Song of the Immortal Sky - Part 2
Know that CRAND did summon forth brave Adepts to provide aid of a type not immediately specified. Know that this was a business of Dwarfs and of the Dwarf clan called Cragbringer. Know that Temur Tengerkhan did not know how one brings a crag anywhere, and that he felt these Dwarfs must have great magic, indeed.
Know that this is the story of Tengur Tengerkhan, of the Monghkiir-Tenger, who did set forth with Sandrin who Sails the Winds, Zivilyn who Calls the Beast Spirits, and Moe'Uhane who Makes the Truth Flow.
They did travel to the Clear Creek Camp and there they did meet Storbrout of the Cragbringers. They drank his liquor and ate his food and heard of his difficulties in his great project - rebuilding a shrine to Grekaklank. These were not great difficulties, in truth. They were being robbed, in small amounts. The bringer of crags and others did speak of supply and demand and price inflation and used other words that had no meaning.
There were two storage houses used by these hard working builders. In these places were kept foodstuffs, clothing, tools. And from these places were taken foodstuffs, clothing, tools, by thieves who were never seen nor heard.
The Adepts did search, high and low, in shadows and in light, and it was the smallest of them, the windling Zivilyn, who found curious tracks. It was his keen eyes that spotted a cleverly woven mat which hid a cleverly dug hole which passed beneath the palisade.
Know that upon seeing this the Adepts did decide to lay in wait and see what manner of person was stealing such modest things from these dutiful workers. Know that they waited till the sunset, and for hours afterwards. And finally they did see three curious creatures - hooded and furred and bare of foot - who took their modest spoils.
Temur and Sandrin and Zivilyn and Moe'Uhane, shrouded by the Illusionist's shadows, followed. What they found was most shocking, indeed.
It was a Wormskull, one of the most terrible of all Horrors.
Know that, actually, it was not. It was an ogre, and Temur had made a terrible mistake. Fortunately, Sandrin corrected him and thus averted disaster.
The truth was shocking enough. The ogre was peaceful, and the Adepts, in their wisdom, did approach the ogre peacefully. The ogre was caring for orphaned Dwarf children of a Kaer that had recently fallen. These were children faced with suffering - but also children who had learned from the fires of pain. For lo, two of them were Adepts, and had found in their spirits the rudiments of Elementalism and Shamanism.
The ogre, who was called Gvarg, and must have been named by the children, for ogres are not namegivers, this ogre spoke of his siblings. He spoke of bird women who had driven the ogres from their home.
Know that Temur wondered if these bird women were hot. They sounded hot. There was talk of bird-woman crushing. Know that Temur was not thinking of violence.
Know also that the bird-women were not hot. They were not at all hot. They were creatures of filth, in flesh and in thought and in deed. With leopard spirit and phantom flames, with flight daggers and axe in motion, the Adepts did do battle with the harpies and were victorious.
Know that they crushed the bird-women properly.
With the ogre and his siblings able to use the land again, the Adepts were given direction to the "Hole-House," the broken Kaer from which came the Dwarf orphans. And there, the Adepts did see more ogres, though these were clearly of violent disposition and traditional malice.
Know that Temur, while brave, was also wise. And he did caution his companions to choose discretion over death. They would return to Throal, they would grow stronger, and they would return.
Know that this story has ended. Know that this story continues.Statistics:Posted by bronzemountain — Sun Apr 26, 2020 5:39 am
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