The Rise and Fall of Leckith Oakenhair

[Urithrand]

Leck moved quickly through the undergrowth of the Viridale, expertly picking his way amongst the ferns and brambles he knew so well and returning to the clearing where he had left his wife and child. "I can't wait to see Dimenin." He thought to himself. Resia did not speak in his mind, but he could tell she was contented and happy also.

Ahead of him as he neared the small clearing he caught the tiniest glimpse of candlelight flickering through the trees. He barely contained a grin and picked up the pace, moving ever closer to the scene. Stumbling past the final obstacle in his line of sight, he allowed a sound to escape his throat, a hint of a laugh as he began to call out to his beloved. The baby must be sleeping, as he was not fussing at all.

Leck stopped dead. What greeted his eyes was not what he was expecting. He didn't understand... What was this he was seeing?

Before the wild elf was the most disturbing scene he had ever beheld. Some sick and twisted parody of the romantic evening that Dimenin had apparently been planning, he began to shake, staring and desperately wanting to look away. She had placed candles all around the little clearing, several attached to low hanging branches and others on the ground, giving the impression of little glowing faeries floating around the intended romantic scene. Above in the trees she had hung pretty ribbons across the branches in her favourite colours, white and pale blue. The baby's crib was still rocking gently off to one side, also decorated with ribbons and in the very center of the clearing, a table set out with an array fit for a king, candlabra in the middle with plates to either side ready to receive whatever she had been cooking for his dinner. It would have been a marvellous sight, and even without the additions obviously added a little later, it would have brought tears to his eyes.

But the tears he felt now were not happy, romantic tears of joy. They were tears of disbelief and anger. Someone else had added decorations of their own. His wife and child were dead. And not merely dead and killed, but gutted, destroyed, spread across the clearing and smeared up the trees. Bits of person, he did not look close enough to identify what it was had been strung across the branches, drenching the pretty ribbons with blood. The baby himself, Leck's pride, joy, his soul was impaled on the candlabra, his tiny eyes staring out at his daddy glassily.

He stared at the scene for what seemed like an eternity, willing it to be an illusion, some sick joke by an unknown mage, but it did not move. Resia was the first to speak.

"Leck... no... it can't be..." He began to shake uncontrollably, and the sound that escaped from his mouth tore his throat, not his voice alone but the combined voices of the spirits of the Viridale howling out at the uncaring sky, this echoing torrent of the screams of hundreds of mourning souls, the sound would have been heard from every reach of the forest, so deafeningly mournful it was. He screamed again, and again, the sound like a pack of wolves baying at the foul moon. Resia howled alongside him as a sudden wind whipped up around them, making the ribbons flick and crack. Anger like Leck had only ever felt once before overtook him and he dropped to the ground, still screaming and beating at the earth mercilessly.

His throat, so sore and painful began to bleed from the torment, and his eyes wept blood. The spirits of the Viridale took mercy upon him and blackened out the lights of the clearing, causing a darkness even his elvish eyes could not penetrate, hiding the awful scene from him. He was unable to scream any more, his throat would not work, and he broke down into sobs instead, pulling the oaken leaves from his hair and hiding his face. He wanted to die. All he wanted was to just die.

[Urithrand]

Leck raised his head. He'd passed out, or fallen asleep, he wasn't sure which. A boar was chewing at the corner of his cloak, and seemed surprised when he moved, scuttling back into the brush. Leck could tell by the taste of iron in his mouth and the pain in his head and throat that he hadn't been dreaming. His eyes were moist almost immediately and he allowed his head to lower back to the ground, ignoring the discomfort of a tree root sticking sharply into his ribs. Then he started to cry.

Resia did not speak to him, but he was not disappointed. She would be mourning herself, and he didn't want conversation right now. The tears were quiet and graceful in their passing, he did not sob nor cheapen this moment with sound nor motion, he simply stared straight ahead and allowed the endless river of tears to fall. It would seem that he was doomed to lose all that he cared for again, and again, and again. First his home, then his people, now his family. In some transitional moment, lying there on the grass under a giant oak, he stopped caring.

For all he knew, it could have been days he'd spent lying there. He knew it had become dark at least once, and it was now light again, but beyond that it was all a mystery. What forced him to eventually move was irritatingly, his empty stomach. As he pushed himself away from the solid earth, he felt like a betrayer for not lying there to die. But his mind was made up, he had to move. The tears still came. He would head for the glade. There would be food and water and sympathy there. Dispite the hollowness of their pathetic attempts to make him feel better which he knew would come, he needed comforting words right now. He was not even sure if he could remember how to speak, and tried out a few words, but his throat was excruciating, sounding only a few growling noises before he had to fall silent again.

