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Library: The tale from the north

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Author: Calath
Date:Feb 10 2003

This tale tells the story of two barbarian tribes that lived far in the north,
in the tundra. This tale has been told from father to son amongst the dwarves
for centuries. It should remind that no matter what, love must be let to run
its course in peace and in harmony.

I heard this tale first time from an old dwarf called Stonefist who was my
uncle. He had heard the tale from his father, and it is supposed to take place
before the Great Conversion and the people in the tale have perished long time
ago. However, rumour tells that the barbarians today, Oogga and his children
descend from these proud warriors of the North.

But let us begin the story...

Long time ago, in the tundras of the north lived two tribes of barbarians.
Those tribes did not get along well, for the northern lands were low on
animals to hunt and plants to gather and they constantly argued about who had
right to harvest and hunt in the lands. Occasionally, there was even fights
when members of the tribes met in the lands.

But for a long time, fights were only small, usually led only to bruises and
little cuts. No one had died in 30 years by the hand of a another barbarian.
Life was hard, but the woodsmen and woodswomen of the north did not complain,
for they were pride people.

The other tribe had a wise and powerful leader, the tales tell that his name
was Trell and he had a daughter called Eledian. Trell was a powerful warrior
and a wise leader, he always solved argues with wisdom and he never had to use
force to end fights. This was good, because it is told that he was a powerful
warrior, he even easily slaught singlehandedly the fierce bears that live in
the tundra.

As always, the fate stepped in to the way of the northern people. Eledian was
wandering at the outskirts of tundra, collecting berries and mushrooms for
dinner. As she wandered through the woods she happened to stumble into a pack
of wolves, which were eating a carcass of a reindeercalf. The wolves had not
been eating well in several weeks and those vile creatures turned at Eledian
and started to approach her.

If it hasn't been a young ranger nearby, who heard her screams and ran to
help, surely she was going to die in the teeth of the wolves. With his sword
and a torch, he managed to force the wolves to run away. But the young ranger
was injured to the leg from the bite of wolf and he could not walk for long
distances. Eledian decided to stay in the woods and help him, she was capable
of camping outdoors, after all she had a little druidic blood in her veins.

Elendian introduced herself to the ranger, and the young man told her that he
was Amel. What he did not tell her that he was the son of the chief of the
rival tribe. They had never met before and the did no recognize others. Time
passed by, and after first night the ranger was capable of walking properly,
thanks to the Eledians runic heal. So they both went to their own ways, but
before that they agreed that they would meet after two weeks in the grove,
that was blessed by druids. Both tribes thought that the grove was sacred and
a place of peace.

Time passed by and the young adventurers fell in love. They usually met in the
grove, because soon they realized who they were and even when the tribes did
not fight they did not want to stir trouble amongst them. Few years passed and
young lovers kept on meeting secretly, hunting and gathering food and
valuables from the tundra and the forests. Everything seemed to be fine.

And then came the time when Eledian came to adult age. There was a great feast
in their village, people danced, drunk and ate through the night. But what
made that night special was the necklace that Trell gave to his daughter.
Trell told a great tale about the necklace to the whole tribe that night, that
it was supposed to possess great magical properties and refresh the wearers
mind and body regulary. Eledian was impressed for a such present and she wore
it proudly.

But a present of that expense did not make everyone happy. One certain girl
from the village got very jealous because of the necklace. And once, when
Eledian left once again to her trips in the wild, this girl followed her.
Eledian went straight to the grove and Amel was there, waiting for her. Girl
recognized him right away, she was one of the few that had been trading skins
and food with the other tribe. As soon as she saw the two lovers, she ran back
to her village and told Trell about what she saw. And Trell enraged, first
time in ages. He told the girl to run to the village of the other tribe and
tell their leader what she saw. And the girl ran.

Trell gathered three dozen of his best hunters and fighters and they started
running towards the grove. In the meantime the girl that had been sent to
inform the other village had already told her news to the village leader and
the reaction was same as in other village. They gathered men and started
running towards grove.

Both parties arrived to the grove in same time and started arguing and
accusing each other for pulling this kind of trick to each other. The lovers
in the grove had been unaware what was happening heard the fighting and left
to the edge of grove. They were shocked to see their familymembers and friends
in argue.

They were spotted soon, and both fathers started giving orders to their
childred, telling them to go right to the home, in the middle of arguing.
Lovers glanced each other and started running, right to the heart of the
grove. The fighting parties were amazed and forgot to keep on fighting.

After a while, when parties recovered from the shock, they decided to venture
deeper in the forest and search the young couple and take them back to home.
Reclutantly, they started to enter deeper in the forest. Many were afraid,
after all they thought that grove was a sacred place and should not be
disturbed.

Lovers ran deeper in to the forest, all the way to the heart of the trees. In
there they held each other on their arms and swore eternal love. Then the
Earthmother, Gaia, felt sorry for them and decided to help young lovers.

Search party eventually found their way to the heart of the grove. And what
they saw was unimaginable. At the small clearing, there were two oaktrees,
entangled around other. And the other oak had a necklace around its trunk and
braches, in such a place that it could not been placed there. The party fled
in horror. Leaders of the both tribes agreed that grove was truly sacred, and
it's peace should not be broken - ever again. So, they left to their homes
after they made a peaceoffer to each other. And they never did fight again.

But they never saw the young couple again, but adventurers that have passed
the grove during the nights, tell that two shadowy figures can be seen walking
aroung, holding each others hands and looking happier that any living thing
can be.

I cannot tell if this tale is true, but this is the way it has been told to
me. And now I pass this story on and I hope that you will tell it to someone
in your days so that the tale will not die.

   ++Calath, the simple harpist of the bard guild,

     in the 23rd of the Telminus, year 652


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