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2023-03-26T09:16:23Z

Borkolloran:

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Red Roads

2023-01-07T13:49:15Z

Borkolloran:

Let me tell you the story about the village and the beast.

There once was a small village on the edge of a forest. In that forest lived a great beast. The villagers wanted to cut lumber and hunt game, but they wouldn't dare to venture far. At the same time the beast feared the villagers too and never left the forest. After fear grew among the villagers they decided the beast should be gone. They attracted the brave and stupid to hunt the beast, but the scared beast always answered mercilessly.

One day a mysterious woman came to the village. She went to the edge of the forest and made a fire. There, she prepared some meat and presented it on a stone slab. Deep in the forest the beast smelled the delicious meat and followed its nose. As he reached the edge of the forest he saw the meat, but also the woman, so he went back. The following days the woman came and prepared the meat again and again until the beast came out of the forest. It took the woman weeks to get near the beast and months to get to touch him. But after a full year they greeted each other like old friends.

One day she made the beast a sash with wonderful fabric and beautiful embroidered details. The beast wore it with pride. She then led him to the village. At first the beast hesitated, but then he followed. In the village the people carefully approached the beast. They greeted him and the beast greeted back. More and more people flooded the streets. They were relieved and started cheering. The arrival of the beast initiated a week of celebration. After that the beast stayed with the villagers living in harmony.

Normally everyone would live happily ever after and the fairytale would end. Let me tell you the rest of the story:

The beast and the villagers lived side by side. The beast hunted with them and guarded the village. Although the woman, which the beast held very dear, left in search of another adventure, the beast enjoyed his safe, luxurious life.

With access to the forest the village grew into a sprawling town in just a few years. As the village grew some people left and other people came. It was a strange sight seeing a beast in the middle of the town. These new people never gave the beast much attention and even tried to keep their distance. The beast slowly lost his connection with the town and the townsfolk with the beast, if they ever had one to begin with. The beast was starting to feel, unwelcome, again and with not much of the forest left the beast spent most of his time lazing in the town's garden.

At some point the townspeople started to blame the beast for misfortune and disease. It wouldn't take long before the new inhabitants took on the sentiments of the old ones and wanted the beast gone. They dispatched a force of armed men to deal with this, threat. The armed men, ignorant of the meek creature in their garden, approached, and the beast became scared. As the fear returned to the beast, old habits bloomed. When the men attacked the beast acted as a scared animal does, violently. The men threw themselves at the beast, as meat to a grinder. The beast cut a bloody swath out the town, staining the roads red.

In the end the town was shaken and the beast would run back into the wilds. Both their stories are far from at an end, but they would never intertwine again.

''Written in 2016
----
''Go to [[Story page]] / [[wikinl:Rode straten|Nederlands]]''

Sloingen's walkers

2023-01-07T13:46:58Z

Borkolloran:

The alarm clock read five past six when the annoying sound rang for the second time. An unshaven Thijs rose to his feet. Sleepily He put on his glasses and dressed himself. Before he left his house, he quickly laayed a slice of cheese on a dry cracker and put it in his mouth. He ate it while driving his old Volvo and then tried to fasten a button on his coat with one hand. He slowed down at an older man in a blue jacket with the municipality's logo on it. The man got in while he sighed deeply and said something that was supposed to sound like 'good morning'.

:'Good morning Herman!', Thijs said, 'Did you sleep well?'
:'We have to fill that shit with concrete', Herman said.
Herman didn't like it when it was his turn. They drove on in silence. Thijs took them to the house of the Peters couple.

The Peters had only just moved to Sloingen. They had bought the house for way too much money. They came from the city and were rich. He was rich, she was especially attractive. For the move they hired a moving truck and some big guys. None of the supervisors saw them touch a box themselves. When he arrived at the house Thijs knocked on the door. It was Mr. Peters who opened the door and Thijs hid his disappointment behind a smile.
:'Good morning!', Thijs said kindly.
:'Good morning gentlemen!', Mr. Peters responded cheerfully.
:'And? Are you ready?' Thijs asked.
:'Give me a minute', Mr. Peters said, putting on a warm coat. When he stooped to pick up some shoes, he stopped.
:'What am I supposed to wear?' he said, then added with a raised eyebrow, 'Since I don't know where we're going…'
:'The boots', Herman commanded from behind a hesitant Thijs.
Mr. Peters put on spotless green rubber boots. Thijs even smelled the rubber. He imagined Mr. Peters walking past the boots in a local hardware store and purchasing them impulsively. Because he now lived in the country and 'then you have rubber boots'. The three gentlemen walked to the old Volvo. Thijs got behind the wheel again and Mr. Peters took a seat in the back.

:'And have you finished unpacking and stuff yet?” Thijs said as he drove away from the house.
:'We've come a long way! But we are still waiting to furnish the living kitchen. You first have to get a feel for such a space,' answered Mr Peters.
:‘Ah ok!', said Thijs, thinking of his kitchen where only one person could stand.
:'It does feel a bit strange. Two men who pick me up early in the morning to show me something. Karlijn also thought it was strange.'
Herman looked at Thijs, who was clearly somewhere else with his thoughts.
:'Don't worry', Thijs said quickly, 'you will see for yourself'.
:'Mysterious... Now you're making me curious!', Mr. Peters said.
But disappointed he flopped back into the backseat and glanced out the window. Thijs drove into the polder for a few minutes until he parked the car next to a muddy country road.
:'Are we there?', Mr. Peters said, and looking around.
:'Almost, are you coming?', Thijs replied as he unfastened his seatbelt. Herman already got out and marched onto the dirt road, Thijs and Mr. Peters followed him. A hundred yards in front of him loomed a low wooden fence. Behind the fence was a meadow that was completely covered with a thick fog.
:'Is that it?', Mr. Peters asked when they arrived at the gate. Herman was already leaning casually on the fence and looking at the fog.
:'This is it!', Thijs replied.
:'Okay…', Mr. Peters said in surprise. He quickly added:
:'Well it beautiful with the first light of the sun!'
:'This fog hangs here every night . It vanishes when the sun rises', Thijs explained as he leaned on the fence.
:'I can understand that you like this,' said Mr. Peters and continued after a few seconds: 'And, are you taking everyone here?'
:'Everybody. But take a good look at the fog if you like,' said Thijs and he beconed for Mr. Peters to come closer.
Mr. Peters sniffed and stepped between the men. Yet he soon broke the silence:
:'I'm glad that Karlijn didn't come along. He really didn't want to get out of bed for this.'
Thijs looked at Mr. Peters painfully.
:'I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I don't really need this', he said.
:'There," said Herman suddenly. He pointed and looked focused into the fog.
Deep in the fog, something moved.
:‘Oh yes, and there is another one behind that,’ said Thijs.
Mr. Peters leaned over the fence to see what the men were talking about.
Figures walked with bowed heads between the wisps of mist. Worn leather shoes and bare feet with pale skin shuffled through the wet grass under torn clothes. Mr Peters sighed.
:'Are they actors or something? I-I still have a lot to do around the house. At least you should have told them what you were up to!'
:'We are obliged by the municipality to show it to you', said Thijs. 'It's a somewhat quiet morning, but usually there are more.'
:'Do you expect me to believe this?' Mr. Peters said bitterly.
Thijs made a calming gesture with his hand, but Mr. Peters snapped:
:'Take me back home NOW, I will tell the municipality…'
Close to the gate a woman walked with thin and wet hair over pale skin covered with green and brown spots. As if she had been in the water for years. Her face was sunken and her rotten teeth showed in a lipless mouth. She was wearing a white baggy dress that was dirty and soaked. With bony arms she held her body as if to keep up with what little warmth she had left. As she passed the gate she turned her head and looked at the three men with glassy gray eyes. Mr. Peters shrank from the gate. The woman looked ahead and shuffled past the men. Thijs turned around and could feel nothing but pity for the terrified look on Mr. Peters' face.
:'You're safe here', he said soothingly, 'They can't walk outside the fog'.
A saddled horse with no rider walked by, ribs showing through the holes in her rotten flesh. Mr. Peters put a hand over his mouth.
:'However often you see them, they remain repulsive', Thijs said and continued:
:'We call them the restless dead, or the walkers. They are cursed to walk forever here through the Tilrau polder, but never arrive. As you saw, they see us, but if you leave them alone, nothing will happen'.
Thijs turned around again. Hidden in the fog, some figures shuffled. After a while he started again:

The story goes that when the Spaniards fled five hundred years ago they plundered everything they came across. On their way they passed the shire of a Baroness. She offered them food and clothing so that they would not be plundered….”
:'What if it's foggy all over Sloingen?', Mr. Peters suddenly asked. He was still standing a few feet from the fence. Thijs did not dare to look at Mr. Peters while he answered:
:'They sometimes walk all the way through the village.'
:'You would do best to stay indoors', Herman replied.
:'One thing is certain. I'm moving.', muttered Mr. Peters
:'I understand that, but it doesn't have to be necessary', said Thijs
:'You are free to go. But then we are legally obliged to keep an eye on you,' added Herman and turned to Mr. Peters, 'That goes as far as putting a supervisor in the house.'
:'Excuse me?!'
:'That goes as far as placing a supervisor in the house. Don't get us wrong. We save. We like to keep the peace here. If everyone just follows the rule, things will go well.'
:'Exactly!', Thijs exclaimed, 'And how often is it foggy! If it's foggy, it's usually at night anyway.'

Mister Peters did not look at Thijs.

:'Any more surprises?', he snapped at Herman.
:'Do you want children?', Herman asked.
Peters narrowed his eyes.

:'It is of course forbidden to enter the field at night. Teach them to stay away from here. The primary school will help with that.'
:'But we never have incidents. Again, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.'
:'I will. Will you bring me back now?'
:'I think so! Herman?'
Herman nodded. The three of them headed back to the car as a guard in rusted armor watched them with glassy eyes from the fog.

''Written in 2022
----
''Go to [[Story page]] / [[wikinl:De wandelaars van Sloingen|Nederlands]]''

Sloingen's walkers

2023-01-07T13:43:53Z

Borkolloran:

The alarm clock read five past six when the annoying sound rang for the second time. An unshaven Thijs rose to his feet. Sleepily He put on his glasses and dressed himself. Before he left his house, he quickly laayed a slice of cheese on a dry cracker and put it in his mouth. He ate it while driving his old Volvo and then tried to fasten a button on his coat with one hand. He slowed down at an older man in a blue jacket with the municipality's logo on it. The man got in while he sighed deeply and said something that was supposed to sound like 'good morning'.

'Good morning Herman!', Thijs said, 'Did you sleep well?'
'We have to fill that shit with concrete', Herman said.
Herman didn't like it when it was his turn. They drove on in silence. Thijs took them to the house of the Peters couple.

The Peters had only just moved to Sloingen. They had bought the house for way too much money. They came from the city and were rich. He was rich, she was especially attractive. For the move they hired a moving truck and some big guys. None of the supervisors saw them touch a box themselves. When he arrived at the house Thijs knocked on the door. It was Mr. Peters who opened the door and Thijs hid his disappointment behind a smile.

'Good morning!', Thijs said kindly.

“Good morning gentlemen!” Mr. Peters responded cheerfully.

'And? Are you ready?' Thijs asked.

'Give me a minute', Mr. Peters said, putting on a warm coat. When he stooped to pick up some shoes, he stopped.

'What am I supposed to wear?' he said, then added with a raised eyebrow, 'Since I don't know where we're going…'

'The boots', Herman commanded from behind a hesitant Thijs.

Mr. Peters put on spotless green rubber boots. Thijs even smelled the rubber. He imagined Mr. Peters walking past the boots in a local hardware store and purchasing them impulsively. Because he now lived in the country and 'then you have rubber boots'. The three gentlemen walked to the old Volvo. Thijs got behind the wheel again and Mr. Peters took a seat in the back.

'And have you finished unpacking and stuff yet?” Thijs said as he drove away from the house.

'We've come a long way! But we are still waiting to furnish the living kitchen. You first have to get a feel for such a space,' answered Mr Peters.

‘Ah ok!', said Thijs, thinking of his kitchen where only one person could stand.

'It does feel a bit strange. Two men who pick me up early in the morning to show me something. Karlijn also thought it was strange.'

Herman looked at Thijs, who was clearly somewhere else with his thoughts.

'Don't worry', Thijs said quickly, 'you will see for yourself'.

'Mysterious... Now you're making me curious!', Mr. Peters said.
But disappointed he flopped back into the backseat and glanced out the window. Thijs drove into the polder for a few minutes until he parked the car next to a muddy country road.

'Are we there?', Mr. Peters said, and looking around.

'Almost, are you coming?', Thijs replied as he unfastened his seatbelt. Herman already got out and marched onto the dirt road, Thijs and Mr. Peters followed him. A hundred yards in front of him loomed a low wooden fence. Behind the fence was a meadow that was completely covered with a thick fog.

'Is that it?', Mr. Peters asked when they arrived at the gate. Herman was already leaning casually on the fence and looking at the fog.

'This is it!', Thijs replied.

'Okay…', Mr. Peters said in surprise. He quickly added:

'well it beautiful with the first light of the sun!'

'This fog hangs here every night . It vanishes when the sun rises', Thijs explained as he leaned on the fence.

'I can understand that you like this,' said Mr. Peters and continued after a few seconds: 'And, are you taking everyone here?'

'Everybody. But take a good look at the fog if you like,' said Thijs and he beconed for Mr. Peters to come closer.

Mr. Peters sniffed and stepped between the men. Yet he soon broke the silence:

'I'm glad that Karlijn didn't come along. He really didn't want to get out of bed for this.'

Thijs looked at Mr. Peters painfully.

'I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I don't really need this', he said.