Yes, to the druid's glade. Just one step at a time.

[Urithrand]

A man and his Spirit Wolf alone

Leckith sat in the glade, draped over the edge of the pool, looking into his own eyes, rippled in the surface of the water. Light green rings looked directly back, until a single teardrop dripped into the reflection, making it go all out of focus for a moment before returning to its calm, uncaring stare. He felt the Keeper's eyes flicker to him for a moment, but the stare did not linger.

Another tear fell and his eyes moved slowly upwards to the waterfall. This was where they had first kissed, and later the place where they declaired their love for one another. Thoughts of his beautiful family still plagued his stagnating mind, and he was not particularly inclined to force it in any other direction. He had been sitting here in this position for a long time now, and he had wondered to himself more than once just how long he would have to stay here, not moving, before he himself died. or maybe he would simply become part of the grass he laid upon. Or float into the air like a whisp of cloud.

The words of his friends still kept him warm. Their sympathies were empty and meaningless, but they cared, he could see that. But the problem was, he didn't. There was nothing here for him anymore. He'd always been reckless, but now he had become almost intentionally so. He'd also let himself fall into a terrible state of bad keeping. He'd lost weight, his hair was greasy and his eyes were sunken and heavily ringed. "Do I want to die?" He asked himself silently.

"No. At least I don't want you to die, Leck." Came Resia's slightly hurt response. "You might not have a family Leck, but I am still with you. Don't forget about me..." Leck went a little red and blinked a tear out of his eye. "I could never forget you, Resia... You have never abandoned me."

He stayed where he was a moment, silently comforted by Resia's presence, albeit not a physical presence. "We will go on, Resia. And we will become more powerful than any mortal ever before us. And then, we are going to kill him. We are going to kill Bane."

[Urithrand]

Leckith stood in the massive hall triumphantly, Cybil Gelley to his left and Calandra Gleamblade to his right. the Dwarf Gromlin was here somewhere also, pottering about. Cybil was staring at Leck, a mixture of pity and fear on her face after what had just happened. "You... ripped his soul out..." She stammered. Leckith looked back, unashamed. The Veritas soldier in question had been beating her pretty badly, and he'd reacted out of instinct, some unseen hand within him grasping the man's soul and wrenching it out painfully. He was forced to admit, he had grown in power these past weeks. His goal still fresh in his mind, he trained and meditated at length.

And his practice was paying off. He was closer to the spirit realm than he had ever been, feeling as though he were almost one with it, so powerful their lent magics had become within him. He had no comeback to Cybil's statement, he had saved her and killed a man who she was going to kill anyway. He merely shrugged, and she bit her lip, that harrowing look of concern returning to her features. She has mothered him terribly over the past weeks, but he was forced to admit, he liked it. Yashia and Cirion all but ignored him now, wrapped up in each other which Leck was pleased about, but he needed friends, people to be concerned about him. And Cybil had been there to fill that void, helping him work the recent bloodlust from his system, protecting him as he protected her, working extremely well as a team.

He did not have any more time to ponder, as shouted voices erupted outside the door. The fight was on again. He lifted Resia's Fury and glared towards the sound, waiting for them to burst in...

An hour later, maybe less, and they were stood back in the border fort near the cliff edge of the Schild mountain. Leck was smothered in blood, the stench almost unbearable. He never realised while the anger was within him what an awful smell it was, but as he stood here, covered from head to toe, his adrenaline fading, he was sorely tempted to vomit. Cybil, somehow had managed to only endure a few light spatters of blood, something Leck marvelled at seeing as her weapon of choice was prone to splattering just about everything else in the vicinity. The familiar guilty regret began to slip into his mind as he realised that his thirst for blood, for vengeance had again resulted in countless deaths. Cybil met his eyes sadly.

"Miss Cybil... I think my thirst is sated. I don't want to kill anymore." She merely smiled at him, and nodded, her work was done. She had defended and supported him long enough for him to survive the agony of death, and now he felt a great weight lift from his shoulders. His family was gone, but he had slowly come to terms with the fact, and was comforted by the fact that they were in the spirit realm now. "They aren't hurting anymore."

[Urithrand]

It was raining. The smooth-skinned elf smiled and raised his face up towards the falling drizzle. He had always liked the rain. More to the point, he'd missed it a great deal in his absence, and the familiar sensation of cool specks on his cheeks was appreciated. The familiar smell of the Viridale and it's inhabitants, a mixture of pine and wet fur brought back a flood of memories that made his smile waver for a moment, only to be replaced firmly moments later.

