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From Druid Epic 2.0
My eyes are old and tired now. I can no longer see well
enough to write. I make this statement because this will probably be the last
story that I tell in my life and I do not wish scholars of the future to
discount it because it is not written in my hand. You shall recognize my style
nonetheless, I am certain.
This story was told to me by Askr the Loyal, servant of the
Storm Lord and my childhood friend. He chose a more direct service to our lord,
and for it has gained a lengthened life. This is his curse to bear. I chose the
easier path, to live and teach among mortals.
Fresh Awakenings
as told to Felmire Brightshore by Askr the Loyal, scribed by Bont
We ever battle to allow nature to take its course. We fight
to retain the natural balance. It is often difficult at times, for this is a
hard life to practice. We love animals and yet we must not interfere as a
lioness stalks a beautiful young doe. So we must remain vigilant without
overreaction. Above all, we must teach those that do not understand. This is my
belief, though it is not shared by all. There are those who have heard of the
discovery of the Unkempt and of their belief that any that would interfere
should have their capacity to interfere removed from them. The most common
method used is violent death.
The truth is that our worship and our natures must be
comprised of both philosophies. We must teach those that will learn. This is
shown to us by the gentle nurturing rain and in the bright hope of the rainbow.
It is the lightning and the ripping winds that evidence our lord's violence. The
unnatural must be cleansed when it can not be taught.
There have always been battles between the corrupt and the
defenders. The Lord of Plagues is ever our greatest enemy. One dark night he
manifested in part onto Norrath. A minor avatar of his own flesh pressed itself
through the prisons of power that have so long kept the gods from us. This
avatar took no form, but spread itself out among the animals and people of
Norrath. Many, blessed as life is by Tunare, resisted the corruption and were
merely sick or died. A few, however, were transformed in spirit.
They became corrupted souls and their only desire was to bring chaos and decay
to those around them.
Many were easily found and destroyed, but some were clever as
well as corrupt. Owls, weasels and wolves were the most common of these. Their
existence was proven by the hunters but they could not be discovered.
A council formed. Members of the hunters were equally matched
by those of the teachers. Their debate was long and arduous. They argued ideas
and strategies all night long. The leader of the hunters was a great bear, the
mightiest creature in the lands. He insisted that if the individual corruption
in the owls, weasels and wolves could not be discovered, the entire species
should be destroyed. The teachers, lead by an aged snake, were arguing that none
of them should be harmed, that should any be discovered they should be captured
and treated well until they could be cured.
As the evening progressed the only voices that could be heard
over the crowd of bickering and sometimes brawling elders was the ground-shaking
voice of the great bear, the persistent, slithering teacher's voice of the
snake, and the high-pitched voice of a young fox. This fox went from group to
group attempting to clarify the opinions of each person. He asked them specific
questions to better understand their ideas.
As dawn approached five of the council were dead. Ten had
stormed off in anger. There were only eight left in the glade. As the sun rose
the snake and the bear continued to argue, neither willing to agree with the
other. The fox continued to ask for clarification about issues, insisting that
the bear explain how best to destroy the owls, as they might be hard to catch
and asking the snake how he would keep a weasel imprisoned.
It was then that an old wolf entered the clearing. None of
the wolves had been invited to the council because all of them were under
suspicion. Many wolves were hunters, many too were teachers, but the silvered
wolf than entered the glade was unknown to any of those that remained present.
He spoke. "You two, snake and bear, who are our leaders, can
you answer just one question for me? I shall leave if anyone here can provide a
satisfactory answer and you may continue your discussion."
"Speak fast, dog, or I shall begin the destruction of your
people with you," rumbled the great bear.
"Tell me, then. What does corruption look like?"
The snake responded quickly, "It takes the form of disease,
most often."
"And yet," said the wolf, "disease weans out the unfit. It is
natural for disease to take those that it should."
The snake glared at the wolf, but was unable to refute this
point. The wolf cocked his head at the bear, who had no response at all except
to bare his gnarled teeth. The wolf then looked at each of the others in turn.
None had a reply, until the cold grey eyes of the wolf turned to the young fox.
"You are a clever creature, surely you must know what corruption looks like."
"Of course!" The fox was also a vain creature, a trait that
wolves despise about their smaller cousins. "Corruption is the thing that
destroys the strong. It ruins the order of things. It turns things in on
themselves, changes their perspective or their course." Foxes are also clever
creatures, another trait that annoys wolves.
The wolf turned to the bear and asked, "What did you come
here to do this night?" As he spoke, a light rain began to fall.
"That's two questions, wolf! Fox has answered you, now get
out of here."
Wolf then noticed that snake had slithered away while the
others were talking. As the rain drifted into the grove crickets began to chirp,
as they often do when things suddenly become too quiet for their liking. Wolf
glanced over at the young fox in time to see a second pair of eyes appear above
his head out of the trees. Wolf turned and walked away into the forest the
moment before snake slid his coils around fox's neck.
As soon as the wolf was out of sight the misty rain ceased.
As the sun rose a rainbow could be seen above the trees that bordered the
clearing.
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