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<blockquote data-quote="Enk&amp;D'Shai" data-source="post: 594013" data-attributes="member: 7569"><p><strong>"The Greater Good," or "Meepo Claus is Comin' to Town!"</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">Rel should never do</span></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">that which he has done to us:</span></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">writing mismatched poems</span> </p><p></p><p>We are NOT posting in haiku.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">Three syllables used </span></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">is not the standard haiku. </span></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">Use five, seven, five.</span> </p><p></p><p>Look, I'm not kiddin' here.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">Worm is really strong, </span></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">his half brother Pack is not.</span></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">HULK should be happy.</span> </p><p></p><p>By the way folks, sorry about the long time between posts - the holidays can really be murder on a guy. Oh, and whatever D'Shai is too.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">Pirates on the sea,</span></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">eyepatches, and swashed buckles</span></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">make me say"Arr, mates!"</span></p><p></p><p>Will you stop doing that!</p><p></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">The Tip O' the Day: </span></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">"Never let your inlaws stay </span></p><p><span style="color: skyblue">on a holiday."</span></p><p></p><p>See what I have to put up with?</p><p></p><p>Enjoy!</p><p></p><p><span style="color: skyblue"> I almost forgot - it's Enk's fault!</span></p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>"The Greater Good," or "Meepo Claus is Comin' to Town!"</p><p></p><p><em>He swam in a sea of pain, foundering in its madness. Red waves washed over him again and again, choking the life out of him as he struggled to keep his head above the foam. Worse, a great weight lay on his back and chest: pushing him down, dragging him towards the death awaiting him below in the darkness. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>He swam for his life, away from dangers he knew and toward dangers unknown, knowing that even if he were to escape from his unseen foes, his doom still drew nigh, and his strength would soon falter, and he would be dragged into the depths of pain, never to breathe the clean air.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>He swam in fear, and brought his head up in one last desperate cry…</em></p><p></p><p>Ander’s voice croaked as he opened his eyes and shuddered. “Ander’s awake!” The halfling nearly sprinted across the floor to the woodsman’s bed and grabbed the young man’s larger hand with both of his smaller ones.</p><p></p><p>“I may be awake, but am I alive?” the ranger asked weakly. </p><p></p><p>“Most assuredly, my friend,” said Ashrem, “though it was quite a close thing.” The feloine sounded haggard, as if he hadn’t slept in days.</p><p></p><p>“You gave us quite a fright, lad.” Theo’s usual rumble had a note of relief in it. “But tis good to see you awake again.”</p><p></p><p>“More like its good to be…” Ander stopped mid-sentence and had a short coughing fit. </p><p></p><p>“Don’t strain yourself, Ander!” Aurora’s voice sounded as if it was about to crack, “It would be a shame to lose you, when I… we, just got you back.”</p><p></p><p>“Ha, She’s right, lad. Lie back and rest for a while.”</p><p></p><p>“Someone want to tell me what I missed?”</p><p></p><p>“Oh! Me! Me!” Pack jumped up and down as the words flowed out of his mouth like a waterfall. “First you grabbed the dragon and tried to pick it up and then you drank a potion and then the goblins came and fell on the ice and then…”</p><p></p><p>“Pack, Pack! I was there for that, “Ander broke in. His voice seemed strained, though he wore a weary smile on his face, “what happened after?”</p><p></p><p>“Well, you told us to run and then…”</p><p></p><p>Theo’s rumble interrupted the halfling, “Pack, as colorful as your recollections are, let’s cover all of that as we agreed while Ander slept. And, now that he is awake, I’d say that this is as good a time as any. Do you feel up to it, son?”</p><p></p><p>The woodsman looked up at the older man. “Feel up to what?”</p><p></p><p>“A Cloud Council, Ander, a Cloud Council.”</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>Meepo paced back and forth in the small pantry. Grismth was late, though that suited the kobold since his mind was still reeling with the past days events. The Rora Angel and the outsiders continued to confuse the kobold: he knew that the Angel was here to teach him the Scorched god’s ways, but they were so very different from the clan’s teachings. </p><p></p><p>He was most disturbed by the actions of the Soultaker and the outsiders especially where they concerned the Lifemate. By clan law, when the Lifemate collapsed from an obviously mortal wound after reaching the clan hold, he should have been stripped of his belongings by other warriors eager to gain his gear and weapons. Instead, the Angel followers worked together as a team to save the Lifemate. </p><p></p><p>Meepo remembered jumping down from Rora’s arms and watching as the small Wailing One stepped out of the Soultaker’s backsack and pushed his fingers and a rag cloth deep into the wound while the Soultaker himself pulled the iron arrow from Lifemate’s chest. At first Meepo had thought that the dark warrior was escorting the life essence to the scorched one, but then the armored Thunderer laid his glowing hands to Lifemate’s chest. Again and again the Thunderer bellowed until finally, just as Meepo’s had after Cal’s hugs, the wound began to close. Afterwards they sat around the warrior, anointing him with water and covering him with blankets, and Meepo knew that they felt scared like he had when Cal was missing. More concerning to the small kobold was that he