# Dru's Storyhour



## Drusilia Nailo (Jun 5, 2002)

So, I decided that Dr. N couldn't have all the fun to himself.  I had him and Di'Fier make up characters, and threw them into my world.  Muahahahahaha!

That being said, here's a little bit of background to the setting:

There's only one major worshipped deity in this realm, the Father.  The reason for that is that the Mother sacrificed herself centuries ago to save the land from a wizard war.  As a result of the sacrificed life of a goddess (along with the unwilling sacrifices of the wizards) the land became magical, much of the essence of the goddess taking up residence in 7 mystical lakes.  Magical creatures abound.

Esternale, the country that the story is set in, is in a three-front war.  Two of her neighbors are trying to annex it to gain access to the magic lakes.  Fortunately for Esternale, the neighbors can't seem to make up their minds rather to fight the defenders or each other, over territorial rights.  

The land has been stripped of most of its fighting-age men, who are continually being sent off to defend the country's borders.  This is the setting that the characters live in.

The characters:
Aelric Rowanshield, Paladin of the Father.
Ivae Ravanevae, Royal Explorer.

I believe that at least Aelric has intentions of posting his own character information, so I'll leave the details to him.  Ivae can feel free to do the same!


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## drnuncheon (Jun 5, 2002)

*Aelric's Story (I)*

As he had many times over the years, Aelric Rowanshield made the close acquaintance of the ground, meeting it with a sickening *thump*.

He let himself lie there for a moment, in the soft earth - almost mud, churned by the hooves of the wilful horse he'd been dealing with.  Then, slowly, and fighting against the pain, he picked himself up once again.

_Twenty years ago, he'd never have been able to do that to me,_ the old man thought ruefully. _Even *ten* years ago..._  His glance fell to his belt, through which he'd thrust a pair of heavy leather gloves, much battered and stained.  _And I never would have thought of using these, just for a horse._  Shaking the muck from his aching arm, he pulled the gloves on, and felt some of the long-gone strength of his youth return.

"Now," he said, looking at the horse evenly, "We are going to try this again."  But even as he did so, his eyes picked out a moving figure - no more than a boy - running for his house.  _A visitor?_ He squinted. _No, those are the King's colors. A messenger._

Slowly, he coiled the lead-rope as he walked towards the house, wondering what the Father had sent him after all these years.



"Sir Aelric Rowanshield?" the lad panted.  At the nod, he looked up at the mud-covered old man in disbelief. _*This* was who the King wanted? Certainly, most able-bodied men were fighting the war, but there surely must be someone better..._ Drawing himself up, the boy spoke stiffly and formally. "Sir Rowanshield, His Majesty has need of your services, and requests and requires your presence at Dresda posthaste."

A hint of surprise flickered behind the man's eyes. "Very well," was all he said. "Come inside. I will feed you and send you on your way."



Aelric watched the boy dash off down the road, then slowly turned.  There was little to do to close the house up - a word with Eamon would send his neighbor's youngest over to keep an eye on his stock, and the horses had plenty of pasture.  It would set them back months in their training, but there was really nothing for it.

He led a draft horse to the front door, and began to load it with the few possessions he would need on the road. As he tied on the last of the food, he heard hoofsteps behind him.  Turning, he regarded the new arrival.

"You are not one of my horses," he said quietly, but the horse's gaze calmly begged to differ.  After a moment, Aelric stepped forward to stroke the beast's muzzle.  It was without a doubt the finest warhorse he had ever seen.  He did not need to check its ear to know that there would be no owner's mark - there was only one stable a horse so fine could have come from.

"So that is to be the way of it," he sighed, returning to the house.  Taking an iron key from his pocket, he knelt slowly in front of the oaken chest that had laid so long undisturbed in his bedchamber.  The lock protested, but finally gave way. With trembling hands, the old man lifted out a horn of yellowed ivory chased with silver, and pulled back the oiled cloth beneath it. Even in the dim light, the steel gleamed.  

An hour later, for the first time in thirty years, Aelric Rowanshield rode forth to war.



*The Knights Of the Holy Order of the Widower*

A minor sect of holy warriors, the Knights Widower was composed of men who, like the Father, had lost their wives and chosen not to remarry.  Even at its height, it never rivaled the more famous orders such as the Order of the Golden Sun or the Order of the Sceptre, but its members were well known for their patience, maturity, and quiet devotion rather than the militant zeal displayed by many others.  Because of its age and the nature of its membership, the Knights Widower were among the most accepting of the worship of the Mother in all its forms, and it may have been that acceptance that lead to their official disbanding by the Church hierarchy just over thirty years ago.  Now, only a few members of the order remain.


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## Horacio (Jun 5, 2002)

Wonderful! Wonderful!

Waiting for more...


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## Maldur (Jun 5, 2002)

Sound very good.

Ill keep vigil with Horacio, to see how the story continues.

Horacio move over dont hog the frontrow


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## Morgaine (Jun 6, 2002)

So far, excellent.  Eagerly awaiting more.


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## DiFier (Jun 6, 2002)

I am in the process of writing up Ivae's introduction I'll probablly post it tommorow around noon EST.  Then Dru can continue with her story hour.  

Just some background info about Ivae:

His is an ranger/rogue Elf around 150 years old. He was an adventuring buddy of the current king's father when he was only a prince.  Ivae bought a rather nice house in the capitol city.  Tried to hang-out with the prince once he became king.  He hated it while he could easily pretend to be sophiticated he always wanted to adventure.  Eventually the King made him a royal explorer and official map maker. He spent years away from his home.  He contiued with his assignments under the current king.  He has very few friends in the city anymore.  and prefers to be out in the wilderness.  but something, perhaps duty or loyalty keeps him returning to the capitol city.