'There," said Herman suddenly. He pointed and looked focused into the fog.

Deep in the fog, something moved.

‘Oh yes, and there is another one behind that,’ said Thijs.

Mr. Peters leaned over the fence to see what the men were talking about.

Figures walked with bowed heads between the wisps of mist. Worn leather shoes and bare feet with pale skin shuffled through the wet grass under torn clothes. Mr Peters sighed.

'Are they actors or something? I-I still have a lot to do around the house. At least you should have told them what you were up to!'

'We are obliged by the municipality to show it to you', said Thijs. 'It's a somewhat quiet morning, but usually there are more.'

'Do you expect me to believe this?' Mr. Peters said bitterly.

Thijs made a calming gesture with his hand, but Mr. Peters snapped:

'Take me back home NOW, I will tell the municipality…'

Close to the gate a woman walked with thin and wet hair over pale skin covered with green and brown spots. As if she had been in the water for years. Her face was sunken and her rotten teeth showed in a lipless mouth. She was wearing a white baggy dress that was dirty and soaked. With bony arms she held her body as if to keep up with what little warmth she had left. As she passed the gate she turned her head and looked at the three men with glassy gray eyes. Mr. Peters shrank from the gate. The woman looked ahead and shuffled past the men. Thijs turned around and could feel nothing but pity for the terrified look on Mr. Peters' face.

'You're safe here', he said soothingly, 'They can't walk outside the fog'.

A saddled horse with no rider walked by, ribs showing through the holes in her rotten flesh. Mr. Peters put a hand over his mouth.

'However often you see them, they remain repulsive', Thijs said and continued:
'We call them the restless dead, or the walkers. They are cursed to walk forever here through the Tilrau polder, but never arrive. As you saw, they see us, but if you leave them alone, nothing will happen'.
Thijs turned around again. Hidden in the fog, some figures shuffled. After a while he started again:

The story goes that when the Spaniards fled five hundred years ago they plundered everything they came across. On their way they passed the shire of a Baroness. She offered them food and clothing so that they would not be plundered….”
'What if it's foggy all over Sloingen?', Mr. Peters suddenly asked. He was still standing a few feet from the fence. Thijs did not dare to look at Mr. Peters while he answered:
'They sometimes walk all the way through the village.'
'You would do best to stay indoors', Herman replied.
'One thing is certain. I'm moving.', muttered Mr. Peters
'I understand that, but it doesn't have to be necessary', said Thijs
'You are free to go. But then we are legally obliged to keep an eye on you,' added Herman and turned to Mr. Peters, 'That goes as far as putting a supervisor in the house.'
'Excuse me?!'
'That goes as far as placing a supervisor in the house. Don't get us wrong. We save. We like to keep the peace here. If everyone just follows the rule, things will go well.'
'Exactly!', Thijs exclaimed, 'And how often is it foggy! If it's foggy, it's usually at night anyway.'

Mister Peters did not look at Thijs.

'Any more surprises?', he snapped at Herman.
'Do you want children?', Herman asked.
Peters narrowed his eyes.

'It is of course forbidden to enter the field at night. Teach them to stay away from here. The primary school will help with that.'
'But we never have incidents. Again, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.'
'I will. Will you bring me back now?'
'I think so! Herman?'
Herman nodded. The three of them headed back to the car as a guard in rusted armor watched them with glassy eyes from the fog.

''Written in 2022
----
''Go to [[Story page]] / [[wikinl:De wandelaars van Sloingen|Nederlands]]''

Sloingen's walkers

2023-01-07T13:43:44Z

Borkolloran:

The alarm clock read five past six when the annoying sound rang for the second time. An unshaven Thijs rose to his feet. Sleepily He put on his glasses and dressed himself. Before he left his house, he quickly laayed a slice of cheese on a dry cracker and put it in his mouth. He ate it while driving his old Volvo and then tried to fasten a button on his coat with one hand. He slowed down at an older man in a blue jacket with the municipality's logo on it. The man got in while he sighed deeply and said something that was supposed to sound like 'good morning'.

'Good morning Herman!', Thijs said, 'Did you sleep well?'
'We have to fill that shit with concrete', Herman said.
Herman didn't like it when it was his turn. They drove on in silence. Thijs took them to the house of the Peters couple.

The Peters had only just moved to Sloingen. They had bought the house for way too much money. They came from the city and were rich. He was rich, she was especially attractive. For the move they hired a moving truck and some big guys. None of the supervisors saw them touch a box themselves. When he arrived at the house Thijs knocked on the door. It was Mr. Peters who opened the door and Thijs hid his disappointment behind a smile.

'Good morning!', Thijs said kindly.

“Good morning gentlemen!” Mr. Peters responded cheerfully.

'And? Are you ready?' Thijs asked.

'Give me a minute', Mr. Peters said, putting on a warm coat. When he stooped to pick up some shoes, he stopped.

'What am I supposed to wear?' he said, then added with a raised eyebrow, 'Since I don't know where we're going…'

'The boots', Herman commanded from behind a hesitant Thijs.

Mr. Peters put on spotless green rubber boots. Thijs even smelled the rubber. He imagined Mr. Peters walking past the boots in a local hardware store and purchasing them impulsively. Because he now lived in the country and 'then you have rubber boots'. The three gentlemen walked to the old Volvo. Thijs got behind the wheel again and Mr. Peters took a seat in the back.

'And have you finished unpacking and stuff yet?” Thijs said as he drove away from the house.

'We've come a long way! But we are still waiting to furnish the living kitchen. You first have to get a feel for such a space,' answered Mr Peters.

‘Ah ok!', said Thijs, thinking of his kitchen where only one person could stand.

'It does feel a bit strange. Two men who pick me up early in the morning to show me something. Karlijn also thought it was strange.'

Herman looked at Thijs, who was clearly somewhere else with his thoughts.

'Don't worry', Thijs said quickly, 'you will see for yourself'.

'Mysterious... Now you're making me curious!', Mr. Peters said.
But disappointed he flopped back into the backseat and glanced out the window. Thijs drove into the polder for a few minutes until he parked the car next to a muddy country road.

'Are we there?', Mr. Peters said, and looking around.

'Almost, are you coming?', Thijs replied as he unfastened his seatbelt. Herman already got out and marched onto the dirt road, Thijs and Mr. Peters followed him. A hundred yards in front of him loomed a low wooden fence. Behind the fence was a meadow that was completely covered with a thick fog.

'Is that it?', Mr. Peters asked when they arrived at the gate. Herman was already leaning casually on the fence and looking at the fog.

'This is it!', Thijs replied.

'Okay…', Mr. Peters said in surprise. He quickly added:

'well it beautiful with the first light of the sun!'

'This fog hangs here every night . It vanishes when the sun rises', Thijs explained as he leaned on the fence.

'I can understand that you like this,' said Mr. Peters and continued after a few seconds: 'And, are you taking everyone here?'

'Everybody. But take a good look at the fog if you like,' said Thijs and he beconed for Mr. Peters to come closer.

Mr. Peters sniffed and stepped between the men. Yet he soon broke the silence:

'I'm glad that Karlijn didn't come along. He really didn't want to get out of bed for this.'

Thijs looked at Mr. Peters painfully.

'I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I don't really need this', he said.

'There," said Herman suddenly. He pointed and looked focused into the fog.

Deep in the fog, something moved.

‘Oh yes, and there is another one behind that,’ said Thijs.

Mr. Peters leaned over the fence to see what the men were talking about.

Figures walked with bowed heads between the wisps of mist. Worn leather shoes and bare feet with pale skin shuffled through the wet grass under torn clothes. Mr Peters sighed.

'Are they actors or something? I-I still have a lot to do around the house. At least you should have told them what you were up to!'

'We are obliged by the municipality to show it to you', said Thijs. 'It's a somewhat quiet morning, but usually there are more.'

'Do you expect me to believe this?' Mr. Peters said bitterly.

Thijs made a calming gesture with his hand, but Mr. Peters snapped:

'Take me back home NOW, I will tell the municipality…'

Close to the gate a woman walked with thin and wet hair over pale skin covered with green and brown spots. As if she had been in the water for years. Her face was sunken and her rotten teeth showed in a lipless mouth. She was wearing a white baggy dress that was dirty and soaked. With bony arms she held her body as if to keep up with what little warmth she had left. As she passed the gate she turned her head and looked at the three men with glassy gray eyes. Mr. Peters shrank from the gate. The woman looked ahead and shuffled past the men. Thijs turned around and could feel nothing but pity for the terrified look on Mr. Peters' face.

'You're safe here', he said soothingly, 'They can't walk outside the fog'.

A saddled horse with no rider walked by, ribs showing through the holes in her rotten flesh. Mr. Peters put a hand over his mouth.

'However often you see them, they remain repulsive', Thijs said and continued:
'We call them the restless dead, or the walkers. They are cursed to walk forever here through the Tilrau polder, but never arrive. As you saw, they see us, but if you leave them alone, nothing will happen'.
Thijs turned around again. Hidden in the fog, some figures shuffled. After a while he started again:

The story goes that when the Spaniards fled five hundred years ago they plundered everything they came across. On their way they passed the shire of a Baroness. She offered them food and clothing so that they would not be plundered….”
'What if it's foggy all over Sloingen?', Mr. Peters suddenly asked. He was still standing a few feet from the fence. Thijs did not dare to look at Mr. Peters while he answered:
'They sometimes walk all the way through the village.'
'You would do best to stay indoors', Herman replied.
'One thing is certain. I'm moving.', muttered Mr. Peters
'I understand that, but it doesn't have to be necessary', said Thijs
'You are free to go. But then we are legally obliged to keep an eye on you,' added Herman and turned to Mr. Peters, 'That goes as far as putting a supervisor in the house.'
'Excuse me?!'
'That goes as far as placing a supervisor in the house. Don't get us wrong. We save. We like to keep the peace here. If everyone just follows the rule, things will go well.'
'Exactly!', Thijs exclaimed, 'And how often is it foggy! If it's foggy, it's usually at night anyway.'

Mister Peters did not look at Thijs.

'Any more surprises?', he snapped at Herman.
'Do you want children?', Herman asked.
Peters narrowed his eyes.

'It is of course forbidden to enter the field at night. Teach them to stay away from here. The primary school will help with that.'
'But we never have incidents. Again, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.'
'I will. Will you bring me back now?'
'I think so! Herman?'
Herman nodded. The three of them headed back to the car as a guard in rusted armor watched them with glassy eyes from the fog.

End

''Written in 2022
----
''Go to [[Story page]] / [[wikinl:De wandelaars van Sloingen|Nederlands]]''

Sloingen's walkers

2023-01-07T13:43:06Z

Borkolloran:

The alarm clock read five past six when the annoying sound rang for the second time. An unshaven Thijs rose to his feet. Sleepily He put on his glasses and dressed himself. Before he left his house, he quickly laayed a slice of cheese on a dry cracker and put it in his mouth. He ate it while driving his old Volvo and then tried to fasten a button on his coat with one hand. He slowed down at an older man in a blue jacket with the municipality's logo on it. The man got in while he sighed deeply and said something that was supposed to sound like 'good morning'.

'Good morning Herman!', Thijs said, 'Did you sleep well?'
'We have to fill that shit with concrete', Herman said.
Herman didn't like it when it was his turn. They drove on in silence. Thijs took them to the house of the Peters couple.

The Peters had only just moved to Sloingen. They had bought the house for way too much money. They came from the city and were rich. He was rich, she was especially attractive. For the move they hired a moving truck and some big guys. None of the supervisors saw them touch a box themselves. When he arrived at the house Thijs knocked on the door. It was Mr. Peters who opened the door and Thijs hid his disappointment behind a smile.

'Good morning!', Thijs said kindly.

“Good morning gentlemen!” Mr. Peters responded cheerfully.

'And? Are you ready?' Thijs asked.

'Give me a minute', Mr. Peters said, putting on a warm coat. When he stooped to pick up some shoes, he stopped.

'What am I supposed to wear?' he said, then added with a raised eyebrow, 'Since I don't know where we're going…'

'The boots', Herman commanded from behind a hesitant Thijs.

Mr. Peters put on spotless green rubber boots. Thijs even smelled the rubber. He imagined Mr. Peters walking past the boots in a local hardware store and purchasing them impulsively. Because he now lived in the country and 'then you have rubber boots'. The three gentlemen walked to the old Volvo. Thijs got behind the wheel again and Mr. Peters took a seat in the back.

'And have you finished unpacking and stuff yet?” Thijs said as he drove away from the house.

'We've come a long way! But we are still waiting to furnish the living kitchen. You first have to get a feel for such a space,' answered Mr Peters.

‘Ah ok!', said Thijs, thinking of his kitchen where only one person could stand.

'It does feel a bit strange. Two men who pick me up early in the morning to show me something. Karlijn also thought it was strange.'

Herman looked at Thijs, who was clearly somewhere else with his thoughts.

'Don't worry', Thijs said quickly, 'you will see for yourself'.

'Mysterious... Now you're making me curious!', Mr. Peters said.
But disappointed he flopped back into the backseat and glanced out the window. Thijs drove into the polder for a few minutes until he parked the car next to a muddy country road.

'Are we there?', Mr. Peters said, and looking around.

'Almost, are you coming?', Thijs replied as he unfastened his seatbelt. Herman already got out and marched onto the dirt road, Thijs and Mr. Peters followed him. A hundred yards in front of him loomed a low wooden fence. Behind the fence was a meadow that was completely covered with a thick fog.

'Is that it?', Mr. Peters asked when they arrived at the gate. Herman was already leaning casually on the fence and looking at the fog.

'This is it!', Thijs replied.

'Okay…', Mr. Peters said in surprise. He quickly added:

'well it beautiful with the first light of the sun!'

