New Tavern Thread: The Hanged Man

[OnlytheStrong]

"I quite enjoy a good story, so feel free to tell any you wish." the girl continued as she pulled up a chair. The links of her chainmail shifted together with a light audible metallic sound as she sat upon the wooden seat.

Jynxx pulled up a chair and sat down quickly, "Allow me, my lady, to tell you the tale of a man known as Maven and his goliath brothers."

[sblock=Maven (warning, it's freaking long)]

"Manav was the son of the chief of his village. A tribe of what some would call savages, but what I like to refer to as natural people. They were more in tune with nature than all of our cities and even rivaled the mighty druids with their reverence of nature.

From the Tribe of the Bear Manav originated. He was blessed by the spirit of the creature, and indeed seemed to be more bear-like than I believe even he knew. The hulking goliath stood nearly 9ft tall, and was rumored to of once beaten a brown bear using his bare hands. That is a different story for a different time, and one that I would be more than eager to tell you.

His sword is what I want to speak of, a mighty and increasingly powerful artifact. While the truth behind who created the weapon is unknown even to a seeker of knowledge such as myself; it is known there was a soul in the weapon. The soul of a warrior known as Kelnae.

Kelnae was rumored to be chosen by the great spirit of the bear, and according to legend, it was the spirit that gave Kelnae the mighty greatsword. The sword became known as "The Guardian of Terrene," and is rumored to have powers that only increase as the being that wields it proves himself, or herself, worthy of such a weapon.

The greatsword was indeed a thing of beauty. Ancient runes are said to be etched along the blade. The translations vary, but are all similar. Most agree it translates to, "Spirits Gift to the Guardian Warrior." The blade itself was massive, most could not lift it. It's most outstanding feature was the double hooks that projected themselves back from the middle of the blade toward the weapons pommel. The pommel was capped with the sculpture of a dire bear, rumored to be the picture of the spirit which granted the blade it's power.

The bear's head... was in itself unique. It is said to appear as though it spoke to it's master, and many reported seeing it's eyes move."

Jynxx pauses shortly, sighs, then continues. "I only wish I could see such a weapon. I do fear that the weapons of legend such as this do not exist anymore, or are lost to time and stupor. I apologize, I will continue."

Kelnae did many great things in his life, but it was his death that lead him to Manav. Kelnae died as many legends did, in a battle that seemingly shaped the world. I dare not speak the name of the evil that he battled, but rest assured that it was the very essence of destruction. Death incarnate. Kelnae was mortally wounded when he managed to strike the final blow, the blow that forced the shadow back into their holes.

It was that final blow that the spirit of the bear was watching. It was that final blow that made Kelnae too powerful to die, too loved to be lost. That final blow made the spirit see why we creatures, the creatures on this plane, are indeed amazing. Everything was lost to Kelnae. His life, his power, his love, his very world; yet his arm was strong enough to push the world ahead. His strength allows me to sit by you now, telling you his story.

And so, as he lay dying on the field victorious, he was visited again by the spirits. He was given a choice. To become the power of the sword, to eternally fight against the darkness that had cost him so greatly; or to move on in spirit and rest in peace at last.

So great was Kelnae's fighting spirit that he could not give up, not even in death. He allowed the spirit to place his essence within the sword, and asked only one thing in return: that the sword be replaced among his tribe.

At this time the tribes were one, for they had not had their differences yet. The Guardian of Terrene was placed among the tribe as Kelnae had requested, and was held by the tribal leaders for many years. As we all know, memory is the victim of time; and so the weapon was lost without being lost.

The powers of the greatsword eventually stopped showing themselves, for none were deemed worthy by the spirits that be. The Guardian of Terrene went from a sword of legend, to a sword given to a young man named Manav so that he may train in the ways of the warrior.

I shall continue the story of Manav if you so desire, but I feel as though I am boring you with the talk of goliaths and the ancients. Many people only care of their own races' history, and so I can speak of the race of humans if you so desire."


ooc: Maven is a character I played in a table top game. One of my favorites. Just some "if you care" fyi. lol [/sblock]

 

[Wynter]

Alissa listened only passively at first, although she was soon unwittingly drawn into the story. Considering the striking similarities in the story and her own life, it was actually quite eerie at points. Goliaths, Spirits, destruction. Though these things were much a part of the world as anything else, to place them all together as one was fairly unusual. Especially when they all existed in her life, at least up until two years ago.

