Snow Hawk: The Death of Snow Hawk

[sharringtonm]

"Crunch"
The feeling reverberated up his heavy club as he lifted it away, gore from the witch's head splattered on it. His blow had been hard.. hard enough to drive her body into the snow bank. No matter, he would recover it when the snow melted, and burn it on a pyre that all of the Rhemoraz who perished deserved. The storm lightened around him. Looking around he found his friends deathly injured. He had forgotten of their safety in his battle, but the deed was done and peace was at hand. Swiftly changing forms into a giant tree of sorts, he scooped them all up and carried them down the mountain to where the cold did not kill, and the ice that fell from the skies was not quite so deadly.
Shaking his head he remembered the poem the Halfing had taught him and how prophetic it was.
"When Foehammer's tribe lies in regret, all that remains is winter's embrace."
How very true those words were.. his tribe had fallen.. and the regret that he had a role in its destruction filled him with regret. And now.. he had given another member of his tribe to the Frost Maiden. The witch.

He tought how he had been prepared to forgive her as well, perhaps welcome her back to the tribe, yet she had mocked his god and his fallen family. So be it. She had dug her own grave. He took comfort that she had died in battle and instead of sparing her life, by taking it, he had given her the chance to redeem herself before Tempus.

[sharringtonm]

Snow Hawk: Finding the Path

http://www.game-club.com/library/media/icarus1.mp3
Tears swept down his cheeks as his hand broke contact with Nes’anah. He knew it would be some time before he would see her again, though he kept her heart stone close to his chest, reminding him of the love they shared.
Taking faith that he would come back from his journey a wiser, stronger, and better man, he would become the type of man she deserved. A calm peaceful word to the Keeper, and a nod to Night Owl, the new Guardian of the Grove, is all that is left.
Walking down that dusty road, the sea port of Avanthyr looms ahead of him... and thru it, his destiny. Taking the keepers gold he books passage on the first ship that is going in his direction. “East to the rising sun”, that’s all he knows. And all he tells the captain.

Long nights, longer days, and many strange lands in between, but the ship sails smoothly.
Each day he awakens, with a prayer to Tempus and Eldath on his lips, and the determination to live up to the honor and valor of Jayadim in his soul.

[Lollercide]

The small white vial... Blessed with the courage and valor that even the strongest of Barbarians could admire. The only gift the Knight could offer the Tribesman of the Remorahz before his departure. "To face the most terrifying of inner-demons..." Hano thought, walking from the city gates. "I would be glad to give you more than my sword, Snow Hawk." The rain tore from the skies and into the streets of Sundren, rolling down his face and streaming from his armor.

Speaking his thoughts, his voice is deafened to all by the rain and thunder. "However this fight is yours and yours alone. Destiny has been calling and fate managed to bury its talons into you, as well." He reaches for his prayer beads making his way through the citizens who scatter about, shuffling through each other into their designated homes.

The Knight placed his hope in him.. For him to overcome his burdens and embrace what fate had in store. Regardless of reason or logic, Snow Hawk had become the trail of hope that the knight so desperately sought. Chasing this tale so he might find resolution with his own conflicts; The impending events that would soon befall him and Sundren.

He did not mistake the dangers that Snow Hawk would face - In fact he had already stated his promise to the tribesman, to his very eyes. "Should you meet Tempus's face at the hands of the Devil, Snow Hawk, then understand that I will strike him down with the vengeance and might of Torm, with his very own blessed blade." He recalled Snow Hawk's - now Battle Brother's - expression as he clasped his arm before departing. However, deep in his heart he knew that the promise would mean very little - If Snow Hawk could not overcome this task then... No. He will. He has to - There is no other option.

A wide smile marks the Tormite's face, marching through the streets and into the Triumvirate, to embrace the warm welcome from Tamryn. His eyes catch a statue of Torm across from their training-room as he asks himself, "So, what have you done to be a Son of an Angel? Of a Devil? What has made you worthy? Fate has called you to find out, Last of the Remorahz. Will you rise to the height of your halo?"