'This fog hangs here every night . It vanishes when the sun rises', Thijs explained as he leaned on the fence.

'I can understand that you like this,' said Mr. Peters and continued after a few seconds: 'And, are you taking everyone here?'

'Everybody. But take a good look at the fog if you like,' said Thijs and he beconed for Mr. Peters to come closer.

Mr. Peters sniffed and stepped between the men. Yet he soon broke the silence:

'I'm glad that Karlijn didn't come along. He really didn't want to get out of bed for this.'

Thijs looked at Mr. Peters painfully.

'I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I don't really need this', he said.

'There," said Herman suddenly. He pointed and looked focused into the fog.

Deep in the fog, something moved.

‘Oh yes, and there is another one behind that,’ said Thijs.

Mr. Peters leaned over the fence to see what the men were talking about.

Figures walked with bowed heads between the wisps of mist. Worn leather shoes and bare feet with pale skin shuffled through the wet grass under torn clothes. Mr Peters sighed.

'Are they actors or something? I-I still have a lot to do around the house. At least you should have told them what you were up to!'

'We are obliged by the municipality to show it to you', said Thijs. 'It's a somewhat quiet morning, but usually there are more.'

'Do you expect me to believe this?' Mr. Peters said bitterly.

Thijs made a calming gesture with his hand, but Mr. Peters snapped:

'Take me back home NOW, I will tell the municipality…'

Close to the gate a woman walked with thin and wet hair over pale skin covered with green and brown spots. As if she had been in the water for years. Her face was sunken and her rotten teeth showed in a lipless mouth. She was wearing a white baggy dress that was dirty and soaked. With bony arms she held her body as if to keep up with what little warmth she had left. As she passed the gate she turned her head and looked at the three men with glassy gray eyes. Mr. Peters shrank from the gate. The woman looked ahead and shuffled past the men. Thijs turned around and could feel nothing but pity for the terrified look on Mr. Peters' face.

'You're safe here', he said soothingly, 'They can't walk outside the fog'.

A saddled horse with no rider walked by, ribs showing through the holes in her rotten flesh. Mr. Peters put a hand over his mouth.

'However often you see them, they remain repulsive', Thijs said and continued:
'We call them the restless dead, or the walkers. They are cursed to walk forever here through the Tilrau polder, but never arrive. As you saw, they see us, but if you leave them alone, nothing will happen'.
Thijs turned around again. Hidden in the fog, some figures shuffled. After a while he started again:

The story goes that when the Spaniards fled five hundred years ago they plundered everything they came across. On their way they passed the shire of a Baroness. She offered them food and clothing so that they would not be plundered….”
'What if it's foggy all over Sloingen?', Mr. Peters suddenly asked. He was still standing a few feet from the fence. Thijs did not dare to look at Mr. Peters while he answered:
'They sometimes walk all the way through the village.'
'You would do best to stay indoors', Herman replied.
'One thing is certain. I'm moving.', muttered Mr. Peters
'I understand that, but it doesn't have to be necessary', said Thijs
'You are free to go. But then we are legally obliged to keep an eye on you,' added Herman and turned to Mr. Peters, 'That goes as far as putting a supervisor in the house.'
'Excuse me?!'
'That goes as far as placing a supervisor in the house. Don't get us wrong. We save. We like to keep the peace here. If everyone just follows the rule, things will go well.'
'Exactly!', Thijs exclaimed, 'And how often is it foggy! If it's foggy, it's usually at night anyway.'

Mister Peters did not look at Thijs.

'Any more surprises?', he snapped at Herman.
'Do you want children?', Herman asked.
Peters narrowed his eyes.

'It is of course forbidden to enter the field at night. Teach them to stay away from here. The primary school will help with that.'
'But we never have incidents. Again, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.'
'I will. Will you bring me back now?'
'I think so! Herman?'
Herman nodded. The three of them headed back to the car as a guard in rusted armor watched them with glassy eyes from the fog.

----
''Go to [[Story page]] / [[wikinl:De wandelaars van Sloingen|Nederlands]]''

Sloingen's walkers

2023-01-07T13:42:24Z

Borkolloran:

The alarm clock read five past six when the annoying sound rang for the second time. An unshaven Thijs rose to his feet. Sleepily He put on his glasses and dressed himself. Before he left his house, he quickly laayed a slice of cheese on a dry cracker and put it in his mouth. He ate it while driving his old Volvo and then tried to fasten a button on his coat with one hand. He slowed down at an older man in a blue jacket with the municipality's logo on it. The man got in while he sighed deeply and said something that was supposed to sound like 'good morning'.

'Good morning Herman!', Thijs said, 'Did you sleep well?'
'We have to fill that shit with concrete', Herman said.
Herman didn't like it when it was his turn. They drove on in silence. Thijs took them to the house of the Peters couple.

The Peters had only just moved to Sloingen. They had bought the house for way too much money. They came from the city and were rich. He was rich, she was especially attractive. For the move they hired a moving truck and some big guys. None of the supervisors saw them touch a box themselves. When he arrived at the house Thijs knocked on the door. It was Mr. Peters who opened the door and Thijs hid his disappointment behind a smile.

'Good morning!', Thijs said kindly.

“Good morning gentlemen!” Mr. Peters responded cheerfully.

'And? Are you ready?' Thijs asked.

'Give me a minute', Mr. Peters said, putting on a warm coat. When he stooped to pick up some shoes, he stopped.

'What am I supposed to wear?' he said, then added with a raised eyebrow, 'Since I don't know where we're going…'

'The boots', Herman commanded from behind a hesitant Thijs.

Mr. Peters put on spotless green rubber boots. Thijs even smelled the rubber. He imagined Mr. Peters walking past the boots in a local hardware store and purchasing them impulsively. Because he now lived in the country and 'then you have rubber boots'. The three gentlemen walked to the old Volvo. Thijs got behind the wheel again and Mr. Peters took a seat in the back.

'And have you finished unpacking and stuff yet?” Thijs said as he drove away from the house.

'We've come a long way! But we are still waiting to furnish the living kitchen. You first have to get a feel for such a space,' answered Mr Peters.

‘Ah ok!', said Thijs, thinking of his kitchen where only one person could stand.

'It does feel a bit strange. Two men who pick me up early in the morning to show me something. Karlijn also thought it was strange.'

Herman looked at Thijs, who was clearly somewhere else with his thoughts.

'Don't worry', Thijs said quickly, 'you will see for yourself'.
"Mysterious... Now you're making me curious!', Mr. Peters said.
But disappointed he flopped back into the backseat and glanced out the window. Thijs drove into the polder for a few minutes until he parked the car next to a muddy country road.

'Are we there?', Mr. Peters said, and looking around.

'Almost, are you coming?', Thijs replied as he unfastened his seatbelt. Herman already got out and marched onto the dirt road, Thijs and Mr. Peters followed him. A hundred yards in front of him loomed a low wooden fence. Behind the fence was a meadow that was completely covered with a thick fog.

'Is that it?', Mr. Peters asked when they arrived at the gate. Herman was already leaning casually on the fence and looking at the fog.

'This is it!', Thijs replied.

'Okay…', Mr. Peters said in surprise. He quickly added:

'well it beautiful with the first light of the sun!'

'This fog hangs here every night . It vanishes when the sun rises', Thijs explained as he leaned on the fence.

'I can understand that you like this,' said Mr. Peters and continued after a few seconds: 'And, are you taking everyone here?'

'Everybody. But take a good look at the fog if you like,' said Thijs and he beconed for Mr. Peters to come closer.

Mr. Peters sniffed and stepped between the men. Yet he soon broke the silence:

'I'm glad that Karlijn didn't come along. He really didn't want to get out of bed for this.'

Thijs looked at Mr. Peters painfully.

'I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I don't really need this', he said.

'There," said Herman suddenly. He pointed and looked focused into the fog.

Deep in the fog, something moved.

‘Oh yes, and there is another one behind that,’ said Thijs.

Mr. Peters leaned over the fence to see what the men were talking about.

Figures walked with bowed heads between the wisps of mist. Worn leather shoes and bare feet with pale skin shuffled through the wet grass under torn clothes. Mr Peters sighed.

'Are they actors or something? I-I still have a lot to do around the house. At least you should have told them what you were up to!'

'We are obliged by the municipality to show it to you', said Thijs. 'It's a somewhat quiet morning, but usually there are more.'

'Do you expect me to believe this?' Mr. Peters said bitterly.

Thijs made a calming gesture with his hand, but Mr. Peters snapped:

'Take me back home NOW, I will tell the municipality…'

Close to the gate a woman walked with thin and wet hair over pale skin covered with green and brown spots. As if she had been in the water for years. Her face was sunken and her rotten teeth showed in a lipless mouth. She was wearing a white baggy dress that was dirty and soaked. With bony arms she held her body as if to keep up with what little warmth she had left. As she passed the gate she turned her head and looked at the three men with glassy gray eyes. Mr. Peters shrank from the gate. The woman looked ahead and shuffled past the men. Thijs turned around and could feel nothing but pity for the terrified look on Mr. Peters' face.

'You're safe here', he said soothingly, 'They can't walk outside the fog'.

A saddled horse with no rider walked by, ribs showing through the holes in her rotten flesh. Mr. Peters put a hand over his mouth.

'However often you see them, they remain repulsive', Thijs said and continued:
'We call them the restless dead, or the walkers. They are cursed to walk forever here through the Tilrau polder, but never arrive. As you saw, they see us, but if you leave them alone, nothing will happen'.
Thijs turned around again. Hidden in the fog, some figures shuffled. After a while he started again:

The story goes that when the Spaniards fled five hundred years ago they plundered everything they came across. On their way they passed the shire of a Baroness. She offered them food and clothing so that they would not be plundered….”
'What if it's foggy all over Sloingen?', Mr. Peters suddenly asked. He was still standing a few feet from the fence. Thijs did not dare to look at Mr. Peters while he answered:
'They sometimes walk all the way through the village.'
'You would do best to stay indoors', Herman replied.
'One thing is certain. I'm moving.', muttered Mr. Peters
'I understand that, but it doesn't have to be necessary', said Thijs
'You are free to go. But then we are legally obliged to keep an eye on you,' added Herman and turned to Mr. Peters, 'That goes as far as putting a supervisor in the house.'
'Excuse me?!'
'That goes as far as placing a supervisor in the house. Don't get us wrong. We save. We like to keep the peace here. If everyone just follows the rule, things will go well.'
'Exactly!', Thijs exclaimed, 'And how often is it foggy! If it's foggy, it's usually at night anyway.'

Mister Peters did not look at Thijs.

'Any more surprises?', he snapped at Herman.
'Do you want children?', Herman asked.
Peters narrowed his eyes.

'It is of course forbidden to enter the field at night. Teach them to stay away from here. The primary school will help with that.'
'But we never have incidents. Again, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.'
'I will. Will you bring me back now?'
'I think so! Herman?'
Herman nodded. The three of them headed back to the car as a guard in rusted armor watched them with glassy eyes from the fog.

----
''Go to [[Story page]] / [[wikinl:De wandelaars van Sloingen|Nederlands]]''

Sloingen's walkers

2023-01-07T13:10:28Z

Borkolloran:

Sloingen's walkers

2023-01-07T12:28:39Z

Borkolloran:

Organisations within The Tale of Gael

2022-12-26T21:21:54Z

Borkolloran:

:''"I think there is much more of this world waiting for you out there."''
:::- Mearys Linnwik, The Tale of Gael: Caretaker

There are multiple organisations within the world of The Tale of Gael.

'''[[Imperial office of Rits Unipiller]]'''

'''[[The Faith]]'''

'''[[Coucil of Eight]]'''

'''[[Knightly orders]]'''

'''[[The University of Challiste]]'''

----

''Back to [[The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia|The tale of Gael]] / [[wikinl:Organisaties binnen Het verhaal van Gael| Nederlands]]''

The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia

2022-12-26T20:59:09Z

Borkolloran:

[[File:TOGcrop.png|700px]]

:''"Ever since I was young I wanted to work as a researcher"''
:::- Gael Linnwik, The Tale of Gael: Gone Fishing

For a boy who grew up on a farm Gael Linnwik had rather big dreams of studying and travelling the country. Time and misfortune made those dreams stay unfulfilled. Now, a lifetime later, after his mother had died Gael leaves the family farm. His journey has only just begun.

