Saga contest (Hosted by the APR and Voices of Aretania)

Seidrik_The_Gray

Seidrik The Gray
Joined
Jun 26, 2006
Messages
1,160
Inside a house in Arete that Seidrik rented using Arkadian Populist Regime funds, Seidrik paces near an open window, allowing the sea breazes to calm his mind. Behind him, BCLG100, dutchfire, Joe Harker, fed1943, Clydus(Blastoidstalker), and Lord Civius were busy going over details of the platform that Seidrik had put together. The election was about unifying Aretania and about reinvigorating her people. It was also about change and bold plans for the future.
But right now, Seidrik wanted a break, a page to turn in this tale, perhaps just to get to the elections and have the people speak already. And then his mind clicked on an inspiration. It was something he loved doing more than politics, something he enjoyed seeing others do as well. It was a different sort of sport, but just as entertaining, Seidrik thought, as playing soccer had always been.
Turning to the rest of his faction, which continued to become more and more like a busy bee hive with suggestions streaming in from all over Aretania along with new recruits and pledges of support, Seidrik made a pronouncement to any who would listen. You all cary on here, i'm going to stretch my legs a bit and clear my head. I won't be long.
With that, Seidrik threw on his purple and ivory cloak that announced his faction, clasped the gold wolf head cloak pin, and walked to Poverty's Pub on a hill set a little ways from the beach. Many recognized him and approached with questions. Seidrik simply beconed them to join him at the pub, and told them politely that he was on a personal errand now, and not in a political mood. By the time, he got to the pub, there was a small crowd following him, and Poverty looked up from the bar, and smiled broadly at the prospect of the many future customers.
In a jovial spirit more like his old self, Seidrik lept onto a central table, and with a flourish of his cape and a bow toward Poverty and the crowd in the pub, Seidrik spoke out in a nearly theatrical voice.
"Let's take our minds off of politics for a moment shall we? As the founder of Voices of Aretania, a collection of some of the finest story tellers I know, I issue a contest! The winner of this contest will be sewn into the fabric of our history for millenia to come! Our people deserve a Saga! One befitting the many adventures, the folklore, the drama, and passion of Aretania, and the Triad rule and the path that brought us to where we are as a people today! Enjoy one of Poverty's fine ales, then cajole with your friends here about some tall tales that might encompass all that I have laid out for you. These stories may be as fanciful as you want them to be. The story that retains some honesty to the truth, and yet conveys the greatest sense of pride in Aretania will be the winner. Let's have some heros, let's have some stories that warm us all around the fire at night and stories that keep the enemies at bay. Let's have a Saga worthy of Aretania!
To deafening roars, Seidrik hops off the table and shouts "First round's on me!"
 
Diamondeye, who has been following Seidrik to the pub, insists on not drinking anything. The skinny acolyte looks almost scared as the roaring crowd settles around Seidrik. They quickly become silent and listen when he begins to tell his tale of the people of Aretania. His voice is enchanting and filled with compassion as the starts his saga...

"Once upon a time, a place not too far from here, a simple tribe was residing in a forest. They were simple men. They fought with rocks and clubs, they ate whatever animals passed their way, and they lives in primitive caves and huts.

But one of them were different. Rethan was a young boy, only slightly older than I am now, but he was strong, agile, and intelligent. Once, when he was out hunting, he met a beautiful woman he had never seen before. She was wearing fine clothes, and her voice rang as the most beautiful of songs, as he told him:
>>You, Rethan, must leave your tribe to from a new tribe, a stronger tribe. But in order to do this, you must face three trials. The first trial is that of the hunt. You must hunt down the mighty lion that lurks nearby, and consume its' heart.<<

Rethan, who already was out hunting, took forth his spear and prepared for the encounter with the lion. He moved slowly and carefully, and soon found himself in a small glave. Sitting there in the sun was the mightiest lion he had ever seen.
As it took notice of him, it leapt to its' feet and attacked. Rethan fought the lion with all his strength and agility, not allowing himself any lethal wounds, and striking the lion again and again. Finally, after the struggle, Rethan, now covered in blood from both himself and the lion, cut open the chest cage of the lion to take forth its' heart, which was still beating. He consumed it, and as the last bite was swallowed, the beautiful woman appeared again. She smiled at him and congratiolated him with the victory. She then took his hands, and blessed him with gift of the hunt."

