Arix and the tomh of Mul'din

 

There once was an ancient tomb, a tomb darker than night and so abandoned that no human eye has seen it centuries. Arix the young adventurer pushed over a stone slab from outside the tomb. The slab fell inward creating a booming noise that echoed through the ancient tomb. Tomb had not been disturbed, felt sound or sunlight in centuries and Arix the adventuring youth introduced light and sound to the tomb in one motion. Light beamed in from the bright midday sun, banishing the darkness and causing small, nocturnal creatures to scurry away in fright.

 

            This was the lost tomb of Mul’din, a great and fierce king of old. Mul’din was kind to his people and brutal to the rest of the world. His armies were vast and he would dominate and destroy all who did not join his Kingdom. The Kingdom of Mul’din stretched over a quarter of the world and his riches stretched on as far as the eye could see. Mul’din didn’t just acquire treasure from conquering, he also sent out bands of pirates and raiders to loot and pillage in his name. Mul’din’s raiders would regularly harass and land that couldn’t be conquered and through his looting and conquering he had a treasury stuffed with rare items from around the world and more gold than anyone could count.

 

            Arix had spent years trying to find this lost tomb. While he explored other ruins and new lands he always kept an ear open for anything that related to Mul’din. Arix even spent a fair amount of the treasure he found in other tombs just for info about Mul’din’s tomb. Finding this tomb would give Arix recognition, opportunity to join the explorer’s guild and befriend famous adventurers and Arix also had the possibility of finding Mul’din’s treasure and being incredibly wealthy.

 

            Arix crept carefully through the tomb holding a blue gem that let out a soft light. The light was faint enough so that Arix wouldn’t be immediately spotted by predators but bright enough to see inside the pitch black tomb, the gem also sent light out further than a torch would. The gem was the size of a small apple and glowed through Arix’s hand. The sunlight from outside illuminated the first room, but the darkness won out as Arix walked deeper inside.

 

            The tomb was silent and every light step that Arix took sounded like heavy boots stomping on the stone. As Arix walked he heard a faint voice calling from deep within the tomb, the voice was followed by a purple fog that reflected the light of the blue gem. The fog floated through the tomb, in and out of only certain rooms. The fog started looking like a trail and Arix wanted to find its source. Arix’ curiosity got him into trouble more times than he could count and he knew that the strange voice and purple fog could be luring him into a trap. It was possible that Mul’din’s ghost was trying to tempt a greedy treasure hunter and lure him into an ambush. Arix had experience with the undead and was overly confident with his ability to get out of bad situations.

 

            The fog led Arix to a large room that was full of bottles, tables and small trinkets. As Arix entered the room torches lit themselves and the voice calling out grew louder. “Help please!” cried the voice. “Where are you?” asked Arix “I am trapped in this bottle, please open it!” The voice called out. Arix now knew the voice belonged to a mystical creature, as a mortal could not survive being trapped in a bottle and sealed in a tomb for centuries and would have to be shrunken down to even fit in a bottle in the first place.

 

            Arix followed the voice and looked through a table full of dusty bottle of different sizes. Finally Arix touched the right bottle and the small glass bottle glowed with purple light. “Please release me!” Cried the voice. “I want to know where Mul’din’s treasure is first, then I promise to release you” Arix said. The voice was silent for a few seconds then finally spoke. “Mul’din acquired mountains of gold but when he died he did not keep any of it. He loved his subjects so much that he told his royal advisor to give everything to the people of his kingdom. He did not see the point of storing it or burying it. He gave the largest portion to his sons but he told them to use his riches to make their own riches. He was a wise man. This tomb was built in his honor and while many of his prized possessions were buried with him, none of those possessions were gold or jewels” Explained the voice.

 

            Arix was disappointed but didn’t completely believe the voice. “How did you end up here? And how do I know you aren’t lying to me?” Asked Arix. “I wouldn’t lie and risk my first chance to be free in centuries. I am a djinn, a wish granting spirit who has been trapped in this bottle by the king. I do not care about the king and if he had gold I’d help you find it. This is my punishment for not being able to bring back his dead wife” Explained the Djinn.

 

            Arix figured that gaining the favor of a wish granting spirit might be even better than gold and so he opened the bottle. The bottle had a cork, which was covered in a cloth, and the cloth had ancient writing all over it. Arix twisted the cork and pulled open the bottle.

 

            Purple fog sprang forth from the bottle. It flooded out and filled the large room, then in a second it all was pulled toward a single point in front of Arix. The fog swirled around and the Djinn appeared before Arix. “Thank you so much, kind master” Said the Djinn. The Djinn was dark purple, had yellow eyes with no pupils, had a torso and head but his arms were partly transparent and his legs were missing, he was completely made up of purple fog from the waist down.

