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As the ship rocks in the storm you begin to wish you had stayed on the shore. The trip so far has been a total waste of time and you're hoping very much to find the adventure you've been seeking once you reach the shores of Sundren. Your stomach is continually crawling up your throat so you decide to brave the storm and step out onto the deck. You pull your cloak up over your head to push back some of the rain and open the door. The storm is getting worse, but you deperately need the fresh air, so you decide just to take a few moments and take in the salty sea. Just as your stomach has began to settle and you decide to go dry youself by the fire...you see him. A elven male standing by the railing of the ship, dagerously close,considering the weather tonight. Every few seconds the lighting clashes catch his armor and send a shimmer of light bouncing off of him. He stands calmly with his cloak blowing about, and holds only a bow....a bow, that as you watch him...you're sure he's speaking to. As you are about to dismiss him as being mad, something catches your eye about him. A calmness, a gentle sincerity that sets your mind at ease. You decide the storm isn't so bad after all and after this long journey...you could use the conversation, if he's willing.
You approach catiously, still not certain this elf can be trusted. But as he spins around to greet you, your worries melt away in his smile.
"Hey there!" "If you hadn't noticed it's rainin...." he stares at you smirking and waiting for you to laugh at his attempt at a joke. Still grinning he picks up his bow and slings it over his armor and around his back, he puts out his hand to shake yours. "Griffter's the name, Griffter Longshot if you're the particular type. Nice ta meet ya." As you shake his hand and offer your name in return you find your mind wandering as to where he could be from? All the elves you've ever met had for the most part been snobish and very high class. This one seemed very well mannered and moved with precision as if everything he did had a purpose. But he was not like any elf you had ever encountered, and he spoke quite strangely.
"So, ya headed to Port Avanthyr are ya?" he says assuming your destination. You nod and continue to stand at the railing with him watching the sea toss the ship about.
"Suprised ta see anyone else up here tanight, it's awful bad weather. Me, I can't stand be'n closed in. I have to stay up here to get that fresh air or I just loose it ya know?" "But it won't be much longer now and we'll dock, be glad ta put my feet on dry land again." "Never was much for the sea". You find yourself eyeing his bow, aside from his armor and the prayer book chained to his hip, it appears to be his only belonging. You don't mean to stare, but you can't help it. You've seen bows before obviously, but none like this. It's almost an impossible craftsmanship. Bent in a way that would make any other bow structurally unsound and not fit for fighting at all. It's beautiful though, and you can't seem to take your eyes off of it. Griffter catches you starting and begins to speak again.
"Ya like ma bow?" He says as he pulls it from around his back again and sits one end gently on the deck. "Tharon's his name" he says, and you look confused as you can only assume he's talking about the BOW he's holding.
"It's kind of a long story I spose, but it's kind of a long ride..." he looks to you for approval before he continues, you nod. "When I was a lad, about the age of 14 I had myself a brother. A twin to be exact. We were thick as thieves we were. Went everywhere together and only wanted ta grow up like our Father and defend our people just like he'd done" "Ya see he was killed two years earlier and ma brother and I were taken in by the church he served." We missed'em so but found the strength we needed in each other". "Isn't that right buddy?" He says leaning down to the bow's hilt, surely a crazy old elf you've stumbled across tonight; you think as he continues.
"Ma brother and I choose differnt paths I guess, I took to tha faith more, finding strength in the teachings of our gods. Ma brother found his solice in fight'n. Man that boy could fight too. I don't think I ever saw him loose a fight he wasn't horribly outnumbered in. By horribly I mean like 5 ta 1 or somethin like that. Anyways, he was tough and before long we had both made our way up the ranks of the church and the army. Ma brother became a captain in the same army my father had served in before he was killed. I eventually became the high priest of one of the temples. While our lives had turned out different we were still brothers, twin brothers that took comfort in one another and helped each other as best we could." He pauses again and looks out over the ocean, you begin to wonder where he's going with all of this, but it's sit here and listen to him ramble or head back downstairs to the smell of cabbage and creaking wood. You decide to stick it out a little longer.