had felt the same way about the large warrior: he didn’t even take the Lifemate’s carved fighting stick which was lying right next to him. </p><p></p><p>Meepo had heard that while he was away, getting Cal back into her cage and reporting to Yusdrayl, the heroes didn’t even leave their room or allow visitors in. The Queen had banned him from seeing the outsiders until after the celebration feast, which was to be held in two torches time, even though she had talked with them since then. It hadn’t taken long for him to realize that he missed being with the odd outworlders and hearing their strange speak. He was able to understand many of their words now and he liked it when the Angel spoke to him. </p><p></p><p>“Strange ones those outsiders, yes?” The soft voice startled Meepo and he turned and growled at Grismth’s dark shape as it emerged from behind the storage shelves. Many in the clan did not like the stealthy kobold, but Meepo had found his shadowy gifts and goblin contacts quite useful in finding food and trinkets for Cal. </p><p></p><p>“You get them?” the Angel-touched kobold asked. </p><p></p><p>“Yes Dragon-Keeper, but not without price,” the kobold sneak replied, motioning for Meepo to follow. </p><p></p><p>The pair walked out of the small room through the great hall where the clan could be seen hanging goblin heads in preparation for the victory feast. Both he and Grismth paused and glanced suspiciously around before entering a small side room usually reserved for prisoners. The room was now empty, except for a large pool of blood and a bag in the far corner. </p><p></p><p>Grismth walked over to the large bag and reached inside… </p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>Theo looked around the makeshift circle, meeting each member’s gaze. Pack stood to his left, followed by Ashrem. The feloine stood close by Ander, who lay in his bed, and Aurora, who nearly hovered over the ranger, flanked the woodsman on the other side. Then the aging cleric glanced down at the simple wooden rod in his hands and spun it, gazing at the intricate knot-work. After a few long moments, he cleared his throat and began.</p><p></p><p>“As I have already told you, this is a Cloud Council. Since the foundation of the faith, this council has stood as the true testament of Zuras’ will and the true voice of the church. Like the thunder, each member will have his voice heard; and like the lightning, we shall swiftly carry out our decision. </p><p></p><p>‘With Zuras’ voice, so shall we speak, and, if we speak true his guidance shall be granted. As the Thunderhead I shall mediate, but first I shall explain the proceedings. </p><p></p><p>‘I will begin by speaking the facts as they have been presented to us; once I have done that the Storm shall begin. This rod that I hold in my hand is called the Spark. It ignites the session and allows you to speak freely, without fear of repercussions and without judgment on your opinion. When it is your turn you shall take the Spark, state your name, and voice your opinion. Once it is in your hand, it is your duty to speak on the topic presented to either try and sway others to your side or reinforce someone else’s opinion. When you are finished, you will pass the Spark to next member and assume the duty of listening. At no time may you interrupt or question another member, though while you hold the Spark you may pose a question to be answered by someone down the chain. Once the Spark has come full circle to me, I shall calm the Storm by stepping down as the Thunderhead and speak my own opinion until the call for vote comes. At this time, the Spark will again be passed: but on this pass each of you will be required to vote or abstain before passing it on. When again the Spark reaches me I will vote and announce the path we will undertake. </p><p></p><p>“Are we ready to begin?” The solemn nods of his companions told the priest that they understood the serious nature of this meeting. So with a deep breath he gripped the spark and began. </p><p></p><p>“Often in life we are forced to make difficult choices. None are more difficult than that which lies before us. As a reward for our efforts against the goblins and the return of their clan ‘totem’, Yusdrayl has kept her promise and informed us that the kidnapped children were taken by the clan’s old master in order to be sacrificed under the new moon. The new moon rises in a little more than a two weeks and the Master’s castle is deep within the Icemist Mountain and many dangers stand between us.” </p><p></p><p>Theo glanced at the bed-ridden woodsman, ensuring that he had a chance to soak up this new information before he continued. “Overland, we would be hard pressed to even reach the mountain in that time as the snows have already started to fall up there, not to mention the barbarian tribes, polar worms, and ice trolls.” Theo watched as Ander’s face set itself in a steely mask, and the ranger took a breath as if to say something, but Theo continued in order to stop the interruption. “We, however, have been given an alternative route: the same route that the kobolds themselves took to arrive in the underground castle we stand in now.”</p><p></p><p>“Deep beneath this citadel is a trade route that the goblins and goblinkin use to avoid surface detection - a route that leads right into the Master’s lands. We have been given, by Yusdrayl, a key.” As if on cue, Pack dug out and held up a large golden key.</p><p></p><p>“That key,” the priest continued, “will open a door to a way that will lead us around the kobold’s enemies, down through the Citadel, and out to this underground road. But this is where the dilemma presents itself.”</p><p></p><p>The older man looked around at his younger companions and paused. For much of the time Ander had been out, the remaining four had quietly argued back and forth about this problem. As he scanned each face, he saw more than a few glances at woodsman, as if each person hoped he would be able to make a final decision. <em>Even I am looking to him, I suppose.</em> “The lands beneath the citadel are also home to a demon. A demon trapped in the soul of a tree. A demon that has been awakened, and even though it remains trapped, it is spreading his evil across our lands.”