Post by Caldrith on Apr 24, 2004 8:26:31 GMT
Dawn peeked over the horizon and exhaled a warm air that breathed life into the river valley below. A small figure crouched, watching the bees move over the newly opened flowers. The smell of frying ham wafted over the area and he temporarily forgot the fascinating bees as he realized his own hunger. He needn't wait long.
"Caldrith!" his mother's beautiful voice called from their camp.
The thought of his two parents put a grin on his face and he did a cartwheel followed by a roll that rought him sitting on his rump in front of their small cooking fire. His mother set a plate bore him and he tore into it, ignoring the disapproving glances from his mother. Despite this she looked at him with a fierce pride.
They had come camping for his 12th birthday. He had immediately taken to the outdoors to little surprise to his parents; she being a druid, and his father a ranger. Caldrith had his mother's hair, a pale blonde many would call white. Even now she could tell he would grow up to look like his father, quite handsome with that elvish delicacy. She smiled at her son which caught his eye. He grinned back at her before throwing himself at her in a hug.
With permission from his mother Caldrith went back to enjoying the wonders of nature. Finding he was deep in the woods he looked at his surroundings. He had come to a small clover field enclosed by hemlocks. In the center of the field was a mound that he soon realized was a body. Caldrith's curiosity led him forward. It was an orc who had fallen asleep in the warm summer sun. Caldrith, having heard of orcs in stories, jumped back in with surprise. As he jumped up he caught his foot on the orc's ax and fell to the clover in a heap. The orc was instantly on his feet, ax in hand. It looked around sleepily before noticing the cowering elf at his feet. The orc smiled and licked it's lips.
"Little elfy boy..." it grunted baring it's dirty teeth.
The orc raised it's ax to strike and Caldrith closed his eyes, preparing for the blow. It never came. Caldrith slowly opened one eye, then the other. An arrowhead protruded from the from the middle of the orc's forehead and it's eyes were screwed up, as if trying to look at the arrow. Caldrith just had time to roll out before the orc fell where he previously lay. The elf stood there, horrified, watching the blood seep into the ground. He didn't notice the fugure drop from the trees.
"Caldrith!" his father was trotting up, bow in hand.
Caldrith couldn't take his eyes off the dead orc. How could a living thing have been so ready to kill another living thing?
A hand fell on his shoulder and his father spoke in a soothing tone, "We must go son. Where one orc lay, evil is sure to be nearby."
Caldrith tore his eyes away from the corpse and rested them on his father's bow. The smooth, dark wood, the taught bowstring, it was extraordinarilly crafted. Before it had been mysterious and beautiful, passed down through the generations of his father's family. Now Caldrith was scared of the bow.
Caldrith looked into his father's eyes and saw them in a new light. He could see the happiness Caldrith and his mother gave him, but he could now also see the pain in killing. In all of this Caldrith had a new understanding of his father, and it scared him. They nodded to one another silently and trotted back into the woods towards camp.
They both heard it before they saw it, the sound of steel on steel; the sound of battle. Caldrith's father looked at Caldrith and he could see his father was scared. This terrified Caldrith. One as powerful as his father was scared? Caldrith then realized that his father wasn't leading him towards camp, but towards the river. The sound of battle drew nearer.
"Get in the boat," his father whispered to Caldrith. The two of them crouched next to the hollowed out log they had used to fisht the river from. Caldrith crawled in and lay so he could just see over the top. His father placed the bow next to Caldrith and pulled a long string of leather from inside his shirt. A whip Caldrith realized.
His father pointed to the bow, "Lear to use it well, and it will be your most prized pocession."
He held up the whip, "A tradition in your mother's family, from before the drow went below the earth."
Without further explanation he kissed Caldrith on the forehead. Caldrith's mother burst our of the woods to the river shoreline. She carried her whip in her hand and looked exhausted. Blood was splattered on her dress. In close pursuit, four elves in black burst out of the woods behind her. Caldrith's father pushed the boat into the river and it seemed to float in the middle without moving, dooming Caldrith to watch the scene unfold. Caldrith's mother had her eyes closed and was chanting while Caldrith's father drew a long thin blade from his quiver of arrows. Two more elves in black came out of the woods, these bleeding from cuts on their bodies. The attackers carried a variety of weapons and began to circle Caldrith's parents. He closed his eyes.
As he finally heard the shouts and steel clangs cease and he dared to peek up over the edge of the boat. Three of the elves in black lay dead on the bank and the other three floated face down in the water. Caldrith watched in terror his mother bent crying over the face up floating body of his father. Caldrith began to sob in anguish.
A lone figure caught his gaze through teary eyes. The man seemed to float, his feet inches from the ground. Caldrith's eyes met the figure's. The eyes seemed to bore right through him, sending a chill down Caldrith's spine that made him want to scream. The man gave a cold smile and began to chant, never taking his eyes off Caldrith. Entranced, Caldrith couldn't move, frozen in fear. As he watched, purple orbs materialized in the figure's hands. The orbs took on a life of their own and began to float quickly towards Caldrith, but they never made it. Caldrith's mother stood between him and the man. The orbs struck her full front in her chest and she was thrown back into the river with a splash. Smoke curled lazily into the sky from the burnt hole the orbs left. Caldrith screamed as the boat began to float downstream.
The lone figure just pointed at Caldrith and said, "For the rest of your life, you are cursed like your parents... you will be hunted."
Caldrith rounded a bend in the river and the carnage was lost from sight. The handsome elf boy with hair of white, lay sobbing on the bottom of the boat... celebrating his birthday.