==Stories in chronological order:==

'''[[The tale of Gael]]'''

'''[[The tale of Gael: Gone Fishing]]'''

'''[[The tale of Gael: Effenaine]]'''

==Subjects:==

'''[[Characters of The Tale of Gael|Characters]]'''

'''[[Locations of the Tale of Gael|Locations]]'''

'''[[Organisations within The Tale of Gael|Organisations]]'''

'''[[The tale of Gael: Gods and blessings]]'''

----
''Back to the [[Main Page]] / [[wikinl:Het verhaal van Gael: Bibliotheek|Nederlands]]''

The tale of Gael: Effenaine

2022-12-26T20:47:15Z

Borkolloran:

''Go to [[The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia]] / Go to [[Story page|Stories]] / [[wikinl:Het verhaal van Gael: Effenaine|Nederlands]]''

Crouching, Bovos peered into the darkness. He narrowed his eyes and focused on his hearing, but all he noticed was the smell of the wet forest floor. The trees around him were only dark shadows.
:'I can't see shit', Bomild said as she crouched next to him. Bovos did not respond, but Bomild continued:
:‘That hrini is a nice one. We join her on the hunt and then she just runs of into the woods alone. I'm telling you. We should have brought horses. I prefer to hunt horned ones on horseback.'
Bovos sighed and said:
:'Maybe the hrini left us because we make too much noise.'
:'She just wants to hunt alone', said Bomild. She stood up again and tapped Bovos against his shoulder.
:'But seriously, if we had horses with us, we would have found the vermin in no time. They may be fast, but not faster than a horse. And you have a clean shot at their backs.'
She gestured with her bow as if she is shooting. Bovos grabbed the handle of his sledgehammer and also stood up. Although his knee made a popping noise, the ease with which he lifted the overweight hammer betrayed that he was more than human.
:'I don't know where she went. I think it's best if we stay here', Bovos said, adding:
:'It wouldn't be right to go back without her.'
They stood in silence for a while, looking around. Then there was a rustle in the distance. Bovos held his hammer ready and Bomild aimed her bow at the darkness.
:'Run!', a familiar voice sounded from the rustle's direction. Then they saw the two heads taller hrini running out of the dark.
:'RUN!' she yelled again.
Bovos and Bomild ran away. Quickly they were overtaken by the hrini. Her long fur-covered legs moved quickly. She effortlessly took a small lead on two, much to Bovos' frustration. He was not easily jealous of the hrini, but they are lightning fast when they have to. Behind them, the rustle turned to thumping.
:'What is it?!' Bomild shouted.
:'Big!' the hrini called over her shoulder.
Horned ones aren't big Bovos thought and looked behind him. Bomild had trouble keeping up with the two gifted ones. The thumping became louder.
:'Come on!' Bovos shouted to Bomild, the panic visible on her face.
Growls and pants were heard as the monstert approached. Bomild grabbed her bow with both hands and pulled the bowstring. A bright light appeared between her hands. She suddenly turned around and released the tension. The arrow of pure light shot forward. Trees lighted up one by one. The monster could be seen for a second. On all fours it ran with skin as if made of coal, black and angular. Its short neck ends in a beastly head with horns and sharp teeth. The arrow whizzes past the beast, causing it to be enveloped in darkness again. Only his silhouette could be seen when the arrow highlighted trees behind it. There was an irritated grunt over the growing stomping. Then Bomild sunk one knee into the forest floor and fired a second arrow. The arrow of light flew straight at the silhouette. A loud crash echoes through the forest as the light arrow sent a shower of sparks flying as it smashes through the monster. The monster let out a terrible scream and immediately ran away from them. Bomild got up slowly. Her face is pale. Bovos does not see this, but it is clearly visible to the hrini. With hairy hands she grabbed Bomild's face. The large yellow eyes of the hrini looked at her concerned.
:'Are you okay?', she asked.
: 'I-I thought it was going to drop dead,' said Bomild.
:'Come,' said Bovos, and grabbed Bomild's arm. 'The danger has not yet over.'
He pulled her along as he and the hrini ran.

---

The hrini bowed low to get through the opening of the tent. Bovos only reached upto her shoulder blades. Still, he estimated that she weighed much less. She was built for the hunt: small shoulders with long arms and legs. Her athletic but fine build gave the hrini something attractive, but her fur and large ears and eyes also made her repulsive. Bovos had the idea that they also thought this themselves, since there always was a sadness in the eyes of the hrini. He, Bomild and the hrini entered the big red tent. In the center of the room was a large table with a map on it. There stood their leader Miranda, an elderly woman with long gray curly hair, the warrior Maccadam and Garu, an old man with tusseld hair whose face is painted with blue and green lines. Miranda noticed the trio:
:'Lai! Thank you for bringing my friends back in one piece', Miranda said to the hrini.
:'It was my pleasure', said Lai, 'I will return to my family if it is okay with you.'
'Of course! We are extremely grateful to you and your family', Miranda said. Lai bowed slightly and left the tent. With a serious tone Miranda focused on Bovos and Bomild:
:'And? Have you found the horned one?'
'Unfortunately not', Bovos answered defeated.
:'Brack', she said as she studied Bovos and Bomild, 'And what else happened?'
:'We saw a child of the red god', aswered Bovos.
:'Are you sure?' Maccadam asked sternly. Maccadam was also a child of the red god, though he controlled himself not to receive more gifts, of curses, from the red god.
:'Yes, one of your crazy brothers, skin like coal, angry, growling and stuff', Bomild replied coldly.
'Please tell me you left him alone?', he asked.
:'I shot right through it but it just kept walking!', Bomild said as she mimicked shooting an arrow. Maccadam's eyes widened.
:'Idiot!', he shouted.
:'What are you afraid of? Are we making your crazy brothers mad?'
:'Fighting him can ask for the attention of others', he sneered.
Miranda made a soothing gesture.
:'Just because you find what was hidden doesn't mean it wanted to be found', said old Garu.
Although this caused a frown to some, it remained silent. Miranda sighed once.
:'But so far west already. That is sooner than we expected', she said.
:'She became weak if the children of destruction are able to come this close', said Garu.
:'Then we need to act quickly', Miranda said.
:'Can't we just let all the refugees flee into the beacon at once?', Bovos said.
'I'll give them a week before they're all rounded up by the beacon knights. That's not an option', Said Miranda, 'We maintain this position, on the edge of the beacon. Then we can accommodate as many people as possible. Should it fall, we'll escort them through the portals into Grosseron', Miranda said, turning to Garu. 'We'll have to get in touch with her if we want to buy time. Maybe you and your friends should start looking.'
Garu rubbed his chin and said:
'Then I'll leave tomorrow', said Garu
'Okay fine', said Miranda, leaning over the map of Grosseron, 'I hope we're not too late.'

---

Maarten couldn't run that fast three days ago. But his legs had changed. They were bigger and his muscles were hard. His shoulders and neck were as wide as a wrestler's. But especially his head had changed: He could smell and see better. His jaw was thicker and so strong it could bite through bones. On top of his head, he felt two hard points growing under his skin. He knew very well what was going on. He turned into a horned one.

He used to work as a cattle herder for a respectable family. He had even managed to catch the eye of the kitchen helper. But three days ago he had nightmares of him biting her on the neck in a moment of barbaric violence. He woke up with a hunger for meat. He imagined going to the kitchen to pull meat out of the cupboard, but he never got further than the room opposite him, where the farmhand and his wife slept. The harder he tried to focus on the kitchen, the more he saw himself bending over the sleeping couple. In a brief moment of clarity, he thought of screams, candles in the night, torches and pitchforks. He pulled open the window, jumped out and ran into the night in his pajamas.

His body asked for more and more food. He had caught a hare and pulled some meat from a goat's carcass. Slowly but surely he went mad with hunger. In his mind he drifted back to the neck of the kitchen helper and what it would feel like to sink his teeth into it. Suddenly two other horned ones stood in front of him. Muscled, pale and naked. They had hunted a deer and laid it at his feet. Under the watchful eye of the two, Maarten tore pieces of meat from the animal and ate it greedily. They had been watching him intently, observing. Like a wild animal, ready to spring into action at any moment. After Maarten had been eating for some time, they pulled a leg off the deer, broke it in two and ate some themselves. After Maarten had stopped eating, the two seemed to want to leave. They stood up without wiping the blood from their chins and looked sternly at him again. He had followed them. They traveled one day and one night. During the day as much as possible in forests, but at night they ran across fields on the edges of villages. Maarten even had the idea that they had been seen, but that no longer interested him.

She arrived deep in a forest. There, in the midst of dozens of other horned men and women, he met the leaders of the family. A couple, Vinna and Markus, wife and husband, whose greatness of gifts betrayed their many years of life. They were almost twice as tall as the rest of the pack. Markus had horns and a neck like a bull, and his eyes were full of wild aggression. Vinna had long curved horns that reached down to her back. He was both shocked by her naked beauty and terrified by the threat of the bloodthirsty pack around her. She walked over to Maarten and crouched in front of him. She spoke in a voice that sounded both powerful and seductive.

:'You'll have to do something for us first.'

---

Maarten suddenly stopped at the agreed place. He hadn't heard from his pursuer for some time. His Pajamas were torn but he didn't feel comfortable enough to take them off yet. He still knew who he was, but slowly he began to forget details of his past life. Maarten looked around wildly. The sky had changed. The wet forest air had smoke that looked like fire. Although his eyes had gotten better at seeing at night, he couldn't see a single point of light. Steel, he thought, what he smelled was the smell of a forge when sparks flew. But everything around him was so dark. Leaves were gray, trees were a darker gray, stones were black as... coal. Out of nowhere, what looked like a rock sprang toward him. Before he could dodge it, the monster slammed into Maarten with two clenched fists, crushing his hips. With what sounded like both a human and a wild beast, Maarten cried out. But the monster struck again and again until no more sound came from Maarten. The monster grunted low as it sank to the ground next to Maar's remains. A small plume of smoke came out of the hole through the middle of the beast's body.

But then dozens of horns came rushing at the beast. They pounced on it and grabbed its arms. With a thunderous roar, he tried to intimidate his attackers and whip himself into a frenzy. This worked and he shook off a few. He grabbed around with his claws. Although the horns sprang around him at lightning speed, he got a hold of some, which he immediately crushed. Yet, one by one, they grabbed his arms and pushed him to the ground. Vinna and Markus came running followed by a quietly walking woman in a blood red hat. A dozen horneds sat on the monster's back and tried to keep his head down. The beast shook its neck violently, sending the horns flying about. Again the monster roared loudly and tried to scramble to its feet. A horned man had not been able to jump away in time and his leg broke under the beast's chew.

'Markus do something!' Vinna snapped. There was panic in her voice. Markus charged at the beast and with aggressive force grabbed the head of the beast and smashed it into the ground. Vinna focused on the woman in the red robe.
“What are you waiting for?!” Vinna said to the much smaller woman.
"It doesn't look like he's going to die, does it?" the woman said calmly. Vinna bared her teeth.
“Kill it!” she yelled.
Markus grabbed the monster around his neck. The sharp corners in the monster's skin cut into its flesh. He pulled the monster's neck with all his strength. With the loud creak of the hard body, the head of the monster turned further and further. The monster let out an angry but painful cry. The monster's rocky skin began to smoke. The deepest cracks of his skin lit up like embers.

“Almost,” said the woman in red.
Flames started in the monster's eyes and mouth. It burned Markus but he only became more aggressive and put even more power. The horns jumped off the monster. His body seemed to burn up and the flames climbed up through the trees as if they were being sucked in. Then the woman in red stepped forward. With her hand she motioned the flames to a red crystal. Although the beast's body was sucked into the portal, the flames in the crystal disappeared. When there was nothing left of the monster, the portal disappeared, and the forest was silent again. The floor is littered with a dozen pale bodies. Vinna crouches by the dead horned ones.

"Satisfied!?" Vinna snapped at the woman in red. The woman looked fascinated at the red crystal through which the fire raged.
"Oh I sure am. It went even better than expected," she said.
Vinna got up and stroked Markus's face. He calmed down, though his eyes were still full of aggression.

“What happens now?” Vinna asked without taking her eyes off her partner.
“Your part of the agreement has been fulfilled. I will lead you west when the beacon falls," said the woman in red.
Markus let out a loud victory roar and was joined by the other horned ones who still had the strength to do so.

----
''Go to [[The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia]] / Go to [[Story page|Stories]] / [[wikinl:Het verhaal van Gael: Effenaine|Nederlands]]''

The tale of Gael: Effenaine

2022-12-26T20:46:46Z

Borkolloran:

Story page

2022-12-26T20:46:18Z

Borkolloran:

__NOTOC__
===Stories:===
[[Sloingen's walkers]]

[[Red Roads]]

===Stories in 'The tale of Gael':===

[[The tale of Gael]]

[[The tale of Gael: Gone Fishing]]

[[The tale of Gael: Effenaine]]

====Stories in 'Thollor Realm':====
[[Path of Liam]]

[[The wizard's tower of Perrimor]]

[[The Nur]]

[[BONESTRIDE]]

===Stories in 'Grey':===
[[Crawl space]]

[[TOR 15]]

===Verhalen in 'Derelict':===
[[Virtuacare]]

----
''Back to the [[Main Page]] / [[wikinl:Verhalen pagina|Nederlands]]''

Main Page

2022-12-26T20:38:07Z

Borkolloran:

Main Page

2022-12-26T20:37:23Z

Borkolloran:

__NOTOC__
Welcome to the Wiki!

On this Wiki you can find additional information about the stories: backgrounds of characters, descriptions of locations and more.

[[File:Stories.png|200px|link=Story page]]

All stories, in a world or standalone, on one page:

==Projects==
[[File:Thetaleofgael.png|250px|link=The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia]]

We follow Gael as we discover what the world has got in store for him.

[[File:Thollor realm.png|200px|link=Thollor Realm]]

Monsters, giants and wizards. Always those damn wizards.

[[File:GREY.png|80px|link=Grey: Encyclopedia]]

While everyone was blinded, eyes opened elsewhere.

[[File:Derelict.png|140px|link=Derelict]]

An extraterrestrial life is full of challenges

----
'' [[wikinl:Hoofdpagina|Klik hier voor Nederlands]]''

Main Page

2022-12-26T20:32:12Z

Borkolloran:

__NOTOC__
Welcome to the Wiki!

On this Wiki you can find additional information about the stories: backgrounds of characters, descriptions of locations and more.
==Stories==
All stories, in a world or standalone, on one page:

[[File:Stories.png|200px|link=Story page]]

==Projects==
[[File:Thetaleofgael.png|250px|link=The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia]]

We follow Gael as we discover what the world has got in store for him.

[[File:Thollor realm.png|200px|link=Thollor Realm]]

Monsters, giants and wizards. Always those damn wizards.

[[File:GREY.png|80px|link=Grey: Encyclopedia]]

While everyone was blinded, eyes opened elsewhere.

