June "Grab bag" stories/poetry/art/etc....

To put a little ray of light into this dark grab-bag...

oh my gawd... we're into June's already! I've missed so much!

Wonderful pieces already everyone!

Fairyring wrote:

[center]Here Two-Edge is reflecting...

This was very well done! Lots of depth in the poetry!

Fairyring wrote:

To put a little ray of light into this dark grab-bag...

And this one - though short - was direct and to the point (and the image for it, absolutely perfect for the tone of the words!)

Embala wrote:

Thank you, Tymber, glad you like it! There's probably each imaginable elemnt hidden in EQ - when you know the issues well enough and have some creative imagination. Let's see how long I'll manage to find the elements I need - in a recognizable context.

Not sure how I missed this - but somehow, seeing the figures you have created, your writing, your work with images - I don't think your creativity will run out any time soon!

Fairyring wrote:

Tymber wrote:

Figured I'd take a swing at the image poems...

This poem is dark and amazing! Well done, Tymber! Like Embala said, the elements are orderly listed, but they don't feel forced.
The pictures in the background are well chosen - they show the cruelty of Winnowill and the horror Two-Edge had to see. Even if Winnowill wouldn't have split his mind he would have lots and lots of traumata.

Two-Edge is indeed the poster child for suffering in ElfQuest. While others have suffered loss (such as Clearbrook, Cutter, etc) - no one has ever been tortured the way that Two-Edge was. I'd dare say, that I don't think even Gutterkraw inflicted the kind of torture that Winnowill brought.

Two-Edge is sure getting some love in this thread! I like it.

Redhead Ember wrote:

Two-Edge is sure getting some love in this thread! I like it.

I think once "Schizophrenia" was suggested, that was going to be a given.

Embala wrote:

Another tradion starts - Grubfinder already found a "booked place" in the grab-baggs, Hammer!
WOW... this was looooong! And well worth the read. You give us an amazing insight in the habits and thoughts of Trolls in general and Grubfinder's perception especially. The necessity to keep a path even, the description of thriving forest life as noisy, Grubfinder's way to hunt ... last not least the fact that you use different names for anymals, based on the empirical world of a Troll - all this gives the Trolls so much more life and personality for me. You and Trollbabe ... you are true ambassadors of your people!

Great action sequence, as unexpected for the reader as it was for Grubfinder! Now this monster is a riddle. Otherworldly, magical .. merged. Or is it just a nightmare, a vision sent by a magic user? The silent, vibration-free movement and the clean breath (no mention of mouth odor) support the vision/dream ... but this beast had to climb. On the other hand - this could be a feedback of Grubfinder's expectations. I'm curious where this will go with the next elements!

I like how youve used most of the elements without even using the word as such. Very descriptive!

Thank you for the kind words and the great feedback!  Hopefully we can get some more of Trollbabe's time to make more of their world a 'reality'...

I'm glad the length didn't scare you off... it was actually much longer (and still not done), and didn't carry the elements as I had intended, but I needed to break it off somewhere. It would have been broken earlier but that was the cleanest spot I could find and still keep it 'interesting'.

I think you are on to where I'm going with the creature.  Some will be revealed next time... but should that next time wait for next month or post another this month.... not sure.

I had not realized I had escaped the use of each word... I do make attempts at writing the 'feeling' of the word over the literal word, but I didn't try to avoid them all... That kinda makes me happy!

Tymber wrote:

Because he's ... insanely...

I think you might have hit the nail on the head... with a hammer... of course... uh...

Tymber wrote:

Embala wrote:

I know a bit about making things fit "unconsciously", Tymber. You've probably much more claim on it than you believe.

You give me far more credit than I deserve, my dear!

I wouldn't say that....

Tymber wrote:

You are very correct! They technically SHOULD be blue eyes! When I initially created her (when Shadow and the rest of Stonehow first encountered the Pridewalkers) - the idea was that her hair (mane) would be white, like a white lion (while the general hair color of the rest of the Pridewalkers tends to be brown to a light brown in color, like your typical lion). I had originally envisioned her eyes, however, as green, because I wanted them to be a stark contrast to her hair color and represent the color of the plains that they hunt on. I always have these ideas for these characters, and the stories to develop them - but then the grab bag suggestions come in and a new story is born based off those words - and sometimes, the stories I come up with origins and such, get pushed away. (I had a whole mess of ideas originally with the Pridewalkers, since it was actually a tribe I created for my ElfQuest RPG a zillion years ago! A lot of the character names are right from my old RPG notes!)