</p><p></p><p>“What!” Ander cried, before Aurora laid a gently restraining hand on his shoulder.</p><p></p><p>Theo rushed through the rest of his speech: “Even now, this demon spawns unholy children in the form of walking brambles. It looks as if the twiglings we fought on our trip here were more of its children. Even as we rest here this blight is blanketing the land and nearing our homes. So here is the decision we must make – do we go and destroy the tree on our way to save the children, or do we go directly to the children and bypass the tree?” Theo paused a moment, and handed the Spark to Pack.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>“This one very costly, had to trade to get it from goblin leader hands. You could got much more for less. It not special, no smell like magic” Grismth proclaimed as he drew a small dagger from the sack. </p><p></p><p>“It special.” Meepo smiled as his partner handed him the small thin blade. The kobold warrior knew that the small Wailing One would prance and wail when he handed him back his precious fighting instrument, for he had heard him crying about it while they anointed Lifemate. </p><p></p><p>“And Magic.” He said lastly as the image of the Wailing One continued its dance in his head. </p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>Theo looked expectantly at the halfling, and for a moment, the bard seemed lost. Then, with a deep breath, as if ready to deliver a long and flowery speech, he began. “I am Roscoe P. Tosscobble, called Pack by my friends. You know, we’re heroes, the Heroes from Icemist. This is what heroes do. We’ve fought goblins and subdued a dragon. People are going to tell stories about us. I don’t want those stories to be about how we let a demon corrupt the land. We should go after the demon, and do it right now, because that’s what heroes do.” Then the halfling held out the rod to Ashrem, continuing the circle.</p><p></p><p>For a moment, Ashrem simply looked at the halfling and then the rod, as if expecting the normally wordy halfling to have more to say. Then, with a sigh, he held out his hand and accepted the Spark.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>“This one very easy. Very nice too.” The sneaky kobold muttered from deep within the bag breaking Meepo from his trance. The angel touched kobold watched as Grismth emerged from the bag holding a pair of white gloves. The claw coverings seemed to shimmer in the torchlight much like the icy scales on Cal’s back where the plates came from to mold the gloves in the first place. </p><p></p><p>“Soft scales from hatchling make good claw covers. I keep this one for all payment?” the shifty thief asked with a smile. Meepo’s quick snatch of the pair seemed answer enough as the sneak growled and turned back toward the bag. Meepo knew that if he let Grismth keep the gloves then Soultaker’s claws might take more for payment when he found that the present was meant for him. <em>The Soultaker claws too sharp for any other covering but these. </em></p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>The aging priest could tell he had perplexed the scout by making sure he would have his turn in the Council before Ander, for Ashrem simply stood there, glancing first at the rod in his hands, and then at the ranger to his left. <em>One day that cub will learn to make his own decisions.</em></p><p></p><p>“I am Ashrem the Feloine.” The scout barked out his name as if answering a roll call, but his voice softened as he continued. “In many ways, I agree with the idea of taking the fight to the demon. However, I do not believe that fighting the demon now is tactically sound. Demons are among the most terrible and fell of opponents, and we should not take the existence of one lightly: if we were to fight this demon, it is quite possible that some of us will be incapacitated and bedridden, much like Ander. Worse, we could be killed to a man, and the children would then be sacrificed with no hope of rescue.”</p><p></p><p>“Though I find it distasteful, I believe that our first duty is to those we promised to help. We should therefore go straight to where the children are being held, and then deal with this matter in a more strategic fashion.” Then, with military precision, the scout laid the rod in Ander’s hand.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>“This also cost much, not many outsider weapons down here. Fewer made of iron.” Meepo could tell that Grismth was still offended about the gloves from the hissing breaths between each word, but the dragon-keeper paid no heed to it and instead focused on the large sword the sneak pulled from the sack. The blade was taller than either kobold, but only slightly thicker than the small Wailing One’s dagger: it was truly a weapon more fitting than a carved stick for a warrior of the Lifemate’s status, despite the many small nicks and spots of rusts. <em>Now Dung-grubbers will fear Lifemate the sword-wielder, not shoot at the stick-basher. </em></p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>Ander sat for a long while, looking at the rod resting on his belly. He had set it there and brought a hand to his forehead, rubbing it as if it hurt. Theo studied him as he did: the ranger had recovered from his wounds with the aid of magical healing, but the aging cleric was unsure if the damage done to his spirit had healed as quickly. Having seen his fair share of soldiers fall in the wars, Theo knew how hard it could be for a young man to be faced with his own mortality. <em>He’ll be fine in time, no doubt, young men are resilient.</em> Finally, Ander lifted the Spark.</p><p></p><p>“I am…” the woodsman began to hack and cough uncontrollably. When his wet coughs finally subsided, he continued, “I am sure you all have been talking about this for sometime, so I hope what I’m going to say won’t be ground you already covered. As I see it, there are two choices – we can either go straight north to the mountains and save the kids, or we can go to our deaths and fight a demon. That seems to be what you two have already said.”