Category Archives: Exposition

The Road To Sutheron

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Throughout the ride to Sutheron, Rask takes an on-watch posture while travelling, often at the back of the group, on guard crossbow loaded and eyes on his horse’s ears and the surroundings. If asked, he takes point. Either way he pulls his plain brown cloak in close over his plain brown tunic and does his best to appear inconspicous.

In camp, Rask takes on the standard camp tasks as much as Gustav will let him help. He is actually useful while hunting, a knows a handful of edible wild plants, much to Gus’s suprise and consternated delight.

Rask takes last watch when given the choice, and always wakes early. He does a series of excercises every morning; push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, pull ups if there is a decent branch available, and such. He tends to the horses, checks their feet and brushes them out every evening and morning, when he can.

At lunchtime when travelling, if no one else is around, Rask does a series of swordsmanship exercises. First excruciatingly slowly, then at a normal speed, and then as quickly as he possibly can. He uses an older Aegierian army-issue long sword for his exercises. It is well cared for, he cleans and sharpens it after each session.

Before bed each evening, after checking on the horses one last time, Rask does a series of stretches, slowly with clear deliberate breaths moving in and out of each position. Rask bathes regularly, and cleans himself and all his gear daily, but sleeps in his chain shirt as long the group is “on the march.”

In With The New

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A day or two down the road to the Greyfax estate, as the Crimson Calling has just finished setting up camp and is starting their evening chores, a lone man approaches leading a horse.

The man is wearing a heavy winter cloak, and a simple undyed tabard. Under the cloak and tabard, the observant make out dark-red, almost black chain mail and the hilt of odd shaped, dark-handled sword. It reminds those that remember of the blade Ethelred called “Bushwacker,” but longer.

The man raises his arms confidently in the universal gesture of peace,

“Hail, I am Rask Felmar, of Thater that Was. You must be the Crimson Calling.” He calls out confidently.

Post-Lectures Thoughts

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At some point after Ezrin has given Ethelred lecture 13, Alexis asks Ethelred about the lessons when the two of them are alone.

“Listening to Ezrin’s lessons takes me back to my time learning the arts. And sleeping through lectures. I don’t think I’ve ever slept so well, as when I was hearing those lectures.” Alexis smiles remembering the time fondly.

“But I wanted to see how you’re faring with your teacher. You’ve gotten a lot of lectures, and I hope he’s given you concrete tasks; I know you do well with those. Perhaps he has given you a gem and asked you to probe it for flaws? Or perhaps he’s given you a few materials and had to rank them by hardness? Had to list a primary purpose for each material? In a ‘spell-component’ sort of way. Perhaps he’s brought you a stick from a nearby tree and asked you to discern which tree he got it from? I never did very well with that exercise, but I think you would be better suited to it.”

Alexis stops talking to allow his friend a chance to talk about his journey into magical learning.

Collegia Arcana 101: Lecture 13 – A Material World

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Ezrin shifts, while still excercising caution and limiting his audience to Ethelred, at last, to material components.

“First, let us review a few definitions:

Magic is the art of changing consciousness according to Will.

Magic can be divided into thaumaturgy and theurgy, or as some say, arcane and divine respectively. 

A material component is one or more physical substances or objects that are annihilated by the spell energies in the casting process.

Artificery – imbuing magic into objects, including but not limited to weapons, armor, staves, wands, tools, and more. Generally the items must be of the most excellent quality, and often made of exotic materials, and various rituals and materials are needed to permanently infuse magic into the items.

Alchemy – imbuing magic into potions, draughts, oils, etc, often requires a variety of special base liquids and other materials in addition to any of the typical components of the original incantation.

Hidden sympathies between objects that allow one to influence the other. Theurgy and Thaumaturgy share the need for material engagement. Ceremonial or ritual thaumaturgy is more complex, involving lengthy and detailed rituals as well as sophisticated, sometimes expensive, paraphernalia.

Our topics today will be:

The Principle of Similarity 

Common/Powerful Components:

Silver, Linked to Ishar by some

Gold, Linked to Anashar by some

Copper, Linked to Avv by some.

Gems are used often. Linked to Traan-Vilu and Algin, and in some cases, more specific deities. 