I often think, I should do stories (that take place in the past) to flesh out some of these characters.

That would be awesome, and well within the main theme of EQ: many of the stories are told out of sequence, either as stories unto themselves or as memories of elders told to others (as in 'Finder' as it was told to young Cutter)... Indeed, the whole entirety of EQ began without any back-story, jumping to the climax of a band of magical creatures escaping the destruction of their home, followed by waves of discovery of the world around them, discovering about themselves and, ultimately, their past.... In a way, the whole 'quest' could be viewed as a successive series of self-discovery, each portion of the whole shining light on what makes the elves/wolfriders who they are and expounds on why they do what they do.

By all means, your readers would love whatever crumbs you wanted to scatter along the trail!

Tymber wrote:

I agree, Trollhammer raises the bar every. single. time. I absolutely LOVE his writing style.

Glad you feel that way, but I'm not trying to, just exploring and seeing where my fingers take me.

Tymber wrote:

Embala wrote:

You and Trollbabe ... you are true ambassadors of your people!

So very true! It's good to see the trolls loved and supported!

Not to try to imply anything, but to an extent it seems like the Trolls continue to be looked down on as 'beneath' or 'unworthy' in the storyline (recent FQ notwithstanding as I have not read them yet) similar to the way it was told in one of the stories of life on board the Palace prior to the crash... and again, this just a mental feeling and opinion, not like Im saying the authors purposely tried to make a 'sub-elfin' creature to dump on.  To me, there are subtle nuances that are implied, glossed over, or not expounded on that make the Trolls a full race and feature of interest in their own right.

That, and I do feel a connection with the fictional rascals.

There is a part of me that has been trying to research enough of the history to expound on them more in depth, to the point an entire 'Troll Quest' story could be written with a complete history, specific accounts, side stories and so on... but at the same time it would be making assumptions and at times interjecting far-fetched themes that might not sit well with the main story or readers.... I do not feel worthy to do such a thing, especially when I care as much as I do... Result being I'm stuck.


I was going to comment on the other's work, but seem to be out of time at the moment, I'll be back!

I'm glad so much has happened since the last time I logged in! So much great work done, and it seems as though I now need to make my own picture-poem as seems to be customary this month.... that will not be easy for me!

TrollHammer wrote:

Tymber wrote:

Embala wrote:

I know a bit about making things fit "unconsciously", Tymber. You've probably much more claim on it than you believe.

You give me far more credit than I deserve, my dear!

I wouldn't say that....

I know! You left it up to Embala to say it!

TrollHammer wrote:

Tymber wrote:

You are very correct! They technically SHOULD be blue eyes! When I initially created her (when Shadow and the rest of Stonehow first encountered the Pridewalkers) - the idea was that her hair (mane) would be white, like a white lion (while the general hair color of the rest of the Pridewalkers tends to be brown to a light brown in color, like your typical lion). I had originally envisioned her eyes, however, as green, because I wanted them to be a stark contrast to her hair color and represent the color of the plains that they hunt on. I always have these ideas for these characters, and the stories to develop them - but then the grab bag suggestions come in and a new story is born based off those words - and sometimes, the stories I come up with origins and such, get pushed away. (I had a whole mess of ideas originally with the Pridewalkers, since it was actually a tribe I created for my ElfQuest RPG a zillion years ago! A lot of the character names are right from my old RPG notes!)
I often think, I should do stories (that take place in the past) to flesh out some of these characters.

That would be awesome, and well within the main theme of EQ: many of the stories are told out of sequence, either as stories unto themselves or as memories of elders told to others (as in 'Finder' as it was told to young Cutter)... Indeed, the whole entirety of EQ began without any back-story, jumping to the climax of a band of magical creatures escaping the destruction of their home, followed by waves of discovery of the world around them, discovering about themselves and, ultimately, their past.... In a way, the whole 'quest' could be viewed as a successive series of self-discovery, each portion of the whole shining light on what makes the elves/wolfriders who they are and expounds on why they do what they do.

By all means, your readers would love whatever crumbs you wanted to scatter along the trail!

Yeah, I may do that! I keep wanting to do it through Grab Bag Elements! But the right set never shows up to "inspire" me! (Since I pretty much try and not think of any ideas until all the elements are suggested - so that the point of the exercise for me is to write it all in one sitting, after I come up with the idea, and force myself to be creative!)

But the Pridewalkers were a big deal to me EONS ago when I played the ElfQuest RPG as the GM, and came up with them!

TrollHammer wrote:

Tymber wrote:

I agree, Trollhammer raises the bar every. single. time. I absolutely LOVE his writing style.

