Elegy of the Sheaim

[Diamondeye]

"Ybirn looked at the barrow in the marshy lowlands ahead. He had found his blade in a place similar to this, but he did not plan to go anywhere near the burrow this time. The reason was the several dozen of skeletons, armed with primitive swords and shields, that patrolled around the graveyard. He turned away his gaze from the knuckled figures and looked to the north. From his vantage point at the top of the tower he could see an enormeous tree. He watched amazed for a moment before descending from the tower. He would tell the others that they were heading north."

-"Ybirn the Merciless", Chapter II: "The Giant Trunk", year 39.

 

[CCRunner]

Great job so far, just want to pop in and say that I'm following this too

 

[Diamondeye]

"Ybirn looked up at the massive trunk of the Yggdrasil, reaching far into the sky. He stood amazed at one of nature's finest creations for several minutes before realizing that the tree actually bore fruit. He looked down to find one, larger than his fist, right besides his left foot. He picked it up. It's skin was soft and yellow, silky almost. Ybirn discarded the thought of something so beautiful being poisonious and took a bite of the fruit.

The ripe fruit tasted sweet and delicious, it's juice running dow his chest, Ybirn ate the rest of the fruit in his hand. In its' core was a large seed, which he kept in his clothes. He returned to the others without telling them of the experience; it was almost midnight and they were marching further north when the sun rose again."

-"Ybirn the Merciless", Chapter II: "The Giant Trunk", Year 41.

 

[Diamondeye]

"Ybirn was aware of the elves presence, but he did not show it. Instead, like the other scouts, he sniffed the air. It tasted like... Burnt sugars, perhaps. And ocean salt. And it had a faint scent of... No, Ybirn realized he could not place the scent at all. It was overwhelming. It was so completely different from the natural sweetness of the Yggdrasil. The scent was unnatural and had the strongest taste of something human... Ambition, perhaps?

Whatever it was, Ybirn was sure that Os-Gabella would deem the news important. Especially since they were so close to the elven border. He handed the young scout in front of him the small crystal and sent him running west, for Iristad."

-Ybirn the Merciless", Chapter III: "The Elven Border", Year 43.

 

[Diamondeye]

"By the year 47, the forces of Os-Gabella had finally gathered a suitable force near the Pristine Pass; three divisions of Warriors stood guard over the pass. If the Gargoyles tried to near Iristad, they would be met with heavy resistance."

-"Elegy of the Sheaim", year 47.

 

[Diamondeye]

"That year, great revolts shook the city of Iristad. Even Os-Gabella's iron grip on the city could not bring the crowd to rest.

An adventurer named Elu, who had saved several of the city's children during a harpy attack years back, had kept one of the harpy eggs and raised the harpy as his own daughter. Now, the citizens revolted in the streets as he had finally shown the girl, Clairone, in public. He had quickly fled to the Palace to seek safety, and Os-Gabella had accepted his plea. The man was standing inside the gates, crying to see the villagers hateful expressions. His young daughters' eyes were wide open, but she did not cry.

Os-Gabella took a decision. "Elu, Clairone, come with me." She quickly marched up the palace stairs. Elu approached her carefully. "What is your intention, my queen?" Os-Gabella looked at him, while she kept moving. "She will have to survive without your help. If she can do that, she can live."

With those words, she opened the gate to the balcony and led the two others out on it. They were immidiately met by the yells of the angry villagers. Os-Gabella looked at Clairone and wondered if the girl knew what to do. And if the girls wings could even carry her yet."

-Elegy of the Sheaim, year 48

 

[Diamondeye]

"The harpy girl heard their cries,
standing on the balcony rise,
she heard their bickering and angry agony,
turned in blindness to the royal balcony,
turned to a stranger to their kin,
who had never done a single sin.

Yet they hated Clairone,
they wanted her gone,
even better dead and burnt,
Elu looked, looked so concerned,
as she walked forward fearlessly,
wings hanging from her back uselessly,

But then as the opened her mouth instead,
the noise of the crowd fell completely dead,
for from her throat a song arose,
the most beautiful ever-heard prose,
a song so cleansing from loathing and hate,
so innocent and ringing of a sorrowful fate,
that the Sheaim, cruel in heart and mind,
fell to their knees and cried, out of wind,
even the Queen felt a tear running down,
she stepped up, now empty of frown,
and at the last of the purest, pristine tone,
she reached down and kissed the hand of Clairone."

-"The Song that made the woods weep", by Skadi Gosym, Sheaim poet. Year unknown.

