Author Archives: Rask

About Rask

Rask Fellmar of Thater that Was. Rask was born in the small village of Thater, not far from East Pass Fort in Aegir. He never knew his father, a Raidensblud or at least a solider in the Aegirian army. His mother made a household with another man, and Rask gained a half-brother and several Fellmar cousins. Rask ran away and joined the Aegrian army as soon as he could. After seeing far more brutality and evil than he ever imagined, his home is gone, he is a deserter twice over, and he is an exceptionally well-trained warrior.

Hunger Unites Them

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More than just a few steps after the walking conversation about Ath, Telosh slides up next to Alexis again.

“Hunger. When I connected with the Dark Third, I felt a deep, bottomless hunger. That could be Undeath, it could be Crows, and it could be the ArruNoroth. The undead hunger for the living. Crows are always hungry for food. Dragons are always hungry for gold and power.”

Telosh pauses.

“What is Ath hungry for? I am hungry for recognition, praise… trust.”

Telosh grows very quite, even his steps are softer.

The TyLin Two Step

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In a moment in the tent, Telosh approaches Ethelred.

Hey ’Red, can I talk to you for a minute? The other day you said something about how I’ve been lying about following TyLin. I know I’m deceitful, but I’ve never lied about that.”

Telosh is clearly upset, but trying to hold it back.

“Yes, I turned away from TyLin and didn’t say anything about it, I let that be part of Inkam, not Lucius, but I have never falsely revered Her.

Bitterness and anger are apparent on the Westlander’s face.

“I would have sensibly cowered with you and the others when we faced Yogg if I had not received the stone beforehand. I would still have Thraan’s rapier, and the bow I took from The Made.”

He takes a long look at the Aegrian, and shakes his head ever so slightly.

“I may use trickery and guile when needed, but I don’t lie to my companions.”

You can take the boy out of the country…

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Sometime along the way to Yog’s fortress…

“Oi, Coz,” Telosh calls to Gustav.

Gustav looks confused, Telosh’s accent is extra think at the moment, and a little odd, different somehow from his usual Westlander, or his reasonable good Sutheroni, and his attempt at Aegerian.

“What was it like where you grew up? You’re different from Red and the other Aegerian’s I’ve met. More like my cousins, maybe.”

Telosh’s accent seems to have shifted back quickly.

“Aye, you remind me of Gorf, and Sven a bit too…”

Telosh looks away for a moment, blinks a few times and looks back.

Order and Chaos

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Not long after seeing the Kohlar, Priest of Anashar preach, Telosh signals to Alexis and behind a hand quietly mentions:

“Perhaps the good friar would know the right thing to do with Raff’s tooth.”

Telosh makes the signals, Priest, Law, Sword.

“If it is broken, surely he’d be the right one to deal with it.”

Twice Break, Sword. Three times.

What now?

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Lucius looks around at his companions, and his “liege,” stirs the dirt a bit with a stick, and speaks up,

“We’ve done a bit of exploring, and survived a group of outriders, and now the army is moving out of the Copper Hills fort, it seems to me that we’ve kicked the nest a bit already, and there is a strong likelihood Barra will attack the fort soon…

“Red’s suggestion from a few nights ago was a good one, and now that the army is on the move, it seems like it is time to return to the fort and begin to plan for the inevitable. Being in the woods while Barra attacks the fort doesn’t seem like it will help us fr… break the sword.”

Hood-rin?

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Somewhere along the way, on the journey from Sutheron to the Copper Hills Fort, Lucius, complete with Sutheron accent, strikes up a conversation with Alexis:

“Say my fellow Sutheroni, I heard an interesting speculation in the Five Winds Inn and Tavern between a couple of priestly types, and it nearly started a fight with some Westy horse traders, apparently one of the horse traders is from a farming family…

“Anyhoo, the one acolyte says to the other, ‘Oo-rin is THE Harvest God, and Hood harvests souls, seems like may be two facets of the same gem, the scythe is associated with both as well, right?”

“Now, the Westlander overheard this and started yelling, ” ‘arvesting gray-en ain’t da say’m as peoples!” and whatnot… no Hoodites were to been seen to stand up for their Patron, but there certainly wasn’t much more discussion of the issue that night!”

“What is your learned opinion, Esteemed Alexis Laelius? Is Hood connected to Oo-rin? It seems odd to me, I always thought Hood was just the… children’s name for Erlik…”

Lucius Requests Aid

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Around a wilderness campfire, after leaving the Copper Hills Fort, Lucius “Of Sutheron” slips out of his Sutheroni accent, and starts to speak.

“Well then, I clearly need some help at being from Sutheron… rather than have a noble name, which seems… complicated…. I’m thinking I’m a young bravo out to prove himself, perhaps my mother was a Westlander slave, and I am the bastard of a noble, or perhaps my mother was a Sutheroni woman of the night, and my father was a Westlands horse-trader… Something that will be understandable and also… not worth talking about?”

“What do you think will be the most… sellable? believable? At least to Aegierians?”

“Lucius” looks around at his companions, waiting for them to respond…

Allies?

