Mark of the Fool

“Hello to you all and welcome to a new semester and our first session of the Art of the Wizard in Combat. It promises to be a rather special session indeed,” Baelin addressed the class as his students collected themselves. “As you know, within the hour we will be venturing into the hells on our first demon hunt.”

He nodded to the Heroes, watching Drestra as she passed Alex’s staff back to him and scrambled to take a seat. “I am most pleased and proud to welcome some guests to this particular seminar: the Heroes of Thameland. Cedric, Hart and Drestra, thank you for joining us.”

“Oh, thank you for havin’ us over,” Cedric said. “I ain’t one for too much book learnin’ but I’ll be happy to learn more about how t’bring hell down on our enemies.” He paused with a sheepish grin on his face. “Ah, didn’t mean for the pun.”

“It is quite alright,” Baelin chuckled. “A little levity—even that which is unintended—can calm the nerves before a battle. It is valuable. And speaking of battle, I would like to give a slight overview of what this course is about to our newcomers. Keeping the goal of the course in mind will help those who seek to learn from it, even if they are not actually students of the university.”

He focused his attention on Hart, Cedric and Drestra. “The Art of the Wizard in Combat—through all of its years—is a course designed to prepare wizards for the rigours of magic and battle. In short, when one seeks to gather power through wizardry, one will inevitably be challenged by way of violence. It is the way of the world.”

Already Drestra and Hart were nodding at his words.

“As such, allowing students of wizardry to go into the world with all the combat prowess of a librarian is a foolish thing. Now, you might be wondering what you have to learn from this course. To answer such a question,” he looked at Alex's cabal. “Tell me, what is the philosophy behind the skills that I’ve taught you? Ah yes, Khalik, your hand was up first.”

“It is to teach one to use all the resources they possess to destroy their opponent and protect their allies,” the prince answered.

“An excellent response,” Baelin said. “All too often, wizards learn to rely only on their magic. And beyond that, they often learn to rely on nothing more than their combat spells. This is utter folly. A battle is a struggle for resources, life, and death. Why would one not utilise every advantage? Every strength? Every tactic? To not do so in combat is to gamble with one’s life without a full deck. My aim is to teach my students to command every card that’s at their disposal.”

“Oh, so it’s like learning how to master a bunch of different weapons?” Hart called out, not bothering to raise his hand. “In case you’ve got to make do with what you have?”

Baelin smiled broadly. “Indeed! I think you will do quite well here, my young friend. But yes, that is the philosophy behind the course. By the time you have engaged in a few sessions of training with us, you will learn better how to rely on your comrades and on other resources aside from your Marks. In addition, through a little learning from your peers, it is my hope that you will be able to bring your own powers to new heights.”

He gestured to Cedric and Drestra. “You both will have access to lessons in spellcraft as well as new spells for you to learn.” His eyes rested on Hart. “I understand that Alex will be finding ways to enhance your already unique physical prowess, and I shall aid him in this.”

“Much obliged,” said Hart.

“Good. But that is for later.” Baelin gazed at the cabal. “A time ago I assigned you all the task of researching where we are going. Both in terms of the hells in general, and the domain we seek in particular. Let this be a first lesson for you to adhere to, my heroic friends—remember that information is a resource that is incredibly important to anyone going into battle.”

“Yeah.” Hart jumped in. “Like when you send scouts ahead of an army.”

“Almost,” the chancellor said. “Scouts are helpful, but when one is dealing with otherworldly planes, dark magic or rare monsters, one must also rely on information that is written in ancient libraries of magic, or obtained from wise counsellors. Now then, to my students, what did you learn of our destination? Ah yes, Alex?”

The young Thameish wizard lowered his hand, organising his notes while quoting them entirely from memory. “So, you told us that we’ll be going to the Hold of Ikarrash, which lies in the domain of Cawarthin.”

Baelin nodded. “Very good. You found the name. Before going further, though, what did you learn of the hells in general? For the benefit of the new additions to our class.”

“Oh! Right.” Alex cleared his throat. “Yeah, I was getting a bit ahead of myself, wasn’t I? Alright. So the endless hells are an otherworldly plane.” He explained. “They’re one of the largest of all the otherworldly planes, and they’re aligned with the concepts of chaos and order.”

“Simultaneously?” Baelin asked.

“It depends on the domain,” Alex explained. “In domains where you find a lot of demons—creatures of utter chaos—then you’ll find that domain will be chaotically aligned. In a devil-ruled domain, though, you’ll find that they’re a lot more aligned with order.”

“Very good,” Baelin said, turning to Cedric. “You have a question?”

“Aye.” The Chosen lowered his hand uncertainly, as though he didn’t quite know what to do with it. “Well, the thing that’s got me wonderin’ is…y’talk o’ demons an’ devils an’ law an’ order, but aren’t the lot o’ em an evil bunch?”

“The ones that invaded my home sure were,” Drestra’s crackling voice affirmed.

“Indeed, a common belief.” Baelin nodded. “But is it true? Can anyone answe—Oh, yes. Isolde, your hand rose before I even finished. What do you say to Cedric’s question?”

“Demons and devils represent two different extremes on the axis of order and chaos,” Isolde explained, turning to face Cedric. “Demons are creatures of utter chaos, whim and individuality, while devils are creatures of order, discipline and oaths. When taken to such extremes, order and chaos can be what we consider ethically evil. A demon acts on all whims, even if that whim drives it to kill innocents with impunity. Devils act on logic and order, and if that requires the death of a hundred kingdoms or endless tyranny, they—by and large—will gravitate toward that.”