The Principle of Similarity 

If we analyze the principles of thought on which magic is based, they will probably be found to resolve themselves into two: first, that like produces like, or that an effect resembles its cause; and, second, that things which have once been in contact with each other continue to act on each other at a distance after the physical contact has been severed. The former principle may be called the The Principle of Similarity, the latter the Principle of Contact or Contagion. From the first of these laws, namely the Principle of Similarity, the magician infers that he can produce any effect he desires merely by imitating it: from the second he infers that whatever he does to a material object will affect equally the person with whom the object was once in contact, whether it formed part of his body or not.

Imitation involves using effigies, fetishes or poppets to affect the environment of people, or people themselves. Witches’ curse dolls are an example of fetishes used in this way: the practitioner uses a lock of hair or group of finger and toe nails, on the doll to create a link (also known as a “witchlock”) between the doll and the donor of this lock of hair. In this way, that which happens to the doll will also happen to the person.

Correspondence is based on the idea that one can influence something based on its relationship or resemblance to another thing. Many popular beliefs regarding properties of various plants, fruits and vegetables have evolved in the folk-medicine of the Westlands for example. 

Many traditional societies believed that an effect on one object can cause an analogous effect on another object, without an apparent causal link between the two objects. For instance, many folktales feature a villain whose “life” exists in another object, and who can only be killed if that other object is destroyed.

Some examples from my own grimoire:

Fireflies or Glow Moss and Luminofeal 

The brass key and Sesame-emases

The crystal used to read magical writing

The sample of metal consumed in detect metals

Silver powder used for the Circle of Protection, and to enchant weapons

Silver

Linked to Ishtar by some, silver has the highest arcane conductivity of any metal. 

Silver has long been considered a purifying element and has been used to treat any number of illnesses, particularly contagions and wounds.

Traditionally, water that had been stored in a silver container or into which silver coins had been placed would be given to a patient or used to wash his wounds.

Silver is a great conductor of energy, including magic. Any stone set in silver will be amplified and its energy more easily directed.

Holy water used for purification purposes is best stored in or distributed from a silver container. The silver will infuse the water with its purifying energy. It will also enhance moon water.

Silver objects, such as pendulums or scrying mirrors, aid in divination and receiving messages.

Some believe that Silver harnesses the energy of Ishtar and Her Moon for spells, rituals, and lunar-based magick

Silver is the favored metal of many polytheurgists, Anasharites and Ishtari for its associations with Ishtar, the Goddess and the moon, Magic, the female principle and Winter. 

Silver possesses protective powers against negative influences and evil spirits and has been used since ancient times for Amulets. The metal also is said to enhance psychic faculties. Some mages prefer to wear all silver jewelry; many who wear gold also wear at least one piece of silver at the same time.

Silver, which appears in nature in a pure state and is an excellent conductor of arcane energies, has always been valued in various societies and has long been used for magical and sacred purposes. 

The ancient Sutheroni are said to have revered silver more than gold, and some claim that gold is not found in Mount Sutheron. Some say the god Anshar has bones of silver. Ancient Sutheroni used the metal to make scarabs, rings and other objects used in magical spells.

Silver has a long association with the moon. The old tribes of Suthe considered silver to be a divine quality rather than a metal substance. They associated silver with the luster of moonlight and called it the tears of the moon. In alchemy, the symbol of silver is a crescent moon; alchemists called the metal Luna or Ishtar, after the goddess of the moon. In some pre-Second Age scrolls, the moon is of written of as ‘the silver candle’ and the Great Road is called the Silver River.

Amulets made of silver can be enchanted to repel evil spirits from persons, houses and buildings. Some have written that in the folklore of parts of Aegir, couples who are going to be married encircle themselves in a silver chain in order to avoid being bewitched en route to the church.

Gold

Gold can adopt many different meanings. In economic contexts it can acquire material value, in social contexts it can gain significance for status and position within a hierarchical structure, in religious contexts it can be used to express veneration of the divine or a divinity, in magical contexts it can be perceived as a material with inherent powerful qualities. We can define the symbolic nature of gold as a means of communication. That implies, firstly, communication among humans in different situations for different purposes but also, secondly, between humans and the Warrens.

Special qualities of gold and golden objects, and their links to a numinous sphere, are quite diverse and sometimes indirect. Golden objects tend to be interpreted in arcano-archaeological research as having theurgic and thaumaturgic properties when they appear in particular find circumstances that suggest some form of ritual performances or ritual deposition. These rituals may include making the object unusable or destroying it deliberately, depositing it in inaccessible places like lakes or wetlands, or burying it in hoards that were composed of selected items in a pattern that is repeated in other hoards. 

