The World of Layonara
Character Development => Development Journals and Discussion => Topic started by: Creighton on April 29, 2006, 09:19:41 AM
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--I have thought it wise over the past week to put down my thoughts in this tome; perhaps one day I can reflect upon it with a smile, knowing that the path I have chosen was the right one.
I seemed awakened from a dream, when I found myself standing before a dragon; I felt no fear, for Toran be with me, but it was a shock nonetheless. I felt moreso than heard the grand creature tell me of the call for heroes that was being raised; that the cursed blight of the Blood once more tainted the land, and he and his minions must be vanquished.
Of course, I would answer this call! Praises to Toran that I was so honored to have the chance!
Thence, I blacked out, and came to in a hamlet called Hlint. Making my way about as a stranger, I was pleased to find the people there were helpful and friendly. I have met many who have had visions similar to mine, and they too have accepted the task of becoming champions of Layonara. In particular, I have met two dwarven brothers, Exodus and Xain of the Stonecutter clan, who have been exceptionally helpful to me in finding my way about the lands. They have even provided me with lodgings until Toran makes my path clear to me in this struggle. I am ashamed to say I was surprised at the hospitality of these dwarves; the stories I have always heard were that they were brash and unfriendly; but I have been proven wrong, and let my written words record that I recount any prejudices I have ever harbored for their hardy race.
My travels with the Stonecutters is having an unexpected dividend: I am picking up little pieces of the dwarven tongue! The brothers have told me that if I wish it, they will teach me the language of the dwarves; I think I shall pursue this goal in the future. I will pay particular attention to their conversations, and with their guidance, perhaps have a working knowledge of the speech. How exciting this is!
Elves! I have met elves! Truly they are the beautiful, delicate creatures that legends speak of, but such delicacy is a false impression; I have seen a woman named Tyrian lay waste to goblin opponents, and others I have witnessed have shown strong magicks and great skill with weapons. Although I have seen some carry them selves with a slight taint of arrogance, the beings of this race I have spoken with and adventured with have been friendly, helpful, and as graceful of manner as they are action.
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---I have met a most capable party of adventurers this night. The Stonecutters were nowhere to be found (but I'm sure they're mining or some other dwarven diversion), and I encountered several noble warriors, clerics, mages, and a guide, and together we faced some difficult opponents, but prevailed. Good camaraderie was had by all, and I am richer by the grace of Toran to have met and fought alongside such a group.
Most exciting (and disturbing), however, is the young elven woman that travelled with us: Alleina Shiante. She appeared from being unseen, then healed and aided me throughout the journey; moreso, I believe that (with her gentle beauty and sharp wit) she captured a part of my being I thought had died with my parents.
What compelled me to give her flowers?
And why was it less difficult to break the grip of that ogre than to escape the pull of her eyes?
I must ponder this further...
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---Tonight has been an eventful one.
Xain, Exodus and I were in Hlint, enjoying some fellowship and wondering what adventure we might find. Cymeran and Dacriel, two of the fine souls I have written about before, met with us and told of strange happenings in the Broken Forest. Against Cymeran's better judgement, we all set off to investigate these rumors.
We did not have long to wait; no sooner did I step under the forest canopy and out of the sun did I feel the icy hand of death! Nary was their time to swing a blade than I found myself a phantom, my soul lamenting over my passing. It is surely only by the grace of Toran that I am whole and hearty again, to try to be worthy enough to shine his Light yet another day! After this sorrowful time, Cymeran and I discussed the causes of this blight. We both felt the razor vines, and saw the image of the woman screaming victoriously to the sky. He told me that his research led him to think that Xora had stepped into a bloodpool, and become a powerful undead, enslaved to Sinthar.
How I bristle at that word! The walking dead are an abomination that must be cleansed! Toran will not allow such blasphemy to go unpunished...perhaps my travels will take me closer to my goal; perhaps I will be able to join with that noble order that so impressed me all those years ago...
...but I digress. Whilst praying for my soul and those of my comrades, I made the acquaintances of several more noble souls whom I hope to call allies in the dark days I fear are to come; Mercas, a mage, by his look, and Zijeo, a man-beast who reverberated with a strong, noble heart. Perhaps my path will cross with theirs again...
I have not seen Alleina this day.
I do not know if I feel sorrow over this, or relief. She has haunted my thoughts...I wish to see her and yet, to see her again...I'm not sure what I would do.
I will continue to pray for Toran's strength and guidance.
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---Toran must be teaching me humility this day.
Thrice, the Stonecutters and I, accompanied by Mercas and Tyrian, ventured into the Broken Forest, only to be cut down with very little fighting to be had! Only by Toran's grace (and the assistance of my noble friends) am I whole once more as I sit and write this!
The forest was gutted! It was a wasteland! Truly, whatever black evil has made it's mark there is powerful indeed; too powerful for myself and my group of fellow adventurers...for now.
Toran be my guide, I will find the strength! I will join in the struggle to free the lands from the icy grip of those who would do such as I have witnessed in the Broken Forest (and I was even felled in the outskirts of Krandor! The darkness is spreading!).
I shall increase my prayers and my training; I have to make ready.
Toran will call, and I must be worthy to answer!
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--I have experienced being wrenched from the grip of death...
I met a fine group of hearty adventureres this day. Silool, the bewitching beauty with her songs and skills; Glenn, a fine warrior; Kyle, another man whose will seems as strong as his blade; Ash, whose firey presence inspires all those around her; Tegan, another whose hard shell seems to hide a softer side; and Jin...Jin who rescued me from the icy bosom of the Soul Mother.
It was something to experience, as it should be. I was felled by a magic-wielding giant in the great desert, and surrendered to oblivion, when light and breath re-entered my senses, as through some divine magic Jin brought me back to life.
Indeed, powerful must his faith be.
While on this journey, my old friends the Stonecutters accompanied us, and brought new dwarven friends as well. Tyrian was also there, her wit, beauty, and skill always needed and welcomed.
What a fine world Toran has birthed me to, when such friends can be found in such abundance! I sense his light and wisdom in all that is around me.
Also, Silool told me of other knights of Toran that she knows. Perhaps I can meet these noble warriors, and they can help me reach my destiny in the service of Toran...
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--A revealing day, on a personal, perhaps spiritual level.
My own thoughts have plagued me of late regarding the merits of my life.
Tonight, I met a man, demonic in appearance, scathing in his tone, yet I sensed no evil from him. In the course of our conversation, many things came to light that I have recently thought might be truths of life, and his wisdom encouraged me to think in ways I have never thought before.
His name was Ozymandias, and his words and our repartee were thought-provoking indeed.
Since our conversation, I have given more freedom to the thoughts that, up until now, I had thought a sinful bane.
My mission is set; of that, there is no question. I am to champion justice and protect the helpless. Never has that been in doubt. However, the strict set of rules I have regimented myself to; was that the teaching of Toran? Or merely my own interpretation of the texts? And who is to say that those who interpreted the texts in the first place did not misunderstand that which the Light meant in his omens?
For example; Toran's light must stand for something more than justice, must it not? Would not He want happiness? Does his light not stand also for joy? In all of his goodness, would love not fit into his plan? Why would he ask myself and my brothers to limit our existences to merely crushing evil, walking the lonely road from battle to battle without respite? The texts seem to suggest this, but is this perhaps a suggestion that those who love are impure in their steadfastness to their cause, does it not seem?
Rubbish.
I have met many in my travels whose hearts beat as firmly with the passion for good as does my own, but they are not limited to a lone, unyielding path...
Take not my words as a question of my faith; indeed, Toran's light is what I believe lighted the way for my heart to travel this line of thought; instead, see it as more of an expansion, a greater view of the nature of that which is good and honorable.
I will pray and ponder upon this further....
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--I am sure that the path I am on is true.
A long conversation with a kind friend has made steel the molten thoughts of the last few days.
Justice is to be pursued. But love; love of a good friend, love of others...these are the virtues that spawn justice.
I will sleep well tonight...my way is lit now moreso than ever, and I believe it is that I now see the true Light of Toran...
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--I grow stronger in the path I walk for Toran day by day.
I mean this both in body and in spirit. The company I keep proves to me that the Light stands for more than mere justice; it stands also for joy, for love! Would not that be the way of Toran? What nobler feelings have I felt in my heart than the honor I have felt standing alongside such noble souls as those I call my friends? The gruff yet truly noble Stonecutters; the many of their dwarven brethren that I have shed both my own and the blood of our enemies with together, as brothers ourselves; Kyle, Ash, Cymeran....the list is too numerous to scribe! These are a people that want all the same things I want, but are not bound by the same lonely path I thought for so long to be the only one...
"The truest measure of a man can be found in the company he keeps; or rather, in the company that keeps him." My words, spoken tonight to one whom...well, I can say it no other way: one whom has fanned a spark within my soul that I thought the un-dead had long extinguished; I thought it snuffed when they snuffed out the lives of my parents. But this woman...she's...different. Do not take my writings to belay her ability; she is a noble, cunning warrior when the need arises, and her magicks are something to behold (or fear, depending upon which side of them you are on); but the most striking thing is her shameless and unrestrained compassion for those around her. It's as though she typifies exactly the soul-struggle I have faced of late. She carries a heavy heart in that she feels she has no cause since she bears no sworn allegiance to any god or city or country or guild; and yet I have seen her lay down her life to protect that of another in her party, regardless of whether she had known them for years or just met them! Next to that kind of unconditional compassion, I feel a bit uneducated as to just what life is all about.
My entire life, I have striven for the pursuit of one and only one goal: Justice.
I have lost no faith in (nor desire for) justice, but my heart is beginning to burn with the fire of other emotions; just as strong, just as valid, and just as undeniable...and I believe that love, in all of its forms, is a primary ingredient for goodness.
For what would be good without love?
"Tis not a crime to feel passion."
Her words.
There is a truth there....
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--A new age, I think, for my life.
I can challenge it with stoic wonderings and plaintive excuses and little lies that I tell myself all I desire; the facts remain the same.
My heart is beginning to burn with a life of it's own...long have I felt it press me onward; to make me strive for my goals, but now...now it is telling me something different. It tells me that there is no reason that one such as I, one dedicated to a noble cause, cannot embrace the magical beauty of another, more natural cause; if one is lucky enough to find it.
I pray that I am right; that Toran's Light is one of love as well as justice...but in the end it matters not.
My heart and soul are telling me that my destiny has changed from what I believed it to be...
...and finally now, when next I see her, I will have the courage to tell her so...
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--I have done it.
I have told Tyrian my heart.
I told her of my beliefs; that I must break with the church in order to have a chance at the life I hope to lead. She was troubled by my decision, but informed me that I had won her heart. This was a surprise, for as loath as I am to admit it, I feared her reaction...I...I never thought about love; much less that anyone could love me.
I will still follow Toran; it was his Light that brought me here; but I shall be a questing Knight no more...I will continue to defend the helpless and champion the oppressed, but I will seek a life of cameraderie, of happiness...and of love.
I was asked if I ever thought of a home; a wife; children.
I was silent, but in my soul I knew what my answer should have been.
"I do now."
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*written on a tattered piece of parchment, now pressed into his journal*
I must put down in writing a dream that has awakened me for three nights; strong enough to have put me out here in the darkened foothills alone trying to find it's source:
"On the plateaus, gaining the foothills to reach the mountains---seek ye he whom first showed you the ways of unconditional kindness whence thee were a child; help to return him to the fold...."
Such is the voice in the dream that plagues me. I have only a glimmer of recognition of what I see in the dream, and only the faintest scent of a memory as to whom it speaks of. I know I only feel that I must search for this place I see in my Night Eye.
But that will be a task for later; my explorations have taken me away from Hlint and my friends (and especially Tyrian) long enough. I gaze at the twin moons from this point, making my way back to my lodgings, my comrades, and my love. She would be concerned with me; out here in the darkness, alone, slipping by perils whence I can. I know I upset her when I sought her and Exodus out in the Haven mines a fortnight ago; I know not why myself I so blindly flew into the fray; my only thoughts were to find her.
I have never been one to fear; not since that night...after the screams and the horrors of that night, I thought my soul hardened to an engine of retribution; but with the recent warmth of friendships and love brought to my soul...seems that desire to be with and protect those I care about now outweighs self-preservation. I do not think myself insane; as I write this, I know that from thence I will be more careful; I walk a new path, tis all...and must get used to life looking through different eyes.
'Tis a prospect I relish. Toran be praised; He has shown me more in his Light than I ever thought possible!
*put the page into his bag---tended to his fire before lying down in his bedroll---glanced at the distant fires of Hlint, knowing he would be home tomorrow---holding tight the amulet she made for him, smiling---falls asleep*
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--My mission is ended.
My visions have led me to the last of the Stonecutters...I have found Axodeth!
In deference to him, I will not go into detail here nor in any other musings, spoken or written; suffice to say that he is home and well in Hlint! This is not yet known to his brothers; how happy they will be!
I returned very late to find her sleeping on the couch. I have not awakened her. She slept so soundly that I had not the heart. Tomorrow; tomorrow I will explain myself and hope she will forgive me.
*sighs, staring at the page*
Forgive me for undertaking this alone; it could be no other way.
I can only hope that she knows that whether or not I am at her side in body, my heart is with her always. Strangely enough (from what I believed my life would be) I know this to be true in my own heart.
I shall make amends for my absence of the past days.
*closes the book gently, walks to where she sleeps on the couch and brushes a lock of hair from her face...smiles at her gentle, slumbering beauty...pulls the quilt around her shoulders, then, an idea striking him, leaves to find something.....*
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--I have never known fear.
Tonight, journeying with Tyrian and the Stonecutter brothers, I attempted to find the oil lost by the warrior in Fort Llast. After quite an adventure dealing with spiders and werewolves and other clawed and fanged things, we were waylaid by a virtual army of ogres in the GreyPeak Mountains.
We were returned to Hlint to lament our woes (thankfully, the fates saw us all safely away from the Soul Mother). There, a man claiming to be the "Lord of Krandor" put on a rather entertaining (if disturbing) show. Ozymandias arrived, and it saddened me that I had not the time to tell him that I think I have found the answer to his riddle...something that was before mentioned, but without the crucial element of truth...
Which brings me back to fear.
I have never been afraid. To die is to join with the Light; nothing to be afraid of there.
But of the one question I wish to ask...
*almost writes it all out, but cannot bring himself to do so*
No, I shall not write it. I have danced around it, made excuses for and found ways to mask what I truly feel. If it is to be pronounced by me, it shall be spoken to she whom it is meant for.
What if the answer is no?
*stares at that written question for long moments*
I will deal with that if it comes.
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--I am a happy man!
I summoned the courage to ask Tyrian this day to be my bride, and she said yes!
My soul is filled with a joy such as that I have never known...
We have no set date, but we will discuss such. She wants us to find a home, a home for us, and I agree...
I must find a trade! I have known nothing but the ways of a warrior all of my life! I need a means to support a...a family..*smiles as he writes that, then thinks of his words to her earlier*--I told her of my thoughts of working leather...she seemed happy, and thought that it would be a good trade...I never thought about that; a hobby that could be a living...
*trails off...his thoughts return to Tyrian*
She is everything I could have ever dreamed of...nay, moreso...
*illegible scribblings---too excited to focus*
I find myself unable to write more...I will detail this journal entry when I have learned to manage this joy!
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--Fate can be most unkind.
Other responsibilites; responsiblities that I am keeping to do my best to make a good husband, kept me out of town until very late. My hunting trip to obtain pelts was a failure, and the journey home was longer than expected.
I was not able to see my love this eve.
How curious it is, that I, so recently a wanderer, never calling home anyplace for more than a fortnight, is now so disturbed. Ah, but what a loss...a loss of time spent not hearing her voice nor seeing her face...
*the line trails off*
On my way back from my travels, I passed by the house she shares with Ash. I saw a fire burning, but, as much as my heart drove me, I could not disturb their peace. 'Tis not Tyrian's fault that my efforts to find materials for my new trade kept me out to such a time that she would be forced to slumber before I could see her; what right had I to awaken her because of my own poor planning? *as an afterthought* And I had no luck in my hunting, either!
