Post by Rubicon on Apr 15, 2014 13:13:28 GMT
Thagnus sauntered into the Black Griffin, his face clouded with contempt as he sat down. While he ordered a mug of mead, his mates Relin and Dumli sat down beside him, moderately concerned.
"What's wrong with you Thagnus?" asked Relin. "You're later than usual, and there's a certain air of bitterness you've dragged in with you. Have you lost a mare, or has Valona finally been promised to another?"
"I haven't lost a mare," Thagnus grimaced. "But I've just recieved word from my nephew that Valona's father has died. Perfectly natural, he says, just old age. Her uncle intends to marry her off to the first bachelor with enough coin though."
"Aw, that's terrible. But it goes to show that it's important to savor all of life's poosibilities, 'cause you never know when the tides will change," said Dumli, raising his eyebrows suggestively as he glanced towards one of the barmaidens.
"Life's indeed short," agreed Thagnus. "but if you'll pardon a courteous thought, few of us pause to think of the influence a night's carelessness will have when they are not there to pick up the pieces. For example, have I told you the story about Kellana and Glalin?"
"I don't believe so," said Relin.
Glalin was one of the Ascended from the way back. Most around have heard of Glalin's Five Judgements, but few bards tell of Glalin's tale before the Judgements. At the height of the Ascended's power and fame he had not come into his own abilities or chosen his path, and as such was considered feeble and cowardly by the admittedly high standards of the day. This lack of respect ate at his confidence continually, fueling his cycle of indecision. Atax, an Ascended who had embraced disorder and destruction, could see the pain and confusion brewing within Glalin, and decided to take him under his wing.
Atax took Glalin to the secluded canyon of the Sun Elves. Atax reveled in the fear he brought to the villages of the canyon by way of trickery and deception. Whole families were butchered, villages razed, orchards and fields torched. After several demonstrations Atax pushed Glalin into trying his hand at destruction. Glalin had no clever plots, no creative way to bring about the end goal, he simply called forth a deluge of water, and drowned an entire villages livestock.
Unlike his mentor, Glalin did not enjoy what he had done. He could feel the pain he had caused that village and felt remorse. After the flood, Glalin was visited by another Ascended, someone who he knew and cared for before ascension. Her name was Kellana and she despaired in the destruction Glalin had wrought upon these people.
"I'm just trying to fit in, trying to find my place," Glalin offered, trying to make excuses for his actions.
"You sat idly as Atax harmed the people I've chosen to share my knowledge with. Then you joined in the "fun" drowning a villages animals and that's supposed to impress someone?" she would sigh. "Grow up and do something meaningful, like trying to cure one of the plagues upon these people."
Having had no luck gaining the respect of the other Ascended through his rampage or inactivity, Glalin decided to give charity and goodwill a chance, erasing the damage he'd caused in the canyon and using his power to heal the sun elves of a rather virulent plague. While his good deeds went largely unnoticed by his peers, Kellana was quite taken, and for one night rewarded Glalin with certain allowances.
Kellana's path had a certain tempering and she would often fall out of contact with everyone for years before returning, looking as young and youthful as ever. This could often cause stresses on her acquaintances, and this time when she dissapeared the morning after, the stress was magnified. Glalin at first believed it to be a normal happening, but as years turned into decades a rage began to build up inside of him, and Atax was there to foster that rage. In the end it was Kellana's abandonment of Glalin that led to the five judgements.
Glalin had been hurt by Kellana, so he set out to hurt her, if only to get her attention and return her to him. So he released his first judgement upon the sun elves of the canyon, sacrificing a part of his powers so that he could condemn them to never have a sound nights rest, permeating all of their dreams with nightmares. Kellana did not return to stop him.
So Glalin brought a second judgement upon the sun elves of the canyon, sacrificing a part of his powers so that he could curse the soil. The dirt and rocks changed from it's natural brown colors to a deep orangish red, and their crops would no longer grow. All the trees and plants around them quickly began to wither and die. Kellana did not return to stop him.
This only infuriated Glalin more, so with his third judgement upon the sun elves of the canyon, sacrificing a part of his powers, he cursed all the animals of the canyon. The offspring of the animals from that time forward did not appear or act of this world, and provided no usable food for the elves. Kellana did not return to stop him.
Glalin's anger still belied the hope that Kellana would return if he threatened the people she cared for directly. So Glalin brought his fourth judgement upon the sun elves of the canyon, sacrificing a part of his powers so that he could remove the resistance to the plague he'd cured, before altering it to ensure that all infected would die. Kellana still did not return to stop him.
Glalin's anger and rage by now had faded, to any observer he appeared cold, unfeeling, and weak due to all that he had sacrificed trying to get her attention. He no longer cared if she saw what he did. As all of the sun elves died off, Glalin could see only one thing left to do. So Glalin brought his fifth judgement upon the sun elves of the canyon, sacrificing the rest of his powers and himself, so that he could crumble and turn to dust all that the elves had built there, leaving no trace of their villages or the knowledge that Kellana had given them.
