WriteWriteWrite...
Aug. 23rd, 2010 08:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
realsorienMore ideas have been popping into my head of late, this time it was backstory crap for my character Nerash in our so-called Dungeon Hack 2nd Edition game. As I've said before, I really can't just create a throwaway character. Its just not in me to do so. Thus, Nerash had a solid backstory before play even began, and I keep coming up with more stuff. The short bits below are essentially fables or myths from the backstory of the Gnolls. I don't care if the GM uses them or not, or whether or not they turn out to be true; they were kinda fun to write. PLEASE read these and critique! I won't get better without input!
I wanna do a few about the EVIL Gnolls as well, but I have a real hard time trying to wrap my brain around what fables and 'heroic' tales would be like for a race that is very definitely evil. Anyway, here they are- but first, some terms.
Glossary
Dust, The: How the Gnolls refer to the drying of the world.
Earth Speakers: Druids, essentially.
Hard Ones: The Dwarves.
Ki’yoi: The Peaceful Valley where the last remnants of the People dwell.
Lady Moon: The moon. May or may not be considered a divinity.
Old Sun: The sun. May or may not be considered a divinity.
People, The: The pre-Daer Gnolls.
Talking People: All the intelligent races on the world.
Thin Ones: The Elves.
Wanderer, The: Mythical ‘serpent in the garden’ that led to the fall of the People and the birth of the Gnolls.
Fable #1 (Voice: Nerash, as told by the Witch Woman)
This is a tale told to me when I was very small. I remember the words, and I remember being afraid when the story was told to be by she who was called Witch Woman in my tribe. I do not remember why I was afraid; such things time takes from you, but the words have stayed with me all these years.
“Long ago, the People were one. There was one tribe, and all were part of it. We lived in mountains and valleys beneath Old Sun and Lady Moon, and lived in peace out of the sight of the other Talking People. This was before the water was lost to the God’s Anger.
“It came to be that a wanderer came amongst the People. Nobody can recall which of the Talking People he was kin to, but he was not of our kind. He was badly hurt, his blood falling to form ponds beneath his feet. As it was the Way at the time, he was taken in and cared for, nursed til he was once again hale. He was grateful, and in return for the kindness he taught the working of metals that we had not yet learned.
“This was Iron and his cousin Steel. They made better tools, but as we were told by the wanderer, they were best in the forging of another kind of tools- weapons. The Old Ones who lead the People then said, “We have no enemies. We do not go amongst the other Talking People. We live in peace.”
“To this he replied, “Ah, but one day they will find you, and peace will be no more.”
“The Old Ones, who were wise, saw the truth and the lie in this. The Wanderer was right - other Talking People would find us some day, but it did not follow that we would need to fight. “Wanderer, please stay as long as you wish; but cease to talk of war and weapons. These are evil things and we have no need.” The Wanderer apologized to the Old Ones, and said that he would speak no more of it.
“But he lied.
“The Wanderer went to the younger of the People. To these, of an age where restlessness festers in every heart, he whispered in wily wise that the Old Ones were keeping the People locked away. Rather than keeping them safe, they were preventing the People from being strong in the world as was destiny. All this and more he said to them, without ever actually saying it. He used twisty words, and let their own restlessness argue for him.
“TIme passed, and restlessness became anger amongst them. They went to the Old Ones and said, “Why do we hide? Why do we not take what is ours in the wide world?” The Old Ones shook their heads, knowing that the Wanderer had lied in his promises. “We do not hide. We were satisfied as the People. We had no wants. We had no hate. The world is not ours alone; many share it- who are we to claim that which is not ours?”
“Some of the younger People heard their words. Others heard what they thought were more lies, and these became bitter and eaten up inside. They talked more with the Wanderer, who was no longer welcome amongst the People. They listened to him in the hills, hidden away from the Old Ones. And knowing he had won, he told them his greatest lie, that which shattered the People and scattered us across the face of the world.