</p><p></p><p>“But from what I’ve seen, we don’t really have a choice.” <em>Well, he certainly made his decision quickly, so quickly he didn’t follow the Cloud Council forms. I wonder if he was as asleep as he seemed…</em> “When we were ambushed by those twig men, we beat them pretty handily, but can you imagine if we had half a dozen kids in tow? All it would take is one more ambush like that and we would lose some of them, maybe even all of them. Plus, if this demon tree keeps making more twig men, then there will be even more of them when we go back home. No, the way I see it, we have to take out this demon tree if we want to have any hope of getting those kids home.” As soon as he finished, Ander handed the rod to Aurora and laid his head back as if exhausted from his speech.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>“These will be for the Angel, yes?” Meepo almost dropped the Lifemate’s gift when he saw the shiny jewels that Grismth now held out in his clawed hand. The two small gems sparkled as they caught the torchlight, bending the streams out at odd angles. The gazing kobold lowered the sword to the stone floor and put his hand out to receive the perfect gift. </p><p></p><p>“They not money stones but markings make them fun. They cheap too. I win them in bone throws, knew you would like.” Grismth proclaimed puffing his chest out in emphasis as he handed the stones to the dragon keeper. </p><p></p><p>Meepo stared at the perfect stones, shifting them so that the light played and danced off the cut edges. After a moment’s wonderment the kobold stopped and noticed that each stone was grooved with small designs on each facing, and no two designs were the same. He also noticed that the larger of the two stones was not cut into a perfect box like the first but had more sides. Meepo could tell that the thief was right in saying that they were beautiful though not made from precious stone. He smiled knowing that Rora Angel would appreciate them even if Cal would have spit them back in his face. </p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p></p><p>“I am Aurora.” Theo watched the young lady intently. As long as the priest had known the girl she had seemed as skittish as a doe, but recently she had begun to show a more, well, forceful side. He liked it; it reminded him of his wife. <em>I tell, you, girl, when this is all over, if that boy next to you doesn’t do something to make an honest women out of you, then I’ll beat him and then I’ll beat you for not making him!</em></p><p></p><p>“I know that some of you thought, for whatever reason, that I shouldn’t have come along when we first started out. There are times I think you’re right: maybe I shouldn’t have. But I do know that if we walk past this abomination without destroying it or somehow warning Icemist of the danger they are in, then I’ll wish that I never did come along.” Aurora let steel creep into her voice as she spoke. </p><p></p><p>“You speak of tactics, Ashrem, and I can tell you I don’t know anything about them; but I can tell you no amount of tactics will be enough to stop this demonic tree if we allow it to gather its strength or break free from its prison. Ander, you talk about saving the children and having to protect them from these things as we race home, and I agree, but I also add: what if we have no home to race to? The nearest village, Winterlocke, is a week’s march away during the height of spring, and by the time we get the children and get back, we won’t have time to flee south before the snows start should this creature have destroyed or invaded Icemist.”</p><p></p><p>“I also might remind you that these twiglings might be the cause of the Barbarian troubles. Have you forgotten the concerns that Chris the Reeve has about Festival should the problems with the missing livestock not be solved and the clans declare war on each other? Icemist depends on Festival to support it and I believe that if we defeat this abyssal tree and show proof to the clans that their livestock is safe, we can save festival as well as the children.” Aurora paused a moment and regained some of her composure.</p><p></p><p>She continued in a quieter tone. “We know the children are safe until the new moon. We also know that the demon is trapped within the tree. In my studies at the Academy in Tor, I learned that when the demons were defeated in the Great War the Veil which allows access between planes was permanently closed. This means that nothing can cross, summoned or otherwise. All the demons who were here when it happened are now stuck here, and more importantly it means that this is now their prime plane. More precisely, it means that they can be killed…permanently.”</p><p></p><p>“If this demon is trapped within the soul of the tree, then if we kill the tree, we kill the demon. Forever.” With that, Aurora passed the Spark back to Theo.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>“Ah, last gift here.” Grismth said as the door to the room was banged opened by two new kobolds caring a large object draped in a worn tarp. Meepo stowed the gems in his waist sack and ambled over next to the twin workers. He knew what was under the tarp but he still found himself getting excited over this last gift. It was really intended for the whole group but since he had no gift for the Thunderer, he decided to present it to him. </p><p></p><p>Pulling hard the dragon keeper yanked the heavy oilcloth off, revealing a large sturdy wooden door. It was still a mystery why the Rora Angel and her outsiders were so interested in doors: the Soultaker was always checking and testing them. The Angel had even interrogated him about them on two separate occasions, including one where she seemed to think a door would help them beat the goblins behind the guarded wall. The Thunderer would surely be pleased by such a great outworlder status symbol! </p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>Theo absentmindedly traced the worn patterns on the Spark. “I am Theobald Hillshire of Icemist.” He said the words without thinking, more from habit than anything else, and then scanned the faces of his companions. “I have been thinking about what I should say, now that I hold the Spark. I could tell you stories about how a single demon would rip through a company of men during the Demon Wars so you could understand just how dangerous this demon could be. I could tell you about the hordes of refugees and how only one in five made it safely through demon occupied lands, the rest going to feed some demon’s belly.”