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| A Lost Hero and a Terrible Wyrm |
Upon entering the shimmering gate in the dream realm, we found ourselves lost amidst a queer forest. We stood in a shallow creek, and followed our watery path until we came to a great tree, guided all the while by Tom Thumb. It felt strange in that place, for though there was a serene quietness, I could not help but feel as though we were not alone. This confusing feeling was soon cleared up though, for upon reaching the tree, it's great trunk twisted about to face us, and in its bark we could clearly make out the visage of a humanoid face. Tom informed us that , using the dream realm created by the candle jumping ritual as a midpoint, we had found our way into his and Thumbelina's people's version of the afterlife, and we were in the presence of a once powerful and respected elder of their people. It was then that we were told a great story, though Tom had to translate the elder's strange words.
For according to the legends of the Fire Lilly Tribe (for that is what Thumbelina's people were called), Gray Realm was once a barren land, devoid of all life, a dark and frigid desert. One day, Belebog himself, lord of light and the sun, saw fit to create a small well, with waters blessed by his divine power, and by this well he planted Gray Realm's first seed. Drinking up the enchanted water of the well, this seed grew to great and glorious tree, Irminsul as the Fire Lilly Tribe called it- a world tree that brought life to the barren land. For Irminsul was followed by hundreds and thousands of trees, creating the great forest of Avalon, and so too did living things come to Gray Realm, springing up from the enchanted forest and making their way out and towards the sea. But the first and greatest of all living things in Gray Realm were the Flower Drakes: curious draconic beings with holy power, the creatures that came to our aid against the Kala Demon. The Flower Drakes sought to protect Irminsul and preserve it, and so they created the Fire Lilly tribe to aid them, birthing the fairies from flowers that grew under Irminsul's protection. For many ages, the Flower Drakes and the Fire Lilly Tribe lived in peace in the shade of Irminsul, but alas such times are not meant to last. For the fell Lindorms who lived deep under mountains and hills to the North rode to war against the Flower Drake's, for you see their leader, Veles the Night Serpent had been trapped under Irminsul's roots by his nemesis, Perun the Storm Lord (I remember that guy!), and the Flower Drake's refused to allow the Lindorms to free their dark lord, fearing Irminsul would be destroyed in the process. The Fire Lilly warriors proved more powerful than the Lindorms reckoned, for despite their tiny stature they commanded great magicks, and so the Lindorms sought to make soldiers of their own. This ultimately lead to the creation of Kala and the Wolf Tribe, who would go on to wipe out the Fire Lillies and the Flower Drakes, freeing Veles and doing great damage to the forest that would not repair itself for a great long time. However, before the Wolf Tribe came to the Fire Lilly lands, the elders sought a way to preserve their people and the Flower Drakes even if they should be defeated. It was then that they created very special seeds, which would grow into powerful beings. In one seed they stored the knowledge of the Fire Lilly Tribe, which would grow into a new King who would lead the the tribe when they were resurrected anew. In the other seed was stored their magical and military might, and this seed would give birth to a great warrior who would defend the newborn tribe from harm. These seeds were then sent off to different parts of Gray Realm for their protection, but someday the occupants of the seeds would be drawn back to the great Tree, and upon reaching the Well deep underground, their destinies would be fulfilled...
Upon returning from the dream realm, Oberon asked us to journey forth towards Irminsul, for he believed that with the aid of the Flower Drakes, the tide could be turned against the Wild Hunt and the Unseelie Court. Thus did we set out for Thumbelina's homeland, though Tom Thumb, weakened and sick after the experience of the ritual, would have to accompany us in Johan's satchel. However, before leaving Oberon's hall, he gave us a fell warning. For you see, the Lindorms sent a great lieutenant of their ranks to guard the Well: Fafnir the Terrible, a great and powerful Lindorm with fell magicks at his command. A legendary hero by the Name of Siegfried had once journeyed forth to slay Fafnir, but alas, this Siegfried had never returned. As a final warning, Oberon asked us to not partake of any of Fafnir's treasure should we face him, for it was said to be cursed...
Upon arriving at the base of Irminsul, we were greeted by a curious figure: a lanky Dwarven wizard he was, and he was napping atop a pile of dead, giant beetles. However, the most curious aspect of this fellow was that he had a rusty axe blade embedded in his forehead, though it seemed not to bother him. Piknik seemed to recognize the fellow as an old friend, and greeted him as "Axe-Face" (shocker...). This Axe-Face, pleasantly surprised to see his old friend again, informed us that he used to have visions of Irminsul, and sought it out as he believed it was calling to him to be its protector. He had been residing in the ruins of the Fire Lilly Tribe's kingdom, defending the Tree from magical creatures and insects, and lead us to the path to the Well. Before departing to face Fafnir, Axe-Face gave us a final cryptic warning, stating plainly, "there's a dragon down there that turns people into dragons."
