Toland's Tales https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/t86 Runboard| Toland's Tales en-us Fri, 29 Mar 2024 09:36:51 +0000 Fri, 29 Mar 2024 09:36:51 +0000 https://www.runboard.com/ rssfeeds_managingeditor@runboard.com (Runboard.com RSS feeds managing editor) rssfeeds_webmaster@runboard.com (Runboard.com RSS feeds webmaster) akBBS 60 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4656,from=rss#post4656https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4656,from=rss#post4656Passage Through the Grey The greying was the first sign. Cross caught it immediately; it stood rather strong against Toland’s stark black hair. Of course, Cross also said something and then passed out from the draining of light energy from his body, and that’s the story everyone heard from Toland. The mirror had dug into him, the mirror which had made all those soldiers lose their minds and wrapped them in a darkness that shrouded their souls. Cross had made an attempt to heal him, which is something he had never done before, at least not on a mortal wound like that. Then again, Cross was stronger with the light than ever before, the Belegarian Lifetree pouring energy into him. Cross had saved Toland’s life, but that mirror was still inside of him, and now Toland had light energy inside of him. For first time that Cross had heard about, someone who wasn’t a paladin had gained the ability to become one. If there was ever a time where the continent needed more paladins, this was it. “Tolz, you know I have to train you, right?” “Train me in what, Cross?” “To be a Paladin, you have light energy in you now, and the order is a little shorthanded, we need every weapon we can get against Maegamarth.” “One, we don’t know what happened to me. It could be temporary. Maybe I expend the energy and it’s gone forever.” “Well, then you should learn to expend the energy and find out.” “I’m not sure I want to expend the energy, Cross. I’ll be honest, I feel like I’m 20 again.” “I can’t believe I’M about to tell YOU this, but you have a responsibility to me, the Mourners, and to Belegaria to become a paladin. If you truly want to see this world rid of the undead menace and free of Maegamarth’s will, you will use every tool available to you to see that goal through to its end.” “You make a convincing argument, friend. I’ve sacrificed my youth once to the cause, why not do it again. Tell me, how do i waste this glorious feeling from my bones?” “The process is twofold – first you must identify the light in you, and then you kind of push it out.” “Cross, you realize you sound insane, right?” “Tolz, you realize I’ve been doing this for years and you’re going to have to take my word for it, right?” “It is not my day, apparently. How do I identify it, what does the light feel like?” “The pep you feel. That light is the bubbly feeling that is kind of floating around in you. Do you feel it move around on the inside of you?” “I wasn’t really paying attention before, but yes, I do feel it moving.” “That’s it. You need to recognize it as part of you, but at the same time something that is not you.” “Care to elaborate a bit more?” Toland was starting to feel a bit aggravated at Cross’s way of speaking, hoping for something more direct. “Recognize it has an energy that is helping you move. Where ever you feel it, try to focus it somewhere else.” Toland imagined pushing the light around in his body. Placing a hand on his left arm, where he felt the light, he tried to physically move it down his arm. This had no effect except to make Cross giggle at the sight. “Alright, earth DIDN’T WORK, maybe water will.” Toland instead imagined waves of water inside of him, slowly pushing from his left arm, washing down over and through him. The energy began to respond, moving down to his right leg, which had given Toland issue still from an injury sustained during the Orc Wars all those years ago. The look of relief on Toland’s face told Cross everything he needed to know. “There you go. Like I said, it is part of you, but it’s not of you. The process is different for everyone, and it usually takes much longer than this to identify the light inside you. I suppose you have an advantage of knowing what it feels like to not have the energy in you. Now, hold the stone, and try to push the energy into it.” Toland reached into his pocket and grabbed the stone that had been reacting to light energy. It held a glow in his hand, and he imagined water flowing through him, from his leg to the stone. He slowly moved the energy to his hand holding the stone, but the light barely changed. “This part is hard, Tolz. The energy doesn’t want to leave your body. Remember, it is not of you. It has found a place to live, and it doesn’t want to leave. You have to convince it to leave.” “You speak as though it has a mind of its own.” “You’ll understand after you get in a fight, after some practice. The more you move it, the more it can move you. It will place your shield in front of arrows you never knew were coming, it will move your sword to more cleanly dispatch your enemies. Just wait until you make the armor.” “So, do I have to sit down and have a conversation with it? Do I force it out?” “It’s not quite so well… defined. All it needs to know is your purpose is true. Think about why you want it to leave, and if it agrees, it will.” “If it agrees, what if the light doesn’t feel my purpose is within its goals?” “I know this stuff is hard to put in words, and that I sound crazy. There is a reason I don’t talk about this stuff unless I’m training someone, you can’t really understand it unless you feel it. At least, I can’t describe it vividly enough to make someone who can’t feel it understand it. Think about your goals, think about beating Maegamarth. That should work for you.” Toland concentrated on defeating the unseen menace of Maegamarth, removing his dark shadow from the land. He imagined a world where the peoples need not worry about their towns being raised by undead armies, where children could grow up without being sent to war before they were fully grown. He thought of Jovian at his side, learning to smith. Suddenly, the stone started to glow bright. “You are thinking of Jovian, right?” Toland smiled, realizing just how close of friends he and Cross had become. “I figured that would be it, but you had to find it on your own, Major. “ Toland was feeling tired, and the stone stopped glowing brightly. A faint glimmer remained, and when Cross took a step towards Toland, the stone grew back to its normal strength. Cross blinked has he felt a bit sheepish, not has drained as before, but definitely weaker than the previous moment. “Tolz, I think there is something more going on here than we are realizing.” nondisclosed_email@example.com (Toland)Wed, 26 Sep 2012 20:09:09 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4655,from=rss#post4655https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4655,from=rss#post4655 “Correct, Sailor. It’s the things leading up to Reclamation Day that explain my absence, though. Darlouthan was the worst kind of lucky – he lived, but couldn’t walk. There is no fate worse for a soldier than to be so grossly injured and not to die doing your chosen profession’s work. Even worse was the chance he had at recovery, the hope that he was given when we should have known better. The Hithdorians would have just sent him home, perhaps that would have been best, but Darlouthan didn’t want to leave. So, instead of sending him back, Seigh took care of him. We dressed him up in some spare clothing of mine and kept him amongst the Fury while she searched for the herbs she needed to try and help him. Belegaria was a wasteland before the Lifetree was planted, and the landscape was twisted.” “I remember you asking for a traveling partner a few times when you wandered off. It was standard practice at the