[Gamling]

Night Owl stood behind Hano, waiting his turn to farewell Snow Hawk. He had little to give, but his blessings and some rations for the trip.To the others, it seemed he could care less about Snow Hawks journey, or his destiny. Inside though, Night Owl had feelings of deep concern for his brother. He watched him leave, with a heavy weight on his heart, but it had to be done.

[sharringtonm]

He stood on at the prow of the ship as it pulled into port. The water around him was so clear, so warm, he could see straight to the bottom. Though no expert, he swore it was saltier as well. He watched all the little men around him scurry up the lines to the ship and make it fast to the high sea walls that ringed the city.
“Shizushima bay, Iyabi!” A cry sounded from the crow’s nest. All around him people spoke in a strange tongue… so fast and confusing. Holding still, he said a soft prayer to Eldath to find solace in this strange land.
“This is it son.” The captain appeared at his side as if from thin air… “There is nothing further east then this.”
“Where are we?” Snow hawk said softly.
“Iyabi, it’s a city and province of Kazakura.” He smiled at Snow Hawk. “You a bit overwhelmed I’m wagering?”
Nodding slowly while gazing out at the port city, the largest city he had ever seen, either in life or dreams, he gaze found new things to look at every second.
Pointing up a hill to the East of the city, the captain drew Snow’s attention to a large castle. “Iwatenabe castle. Go there if you need food and shelter. A boy of your size can find easy employment as a guard for them, I’m sure.”
Slapping Snow Hawk on the back he handed him his backpack of possessions and escorted him off the boat.
“I’ll be back this way in a few months, if you’re looking to return home. Might even give you a discount”


Amazing sweeping roofs and intricate carvings on giant pillars greeted his eyes. Demure women and polite men smiled and bowed their heads to him as they passed. Strange smells of food and drink intrigued him and he was able to trade a Stag for a meal, though the restraunt owner took his time examining the gold coin to ensure its value. Fresh water fish and vegetables dominated his plate, which after so long at sea, seemed like the best meal he had ever had. The owner of the restraunt had pronounced the word "Yakizake" as he set down the meal. Snow Hawk committed the word to memory. It would make it easier to order food later.


After hours of walking thru the city and its cobbled roads, he began to realize he was thoroughly lost.
Asking directions didn’t help either, as no one could speak his language. As night began to fall, he realized that leaving his weapons behind in Sundren might have been a poor choice, in case of thieves or slavers. Leaning up against a wall, in a dark alley he slid down it, letting his leg muscles unwind.
Looking around he found it strange. The alley was clean; in fact all the streets he had walked were meticulously cleaned. How different from his one time in Sundren city. Another thought struck him… where are the homeless, the destitute? In Sundren he had to only look behind a building to find camps of vagrants… but there were none here. Perhaps everyone was rich here and owned homes? Anything was possible in this strange town. Letting his eyes shut, he drifted off.

[sharringtonm]

Kneeling before the Shugo-Daimyo of the Yamashita clan in chains, the bruises on his face hurt almost as much as the bruise to his pride. No wonder there were no homeless people in this city, the guards, Shugo-Matadi, had set upon him within an hour of falling asleep.
They had dragged him to the court, the Dojyu, where he had been chained in a cell, and left till morning.

Much to his relief though, he was greeted by an interpreter when he awoke in his shackles later. They fed him well, brought him a bucket of warm water to bathe with, and even gave him clean robes and sandals to put on, to replace his clothes they had stripped him of.

Now, looking up at Tanekawa Yamashita, he saw his 3 most treasured possessions on a silver tray next to the Governor.

Nes’Anah’s Love, a heart shaped emerald,

Pelhujet, the celestial ring,

and Gapet Moosdg, the infernal ring.