Glad you feel that way, but I'm not trying to, just exploring and seeing where my fingers take me.

Dude, glad to be here to read your stories!

Tymber wrote:

Redhead Ember wrote:

Two-Edge is sure getting some love in this thread! I like it.

I think once "Schizophrenia" was suggested, that was going to be a given.

Yeah. I can think of one other the theme could fit.

Your poem is as lovely as the background picture you have chosen, Fairyring. It's like Cutter has summed up what was and is really important for him. His home. His mate.
Leetah is even more beautiful in this picture ... like seen through Cutter's eyes. And I love that Cutter looks so young and innocent here. It is a perfect complementation for your poem.

Tymber wrote:

I don't think your creativity will run out any time soon!

You might be right. ^^

Tymber wrote:

You give me far more credit than I deserve, my dear!

You are wrong here. Or - this statement will counts for me and my collages as well, Tymber. ^^

I agree with Hammer that background stories about the Pridewalkers or ancient Wolfriders would be awesome! There could be howls, personal memories or a lesson that was learnet and turns out to be useful now.


I hope you fingers will take you on and on and on, Hammer!

TrollHammer wrote:

I'm glad the length didn't scare you off...

Pretty close!
Seriously ... it was a looooong read. Took me two tries to read through. Considering this I'd prefer to get the next chapter in the Juli grab-bag. Unless your fingers itch to continue ... Do to your needs and likings, Hammer. *hugs*


Though Two-Edge is the usual suspect ...

Redhead Ember wrote:

Yeah. I can think of one other the theme could fit.

Would be easy to imagine a story with Reef for this grab-bag. I bet Chrtistina Raibert would have chosen him!

Thinking about it - Winnowill would qualify as well. Schizophrenic wasn't exactly her clinical case, I guess, but close enough for me. Or - simply take Rayek with Winniboo in his head!

And I could play this game with one more character for sure!

Or Two-Spear... was thinking about doing a poem with an image... but I cannot do poems for anything.

Winnie almost fits too. (but it looks like Embala beat me to that one!

Distraction
A Broken Weapon
A New Home
Confusion
A Thief
Schizophrenic

The wind howled furiously between the small, stone passage, as its prey escaped into the small cavern. Inside the small cave, the surviving members of the Stonehowl Holt cuddled close to share their body heat. Stillbreeze extended her hand to Spearclaw, to welcome him closer. There had been an undeniable attraction between the two of them. It was not Recognition; rather a simple, basic, physical attraction to one another. Vineweaver, Stillbreeze’s Recognized mate had initially been furious, threatened, by Spearclaw, but soon let it go.

Spearclaw smiled and Stillbreeze, but kept his distance – as far as he could within the small hollow, at any rate. He had wanted to go to her side. There was nothing more he wanted to be there, to be pulled close next to her. But this was not the time. They needed their time to mend. Their families had just been slaughtered by the Frost Men. In this time of confusion, pain and suffering, it was not the time to be a distraction. This was a time for their family to be together; he did not need to steal some of her time or affection, when her cubs and her lifemate needed it more than him.

His mind was a chaotic storm, trying to sort together all the broken images in his mind of the last few hours; the attack came so quickly, so quietly – unlike any humans he, or the rest of the Stonehowl had ever encountered. Their attack was concise, thought out, planned to perfection. That morning, when the attack came – Spearclaw could hardly recollect everything as it had happened. Everything in his memory seemed like broken shards scattered all across the floor; each of them coated in blood. As he sat alone, the cold wiping around him, his mind drifted back to his own family – the Pridewalkers. Unlike the Wolfriders of Stonehowl, the Pridewalkers were not bound to lions. They did not share a bloodline, a bond.

Long ago, when the Elves first came to the plains, escaping humans who had been hunting them down; the Elves observed the lions in the plains. These feline creatures were magnificent and powerful. They ruled the plains through might and strength. The first Elves shaped their flesh, changed themselves to be more like the lions. Fingernails became strong, massive claws. Eyes were shaped so that they could see in the night flawless. Legs and arms were shaped to achieve perfect muscle mass. The Elves grew out their hair, and face fur, resembling the lion’s mane.

The First Elves adapted to the ways of the lions; initially hunting in the plains, as the lions did, but keeping their distance from the large felines. Eventually, mutual respect developed between the two – and soon, the pack merged. The first Elves were welcomed into the Lion’s pride, and together they hunted, and shared their kills. When a lion’s claw or tooth was damaged, one of the First Elves could heal the claw and tooth. With magic, the lives of these magnificent beasts were extended, a perpetual youthfulness bestowed upon the pride.