Gems

In some old writings many gems—whether precious, semi-precious, or otherwise— are described as to having potent magical abilities, either on their own or when used properly in the casting of spells or creation of magic items, potions, etc.The innate magical properties of gemstones are precise and carefully guarded, and with only a few exceptions, it is not possible to access a gem’s natural magic without the proper knowledge. Other writings discuss how gems could be worn by an individual to gain certain magical benefits, although this often seemed to require the gem to maintain contact with the wearer’s skin. Furthermore, harnessing natural gem magic was known to be imprecise, and would often yield “flawed” results—in much the same ways that gemstones themselves could be flawed.

Gem Attunement: This form of gem magic seems to have been meant to use a gemstone to affix a spell to for later use. The gem could only be activated—and the spell released—based on some trigger specified by the creator at the time of the gem’s attunement. The trigger could be that the gem was touched, that a certain amount of time had passed since its attunement, or that a certain manner of creature was present or came near the gem. An attuned gem could detect and trigger based on a creature’s type, alignment, race, or appearance, but generally could not detect the relative skillsets or strength of a creature. Regardless of the prespecified trigger, the crafter of the attuned gem could freely handle the stone or even cause the spell to release prematurely if so desired.

In theory, these gems could also be attached to other items, in which case their triggering could cause the stored spell to affect or empower that item. When affixed to doors or other large objects, the gems could serve as traps. When affixed to weapons or other pieces of equipment, the gems could provide instant enhancements to the item or protections to its wielder. A common application was to create a gem ward which provided emergency protective spells in response to a nearby enemy. Common wards were empowered with protection workings.

A practitioner of this kind of gem magic would certainly need to be well trained trained in both gemcutting and arcane spellcasting. More powerful magics would require bigger and more valuable gems, with the weakest spells needing more common gems.”

Collegia Arcana 101: Lecture 12 – The Weave of Warrens

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Ezrin is careful about when he delivers his lectures to Ethelred, he checks around the tent, and does not lecture when traveling alongside any others. Nevertheless, After several lectures on each individual Collegia Arcana, Ezrin moves on to an overview of the Weave of Warrens

Magic everywhere and in everything exists in a semi-formalized state, some call this The Weave.. The power is refined, aspected, organized into something like themes, and these themes are what we refer to as Warrens. Some think of Warrens and magical tunnels in reality, others as strands of power that make up reality, some as other dimensions of existence outside of what most humans are normally capable of experiencing, and some old writing refer to them as Planes of Existence.

Many Warrens are accessible to mortals and gods alike; others are – Alien.  Some are virtually extinct, or inaccessible due to ignorance or deliberate rituals of sealing.  Some, in addition, are claimed and ruled over by elements either native to those warrens, or so fundamentally related to them as to make the distinction meaningless.

There is some disagreement as to whether certain Warrens are shared by various Powers, or if those Powers have their own, individual Warrens. For example, most believe the Pont-loi, Pannoi, and Poloi all share the same Warren. Many believe that that Traan-Vilu and Elgin share the same Warren. Most who espouse these types of beliefs hedge their propositions by including the caveat that the Powers occupy different parts of aspects of the Warren. This is most evident in the theories of The Omni-Warren, and Warren-Weave Duology.

I am about to list some Warrens. It is important to take care in speaking, writing or gesturing the names of Warrens. Especially with writing them and gestures. With writing about them, use plain letters, and simple abbreviations, lest you accidentally invoke the power of a Warren. Do not practice the gestures outside of practicing specific incantations that already include the gestures.

Some the Warrens Named by the Sages include:

Warrens particular to each God, or at least each Major God

Elemental Warrens, Air, Fire, Earth, Water. 

And more, such as:

Infernal, Abyssal, Cthonic, Oceanic, Swamp, Elements, Celestial, Astral, Etheric, Elven, Dwarven, Demonic, Gnomish, Cold, Lighting, Stone, Wood/Trees, Light, Darkness, Healing, Shadow, Death, Undeath/Hunger, Draconic, Order, Chaos.