The interpreter explained to him who he was being honored to be judged by, and what his crime was.
“A man with no home and no work is a man with no honor. You are to be enlisted in the Daikan, the local militia, and will earn honor thru your work for them.
“I want my things back.” Snow hawk said, earning a blow to the back of his head from a guard.
“Your possessions are forfeit, and we shall dispense them as we see fit. Our Shukenja, though, has warned us from taking these”, pointing to the silver tray.
“When our lord, Tanekawa Yamashita decides you have earned your honor, if ever, you may be given these back.”


Days turned to weeks of unending training and drilling. Every night he would fall asleep with swollen knuckles and knee caps, gifts from his drill sergeant’s bamboo staff. There were no axes to be found, and he was given a strange wooden sword to drill with.

On occasion, Shugo-Matadi would visit the training grounds, in their intricate latticework armor and fearsome mask, always bringing snow hawk to the point of distraction.

[sharringtonm]

The words came easier now, so did the drilling. He has begun to understand the principles behind using such a light weight sword, though he is still forced to use a wooden replica. Being the only one on the parade grounds with one, it was clear they didn’t trust him with a real weapon yet.

He had received his first show of progress though, they had replaced the robes he had shamefully been practicing in with a older yet still serviceable pair of hakama pants, that so many of the others wore while training. At first he had balked to wear something that so strikingly resembled a dresss, but it quickly became apparent that to not wear it was the shameful action in this land.


He has yet to win a sparring match though… he had learned early on that if he tried to use his brute strength and greater size against his opponents, the instructors would punish him. They wanted him to learn to use the weapon against his foe, not the muscle behind the weapon. And in this, he is sadly outmatched.
Now he could speak a few words and understand more. Words like strike, lunge, and parry were easily mastered as they were constantly shouted at him, but he had begun to pick up other words such as food, sleep, and wake as well. The others who trained beside him constantly spoke at him, often laughing, though he had no true idea what they spoke of, only sure that it wasn’t something he would appreciate.

Every night he would fall onto his tatami, a straw mat and before exhaustion overwhelmed him, he would spend his last few waking moments missing Nes’Anah and trying to find meaning in this path he was on, and how it would help him prove himself to Jayadim.

[sharringtonm]

http://www.game-club.com/library/media/icarus2.mp3
“Waga ichibun waga itonami”
“Waga ichibun waga itonami”
“Waga ichibun waga itonami”
“Waga ichibun waga itonami”Over and over again. And again. And again.

The day had started off normally with drilling, then sparring, but that’s when things got bad. The little man whose face looked like a weasel, Meimike, had gotten under his guard and hit him hard enough to break his wrist. “Tempus!” Snow Hawk had shouted out in his moment of pain. It was just his misfortune that a Shukenja was strolling nearby and recognized the name.
After resetting his wrist and placing a sling over it, they had hustled him off to a small, simple building, his limited understanding of the language informing him it was called the “School of Toro-dai”.

After many misunderstandings, he finally understood he was to repeat the phrase over and over. Whenever his mind wandered, he was to say the phrase out loud.
By the end of the first day it was tiresome, by the end of the first week the pain of the words had replaced the pain in his wrist.
Now though… it had become second nature to him, every single thought in his mind was flavored by those words.
Today, they held his other arm down.. and they inked it into his arm, a symbol, to stay with him for the remainder of his days.

[sharringtonm]

http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/schlenck3-04.m3u (Mood Music)

They came for him in the night. Men in masks, careful to not move his aggravate his almost healed wrist they pulled him from his bed and half dragged, half walked him across the city. Garbed in black head to toe, Snow Hawk knew what they were, but refused to admit to himself what this might mean.
“I won’t be dragged, I am proud of my honor” he said out loud after a minute or two and with a quick jerk yanked his arms free of them. The steel wakizashi at his neck a second later startled him, but not enough to make him fear.
“I will walk. Lead me” and with that he stepped into the blade which retracted the exact amount he moved forward.

After many turns, alleys, passing thru shops and doors, they had him thoroughly confused where he was. Finally they entered a small shack of a building, and a small man with a long topknot stood from his meditation at the end of the room.Around the room lie shelves full of scrolls and writings.
Pulling the door closed behind them they left him in the room with the man, 3 candles proving all the illumination present.