time, Trog, we were never sure when we would find some company and we were far too deep an enemy territory to travel alone.” Eldgrim explained the situation to Dantrog, who had spent most of his life hunting sharks alone and wasn’t quite sure why anyone who was considered a competent fighter would require an escort. “Yes, I was looking for things for Seigh. We were in Belegar for about four months before Reclamation Day, and four months is a long time to take to die. Seigh was getting desperate to find something, anything. Eventually the stiffness began to spread, nearly closing his jaw permanently. His food had to be mashed before he could be fed since he could no longer chew. His muscles began to atrophy. This only further steeled my resolve to find something, and I began to ask the other medics for anything they might have. Even Athron made a stop in to try and heal him, but it was no use. Only the slow supply of herbs I had been gathering to help ease his pain made being in the same room has him bearable. We continued our slow march, purging the land of evil and fighting small skirmishes, knowing the main force waited for us in Belegar. His feet turned black. Corvus regained his memory. His hands turned black. Seigh has the best bedside manner of any medic you will ever meet, and I will swear to my dying day it is only the hope that she gave him that kept him going as long as he did. Eventually, it was very clear there was not going to a chance for him to survive. I considered killing him in his sleep, ending his suffering, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Two days outside of Belegar, we found a small oasis of lush growth. I found the herbs that Seigh had been asking for the entire time.” “I recall the oasis; didn’t someone die from eating a piece of fruit from one of the trees?” Eldgrim said to the collected party “That is exactly what happened. It was a trap, created by one of Maegamarth’s followers in Belegar. We didn’t know that until it was too late, though. Seigh treated Darlouthan with the herbs, and he began to recover. He was almost able to walk when he got to Belegar. I went to his cart to check on him before the battle began, and he was gone. Seigh had gone to get him water, saying that he was looking better than ever, and when she turned her back, he ran. Corvus was nearby, and he came with me to track him down.” “So why did he run away? He was better; he could have gone to fight?” Dantrog said, discarding his normal haste and now actually listening to Toland’s story. “I’ll be there in a minute, Trog. After a few minutes, it was clear he was heading north, possibly to the Noram. There wasn’t much else he could be going to. He was fast, but I am a good tracker and we were faster. We caught up with him about three hours later. By this point, the Battle of Belegar had already begun, and we were far north. Darlouthan stopped and turned, staring right at us, and he began to shout. “You both did this to me! I would have been fine! I could have healed!” “You did heal, you are running just fine.” Corvus said to him, knowing madness too well to not recognize it. “I am not the one running. I feel him pulsing through me. So close.” Darlouthan said, his eyes beginning to water while his face turned into a wicked smile. He lacked a weapon, but charged at us anyway. I took a step to the side and pulled back the string of my bow. I released the shot and watched it fly right into his heart, breaking mine. It was the herbs from the oasis; of course, they had put his body under the control of something in the area. We never did find out where was headed, or what he would have done when he got there, but had Darlouthan overheard anything about tactical plan for Belegar, all could have been lost. Luckily, that never happened, and the battle was over by the time we got back. So Eldgrim, to answer your question, what was I doing on Reclamation Day? I was tying up a loose end, one of many in my life.” The sunrise was hitting the edge of the seas, the one thing Toland truly enjoyed. The skies this morning, however, were blood red. “That’s not a good sign.” Eldgrim said, pulling out his spyglass and checking the seas. “I see a boat off in the distance. Small, human design. If I didn’t know better I would think Thorgrim built it. Take us closer, Dantrog.” “What if Thorgrim did build it, Eldgrim?” Toland said to his old friend “What happens then?” “Then whoever is on that boat better have a damn good explanation of how they came into possession of it.”nondisclosed_email@example.com (Toland)Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:33:56 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4654,from=rss#post4654https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4654,from=rss#post4654The Lost Day The boat swayed back and forth with the waves slowly, a comfort for the sailors in his company, but Toland found the ocean waves made him sick to his stomach. He much preferred the heavy waves, where he was too preoccupied trying to help, which Eldgrim assured him he wasn’t, but that didn’t matter. A few sailors were moving about, keeping the boat on course during the night. Cross, having in the last months run for two days straight and had the light energy completely drained from his body, was a bit more prone to sleeping, even for him. Dantrog was up and about; running the ship at night, but for some reason the Contrary Maiden’s captain stirred in his chambers and came out to the deck. “I thought you might be awake, Major. Something has been bothering me.” Eldgrim, still groggy, slurred out to his old friend on the deck. Toland, spending a few minutes not keeled over the side of the deck, was still green has the New Belegarian forests that had sprung up since the Lifetree had been planted. “A year ago, on Reclamation Day, where were you?” “Has it been a year already? I remember when we would sit around the fire, the curls in your beard a mere gleam in your eye. Time passes too quickly. ” “Quicker for you, old man. Where did you get off to? I know that both you and Corvus were not there. I meant to ask you at the first meetings, before Thorgrim arrived with the boats and Belefalas was given to Finn, but things were moving quickly and I had to stage myself and brothers to the proper theatre in the country. Also, I didn’t want anyone to start questioning you about it, should you have been up to something a little more… well, something I would be doing.” They both laughed, though neither of them had the same thing in mind. “I’d like to hear the story, if you don’t mind. The nice thing about the sea is you always have plenty of time for a good pipe and a better story.” Dantrog approached the two veterans talking, and while you would be wary to call him green, he was not present for the events leading up to Reclamation Day. “Well, I suppose the best place to start the tale is thirteen months ago, with the Siege of Batta.” “The whirl of catapults is a sound you should hope you never get used to. The high pitched squeal they chortle before unleashing whatever brand of hell you have loaded them with should be unsettling. In this case, they were unleashing a rocky hell on the walls of Batta.” The furthest out point of the Belegaria peninsula, long presumed to be Maegamarth’s stronghold by the crusades. Unable to sustain the hit and run tactics being used against them any longer, the crusades had turned to the offensive, marching out of the Eredhel forest to the south, where they believed the lost artifacts, and who knows what else, was waiting for them. “If you remember, the roads were surprising clean on the way out of the Eredhel; we had fought very hard to get into them, through that Orc army over a river. I remember thinking that between the years of fighting off Orcs on the way to the Crusades, and then fighting Maegamarth’s undead armies while