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## Horacio (Jun 7, 2002)

So, so far, we have to old nostalgic PCs called by the king, haven't we?


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## DiFier (Jun 7, 2002)

Ivae Ravanevae returned to the city again.  He remembered again how the city annoyed him.  He wasn't sure why he had returned.  again.  Perhaps it was loyalty to the King, perhaps duty to an old friend, perhaps it was the house that called him?  At least he could get a hot bath and some clean cloths.  Being a member of the court had spoiled him more than he would ever admit.  As he approached his home he saw a woman sitting on the bench by his front door.  Perhaps a customer who needed a map.  She looked up at him with an irritated look.  He recognized her as on of the Queen's ladies in waiting.  She looked as though she had been there for quite a while.

"A message for you" she stated without a hint of emotion and with out the proper greeting. She held out a scroll with the royal seal.

He took it.  "How long have you been waiting?"

She glared at him "six hours"

He removed a small parcel from his bag "please see that Sir Dysal gets this.  Thank you.  you may leave."   She hurried off in a huff.  Lady in waiting?  She couldn't even wait six hours.  He unlocked the door and let the stale air leak out into the street.  he looked into the building and then sat on the bench and read the message. 

He entered the shop locking the door behind him and went upstairs to open some windows he started a fire and picked out something to wear to meet the king.


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## Drusilia Nailo (Jun 8, 2002)

*The Call to Duty*

Here it is, as promised, the first installment of the story.  I hope that you enjoy!

	The sun was starting to sink in the late afternoon sky when both  Aelric and  Ivae found themselves at the castle gates.  Aelric was astride a massive, intelligent looking warhorse, and rode up the road from the South.  He was preceeded by the sounds of jingling, clanking horse armor, and many a townsperson glanced up curiously at the old man.  Ivae rode a much lighter horse down from the north, and moved much more quietly.  He too gained many curious glances, because although accepted in society, elves were a rare sight.   
	The unlikely pair was met by two grim faced, well-armed women, who barred their way until they saw that each man had letters with the King’s mark on them.  “Very well,” said the older one, and clearly the one in charge, with a weary sigh.  “Go on in.”  
	Aelric strode through the entryway grimly.  “Things have certainly changed around here,” he muttered to Ivae.  “When did the king start employing female guards?”
	“When he had to send all of the male ones off to war,” murmured Ivae, who was much more a presence at court than the old paladin.
	Aelric nodded grimly.  Well he knew that the country was being torn apart by a chaotic, three-way war.  Esternale was completely landlocked, surrounded by powerful neighbors.  Two of those neighbors decided that they wanted to “annex” Esternale, and couldn’t make up their minds whether to fight the dwindling defenders or each other.  
	“Royal Explorer Ivae,” said a deep male voice, obviously pleased.  “I’m so glad to see you.  I know that the king will be too.”  A man dressed as a herald rounded the corner of the stone hallway, and he favored the pair with a smile.  “And you must be....”  he glanced at Aelric for a moment, before nodding to himself.  “You must be Aelric Rowanshield.”  Without waiting for confirmation from Aelric, he gestures down a hallway.  “Please, follow me.  The King and Queen will see you in their private quarters.”
	Ivae and Aelric exchanged a glance as they followed the herald.  The King made it a point to receive all guests publicly, to avoid an appearance of favoritism.  Whatever brought this one must be very important indeed.
	As promised, the herald lead the two men to the King’s Quarters.  After passing through a heavy oak door, they entered into a large room, with surprisingly sparse decor.  A cheery fire crackled in the hearth, for the castle was drafty even in the early summer months.   The King and Queen sat before the fire.  Both had aged over the years.  King Petra was beginning to salt and pepper, and was developing a paunch.  Queen Laurel still had long, lustrous black hair, but it too was streaked with gray.  Her face was careworn, and at the moment, she looked none too pleased, even though she did offer the new arrivals a faint smile.
	“Your Majesties,” said the herald with a bow, “I present to you the Royal Explorer Ivae Ravanevae and retired knight, Paladin Aelric Rowanshield.”
	The King nodded gravely.  “Thank you, Allen,” he said to the herald in a tone that was clearly a dismissal, however polite.  
	The herald responded with another bow, and backed gracefully out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
	There was a long moment of silence as the king studied the new arrivals.  He gestured to two servants, who scurried to bring chairs.  “Please, sit,” he said.
	Ivae bowed, sitting in the chair, although Aelric shifted uneasily, and remained standing.
	The King inclined his head to Ivae.  “Ivae, it is good to see you again.  I trust that my forests are still standing?”  His tone was dry, but not entirely without humor.
	Ivae found himself grinning at his leige lord.  “They are, your Majesty.  I’ve made a full report to my superior, Gandin.”
	“Then I will no doubt hear it.  All of it,” the King said, dryly again.  He turned, and surveyed the still-standing paladin, a smile flickering across his lips.  “Aelric, I am pleased to see you after all of these years.”
	He leaned back in his chair, and drew in a deep breath while looking at both men earnestly.  “I have had you summoned because I need men that I can trust... both to do the task that I have set forth, and to keep it very quiet.  You see, this is a matter of extreme delicacy.”
	The Queen looked even less pleased, and straightened her back so that she was sitting rigidly.  Her jaw worked, but she remained silent, letting the King do the talking.  Ivae found himself studying her surreptiously, trying to make up his mind what was wrong with the normally rather easy-going Queen.  
	King Petra answered that question for him with his next statement.  “As you and the rest of the country know, Laurel and I have been unable to produce an heir, for whatever reason.”  He cleared his throat, looking for all the world like he was nervous, despite his lofty status.  “Most people believe that I am completely without an heir.  This is, however, not entirely true,” he said, very studiously avoiding the Aelric’s surprised glance.  He continued.  “In actuality, I have a son, three years in age, born to a peasant woman of the Realm.  I have given him to foster parents to raise for me.  His name is Korin.”  He faltered, swallowing hard, and seemed unable to continue.
	Queen Laurel looked at her husband, sighed, and turned back to face the two men.  “We have reason to believe that Korin has been kidnapped,” she said grimly, “From his home beside the Maiden Lake.  We need someone to rescue him.”


