The Forbidding Sea - Off the Coast of The Hinterlands
Rain drops pitter patter softly on the onyx surface of a calm sea. Any moon this place had chose not to bless this night with any hope of light. A chorus of gutteral hisses and moans interrupt the still night air as the first of a bale of sea turtles begin to climb ashore. The beasts snap at one another with sharp beaks and collide, cracking shell upon shell as the herds of dozens begin to emerge endlessly from the lightless ocean depths up onto the grassy shores above.
"Row now! Row!"
"We are almost ashore! I can see the village!"
Wooden paddles slap the water frantically without grace.
"Quickly now! We have but little time before the storm hits shore! We mus- "
CRACK-KABOOM!
The sky splits open, and releases it's fury.
Revantusk Village - The Hinterlands
"HURRY! DIS' WEATHER GONNA' BRING DE' WHOLE VILLAGE TO DE' GROUND!"
A Troll woman, tall and with hair the color of the morning sun shouts out to another woman who was knotting a cord to a wooden beam. The two, along with about a dozen more rush through the village to tie down as many things as could be secured from the winds to come; collecting wooden voodoo relics, folding and storing woven tapestries, and stacking ornamental skulls.
Elder Torntusk looked down into the glowing, fiery orange heart of Revantusk Village from up above, standing on the elavated balcony of Lard's Inn. Even with the gentle rain the bonfire in the center of the village still pulsed a warm hearbeat keeping the village alight, and alive. Down beneath him the villagers called out to one another, hustling to assure their posessions would be safe from the elements regardless of the weather to come.
From above them he could see the whole village, including the path north to the valley high above them, but also out over the endless waters of The Forbidding Sea to the east. It always seemed difficult for him to explain, but since returning from his captivity in Jintha'Alor, the Elder was not the same. In many ways his fire had gone out long ago, but looking out over the sea seemed to calm him. So he remained here above the rush of the village looking out over the endless fathoms of The Forbidding Sea.
CRACK-KABOOM!
A sound as though the world itself has been snapped in two, like a sapling twig by a thundering giant. The flash that followed turned night to day, bringing palms to eyes to shield them from pain. The glow lingered briefly after it's violent eruption, and was rivaled only the earth shattering echo that followed it out of the sea.
Elder Torntusk snarled, quickly lifting his robe draped forearm to cover his face from the unexpected sight and sound!
Immediately footsteps come scrambling up the circular wooden staircase leading from Lard's Inn up to the Elder's platform. "Elder Torntusk! Are you alright?" A mossy-green skinned Troll named Xandru, called out with short-breath as he reached the top step of the staircase leading up to the Elder's platform.
Xandru gasped, "Elder Torntus-!"
The Elder was there, sitting still, peacefully, on the floor of the tall wooden structure.
"Elder Torntusk!"
Xandru pulled off the cloak he was wearing, and ran to the Elder wrapping the cloak around his shoulders.
The Elder did not acknowledge the cloak. But seemed to rock side to side with his head down and eyes closed, as if he were dreaming, or walking with the spirits.
"Elder?" Xandru called out to him again, " Please, answer me!"
At first the Elder whispered inaudibly...
"I cannot hear you..." Xandru leaned his head in closer, hoping to hear the Elder's words more clearly.
The whispers were unintelligable, seemingly random thoughts and phrases, "Shadows... The Dock... Kurks..."
Xandru did not understand him, "What are you saying, Elder? What do you mean?"
Frustrated, he grabbed Elder Torntusk by his shoulders, "Speak to me, speak to me!" Xandru shouted, and shook the old Troll violently!
The Elder's eyes burst open wide with a shockwave, knocking Xandru backward, and glowing with the same powerful glow as the light from sea!
Xandru scrambled back further away from him toward the railing of the upper platform, but he was unable to look away.
Rain drops pitter patter softly on the onyx surface of a calm sea. Any moon this place had chose not to bless this night with any hope of light. A chorus of gutteral hisses and moans interrupt the still night air as the first of a bale of sea turtles begin to climb ashore. The beasts snap at one another with sharp beaks and collide, cracking shell upon shell as the herds of dozens begin to emerge endlessly from the lightless ocean depths up onto the grassy shores above.
"Row now! Row!"
"We are almost ashore! I can see the village!"
Wooden paddles slap the water frantically without grace.
"Quickly now! We have but little time before the storm hits shore! We mus- "
CRACK-KABOOM!
The sky splits open, and releases it's fury.
Revantusk Village - The Hinterlands
"HURRY! DIS' WEATHER GONNA' BRING DE' WHOLE VILLAGE TO DE' GROUND!"
A Troll woman, tall and with hair the color of the morning sun shouts out to another woman who was knotting a cord to a wooden beam. The two, along with about a dozen more rush through the village to tie down as many things as could be secured from the winds to come; collecting wooden voodoo relics, folding and storing woven tapestries, and stacking ornamental skulls.
Elder Torntusk looked down into the glowing, fiery orange heart of Revantusk Village from up above, standing on the elavated balcony of Lard's Inn. Even with the gentle rain the bonfire in the center of the village still pulsed a warm hearbeat keeping the village alight, and alive. Down beneath him the villagers called out to one another, hustling to assure their posessions would be safe from the elements regardless of the weather to come.
From above them he could see the whole village, including the path north to the valley high above them, but also out over the endless waters of The Forbidding Sea to the east. It always seemed difficult for him to explain, but since returning from his captivity in Jintha'Alor, the Elder was not the same. In many ways his fire had gone out long ago, but looking out over the sea seemed to calm him. So he remained here above the rush of the village looking out over the endless fathoms of The Forbidding Sea.
CRACK-KABOOM!
A sound as though the world itself has been snapped in two, like a sapling twig by a thundering giant. The flash that followed turned night to day, bringing palms to eyes to shield them from pain. The glow lingered briefly after it's violent eruption, and was rivaled only the earth shattering echo that followed it out of the sea.
Elder Torntusk snarled, quickly lifting his robe draped forearm to cover his face from the unexpected sight and sound!
Immediately footsteps come scrambling up the circular wooden staircase leading from Lard's Inn up to the Elder's platform. "Elder Torntusk! Are you alright?" A mossy-green skinned Troll named Xandru, called out with short-breath as he reached the top step of the staircase leading up to the Elder's platform.
Xandru gasped, "Elder Torntus-!"
The Elder was there, sitting still, peacefully, on the floor of the tall wooden structure.
"Elder Torntusk!"
Xandru pulled off the cloak he was wearing, and ran to the Elder wrapping the cloak around his shoulders.
The Elder did not acknowledge the cloak. But seemed to rock side to side with his head down and eyes closed, as if he were dreaming, or walking with the spirits.
"Elder?" Xandru called out to him again, " Please, answer me!"
At first the Elder whispered inaudibly...
"I cannot hear you..." Xandru leaned his head in closer, hoping to hear the Elder's words more clearly.
The whispers were unintelligable, seemingly random thoughts and phrases, "Shadows... The Dock... Kurks..."
Xandru did not understand him, "What are you saying, Elder? What do you mean?"
Frustrated, he grabbed Elder Torntusk by his shoulders, "Speak to me, speak to me!" Xandru shouted, and shook the old Troll violently!
The Elder's eyes burst open wide with a shockwave, knocking Xandru backward, and glowing with the same powerful glow as the light from sea!
Xandru scrambled back further away from him toward the railing of the upper platform, but he was unable to look away.