Though, most of his memories with his people were good ones – there were some that were not, much like the nature of lions. The First Elves had been a witness to a behavior within the lion’s pride that they could not believe. When a male sought to take over a pride, it would kill all the cubs to avoid any potential competition. Something, their latest Sire had done, when Lionheart had killed his own child, Talon, as well as his mate, Rainbringer.

Spearclaw sunk into a moment of deep, dark, depression. Most of his life, all he had known, even during the good times, was violence. Most of it, senseless. His eyes drifted over to Shadow, who still seemed to be muttering to himself, and like him, sat apart from the others. He needed Shadow to find himself again. To become the sensible chief he once was. But after the loss of several members of his tribe, including his own cubling, Snowspring, there was little doubt that the Chief would ever be the leader he once was.

As Foxhair had said earlier; tonight, she mourns the loss of her friends, her family, her son, and even her lovemate, for even he died the day the Frost Men came. The person that walked with them was no longer Shadow, but strangely, a dark, hollow comparison of the great chief that once was.

_____

Shadow (Male Soul Name: Tyru) – Black Hair, Tanned, Green Eyes (Elder brother to Purespring, Chief) – Wolf Beast: Mooneyes – (Black Wolf, White Eyes)

Foxhair (Female Soul Name: Loun) – Red Hair, Green Eyes (Hunter) – Wolf Beast: Elkheart (Dark Brown/Black Wolf)

Spearclaw (Male, Soul name: Lren) – Brown Hair, Green Eyes (Scout)

Vineweaver (Male Soul Name: Reyk) – Auburn Hair, Blue Eyes (Tree shaper, Soul Mate of Stillbreeze, Plant Shaper) – Wolf Beast: Creekhunter (Dark Grey Wolf)

Stillbreeze (Female Soul Name: Hewl) – Brown Hair, Brown Eyes (Soul Mate of Vineweaver, Tanner) - Wolf Beast: Silvermane (Silver Wolf, female)

Echo (Male Soul Name: Ayav) – Brown Hair, Green Eyes (Cub of Stillbreeze & Vineweaver, Magic) – Wolf Beast: Talonmist (Grey Wolf, Deceased)

Windfetcher (Female Soul Name: Burm) – Auburn Hair, Brown Eyes (Cub of Stillbreeze & Vineweaver, Next Potential Chief… If She Has Her Way!) - Wolf Beast: None, formerly Glimmer

Stream (Female Soul Name: Vree) – Red Hair, Green Eyes (Healer) – Wolf Beast: Callbreaker (White Wolf, Deceased)

Not good with poetry, so I played with this instead...

MAGIC!

Nerd threshold breached! Geek levels maxed! Brain... x-plodes! (Eegad!)

I cast fireball and take a shot of it...

Thats what it really comes down to being a die hard nerd: While others grow out of their pursuit of fantasy and fiction, we can drink to it!

Memories - you 've started to flesh out the past, hopefully. Spearclaw reflects on his birth tribe, giving a glimpse on its beginnings, their connection to the giant felines, their way of life ... and a spotlight on the end. It's a good start and very helpful to get those informations early, Tymber. We already know that Spearclaw and snowcloud are Pridewalkers but now we learn how differrent they actually are from the Stonehowl Wolfriders.
btw: Does Spearclaw have face fur?

Another spotlight on the past - we learn about Spearclaw's and Stillbreeze's special relationship. All this makes Spearclaw more familiar and endearing Are you aware that he appears like a main character en par with Shadow now?
And Shadow ... the dark shadows around him grow stronger with each story part and loom into threatening clouds.

Your fast use of the first three elements made me snicker. Confusion, distraction and thief in one paragraph and same context. Surprisingly sef-evident and fitting. The other three are more obsured and leave room for interpretation.
The new home can be found in the Firstcomers' beginnings, in Spearclaw's place in the Stonehowl tribe and in the cave the huddle together. Shadow is still the best candidate for schizophrenia (his mental and emotional chance is clearly addressed) but Lionheart's deeds qualify as well. Last not least the broken weapon ... the metzaphorical bloody shards in my opinion.
Room for interpretation ... I like this.


You found YOUR way to tell a story in pictures, Hammer! *happy dance* Interesting pictures choices from obvious to surprising, all new for the grab-bag. (I had forgotten about Treestump's broken axe!) Just wish I would understand the cards ... the deck? ... better.

TrollHammer wrote:

Or Two-Spear... was thinking about doing a poem with an image... but I cannot do poems for anything.

