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Searching for Murbil Kilmir written by @sawdust
Assignment 3 - Searching for Murbil Kilmir
I awoke to a soft whispering near my ear. "Ellawyn, wake up, wake up." whispered Markus.
"Is everything all right" I said as I tried to banish the fog from my senses.
"Yes, no, well, maybe" continued Markus in hushed tones. I like puzzles, always have, but I am not keen when being presented with one upon waking.
"Markus, make sense! It is too early to play games." I spoke a little too harshly and regretted my tone as soon as the words left my mouth. It was still too dark inside to see Markus' reaction but I knew my words would have hurt, even if he pretended otherwise. "I am sorry Markus, I did not mean to snap" I said consolingly. I liked Markus. Our sense of right and wrong did not always fall into alignment, yet I saw an aura of honour and loyalty about him. We both came from wealthy families and while Markus spoke little of his parents, save they died while he was still in his tweens, I think there was much love between them while they lived.
"Here," he said "you should hold on to this" as he pushed the pendant he found the day before into my hands. I knew Markus would not give me something of value without good reason and so I did not question him on the matter. "I'm going to investigate something I saw outside early this morning" he continued. "Three figures were huddled among the trees not far from here. Oh, you also might want to tell everyone that old Orc, Gnaabak? He slipped out of the village last night very speedily." Before I could respond, Markus had slid out the door and was gone.
By this time the others were starting to stir and the sun would soon break the horizon. I waited till it seemed everyone was wide awake before I told them what Markus had said about Gnaabak.
Safiya nodded her head slowly as if she expected the old Orc to run away. "With Gnaabak gone," Safiya suggested, "we should try talking to the villagers again. They may be more forthcoming. I also wish to further investigate the magic energies around the village and see if I can locate their source."
Teagan grunted and mumbled some more about bashing Orc heads as he barged his way through the front door to the outside claiming, "I must water a tree!" Seth smiled at the Barbarian's contradiction between his gruffness and his effort to spare the ladies any vulgar language. He suggested we have a bite to eat as we wait for the sun to fully rise and light our way. I thought that to be a wonderful suggestion as I had only eaten a small amount of fruit and pickled vegetables since we left Beargrim. I reached for my pack and dug a little deeper into it seeing what my friend at the Temple had packed for my travels.
"Ugh" I groaned.
"Is there a problem?" said Seth.
"No problem" I responded, "just the challenge of having a forgetful friend." Seth looked at me quizzically which, made me laugh out loud. I quickly explained a friend of mine at the Temple packed my knapsack with dried meat and jerky forgetting I do not eat meat. "I am sure Teagan will appreciate the extra meat and jerky" I said.
"He may well like the extra meat but can anyone really appreciate extra jerky?" chuckled Seth. At that, we both laughed out loud.
Our laughter was soon cut short as we heard Teagan shouting at someone. The four of us, Seth, Safiya, Darius and myself quickly made our way toward the commotion. Katia had followed Teagan outside earlier, concerned he may trample over any new tracks or evidence she may have missed in the half light of the night before. We turned the corner of the cottage to find Teagan grabbing a very old Orc by his shirt front and demanding the Orc explain himself. Katia was standing close by with a frightened look on her face. I feared for the Orc's safety so quickly approached Teagan and placed my hand on his shoulder giving a word of Command "Peace, Teagan". At this Teagan calmed down and let go of the Orc.
"Bah!" said Teagan, "I was getting hungry anyway. The rest of you can work out what he meant". Teagan strode back inside the cottage and attacked his knapsack instead. I quickly looked the Orc over to make sure he was all right and then I looked at Katia. Darius stepped up beside her and quietly inquired what happened.
"Are you all right Katia, you look as if you have seen a spirit," said Darius softly. Darius was a gentle soul by nature and always showed an extra measure of kindness toward Katia. He treated her with care as one would a fawn who had never had contact with mer or men. I suspected he understood she was far tougher than she appeared for a Druid does not need to be told, 'the soft wood is most resilient'.
