New Fantasy writing/modelling comp

https://i.imgur.com/cwtbkdXl.png

A sudden violent shake wakes me from my slumber. I look up into the darkness and see a woman stood over me wearing a face of a person who had been awake for a long time. I look into her eyes for a minute before getting up from where I had been laid. I look around the darkened room and find the table that Teagan had been sat at while he was eating earlier in the night. I walk over to it and take a seat in one of the aged wooden chairs. I take out the pendant I had found earlier and turned it over in my hand, examining it.

When I feel the pendant grow warm, I put it away and get up from my seat. I walk outside and stand in the cool night breeze, looking up at the night sky but when I look down again, I see the moon's light reflecting in a nearby puddle. I run my fingers through my black locks, the same locks that my parents had, and I think about when things were simpler. Before Gnaabak, before Murbil, before Beargrim. Back before my parent's murder on the night of my 16th birthday. I lose the sense of my surroundings as I think about what would have happened if they had listened to my wishes instead. Undoubtedly, I would not be here right now.

A sudden sound of footsteps breaks me from my trance and I look over to see Gnaabak leaving the village. I wonder why he is leaving so late at night but I do not question it that much, I do not know him that well and this could just be a regular occurrence. I walk back inside and wake Seth for his night watch. He groans at my attempts to ask him to get up and I nudge him with my hand. He eventually wakes up enough for him to stand up and I lay down in the spot previously taken by him.

I wake up early the next morning, when most of my companions are still asleep and begin to pace the room, waiting for them to wake. Eventually, one by one, they all start to move from where they have fallen asleep and murmur about being tired. I just mutter to myself that this will not wait for anyone.

I have the pendant in my hand again when Ellawyn comes over, rubbing her eyes. She looks at it for a few minutes before asking if she can take a look at it. I hand it over, making sure to tell her that it is mine as I found it and I want it back when she is done with it. I walk outside and find Katia in the middle of a conversation with another Orc. I walk over to Katia's side and give her a confused look but she dismisses it.

" - three moons in the sky and darkness below. If you know what is good for you, be gone before it comes for you, too."

He leaves, his feet creating imprints in the dirt, and Katia walks back towards the cottage. I follow and join up with the rest of my companions. We make a decision to go back to Beargrim with our findings. While the rest are packing up their bags and making sure they don't leave a trace of our stay in the cottage, I walk outside for some breathing room as the cottage is small and a lot of my companions are quite tall when compared with myself.

My parents always said I had quite a temper for such a small man but I never realised, before this journey, that it was not just them calling me a teenager but it meant that I did not quite inherit my father's tall stature. I miss them more with every thought of them but that is all in the past, this is the present and more important to our journey.

As I look up from where my eyes had rested while I was thinking, I spot a figure walking into the forest and without a second thought I begin to walk towards the forest entrance. I have no idea who or what it could be but it could be the answer to what happened to Murbil. We know from a conversation that Darius had with a villager while on his night shift that Murbil and her family had been kidnapped. The information he had received was not very useful when it came to who kidnapped them but we were going to find out.

When I finally reached the forest there is no sign of the figure from before so I turn back and rejoin the group. Teagan walks over, his stomach is noticeably making noise but he looks me in the face.

"Where did you go? We thought you had wandered off and got lost."

"No, I did not wander off. There was a figure in the forest and I went to investigate."

"Why did you not wait for us to go with you? "

"Because, Teagan, it would have taken too long and there would have been less chance for us to catch them."

We set off on the journey back to Beargrim's house soon after my conversation with Teagan. The journey back was rough and there was at least one person complaining about how long it was but finally, after a days travel, we reached Beargrim's house. The place looked the same as when we last visited but I noted that the gate was closed this time. I pushed it open and my companions followed as I started to walk up the path to the door.

I knocked and Beargrim's rough voice told us to come in. I entered first followed by Safiya. Beargrim looked confused at our sudden arrival back. We tell him what we discovered in Wolfwater and he shakes his head, "Tis as I suspected then, The Providence has arisen once again."

"What?"

He does not explain but talks of how he has hidden his son somewhere out-of-the-way and offers us gold. We take it as it could come in useful later. He sets us the task of finding out who is causing all of this and we accept knowing there is possible danger ahead.

Sleep did not come easily the night we spent in the Kilmir cottage. The persistent hum of the mystical energy surrounding the village kept me from closing my eyes. The others stirred at first light.

Ellawyn turned her head to me and frowned.“Have ye not slept at all, Safiya?” She asked.

“I cannot, Ellawyn. Tis’ this magic energy pounding inside my head,” I replied. "Pray tell where did Master Markus go?"