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## Horacio (Jun 9, 2002)

Wow!

Great beginning, Dru!


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## Darklone (Jun 9, 2002)

Horacio, how do you ever keep up with so many storyhours ? Do you get paid for reading them? If yes: Where do I get such a job?


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## Horacio (Jun 9, 2002)

Darklone said:
			
		

> *Horacio, how do you ever keep up with so many storyhours ? Do you get paid for reading them? If yes: Where do I get such a job? *




Answer #1: You must know I'm not real, I'm a piece of software programmed to say _Great update!_ in the Story Board forum...

Answer #2: See my custom member title


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## Darklone (Jun 9, 2002)

Horacio said:
			
		

> *Answer #1: You must know I'm not real, I'm a piece of software programmed to say Great update! in the Story Board forum...*




AI finally works it seems


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## Horacio (Jun 9, 2002)

Darklone said:
			
		

> *
> 
> AI finally works it seems  *




I didn't say I was intelligent!!!!


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## Maldur (Jun 10, 2002)

Let Horacio read.  The man needs it 

btw Horacio, What are good stories to read? You must be able to guide us around the storyhour. cant you create a Horacio presents thread , or something? or become caretaker of the storyhour boards and/or archive?


Oops: nice story Dru!, over the hill adventurers, priceless


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## Horacio (Jun 10, 2002)

Maldur said:
			
		

> *Let Horacio read.  The man needs it
> 
> btw Horacio, What are good stories to read? You must be able to guide us around the storyhour. cant you create a Horacio presents thread , or something? or become caretaker of the storyhour boards and/or archive?*




Hey, good idea  
Maybe you could suggest that to Morrus in the Meta forum 

Dru, I want more story hour...


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## Jon Potter (Jun 10, 2002)

*Jon Potter*



			
				Horacio said:
			
		

> *
> Dru, I want more story hour...  *




I second that.

Very intriguing beginning to the story, BTW.


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## Drusilia Nailo (Jun 11, 2002)

*At the Edge of the  Circle*

I'm glad to see that there are folks reading my story.  I'll try to be quicker about my posts, even though I'm working overtime every day!  

	The next morning, Aelric and Ivae rode side by side out the gates of the capital city, followed by pack horses, and spare mounts.  They followed the road to the North, which would ultimately lead to Joyal, the closest village to the Maiden Lake, and then onto the lake itself.  They did not speak overly much, both of them being well acquainted with silence.
	As the sun climbed high in the sky, Ivae sniffed the air.  “Do you smell that?” he asked.
	Aelric sniffed, shaking his head.  “Smell what?”
	“Charred grass,” the elf said grimly.  He took out his very finely made elven cloak and wrapped it around himself.  
	Aelric frowned.  “I did not think that the battle had come this far,” he said.
	“Neither did I,” said Ivae.  “But, we’ll come to it soon enough.”
	And they did.  They saw vultures long before they approached the expanse of black that should rightfully be fields of tender green shoots.  As they got closer, they could see the bodies of peasants, scattered about carelessly.  Vultures fought over the bodies, dipping and swooping, and crying out belligerently as the pair and their horses rode by.
	Ivae frowned, looking up and down the road.  “The path of destruction doesn’t follow the road, like it usually does... it crosses it.”  He scanned both horizons, biting his lower lip in consternation.  “It almost seems to go in a big... circle.”
	Aelric swiveled to stare at Ivae.  “A circle.  And can you guess where the center of that circle could potentially be?”
	“I can in a moment.”  The Royal Explorer hopped off of his horse with a grace that Aelric envied, and got into his pack.  He withdrew a mapcase, and then from that, a map.  He spread it out against his rather amiable horse, making a few calculations.  “I believe,” he said with a sigh, “That the center of the circle would be Maiden Lake.”
	Aelric nodded grimly.  Neither man was truly surprised, although both had been hoping that it would be otherwise.  “I think,” said the paladin, “That we’re not going to like what we find at the center.  Not at all.”  He dismounted slowly, and began putting on his heavy and cumbersome armor.  After a moment, Ivae moved to help the old man with both his armor and the mounting of his horse.
	Moments later, the two were riding to the North again, following the road through the charred fields, huts, and corpses.  
	Aelric’s mount was actually the first to see them.  It flung its head up, glancing out across the blackness to the East.  Its nostrils flared, and it made a low growling noise in the back of its throat.  Aelric turned to see what had interested the horse so much, and saw four large humanoid figures moving towards them.
	Ivae was looking too, and said softly, “Not human.  Bigger than that.”  
	When the four figures got closer, it was clear that they were orcs.  All of them carried huge Great Axes, and were wearing studded armor.  Ivae retrieved his composite long bow, and nocked the arrow.  He took aim, and let fly, but at the last moment an eddy of wind made the arrow veer away from his intended target.  The orc sneered, and pumped his fist into the air.  “Your puny weapons mean nothing to us!  We are under the protection of great Arust!”
	Aelric’s response to this was to stampede his horse towards them, holding the rather unwieldy lance steadily, aimed in the general direction of the orc leader’s heart.  “The protection of your demon lord means nothing in the face of the Father!”  
	The Father heard, and approved.  The lance skewered the orc as if his armor was nothing, thrusting completely through his chest.  Rather than try to pry the orc corpse off of the lance, Aelric dropped it, pulling his bastard sword with a rasping of metal.
	Swallowing a curse, Ivae abandoned his longbow, and pulled his two short swords.  He charged in towards one of the remaining three orcs, and with a powerful strike, piercing deep into its ribs.  The orc’s eyes widened in a moment of momentary surprise, and then it fell to the ground, soaking the blackened grass with red.
	The two orcs left standing, in desperation, moved in flanking positions on either side of Aelric’s battle steed.  One of them went high, aiming its huge Great Axe at the paladin himself, the other went low, trying to hamstring the horse.  With two sickening thuds, the blades of the Great Axes connected.  One of them cut deeply into Aelric’s shoulder... his shield arm.  The other sung deep into the horse’s leg.
	  The horse screamed in pain and rage, and both horse and rider wheeled to exact their revenge.  Aelric’s bastard sword neatly severed his opponent’s head from his neck.  There were two thuds, one louder than the other, as first the head and then the body hit the ground.   The horse reared up on his hind legs, and came down hard, with two sickening thuds, atop the last remaining orc.  
	That orc staggered backward, and came up weakly with an attempt to retaliate with his Great Axe.  Before the blow was able to land, however, his side blossomed crimson, and Ivae came into view, with a grimace.  
	And there was silence for a moment, broken only by Aelric’s groan as he slumped in the saddle.  “I’m too old for this,” he grunted.
	Ivae chuckled, and helped his companion dismount.  “You should try to heal yourself,” the elf said.
	The paladin shook his head stubbornly.  “I will heal my horse first.”  He laid his hands on his mount’s quivering leg, and murmured a plea to the Father.  In answer, some of the wounds began to close.  When only superficial wounds remained, Aelric healed some of his own wounds.  With a sigh, he looked up.  “I really don’t think we’re going to like what we find in Joyal.  Maybe we should find a place to stay for the night before we get there...”

