, but simply scorched and covered with a fine soot. Rubbing aside the soot, a fine polished white marble could be seen. Looking around, not a speck of this fine marble could be seen anywhere in the city. The whole of this place had been devastated and left to rot.

Outside of the city Blackthorn said he saw creatures that were strange, and yet familiar. Among these was a skeleton bearing a bow and seeming to glow with a sickening yellow aura. Nystul confirmed that these beasts had been part of Minax’s invasion of Trinsic and that they were quite a formidable foe.

The land itself was stripped and barren. Nowhere in his journeys did he find one tree standing. All had been cut and used to fulfill various needs. The grasses were brown and rotting. The entire landscape was simply a wasteland of decay. This world was a dying world.

As the story is related to me, I am told a look of sheer grief struck Lord Blackthorn’s face as he began to describe the people of this land. Beyond the massing groups of warriors, bearing the cold deathly looks of men who would sooner perish then lose a fight for their leader, were the common people; a people who have had their wills been broken. A land of strong but sullen men giving their lives willingly at the whim of their mistress, Minax. She ruled the land and none would stand against her. Those who tried perished, and not slowly I am assured. As seen in Trinsic, men were hung from stakes and fires were lit beneath them. Other ghastly things, I dare not describe, were done to those who would fail their mistress.

Finally, Blackthorn told Nystul he would not oppose what the mage and Lord British had planned. Only offering caution as to the consequences.

It would seem that there might be more behind Minax invading our land then the lust for revenge. It seems she is a ruler with very little left to preside over. Except now she wishes to reign here in our beloved Britannia.

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ブラックソン（Blackthorn）は高度な魔法で姿を変え、悪しき災厄が噴出した場所、ミナックス（Minax）の地を見分されたようだった。忌むべき腐敗と堕落が、まるで生きているかの様にあらゆる場所に蔓延している点を除けば、我々の世界とそう違ってはいないそうだった。彼はあの美しきトリンシックに良く似た、黒い石で作られたと思われる壁のある街について語った。彼が近づいて見て驚いたのは、石は黒いのでは無く、焼け焦げて真っ黒な煤で覆われているのだった。煤の辺りの壁をこすって見ると、綺麗に磨かれた白色大理石が現れた。だが辺りを見ても、このような美しい白色大理石は街のどこにも見当たらなかった。この街は完全に破壊され、荒廃するにまかされたのだ。

街の外で彼は奇妙な、だが見たことのある生き物を見たと言う。その一つが弓を構えたSkeltonで、吐き気を催すような黄色いオーラをまとってみずから発光しているように見えた。ニスタル（Nystul）が確かめた所では、この魔物はミナックスがトリンシック侵略に用意したもので、非常に危険な敵であると言う事だ。

土地は破壊され不毛の地と化していた。道中1本の木も見なかったと言う。全ての木は伐採されつくされたのだ。草は茶色く腐敗していた。景色は端的に言って、朽ちて行く荒地だった。この世界は死んでいる世界なのだ。

私が聞いた所によれば、ロード・ブラックソンがこの世界の人達について話しはじめた時、彼の顔は深い悲しみに覆われてそうだ。群れをなす戦士達、冷たく、死んだような面持ちで、間もなく力尽きて戦意を失ってしまいそうな彼らの向こう側にいたのは、一般市民。望みを打ち砕かれた人々であった。喜んで彼らの主人ミナックスの気まぐれの為に命を捨てる、強くも陰気な男達の土地なのだ。彼女は世界を支配し、逆らう者は誰もいない。逆らおうとした者は殺されたのだと私が気づくまで、そう時間はかからなかった。トリンシックでは人々が杭に吊るされ火あぶりにされていた。あえて語ろうとは思わないが、その他にも、支配者に逆らった者は恐ろしい目にあわされていた。

最後に、ブラックソンはニスタルとロードブリティッシュが計画している事に反対するつもりは無いとニスタルに伝えた。それが引き起こすであろう結果について注意をうながしただけだった。

ミナックスの裏には、我々の国土の侵略だけではなく復讐への情熱が隠されていると思われる。彼女の元に残った部下はごくわずかであろう。ただ、彼女が我らの愛すべきブリタニアを支配しようと考えなければの話だが。