 

            “So I am your master now?”  Asked Arix. “Yes, you are. But before you start trying to make wishes, let me make a deal with you. If you do not like my deal, you can wish for any one thing” Said the Djinn. Arix was intrigued and figured it wouldn’t hurt to listen to the spirit. “What is your deal? I was hoping for a mountain of gold in this tomb, so your deal better be worth the time and money it took to find this place” Arix explained.

 

            “The deal is, you bring the bottle outside of this tomb and use your one wish to free me. Once I am free I will be able to join the wind and cloud spirits in the sky. I will never bother a single mortal and after being stuck under ground for so long I will probably never even want to leave the clouds again. In exchange for my freedom, I will leave all of my magic in the bottle in the form of a potion. This magic potion will cure any disease, ease all pain, emotional and physical and it will give you energy like a night of restful sleep” The Djinn explained.

 

            Arix liked the sound of this magic potion but was still cautious. “What is the downside, there is always a downside” Said Arix. The Djinn grinned “Well of course. I see you are no fool. All magic comes with a price. Even those who wield magic must suffer a burden of it. The potion will do just as I say it will but if you use it too much or become too reliant on the magic, then you will suffer from it. Mortals cannot handle magic in large amounts or consumed too frequently” Explained the Djinn.

 

            Arix figured that he was as careful as anyone and would only use the potion in dire situations. So Arix agreed and the Djinn led Arix out of the tomb. They talked as they walked through the dusty ruins and Arix felt more confident that the Djinn was telling the truth about all he said.

 

            Once they reached the exit, Arix took a step out into the fresh air and held the bottle open as he said “I wish you were free from this bottle and live peacefully in the clouds away from mortals” Arix wished for a very specific thing just in case the Djinn wasn’t as friendly as he seemed. Arix hoped that the phrasing would bind the Djinn to his word and force him to be peaceful. Arix didn’t want to be responsible for unleashing a terror on all humanity.

 

            “Thank you human!” Said the Djinn as he started to turn into purple fog. A thin blue chain appeared. The chain led from inside the bottle and was wrapped around the purple fog that struggled to break free. Finally the blue chain shattered into a thousand pieces and each piece puffed up into the air in a ball of smoke. The Djinn was finally free and shot up into the air as fast as he could “Remember my warning human!” called the voice of the Djinn as he disappeared from sight.

 

            Arix knew he would heed the Djinn’s warning and put the purple glass bottle into his adventuring bag. Arix might not have been rich and famous from the trip into Mul’din’s tomb, but he did gain a magic healing potion, which in his line of work was priceless.

 

            Arix also decided to not tell anyone that he found the tomb, not only was there no gold to share but owing a magical cure all potion and telling people about it would drastically decrease his life span.

 

            Arix began the long trek home, his head swimming with tales of ancient kings and a long lost time. Arix put the potion out of his thoughts and did not think about it again until the day he desperately needed it. But that is another story for another day.

Law'Runce Rock Eater

I wanted to get a present for my father for father’s day, but I couldn’t think of anything to buy. My dad is one of the rare people that don’t value things as much as he values gestures and quiet time. So I asked myself, what do you get someone who doesn’t want anything? The answer is, a gesture.

            In the ancient times, back before the invention of the cell phone, or even before cars, there lived a tribe of nomadic orcs who traveled across the land looking for fertile soil, peace and quiet. Orcs were a race of humanoid creatures, usually large with small tusks or large teeth. Orcs have skin of various shades of green, yellow and brown. Some orcs even had black skin and red eyes, these were the shadow orcs, who did not live in peace at all. Shadow orcs lived in the volcanic lands of Ash lands, where ash and soot from molten rocks covered the land and the inhabitants below.

            The nomad orcs were peaceful and were primary warriors and shamans who practiced magic and communed with nature. The leader of the nomad orcs was a large dark green orc named Law’Runce The Rock Eater. This Orc was the tallest orc in the tribe and though he was thinner than most orcs, he could wield an axe just as well as anyone.

            Law’Runce grew up with the name Runce, which meant quiet one. When he became an adult the Law was added to his name because of his belief in upholding the rules and laws of the land. Adding Law to ones name usually meant the adult orc would go on to be a leader or enforcer of laws.

            When Law’Runce became an adult and after he was given his ‘complete’ name, he set off into the world to learn of nature and other races. Law’Runce was more of a thinker than the other orcs of his village. He grew up in a settlement of forest orcs, who were all dark and light green. These orcs never wondered about the outside world, they kept to themselves and hunted for food in the deepest parts of the forest. Law’Runce wanted to know about the world so he left the orc forest village.