*sighs, staring at the page and looking wistfully around the empty room*
By Toran's Light, I will do nothing if not see her on the morrow. There are plans to be made, skills to begin learning, time to spend adventuring with friends and each other...
*the line trails off again; he poises the quill to write something further, but stops himself*
'Tis only been a short while...but I miss her. Odd...all the pain I have felt in my life...I always accepted it as the price of my questing...but missing one so radiant, who has come to mean so much, even for a time so short as this...
*the line trails off yet again*
*sighs* I have much to learn. I am happy to know, at least, that she is safe...but still...
*ink blots the page*
My body is weary; I shall rest now.
*Dusts the page, puts the book back on the table, and lies down to sleep, his last conscious thoughts being of her*
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--I have met the Soul Mother.
Battling man-wolves in the High Forest (gathering pelts for my new trade), I fell before the onslaught of the beasts; the Soul Mother came to me then, wrenching away a part of my soul as her payment. Though t'was a cold feeling, one of loneliness and despair, I did not fear. Death has always been a part of my life.
However...
A burning notion reverberated through my being; If this were the last time, I would never again see those who meant so much to me...at least not until their time came. The noble ones who helped open my eyes to the power of friendship, loyalty, and love...the horrid blackness that was that thought was one I do not wish again.
But if it be my destiny...
*trails off...shakes his head to clear the dark thoughts and begins again*
Soon, I shall be wed. *pauses to smile after he writes that line* Although Tyrian knows not any plans yet, I am content to know that my life will be at her side.
She did have one thing she asked of me: She wishes me to speak to her dearest friend, Ash Willo.
I have no quarrel with Ash; I sensed a good soul in her each time I have travelled with her, and I am certain that her animosity has some reason behind it. I will make every effort to reach out to her; it means so much to Tyrian, and it would do my heart good as well, I think.
*takes a breath before he begins the next line*
Tyrian fell in combat with manticores this night. Vicious creatures they were, attacking without warning from a distance with deadly spines that they loosed as arrows...Rage and sorrow vied for possession of my soul at that moment, and it was only the kind and calming words of Rhynn that stayed my hand and prevented what would most likely have been my doom. Rhynn somehow knew that the Soul Mother did not touch Tyrian, and soon she was whole again.
*rereads that line; thinks perhaps it is anger and not despair he feels for the Soul Mother*
All is well that ends well. Tyrian later surprised me with a mass of pelts that she had obtained for my new trade. How selfless and giving she is! I know not why fortune has smiled upon me thus, but I am eternally grateful for it.
*closes the book; collapses into a dream-filled sleep of Ty, his friends, good times and bad times to come*
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--Another learning experience, these days have been.
With Axodeth Stonecutter, I volunteered to go on an expedition to obtain some yew wood for a gentleman named Glenn Thendor, a man whom has showed me kindness in the past. T'would seem I am not alone in that honor, as a plethora of noble and mighty heroes arrived at the scheduled meeting place to take part. Even Tyrian surprised me by being there!
T'was decided that mahogany would be sought rather than yew, and our group travelled to Dregar, where we once again crossed the burning sands. In a cave system near Saudiria, I fell in combat with what obviously was a building army of giants that overwhelmed us. A dwarven holy man, Durgin, brought me back from the Plane of Souls *and the Soul Mother was denied me*.
Tyrian was VERY upset...and this I can understand *remembers how upset HE was when she fell battling the manticores*...she did not want me to fight. I know she wants to protect me, and I sense that this is her love for me...but I must be able to carry my weight...*sighs reading this over* I have to continue to improve myself...I wish for her to not have to worry for me so...
*pauses, gathering his thoughts before beginning again.*
We travelled on to a place called North Point, fighting some monstrous scorpions on the way, along with other assorted baleful beasts. Dark druids decimated our party, including myself *but the Soul Mother again was not fated to find me that night*; but in the end, the wood we sought out was claimed, and the quest ended a success.
Upon returning to Hlint, I finally was able to have my conversation with Ash.
*ponders the talk...deciding what to write*
It went as well as could be expected. She is a gentle soul trying desperately not to be so. Something troubles her deeply, and she seeks to protect her heart from it...
*the line stops here*
...but that is her business. After I told her what had changed my heart and what Tyrian meant to me, she conceded that she would accept me, for now. That is what I hoped for; all I was wanting was a chance, and though she is rough-edged, I trust in her integrity that she will give me that chance.
*smiles* A walnut, indeed.
This done, I walked Tyrian to her home in Krandor so that she could rest after the days ordeal. We discussed purchasing a home of our own before we wed; she wants to come home on her wedding night, she told me, and what a lovely thought it was to me as well. She has already worked so hard to save coin for this purpose...I..I feel guilty that I have not done more myself. Every day I am with her, I find it more and more incredible that I should be so lucky. I will begin in earnest to find a way to contribute to fulfilling her wish.
*almost doesn't write anymore, but after putting the book down, he picks it back up and starts anew*
I felt compelled to tell Tyrian what I had told Ash; the truth that I had masked to protect her from feeling responsible for a choice that was not hers to make...that I left the Knighthood because my heart belonged no longer to Toran, but to her. I explained that I still have my faith, and that I believe it was the will of Toran that she and I find one another...and also showed me the knowledge that honor and loyalty can be found in friends and not just religion. I explained to her for the first real time that once I knew these things, I knew I could not devote my life to both she and a deity...
...and given that choice, I chose her.
This seemed to please her, and that made me very happy.
She tells me that when she is with me, she feels no time...
...and in her eyes, I see forever. And I could be no more content with that.
She is so very beautiful...and it is a beauty that begins with her soul and works its way out.
*Smiles to himself...dusts the page and drifts into a happy slumber, the amulet she made him in his grasp*
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*sitting on the ground with Tyrian resting upon him, he smiles and gently takes a small book and quill from his pack*
--I have not earned the right to be so happy.
Tyrian Baldu'muur is a rarity amongst rarities; a heart of the purest gold; a soul of gossamer and joy.
*pauses reading the above line that seemed to fall from his pen...his smile threatening to overcome his face*
And..and I have been graced by the fates to find comrades; nay, brothers, in this world the likes of whom I have not the right to call my own. I am even more in awe of the kindness of the gods in that those I consider now to be brethren are dwarves. The Stonecutters, their kindness and loyalty overshadowing even their hardy commitment to battle and the forge...they too contribute to my joy in ways unfathomed...
All three of those brothers, beyond the assistance and patience they have shown me, have opened their homes not just to me now, but also to the woman I love...and going beyond even that, the noble Axodeth has offered she and I a home of our own, half of his, and even made allowances to grant a fond wish to Tyrian if the powers decree...
*pauses to smile...begins to in detail describe the kindness, but then crosses it out; believing it better left unwritten*
Suffice to say, I never dreamed in the academies and churches that I trained in during my youth; not in the most wild of fantasies did I ever hope to be as blessed and happy as I am this day. Burdens have been lifted from my mind and the mind of my love that throw open gates I feared would slowly swing on reluctant hinges.
*Grins ear-to-ear a final time; then commits himself to chronicling his day*
I have faced the abominable un-dead again, twice today, in the darkness of the rotting tombs they call their homes. 'Tis abominable that places considered to be hallowed places of rest could be so tainted as to be the homes of these walking blasphemies...Tyrian, Ash, the Stonecutter brothers and I have purged their stink this day in both Krandor and in the foothills of the Grey Peaks. Tyrian was felled twice in one of their lairs, once disabling a complicated trap, and once, I first thought, due to my lack of speed...but it was Ash...Ash Willo...whos words of kindness (in her own inimitable way) convinced me that it was not my fault...although as I write this, I still feel a pang of guilt at my inability to protect her. I take joy, however; the wretched Soul Mother did not touch her.
A child's mind was put to rest due to our trifles, and that I consider worth the wounds I personally took. *rubs his side unconsciously*
From thence, Tyrian, Axodeth and I traveled to the mountains beyond Fort Velensk to find the the Dwarven fortress there. Through a long and arduous climb, we faced golems of gem and two monstrosities that Axodeth referred to as "Yetis". Our search was in vain...it had been a long time since Axodeth had been there (and he was overly apologetic for this)..and we returned here to Velensk...where unable to find an inn, Tyrian and I have found a spot by a lake beneath a willow tree to call our bed for the night. Axodeth has returned to the mountains to search for the fortress...but I will be content to sleep here this eve...*smiles, listening to her sleep*
Tomorrow then...tomorrow is another day.
*touches her cheek...puts away the quill and book, and settles against the tree to sleep the sleep of the contented*
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*wakes in the night finding her by his side...a wave of happiness sweeps over him; a feeling he's not used to, but wants to be...slips out of bed so as not to wake her and, taking his journal quietly from the table, walks into the hall, where he smiles at the chest she set crookedly and was so vexed by, then sits upon it and begins to write*
--I never knew making someone happy could have such an effect on me.
I accompanied Axodeth, Xain, and Tyrian on a pilgrimage to the temple of Vorax, where Exodus now seeks his faith. The journey had it's perils, but we made it with little trouble. While there, I spoke to a tinker who a man in Lar had asked me to see...
Tyrian showed me a lake beneath the earth of great beauty...made all the more beautiful by being with her.
I told her to use the money she had saved to further her studies and her craft. These are things that make her happy...and I wish that more than anything else in the world.
*smiles, remembering the look on her face*
Axodeth and I also presented her with a bounty of silver ingots for her craft...she was so taken aback that I feared I had erred...but her smile and embrace soon banished all fears from my heart.
She sleeps now...in my room.
*sighs peacefully*
I feel with her, at times, that I will simply burst with happiness...
*reads over the entry...smiles...then returns to curl up next to her and drift back off to a contented sleep, his arm around her*
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*listens to her as she drifts off to sleep...quietly places his journal in his lap...smiles at her sleeping form, and begins to write*
--I find smiling so much easier than ever before.
Tonight I finally met the widowed Addison. I was deeply touched by her sorrow, but even more by her resolve to not let the passing of her love be in vain. A glowing light I saw in her, and am a better man for being bathed in its glow.
Hearing of her unborn child, I was assaulted by memories I have striven to forget...memories of the night that it was I who was the one left alone...I..I fear I was rude with my abrupt departure, and will make a point to find Addison and apologize.
I was also in a state with Tyrian and the Stonecutters. Tyrian and I talked about it...the first time I have truly shared my pain with anyone...and I now feel vindicated, as if a great weight had been lifted from my heart. She too, has painful memories; she wishes she could find her parents...and I will some day help her to achieve this, Toran be my witness.
But for now, we are content to plan our wedding. *pauses to smile as he reads back over the sentence* I would be content if we made our vows with only the stars as our witness, as she said she would; but there are so many that we care for that we would like to share the time with...*shakes his head*...so much to do...but what a pleasant task!
I am working to perfect my battle prowess; the better to protect myself and the woman I love from the Soul Mother's clutches, but soon, I intend to dedicate some quality time to my new trade, and learn to work leather...perhaps wood as well.
Tyrian has earnestly began to try to learn Dwarven, and, as with me, the Stonecutters have been willing teachers. I regret that I have not spent more effort in my own learning of the tongue; as it stands, I have learned a few basic phrases; but I intend to make it a point to pay more attention and work harder.
*closes his eyes to remember*
Zihaak'kuur nurga Kohaarz
*smiles*
As I write this, I see her lying asleep...hear her breathing..*sighs a happy sigh* I know now that life is to be lived, not spent fearing its end.
*thinks that he must talk to Ozymandias again soon...thinks the riddle, at least for him, is answered*
*looks over to her again, the candle's flickering light playing across her*
Thank you again, Ty. Thank you so much...
I love you.
*puts the book back on the table...blows out the candle, and snuggles up to her sleeping form, drifting off to sleep*
-
*Lights a candle, making sure he does not disturb her rest...she looked so very tired...takes his journal from the table*
--Yet another lesson in humility.
Crafting is going to be more of a task than I thought...and I estimated it to be difficult. Many materials I wasted this day. I had some success in the curing of leathers, but the tanning seemed my downfall. Tricky business, this is.
*sighs*
I shall not give up. *looks at her for a moment* I have too much depending on my ability to support a family...
*stares a the word "family"...looks at her again, and smiles, suddenly filled with warmth*
Back to gather salt and small animal skins tomorrow...
*sniffs, thinking he will never get rid of the smell of tanning oil*
T'would appear that our wedding will glide upon the kindness of our friends; both Tyrian's and my companions are offering so much...I am overwhelmed by the love that surrounds us...*smiles* This pushes me to be a better man, and it is a task I relish.
Tyrian needs gloves...I gave her a pair of snakeskin that I had found some time ago, but...but I wish to give her something truly nice for her wedding gift...she deserves that...she has given me so much, both in gifts, and in love...
*thinks of what he can do for a moment*
I shall find a way...her happiness means all to me.
*puts the book back on the table...blows out the candle and snuggles back up to her...cursing the smell of the oil as he drifts off to sleep...*
-
*He awakens early, and at first isn't sure where he is...then he sees her lying beside him, and his heart is glad. He takes out a quill and small piece of parchment and, balancing on an elbow despite some discomfort, writes*
--Things often don't go as planned.
My crafting of leather is improving, albeit at a snail's pace. Again, I had some success at curing hides, only to ruin them trying to tan them. I think I shall focus on just curing for a while, and attempting the tanning later, when I am more confident.
Xain rescued me from the tedium by suggesting an expedition to the Haven mines. Knowing I could use the coin (I still must find a way to obtain a beautiful gift for Tyrian as a wedding present) and the practice, I eagerly agreed.
On the way there, we met (or were pursued by, rather) a charming little gent named Bumblebee. I was impressed with his glibness (and later with his aim), and he accompanied us into the depths. Suffice to say, all was not peaches and cream. We fought several mighty battles, each time depleting our supplies of healing potions, and at one point, I thought we would fall.
*pauses there a moment, reaching back to touch her, just to know she is there*
My greatest fear at that moment was not seeing her again; and I dare say that thought is what gave me the strength to perservere.
We met Tyrian in the mines...she had come all that way, suspecting I was out seeking coin, and come to find me. *sighs* That both thrills and concerns me at the same time; I worry for her. I shouldn't, I suppose, she is very capable...but I still worry at times...
After we left the mines, Tyrian and I came here to camp for the night. We spoke some more of our wedding plans. She told me that she wants to have a small ceremony, and a party for our friends afterward. She has obviously had bad experiences at large wedding affairs before. I told her I cared not if the moons were our only witness; so long as we had each other, I would be happy. So we go to the Leilon Arms later, to make plans for the party...it seems she already has plans for the ceremony, which she has yet to make me privy to *grins as he writes that*.
She is precious to me, and I love her...the process of how we come to be wed is academic.
*counts his coin and sighs...still nowhere near what is needed to get her something that he feels she deserves*
I spent some more time today listening to Xain and Axodeth converse in their native tongue...I daresay, I'm beginning to be able to recognize basic phrases now...
*rolls up the piece of parchment and replaces it in his pack...decides that because it is still not yet daybreak, he will roll over to embrace his love and sleep a little longer*
-
*washes off his blood-encrusted armor...glances around the empty room with disdain*
--'Tis been a dark day indeed.
Two newcomers today needed assistance finding the Sielwood caves...I offered them my assistance, and Tyrian and Ash, along with Mercas, decided to come along. Once at the caves, the newcomers found that which they sought. All of this happened with little incident; the kobolds and bugbears were little trouble for us.
Then we left the caves, and were immediately ambushed by an ettercap and a swarm of spiders.
I dashed about, fighting...trying to protect the strangers...when I heard Tyrian fall.
I rushed to her, but it was too late.
Perhaps, then, the next decision I made was rash. In hindsight, I realize the folly of my actions, but at the time, overcome as I was with both rage and grief, I felt I was doing what I must.
I remained at Tyrian's stone; determined that should her spirit come to reclaim her body, that not all the devils in hell would keep her from it. Sure enough, upon her return, the creatures renewed their assault...I fought like a man possessed, the eight-legged horrors surrounding me...
*pauses, remembering the struggle*
I...I was enraged...were it not for the arrival of Ash and Mercas, I may very well have fallen myself...I forgot my training, my instinct for self-preservation...it was almost as if I were in the grip of madness.