That's the one I've meant saying: I could play this game with one more character for sure! Took me a while to gather the pictures that can fit the elements, are visually harmonic and maybe tell their story to the adepted fan.

Confusion - New Home - Schizophrenic - Broken Weapon - Distraction - Thief



I'm tempted to do this with Winnowill, Rayek and the Broken One as well ... but I fear for my time.

Embala wrote:

Memories - you 've started to flesh out the past, hopefully. Spearclaw reflects on his birth tribe, giving a glimpse on its beginnings, their connection to the giant felines, their way of life ... and a spotlight on the end. It's a good start and very helpful to get those informations early, Tymber. We already know that Spearclaw and snowcloud are Pridewalkers but now we learn how differrent they actually are from the Stonehowl Wolfriders.

Thank you for reading and commenting! Yes, the Pridewalkers are different than the Wolfriders. There's no "blood bond" of any sort - and they are, in that regard, closer to the Blue Mountain elves or Sun Folk or Go-Backs, because their blood is not "tainted."

Embala wrote:

btw: Does Spearclaw have face fur?

Yes, I should have used this section of his story to make that more clear; that his face-fur kept him warm in the snow. That is a missed opportunity!

Embala wrote:

Another spotlight on the past - we learn about Spearclaw's and Stillbreeze's special relationship. All this makes Spearclaw more familiar and endearing Are you aware that he appears like a main character en par with Shadow now? And Shadow ... the dark shadows around him grow stronger with each story part and loom into threatening clouds.

I definitely consider Shadow, Spearclaw, Vineweaver and Stillbreeze my "main four" characters. They're the ones that "speak" to me the most in the story. I think a lot of that has to do with, I had wanted Shadow to always be the chief (even when I was writing Wildthorn). Vineweaver and Stillbreeze became "main" characters when bukittyan did this amazing art (http://tawmis.com/stonehowl/vineweaver_family.jpg). And Spearclaw is special to me, because he is my connection to an Elf tribe I made for the ElfQuest RPG eons ago.

But, that said - Nightsea recently did some art - and did Foxhair (http://tawmis.com/stonehowl/foxhair_solo_nightsea.png) and Snowcloud (http://tawmis.com/stonehowl/snowcloud_beautiful_nightsea.png) - that I absolutely love. So something tells me, we may be hearing from them more in the story too! The visuals in my head, help make the characters for me, come more alive. So that's why I am always extremely thankful when someone does an artistic piece for something in one of my stories! Not only is it mind blowing and flattering that someone would even take that time for one of my characters - but it also helps those characters gain a stronger voice in my head.

Embala wrote:

Your fast use of the first three elements made me snicker. Confusion, distraction and thief in one paragraph and same context. Surprisingly sef-evident and fitting. The other three are more obsured and leave room for interpretation. The new home can be found in the Firstcomers' beginnings, in Spearclaw's place in the Stonehowl tribe and in the cave the huddle together. Shadow is still the best candidate for schizophrenia (his mental and emotional chance is clearly addressed) but Lionheart's deeds qualify as well. Last not least the broken weapon ... the metzaphorical bloody shards in my opinion.
Room for interpretation ... I like this.

Indeed! When I had written it, the broken shards were the symbolization of schizophrenia (because it's used as a reference to broken memories). The actual "broken weapon" in the story, when I wrote it - was the mention of the healing of a lion's claw or fang, being broken (which is how the first comers developed a "bond" with the lions). But as you said, entirely open to how someone wants to read it, where some of the elements fall.

Embala wrote:

Confusion - New Home - Schizophrenic - Broken Weapon - Distraction - Thief

I'm tempted to do this with Winnowill, Rayek and the Broken One as well ... but I fear for my time.

I can't tell what that last picture is? Egg?

The broken lion fang! Of course. And the shards standing for a broken mind ... shattered and scatterd. I love the subtle ones ... even when I miss them at times - or just because.

Tymber wrote:

I can't tell what that last picture is? Egg?

The story about Two-Edge and Kahvi was "told in the EGG" ... the banner starts with Kahvi diving in her memories and ends with Kahvi snatching the Little Egg - and puts it in a bag. ^^
http://elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics/index.php?s=KAC&p=68

Distraction
A Broken Weapon
A New Home
A Thief
Schizophrenic

The cold wind whipped around the young human who gazed forward, eyes vacant of any joy. Around him, the other humans celebrated their victory. The young human walked among the dead, most of them “demons” as his father had called them. Buren walked up to the first body he saw; a young demon; only just an infant. He turned the body over, a female, black hair and green eyes. But the eyes were now vacant. How could this young, human looking thing be the dangerous demon that his father claimed them to be?