<to be continued>


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## Horacio (Jun 11, 2002)

Wow! 
I like this story! I like it!


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## drnuncheon (Jun 11, 2002)

> “The protection of your demon lord means nothing in the face of the Father!”
> The Father heard, and approved. The lance skewered the orc as if his armor was nothing, thrusting completely through his chest.




Hee. This is where Dru and Ivae got to see just what the combination of Spirited Charge and _smite evil_ can do...

J


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## Drusilia Nailo (Jun 12, 2002)

*A Meeting with a Peasant*

This is an interlude, really.  A snippet of roleplay that didn't fit into the earlier post or the one that I'll be making next.  Enjoy anyway!

	Both men mounted up, and began riding north.  Eventually, they rode out of the charred section of land, into open fields of green grass.  The treeline could be seen up ahead, and a peasant’s hut at its edge.  As they approached closer, they could see that there was a goat, and a few chickens in the yard, although no owner was to be seen.
	They rode in cautiously, leaving their horses standing in the yard.  Aelric shrugged, and pounded on the door.  There was silence... but perhaps it was  the heavy silence of someone trying too hard not to be heard.
	“Perhaps,” murmured Ivae, “You should knock a bit less like an orc.”
	Aelric frowned thoughtfully, but knocked a little lighter.  “We are here on the business of the Father.  Open your door to us so that we might receive shelter.”
	There was the sound of footfalls, and the door opened.  A suspicious looking old woman stood there, blinking at the two.  “Well,” she said finally, “You don’t look like orcs.  Come in.”  She stepped aside, making room for both of them.
	The room was tiny and spartan, as was typical for the land’s peasantry, but neatly swept and well kept.  “I hope that you’ll forgive me for my caution, but I think that you can understand why,” she said, looking from human to elf.
	Aelric didn’t respond, so Ivae did.  “Very understandable,” he said agreeably.
	Aelric frowned, and turned to Ivae.  “I think... that we should go out and check the forest,” he said.  “There’s something evil out there.”
	Ivae shrugged, and followed him outside.  
	“I detected evil out here...” he trailed off, studying the trees with slightly unfocussed eyes.  “Yes,” he said heavily.  “It is spread out amongst the trees.  The entire landscape is corrupted.”
	The elven ranger looked at him blankly for a moment, but both turned around and went back inside.
	“I do not believe that it is safe for you to stay here, Grandmother,” said Aelric, using the respectful term of address for a woman so advanced in years.
	She laughed raspily, and nodded.  “Oh yes, I know that.  But where would I go?”
	Ivae asked, “Do you have no family?” 
	“No, no... I’m the only one left...”

		***************************

	Aelric and Ivae watched the old woman ride off, in the direction of the capital.  She was sitting astride one of their spare mounts.  The chickens were tied, in their cage, behind her, and the goat was drug along, rather unwillingly, by a rope tied to the saddle.  
	“Maybe,” said Ivae with a faint smile, “We should have tied her to the saddle as well.”
	Aelric stifled a chuckle, and commented, “You should perhaps learn to respect your - er, someone half your age,” he amended, as he realized who he was talking to.  “Still,” he said, watching the old woman until the horse carried her out of view, “She’ll be safer moving towards the capital than she will remaining here.”  He surveyed the forest in distaste.
	“Your theory about the forest being evil is correct,” mentioned Ivae.  “Last night, while you slept, I went outside to spend time in the forest.  I realized something as I was looking about.  There’s no animals.”
	Aelric didn’t say anything, but his look clearly said that he hadn’t exactly been theorizing about the evil of the land.
	Ivae mounted up, turning his horse’s head back to the North.  “We’ll be in Joyal shortly,” he said grimly, “Probably before noontime, if nothing bad happens.”
	Aelric nodded grimly, and clucked to his horse.  The two began to move northward again, with the remaining pack animals trailing behind them.


