A few days before...
The ocean waves calmed for a short while and Glaumring went down under the reeling stars and black sky to the shore of the Storms keep it was nearly the morning as he made his way down the ocean bank path, reaching the pebble beach there he stood and waited next to his small fishing boat, for now the moon was gone and there on the horizon the aqua-bands of clouds and winter sun rays began their awakening as they do every day. The sun different here than his far homeland. The sky was so clear today. Usually dark and forboding in winter.
One of his men came down the shore and was holding a small bird, Glaumring stripped off his clothing and it was dreadfully cold, he layed his magical breastplate on the beach and put his cloak ontop of it. All he wore now was a loincloth. He shivered and dipped his toes into the water.
"Sire, you desire ta' go out into this hellish frost and do what upon here waves?" the man holding the small bird said as he approached Glaumring.
Glaumrings teeth chattered, and he slipped on a stone and wobbled as he reached the seashore, placing his foot into the water.
"It's not like where I was born, the water here is terribly cold..." He looked about and stood, his ankles in the water.
And he thought to himself for a moment and then absently said to no one " Its very cold here.."
"Ye, plan on fishing sire?"
"Aye, this is the time of year down south for flying fish... But, I see none are here, just grey water..."
"The Auspicious star is full milord, methinks if ye cast a net out you may get something..."
"Haw..." Glaumring laughed and looked around and jokingly looked suspicious "I seem to be rather lucky at only catching priests in these frigid north lands."
"Aye milord, be careful about talking bout' the stars, thar may be some fish out there who thinks he can catch a man" The old man on the beach laughed at his own joke.
Glaumring smiled, and dove into the water, freezing ice water, shocking him, rejuvenating him and cleaning him to the very marrow.
An hour or so later
Upon returning to shore with a fish, Glaumring took out his knife... skinned the fish... Gutted it and then ate it raw.
When will you arrive in Corsanctum?I have a question for the High Prophet if you happen upon him but do not say anything to any other. I desire the skills , the technology to construct a thing called a telescope, maybe you have heard of this , it may be known to the high prophet... Storms keep is the farthest north Kingdom in the land and when the storms have subsided the sky is very very clear and because much our view is northern Ocean we in Storms keep are better situated at times to study the stars than any other. Procure for me a telescope. And I shall send to The Holy Prophet a package of 'Bloodmoon' for him to study.
The letter arrived as if pulled by the very wind and was left in Glaumrings hand, he studied it for a moment, and his heart sank, it was from Corsanctum...
he peeled the seal and read through the letter, upon finishing it he slowly placed it in his cloak. His men were gathered around for they were on patrol in Storms end , they saw Glaumrings face.
"I have been found not guilty...." He said to everyone around him.
His men shouted and cheered, everyone was filled with relief and whatever dark clouds that roiled around them were now gone. Fittingly , as if planned by fate, standing in a place called Storms end , truly the stars guided every thing for this was no coincidence...Nothing was coincidence, it was all ordained. Everything that had happened was like clockwork like the very fluctuation of the heavens.
"When we return to Storms keep there will be a river of wine flowing down the torrents breath all the way to Holy Corsanctum! And we shall mark this day as a festival forevermore... Festival of the Storms end"
And with that his men were back at work, toil of building barricades and packing sand. Dreams of bloodmoon and nubile young maidens dancing in their heads.
Glaumring procured his horse, the thin and sickly animal trotted out and snorted. Glaumring patted its nose and brushed it a bit. The horses had been hungry since the retreat to Storms Keep, come to think of it the entire fortress looked thin and sickly. Even Randemicos who usually was fit was looking grey in the face and a bit gaunt. The entire fortress was starving. Rations had been halved and then again and then doled out on a wooden spoon.
Hell, how long had it been since anyone had actually slept? Ages, Glaumring remembered a soft bed in Muspelheim that is probably being slept in by a Morekian. His bed had been wherever he laid his head lately.
