Author Topic: History of the founding of Thulsoma.  (Read 3515 times)

Glaumring the Fox

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History of the founding of Thulsoma.
« Topic Start: March 24, 2011, 01:59:57 PM »
This is pre-Saxon invasion history, during the fall of Virovene and the rise of the original Thulsomans


The Maddening star had pointed the way. And with it now in full ascendancy in the night sky somewhere far away. Glaumring stood before the thick thorn and foilage of an abandoned tower on the very edge of the northern world.

It was long ago known as the Storms keep and for ages long forgotten it had been abandoned. Glaumring unfurled his flag of his family house of Bloodmoon and stuck it deep into the ground, the flag did not unfurl but hung limply in the dead air...

Fellow brethern of Sanguis Astroism, I have come from far  down south beyond the reach of the blood stars church in a land that when I was a child was bound by superstition and local folklore, Port Raviel. We knew of the blood stars as anyone would see them if they were inclined to study them. But survival was precedent , far above study, as  a child I grew up within the walls of the city and we were under constant attack from monster and beast, life was short it was hard and filled with terrible fates for men... Soon as of the recent years others, ,more organized men of renown came to Port Raviel and liberated the cities from the monster scourge.

They spoke to us of the outside world, we were curious, but life in Port Raviel was good... That was until it was all taken away.

I will not go into that story to deeply, I was without home and wandered the land as far west as the Volcano and there had seen things of great horror and north to a land called 'Terran' where the nobles fought against hordes of monsters in their wooden fortresses. And then as time progressed I had heard of far Virovene and Springdale... Of course we had all been told of these places... But something called me.

I arrived in Virovene at the end of the war, But at all sides my new nation was beset many perils, the dead did pile in the streets and starvation wrecked the land. Nations amongst us hostile, and there in Virovene passing soldiers of Morek and the Ravians, called us the children of the Maddening star...

It was written in their books, "Here in year one of the children of the maddening star"

And there it was that it struck me, for our people to survive would not require Austere actions, it would not require Auspicious, for these were cultivated by men that could afford the standing... We would survive by becoming unpredictable... Madness for some is insanity... Insanity for some is chaos... Chaos is unpredictable...

To be unpredictable is to float  and pass through the paths well taken, to think like no other man... To do things that all other men would consider ' Madness'

Does this sound like the words of a heretic?

To follow the stars with such awareness and using each one as they shift through their phases... Aye, if I am a heretic than you are all madmen...



We live lives in beautiful lies...

Glaumring the Fox

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Re: History of the founding of Thulsoma.
« Reply #1: March 24, 2011, 02:00:41 PM »
Glaumring tore into the flesh of the beast laying in front of him with his teeth, slicing tendons with his dagger, tearing the charred meat from the leg, steam and smoke rose from the haunch , fresh roasted monster meat. Randemicos had been hunting and returned with food. the first food seen in days, or was it weeks? Glaumring could no longer remember...

On his lap lay a pile of musty letters, each letter was gold sealed and with red Corsanctum emblem stamped upon their face, an entire pile of letters. Scrawled upon was the bloodstars, dusted with gold, ruby dust... Forgotten things from far away lands...

Glaumring turned to Randemicos, he smiled a weary smile and said.

" They in far civilization have made an accusation against myself, that 'I'  am a heretic...I a soldier of the faith out here on the fringes of their empire where none have trod before, a heretic!"

Glaumring suppressed his laugh, it merely sputtered out and wheezed, he tossed the letter into a pile.

"Can they not see I have greater problems than to worry about whether men who sit in silk and attack books with pen are concerned about what warriors do? If they truly cared they would send one of their priests out here , to muddy his feet and come out here and see , to see what we have done in the name of the bloodstars!"

They were huddled in a dank room, and beyond the walls slices of sunlight came through cracks in the brickwork. Glaumring was filthy, his hair was a scraggled mess, blood and mud caked his face, his beard was bushy and out of control. Aye , but this is the price one paid for long journies into the northern mountain lands and forgotten forests of northern Dwilight.

Glaumring rose and crawled through a broken hole in the brick wall and entered a court yard that was disgustingly packed with soldiers, it was a rank steaming pile of dung and sweat, packed into a small place behind a wall were over a hundred men, wounded, dying, sleeping and waiting guards milled about in the early morning light.

Glaumring surveyed his men and wandered amongst them, they were in rough shape and for so long had been out and survived so much, he comforted the dying, he drank with his captain and sat and watched the horizon with his sentries.