The man looked at Snow Hawk, gave a small ojigi, a bow, which snow returned as he had learned was proper, and then, shockingly spoke to him a broken Western Common tongue.



“You will be asked one question, and only one. If you answer wrong you will be sent back to the ranks this very night, to die on the battlefield of our choosing.” The man waited looking at Snow Hawk intensely.
After a few seconds of silence he continued, “You have been set upon the path of enlightenment, and have been taught all that the Toro-dai can teach you. Speak your lessons with your soul and be judged”

Taking a deep breath, Snow spoke slowly and with great passion.
“Waga ichibun waga itonami”
“Honor that which has gone before you. For the past is eternal.”
“Waga ichibun waga itonami”
“Honor and respect your Elders and the Ancestors. Show honor in word, thought, action and deed.“
“Waga ichibun waga itonami”
“Speak not false words, nor engage in false deeds, for these are not li”.
“Waga ichibun waga itonami”
“Do honor to he who rules you, for the Earth is the Mirror of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven is the mirror of the Celestial One. Be obedient to your lord.”
“Waga ichibun waga itonami”
“Engage in no base thing, nor commit murder, for to strike another in the name of anger is not li.”
“Waga ichibun waga itonami”
“Do honor to those you must rule, for under the eye of Heaven, they are your equals. Be fair to those you rule.”
“Waga ichibun waga itonami”
“Know that all things are one under Heaven, even the lowliest of creatures.”



The old man nodded and the candles went out pitching the room into darkness. His voice came from all around Snow.
"The four dignities find you worthy to learn"

A sweet smell came to Snow Hawk’s nose and as he slipped to his knees and unconsciousness he saw his dreams of Nes’Anah coming to comfort him once again.

[sharringtonm]

It had been weeks now, weeks in the same building, without seeing the light of day or the dark of night. No cool breezes on his skin, no songs of birds to lift his spirits.

The great hall of Kanchi was one of the most impressive things he had ever seen, though it had taken a few weeks to realize what it was that was scribed on the walls. Every square inch of the walls was scribed with a name, a name for each of the Eight Million Gods, so recorded by the collective wisdom of the Shao Lung monks. The lesser god’s names were written low on the walls, while the greatest powers reached near the ceiling.

For five hours each day he would drill and exercise in the sparring rooms, then for another five hours three men who spoke passing Western Common would drill him on reading and writing. They said that one could not be honorable if one cannot learn from the past and teach to the future through the written word. He was given an hour each morning to bathe himself and purge his thoughts, Snow Hawk liked to call this ‘ME’ time.
Twenty minutes each for three meals and four hours of being taught the lore and wisdom of the Eight Million Gods.

A night of feverish dreams of his home and his love, and it started over again.
His learning was increasing at a rapid pace now, the instructors being masters of their art, and he was soon able to distinguish and sort thru the confusion of these Easterner’s so called gods. He came to realize that all the spirits of nature, dragons, heaven, and hell were revered as gods among these people, and they paid homage to each in their own special way.
One day he found what he was looking for….

Tempus, though pronounced Tempos among these people, a lesser god here, who teaches the value of killing the snake by taking its head not assaulting its body, the decisive first strike.

Eldath took much more time to find. Finally he was able to grasp that Eldath was one of the Celestial Beuracracy, and her name was written high on the walls. Here in the east the spoke of her as a divided being, her first half teaching peace with nature and your surroundings, and the other half teaching the peace in the hearts of men.
Just two among the millions.

[ThePaganKing]

Tellesian was sitting in the shade of a great oak in the Viridale, watching the halpless adventurers trying to slay the newest Gnoll chief and his thoughts went back to his first meeting with Snow Hawk. The battle was quick but intense and Snow Hawk had jumped in feet first, not knowing a thing about Tellesian. That had surprised Tellesian and also intrigued him.

Snow Hawk had become a great friend during their time in the grove and he missed him. "Ah, well, he will return, I just hope he returns to a healthy forest," Tellesian thought.

