The mutton was piping hot and delicious when it was served to people of the hold. I was allowed to have a large portion and encouraged to eat quickly so that I can start telling my story. The sounds of conversation and jovialness echoed throughout the courtyard we all ate in. The rough hewn tables and benches to eat at. Now satisfied I went to the platform that was arranged for the Knight Captain to make his announcement.
I held my lute and stepped up the platform and was brought a stool to sit upon so I didn’t have to stand to tell my story. Settling my lute and playing a quick tune to start getting everyone’s attention. The conversations started to quiet as I watched everyone become interested in all this.
“Good people I am Dolan Talespinner and today by request we will be telling the tale of the Golden Sheep. Whose fleece could be spun into wool that could heal any wounds as a bandage. I hope you all enjoy your food and this story. All thanks to Sir Gellick who has asked me to perform for you today.”
I started to weave some magic through the air to capture the attention I would need. A way to lighten the anxiety and feelings.
In the ancient times when men wore togas and spoke older languages. Great philosophers spoke in audience halls and tried to enlighten the masses of the people. When plays were the only form of entertainment. Music was soft and played on wind instruments for the strings we used today were yet to be used for anything but sutures for wounds on the men.
These cities were scattered upon the thousand islands that stand even to this day though the people have fallen to ruin and all their knowledge lost to time. The weather was often beautiful and springs of clean water lay at the center of their great cities.
War started between two of these philosophic belief systems and while wounds piled up the great infections prevented thousands from keeping their lives. More were lost to the festering and rot that got into wounds. Their ways of healing are yet to be as advanced as it is now.
Among those soldiers stood the greatest wielder of the short blades that were used in war and single combat. His name was Dionicia the Swift. Not only did he fight for the entertainment of the leaders of all the realm but for the very country. Noble women would fawn over him and buy his very sweat when he was done fighting for their entertainment.
Their leader, not a king but a man untouched by the gods elected to lead the people, came to him and brought the greatest warriors and survivors of the land and spoke to them. “This festering and rot is getting too out of our control and we need to pursue the legends. We need to find the sheep sent by the goddess of beauty whose very wool can be weaved into bandages that heal any wound. I ask you all to take upon this task and set into the seas to find them. Bring them back and all the riches of the realm shall be yours.”
Each one of them swore to follow the hopeful request of their leader and were given a ship and a group of men that knew how to sail. The ship was long, shallow, and wide to travel over the seas. It bore the name Sand Waver The men, all warriors that used different weapons, would spar with wooden weapons to see who was the greatest of all the land. Allay of the Axe, mighty and strong enough to shatter stone in a single blow. Silax of the Sling, whose stone cracked with every shot and seemed never to miss its mark. Horal the Quick, whose thinner blade danced through intricate movements like a living thing. Uloc the Stout, those shields could not be penetrated and blades flowed off it like water around a stone.
Soon after setting off into the seas a great storm came to haunt the boat and send it far off course to be lost to the seas. Days passed in the storm as the men struggled to help the sailors who worked throughout the nights to keep the boat afloat and safe. When the sun broke and the winds calmed they found themselves at the shore of an island. Great trees towered high into the sky. The mast of the boat lay cracked and damaged and the boatmen asked that the warriors protect those that went ashore to secure a new mast for the ship so that they may continue their journey.
Sand Weaver was brought into a cove where the seas would not wash it away. Anchored and secured from the violent waters, longboats were lowered and taken ashore. A dozen boatmen and the warriors chosen set themselves upon the island. Silax, whose scouting skills were unparalleled, spoke to his fellows and offered for him to scour the island for any hints that might be. Who knew what the gods would do. It would be like their fickle selves to bring them directly to the land of the golden sheep.
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As Silax went through the great forest of tall trees so straight it was as if they were crafted to pick the teeth of the gods. As he walked throughout the island he discovered a vast and ruined city. Something he could not place his mind upon haunted his every step. After returning to the ship he spoke of his findings.
Dionicia, their de facto leader after the tournament they held, stroked his chin and talked to the men that gathered. “Who knows what secrets these ruins might have. We shall go and study them and see if anything can point to where the sheep might lay.”