The young human could feel his eyes brimming with tears, as he looked deeper into the cave. He saw two males, one female, all whom were huddled around two young, now dead; one girl, one a boy, nearly the same age, by the looks of it, as himself.

He turned around and began to walk out of the cave, and saw another young infant, auburn hair and brown eyes, vacantly gazing towards the heavens, an arrow in its chest.

The young human kneeled down and picked up a sword, the blade smashed to pieces. These demons never had a chance. The attack came as a surprise. Where was their powerful magic that his father claimed these demons possessed?

So many lives, so needlessly taken, Buren thought.

Buren approached his father, still holding the shattered blade. “Will you pursue the survivors?” He looked over his shoulder, “And kill them as you did these ‘demons’?”

Buren’s father, Balgar, Chief of the Frost Men, looked down at his son. “Do not be fooled by what you see here. These demons would have grown up strong. We were fortunate. Kuraul, God of the North Wind, guided out hand; blinded the demons to us, weakened their magic, allowing us to fight them fairly.”

“So Kuraul condones the murder of even infants?” Buren questioned, clenching the hilt of the sword in his hand.

“Do not let the bodies of the young demons distract you from the glory that is ours, son,” Balgar growled, growing irritated with his own son.  “Kuraul has seen to our victory. Do not question the ways of the North Wind, or you will bring ill fortune upon us. For now, we will stay here and not worry about the demons who have fled. They have food supplies in their cave, and that’s all we need for now.”

That night, at the celebration, Buren still held onto the blade that he had picked up. It had been one of the weapons that belonged to one of the demons that had tried to defend their home. Balgar, his father, was at the center of the gathering, just outside the mouth of the cave, retelling one of the stories about a past battle with the demons – but these had been “sea demons.”

“I, Balgar, son of Trigon, blood of Yureel, blood of Grenbar, remember the sea demons of The Crimson Reef,” he began. Several of the Frost Men cheered. Some had actually been there.

“The Sea Demons made hunting for fish nearly impossible,” Balgar recalled. “The Sea Giants slammed our ships, while the Sea Demons used weapons to spear us and pull us off the ships, so that the razor-fins could devour us. My father made war with the Sea Demons, and in one of those battles, he lost his life – speared like a fish, and pulled from his ship.” Balgar still remembered the visage of his father, pulled from the ship, bleeding from the wound through his chest; then the razor-fins in a frenzied, chaotic feast of madness, ripped his father from limb to limb, leaving only a crimson pool in the ocean that quickly dissipated, leaving only the scar of a memory that Balgar would never forget. “Sherala,” he gestured to his right, a woman, whose eyes were ice white, “had a vision of a distant land; one where it was not always frost. But the land changed; and that there was more game than just fishing. With her guidance, I turned to Kuraul, god of the North Wind, and asked for his guidance as well. A strong wind blew just as I finished my prayer; and on it, I could smell change. The Sea Demons were too strong. So we set sail away from the Crimson Reef one day, and the Sea Demons attacked – some of the ships fell to the Sea Demons – a handful of us escaped, and managed to sail through. I know that most of you hated fleeing our homes, giving into the Sea Demons as we did. But I knew that if we continued the war my father began, we would all soon suffer the fate that my father had.”

Balgar held a torch and threw it onto the corpses of the demons whom they had killed in Stonehowl. “Now,” he said firmly as the bodies began to burn, “we have the strength and guidance of Balgar with us, and we will see every demon burn, just as we burn these demons.”

The Frost Men cheered, but Buren clenched the weapon harder, his tears freezing in the cold, chilling night…

- Just a note about the most recent ones, from the Frost Men's POV...

In another thread, somewhere around this forum, I was discussing my dislike of the Wave Dancers, and Trollhammer brought up how the Wave Dancers could have been so much more powerful (which I agreed, because, well Aquaman is one of my favorite DC characters!) So in this segment, I came up with the idea - the reason the Frost Men had sailed away from their homes, was indeed because of Sea Elves (Crimson Reef) essentially making their hunting of fish, nearly impossible, because the Sea Elves would attack their ships. So I was trying to show off (in a past tense, here's why we left kind of way), Sea Elves (not the Wave Dancers) being awesome. Came up with a whole idea of Sea Elves, that were essentially the bad arses that they could be... Have a whole tribe written down and everything... not that we may ever see them, but was fun coming up with it.