Caldrith's Oath
I have seen the evil in the darkest woods,
I have hunted that which hunts me,
I am pure of heart,
Though I seek vengeance,
I am Caldrith,
Bane of Evil
"Caldrith!" his mother's beautiful voice called from their camp.
The thought of his two parents put a grin on his face and he did a cartwheel followed by a roll that rought him sitting on his rump in front of their small cooking fire. His mother set a plate bore him and he tore into it, ignoring the disapproving glances from his mother. Despite this she looked at him with a fierce pride.
They had come camping for his 12th birthday. He had immediately taken to the outdoors to little surprise to his parents; she being a druid, and his father a ranger. Caldrith had his mother's hair, a pale blonde many would call white. Even now she could tell he would grow up to look like his father, quite handsome with that elvish delicacy. She smiled at her son which caught his eye. He grinned back at her before throwing himself at her in a hug.
With permission from his mother Caldrith went back to enjoying the wonders of nature. Finding he was deep in the woods he looked at his surroundings. He had come to a small clover field enclosed by hemlocks. In the center of the field was a mound that he soon realized was a body. Caldrith's curiosity led him forward. It was an orc who had fallen asleep in the warm summer sun. Caldrith, having heard of orcs in stories, jumped back in with surprise. As he jumped up he caught his foot on the orc's ax and fell to the clover in a heap. The orc was instantly on his feet, ax in hand. It looked around sleepily before noticing the cowering elf at his feet. The orc smiled and licked it's lips.
"Little elfy boy..." it grunted baring it's dirty teeth.
The orc raised it's ax to strike and Caldrith closed his eyes, preparing for the blow. It never came. Caldrith slowly opened one eye, then the other. An arrowhead protruded from the from the middle of the orc's forehead and it's eyes were screwed up, as if trying to look at the arrow. Caldrith just had time to roll out before the orc fell where he previously lay. The elf stood there, horrified, watching the blood seep into the ground. He didn't notice the fugure drop from the trees.
"Caldrith!" his father was trotting up, bow in hand.
Caldrith couldn't take his eyes off the dead orc. How could a living thing have been so ready to kill another living thing?
A hand fell on his shoulder and his father spoke in a soothing tone, "We must go son. Where one orc lay, evil is sure to be nearby."
Caldrith tore his eyes away from the corpse and rested them on his father's bow. The smooth, dark wood, the taught bowstring, it was extraordinarilly crafted. Before it had been mysterious and beautiful, passed down through the generations of his father's family. Now Caldrith was scared of the bow.
Caldrith looked into his father's eyes and saw them in a new light. He could see the happiness Caldrith and his mother gave him, but he could now also see the pain in killing. In all of this Caldrith had a new understanding of his father, and it scared him. They nodded to one another silently and trotted back into the woods towards camp.
They both heard it before they saw it, the sound of steel on steel; the sound of battle. Caldrith's father looked at Caldrith and he could see his father was scared. This terrified Caldrith. One as powerful as his father was scared? Caldrith then realized that his father wasn't leading him towards camp, but towards the river. The sound of battle drew nearer.
"Get in the boat," his father whispered to Caldrith. The two of them crouched next to the hollowed out log they had used to fisht the river from. Caldrith crawled in and lay so he could just see over the top. His father placed the bow next to Caldrith and pulled a long string of leather from inside his shirt. A whip Caldrith realized.
His father pointed to the bow, "Lear to use it well, and it will be your most prized pocession."
He held up the whip, "A tradition in your mother's family, from before the drow went below the earth."
Without further explanation he kissed Caldrith on the forehead. Caldrith's mother burst our of the woods to the river shoreline. She carried her whip in her hand and looked exhausted. Blood was splattered on her dress. In close pursuit, four elves in black burst out of the woods behind her. Caldrith's father pushed the boat into the river and it seemed to float in the middle without moving, dooming Caldrith to watch the scene unfold. Caldrith's mother had her eyes closed and was chanting while Caldrith's father drew a long thin blade from his quiver of arrows. Two more elves in black came out of the woods, these bleeding from cuts on their bodies. The attackers carried a variety of weapons and began to circle Caldrith's parents. He closed his eyes.
As he finally heard the shouts and steel clangs cease and he dared to peek up over the edge of the boat. Three of the elves in black lay dead on the bank and the other three floated face down in the water. Caldrith watched in terror his mother bent crying over the face up floating body of his father. Caldrith began to sob in anguish.
A lone figure caught his gaze through teary eyes. The man seemed to float, his feet inches from the ground. Caldrith's eyes met the figure's. The eyes seemed to bore right through him, sending a chill down Caldrith's spine that made him want to scream. The man gave a cold smile and began to chant, never taking his eyes off Caldrith. Entranced, Caldrith couldn't move, frozen in fear. As he watched, purple orbs materialized in the figure's hands. The orbs took on a life of their own and began to float quickly towards Caldrith, but they never made it. Caldrith's mother stood between him and the man. The orbs struck her full front in her chest and she was thrown back into the river with a splash. Smoke curled lazily into the sky from the burnt hole the orbs left. Caldrith screamed as the boat began to float downstream.
The lone figure just pointed at Caldrith and said, "For the rest of your life, you are cursed like your parents... you will be hunted."
Caldrith rounded a bend in the river and the carnage was lost from sight. The handsome elf boy with hair of white, lay sobbing on the bottom of the boat... celebrating his birthday.
Caldrith's Oath
I have seen the evil in the darkest woods,
I have hunted that which hunts me,
I am pure of heart,
Though I seek vengeance,
I am Caldrith,
Bane of Evil
**