</p><p></p><p>“I could tell you those things, but I’m not going to. Instead I’m going to say that I agree with Aurora. My nephew is still back in Icemist, as is his lovely wife. Until you brought it to mind, lass, I don’t think I ever really know how much danger they could be in. Zuras strike me if I let my family die for my folly.”</p><p></p><p>“And now it is time to vote.” Theo handed the rod to his left.</p><p></p><p>“We should go to the demon tree and defeat it if we can.” The rod passed clockwise.</p><p></p><p>“Yes, to the tree.”</p><p></p><p>“Tree.”</p><p></p><p>“We destroy the tree.”</p><p></p><p>Theo accepted the rod from Aurora. “I suppose that makes it unanimous, then. This Cloud Council is now ended, and Pack’s Heroes from Icemist,” the old man favored the bard with a wink, “will destroy the demon tree underneath this sunless citadel.”</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>Next Time!</p><p></p><p>"Let Sleeping Dragon's Lie," or "This Ain't No Sleeping Beauty!"</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Enk&D'Shai, post: 594013, member: 7569"] [b]"The Greater Good," or "Meepo Claus is Comin' to Town!"[/b] [COLOR=skyblue]Rel should never do that which he has done to us: writing mismatched poems[/COLOR] We are NOT posting in haiku. [COLOR=skyblue]Three syllables used is not the standard haiku. Use five, seven, five.[/COLOR] Look, I'm not kiddin' here. [COLOR=skyblue]Worm is really strong, his half brother Pack is not. HULK should be happy.[/COLOR] By the way folks, sorry about the long time between posts - the holidays can really be murder on a guy. Oh, and whatever D'Shai is too. [COLOR=skyblue]Pirates on the sea, eyepatches, and swashed buckles make me say"Arr, mates!"[/COLOR] Will you stop doing that! [COLOR=skyblue]The Tip O' the Day: "Never let your inlaws stay on a holiday."[/COLOR] See what I have to put up with? Enjoy! [COLOR=skyblue] I almost forgot - it's Enk's fault![/COLOR] ***** "The Greater Good," or "Meepo Claus is Comin' to Town!" [I]He swam in a sea of pain, foundering in its madness. Red waves washed over him again and again, choking the life out of him as he struggled to keep his head above the foam. Worse, a great weight lay on his back and chest: pushing him down, dragging him towards the death awaiting him below in the darkness. He swam for his life, away from dangers he knew and toward dangers unknown, knowing that even if he were to escape from his unseen foes, his doom still drew nigh, and his strength would soon falter, and he would be dragged into the depths of pain, never to breathe the clean air. He swam in fear, and brought his head up in one last desperate cry…[/I] Ander’s voice croaked as he opened his eyes and shuddered. “Ander’s awake!” The halfling nearly sprinted across the floor to the woodsman’s bed and grabbed the young man’s larger hand with both of his smaller ones. “I may be awake, but am I alive?” the ranger asked weakly. “Most assuredly, my friend,” said Ashrem, “though it was quite a close thing.” The feloine sounded haggard, as if he hadn’t slept in days. “You gave us quite a fright, lad.” Theo’s usual rumble had a note of relief in it. “But tis good to see you awake again.” “More like its good to be…” Ander stopped mid-sentence and had a short coughing fit. “Don’t strain yourself, Ander!” Aurora’s voice sounded as if it was about to crack, “It would be a shame to lose you, when I… we, just got you back.” “Ha, She’s right, lad. Lie back and rest for a while.” “Someone want to tell me what I missed?” “Oh! Me! Me!” Pack jumped up and down as the words flowed out of his mouth like a waterfall. “First you grabbed the dragon and tried to pick it up and then you drank a potion and then the goblins came and fell on the ice and then…” “Pack, Pack! I was there for that, “Ander broke in. His voice seemed strained, though he wore a weary smile on his face, “what happened after?” “Well, you told us to run and then…” Theo’s rumble interrupted the halfling, “Pack, as colorful as your recollections are, let’s cover all of that as we agreed while Ander slept. And, now that he is awake, I’d say that this is as good a time as any. Do you feel up to it, son?” The woodsman looked up at the older man. “Feel up to what?” “A Cloud Council, Ander, a Cloud Council.” *** Meepo paced back and forth in the small pantry. Grismth was late, though that suited the kobold since his mind was still reeling with the past days events. The Rora Angel and the outsiders continued to confuse the kobold: he knew that the Angel was here to teach him the Scorched god’s ways, but they were so very different from the clan’s teachings. He was most disturbed by the actions of the Soultaker and the outsiders especially where they concerned the Lifemate. By clan law, when the Lifemate collapsed from an obviously mortal wound after reaching the clan hold, he should have been stripped of his belongings by other warriors eager to gain his gear and weapons. Instead, the Angel followers worked together as a team to save the Lifemate. Meepo remembered jumping down from Rora’s arms and watching as the small Wailing One stepped out of the Soultaker’s backsack and pushed his fingers and a rag cloth deep into the wound while the Soultaker himself pulled the iron arrow from Lifemate’s chest. At first Meepo had thought that the dark warrior was escorting the life essence to the scorched one, but then the armored Thunderer laid his glowing hands to Lifemate’s chest. Again and again the Thunderer bellowed until finally, just as Meepo’s had after Cal’s hugs, the wound began to close. Afterwards they sat around the warrior, anointing him with water and covering him with blankets, and Meepo knew that they felt scared like he had when Cal was missing. More concerning to the small kobold was that he had felt the same way about the large warrior: he didn’t even take the Lifemate’s carved fighting stick which was lying right next to him. Meepo had