*thinks about that line for long minutes*
Nay; t'was not madness. I have spent a life without the love of one so precious as Tyrian...and I was determined that she would be whole once again...those things that would try to prevent this would have to step over my body to do so.
I hope she does not think me a fool...I...I feel rather foolish, myself. I know that with her powers, she could easily have slipped unseen back to her stone...but at the time....at the time...
*trails off*
I was terribly weakened from my battle. She had to help me back to the camp to rest.
There, she told me she had seen the Soul Mother once more.
*shudders...with both fear of loss and rage*
I berated myself...should I not have watched over her more closely than the newcomers?
Nay...'tis not the person I am...nor, do I think, would she want me that way. The time for blaming myself is over...even Ash said so.
*ponders a moment*
I think Ash may genuinely be accepting me...she was much more friendly and kind to me than she has been before. This makes my heart glad...Tyrian's best friend, I hope, will be my friend as well.
After our conversation at the camp, Tyrian went to meditate about her lost soul-strand *glances again at the empty room and sighs*
I joined with Axodeth, Ash, Tegan, and a stranger whose name I believe was Kiva. There was much argument amongst the party, and I felt ill at ease at times. We traveled to Pranzis, whereupon we met with a Paladin of Toran named Maev...a noble knight as lovely as she was courteous (and as proved later, she was skilled in battle as well...I would expect no less). From thence, we travelled through the deserts to Saudiria, and from there to the topaz caves.
*rubs a wound on his side...wincing at the pain*
We battled many giants...and in one such battle I was felled. The Soul Mother did not find me, but I decided to lament my woes rather than endanger anyone else attempting to retrieve my stone.
Later, I found Axodeth had fallen also...but the cursed Mother found him this day...
*blots the page in his anger*
I am in pain, both physically, mentally *glances at the empty room again* and emotionally.
I think I shall go into the main room and see if Axodeth will teach me some more Dwarven.
*starts to put the book away, but adds one more line at the bottom of the page*
E Ceela Aey, Tyrian...good night, my love, wherever this night finds you.
*puts the book down...glances at the empty room one last time, then goes out to find Axodeth*
-
...Mists swirl around him, the distant clashing of thunder reaching his ears as the world
spins in slow-motion...haze obscures his vision, and he feels anxious...
Suddenly, everything comes into focus: bizarre abominations, half giant and half spider,
abound; Tyrian and Axodeth are in their midst, and what he thought was thunder is actually
the clashing sounds of desperate combat...
Without warning, Tyrian falls...he moves with all of his strength to reach her side, but he
seems mired, unable to advance. He watches helplessly as Axodeth too succumbs to repeated blows
delivered by the beasts...straining more with his will than his body, he staggers a few steps forward,
pushing himself toward his fallen comrades with the determination that has oft times defined him, pain
wracking his frame with each step...
Then She is there; the horrid image of the Soul Mother erupts from the ethereal, dragging pieces of the
souls of his friends to herself, cackling like the distant sound of gulls on a breezy shore...he raises
his fists and bellows in a blind rage, challenging the unchallengeable with the last of his unbridled fury...
And then that are at his side once more...his love, and one of his best friends...their determined smiles
matching the power of their hearts..."Tis not their destiny," a clear, calm voice says in his head;
"They, like you, have their parts to play, ans all the fires of hell will not stop any of you from fulfilling
them...heed what you have learned, and follow your heart; it will lead you home".
*He sits bolt upright in his bed, drenched in sweat, his hand searching for a weapon...the cool darkness of the
room reaches him, and his breathing slows, realizing that he is safe, that it was only a dream...he glances to
the empty space on the bed beside him and is struck for an instant with melancholy, but then a calm peace washes
over him (perhaps it is a remnant of the dream) and he smiles, a contented, true smile...knowing that she will
return to him...he turns over and lies back down, smelling the sweet fragrance of her hair on the pillow...and
drifts off into his first peaceful slumber of the night*
______________________________________________________________________________________________
//OOC
Creighton has up till now been naive and a bit unsure of himself; in light of the recent changes in his life,
he's been making a lot of errors and bad calls due to his trouble dealing with life outside of the paladinship,
which up until now is the only life he remembers.
He's spent his entire life in a black and white world, and is now having to learn the subtle shades of gray...but
after several weeks of RPing the character learning from his mistakes, Creighton will awake tomorrow with a different
attitude about life; I think he has progressed to a point that now I may start playing him being a bit more savvy; this
is not to say that his personality is going to change; Creighton will always be Creighton; all this is to reflect is
that he is coming to terms with the world that he has chosen by leaving the stringent ways of knighthood...and he is
beginning to learn to rely on others rather than upon himself all of the time. He's seen the ways of powerful magic, and
seen valiant hearts in those around him (and he's been smacked down a few times for trying to do the "boy scout"
thing in a "non boy scout" world). He will start thinking a little differently about situations that he's in, and make better
decisions in a pinch.
This will, of course, be an undulating process that I will RP in the weeks to come; this post merely marks
the beginning of the character coming out of his shell and living in the world that he has chosen.
Of course, this is certainly NOT to say that he will NEVER do anything naive or "goody-goody"; that's
part of his charm. :)
-
*He wakes with a start from a fitful sleep...for a moment, the adrenaline courses through him as his eyes search the darkness for an enemy, but then he realizes that he is in his bed..."another dream", he thinks, then realizes that he is alone. A sadness threatens him, but he then recalls that she told him she may go to the craft house to clear her head...nonetheless, he still feels a pang of sorrow...
He sits in silence for a moment, then, unable to sleep, unable to think, he gets up, dresses, and goes out of the house to where Axodeth keeps a dummy for his armor crafting...he examines it for a moment, it's form weird and shadowed in the cloudy moonlight, and a single bolt of lightning splits the sky...
The dam bursts...all the pent up rage and anxiety pours out of him as he smashes his fist into the face of the mannequin. Again and again he strikes, landing blow after crushing blow on the armature, all the while his mind imagining the Soul Mother...for many minutes, nothing exists but the anger he feels and has no other outlet for...
Finally, his rage spent, he slumps to the ground, his knuckles raw and bleeding, his breath coming in gasps, tears filling his eyes...the first drops of rain begin to fall, and he looks up to the sky...
There, in the only break in the curtain of clouds, shines the Light...his eyes soften as the rays reach him, and, though he had often looked to the star for guidance, he feels something he has not felt before...a smile curls his lips, and he whispers his own words written down days before...*
"Life is to be lived...not spent fearing its end."
*He sits a moment longer, staring through the rain, then stands...noting with a chagrined smirk the broken mass of wood and leather that was Axodeth's pattern dummy...*
Hmmm. I shall have to replace that.
*takes up the wreckage and takes it to the trash can, then returns inside...a certain confidence in his stride*
-
*Puts on some dry clothes and lights a small candle...glances for a long second at the empty side of the bed then smiles...takes up his journal and a quill, and begins to write*
--Even in darkness, there is light.
It seems a lifetime ago that I spoke those words, or thereabouts, to Ozymandias. Would that I have actually listened to them before now!
Life cannot be enjoyed with the burden of the worry of it's finiteness.
*smiles*
Onto other matters...
It seems a plot was (or IS) forming for pirates, or pirates to be used, to overtake the city of Hurm. A party of us engaged and crushed a band of these privateers, but not before overhearing their plans. We informed people in Hurm of what we overheard, but to what avail, I do not know.
I have heard that the King is dead; 'tis unfortunate; at such a time, succession could be a nest of corruption...and I shudder at the possibilities that the closeness of his passing to the plot we (hopefully) foiled may unfurl.
*ponders this, decides to write none of the opinions whirling in his mind just yet*
Exodus seems troubled...I know not if this is because he is frustrated at his attempt to join the Church of Vorax, or for...other reasons.
*thinks carefully before continuing*
On a note that may perhaps be related, I am unsure of this Kiva...he seems a competent man, and an asset to any party...but his stalwart distance that he maintains often seems to conflict with the emotions that burst forth from him from time to time in the form of barbed comments. At first, I regret to say I judged him rather harshly...but Ash and Tyrian say that his is a noble soul, and he is indeed a friend, so I will believe this until I have a conclusive reason not to. In fact, I believe I will try once more to speak to him, to let him know that even if he considers me not a friend, which is his right, that he need not consider me an enemy...if that be the case, it will be by HIS choice, not by mine.
*looks again to the empty room, shadows shifting in the candlelight*
I must find my love. Whatever comfort I may have, belongs to her.
*smiles at the last line...puts the book away and blows out the candle, noticing the first rays of morning coming through the window...makes a quick note at the bottom of the page to remind himself to replace Axodeth's tailoring dummy...then leaves the room to clean up a bit, knowing his destination to be the craft house...*
-
*he hates to leave her side this night, even for a moment, but he feels he must write this in his journal...the penmanship is excited, hurried*
--Truly, I did not know such happiness could exist.
Tyrian is my wife...
With nature, the sky, and the gods as our witnesses, we pledged our lives to one another.
*the pen trails off, he looks to her and his heart swells with emotion*
I love her so...
*puts the book away, snuggles close beside her; knows a joy and a peace that he thanks heaven for, then drifts to sleep*
-
*Comes dragging in...smelling like animal hide and tanning acid...another trip into the forests to further his "trade"...*
*He half-smiles when he thinks this...trying to be very quiet, as it's late and the house is dark...he notices the plants and some of the chairs are missing...*
Must be redecorating, he thinks...*smiles*...she seems so happy with their home, and that brings a smile again to his lips...
*He moves silently to wash himself up, then into the bedroom...sees her sleeping peacefully and just stands a moment, happy to see her, even if she slumbers. He feels a pang of regret that his travels kept him away from her..."only just married," he thinks, "and here I go off all day...I must make it up to her somehow"...says a silent prayer that her day went well...*
*Slips beneath the covers to hold her close, kisses the back of her neck, and quickly falls into an exhausted sleep*
-
*He awakens in the night with a start, the darkness reminding him of the void he visited earlier this day...as his eyes adjust, he realizes he is in his bed, in his home, with his wife...he relaxes, smiling to himself as he touches her hair...he gently rolls over, lighting the candle by his bed, and takes up his journal and quill*
--'Twas not the best day I've had.
My leatherworking has improved...I am now curing leathers with much better success. This is one high point to the day.
The Stonecutters and I embarked on an adventure to Dregar with a large party, Ash, Tegan, Rhynn, Nepp, and Sakura among those we travelled with.
The journey started out badly; Freldo the bard appeared, and immediately tensions arose between Ash and Rhynn. I know not what this was caused by, nor is it my business...but I do not like to see those I call my friends so vexed...especially not with each other.
This faded, and the journey began. We travelled through the forests with several clashes with the giants that dwell there, and once across the desert we rested in Saudiria. Xain and I had time to practice a little Dwarven during this time, and he feels my skill is improving. From thence, we continued on into the caves to gather silver, where we met giants again. The travel to here was cause for celebration; we were doing well, purging the land of the scourge of the giants...
...then we came to a hill where several lay in wait. The battle was joined, and it was the fiercest fighting thus far...Exodus fell, as did I...
And Axodeth succumbed as well...but he was to meet the Soul Mother. Should he meet her again...
*shudders...the candle seems to flicker...or was it his imagination?*
That must NOT happen.
*pauses again, not wishing to consider the possibility but unable not to for a moment...then he continues*
Returning to where my soul was bound, I set out to try to find my way back to my friends...I was ambushed by giants, and fell yet again...only to see the cursed Mother myself.
Once again returned to the holy stone in Vale, I awaited my lamentation to end with supressed rage; there, Rhynn found me, and with her magicks, gave me the power to travel unseen.
*pauses, remembering the conversation*
Rhynn is a true heart of light; but she is so troubled...the encounter with Ash earlier weighed heavily upon her soul, and Freldo, whom she makes no secret of her love for, seems to not pay her much attention...she intimated thoughts of self-destruction to me, and I did my best to let her know her life was worth more than the grumblings of others, but I know not if my words reached her heart.
I returned to Pranzis to find my beloved wife...
*smiles, reaching over to touch her shoulder gently before continuing*
It was so good to see her...it had seemed like ages since I last held her in my arms. She was a bit chagrined at my news, and rightly so, but we forgot the worry and relished being with each other. We visited Exodus in his home in Haft Lake, then travelled home. We let the Stonecutters know of our plans for a celebration of our marriage, and they seemed excited.
It will do us all good to have some fun together.
*she shifts in her sleep, and he leans over and kisses her gently on the cheek*
She worries so...as do I. Not for myself, but for her...for the Stonecutters...for ALL those I call my friends. The times are dark...but we have our own light...we all have our friendships...Tyrian and I have our love.
By Toran...we will take care of each other.
*puts his book away and blows out the candle...whispers to her that he loves her, in common, Dwarven, and Elven, then pulls her close to him, kissing her gently on the neck before drifting off to a troubled sleep*
-
*He listens until he hears her leave, then takes up his journal and begins to write*
--'Tis been an interesting day.
I spent a great deal of my time gathering the herbs and plants Tyrian needs for her potions, while at the same time gathering materials for my own leather work. I had a couple of close calls; but it seems my skills are becoming more and more up to the task. Perhaps all that grueling training with Master Cort back at the academy coupled with what I have learned of Dwarven combat with the Stonecutters is paying off...
I am progressing with my leather crafting; I have made cloth and belts, and the curing and tanning processes are becoming less frustrating.
When I returned home, I found Exodus and Anna conversing. I sat in, Exodus taking some time to teach both of us some more Dwarven, and good fellowship was had. Later, my darling wife arrived *smiles as he writes* and brought even more light into the house. Exodus took his leave, whereupon an at times tearful Anna told us of her plight with assassins and the like...
*frowns*
T'would appear that relief efforts for the people of Roldem are being mishandled by authorities, so a select few have taken it upon themselves to help the stricken. Tyrian and I pledged our help to Anna, and by my oath we WILL help these poor people...it angers me that official channels have proven so...ineffective.
Also, tonight I have learned that my wife's skills are even greater than I had thought...*mutters to himself that that is saying a lot*...and she is becoming more and more sought after for her wares. A man named Talen brought some gold to her for her work, in exchange for some items that she crafts so well. He also gave me some instruction on leatherworking that I feel will be most beneficial to me.
*pauses, thinking for a moment*
She is at the craft house even now, working diligently for the dreams of Roldem, and the dreams of a house that belongs solely to the two of us...What a remarkable woman I have had the good fortune to be in love with!
Perhaps soon I will be able to craft well enough to contribute further to buying a home for my beloved and I...she works so hard for it...and I want it so badly for us as well...I shall work harder.
In the meantime, I have some ideas to drum up support for the Roldem relief; I will use what skills I have as best I can, in leathers, in arms, and in voice.
WE, my wife and I, have a cause...several, in fact.
*smiles as he reads over the entry...closes the book, snuffs the candle, and drifts off to sleep holding her pillow close, her scent filling his dreams*
-
*Comes into the room battered but cleaned up...sits gently on the bed and kisses her on the cheek, then turns and lights the small candle he keeps at bedside...takes up his journal*
--T'was a good evening.
Tyrian had worked long hours this day, and thus was retiring just as I was awakening...*glances over at her* She works so hard...she nears fruition of her dream of a home through her efforts...and now tirelessly toils for the unfortunate of Roldem...
*sighs with a smile* How lucky I am...how fortunate to have a place in a heart so wondrous...
Axodeth emerged tonight...the first I have seen of him since his last meeting with the Soul Mother *brow furrows*...he told me of his desire to form a guild of dwarves, to unite the clans. I told him that the people of his fine race could ask for no better leader.
*grins*
He went on to bless me with a great amount of pelts and skins that he had been collecting for some time, telling me to make good use of them for my family and for the stricken peoples I now try to help...
*thinks of how to write the next line*
He...he asked me to join with him...his guild...to be a Stonecutter.
*reads that line over several times*
I was...speechless. That he would offer me such an honor warmed my soul in an indescribable way. Of course, I told him that I would be happy...honored, indeed honored, to be one with his clan.
