Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emiricol" data-source="post: 1955567" data-attributes="member: 469">The glen was preternaturally silent, except for the quiet burbling of the stream that led away from the pool in the center of the clearing. Carith, catching his breath, leaned down and cleansed the orc ochre from his blade on the Orc's own tunic, rubbing it clean with practiced ease.   Carith froze suddenly, as a blur of moment was caught in the corner of his eye. He slowly turned his head to the left and up, from his crouched position, and there before him standing twelve feet on its hind legs if an inch was the most gigantic bear he'd ever seen. Though it was twice as tall as a bear, it was at least three times more muscular, the knotty sinews bulging beneath the massively thick hide and fur.   The great bear snarled, and the sound seemed to make the very ground beneath his feet rattle. Unnatural ridges and spikes along the muzzle and neck of the creature stood out, completing the terrifying picture of primeval death that stood before Carith.   Before he had a chance to move the creature was upon him, roaring, baring teeth as long as a man's fingers. It towered over the Man.   But then, rather than attack as Carith had expected, it stopped. Simply stopped. After a moment it tilted its head in a most comical fashion, totally at odds with the fearsome display of mere moments before. It sniffed him once. Twice. Then turned its back on the Man and trudged heavily to the west, disappearing amid the hills and the caverns therein.    ----------------------------------------   Thrayn arrived too late. He was only barely at the ridge of the trees by the time it had attacked the Man, but then suddenly, the beast stopped in its tracks. A moment later, it smelled him just as it might any Fey, and the tilt of its head showed it to be as confused as Thrayn himself. Miraculously, when the bear turned to leave, the human was still alive.    Never had Thrayn heard of such a thing in his entire life, nor any of his studies, nor any legend uttered in his hearing.   Quietly, Thrayn sheathed his knives and drew his bow once again. He nocked an arrow and stood from the undergrowth he had been crouching in. "Man! This place is forbidden to you! I know not what foul magics of the shadow you used to bewitch the guardian, but I will slay you where you stand if you..." He stopped as he saw the ork laying near the pool. "What Deceipt is this?!" He hissed to himself.    Carith turned slowly and held up his hands, carefully dropping his sword to the ground. "There is no deception here, master Elf. My name is Carith and I was called to this place to defend it," he said reasonably, in as even a tone as he could muster. "For days my dreams have been haunted by nightmares of orcs entering this sacred pool, and the every time I opened my mind to the Whisper of the trees they bid me travel here. I picked up the trail of the orcs earlier today and as I saw this one break away from your ambush I gave chase and made sure he could not complete his dark mission and spoil this sacred place."  Stepping cautiously toward the Elf, hands still held out, he almost whispered, "I am sorry if I offended you master elf, I was simply doing what I can to defend the magisty of these woods."    Thrayn lowered the bow perhaps an inch, still searching for any sign of deception from this Human. "Whispers of the trees? Impossible. You lie. Only the Adepts may hear the murmuring of those passed on. What are you that you may stand here unharmed? Legate? Some contrivance of Izrador?" Thrayn's eyes burned holes in Carith as he spoke, his lowered voice hanging menacingly in the cold air.    Carith shook his head vigorously. "I am no servant of the Shadow! I am a free-willed Man who dwells among these trees and through their blessing has come to understand them in some measure. I do not know why I have been given this gift, but I am marked by these woods, and I swear to you I am among its defenders."    Thrayn grimaced.  None of this makes sense! He is obviously a Man and no halfling child. He can not possibly be telling the truth. Yet, I can not deny the slain ork or the Great Bear's acceptance of his presence, as galling as that may be. He stepped forward, keeping the bow leveled at the Erenlander's chest. "We shall see what is true soon enough, Human." He said the last word with venom. When he came to within a yard of the man he channeled the sorcerous energy within him.     "Intellegam Meantus Verasitum Calviae." The words thrummed with power. He could feel the Human's thoughts - slight trepidation, the animal urge to fight, frustration, yes. But no sense of deception. His words had been true. Somehow, impossibly, they had been true. Or at least he believes that he speakes the truth.    