The Creation of Mantious N'Athalia
played by Simon
Day 15 Doddul TH1492
The impatient Ork, Kravak, drummed his fingers
on the oak table. The room of the small hut was silent save the occasional
crackle from the fire pit and the scrummaging of Kravak's human associate.
Carefully the lanky human lifted a bundle wrapped
in cloth and placed it on the table. Kravak stared expectantly at the human.
The man smiled nervously and began to unwrap the bundle.
"They are all well preserved, I kept
them packed in soil from the banks of the serpent as per your instruction." The man stuttered.
Kravak looked inquisickley at the three speckled
eggs displayed before him. Each about nine inches long by five inches wide.
They were speckled in swirling multitudes of colours from azure to scarlet
and sparkled like quartz.
"I instructed that the soil be from the
depths of the serpent." Kravak glared
at the meek human.
"It…it is from the river bed I gathered
the mud." The little man said nervously.
Kravak gave the man a scrupulous look.
"They are 500 silver a piece." The man said timidly.
"The deal was 175 silver a piece." The old Ork replied coldly.
"I know but they were harder to come
by than I expected, I have to cover my expenses."
"I do not care if you cannot judge your
costs accurately." Kravak looked
at the man for a moment and smiled.
"It matters not, I have a solution." Kravak took of a small pouch from his hip. The man looked
greedily at the pouch. To his dismay Kravak poured out a small pile of
sand on the table.
"What's this?"
the man said disgusted.
"Your payment." With that Kravak hurled the sand into the air and began
to chant. As he did the sand crystallised into shards and suddenly flew
at the human. The shards tore the human's pitiful flesh to shreds.
Kravak smiled broadly as he wrapped up the bundle
and walked out into the cold night.
Day 5 Mawag TH1493
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries wiped the sweat from
his golden crest. Looking down he wondered if the amount chopped wood lying
at his feet would be enough to please the grumpy old Ork.
Sometimes he wished he could bury the hatched
with the old Ork, literally. Though he would have to wait a while, at least
until he reached first circle.
He walked back to the large house, large in village
standards anyway. It had a wooden raftered roof opposed to the standard
thatched ones. It had three rooms. Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries' small room,
the common room and the old Ork's room.
Walking in he dumped an armload of wood in the
wood box near the fire pit. Brushing himself down he calling out to Kravak,
but there was no answer.
It was strange for the Ork to leave and not inform
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries first. He sat at the table catching his breath.
Gazing around he noticed that Kravak's door was ajar.
He stood up and timidly approached the door.
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries had never been allowed to enter the room during
his time in training, curiosity was killing him. Used to the communal living
of the niall he was intrigued as to what Kravak had hidden in there.
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries approached the door
calling out to Kravak one more time. With no response he pushed the door
open.
The image before him was confusing at first Pyrus
D'Arthnar V'aalries could not work out what lie before him.
The room had a large table in the centre of it
and in the corner a large cauldron boiled water keeping the room very humid.
There was a small corner of the room sectioned off by hanging curtains.
Behind the curtains was Kravak's bed. Pyrus D'Arthnar
V'aalries approached the table. On it lay a large round clay bowl. Pyrus
D'Arthnar V'aalries' heart skipped a beat as peered under the wet cloth
covering the bowl. Protruding out of mud in the bowl were three T'Skrang
eggs.
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries' heart filled with
fire. The crazy Ork was trying to simulate a T'Skrang hatchery. Rage taking
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries, he stormed into the common room and grabbed
a hatchet from the woodbin and marched right back into Kravak's room.
He raised the hatchet above the eggs.
"One of them is fertile and will hatch
Pryus." The sound of Kravak filled
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries with fear. He turned to see the Ork in the doorway.
His knuckles turned white around the hatchet handle.
"You are defiling the ways of my people."
"Oh please, don't be so dramatic. Let
me explain."
"I have bedded with many Ork and Human
women, none have bared me a child. This nest is the only way I can truly
create a child of my own. Even a T'Skrang child would bring me happiness
as long as I created it."
"Your insane Kravak, I will destroy this
experimental abomination…"
"Wait Pryus." The
Moved forward holding out his hand. "One of the eggs will hatch,
I've seen it growing. Its pattern grows stronger by the day."
"I don't care for my training I will
not live with these experiments of the insane."
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries in protest.
"Yes you will" Kravak replied coldly.
"How can you presume…." Kravak cut Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries off.
"You have learned much my young friend.
If you leave the child will die. As you know I cannot feed it. The child
needs a chaida to create the child's milk. You cannot leave and let your
own child die. You must become its chaida."
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries felt like crushing
the Ork's skull with the hatchet, but he was right without him the child
would not survive. Cursing himself Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries reluctantly
agreed.
From this day Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries knew
he would have to escape with the child.
"To ensure your obligations are forfilled
you must swear a blood oath now that you will nurse the child here until
I say otherwise. With your blood you must swear."
So on a promise of blood Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries
swore to remain to look after the child until Kravak permitted them to
leave. Months went by, Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries kept regular checks on
the eggs, only one of the embryos seemed to be growing.
Kravak kept up Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries' training
and it was not long before Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries reached first circle
as an Emelntalist.
Each day that went by Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries
resented the Ork for his meddling with nature and resented him self for
being strong enough to destroy the eggs. Even though he could not deny
the artificial hatchery wrong he could not deny his excitement within himself
at becoming a chaida.
Day 28 Teayu TH1493
Day of the Hatching
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries awoke feeling anxious
this grey autumn morning. A sick feeling in pit of his stomach told him
that this was the day. He rose and headed straight for the nest. He walked
in while Kravak was eating his morning meal.
"What is it?"
the Ork splattered out a mouth full of food. As Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries
stormed by.