You've forgotten to list "confusion" in the elements.  ^^

It's strange but this feels like the victims of this battle got their howl. Storywise ... in the way you have shown them to the reader and given them a face. And within the story ... by Buren, who recognized them as "human beings" - as people, children and victims. And he mourned their deaths.

He doubts. Buren gives hope for a change. For peace. A chance. ... if dices will cast well ...

There's another reason why this "interlude" is well placed, Tymber. The victims of Stonehowl are no longer as faceless as they were for new readers ... "knowing" the dead ones makes it easier to understand the survivors.
And  - the Frost Men are no longer plain evil enemies who murdered without reason. They have experiance with "superior" demons - and aimed to kill before they are driven away once more. Doesn't make them likeable - but their deed is well founded. Hateful fear + a new home + food. And they got characters with a history.


I'd like to learn more about those "elves of the nothern seas" - if only as character sheets and some historical backgroud.

Embala wrote:

You've forgotten to list "confusion" in the elements.  ^^

I did! That was because I always list the elements at the top and then remove them as I add to the story - I knew confusion was going to be a big part of this segment, so I removed it before I even began writing (since it was all going to be about Buren's confusion over if the attack against Stonehowl was necessary, if the god that they followed actually condoned the murdering of young people, etc). So I had forgot to put it BACK in when I was done!

Embala wrote:

It's strange but this feels like the victims of this battle got their howl. Storywise ... in the way you have shown them to the reader and given them a face. And within the story ... by Buren, who recognized them as "human beings" - as people, children and victims. And he mourned their deaths. He doubts. Buren gives hope for a change. For peace. A chance. ... if dices will cast well ...

There's another reason why this "interlude" is well placed, Tymber. The victims of Stonehowl are no longer as faceless as they were for new readers ... "knowing" the dead ones makes it easier to understand the surviviors. And - the Frost Men are no longer plain evil enemies who murdered without reason. They have experiance with "superior" demons - and aimed to kill before they are driven away once more. Doesn't make them likeable - but their deed is well founded. Hateful fear + a new home + food. And they got characters with a history.

This is what happens if I have too much free time! I never intended to even tell this story, but there I was listening to music, when "If I Had A Heart" (which is the theme song for the VIKINGS television show) came on - and literally as the song played, my mind just began writing the story in my head. So I put the song on repeat, and let the story re-tell itself on the forum.

I think, deep down, perhaps I knew I needed to tell this story? To give the humans a little more depth and understanding? I rarely just a simple, flat, zero dimensional set of villains. I thought this ended up fleshing them out a little more and, as you said, gave a reason for their attack and their hated of these "demons" (the Stonehowl tribe).

Embala wrote:

I'd like to learn more about those "elves of the nothern seas" - if only as character sheets and some historical backgroud.

Here's the list I had come up with (though, ironically, none of them ever get mentioned in the story - so if they do ever appear in a Grab Bag in the future, this list may change!)

Crimson Reef Sea Elves

- Their group is called a Pod (similar to what a group of Whales is called)

Bloodwave – Chief (Male)
Male chief, extremely violent. No tolerance towards humans. He believes the humans hunt for sport, as well as for food. The idea of hunting for sport and joy, has driven him to a seething hatred for humans. And he will make every attempt to command the whales (humans call them “sea giants”) to slam into human ships, while the members of his pod (Crimson Reef) attempt to spear the humans and pull them from their ships, so that the razor-fins (sharks) can feed off the humans. His (unnamed?) life mate, love mate, soul mate – was killed by humans who had harpooned her, mistaking her for a dolphin (which the humans hunted to eat). Bloodwave comes from a very long line of members in his family, all of whom are consumed with an indescribable hatred for humans. (Perhaps theirs is some form of legacy magic that is passing down the memories of what happened in the Palace; and each time the elf reaches a specific age, the “memories” are born but the elf doesn’t know how to control it, and gives in to this rage – because the memory of the humans killing the elves in the Palace has been passed down generation to generation?)

Barrier – Stone Shaper (Shapes Coral Reefs) (Male)
Barrier is the one who shaped the home for the Sea Elves (or perhaps someone from his line of generation of stone shapers). In any case, he is the one that now maintains the shape of the large coral reef tunnels that they now live in.

Stormtide – Water Shaper (able to control elements of the ocean, cause tides, waves, currents to do his bidding) (Male)
Don’t recall seeing any water-shapers (perhaps somewhere in the Wave Dancers this was already done? Probably?). Essentially Stormtide is able to create spouts of water (which are used to overturn ships, small boats, rafts, etc.) – he can also shape the tide, by causing riptides, change the current, etc.)