heard that while he was away, getting Cal back into her cage and reporting to Yusdrayl, the heroes didn’t even leave their room or allow visitors in. The Queen had banned him from seeing the outsiders until after the celebration feast, which was to be held in two torches time, even though she had talked with them since then. It hadn’t taken long for him to realize that he missed being with the odd outworlders and hearing their strange speak. He was able to understand many of their words now and he liked it when the Angel spoke to him. “Strange ones those outsiders, yes?” The soft voice startled Meepo and he turned and growled at Grismth’s dark shape as it emerged from behind the storage shelves. Many in the clan did not like the stealthy kobold, but Meepo had found his shadowy gifts and goblin contacts quite useful in finding food and trinkets for Cal. “You get them?” the Angel-touched kobold asked. “Yes Dragon-Keeper, but not without price,” the kobold sneak replied, motioning for Meepo to follow. The pair walked out of the small room through the great hall where the clan could be seen hanging goblin heads in preparation for the victory feast. Both he and Grismth paused and glanced suspiciously around before entering a small side room usually reserved for prisoners. The room was now empty, except for a large pool of blood and a bag in the far corner. Grismth walked over to the large bag and reached inside… *** Theo looked around the makeshift circle, meeting each member’s gaze. Pack stood to his left, followed by Ashrem. The feloine stood close by Ander, who lay in his bed, and Aurora, who nearly hovered over the ranger, flanked the woodsman on the other side. Then the aging cleric glanced down at the simple wooden rod in his hands and spun it, gazing at the intricate knot-work. After a few long moments, he cleared his throat and began. “As I have already told you, this is a Cloud Council. Since the foundation of the faith, this council has stood as the true testament of Zuras’ will and the true voice of the church. Like the thunder, each member will have his voice heard; and like the lightning, we shall swiftly carry out our decision. ‘With Zuras’ voice, so shall we speak, and, if we speak true his guidance shall be granted. As the Thunderhead I shall mediate, but first I shall explain the proceedings. ‘I will begin by speaking the facts as they have been presented to us; once I have done that the Storm shall begin. This rod that I hold in my hand is called the Spark. It ignites the session and allows you to speak freely, without fear of repercussions and without judgment on your opinion. When it is your turn you shall take the Spark, state your name, and voice your opinion. Once it is in your hand, it is your duty to speak on the topic presented to either try and sway others to your side or reinforce someone else’s opinion. When you are finished, you will pass the Spark to next member and assume the duty of listening. At no time may you interrupt or question another member, though while you hold the Spark you may pose a question to be answered by someone down the chain. Once the Spark has come full circle to me, I shall calm the Storm by stepping down as the Thunderhead and speak my own opinion until the call for vote comes. At this time, the Spark will again be passed: but on this pass each of you will be required to vote or abstain before passing it on. When again the Spark reaches me I will vote and announce the path we will undertake. “Are we ready to begin?” The solemn nods of his companions told the priest that they understood the serious nature of this meeting. So with a deep breath he gripped the spark and began. “Often in life we are forced to make difficult choices. None are more difficult than that which lies before us. As a reward for our efforts against the goblins and the return of their clan ‘totem’, Yusdrayl has kept her promise and informed us that the kidnapped children were taken by the clan’s old master in order to be sacrificed under the new moon. The new moon rises in a little more than a two weeks and the Master’s castle is deep within the Icemist Mountain and many dangers stand between us.” Theo glanced at the bed-ridden woodsman, ensuring that he had a chance to soak up this new information before he continued. “Overland, we would be hard pressed to even reach the mountain in that time as the snows have already started to fall up there, not to mention the barbarian tribes, polar worms, and ice trolls.” Theo watched as Ander’s face set itself in a steely mask, and the ranger took a breath as if to say something, but Theo continued in order to stop the interruption. “We, however, have been given an alternative route: the same route that the kobolds themselves took to arrive in the underground castle we stand in now.” “Deep beneath this citadel is a trade route that the goblins and goblinkin use to avoid surface detection - a route that leads right into the Master’s lands. We have been given, by Yusdrayl, a key.” As if on cue, Pack dug out and held up a large golden key. “That key,” the priest continued, “will open a door to a way that will lead us around the kobold’s enemies, down through the Citadel, and out to this underground road. But this is where the dilemma presents itself.” The older man looked around at his younger companions and paused. For much of the time Ander had been out, the remaining four had quietly argued back and forth about this problem. As he scanned each face, he saw more than a few glances at woodsman, as if each person hoped he would be able to make a final decision. [I]Even I am looking to him, I suppose.