Randemicos brought his horse around, he was dressed in regalia , sword at side and holding a banner. Off they went to Storms end , rumor was that the monsters had finally left. The monsters were different than most monsters it seemed, it seemed they were only interested in drinking and chasing maidens. After all of that was gone they headed back in a shamble to their base in Valldir dragging their spoils and loot behind them.
Leaving Storms Keep the plain ahead was like a dream or nightmare, the spinning howling wind kites had probably scared off the monsters, their eery howls echoed across the open expanse, the myriad of wooden sharpened pit traps and brick walls with scarecrows on them also added to the effect. So far it seemed to work against the monsters.
There was a bit of a ride ahead, the two men rode slowly and were lulled by the gait of the horses. The sun was setting and red bands with orange clouds sat silently dreamlike on the edge of the world.
King Glaumring was dug in on the frontlines of Storms End with a raging horde of batfaced and leathery skinned howling beasts piling down on their rickety defenses from all sides. His men were loosing arrows and hacking with their short swords. Black sky tormented clouds and driving wind and rain did cloak all about with a paranoid aura of desperation and depression. Now the beasts were upon them and the sick slicing and hacking sounds raced through the trench line, sucking mud and blood mixed with the monsters howling.
Driving rain made the combat a quagmire, the trench now had been destroyed with streams of water, and then men were hacking away as if in slow motion or near drowning in the mire.
All the while Glaumring was with bow and above on a mud made tower rabid with battle lust and bezerk firing down and cursing in his tongue. None, no monster would make its way or break the line for behind them was the impenetrable Storms keep and even if the monsters made it there they would be dead and obliterated on the marksmanship of its daring defenders.
"Hold the line you dogs! For now if like water torrent of rivers breath these monsters make their way to our beloved tower, they will have broken us and men from Morek to Luries will laugh and say over meads that 'Somans did fold to monster and not to the will mankind!" And with that Glaumring notched his bow and let fly a black arrow , one after another and now the monsters had broken through the General Randemicos line and Sahkmen fighting with scimitar swords in dark glinting and sound of death all to mark their place on the battlefield with brief flashes of lightening like strobe to show where man was an beast did fall.
And soon when death was assured the monsterous beasts heard their trumpet of retreat and turned as if with one mind away from the battlefield. Glaumring grabbed up his sword and drove it deep into the ground with exhaustion or now weeks had passed without respite, none had come to relieve these fighters, three nobles did stand against the entire world it seemed.
And with that he he called a person who could write and he kneeled holdin' his sword in hand and said.
I, King Glaumring Apasurain, of my own free will and accord, most solemnly and sincerely swear that I shall from this day forth bind myself to the safekeeping of the one, true Church of Sanguis Astroism. My sword shall be as the Maddening Star, driven by my conviction and strength in defense of the Temple. My shield shall be as the Auspicious Star, borne by my constancy and conscience in protection of the Priesthood. My helm shall be as the Austere Star, guided by my fidelity and judgement in preserving the Faith. To survive these hard times to free the 'soman people , to eat the bloodmoon fruit and find knowledge and fight to the ends of this earth for the stars, All this I promise, in the name of the most Holy Bloodstars.
And with that he gave word for this oath to be delivered to the very depths of Corsanctum and Sanguis Astroism Believers.
King Glaumring saw something glinting moving down on the plain, now sun had cracked the sky in parts and beams of light drifted over the hilllands of far Torrents breath mountain range.
"What is that there yonder light?" Glaumring pointed, he wished he has gotten the telescopes he had ordered , but the priest that was sent to Corsanctum defected, so the telescopes never came. Relying on his own eyes he strained to see that it was a man picking and uneasily making his way across the wasteland.
"Go down and there bring up this fool, wandering down there." Glaumring ordered a few of him men to leave the trench and head down towards the man. Who could it be Glaumring thought to himself.
In time the man was delivered to the mud battlement and there quite out of place dressed in finery long not seen in these northlands, with page boy hair and young unscarred features was a simple delivery boy, in his hands a bottle of wine.