"A bunch o'barbarians attacked the city one night. Minotaur barbarians at that. Real onery creatures with a delight in watch'n folks suffer. The army was dispatched and my brother lead the charge." Griffter takes a deep breath and grips the bow a little tighter, you hear the metal from his guantlets creak in the rain and visually notice a change in his dimeanor.
"Well this would be one fight he wouldn't win." He says as he looks away. "They killed him and his entire regimen, then turned on the city. I managed to escape into the forest and hid ta stay alive. What a coward I was, but I was sure there was nothing I could do ta help and I was terrified. After two days and nights, when the smoke had settled from the fires in the city, I snuck back ta where my brother had told me his regimen had been sent. I found him...lifeless and still clutching his sword. To his last breath he had fought those damned creatures...to his last breath". His voice stammers a bit and were it not for all the rain, you're sure you'd have seen him crying.
"I fell ta my knees right there and begged the gods to take me in his place, ta give me my brother back and let him live. After all, he was the brave one, the one that fought. Why would they let me live and take him? Now what happened next can only be described as a miracle, ya can believe me if ya want, if not that's alright too, but I know what I saw that day. Light filled ma brother's eyes and color returned to his cheeks, he opened his eyes and looked as though he was gonna speak when all of a sudden..." He pauses and smiles, from the look on your face he can tell you're totally invested in his tale now. So he continues...
"BOOM! Light fills ma eyes so fast and so brightly that I'm blinded and knocked smooth out! When I wake up my brother is talk'n to me, just like he always did. For a second I forgot what had happened". His entire being is changed now, he's no longer somber and seems glad at the way this story is turning out, even though you get the feeling he's told it plenty of times before.
"The gods saw fit ta spare my brother, and let him stay on here with me. But not as he was...as my weapon to help destroy their enemies." He holds the bow back out in front of him so you can see it more clearly. "Meet ma brother Tharon, he says it's a pleasure ta meet you".
Griffter finishes the last little bit of his tale and you thank him for the company. "What a crazy, funny talking elf" you think as you make your way back to your bunk..."I hope I don't run into that loon again".
Griffter just stands at the railing watching the sea, "Well of course the story was perfect it always is...and you are just jealous ya never get ta tell it." And he wraps his bow back around his back and lets the ocean push he and his brother toward the shore.
You approach catiously, still not certain this elf can be trusted. But as he spins around to greet you, your worries melt away in his smile.
"Hey there!" "If you hadn't noticed it's rainin...." he stares at you smirking and waiting for you to laugh at his attempt at a joke. Still grinning he picks up his bow and slings it over his armor and around his back, he puts out his hand to shake yours. "Griffter's the name, Griffter Longshot if you're the particular type. Nice ta meet ya." As you shake his hand and offer your name in return you find your mind wandering as to where he could be from? All the elves you've ever met had for the most part been snobish and very high class. This one seemed very well mannered and moved with precision as if everything he did had a purpose. But he was not like any elf you had ever encountered, and he spoke quite strangely.
"So, ya headed to Port Avanthyr are ya?" he says assuming your destination. You nod and continue to stand at the railing with him watching the sea toss the ship about.
"Suprised ta see anyone else up here tanight, it's awful bad weather. Me, I can't stand be'n closed in. I have to stay up here to get that fresh air or I just loose it ya know?" "But it won't be much longer now and we'll dock, be glad ta put my feet on dry land again." "Never was much for the sea". You find yourself eyeing his bow, aside from his armor and the prayer book chained to his hip, it appears to be his only belonging. You don't mean to stare, but you can't help it. You've seen bows before obviously, but none like this. It's almost an impossible craftsmanship. Bent in a way that would make any other bow structurally unsound and not fit for fighting at all. It's beautiful though, and you can't seem to take your eyes off of it. Griffter catches you starting and begins to speak again.