Here are some proposed groupings or Meta-Warrens:

[Here Ezrin draws various web-like relationships between different groups of Warrens in the sand, using simple non-arcane one to three letter abbreviations for the various Warrens as he lists them]

Death – Undeath/Hunger – Chaos – Abyssal – Cthonic

Water – Cthonic – Oceanic – Swamp

Healing – Light – Dian-Cecht -Celestial – Sun

Wood – Plants – Oo-Rin – TyLin

Demonic – Infernal – Abyssal – Chaos

Dwarven – Gnomish – Goblin – Orc

Celestial – Anahsar – Ishtar – Raiden – Torr-Van -Oo-Rin – Ponnoi/Poloi

Earth – Stone – Traan’Vilu – Algin

Fire-Water-Earth-Air

Fire-Steam-Water-Mud-Earth-Lightning-Air

There are more, some get lost in proposing all the possible relationships. Literally lost according to some stories, pulled into a maze of Warrens and lost…

You can see why it is important to use tried and tested materials, sigils, gestures and vocalizations when calling upon magical energies. The potential to connect with unintended energies is very high, and the consequences of doing so can be truly catastrophic.

Collegia Arcana 101: Lecture 3

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The Collegium teaches that almost every spell belongs to one of eight Collegia Arcana:  Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation.

A Collegia Arcana is a group of related rituals, incantations or workings that work in similar ways, they share some of the same… vocabulary and materials so to speak. Workings, incantations and rituals of the same Collegia share similar runes, gestures, materials, steps, and so on, some more than others  

Abjurations create physical or magical barriers, negate magical or physical abilities, harm trespassers, or even banish the subject of the spell to back it’s warren or other magical place. They are most often used as protective spells.

It is said that abjurative magical fields interfere with each other and create barely visible energy fluctuations. 

If an abjuration creates a barrier that keeps certain types of creatures at bay, that barrier cannot be used to push away those creatures. If you force the barrier against such a creature, you feel a discernible pressure against the barrier. If you continue to apply pressure, the spell will end. 

Conjuration can be separated into four sub-Collegia: Summoning, Calling, Teleportation, and Creation.

Summoning Conjurations bring objects, creatures, or some form of energy to you. 

Teleportation Conjurations transport creatures or objects over great distances.

Creation Conjurations create objects or effects on the spot. 

Creatures or creations you conjure usually, but not always, obey your commands.

A creature or object brought into being or transported to your location by a Conjuration cannot appear inside another creature or object, nor can it appear floating in an empty space. It must arrive in an open location on a surface capable of supporting it.

Divinations enable you to learn secrets long forgotten, to predict the future, to find hidden things, and to foil deceptive spells. Locating objects, detecting magic, detecting undead, clairaudience, clairvoyance, scrying, prophecy, dowsing, are all Divination. Divination can also be used to read thoughts and even communicate without speaking.

Enchantments affect the minds of others, influencing or controlling their behavior. All Enchantments are mind-affecting. Two major types of enchantments grant you influence over a subject creature: Charms and Compulsions.

Charms change how the subject views you, typically making it see you as a good friend.

Compulsions forces the subject to act in some manner or changes the way her mind works. Some compulsions determine the subject’s actions or the effects on the subject, some compulsion spells allow you to determine the subject’s actions when you create the enchantment, and others give you ongoing control over the subject.

Evocation manipulates energy or tap an unseen source of power to produce a desired end. In effect, they create something out of nothing. Many of these spells produce spectacular effects, and evocation spells can deal large amounts of damage. The energy manipulated in Evocations has been described as coming from various sources, Good, Evil, Force, Fire, Light, Water, Darkness, Shadow, Sound, Lightning, Law, Chaos and more. 

Illusion spells deceive the senses or minds of others. They cause people to see things that are not there, not see things that are there, hear phantom noises, or remember things that never happened. Illusions can be divided into Figments, Glammerie, Patterns and Phantasms. Some place Shadow-magic in the Illusion category.

A Figment Illusion creates a false sensation. Those who perceive the Figment perceive the same thing, not their own slightly different versions of the figment. (It is not a personalized mental impression.) Figments cannot make something seem to be something else. A Figment that includes audible effects generally struggle to duplicate intelligible speech. In some cases, intelligible speech may be possible, but it must be in a language you can speak. If you try to duplicate a language you cannot speak, the image will produce gibberish. Likewise, you cannot make a visual copy of something unless you know what it looks like.

A Glammerie changes a subject’s sensory qualities, making it look, feel, taste, smell, or sound like something else, or even seem to disappear. 