[[File:Derelict.png|140px|link=Derelict]]

An extraterrestrial life is full of challenges

----
'' [[wikinl:Hoofdpagina|Klik hier voor Nederlands]]''

Main Page

2022-12-26T20:31:55Z

Borkolloran:

__NOTOC__
Welcome to the Wiki!

On this Wiki you can find additional information about the stories: backgrounds of characters, descriptions of locations and more.
==Stories==
All stories, in a world or standalone, on one page:

[File:Stories.png|200px|link=Story page]]

==Projects==
[[File:Thetaleofgael.png|250px|link=The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia]]

We follow Gael as we discover what the world has got in store for him.

[[File:Thollor realm.png|200px|link=Thollor Realm]]

Monsters, giants and wizards. Always those damn wizards.

[[File:GREY.png|80px|link=Grey: Encyclopedia]]

While everyone was blinded, eyes opened elsewhere.

[[File:Derelict.png|140px|link=Derelict]]

An extraterrestrial life is full of challenges

----
'' [[wikinl:Hoofdpagina|Klik hier voor Nederlands]]''

File:Stories.png

2022-12-26T20:30:21Z

Borkolloran:

File:TOGcrop.png

2022-12-24T23:50:41Z

Borkolloran:

Main Page

2022-12-24T23:49:16Z

Borkolloran: Undo revision 6 by Borkolloran (talk)

__NOTOC__
Welcome to the Wiki!

On this Wiki you can find additional information about the stories: backgrounds of characters, descriptions of locations and more.
==Stories==
All stories, in a world or standalone, on one page:

===[[Story page]]===

==Projects==
[[File:Thetaleofgael.png|250px|link=The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia]]

We follow Gael as we discover what the world has got in store for him.

[[File:Thollor realm.png|200px|link=Thollor Realm]]

Monsters, giants and wizards. Always those damn wizards.

[[File:GREY.png|80px|link=Grey: Encyclopedia]]

While everyone was blinded, eyes opened elsewhere.

[[File:Derelict.png|140px|link=Derelict]]

An extraterrestrial life is full of challenges

----
'' [[wikinl:Hoofdpagina|Klik hier voor Nederlands]]''

Main Page

2022-12-24T23:49:02Z

Borkolloran: Undo revision 7 by Borkolloran (talk)

__NOTOC__
Welcome to the Wiki!

On this Wiki you can find additional information about the stories: backgrounds of characters, descriptions of locations and more.
==Stories==
All stories, in a world or standalone, on one page:

===[[Story page]]===

==Projects==
The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia]]

We follow Gael as we discover what the world has got in store for him.

Thollor Realm]]

Monsters, giants and wizards. Always those damn wizards.

Grey: Encyclopedia]]

While everyone was blinded, eyes opened elsewhere.

[[Derelict]]

An extraterrestrial life is full of challenges

----
'' [[wikinl:Hoofdpagina|Klik hier voor Nederlands]]''

File:Derelict.png

2022-12-24T23:48:29Z

Borkolloran:

File:Thollor realm.png

2022-12-24T23:48:18Z

Borkolloran:

File:Thetaleofgael.png

2022-12-24T23:47:54Z

Borkolloran:

File:GREY.png

2022-12-24T23:47:38Z

Borkolloran:

Cornelius de Brún

2022-12-24T14:26:43Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "''Back to Characters'' :''"I am asking myself if I’m not sending you on a wild goose chase after some non-existent flower, just to have you leave my office."'' :::-- Cornelius de Brún, The Tale of Gael: Chapter 2 -- Nils de Brún is the headmaster of the agricultural department of the university of Challiste."

''Back to [[Characters of The Tale of Gael|Characters]]''

:''"I am asking myself if I’m not sending you on a wild goose chase after some non-existent flower, just to have you leave my office."''
:::-- Cornelius de Brún, The Tale of Gael: Chapter 2 --

Nils de Brún is the headmaster of the agricultural department of the university of Challiste.

The University of Challiste

2022-12-24T14:26:31Z

Borkolloran: Created page with ":''"I think there is much more of this world waiting for you out there."'' :::- Mearys Linnwik, The Tale of Gael: Caretaker In the city of Challiste lies the university. It has several departments who all research different subjects. It's motto is 'Knowledge unites'. ==Origins== As with most of the great idea's, building the university came from Marcellis, of the Council of Eight. First, the recording of knowledge and history was done in monasteries. Over..."

:''"I think there is much more of this world waiting for you out there."''
:::- Mearys Linnwik, The Tale of Gael: Caretaker

In the city of [[Challiste]] lies the university. It has several departments who all research different subjects. It's motto is 'Knowledge unites'.

==Origins==
As with most of the great idea's, building the university came from [[Marcellis]], of the [[Council of Eight]]. First, the recording of knowledge and history was done in monasteries. Over time, the information kept by the monasteries differed from each other. To combat that problem, Marcellis proposed not only to centralize the record keeping, but also to keep questioning and expanding it constantly. The university would be a place where knowledge would be gathered and requested from, and research could be done. At first the [[Council | Council of Marcellis]] wanted to call the place the 'Ermbad Marcellis University', but Marcellis would not have it. In the end the university was named after what was then a small town, Challiste.

==Location==
The city of Challiste was chosen to be the location for the university. Challiste was a small port city with a big keep. It was easy to get to and laid north enough for the potential expansion to the to the other side of the Grosseron mountains.
the city has grown a lot since its inception of the university and its terrain makes up a large part of the city of Challiste. Surrounding the department buildings lies the university garden with a white gravel path. The path goes the entire circumference and walking it would take an hour. A metal fence separates the garden from a paved road called the university lane.

==Departments==

===Agricultural department===
Headmaster: [[Cornelius de Brún | Nils de Brún]]

The agricultural department has a lot of outdoor space for their tests. Most remarkable aspect the department is their greenhouse.

===Department of the inexplicable===
Headmaster: [[Gwendolyn Mooring | Gwen Mooring]]

Once a department where life's mysteries could be theorized. But it got overtaken by the superstitious and now it delves in the spiritual and the arcane.

==Annex locations==

Al lot of the research is done on the university itself but it also has some annex locations the Empire who also do research. The research done on the annex location is not thought of as less prestigious, but it has a more local focus.

===Dorringer===
Dorringer being a smaller city had a rural focus. It had a decent agricultural department. It stopped being a University annex location when it completely burned down.

----
''Back to [[Organisations within The Tale of Gael|Organisations]] / [[wikinl:Organisaties van Het verhaal van Gael|Nederlands]]''

Organisations within The Tale of Gael

2022-12-24T14:26:22Z

Borkolloran: Created page with ":''"I think there is much more of this world waiting for you out there."'' :::- Mearys Linnwik, The Tale of Gael: Caretaker There are multiple organisations within the world of The Tale of Gael. '''Imperial office of Rits Unipiller''' '''The Faith''' '''Coucil of Eight''' '''Knightly orders''' '''The University of Challiste''' ---- ''Back to The tale of Gael / wikinl:Organisaties binnen Het verhaal van Ga..."

Wilter Marvinion

2022-12-24T14:25:49Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "''Back to The Tale of Gael.'' :''"You lying University scum. The file!"' :::Alderman Marvinion, The Tale of Gael: Caretaker - Chapter 5 - Yeavinkhall"

''Back to [[The Tale of Gael]].''

:''"You lying University scum. The file!"'
:::Alderman Marvinion, The Tale of Gael: Caretaker - Chapter 5 - Yeavinkhall

Mearys Linnwik

2022-12-24T14:25:31Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "''Back to Characters.'' ::''"Please... Go and see the world!"'' :::-- Mearys Linnwik, The Tale of Gael: Prologue-- The mother of Gael. She thought everything she knew to Gael. She had a long life to do so. She was sharp and headstrong, even on her deathbed. When her end was near she encouraged Gael to leave the farm."

''Back to [[Characters of The Tale of Gael|Characters]].''

::''"Please... Go and see the world!"''
:::-- Mearys Linnwik, The Tale of Gael: Prologue--

The mother of [[Gael Linnwik| Gael]]. She thought everything she knew to Gael. She had a long life to do so. She was sharp and headstrong, even on her deathbed. When her end was near she encouraged Gael to leave the farm.

Leanhan Linnwik

2022-12-24T14:25:16Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "''Back to Characters.'' Brother of Gael Linnwik."

''Back to [[Characters of The Tale of Gael|Characters]].''

Brother of [[Gael Linnwik]].

Bois Linnwik

2022-12-24T14:25:07Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "''Back to Characters.'' The father of Gael and Leanhan. The only son of his father, Bois inherited the farm. Together with his wife Mearys they worked hard to carve out a living. While his father grew mostly flax, like the rest of the farms in the Linnwik region, Bois specialized in food products. While most flax farms grew some produce product for their own consumption, Bois c..."

''Back to [[Characters of The Tale of Gael|Characters]].''

The father of [[Gael Linnwik| Gael]] and [[Leanhan Linnwik| Leanhan]]. The only son of his father, Bois inherited the farm. Together with his wife [[Mearys Linnwik| Mearys]] they worked hard to carve out a living. While his father grew mostly flax, like the rest of the farms in the Linnwik region, Bois specialized in food products. While most flax farms grew some produce product for their own consumption, Bois could stil make a living for him and his family.

When Gael reached adulthood Bios fell ill. This illness would gradually get worse and after a few years he succumbed to it.

Gael Linnwik

2022-12-24T14:24:54Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "::''"I left my brother and the farm, and started travelling north."'' :::- Gael, The Tale of Gael: Gone Fishing - Gael is the main character of 'The Tale of Gael'. We follow him on his journey. ==Early life== From a young age Gael helped on the farm in Eswik. The farm belonged to his father Bois. Although he liked working with plants, Gael didn't care much for producing product. Gael was much more drawn to the part time of his mother Meary..."

::''"I left my brother and the farm, and started travelling north."''
:::- Gael, The Tale of Gael: Gone Fishing -

Gael is the main character of '[[The Tale of Gael]]'. We follow him on his journey.

==Early life==
From a young age Gael helped on the farm in [[Eswik]]. The farm belonged to his father [[Bois Linnwik| Bois]]. Although he liked working with plants, Gael didn't care much for producing product. Gael was much more drawn to the part time of his mother [[Mearys Linnwik| Mearys]], gathering and domesticating wild herbs. He and his mother studied the plants together. Gael wanted to become a researcher. Time and misfortune made that dream stay unfulfilled.

On her deathbed his mother makes him promise to leave the farm. He does relucantly and when his mother eventually dies he starts his preperations.

==Departure==
During during Gael does his preperations. When fall begins he leaves his ancestral home, his brother [[Leanhan Linnwik|Leanhan]] and his brothers wife Serah behind. He travels north.

----

''Back to [[Characters of The Tale of Gael|Characters]] / [[wikinl:index.php?title=Gael_Linnwik| Nederlands]]''

Characters of The Tale of Gael

2022-12-24T14:24:37Z

Borkolloran: Created page with " ==Characters== ===A=== Athelton, Sylvan ===B=== Brún, Cornelis de Bricheld, Mirabelle ===L=== Linnwik, Gael Linnwik, Mearys Linnwik, Leanhan ===M=== Marcellis, Ermbad Marvinion, Wilter Middlewood, Estelle Mooring, Gwendolyn ===R=== Suze..."

==Characters==

===A===
[[Sylvan Athelton | Athelton, Sylvan]]

===B===

[[Cornelis de Brún | Brún, Cornelis de]]

[[Mirabelle Bricheld | Bricheld, Mirabelle]]

===L===

[[Gael Linnwik| Linnwik, Gael]]

[[Mearys Linnwik| Linnwik, Mearys]]

[[Leanhan Linnwik| Linnwik, Leanhan]]

===M===
[[Ermbad Marcellis| Marcellis, Ermbad]]

[[Wilter Marvinion| Marvinion, Wilter]]

[[Estelle Middlewood| Middlewood, Estelle]]

[[Gwendolyn Mooring| Mooring, Gwendolyn]]

===R===

[[Suzetta Rackley| Rackley, Suzetta]]

===U===

[[Marius Unipiller| Unipiller, Marius]]

[[Rits Unipiller| Unipiller, Rits]]

----

''Back to [[The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia|The tale of Gael]] / [[wikinl:Karakters van Het verhaal van Gael| Nederlands]]''

Linnwik

2022-12-24T14:24:08Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "The Linnwik is a region. The mostly populated villages are in order Bekewik, Culverwik en Eswik. The name Linnwik is a derivative of 'linnen district'. The farmers in the region produce a lot of flax. In the village of Bekewik the flax is processed to linnen. ===Eswik=== The village where Gael lives. Eswik lays on the edge of a forest. Its inhabitants consists mostly of farmers. Most of the other farms in Linnwik produce mostly flax, Eswi..."

The Linnwik is a region. The mostly populated villages are in order [[Bekewik]], [[Culverwik]] en Eswik.

The name Linnwik is a derivative of 'linnen district'. The farmers in the region produce a lot of flax. In the village of [[Bekewik]] the flax is processed to linnen.

===Eswik===
The village where [[Gael Linnwik| Gael]] lives. Eswik lays on the edge of a forest. Its inhabitants consists mostly of farmers. Most of the other farms in Linnwik produce mostly flax, Eswik is more focussed on other products and livestock. It feeds the region.