So, the warriors of the realm gathered and left the boatmen to work on the replacement mast. The forest was deathly quiet, and soon the lack of sounds began to grate on the nerves of the men.
Unnerved Horal spoke up, “Where are the animals? The rabbits, birds, hells, even the mice are missing.”
Now aware of the oddity and the lack of sound each of the warriors was put on edge. Slowly they entered the great ruined city. Deciding to split into two groups to search more quickly they moved through the abandoned homes searching every nook and cranny. Signs of life long past lay everywhere. Great stains of blood were left upon the ground with no body to accompany them in the city. Still there were no signs of the usual creatures that would inhabit such a place after mankind left it.
Ulax stumbled upon a long scroll in one of the more affluent houses. Its grand stones were better carved and smoothed. The construction of it was far more cared for even after the city lay abandoned. The scroll detailed the average life of a merchant family growing more affluent in the city and how it had been affecting the livelihood of all the other merchants in the city. Somehow they seemed to have an endless supply of gold at hand. Rumors were started and as they rose to power they began to boast. Before it could complete the thoughts though the journal had stopped suddenly.
Across the ruined city the other team lead by Dionicia discovered a set of intact pottery. The illustrations upon the finery detailed a family being visited by the gods. With them was a flock of sheep whose fleece was golden and shining. The gods demanded that they use the fleece and the gold it produced to better the city that they all lived in. It showed them doing so and spreading their money through the city buying everything they could with their endless gold. It showed them shearing the sheep and yet the next day the coat of the creature would be full and lustrous by the next day. Knowing they needed to follow the gods instructions they secreted all of the flock to another island. Whose grasses were long and where no predators lay. They left with them a shepherd who was descended from the gods themselves.
Then in one final bloody drawing it showed people with stomach bulging and slavering mouths descending upon the house of the sheep. It depicted the taking of the sheep and its slaughtering against the gods wishes. The family was slaughtered as well and the people went mad with hunger and began to attack one another. They would eat the corpses with an unending hunger. Before it could show more it stopped.
The groups found one another before entering the house that would have been where the people of the city would gather and hear about proposed laws and what might happen to the lands. They spoke about the conflicting stories and how they were different from one another. Where one painted the house of the sheep as benevolent and wise. Another would show a greedy money hungry home that would purchase everything in their wake.
As they discussed this they were interrupted by the moans of hunger as a whipcord thin man emerged from the senate house. It was emaciated with ribs showing around pale ashen flesh. Its eyes were beady dots in a haggard face with an overgrown beard. The warriors drew their weapons as it eyed them hungrily. Then another came from behind it. A flood of them began to emerge into the city. Twenty in total now stood before them with more seeming to press from behind. With slathering mouths foaming they all let out a combined scream and charged.
The great Dionicia called for them to fall back until they could get into a chokepoint and fight a limited number of them at a time. And so with swift feet they retreated further into the city. Ulax called them forwards and brought them to a home he remembered. It was a small affair with one doorway and no windows for the creatures to attack from. With spears and shields they fought at the doorway. As they tired against the insane strength of the creatures they grew weary.
After many of the creatures were felled one of them gripped the shield that Uloc wielded. They wrenched him into the open where the creatures descended upon him with open jaws and gnashing teeth. His screams would forever haunt the rest as his flesh was torn from him by the handfuls.
Unable to watch the horror of it, the warriors emerged from the house and fell upon the last dozen creatures. It was a bloody affair but by the time they got to Uloc in an attempt to save him he was already dead. His body was barely recognizable. Wrapping his remains in their cloaks they carried him back to the boat. With his shield he was given a burial at sea.
Sand Weaver would have to look to other islands that could have housed the sheep and so they continued on their journey.
I had forgotten how long the tale would take and knew another few days were ahead of me as I finished this portion of the story. People softly clapped as I concluded and drank my fill of water. “If you all would like me to finish this story I humbly request that I be given just a little dried goods and be given a bed and a meal amongst your families. I will return here tomorrow after the work has been done and we will continue.”