Because Figments and Glammerie are unreal, they cannot produce real effects the way that other types of illusions can. They cannot cause damage to objects or creatures, support weight, provide nutrition, or provide protection from the elements. Consequently, these Illusions are useful for confounding or delaying foes, but useless for attacking them directly.

Like a Figment, an Illusory Pattern creates an image that others can see, but a Pattern also affects the minds of those who see it or are caught in it.

A Phantasm creates a mental image, that usually only the caster and the subject (or subjects) of the spell can perceive. This impression is totally in the minds of the subjects. It is a personalized mental impression. (It’s all in their heads and not a fake picture or something that they actually see.) Third parties viewing or studying the scene don’t notice the phantasm. All phantasmagoria are mind-affecting Illusions.

Creatures encountering an illusion usually do not recognize it as illusory until they study it carefully or interact with it in some fashion. A figment or phantasm remains as a translucent outline when it is known to be an Illusion.

Necromancy manipulates the power of death, unlife, and the life force. Spells involving undead creatures make up a large part of this Collegia. Some place Fear-inducing magic in the Collegia Necromantic. Some place shadow magic in the Necromancy category, or at least some shadow magic seems to be Necromancy. 

Transmutation spells change the properties of some creature, thing, or condition. Polymorphic transformations, levitation, flight, temperature shifts, lead becoming gold, reshaping wood or stone, these are all transmutations. 

Shadow magic is somewhat… controversial, some place it in its own category, others in Illusion and many in Necromancy. Perhaps  by all accounts, creates something that is partially real. Damage dealt by a shadow illusion is certainly real, and sometimes seem similar to that caused by certain undead, other times seems caused by whatever the shadow is a shadow of. A shadow of fire for example, may harm your very life force, or it may burn you. Many speculate about why this might be, if it is even true or simply part of the Intrinsic Nature of the Illusion of Shadow.

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.

As Telosh Lays Healing

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Telosh drifts in an out of consciousness as Gustav cares for him. Thoughts drift in and out of his mind…

…

Gustav is more gentle than Sven was when Sven tending to Telosh’s wounds.

…

Av’v, Ath, Torr-vann, Tylin, Raiden, Tymora, Dian-Cect, Kahru, Lomont, the Anemoi… some of these Gods Telosh has heard of before, some he has not… but what Alexis said rings true, praise and beseech them each in their turn…

…

“Ath does not view himself as a betrayer,” isn’t that what Alexis said?

TyLin, guide me as you have, that I do not become a betrayer, that I may protect my companions. Give me strength to be open an true with my friends.

…

Alexis thinks upon the feeling of slaying the scar-cheeked orcs.

Torr-van guide me to strike down my enemies swiftly and finality.

Raiden, guide me to protect my companions and humanity.

…

Telosh thinks of the billowing spores of mold, how he was affected in a way that Ethelred was not.

Tymora, I accept you push and pull, and am grateful for your support and the lessons you teach.

…

Telosh senses Gustav’s caring attention. The ranger is kind, provides for the group, cares for their wounded. He does not rush to fight, even against orcs and stink-lizards. Goblins may be his weakness, but even there, he listens to the counsel of others.

TyLin, see Gustav, aid him if it please you. If his path is not to you, I beseech you, please help him to find it.

…

Telosh Tales: Ath and Torr-van

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“My father spoke little of Ath, Avv or Torr-van, nor did my Gran. My nuncle, though… Sven and Dirk and Gorf’s dad?” Telosh’s voice rises in question, wondering if the others have paid any attention to his stories of Amara. He moves on quickly though,

“He was the part of the town militia, and while he was a farmer that praised Oo-rin first, he spoke of Torr-van more than he spoke of TyLin when he was teaching us how to fight to protect the village from kossen. Anyhow, the little bits I know about Ath and Torr-vann, seem to come together a bit like this… 

Torr-vann, the mightiest and bravest of the gods and the most valiant in battle, has, since time before time, fought with his great two-sided ax against dragons and dark gods and great evil powers to protect humanity. 

When the world was young, and so was Torr-vann, Av’v, the mother of… us all, gave birth to a half-human, half-god son, Ath. Ath was an exceptionally clever boy, being both god and human, and Av’v was a strict mother but a great teacher, and taught him many secrets, and most of all how to keep secrets and keep his own counsel.