----

''Back to [[Locations of the Tale of Gael|Locations]] / [[wikinl:Locaties van Het verhaal van Gael|Nederlands]]''

Locations of the Tale of Gael

2022-12-24T14:23:56Z

Borkolloran: Created page with " ==Locaties== ===C=== Challiste ===D=== Danse Dorringer Drapally ===E=== Effenaine ===G=== Groserron Guldenland ===K=== Karremom, The ===L=== Linnwik ===M=== Mauverre ===V=== Vokary ===W=== Waarden ===Y=== Yeavinkhall ---- ''Back to The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia / Nederlands''"

==Locaties==
===C===
[[Challiste]]

===D===
[[Danse]]

[[Dorringer]]

[[Drapally]]

===E===

[[Effenaine]]

===G===
[[Groserron]]

[[Guldenland]]

===K===
[[The Empire of the Karremom |Karremom, The]]

===L===
[[Linnwik]]

===M===
[[Mauverre]]

===V===
[[Vokary]]

===W===
[[Waarden]]

===Y===
[[Yeavinkhall]]

----

''Back to [[The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia]] / [[wikinl:Het verhaal van Gael: Hoofdpagina|Nederlands]]''

Derelict

2022-12-24T14:22:57Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "::''"I could do without the view." ::::- Mother An extraterrestrial life is full of challenges. ==Stories== '''Virtuacare''' ---- ''Back to the Main Page / Nederlands''"

::''"I could do without the view."
::::- Mother

An extraterrestrial life is full of challenges.

==Stories==

'''[[Virtuacare]]'''

----
''Back to the [[Main Page]] / [[wikinl:Derelict|Nederlands]]''

Virtuacare

2022-12-24T14:22:45Z

Borkolloran: Created page with ":'Here we are', Bernt said as he and his mother entered a small chamber containing nothing but a sleeping pod, attached to the wall with a multitude of tubes. He continued: :'This is where you will sleep for five days, so that they can harvest the supplements. And in the next five days I can come visit you when you are out!' :'Its cold', his mother said as the automatic sliding doors close behind her with a soft 'ssshk' sound. :'That is because it is not occupied, is not..."

:'Here we are', Bernt said as he and his mother entered a small chamber containing nothing but a sleeping pod, attached to the wall with a multitude of tubes. He continued:
:'This is where you will sleep for five days, so that they can harvest the supplements. And in the next five days I can come visit you when you are out!'
:'Its cold', his mother said as the automatic sliding doors close behind her with a soft 'ssshk' sound.
:'That is because it is not occupied, is not heated.'
:'I could do without the view', His mother said as she turned facing a glass wall separating them from the vast blackness of space.
:'When well arrive in orbit the gas giant will be your view.'
His mother said nothing and Bernt tried again.
:'The nurses seemed competent. And here you'll be able to live outside of the pod, with the other residents. That is nice right?', He said.
:'I don't like the people in this part of the station', she answered.
Bernt sighed as he stood beside his old mother looking the starts. It was cold and it did look rather empty out there.
:'Okay, well, I just wanted you to have seen it.'
:'I did like the last one we went to, virtual-something?', His mother said as she went for the door, 'And it is much closer to home for you honey!'
Bernt kept silent as he followed his mother out.

It had been five months since Bernt saw his mother. He approached a counter of Â´VirtuacareÂ´ where a nurse smiled as she saw him.
:'She is out for 15 minuted now. She is still a little woozy but she'll be ready for you. End of the hallway door on the left.'
He walked through one of the sterile hallways the space station was covered in. His footsteps echoed as he approached the door. Through the small glass window he could see his mother. She was sitting at a table in a modestly dressed visiting room. She had connectors in her arms and hands for the harvesting of the supplements created inside of her. When the door slid open the nurse who was with her said:
:'Look, there he is.'
His mother gave Bernt a glassy look. When the nurse left the room his mother looked slightly panicked. Only when Bernt sat in front of her and she had a good look at his face she seemed to recognize him.
:'Oh how are you doing honey? How nice of you to drop by. I was telling Margot you would be coming along.'
:'I'm doing fine mother, and how are you?'
:'Lovely! I've changed all the flowers of my cabin yesterday, you should come by sometime!'
Bernt's mouth smiled but his eyes didn't. He started:
:'Lisse sends her regards! She has got a promotion. Assistant lead engineer at the capital station.'
:'Oh good for her!' His mother answered, though Bernt doubted if she knew he was talking about her daughter.
:'You know who also got a promotion? The son of Margot! He's now manager captain', she said.
Bernt knew Margot was one of the virtual neighbors where the residents at this nursing home interacted with.
After about a half hour he saw his mother started to look pale. She sat back into her chair and was getting more and more tired. As Bernt was talking about how he and his wife were painting a room his mother interrupted him.
:'Honey I- I am getting tired. I think I am in need of a nap.'
She could barely keep her eyes open. The nurse who was already waiting outside entered the room pulling a stretcher with a multitude of tubes attached. Bernt looked as the nurse moved around her plugging the tubes on the right in the sockets around her body. He saw his mother lean forward and tried very hard to connect one of the tubes in her left arm, but her hand was shaking too much. She let go of the tube and dropped back into the stretcher, exhausted. Only until the nurse had plugged all tubes in and the substances started to flow, his mother seemed to calm down again.

When he walked back through the hallway. A mechanic had removed one of the wall panels. It revealed a mass of diry tubes on a rusted back panel, corroded from years occasional leaks. It smelled terrible. When he reached the counter the nurse again smiled very friendly, and said:
:'We are quite pleased with your mother here. She has one of the highest yields of our residents.'
Bernt smiled back politely.
:'When do you want to make your next appointment?'
:'Make it a year, please.'
The nurse nodded and smiled, but slightly less than she did before.

----
''Go to [[Derelict]] / Go to [[Story page|Stories]] / [[wikinl:Derelict|Nederlands]]

The wizard's tower of Perrimor

2022-12-24T14:22:29Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "Let me tell you the story about the village and the beast. The village where I live, Perrimor, is an ordinary and quiet village. It has some farms, a bakery and an inn. But what my village is known for, is the wizard tower in the forest. Far above the trees you can see the top. It is a magnificent sight and people travel miles just to see it. But the thing about the tower is, that no one who ever entered the forest has ever reached the base. You can walk an hour in the..."

Let me tell you the story about the village and the beast.

The village where I live, Perrimor, is an ordinary and quiet village. It has some farms, a bakery and an inn. But what my village is known for, is the wizard tower in the forest. Far above the trees you can see the top. It is a magnificent sight and people travel miles just to see it. But the thing about the tower is, that no one who ever entered the forest has ever reached the base. You can walk an hour in the direction where you think you'll find the tower, only to see the tower is miles in another direction. It is not that the tower vanishes, it seems to move. People took compasses into the forest and drew maps all without result. Some people even think it is all an illusion or a joke. I myself sometimes travel through the forest. When I take a break I always search for the tower on the horizon. I like seeing the tower. It's like it follows me. It feels like it watches over us.

One day something strange happened. A traveler came to Perrimor. We are used to the travelers over the years. They usually rest and ask around for a bit before they enter the forest. They see it as a fun trip, some kind of adventure. Some of them even claim to have seen the tower. I always ask them how the tower looked and they all tell a different story. The idea of an unreachable tower attracts crazy people. We got used to it. But when this traveler arrived he did not rest, though he seemed he could use it. He just continued through town. I jokingly asked him if he was on his way to the tower. He just said he got called to it. He acted distant and didn't look me in the eye. so I just pointed to the southern road. From the village the tower always seemed to be directly south, but of course when you go on the southern road you never find it. He told me he knew the road, and that the southern road wouldn't take him to the tower. Then he left. I watched him enter the forest not thinking a lot of it. He would turn up later that day, like they always do. We feel responsible for our visitors. so we keep an eye out for them. But he seemed to take his time. It eventually became evening. We stood watch and burned a fire the entire night. We even tolled the town bell every few hours. The man never returned.

One morning there was some commotion on the street. But when I walked outside I already saw what was going on. The tower had disappeared. me and the other townsfolk stood around confused. We discussed what could have happened or what it meant. But eventually we went back to work. but we had a hunch that something wasn't right. some kind of hollow feeling. As the day progressed nothing changed. We even had to disappoint some travelers. some of the townsfolk who had been traveling through the forest hadn't seen the tower anywhere. But then a man came walking out of the forest. I immediately recognized him as the man who disappeared into the forest.
:'Im so glad to reach a villageâ€™, he stated when I walked towards him. He was smiling and raised his arms thankfully.
:I asked him where he came from.
:'I have no idea, I found myself walking in the forest'.
He looked around.
:'This is Perrimor, right?'
I told him it was and that he came through town in search of the tower some time ago. He looked at me confused and said he couldn't remember that.
:'Where is the tower anyway?', he asked.
:'Well I hoped you could tell me', I said, 'It disappeared this morning'.
He turned around and looked at the forest.
:'To be honest, I have no idea! Last thing I can remember is that I was at home'.
He paused for a second.
:'Wait... How long ago did you see me passing through town?â€™
:'Well it's probably a few years now', I said. I saw panic rising in his face. He looked straight at me with terror in his eyes. But then his face softened until there was only sadness left.
:'I think I am in need of a drink', he said and he walked off into the direction of the Inn.
There I stood, looking at the towerless forest for a while. I found myself doing that the next couple of weeks. Somehow it felt like everything changed, but at the same time nothing has changed. We actually didn't know anything about the tower, and now I fear we are never going to.

''Written in 2018''
----
Go to [[Thollor Realm]] / Go to [[Story page|Stories]] / [[wikinl:De tovenaarstoren van Perrimor|Nederlands]]

TOR 15

2022-12-24T14:21:48Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "REGRETTABLY THIS STORY HAS NOT BEEN FULLY TRANSLATED YET ---- ''Go to Grey: Encyclopedia / Go to Stories / Nederlands''"

REGRETTABLY THIS STORY HAS NOT BEEN FULLY TRANSLATED YET

----
''Go to [[Grey: Encyclopedia]] / Go to [[Story page|Stories]] / [[wikinl:TOR 15|Nederlands]]''

Crawl space

2022-12-24T14:21:36Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "REGRETTABLY THIS STORY HAS NOT BEEN TRANSLATED YET ---- ''Go to Grey: Encyclopedia / Go to Stories / Nederlands''"

REGRETTABLY THIS STORY HAS NOT BEEN TRANSLATED YET

----
''Go to [[Grey: Encyclopedia]] / Go to [[Story page|Stories]] / [[wikinl:Kruipruimte|Nederlands]]''

Grey: Encyclopedia

2022-12-24T14:21:27Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "==Stories== '''Crawl space''' '''TOR 15''' '''Penneketonner''' ==World== '''Blackout''' '''Werkgroep Technologiebehoud''' ===Abnormalities=== '''Tuflax''' '''Stray lights''' '''Yelktal''' ---- ''Back to the Main Page / Nederlands''"

==Stories==

'''[[Crawl space]]'''

'''[[TOR 15]]'''

'''[[Penneketonner]]'''

==World==

'''[[Blackout]]'''

'''[[Werkgroep Technologiebehoud]]'''

===Abnormalities===

'''[[Tuflax: Addendum|Tuflax]]'''

'''[[Stray lights: Addendum|Stray lights]]'''

'''[[Yelktal: Addendum|Yelktal]]'''

----
''Back to the [[Main Page]] / [[wikinl:Grijs|Nederlands]]''

The Nur

2022-12-24T14:21:11Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "A group of adventurers returned from clearing a bandits camp. Triumphant they headed back to the town which had employed them. Then they saw a figure standing on the road. It had a small stature and wore a funny hat. One of the adventures pointed said to the others: :'Hey look, a jester!' The figure answered: :'I'm no Jester, I am a Nur.' Then it started chanting. Its eyes glowed red. Before the adventurers could do something their minds were filled with vile and wrench..."

A group of adventurers returned from clearing a bandits camp. Triumphant they headed back to the town which had employed them. Then they saw a figure standing on the road. It had a small stature and wore a funny hat. One of the adventures pointed said to the others:
:'Hey look, a jester!'
The figure answered:
:'I'm no Jester, I am a Nur.'
Then it started chanting. Its eyes glowed red.

Before the adventurers could do something their minds were filled with vile and wrenched visions. They quickly lost consciousness and fell in a nightmarish coma. One saw her limbs rot as insects crawled their way out of her skin, while crows pecked at them.

Another saw loved ones get tortured by goat and swine-like looking creatures. As his loved ones screamed for help, the victim remained unable to move or speak.

Some say they got lucky. Victims always loose something to the creature. There are reports of magical weapons, or mechanical parts thatwere missing, but sometimes even limbs and intestines are taken. Though the wounds would be neatly stitched and cleaned. No one has ever lost their life due to an encounter with the Creature, but there are those who blame it for the loss of their child.

It is believed the Nur is just a some crooked thief, others say it is an evil spirit spawned from the abuse of jesters or some minion serving a higher purpose.

Just, don't trust Jesters on the road.

''Written in 2020''
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Go to [[Thollor Realm]] / Go to [[Stories page|Stories]] / [[wikinl:De Nur|Nederlands]]

BONESTRIDE

2022-12-24T14:20:54Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "Today Marius had to carry blankets his mother had made to a customer in Penlaaken. Marius liked delivering goods. He could wear his blue cloak and travel the whole day on his own, surrounded by the rusting leaves and singing birds. But the birds had stopped singing without Marius noticing. He only knew something was wrong when blue some flowed from the trees over the path ahead of him. Marius stopped. He had never seen something like this before. It seemed to do no harm..."

