Elven Song and Tales
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Syringia: True Tales from the Shalonesti Forest - One
Sat Mar 31 10:40:13 2012
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Around the bindstone is often found
The most deadly battleground.
Sneaking foes know exactly where
You will return from your prayer.
Lothwen Sha'quelas Moonbrook returned one day to find
The Yinn battlemage, Xaerik, hidden at her bind.
His fangs gleamed as he tried to bite.
She turned and dropkicked with all her might.
Although her training was not complete,
Xaerik, she handily managed to defeat.
Then, much to her surprise, she found
His vampire teeth laying on the ground.
She made them into earrings fair.
Which each day she does proudly wear.
So a sneaking foe got his just reward
Of dental bills he could barely afford.
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Syringia: True Tales from the Shalonesti Forest - Two
Mon Apr 2 10:56:48 2012
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The Tale of Tretelik and the Dragon Egg
Told by Syringia Sha'relas Applewood
It was a dark and stormy night.
The dwarves had begun a fight.
Grundo, from Wargar, to Tretelik did fall,
Then, suddenly, there came a call, --
From Hraz of Justice. He did find
A dragon hovering above his bind.
Tretelik told Hraz to withdraw,
He would brave the dragon's maw.
His plan to ensure his safety to keep,
Was simply to put the dragon to sleep.
Cursed, blinded, and charmed, the dragon knew
Little of the direction in which he flew.
A portal was made to the spirit world.
Hraz mounted the dragon and through it they hurled.
Down to the depths where few can flee,
They took the dragon, who still could not see.
Zwefin joined in the noble quest,
To defeat the dragon, a giant pest.
And then in his corpse, lo and behold,
An egg was found worth a lot of gold.
Now in Galeru's lair and Bloodlust's halls,
The thought of the lost egg torments them all.
But will the dragon egg hatch some day?
That, even our elders cannot say.
The Tale of Three Elves
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Syringia: Tales from the Shalonesti Forest - 3
Mon Apr 16 11:16:32 2012
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Greetings elves and those who love tales of all sorts,
I bring you another tale from the Forest today. This was told to me by Naha
Sha'falas and I have set it to verse. The truth of this tale is not known,
but I found it rather fun.
Tales of this sort are found all over and the house of Sha'relas is
committed to finding and preserving them. If you know of a tale worth
retelling, please write or tell it to me.
With gratitude,
Syringia Sha'relas Applewood
Two sailors were a drinking
When they came up with a plan.
They'd make the finest whiskey
To sell throughout the land.
They gathered the materials.
A still they exactingly made.
And the resulting whiskey
Was of the finest grade.
They advertised their product.
Order after order came pouring in.
Soon they would be wealthy,
They said to each other with a grin.
One day when they'd been brewing
Filling whiskey barrels keg by keg,
Saio came along to visit
With a joke to pull their leg.
He set them both on fire
By a fireball skillfully tossed.
They thought the joke was funny
'Til it appeared the whiskey might be lost.
For as you know, straight whiskey
Is mostly flammable.
It caught their still on fire
Then spread to houses and a nearby stable.
Drondon said they needed water fast
To put the fires out.
He pointed to the nearby resevoir
To quickly bring that about.
Drondon was a half-elf
With legs of human size
So Talik with his wilder legs
Ran to implement the plan, so wise.
Talik noticed a boarded up door
Near the bottom of the dam.
He hammered until it opened up
And then in water he swam.
The resulting wave of water
Put out the fires in town.
But it killed much of the livestock
And knocked many houses down.
But it saved the barrels of whiskey
That they had so neatly stacked.
And when they had sold them all
It was enough to pay everyone back.
For all of the damage done
From water, fire, and smoke
Cost them all their proceeds
Leaving them completely broke.
Life can sometimes throw at you
Twists and turns galore.
One needs a sense of humor
To jump back in for more.
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The True Tale of the Beginning of the War Between the Elves and the Dwarves
Syringia: Tales from the Shalonesti Forest - Four
Tue Apr 17 13:54:46 2012
Retold by Syringia Sha'relas Applewood
Based on information from Matriarch Pythia Shalonost
Since the dawn of history,
The division did start.
