Roleplays of Brackern
Contents
The Daemon Saga
A dark tale of madness and corruption by daemons and fey relics of a forgotten age.
Brackern's Temple Opening
The opening of a temple in Mozyr, Brackern's Region, sometime after escaping from the madness that engulfed him.
The morning was cold, gloomy and overcast. "Winter is certainly not willing to let go easily," thought Brackern as the procession set off from his estate. A village clergyman walked alongside Brackern, and the Lord was flanked by Sir Neomus and Sir Lyons, with each of them having a couple of bodyguards apiece. Behind them followed various officials and petty nobility, coming more in the hope of gaining favour in the Lord's sight than for any actual piety Brackern was sure.
Even though it was already ten in the morning, lanterns were carried in the procession. Fortunately the temple was located just far enough off the estate to be quiet, but not too far to walk. As they came around a bend in the path, the small two-roomed building could be seen ahead and below them. It was located at the bottom of a large dell with a few small trees dotting the area, but was dominated by lush, soft broadleaf-grasses, ferns and sweet honey-clover covering the ground of the dell. A small stream whispered through the dell from the one side, losing itself at the other within the groundcovers.
The dedication took about half an hour, and during this time it gradually grew lighter and warmer. As the village priest announced "I now consecrate this temple to the Earth, may it, the region and the Elements be blessed", the clouds parted so that a broad shaft of light lit up the dell and gathering. "A sign", murmured Lord Brackern. He was most pleased, and could scarce recall when last an event such as this brought him such contentment.
Unfortunately the press of time did not allow them to stay there beyond the ceremony. They had still to attend the feast celebrating spring, the temple opening and the coming of Sir Lyons. And then depart at Midday to reach Grazne coming even-fall.
Lord Brackern sighed with regret and led the procession back toward his estate.
Visions of Dark Portent
The warm summer wind played through the fields of barley and wheat, setting the golden fields a-dance. The wind came on, to ruffle the simple brown tunic and pants, making his light cloak twitch and flap restlessly. From his vantage point on the small hillock, he could see the dark smudge on the horizon that was the Mech forest.
Closer at hand, he saw a small copse of trees and decided it would be a perfect spot for his meditations. As he made his way through the barley field, the whisper of the wind through the leaves sounded like a hundred voices, speaking to each other, speaking secrets that only the Earth knew. He stopped, entranced, for a time, and when he came round he found that he was sitting down in the field and the sun had moved past its zenith already.
Shaking his head slowly, he stood up and saw the trees just ahead. The glint of water showed a stream coming out of them, and feeling thirsty headed on to it. After several long, cool draughts, he sat down, enjoying the shade and coolness. The stream murmured softly, and lay down. Just for a minute, he thought.
As he lay there, the sound of the stream seemed to grow louder, surging and swelling. He found himself on a cliff top, witnessing a fierce ocean, storm tossed and raging, followed by calm waters. Thereafter he 'saw' many images, some that he had seen before, some (before?) his time, some perhaps from the future, some timeless. The fresh plum blossoms in spring, the many soldiers taking Itaufield, peasants labouring in a field harvesting wheat, solid, tall mountains that he did not recognize, a rich harvest festival (or so he guessed), and many others. The final three were that of swallows, setting off in flight, followed by the sun making a red path in the sea, and finally that of a frozen river.
As he stood on the river, he imagined he could hear the water flowing under the ice, and gradually the view faded, to be replaced with darkness, yet he could still hear the water. As if from under a great weight, he slowly awoke. As he came to, he realised that the weight wasn't totally imagined - his body was covered in leaves! How strange! he thought to himself. The sun was still in the same position as when he fell asleep, so it couldn't have been too long...
The sound of the stream (the river in the dream?) made him realise that he was very thirsty...and hungry! Just how long had he been sleeping for?!
Commemoration of the Fall of Earl Solomon Ironheart
A letter to the realm
Nobles,
As you have heard, Earl Solomon fell defending the region that he loved so well. It is a tragedy - that such a worthy man should be taken from us so young. His loss is a loss felt by us all, and we to a man and as a realm are poorer for it.
However, this loss is not total. As he returns to the elements from which he was formed, I know that he shall still be with us; so long as there is one of us that remembers him, thinks about him and cherishes his memory, he shall live on here, just as his spirit lives on, freed of the earthly shackles.
May his soul be at peace, and I look forward to the day that we meet again.
Farewell, friend.
A Dream of Change
There was only darkness. And silence. Nothing intruded. Gradually, a soft glow appeared, and began to grow. Blue, green, red, white and orange, mingling and growing. Indistinct spheres of these colours formed and started dancing, forming intricate shapes - a helix, a star, and many others, moving about fast and soundlessly. Soon they started to fade, and only the green sphere remained. It grew, and gradually a scene faded into view.
His consciousness was in a forest, a cool green sanctuary. Oak and ash stood about him, and in front of him a small, dark pond reflected the clear blue sky above and the border of green leaves. As he had taken this in, a large stag stepped out into the clearing on the other side of the lake. A proud, vibrant animal, in its prime, however, the fires of life inside it were banked as it came slowly down to drink. Suddenly, it came alive - a scent of danger on the air! Nostrils flaring, it took off at a terrific pace, onward, and the view followed.
Onward the the stag plunged, and soon it was clear that they were going upward. The terrain grew rocky, the trees more scarce. Before he knew it, the stag was racing up a long incline, and at the the top - the cliff edge! The stag slowed not at all, and without a pause leaped from the precipice! At the apex of leap the stag...changed into a massive fish-eagle, soaring onward and upward, and he followed.
The eagle banked round, and he could now see that they were on a mountain, with the forest spread down one of the flanks. But hark! what was that down below? A city besieged, burning! As he watched, the weather changed dramatically. A strong wind blew up clouds, and within minutes a false night had fallen. The rain lashed down, quenching the fires and driving both attacker and defender under cover with the ferocity of it. Thunder boomed, and the fish-eagle was hard put to stay aloft. It made a sweeping dive, across the city and toward whence the clouds had come. Up ahead there was a darkness on the ground - it couldn't be - it was moving!
As they came closer, he could see through the darkness and rain that it was actually the sea! The eagle strove mightily against the wind and rain, which would have dashed a lesser creature in a matter of moments. Worn out, the eagle finally reached the sea and could see the promise of the sun further out, golden succor.
It could not make it.
Swooping down, it dove straight into the ocean...and then nothing...and then suddenly it was reborn, leaping above the waves once more in the glorious form of a dolphin. The wind had calmed, and just as the clouds started to fade, so did his view. He was left with the lingering blue-green of the sea, and then darkness.
And then there was light. A pale dawn light, and when he sat up he was in his tent. A heavy dream, he thought to himself. One of several like it he had had, but none this stunning in scope and life. It deserves much thought, but now may be the time...