There far out on plane, with sun drifting through the clouds, breaking with gold rays that lightly touched the green rolling grass , hills languished and made their way around where on each side the aqua blue northern ocean encompassed all for miles on each side in its loving embrace. And Glaumring was still and he did not move, and like a dust covered statue he watched as ocean going birds did dip across his vision, calling out and skipping around the towers of the keep they all now found as their home. Out side was thorns and miles of mud, hidden in there was the glowing stank animals of the underworld. But for now they were all safe... Safe from the monsters that bayed hungry for blood in the outside world.

Glaumring held his head and muttered to himself, his head has been so busy lately, there was so much to do and everything now weighted down on him at one time. The stars were testing him...

Night came and Glaumring called his men to the walls, when gathered he took from his cloak the clay disc made for him long ago in Port Raviel, and when all was silent, his men with faces upturned, no fire lit, no light for ages, the sky was an ocean of stars.Glaumring looked at each of their faces , all his loyal soldiers, all gathered here in far away for he nightly tales of the sky.

He placed the disc in his hand and made measurements with it, and spoke while he was doing it, drinking from a wine skin and answering questions his curious men did give, first his finger pointed to a symbol on the clay disc and then upwards to the moon, the bulbous orb did float where the symbol had said it was.

His finger traced a line .. There the star of the milk maiden... There the star of the fisherman... There the planet of fire...

The disc told of time, it gave dates and it told stories, and for each mark Glaumring could go back and tell the tale of a battle of a journey , of a life and of a death. And all sat and listened in the stillness, pipes of tobacco wafted smoke around and the wine skins passed around.

Glaumring traced a line on the clay disc, and he turned to his men, they could see his eyes and his face through the beard, his finger pointed to a place on the disc and Glaumring turned and pointed to the skies, far to the west... His men bowed their heads, they did not speak and for a moment they stopped drinking wine and murmuring... Glaumring stood there with his fingers pointing at the three stars far away in the west...

"They stood for ages...

They turned to dust...

There was no moon...

There was no sound of ocean on the shore..."

Glaumring said to no one...


We live lives in beautiful lies...

Glaumring the Fox

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Re: History of the founding of Thulsoma.
« Reply #2: March 24, 2011, 02:01:34 PM »
Glaumring called Randemicos and Sygrum down from their tower perch.

He stood in the center of the court yard of the Storm's keep fortress.

"See here? where we stand... Mark this spot, call the stone carver to come and carve our feet prints into the stone for eternity it will rest here... But first I ask, will ye serve me as my brothers here in the Storm's keep, to promise to defend here until the very waves take our bodies back to Elysium... Will you two brave souls take me as your King?  To fight with me against whatever assails these walls? To ride out into the world beyond and take new lands? To build a kingdom that stands for all time..."

Glaumring put his hand into the middle of the men and out stretched it upon his hand was the star disc from Port Raviel,He held it and motioned for each man to place their hand upon the disc.

"Once that is done I will need your help with something else, this is if you accept." Glaumring smiled,

Glaumring sat alone in his chamber and from where he sat facing away from the land he watched the roiling of the waves on the sea far below his stone keep home. The ocean was an allegory of the times, the very name of his home  a reflection of what he had been going through these few weeks.

Much had been accomplished, he had what appeared to be good nobles that worked with him. He appreciated their bravery and their cunning. But, he felt the isolation, the Storms keep must have been cursed, for millenia it must have sat here forgotten its place in history shrouded in mystery.

Glaumring rose and paced the room and then found what he was looking for, there on his simple wooden table was a leather pouch and when he reached inside was filled with small plum sized lumps of brown dried nuts, the bloodmoon nuts from the islands of the far south from the trees his father cultivated and taught him about were there and waiting for him. He placed one in his hand and then looking at it placed it in his mouth and began to chew...

There was a mirror in front of him and it floated reflecting the room in its surface but he was not there, there was now sunlight bathing the room in soft light where once wind and rain did batter its way around the tower, silent shifting tree's and the calling of birds. The mirror now had Glaumring in it and with each breath he would fade from its visage and then with each inhale appear, at first looking ragged, tired and worn and then with each pulse of his heart slowly returning to his youth...

"Glaumring?" there was a voice and softly floated like a feather out of the mirror.

"Glaumring do you hear me?" it once again whispered out of the mirror and Glaumring blinked , snow was gathered on his eye lashes and fell now throughout the room.

"Glaumring you have entered the cage, you have imprisoned yourself" the voice faded and Glaumring was alone.

Gathering the nuts into the pouch he went down to the courtyard to wait for General Randemicos to return from the outside world.

We live lives in beautiful lies...

Glaumring the Fox

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Re: History of the founding of Thulsoma.
« Reply #3: March 24, 2011, 02:02:55 PM »
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.