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## Drusilia Nailo (Jun 12, 2002)

*The Village of Joyal*

Ivae set his jaw when he first noticed the carrion birds swooping over the village up ahead.  He glanced at his companion, gesturing.  
	Aelric scowled, and muttered, “Vultures,” in the same tone of voice that he usually reserved for evil creatures.
	The two rode on, dreading the sights that they would be met with.  Both wondered, silently, whether the orcs had slain the entire village, or if they’d taken some prisoners that would need to be saved.
	They were pleasantly surprised at what they found.  There were piked heads on the outer gates of the village...but they were orc, not human.  One rather tenacious vulture balanced, clinging, to a head  It clutched the ragged clumps of hair with its claws, as it feasted on the flesh. Despite these grisly yet positive signs, the village appeared to be deserted.  There was no chimney smoke, no one in the streets.  However, as Aelric and Ivae rode their horses down the main street, they could see faces in the windows, anxiously peering out at them.
	It wasn’t long before a tall, middle-aged woman left a yard, and stood before them in the street.  She was dressed most peculiarly, with her body barely covered, except for a loincloth made of soft fur, and a heavy bear skin cloak that was left to hang loosely down her back.  In her hair was an ornamental headpiece, which consisted of the antlers from a very large buck.   It was clear to both men, most especially Ivae, that this woman was a druid.  That would make her one of the few remaining worshippers of the Mother left in the land.
	She nodded to them, her eyes wary.  “Welcome to Joyal,” she said.  “I wish that we could give you better welcome, but you both appear to be men of the world.  You know what we are up against.  Still.  You can leave your mounts in the yard, where they’ll be tended to.  If you’re going to be riding through the area, you should at least know what is going on.”
	Ivae climbed smoothly off of his horse, nodding to the woman.  Aelric took a bit longer, easing his aching bones to a standing position on the ground.  “Mother,” he said, taking a risk that she was old enough to have that rather laudable title.  “We have come on orders from the King.”  He relaxed visibly when she silently accepted the title that he had given her.
	She only nodded, and led the two through the yard, and into the house.  “As you probably already understand, druids are not at their happiest while living in a village.  But they need us right now, to defend them against the orcs.”  She narrowed her eyes, looking at Aelric.  “Has the king sent you to help protect the village against their attacks?”
	Both Aelric and Ivae shook their heads.  Aelric offered a reply, carefuly, “No, not as such, although rest assured that he will receive a full report when we are finished.”
	The antlered druid nodded again.  “Alright.  I’ll tell you what is going on then, so that you can either do something about it or report back.
	Once upon a time, as you well know, this was a peaceful area.  The Maiden’s Tears lake seemed to keep the area around it purified, and many believed that the lake was where the innocence of the goddess pooled, upon her death.”
	Ivae, very familiar with the story, nodded.  “Yes, that is well known throughout the forest,” he said politely, waiting for more.
	The woman sighed.  “The guardian of the lake has been, for as long as three generations can remember, the mermaid named Miala.  She has special ties with the land...  we believe getting many of her powers from it as we druids do.”
	Aelric’s brows slid upwards in surprise, but he held his silence.
	“In short, she has been corrupted.  By a demon named Arust.”
	Aelric’s head shot up, and he glared at the woman.  “Arust?”  He turned, meeting Ivae’s worried gaze.  “That’s not the first time we’ve heard that name.”
	Ivae nodded.  “The orcs seemed to think that they were under his protection.”
	“Such as it was,” muttered Aelric.
	With a faint smile, Ivae continued nodding.  “Such as it was.”
	The druid sighed.  “Yes.  Arust has been raising an army.”  She scowled.  “He corrupted Miala by convincing her, slowly, that she had the capability of turning into much more than a guardian of a lake.  He convinced her that she could become a goddess.”


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## Horacio (Jun 12, 2002)

A demon... A corrupted mermaid... A druidess... Two old heroes...
This story is getting wonderful, Dru!


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## Drusilia Nailo (Jun 13, 2002)

*The Blood of a God*

Hee hee.  I'm glad you like it.  Here's a bit of an update, to tide folks over until I get some time to write up the rest.

There was silence in the room, broken by the sound of Aelric’s strained voice.  “And just how did he think she’d go about this?”

“There is a lot of magical energy in that lake.  Combine that with a specific blood sacrifice, and there could very well be an ascension.”

“A... specific blood sacrifice?”  Ivae looked as if he almost didn’t want to know the answer to his question, but knew that it was his duty to find out.

The druid nodded, frowning.  “The blood sacrifice of the mortal heir of a king, and the blood of a god.  I understand how they got the latter, but not the former.”

Aelric blinked.  “They have the blood of a god?”

“Every year, on the anniversary of the Mother’s death, the Father comes to the site of her demise.  He weeps there, and then leaves.  It has happened like clockwork, and is something that the druidic order has kept a secret...  until now.

Three years ago, his tears mingled with the soil of the land, and from that mixture, a child was created, a daughter.  We were raising that daughter.  But now, Arust has her.  The king has no heir, but they must know where they can get one from somewhere.”

“I believe,” said Ivae carefully, that they have managed to get the heir to a king.”

Aelric glared at him, but relaxed a little bit when he saw that their leige lord was not betrayed.  “I did not know that the Father had a child,” he said, still obviously grappling with this new piece of information.  He sighed.  “It looks, Ivae, that our task is a lot bigger than it first appeared.  Mother, it appears that our interests lie intertwined in this matter.  We will give you assistance in destroying this evil.”


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## Jon Potter (Jun 13, 2002)

*Very Interesting...*

I'm quite intrigued and can't wait to see the paladin try to swim after the mermaid in full plate.

He he.


