Words From The Past

To the most honorable Bard of Legend, Rod Rambler,

I am told you have crossed paths with a scholar at the Library of Bletherad, known as Malkin Falimede. I think I found a way to give him a piece of history he did not know about. Okay, A LOT of history he might not know about! Professor Malkin has given CrIsis so much in the way of help and the group I had met did not properly address his request about Hoedric’s Letter. This is my meager way of trying to say thank you to such a magnificent man.

Awhile back I recently heard that Professor Malkin had briefly visited the Great Tree of Life from some of the residents that remember him and his friends. Visitors to the Glade of the Great Tree of Life that did not stay were never common. When the Wraith known to us as Stephen Ravenholm began to rule the land all visitation stopped. Before I get to far ahead let me introduce that Elf and Dwarf he had briefly met.

• Gwyfallen Rhul, Paladin once in service to the Dragoons of the Golden City of Baalgor!
• Hammerton Thrawn, Runesmith of Northolme!

Both Khonsu’s Reaper and Bast’s Free Agent had spotted the surcoat he wore which is made from cloth sourced during the First Peace of the Elf-Dwarf War! Such is the magic of the magnificent tree that the garment is in near perfect condition! Gwyfallen remarked about my armor style being reminiscent of the new styles during his time among the forces of Baalgor. The good professor will now get to meet someone that had not only seen but lived among the Golden City first hand. What’s more is that Hammerton is the last living Runesmith of the Dwarves! He has seen two rune forges and may choose to tell you where they might reside. I am choosing to omit their locations on purpose. He visited the Fortress city of Etrinan during the first peace of the Elf-Dwarf War and saw the library in its glory first hand! It felt so good to speak the ancient Dwarf dialect of my homeland once more with people whom also spoke it fluently!

They both decided to abandon the War after the first peace was shattered in a misunderstanding of epic proportions. An Elven Paladin, Galuon, from the Dragoons of Baalgor had fallen in love with the daughter of a famous runesmith turned rune-mage among the Dwarves, Gazhur Drodd! His daughter, Grazza Drodd, was a Priestess of Rurga and quite the warrior. She had managed to fight the Elf Paladin to a standstill in a tournament of peace. She turned down the trophy and instead grabbed Galuon pulling him down to kiss him in public! The third place winner thought it was an actual attack and stabbed her in the base of her skull. He never knew the two had been having an affair for the last year and this was to be their public declaration of love and peace. Have Gwyfallen recite the Ballad of Grazza & Galuon to your protégé the one and only, Terramore!

It was then we began talking about how none of the Giants never wanted to be part of the war! The Elves held them in indentured servitude and forced them to fight. How the Dwarves of Northolme and Fort Etrinan had made pacts with Minotaurs but Hammerton had been injured feeling Northolme during the betrayal of the Minotaurs there. When he insulted my tribe I told him he had better be willing to apologize because my tribe had honored their commitment and friendship. He paused and thought about it when I told him to make it fair he could get his rune axe and I would fight him barehanded. He stopped and mentioned that he wouldn’t fall to the old trap that started their races down the path of hate. I mentioned the Library of Bletherad and how it became what it is because of the Seed Libraries starting with Alarassa. This sparked a weird turn of a series of events.

First, was their reaction to finding out about the Zealotry and the Millennium of Purification. They were making immediate plans to leave and hunt the Zealotry down! When I queried them both about the urgent need to stamp out bigotry and hate they shared a tale and as fate would have it the friend I needed showed up right on time.

Second, the story of Hammerton and Gwyfallen is just as tragic though as Grazza & Galuon. At one point during the conversation about how Gwyfallen had been living in Alarassa among the Clerics of…

…wait for it…

…the Prime Incunabula! He saw the ORIGINAL LIBRARY! Before it became nothing more than a Seed Library. Before he could explain more, a flying Silent Dream swooped down to join my little note taking session that Isis’ Seeker and I were wildly jotting down. The Faeries Treetwinkle, Grassysong, Lillywhisk, Flattertree, and Briarpetal were fluttering around him playfully but scattered as Dream approached us.

Respectfully as always he addressed us, “Excuse me, I hope I’m not interrupting? I heard earlier that you were telling Friend Xerx’ses about the Time of a Thousand Magics and the Elf-Dwarf War. I wondered if… well, if you had ever heard of ‘Clerics?’ The bow I carry, Azomir, shared a vision with me of an Elf named Sorazel Rhul, who called herself the ‘Last of the Clerics.’ I wondered if this was something either of you knew anything about? Azomir doesn’t speak much at all, and it was a great honor to have even that much shared with me.”

Gwyfallen became so upset at the sight of the Rune Bow, Hammerton sent him to get a shovel and he began to explain.
“Listen, all of you. That story is not totally accurate, you see Sorazel Rhul is Gwyfallen’s mother.”

I think it was safe to say all of us were not expecting that turn of events by our slack jaws as he continued.

”The Evil Duke blamed the Clerics for healing the enemy, but it was Gwyfallen that healed the Dwarf, not one of the Clerics.”

“Wait,” I exclaimed, “that’s how you met! You’re the dwarf he healed, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” turning to Silent Dream, “Little Dream that Bow is a heavy burden and will know if you falter in your conviction, remember that.”

Third, when they both left the ancient conflict they gathered all the evil rune weapons they could and more along their journey. I told them about the ones I knew about and when they heard about Eggeba, the Chakram, or disc ring we swore and oath. Once CrIsis achieves peace through Osiris’ complete rebirth I will show them both Fort Etrinan and then they will show me a rune forge and re-light it!

Fourth, I asked Apis’ Luminary to help me prepare them for the journey into the modern world by sharing my every memory of the good Professor Malkin and Luur’na to them. This would allow them knowledge they would need to get to the Library and the other would show them that I understood their tragedy by sharing my own. Master Dream seemed to be overjoyed to be back in my head and nothing went wrong during the whole process. Afterwards they left and ventured out into the world toward the Library. They promised to write when they had saved Leh-rey, I’m sure I just spelled that wrong. The Guardians just got A LOT stronger!

Master Bard, when you speak with him next I hope you can gauge if I have sent him a most “historically accurate” gift.

Sent on the 4th of Corg.

Picture by our own AZ Rune.