After this, he and Wren Thendor and I traveled around the outskirts of Hlint, gathering roots and herbs for my beloved and purging areas of monstrosities for the safety of travellers...the two of them did save my skin at one point battling lizard folk when my potions ran out...I nearly fell but for their efforts, and I owe them much.
*thinks that he owes another as well, but does not name him here. Then it occurs to him that he did promise to be careful; what a quandry!*
I must continue to work on my skills...Taskmaster Cort would have had me flogged had he seen me so ill-prepared in my Academy days.
*sighs, a bit disappointed in himself...after a moment, he continues*
Upon returning to Hlint this night, I have crafted some gloves for the children of Roldem...hopefully the first pairs of many...
*blows out the candle...curls next to her, whispering "E ceela aey, my Tyrian" as he settles in to a well-deserved sleep*
-
*this entry is dated several days from the last one*
--I...I suppose things are well....
*dark line hastily scrawled across the page, the ink blotting*
Nay...I shan't even write such a lie.
I...I'm worried...I...*trails off*
No, no, it's not even that...I miss her, my beloved. She's been gone now for quite a while *"Too long" he says aloud as he writes* I know full well she can care for herself...but...
Enough. It is enough to know she will return.
*takes a deep breath, re-inks the quill*
My crafting is improving; I have made things for the people of Roldem. My dwarven is getting better; Axodeth has mentioned that I will fit in fine with his guild, that I will be speaking Dwarven like a native before long. I have been....
*Slams the book, gritting his teeth...he was only writing, he knows, to give himself something to do in these the hardest moments of his day...he's not been of the mind to write lately, and tonight, it seems, is no exception...he glances at the empty side of the bed and sighs an aching sigh...he puts the book up and snuffs the candle, staring for long moments into the darkness where her form should be.*
"Come home soon, my Tyrian, my love."
*he stares for long moments still at the emptiness, clutching her pillow close to him, before sleep finally claims him*
-
*waits until she sleeps, then takes up his journal, using the ring he found in one of his chests to light his writing...smiles, remembering that it was she who gave him this ring upon their second meeting*
She is home.
*sighs contentedly, looking over at her*
She had aided a stranger who had come to her under false pretenses...and he got what he deserved.
My mind was awash with emotion...I fear I acted as a fool when I saw her...but that is all right. She is home.
*smiles again, glancing at her once more*
Much is happening around the world...although I didn't get to speak to her much, Anna seemed uncomfortable. I must make it a point to speak with her at length again about the Roldem efforts. Exodus and Xain have pledged themselves to her cause, but that will still not be enough...the Called must be united in their efforts...petty differences must be put aside...they must be made to understand...
*grins*
But that is for later...for now, let Bloodstone himself walk through that door...
...as long as I know she is safe and with me, I fear nothing.
*puts the book up and cinches the ring in a leather pouch...curls next to her and, kissing her neck, whispers "Nurga a', Kohaarz", then drifts into a needed and peaceful sleep*
-
*Dreams of being a small child, sorting peas...but in the oddness of the dream world, the red peas make war with the blue and yellow and green peas....the blue and yellow and green peas could stop the red peas, if they could just stop fighting amongst themselves...
Wakes with a start, shaking his head at the oddness of the dream...his weary head falls back to the pillow...places his arm around his wife and goes back to sleep, thinking only three conscious thoughts as slumber takes him once more...
It will be wonderful to care for one of the children...
I must speak to Ozymandias....
Paint...paint to make blue, yellow, and green the same....
Fades out into blissful sleep*
-
*Takes out his book and his ring for light, grins as she sighs...she's not yet quite asleep...he shall be swift*
I think this may be the first day I haven't left Hlint.
I spent my time crafting, making more gloves and boots for Roldem. My beloved wife wiled away some hours there also, crafting and conducting her business...
*smiles at this*
She handles the transactions like a true professional...I'm amazed at her savvy. With her at the helm, we shall have our dream home in no time...
*pauses a moment, glances at his acid and oil-stained hands, and wonders what contribution HE will be able to make*
...and though I don't let it show, I am anxious to meet with Anna about this child we are to take in. *smiles*
Speaking of Anna...well, there appear to be more problems than I thought...Ash and Ty were discussing some of what they knew of her plight...
*stops*
No...I shan't write that down. 'Tis not my place to do so. Suffice to note that Anna is a good soul, working so hard to ease the suffering of others despite her own hurt, and it pains me to see her in such an obvious state of sorrow.
So many of those dear to me in pain! Exodus, whose love for Ash is waylaid by her angst over one she thought she loved spurning her...*that man has less couth than I thought, he thinks*...Anna is so upset...Roldem still needs help...the forces of Bloodstone seem to be gaining strength...
*stops writing, the thoughts overwhelming him*
So much turmoil in the world...
*nudges her*
"Are you asleep?"
*a sleepy mutter is the only response...he smiles*
Thank the gods for her...and our happiness together.
*cinches the ring in the bag, puts the book away, and lies close to her beneath the covers...*
-
*He wakes to the sound of a crash in the house, his sword in his hand before he's fully aware of his surroundings...he's nervous; he knows the time is nigh for the final confrontation with Bloodstone, and he's regretful that he cannot stand with the defenders...
...but he has a family now, and his place is here, to defend Mistone if needs be...he notices that Tyrian is distressed; t'was the crashing of her journal being flung 'cross the room that woke him...he wants to go to her, but understands her pain and leaves her be for now...
puts his blade away and settles back down in bed, his eyes searching the darkness of the ceiling, his ears straining for sounds of trouble, and says a silent prayer for all those who will stand this night on other lands to meet the challenge of Darkness...so many that he does not even try to name them all, but holds them in his heart and mind as he asks Toran to light their way...*
-
--T'was a day for both sorrow and celebration.
The war is over...Blood has fallen. 'Tis a shame that the joy that writing that statement should bring to my soul is dampened by the price this world, these people, have paid for it.
The sky is dark...the earth itself heaved into the sky as payment for Bloodstone's defeat. Temperatures drop, and will likely drop further...the crops, the livestock will suffer...and so the people must suffer as well.
*thinks about a conversation he had earlier*
This is still indeed, a time for heroes. Heroes with warm hearts and stout resolve.
*glances at her sleeping form*
Good thing there's still some of those around. *smiles*
Onto the celebratory note: Tyrian and I had our party to celebrate our marriage. Freldo was kind enough to open the Leilon Arms to us and our guests.
*grins*
The party was fun indeed, with many of our friends showing up and releasing some pent up frustrations in an enjoyable and satisfying way. Exodus had a marvelous costume, and I daresay he was, at least for a moment, the life of the party. Nepp was...well, inimitable Nepp *grins at the memory*...Addison and Treana were matched in some odd religious garb, and put Freldo through his paces comically. There were quite a few others, and it was good to enjoy such merriment with those dear friends. Ash, *pauses* I think Ash has finally accepted me fully. That brings joy to my soul...I know Ty sees her as a sister, and I am blessed to count such a valiant and fiery spirit as a friend.
On the way back, Ty and I picnicked in the forest close to where we were wed.
*glances at her again*
T'was marvelous to simply be alone with her...to discuss the future...although the ways of the world may be tenuous right now, our love bolsters our faith such that together, we shall see it through.
Later, she and Axodeth and I travelled to the Blood Desert to gather agates for her craft...there was an abundance of ogres there...perhaps the leftovers of Blood's armies, trying to carve out their own niche in the world now? Who knows...we bested them, "zihazzig thg'nnth", as Xain would say, and my heart was again swelled with the pride of the companions that I keep.
With friends such as we have, and with each other, I face this uncertain future without fear, and with a strong sense of pride and honor.
*smiles once again...dusts the page and replaces the book upon the shelf...slips into bed beside his wife, and drifts into sleep with her in his arms*
-
*Listens until she drifts off to sleep; puts on his ring quickly, turning so as not to disturb her; takes up book and quill*
--Not my best day.
First, in my efforts to find skins for my crafting, I was ambushed by several of those "dire" spiders deep in Sielwood. I felled half of their number, but their venom took it's toll, and I fell before the rest. My beloved brought me back to find the stone to make me whole again....but still...
Later, we gathered a rather large group to travel to the Berhagens, to see if the presence of monsters there had increased since Bloodstone's defeat as it has in the desert...
*winces as he writes*
---again, again I fell. I will make no excuse...I charged in, saw Axodeth in danger, and lumbered into the waiting arms of death like a mere whelp! True enough, my discipline had slipped, but I will not note why here...who knows if one day my children may read this, and I will not have the shame upon me..
*grins at the thought of children....wonders when they will see Anna for the one they are to care for*
Regardless, I MUST be more disciplined...Taskmaster Cort would have flayed me alive were he here to see...I must keep a firmer grip.
*glances at her asleep*
She...she worries...and my lapse of good sense could put HER in danger...and THAT cannot happen.
*sighs*
Faith, heart, courage, and skill. That is still the mantra. Note it does not say foolhardiness...Toran's wisdom is here, I must simply listen more closely to it.
*dusts the page, cinches the ring in it's pouch, and curls next to his wife, the perfumed scent of her hair carrying him to a peaceful slumber*
-
*sits by his campfire far from home...the flickering light making shadows dance around the small clearing...he puts down his roasted boar meat when he is satisfied, then takes a small leather case out and removes some parchment and a quill*
--'Tis worse than I imagined.
I have taken this time to explore the surrounding lands of Mistone to see what has changed in the wake of Bloodstone's defeat. I supposed that this would give Tyrian time to do her work, and allow me to gather some skins, broaden my knowledge of the surrounding lands, and re-hone my tactics.
The temperature is indeed cooler, and seems to grow more so. I am glad I chose leathers as my trade; the skins I have cured are coming in quite handy as a means of warmth. Baleful beasts, also, are more prevalent, but they seem disoriented...their guiding hand gone, they have no true direction. I suppose it is only a matter of time before their food runs out, and they come to populated areas for easy sustenance.
*glances at his bloodstained armor and freshly honed sword*
By Toran, they will learn that it is not all that easy.
*reflects a moment on his day, then continues*
Tyrian's advice has rung true *no surprise there, he mutters as he writes*...I have been assailed several times on this journey, but have acquitted myself nicely by using my head first, then my sword.
*glances at the empty flasks in his pack*
Oh, all right....I've used quite a few of the potions she made me as well....she wouldn't be surprised...*grins his half-grin*
I'm sure she's worried....and I miss her so...on the morn I return to Hlint.
*puts his writing gear away...takes a burning ember and makes one more loop around the camp to ensure there are no lurkers about...satisfied, he lies close to the fire, wrapping himself in cured lionskin, and drifts to a chilly sleep clutching the amulet she made for him*
-
*sits beneath his tree, having returned from his duty of honor, wanting to enjoy the night a moment before returning home...tekes some parchment from his pack, and, here beneath the stars, begins to write*
--I'm feeling a bit guilty.
I spent most of my day working on my crafting skills, and have made some broad improvements to my technique. I decided I needed some cougar pelts to continue, and I ran into Amber, a young woman who has travelled with our group a few times of late. She said she had never been to where the cougars roam, so I invited her to join me.
All went well for a time, but we were beset by griffons, and in buying her time to escape, I was felled by the winged horrors.
Finding myself in Hlint, I realized that I still carried much of her share of the spoils from our journey.
Thorkain happened along, and noticed my state...then Mercas, as well. Mercas used his magicks to make me good to travel, then Thorkain, a man whom I just met named Daniel, and I set off to find my stone. After a merry adventure (Daniel seems a noble soul, and Thorkain was impressed by my Dwarven), we retrieved my stone and returned to Hlint.
I ran into Nepp and Ash...the two of them seem to be enjoying each others company, and that makes my heart glad. *smiles*
Then my beloved approached...I was very glad to see her *smiles again, looking toward his home*. A small group that gathered in the forest decided on a journey to Dregar...
...but I still was duty bound to return what belonged to Amber to her.
So, as the party departed, I kissed my beloved good bye, and set out to find Amber. After much travel, I was able to do what honor demanded and give back to her her rightful share.
*sighs, looking up at the stars*
I am home now, and am ready to return to Tyrian's side. I noticed a candlelight in the window a little while ago, so I hasten to go to her..*pauses*
I hope her trip went well...I am sorry that I could not accompany her.
*looks sadly at the line, then toward his home...wraps up the parchment and hurries home*
-
*spends the day sick in bed...must have picked up a draft on his recent ocean voyage...through his congested and aching haze, he hears Tyrian slamming things about the room again...as he begins to rise, she leaves...and for the moment, he has not the strength to follow...*
-
--All in all, has been a good day.
*smiles*
Tyrian and I have proven that the two of us alone are a formidable pair; we bested the ogres infesting the Haven mines alone, just the two of us...her magic and my steel...
...t'was a good feeling, to stand by her side.
My leather work is coming along fine...I daresay, some of the pieces I have crafted with this hobby of mine may prove to be some that I can sell to support my family...I didn't think some time ago that I would reach this goal...
My Dwarven learning has been reduced of late to practicing with Tyrian that which we already have learned; the Stonecutters have been away for some time...although a short time ago, Axodeth came back from his travels, and took the time to show me the island of Rilara...a beautiful if troubled land...one I shall visit again.
*sighs contentedly*
Has been a busy day...I am satisfied with it.
*smiles....closes the book and puts it away, then joins his wife beneath the covers, snuggling up for a peaceful sleep*
-
*Hurries in...finds no one home...chagrined, he quickly gathers supplies, then, as an afterthought, snatches up his journal*
--A day of mourning, this will be.
Word has reached me that Glenn Thendor is dead.
*pauses...jaw firmly clenched*
I know not if Tyrian or the Stonecutters know...I only know that I must go and see for myself...and Ash...poor Ash...I have to see if I can find her...
*snatches a page out and scrawls a quick note for Ty...that he will be travelling to the Ranger's Vale to seek word, then to Vale itself if need be...to find both confirmation of the terrible news, and hopefully to find Ash...he lays it on her pillow*
Time is of the essence...although my source is good and my fear is high...I must hold onto hope.
*slams the book and replaces it on the shelf...as an afterthought, he grabs his panther cloak off of the hook by the bed, thinking it's qualities may be useful should he have to journey to Vale...this action causes the note to fall to the floor unnoticed by him as he leaves, coming to rest under the dresser and out of sight....*
-
*sits up on the rug in the new house...glances around with a broad smile at the sparse furniture that she and he placed...takes out a small book and quill and writes*
--'Tis a day to remember.
I have spent my time these past days scouring the continents for those I care for; to see for myself the horrible truth that Glenn Thendor did indeed perish...
*pauses*
I am told he died with honor and courage...just as he lived.
I also searched in vain for Ash, Nepp, and of course, my beloved Tyrian. I did find one old friend I had missed, but it was bittersweet; Xain told me that he was going to be doing some travelling, and that he might be gone for quite a while. This saddened me...he...
*stops a moment...sorrow filling his thoughts, but then:*
He gave me his half of the house in Pranzis. A home for Tyrian and I at last. How lucky we are to have friends such as the Stonecutters...two homes opened with warmth and welcome to us!
*starts to chronicle more of his journey, but is anxious to lie next to his wife*
I returned to Hlint, and there, in my own home, was accosted by a beast of dread appearance! Of course, this turned out to be my beloved, transmorphed into another form. Her skills are growing so much! We traded stories of our time apart (it turns out she never got my note...I found it later lying 'neath the dresser), and our concerns about Ash, Nepp, and the Stonecutters. I took her to the house in Pranzis...a surprise *grins as he writes* She seemed overwhelmed...very happy. It lit my heart like Toran's Light to see her so!
We also, in the turmoil surrounding Glenn's death, missed the wedding of our friends Rain and Sonya.
*stops, chagrined*
I feel terrible about this...I shall find a way to make it up to them.
We are going to see about the child Anna told us of...soon, we will journey to meet the children left in the wake of Roldem's destruction, and take one home...I so look forward to this...
*smiles broadly...looks over to her lying on the bearskin that is to be their bed for the night...considers writing more, but closes the book instead and takes his place next to her, wrapping his arms around her...the first true peace he has known in days*
-
*wakes early...not knowing at first where he is, then realization sets in...he is home; he, and his wife. He smiles and rises, taking the small book from his pocket that is his journal until hie regular one is found in the disarray*
--She seems so happy.