Now, that damn half orc, what am I to do with him. The only reason I did not gut him in the first place was due to Snow Hawk. They were friends, how you could be friends with an orc was beyond Tellesian, but who knew what humans were capable of?

Tellesian started to drift away to his childhood days as the sun passed its zenith. It was nearly 300 years ago that his village had been destroyed. A large roving band of orcs had come through the forest undetected, somehow they had used magic to pass through the forest watchers. They had come upon the peacful village in full force and ready for slaughter. When Tellesian had returned from a four day training exercise with two of the more seasoned rangers, all they had found was carnage. The entire village had been killed and heaped into a pile. The orcs had then burned the bodies.

An unfamiliar sound snaps Tellesian's reverie and he sits upright. "Ah, I see the adventurers finally defeated the gnoll chief. I wonder how long the fighting between the gnolls will last until they have a new chief?" Tellesian wonders, as he silently climbs to his feet and moves towards the viridale camp.

[sharringtonm]

Weeks of names and ideals of spirits and gods seared his mind and left an indelible imprint on him. Though the information was being force fed him at an alarming rate, he was recognizing specific names from the west and learning more about them.

His last night in the temple, he was awoken by one of the teachers.
“You were yelling in your sleep. What disturbs your mind?”
And so Snow Hawk told him as best as he could about Sundren. About his woman who waited for him, the man he called father, of Jayadim, who’s example and path he chose to follow no matter what, of the Viridale forest, and how much damage was being done to it by intruders and callous men. He spoke of a great many things, and it felt good to get it off his chest. He spoke of all those things that worried him or that he felt were left unfinished. When he finished he realized the man had spoke nary a word during the whole time, but had just sat there and listened.
Getting up the man patted him on the shoulder and smiled at him. “Your words are strange to me, but now that you have spoken them, you can begin to find peace in your soul. Your body is healing, now your mind heals, soon your soul.“


The very next morning they moved him.

[sharringtonm]

The last month in the Konju, the school of the soul, had pushed him to his limits. Never before had such ideas been pressed upon him. Meditation was the hardest thing he had ever accomplished. Hours of inaction and pulling back all your senses from the world around you left him dizzy and confused.

The masters of this temple mercilessly subjected him to the Soul's path to enlightenment. They wanted him to understand that all material things are but passing illusions that will change and decay. What matters most is the strenght of a person's spirit.

He hoped one day he might understand this, but it seemed so alien to him, so not him, that he fumbled the concept each day without getting any closer to grasping it.

================================================== ====

After all that he had been thru, he had never expected to end up back in the chambers of the Shugo-Daimyo of the Yamashita. And especially not with a katana pushed to his neck.
At least now he didn't need a translater to understand his doom.
"We had hope for you, Westerner, that one day you would learn honor and wisdom and take them back to your lands and change your people with them. "
Something had happened to change this, it was very obvious, blade edge obvious.

Taking a bag from his pedestal he threw it at Snow's feet. "Your possessions are there. Take them before they kill more members of my council."

Slowly reaching down he opened the pouch to see the two rings and the emerald lying together, the infernal ring having what looked like blackened leather hanging from it in strips.

"Your armor will be returned to you once you have left our lands. I can only hope you have learned something of honor and you are not as evil as my Shukenja think you are. It is too late to change it now, so your armor will reamin as we changed it. I will not risk any more lives touching your posessions. Now leave and never return to this land on your life and honor."

Hustled out of the castle, he was taken directly to a ship and given a large bag and a pack of food and water.
A few Samurai also took voyage on the same ship, no doubt to ensure he arrived in Sundren and did not try to return.
No one spoke to him, and he felt the weight of dishonor stain him as the ship departed. Vachbathus had hurt him yet again.
"I swear, to all the heavens that are listening, to the eight million gods, Tempus and Eldath, Lathander and my lord Jayadim, I will see Vachbathus's evil repaid in tenfold for this dishonor"

Opening the large bag he found his armor... with studded plates bound with straps and chains all around the leather. The Kara-turans did good work, not in one place had they altered or damaged the original leather.