The howling and screeching had not faded in weeks, the walls now were being assailed from all sides by the leathery bat like manthings. Refugees could be seen being slaughtered as they desperately ran towards Storms Keep, but were too slow to make it across that deadly plain.
King Glaumring was on the wall and with his men with dwindling arrows and swords that have not been cleaned of muck or blood in what seemed ages, valiantly they fought back the hordes.
Wind whipped the bloodmoon banner in the dark clouded sky at the back of Glaumring on the top of the Storm tower. And Glaumring glanced it rippling and when the wind did still, it lightly drifted down and limply in depression sat and did not move.
" Blast this damned beasts! For them to think that here they may come!" Yelled out the Captain Sigmund as he began to hurl stones down on the oncoming horde. Beating them back, and then...
There was a lull and none could be heard or seen, and for a moment all was quiet...
Glaumring and men braced themselves against the walls and breathing heavily and with eyes like a deers darting about , they strained their ears to listen.
Then there it was a high pitched wailing and there below they saw no monsters but heard the sounds of trumpets. The high sound of paranoia, and then the low chest thudding slow barking of a heavy tin trumpet. His men were in terror and everyone was there and begged to be run off and hidden. Glaumring stayed them and here with hand on each of their shoulders and with his eyes looking clearly to them he said,
Aye, lo' there ye hear the sound of our doom, aye, I shall not hold this back and cover it with sweet honey nor assauge your fears with words like a fine maiden, Nay, for now down on the plain is host of hell. Like Virovene in ages gone by with Daimons hordes in times forgotten , overrun and its name forgotten , like those times Thulsoma now stands on the precipice and lo' be known that none came to stand with us , and none of the fellow brethern could be bothered for Thulsoma was and always will be the bastard child of this cursed eastern land for not even the Bloodstars will shine over us here, they must rest in the west far from this cesspool. Aye Thulsomans for though it is possible that here we will all die and everyone of us broken and bones split on the wheel , I will assure you that we will be fighters forged forever because of here we stand.
Now stand with me now, rise Thulsomans! Rise now for we do not despise death nor fear its arrival, for a Thulsoman's only fear is the passage of time on nights of drinking! Raise your swords and mighty bows high and with all that wonder and moon over head , dip your blades deep into its white face and bring it crashing down into the face of the earth! FIGHT! FIGHT! Swing your sword as if possesed by the very heart of madness!
And there Glaumring climbed high onto the fortress wall, his sword held high above his head, swinging he cut the air and with that he cast his eyes downwards the long fall and there saw a massive seething horde of beasts as if maggots in a bowl slithering down on the plain and devouring the very wood on the door of the keep.
He cast himself over the side of the wall and fell for sometime and then was gone enveloped by the mass of monsters, gone from sight...
From the mass of beasts King Glaumring could be seen fleetingly as he hacked with all his might. Thick pools of gore and blood did make like black rain upon everything, the ground was a slick slime of entrails and dead monsters. He fought as if mad, his eyes rolling , choking on his own tongue, utterly bezerk and out of control a dervish of doom. And soon when his sword was broken to pieces and all that was left was a shard with hilt and his armor bashed and torn, his body covered in blood, The rest of King Glaumrings men rushed forward from the city gates. General Randemicos lead the charge with Sahkmen Moonseek and Lady Jasmine, their men a haggard wounded scraggle of what could pass for soldiers but they fought with all that they had and just as all was thick battle and terror all about...The monsters were completely surrounding them on all sides... A banner could be seen...
From the east a banner and new troops crashed through catching the monsters by surprise! Riding a fresh white horse and flailing his sword a young looking man rode full force into the face of doom. King Glaumring raised his sword and let out a rallying whoop, yell and was absorbed like a rock in a wave as his men rushed to meet this new group of soldiers.
"Who are you?" Yelled Glaumring above the melee.
"Knight Davior Runevan, I have heard of your plight and came as fast as I could from my estate in Storms end" he said,
Glaumring was filled with hope, he was actually happy for the first time in what seemed many many dreary weeks... They would be able to fight on... They would have one more day to survive... The Bloodstars had listened to their prayers.