Kelpweaver – Plant shaper (Female)
Standard plant shaper of the tribe. Shapes kept and other plants, that the Sea Elves use for food (as well as shelter to hide their coral reef home).

Coral – Female Elf
She is a young elf; eager to prove herself to the others (almost to a fault, where she often puts herself, and others in needless danger)

Seastar – Female Elf
The smart, wiser, elf of the tribe; she is not prone to follow Bloodwave, whom she does not get along with.

Sunfish – Young Male
Young male Elf, also does not like Bloodwave’s violent tendicies.
Redfin – Young Female
Young, female elf, named as such, because she was born with a red Mohawk for hair, which she still has (natural birth effect). So they named her redfin, since her hair resembles that of a shark.

Shellseeker (Male)
Makes the armor for the tribe; using shells, and help with Barrier, who helps shape things that Shellseeker comes up with. He also is primarily responsible for the weapons.

Morningsun (Female)
Born with sea blue eyes, and golden blond hair, like Seastar, she does not agree with Bloodwave’s method and hatred against the humans, and has spoken up against him. She is a strong, independent female, but does not possess the intelligence of Seastar.

Thanks for introducing your Mer Elves to me, Tymber! I like ... to dislike some of them. ^^

Ok, so l still plan to continue the story of Nightsea, but now reading that Tymber has begun his own "wavedancers" I don't want to overload us on sea elves. So I put up a continuation for Vytha's thread instead, just for June's elements. I'll use May's elements for Nightsea...just very late. I'll post in the May grab bag thread when I get it finished.

Tymber, I can imagine many of the questions about the looks of your tribe is because art will happen.
I can't help trying to doll your elves too, so there are of course more of them in your Stonehowl thread
on the doller's forum. I made Stillbreeze finally and used the Viking dollmaker (before I read again how Vikings and their tv theme songs keep inspiring you!) on some of the other gals. I know the maker isn't as "sexy" a base as the Xgirl one you liked so much...but I also made some on that base for you that you might not have seen yet. Check it out.

Tymber, as for dolling your new cast...I think I am going to avoid that for now as I said I am involved in my own, Island Elf tribe. I will have some mertails, and have dolled a few that I will show in a bit.
Don't take it personally, as I am sure I would like to make seashell chainmail someday perhaps, but
I don't want to OD on the theme.

I really loved the Magic card contribution to this thread and think it shows just how each of us uses
our own talents and interests to interact. The collages Embala does (and I found mine in your thread...thank you sweet sister!) and Trollhammer's love of the green skinned sort as well as Tymber's
tribes and now my own duo of EQ tales are all kept alive and thriving by sharing them here! Ayooah but it is good to have a like minded group online! We all have our particular prisims, but together we make a Palace of the High Ones kind of shine!

Nightsea wrote:

Ok, so l still plan to continue the story of Nightsea, but now reading that Tymber has begun his own "wavedancers" I don't want to overload us on sea elves.  So I put up a continuation for Vytha's thread instead, just for June's elements.  I'll use May's elements for Nightsea...just very late. I'll post in the May grab bag thread when I get it finished.

Use your Sea Elves! Mine are not actually in the story! They're only referenced! I am one of those people - that when I reference something, I like to create a back story! So the Sea Elves I made may never see the light of day in any of my stories!

Nightsea wrote:

Tymber, I can imagine many of the questions about the looks of your tribe is because art will happen.
I can't help trying to doll your elves too, so there are of course more of them in your Stonehowl thread

For the regular Stonehowl Elves? Awesome! I will make my way over there!

Nightsea wrote:

on the doller's forum.  I made Stillbreeze finally and used the Viking dollmaker (before I read again how Vikings and their tv theme songs keep inspiring you!) on some of the other gals.  I know the maker isn't as "sexy" a base as the Xgirl one you liked so much...but I also made some on that base for you that you might not have seen yet.  Check it out.

I will certainly do so!

Nightsea wrote:

Tymber, as for dolling your new cast...I think I am going to avoid that for now as I said I am involved in my own, Island Elf tribe.  I will have some mertails, and have dolled a few that I will show in a bit.
Don't take it personally, as I am sure I would like to make seashell chainmail someday perhaps, but
I don't want to OD on the theme.

Like I said, there's NO concern about making the Sea Elves. They're only referenced in the story by the humans as to why they left their lands. Not a single one is actually ever even named in the story. Embala had asked to see my notes on the Sea Elves I created. But like I said, I tend to do backstory stuff, even for characters that will never see the light of day.