He took a step forward, his feet barely making a sound on the grassy gnoll above the forest, turning his back on the trees and walking towards the border fort, eager to find out what exciting rumours he could dig up about the events since his departure months ago. It wouldn't be hard, all he would need would be to find Cybil, or maybe Yashia or Cirion. First though, he wanted to walk the land, re-familiarise himself with the energies he had missed while he'd been travelling. The local spirits flocked around him with the sensation of a returning friend, and he could sense the cheerful silence of his spirit guide at returning home.

Oh how good it felt to be home.

[Urithrand]

Homecoming

With his eyes closed, Leckith sat up against a wide based tree, his back straight as an arrow and his legs crossed. Had a centipede crawled across a leaf ten yards away at that moment, he would have been aware of it completely, yet at the same time so enveloped in his meditation his conscious mind would not register the motion. Had eyes been focused on his form, they would have been unable to make out clear edges to his body, which looked frayed as he existed half in the real world and half in the spirit realm.

Whilst in this delicate balance, his senses were as sharp as a razor's edge, but his mind was awash with sensation not of the physical realm, but of the constantly moving world of spirit. Resia remained silent in his mind, allowing him his internal stillness required for meditation, enlightenment and inner peace.

A twig snapped loudly nearby and his eyes flickered open, the calm escaping him. A deer, managing almost to look guilty for disturbing his peace trotted away sheepishly. It was a sign, an indication that he had spend enough time in solitude. His long holiday was over, and he was glad to be back in the valley, but more than this he wanted to see those he had missed for so long. He had appeased the local spirits, now his duties were done, it was time to re-acquaint himself with some old friends.

Taking the curved pipe from the inside of one of his sleeves, Leck packed the bowl with brown, shredded leaves and stared at it for a few moments intensely. His eyes seemed to flash with internal fire for a few moments, before a steady trail of smoke streamed upwards creating a pleasant odour. He smoked the pipe with a broad smile, blowing a lop-sided smoke ring and chuckling at his efforts. "It's so great to be home Leck." Resia's mind echoed inside his own. He smiled but did not respond, taking steps towards the Ranger's Rest so close to the druids' glade. He couldn't wait to see Annie, Osclow, Yashia, Cirion and the rest of Sundren's heroic inhabitants.

[Urithrand]

A Surprise In The Forest

Leckith Oakenhair, tool of the spirits, walker of the planes, mildly psychotic killer of banites, and overall gentleman flicked his rapier hard to remove the majority of the blood and ichor. His chest rose and fell heavily within his thick metal sheath and his breath billowed visibly in front of him. Were he able to see himself, he was sure he would see steam rising from his hot, red skin from the exertion of slaughtering orcs. All around him, smoldering corpses and blood filled the area, and his rage slowly ebbed, leaving the usual desire to vomit at the sight of what he'd wrought. He knew the Banite Citadel was here somewhere, he'd seen it, but even his formidable skills of tracking and general knowledge of the wilderness, he had as yet been unsuccessful at finding it again.

The sound of snorting and pounding feet arrived at his sensitive ears, and he rolled his eyes, deciding that he had at least for today, had his fill of blood. With a silent prayer to the spirits, he stepped bodily into their realm, leaving the prime material plane behind fully, and no trace of his having been there except of course the butcher's mess of orc corpses. Back in the peaceful plane of his Resia, he walked leisurely out towards the border fort of the Mossdale before his concentration finally failed, and he was hurled back into the prime with an unpleasant jolt. It was going to take hours of bathing to remove this stench.

By the time Leck walked out of the bath house of Sundren's entertainment quarter, it was pitch black, somewhere around midnight he would guess. Leck liked the night time, and as a sleepless elf, he often found his kin wandering the wilderness at this time, finding peace as the other races rested in their warm beds. It was also the time when Resia was clearest in his head, and he liked the closeness he felt, even when she was silent.

It was while he was in his wandering reverie, several miles outside of the city now and headed in the general direction of the Viridale, that he heard the snap of a twig that caused an equally sudden snap of his attention. His elven ears saved his life, as he ducked just in time to avoid the swing of a club which would have sent him crashing to the ground. Leck ducked and rolled, spinning just in time to see a set of fangs come from the darkness, directly towards his throat. Leck punched the vampire visciously in the face, and with a jerk reaction, his voice began to boom out a spell. The vampire tried to attack once again, but mid swing it was hit with the full force of Leck's sunburst spell, which blasted the beast face on, making it scream so loud Leck was forced to cover his ears. Within moments, the creature was reduced to ash, floating down through the air amidst a few remaining glowing embers. Leck simply blinked with shock.

"It's been a while since I've seen one of those..." he thought aloud.
"And in the Viridale too..." came Resia's concerned reply. "We should check on the grove, Leck."

After a few moments of stunned thought, Leck threw up a few wards to protect himself from another attack, then broke into a run.