"So remember that there is fuel for a fire in all things, and once sparked, it should not be left unattended. For it could turn into an inferno that destroys all around it."
"What's wrong with you Thagnus?" asked Relin. "You're later than usual, and there's a certain air of bitterness you've dragged in with you. Have you lost a mare, or has Valona finally been promised to another?"
"I haven't lost a mare," Thagnus grimaced. "But I've just recieved word from my nephew that Valona's father has died. Perfectly natural, he says, just old age. Her uncle intends to marry her off to the first bachelor with enough coin though."
"Aw, that's terrible. But it goes to show that it's important to savor all of life's poosibilities, 'cause you never know when the tides will change," said Dumli, raising his eyebrows suggestively as he glanced towards one of the barmaidens.
"Life's indeed short," agreed Thagnus. "but if you'll pardon a courteous thought, few of us pause to think of the influence a night's carelessness will have when they are not there to pick up the pieces. For example, have I told you the story about Kellana and Glalin?"
"I don't believe so," said Relin.
Glalin was one of the Ascended from the way back. Most around have heard of Glalin's Five Judgements, but few bards tell of Glalin's tale before the Judgements. At the height of the Ascended's power and fame he had not come into his own abilities or chosen his path, and as such was considered feeble and cowardly by the admittedly high standards of the day. This lack of respect ate at his confidence continually, fueling his cycle of indecision. Atax, an Ascended who had embraced disorder and destruction, could see the pain and confusion brewing within Glalin, and decided to take him under his wing.
Atax took Glalin to the secluded canyon of the Sun Elves. Atax reveled in the fear he brought to the villages of the canyon by way of trickery and deception. Whole families were butchered, villages razed, orchards and fields torched. After several demonstrations Atax pushed Glalin into trying his hand at destruction. Glalin had no clever plots, no creative way to bring about the end goal, he simply called forth a deluge of water, and drowned an entire villages livestock.
Unlike his mentor, Glalin did not enjoy what he had done. He could feel the pain he had caused that village and felt remorse. After the flood, Glalin was visited by another Ascended, someone who he knew and cared for before ascension. Her name was Kellana and she despaired in the destruction Glalin had wrought upon these people.
"I'm just trying to fit in, trying to find my place," Glalin offered, trying to make excuses for his actions.
"You sat idly as Atax harmed the people I've chosen to share my knowledge with. Then you joined in the "fun" drowning a villages animals and that's supposed to impress someone?" she would sigh. "Grow up and do something meaningful, like trying to cure one of the plagues upon these people."
Having had no luck gaining the respect of the other Ascended through his rampage or inactivity, Glalin decided to give charity and goodwill a chance, erasing the damage he'd caused in the canyon and using his power to heal the sun elves of a rather virulent plague. While his good deeds went largely unnoticed by his peers, Kellana was quite taken, and for one night rewarded Glalin with certain allowances.
Kellana's path had a certain tempering and she would often fall out of contact with everyone for years before returning, looking as young and youthful as ever. This could often cause stresses on her acquaintances, and this time when she dissapeared the morning after, the stress was magnified. Glalin at first believed it to be a normal happening, but as years turned into decades a rage began to build up inside of him, and Atax was there to foster that rage. In the end it was Kellana's abandonment of Glalin that led to the five judgements.
Glalin had been hurt by Kellana, so he set out to hurt her, if only to get her attention and return her to him. So he released his first judgement upon the sun elves of the canyon, sacrificing a part of his powers so that he could condemn them to never have a sound nights rest, permeating all of their dreams with nightmares. Kellana did not return to stop him.
So Glalin brought a second judgement upon the sun elves of the canyon, sacrificing a part of his powers so that he could curse the soil. The dirt and rocks changed from it's natural brown colors to a deep orangish red, and their crops would no longer grow. All the trees and plants around them quickly began to wither and die. Kellana did not return to stop him.
This only infuriated Glalin more, so with his third judgement upon the sun elves of the canyon, sacrificing a part of his powers, he cursed all the animals of the canyon. The offspring of the animals from that time forward did not appear or act of this world, and provided no usable food for the elves. Kellana did not return to stop him.
Glalin's anger still belied the hope that Kellana would return if he threatened the people she cared for directly. So Glalin brought his fourth judgement upon the sun elves of the canyon, sacrificing a part of his powers so that he could remove the resistance to the plague he'd cured, before altering it to ensure that all infected would die. Kellana still did not return to stop him.
Glalin's anger and rage by now had faded, to any observer he appeared cold, unfeeling, and weak due to all that he had sacrificed trying to get her attention. He no longer cared if she saw what he did. As all of the sun elves died off, Glalin could see only one thing left to do. So Glalin brought his fifth judgement upon the sun elves of the canyon, sacrificing the rest of his powers and himself, so that he could crumble and turn to dust all that the elves had built there, leaving no trace of their villages or the knowledge that Kellana had given them.
"So remember that there is fuel for a fire in all things, and once sparked, it should not be left unattended. For it could turn into an inferno that destroys all around it."