I hope her shopping and decorating continues to keep that spark in her eye.
*thinks deeply a moment*
Something she said occurs to me; something that would make her heart glad.
*sighs, feeling the weight of his thoughts, then smiles to himself*
Anything is possible. I shall lay my plans...
*puts the book away, kisses her on the cheek, trying not to wake her, as she was obviously up VERY late working on the home...makes his way quietly out the door, but not before placing a blue rose on the pillow beside her*
-
--'Tis been an eventful night.
Tyrian has finished the decoration of our home...it looks beautiful. Such a thing I never imagined when I tread the lonely footpaths in times past, seeking that justice, that vengeance, that would have consumed me...thank Toran I found Ty...she is the light in my life.
*smiles* Speaking of light...soon, we will bring home a child! *smiles broadly* I...I could never have hoped for such a blessing.
*ponders this a moment*
I...I hope I can be a good father...I hope I can be half the man MY father was...I hope I can help ease this child's pain where I had only the quest to be my comfort...
*trails off*
Enough of that. I shall be as good of a father as I can...and Tyrian will be a wondrous mother, I am certain.
Later, we traveled back to Mistone, where in Hlint we met with Nepp. He is growing in ability, but I still worry for him...Glenn's death affected him so...
*sighs*
Speaking of that, I also learned of Addison's death. *face twists a bit in anger* I have lost two friends in such a short time...and my beloved and Nepp both have been visited again by the dread Mother...we must be more cautious...
*pauses, thinks to himself "look who's talking?"*
I too, must be more careful. There is too much in the future to miss it because of foolhardiness...
*begins to continue with this thought, but changes his mind*
We traveled to the Haven mines, and surprisingly, Ozymandias joined us. I was impressed by his skills and his manipulations of his magicks...I have no doubt that he could have traveled the length of the mine alone and emerged untouched, but he saw fit to journey with us.
I am glad for this.
May Toran watch over us all while we are apart...grant us wisdom, luck, and caution.
*smiles at his last entry, puts the book away and climbs into bed*
-
//this entry takes place a couple of days after the last one.
*staggers into the house, knocking over one of Ty's plants...he stops, despite his disorientation and pain, to pick it up, then continues his lumbering into the room...taking his journal he scrawls a quick line on the first page it opens to*
My...judgement was lacking...too many...the Mother...
Tyrian...I'm....
*collapses unconscious onto the cushions in front of the fireplace, the journal, quill, and inkwell tumbling to the floor, the black ink mixing with his blood as it trickles into the masonry cracks in the floor*
-
//ooc-- These next couple of posts take place over a span of weeks...in RL, my internet has been out, and my wondrous ISP has taken their sweet time about getting me re-connected. This is my RP of why Creighton has been gone.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
*written in a crude ink on dirty parchment, cobbled together from refuse when their eyes could not see*
I am a prisoner.
Traveling about the lands surrounding Pranzis, to determine how dangerous it would be to bring a child home, I was suprised to find a small child crying woefully just past Corax Lake..
*pauses, withdrawing to the corner of his tiny, filthy cell as the guard ambles by, glaring with it's yellow eyes at him as it passed*
T'was a ruse...no sooner had I approached the child than it transformed through dark magicks into a robed being, and I was beset by a group of similarly dressed men who brought me down. I slew two of them, and when I was gripped by their energies, I thought I had breathed my last, but when I awoke I was here...
*glances about the filth...the smell of blood and decay rampant in the dismal dungeon...the rough iron shackles digging into his wrists and ankles...he glances at the healing wounds on his skin*
They have tortured me much...unspeakable, in fact. *he winces at the memories...the lash, the hot iron, the water* Only my memories of Tyrian and the child we wish to raise stilled my tongue...do what you wilt to me, I told them, but I shall tell you nothing to endanger anyone else! To the hells with you all, cowards who only know courage when the object of their ire cannot fight back!
This brought their wrath down upon me fully...I...I have witnessed the slow and painful death of several others here, and only by the strenth of Toran do I feel that I have survived thus...
They come...I will write more later, on the chance these words will one day be read.
I love you, Tyrian.
*hides the shreds of paper and crude bone quill beneath the flea-ridden mat that is his bed*
-
*some days later, the tortures have intensified, and his despair has grown into a burning, calculated rage*
I am finished.
I have decided that I will leave this place, or die in the attempt. I have watched and waited for an opportunity for weeks, and have found little or none...their eyes see even when closed.
I shall make my opportunity.
Toran give me strength.
*Checks again the strength of the iron links binding his wrists...the ones joining his ankles now stretched almost to the point of breaking by his constant pulling on them, night after night, until his strength failed him. Now, he smiles through cracked, dry lips, now the time is almost nigh...his eyes raise slightly as he hears them coming...more torture, he knows.
His lips curl in a smirk as his face darkens to the point of appearing a different person as they open the cell and drag him out*
-
*some days later...sitting by a fire near Corax Lake...as far as he could get before his legs failed him...food has been scarce, and he had not the strength to hunt...he found some blackberries, and smiled at the memory of Tyrian giving him blackberries at a time that seemed long, long ago...he writes on the parchment he took as he made his escape*
I...I have been pushed to do things I thought I would never do.
When they took me last...when sanity had all but left me, I had my plans...
I...I broke free in their midst, as they were chaining me to the wheel, when they were closest. I took the long dagger from one of their belts and tore into them, lashing out with a rage and a fury I have never let myself become a slave to...killing the three before they could speak the words of their spells.
*sighs*
I took the robe of one and his weapon...found my way to where they kept the spoils of their prisoners and retrieved most of my things...then tried to make my way out.
When I reached the outer gate, the guard had his back to me...I knew I would have to speak to him to be released, and I knew my deception would end.
I...
*trails off a moment*
I snuck behind him and strangled him...finishing him off with a dagger to the brainstem.
I have never done such a thing. I was trained to meet my enemies fairly and head on...
I thought I would not be able to do such an act...then I thought of my beloved...I thought of our home...I thought of the child we wish to raise...
...the rest was easy.
*yawns...feeling weak...the shackles still dangling broken chains from his wrists and ankles.*
May Toran grant a traveler to find me, or by his Light may I wake in the morn with the strength to make it home.
If not...then let he who finds my body please, please give my love to Tyrian...and I ask they only take her my sword to pass on...the rest, traveler, you may keep.
*Rolls over onto the robe he is using as a bedroll, pain wracking him from his wounds, and looks to Toran's Light in the sky...making his peace with either life or death...praying, however, to see her again*
-
*wakens with a start in the night, his recent memories manifesting themselves in his dreams; his sword is in his hand before he is fully conscious, his eyes narrowed, scanning from the light of the flaming blade...then, like stepping from a fog, he recognizes the familiar sights of his own home...his body relaxing almost violently, he sheathes his blade then settles back down onto the cushions, turning to put another log on the fire...it is then that he notices that she is gone...his brow knits in confusion, certain memories of their earlier reunion weighing on his mind...he takes his journal, leafs past the dirty pages from his imprisonment that he has placed there, and turns to a fresh page, writing by firelight as he chagrins over her absence*
--I am home. I am reunited with my most beloved.
But now, it seems, she is gone.
*stares into the fire a moment*
So much has gone on...Ash...Nepp...demons....
I did not like the look in her eyes at times...the stresses she bears for those she loves...I worry.
I need to find her something good in her life...something for her to anchor to amidst all the chaos...
*a brow raises as an idea strikes him...one that he will need help with, but...yes, it's quite possible*
I will not write my idea here...but I shall immediately begin preparations.
*closes the journal...makes sure the screen is in place in front of the fireplace, then sets out on a dual purpose*
-
*Written in his small journal that he carries with him, the script obviously rushed*
--Not much time if I'm to make Hlint before sunrise.
I still have not found Tyrian. Because of the look in her eyes after hearing of my suffering at the hands of...I'm not sure who, I'm worried for what trouble she may get into.
I must hurry. Please, whatever powers that be, let me find her in Hlint.
-
*Awakens slowly, his mind still weary from his journey...he notices a familiar smell in the room, and quickly sees her side of the bed has been slept in...
He rises quickly, searching about the room...but does not see her. A quick search around the rest of the house yields only bloody robes in the bathtub. Noticing no blood in the house, he concludes that the blood does not belong to Ty.
This thought, although happy, does little to stem his concern...he dresses rapidly, then sets out of the house once more, his jaw set in that way that says he will not stop until he finds her*
-
*He awakens at the sound of her leaving...the candles throw odd shadows over the room as the crackling of the fire reaches his ears...gruffly, he drags out his journal*
I am a buffoon.
I fear I have only made matters worse in my ineptitude...Taskmaster Cort was right, I should have stuck to my sword, and kept my tongue sheathed, for I am a miserable student of the parlay.
I found Tyrian. She was home when I got back from my search. I...I wanted to talk to her, to let her know that she didn't have to carry all of the burdens that she carries alone...I...I sought only to let her know that she did not have to be alone...and stumbled over myself when she told me that at times, that was how she wanted it. Her caring for others is what gives her comfort, and I obviously misunderstood and overreacted...
How blind for me not to have known that!
*stops for long seconds, a twisting in his guts travels up to his heart*
And why does her response carry a twinge of pain?
*ponders following this line of thought for a moment, but then, both sad and disgusted with himself, he shakes off the thought as much as he can...but it is replaced with thoughts no more encouraging as he dips the quill again and writes*
I was once told I couldn't save the world. That for all my courage, all my skill, all my willingness to do whatever was required, regardless of the pain, regardless of the sacrifice; I could NOT save the world.
As is my wont, I never stopped believing that I COULD.
*stares at his armor and weapons on their racks...gleaming and polished in the firelight...then he turns to the empty pillow next to him*
Now...Toran help me...
...Now I'm starting to doubt.
*slams the book...for a split second, he considers hurling it into the fire...but reconsiders, and just as gruffly returns it to its spot and settles back down into his bed...eventually falling into a fitful and troubled slumber*
-
*Wakes up to notice his wounds have been treated for the final time...curses himself for being so exhausted from his trek that he did not awaken, and missed her. Rises from his bed and stretches, getting dressed, and taking his journal to walk to the kitchen*
--The information I seek is slow in coming.
I have told Tyrian of my plan to find her parents...even now, I have friends scouring for information to give me a direction in which to go. Sadly, I am told that this will be most difficult; much time has passed, and many shipping manifests and passenger lists were lost in the Blood War...but I have faith. Toran has seen me thus far, and I believe his Light will show me the way to that I seek once more.
*Reads back over his last entry*
I am no buffoon, I am merely overzealous. Ty has always, though taking much upon her shoulders, revelled in her care for those she loves. I will continue to support, aid, and love this woman in any way that I can, and that shall be enough.
*smiles, looking as his arms and chest, noticing how well they have healed*
I shall find her this eve, and we shall have a grand time.
*closes the book and, leaving it on the table, goes to prepare himself some food*
-
*Rolls over and sits up, a slight chill in the house...throws a log on the fire and makes sure she's covered with a blanket...goes to the kitchen and gets some water...notices he left his journal on the table, and with a grin, lights a candle and sits to write*
--T'was a good journey today.
I say that because although we were in over our heads in trying to put down the large group of giants threatening the city gates, my love and I made a new friend.
*recalls meeting the stranger*
Vesath was his name, and he seems a noble soul; he stayed with Tyrian whilst I had to journey back to retrieve my stone...and he fought at our side as we made our way back to Pranzis.
*hears her shift in her sleep, reminds himself to stoke the blaze well before returning to her side*
'Tis always good to have friends...I think I shall journey back to Hlint soon, and see if I can be of aid to any newcomers that I have heard are all over town; refugees since the fall of Blood.
*grins*
Ah, Tyrian...maybe you are rubbing off on me.
*closes the book, blows out the candle...places his journal back where it belongs...puts one more small log on the fire and stokes it, satisfying himself that it will keep her warm...crawls back underneath the blanket and puts his arms around her...drifts off to sleep*
-
*sits upright on the cushions in the middle of the night, the firelight throwing monstrous shadows on the wall...but he is not cowed, no...the dreamed images of the Soul Mother and her visitation of him this night have brought not fear...he studies the room around him, his eyes narrowing as they adjust quickly to the low light...Tyrian mumbles something, still mostly asleep, and his attention snaps to her...all angst leaves him, combat-readied sinews relax, and he lays gently back down beside her, cradling her close*
"I am here" he whispers to her.
"I am still here...and life loses it's meaning if you only think about it's end."
*he smiles at the words he spoke to her before retiring this evening as he repeats them...she shifts and nuzzles closer to him, as if perhaps she heard...he smiles, smelling the fresh scent of her hair as he drifts back into a now-peaceful sleep*
-
*Trudges through the edge of the Forest of Mist, always watchful...disappointed that yet another lead in his quest has turned out to be a dead end....his eyes catch a few of the remaining spires in distant Pranzis, and his step quickens a bit...it will be good to see his love and his friends...it will be good to be home*
"Wonder what I've missed?" He asks himself beneath his breath, that half-grin curling his lips.
*He hears a twig snap in the brush and stops, hands on his weapons, waiting...*
-
*Rises after several days of recuperation, the venom from the dire spiders having ravaged his bloodstream despite his destruction of the nest...he sighs as he rises, picking up his gear and clearing the small campsite he had made to either wait out the venom or die...sees that the distant spires of Pranzis are yet no closer than when he last looked on them...with yearning for those he cares for quickening his step, he presses on wordlessly, with the determination that has come to define him...*
-
*Rises in the night to find her next to him...curses the poison that had weakened him so*
"I should have been awake when you came home, my love", he whispers.
"But I am home."
*her lips curl in a slight smile, even in her sleep, as he pulls her closer and drifts back off...hoping all the more that these wanderings he has to make bear fruit for her sake*
-
*Just simply can not sleep...hears her writing in her journal, pretends to sleep, but still smiling...waits for a while after the candle goes out, then rises himself, takes up his journal and writes by firelight*
I thought I had reached the apex of happiness when I found this woman beside me.
Now, it is through her, that I have been proven wrong.
*feels himself grinning, as though his face would split...almost laughs at this realization, but stops himself*
I am to be a father.
*stares at that line for long moments...long enough for a drop of ink to fall from the quill and blot the page*
I...I feel I should write something more, but
*trails off here, gently places his hand on her stomach, smiling wider still and begins to whisper very softly*
"What a lucky one you are, little one...you will have such a wonderful mother, such wonderful surrogate aunts and uncles..."
*remembers holding Tear, one of Ash's children, and the simple joy he held with her*
"And cousins as well!"
*takes his hand back and stares out the window, looking at the stars a moment, then back to his wife and unborn child*
"And I swear, by my life, that I will do all I can to be the best father that I can possibly be."
*looks back to the page to write more, but finds he has no more words...puts away the quill and returns the journal to the mantel...throws another log on the fire before curling next to his wife on the cushions, holding her in his arms, and, STILL smiling, drifts off to sleep*
-
*Staggers blindly into his living room, not sure how he got there...he focuses in and out, glancing about, knowing something is missing, but wha-*
"Tyrian!" he suddenly shouts.
*eyes widen as he searches the house, his brush again with the Soul Mother so soon breeding an irrational urgency...*
"Where is Tyrian?" He thinks, almost frantic.
"My child!?"
*stands defiant in the house, looking about with his sword in hand, seeking his family, or any threat to them...slowly, reality begins to set back in, and he notices the cold emptiness from his brush with final death, and looks down to see his blood staining the rug*
"Oh no," he says aloud, his sword extinguishing as it drops to the floor. He holds up his hand, seeing where his life blood has been running from his fingertips, and a resigned grin crosses his features...
"Ty will be so upset..."
*passes out in the floor, a clatter of armor and dead weight*
-
*wakes to find his wounds tended and the sheets clean...but the house is empty...gets up, gets dressed, and heads out the door...something about the way the house is in a bit of disarray tells him that she is upset about something, and he means to find her...heads out the door*
-
*Staggers in with Tyrian supporting his bloody frame...strips from his armor...cleans his wounds, bandages are put on...stares in angst at the ceiling for the most part...*
"Toran," he prays silently, "Have I offended you? Have I been abandoned?"
