The Worn Legacy

[TheBrownCow]

-7-

Bargaineer

Yorgan took a quick bite of salted beef before marching down a steep hill. His trek was well underway. Two days had past since the incident inside the cave. During these days he had not run into any problems. Sleep had been the biggest concern, if not problem. He only managed to catch about five hours last night because the weather had been calm. The previous night had been full of snow and wind. Nothing but whiteness. Yorgan was understandably in a bit of a stupor from lack of rest. However not dangerously so. Many adventurers wander the wastes of Harggroth searching for lost treasure and the like and they do far less sleeping. It is a very ancient place, Harggroth. Thought to be the first continent Atmosians settled into, and for good reason. It was closest to the continent of Atmos.

 

Back then, in the dark days of the first era time was askew. Although during the first decade it wasn’t so bad. It became progressively worse into the years 60-100. Countless migrations happened all across Colora through years 7 and 15. The elves did surprisingly little movement. They stayed firmly rooted on the island of Kurrasst. At the time of the first era the elves had not yet began to split apart and so most breeds were all united under one name. They were called the Ehlnofey. It was not until much later in the first era that Ehlnofey began to break into groups and head off in all directions, most leaving Kurrasst to never return. This birthed a plethora of elvish races and now, a good deal into the third era of Colora, there are six distinct varieties. Not to say there are many subspecies of those, but that’s quite enough about elves. If you wish to read more about them skip a chapter or two. I’m just kidding, don’t do that!

 

Yorgan had, as I forgot to mention happened upon a young man the other night. Yorgan was just finding his resting spot, under the thick branches of a fir tree when a man found him. He seemed quite chipper and harmless. He introduced himself as Igla Deans. He was travelling in the opposite direction of Yorgan and wondered how far it was to Berstead. Yorgan told him about two days non stop walking, maybe a little more.

 

For a Velar, Igla’s mood seemed to be quite bright. his sharp but small nose and high dark blonde eyebrows gave away his race all to well. Yorgan had a more generic face. It wasn’t without it’s uniqueness but one could not tell simply by looking what race he was. The people of Atmos had softer facial features than Harggrothians do. This is because of the limited gene pool that Atmosians have. Igla sat down under the fir and chatted a good while. A few topics included the prices of dyes and silks in Berstead as Igla was going there to buy a good deal of it. He didn't let off much but Yorgan could tell there was a bit more to him than met the eyes.

[TheBrownCow]

Yorgan asked where the fellow had come from and he nodded in the direction of the Pine forest. “Over and up in Orphan Point ma’ friend. Tis’ a lonely place I’ll tell ya.”

“Berstead is no less lonely feeling I’m afraid,” Yorgan then added, “Only a population of around fourteen or so.” The dyemaker there was well known for his works, even though Berstead was so far out in the frigid lands. Dyes seemed to be where most of the towns income came from. Dremas Tark, the man in charge of the dyeing, had a reportedly top secret dye mixture that made his dyes so much more colorful and appealing to the buyer. It has been his families trade secret for years. “I thought as much. S’ok, I’ll make it a lively place!” Igla smiled. “Plan on learning Dremas’ secret dye concoction hm?” Yorgan quipped.

 

“Well, I don’t know about that one lad, hah, but ya’ can bet I’ll give him a run fer his money” Yorgan nodded and grinned. There was something different about this man’s speech. Just a few words seemed to be slurred in a certain dialect. It could have been that the people of Orphan Point had a dialect. Yorgan had never been there so he wouldn’t know. Or perhaps he was from a different area entirely? After what seemed to be an hour of conversation about the ways of keeping dye liquefied in such cold temperatures, and the dangers of wererabbits on the frozen ice fields Igla seemed to snap to attention and get up.

 

“It was a lovely time chattin’ with ya, but I must really be carryin on. I see a look o’ tiredness about yer eyes friend. I have a potion that helps one regain his energy fast.” Igla’s hand darted into his pocket and pulled out a squatty orange phial. “I bought a one to many so here ya go. Just somethin’ to remember me by!” Igla Deans handed the potion to Yorgan who accepted it. Both smiled and shook hands in farewell. Then the Velari man headed off, retracing Yorgan’s lost footsteps in the snow.

 

Thinking that the potion would do more good when he was more tired than now, Yorgan put it into his backpack that he had set down. He closed his eye for a while to finally have his rest.

Some considerable time had past from the moment he’d closed his eyelids till his moment of wakefulness. Yorgan looked about to see a light flurry of snow falling. Actually, it was just the wind kicking up a snow bank. In the distance he could make out the hazy black line that was The Pines. Not really anything lay between him and The Pines. Just a couple dotted trees and, well, actually now that he looked he spotted a structure of sorts to the left of his position. It was still a ways away so he couldn’t judge what it was just yet. He could tell how large it was though. To Yorgan it seemed to be the ruins of something massive. Perhaps a ruined city? he thought.