venturing with them, I hadn’t taken a quiet stroll since before he left Hithka.” “Of course, you’ll recall that this lull was the eye of the storm, the silence framed by death and destruction. The crusade’s shift of stance had been anticipated, and the reason no battles were fought before Batta was they had moved south to reinforce the position. A wise move, given the city is built into a choke point of the Northern and Southern Noram, and is a naturally defensible position.” “Tell me this ends up being important at some point.” Dantrog said, already bored. “You won’t know if you don’t listen, Trog. Now let the Major speak, for has fond as he is of his own voice, I will admit that it has been too long since I’ve heard a good story from him.” Eldgrim responded to his apprentice, keeping in mind that this was less about hearing the story and more about keeping Toland’s mind far from the waves and uneasiness filling him on the sea. “The Orcs had been tainted by the black spell, their skin darker than night, their teeth rotted and their eyes so bloodied you could barely make out their irises. To say they were ferocious is a capital exercise in understatement, they fought with such anger and disregard it is common to see a tainted Orc kill his brethren while fighting their enemies by swinging through. They did this without a qualm, or even noticing in most cases.” Toland looked at Dantrog and saw he was unphased. Eldgrim had told Toland that his most recent apprentice had a habit of killing sharks, so perhaps he was used to ferocious and reckless. “A group of Orcs were trying to take the Crusade’s siege weaponry, which I was charged with defending and operating. In front of me was a contingent of Hithdorian soldiers intermixed with a handful of the Fury. Corvus, although he was known has Reimus at the time, was fighting next to a Hithdorian lieutenant named Darlouthan Corthos, who, since the crusades had begun their retreat into the Eredhel, had acted has a liaison between the Hithdorian leadership and The Fury. The two of them were making quick work of the Orcs that had charged through the main lines and past the archers to the siege line. Only a dozen or so had made it, and most were wounded from their push past the lines. Darlouthan was a fine soldier, a credit to the Hithdorian military.” “Was a fine soldier? Toland, you already spoiled the damn story.” Dantrog pointed out. “Trog, if you don’t let the Major finish, we’ll find a new name for you. We’ll call you Scrubber; because that’s all you will do all day.” Eldgrim shot back “It’s a better name than Caboose.” Dantrog replied, quipping back to his mentor “Trog, I thought you would have learned by now that a name is only what you make it. Major, if you would be so kind as to continue.” “Thank you, Admiral. Has I was saying, Darlouthan and Corvus, excuse me, Reimus, were dispatching the enemy in front of them, protecting me and siege weapon crews so that we could continue striking at the walls surrounding Batta. Darlouthan fought with a medium kite shield and a rather long sword, and Reimus was fighting with a medium round shield and a club. Darlouthan was a very flashy fighter, constantly dashing and spinning about. It served him well against the mindless hordes of Orcs and Undead he had grown used to fighting. He was swinging about, dancing around Reimus and throwing thrusts into the Orcs moving forward while Reimus was focused more on pushing them back, to stop them from getting to their destination. Finally there was only a single Orc left, and Reimus took his mace and swung to dispatch him, shouting some inane nonsense, which was common for him before he regained his memory. As he did this, Darlouthan came in from the side, and the Orc juked hard to the right. Reimus’s mace came down and killed the Orc, who then fell on top of Darlouthan. I ran to them, mace in hand, and helped Reimus pull the immensely heavy weight from the top of Darlouthan, who was lying with his belly on the ground.” “Then he died the end.” Dantrog said, clearly having attention issues. “I’m sorry Scrubber, what was that?” Eldgrim said, finally making the young man look sheepish. “We finally got the Orc off of the top of him and then we saw that a piece of the Orc’s armor had jutted into Darlouthan’s back, right into his spine. He was unable to move, even after we picked up and started to carry him off to the medics. Reimus and I moved him to the back, and left him with a Seigh, a medic with the Fury. We were assured that he would not need us if he was going to survive, and she began to suture him back up. Reimus grabbed a few more of the soldiers from the Hithdorian reserves to help defend the siege weapons, and we went back to our task.” “I know the story from this point. The crusades successfully sieged Batta, and started marching towards Belegar, only to find the elves from Edheliu on the other side of the city when they got there.” Dantrog said, pointing out his knowledge of his mentor’s military history. nondisclosed_email@example.com (Toland)Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:33:23 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4651,from=rss#post4651https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4651,from=rss#post4651A Misnamed Interlude “Damn it Jayne. “ “What’s the matter? I made you the Field Marshall; I figure you would be excited.” Jayne was taken aback by Toland’s response. The Major, along with Cross and whatever fighting forces they could scrounge up after landing in Belefalas, had just made their way to New Belegar to explain what had happened to Lugh Jayne, former captain and current steward. “The matter is you just named me.” Toland had a surly tone that conveyed an underlying issue that Jayne was oblivious too. “You named me Field Marshall Major Toland Eligiuson.” “Tolz, what’s the issue?” Cross was surprised at the Major’s reaction as well. “His word is law. My name isn’t Toland anymore.” The Steward began to grin. Jayne got it. “What do you mean? He named you Field Marshall Major… oh.” Cross got it. “Just change it back. Rename him again, Jayne.” “Royal decrees cannot be overturned so easily, Cross. The whole point of my word being law is that it is law. I can’t have the people thinking I flip flop, this is a coronation year!” “I suppose I’ll have to adjust to it for the time being. “ Major said. “People have been calling me Major for years anyway.” nondisclosed_email@example.com (Toland)Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:43:14 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4650,from=rss#post4650https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4650,from=rss#post4650----- 3 days later ----- “At least your remembered a cloak this time.” Toland remarked, the frigid mountain winds dusting white over every exposed surface. “Tolz, I will end you. How far out are we?” The Paladin looked to Toland’s scout nature for answers he couldn’t, for lack of a better word, divine. “It should just be over this pass, here. Do you sense anything?” “I sense that I’m still tired. Don’t you think we could have stayed for an extra day to sleep?” “Not at all. If there is a chance for survivors, then we must make haste. You can sleep when you are dead, Cross.” “I guess that’s something to look forward to, after all.” Cross said has the pair made it over the last path and saw a large black gate covering a cave before them. “I believe we have found it.” “Really Tolz? What gave it away? Was it the dark dingy metal grate, the pile of skulls sitting next to it, or the stench of death on the air?” “The map, actually. Come on now, let’s go inside and kill evil or what have you.” The pair dismounted their horses and threw down some hay for them to eat. The door swung open with easy, a notable contrast to the rigid nature of the lich’s front gate. The ground had footprints in it