Elves' and dwarves' interests
Did grow far, far apart.
The Elves delighted
In growing things.
The dwarves desired
What excavating brings.
And then one day
The dwarves did find
Great riches deep
Within their mine.
What they were
Is not told,
Precious stones
Or mounds of gold.
But the gods
Wished them too.
Give them up,
Dwarves refused to do.
And so the gods
Cursed the land.
Hailstorms and plagues
None could withstand.
Until it looked
Like famine's gate
Soon would be
All people's fate.
The historical writings
Do not show
Dwarves or Elves,
Who cast the first blow.
But that the war started
And rages on to date
Is something we live with,
Though it, we didn't create.
And so to those
Who read this tale.
Two cautions I give
To you as well.
Do not let the love
Of riches or power,
The vain things that life
May on you shower.
Obscure your vision of
The important things -
Family, kin and honor
Will happiness bring.
And greed will eventually
Bring you down.
Especially greed for things
Found under the ground.
How the Wilder Elves Came to Be
From a story by Lord Braha'minanom'amor Sha'enras D'l'athil, Songkeeper of the Kyrol
Retold by Syringia Sha'relas Applewood
The yinnae invasion force
Much like a tidal wave
Swept through and conquered Serpantol
No quarter expected, no quarter gave.
They covered the land as far as one could see,
So many yinnae did abound,
That when they were on the move,
Like locusts, one could hardly see the ground.
The Speaker of the Shalonosts
Put out an urgent call
Leave your villages immediately,
You'll be safe behind Shalonesti's wall.
An elven girl named Minion
Refused to run and hide
She would not leave her forest
To be burned, slashed or occupied.
She organized many families,
Perhaps a hundred strong,
They would fight without the city walls.
They would somehow get along.
The Speaker tried to force
Compliance with his word.
Come in now, or in council,
Your voice will no longer be heard.
She did not listen or perhaps did not care,
The yinnae threat was far too great.
Her goal was to save the forest that she loved
Now, before it was too late.
The elves formed small battle groups
Better to attack quickly, then retreat.
They practiced engaging from above,
And always landing on their feet.
Guerrilla warfare never is
A very pretty sight.
Soon the yinnaes feared the trees,
Especially at night.
Minion's force was never found
In the same place twice.
The yinnaes could not anticiapte
At each battle they paid a heavy price.
Eventually, though greatly outnumbered,
They drove the yinnaes from their forest home.
But the gates of Shalonesti remained shut
Leaving them quite on their own.
Within this group of wild elves,
A wilder change had been wrought.
Perhaps it was their training,
Or the self-sufficiency Minion taught.
Their ability in magic diminished
By an amount not too great,
But their strength and agility increased a lot,
In order to compensate.
Minion became the Mother
To all the wilder elves in her band.
Over time they spread out,
And now live throughout the land.
To Minion, the forest gave her life.
She could not let it die.
In her memory we continue to nurture it,
To plant, train, and beautify.
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Syringia: True Tales from the Shalonesti Forest - Six
Mon Apr 23 14:32:55 2012
To: Shalonesti Shalonesti_king All
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The Tale of the Kitten 'Shadow' and the Warlock
Retold by Syringia Sha'relas Applewood
From information given by Speaker Thanatael Shalonost
A kitten came to the Vallens one day,
Who made it clear she wished to stay.
She was small and black as night,
But on her collar, jewels sparkled bright.
The elves she met fed her fish,
Gave her a home and all she could wish.
But yet, communication was poor.
Restless she seemed, so elves brought her more
Things to play with, things to eat,
They cuddled with her and brought her treats.
All their efforts appeared in vain.
Finally, she seemed to be in pain.
The elves attempted to find the source.
To fix what ailed her, they did endorce
Many a clever and ingenious solution,
But day after day there was no resolution
That came to them, still wondering what to do.
The kitten's restlessness increased too.
Then one day, from Sabrinaela, there came a call.
Rise up! To arms! Come one and all!
A warlock had appeared to claim his cat.
He wished her back, and that would be that.
The elves could see she did not wish to go,
So, of course, they told the warlock, NO!
'She is mine, I shall have her,' the warlock said.
And immediately cast lightning over everyone's head.