"It's time"
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries said not even looking down at the Ork as he passed
him.
Kravak rose quickly and followed Pyrus D'Arthnar
V'aalries into the Hatchery. Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries approached the egg
he knew was alive and gently lifted it out of the warm mud. What Pyrus
D'Arthnar V'aalries did not know that day was that Kravak had other idea's
about his successful ability to hatch T'Skrang eggs, other than parenthood.
Kravak knew that he had created the first in a long line of breedable slaves
ready for the Theran and Iopian market.
Of course they could not be bred here and Pyrus
D'Arthnar V'aalries and the newborn would eventually be sold themselves.
The egg began to rock in Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries'
hands. After an hour or so of nursing it the first fragment of shell broke
away and the tiny head of the child appeared. It's tiny chirps bought tears
to Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries eyes. He began to pick at the shell and help
out the hatchelling.
The child wriggled out of the shell and into
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries' warm hands. It was covered in sticky grey goo
and its little eyes squinted as they adjusted to the light. Pyrus D'Arthnar
V'aalries held the child in the air.
"Today you are born, I am your chaida
and I name you Mantious. In time you will pick another name for yourself."
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries held back his grief
as he could not name the child of any niall.
Kravak looked at the child with sinister glee.
He could see only mountains of silver.
A few weeks went by and Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries
had begun to worry about Mantious' skin colour. When a T'Skrang is born
they are white or grey and colour slowly forms after a few days. Mantious'
colour remained white. His markings were black and his eyes were piercing
red. Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries knew the Ork's meddling had caused this
abnormal colouring.
Kravak was horrified that Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries
actually ate the other remaining eggs shortly after the hatching. Kravak's
reaction pleased Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries somewhat.
Months went bye and Mantious grew. It's colour
had not changed a rarity that was never witnessed or recorded in T'Skrang
lore. This did not change the feelings Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries had for
his child.
During this time Kravak had set up two more nests
near the village though he had no more success in hatching any.
The years flew by and Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries
taught Mantious all he knew about T'Skrang lore and traditions. Though
he never expressed it, Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries was very afraid how other
T'Skrang would accept Mantious' appearance.
The time for Mantious' kaissa arrived. Pyrus
D'Arthnar V'aalries took him down by the river. On the completion of the
ritual Mantious would name himself. Mantious was male and took the name
N'athalia after a famous T'Skrang sword master. Mantious as per T'Skrang
tradition and respect for Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries kept his given name
also.
Mantious was a curious T'Skrang as by nature.
He not sure of how he was born and why he had no niall. One day he questioned
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries about it. Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries told him
the truth and that one day they would escape the Ork keeper. Kravak had
kept making Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries renew his blood promise every year
so it was difficult to break.
One night Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries was meditating
on the roof of the house, a habit he had taken up a while ago, unknown
to Kravak, when he heard several men enter the house. They began to talk
to Kravak in whispers. Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries crawled quietly to the
edge of a window and listened in.
"My lord will be very pleased that you
kept your word in achieving this."
A strange voice said.
"Well there are still a few details to
be adjusted but I'm sure he will be pleased with the test results."
"Alright then, here is the payment for
the information you have now and the evidence. Where is the T'Skrang?"
"He is sleeping, give me a moment and
I will fetch him. There is also another one for your lord. A gift of good
will on my behalf."
"My lord will be pleased"
Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries heart began to race,
they were going to take them both. Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries Jumped off
the roof and ran around to his window. He shook Mantious awake and hurried
him out the window.
Just as they turned around they were face to
face with Kravak and four Iopian soldiers.
"I don't think so Pyrus."
Pyrus quickly cast a spell that distracted the
soldiers long enough for Mantious to make an escape.
Mantious ran behind him he could he the blood
curdling scream of Pyrus D'Arthnar V'aalries, his heart raced and blood
began to boil. Unfortunately it was not long before he was cornered by
the Iopian's and captured.
The Serpent River
The Iopian's made their way to the Serpent where
they would travel back north. They paid to board a T'Skrang pirate boat
called the "River King". This was to be their greatest mistake.
The T'Skrang were very curious about the white
T'Skrang boy that had been bought aboard. One night the Captain of the
River King ordered his master thief into the cabin of the Iopian's to find
out about this strange T'Skrang. On his return with Mantious' story the
captain ordered the execution of the Iopian's.
Indebted to the crew of the River King Mantious
gracefully took up a roll of deck hand among his own kind. Although his
own people had accepted him there were many times that the subject of horror
interjection kept Mantious quit alone.
That was until a human Sword master, Debreus,
paid voyage to the River King. He was in hiding from the Throlic authorities
for crimes which of corse he denied he committed. Being a loner like Mantious
the two became good friends.
This lead to Mantious' love for the dance of
the sword. For a year aboard the River King, Debreus trained Mantious as
a Sword Master. The T'Skrang was a natural and destined to follow this
path.
The day came when Debreus had to leave. No longer
could he hide aboard the T'Skrang ship. That day too was Mantious' time
to leave. He had learnt all he could from his new family but the world
awaited him.
He had two objectives to fulfil. One and primarily
he must return the village, Varkon, of his birth and destroy Kravak before
he could sell his evil experiments to others. When the deed is done he
must quest for the ultimate.
His soul blade, the sword meant for Mantious
N'athalia, sword master of the River King.
A Description of Mantious N'Athalia
Mantious is alabaster coloured with grey-black
markings. His eyes are crimson. He weares black padded armour and a buckler
shield that is emblazoned with the standard of the "River King"
which is a red background with a blue sabre crossed with a golden King's
sceptre.
He weares a black cloak. He carries a scimitar-shaped
troll sword, across his back. Inscripted on the blade are the words "Pyrus'
Wrath"