“Hear me now, for this is the greatest gift that I can give you. You wish to be strong in the world, to take your place amongst the Talking People outside your lands. There is a God who would give you this strength if you give him your belief. If you go to him willingly and obey his will, you will be strong. His name is Daer.”
“Too, too many listened. They prayed to Daer, they sought him out, and to their undoing he HEARD. The People as they once were, were no more. He gave his followers strength, marking their hides with spots so his chosen would be known; he named them Gnolls, and they were strong. But they were NOT wise. They attacked their former friends, lovers, parents, and nearly destroyed all that was left of the People. Some were taken by them, becoming slaves, while those who survived fled into the unknown.
“The People were gone. The Gnolls were strong. But the People still lived. Remember this, little Nerash. Remember this and remember well.
And so I remembered. Only now, so many years later, do I begin to understand.
Fable #2 (Voice: Nerash)
This is a tale told around the campfires of my tribe. I do not know the truth of it, but like the first tale, I feel its truth in my bones.
“One day, when the Gnoll people had taken tunnels from the dark-dwellers and hills from the Thin Ones, a fear came upon us. The Elders of many tribes saw portents, and each tribe who heard such omens knew something harmful was blooming. For the first time since the coming of Daer to the Gnolls, all the tribes spoke to one another. Every voice was heard, and every voice said the same omen: Dust shall Eat the Waters.
“Dust was coming, Heat and doom to steal the water and the life of the world. But the people were cunning. They had water in the deep places they had taken from the Hard People, they had water in the hills they took from the Thin Ones. They would live, knowing their cunning had saved them.
“And the dust came. For time that none remember, the world dried and shriveled like a date left too near a fire. And what was left? Dust. The Gnolls, however, lived on. We have water, we have land. What we need and do not have, we take! Daer has given us strength to do this, and we shall!
I never saw cunning in this. Only luck and hate and greed. My people should not be thieves!
Fable #3 (This tale is NOT related by Nerash. He has never heard it.)
“Long ago, soon after the People were poisoned and scattered by Daer, those who were true to the Old Ways found a great valley far into the mountains. It was cold there, but not so cold that there was not life. Here they settled, and with the blessing of Old Sun and Lady Moon they were hidden from the world now polluted with the twisted ones called Gnolls.
“There they lived in peace, unmolested by the other Talking People. But they knew, they Knew, that they could not truly hide forever. Hiding was not the Way. So, groups of the people would gather together from time to time and leave the Ki’yoi Valley, the Peaceful Valley, to settle in the world outside. They were geased by the Earth Speakers to never reveal where they came from.
“None ever returned.
“But the People, being fruitful, would still gather and leave in groups to the outside so as to preserve the remnants of the People who stayed behind.
“And still none came back.
“Many generations lived and died, and eventually one of the people who had left returned. He was very old; so old that all his fur had paled to white and was so thin that the pink of skin shone through. He was carefully brought to the Old Ones, and he was older even than they! He was given food and drink, and settled on softness.
“When he was rested, the White One sat straight, looking sharply to the eyes of the Old Ones. “I thank you for your hospitality. I never thought to see this place again.”
“Please tell us,” Said the eldest there. “We must know, what has become of the People who have left us?” White One bowed his head. “Many are gone. Death took them. But there are clans who still live. I am from one, and our numbers grow. I was one of our Old Ones, but I wanted to come back here before my time was done.”
“So I did, Following Lady Moon. She shielded me and guided me, and I found Ki’yoi once again.”
The eldest spoke again. “What of those who were corrupted by the Wanderer’s lies?” With this question, White one shook as grief took his form. “They number as the sand by the shore. Their Evil God is their master, and they steal to live. Their strength is hate. They were the Death most of us found in the world.”
Nobody wished to speak after this, but after a time White One stood, the sadness no longer bowing his head. “I have words that you must hear, prophesy that echoes along the spine of the world. Amongst the Gnolls they speak of Dust coming to destroy the world. It IS coming, but this place will not be touched; but you MUST send further clans of the People into the world. This will be the future, but it is not the end.”
