Journey's End

[Pseudonym]

*Two forlorn figures lead a small cart to Folian's Temple in the depths of the Forst of Fog. Wordlessly, the older of the two figures, a lean man of middle years, takes from the cart the linen-wrapped body of his fallen friend and companion. Nearby, at the shoulder of the second figure, she a lithe younger woman who watches the scene through reddened eyes, a white-faced Belinaran monkey chitters and fidgets, distress and confusion written large in all-too-human expressions.

Moving slowly under the weight of his lifeless burden, the man approaches the High Priest of the Temple of the Longstrider. Carefully, gently, he lays the corpse to the sward at his feet.*

A fallen son of the Prince of Wolves.

*whispered*

Rest well nephew.

*With a nod towards his lady companion, the man quickly and quietly departs the temple to find the fallen's father and mother and tell them of life's greatest curse .. to outlive one's child.*




[size=-3]// The end of Trouble Tempest //[/size]

[Xiaobeibi]

*a woman dressed in greyish clothes arrives little later and searches for the resting place. She leaves a single lilly on the grave and a big bag of peanuts*

[Chazzler]

*A man, clad in clothes that are not typically seen on him, a set of glittering blue robes, comes to the site with a saddened expression on his face.
He places a Desert Firstbloom Wildflower to Trouble's feet. After this he departs the place.*

[twidget658]

*Ami goes skipping through the forest, aggravating the fauns as she normally does on her way to the Temple of Folian, for a bit of blueberry picking. She shimmies herself through the small opening into the temple trying to keep her body off the ground so she doesn't get dirt all over her belly. As she walks around the temple's center humming a merry little tune, she sees a priest and Kara preparing a body and praying over it. The curiosity getting the best of her, like a shining object in front of a fish, she goes over to see who they are praying for. As she approaches, her steps get shorter and slower until she comes to a complete stop. She covers her mouth in despair as she recognizes the body. As tears start rolling down her cheek, she thinks about Amanda. She drops her berry bucket, hastes herself and goes as fast as she can to go find Amanda.*

[Lance Stargazer]

As soon as he hears the notice A knight clad in ble and good is seen in the outskirts of the temple , he seems to be pondering standing guard just some meters away from the temple his face shows concern as he looks at the temple grounds deep in toughts and small prayers , he stands there observing and looking around for an elf lady that he knows will show soon.

[Black Cat]

*An old lady, all clad in black, wearing a big black hat walks into the grove and sits next to Trouble's body... clearly shaken and sad*

[ystrday]

*The young elf woman that came with the cart can be seen not far from her fallen friend, she does not speak much if at all, but looks towards the entrance as if she is waiting for someone, knowing that it will be the hardest thing she will ever have to do, is to tell His parents the last moment's of their son's life.*

[Lynn1020]

*Like often seen, Amanda sits on the bank of Corax lake with a book open in her lap and a quill in her hand, when she hears footsteps behind her.  She turns to look over her shoulder smiling as if to be expecting someone. To her surprise she looks up to see Ami standing there with tears in her eyes.  As she hears the words leave Ami's mouth she drops the book and quill and gets to her feet and mumbles.. "It can't be... I just saw him.." then heads to the temple.

Those at the temple can see Amanda lowering her hood as she enters and her tear fill eyes are frozen on Trouble's body.  Paying no mind to the others around she kneels next to his body and stays there for sometime with a look of sadness and shock.  Then finally she leans over closely to him and kisses him lightly on his bruised cheek and whispers something only someone right next to her could hear. She stands slowly and glances briefly to the young elf woman standing near by, before raising her hood and leaving*

[Carillon]

*A dark, hooded figure keeps a silent vigil in the trees at the edge of the temple clearing. She waits in patient silence, still as a statue, concealed in part by the forest but far more by her illusion magic and invisibility. Not all the animals are deceived, and several catch her scent or hear the brush rustle, but the magic serves its purpose: few if any of the mourners glance her way. She remains concealed there for some time, watching others come and go while she waits for a quiet moment.

Finally, there is a short lapse in the mourners. The woman stands, her stiff muscles protesting the sudden change in posture. She moves forward, a heavy cloak swirling around her, and bends down next to the fallen figure. Her warm lips touch his cold ones in a familiar gesture that can never again be the same. She sighs and murmurs her last words and farewell, one hand brushing a rogue lock of hair from Trouble's still, pale face. As she straightens, Jaelle loosens the knot on the cloth burden she carried with her and lets the contents spill to the ground in a halo around him before turning and walking away.