"This is quite the tale. I can safely say that I have nothing that can match it..." nothing that she could come up with from the tip of her tongue, that was. Alissa was never particularly gifted with a glib tongue, "Oh no, the...Goliath's have a history with a wealth of interesting..." Pausing for a moment, Alissa recognized that she shouldn't seem too interested in the Goliath way of life, but to respect it should be adequate, "...stuff. Where did you learn of such tales? Does this come from being a...soci...alite?"

[sblock=OOC]Haha! You did that on purpose didn't you! Good story.[/sblock]

 

[H.M.Gimlord]

"The back of the basement had a tunnel leading to a stream or river. Not that wide, but fairly brisk pace. The front of the basement was some kind of food and spirit storage. A fair amount of food and a glut of alcohol. Ensconced lanterns surrounded the room, providing fair light, without smoke," Jin recalled.

"No' 'nuff Aye'm 'fraid," the dwarf sighs, resting his head in the crook of his hand, "Smokeless lites ye say? Tha' be whale oil... Na tha' narra's i' dahn ta a sea-side tavren. Th' size o' the cellah seems 'bit big far a tavren. Mye'be an inn. An'a good one a'that, seein'as i' was well lit an'all. Anythin' else ye 'membar?"

 

[BenBrown]

"No' 'nuff Aye'm 'fraid," the dwarf sighs, resting his head in the crook of his hand, "Smokeless lites ye say? Tha' be whale oil... Na tha' narra's i' dahn ta a sea-side tavren. Th' size o' the cellah seems 'bit big far a tavren. Mye'be an inn. An'a good one a'that, seein'as i' was well lit an'all. Anythin' else ye 'membar?"

"Fenwick inside whole time. Fenwick think Rujah look out of basement door at street, before Talon find secret passage in beer barrel. Silly thing to be in barrel."

Fenwick looks around. "Rujah not here yet. When Rujah arrive, Rujah add corroborative detail."

 

[Tomalak]

[sblock=Judges only, please]I'd like to log the following action outside any specific adventure:

Minharath, in the hours between leaving the tavern and traveling to the emporium, goes to a nearby temple of Juna. As Minharath is a member of a smaller priesthood friendly to the primary church of Juna in the isles, he has arranged to invest whatever assets he attains into the church, to be returned with interest in the construction of a churchouse dedicated to the order. This is an arrangement that has been made before by the dedicated of Minharath's order, who serve a specific aspect of Juna that is not discordant to the church's plans.
(OOC: I really need to get around to writing up the order, so I can give it a name. Maybe I'll have time in the next couple days...
Minharath is investing 35gp, in addition to any resources he delivered upon arriving in Daunton, toward an eventual withdrawal to pay for construction of a new shrine/temple.)[/sblock]

 

[OnlytheStrong]

"Where did you learn of such tales? Does this come from being a...soci...alite?"

Jynxx sits back in his chair, "A story such as that has been handed down. I learned such tales as I learned all the others, by listening to people that most deem not worth their time. The elderly have loose tongues, and are more than willing to share the knowledge they possess. Their worth is... more than any kings treasure."

"A man near my homeland was traveling through on a caravan. He told me the story of Manav and his spectacular sword. Such tales are rare, and burned itself into my memory. Should I continue with the story of Manav, or would you prefer a story of your race. Perhaps a rather odd story of an unusual gnome named Zook."