no more than a few weeks old, preserved by the lack of air movement in the cave. The cave started to wind until it had no longer been nature’s design and moved to a rigid structure, very similar to the design of the lich’s liar. “Tolz, why do you think all of these evil lichs and necromancers have all this black rigid stuff on the walls? These places are always nearly identical to each other. You think they all get this stuff from the same place?” “I’ve never really thought about it, I’m usually too into the moment of smiting evil to take away things like that. I imagine that it’s just an issue of ease. Perhaps Maegamarth enjoyed this style and had a lot of it laying around for others to take?” Toland would have kept rambling on, but has they turned a corner a group of soldiers, now clearly zombies, dressed as New Belegarian soldiers, were standing at the end of the hallway. Toland drew his favorite mace and his mourners shield has Cross unsheathed his sword. Toland and Cross moved forward as a cohesive unit, with a combined purpose and pace that only comes from a shared motive and many months of fighting together. The zombies moved to approach them, but their charge closed the gap too quick for any kind of reaction besides dying. Toland took his mace, spinning it in his hand, the weight of the head carried down to his hand by the blue flames on the side, and landed it straight between the neck and shoulder of the former soldier to his most left, the one closest, and hence posing the most danger, to Cross. Has Toland did this, Cross spun his sword and body around Toland’s back, cleaving the creature to the furthest right. With only one zombie left in between them, both swung to dispatch it before it had any time to react. Using the momentum from his downward motion against his foe, Toland swung his right foot out and put his full weight forward into his shield, knocking the zombie right into the blade of Cross, who had placed it at just the right height to take off the his head as he fell downwards. “While I doubt there are any survivors, I would hope that we find some.” Toland said, keeping his weapons ready. He walked down the hall, Cross right behind, until the pair came into a large room. A single soldier was standing in the room holding a mirror in his left and his sword in his right. A man in a black cloak lay dead at his feet and covered in dust. “Soldier, report!” Toland called out to him. The man turned around, the veins in his face pulsing and black. His eyes were held wide open, his pupils extended to cover the size of his iris. His mouth had a grin on it that stretched from one ear to the other. “Don’t worry Major… the necromancer is dead. They’re. All. Dead.” The words left his mouth had an unsettling pace, his tone almost supernaturally high pitched. “What happened to you?” Toland asked. The soldier before him grasped the mirror tight. “I… feel… everything around me. But you. You… are…different.” The soldier pointed at Cross. “Different. Must.” Before he could get the last words out of his mouth Toland had closed the gap between them, spinning his mace has he brought it from his hip to overhead. The head of the mace carried weight to it while it spun and connected with the mirror in the soldier’s hands, shattering it. Glass shards flew everywhere, but Toland ignored the pain. He looked down, mid swing, and saw the Soldier’s face return to normal has his mace came down on his skull. That’s about when the adrenaline stopped and Toland found himself in a larger amount of pain then he had previously considered possible. He collapsed to the ground, and looking down saw a rather large chunk of glass sticking out of the side of his right chest. “Hold on Major, you’re going to be fine.” Cross said, rushing to his side. “I’m going to try and remove it, this is going to hurt.” Cross lifted the Major’s mace handle into his mouth, hoping it would help with the pain about to hit him. A quick glance at the Toland’s face saw the veins in his face pulsing and black, similar to the soldier before him. Cross was worried, but continued on. Toland bit has hard as he could, and Cross went to remove the glass. However, instead of coming out cleanly, the glass broke in his hands. “Alright, time for some light energy healing? Fair warning – I’ve never tried anything like this before.” “Cross, just finish the job.” “Tolz if you don’t shut up right now I will.” Cross covered the wounds with his hands and began to pour light energy out of them, focusing Toland’s wounds. Instead of going to the wounds, however, the energy flowed straight into the mirror. Not sure at what was going on, Cross poured more energy into it. Eventually the mirror shard starting pouring out the energy, and grabbed the skin around it and pulled it inward, closing the wound off and surrounding itself with Toland’s flesh. Cross was exhausted, but the bleeding had stopped. He looked up, and Toland’s face was returned to normal. He had a new radiance about him, and his dark black hair seemed a little brighter. “You alright Tolz?” “More than alright, I feel fantastic.” Toland picked up Cross and carried him outside to the horses. “I feel like I could throw a stone from here and reach the capital.” Toland reached into his pocket for a stone, and when he pulled it out, it was glowing brightly. “Well I’ll be.” Toland lashed some rope to the other horse’s reins, and set Cross up on his horse. He looked up at the Major, and before passing out, managed a few words. “Is that grey hair?” nondisclosed_email@example.com (Toland)Tue, 04 Sep 2012 22:14:40 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4649,from=rss#post4649https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4649,from=rss#post4649A Glimmer Ablaze (third in a series of three short stories) When Toland awoke, he found himself in a unfamiliar room. He was underneath a pile of sheets and hay that he pushed to the side. There was a bed stacked on top of the one he was laying on, and has he sat up he saw a young man reading books at a desk. “By the creator, you’re awake!” The boy squealed. “I’ve read so much about you. Headmaster Arias speaks of his travels often.” “Ah, the academy then. Corvus has mentioned something about that while I was in and out.” Toland responded. You would be wary to call Toland a morning person, and this morning he felt like he had spent the night drinking with Veleno. “And you would be a cadet then? Training to become a Paladin?” “One day I’m going to be just like Cross! Traveling around the continent killing evil and finding cool stuff! I’ll run around and do flips and break shields and smite all the bad guys!” “You have more in common with him than most people I’ve met. Could you point me towards the main hall? I have things to do.” “Like what Mister Major?” “I’m not sure what I have to do, only that there is something that I have to do. Now, which way do I go ever bouncy one?” “Take a left and you get to the library. Take a right and you can get out of the building. Hey Mister Major, before you go, can I ask you something?” “Of course cadet. What is it?” “Do you think you could get Cross to come here so I could meet him?” “I’ll make sure he comes and speaks at the academy very soon. Until then” Toland said, reaching into his bag “Take this.” He handed the boy one of Cross’s minivests. Cross’s bag had been ripped open while they were traversing the Southern Noram and Toland had a handful of Cross’s personal effects with him. “What’s your name, Cadet?” “Everyone just calls me by my family name – Corthos.” “You don’t say. Hmmm” Toland left the young cadet behind, making his way to the library, hoping to find Corvus. The halls of the academy were clean and well lit, but Toland couldn’t help but imagine a future where the light energy stone he had found with Cross earlier would line the walls and use the energy of the