Though the path to Well would have been well kept in the care of the Fire Lilly Tribe, years of neglect had turned it into a dark and foreboding cavern, and what was more many creatures had burrowed in and made residence in the tunnels, greatly hindering our advance. Two disturbing things did I discover whilst battling through that dark, damp place: 1) Johan and Elsa had an ulterior motive for journeying to face Fafnir, for I overheard them speaking something about a sword, and how this mysterious curse would hinder their plans, and 2) the dilapidated journal of poor Siegfried. Many pages were missing, and many were damaged and stained beyond recognition, but the entries I could make out were grim, and did not bode well. For Siegfried had in fact slain Fafnir long ago, and though this news made me glad, the news that followed returned my misery twice over. For it would seem that Siegfried had been claimed by the curse of the treasure, driving him to madness! He would not leave the cave for fear of someone making off with his horde, though he claimed he had found supernatural powers upon consuming Fafnir's heart and flesh. I had my suspicions that we would run into Siegfried eventually, though in what form I could not say, so I kept this information to myself.
While resting between battles, Johan and Elsa revealed there hidden intent: After finally defeating the Pale Queen, we would need to replace her with a new monarch lest the lands be plunged into chaos. Elsa's story had already been spread throughout the land, and the people had become greatly endeared to her, and thus she seemed a ripe candidate. Furthermore, Elsa was in fact a distant relative of Siegfried, and though his line had officially ended, she would have a claim to royal blood. Johan and Elsa then had planned to retrieve Siegfried's sword as a means of solidifying her claim to leadership, though the curse complicated matters. As far as they knew, Siegfried had been killed by the Lindorm and his sword claimed as part of the horde, and therefore was under the curse. I too believed the sword would be cursed, though obviously for different reasons...
We soon found the cursed horde of the Lindorm and readied ourselves for the impending attack, but my friends were greatly surprised to find a much different type of monster wandering those halls. Gaunt and blind and raving in his loneliness, we came upon the ancient and pitiable Siegfried of legend. He called out to us, demanding an explanation for our intrusion into his lair, and even when presented with the plight of Elsa, his heir, he raved suspiciously, and of dark things. Poor Kamien tried to take the sword by force, and though he be the stoutest and mightiest warrior of our party, Siegfried sent him reeling with a single kick! A darkness took Siegfried then, and screaming his body twisted and contorted as his frail mortal form gave way to a great and terrible wyrm!
We fought with Siegfried long, and he proved a deadly opponent, proving more than a match for even our strongest warriors. Thumbelina and Piknik both sent volleys of powerful spells towards the hellish thing, and still he strove forth, madly and violently. I have no illusions about my role in our party: I am but a humble bard, here to record what I can for future generations. I knew I would only be in the way for this fight and thus, riding a giant beetle I had tamed in an earlier corridor, I attempted to find my way towards the Well. Many details of the battle have been recounted to me by my friends, describing the terror of Siegfried's claws and fangs, and how he spewed a stream of steaming blood that burned and nearly drowned several of them. Twas Elsa who landed the final blow, for in a weakened state Siegfried became human once more, and Elsa planted an arrow directly between his blind eyes.
Not sure what to do with the sword for now, most of the party followed me down to the Well (Piknik stayed behind to sit on Siegfried's throne and play with the sword). Tom, suddenly emboldened by being so close to Irminsul's roots, leaped from Johan's satchel and commanded Thumbelina to present her birth petal, which she had carried with her after she hatched from a rose so many years ago. Holding hands with Tom, she placed the petal atop the water, and they both touched its surface. The water began to swirl and churn, and a great green light burst forth, and in this light a swarm of Flower Drakes flew threw the air and back towards the tunnel. When the light receded, we found the Well dry, though the birth petal rested at the base of the Well. We were greatly surprised though when the petal began to levitate, and twisted and contorted itself to form a great red Flower Drake! This new being nestled up to Thumbelina, and speaking in the common tongue, thanked her for her great efforts in restoring what had been lost. The red Flower Drake lead us up the tunnel, excited to show us all that we had achieved. The other Flower Drakes had already restored the tunnel to its proper form, and as such the dark halls were now lit with floating green orbs, and the fell creatures had been cleared out. Unfortunately, the great piles of treasure had been destroyed, and in their place great mounds of moss and flowers rose up instead. Piknik was found in a very disheartened state, for the sword had indeed been under the curse too, and its blade had been eroded away by the Flower Drakes. Piknim sat clutching the hilt only, but the Flower Drake said it understood our need for the blade, and used its magic to form a new, green blade that sprouted from the hilt (being of good humor, Johan allowed Piknik to keep the sword until he and Elsa would need it). Upon reaching the surface again, we saw the beautiful birthing fields of the Fire Lilly Tribe, once empty and barren but now covered in flowers nearly ready to bloom with new fairies. Finally, Tom and Thumbelina were shown to the restored castle keep of their people, where Tom was presented with kingly robes, and Thumbelina was granted Holy Chitin Armor, an honoured boon of past warriors. We were about to return to Oberon in triumph when we bumped back into Axe-Face, who informed us some strange soldiers were asking for us, who claimed that King Oberon was already dead...
*this entry's illustration was done in the style of Mike Mignola, creator the long running Hellboy graphic novel series, which came to a poignant and beautiful ending earlier this week. Rest easy Hellboy, the dark and frightening things that go bump in the night will never be the same without you!
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