[sblock=Wynter]

Did what? If you are talking about my story, these guys are all people from my tabletop games (so far all of the ones I have played). I'm going in order from first to last in how I listed them lol. Manav, then a human rogue that basically... sucked, and then Zook the gnome ninja. Funny characters all.[/sblock]

[sblock=edit to Wynter]

LOL I read ur character sheet. Oops. Jynxx doesn't know that I know about ya though lol. He is trying to figure it out though. [/sblock]

 

[Wynter]

"To be deemed worthy of such a weapon would be quite an honor." said Alissa, idly rubbing her right arm through the long sleeve of the tunic she wore under her sleeveless chain-suit. "I wonder if it is selfish to want to become part of a tale such as that...but I suppose that might require...death possibly. I'm not quite ready for that yet." Not that the girl, however young, was afraid of death. She was trained and taught that death was but a part of the cycle, and one had to utilize the moments of their life to represent themselves and their tribe as best they could.

"I don't have many stories myself. Even if I did, my method of telling them would do them no justice. Maybe that will change, with time. I am curious of what became of Manav, though." Alissa added. So far, things were working out quite well. Alissa was beginning to become more comfortable in the Tavern's atmosphere and, at the very least, she had met someone she could consider an aquaintance.

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Jynxx grinned as the lady spoke, "You honor the story by possessing the memory of it my lady." Jynxx let his vision blur, his thoughts burying deep inside himself. "The Guardian of Terrene may still exist, although I do not know. I am reasonably sure that a weapon such as that, would be difficult to destroy."

Jynxx shook his head, pulling himself out of his thoughts. "Ah, Manav lived a rather long life."

[sblock=Manav again ]


"Manav, as I said earlier, was massive even for his race. I shall tell you the story of how the sword became his, and the way he earned the trust of Kelnae."

Jynxx leaned back forward in his chair, putting his elbows on the table. "The boy was not yet a man according the to laws of his tribe, but the day had come where he would prove his worth. The Bear Tribe valued those skillful in the hunt, since food in the region was somewhat hard to come by. Remember my friend, times were more wild than they are now and hunters often had the habit of disappearing."

Manav had left early that morning on his first solo hunt, his right of passage. He was simply armed, nothing more than a spear and a dagger. Three days he spent on his hunt, three days he had failed to gather any food. He lacked the stealth that most hunters possess, and many creatures heard of his approach before he even saw them.

The fourth day changed his path in life forever. He had found a small bear in the woods, injured by a careless hunter. Being the symbol for his tribe, he was forbidden to consume or hunt any kind of bear. He really couldn't explain why, but he felt like he had to aid the creature. As he moved closer, the bear gave a half-hearted growl. It seemed near death, and indeed it was. An arrow was lodged deep in it's chest, how it missed it's heart was unknown to Manav.

With Manav's raw strength he managed to restrain the creature and remove the arrow. For a reason unknown to him at the time, the bear never fought or tried to bite at him. It seemed to sense he was there to protect and care for it. The bear could sense that Manav was a friend. The wound was quickly sealed and bandaged, although Manav couldn't see the bandage staying on for any length of time.

Manav made a sacrifice I cannot say I would make or even think of under the same circumstances, he gave the injured beast the last of his rations of seasoned meat. Tradition forbid Manav to return until he had finished his hunt, and so he put himself at an excellent risk of starvation. The bear ate hungrily, and within the day was able to leave Manav's side.

Manav trailed the bear. He spent the next day maintaining his constance vigil over the creature, unwilling to let the creature die due to lack of aid. He lost track of how far he had traveled, and in fact only knew that he had traveled west for nearly 3 days total. The bear was getting along well, although Manav had became very weakened."

Jynxx stopped talking for a moment and smiled, "What else could happen to a man who gave up his only nurishment for a creature of the wild? Ah, before you answer, remember that this creature was nature itself to this man. It was his very reason for existance, and in his heart he purely believed that.

The tribe believed that it was his faith that caused it to happen. I am not a master in the relations of faith, and so I withold my opinion for lack of knowledge. The now fully healed bear turned on Manav, charging him suddenly. Teeth and claws would of been all I could see and so I would of reacted with my bow. Manav saw Nature judging him as a failure, and so he accepted the fate that laid at the ends of those terrible weapons. Dropping his spear and throwing his dagger into a nearby tree, Manav dropped to his knees to allow the bear an easier target. One could only assume that he hoped for a quick kill, and so presented himself as such. The tribe itself heard the roar that followed, and from what I understand, they were nearly 5 days march away.