Lifetree for light instead of torches. “Well, that took you long enough” Corvus said to Toland has he walked through the doors to the library. “It’s not like you to sleep for three days. That poor cadet you shared a room with thought you were dead at least a dozen times.” “I assume you got everything you needed from the lich’s lair” “One day you won’t go straight to work and we’ll be able to have a conversation has friends.” “Apologies Corvus. How are the wife and kids?” “A fair point Toland. I got everything and then some. The lich made multiple notes about a rival who lived in the Northern Noram. He says that he had an artifact with great power to corrupt those around him. He wanted it, but never got around to making his way around to killing him to take it. Although I am loathe to say it, you should finish the Lich’s old mission.” “My smiting arm is a bit sore, but I think I can manage. You’re sure I just need to smash the thing, right?” “Quite sure Major.” A look of relief fell on Toland’s face has Corvus tossed him a map ‘This should be where he’s hiding out at, according to the lich’s notes. Jayne has informed me that some soldiers went missing in that area a few weeks ago, I suggest you make haste to search for survivors.” “You won’t be joining me then Corvus?” “Too much work here. I must continue my studies if we have any hope of being to use any of the things you find. Light energy and dark energy are rather perplexing forces. They seem to operate, at times, as if they had a mind of their own. Besides, I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel.” “Funny. I assume Cross is still sleeping?” “No, actually, he is having breakfast with Arias.” “Fair. If there is one thing that he does more than sleep, it’s eat.” “I CAN HEAR YOU, YOU KNOW” Cross shouted from down a hallway “Corvus, just kill me now. He’s going to let an arrow hit me in the arm or something now.” “Major, I will do no such thing. No go eat breakfast and then go kill a necromancer.” “If I must, Corvus.” Toland said has he left his friend to his studies. The headmaster’s office was full of books and empty plates, Cross has made quick work of his meal” “Unnfff I haven’t had anything to eat in days Tolz. Days! I don’t know what meat this is, but it’s delicious!” “Hi Toland. How have you been?” Arias looked over to Toland while offering him a plate that he was holding on to for him. “Better once we find and kill a necromancer, Headmaster.” “Another one Tolz! Is that all we do these days?” “Yes, Cross, as a matter of point, it is all we do. Corvus has found mention of a necromancer in possession of a powerful artifact that corrupts those around it. We have a map, and if we ride then we should get there in short order.” Toland sat down to eat and looked over to Arias. “So, tell me how things here are going, Arias.” to be continued, when i feel up to writing morenondisclosed_email@example.com (Toland)Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:12:04 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4465,from=rss#post4465https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4465,from=rss#post4465A Reoccurring Darkness (second in a series of three short stories) “I knew we would find something. The stone is handier than we could have hoped for.” Toland was holding it out, watching the light dim gradually has they knew they were heading into something dangerous. “I would rather you were using it has a flashlight instead of a zombie finder. I’m happy to kill the zombies, I just want a flashlight when I’m doing it.” Cross wasn’t particularly thrilled with where he had found himself. The Noram mountains weren’t the tallest on the continent, but to find snow in the normally tropical Belegaria wasn’t something he was expecting, or had packed for, with his mini vest nearly frozen to his skin. “Can we go straight to Belegar after this? Please?” “Funny, I never expected someone so eager to take the leaf of the Lifetree on their shoulder to be so unwilling lead.” “Tolz, I will end you. You know that if I hold the stone it just gets bright, and I can’t use it like this.” “I’m aware. Just a little gentle ribbing, Paladin, nothing more.” The winds of the mountain tops weren’t forgiving, but has they continued forward, a structure in the distance began to come into focus. “Up ahead lays the source of woe.” “Yeah, I saw it like two minutes ago, old man. Source of Woe, do you always have to be such a downer?” “Cross, you are just upset about cold you are. I would hardly call myself a downer. Even if I would, it is preferred to your incessant rambling about how hard your nipples are.” “Plenty of people like talking about my nipples, Tolz.” “And I am not amoung them. May we press forward and kill the zombies or necromancers or orcs that wait for us now?” “If you insist, guy.” The closer they got to the structure the more intimidating it looked. Black metal spires with sharp edges sprung forth from the ground surrounding it, a spike fence of gleaming black metal against the white snow. Cross and Toland weaved through the metal until reaching the doors. The keep didn’t look particularly large, but there was no telling how much of it was dug down instead of built up. The halls were covered in cobwebs, the halls had clearly not been used in a long time. Searching through rooms revealed a mess of nothing, empty shelves with empty bottles and empty vials sitting on them. The stone was still reacting, there was something here to find. Moving silently through the rooms, Toland and Cross searched until eventually they found a stairwell in back. When it was approached, the stone began emanating darkness, making it hard to see. “Give me that!” Cross snatched the stone from Toland’s hand, and it was neutral, neither illuminating nor dimming the room. They descended down the staircase to find their presence unnoticed by something hurriedly working around a large lab. The figure was rotting, like a zombie, but was not the mindless thing that Cross and Toland had encountered before. No, this was something different. After a minute of watching it work, it stopped and looked up to see Toland and Cross, weapons drawn. “A Paladin? Here? Not now, I’m not finished!” The creature yelled out as cross quickly put his large sword through his chest. “Easy enough, Tolz. Looks like he was working on something.” Cross looked down has the body vanish into a trail of smoke, behind absorbed into a well of black sludge behind held in a bird bath in the corner of the lab. “That’s worrying. What do you know of liches, Cross?” “I know all I need to about them – you kill them and they keep coming back.” “I was afraid you were going to say that. I’ve heard Corvus mention them before, but I do not know how to stop him from coming back.” Toland looked at the sludge stirring, and smoke began to rise out of it. The lich stood before them again, this time ready for battle. “I hope you aren’t expecting this to go as well as|” The lich stopped speaking as cross lobbed his head off with another swing of his sword. “Tolz, this might start to be a problem soon.” “Agreed, oh cold one. Belegar is a three day’s walk from here. If you run, you can make it in two. Find Corvus and bring him here.” “What are you going to do?” Cross’s question is answered as Toland watches the smoke rise from the fountain once more. Toland swings his mace downward, knocking the lich’s head down and the cracking of his bones is the only sound he gets to make before he retreats once more into the sludge. “Do try and hurry, Cross. If you must stop for a jacket, don’t take more than five minutes. If the tailor offers to hem it after you cut it in half in front of him, politely decline.” “Yeah, being a smartass is sure going to make me hurry up and save your life. See you in three days, Mourner.” Cross immediately took off down halls and the back down the