The next morning, White One was gone. Nobody saw him leave, but his words were heeded. The People stayed hidden, but when too many were living in Ki’yoi, some would leave.
“None return, but maybe someday they will. We will wait for them.”
I wanna do a few about the EVIL Gnolls as well, but I have a real hard time trying to wrap my brain around what fables and 'heroic' tales would be like for a race that is very definitely evil. Anyway, here they are- but first, some terms.
Glossary
Dust, The: How the Gnolls refer to the drying of the world.
Earth Speakers: Druids, essentially.
Hard Ones: The Dwarves.
Ki’yoi: The Peaceful Valley where the last remnants of the People dwell.
Lady Moon: The moon. May or may not be considered a divinity.
Old Sun: The sun. May or may not be considered a divinity.
People, The: The pre-Daer Gnolls.
Talking People: All the intelligent races on the world.
Thin Ones: The Elves.
Wanderer, The: Mythical ‘serpent in the garden’ that led to the fall of the People and the birth of the Gnolls.
Fable #1 (Voice: Nerash, as told by the Witch Woman)
This is a tale told to me when I was very small. I remember the words, and I remember being afraid when the story was told to be by she who was called Witch Woman in my tribe. I do not remember why I was afraid; such things time takes from you, but the words have stayed with me all these years.
“Long ago, the People were one. There was one tribe, and all were part of it. We lived in mountains and valleys beneath Old Sun and Lady Moon, and lived in peace out of the sight of the other Talking People. This was before the water was lost to the God’s Anger.
“It came to be that a wanderer came amongst the People. Nobody can recall which of the Talking People he was kin to, but he was not of our kind. He was badly hurt, his blood falling to form ponds beneath his feet. As it was the Way at the time, he was taken in and cared for, nursed til he was once again hale. He was grateful, and in return for the kindness he taught the working of metals that we had not yet learned.
“This was Iron and his cousin Steel. They made better tools, but as we were told by the wanderer, they were best in the forging of another kind of tools- weapons. The Old Ones who lead the People then said, “We have no enemies. We do not go amongst the other Talking People. We live in peace.”
“To this he replied, “Ah, but one day they will find you, and peace will be no more.”
“The Old Ones, who were wise, saw the truth and the lie in this. The Wanderer was right - other Talking People would find us some day, but it did not follow that we would need to fight. “Wanderer, please stay as long as you wish; but cease to talk of war and weapons. These are evil things and we have no need.” The Wanderer apologized to the Old Ones, and said that he would speak no more of it.
“But he lied.
“The Wanderer went to the younger of the People. To these, of an age where restlessness festers in every heart, he whispered in wily wise that the Old Ones were keeping the People locked away. Rather than keeping them safe, they were preventing the People from being strong in the world as was destiny. All this and more he said to them, without ever actually saying it. He used twisty words, and let their own restlessness argue for him.
“TIme passed, and restlessness became anger amongst them. They went to the Old Ones and said, “Why do we hide? Why do we not take what is ours in the wide world?” The Old Ones shook their heads, knowing that the Wanderer had lied in his promises. “We do not hide. We were satisfied as the People. We had no wants. We had no hate. The world is not ours alone; many share it- who are we to claim that which is not ours?”
“Some of the younger People heard their words. Others heard what they thought were more lies, and these became bitter and eaten up inside. They talked more with the Wanderer, who was no longer welcome amongst the People. They listened to him in the hills, hidden away from the Old Ones. And knowing he had won, he told them his greatest lie, that which shattered the People and scattered us across the face of the world.
“Hear me now, for this is the greatest gift that I can give you. You wish to be strong in the world, to take your place amongst the Talking People outside your lands. There is a God who would give you this strength if you give him your belief. If you go to him willingly and obey his will, you will be strong. His name is Daer.”