Edited June 19, 2014 by TheBrownCow

[TheBrownCow]

Thinking of all the old time cities that he was reading on the last week, a few came to mind. None in the book, The Glorious Cities of Old, in this area were made of stone. In said book a small village, of about five houses and a tavern called Blue Buck was burned down by ruffians roughly two hundred years prior. It sat on the edge of the Pines. He shrugged. Old books and old information. Maybe this particular village hadn’t been discovered yet. Or better, it could be a fort. Yorgan jumped at that thought. All the old military equipment and training gear. He was one for old military tools and weaponry.

 

Yorgan decided he was detouring to check it out. If it was inhabited he could handle whatever was in there. He was going on a quest to kill a dragon after all. What would be a couple of bandits or, gods forbid, undead? Taking up his backpack he headed over to it.

 

The snow covered the ice in a four inch sheet. It was slightly starting to fall from grey skies as he went. He guessed it to be around five or six in the evening. A good night spent in a dark mysterious fort.. He thought. Not what I usually go for. Yorgan had never really ventured into such a place. He was used to the hubbub of a living breathing city. Atmos of course was filled with decrepit ruins but they’d all been picked clean of goodies by the time Yorgan came of the age to properly wear a pair of adventurer's boots. Atmos had a long history of battles and war, but usually the victor plundered all he could afterwards, leaving little in the way for others. Then of course the peace of the Ironbacks came and all ruins quickly became historical and scholarly endeavors. No adventurers allowed in a dig site!

Edited September 7, 2014 by TheBrownCow

[Maharg67]

Your writing continues to be very interesting! Please continue! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[TheBrownCow]

Im at a hard spot right now! Throughout my writing I've edited words and sections in previous parts so the beginning is totally different and a lot of words in the whole thing have been changed. This makes me want to edit all my posts but that would be a lot of work so I will leave it the same unfortunately... see because I make reference to things in past chapters that readers haven't read :/

Edited September 7, 2014 by TheBrownCow

[TheBrownCow]

His excitement hammered in his chest as he neared, he could see more destroyed buildings as he went. It seemed to be a castle, or maybe a village with a fort within its boundaries. It was large, much larger than before of course. It was all great and wonderful, but Yorgan noticed footprints. He instantly honed in on his sense of hearing and made little sound or movement. No sign of a person other than those footprints. They led around a wall, and something told him that this person was on the other side. Slowly, quietly, he crept towards it, unbuckling Remming.

 

Now this could have easily been a friendly being, such as a historically inclined student, or a traveler just checking out the ruins like himself, but Yorgan wanted to be safe, and Remming was his safety. This was not at all like the encounter with Igla Deans. That one approached waving and warmly smiling. This was a shifty place to be smiling and grinning.

 

He was prepared to round the weathered gray bricks. The snow covered up the top of the wall which made it appear a foot taller almost. Yorgan took a breath and let it out in a sudden calm. He turned, to see a small tent no more than ten feet away. It appeared that he was behind a small encampment. Feeling slightly less cautious he took a few steps in that direction. If it was on tent, then it was only about one person, right? Yorgan could see a smokey fire sitting in front of said tent. He tried to spy his target but no one was to be seen.

[TheBrownCow]

Yorgan was just about to put Remming back in his holster when someone called out. “Get back you.. you! I’ll burn ya alive!” A small woman stood on top of the wall ruins, something Yorgan didn’t notice. She was so small she could have been taken as a teenager. “Excuse me, is that any way to speak to an adult?” Yorgan could tell she wasn’t a fighter. She had kind eyes. Her hands were raised, but not in a typical fighters stance. She did not know how to fight. Not hand-to-hand at least. “Um. What?” the girl seemed taken aback a bit, but kept her childish fists up. “You know, I know destruction magic, I’ll light you up!”

 

“I mean it!” this time a flame burst around her hand. Yorgan was not sure whether to play it safe and drink some liquid protection or reason with this girl. The potion in question would make his flesh flame retardant.

“Now now… Lets not get ahead of ourselves. I’m not a bandit or a thief. I’m not here to rob or kill.” Yorgan held his hands up to show he meant so. The girl lowered her arms a bit, the sleeves of a robe fell down them. She still seemed unsure, but her face seemed to lighten up a little.

[TheBrownCow]

“Are you sure about that?” It almost seemed like a threat. Her fist balled into a flame still.

“Last time I checked I wasn’t a robber. Or a plunderer. I’m Yorgan,” He had confidence as he held out his hand in greeting. “Yorgan Worn”

The woman looked at him and then at his hand. “I.. Greetings Mr. Worn,” She shook his hand. “I am a scholar, by the name of Luca Emerson. One day I will be one of the greats to go down in the history of historians books.” She too had a great air of confidence about her, but it seemed to self endowed to carry weight. Yorgan snickered just a little under his breath. “Yes? Do you find me funny?” She narrowed her eyes in agitation.