Any who might have been watching without truly seeing might have observed green seedlings pushing up through the ground, stretching towards the sunlight and unfurling their leaves in impossibly accelerated growth. Buds formed at the tips, swelling and bursting forth into blue inflorescences, beautiful and full of life. Then the illusion faded with her retreating footsteps, and the small blue flowers appeared as they truly were: scattered around Trouble's lifeless body, each stem severed.*

[Alatriel]

Alatriel heres the news of Trouble's passing and goes to where they have his body in disbelief.  She lays a rose with the other flowers.  "I just saw him," she mutters.  She taps her eyelid once to the fallen as a single tear manages to make its way down her cheek.  "I'll see what I can do, Trouble," she whispers softly, and then as she leaves, people can continue to hear her saying over and over again "I just don't believe it..." before she slips silently away into the shadows of the many surrounding trees.

[Pseudonym]

*Graccus Sextus Marcinus, paladin extraordinaire, stands beside the still body of Trouble. His face is grave as he regards the fallen.*

Though I did attempt, by mine perfect example, many times to improve the martial ability of this young man, it appears my efforts were in vain. This is, of course, no fault of the tutor, it only demonstrates the failings of the pupil. And now, he resides in the halls of a substandard deity. Well, I did all that I could. One can lead a druid to the path of truth, but one cannot deliver revelation.

Rest in eternal contemplation young waifling.




//

[Lord Dark]

*A small figure in a trenchcoat stands by with a hand on a tree trunk. He looks down at the wrapped body with disbelief in his black eyes. He bows his head respectively and moves the back of his arm across his eyes and leaves quietly.*

[LordCove]

Eventually, the father arrives.
Many of the Clergy hushes instantly as he appears, uncertain what to say or do.

He stops silently, staring down at the body of his son, ignoring any words from the clergy, ignoring even the brave elven lady who brought him the news.

Amidst a waterfall of broken tears, he tugs his cloak off and drapes it over his son, picking him up gently and reverently.

With a long look through tear streaked eyes at each that stand around, he slowly walks, carrying the body from the grove with soft whispered words.

" It's alright son. Dad's here. We're going to take you home. Everythings going to be okay now."

[Acacea]

[INDENT]Elsewhere in the mists, a merry flute was singing; seeking out mushroom circles and shapely trees, wandering lost as ever. It nears the grove, finding a vaguely remembered path, and laughs and teases its way to the place of its favorite rangers to greet. The music fades from the air as the chiming of bells grows nearer, and dark eyes at last peer out curiously at the gathering, taking it in with a cocked-head puzzlement akin to a dog's one-eared wonder. She furrows her brow and watches from a distance, veiled from non-magical sight as though accustomed to it... When at last the black-eyed halfling speaks again, the tones of her words are lilting and flute-like in themselves, a rising and falling melody aloud to herself that hints at only the barest touch of enchantment and another song altogether.[/INDENT]

[INDENT][INDENT][INDENT]Where has he gone, this father's son?
His strands so soon have come undone?
While I was dancing through the sky,
His life slipped softly, and passed me by...

I was the only child of trouble,
I was the eighth name of the wind
Magic was my only lover,
Music my only friend

A monkey and his boy named Trouble...
I think, what does it portend?
Will they all still remember you,
After the Journey's End?

Whose tears are they, still falling there?
What burden held, too hard to bear?
See there, the trees lean down and sigh
Now let us softly pass them by...[/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/COLOR]

[INDENT]The final words are but a half-sung echo of a whisper, as she turns and leaves the way she came and disappears into the mists to leave the forest behind her again...there is a little sympathetic chittering noise sent towards the mourners to the friend left behind, and then even the bells are silent.[/INDENT]

[Harlas Ravelkione]

* Once the news reaches Hjalmar, he does not receive it well. He squints at the person in front of him, shaking his head, a frown building. *

"More than once did I tell him to abandon his loner ways and to seek the embrace of Mist. He'd have had a knack for it, I'm sure - the signs were clear. Even had she not awaited him with open arms, he could have earned his position... over time.

Where is he now? Running with a pack of dogs?

* Looking somewhat alarmed, Hjalmar turns on his heel and stalk towards the docks. *

No! This will not do. He was by far too young... and I took a liking to him - might even have become friends. I will have to make a sacrifice to Her in his name *his lips tighten* perhaps she will take him, still."

[jrizz]

While on a long over due visit to the grave of his brother, Wren sees the mourners. He sees familiar faces and knows that a comrade has fallen. He asks a temple acolyte "Who is being mourned?" She says "Our brother Trouble has gone to join the great hunt". She bows her head and walks on. Wren lowers his head in prayer, he walks the the grave of his brother and leans on a tree. Watching the coming and going of Troubles friends and family Wren drinks quietly, every now and then he pours a bit on his brothers grave. Looking up to the sky he says quietly "A friend comes to join you my brother, he is in name and game Trouble, greet him well and trust him on the hunt". Wren hold up his flask, the last gulp still in it "This is for you Trouble" he pours it on the ground. As he walks off he thinks back to Tegan and Sal's wedding day and chuckles and bit to himself "We sure had fun that day, hunt well brother"