“Too, too many listened. They prayed to Daer, they sought him out, and to their undoing he HEARD. The People as they once were, were no more. He gave his followers strength, marking their hides with spots so his chosen would be known; he named them Gnolls, and they were strong. But they were NOT wise. They attacked their former friends, lovers, parents, and nearly destroyed all that was left of the People. Some were taken by them, becoming slaves, while those who survived fled into the unknown.
“The People were gone. The Gnolls were strong. But the People still lived. Remember this, little Nerash. Remember this and remember well.
And so I remembered. Only now, so many years later, do I begin to understand.
Fable #2 (Voice: Nerash)
This is a tale told around the campfires of my tribe. I do not know the truth of it, but like the first tale, I feel its truth in my bones.
“One day, when the Gnoll people had taken tunnels from the dark-dwellers and hills from the Thin Ones, a fear came upon us. The Elders of many tribes saw portents, and each tribe who heard such omens knew something harmful was blooming. For the first time since the coming of Daer to the Gnolls, all the tribes spoke to one another. Every voice was heard, and every voice said the same omen: Dust shall Eat the Waters.
“Dust was coming, Heat and doom to steal the water and the life of the world. But the people were cunning. They had water in the deep places they had taken from the Hard People, they had water in the hills they took from the Thin Ones. They would live, knowing their cunning had saved them.
“And the dust came. For time that none remember, the world dried and shriveled like a date left too near a fire. And what was left? Dust. The Gnolls, however, lived on. We have water, we have land. What we need and do not have, we take! Daer has given us strength to do this, and we shall!
I never saw cunning in this. Only luck and hate and greed. My people should not be thieves!
Fable #3 (This tale is NOT related by Nerash. He has never heard it.)
“Long ago, soon after the People were poisoned and scattered by Daer, those who were true to the Old Ways found a great valley far into the mountains. It was cold there, but not so cold that there was not life. Here they settled, and with the blessing of Old Sun and Lady Moon they were hidden from the world now polluted with the twisted ones called Gnolls.
“There they lived in peace, unmolested by the other Talking People. But they knew, they Knew, that they could not truly hide forever. Hiding was not the Way. So, groups of the people would gather together from time to time and leave the Ki’yoi Valley, the Peaceful Valley, to settle in the world outside. They were geased by the Earth Speakers to never reveal where they came from.
“None ever returned.
“But the People, being fruitful, would still gather and leave in groups to the outside so as to preserve the remnants of the People who stayed behind.
“And still none came back.
“Many generations lived and died, and eventually one of the people who had left returned. He was very old; so old that all his fur had paled to white and was so thin that the pink of skin shone through. He was carefully brought to the Old Ones, and he was older even than they! He was given food and drink, and settled on softness.
“When he was rested, the White One sat straight, looking sharply to the eyes of the Old Ones. “I thank you for your hospitality. I never thought to see this place again.”
“Please tell us,” Said the eldest there. “We must know, what has become of the People who have left us?” White One bowed his head. “Many are gone. Death took them. But there are clans who still live. I am from one, and our numbers grow. I was one of our Old Ones, but I wanted to come back here before my time was done.”
“So I did, Following Lady Moon. She shielded me and guided me, and I found Ki’yoi once again.”
The eldest spoke again. “What of those who were corrupted by the Wanderer’s lies?” With this question, White one shook as grief took his form. “They number as the sand by the shore. Their Evil God is their master, and they steal to live. Their strength is hate. They were the Death most of us found in the world.”
Nobody wished to speak after this, but after a time White One stood, the sadness no longer bowing his head. “I have words that you must hear, prophesy that echoes along the spine of the world. Amongst the Gnolls they speak of Dust coming to destroy the world. It IS coming, but this place will not be touched; but you MUST send further clans of the People into the world. This will be the future, but it is not the end.”
The next morning, White One was gone. Nobody saw him leave, but his words were heeded. The People stayed hidden, but when too many were living in Ki’yoi, some would leave.
“None return, but maybe someday they will. We will wait for them.”