Ath grew rapidly, and was clever and quick, and in no time at all, Torr-van noticed the young half-god and, hoping to make sure his cleverness would lead to good and bright things, took the young half-god under his wing.

Ath was a quick study, and learnt how to fight from Torr-van quite well indeed. Ath was skilled at exploiting his enemies weaknesses, and positioning himself for the best advantage in a fight. It was no time at all before Ath and Torr-van both felt Ath was ready to join the warrior god in his battles against dragons and giants and other great evils. 

Even though Torr-van was the mightiest warrior of all the gods, and he swore he would protect Ath, it took much work to convince Av’v that Ath would be safe with Torr-van.

But, She had given birth to half human because of her great love for humanity, and she knew that, fighting to protect humanity was part of his destiny, so in the end, she agreed to let young Ath adventure and fight beside Torr-van.

She kept back a dark foreboding knowledge, though, and did not warn Ath or Torr-van about the true nature of the unease she felt. Av’v knew that these adventures would lead to Ath’s death, she knew with dark certainty that his death would be a great tragedy and that the origins of this tragedy lay in Ath and Torr-van’s adventures.

She made the two swear a powerful godly vow that they would always protect each other in hope that she could somehow prevent the tragedy she knew would unfold.  

The stories of their travels and battles are no longer well known, but they defeated many great enemies fighting together. Ath was a natural strategist and did not hesitate to strike down their enemies when offered the chance, and the two gods saved each other’s lives many times. 

Along the way, an evil dragon, perhaps the father of all Wyverns, poisoned the two gods, with it’s powerful wyvern-like tail, and Ath, with the secret knowledge his mother had taught him, saved himself and Torr-van, but turned his experience and knowledge to his own advantage and began to use poison himself. 

Some say that Ath was always corrupted, others say it was the poison that corrupted him, him being half-human, perhaps he was more susceptible, perhaps it was the nature of his mothers secret teachings and their shared secretive nature, but Ath’s poison is part of his corruption. Along with the poison, jealousy, doubt, and mistrust began to infect Ath. 

Eventually these battles became something more, the Great War between the gods and the forces of Evil. The forces of evil knew that the Ath and Torr-van were an undefeatable team, but they also knew that Ath had become more like them than like his battle-brother.  

So they conspired to capture Av’v. 

Once Av’v was captured, their trap was set. They had long used the door in Ath’s mind open by his embrace of poisons, and dreams and nightmares and deceit to grow his jealously and double his mistrust.

Together, Ath and Torr-van battled their way to the dark cavern where Avv was being held captive and tortured and defeated the beasts that were guarding Her. Many say that she was held in deep in the mountains where the Red Wastes are now, and that it is her suffering there that lead the red color and curse on those lands.

Ath, being cautious by nature, and filled with mistrust, moved forward with care, keeping an eye out for traps and treachery. 

Torr-van being brave and trusting, rushed forward to free Av’v.

Av’v, her power weakened by the forces of evil, and their foul tortures, saw Torr-van but not Ath, and praised him for rescuing her. 

Ath became enraged, and no sooner had Torr-van freed his Mother, Ath treacherously cut the great warrior down from behind with a poisoned blade.

Av’v was free, and in her rage, her power flowed freely and she slew her treacherous, oath-breaking son, his blood flowed out across the floor, and the taint of his poisons gave life to all manner of poisonous vermin there. 

Av’v power continued to flow, and with it she raised Torr-van up, returning the valorous god to life again. 

As soon as she calmed down though, she saw that she had slain her own son, her gift to humanity, and she also understood her dark and foreboding vision of his death.

“Alexis, do you know any more of this story? I wish I knew more details, which dark gods they fought for example? Malor? Maglubiet? the Arrul No’roth?”

Telosh’s TyLin Tale

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Two nights after Alexis shares his Avv tale, during a rest while exploring the caves, Telosh begins his tale:

—

There is no truth like the truth of a tale told in the hills for generations, as my Gran used to say….

A plain young boy from a poor family, Ajax goes out to seek his fortune with no money to speak of, despite his parents’ wish for him to stay home and scratch at the earth with them. 

After a few days of following the trail from his home, it joins a road. After a few more days on the road, Ajax comes to an even split in the road, a T so to speak. 

At this junction, there is a large cherry tree that has provided shade for travellers to camp under for many years. The cherries are small, but ripe and plentiful. Ajax is hungry and eats some of the cherries while he ponders which direction to turn, right or left. Ajax, being brought up well by his family, calls upon the blessings of TyLin for wisdom in this choice before him.