"Ya like ma bow?" He says as he pulls it from around his back again and sits one end gently on the deck. "Tharon's his name" he says, and you look confused as you can only assume he's talking about the BOW he's holding.
"It's kind of a long story I spose, but it's kind of a long ride..." he looks to you for approval before he continues, you nod. "When I was a lad, about the age of 14 I had myself a brother. A twin to be exact. We were thick as thieves we were. Went everywhere together and only wanted ta grow up like our Father and defend our people just like he'd done" "Ya see he was killed two years earlier and ma brother and I were taken in by the church he served." We missed'em so but found the strength we needed in each other". "Isn't that right buddy?" He says leaning down to the bow's hilt, surely a crazy old elf you've stumbled across tonight; you think as he continues.
"Ma brother and I choose differnt paths I guess, I took to tha faith more, finding strength in the teachings of our gods. Ma brother found his solice in fight'n. Man that boy could fight too. I don't think I ever saw him loose a fight he wasn't horribly outnumbered in. By horribly I mean like 5 ta 1 or somethin like that. Anyways, he was tough and before long we had both made our way up the ranks of the church and the army. Ma brother became a captain in the same army my father had served in before he was killed. I eventually became the high priest of one of the temples. While our lives had turned out different we were still brothers, twin brothers that took comfort in one another and helped each other as best we could." He pauses again and looks out over the ocean, you begin to wonder where he's going with all of this, but it's sit here and listen to him ramble or head back downstairs to the smell of cabbage and creaking wood. You decide to stick it out a little longer.
"A bunch o'barbarians attacked the city one night. Minotaur barbarians at that. Real onery creatures with a delight in watch'n folks suffer. The army was dispatched and my brother lead the charge." Griffter takes a deep breath and grips the bow a little tighter, you hear the metal from his guantlets creak in the rain and visually notice a change in his dimeanor.
"Well this would be one fight he wouldn't win." He says as he looks away. "They killed him and his entire regimen, then turned on the city. I managed to escape into the forest and hid ta stay alive. What a coward I was, but I was sure there was nothing I could do ta help and I was terrified. After two days and nights, when the smoke had settled from the fires in the city, I snuck back ta where my brother had told me his regimen had been sent. I found him...lifeless and still clutching his sword. To his last breath he had fought those damned creatures...to his last breath". His voice stammers a bit and were it not for all the rain, you're sure you'd have seen him crying.
"I fell ta my knees right there and begged the gods to take me in his place, ta give me my brother back and let him live. After all, he was the brave one, the one that fought. Why would they let me live and take him? Now what happened next can only be described as a miracle, ya can believe me if ya want, if not that's alright too, but I know what I saw that day. Light filled ma brother's eyes and color returned to his cheeks, he opened his eyes and looked as though he was gonna speak when all of a sudden..." He pauses and smiles, from the look on your face he can tell you're totally invested in his tale now. So he continues...
"BOOM! Light fills ma eyes so fast and so brightly that I'm blinded and knocked smooth out! When I wake up my brother is talk'n to me, just like he always did. For a second I forgot what had happened". His entire being is changed now, he's no longer somber and seems glad at the way this story is turning out, even though you get the feeling he's told it plenty of times before.
"The gods saw fit ta spare my brother, and let him stay on here with me. But not as he was...as my weapon to help destroy their enemies." He holds the bow back out in front of him so you can see it more clearly. "Meet ma brother Tharon, he says it's a pleasure ta meet you".
Griffter finishes the last little bit of his tale and you thank him for the company. "What a crazy, funny talking elf" you think as you make your way back to your bunk..."I hope I don't run into that loon again".
Griffter just stands at the railing watching the sea, "Well of course the story was perfect it always is...and you are just jealous ya never get ta tell it." And he wraps his bow back around his back and lets the ocean push he and his brother toward the shore.