 

“Ah, not at all. I think you’re getting ahead of yourself. You can’t really be a scholar. Where’s all your books, I thought all of the ‘greats’ had guardsmen and companions to accompany them” Luca walked closer to her fire and placed in a log to keep it going. “You mean to imply I’m great already. I said I shall be one of them. I am not yet.”

 

 

Yorgan turned and said, “I see, so what are you now then?” This girl named Luca, she had a way about her. It was her small features that gave Yorgan an indication of her race. She was Bretonguard, yet another species of man. More than that she just had excitement in her voice. A person who was animated but still serious at the best of times. “You didn’t really plan on lighting me on fire did you? I mean your little balls of flame could not burn my coat fast enough before I could take it off..”

“I so could light you on fire! I did it before and I’ll do it again!”

Luca Emerson seemed too nice to leave unprotected. Maybe she’d have a companion, Yorgan thought, “You seem to be a bit lacking in the safety aspect of your self proclaimed expedition.” Yorgan did indeed want to find out what mysteries the ruins had in store and he also equally, if not more so wanted to make sure Luca wasn’t harmed or worse by any guardians this place might hold. Strangely enough he felt almost attached to her. Such a keen personality that kept him engaged. “If you think you want to assist me feel free to” She smiled up at him, thinking that he was a kind soul to so openly offer such a service. “Then it’s settled. I’ll accompany you for the time being” Yorgan replied.

[TheBrownCow]

Luca looked as though she was about to make a comeback but she dismissed it and just looked at her campfire. The flames slowly were dwindling away. “I am so intrigued by this Proto-Nordic site. It’s just unlike anything I’ve seen! Or, heard about, anyway.”

Yorgan could have picked up that she was book smart but not necessarily so much when it came to adventuring or real life applications. She seemed like a headstrong girl with the means to get around but little real life application.

 

“So… we gonna explore this place?” She noticed Yorgan staring at her and made a face. “What?”

A little startled Yorgan snapped out of his trance and shook his head “Oh, oh nothing I was just into thinking. What do you mean explore, as in going into it?” The ruins looked a bit ominous and deeply imposing against the fluttery white winter landscape. Cracked pathway could be seen under the brushed away snow. Odd patterns and intriguing symbols filled its gray-scale. Yorgan started to have some second thoughts.

“Only naturally! I so badly desire to see what lies within” Luca chirped along and went rummaging in a leather bag. “I doubt we will run into any dangers, but you know, always better safe than sorry. That's why I want you along too. It will keep us both safer.”

“I’ll be safer? Yes I would try to keep myself safe” Yorgan knew he’d be fine but it couldn't hurt to be playful. “Well, I meant that you look like you can handle anything that might jump us” Luca had a look through her backpack. “By the way I never said sorry about the burning thing. I don’t like when people take me by surprise”

“Oh it’s quite alright. I would expect no less from a wandering lass all by herself” Yorgan smiled. She could not help but feel glad that he didn’t mind her. She quite liked his presence. Not able to find what she was looking for she looked up at him, “Ok good I’m glad. I think it’s time to get to exploring don’t you think so too?”

“Quite” Yorgan nodded. The two got up and set off looking for anything of interest. At least that was what Luca was doing. She knew what to look for. Ancient markings, various stone artifacts. Yorgan was merely acting like he knew what he was looking at.

Edited September 7, 2014 by TheBrownCow

[TheBrownCow]

He peered over at a group of stones. They were oddly shaped and lay in a circular pattern. As he inspected further it seemed that they were the weathered shapes of boar faces. The etched stonework was almost worn away and he could only tell that they were boars by the tusks which were prominent on almost all. Luca meanwhile was climbing a stack of arranged bricks.

 

They’d fallen into place like a stairway and she went up, a wall was following with the fake stairs. As she reached the end she saw nothing, not anything interesting. She took a look from her vantage point of the ruins surrounding her and she saw Yorgan staring at the circle.

Now from Yorgan’s point of view he only saw the the boar heads and it seemed quite puzzling as to why they were there. However Luca had a better angle. She saw that pillars were standing in four directions, about twenty feet distance from the circle. She also could make out what seemed to be lines, under the snow, that were wide enough for the falling precipitate to make ridges in a snaking way all centering to the circle. Each snake started at the pillars and ended some way at the circle. That might be a point of interest actually Luca was interested now in the circle.

 

She bounded down the ‘steps’ in a quick fashion causing her to lose balance! She flipped onto her back and bounced off the steps into the snow. It looked bad but she felt fine. Hoping to the gods that Yorgan hadn’t noticed her mishap she jumped up to look around. “You ok?” Yorgan called out from the boarish circle. She jumped, startled “Oh! I’m fine it’s ok” She nervously laughed and looked at him. “I was looking at your circle from over here. It’s very interesting!” She ran over to one of the pillars, “there are four of these and each one has a grooved line to the middle.” Chuckling at Luca’s excitedness over the rocks Yorgan came up to her to look in the snow. He saw the grooves of which she spoke. “I see them. I wonder what they are?”