"Yes," replied Katia a little breathless, "I am unharmed. The old Orc startled me with both his presence and his words tis all. I do not know of what he speaks but he muttered about a harvest and sowing a new crop." At these words Seth came a little closer to Katia, his eyes wide with fear or excitement, I could not be sure.
"Take a deep breath Katia and try to remember exactly what the Orc said" instructed Seth.
Katia closed her eyes as one does when recalling memories and repeated the Orc's warning.
"Tis the Harvest, sowing the new crop. The night with three moons in the sky and darkness below. If you know what is good for you, begone before it comes for you too."
Seth started to hop from one foot to the other, "Yes, yes" he kept repeating. "The book, it is in the book!" We all looked at Seth unsure of what to make of his antics. "Ellawyn, you said Markus gave you the pendant he found?" I nodded my head slowly. "Then we must examine the pendant and the book more closely. There are answers to be found for the book speaks of a Harvest. Come!"
I glanced over at Safiya who was gazing off into the distance. A stranger may have taken her stance as one of disinterest but I knew Safiya well enough to know she did not miss a word or nuance of what had just transpired and was already planning ahead. As I began to follow Seth, I overheard Katia remark she would continue looking for tracks. I called back, "keep a watch for Markus will you please Katia? He still has not returned and I would hate for him to get lost in this village". I smiled yet felt no mirth as I feared for his safety.
The wizard is a strange man indeed, I thought to myself as I walked back inside the cottage. He had the heart of a young boy filled with wonder and excitement yet spoke with authority. His razor sharp mind seemed to miss nothing and he truly enjoyed helping others, something we both had in common. I fetched the pendant from the inner pocket of my travel cloak where I had hastily stashed it. I had not looked closely at the pendant till now but immediately recognised it from several illustrations in books at the Temple Library. "This is a pendant worn by servants of the Dragon Cult." I informed Seth. "It is usually worn by those who show a willingness to serve and is imbued with a simple command spell to ensure their continued loyalty."
"I sense no magic emanating from it Ellawyn," quizzed Seth.
"It is unlikely any magic remains as the spell is linked to the will of the wearer, amplifying their own willingness" I explained. "Still, it does explain why Markus was quick to pass it on, as its appearance alone is unsettling. It is as if it is watching you." We looked at each other with a knowingness that bespoke of the greater dangers that lay ahead. I did not wish to dwell on possible futures so informed Seth I was going to try and speak with the villagers again and see if I could glean any more information. He nodded his head without lifting his eyes from the book as I made my way outside.
I espied a villager tending his garden out front of his home and applying my warmest smile, hailed him. "Well met, friend," I greeted him, hoping he didn't run away. "We are about to leave and wondered if Gnaabak is available to speak with?" I lied (forgive me Junos), but I needed to establish if the townsfolk also knew of Gnaabak's departure.
"You won't find Gnaabak round these parts anymore, woman," he said gruffly. "He left in the middle of the night to who knows where but I bet it's nowhere good." I feigned surprise at the news. "Pah!" he spat. "That old Orc was nothing but trouble ever since that robed man came to the village almost a full cycle of moons ago. Murbil and her family maybe the last to be taken but they certainly weren't the first". He looked me up and down. "Your group obviously know how to take care of 'emselves" he continued, "Otherwise you might be missing as well." I thanked him for his trouble and bade him farewell.
I arrived back at Murbil's cottage to find all my companions gathered together. We shared what we had learnt that morning trying to decide our next move. Darius and Katia wanted to find the cave straight away but as we did not know precisely how far it was, we considered Beargrim should be informed of his friend as he was only one day travel away. It may well be Beargrim had more information for us now that we had some idea of the powers behind the disappearance. I never enjoyed being the bearer of bad news and Beargrim was already burdened with his son's plight, but he took it in his stride. He bade us join him and sit at his fire as he sighed and shook his head.
"Tis as I suspected then" he lamented, "The Providence Lord has arisen once again." He continued to speak of his son and how he had placed him where he could not wander and pleaded with us to help him and his people. He offered gold but we refused to take it, accepting the replenishment of our packs instead. We would set off at first light on the morrow.