We live lives in beautiful lies...

Glaumring the Fox

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Re: History of the founding of Thulsoma.
« Reply #4: March 24, 2011, 02:03:18 PM »
Glaumring and his men had fought for weeks on end, food a place to sleep , even to remove ones armor was near impossible, if men could survive on moments of sleep they did. Fight and sleep, fight and sleep. And then one night they stopped and all was silent. The Monsters that had been howling and scaling the walls all week... Were gone.

The sky was clear, it was overcast but the moon was full, at times the clouds would break and light from the moon would come through and stars could be seen in the inky background.

Glaumring took a moment of time and sat with his star disc, on the wall, a moment of reflection, he lined up the moon and then drew a line across space, he found a collection of stars, the hunter, the maiden... But the Bloodstars were not there.

He rose and double checked, where were the stars? He turned and looked in panic across the courtyard... Where were the stars? The stars fluctuated but never had he seen them in darkness... Was it a sign?



Storms end was already a hell hole, and that was before the monsters and then the undead had come. The barren cleared land of trenches and monster kites was awash with more terrible images that surpassed the manmade contraptions that were supposed to strike fear in whatever deigned to come here. The frail and dirty citizenry, the peasants who squabbled and dug their pathetic existence from the muck and mire around the bulwarks of Storms end had been decimated. For miles great wooden steaks had been carved by the beasts and impaled upon them in rank maggot fly infested evil were the smashed and broken bodies of countless hundreds of men and women, hung, tied and beaten and half eaten.

King Glaumring rode his slow horse down from the Storms keep and felt saddened, not so much for the loss of life but for the loss of their defenses and now the hatred the peasants felt for high Thulsomans, they threw rocks and called names from their hiding spots. They mocked the general and his men. The wretched lot of filthy peasants would not be easily converted now.

King Glaumring dismounted from his horse and walked towards a ramshackle defense that the peasants had dug out and made with logs, he climbed the front and peered over the side. Down there huddled with makeshift bows and clubs were a sorry looking assortment of men and children, the women had long been destroyed, carried away and none now were here.

"Peoples of Storms end, I assure you now that we are here and will not leave... For you the darkness has passed and the storm has ended... Allow us back, we promise that we will not let you down."

The peasants were like animals, docile and weary. They dropped their weaponry and in their faces tears could be seen , streaking the mud from their faces.

They were too weak to fight here... but elsewhere, Glaumring knew that the peasants would not give up so easily. Even now , the king lamented having to fight his own people...



King Glaumring had heard there was newly arrived noble in the realm. He sat heavily in his makeshift chair under his banners in the mud. Nothing covered him from the rain. He sat with his fist ground into the side of his head in perpetual deep thought. When he was told he barely understood, and then was startled. As if awakening from a bad dream, he shook off whatever he was thinking before and was all of a sudden very animated.

"Send in this noble to me... This man must be extremely brave or extraordinarily... Crazy for coming up here through this infested region".

Glaumring grabbed the nearest servant and shook him roughly, they had failed to tell him it was not just a mere noble, it was the very Ambassador of holy Corsanctum, here in this infested hellhole. He straightened himself and dug inside his pouch and pulled out his dented tin crown and placed it awkwardly on his head, he fastened his bear cloak around him, hollaring and cursing all the while he made his men gather whatever tarpaline to make a tent, he gave an order that wine appear even if by magic in that tent, he did not care where it came from as long as it was there... And a fire!

 The Ambassador was sure to feel that Thulsomans were an uncivilized lot for none had even bathed in about 3 weeks nor shaven, their clothing was mud and bloodied. Compared to the civilized south, this lot would look like a mere chiefdom or plot for a rabble warlord.

 Things were done hastily, everyone was unproffessional, no one knew the proper edicate, but after a while everything was as ordered and Glaumring stood and waited impatiently for word from General Randemicos to arrive with the Ambassador.

The bottle of wine upon the table, a dish of Bloodmoon fruit and some dried fish... a chunk of horseflesh. Now all there was was to wait.

The ten flap is opened by a rough looking worn out soldier, he greets you with his head bowed, and when he grasps your hand he slips a small red nut or fruit into your palm, he mutters some unknown langauge and then touches his forehead.

"You have been blessed by the stars and the fruit that grows from their light, you may now enter, please relax there is no need for formalities now, any outsider who braves the trip to Thulsoma is considered a brother, you may eat as you wish and there is wine, I am afraid that the food is not what you would eat in Corsanctum. Come sit with me and rest..."

