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1

Rumour Has It / In Memorial of Shiff Dragonheart

« on: July 21, 2008, 06:35:17 pm »

Word goes out quietly and with invitations to friends of the Dragonhearts of a small memorial service being held in Haven.  Shiff's remains will be interred on the hillside overlooking the town and the family Shiff worked so hard to protect during his life.  Those wishing to remember Shiff are invited to do so.

Shiff's armor and helm have been placed in a stone casket set in the ground, arranged in a manner recalling how they were worn in life.  Laying the length of the armor is Shiff's greatsword.  The arms and gauntlets of the armor have been placed on the hilt of the weapon, as if Shiff were holding the sword against his chest.

Val stands off to one side of the casket, supported on her left by her father.  Standing at the head of the casket is thirteen-year-old Drakus, feeling both important and scared.  He is holding an urn containing the ashes of his father, Shiff.  Val, refusing to cry, stands quietly, occassionally turning to speak quietly with her father.

After waiting a short while for those in attendance to settle, Val steps forward slightly to speak.  Her voice, none too pleasant to begin with, is noticeably rougher than usual, but is still strong and she is clearly heard.

"I'm not much for ceremonies, but I have a few words I'd like to say.  Shiff Dragonheart was a good man.  He was a strong man, a dependable man, a firm man, one who could be depended on, a loving man, and a protector.  He was a man who I always knew would support me.  Shiff was strong willed, unyielding in the face of adversity, and a man who worked tirelessly to accomplish good."

Looking upwards, Val continues: "Shiff, we are proud of you, and will remember you always.  As you kept us safe, we will keep your memory safe."

She takes on a slightly more formal tone:

[indent]"Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will!
 
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill."[/indent]

As she speaks the verses, her voice gets rougher and breaks several times on the last few lines.  Clearly barely able to contain her emotions, she says in a voice so quiet, even those in the front can barely hear her. "Shiff... you're finally home."

She steps back to her father, and he puts a comforting arm around her.  After a bit, when it seems clear she is too distraught to continue, her father moves towards Drakus, but Val reaches out a hand and stops him, quietly murmuring "I'll do it."  She reverently takes the urn from Drakus, setting it carefully under the breast of Shiff's armor.  The family then steps back, allowing others the opportunity to pay their last respects to Shiff Dragonheart.

//[size=-2]the poem is Requiem by Robert Louis Stevenson[/size]

2

Rumour Has It / The old dwarf finally falls for good

« on: June 22, 2008, 11:53:49 am »

He needed exercise..his tired legs, bad knees, and slightly stooped back felt good today.  The axe was sharp but the trip was short.  He became surrounded by bandits because tactical position was broken.  Foolish?  Perhaps, but that is neither here nor there now.

The aged dwarf Dorax Windsmith finally gave in completely to the Soul Mother and now his soul prays from beyond this plane for Vorax to escort him into the Halls so that his deeds may be remembered.  A Blood War Veteran and friend to so many who have gone before him.  Certainly not the brightest, but a good dwarf none-the-less.  Rest in peace.