Today Marius had to carry blankets his mother had made to a customer in Penlaaken. Marius liked delivering goods. He could wear his blue cloak and travel the whole day on his own, surrounded by the rusting leaves and singing birds. But the birds had stopped singing without Marius noticing. He only knew something was wrong when blue some flowed from the trees over the path ahead of him. Marius stopped. He had never seen something like this before. It seemed to do no harm when it crept towards him. Then the ground burst open in the middle of the path. A skeletal hand engulfed in blue smoke reached out and a skeleton clothed in tattered rags clawed itself from the ground. Panicked Marius turned around but behind him another skeleton crossed the path. It was carrying a rusted sword and shield and blue smoke rose from its rotten body. Marius froze as more and more skeletons came walking from the treeline. They didn't seem to care about him and Marius watched the spectacle. The sound of the shuffling figures got interrupted by a deep voice.
:'Here you go!'
A large skeleton pulled one of the smaller skeletons out of the ground. It stepped toward Marius and swung its heavy sword over his shoulder.
:'Oh hello young man!'
It's jaw moved but the sounds appeared to come from far away.
:'Don't be scared, we wont hurt you', it added and looked around, swinging the large blade over his shoulder in a wide arc, nearly hitting Marius in the head. Cowering Marius asked:
:'W-what is happening here?'
:'You are witnessing something awesome. It's called the Bonestride!' the skeleton said and the blue smoke within his eyesockets coiled intensely. The skeleton continued:
:'It is when we are summoned by our maker, and we get to march!'
:'You were made?' Marius asked, looking at the human-like skeletons.
:'Then why did you leave in the first place?'
:'Made, created, changed. Maybe we were something else first, but now were this!, The skeleton said and posed proudly.
:'We wait and were released to serve the Wizardsâ€™ bidding, and then we wait again!â€™
:'A wizard?!, Marius asked surprised. He had heard of wizards, but mostly from fairytales.
:'Yes, 'Ozaramos Aramazos', the wizard! He is somewhere around hereâ€™, The skeleton said and looked around. Marius looked too but could no see anything that looked like a wizard to him, only a lot of skeletons with rusted weapons surrounded them. The large skeleton leaned over to Marius:
:'Say, where are you going son?'
:'To Penlaaken. Just past the old fort.'
:'Oh don't go to the old fort today, you take the loooong way around. You do that', the skeleton said as he pointed a bone finger at Marius.
Marius nodded slowly and the skeleton straightened up and bellowed:
:'Alright! Lets striiiiiide!', the large skeleton said and with big paces he started walking.
The other skeletons followed him and they marched into the forest. Marius waited until he clattering of their tattered armour died and he heard only the rustling of the leaves again. No one would believe him, he thought. He wasn't even sure he himself truly knew what had just happened. Then the birds started to sing as if they wanted to reassure him. Marius decided it was best to proceed. He continued his delivery, but he did however, take the long way to Penlaaken.

''Written in 2021''
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''Go to [[Thollor Realm]] / Go to [[Story page|Stories]] / [[wikinl:BOTTENMARS|Klik hier voor Nederlands]]''

Thollor Realm

2022-12-24T14:20:45Z

Borkolloran: Created page with " 500px :''"I like seeing the tower; it's like it follows me. It feels like it watches over us."'' :::--- Villager, The Wizardtower of Perrimor--- Days start early in the life for the common man. All day he reaps crop, splits stone and saws wood. He looks forward to the harvest festival where he can drink and watch the woman dance. If he works hard he can carve out a good living for himself and his loved ones. He helps his community and it repays..."

[[File:TRcrop.png|500px]]

:''"I like seeing the tower; it's like it follows me. It feels like it watches over us."''
:::--- Villager, The Wizardtower of Perrimor---

Days start early in the life for the common man. All day he reaps crop, splits stone and saws wood. He looks forward to the harvest festival where he can drink and watch the woman dance. If he works hard he can carve out a good living for himself and his loved ones. He helps his community and it repays him in kind.

He does not bother himself with the squabbles of the noble lords. He fears not thieves or crooks. He does not pray to keep himself safe from bandits or raiders. What keeps him up at night is the horizon that houses powers and monsters which could take in an instant everything what he worked so hard for to obtain.

==Stories within Thollor Realm==

'''[[The Wizardtower of Perrimor]]'''

'''[[BONESTRIDE]]'''

'''[[Path of Liam]]'''

'''[[The Nur]]'''

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''Back to [[Main Page]] / [[wikinl:Thollor Rijk|Klik hier voor Nederlands]]''

Path of Liam

2022-12-24T14:20:32Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "Under the a deck of dark afternoon clouds lay a great city. Out of its gates marched rows with soldiers of to war. They would be marching all night. Along with them Liam left the city walls. One of the knights hauled him. :'Greetings! Where might your road bring you?' :'I am traveling west, sir', said Laim. :'West? You should come with us! We could still use some extra hands.' :'Thank you, sir, but I am on my way home.' :'Home.... You can earn some fine coin coming with..."

Under the a deck of dark afternoon clouds lay a great city. Out of its gates marched rows with soldiers of to war. They would be marching all night. Along with them Liam left the city walls. One of the knights hauled him.
:'Greetings! Where might your road bring you?'
:'I am traveling west, sir', said Laim.
:'West? You should come with us! We could still use some extra hands.'
:'Thank you, sir, but I am on my way home.'
:'Home.... You can earn some fine coin coming with us. Come with us and share the spoils and glory of victory. I don't think you will find those at home?
:'Definitely not sir, but...'
:'But?! You don't even think about it? What will you find at home?'
:'Well, my family sir.'
:'Your fam.... urhg, You think they will make you any better? Look at you. Why would you go back to some filthy farm?'
:'Because that is my home.'
:'Then why did you leave in the first place?'
As he muttered the those last words the knight spurred his horse and rode away.

Liam too continued on his travels and after a while left the army and the main road behind. He walked past farms and fields. As the afternoon turned into evening, open fields turned into a forest. While walking on the forest paths Liam noticed a light further on the road. As he went closer he saw it was a bonfire burning in a clearing. He came into the presence of a feast. People were dancing and drinking. A woman saw him and approached.
:'A lost soul! And a handsome one. You are welcome here! Feast with us!', she said.
:'Thanks for the invitation. But I would like to keep going.'
:'Keep going? There are no villages nearby!? The forest is no place to be alone at night.'
:'I should go home, to my family.'
:'Oh come on now. Don't be silly. Spend the night with us, you already look cold. Come warm yourself by the fire.'
:'Thanks, but I shouldn't stop now. I already came so far. I'll pass, thank you.'
:'Come now, it is alright. It is such a special night. It could be a special night for you too...'
The woman stepped towards Liam. She takes his hand and walks him toward to the bonfire.
:'Let us drink, together. Your family wouldn't mind would they? If they love you they can wait for one more night', she said.
Liam pulled his hand free from the woman. Other party guests to noticed them and turned around. Liam quickly started to walk away.

:'Suit yourself! You won't reach your family if you get lost.'
The woman danced back to the fire let herself drop in someones arms. Liam continued the road.
He walked deeper into the forest. With every hour he walked the forest got ticker and darker. When the last light of the moon wasn't enough to light the path Liam got lost. He made a fire and lay down for a rest.

After some time the cold woke him up, though his fire was still burning. Liam sat upright, shivering. Out of the surrounding darkness an inhuman voice came forth.
:'A simple man would ask if you are lost. But I don't think you are lost. You came here with a purpose', it said.
:'I am not lost, I am on my way home.'
A pair of big glowing eyes lit up in the darkness.
:'Home is your destination? Yet your travels bring you here? Have you looked around you? you could not be further form home.'
:'I going to my wife and son.'
The being scoffed.
:'Is that what you tell yourself? While you walk these dark paths? It looks more like you are hiding from them. Your only destination on this path is death', it snapped.
Liam said nothing.
:'You are in pain but I see also a great strength in you.'
:'Please leave me be', Liam begged.
The creature stepped closer and the fire started to burn brighter.
:'I can grant you entry in a new life. Come with me. Let me safe you.'
:'I just want to go home!', Liam shouted.
:'Let me absolve you of your suffering.'
:'I need to go home.'
:'Come now. Together we will...', it started, but Liam interrupterd him by yelling:
:'I AM GOING HOME!'
Liam jumped up and ran away from the being.
:'What? no? You choose pain?! FINE! Then so be it'.
The flames of Liam his fire flared up and spread amongst the canopy. In moments the forest stood ablaze. Liam ran.
:'There he goes. The family-man. YOU WILL ONLY FIND DEATH!!'
As the fire rushed beside him Liam darted through the forest jumping over burning logs and ducking beneath fallen branches. The scorching heat surrounding him like an oven. Tears ran over his face but Liam kept going.

Liam got ahead of the flames as he neared the edge of the forest. When he left the forest behind he entered a thick cloud of ash which made breathing near impossible. Not able to see properly Liam stumbled over rocks but he kept on running for hours.

After the last of the ashen rain wouldn't touch him anymore there was only the biting cold. The heat of the forest left him hours ago. Shivering he ran past barren plains where nothing grew. Under the cover of only the full moon he reached some abandoned houses and collapsed barns. Unattended fields where no farmers has laid hands on for a long time lined the path.

Liam came at a house with a broken fence. He opened the gate and entered the garden. There he collapsed at the feet of two graves.

:'I am home.'

''Written in 2017''
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''Go to [[Thollor Realm]] / Go to [[Story page]] / [[wikinl:Liam's pad| Nederlands]]''

Red Roads

2022-12-24T14:20:14Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "Let me tell you the story about the village and the beast. There once was a small village on the edge of a forest. In that forest lived a great beast. The villagers wanted to cut lumber and hunt game, but they wouldn't dare to venture far. At the same time the beast feared the villagers too and never left the forest. After fear grew among the villagers they decided the beast should be gone. They attracted the brave and stupid to hunt the beast, but the scared beast alwa..."

Let me tell you the story about the village and the beast.

There once was a small village on the edge of a forest. In that forest lived a great beast. The villagers wanted to cut lumber and hunt game, but they wouldn't dare to venture far. At the same time the beast feared the villagers too and never left the forest. After fear grew among the villagers they decided the beast should be gone. They attracted the brave and stupid to hunt the beast, but the scared beast always answered mercilessly.

One day a mysterious woman came to the village. She went to the edge of the forest and made a fire. There, she prepared some meat and presented it on a stone slab. Deep in the forest the beast smelled the delicious meat and followed its nose. As he reached the edge of the forest he saw the meat, but also the woman, so he went back. The following days the woman came and prepared the meat again and again until the beast came out of the forest. It took the woman weeks to get near the beast and months to get to touch him. But after a full year they greeted each other like old friends.

One day she made the beast a sash with wonderful fabric and beautiful embroidered details. The beast wore it with pride. She then led him to the village. At first the beast hesitated, but then he followed. In the village the people carefully approached the beast. They greeted him and the beast greeted back. More and more people flooded the streets. They were relieved and started cheering. The arrival of the beast initiated a week of celebration. After that the beast stayed with the villagers living in harmony.

Normally everyone would live happily ever after and the fairytale would end. Let me tell you the rest of the story:

The beast and the villagers lived side by side. The beast hunted with them and guarded the village. Although the woman, which the beast held very dear, left in search of another adventure, the beast enjoyed his safe, luxurious life.

With access to the forest the village grew into a sprawling town in just a few years. As the village grew some people left and other people came. It was a strange sight seeing a beast in the middle of the town. These new people never gave the beast much attention and even tried to keep their distance. The beast slowly lost his connection with the town and the townsfolk with the beast, if they ever had one to begin with. The beast was starting to feel, unwelcome, again and with not much of the forest left the beast spent most of his time lazing in the town's garden.

At some point the townspeople started to blame the beast for misfortune and disease. It wouldn't take long before the new inhabitants took on the sentiments of the old ones and wanted the beast gone. They dispatched a force of armed men to deal with this, threat. The armed men, ignorant of the meek creature in their garden, approached, and the beast became scared. As the fear returned to the beast, old habits bloomed. When the men attacked the beast acted as a scared animal does, violently. The men threw themselves at the beast, as meat to a grinder. The beast cut a bloody swath out the town, staining the roads red.

In the end the town was shaken and the beast would run back into the wilds. Both their stories are far from at an end, but they would never intertwine again.

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''Go to [[Story page]] / [[wikinl:Rode straten|Nederlands]]''

The tale of Gael: Effenaine

2022-12-24T14:19:54Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "''Go to The tale of Gael: Library / Go to Stories / Nederlands'' Crouching, Bovos peered into the darkness. He narrowed his eyes and focused on his hearing, but all he noticed was the smell of the wet forest floor. The trees around him were only dark shadows. :'I can't see shit', Bomild said as she crouched next to him. Bovos did not respond, but Bomild continued: :‘That hrini is a nice one. We join her on..."