“Master Markus wakened me early this morn to give me the pendant to examine. Then vanished through the door muttering about exploring the woodland for those figures he spied in the forest yesterday.” Ellawyn sat on what looked like a glory box.

“Aye,” Seth chimed in, “Let me see the pendant again. You see these runes on the casing they match a prophecy scribed here in these books.” He gave them both a tome and pointed out to Ellawyn and I, the reference to the pendant. “You see it refers to the pendant as a symbol of the ‘Cults of the Dragon Worshippers’. Every century when three moons in the night sky can be seen from this realm at the same time, there is a harvest where innocents are taken down a cave to a subterranean shrine and forced to undergo an horrific transformation, becoming slaves to Belashyra, the Lord of the Providence Eye. The only thing I cannot seem to discover is when this will come to pass.”

“So…the darkness must mean the abyss or shrine where it takes place in the underworld of Mhybor,” Ellawyn added. “I read something about that in that tome you gave me, Master Wizard.”

Seth and Ellawyn’s voices faded as I began chanting an incantation using the ‘Comprehend Language’ spell to see if the dialect presented itself to me. I touched the book and coloured lights danced within its pages.

My concentration was disrupted when shouting and yelling could be heard outside the cottage door. “By the Sea and Stars! What be that blather outside?”

I walked outside and witnessed Teagan holding an old orc by the scruff of his neck, legs thrashing about in the air like a fish out of water. “Teagan, by my Troth! I bid ye explain, what are ye doing?”

“This orc be threatening, Lady Katia! I will slit his throat if he place one hand on any of ye.” With that Teagan shoved the old orc down the path and once he found his feet, the old orc ran like a hunted deer.

“Nay, Mistress Safiya," Katia said. "The Orc be warning us of the perils ahead. I tried to tell Master Teagan, but tis’ hard to reason when his rage controls him so.”

“Much wind pours from your mouth, Master Barbarian, but ye heart is that of a lion and you are a mighty warrior. I be proud to call you friend. ”

Teagan gave a half-smile and turned to move to a large stone to sit in silent thought.

"...and Master Barbarian,” I continued. “The fire balls you spied in the darkness, be someone, mayhap another magic user that be keeping the magical energy around the village from failing. They be re-conjuring the spell that keeps the magic active. I shall find a way to undo this. Do not fear for I shall break through this barrier."

Teagan gave a nod and continued to the stone.

“So pray tell, what did the old orc say, Mistress Katia?”

“His words be something like this…’Tis’ the Harvest, sowing the new crop. The night when three moons in the sky and darkness below…’ then he advised we leave and in haste.”

“So it begins. That be what Master Seth and Mistress Ellawyn be discussing,” I said. “I must return to my incantation, to try and discover when this be happening.”

“Do not waste your time, my lady.” I turned to see Darius returning with Markus from the woodlands beyond the village.

“My friends from the forest say the cave up to now appeared to be abandoned, but has seen much activity of late. Seems the “Harvest will take place in three sun days and two moons in this dreaded place. I have sent word to Beargrim through my feathered friends, they shall reach him soon,” Darius said.

“Be warned my friends, there be two large orc wardens or farmers wielding axes and two “eye-blades” with bows, guarding the entrance to the cave,” Marcus said. “They all wear the same pendant as I found in Murbil Kilmir’s cottage.”

“So…these ‘eye-blades’ who or what are they?” I asked.

Seth and Ellawyn came outside and were listening into the conversation. “These human eyeblades, Mistress Safiya, they are a different matter,” Seth interjected. “Are these the figures you spied hiding among the trees, Master Rogue?”

“Aye, Master Mage, They are dressed in loose black clothing and their daggers are chipped from the same coloured glass that be on the holy symbols. Each eyeblade has a leather cord wrapped around its wrist, and a number of mummified eyes are threaded through—trophies claimed from previous victims to be sure.”

“I do not wish to alarm you, my friends,” Mistress Katia interrupted, “but I wandered through the outskirts of the village and found a hidden path leading into the forest. But there be blood trails in its wake. This section of forest, tis’ dense and unwelcoming, but it seems tis' the path we must take.”

“Well that is it, then, we pack and best be on our way. We have much ground to cover. I checked the arcane energy yet again and found it leads on the same path to the cave. Best we make haste while the light leads us. I do not wish to be in this place when the sun sleeps.”

We packed as many goods as we could carry, dressed in our armour, and armed ourselves with weapons of our choice. “Master Barbarian.” I called to Teagan. “We would wish that you lead us being the great and brave warrior you be.”

Teagan smiled and with a spring in his step, as much as a Barbarian could ‘spring’, he took the lead.

“May the bones of our foes gleam under the sun? Shall we depart?” I said.

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.