            Law traveled through the forestlands, over the dumpy hills, and completely avoided the Ash lands. Law’Runce arrived in a mountainous region covered in pine trees and green grass, further up the mountain was rocky terrain, pine trees and snow. This land was the Pine Valley. Lower Pine valley was the greener lower altitude part of the mountains and upper Pine Valley was all rocks and snowy forests.

            In the Pine Valley Law found quiet but he had not found answers. He saw many types of land and different animals but he had not seen a single orc or any other race of creature. Law’Runce began to build a shelter in the lower Pine Valley so that he could stay warm when night swept over the land. Law was chopping a tree with his axe when he heard a noise. He chopped his axe into the tree which made a sound, but then a few seconds later another chopping sound was heard, it was either a delayed echo or someone else was cutting down a tree. Law’s curiosity got the better of him and he raced toward the sound. He spied a dark yellow orc chopping down a tree. He was so happy to find another orc but he didn’t want to startle an orc armed with an axe. Law’runce grunted and the yellow orc stopped chopping, he saw Law and grunted back. “Who are you? I am Thok” Said the dark yellow orc. “I am Law’Runce” Said Law. The yellow orc seemed happy to hear Law’s name. A large toothy grin spread across Thok’s face. “Were you named correctly? Do you bring law?” Asked Thok. “I try” Said Law, not sure why Thok was asking.

            Thok ran over to Law’runce looking as excited as an orc could. “Law bringer, quiet one. These are things that our tribe could use. We are a tribe of Nomad orcs that travel all over the Pine Valley. We are at unrest. We need orc who can help us set rules. I and others don’t want unrest. Travel does not mean no rules.” Thok explained, as he held out his hands in a pleading gesture.

            Law didn’t want to get involved with a group of new orcs he had never met, but he did want to learn new cultures and his conscience told him that helping would be the right thing to do.

            Thok took Law’Runce to the Nomad settlement, as they approached Law could already hear arguing. Law walked into the settlement and no one noticed him because everyone was at the center of town bickering about what to do next and where to go next.

            A light green skinned female orc with purple hair threw an axe at a dark brown skin male orc who was shouting. The axe cut off the tip of his black Mohawk and stuck into the tree behind him. The shouting orc sat down, knowing that the female orc missed on purpose. Another orc started to shout “Axes should be reserved for enemies not used for talks” Said another light green orc, his hair was black and grew down to the middle of his back. “I reserve this axe for you!” Shouted the purple hair female orc as she lifted another axe above her head. Thok ran into the middle of the group and shouted, “Stop! I brought help! Law’Runce, he is here to help with laws” Thok pleaded with the group. A light yellow skinned female orc grabbed a rock and threw it at Thok’s head “We don’t need outsiders giving orders!” Said the light yellow orc. Thok looked discouraged by this.

            As the group of Orcs bickered Law looked around and saw huts in disrepair, children looking hungry and sitting by their parents as the parents did nothing more than yelling and throwing stones. Law’Runce was never the most outspoken orc but he could not stand to see children mistreated and entire villages of adults who can’t take care of their own homes. The forest orcs were peaceful and they might have been ignorant of the outside world but they knew how to maintain a village and live well.

            Law charged into the middle of the group, the injustice of neglectful orcs and the anger of foolish adults welled up in him from the core of his being. “HEY!!!” He shouted. His shout was so loud that it echoed through the entire Pine Valley. This was the lost shout of Mul’vani, who was the oldest and strongest orc in the forest tribe. He was a great shaman and when he died he called to the earth and shouted one last time. His shout shook every tree in the Great Forest and the land itself absorbed the power of the shout. Mul’vani communed with the spirits of the forest and he gave his powers to the forest itself. In exchange, the forest would channel the magic of the shout into all the Orcs who lived in the Great Forest.  The forest tribe of orcs were never taught how to use this shout but were only told that it would be released during important times. It was a shout so powerful that it could capture the hearts and minds of any who hear it.

            Law’Runce had never heard the Mul’vani shout in person until it burst out from his jaws.  The orcs of the Pine Valley didn’t know what the Mul’vani shout was and had no idea that a shout could ever be so loud or commanding. Law’runce had everyone’s full attention.  “I am new to this tribe but I already see problems. While you argue over where to travel next the place you live now rots. Your children go hungry because no one hunts, they learn only to fight each other and not to fight enemies. I have traveled a little but I have seen many lands and was raised in a great forest where everyone cared for each other. I have heard stories of Ashland Orcs, the shadow orcs from the volcano lands. They do nothing but fight, they don’t hunt they eat other orcs. Do you want to be like them? Do you want children to be like shadow orcs?! Or do you want them to learn hunting, kindness and shaman wisdom?” Law shouted to the group of wide eyed orcs.