*sighs and winces as a bandage is tightened*
"Four. Four times have I seen the Mother, in four days...she seems to be looking for me."
*looks into the concerned eyes of his wife; thinks of the child growing in her womb*
"I must either find out why she seems so intent on my soul, or else retire from adventuring."
*grits his teeth with resolve*
"My child will NOT grow up without a father."
*Lies back on the bed after his tending...in moments, he has passed out from exhaustion and blood loss*
-
*wakes late in the day...the afternoon light shining through the windows...he stretches gingerly, testing the healing wounds and torn muscles from his last brush, yet again, with the Soul Mother...he looks again to the light playing across the floor through the window, and after a moment, smiles*
"The Light shows the Way," he says aloud.
*rises and dresses...looking through the house, he wonders where Tyrian is...takes down his journal and writes a brief entry*
--I shall not be cowed.
For life to be worth living, it must be lived. For Toran, for myself, for my wife, and for my child...I will live.
*closes the book with a smile, puts it away, then sets out to see what adventures await, and to hopefully run across his pregnant wife*
-
*Waits for her to sleep, then takes out his journal and puts his pen to the page with a smile*
--It seems Toran has guided me far more than I thought.
Every day I spend with this woman I love her more.
I once believed in a life where I would undoubtedly die alone, and untended, battling to the last over some cause that has raged long before me and will rage long after...I would have been a quickly forgotten, if even considered, statistic.
But here...here this woman, she cares for me...worries for me...spends her hard earned coin on me; coin that she earned with her toil and her skill...she thought I was spending my money on betterments for my armor and weapons, when in reality I merely spent it on healing salves and crafting material...whatever was left I donated.
*unconsciously grins remembering how comical he must have looked to her and Rain at the craft hall this eve*
I never knew the want of coin, thus I don't suppose I have ever learned its value.
*leans over and kisses her cheek...places his hand on her stomach and smiles*
That matters not...the things I value most in this world are asleep beside me now.
*smiles broadly, then adds a line as an afterthought*
I shall have to make some little boots...
*feeling very happy, he puts his journal away and, stoking the fire, climbs under the blanket next to her, falling into a peaceful sleep with her in his arms*
-
*enters the house quietly, noticing the lone candle she left burning for him...checks on her to make sure she is comfortable, smiles as he places his hand on her stomach and feels a kick...stokes the fire and takes his journal from the mantel...moves to the kitchen table and, lighting a candle there, sits down to write*
--Tis been too long since I made a simple journal entry.
With all that has been going on with my trifles with the Soul Mother, Tyrian's worries for me, and my learning to begin to view magic as a gift from the gods rather than a sign of weakness, I have neglected to chronicle many of my daily happenings, which is why I began this book in the first place.
I have met many new faces; Mylindra, a cleric of Rofirein, Draden, a Paladin of Toran (who remembers many of the people that I do from the academy); some of these I have met in great campaigns for one reason or another. Therren, Quantum, Ireth, Sasha, Janice, Dori, and Garnet I have journeyed into Storan's Crypt to yet again face the undead there, travelling with Wren Thendor, the younger brother of the late Glenn Thendor.
Wren has approached me about a group gathering to protect a guild...I wonder what will come of that? I shall speak to him more of this when again I see him.
Ash, Nepp, and their children...how lovely those children are. *smiles* Peace, Destiny, and Tear...
I need to speak with Nepp. *brow furrows as he writes* He seems to be becoming erratic; I have seen his painting on the wall of the Wild Surge, and understand he fights in the arena sometime soon. I must try to see if I can help my friend.
The Stonecutters, save Exodus, whom I have seen occasionally, have been gone for a while. I miss them.
And Tyrian, beloved Tyrian, with our child that she bears...
*glances back over by the fire with a smile*
She continues to teach me each day.
I love her so.
*this written, he decides to stop writing...blows out the candle on the table...makes his way back to the cushions by the fireplace...removes his armor, puts another log on the fire against the chill, then lies down beside her, snuggling beneath the blankets and drifts to sleep with his arms around her*
-
*staggers wildly into the house, his hollow eyes searching for Ty....she is not there...
...gives in to emotion...flings his gear into the floor, smashing his fists into the walls until divots and cracks appear in the stone...and rivulets of blood run from the cuffs of his gauntlets...he sags to the floor, tears of rage filling his eyes...*
"VERY WELL THEN!" he screams to the unfeeling ceiling.
"If it is me you want so badly, then COME AND FACE ME!"
*Takes a deep, hitching breath*
"YOU WILL FIND THAT I WILL NOT BE SO EASILY TAKEN FROM MY...MY....."
*voice lowers as he begins to fall back*
"My family...."
*collapses into unconsciousness with a clatter, his head swirling with questions before the darkness comes: Why do I fall to things I so easily bested such a short time ago? Why did my weapon seem so ineffective, whilst theirs did not seem to miss, nor did they fail to do maximum harm when they hit? Am I...am I cursed? What god have I offended?*
-
*A letter is left on the table*
My Love,
I have received the call of Toran.
Perhaps this has something to do with the frequent visits of the Soul Mother recently.
I am leaving on yet another quest...I know not how long I will be gone, but I must find these answers.
Know that I love you, and if there were any other way, I would take it.
*tears dot the parchment*
I will do my utmost to return before the quarter-elf enters this world...my utmost.
I love you,
Creighton.
//OOC---Creighton will be out of pocket...I don't know how long.:(
My RL has become a firestorm of pure living hell, and I just don't know when I'll be able to get back on.
-
*wake suddenly in the darkness, not knowing for a moment where he is...a smile crosses his face as the dream lingers...he saw his wife...and his child....a son! A son he now has...a tear trickles down his cheek*
"I hope I can go home soon," he says aloud to the darkness, and the echo resounds...followed by a wet, slithering sound that also echoes.
*Draws his sword, the flames lighting the cavern, and with new determination, sets off to finish the tasks of Toran so that he may return*
"I love you, Tyrian," he says with a smile.
"You and my boy."
-
*He awakens, halfway, the sounds of a forest surrounding him, the smell of sea-salt still just barely in the air*
"So close", he thinks...he remembers the kindness of the Toranites in Port Hampshire...he is sorry to have left them as he did, but he had to press on, so long as strength remained in his body...he must.....he must deliver what he has sacrificed so terribly much for...
"So close"; the images of Tyrian fill his mind...so lovely, so full of life...imaginings of what his boy would look like...so big now...three years old...he has missed so much for this...tears well in his eyes, blurring even further the blurred image of the forest that greets his weary, battered eyes...
"Toran...please...if I have displeased you, I will pay...with my life, with my eternity...but let me...give me the strength...give me passage just this one last time...and I will ask nothing more of you..."
His vision begins to blur...despair tightens its icy grip around his heart as he feels the last bit of energy slip from him...
...but as he begins to slump to the ground, a shining essence comes from the darkness....a gleam of shining armor...boots the blue of Toran approach him through the peat and leaves of the forest floor....
"Brother Creighton?" He thinks he hears on the wind...
"I love you, Tyrian," he thinks as all goes black...
"You, and the child that we gave to this world"...
...and oblivion takes him....
-
*Wakes in the night...looks about the room and a swell of emotion so powerful that he feels his knees weaken grips him...a tear is blinked away from his eye as he sees memories played out all around him...he eases from the cushions...taking several moments just to look at her, peaceful at rest...he brushes a lock of hair from her cheek, gently, tenderly, almost as if he's afraid she may disappear if he touches too hard...after a time, he goes to the mantle, taking down his journal...he quietly blows three years worth of dust from the leather and sits by the fire, taking up a quill*
Gods, I have not the words...
*scrawled, hurredly...he takes a breath and closes his eyes a moment, then begins again, slowly*
'Tis been three long years since I last sat on this hearth, watched the beauty of this woman as she slept, felt the warmth of this fire...
*pauses, the lump in his throat threatening again*
...the warmth of this love.
*sighs...smiling so that his face may split, and feeling like weeping all at once*
I should write of what has transpired...someday, Chaynce may want to read this...so I write now for my son.
*the pen trails off again as his eyes lock on the nook in the corner of the room where his son sleeps...they linger there a moment, then return to the page*
Chaynce, should you be reading this, and the day has come that you know who I am *And by The Light, please let that day come, he thinks aloud as a faint whisper*, I want you to have a record as to why I did what I did...not to defend or justify, but simply to tell the truth.
The truth is all we ever really have, you know? Honor is the gift a man gives himself...and no one but he, through his actions, can ever take it away.
*smiles, looking again toward the nook for a moment*
I married the most beautiful, caring, and wonderful woman on all the earth some years ago, my son. You call her "Mother". I was brash and young; in so many ways, she was so much wiser than I...
I was, at the time I met her, a paladin of Toran...as a child, my mother, Rhianne, and my father, Chaynce (yes, you have his name and the amulet he made for me years ago) fell victim to a black evil...the walking dead. I was young...taken in by the Temple of Toran, and there chose what I thought was the path to justice.
*swallows hard...the lump still there, but for a different reason*
T'was only the path to vengeance, I know now. I studied hard...trained harder....but unbeknownst to me at the time, had no real direction...I sought to wreak the wrath of the Light down upon the heads of Evil wherever it was to be found...but Tyrian, beloved Tyrian, showed me something else. I fell in love with her hopelessly and completely, and I believe that the Light was there...the Light, I believe, shines the brightest when it shines from love.
But I still had much to learn.
I was foolhardy...rushing in when good sense should have told me otherwise (and speaking of good sense, your mother often DID tell me otherwise).
In this ignorance, I made a vow to your mother to one day find her family...your grandparents...she had left them when she was young, and missed them so...
Because of my impetuousness, I had been visited by the dread Soul Mother many times in a short period...I decided that if I was to fulfill my promise to your mother, that I had best hurry whilst I still had time on this earth. I set about gathering information from what I had gleaned from her journal and, after a time, had a direction.
*scratches his head a moment, re-inks the quill*
I set off hurredly, whilst you were still in her womb. I expected a quick trip, just to confirm my information, and return with the one bit of news that I thought would make your mother the happiest...
*again, a pang of regret strikes him, and he pauses, looking first to her and then to the nook*
Please, my son, please understand, that I did not...did NOT intend to miss your birth...I...I...
*the pen trails off a moment....he composes himself before continuing*
The journey did not go off as flawlessly as I believed it would...and when I did arrive at my destination...
*Tyrian turns in her sleep, and he pauses a moment, considering...then puts the quill to page once more*
What I found there, and what I learned of life and about myself, will have to be written another night. There is too much for one entry into this old book, and I wish to return to the embrace that for three years I would have gladly died to experience for just one moment.
I will finish this story, my son...there is so much I want you to know...so much I wish to teach you....
And if the fates allow, I swear to you that I will.
I love you, my son. With all that I am, and all that I ever will be.
I love you.
*puts the quill away, sets the book down on the hearth without closing it...his mind only focused on crossing the space to stand by the divider and look on the small boy lying in his bed...he smiles broadly, just watching...tears flow unheeded down his cheeks, flowing over his smile...he stands that way for quite a time...time he loses track of...before he finally returns and lies beside his wife, the smell of her hair filling his nostrils and the warmth of her embrace banishing all but the brightest of thoughts as he drifts off*
"Tomorrow," *he whispers as he falls asleep* "Tomorrow, my life begins anew."
-
*gets up and jots a quick note in his journal*
My son, know that at times your father was a fool...not the kind you see at the festivals or somesuch, just the kind that let silly things get in the way.
Know also, that the love of your mother took that away. T'was she who made me truly complete.
She, and you.
*smiles*
I love your mother and you will all my being.
*leaves the book on the hearth, and again, walks to the corner by the divider and just watches awhile...then returns to the arms of the wonderful woman that calls him her love...falls asleep with a contented smile on his face*
-
*Rises early the next morning to the sounds of clamor in the kitchen...goes in to find Exodus and Chaynce making breakfast...joins in with them, after a few moments of "welcome back, laddie! Tell me all yer stories!", he begins to revel in the merriment, making a terrible mess and having a ball of it with his son....it's then that he notices that Exodus, noble soul that he is, has discreetly gone to another part of the house to leave father and son alone a while...the time spent is joyous, and he hates to go, but knows he must...he ruffles the boys hair and tells him he will see him soon, and as he passes out the door, he gets a wisened grin and knowing nod from the Stonecutter brother...he smiles back and, looking back one last time to wave to Chaynce, heads out the door with a grin and a confidence to his step*
-
*awakes early again to Chaynce pouring grape juice slowly onto his head...comes out of the bed laughing, the boy smiling and running down the hall*
"Can't catch me, Waazk'ah!" He shouts, laughing as only a child can.
"What did he call me?" Creighton thinks, gathering himself from the bed with his half-grin and pursuing the boy to the kitchen, where after a few moments of horseplay *broken up by the gruff but gentle Exodus "Stop tearin' up me howse, ye bloody wreckin' crew!"*, the pair settle at the table to eat what Exo himself prepared (most likely not wanting to clean up another mess).
*After the meal, Chaynce belches heartily (as only a dwarf could teach) and smiles at Creighton*
"I know you have to go, Waazk'ah, just like mommy," the boy's bright eyes hold his father much like those of his mother, "So be careful, OK?"
*Creighton assures the boy he will with another ruffle of his hair, and Chaynce bounces down the hall to his things.
He raises a brow to Exodus*
"What is that he keeps calling me?"
*the Stonecutter grins, a twinkle in his eye*
"E'en he don't know th' meanin', naught yet he don't...but 'tis whut I told 'im 'e should call ye".
* Creighton squints his eyes a bit, studying Exodus with good-natured suspicion*
"Is that so?" he asks, mirth in his voice.
"Azoa, lad," Exodus replies, the twinkle still in his eye, but his expression earnest.
"'Tis 'father'."
*Creighton sits still for a moment, not knowing where the tears in his eyes have sprung from, looking at Exodus smiling a genuine smile to him*
"Soon," Exodus continues, "the time will come fer 'im to know, an' I just wanted 'im to have a good start to 'is learnin'."
*Creighton rises and smiles at his old friend, no words necessary as the dwarf nods to him...glances in to see Chaynce playing happily, the makes his way out the door*
-
*Awakens, surprised to find the clamor in the kitchen this morning is his son and his wife...smiles broadly as he makes his way to them, getting a gentle smile from Tyrian and a wry smirk from Chaynce*
"Mommy says we are to picnic today, Waazk'ah!"
*Creighton arches his brow toward Ty, who responds in kind*
"A picnic?" He asks the boy, looking back to him with his half-grin, "That's a wonderful idea."
*Chaynce gives out a little cheer, and dashes to his nook in the corner to gather his things...Creighton turns to Tyrian and speaks softly*
"Where shall we go?"
*She smiles that smile he knows so well*
"That place," she begins, "where the wagons sit and the rain stops for us."
*his smile widens, and he kisses her gently; as he pulls away, he whispers to her again*
"I love you."
*she closes her eyes and nods, smiling as she opens them again*
"And I you. Just don't go flying off on some crusade for comfrey or aloe, eh? Today is for..."
*She pauses a moment, glancing toward the nook where their son is cinching the strings on his knapsack, grinning, then back to her husband*
"Today is for us." she finishes.
*Creighton smiles broadly, swelling with emotion...Chaynce bounces back to them*
"Are we going?!" he demands. "Are we going?!"
*Creighton and Tyrian share a smile, she rolling her eyes just the slightest, and Creighton ruffles the boy's hair*
"Indeed sir!" he says to his son. He turns and extends his hand to his wife. "Shall we go?"
*Tyrian takes his hand and grasps the basket she had prepared with her other hand*
"Thought you'd never ask," she grins.
*They move, as a family, toward the door, Creighton caught up in this moment of penultimate joy for him...a day away from adventuring...a day of peace...a day with the most important people in the whole of the world to him....