"Perhaps this is my first test of honor, I will wear this proudly as a sign that I am capable of finding my path, the way of enlightenment."

[sharringtonm]

Snow Hawk, Legacy of the Rhemoraz, warms his hands by the fire and thinks back to his earlier years, when he had traversed the world and returned to his once home of Sundren. Looking to his companion, who is settling in for one of his ever present long stories, he smiles and begins.



"The road home is said to be the longest road you must travel in your life, and when I was young, I remember how clearly I couldn't understand this concept.
Had I known then what I do now, I might never have left the tundra, never set foot outside the lands of my ancestors.

I remember the long voyage back on the ship, only the second time I had braved the ocean in my whole life. There were Samurai around me, though they would not speak to me. At least not on the trip. Later on a few came to be staunch allies. But that is another story.

When we made landfall in Avanthyr, I was amazed at how much it had changed. New buildings had sprung up and older ones had been torn down. For some reason I had always thought that time stood still when I was not present.
That belief was to prove to be one of the most painful lessons I would ever learn.
I decided to seek out who I could on my way home to the forest. I found the brave paladin Hano, courageous and righteous as ever. I used to admire his honor, but that very night I realized it wasn't honor I had seen in him, it was a divine fury, and there was a difference. I watched him cut down others of differing faiths, and when I asked him why, my answer was simply kill or be killed.
I know now as I knew then that the gods warred on each other and thru their followers as well. I didn't realize then just how far a god would drive his people to act in his name.
I raised my blades to defend Hano and his woman that night, but I felt no honor in doing so. I could not tell if I was murdering someone, or if I was bringing a just end to a villain.
I slipped away into the night to clear my soul and find peace.

It was a long trip to the forest and a sense of apprehension grew in me. I knew I imagined my worries, but they were present nonetheless. I worried for the lives of my family in the glade and how things were faring.

To this day, I can still feel the sense of relief that washed over me when I saw Night Owl and watched him maintaining the peace of the grove in my place.

To this day, I can still feel the nerve numbing shock of what happened next.

I felt many things that day. Betrayed, lied to, dishonored, but in the end, I fell back on what the monks have burned into me, my honor is my life, and I am measured by the strength of my spirit and not by the physical world around me.

How naive I was back then. I thought that he just wanted to be the first to welcome me back and so I followed him down the path as he asked of me.

I remember how the elation of saving him from the gnoll ambush mixed poorly with the depression of his words afterwards.

Nes'Anah, my first love, the woman that changed me, taught me how to feel, was ill and great with child. Its not often in my life I've ever been at a loss for words, but that was the moment.
The Keeper had given Night Owl to send me away from the forest, that I was no longer welcome here.

Night Owl was my brother of the tribe, and it trully shocked me that he would be the one to send me away, to banish me. Thats when the chants in the temple filled my brain providing me with the heat to melt my frozen limbs and unshackle my lips.

I remember asking him if he was sure of this, and before I left, asking him to tell her... that I would always love her, no matter that she had found another in my absence.

I took my leave of the forest, never to return lest I dishonor my once family, the last thought, as I walked beyond the final trees was 'I pray Eldath and Tempus keep you loved and safe, my Nes'Anah, and that the father of your child never cease to realize the blessing you have given him by granting your love to him.'

I spent more time in Sundren after that, it was a hard start, having nothing my faith, my honor, and my loyalty to Lord Jayadim to my name.

But in the end, thats all I needed."

Closing his eyes he lets the memories of his youth wash over his tired old soul and sink him into dreams of happier times.

[Gamling]

Night Owl stood in the camp site for several hours after Snow Hawk had left, it was not his intention to send him away, but it was in his nature to be blunt and to the point, business first, pleasures second. He had expected the worst from snow hawk upon hearing the news, Night owl, in one of the rare times, showed his emotion as a wave of sadness forced him to slouch into a sitting postion. He had to make things right, he would speak with the keeper, with Nes'anah, with Snow hawk.