The soldier then leaves the room. In the back of the tent by a small bronze cauldron, sits a man draped in bear fur, a small crown sits dull upon his brow. He stands and touches his forehead with the same red fruit that the soldier blessed you with, he then places it on the small table by his side.

 " Come brother of the stars, come and sit you must be tired and I am eager for your tales of the outside world, sit and eat and warm yourself by the fire."

Glaumring poured some wine into a clay cup and laid it on the table in front of Ambassador Aelwolf. he then rummaged in his belt and pulled out a clay pipe and tobacco and stuffed it, lit it and then spoke.

"It is fantastic to finally meet you, I hope that you can forgive us for the arrangements, we have just gotten here and the place has been ransacked for several weeks. I am actually going back to Storms Keep and there I can better host you, we are finishing the last of our defenses and I would like for you to see them and meet my people. Storms Keep is much better suited for our talks and there I can have your room set up and it will look out onto the ocean"

Glaumring motions to the plates and the wine.

"But first drink and eat, sleep for a time... When we arrive in Storms keep we can better speak, I have many things to speak with you about. Your arrival was unexpected and has lightened all of our hearts and eased our minds, for so long we have felt isolated from the grand lands of the south and the intrigue and court life."

Glaumring puffed his pipe briefly and then leaned forward,

" Let us speak idle and of light topics for now, Storms end is so dreary and there is nothing but death all about, tell me what of the southlands? How does Corsanctum fare? How does the High Prophet do? Did you see anything interesting upon the journey northward?"

They arrived and for once in a while the weather was clear and the sun could be seen on the ocean. It was still very wet though and Storms Keep, though nothing like Storms end in its desolation was still a very ramshackle assortment. Of course one could see the fort had a new pallisade to finally protect from the monsters.

"Ambassador Aelwolf, welcome to Storms Keep... The free peoples of Thulsoma, the eaters of the bloodmoon fruit, if you will follow me , I will show you your room and then at your leisure we can talk."

Ambassador,

I know that my kingdom is a mere impoverished dust mote on this land and probably is barely mentioned elsewhere, but what has been said about us? I am fairly certain and have heard that Morek is basically silently betting that we will crumble, that a mere stronghold cannot maintain itself, that money alone was the indication of a leaders worth. I worry not for their words for already we have done the impossible, even getting this far and building our first protective wall was deemed impossible, I know different...For it is not the size of the kingdom, nor its coffers but the very makeup of its men that decides its future... For nothing can crush the strongest of souls...yet kingdoms will crumble for nothing at all.




Glaumring steadied his horse as Aelwolf mounted his own, already now the morning sunlight had shifted and the turned the common bleak grey and storm clouds began their march inland, the rolling of thunder across the sky far away but coming fast.

" Aye, Averoth... The leader Serpentis before he was deposed, I have a brother in a far land who served with him... Of course that is all I know of their relations for my brothers do not speak with me often... Not since I left Port Raviel... So long ago now it seems... I felt that I could have worked with Serpentis and that is why I signed a peace agreement, you see... I have been speaking with Summerdale, and Averoth under Serpentis... to create a United northern penninsula kingdom, all independent yet federated to defend this meager strip of land... Alas, Averoth is to be destroyed and rightly so, and Summerdale is paranoid and fears everything around it... So, I defend this strip of lland with my men and we do well enough...There is a benefit to being forgotten by the world outside... We are of no threat, nor strategic value."

They kicked their horses and slowly their horses plodded forward, riding side by side, when they reached the edge of Storms Keep and the great manmade wind kite beasts of Storms end could be seen and the manmade wind howlers heard a mournful sound of a horn could be heard in long drones across the land coming from Storms keep.

"They play that horn for you Aelwolf, on the very top of Storms keep...The horn of the sun, it cries only when it rains and when men leave the keep to other lands... I hope that you may hear it another day for it calls you to return..."

 Glaumring was silent as the horn called out in long deep drones, the blighted grey land with flecks of rain and billous clouds blanketed overhead, the damp land of green stretched back towards the Storms end.


The Patrol froze in their tracks, on the outside of the walls wounded and pulling itself across the ground,streaking blood on the grass... Was a monster, still alive.

The troops drew their bows and surrounded the pathetic beast, they had rarely seen dead monsters even after a fight since so many of the bodies were taken back after an attack, it was even rarer to find a live one...

The beast was batlike, leathery and mottled with black spots, its face was vaguely human, rat and Daimon , its eyes yellow , darting about in fear. It recoiled and then wound itself in its wings fetal like on the ground and screamed. It was screaming in words first and then in whatever bastard tongue it did speak amongst its brethern, but all who stood around it knew what it had said.

