From the Glories of Gallias:
There was a request from the lands of Eleutheria, from Ripple Trickletwig to rid a fearsome creature from a Vineyard from the said location. I, Gallias Cleric of Gorum, Guard of First Landing, met with Bruzmal, Urthan, and Sylias to dispatch the beast. They were all brave warriors worth their weight in sword and armor and proved themselves on this adventure.
After a brief meeting, we set out to the portal to reach the Temple of the Two Suns. There, we meet the Ferryman Marsyas and the frisky sprite creature Ombretta. After some typical Fey shenanigans and bargaining, we secured passage. There was a special bargain that Marsyas made that, upon reaching the condition, allowed me the ability to tell folk stories with no equal. I feel it, in my gorumite bones! I, however, must remain balanced in my approach.
I allowed to do the other to do most of the talking as negotiating is a terrible, terrible sin nobody should do. Everyone should just fucking brawl with each other, and whoever comes out on top wins the negotiation. Is that so tough?
Upon the boat, I played my lute, and we were having a swell time until we ran aground. As it turns out, it was ambushed by hideous, small green creatures. Tadpoles in stature but fierce fighters without fear. I slid down the rope, splashing in foot-high water and wielding the long red sword, glowing with the almighty power of Gorum. ‘Fight me, you scallywags!’ I roared so mightily it pierced the lake and rippled forth into lands. They turned out to be Gahlepods, vicious Fey creatures of the water, and are pests.
As I waded through the water, splashing and grunting, my great sword came down hard on the closest one and threw up a magic shield to protect me. It bit back, and the magical shield took most of the damage, but its teeth tore into my armor and flesh! I reeled and laughed, eyes glowing red with the power of Gorum; my next attack was sliced right into the skull of the Fey beast. Scalping, but it still lived hurt as it was.
Fearing my awesome might, they both attacked me. My allies were also fighting, but I was again moments from seeing Gorum before I should. The Gahlepods frenzied, their teeth crunching my armor and my blood spreading upon the pools below.
But I laughed. Ragged did I laugh, for this was a glorious fight. And I was, luckily, as a tree cast by the brothers Urth and Sylias, barely saved the final blow of my death. Raising a hand, I feed glory and a returnal of strength into my body. The healing promise to fight forever in the eyes of Gorum, returning my physical frame into strength. What was death was no life again, as we all should fight forever and as long we can until the world is turned to the churning chaos of the dark gods at the end of the universe. Upon being blessed by the golden light of Gorum and the heavens' reflections upon his armor that spread across the cosmos, my armor was repaired.
“This is a good fight!” I yelled, blood in my teeth, cocking another swing and cleaving into the skull of the ghalepod once more. My blade hit the brain, but the mighty gahlepod, either too dumb to die or too vicious or equally blessed by Gorum, did not die. I admire the creature as the fight between teeth and metal continues. All of us, in a grand state of being.
Or so I thought; instead, the Gahlepods ran. Their little tails waggling away in fear. A tactical retreat. I healed my allies with more of Gorum's willpower.
They continued after me, thinking I was the weak one. I feel pain, but the pain is glory. Pain is a life well lived. Pain is the reward of a fight serviced in the name of one in iron. The mountain of a warrior we should all aspire to become. Their bites are little more than nothing to me but of a glory in power and ferocity.
I bathed once again in Gorum's grand design, and I was blessed for another round with the vicious beasts. “Gorum is calling for you!” I told the creatures. Perhaps they didn't understand, but their souls did! I laughed in joy at this combat, this glorious adventure and fight that maybe was only moments that seemed like days or even weeks. Perhaps being so close to death brought me to another place, where all gorumites seek, where time stands still, and lives are on the line and high, the ecstasy of blade upon blade. The thrill of the sweet sounds of metal clashing, flesh torn, and bones cracking.
It was all our attacks that finally brought down the first one. And as the other ran, it was shot dead by Bruzmal. And thus we continued to Eleutheria, where, indeed, everything is purple. After some traveling, we met with Ripple Tricklewig. After some typical Fey tomfoolery, we decided to collect grapes to trick the beast into coming out. It took some hard labor, but we figured out that the whole thing was a trick for Ripple to get us out there to work for him! He did roars and everything! I don’t know why he did the trick. To be honest, I think anyone would have gone out there for some money, but that's what he did.
He was never trustworthy, but at the end of the day, we discovered a roar that wasn’t coming from him nor had interest in his grapes. Upon investigation, we discovered a horrible horse with smoke coming out of it. It used the worst sins, deceptions, and stealth to avoid a glorious combat with us. Coward! But with my keen, battle-hardened eyes, I was the first to see it! The horse was covered in shadows, its skull a blaze with embers, flames coming forth from its mouth, and a red glow in its eyes.
I charged the bushes where it hid, “Fight me, monster!” I yelled at it and surrounded myself with the shield of Gorum. Though its figure was hidden from me as I chased it. Suddenly, it ran straight over me, crunching my armor! I held my ground and stood, but it pushed me to the side and ran out into the open to kill us. My shield exploded upon impact, crushing my chestplate as a giant hoof rammed straight into my chest. With shallow breaths, I healed myself lest my lungs collapse before the actual battle commenced and chased after the terrifying equine.
While I was the glorious combatant for most of this venture, suddenly, the evil creature wished to murder my allies before me! The nerve! Fight me, you coward! But Urth's bravery allowed him to be again blessed by Gorum's invigorating powers. But the horses emanating smoke! Thick and rancid, I became sick from it! Like black tar, it was, every breath smokey and ebon thick. I could barely breathe as I retched but could not get the fumes out of my lungs. Another truly devious tactic. This being, I decided, shall be cursed by Gorum! Let it suffer in the hell where it likely came from!
In this fight, my allies did shine, and next, I healed Sylias' battle-earned wounds as he battled with the smoke horse.
Next, it tried to bite us, but it was weakened by all our constant blows. I stalked up finally against it and landed a solid, righteous blow on its flank, cleaving horse and shadow. And when it tried to attack me next, it was weak! It blow was soft! It fears the might of the gorumite! The avenger! The eternal warrior!
It was on its heels but still had strength as it ran. I chased the beast. I stomped through smoke and fire, my eyes keen and red with the foresight of Gorum, and wielding the blade high and as tall as Gorum itself, I cleaved into the horse's neck with a crunch! Smoke exploded from the horse, and I saw its blacked-boned cave with my strike as fire and brimstone bled from this hellish beast.
But it lived, and it ran and kept attacking us! It ran straight through us. Was this beast immortal? No! I could not doubt myself. For I am gorum, and gorum is me, and we shall fight forever in the name of the one in iron!
Though reeling still, high in the battle, and lacking oxygen, I saw Gorum, and in my prayers, he gave us all further strength. As I said in that time of need:
“By the Light of Victory and Glory, " the end now comes Nameless. Face Me!”
And Gorum was pleased by this display of heroism and bravery. But more importantly, it is the will to fight forever, no matter what happens.
And it was that it died in the shadows. The glorious Urth, I believed, sent the thing back into neighing hell horse hell. Good riddance to the devious creature. And in that glorious battle, I shouted in victory.
And in that victory, we made Eleuthria more secure. Urthan, Sylias, and Bruzmal all saw a bit of Lord of Iron in themselves on that journey. After we rescued Ripple, who was apparently knocked by the beast, I got him to get honest with us and reward us.
And so, it was the power of Gorum that prevented disaster. And made the world a bit sweeter from the grapes collected in the glorious light of the Gorum. This was only a week, but glorious battles were fought and won, and the universe churned again in the right direction in the name of solid iron.
tures!