...he is content*
-
*The family returns late...a marvelous day spent with his wife and son....the picnic, the walking, the conversations...the plethora of questions about anything and everything from Chaynce....he is literally drained from the joy he has experienced this day...*
*As they enter, he carrying Chaynce's sleeping form, Tyrian opening the doors and spontaneously igniting candles as she goes, he spots his journal lying open still on the hearth....he gently places his son in his bed, smiling at the child for a moment, wiping a smudge of dirt from his forehead...he turns to see his wife simply smiling at him, no words needing to be said...*
*He and Tyrian quietly make their way to their bedroom, both awash in the happiness they have shared together with their boy this day...he eyes his journal again, knowing he should sit and make a lengthy entry for some of the things that have transpired these past days...but he decides that it would not be a good way to end THIS day....he and his wife retire for the evening, falling swiftly into an exhausted but happy slumber in each others arms*
-
*Comes in quietly...goes immediately to check the bedroom to find Tyrian sound asleep...her wounds bound, and resting comfortably...he pauses a moment, just to look at her, and brushes a lock of hair from her cheek...she sighs and smiles in her slumber, and his heart swells....*
*He goes back out to where Chaynce sleeps...the boy is almost angelic in his rest, and Creighton cannot help but stare long moments, pride and love filling his soul...*
*After uncounted moments, he pulls himself away from the nook to go over to the fireplace, where his journal sits, waiting for him...he sits next to it and stares at it, remembering his conversation just a half-hour ago...considers for a moment, then takes his quill and begins to write*
Whilst I was away, Tyrian was devastated. I left her pregnant, and with no word as to where I was off to.
Granted, I thought my journey would not last more than a fortnight or two...but that does not change the pain I have put her through. The fact that she forgives, and that she still considers me, in her words, her only true love, the love of her life, is a testament to the woman that she is, and the love she has for me.
In my absence, when all hope was lost, she found comfort in the arms of another. Not comfort that would disgrace her vows to me, no...
*he pauses, regret and understanding blending in his soul*
Nay, she remained faithful in body and spirit, despite all...but her heart needed solace, and it was given.
*Pauses again...thinking about his words before committing them to the book*
Tonight, I spoke at length with he who gave this comfort.
He was, and thankfully, still IS my friend...he was harsh with me, accusing, judgemental...but he had every right to be. What I did...what I had always done before, was impetuous and without wisdom. I told him that I thought he misjudged me, but also that I understood why. I also thanked him for being a comfort to Ty...what I learned in my time that I was gone has changed me...we spoke much more, I trying to explain myself to him...not to make excuses, no...but for him to understand that my intentions were always for the best, just without wisdom...and that through my ordeal whilst I was gone, that I had found a higher purpose: my wife and my child...and living for them, without the foolishness of youth...
After we spoke, he said he believed there was truth in my words, and that he saw this; that my quest to become a whole man, husband, and father, was one that I could achieve.
*smiles earnestly*
I cannot find the words to express what that means to me.
I asked him two questions, questions that he was uniquely qualified to answer, and his answers were as wise and honorable as any I have ever heard.
Yes, he said, without a doubt, Tyrian's love for me is true...I did not ask this because I doubt Ty...no, she has nothing to prove to me...I asked because he was there when I was not, and I knew...I knew that he would know her heart in my absence...to know that her love for me never abated, even when she was certain that I was lost forever...
*tears well in his eyes...he wipes them away*
I just needed to hear that. Knowing that gave me hope for myself...more than my skill with a sword, more than my abilities as a crafter...this gave me hope as a man.
*pauses yet again, reliving the conversation in his head*
My second question for his wisdom is one that I have wrestled with much of late:
Do I deserve such love?
His answer was one I did not expect, yet was the only one that makes any sense: that my feeling unworthy of such love was a good thing; indeed, it ensures that I will not take her for granted, and that I will strive every day with all my soul to be to her what she is to me.
He convinced me that despite my past, my foolishness, all of it, that Tyrian believes in me...
...and so does he.
*chooses his next sentence carefully, writing with conviction born from his very soul*
I will live my every breath, from the one I breathe now to my last, to justify such faith.
*re-inks the quill, then resoultely pens the next line*
You are my friend, Ifion. And I am far, far richer because of it.
*smiles...puts away the quill and ink, dusts the page, and replaces the book on the shelf....throws another log on the fire and stokes it well, making sure the screen is in front of it when he's done...goes once more to Chaynce, kissing the boy on the forehead...makes his way to his room, undresses and crawls between the covers...when he does, Tyrian turns in her sleep and puts her arms around him, sighing a contented sigh....and he smiles to the dark ceiling, knowing that his life is whole at last*
"Thank you, Ifion," he thinks..."Thank you for giving me the last bit of confidence I needed, and removing whatever doubts in myself that remained."
*he gently pulls her close, and drifts off into a blissful sleep*
-
*rises in the night, somehow uncomfortable after knowing that the "law" here can come and go freely...checks to make sure she is all right, then immediately goes to his son...satisfied that all is well, he returns to where the fireplace was...picks up his journal from where it was left on the floor, finds a quill, and begins to write*
Today I traveled with two fine groups of adventurers...some old friends, some new. We ventured forth first to combat the undead in the Nameless Crypts...many of our group fell, my beloved among them...thank the gods she was not visited by the Mother...
I, however, using the tactics I have learned in my...my ordeal, along with three stout companions, managed to fight our way out with our skins intact.
This is a testament, I think.
Later, Ifion had a group to rid Hlint of the menace of the Lizard Warlord...and again, a fine group was assembled. Again, teamwork and tactics won the day, and we all left there in victory.
*sighs...looks over at the love of his life, and although feels more self-assured, mature, and confident than he has in some time outside of battle, he feels...uneasy*
I fear my love does not know what to do with me.
*frowns a bit*
I believe she loves me; indeed, I have no doubt...but she seems often to not know how to react to me.
*stares at her a moment*
I understand, I do...number one, I was gone for so very long, that she got used to being alone, and two, although my soul and my heart are the same, I am in many ways a very different man.
*a lump begins to form in his throat, but he grits his teeth with a resolve that surprises even himself*
It matters not. WHO I am is the same....WHAT I am...well, it's what I should have always been...who she always wanted me to be...and in time, I have faith that all will be as it was...nay, BETTER than it was before.
*she turns in her sleep...her arm seeking him out in her slumber before settling*
Still...I should.. *trails off*
I will speak to her of this in the morning. I want to make sure that if she is ill at ease, that we get it out in the open and deal with it, put it behind us...our future is to bright to be shaded by any doubts or misunderstandings.
*smiles*
And Chaynce...if you are reading this (and you SHOULD be, one day), know this: I love your mother.
And I think, perhaps soon...you should know who your father is.
*smiles and thinks to himself*
"Waazk'ah, indeed."
*puts the book down, checks the fire one last time, then returns to her side...she turns to rest her head on his shoulder as he puts his arms around her...he feels the warmth of her flow through him, and drifts off to sleep*
-
*awakens yet again...unable to sleep...he sits up and rubs his eyes, sighing deeply...he looks at her lying next to him and smiles...rises and dresses, checks on his son...and as always, stands a moment, lost in thoughts of who this youngster will be...makes sure he is covered well...does the same for his wife...then stops at the kitchen table, lighting a candle and taking a piece of parchment...he writes a letter to his wife, leaving it where she will see it...kisses his son on the forehead, kisses his wife on the cheek...then takes up his pick-axe and heads out into the first light on the horizon*
//letter to be sent as a PM:)
-
*comes in late...moves quietly through the house...finds his wife asleep...checks on his son to find he too in peaceful slumber....smiles a bit...goes and takes up his journal*
I have told my tale.
T'was not something I wanted to discuss, but with good friends about, and one of them being one whom would have the strongest judgement, I could not do otherwise.
After traveling about with Pyyran a bit, I met with Ash.
I was daunted, knowing full well the anger she must have with me, and I was not disappointed...but she wanted to hear my story, so for the first time, to hers and Pyyran's ears, I related fully what happened in my absence.
*sighs, choosing his words*
Emotion overcame me; the words spewed forth without control once I began...and I feared the harsh judgement from my friends that I have levied upon myself...
But it did not come.
Pyyran, the noble soul that he is, despite his reluctance to admit it, told me that I was a hero, no less, and that even though the cost of my deeds was high, that I should be proud nonetheless. I cannot say that I can be proud, not knowing what I gave up in order to do what I did, but it did my heart good to hear another say it.
Ash...oh gods, the walnut...said something to me that still puzzles me upon the completion of my story.
"Creighton," she said, "You are truly a man."
*pauses, re-reading that line several times*
I know not why she would say this....indeed, I do not agree. I have so much regret for the time I lost with my wife and child...
*sighs deeply*
Indeed...the only one whom I hope can forgive me, can understand that all I wish is her love and happiness, is the one who now sleeps in our bed.
*looks down the hall*
She works so hard to fulfill her dreams...and I fear that she sees me as an obstacle...
I do not wish to be so. I want to help her...to be a support for her efforts....
*tears well up in his eyes*
And to be a part of her dream.
*reads that last bit again...pauses...looks about the house...feeling down, he puts the journal away*
"Gods, please let her understand." he speaks aloud, his eyes closed, "Let her see that I don't want her to change anything, save letting me be a part of her life; a helpful part, a supporting beam...something she can cherish and be proud of."
*he walks to his son's nook...kisses the boy gently on the forehead...makes his way down the hall and quietly undresses and climbs into bed...again, she reaches for him in her sleep...he takes this as comfort, and hopes that it is a reflection of how she truly feels....sighing one last time, he drifts to sleep in her arms, and she in his*
-
*tosses in his sleep, reliving the conversation he had earlier with Ash and Pyyran...it's so real, as though he were there again, sitting in front of the Orc Basher's shop...they had just sit down, Ash and Pyyran asking him of what kept him away for so long....Pyyran curious....Ash, demanding*
Pyyran: **He sits up slightly, listening.*
Creighton Dallorius: *sighs* Very well then....*eyes look faraway*...I...I have told no one else this tale.....only Ty knows parts of it........
Ash Willo: Spit it out then lad.
Creighton Dallorius: *clears his throat...the words difficult....grins slightly at Ash* In the weeks after Ty became with child, she and I spoke often of dreams....
Pyyran: **He makes a small gesture for him to go on, nodding with a faint smile.*
Creighton Dallorius: ...the one thing she always talked about was the parents she left....how she did not even know if they still lived, or really, where they may be....
Creighton Dallorius: ...I set about gathering knowledge....spending a great deal of my coin....talking to ship captains, bards, and oracles....
Ash Willo: **nods and stretches out on her bench*
Creighton Dallorius: *looks strained* I was determined to do this for her....I wanted so badly to make her happy.....
Creighton Dallorius: *takes a breath* Finally, real word reached me....something solid.....and I set off.....
Creighton Dallorius: I....I thought the trip should take me merely a fortnight, perhaps two.....I wanted to bring her parents home to see their grandchild born.....
Creighton Dallorius: ...but I told her not of this, in case the information yet again proved unreliable....
Creighton Dallorius: *eyes tear up for a moment*
Ash Willo: *looks like the old unsympathetic Ash*
Pyyran: **He watches Creighton silently, a look of compassion on his face. However, he says nothing and remains still.*
Creighton Dallorius: *sighs and continues* I traveled by ship to the southernmost point of Voltrex....a small village between Laeral and Yath M'Lana.....
Creighton Dallorius: There....there I saw it....the small keep by the sea, as Tyrian had so often described it to me...
Creighton Dallorius: *speaks excitedly now* I...I was overwhelmed with joy! I was so thrilled that I had found something of penultimate value to she whom I loved so dear...
Creighton Dallorius: *sighs* I went rushing to the keep, I was so happy....
Pyyran: **His right hand drifts up to the shock of white hair behind his right ear, but it drops again when he notices the movement.*
Creighton Dallorius: Only to be taken prisoner almost immediately....by Dark Elves....they had taken the keep...........they and....and the others......
Ash Willo: Damn drow.. You can never trust 'em.
Creighton Dallorius: *looks angry* It seems that with the fall of Blood, factions once under his command wished to take advantage of the confusion to further some of their own aims...
Creighton Dallorius: ...and the Drow and the Sauhaugin together conspired to disrupt the Council of Five....to take the continent of Voltrex for themselves...
Pyyran: **He nods slightly, his expression going grim as he touches a cloth-wrapped rod in a loop behind his belt.*
Creighton Dallorius: ....the village was a staging area....*his expression grows sour*....they....they used the people as slaves.....and the fish-men used some as....as........*chokes*....food.
Ash Willo: It's only cannibalism if you chew though.
Creighton Dallorius: *pauses....his eyes tearing worse....looks up at Ash's comment with disdain, then continues*
Pyyran: **He nods again.* I've known of many societies who eat their enemies... But it's no less horrifying to most of us.
Creighton Dallorius: As I'm sure Ash will agree, I was a naive young former paladin....high on ideals and low on wisdom....
Ash Willo: Not really. You had a good heart.
Creighton Dallorius: *smiles weakly at Ash, then continues* I was taken to a dark, wet dungeon, where by coincidence, I met Tyrian's mother....
Pyyran: **He speaks quietly.* Good heart, strong ideals, little in the way of worldly wisdom... **He smiles faintly.* That sounds like many an adventurer to go forth for the sake of any cause...
Creighton Dallorius: ....she is a strong woman....a wise woman....it was through her words that the evils were largely kept to a minimum....but she was so sad......
Creighton Dallorius: ...her husband--Ty's father--a powerful wizard, was being forced to aid the enemies.....
Creighton Dallorius: ...preparing for a drive further inland...
Creighton Dallorius: ...T’was the use of his power that their presence was hidden....
Creighton Dallorius: ...I saw such horrors then....such....such....*stops, unable to bear some of the memories*
Creighton Dallorius: *holds his face in his hands a moment*
Pyyran: **He can only watch silently, his expression one of sympathy.*
Creighton Dallorius: *looks up, his eyes confident once more*
Creighton Dallorius: Through her mother's cleverness, and the cooperation of some of the others, I aided in the engineering of an escape.
Creighton Dallorius: We...we retreated to the forest, where some wood-elves helped us to hide....but.......
Creighton Dallorius: ...the Drow's search was horrible....so many trees burned, so many elves gave their lives.....
Pyyran: **He whispers, mostly to himself. *Such is war...
Creighton Dallorius: *grits his teeth* It was those noble people who, having lost so much, still risked all to help us rescue Ty's father....
Creighton Dallorius: *smiles despite the sadness in his eyes* He was such a remarkable elf.....despite all I had heard of his stoicism.....
Creighton Dallorius: ...he reassumed leadership of his people....so strong was the aura of command about him....t'was like nothing I had ever experienced....
Creighton Dallorius: *looks at the ground again* It was at this time, camping in the forests with these noble folk, that a dream came to me....
Creighton Dallorius: ....my child.....my son....was born......
Creighton Dallorius: *holds his head*
Creighton Dallorius: I.....I looked about.....I saw the faces......these people.......
Creighton Dallorius: T'was nothing like I thought.....nothing that I trained for.....no glory or honor or triumph in this struggle........they fought for something as simple as the right to live....
Creighton Dallorius: *gets a little loud, as though he agrees with what he says, but does not want to* How could I leave them? How could I turn my back? I was trained to fight! These people were largely farmers....
Ash Willo: Well, yeah. Voltrex is covered with rangers...
Creighton Dallorius: *pauses....tears now flowing freely.....he's given up trying to stop them*
Creighton Dallorius: There was so little time! The enemy were slaughtering people by the score, day by day, and promised it would continue until Tyrian's father gave himself up!
Pyyran: **He speaks quietly.* You did what you had to; the only thing you could. When none will fight to protect others from harm... **He shakes his head.* I have heard it said that evil prevails when good men fail to act. To a degree, that's true... But good men cannot always triumph over evil. There is no dishonor in this, no shame so long as effort is given.
Creighton Dallorius: *sighs, trying to get his composure back* Ah, but triumph we did.....Her father was a master strategist.....with what help we could get from the Rangers, and the simple folk who took it upon themselves to defend their right to live, we drove the enemy away....
Creighton Dallorius: *begins to sob*....but it took over two years.....two years from the love of my life.....and the son she bore us.....
Creighton Dallorius: and now....now I have the gall to ask her forgiveness..........when I cannot even forgive myself.........