At this point, Diamondeye stretches out his own hand, and shows it to those around him.

"As you may or may not know, we Aretans have, compared to any other civilization, the most agile and strong hands. This is due to Rethans gift of the hunt. The others from his tribe has short fingers, and their hands were clumsy and fat.

She then told him that the second challenge would be a challenge of his mind. The rest of the group of lions were encircling the grove, and he could not possibly defeat them all. He had to be cunning to escape. With these words, she disappeared.

Rethan heard the growls of lions nearby. He quickly skinned the lion and wore its' skin as a suit, thus ensuring that the lions would not kill him. He quickly left the group of lions and made sure he was at safe distance before taking off the lionhide. The woman appeared again, congratiolated him on his cunning and survival, and gave him, this time, the gift of perception."

Diamondeye looks around at the others, into their eyes, before continuing.

"As you may, or may not know, we Aretans have different eyes than any other tribe. Our eyes are wider, and they tip towards our nose. This makes sure that rain runs off without falling into our eyes, clouding them. Therefore, Aretans have the best sight of all tribes. We owe this to the cunning of Rethan.

The final test, she told him, was that of the heart. She pointed at something behind him, and he turned around just in time to see a child, falling into a steep, cave-like hole. Rethan immidiately ran to help the child, but alas, the hole was soo deep he could not see the bottom. Rethan quickly made up his mind, laid down his hunting equipment, and began to climp down. After climbing for some time, he made his way to the bottom. The earth right below the hole was soft and mossy. He could not see the child anywhere. He immidiately begun to search, and soon realized that the cave was enormeous. He sought after the child in the complete darkness, for seven days and seven nights, without sleeping, eating or drinking. Finally, he found the child, laying on the moss where he had entered the cave, asleep. He quickly carried the child up the steep rocks to the surface, where the woman stood waiting for him.

She told him that he had passed the test of the heart. He has been willing to sacrifice himself to help a child, and had proven that his heart was both of caring and of courage. She then blessed him with the blessing of the Sun..."

Diamondeye pauses again, before stating:

"We Aretans have yellow skin. Some would dare to call it golden. We owe this to Rethan as well. It is the reward for the week he spent in utter darkness. As repayal for that, we are now living under the sun. Rethan led the Aretans out of the forests and out into the open, where the sun would bless their future."

With these words, Diamondeye ends his tale. His voice is hoarse as he asks for some water to drink.
 
When Vandal heard this covtest Vandal grinned. He was to be sewn into Arete's History once more, this time not as a rebel, but as a legendary Story teller. Vandal walked into the pub for the first round of Story Telling. He was to spin the tale of Aegaan the Wrathful.


Aegaan the Wrathful
1000 years before the Aretean society lived the Earten Tribe. They were small tribe with little land. Fishing was their way of life, so they were constantly traveling between the coast and their settlement. They were lead by a cheiften, that served them until he died. The final Cheif of Earten was Aegaan, whom was later given the title 'The Wrathful' for his quick temper. On the final year of Aegaan's rule He descided he was going to build a monument of himself made from fish scales. Aegaan wanted the scales of a specific fish though. The scales of the Untuttut-Jkjiong, a fish that came to their area once a year, and was 10 feet long.
Aegaan ordered that a great net be fashioned to catch this great fish. The people of the village had nothing to fashion this net with besides their clothes. Aegaan demanded that everyone gave him their clothes to make the net. Everyone surrendered their clothes besideds one family who left the village for another near-by village. By the time the fish was supposed to come the net had been finished. But, no fish came. Aegaan was furious. Then on the last day of his rule a great storm of snow froze and killed everyone, including the cheif. The tribe was wiped out until the family that didn't give up their clothes, came back and rebuilt the tribe. Thus, rebuilding an important part of Arete's pre-history.


