Chronicles Of Enduwin Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins.
The breeze blowing was a subtle one. It was noticeable but tickled Shankee's skin in a delicate way, like a soft touch. It caught the smoke spiraling from his pipe and whisked it away into the coming twilight. The chair Shankee sat in was an ornate rocking one built from the trunks of trees felled not to far away, in DuFair. The chair sat on a small outcrop of rock outside of Shankee's hut, and the storyteller himself in turn sat upon the chair. It was a calm evening, only a few flaky clouds dotted the sky. Sitting forward in the chair slightly, Shankee reached into the pouch that was on his lap. Reaching his spindly fingers in, he removed a clump of Eel Bane and lightly dropped it into the top of his pipe.
Shifting in his seat, Shankee groaned lightly. Puffing on his pipe he noticed something which hadn't been there a moment ago. A faint flickering light seemed to be hovering before him, about ten metres from where he sat. His right hand slid from where it was on the arm of the seat to grasp the staff that had been laying against the chair also.
"Damn wisps." He grumbled to himself.
"Always at this time of the year, same thing again and again. Hungry little ba..."
Shankee's words and movement both stopped dead in their tracks. What had been a single glowing orb was now several dozen orbs slowing shifting and somehow solidifying into a more corporeal form. Shankee raised the pipe, which had remained in his hand the entire time, and took a long steady drag. The light began to fade leaving an undeniably humanoid shape in its wake. The figure seemed to hover somewhat in the air. The strange individual took a step forward and the light vanished, revealing her.
Before Shankee now stood a naked woman, much taller than Shankee himself. Much of her body was wrapped lightly in vines and moss, and the ground seemed to rise to meet here feet.
"No." Muttered Shankee. He had spent enough time buried in books and learned enough tales to know who and what this was.
"I am.." Boomed the woman's voice.
"No. " stated Shankee again, interrupting her mid-sentence.
"Naduir." He finished her sentence for her.
She seemed taken aback. Presented before him was a Goddess, one of the nine embodiments of Enduwin itself and yet Shankee seemed nonchalant, even irritated.
"I know why you are here." He said.
The Goddess smiled softly at him. The Farrg were a fond creation of hers. Also, no mortal had ever reacted like this to her presence. It was quite amusing.
"Ha ha!" She giggled.
"Is it so little storyteller? Then do tell, tell me my own story." She laughed.
Shankee grumbled a little, unsure if the Goddess was mocking him or not.
"You want me to do something. You're going to proclaim some great evil is besetting us and what not. Then beseech me to be an honorable being and stop it."
"Indeed." Naduir stated, perturbed by the mortal's attitude.
"And knowing what I know I'm going to guess it's to do with this necromancer who's the talk of half the world right now."
"You really are a clever little mortal aren't you!" Naduir said, only half jokingly
"Well I'm assuming that's why you chose me."
Taking the longest drag yet, Shankee stuffed his pipe back into one of his many pockets and turned his back to the goddess. He began walking back towards the chair.
"Where are you going storyteller?" Questioned Naduir.
Stopping at the shack's door Shankee spoke over his shoulder.
"I am old. I am going to need to get my things first."
Naduir smiled, feeling they had chosen well.
"Go the centre of the Plains Of Origin." Naduir stuttered as she felt her vestige in the world wand.
"You must lead them in..." Suddenly, the Goddess's grip on Enduwin slipped and she was to Neyav once more.
Emerging from the shack a few minutes later, Shankee looked around. Then he gazed up at the night sky. Laughing very softly to himself, he thought 'finally, a story for the storyteller.'