Assignment 3 - Searching for Murbil Kilmir
I awoke to a soft whispering near my ear. "Ellawyn, wake up, wake up." whispered Markus.
"Is everything all right" I said as I tried to banish the fog from my senses.
"Yes, no, well, maybe" continued Markus in hushed tones. I like puzzles, always have, but I am not keen when being presented with one upon waking.
"Markus, make sense! It is too early to play games." I spoke a little too harshly and regretted my tone as soon as the words left my mouth. It was still too dark inside to see Markus' reaction but I knew my words would have hurt, even if he pretended otherwise. "I am sorry Markus, I did not mean to snap" I said consolingly. I liked Markus. Our sense of right and wrong did not always fall into alignment, yet I saw an aura of honour and loyalty about him. We both came from wealthy families and while Markus spoke little of his parents, save they died while he was still in his tweens, I think there was much love between them while they lived.
"Here," he said "you should hold on to this" as he pushed the pendant he found the day before into my hands. I knew Markus would not give me something of value without good reason and so I did not question him on the matter. "I'm going to investigate something I saw outside early this morning" he continued. "Three figures were huddled among the trees not far from here. Oh, you also might want to tell everyone that old Orc, Gnaabak? He slipped out of the village last night very speedily." Before I could respond, Markus had slid out the door and was gone.
By this time the others were starting to stir and the sun would soon break the horizon. I waited till it seemed everyone was wide awake before I told them what Markus had said about Gnaabak.
Safiya nodded her head slowly as if she expected the old Orc to run away. "With Gnaabak gone," Safiya suggested, "we should try talking to the villagers again. They may be more forthcoming. I also wish to further investigate the magic energies around the village and see if I can locate their source."
Teagan grunted and mumbled some more about bashing Orc heads as he barged his way through the front door to the outside claiming, "I must water a tree!" Seth smiled at the Barbarian's contradiction between his gruffness and his effort to spare the ladies any vulgar language. He suggested we have a bite to eat as we wait for the sun to fully rise and light our way. I thought that to be a wonderful suggestion as I had only eaten a small amount of fruit and pickled vegetables since we left Beargrim. I reached for my pack and dug a little deeper into it seeing what my friend at the Temple had packed for my travels.
"Ugh" I groaned.
"Is there a problem?" said Seth.
"No problem" I responded, "just the challenge of having a forgetful friend." Seth looked at me quizzically which, made me laugh out loud. I quickly explained a friend of mine at the Temple packed my knapsack with dried meat and jerky forgetting I do not eat meat. "I am sure Teagan will appreciate the extra meat and jerky" I said.
"He may well like the extra meat but can anyone really appreciate extra jerky?" chuckled Seth. At that, we both laughed out loud.
Our laughter was soon cut short as we heard Teagan shouting at someone. The four of us, Seth, Safiya, Darius and myself quickly made our way toward the commotion. Katia had followed Teagan outside earlier, concerned he may trample over any new tracks or evidence she may have missed in the half light of the night before. We turned the corner of the cottage to find Teagan grabbing a very old Orc by his shirt front and demanding the Orc explain himself. Katia was standing close by with a frightened look on her face. I feared for the Orc's safety so quickly approached Teagan and placed my hand on his shoulder giving a word of Command "Peace, Teagan". At this Teagan calmed down and let go of the Orc.
"Bah!" said Teagan, "I was getting hungry anyway. The rest of you can work out what he meant". Teagan strode back inside the cottage and attacked his knapsack instead. I quickly looked the Orc over to make sure he was all right and then I looked at Katia. Darius stepped up beside her and quietly inquired what happened.
"Are you all right Katia, you look as if you have seen a spirit," said Darius softly. Darius was a gentle soul by nature and always showed an extra measure of kindness toward Katia. He treated her with care as one would a fawn who had never had contact with mer or men. I suspected he understood she was far tougher than she appeared for a Druid does not need to be told, 'the soft wood is most resilient'.