Vandal finished his tale and added"They say that every 100 years, Aegaan's spirit tries to steal the clothes of the current members of that family."
 
Excellent entries so far! Once the dust from the election settles, I'm sure we'll get a few more ;)
 
Hmm....I know there are more story tellers out there....hint hint blastoid...

I'm not entering a saga so I can remain impartial, but I'm sure we can get at least one more entry :)
 
Who thought Heroic Epic would be built so early...:)

You know who Antimedus is, you are familiar with Aelbeorht and Seidrik too, but one hero is just as famous (and infamous) as them. She was born a long time ago in Spain. Her name? Isadora. Isadora was friends with Hatshepsut as children, but they drifted apart once Hatshepsut's family was traced to royalty. Isadora became very lonely. She loved Hatshepsut like a sister, and she had no other friends. Ten years later, Hatshepsut took the Spanish throne. Isadora, not knowing about Hatshepsut's new leadership role, went to visit Hatshepsut. She wanted to see how her old friend was living those days. To her surprise, the house Hatshepsut lives in was empty. Of course, Isadora didn't know that Hatshepsut was living in the palace. So, Isadora ventured out on a quest. Her mission: To find her once beloved friend and see if she was OK. Sure, they were not very close anymore, but Isadora would never let go of the bond that was once there between her and Hatshepsut.

Meanwhile, at the Palace of Spain, Hatshepsut was just getting used to a life of luxury. She had everything she ever wanted; except protection. The Spanish military was weak, and every man willing to fight was not willing to be her bodyguard. They thought that the military was more important than a prissy little teenager masquerading as a leader.
There was a knodk at the Palace door, and Hatshepsut got up and answered it. At the door were very huge men carrying clubs. Hatshepsut knew at once who they were, or so she thought...
"Oh, thank goodness! My bodyguards are finally here!"
The men went to conference, and were back very quickly. "We would call ourselves Warriors, but sure!"
"Well, thank you for coming. I- Ah!"
Just then Hatshepsut was lifted up off her feet and thrown into a sack. The men were not bodyguards at all! Hatshepsut screamed for all her might, but to no avail.

Isadora, meanwhile, was riding through the woods, town, and farms looking for her old friend. She would stop at every suspicious-looking travelers to see if they knew where Hatshepsut was. Ironically, Isadora, not knowing that Hatshepsut was the new Pharaoh, had decided that Hatshepsut had been kidnapped. Suddenly, she came upon a fierce looking twosome with a screaming bag.
"Excuse me, but do you know where Hatshepsut is?"
The men exchanged glances and set off on their horse fast as they could. She decided that they were the ones.
"It's time for Hatshepsut to be liberated!" Isadora cried as she picked up a stick from the ground. She didn't know what she was going to do with it, but it was going to be good.
Running as fast as lightning, she stabbed the man's horse that didn't have Hatshepsut on it. With a mighty neigh, the horse collapsed, man and all.
"Tell me where Hatshepsut is going!" Isadora sneered between her clenched teeth.
The man, barely able to breathe, told her, "They (huff) are going (puff) to a butcher's house to be slaughtered (huffity puff puff.)"
Isadora took to running again, and, as if by magic, was there literally instantly.
"Give me Hatshepsut!" She yelled while keeping up with the horse.
The man decided it would be best to duel this woman so she would stop pestering him. "One shot with an arrow and you'll be finished!" He took out a bow, shot it at Isadora, and it hit. Right in the chest. But somehow, she didn't seem harmed. She returned with an arrow of her own, this one hitting the other man the exact same way, but killing him. Isadora them untied Hatshepsut's bag, and then died, from the arrow.

The story I have told you today is not about defeating your enemy, or pushing for strong guarding. It is one of bravery, and how friendship can last forever.
 
Another good entry! Good work! Hopefully, your work can inspire others :)
 
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