Creighton Dallorius: *begins to cry....unable to speak for a moment*
Pyyran: **He pats Creighton's shoulder, unsure of what to say.*
Creighton Dallorius: She....she believed me dead.....she moved on.....how can I expect her to love me still?
Ash Willo: Forgiveness.
Creighton Dallorius: What I did was, to some, a noble thing.....but what it cost....
Creighton Dallorius: *sits*
Pyyran: Creighton... Ash is right. Forgiveness... Time has passed, aye. But...
Creighton Dallorius: *crying now* What it cost is unforgivable.
Pyyran: Nothing is unforgivable. Nothing, Creighton.
Ash Willo: Trust me, Nepp has screwed up worse and I forgave him.
Pyyran: **He struggles to keep a look of disdain off of his face at the mentioned of Nepp.*
Creighton Dallorius: *arches a brow through his tears* I’m sorry Ash...the shock of seeing you robbed me of my etiquette....how are Nepp and the children?
Ash Willo: Doesn’t matter at the moment, deary.
Creighton Dallorius: Your children always matter...........though some would say I had forgotten that, I never did..........not once. *begins to cry again*
Ash Willo: *pats Creighton on the head* Well... I need to seek forgiveness too. Let’s try something together for once.
Creighton Dallorius: *looks at Ash, curiously....an odd sight, through the tears* For what do you need forgiveness?
Pyyran: **He sits back, looking at Creighton for a moment, then sighs, fumbling through a pouch at his side and pulling out a tiny blue bag. He hesitates to open it, though, watching the two.*
Ash Willo: It's a long story...
Creighton Dallorius: *wipes his eyes* Know this, Ash...though you and I had our....differences *offers a weak smile*...I was always proud...indeed proud....to call you my friend.
Pyyran: **He puts the tiny bag away, looking a bit relieved.*
Creighton Dallorius: *glances at Pyyran....his eyes red, but dry*
Ash Willo: I was just testing you, actually. I needed to make sure you were worthy of my little sister.
Creighton Dallorius: *sighs sadly* Then it seems I have failed you as well.
Ash Willo: Nope. I woulda stopped you a long time ago if you did.
Creighton Dallorius: *arches a brow, curious*
Pyyran: **He speaks again, still quiet.* The only way to truly fail a test of one's worth is to stop trying.
Ash Willo: I agree
Creighton Dallorius: *huurumphs* One thing I could never be accused of is stopping trying....even when I probably should have....
Pyyran: Then you pass.
Creighton Dallorius: That....*he looks at Ash*....is up to the tester.
Ash Willo: I would have set you on fire by now if you hadn't, dear. You know that.
Pyyran: **He shrugs slightly.* If the only way to fail is to stop trying, and you never stop trying, you pass. And there's that. **He smiles a bit at Ash's comment.*
Creighton Dallorius: *smiles weakly* Aye....I would count on you for that.
Ash Willo: *smiles faintly* I sure hope so.
Creighton Dallorius: *sighs, looks back at the ground* But what now? Ty knows not how to take me....she's found her independence, and I would never ask for her to give that up....I don't wish her to, but how to make her understand that I just wish to love her, help her, and be there for her....her and Chaynce....
Pyyran: Were there a way to capture your words just now and give them back to her, I'd have done it, as that's what you need to tell her.
Creighton Dallorius: *smiles at Pyyran*
Creighton Dallorius: Words from one who has committed the ills that I have, I fear, would mean little.
Ash Willo: You are truly a man Creighton.
Creighton Dallorius: *looks at Ash, incredulous*
Ash Willo: Hum... well.
Creighton Dallorius: *tilts his head at Ash, listening*
Creighton Dallorius: *sighs deeply...as if his soul were unburdened* So....that's what happened. That is why I missed the birth of my son....and made my wife think herself a widow.
Creighton Dallorius: 'Tis no excuse, I know....*glances at Ash*
Pyyran: Well, you went off to make yourself a hero to your wife, and ended being a hero to a huge group of people. When you tell her, I'm sure she'll understand.
*he awakens in a sweat...tears in his eyes....he looks to Tyrian, still slumbering beside him...he goes instinctively to his son, who is also still blissfully sleeping....he sits at the kitchen table and laments...wondering what path his life will take...he finally returns to his bed, and his wife...settles in beside her, staring at the ceiling....
....but sleep does not come easy*
-
*comes in from training with Drogo to find his beloved asleep in a chair...looks at her sadly; he too has heard the news about Ash Willo, and bears his own sorrow for the loss of one he held so dear...he thanks the gods that he was able to speak with her and tell her both his tale and what he thought of her before the end came...he picks his wife up gently, she does not awaken, so exhausted she is, but even in her slumber she puts her arms around his neck as she is lifted...he smiles his half-grin at this, happy that the two of them have made their peace...he carries her to the bed, gently placing her on the mattress and making sure she is covered and warm...he goes to his son and makes sure that HE is covered and warm...kisses the boy on the forehead, and, as always, finds himself standing for long moments, just watching the child...finally, he takes himself away...stokes the fire well (the small "camp fire" they have placed beneath the hole in the roof that WAS the chimney), then himself goes to bed, taking Tyrian in his arms both to warm her, and simply to feel her touch to know that she is real...she nuzzles up to him, and he drifts to a peaceful sleep, knowing that the muscles in his chest and shoulders will be sore in the morning from the workout Drogo has put him through...but he is grateful for it....*
-
*takes his journal from under the edge of the bed after she has drifted off…uncinches his small leather bag and takes out the ring she gave him long ago…one he hasn’t used in a long time…smiles as the faint light illuminates the pages before him…takes a quill from the bedside table and gently gets up so as not to disturb her, sits on the floor and writes*
I know she worries for me.
One more meeting with the Soul Mother will be my last.
*sighs*
My foolish youth...*stops writing along this line of thought*
That matters not now...what matters is that I will find a way...I will not leave her and our son again.
*thinks of his training with Drogo...feels the stiffness in his chest and shoulder muscles*
I have good friends who teach me new ways to fight...ways that will help me to survive...
*looks at the glittering belt that now hangs with his gear*
Oh, Ash...I'm so sorry that the world is now without you, but I think I hear your laughter in the whispering breezes of the forest...
*grins*
In fact, I'm sure of it.
*Ty turns in her sleep, and he stands and makes sure she is covered*
My love. *he smiles, remembering their conversation before retiring for the night*
My love, know that I believe in you. Know that the foolish fears that I have had have been banished by the love you have shown me.
Know that my love for you is one that is unquestioning and faithful...as I believe yours is for me.
Do not worry...all will be well....and I will never leave you again.
*puts the book and his ring away...goes to check on his son, making sure the boy is covered, and standing to smile at the child for a few moments...returns to his bed, climbing between the covers...she curls next to him, laying her head on his chest...he runs his hand gently through her hair, a contented sigh escaping through his smile as he drifts off to sleep*
-
*busies himself repairing the furniture that he and Chaynce have broken this evening...Ty will never forgive them for the palm tree, he thinks, but then remembers her sleepy smile as she scolded them....the chair is easy enough to fix.....Chaynce sleeps peacefully now, he checks on him, making sure the bruises aren't too bad...checks his OWN bruises, and decides, with his half-grin, that they are WORSE...
*he regrets not going out for his training session with Drogo tonight...but his son so wanted to play this eve, and he simply could not refuse him...Drogo will understand this, he thinks...
*sighs with a grin at his wife, asleep in the chair once again...he feels a pang of guilt that he did not go with her to help with her duties in the aftermath of Ash's death, but he knows it's something she would want to do on her own, and she'd rather him be here with Chaynce, anyway...
*thinks again of the boy, looking to his room...perhaps...perhaps it may be time....
*shakes his head, not wishing to think about that too much right now...picks Ty up gently, she stirs only slightly...he carries her to the bed, taking care to cover her up against the chill in the air despite the fires...returns to check on the boy once more, the memories of this day spent together bringing another smile to his face...he returns to his wife and, climbing in the bed next to her, takes her in his arms...she sighs a bit, and he can almost swear she smiles slightly before he drifts off into a happy slumber.....*
-
*The days have run together for him, he so caught up in playing with the boy...he knows he neglects his training and his friends...but the joy of time spent with this child has so long been but a dream to him that he can only hope they will all understand...he has noticed Tyrian's gentle smiles as she has watched the two of them together...she has not even complained much at the furniture they have destroyed in their games...he knows that at least for now, this is where he belongs...life is short, and he wishes as much with Chaynce as the gods will allow him...but the time to get back to making a living for himself, his wife, and his child ever presses to be administered to...
*This in mind, and after much joyous time spent, he wakes one morn with the boy smacking him with a wooden sword, that he knows the time must be now...while time is still on his side...from his seat at the table, he calls the boy over to him*
"Chaynce!"
The boy, all smiles with his wooden sword still in hand, comes over to the table.
"Yes, Waazk'ah?"
Creighton smiles at the Dwarven name.
"Have you any idea what a "father" is?"
The boy's features squinch up a bit. "A father? Isn't that like a mother, only a man?"
Creighton smiles. "Aye, little man, that he is." He takes the boy onto his lap where he may look him eye to eye.
"Have you ever wondered about yours?"
The boy sits a moment...looking from Creighton's face to the tabletop...then looks to the man with a curious expression.
"Mommy never spoke of my father...she always spoke of you, though! She said you were her "hero"!"
Creighton manages a grin. "Aye lad...did she tell you of how her "hero" went away while you were yet unborn?"
The boy grins...a half-grin remarkably like Creighton's own. "Yes! She said you went away on some valiant quest...to help someone in need....*the boy's features sour somewhat*...she was so very sad sometimes, though...she cried alot."
Creighton sighs, his heart saddened a bit. "Yes, Chaynce...I know she was very sad." He clears his throat. "I had to journey to a far land...I went...*he chokes a bit*...I went to find your mommy something very special..."
"A present?" the boy's eyes alight. Creighton manages a half-grin of his own.
"Yes, Chaynce...a present...one that your mother told me would be the most precious thing to her."
"Did you find it, Waazk'ah? Did you find it?"
"Yes lad," he says slowly. "I did. Your mother wanted with all her heart to find her parents...your grandmother and grandfather...and find them I did."
The boy looks quizzical. "G-grandfather?"
Creighton pats the boy on the back. "Yes, my boy...your mother's mother and father."
"I have more parents?"
A sigh escapes Creighton's lungs. "Yes, Chaynce. You have a Grandmother and a Grandfather." He smiles. "And I was able to help them, or they helped ME, to make their lives their own again. You see..."
*Chaynce listens, wide-eyed and curious*
"You see, they were in a bad place...bad people had tried to hurt them, and use them to do bad things...when I found them, I was able to help them....it....it took YEARS...years for us to gain the freedom that they had lost...."
*Creighton's eyes tear up, his voice shakes...Chaynce puts his hand gently on Creighton's cheek*
"What is it, Waazk'ah? Why do you cry?"
Creighton tries to gather himself, but is only partially successful. "That is why...Chaynce...that is why I was not here....*begins to stammer*...that is why...why...I was gone for so long...*
*The boy eyes him with compassionate curiosity*
"Chaynce..." words fail the man.
Chaynce puts his hands on the man's shoulders, the wooden sword falling forgotten to the floor.
"What, Waazk'ah? What is it?"
Creighton struggles with the words, so much he wants to say them, but so hard they come.
"Chaynce...I...I..."
*the boy's eyes are without malice, only concern*
"I...am your father, Chaynce." Tears flow freely, now. "I am the man who, along with the love of your mother, made you, my son..."
The boy looks confused for a moment, his brow furrowing.
"Y-you? You are my....my....father?"
Creighton nods, no words possible.
Chaynce seems to consider this for a moment...for a terrible instant, Creighton wonders if perhaps this was a good idea; perhaps he should have waited, perhaps he should have NEVER told the boy...
....but then, Chaynce's eyes alight, and he embraces the man."
"Hoorah! Hoorah!" he shouts; Creighton is dumbfounded as the boy continues. "I have so many nights, since you came, wished that you could be my father!"
Creighton's tear-filled eyes widen, incredulous.
"I..." the boy hugs him tighter. "I am so happy!"
The former paladin stammers "I...I thought you would be angry..."
"Angry?" Chaynce says, smiling. "Why?"
"I...I was gone for so long...I...I lost so much time with you..."
The boy smiles a smile beyond his years. "But you DID come back....father....you came back for mommy and me."
*tears again well up in his eyes, his heart overflowing...he embraces the child...his SON...as though for the first time*
"Aye, my son...and I will never leave you again...this, I swear."
*The two share a few moments together...questions are asked and answered...then they agree to play one more game of Dwarven battle before the father must leave to find the mother*
-
*Wakes in the night...not alarmed, but somehow curious...recalls the fading dream of...of Ash?
*She had scolded him.."You can't be stupid, Creighton", she had said. "I understand why you left my sister before...can't say I'm happy about it, but I do understand...but you listen to Drogo and the winds, and stop the Dwarven ways...don't make me come back and smack you around...stay with them...they need you."
*The dream had seemed so real...he rises and walks to the window, looking out over the forest...was that a faint glint in the foilage? He smiles...looks to the bow that Drogo gave him...looks out the window again, knowing what path he must take...he looks to his beloved, sleeping soundly after such a trying evening...thinks of his boy, and how he will soon be moved to this home with them...*
"Watch my back, Ash." he mutters softly toward the trees.
*he returns to the the warmth of Tyrian in their bed...trying to convince himself he imagined the words in the familiar voice that he heard whistle through the windowsill*
"Yeppers...that I'll do."
-
*Awakens to find Tyrian already gone...this early and she sets about her work...he smiles, thanking the gods yet again for his fortune to love and be loved by one such as she...he rises and dresses, grinning his half-grin when he sees that she has arranged his equipment for him where he so hastily dropped it last night...he feels compelled to go out...out of the city, into the forest...
*after walking for a time, he finds a small clearing with a stone in the center...he looks about, finding a dead piece of wood of a fairly large size, and, with his sword, cleaves it so that it will have a flat end...he sets this upon the stone and makes his way back to the treeline...he moves about slowly, quietly...studying the log and listening to the wind...
*...suddenly he draws an arrow and lets fly, just the way Drogo taught him...the arrow strikes home with a satisfying "THUNK", rocking the log but not toppling it...he moves quickly and somewhat quietly (for HIM, anyway) to another position and repeats his actions...he does this again and again until he has let loose a score of arrows...he then makes his way back to the log, and grins as he sees he has only missed with three...
"I shall have to do better," he grins, "but not bad for an ex-paladin."
*he retrieves his arrows, only one of them was broken in the exercise...thinks that perhaps this path will not be so cumbersome as he thought...although he misses somewhat the fire of close combat, if THIS will keep him close to his wife and son, then this is the way for him...*
"You betcha."
*he turns, looking to the trees...did he really hear that?*
*he smiles, making his way back to the inn and his and his wife's room...he leaves her a bunch of wildflowers he picked along the way in a small vase on the dresser, then heads out to make his way to Dregar...
*A broad smile asserts itself on his features*
"Today," he says through his joy as he walks out of the gates of Leilon into the woods,
"Today, my son, you come home."
*He continues on, a certain spring in his stride, though somewhat quieter than in the past*
-
*laughs as he talks to his wife, taking his journal from the shelf*
"I was NOT lost...I was....well...bewildered for a while", he smiles to her, as he begins to write.
For the record, in spite of what my wife may say, I wasn't lost on Dregar, I just wasn't exactly sure where I was for a time...but I found my way back, so that must count for something.
*He grins...knowing in his heart he still has a lot to learn*
I must see Drogo again...I still have much that I need to learn from him.
*thinks of the time he has spent with his son these last few days...the times on the docks, watching the ships move in and out...the times in the forest that they have spent togehter...they have been some of the brightest days of his life*
Now, if we could just get his mother involved in some of our outings...*he writes, then smiles, watching her go over her books and ledgers*
...But I know that she is busy, and has more to do that watch over her "boys" all the time.
*he grins as he writes this line*
I shall suggest some family time together to her...I'm sure she will be in total agreement.
*he puts his journal away, grinning, and, with Chaynce in tow, goes to help Tyrian prepare their dinner for the night*