            “He has point! And his tribe named him Law. Which mean he help with rules and order” Thok said, regaining his confidence. Most of the tribe began to think about the words of Law’Runce but a small percent of them were still bitter and angry from a day of fighting. “You promise big things but you from forest, you don’t know Pine Valley like we do!” Shouted a pale yellow male orc. The orc picked up a large rock and threw it at Law’Runce’s head. Law gritted his teeth in anger at the protest. Law didn’t want to rule the tribe he just wanted them to realize the harm they were doing to themselves and their children. The anger came back and Law lunged forward and caught the rock in his mouth. Law let out a might growl and chomped down on the stone shattering it into a thousand pieces. “Fools!” She shouted as rock fragments flew from his jaws. The crowd fell silent again.

            “Rock Eater! Rock Eater! Rock Eater!” Shouted the crowd. The Orc who threw the rock was pummeled into submission and no one else had a counter argument. Law’Runce was now known as Law’Runce the rock eater. His name was the quiet law bringer but his nickname Rock Eater was the show of force, strength and determination that orcs admired.

            After that point Law’Runce began helping the tribe of nomads set up rules that would be followed exactly. They assigned jobs for people to hunt for food, care for children, repair tents, guard the settlement, train others in combat, scout the land and even assigned jobs for when they had to uproot the settlement and travel. After a year of Law’runce being the rule making and the guiding force for the tribe, the Nomad orcs decided to make Law’Runce their War Chief. War Chief Law’Runce Rock Eater ruled the nomads for many years and helped them through difficult times. They relied on him and looked to him for aid. He was the strategist for battles and the peacemaker for disputes. He was always there to help others and helped so frequently that asking for help felt natural. No matter how hard the life in the Pine Valley was, Law’Runce was always there for his people and for his children.

Happy Fathers Day.

Fighting demons

 Jon thrash around on the floor, the shadows in his head scratched at his mind causing his body to writhe in torment. Everyone has demons, some are bigger and meaner than others and when your demons are the toughest demons around, then you have two choices die or become the new toughest thing around.

            Jon has had doubt since he was a small child, his personal demons were small but fierce. As Jon grew older he also grew stronger. The smaller demons that caused little things like doubt and anxiety were no match for his renewed strength and resolve. What Jon didn’t count on was that the shadows in his mind and his internal demons grew along with him. They had new sources of food and new ways to hurt him. They fed on his poor finances, loneliness and growing responsibilities. Every time Jon felt strong enough to get through the challenge in front of him there was always a second challenge waiting. Jon had been fighting his entire life, fighting challenges, inner demons and fighting to just stay alive. He was not above taking challenges head on, but a rest from fighting would be nice.

            On the outside Jon looked like a regular adult, handling his job and responsibilities but on the inside he was a savage warrior, struggling every day against larger and larger demons. He wished he could go back to the days when his demons only teased him about coming up with rent money. They seemed so daunting at the time, but now it seems like child’s play. Jon drew his spiritual sword and his shield of experience and would chop the heads off of dragons, demons and monsters as big as houses. The dragon’s head would always grow back, the demons would reappear from the shadows and the monsters would split into multiples. Every day he would fight against his doubt and fears, unrelenting, unwavering.

            Not every day was a victory, some days he would trample the opposition but most days he would not. He would fall and limp home bloodied and broken. He would have to rest quickly because the next day he would have to be stronger than before. The world insisted that when he fell broken to the ground, he needed to not just rest up to full strength, he needs to be double strength. Jon was used to fighting demons every day and as he grew stronger he also became better at hiding the fact that he was struggling at all. Anyone that knew Jon would be shocked if Jon told them of the war that raged on inside his head.

            To make matters worse, shadows of doubt would follow Jon to his sleep. Small imps that would normally be dispatched in seconds while he was awake, would follow him to his bed and taunt him as he tried to sleep. The imps knew they were no match for an adult Jon who had been fighting dragons all day, but if they disturbed his rest and tortured his dreams then he would be softened up for the fight against the dragons.

            When friends and co-workers saw his inner strength, when he showed them the steel in his soul and the determination in his eyes, they would be inspired and amazed. Jon had been complimented on occasion because of how strong he was. He didn’t see the strength because he was so tired from fighting all day. Jon did have that strength though, a strength he didn’t know he had. When times were their toughest, Jon would pull out that fighting spirit, the spirit of Jon that had been fighting dragons all day long, and he would pull the spirit into the real world. He wouldn’t be able to maintain the warriors spirit for long, but when it was unleashed all would take notice. If this fighting spirit was enough to fight demons all day, what chance did mere humans have?