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## Horacio (Jun 15, 2002)

The story is wonderful, and the Character's original. If you add the son of a king and the daughter of a god, you have an amazing plot 

Congratulations, Dru


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## Drusilia Nailo (Jun 30, 2002)

*To Pass the Evening*

Well, after a brief respite (if a period of time where one is working nonstop is considered a respite ) I am prepared to start writing and posting again.   Here is a snippet of the story...

Later that night, some of the young druids crept up to the house.  After a murmured conversation with the Mother, ending with her shaking her head, and leaving, the group, four young men, approached paladin and ranger.  “We’ve found an encampment of orcs,” said the leader, eagerly.

Ivae looked up, succeeding fairly well at disguising his sudden keen interest.  “Yeah?”

The leader nodded.  “Yeah.  It’s a warrior camp.  They’re not expected a strike tonight... they’re getting drunk and telling stories.  Do you want to...”

He trailed off as Aelric labored to his feet.  “No time like the present,” he murmured.  

Ivae sprung to his feet, much easier than his companion did, and nodded.  He started strapping on weapons.  “I was going to get stiff sitting here anyway,” he muttered, with a quick grin.

The group of them moved out into the forest.  The druids and Ivae moved with the silence and skill of those trained to the forest.  Aelric was another story altogether.  His heavy armor clanked as his horse walked.  With a shrug of his shoulders, he didn’t even try to be stealthy; it would be pointless.   

It wasn’t long before they could hear harsh male laughter, and smell the smoke from a cookfire.  The words spoken were in the guttural language of the orc race, and those that could understand the words knew that they were discussing their conquests, in great detail.

Ivae tensed himself, studying his enemies through the protective cover of the trees and bushes.  He silently got his bow ready, and prepared to creep forward even further.  They weren’t even going to see him coming, he thought to himself.

Just then, the silence was broken by the sound of a horn being blown, and Aelric bellowing “May the Father protect me as I smite the evil in this camp!”  His horse charged forward, breaking through the brush, and burst into the clearing.  Shocked orcs scrambled for weapons, but not before the paladin was able to bring his mighty broadsword up, and then down, cleaving into one of the orcs.

Ivae sighed, as chaos broke loose.  He could see that there were human captives, women all of them, bound around the ankles and hands.  He took aim with his bow, and let an arrow fly.  He was rewarded with the sound of an arrow thunking into orc flesh, and the orc’s bellow of pain and rage.

From somewhere off in the trees, on the other side of the clearing, the sound of druidic chanting rang out.  And it was shortly after that when four orcs, which had been hidden along the perimeter of the camp,  were outlined in glowing bright red light.  Perfect targets.  There was the sound of further chanting, in a different voice, and then the undignified squawking of an orc as the very grasses and bushes reached out with green tendrils, grasping and pulling him down so that he couldn’t move.

Aelric wheeled his horse around, and it lashed out with its hind legs, its massive hooves impacting in the midsection of one of the orcs.  The orc went flying, and hit the ground.  At the same time, Aelric brought his sword up for a mighty blow against another orc, only to miss.

To either side of him, war axes began whistling through the air.  One embedded itself in his leg, the other into the leg of his horse.

Ivae let loose with another arrow, which sailed wide this time.  He cursed under his breath, and drew his swords, preparing to charge into the clearing to keep the paladin from being overwhelmed by their numbers.

There was the sound of tussling out in the trees, in the direction that the druids and glowing orcs were, but no one seemed to be injured or killed. 

Ivae ran across the clearing, intercepting one of the orcs that was moving in to cut down the wounded Aelric.  His swords flashed, once, then twice, each time coming up bloodied.  The surprised orc warrior sagged to the ground, the light going out of his eyes.   

There was the sound of the stamping of hooves, as the horse trampled one of the orcs, pulverizing its body under hard hooves.  Aelric struck at one of the orcs again, and this time, was rewarded with a solid hit.  The orc staggered, losing its momentum, and fell.

Several more blows were exchanged, no one emerging from the battle unscathed.  All in all, the battle was much more brief than it seemed to its participants.  The tussling in the bushes went on for much longer, it seemed, but finally, everyone, even the druids, emerged victorious. 

Aelric, bloody and sweaty, slid from his horse, landing on unsteady feet.  Ivae reached out, steadying the old man, and said, “You’re the most injured, you should heal yourself first.”

Aelric shook his head stubbornly.  “First, the captives,” he rasped.  He healed one of them that was particularly battered, and then turned to his horse.  When its wounds closed up, he then tended to Ivae’s wounds.  Finally, he permitted one of the druids to heal most of his wounds.  Just as that was finished, the fire started to crackle.

All heads swiveled to look at it, startled by its noises.  Out of the flames was rising a very small demon.  “You will never defeat my master, Arust,” the creature hissed at them, and leapt, its sharp claws extended


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## Jon Potter (Jun 30, 2002)

*Good to have you back.*

This story is very interesting and I can't wait to see what happens next.

What level are Ivae and Aelric?


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## Zarthon (Jul 6, 2002)

Jon Potter said:
			
		

> *What level are Ivae and Aelric? *




I was going to ask the same question.


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## drnuncheon (Jul 8, 2002)

*Re: Good to have you back.*



			
				Jon Potter said:
			
		

> *This story is very interesting and I can't wait to see what happens next.
> 
> What level are Ivae and Aelric? *




We started out as 6th level characters - Aelric was a Ftr1/Pal5, and Ivae a Rng3/Rog3. There was one leveling-up, with Ivae getting a Ranger level and Aelric Paladin (of course).

Anyway, Dru is way behind (but I can't talk, I've been slacking on the dnFSH collection) so I'll get on her about that tonight.

J


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## Horacio (Jul 20, 2002)

Dru, too much time without writing!

I'm going to ask Drnuncheon to bind you to the computer until you write another update! 

