May 30, 2003
A Tale of a Scroll
"All the best tales begin with once upon a time. And this one is no exception," The elderly man begins, bristling beard twitching in time with his lips as he speaks.
He clears his throat and takes a sip from the offered mug of water. Thanking the barmaid, he passes the mug onto the table and continues the tale:
"Right.. it all started- no.. no.. as I said, once upon a time, many, many years ago. Before you were born.. before even I was born. Before the grandfather of the oldest man in Telantha was born. Anyways. I think you all get the picture. It was a very, very long time ago."
"The tale starts with a mage of great renown. A student of the Tower of Mages in his earlier years, though he long ago took up residence in a modest home in the woods just outside of the Mountain City. He had a wife and as the tale was told to me originally, she was a charming woman. Sunny golden locks and cheeks that coloured a pleasant rose colour when she smiled. Their son had hair to match that curled above his small ears."
"He was not more than five years old when the tragic event occurred. His wife and son had been travelling back from a visit with relatives in Sans Dirth when their caravan was waylaid by bandits and thieves barely a half mile from the gates of the Mountain City. Only a few survived and unfortunately for the mage in question his wife was not one of them."
"To say he was devastated would of been an understatement. He prayed to Pir every morning and evening. He created an altar and left gifts. He went to the temples of the Gods and beseeched him. But the Mists, and the Gods all denied him."
"In a fit of rage he swore that he would have revenge. Justice would be done! He searched the lands for a magic ... for a way to punish the mists for their betrayal. They gave criminals a second chance, murderers a new life, but they could not return his wife and child."
"At first he sought only for a way to remove the mists from the Mountain City. To move them elsewhere, to deny others what he had been denied. But what he discovered was something much more. But he could never find a way to control it. He studied, and researched and consulted with other mages. And to no avail. Finally in his darkest hours, he prepares it ... and he realises ..."
The elderly man pauses, looking around the room. Each person's eyes met individually for a few seconds, before he reaches down to take a drink from the half empty mug. One of the more impatient listeners pipes up. "Realises what? What does he realise?"
"Realises what? Oh yes... realises.." He clears his throat and continues the story, a nod given to the man who spoke up, "He realises that he is no longer alone. There in the darkness of the night. In the woods outside of his country home, there is an odd chirping. He puts it out of his mind, but the song is oddly familar. Eerie, yet familar."
"So he lights a torch and heads outside towards the source of the sound, his own foot steps almost drowning out the sound till he rounds the side of his house and finds the source of the sound: A large oak tree with a hole slightly above his head."
"He look around him for something nearby to stand on and after finding a few logs, he climbs up and peers into the hole. And there, in the small nest, is a beautiful bird feeding it's young and chirping the entire while. Grinning fiendishly, the man wins the trust of the bird with a few breadcrumbs and delicately picks up the nest."
"While the bird continues to whistle away happily, he carefully takes the nest and it's contents back to the altar within his home. He smiles at the birds, carefully stroking and caressing it's plumage..." He pauses for a moment for effect before containing in a more ominous tone, "Before smashing the nest and the mother bird with a large rock upon the altar."
"The chirping stops. The man resumes the dark ritual and then realisation hits him once again. He cannot seem to get the song out of his head. He seems to know it.. as if he's sung it a million times before. He begins chanting the words to his ritual .. but he cannot concentrate. The song is clanging through his thoughts, becoming louder and louder. And clearer."
"And then it dawns on him. This song... this song he knows."
"At first he sought only for a way to remove the mists from the Mountain City. To move them elsewhere, to deny others what he had been denied. But what he discovered was something much more. But he could never find a way to control it. He studied, and researched and consulted with other mages. And to no avail. Finally in his darkest hours, he prepares it ... and he realises ..."
The elderly man pauses, looking around the room. Each person's eyes met individually for a few seconds, before he reaches down to take a drink from the half empty mug. One of the more impatient listeners pipes up. "Realises what? What does he realise?"
"Realises what? Oh yes... realises.." He clears his throat and continues the story, a nod given to the man who spoke up, "He realises that he is no longer alone. There in the darkness of the night. In the woods outside of his country home, there is an odd chirping. He puts it out of his mind, but the song is oddly familar. Eerie, yet familar."
"So he lights a torch and heads outside towards the source of the sound, his own foot steps almost drowning out the sound till he rounds the side of his house and finds the source of the sound: A large oak tree with a hole slightly above his head."
"He look around him for something nearby to stand on and after finding a few logs, he climbs up and peers into the hole. And there, in the small nest, is a beautiful bird feeding it's young and chirping the entire while. Grinning fiendishly, the man wins the trust of the bird with a few breadcrumbs and delicately picks up the nest."
"While the bird continues to whistle away happily, he carefully takes the nest and it's contents back to the altar within his home. He smiles at the birds, carefully stroking and caressing it's plumage..." He pauses for a moment for effect before containing in a more ominous tone, "Before smashing the nest and the mother bird with a large rock upon the altar."
"The chirping stops. The man resumes the dark ritual and then realisation hits him once again. He cannot seem to get the song out of his head. He seems to know it.. as if he's sung it a million times before. He begins chanting the words to his ritual .. but he cannot concentrate. The song is clanging through his thoughts, becoming louder and louder. And clearer."
"And then it dawns on him. This song... this song he knows."
"He knows it because it as the song that his wife used to sing his son at night before he went to sleep. It was a song with words that said ... " The mans voice drops down into a low tone, the lyrics said at just above a whisper:
If night should take you, my dear,
If fate should steal you from me ...
Then know that my love is real,
Not just some distant memory ...
And feel my presense my dear,
As it drifts upon the wind.
For the mists shall bring me life once more,
And we shall be together again.
And the thought drives the man insane. For, that bird and it's young. Were his wife and child. Born again, but not as humans. Not as suffering creatures, but as beautiful songbirds. And he fell to his knees, crying and wailing upon his revelation. Before plunging his dagger deep into his own heart. Seeping the scroll of destruction in his own blood."
"The scroll was lost for centuries, for no one could understand the unbearable sadness that came across whomever possessed the scroll. And no one could bear to hear the song echoing through their heads. All who have touched this scroll.. this scroll against the mists, against creation and against all that we are taught to believe.. has gone insane."
After some time passes, the small gathering in the Inn realises the tale is complete and a round of applause starts. "Good show!" "Hear hear!" A few people call out. "So, wha's yer name ol' man? I'll buy ye a drink."
"Eh? My name?" The elderly man brushes his hand down over the length of his bristly beard. "Taradsag."
Posted by ShadowSiege at May 30, 2003 10:50 PM