The kitten, named Shadow by the evil warlock,
Looked even more like she wished she could talk.
The elves charmed the kitten to move her away,
From each place the warlock was that day.
Yet each time they whisked her away, it seemed
The warlock would find them by some devious scheme.
The kitten grew irate with the collar she bore.
Upon examination, it appeared to give more and more
Power to the warlock through the orb he did hold.
When Thanatael tried to remove it, it did knock him out cold.
The shocks from the collar sent Thanatael into a trance.
The resulting vision he received did his understanding enhance.
In a plane of life he had never before seen,
An elven maid fighting this warlock appeared in his dream.
It was then the meaning of the vision was clear.
The maid was the kitten, made to serve out of fear.
The magical power the Elvish maid held
Was used by the warlock to strengthen his spells.
More and more elves had come to the fight.
The warlock easily fought all, then came Gareth's knights.
The battle continued, fruitless and with peril fraught.
Then they decided the orb held the answer they sought
To disempower the warlock, who's power did flow
Through the orb he held and the collar that did glow.
During the battle, the orb they did crack,
Causing the warlock to hastily retreat back
To where he had come from, leaving behind
The kitten and collar and answers to find.
The jewels in the collar dimmed very low
The crack in the orb seemed to have stopped the flow.
The kitten pawed at the collar in a mute plea.
So Thanatael removed it and a transformation did see.
Before their eyes appeared the Elven lass,
Her beautiful smile held them in awe, at last.
But only for a few moments, then suddenly she made
A small sound, collapsed, and began to fade.
They attempted to heal her, to no avail.
Even replaced the collar on her as well.
She died without another sound.
But her peaceful expression did those there astound.
She taught us much as a kitten slave.
To never give up, this lesson she gave.
And to her, freedom was worth the price she paid.
We should honor and revere this heroic Elvish maid.
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Syringia: True Tales from the Shalonesti Forest - Seven
Wed Apr 25 22:08:03 2012
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Logs for Sale
The Vallenwoods
Grow logs so well,
There are always plenty
For Elves to sell.
Zandreya, herself,
Walks our land
Encouraging new seedlings
Wherever she can.
The logs are cut,
Graded, and stacked,
Then taken to market
On elephants' backs.
The auctioneer's
Voice is heard
Quietly persuading
To buy the wood.
He has logs,
Just logs for sale.
He then opens it up
For bidding as well.
The voices he hears
Are -NOT- demanding logs,
But cogs, frogs, hedgehogs,
And lost puppy dogs.
Then the topic changes slightly
Into a discussion of jogging
To a bog in the fog
With grogg to go frogging.
From there it continues
Wondering if pollywogs can be found
Doing a monologue
Under the ground.
The auctioneer becomes
Quite bemused.
How could logs with
All these other things be confused?
In the end,
All he has to say
Is 'Buy my logs,
Or please ... go away.'
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The Last Dance of Josiuh Sha'qelas
Mon Apr 30 13:13:30 2012
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It was a dark and starless night.
The three moons withheld their light.
While on the river, dressed in black
A boatload of assassins left no tracks.
Prince Aelsian Shalonost's death, their goal,
As quietly they eluded each patrol.
But Josiuh, a bladesinger, could not rest.
His thoughts with dark dreams were possessed.
Armed and armored he finally arose,
To make one more circuit of the city before repose.
As he came down to the riverside,
He saw dwarves and dark-elves trying to hide.
He immediately sounded the alarm,
For he knew their intent was to cause harm.
The guards instantly began the attack,
As well as the bladesinger, to hold them back.
The assassins split up, the better to pursue
Access to the palace, the prince to subdue.
Josiuh wove the moves of the bladesinger's dance
Into the battle, his effectiveness to enhance.
He began to bait his deadly foes
And they turned on him the majority of their blows.
Bleeding profusely from many wounds to his skin,
His opponents gathered, to prevent help reaching him.
He then skillfully retreated step by step
To the Alcove, where the Sword of Songs is kept.
He finished off a few more opponents during his retreat.
His enemies tried harder for his defeat.
Upon reaching inside that sacred site,
His sword broke as he blocked several hits with his might.
Before the statue of Zandreya, it seemed
All would be lost as he had dreamed.