With no insights, and not having a single coin to flip, he spins a cherry in the air, intent to follow the direction the stem points.

When it lands at his feet, the cherry stem points straight ahead, neither right or left, not even in the slightest, but forward into the bushes.

Ajax steps forward, to the end of the road, and as he looks he spots a small white and grey rabbit hopping away, and realizes there is a faint game trail through the bushes. Still hungry, he follows the trail for a bit and begins to realize that it is, in fact, following an old road. 

Early afternoon is about to slip into early evening, and the shadows have grown long, Ajax spots an old, once grand house and farmstead, and the rabbit disappearing inside. 

The grounds and house are old and nearly in ruins – not as bad or as big as Greyfax though…

Trusting in TyLin, Ajax approaches the house, calling out a greeting. There is no answer, but at the slightest hint of a knock, nearly only as he reaches for it, the door opens and inside is a large white lynx and next to it the small white-grey rabbit! The two are sitting next to each other, as if waiting for him.

Incredibly, the cat begins to speak!

“My sister and I have been transformed by a witch, TyLin protected me, but our magics were severely weakened and my sister cannot be transformed back. The witch is sending creatures to weaken our defenses, turn me into a rabbit as well and sacrifice us to increase her own power… I fear we will not survive this night without your help. 

“Ajax, in the name of TyLin, will you protect us?”

Hearing this lovely voice, seeing the helpless rabbit, and thinking of his prayers to TyLin for guidance at the crossroads, Ajax doesn’t hesitate:

“Yes! Of course my lady,” he replies in his best words, and thinking of the cherry tree at the crossroads and what looked like old fruit trees, he asks, “Do you have any cherry wood? I am without a cudgel or staff.”

“Indeed we do, our farmstead includes many fruit trees, and the cherries have survived the curse better than most.”

The lynx, the rabbit, and the young man go out into the orchard where Ajax is thankful to find a stout cherry limb ready to be harvested and to make a fine stave. After a bit of whittling and a little oiling, Ajax is ready to fight off the witch’s evil minions with his cherry-wood staff, and just in time!

For as the sun begins to set, a hawk calls out a warning from above, looking up, Ajax sees a white hawk circling in the air above the farm. 

 As soon as the darkness settles, wolves begin to howl all around the farmstead. 

“Go in the house,” Ajax tells the lynx and rabbit, as he assumes a defensive position at the bottom of the porch stairs. 

No sooner are the words said than the first wave of wolves and wargs charges the house! 

Ajax is able to fend them off with his stout cherry staff! 

Wave after wave comes all through the night, and late in the night, the remaining wargs and wolves are joined by other fearsome creatures. Ajax manages to keep them out of the house, but it is hard work, and some of the creatures do manage to bite and scratch our hero.

The sun rises and Ajax is exhausted, his staff is worn and cracked at one end, but not broken.

The Lynx-lady offers him a bowl of cherries and sweet cream to sup upon, and bids Ajax to rest.

In the afternoon Ajax wakes refreshed, his wounds healed, and the staff reduced to a stout cudgel. The Lynx speaks again, the white rabbit at her side. 

“My sister has chewed the cracked part of your staff away so that it will serve you tonight. You have defeated the witch’s larger minions. Thank you for your valiant defense last night, we surely would not have prevailed without you. I know she is not finished, and tonight she will send others. Eat and be refreshed, for night will come soon.”

Ajax eats more cherries and cream and tests out his cudgel, it is well balanced and the grain gleams as if it had been well oiled.

Again, as night falls, a white hawk circles above and calls out a warning. No howls are heard as the darkness gathers. 

Once again Ajax admonishes the two sisters to go in the house, no sooner are the words out of his mouth than across the ground and through the trees come hoards of wood-rats, weasels, stoats, and polecats!

Ajax’s cudgel is stout and made of cherry, and with it once again he keeps the witch’s servants out of the house. In the wee hours of the morning on what must be their seventh sortie, the rats and weasels nearly overcame Ajax and the white Lynx leapt to his aid, clawing and biting the nasty creatures. 

By the time the morning comes, Ajax is covered in bites and scratches, smaller but more numerous than the night before. His cudgel is a bit worn, but remains stout and strong. 