Norams, sliding as much as he could on his shield. The trek felt much longer than it was, running through the night got him to Belegar in the wee hours of the morning in a day and a half. He made it to the Paladin Academy’s library, a place where Corvus was known to be found when he had time. Luckily for all parties, sans the lich, Corus had time that night. “I’ll have time to explain on the way, but we need to move, now. Do you have a horse?” “I’m sure Jayne won’t mind one missing when we explain what is going on. Speaking of which, Cross, what is going on?” “First horse, then explaining the trail, then a nap. It’s been a really long day.” Corvus grabbed his bag of things, his shield and sword, and an extra cloak that was left at the library earlier. He threw it over the clearly frostbitten Cross and got them both up on the horse, Cross barely managing to explain the route before passing out. Corvus lashed him to his chest and followed the route, making it to the fierce metal fence in a day’s time. Upon arrival, Corvus woke Cross up, who was still sleepy but forcing himself awake quickly, due to the direness of the situation. “You still haven’t told me what we are doing here, Cross.” “Let’s see if the Major is still amoung the living first, shall we?” Cross and Corvus hurried through the hall, straight to the stairwell. When they got to the lab, they immediately saw Toland, barely standing, striking down the lich once more. “I’ve lost track of time, but I’m not dead, so I don’t really care if you are late or early. Nice to see you Corvus, wish it were under better circumstances. Do you know what we need to do?” “Yes, smash the phylactery.” Both Toland and Cross stop and stare at him for a moment. “Cover it with Salt?” “Burn it?” “Speak the magic phrase?” Toland and Cross went back and forth with twenty solutions between them in disbelief of the truth’s simplicity. Has they went over this, Corvus walked over and smashed the fountain has smoke began to seep out of it once more. “Nope, just smash it. Now that we have that out of the way, I want to investigate this lab further. Mind waiting a day?” Corvus turned and looked to find Toland and Cross already sleeping. “Looks like I’ll have two…” Corvus muttered to himself, turning and losing himself in his work. nondisclosed_email@example.com (Toland)Tue, 22 May 2012 00:14:34 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4464,from=rss#post4464https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p4464,from=rss#post4464A Flicker of Light (first in a series of three short stories) At first the ash felt awkward on his skin, the raven guarding is soul should have been a thing of comfort, but Toland wasn’t particularly fond of it. However, it had been six months since the ash had first found his face and he found himself feeling incomplete without it. “The villagers of Batta are too fresh for a strong military presence. If we want to pass through the city without being tasked, we cannot wear the ash, Cross.” Toland looked over at his fellow adventurer of the last three months. Three months since the purging of Belegaria and the founding of a new nation. “Tolz, what if something happens.” Cross and Toland hadn’t run into a lot of trouble in their journeys, but to say they were uneventful would be an outright lie. While their search for artifacts in the wake of evil’s absence in the newly cleansed peninsula of Belegaria hadn’t been fruitful thus far, they had found a handful of relics of Leechian’s reign, mostly manuals for the former military and a handful of books about training paladins that would be given to Arias when the path took them to New Belegar. The price of these books was paid in the blood of black orcs hiding in the mountains, an easy exchange for such things. “We will be fine, stop being so worried. We are just going to stop in for a few days and listen for the locals to see if they have heard rumors of anything. New people to a new land are sure to explore their new home, and they’ve had more time to do it than we have over here. We’ll lay low for a day or two and if we don’t hear anything then we will swing south through the Noram. Hardly an easy trek, impossible for an army, however, it shouldn’t be too bad for just the two of us. Perhaps we will find a necromancer’s hideout or something.” “Fine. We’ll do things your way, but if something happens and I have to kill zombie you, well, I guess I will already have to kill you, making us even. Never mind, let’s go.” A few days of wandering the city turned up nothing, but Cross happened across a conversation that piqued his interest on his way to meet with Toland before leaving Batta. Listening in, he heard a tale of a mound of dirt that was emitting light at night, about an hour’s walk northwest of the village. “We should check it out.” Cross wasn’t expecting an argument, but Toland’s response wasn’t exactly what he was expecting either. “Sounds like a waste of time. Perhaps it is just an after effect of the lifetree’s growth.” “Tolz, that’s just why we should check it out. The villager said it started a week ago, if it was an after effect of the cleansing of the black spell, it would have happened sooner.” “Fair. We should be able to get their rather hastily, and it’s almost dusk. Once the sun sets I imagine it will be easy to find.” Toland reached into his pouch and pulled out some ash, the raven returning his mind to normal. “It was nice to pretend for a few days that I didn’t have things to do.” “I don’t think I will ever know that feeling, Major. Let’s go.” The two left the gates of the city and found the mound of glowing dirt with the ease Toland had predicted. What Toland did not predict was the three hours of digging to get to the source. As the dirt shifted the light grew brighter and brighter, until it was nearly blinding. At the bottom of the pit shined a small stone touching a root. When Toland grabbed it, the light suddenly stopped emanating from the clear, quartz like stone. “Maybe you are holding it wrong.” Cross took the stone from Toland’s hand and it shined once more, with vibrancy similar to before but not quite as strong. Toland took it from Cross’s hand and it was empty once more. “That root is the Lifetree, I can feel it. Paladins know these things.” Cross told Toland, figuring it might be an important piece of the puzzle. “Then I would assume that the stone reacts to light energy. Looks closely, it still glows a bit when I hold it, like it holds the energy for a moment before it vanishes. Cross, try healing the stone.” “That’s not how it works Tolz.” “Damn it Cross, you know what I mean.” Cross took the stone and focused light energy into it. When he handed it back to Toland, the stone held the light in itself. It didn’t emanate, like previous, but it was holding the light energy in itself. “Cross, I do not know what to call it, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t useful somehow.” “I have a few things in mind. Toland, we should head to Belegar, Arias will want to see this.” “We will, but first, let us sweep through the Southern Noram. I have a feeling that this discovery will not go unnoticed.” nondisclosed_email@example.com (Toland)Mon, 21 May 2012 21:14:23 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p2634,from=rss#post2634https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p2634,from=rss#post2634The Mourners became the Veris Squad when the 14 Hithdorians joined up forever ago. The Veris Squad was part of the founding of The Fury. The Hithdorians joined up about 500 years before the Eryndor Crusades started.nondisclosed_email@example.com (Toland)Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:12:27 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p2632,from=rss#post2632https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p2632,from=rss#post2632Major Toland, i have a question concerning