"Yes," replied Katia a little breathless, "I am unharmed. The old Orc startled me with both his presence and his words tis all. I do not know of what he speaks but he muttered about a harvest and sowing a new crop." At these words Seth came a little closer to Katia, his eyes wide with fear or excitement, I could not be sure.
"Take a deep breath Katia and try to remember exactly what the Orc said" instructed Seth.
Katia closed her eyes as one does when recalling memories and repeated the Orc's warning.
"Tis the Harvest, sowing the new crop. The night with three moons in the sky and darkness below. If you know what is good for you, begone before it comes for you too."
Seth started to hop from one foot to the other, "Yes, yes" he kept repeating. "The book, it is in the book!" We all looked at Seth unsure of what to make of his antics. "Ellawyn, you said Markus gave you the pendant he found?" I nodded my head slowly. "Then we must examine the pendant and the book more closely. There are answers to be found for the book speaks of a Harvest. Come!"
I glanced over at Safiya who was gazing off into the distance. A stranger may have taken her stance as one of disinterest but I knew Safiya well enough to know she did not miss a word or nuance of what had just transpired and was already planning ahead. As I began to follow Seth, I overheard Katia remark she would continue looking for tracks. I called back, "keep a watch for Markus will you please Katia? He still has not returned and I would hate for him to get lost in this village". I smiled yet felt no mirth as I feared for his safety.
The wizard is a strange man indeed, I thought to myself as I walked back inside the cottage. He had the heart of a young boy filled with wonder and excitement yet spoke with authority. His razor sharp mind seemed to miss nothing and he truly enjoyed helping others, something we both had in common. I fetched the pendant from the inner pocket of my travel cloak where I had hastily stashed it. I had not looked closely at the pendant till now but immediately recognised it from several illustrations in books at the Temple Library. "This is a pendant worn by servants of the Dragon Cult." I informed Seth. "It is usually worn by those who show a willingness to serve and is imbued with a simple command spell to ensure their continued loyalty."
"I sense no magic emanating from it Ellawyn," quizzed Seth.
"It is unlikely any magic remains as the spell is linked to the will of the wearer, amplifying their own willingness" I explained. "Still, it does explain why Markus was quick to pass it on, as its appearance alone is unsettling. It is as if it is watching you." We looked at each other with a knowingness that bespoke of the greater dangers that lay ahead. I did not wish to dwell on possible futures so informed Seth I was going to try and speak with the villagers again and see if I could glean any more information. He nodded his head without lifting his eyes from the book as I made my way outside.
I espied a villager tending his garden out front of his home and applying my warmest smile, hailed him. "Well met, friend," I greeted him, hoping he didn't run away. "We are about to leave and wondered if Gnaabak is available to speak with?" I lied (forgive me Junos), but I needed to establish if the townsfolk also knew of Gnaabak's departure.
"You won't find Gnaabak round these parts anymore, woman," he said gruffly. "He left in the middle of the night to who knows where but I bet it's nowhere good." I feigned surprise at the news. "Pah!" he spat. "That old Orc was nothing but trouble ever since that robed man came to the village almost a full cycle of moons ago. Murbil and her family maybe the last to be taken but they certainly weren't the first". He looked me up and down. "Your group obviously know how to take care of 'emselves" he continued, "Otherwise you might be missing as well." I thanked him for his trouble and bade him farewell.
I arrived back at Murbil's cottage to find all my companions gathered together. We shared what we had learnt that morning trying to decide our next move. Darius and Katia wanted to find the cave straight away but as we did not know precisely how far it was, we considered Beargrim should be informed of his friend as he was only one day travel away. It may well be Beargrim had more information for us now that we had some idea of the powers behind the disappearance. I never enjoyed being the bearer of bad news and Beargrim was already burdened with his son's plight, but he took it in his stride. He bade us join him and sit at his fire as he sighed and shook his head.
"Tis as I suspected then" he lamented, "The Providence Lord has arisen once again." He continued to speak of his son and how he had placed him where he could not wander and pleaded with us to help him and his people. He offered gold but we refused to take it, accepting the replenishment of our packs instead. We would set off at first light on the morrow.