But to the Kyorl he did belong
So he gave himself fully to the 'song'.
The song which is a major part
Of what is in a bladesinger's heart.
To which, when born, they contribute to.
And join when they die, its energy to renew.
And with that increased commitment embraced,
His hand upon the Sword of Songs he placed.
The sword that at Zandreya'a statue's feet
Quietly hums, providing energy to the bladesinger elite.
Encased in stone, it lies there in wait
For one in need, its skills to take.
With a mighty heave, Josiuh pulled
While with his shield he deflected blow after blow.
But nothing happened, the sword remained
Encased in stone, made of the arcane.
To Zandreya, Josiuh sent a silent prayer,
And pulled again on the sword so rare.
And in his hand the sword came out
Then it was a dance of death he brought about.
Josiuh was known as the tempest of the Kyorl
In honor of a grand storm that unfurls.
And unfurl it did as each assassin he sought
Throughout the city died as they were caught.
Until finally, he came to the palace gate
Inside the sleeping prince, unaware of the assassin's hate.
Only two were left, but his strength was fading fast.
Would the song keep him going to kill the last?
As he came upon them, they had just slain the palace guards.
He said to himself, 'Two to one shouldn't be too hard.'
And so they engaged, each circling around
To see if any weaknesses could be found.
The dwarf chopped in quickly aiming for Josiuh's heart
Josiuh took the hit on the side and split the dwarf's head apart.
The dark-elf took this as an opportunity
To slay Josiuh as he pulled his weapon free.
The dark-elf stabbed Josiuh to the heart
With moments of life left, Josiuh did his part.
He cleaved the dark-elf's head off with some strength he found,
Then quietly sank dead to the ground.
The Sword of Songs by him lay,
But not for long, those who found him say.
It is thought that the Mother came and took the sword
Replacing it carefully in its stony hoard.
The emotions ran very high that day
That Josiuh was honored and laid away.
But we know his spirit lives with Zandreya still,
And very faithfully does Her Will.
His example is one which we should all endorse,
Of doing our duty and staying the course.
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Syringia: True Tales from the Shalonesti Forest - Eight
Thu May 17 11:35:39 2012
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The Insane Asylum
In the dark of the morning,
Just before first break of day,
With the dew still on the ground
Janath quickly made his way.
He slowed his pace somewhat
As the hill was now in sight
At the top a large and spacious building
Filled with elves in a mixture of deranged plights.
The first time he had come here
He tried to persuade them to go
To return home to the Vallens.
His lead they would not follow.
He listened carefully as the sound
Of fighting came to his ears
The chained elves were being slaughtered,
Just as he had feared.
Sneaking up the hill
He came to a bank of doors,
Slipping from one to another,
He moved to the end of the floor.
A sulfury sort of smell,
He could sense as he moved closer still.
Dwarves, he was fairly certain,
Were making elven kill after kill.
Just like a dwarf,
To kill those who can't defend.
Janath crept ever closer,
This insanity to end.
He heard the rattling of chains
In the very next room.
Despite the dwarves more advanced training,
Janath leapt in to prevent the chained elves' doom.
Surprise was on Janath's side
And the fact that he kept the door shut.
Hgrem's life was soon ended
As Janath's axes split him from head to gut.
Janath looked remorsefully
At the corpses scattered on the ground.
Some better solution for this problem
Needed to be quickly found.
Once again he pleaded
To the elves chained to ceiling and wall,
Come, return home to the Vallens.
I will protect you from one and all.
But the elves did not appear to hear,
Looking off into space.
No recognition of the meaning in his words
Was in each and every face.
Janath stopped and considered
More was going on here than met the eye.
He went back into stealth mode,
To find out the truth or perhaps to die.
He quietly climbed the stairs
And eavesdropped at the director's door.
The conversation that he overheard
Made him continue to explore.
He went from room to room
Until he saw it all.
His cousins were having their essences stolen
While being kept in a state of thrall.
These essences depleted from the insane elves
Were being concentrated and sold
As potions by the dark elves.
Who were gaining lots of gold.
Janath returned to his home
Resolved to end this wicked place.
He now gathers elves to help him.
Come join, there still is space.