And so the end of Manav was at hand... but that is not the story I am telling is it? No I speak to you of his beginning! I speak of a rare moment in history when a hero receives a calling that is heard by all those in the region!

The roar shook Manav, nearly knocking his prone. It had come from behind, not from the charging bear. Manav noticed the bear had stopped it's charge, and seemed to be simply sitting there watching. He turned slowly, and was staring at the largest nose he had ever seen. It was a great brown bear, one that legends are told of. We call them Dire now, many believe they are the guardians of the natural world. The bear stood easily twice the height of Manav. The creature's head was so large that it seemed as if it blocked out the entire horizon. The dire bear roared again and so Manav fought for breath.

He stood slowly, he was not afraid of the bear, but entranced by it. He had only heard stories of such creatures. The tribes had said that each tribe was named after the guardian of the tribe; if that was so, then Manav was looking at his guardian.

Manav bowed deeply, showing an immense respect for such a powerful and wonderful creature. As he raised the dire bear turned and left, revealing a small amount of meat. Manav ate heartily, and he later said that he had never had a sweeter tasting meal. He did not know what it was that he was eating, but he was sure the guardian had provided it for him.

From that day on Manav's luck had changed. Instead of ending his hunt with the life of one creature, Manav brought back enough of the wild elk to feed his tribe for a month. At first, Manav only told his father of the encounter. At his father's urging, the tribe shaman's were told. A week long... ceremony, for lack of a better word, was held in an attempt to commune with the spirits that had blessed Manav.

The shamans had retreated to a nearby mountain, none were allowed to venture near them for the entire time they were in their ceremony. It is not known to me what occurred to them on that mountain, whether they were guided by their spirits or simply drank too much ale; I cannot deny or defend either stance. The result I can tell you as clearly as if I were there.

The eldest shaman, Trelak, returned first. The others came in line with him. They did not speak, did not even acknowledge they had returned to their village. The moved straight to the newly made home of Manav, and without a word entered it.

Manav was startled by the sudden entrance, but was by no means afraid of them. He knew why they had left, and assumed they would return with news. It was there, in Manav's own home, that he came to possess the great Guardian of Terrene. The weapon required two of the shaman to carry it, but Manav seemed to be able to wield it as easily as a giant can wield a gnome's dagger.

The sword's pommel changed the moment it was held by Manav. The shamans said that the pommel originally was that of a wolf's head. The moment that he touched the blade, the pommel's head transformed into that of the dire bear he had seen.

The eldest shaman told Manav that while they were on the mountain, the spirit of the bear had appeared before them. The bear spirit had told them that Manav possessed the blessings of the spirit, and would be guarded by the bear. The spirit also demanded that the sword of Kelnae be handed to Manav. The bear spirit said that Kelnae had encountered Manav in the wilderness, and was moved by the strength, compassion, and faith of the man.

Manav had helped the spirit of Kelnae, who was in the guise of a bear. It was Kelnae who summoned the dire bear, the Guardian. It was Kelnae who sought the Guardian's approval of Manav.

And so the blade of Kelnae, the Guardian of Terrene, was given to Manav at Kelnae's own request. He was chosen by the warrior, approved by the spirit, and guided by spirit." [/sblock]

Jynxx leaned back in his chair as his story ended, ordering a pint of ale as he did so. "And so my lady, it is not death that brings one to possess the sword, but life."

 

[Phoenix8008]

"Not custom to name weapon, no." Talon replies to Jin. "I just think it right. This is piece of history and deserves name to be known by. Stormshard is right for it I think. As far as where basement was in far place, I not see anything outside to help tell. Rujah maybe saw more." he finishes to Fargo.

 

[Wynter]

"That's quite a story. I probably wouldn't have been so trusting of a giant, angry-looking bear when I think of it." commented Alissa. The Spirits were fickle creatures. Sometimes she wasn't exactly certain if they brought blessings, curses, or both. Their cryptic messages brought her little solace, as if they were simply meant to goad her forward down her path. "Not that I could ever use a weapon like that to begin with, ha..." she said lightly, waving a hand dismissively at the thought.

"So then, what brings you here? Searching for more golden tales?"