[/I] “The lands beneath the citadel are also home to a demon. A demon trapped in the soul of a tree. A demon that has been awakened, and even though it remains trapped, it is spreading his evil across our lands.” “What!” Ander cried, before Aurora laid a gently restraining hand on his shoulder. Theo rushed through the rest of his speech: “Even now, this demon spawns unholy children in the form of walking brambles. It looks as if the twiglings we fought on our trip here were more of its children. Even as we rest here this blight is blanketing the land and nearing our homes. So here is the decision we must make – do we go and destroy the tree on our way to save the children, or do we go directly to the children and bypass the tree?” Theo paused a moment, and handed the Spark to Pack. *** “This one very costly, had to trade to get it from goblin leader hands. You could got much more for less. It not special, no smell like magic” Grismth proclaimed as he drew a small dagger from the sack. “It special.” Meepo smiled as his partner handed him the small thin blade. The kobold warrior knew that the small Wailing One would prance and wail when he handed him back his precious fighting instrument, for he had heard him crying about it while they anointed Lifemate. “And Magic.” He said lastly as the image of the Wailing One continued its dance in his head. *** Theo looked expectantly at the halfling, and for a moment, the bard seemed lost. Then, with a deep breath, as if ready to deliver a long and flowery speech, he began. “I am Roscoe P. Tosscobble, called Pack by my friends. You know, we’re heroes, the Heroes from Icemist. This is what heroes do. We’ve fought goblins and subdued a dragon. People are going to tell stories about us. I don’t want those stories to be about how we let a demon corrupt the land. We should go after the demon, and do it right now, because that’s what heroes do.” Then the halfling held out the rod to Ashrem, continuing the circle. For a moment, Ashrem simply looked at the halfling and then the rod, as if expecting the normally wordy halfling to have more to say. Then, with a sigh, he held out his hand and accepted the Spark. *** “This one very easy. Very nice too.” The sneaky kobold muttered from deep within the bag breaking Meepo from his trance. The angel touched kobold watched as Grismth emerged from the bag holding a pair of white gloves. The claw coverings seemed to shimmer in the torchlight much like the icy scales on Cal’s back where the plates came from to mold the gloves in the first place. “Soft scales from hatchling make good claw covers. I keep this one for all payment?” the shifty thief asked with a smile. Meepo’s quick snatch of the pair seemed answer enough as the sneak growled and turned back toward the bag. Meepo knew that if he let Grismth keep the gloves then Soultaker’s claws might take more for payment when he found that the present was meant for him. [I]The Soultaker claws too sharp for any other covering but these. [/I] *** The aging priest could tell he had perplexed the scout by making sure he would have his turn in the Council before Ander, for Ashrem simply stood there, glancing first at the rod in his hands, and then at the ranger to his left. [I]One day that cub will learn to make his own decisions.[/I] “I am Ashrem the Feloine.” The scout barked out his name as if answering a roll call, but his voice softened as he continued. “In many ways, I agree with the idea of taking the fight to the demon. However, I do not believe that fighting the demon now is tactically sound. Demons are among the most terrible and fell of opponents, and we should not take the existence of one lightly: if we were to fight this demon, it is quite possible that some of us will be incapacitated and bedridden, much like Ander. Worse, we could be killed to a man, and the children would then be sacrificed with no hope of rescue.” “Though I find it distasteful, I believe that our first duty is to those we promised to help. We should therefore go straight to where the children are being held, and then deal with this matter in a more strategic fashion.” Then, with military precision, the scout laid the rod in Ander’s hand. *** “This also cost much, not many outsider weapons down here. Fewer made of iron.” Meepo could tell that Grismth was still offended about the gloves from the hissing breaths between each word, but the dragon-keeper paid no heed to it and instead focused on the large sword the sneak pulled from the sack. The blade was taller than either kobold, but only slightly thicker than the small Wailing One’s dagger: it was truly a weapon more fitting than a carved stick for a warrior of the Lifemate’s status, despite the many small nicks and spots of rusts. [I]Now Dung-grubbers will fear Lifemate the sword-wielder, not shoot at the stick-basher. [/I] *** Ander sat for a long while, looking at the rod resting on his belly. He had set it there and brought a hand to his forehead, rubbing it as if it hurt. Theo studied him as he did: the ranger had recovered from his wounds with the aid of magical healing, but the aging cleric was unsure if the damage done to his spirit had healed as quickly. Having seen his fair share of soldiers fall in the wars, Theo knew how hard it could be for a young man to be faced with his own mortality. [I]He’ll be fine in time, no doubt, young men are resilient.[/I] Finally, Ander lifted the Spark. “I am…” the woodsman began to hack and cough uncontrollably. When his wet coughs finally subsided, he continued, “I am sure you all have been talking about this for sometime, so I hope what I’m going to say won’t be ground you already covered. As I see it, there are two choices – we can either go straight north to the mountains and save the kids, or we can go to our deaths and fight a demon. That seems to be what you two have already said.” “But from what I’ve seen, we don’t really have a choice.” [I]Well, he certainly made his decision quickly, so quickly he didn’t follow the Cloud Council forms. I wonder if he was as asleep as he seemed…[/I] “When we were ambushed by those twig men, we beat them pretty handily, but can you imagine if we had half a dozen kids in tow? All it would take is one more ambush like that and we would lose some of them, maybe even all of them. Plus, if this demon tree keeps making more twig men, then there will be even more of them when we go back home. No, the way I see it, we have to take out this demon tree if we want to have any hope of getting those kids home.” As soon as he finished, Ander handed the rod to Aurora and laid his head back as if exhausted from his speech. *** “These will be for the Angel, yes?” Meepo almost dropped the Lifemate’s gift when he saw the shiny jewels that Grismth now held out in his