“So…” Drestra frowned. “They’re fanatics? Order and chaos fanatics?”

“That is a simplified way of putting it, though it is more complex than that,” Baelin nodded. “You must remember that demons and devils appear to be similar to us mortals, but they—and most other outsiders that dwell in otherworldly planes—possess a key difference. What difference might I be referring to?”

Thundar put his hand up, receiving a nod from Baelin. “Each of them’s got a different need. Their bottom of the pyramid’s different from what ours is.”

“Precisely!” Baelin applauded. “But I should explain a little further for our guests,” he said, noting the confused expressions on the three Heroes' faces.

Waving his hand, he conjured an illusionary pyramid to float beside him and ran one finger along its side so wherever his fingertip touched, a horizontal line appeared. He did this repeatedly, separating the pyramid into five horizontal sections.

“This is what we call a ‘hierarchy of needs’,” the ancient wizard explained. “And do not worry, it is very quick to explain. Every organism has a hierarchy of needs that should be met in order for them to thrive, as represented by this pyramid. The bottom needs must be met before those above.”

He tapped the foundational section of the pyramid. “The first need that all organisms must meet is physiological.”

“What’s that mean?” Hart asked.

“It means they are needs one must fulfil to sustain one’s life: namely food, air, water, warmth, shelter and rest, though some versions of the pyramid also place safety on this tier, but, we will get to that later. In short, you—as a living being—must secure these resources before all else or you shall die. But once those are secure, one moves up the hierarchy.”

He tapped the next level of the pyramid. “Here we have safety. After one is sure they can eat, drink, stay warm enough not to die of exposure, and can breathe, a living organism needs ways to protect itself from predators, rivals and natural hazards.”

His hand moved up to the next section. “Next are needs that are more debatable as to whether or not they are necessary for life: the needs of belonging and love.”

Thundar, Isolde and Cedric winced. Hart grinned.

“After that,” Baelin said, paying them no mind. “You find, on the next level, the need for self-esteem and accomplishment, and finally…” He moved his finger to the top of the pyramid. “The needs of self-actualisation and self-fulfilment.”

“That’s….a lot,” Drestra remarked.

“Then let me give you this example,” Baelin said. “You wake up one day to find that you are alone in the wilderness. It is the heart of winter. Your stomach hurts, you are cold, and your throat is dry. In the distance, you hear wolves howling. What do you do first?”

Drestra paused, reptilian eyes focused on the pyramid. “I would seek out a cave, get myself out of the wind, and warm myself with my magic.”

“Good.” He looked at Cedric. “What would you dothen?”

“I’d try an’ find deer or fish in a lake or somethin’.” Cedric frowned in thought. “Catch ‘em, build a fire, cook ‘em up, an’ gorge m’self. Then I’d drink some water from melted snow, like m’da taught me to do.”

“Indeed, and Hart, what would you do next?” Baelin asked.

“Go and kill those wolves or drive them off,” the giant of a man grunted. “They might attack me while I’m sleeping or eat my food supply. Then I’d fortify the cave.”

“Good, and after that?” Baelin pushed.

“I…don’t know…probably see if there’s other people around,” Hart said, looking at the pyramid. “Oh, wait, I see what’s happening. After I found people, I’d get a lot more comfortable. Maybe we’d build a settlement together, or I’d move into theirs. More protection in numbers. I’d wanna knowif I was doing a good job, because—if I was just being a shit—then maybe they kick me out of the settlement and it gets harder for me to live.”

“Aye, I got it now!” Cedric snapped his fingers. “Then when everyone’s all safe an’ well-fed an’ I’m feelin’ like I’m pullin’ my own weight, then—if I gots any time to m’self—maybe I start thinkin’ about why I woke up in this strange land. What Uldar—er, any deity’s plan is for me an’ such.”

“Very good.” Baelin applauded. “And the reason why this hierarchy is considered a hierarchy is because—in general—all mortal sapient creatures must fulfil needs at the bottom of the pyramid before they fulfil higher needs. If you sit about in the snow, trying to consider your place in the universe? Then you will freeze to death. Now, this is where demons and devils differ. The same with engeli.”

He tapped the bottom of the illusionary pyramid once more. “Take the foundational level and replace it with something completely different. Otherworldly creatures—such as demons and devils—do not require food, water or air in most cases. They usually are tied to a concept which serves to feed their energies.”

His hand clenched in a fist. “A demon of violence would need to surround itself with violence or fall prey to madness and frenzy. A devil of courage could not tolerate even the beginnings of cowardice or reluctance in their presence. A demon of lust…well, you know.”

Khalik, Alex, Theresa and Thundar chuckled.

“But yes, that is the major difference,” Baelin said. “You have an otherworldly being that must fulfil needs that would be mostly superfluous to us as a means of their survival. What that means is that a ‘well-fed’ demon might appear to act much like a mortal, but do keep in mind that—above all—demons are creatures of chaos that must fulfil whatever concept drives them.”

“Right…” Cedric said. “An’ this big boss we’re goin’ t’be smashin’ up—well, that you’re goin’ t’be smashin’ up—what needs does he got?”

“A very good question. Would someone else like to answer?”

Alex raised his hand. “Ikarrash is a creature of fear, as are his three sons. So their realm is filled with terror.”

“Exactly,” Baelin said. “And?”

“That brings us to our first hurdle,” Alex continued. “The Terror-Field.”