Horacio

It's great to be back!


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## drnuncheon (Jul 21, 2002)

Okay, okay.  I've been very bad about this.  I will make a post today, I promise!


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## Drusilia Nailo (Jul 21, 2002)

Whoops!  That's one heck of a way to find out that Dr. N has been logging on to ENWorld on MY computer.  He didn't log himself off, either!   It is ME that has been bad about posting (there, I admitted it.)  I will, as I promised earlier, post something today.  See you then!


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## Drusilia Nailo (Jul 21, 2002)

****************Down to the Lake*******************

The tiny demon was not that difficult to dispatch for the paladin and the ranger.  They stood there watching it dissolve into vapor, and then looked at each other with dismay.  "I do not like this," sighed Aelric, and not for the first time since this quest had begun.

They, along with their druid companions, trudged back through the forest to Joyal, for a night of sleep and meditation in preparation for the battle that everyone knew had to come, and soon, if the two children were to be saved from the mermaid’s plot.

Morning came, and without much discussion, the men prepared themselves for a battle.  They were just about to leave, when they heard a female voice, “Wait!”

Turning around, they saw the village Mother walking towards them, with a young druidess in tow.  “This is Maera Bearfriend,” said the Mother in introduction.  “She is from afar, and has not sworn the same vows to the lake guardians that the local druids have.”  Her lips twist into a wry smile.  “She is free to interfere with their business.”

Maera Bearfriend was dressed in furs, and had a layer of hide armor on over it all.  She seemed to be armed, with a scimitar and a sling.   With a quick smile, she looked from Ivae to Aelric.  “I have heard many good things of the two of you,” she told them.  “And hoped to offer you my assistance in this.  I - we are afraid that you will need all the help you can get.”

Ivae nodded in approval.  “Yes, I think it’s good that we have someone to come with us.”

Maera grinned.  “Wonderful.  I’m sure that you won’t mind if Ben comes along too,” she said.  As if summoned, a huge black bear lumbered out of the bushes.  He came up beside Maera, and studied the man and elf with a calm demeanor.  

Aelric blinked for just a moment at the bear, and then shrugged.  “Fine with me,” he said.  “Let’s go demon hunting.”

They weren’t even to the lake yet when Ivae sniffed the air.  Smoke. He frowned, and then held up his hand.  “Wait here,” he murmured quietly.  He crept through the trees then, keeping low to the ground and very nearly invisible to anything that could be watching.  He didn’t go far before his diligence was rewarded... he started hearing voices talking.  Moving in even closer, he saw that there was an orc encampment here as well.  Except that this one... was filled with nothing but female orcs.  Most of them weren’t armed, although there were weapons lying within reach.  He watched them for awhile, wondering if the children were in one of the tents... but he heard no crying, and saw no tent that the orcs seemed especially interested in.  Finally, he crept back to his companions, and told them what he had seen.

Maera frowned.  “Maybe we should come back when we have the rest of this resolved.  If the children are actually there, making them wait a little longer won’t hurt them.  I have a feeling that they’re not, though.”

They began to creep down to the lake (at least, Ivae and Maera did, while Aelric crashed through the underbrush with the amount of subtlety that plate armor allows.)  Some instinct made Ivae look up, and that’s when he saw them.  Frowning, he froze, which made Maera and Aelric come to a quick halt as well.  “Look!”

Everyone looked up.  And what they saw were the most unlikely looking airborne creatures that they had thought possible.  They were large, and seemed to have leathery wings, with wicked looking talons. Ragged looking spikes grew out of their bodies, making them bristle menacingly. Four of them circled the lake, in slow, lazy arcs.  “Demons!” hissed Aelric, making the most logical guess.

Ivae, Maera, and Ben crept to the edge of the forest, readying their distance weapons.  Aelric, not possessing anything with any range on it, shrugged, and stepped out into the open with drawn sword.  

Shrieking their fury, two of them fired spikes at the paladin.  One of them sunk into the meat of his leg, and Aelric nearly cried out with the pain of it...  it burned!  With the smell of sizzling flesh in his nostrils, he gripped his sword tightly, wondering how he was going to fight these creatures when he was down here and they were up there.  Not knowing what else to do, he withdrew the church relic that was his to protect for his lifetime... a horn.  Blowing into it, he summoned all of the protection against evil that he could manage, and formed it into a protective shield around him.  

Ivae watched the spikes being hurled from the sky, and decided that staying in the cover offered by the trees was preferable.  He nocked his bow, and let fly with an arrow.  It flew truly, and struck one of the creatures in the chest.  He could see Maera several feet away from him hurl a sling bullet skyward.  It too struck its target, another one of the creatures.

Two more spikes were hurled into the paladin, making him stagger with the pain of it.  He was perhaps too stubborn to die, though, because he waved his sword at these creatures of evil, daring them to come down to him.  One of them, already injured from Ivae’s arrow, obliged, moving in to swoop down gracefully.  Its talons extended, it prepared to rend the paladin’s flesh.  The blows never came.  Aelric’s bastard sword swung through the air, and cleaved right through the creature.  It fell to the earth with a thump and did not move again.  “Thank the Father, they can die!” Aelric breathed in relief as he prepared for another attack.

Ivae smiled grimly when he saw the first of the demons fall, and shot another arrow high.  It connected with the only remaining uninjured creature, lodging itself in its throat.  It gave a strangled cry of rage, and began to circle Ivae, as if trying to figure out a way to get at him through the trees and the underbrush.  Fortunately, Maera was quick to seize her opportunity, and slung a bullet up at it.  Unfortunately, she was not such a good markswoman this time around.  The bullet sailed harmlessly into the air, and then plummeted to earth again.

