by smcginnis » Thu Sep 21, 2006 6:30 pm
Location: The forest south-east of Mt. Oraynol.
___Roëd had just returned from a foraging expedition with Bule when he almost ran into a young-looking woman in a yellow dress. "Oh, you must be Roëd," she said in a slightly accented voice. "Nice to meet you."
___"Y-Yes. Who are you—uh, I mean, what's your name?" Roëd asked stutteringly.
___"I'm Lewley. See you later," she walked off into the tree house, Roëd watching her.
___"Ah, I see you've met Lewley. She's the youngest of us, after Roagen. She must've arrived for the council Hiwte called," Bule said, startling Roëd.
___"Council? Oh yes, Reyg said the other day that he needed to consult with your whole group, and some other people," Roëd said. "Well, I wonder who else is here?" He and Bule walked into the tree house. Inside, there were two more unfamiliar (to Roëd) faces.
___"Roëd, I'd like to introduce you to Loftnosus," Reyg pointed at a man in dark blue and black with a scowl on his face, "and Gleid," he gestured towards a man in red clothing with a tall black hat and white hair. "As I'm sure you've guessed, they've arrived for the council. The rest should be here in a few days."
___Just then, Rowbn walked in with a tray of pastries. "Custard Cream, Loftnosus? I made them myself."
___"Hmpf, well, I suppose it can't be that bad," the wizard took a bite, and then brightened up. "Hmm, well, yes. That's quite good."
___"Hello, Roëd. So you're the newest student? Do they still make you wash the dishes and run forty laps around Mount Oraynol every morning, like they did when I studied?" Gleid asked, jokingly. "Or do you have to dig tunnels to Glintown and Loure Lake?"
___"Good to see you too, Gleid," Bule said, laughing. "Yes, Roëd's our new student, but he doesn't have to do those things. Yet."
___"Oh, I'd better be careful with you two around. You'll probably have me carrying you all to Rîw Keep on my back, just for the 'fun' of it!" Roëd said, and they all laughed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go practice my flying." Leaving the room, he climbed the stairs to his bedchamber, and picking up his cloth wings, walked to the roof of the house. He affixed the wings to his back and dived off of the building, concentrating on gaining lift. Soon he was soaring over the woods, heading south towards the Gaija Forest.
___Within an hour, he came within sight of the tree-covered foothills on the western side of the great mountain. Flying a little farther, he came to one of the smaller streams that would join the mighty Gaija. Landing, he noticed something strange. The forest was silent, and it wasn't from a lack of animals. He could feel them moving, but they made no sound. Something was scaring them, and he knew it wasn't him. He reached out with his mind, trying to communicate with some of the more intelligent creatures, to find out what was wrong. A raven responded, saying there was a 'darkness' to the west, on the other side of the stream. Roëd thanked the bird and leapt back into the air, scanning the forest for signs of disturbance. He soon found them. Landing again, and keeping hidden, he saw two men with axes hewing down trees, and a few more people stripping the branches off of other trees. He didn't feel any particular darkness emanating from them, until he looked at their faces. They were cruel, hard faces with black eyes and grimly set mouths. Removing the wings, Roëd stepped out from behind the trees. "Stop," he commanded them. They did not heed him. "Stop," he said again, louder now, and this time the men did. "Why are you cutting down these trees? They have done nothing to you, and they are too small for building with, and do not burn well."
___The tallest man, who had a curly black beard and black hair, looked at his companions and then at Roëd. "Orders, tha's all. Jus' orders," he looked down and raised his axe, but Roëd spoke again.
___"You are released. You need not continue, nor fear your master. He has no command over you now," the power in his voice, and the words, startled Roëd, but the men seemed to accept it. They nodded now, and slinging their axes over their shoulders, they looked about in wonderment, as if noticing the beauty of the forest for the first time.
___Their leader spoke again, but his voice was changed, lighter, it seemed, as if freed of an unpleasant burden. "Thank ye. Ye have freed us from a most unhappy job. I would not return to him, but my wife and the wee ones..." he trailed off.
___"Yes, you should return. Pretend that you are still under his sway, but awaken as many as you can to the truth. You need only speak my name, and they shall be freed from his grasp forever. When there are enough of you, you must capture him, and take him to Glintown, away south of here," Roëd said.
___"What is your name, sir?"
___"My name, my name is Roëd Aelfredsen, but you only need to say Roëd. Good day to you." The men left, apologizing, in a north-westerly direction. Picking up his wings, Roëd put them on again, and hovered up into the air. Flapping his arms, he flew back to the tree house, wondering about what he'd said to the men.
Last edited by
smcginnis on Thu Oct 05, 2006 3:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.