 

[JonathanStrange]

Great reading; thanks for taking the time for the AAR. I love 'em whether they're done like stories or like nonfiction "just the facts". Great stuff.

 

[Taalen]

Enjoying reading it so far, so... keep it up

 

[Diamondeye]

Glad to hear there are someone out there following this! Updates are coming - now! Drastic updates!

"The Sheaim people, who now felt safe from the talons of the gargoyles, begun to think of ways to improve the poor lands they had at their disposal. Progress was slow, but constant."

-"Elegy of the Sheaim", year unknown.

 

[Diamondeye]

"Today I saw upon the sky a sign that filled me with joy. For there, among the uttar darkness, hang the blazing sword. Finally, a sign I can understand! I am sure that Amelanchier has seen the same stars upon the sky, on the other side of the Sucellan Ridge, and that he right now fears this horrifying omen. With good reason. For the pathethic Ljosalfar, worshippers of a dead god, has met their future masters; the legion of the Sheaim!"

 

[Diamondeye]

"Ybirn also saw the Blazing Sword on the clear sky. The next thing he set his eyes on raised his mood even higher.

There, in a clearing beyond, a party of elven workers were slowly building a crude road through the forests. That was not particularly interesting. What was interesting was the lack of guards. So Ybirn made a rash decision, and turned to the other scouts. He gestured for them to follow him as he ran forward.

The elves, tired from a hard days work, were way too slow to react. Before they had time to turn and run, many of them had been knocked down and were being tied on hands and feet. Soon, Ybirn and his men led the coloumn of slaves through the woods."

-"Ybirn the Merciless": Chapter IV: "The Blazing Sword", year unknown.

 

[civ_king]

Keep going

 

[Taiyama]

This is a very interesting game. I must suck at Fall From Heaven, though, because I'm having a bit of trouble on Noble as Flauros. Maybe I'm putting too much stock in early scores, but I was in, like, third place and apparently was a very small civilization even though I was expanding at a fairly reasonable (if slightly slow) rate. My military kind of sucked too, which is probably why Cassiel declared war on me. I dunno, maybe I'm just doing something wrong? I'll have to try again and see if I can't do better.

But I digress, my complaints have little to do with your story. I'm enjoying it so far. I like the addition of the poems too.

 

[Diamondeye]

"I have been lost in thought for so long... It seems as if time itself has enveloped me to allow me this pleasant pause to reconsider my actions.

Something inside me has changed. I think it has to do with Clairone's song. I remember the chill that crept down my spine as I heard the voice of the girl ring out clearer and more beautiful than anything I have ever heard.

For a moment... I am almost afraid to speak this out... For a moment I felt... Happy. It was not a pain to be alive. Now I am lost in thought of whether it would be possible to somehow find this feeling again. Clairone is already aging and will soon succumb to age or disease, while I live on, in renewed pain.

It is indeed a strange time. Soon, the Sheaim will need to take action again. We are at war, after all."

 

[Taiyama]

Nice going so far. By the way, I have a question regarding the great bard you got: it said you had to take 15 turns of disorder, correct? How badly do you think that affected your economy, production, and progress? Or will that be addressed at a later point in the story?

 

[Diamondeye]

@Taiyama: The "knack" about that event is that, per BtS patch-something (.17?), a Great Work neutralizes disorder. Hence it is going to affect my economy approximately not at all. Thanks for asking and lurking, though. I'll get around to playing some turns soon.

 

[Diamondeye]

"And as the sixtieth year since the founding of Iristad commenced, a child was born under the wicked constellation known as The Black Candle. Os-Gabella saw the constellation and decreed that the Sheaim would do whatever it took to track down this marked child and raise him to a true Prophet of Ceridwen. The boy was given the name Os-Gosym."

-Elegy of the Sheaim, year 60.

 

[Diamondeye]

"With Os-Gosym being raised with all the insight of Os-Gabella, the Queen quickly decided that the Sheaim would make preparations to settle another city, where Os-Gosym could be her voice and hand."

-Elegy of the Sheaim, year 61

 

[Diamondeye]

"After bringing home the elvish slaves to the safety of the Sucellan Valley, Ybirn once again headed towards Ljosalfar lands. He was convinced that Amelanchier had not forgotten his people and would send someone to save them from the cruelty that is dominant in the majority of the Sheaim slave-owners."

"And sure enough, a small group of Ljosalfar scouts had camped in the Sucellan Pass for the night. Ybirn and his men gathered and quickly swept up the hill of the elven camp and brought down their blades upon the defenseless elves."

-"Ybirn the Merciless", Chapter V: "Spilling Elven Blood", year 62.