''Go to [[The tale of Gael: Library]] / Go to [[Story page|Stories]] / [[wikinl:Het verhaal van Gael: Effenaine|Nederlands]]''

Crouching, Bovos peered into the darkness. He narrowed his eyes and focused on his hearing, but all he noticed was the smell of the wet forest floor. The trees around him were only dark shadows.
:'I can't see shit', Bomild said as she crouched next to him. Bovos did not respond, but Bomild continued:
:‘That hrini is a nice one. We join her on the hunt and then she just runs of into the woods alone. I'm telling you. We should have brought horses. I prefer to hunt horned ones on horseback.'
Bovos sighed and said:
:'Maybe the hrini left us because we make too much noise.'
:'She just wants to hunt alone', said Bomild. She stood up again and tapped Bovos against his shoulder.
:'But seriously, if we had horses with us, we would have found the vermin in no time. They may be fast, but not faster than a horse. And you have a clean shot at their backs.'
She gestured with her bow as if she is shooting. Bovos grabbed the handle of his sledgehammer and also stood up. Although his knee made a popping noise, the ease with which he lifted the overweight hammer betrayed that he was more than human.
:'I don't know where she went. I think it's best if we stay here', Bovos said, adding:
:'It wouldn't be right to go back without her.'
They stood in silence for a while, looking around. Then there was a rustle in the distance. Bovos held his hammer ready and Bomild aimed her bow at the darkness.
:'Run!', a familiar voice sounded from the rustle's direction. Then they saw the two heads taller hrini running out of the dark.
:'RUN!' she yelled again.
Bovos and Bomild ran away. Quickly they were overtaken by the hrini. Her long fur-covered legs moved quickly. She effortlessly took a small lead on two, much to Bovos' frustration. He was not easily jealous of the hrini, but they are lightning fast when they have to. Behind them, the rustle turned to thumping.
:'What is it?!' Bomild shouted.
:'Big!' the hrini called over her shoulder.
Horned ones aren't big Bovos thought and looked behind him. Bomild had trouble keeping up with the two gifted ones. The thumping became louder.
:'Come on!' Bovos shouted to Bomild, the panic visible on her face.
Growls and pants were heard as the monstert approached. Bomild grabbed her bow with both hands and pulled the bowstring. A bright light appeared between her hands. She suddenly turned around and released the tension. The arrow of pure light shot forward. Trees lighted up one by one. The monster could be seen for a second. On all fours it ran with skin as if made of coal, black and angular. Its short neck ends in a beastly head with horns and sharp teeth. The arrow whizzes past the beast, causing it to be enveloped in darkness again. Only his silhouette could be seen when the arrow highlighted trees behind it. There was an irritated grunt over the growing stomping. Then Bomild sunk one knee into the forest floor and fired a second arrow. The arrow of light flew straight at the silhouette. A loud crash echoes through the forest as the light arrow sent a shower of sparks flying as it smashes through the monster. The monster let out a terrible scream and immediately ran away from them. Bomild got up slowly. Her face is pale. Bovos does not see this, but it is clearly visible to the hrini. With hairy hands she grabbed Bomild's face. The large yellow eyes of the hrini looked at her concerned.
:'Are you okay?', she asked.
: 'I-I thought it was going to drop dead,' said Bomild.
:'Come,' said Bovos, and grabbed Bomild's arm. 'The danger has not yet over.'
He pulled her along as he and the hrini ran.

---

The hrini bowed low to get through the opening of the tent. Bovos only reached upto her shoulder blades. Still, he estimated that she weighed much less. She was built for the hunt: small shoulders with long arms and legs. Her athletic but fine build gave the hrini something attractive, but her fur and large ears and eyes also made her repulsive. Bovos had the idea that they also thought this themselves, since there always was a sadness in the eyes of the hrini. He, Bomild and the hrini entered the big red tent. In the center of the room was a large table with a map on it. There stood their leader Miranda, an elderly woman with long gray curly hair, the warrior Maccadam and Garu, an old man with tusseld hair whose face is painted with blue and green lines. Miranda noticed the trio:
:'Lai! Thank you for bringing my friends back in one piece', Miranda said to the hrini.
:'It was my pleasure', said Lai, 'I will return to my family if it is okay with you.'
'Of course! We are extremely grateful to you and your family', Miranda said. Lai bowed slightly and left the tent. With a serious tone Miranda focused on Bovos and Bomild:
:'And? Have you found the horned one?'
'Unfortunately not', Bovos answered defeated.
:'Brack', she said as she studied Bovos and Bomild, 'And what else happened?'
:'We saw a child of the red god', aswered Bovos.
:'Are you sure?' Maccadam asked sternly. Maccadam was also a child of the red god, though he controlled himself not to receive more gifts, of curses, from the red god.
:'Yes, one of your crazy brothers, skin like coal, angry, growling and stuff', Bomild replied coldly.
'Please tell me you left him alone?', he asked.
:'I shot right through it but it just kept walking!', Bomild said as she mimicked shooting an arrow. Maccadam's eyes widened.
:'Idiot!', he shouted.
:'What are you afraid of? Are we making your crazy brothers mad?'
:'Fighting him can ask for the attention of others', he sneered.
Miranda made a soothing gesture.
:'Just because you find what was hidden doesn't mean it wanted to be found', said old Garu.
Although this caused a frown to some, it remained silent. Miranda sighed once.
:'But so far west already. That is sooner than we expected', she said.
:'She became weak if the children of destruction are able to come this close', said Garu.
:'Then we need to act quickly', Miranda said.
:'Can't we just let all the refugees flee into the beacon at once?', Bovos said.
'I'll give them a week before they're all rounded up by the beacon knights. That's not an option', Said Miranda, 'We maintain this position, on the edge of the beacon. Then we can accommodate as many people as possible. Should it fall, we'll escort them through the portals into Grosseron', Miranda said, turning to Garu. 'We'll have to get in touch with her if we want to buy time. Maybe you and your friends should start looking.'
Garu rubbed his chin and said:
'Then I'll leave tomorrow', said Garu
'Okay fine', said Miranda, leaning over the map of Grosseron, 'I hope we're not too late.'

---

Maarten couldn't run that fast three days ago. But his legs had changed. They were bigger and his muscles were hard. His shoulders and neck were as wide as a wrestler's. But especially his head had changed: He could smell and see better. His jaw was thicker and so strong it could bite through bones. On top of his head, he felt two hard points growing under his skin. He knew very well what was going on. He turned into a horned one.

He used to work as a cattle herder for a respectable family. He had even managed to catch the eye of the kitchen helper. But three days ago he had nightmares of him biting her on the neck in a moment of barbaric violence. He woke up with a hunger for meat. He imagined going to the kitchen to pull meat out of the cupboard, but he never got further than the room opposite him, where the farmhand and his wife slept. The harder he tried to focus on the kitchen, the more he saw himself bending over the sleeping couple. In a brief moment of clarity, he thought of screams, candles in the night, torches and pitchforks. He pulled open the window, jumped out and ran into the night in his pajamas.

His body asked for more and more food. He had caught a hare and pulled some meat from a goat's carcass. Slowly but surely he went mad with hunger. In his mind he drifted back to the neck of the kitchen helper and what it would feel like to sink his teeth into it. Suddenly two other horned ones stood in front of him. Muscled, pale and naked. They had hunted a deer and laid it at his feet. Under the watchful eye of the two, Maarten tore pieces of meat from the animal and ate it greedily. They had been watching him intently, observing. Like a wild animal, ready to spring into action at any moment. After Maarten had been eating for some time, they pulled a leg off the deer, broke it in two and ate some themselves. After Maarten had stopped eating, the two seemed to want to leave. They stood up without wiping the blood from their chins and looked sternly at him again. He had followed them. They traveled one day and one night. During the day as much as possible in forests, but at night they ran across fields on the edges of villages. Maarten even had the idea that they had been seen, but that no longer interested him.

She arrived deep in a forest. There, in the midst of dozens of other horned men and women, he met the leaders of the family. A couple, Vinna and Markus, wife and husband, whose greatness of gifts betrayed their many years of life. They were almost twice as tall as the rest of the pack. Markus had horns and a neck like a bull, and his eyes were full of wild aggression. Vinna had long curved horns that reached down to her back. He was both shocked by her naked beauty and terrified by the threat of the bloodthirsty pack around her. She walked over to Maarten and crouched in front of him. She spoke in a voice that sounded both powerful and seductive.

:'You'll have to do something for us first.'

---

Maarten suddenly stopped at the agreed place. He hadn't heard from his pursuer for some time. His Pajamas were torn but he didn't feel comfortable enough to take them off yet. He still knew who he was, but slowly he began to forget details of his past life. Maarten looked around wildly. The sky had changed. The wet forest air had smoke that looked like fire. Although his eyes had gotten better at seeing at night, he couldn't see a single point of light. Steel, he thought, what he smelled was the smell of a forge when sparks flew. But everything around him was so dark. Leaves were gray, trees were a darker gray, stones were black as... coal. Out of nowhere, what looked like a rock sprang toward him. Before he could dodge it, the monster slammed into Maarten with two clenched fists, crushing his hips. With what sounded like both a human and a wild beast, Maarten cried out. But the monster struck again and again until no more sound came from Maarten. The monster grunted low as it sank to the ground next to Maar's remains. A small plume of smoke came out of the hole through the middle of the beast's body.

But then dozens of horns came rushing at the beast. They pounced on it and grabbed its arms. With a thunderous roar, he tried to intimidate his attackers and whip himself into a frenzy. This worked and he shook off a few. He grabbed around with his claws. Although the horns sprang around him at lightning speed, he got a hold of some, which he immediately crushed. Yet, one by one, they grabbed his arms and pushed him to the ground. Vinna and Markus came running followed by a quietly walking woman in a blood red hat. A dozen horneds sat on the monster's back and tried to keep his head down. The beast shook its neck violently, sending the horns flying about. Again the monster roared loudly and tried to scramble to its feet. A horned man had not been able to jump away in time and his leg broke under the beast's chew.

'Markus do something!' Vinna snapped. There was panic in her voice. Markus charged at the beast and with aggressive force grabbed the head of the beast and smashed it into the ground. Vinna focused on the woman in the red robe.
“What are you waiting for?!” Vinna said to the much smaller woman.
"It doesn't look like he's going to die, does it?" the woman said calmly. Vinna bared her teeth.
“Kill it!” she yelled.
Markus grabbed the monster around his neck. The sharp corners in the monster's skin cut into its flesh. He pulled the monster's neck with all his strength. With the loud creak of the hard body, the head of the monster turned further and further. The monster let out an angry but painful cry. The monster's rocky skin began to smoke. The deepest cracks of his skin lit up like embers.

“Almost,” said the woman in red.
Flames started in the monster's eyes and mouth. It burned Markus but he only became more aggressive and put even more power. The horns jumped off the monster. His body seemed to burn up and the flames climbed up through the trees as if they were being sucked in. Then the woman in red stepped forward. With her hand she motioned the flames to a red crystal. Although the beast's body was sucked into the portal, the flames in the crystal disappeared. When there was nothing left of the monster, the portal disappeared, and the forest was silent again. The floor is littered with a dozen pale bodies. Vinna crouches by the dead horned ones.

"Satisfied!?" Vinna snapped at the woman in red. The woman looked fascinated at the red crystal through which the fire raged.
"Oh I sure am. It went even better than expected," she said.
Vinna got up and stroked Markus's face. He calmed down, though his eyes were still full of aggression.

“What happens now?” Vinna asked without taking her eyes off her partner.
“Your part of the agreement has been fulfilled. I will lead you west when the beacon falls," said the woman in red.
Markus let out a loud victory roar and was joined by the other horned ones who still had the strength to do so.

The tale of Gael: Gone Fishing

2022-12-24T14:19:31Z

Borkolloran: Created page with "'' 'Gone Fishing' is the first written story within 'The tale of Gael'. It takes place just after the prologue. Click here to read that first.'' Gael stands by a river watching the water. A bunch of big fat fish are quietly waiting to eat whatever the current brings. Gael decides that he will eat fish that evening. He takes off his belongings and looks for a good stick to fish with. Sharpening the stick, he walks out of the woods again. H..."

'' 'Gone Fishing' is the first written story within 'The tale of Gael'. It takes place just after the prologue. [[The tale of Gael#Prologue|Click here to read that first.]]''

Gael stands by a river watching the water. A bunch of big fat fish are quietly waiting to eat whatever the current brings. Gael decides that he will eat fish that evening. He takes off his belongings and looks for a good stick to fish with. Sharpening the stick, he walks out of the woods again. He carefully steps a set of stones so that his shoes stay dry.
When he has found his balance, he focuses his spear and his attention on the fish. He throws and he misses. The spear remains upright in the rocky bottom.

He waits a moment before throwing his spear back into the water. This time he hits but the spear floats down the river with fish and all. Gael steps out of the water awkwardly and runs after the fish. After a bit, Gael wants to give up, but just then the fish with the spear gets stuck in the rocks. Gael smiles.

Gael left the river with three fish dangling proudly on his side. As Gael climbed up to the path rain had started to fall. He plowed trough thick underbrush and leaves, but stopped when he heard someone running. Stopped and saw a man wearing a light-blue tunic running over the what must be the path. The man was soaking wet. Though Gael was a quite large, the running man did not see him. Gael wanted to yell at the man, but didn't. Behind the running man two well dressed men on horses came in to view. They were yelling at him as they rode him down:
:‘You think you can steal from us?’
When they reached the man they hit him with a club. Gael quickly ducked behind a tree. He didn't look and only listened. There was a lot of yelling and screaming but he could not understand what it was about. It went on for a while but eventually the two horsed man laughed and rode away. He could only hear the man wearing the blue tunic sobbing. With some groans and the man stood up and stumbled away. Gael didn't move and waited until it was quiet. When Gael left his hiding place he didn't see anybody and continued down the road.

After a few rainy miles he came at a village. He entered the inn, took of his wet cloak. He went for the bar.
:‘I would like a warm meal’, he said to the tavern keeper.
:‘That can be arranged’, the in keeper said, ‘It is a rainy day out there ay?’
Gael nodded and looked down tavern. His eyes fell on a soaking wet man in a blue tunic sitting shivering by the fire.
:‘Came in with not a coin’, the innkeeper said.
:‘He can warm his ass by the fire but I’ll trow him out if he starts to beg.’ The inkeeper added, while eyeballing the man. Gael looked at the shivering man.
:‘Can I have two plates for these?’ He said and offered the Innkeeper the fish. The innkeeper raised his eyebrows.
:‘Ofcourse you can’, he said after a pause.
He hands Gael two plates with steaming stew. Gael walks to the fire and hands the man the plate. The mans face was beaten up. He turned to Gael and said:
:'Ah, so there's still some good left in the world.’
Gael nodded and forced himself to smile a little but went to sit somewhere else.

''The story continues [[The tale of Gael#Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]''

''Written in 2017''
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Go to [[The tale of Gael: Encyclopedia]] / Go to [[Story page|Stories]] / [[wikinl:Het verhaal van Gael: Ik ben vissen|Nederlands]]