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Telosh reels from his third draught of of gnollbrew…

The flames from the campfire seem to lick to the sky, spirits seem to writhe and dance off the coals and sparking to the sky, other spirits or shadows dance around the outside of the fire…away from the fire, everything else looks gray and cold and far away…the fire is everything.  And the flind is everything.  He grows and becomes a giant.  His spirit could crush Telosh or any of his companions and the humans are insignificant in the face of this demon that has walked this world for eons…he has died so many times…and every pain, loss, cut and blow has added to the powerful being that now towers over the treasure hunters.

Yet Telosh, perhaps by association with the others, perhaps through the Grace of Tylin, is regarded as somehow worthy by it, this massive being whose powerful spirit seems to be woven into the very fabric of this world in a way that seems far more permanent than Telosh or any of the team. 

The gnolls sit amongst the group around the fire and they always seem to be laughing whenever Telosh focuses on them, but even they seem transfixed by the giant and the massive fire that dominates the world now.

Telosh signals or perhaps speaks, to Alexis somewhat confusedly,

“Allies? New friends? Help us with the Hammer and Crown? The Hammer would help us break The Sword again…”

Sorting and “Deciphering”

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As Telosh sifts through the tentacled lurkers’ midden heap for metal and silver, and eventually skulls, then dwarf bones, he does more than simply search, he sorts into piles based on what he is looking for, and then piles within piles. There is a system, his father taught it too him both for sorting the high piled carts that would arrive some late fall evenings, no rhyme or reason the contents. Groups by like characteristics, a simple hierarchy.

The same hierarchy for dividing up junk and re-sellable goods was useful for deciphering unknown inscriptions, Okken had taught Telosh the basics, enough to help with both sets of register books, and enough to play games with simple coded messages with Dirk, but not nearly as much as Okken… or Alexis could do.

Telosh as Telosh sorted the coins, he took mental note of the markings on them, at least three different styles completely. Some patterns started to emerge, but he did not have a book, so counting them was difficult.

He asked questions of Alexis sparingly and with specific intention, and made note of which parts of the coin Alexis seemed to gain the most information from.

Alexis was busy with many things, perhaps at another time Telosh would ask more questions.

At the very least where to buy a book, and how much one should cost…

I should sort my potions like this again soon. Try to take note some how of the differences in the bottles or seals, and any grouings…

I can look at these coins again later too.. there’s a lot of junk to sort through, and so many bones…

Thoughts and Prayers, Pieces of Silver and One Copper.

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Alone an on watch, shortly after the ambush and giving thanks to the robin, Telosh pulls out his small supply of Aegirian coins. He sifts through the coppers and silvers, feeling each one carefully in the moonlight.

Alexis said only a fool fails to worship the gods… each in their turn…

He holds a silver in his hand, tracing the rune of TyLin on the crown side. Almost silently, the words clear in his mind, he intones a prayer:

Tylin, Great Goddess of Wisdom and Insight, Patron of Heroes, I beseech you, guide and protect me in my all my journeys.

He places the coin on his right thigh and selects another.

He flips the second silver across his fingers, like Alexis used to do before his pendant turned red…

Telosh moves his lips with out a sound, and forms the words clearly in his mind:

Tymora, Goddess of Luck and Fortune… it has been some time, I’m sorry. I thank you for your blessings, and accept both your push and your pull.

He cycles the coin across his knuckles again, and then puts the coin back and selects another, he rubs the engraving and again silently forms another prayer

Raiden, Protector of Humanity, Chosen by Anashar, may your valor and heroism guide me and aid us in our efforts against the fouls creatures and treachery that threaten us.

He rubs the coin again, and places it back in his pouch.

With some trepidation, he selects a copper coin from the pouch, holds it gently, rubbing the edges.

He takes a deep breath. An in his mind, silently forms words again as he holds the copper

Av’v, Crone-Mother, Keeper of Lost Knowledge, I have felt Your power and seen Your work. Please watch over us as we seek ancient artifacts to aid humanity in it’s time of need. Please accept my humble apologies for my part in the death of Your one-time servant Nandra, she was corrupted by kossen and I ask that You see my efforts to aid all of humanity.

Telosh shivers and places the copper coin on the ground at his left side.

The Westlander takes several deep breaths before picking up the silver on his right thigh again.

He runs his finger along the edge, and traces the rune of TyLin on the crown side again with a finger and quietly voices another prayer.

Tylin, Great Goddess of Wisdom and Insight, Patron of Heroes, I thank you for your guidance and protection in my all my journeys. I thank you for watching over my family, my father Okken, my mother wherever she is, my uncle Dakun, my cousins Sven, Gorf and Dirk and my companions now, Alexis, Ethelred and Gustav.
I beg you, Great Goddess of Heroes, Protector of the Wild and Free, to aid Gustav especially, he his kind and cares for us. I beseech you if you see Gustav as your servant, guide me in what ever way you see fit to bring him closer to you.

Telosh places the coin on his right leg again and draws out a small file provided to him by Ethelred. He picks up the coin again and begins to etch the rune into the coin carefully and with TyLin and Gustav on his mind.