Once again, the Lynx-lady bids Ajax to eat and rest. She is certain the witch will try a third time.

Ajax eats more cherries and cream, and rests. When he wakes in the afternoon, his wounds are all healed, and his cudgel is clean and gleaming once again. A few barely noticeable nicks in the cherry wood are all the evidence that remains of the previous night’s battle.

A third time, as night falls, a white hawk circles above and calls out a warning.

An eerie silence comes with the darkness this time, and Ajax, for the third time, calls up the sisters to take refuge in the house as the floor of the forest comes alive in the darkness!

A crawling carpet of scorpions, spiders, and snakes moves out of the woods and towards Ajax.

For the third time, he offers a prayer to TyLin to protect the sisters and himself, and sets to his task of defending the farmstead from evil.

Despite their small size, or perhaps because of it, this third night is more challenging than the two that came before. Worse yet, the night’s vermin are venomous and when their bites land, Ajax is weakened. 

Again, on what must be the seventh wave, in the deep dark before the dawn, Ajax is nearly laid low, weakened by poison, and his club is cracked from striking the ground to smash his creeping, crawling enemies. 

Again, the Lynx comes to his aid, with claw and tooth, she fights off several snakes and even a scorpion and spider or two! 

As the dawn breaks the two weary warriors stand triumphant at the front of the house, no vermin have been able to enter!

The Lynx and Ajax both collapse on the porch, exhausted and poisoned by their enemies. 

Ajax wakes late, the sun is low, and the Lynx is weak. The rabbit has brought them some cherries and a bit of sweet cream, and Ajax’s cudgel is still cracked and weakened.

As dusk begins, clouds begin to obscure the sky, and the white hawk cries a warning above, even louder than the previous three. As darkness descends, the Lynx-lady moans:

“She is coming…”

Ajax carries the Lynx into the house, and before he can close the door behind him, an evil cackle comes from the woods. 

Ajax turns and sees an evil crone approaching, he steps forward to face the witch, weak from the poison still, his cudgel nearly splintered. He prays to TyLin for protection and solace, and assumes a defensive stance. 

“You are weak, boy! Your stick is broken, and even if it is made of cherry, it will not keep me at bay! I have come for my due, and your death will only give me more power! Run while you can!”

Ajax feels a wave of fear wash over him, but he manages to shake off the witch’s curse. He brandishes his cudgel and shouts back at the witch:

“Hie ye hence from here Witch! TyLin protects this place and its inhabitants from your evils!”

The crone cackles in amusement, and a red glow coalesces around her hands, 

“Your sleeping Goddess will not protect you from me boy!” Screams the witch before uttering her curse.

A wave of heat and fire washes over Ajax, but he does not cower, instead he charges the witch!

The fire burns away the cherry wood and to his surprise and the witch’s, a fine silver sword is revealed! The cherry handle unburnt in his hand, Ajax strikes the witch down and she herself burns out like coal turned to ash.

A light breeze blows the ash away, and the clouds fade from the sky, revealing bright stars and shining moon. 

In the moonlight, Ajax’s clothes appear to be bleached white by the witch’s blast, but not burned away. 

He returns to the house, where a beautiful woman lays resting, a white-grey rabbit at her side. 

In the late morning, the three awake, and together they gather cherries and sweet cream to break their fast. The farmstead could still use some work, and by the evening Ajax and the Lynx-lady are smiling at each other and she asks if he will stay and help rebuild the farm.

—

Telosh concludes his tale with a gentle smile, “I think I remembered it right, when Gran told it to the smaller children, some times the witch would “turn into a bat and fly away never to be seen again” or some such kid stuff, but the rest is right, I remember the threes and the sevens, the importance of cherry wood in fending off evil, and all that.”

Early in the telling, Alexis clearly works on keeping his face blank.

“It’s hard to imagine that you ever gave praise to any other gods with a telling of that story in that fashion. So much Ty-Lin imagery.”

“Every so faintly, it reminds me of a very different story. From a different age.”

“This sort of thing makes me wish I had a pipe. The occasion just seems to long for it. Perhaps the influence of Anashar, or one of the winds?”

Telosh looks a little confused at first, and then shrugs,

“My Gran did always say the old ways were the right ways and that her stories were as old as the hills.” 

With a wry smile he adds, “Pipeweed and and old tales do go together, no doubt about that. You would know better than me what god’s influence that might be though.”