the Veris Squad. You had mentioned that quote:“The Veris Squad had over three thousand years of tradition in fighting those who would harm others needlessly, having started as an offshoot of the Manadh police after the Rise of Raak. The unit, then known as The Mourners, swore... ... My question then being this: are the small band of sworn soldiers known as the Veris Squad or The Mourners? Another question, when did the band meet up with The fury? is that the 14 Hithdorian militants? because we are already with the Tehvikings around the camp fire. nondisclosed_email@example.com (Veleno Wildhammer)Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:47:13 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p614,from=rss#post614https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p614,from=rss#post614An Alliance Born Toland had assumed this morning that the following evening would have been similar to the routine of evenings he had found himself in as of late, maintaining a campfire and sitting around telling stories, waiting for his turn on patrol before trying to get some sleep. However, nothing could have been farther from the truth. The day had been quite eventful, and the Fury was, for the first time, enjoying a moment of reprieve. There was singing and dancing around a bonfire, and many new faces. The sounds of drums perforated the air, cutting across the camp. We didn't care if the orcs heard us coming from miles away, in fact they way Sethrin was playing the drum, it sounded as much a warning to the black orcs as it did a celebration. It was the first time Toland had seen Sethrin smile. Everyone's spirits were high, be they Fury or others. Most hadn't a reason to celebrate until now, but the Fury had finally found the crusades. The day began like all the others since Toland gave up his vow of nonviolence, helping dissemble a Yurt followed by hours of walking. After a few notably quiet hours, the Fury came upon a large canyon. There was no mistaking the sounds pouring forth, echoing from wall to wall to the end of the canyon. The black orcs were ahead of them. the Fury readied themselves, knowing what to find, taking a moment of those who didn't travel in armor to put it on and for everyone to draw their weapons. Toland gave his bags to Lilibet, keeping only a small pouch slung over his shoulder, and told Hafnir to get ready to run. They ran up to the front of the Fury's march, and grabbed horns from Sethrin and Brinya. "When you hear the horns, charge" Toland said to those in front.  "And if we don't hear horns?" Sethrin countered. "Then run faster." Toland returned, running off to scout with Hafnir. They ran for a few minutes before they saw any orcs in the distance. Toland reached into his pack and removed his spyglass, trying to judge the size of the enemy force. There were only a dozen or so orcs near the entrance to some caves on both sides of the canyon. They were screaming and fighting amongst themselves, causing quick a racket. Toland handed the spyglass over to Hafnir, who saw a few more orcs leave the caves. "We have no idea how many more are in the cave, Major. We should wait for the others." Toland chuckled, knowing that if there were no caves Hafnir may have just charged in and killed them all himself. He was a little reckless at times, but a strong fighter, and he always knew when he was truly overpowered. Toland and Hafnir moved no further, waiting for the rest of the Fury to catch up to them, which didn't take much longer. When they were within charging distance, Toland blew the horn. The two fighters charged ahead of the unit, ready to wet their blades in orc blood. Hafnir swung his mighty hammer into the heads of two orcs, running right past them to the other side of the caves. A few orcs turned to him, but the rest were focused on the fighting force marching their way. Spears pushing forward between a meager number of shields, running into the enemy, Toland moved forward to avoid being caught in between steel and orc. He sounded the horn again, as the Fury reached their target and began slaughtering orcs. This time, after he sounded the horn, the ground began to tremble. The wall of the canyon to his back has shaking so terribly that Toland was sure that his horn had moved the earth and began a quake. Unfortunately, he was not so lucky, as orcs began flowing forth from the caves before the Fury. Hafnir, trapped on the other side, began sounding his horn and running, hoping to draw the focus of the orcs while his comrades killed the distracted. The orcs remained focused on the Fury, ignoring Hafnir completely. This didn't bother the Fury too much, even though they were being pushed back from the sheer number of orcs in front of them, they were stilling killing freely without hesitation. Hafnir knew that if he pressed into the orc line that was distancing him from his unit he would not survive. He moved back, hoping to find a way up to the edge of the canyon where he could throw rocks at the orcs to help in the slaughter. The unit was being pushed back further and further, and the orcs continued to come forth from the caves. Their numbers were now easily a few hundred and they showed no sign of stopping. "Press on, we shall not lose to the orcs now, or ever!" Sethrin screamed, rallying the troops. "Press on, for tonight we feast on boar!" Reimus screamed, leaving Toland to wonder if Reimus had taken one too many blows to the head in his travels. Hafnir sounded his horn again, nearing the other end of the canyon. He pulled out the spyglass to see how the Fury was doing, a quick check before he started his climb to the top of the canyon. At this moment, he felt a hand placed on his shoulder. "There's no need to worry, I brought a few friends." The stranger said to Hafnir, nearly in shock from the surprise. He turned to see a man with blonde hair dressed in green, with a stripe of ash over his eye. Behind him was a large force, with the heraldry of Hithdor and the Eryndor Crusade flying high. the Fury had found the crusade, and the crusade could not have found them at a better time. Hafnir sounded his horn once more, charging into the orc lines with the crusade following behind him. Toland, still caught on a small ledge, trying to kill what orc he could reach with his spear, was still separated from the rest of the Fury by two lines of orcs. He heard Hafnir's horn getting louder, and looked to see hundreds of fighters charging into the orc lines, their shields decorated with the Lifetree. Toland sounded his horn once more and pointed over to the new allies joining the battle. With their unexpected reinforcements and a newfound determination, the Fury pushed forward. The orcs had finally stopped spewing forth from the caves, and the remaining orcs fell quickly to the fighters gathered before them. After the last orc had been slain, Hafnir returned to his unit, followed by the ranger who had approached him earlier. "You fought well, unafraid the scourge of Maegamarth. My name is Mithris, where were you heading?" A few in the unit laughed, caught between irony and hope delivered. Sethrin looked at the man standing before him, and after the months of travel and fighting, all he could say was "Funny you should ask".nondisclosed_email@example.com (Toland)Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:29:01 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p544,from=rss#post544https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p544,from=rss#post544Ah Toland, a fine tale, sir. A fine tale, indeed.nondisclosed_email@example.com (Seigh Karnath)Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:04:36 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p538,from=rss#post538https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p538,from=rss#post538-sigh- i wish i knew how to write better. nondisclosed_email@example.com (LeosSparto)Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:00:18 +0000 Re: Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p536,from=rss#post536https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p536,from=rss#post536I really enjoyed this, good job.nondisclosed_email@example.com (Fenris Kelevra)Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:41:10 +0000 Toland's Taleshttps://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p517,from=rss#post517https://bfuryofthecalled.runboard.com/p517,from=rss#post517A Brief History of the Founding of The Mourners and The Veris Squad It was nights like this that made Toland think of his past, to traveling with the Veris Squad. There was a fire in the center of camp, with people coming and going for a variety of reasons. It was nights like this, Yigg, Toland’s mentor and previous historian of the Veris Squad, spoke of being the essence of why they fought. And so, in turn, Toland would speak on nights like this to those who would listen. People would come and go, some having already heard Major Toland’s story, but they understood and respected his position to share, being the historian of the Veris Squad had certain duties, including making sure all those who would hear his story could. So, with a fresh batch of recruits recently acquired as they traveled from Hithdor towards the crusades and another former member of the squad, Toland sat down once again to tell the story of the Veris Squad. “The Veris Squad had over three thousand years of tradition in fighting those who would harm others needlessly, having started as an offshoot of the Manadh police after the Rise of Raak. The unit, then known as The Mourners, swore revenge against Raak and all those like him. However, having limited resources and even less information about what had happened to their city, arriving back into town a few days after Raak had leveled Manadh, by the time they knew who their target was the elves had killed him. Instead of giving up, and still thirsty for blood, they headed south east, to areas that were still settled by humans, hoping to spread the tale of Manadh and prevent the rise of any similar threats to people. The Mourners would travel around, recruiting those interested in the cause of helping others, and fighting any threat they found, whatever it may be. The Mourners were never a large group, only recruiting to replace those who had fallen, in honor of the small contingent of survivors from Manadh, keeping their numbers to 14 and no larger at any given time. Eventually all of the Manadh survivors were dead, be it combat or age. The last of the Manadh, the last of the original Mourners, named Rigil Tikhem, created the position of historian within the unit when he felt his age catching up with him. He shared many stories of travel and terror, of glorious battles and the deaths of those closest to him. Right before his death, he chose his successor as historian from the 14 fighters, and it is a position that has been passed down ever since to one who is about to retire from combat. The keeping of the history of the squad was deemed to important to allow to die, and only once in the 3000 year history of the mourners and the Veris squad has there been a historian who also fought.” Toland chuckled, knowing that should the crusade achieve success and he survive, and hence the history of the squad survives, that would be his place in history. He was the only bastard crazy enough to risk 3000 years of stories. The light of the fire bounced off the yurt behind the recruits. He heard a quick rumbling in some trees, followed by a battle cry bellowed forth screaming “VIKINGS!” Toland sat back down, knowing that the situation, whatever it may be, was handled. The Tehvikings may have been a crude lot, but they were excellent fighters and had earned Toland’s respect on the battlefield. Finn and Thurston charged past the fire, spears in hand. The new recruits looked worried, but reassured by Toland’s calm. “Don’t worry; it was only a small rustle, perhaps a single orc. It is being handled, and we can resume.” He took a deep breath, looked at the recruits before him, and continued. “The Mourners traveled for a long time, staying mostly in the west of the continent, but there are stories of traveling to the east, of sailing the seas, even one of a brief visit to Dugar. They never settled, and continued to move from place to place, helping where help was needed. They mostly just fought small groups of Orcs, and if they heard any news of mages trying to develop necromancy they would investigate. Around 500 years ago, the exact date has been lost to time; a group from the Hithdorian army left their great city and searched for the Mourners, having heard tales of them. They worked with a contingent of the army that heard rumors of a necromancer and had burned an entire village to the ground in an attempt to find him. This group of soldiers has disgusted at their orders, and the night after their comrades burned the village, they deserted the Hithdorian army. They had joined the military to help people, not to massacre them. Of the 18 soldiers who left Hithdor, 14 were left when they finally found the Mourners 2 years later. The Mourners listened to the tale of the soldiers, and welcomed them with open arms. Having 14 soldiers as well, the Mourners thought it providence. Another group of good and honest men with a desire to do well had found them. The two groups merged, taking the colors black from the Mourners and Blue from the Hithdorians. They formed a new emblem, with a blue Hithdorian shield guarding sword and arrow, showing a promise to defend and not attack. Olive branches, showing a desire for peace, were placed along the bottom of the shield. Finally, an orb of light, showing both the truth of justice in light and the fight of the Mourners against necromancy was placed atop the shield. No longer mourning the loss of Manadh, and not wanting to ignore the contributions of their Hithdorian brothers, a new name was chosen. The new name came from one of the Hithdorian men, Veris, which in a nearly forgotten tongue meant rebirth. They melded together as much as they could, so they kept the ranks of the Hithdorian soldiers and the rituals and rights of the Manadh. They all deemed the name appropriate, and now with a constant 28 members, the Veris Squad went forth to help all those they could.” There was more to tell, of course, but as Toland drew breath, Eldgrim approached the fire. “Major Toland, have you finished?” “The tale is told, yes. What can I help you with, Tehviking?” “There was an orc scout. We killed him, but they rarely travel alone. We did not find his partner, he may have turned back to alert others to our presence. We should leave.” “Agreed, we wouldn’t want a rude awakening from the Orcs in the morning. Annominate, wake the sleeping. Everyone else, gather your things and help dismantle the Yurts. Eldgrim, where is Sethrin?” Toland stood up tightened his armor “He is patrolling to the North with Mav. Finn and Thorgrim are scouting the East and the Thorin Brothers the West.” “And you and I are to patrol the South?” Toland asked, his answer coming from Eldgrim tossing Toland his spear. “To the south, then. Recruits, hurry. Time may be short.” It was a common occurrence whenever The Fury would camp that some Orcs would happen upon their camp. They were heading towards the Eryndor Crusade, and so were most Orcs, it is only logical that they would encounter each other from time to time. The Fury was racing to keep ahead of them, hoping to beat the Orcs to the Eryndor Crusade to help them fight. The Fury alone could not withstand the full might of the Orc army, but together with the crusaders they may have a chance.nondisclosed_email@example.com (Toland)Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:45:17 +0000