Hulutha ahath..grod Bloodstars! Ackthrooroth, isolate...deemed, akthruthruh, ALTHRUTHA HIGH PROPHET AKLTH HYTHOTHAFYN!!!

 One of the soldiers kicked it and wound a cord around its arms and tied it, they deemed to bring it before the King and find out what they should do to this speaking beast, King Glaumring listened to their tale and as Ambassador Aelwolf mounted his horse he stopped him.

Aelwolf! Stop! before you go... Take this beast with you in cage... It will make a wonderful gift for those in Corsanctum to study... Perhaps it can teach them something about humanity? I have no need for such a beast, for here in the lands of Storms we have plenty...Be known that this is the first monster to be captured anywhere across this land. I wonder what tales it could tell?

And with that the beast was loaded in cage upon a donkey and tied to Ambassador Aelwolfs steed, and there they were led out of the small fortification and into the rising sun.

King Glaumring watched as Aelwolf faded away, and he was saddened by the day... Once again, they would face the day alone...

Torrential rain for days drowned the land in mud and mire, with heavy clouds here in Torrents breath, with raging river all around the sound of boulders being pounded by the breath of the black water, far off on the horizon shrouded by cloud and dark was Mt.Black Nostrond, forever hidden from view on this side of the penninsula.

King Glaumring was wet as always, with his great bear cloak pulled close around him, the sole village, a collection of ramshackle huts and brothels, vapid eyed malnourished children, orphans and men who had long abandoned the fall of Springdale, here huddled in this border refugee like enclave. Bear fights and dogs barked mad through cages lined on the side of the muddy walk. The Huts were smoke filled, where butter was churned into foul tea and liquor was distilled from the waters of the nearby river. Mean eyed men played bones on the bodies of recently dead, they won boots and gold teeth from the corpses.

Glaumrings eyes surveyed the town and none gave him heed, he was merely another warlord, a man with sword who would would pass by and never to return in their minds. Torrents breath and its minions were fiercely independent. They had never been subjegated. Glaumring moved to the center of the town with purpose his men trailed behind, Storm General Randemicos had surrounded the village and was already arresting smugglers and shifty peasants, nothing came or went without notice, yet none within the village stirred, this had happened before and they had beaten back the takeover force... They would like last time act docile and then when the guard was down murder this collection of men called Thulsomans.

"I hereby declare this village and surrounding land subject to the wills and laws of King Glaumring the Thulsoman ruler of the Kingdom of Bloodmoon..."  General Randemicos could be heard yelling through the rain.

 "Glaumring?..."

 Glaumring heard a voice come from a hut, a familiar voice long unheard, ages...Like waves on shore consistant...Thick Ravelian accent, oh how long had it been to hear that voice.

"Son?" The voice said again.

Glaumring turned and there huddled with sword and cloak, ancient beyond his years, his face a crag of scars and sun salted skin...

"Father?" 


The shore of the Torrents breath river that flowed through Storms end was more busy than usual, supply lines of men in canoes and small boats had finally opened up this area. Wispy grass grew along the shore and a small dock was built not long ago. The town that once feared the waters and lived far inland had finally moved closer to the supply of fresh goods from both Summerdale, vegetables and Morek clothe and down far the Ravians sent things like tools ever so often.

Glaumring rested amidst the boxes and cargo his men had recently returned from Valldir, where hordes of bat beasts haunted the forests and called out for blood, a cat was sleeping near Glaumrings feet. Having relaxed the cat stretched and meowed in circles then was off in sleepy saunter, Glaumring watched the cat and then took off his bear cloak and walked across the dock towards an old man that had a small sail ship on blocks being sanded and worked on the dry land.Glaumring ran his hand along the boat and smelt the scented wood. he had commisioned this sail ship a few weeks before and it was near done, perhaps a few weeks more.

A breeze came down from mt.Black and sent a refreshing chill through the working men, Glaumring breathed it in and his eyes turned west, across the grey sky, passed the kingdom of Summerdale and high reeling in the sky beyond the kingdoms of the westlands there were the omnipresent red stars twirling in the heavens.

With his star stone tablet he measured the distance and it was far, far from Thulsoma, far from this wretched place... Thousands upon thousands of leagues his father had said to him the other day as they spoke in Torrents breath town. His father had shown him a map, rolled on goat skin and old, there was a route along the north sea, but none had done it that way in many many forgotten years.

It had been ages since a man had sailed to the very edge of the world, to the very resting place, the pillars of the Bloodstars, out there in the infinite waters...

Glaumring rolled the map and stuck the stone tablet back aboard the small ship... And rejoined his men resting on the side of the shore.
We live lives in beautiful lies...