Thrayn's face twisted with indecision for a moment before he finally lowered his bow. "You speak the truth. For some reason this place welcomes your presence. Do not leave that... thing," he spat the word as he pointed to the ork, "here to rot. Burn it beyond the reach of the glen."    He gave the Human one more measuring look and then turned abruptly to walk back the way he had come. It was time to bring Rongald in to tend to his wounds. Bornhild can watch the fire and fret alone in the woods.    --------------------   Carith dragged the orc through the woods towards the rising plume of smoke from a distance off in the trees and into the small clearing. Tossing the dead creature onto the fire and nodding to the northman who kept watch of the fire, he said with a friendly enough tone, "Greetings friend, I am Carith Darstin, and you would be one of the elves companions?"     Dornhild simply grunted, "Aye,"  as he tightened his grip on his spear.  Then after a long moment of considering the newcomer, he said in his quiet voice, "And why are you walking these woods, dragging a dead orc no less? You are no Elf."    "I am a woodsmen who is blessed by the powers of the trees. I was called here to defend the pond beyond these trees in the Glen from those orcs."  After a moment of silence it became clear the Dorn had no interest in idle talk.  Carith brushed off his hands and said, "Now if you will excuse me I must make sure their are not more of the foul creatures about."    -------------------------   As the odd man left the fireside, Thrayn walked from amongst the trees leading the pack horse. He handed the reins to Bornhild and walked over to Rongald, who was sitting down and holding his wounded belly. Thrayn offered the man his hand and helped him to his feet. "Come. I will help you with your wound."    The two of them wandered away slowly, back towards the glen, Thrayn leading the way. Rongald staggered here and there, but was not so gravely wounded that he could not keep pace for so short a distance.    Thrayn spoke as he walked. "Stay near me and do not stray from my side. The Glen is treacherous to those without the blood of the Erunsil." He looked back over his shoulder and fixed Rongald with his eyes. "There is a Guardian here, terrible to behold. I say again, do not stray from my side. So long as I escort you, you will not be harmed." Rongald merely nodded, his face a grimace of discomfort. Walking with a belly wound was not exactly fun.   Thrayn was irritated at having to bring the Dorn into the sacred Glen, but having taxed his magical strengths testing the Erenlander's honesty there was no other choice than to draw on the Glen's power to aid him. He truly doubted that either of the men who had set foot in the Glen appreciated what a gift they had been given, to see this bastion of the Elder Fey in these dark days and yet survive to tell of it.   They passed beyond the treeline and stepped into the clearing of the Glen. Thrayn motioned for Rongald to stop, and he did so gladly. In moments the Great Bear was upon them, appearing with alarming speed from its cave and charging. The beast rose to it's hind legs mere feet from Rongald and gave a deep, terrible growl of warning before slowing dropping down again to all fours. The ground shook with it's weight. Rongald tensed but Thrayn grabbed his arm before he could bolt. "Stand fast if you value your life," he hissed with anger.   The bear's enourmous head swung from side to side before Rongald, and the sound of it's snuffling was like that of the bellows of a great forge. The moment stretched almost painfully, but soon, satisfied of Thrayn and his ward, the bear turned away slowly and walked back toward his cave.    Thrayn could feel Rongald relax and let go of the man's arm.He led him over to the edge of the pond and sat. Closing his eyes for a moment, he centered his thoughts on the power saturating the Glen and opened himself fully to it. With a deep breath, he opened his eyes and began to trace Erunsil runes for health and convalesence in the air with his hands. "Creo Corpus Areat Sul" As he spoke the words he lay a hand lightly over Rongald's wound, and a bone-cold chill passed through both of them. A silent wind blew about them, charged with energy even Rongald could almost feel. And then it was gone. When Thrayn raised his hand, the wound beneath was closed, with only a well-healed scar on his stomach to show where the Man had been pierced.    Thrayn said dismissively, tiredly, "Now return to the camp. I will be along shortly. I have much to think on." He stood as he spoke and began to walk on, deeper into the Glen.    Rongald stared at his belly in astonishment but soon, blinking, shook off the feeling. I have been healed by Thrayn thrice before, but I doubt I shall ever become used to it. He watched the Elf walking for a moment, then turned away and began the walk back to camp.</blockquote>

Verification