The battle seemed to stretch on for an eternity, but finally, four dead aerial demons lay on the beach.  For the first time, the small group was at liberty to look around them.  The crystal surface of the Maiden Lake stretched before them, its water glinting under the morning light.  There was a small island in the center of it, that according to the stories, shouldn’t be there.   And of course, there was the mermaid.  She was watching them from the water near the island.  Her green hair blew in the breeze, and her arms were folded defiantly across her chest.


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## Horacio (Jul 22, 2002)

Thanks for the update!

The druidess is a new PCs or a NPC?


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## Jon Potter (Jul 22, 2002)

Drusilia Nailo said:
			
		

> *And of course, there was the mermaid.  She was watching them from the water near the island.  Her green hair blew in the breeze, and her arms were folded defiantly across her chest. *




Well... mermaids are typically portrayed as going topless, so maybe she's just being modest.

They can hope so, I guess.  

Nice update. I'm really interested to see how this story plays out.


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## Drusilia Nailo (Jul 23, 2002)

The druidess is just an NPC.  I decided to throw her into it, just to give the characters a little bit of help.  (Aren't I nice?)


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## Horacio (Jul 23, 2002)

Drusilia Nailo said:
			
		

> *The druidess is just an NPC.  I decided to throw her into it, just to give the characters a little bit of help.  (Aren't I nice?)   *




Yes, of course your nice 
And you will be even nicer if you post another update soon


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## Morgaine (Jul 28, 2002)

Horacio said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Yes, of course your nice
> And you will be even nicer if you post another update soon  *




This is really just a bump in the hopes that Dru updates soon.  It's been ages....although I've no room to talk since my own story hour languishes away on the third page.  But I like to get fan bumps, so I'm sure you do, too.  

Great story, Dru....keep up the wonderful writing.

--Morgaine


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## Drusilia Nailo (Jul 28, 2002)

*The Island*

The mermaid swam closer to the shore, but still kept quite a distance from it.  She called across the water, “You shouldn’t interfere with this!  The children have to die, and that is final!”

	Aelric growled, and waded out, up to his knees into the water.  “Don’t you know that the demon is using you,” he half-demanded of the mermaid.

	“Never!  Arust loves me!” she cried out.

	Aelric snorted.  “Has it occurred to you that he’d gladly take the lives of the children, along with yours, to ensure that he would become a god?  Why should he share that power with you?”

	Meanwhile, Ivae exchanged glances with Maera, and motioned for her to wait.  He then began to sneak around the perimeter of the lake, towards the side of the island that was not being guarded by the mermaid.  Maera’s bear knew no such subtlety, and plunged into the water to swim for the island.

	Fortunately, the mermaid’s attention was riveted upon Aelric.  “But...”  her voice trailed off, plaintively.  “No!  He loves me!  I will be a goddess, I don’t care what you say about it!”  She started to chant, and the water of the lake lept upward, forming into a surprisingly solid looking blade.    She began to swim towards Aelric with deadly purpose in her eyes.
***************************************************
	Ivae ran, leaping over logs, and dodging bramble bushes.  He didn't want to be stuck here in this dead forest any longer than he had to be, not when there were the children to save...  once he got out of the mermaid's line of sight, he broke out of the forest completely, and waded into the lake.  With an anxious glance towards the front of the lake where the action was, he began to swim.
***************************************************

	Aelric sighed, drawing his own blade.  “It doesn’t have to come to this,” he said, wearily.  “You have not gone past the point of no return... with the Father, forgiveness is always possible.”

	The mermaid hesitated after raising her blade above her head.  She hesitated just long enough.

	From the banks of the lake, Maera, forgotten up to that point, had been chanting and pleading with the forces of nature and of the Mother to aid her in restraining the enemy.  The water of the lake began to seethe and seemed to boil as aquatic plants erupted from the bottom, surging for the top.  They became hard as rope, and just as unforgiving, as their tendrils wrapped around the mermaid, entrapping her arms, legs and torso.  They began to drag her down, so that only her head remained above water.  

	The mermaid spluttered, and her blade dissolved back into lake water.  And then all of the fight went out of her.  “I’m sorry,” she said plaintively, looking at Aelric with widened eyes.

	The old paladin stood watching her for a moment, and then called back to the shore, “Let her stay like that.  It will give her some time to think...”  He began to wade back out of the water, onto the shore.  “Come, horse,” he said to the yet unnamed paladin mount, leading it into the water.  

	The group reconvened on the island, Ivae moving to join his companions.  He looked around at the unnatural island nervously, and murmured to Aelric, “Of course, we have no idea of where the children are.”  He shrugged, then, and began to move to the center of the island.  “I imagine that we’ll find them.”

	And so they did.  They heard the sound of a crying child long before they found them, and the angry shrieks of another.  Ivae broke into a run, into the direction of the cries, leaving the armor-clad paladin behind to catch up as best he could.

	There were two small demons, standing next to two children.  One of them was holding down the girlchild, somewhat roughly, although his voice was entreating.   “Now now, you want to behave, don’t you?  Please?”  The girl was a little bruised up, and apparently, it was because of this.  She was shrieking her rage, pounding her fists against the demon.  “Hate you!”

	The little boy seemed to be unharmed, but he sat there in the dirt and wailed.

	Standing in the center of the clearing was the largest demon that either man had ever seen.  He looked very humanoid, but was covered with glossy black fur.  His eyes were red-rimmed, and he seemed to radiate evil.  There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that this was the Demon Lord Arust.  He was looking straight through the bushes at the three crouching hunters, and smiled slowly.  “Ah.  I see you have come at last...”


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## Horacio (Jul 29, 2002)

I hate child torturing demons! Kill them all!


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## Thorntangle (Aug 29, 2002)

Now that I've found your story hour and caught up, you just can't leave me and all your readers hanging...


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