clawed hand. The two small gems sparkled as they caught the torchlight, bending the streams out at odd angles. The gazing kobold lowered the sword to the stone floor and put his hand out to receive the perfect gift. “They not money stones but markings make them fun. They cheap too. I win them in bone throws, knew you would like.” Grismth proclaimed puffing his chest out in emphasis as he handed the stones to the dragon keeper. Meepo stared at the perfect stones, shifting them so that the light played and danced off the cut edges. After a moment’s wonderment the kobold stopped and noticed that each stone was grooved with small designs on each facing, and no two designs were the same. He also noticed that the larger of the two stones was not cut into a perfect box like the first but had more sides. Meepo could tell that the thief was right in saying that they were beautiful though not made from precious stone. He smiled knowing that Rora Angel would appreciate them even if Cal would have spit them back in his face. *** “I am Aurora.” Theo watched the young lady intently. As long as the priest had known the girl she had seemed as skittish as a doe, but recently she had begun to show a more, well, forceful side. He liked it; it reminded him of his wife. [I]I tell, you, girl, when this is all over, if that boy next to you doesn’t do something to make an honest women out of you, then I’ll beat him and then I’ll beat you for not making him![/I] “I know that some of you thought, for whatever reason, that I shouldn’t have come along when we first started out. There are times I think you’re right: maybe I shouldn’t have. But I do know that if we walk past this abomination without destroying it or somehow warning Icemist of the danger they are in, then I’ll wish that I never did come along.” Aurora let steel creep into her voice as she spoke. “You speak of tactics, Ashrem, and I can tell you I don’t know anything about them; but I can tell you no amount of tactics will be enough to stop this demonic tree if we allow it to gather its strength or break free from its prison. Ander, you talk about saving the children and having to protect them from these things as we race home, and I agree, but I also add: what if we have no home to race to? The nearest village, Winterlocke, is a week’s march away during the height of spring, and by the time we get the children and get back, we won’t have time to flee south before the snows start should this creature have destroyed or invaded Icemist.” “I also might remind you that these twiglings might be the cause of the Barbarian troubles. Have you forgotten the concerns that Chris the Reeve has about Festival should the problems with the missing livestock not be solved and the clans declare war on each other? Icemist depends on Festival to support it and I believe that if we defeat this abyssal tree and show proof to the clans that their livestock is safe, we can save festival as well as the children.” Aurora paused a moment and regained some of her composure. She continued in a quieter tone. “We know the children are safe until the new moon. We also know that the demon is trapped within the tree. In my studies at the Academy in Tor, I learned that when the demons were defeated in the Great War the Veil which allows access between planes was permanently closed. This means that nothing can cross, summoned or otherwise. All the demons who were here when it happened are now stuck here, and more importantly it means that this is now their prime plane. More precisely, it means that they can be killed…permanently.” “If this demon is trapped within the soul of the tree, then if we kill the tree, we kill the demon. Forever.” With that, Aurora passed the Spark back to Theo. *** “Ah, last gift here.” Grismth said as the door to the room was banged opened by two new kobolds caring a large object draped in a worn tarp. Meepo stowed the gems in his waist sack and ambled over next to the twin workers. He knew what was under the tarp but he still found himself getting excited over this last gift. It was really intended for the whole group but since he had no gift for the Thunderer, he decided to present it to him. Pulling hard the dragon keeper yanked the heavy oilcloth off, revealing a large sturdy wooden door. It was still a mystery why the Rora Angel and her outsiders were so interested in doors: the Soultaker was always checking and testing them. The Angel had even interrogated him about them on two separate occasions, including one where she seemed to think a door would help them beat the goblins behind the guarded wall. The Thunderer would surely be pleased by such a great outworlder status symbol! *** Theo absentmindedly traced the worn patterns on the Spark. “I am Theobald Hillshire of Icemist.” He said the words without thinking, more from habit than anything else, and then scanned the faces of his companions. “I have been thinking about what I should say, now that I hold the Spark. I could tell you stories about how a single demon would rip through a company of men during the Demon Wars so you could understand just how dangerous this demon could be. I could tell you about the hordes of refugees and how only one in five made it safely through demon occupied lands, the rest going to feed some demon’s belly.” “I could tell you those things, but I’m not going to. Instead I’m going to say that I agree with Aurora. My nephew is still back in Icemist, as is his lovely wife. Until you brought it to mind, lass, I don’t think I ever really know how much danger they could be in. Zuras strike me if I let my family die for my folly.” “And now it is time to vote.” Theo handed the rod to his left. “We should go to the demon tree and defeat it if we can.” The rod passed clockwise. “Yes, to the tree.” “Tree.” “We destroy the tree.” Theo accepted the rod from Aurora. “I suppose that makes it unanimous, then. This Cloud Council is now ended, and Pack’s Heroes from Icemist,” the old man favored the bard with a wink, “will destroy the demon tree underneath this sunless citadel.” ***** Next Time! "Let Sleeping Dragon's Lie," or "This Ain't No Sleeping Beauty!" [/QUOTE]
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