Post by Young Grimwold on Dec 14, 2011 19:23:05 GMT
[OOC: Continued from Light Headed.]
*Young Grimwold is rolling down a slope, leaves and twigs crackling beneath him like a struggling bonfire. He tries to slow himself down but ends up tumbling head over heels instead. He reaches the foot of the slope and comes to rest in a dip in the forest floor. Despite his rough descent, his ogrish physique has saved him from injury. An earthy aroma fills his nostrils. He feels cold mud between his fingers and starts to realise where he is; but like a fading dream, he's forgotten where he was. His eyes are still closed and the bright haze that was in front of them has faded to darkness.
YG opens his eyes. The darkness is still there. [OOC: The sensory travel sickness mentioned in my earlier ModNote.] He blinks then blinks again as if trying to strike a match, and again, but the darkness won't go.*
No... no...
*YG is overcome with nausea. He vomits. He wants to sob but he stops himself. He needs to take control, or at least kid himself that he can. Spitting out what remains in his mouth, he gets up, turns around and staggers breathlessly away. He just needs to keep moving, to be doing something. He waves his arms around to feel for trees and knock branches out of his way, grunting each time he fails and one catches him. Another performance worthy of the bloody Grimwold travelling circus. Look, father, no eyes! The forest is cold - it's night, for all he knows - and his nose is running, but he won't give in and wipe it. He sniffs in between grunts. His flailing hands miss the tree right in front of him and he smacks into it. His forehead hurts.
To the Forest of Dunn the foolhardy come...*
Alright. Very well.
*YG takes a few steps back, pauses, then rams the tree with the side of his body. He screams obscenities at it, smacks it and rams it again. He hears a crack.*
Yes. Good.
*Just for variation, he decides to ram the tree with his head. After all, his cursed brain isn't doing much. It hurts but he is pleased. With another scream, he does it again, and the tree is felled. YG is startled by how loudly it thuds to the ground. He is almost grateful he can't see it.*
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No I'm not.
*He turns to three o'clock and staggers away.
YG decides that once this is over, he will never return to the forest ever again. All it does is punish him. And even if he deserves it, he doesn't want to be punished any more. At least this time if a deranged infant jumps out of a tree and stabs him through the eye, it won't make much wretched difference. And at least he is alone, without three false friends in his head competing to be his eyes. As if he could find three people in all the realm who'd care that much about him anyway.
There is no foliage in front of YG. Just air. YG slows as he enters the clearing and feels something against his foot, too thick to be a fallen branch. He bends down to touch it. It feels familiar. His club. It doesn't surprise him that Fate has thrown in a good coincidence, a morsel of mercy: it makes the game more interesting for her. It's nice to know that conveniently placed objects aren't only for dungeoneers from other dimensions, whatever those are. YG sits, joining his club on the ground. It is grassy: there may even be flowers here. He becomes aware of ever-so-vague shapes. He turns his head and the shapes move. Maybe this latest chapter of farce will end tolerably for him after all.
A lupine howl breaks the silence. It comes from nearby. Very nearby.
YG grips his club. If he's been bleeding, the wolf may have caught the scent. Or perhaps just being a malodorous lump crashing around the forest was enough. An ogre's chances against a wolf are good; but not without his eyesight. And this wolf may not be alone. YG decides that the middle of the clearing is the safest place for him, at least until he knows from which direction the wolf will approach.
YG stands halfway up and moves in a crouch into the clearing, deluding himself that he is being stealthy. He thinks of the legends of wolves, and how poor a guide they are to dealing with the creatures. If he were an old lady, the wolf might eat him and put on his clothes. If he were a baby, the wolf might raise him to found an empire. But only if he had a brother with him. His missing brother: another of Fate's taunts. And after all those hearty laughs, it seems Fate will greedily have the last by sending wild animals to tear up his life. I hope they choke on me.
There is something hard in the clearing. Stone. It's smooth. A milestone for an overgrown path? YG pats it: there is writing carved into it - characters that YG cannot identify by touch alone - but it seems too tall to be a milestone. A standing stone then. This is unusual in Dunn. Maybe he is in the woods of Dunkley. Wherever he is, YG is comforted by the stone. Someone else has been here and their presence remains. If some belief in forest magic is represented, some faith in the ethereal goodness of Nature, then YG will seek its protection. He kneels before the stone, one hand on it. It fills his impaired vision.*
Please keep me safe. I have nothing to offer in return but I, I'm not a bad person and will be a good person for you if I may keep my life. I get things very wrong but I will try.
*After a pause, YG sits against the stone, holding his club. He hears more howls, piercing and needy. There are at least two of them out there. He waits. A cold wind blows and makes his teeth ache. The wolves howl again - but from further away. Then again - from even further away. They are gone.
YG waits, thinking. A little more of his sight has returned and outlines are sharper. He stands and addresses the stone's owner.*
Thank you.
*YG is thirsty. He takes a short drink from his water flask, then a long drink of silence. A faint sound reaches him, determined, elemental: running water. If he is in Dunn, it must be the Wolftrack River, if not the Dunnfalls themselves. He can follow the sound, find the river and then follow the river back to town. The Crazed Heifer. His table in the back room, away from the hubbub. Warm ale and a diverting book. But-*
No. Not yet. I don't wa- I can't.
*YG turns away from the sound of the river, towards the deep of the forest, and runs.
It is several minutes before a thought crosses his mind about the stone. His stomach lurches and he stops. Then he is running again. Far away.
Back in the clearing, a sprinkling of forget-me-nots surrounds the stone. Closer to its base, they have taken on a different hue, one that might elsewhere be described as electric blue. Some are growing up the stone in an ivy of sorts, curling across its face, depositing their shimmering blueness in its carvings, as if to edit them. Carvings which roughly translate from Chinese as:*
[OOC: Young Grimwold will not be returning to play immediately, but if you have any story ideas for your character that you think might benefit from his involvement, please PM me to discuss them.]
[OOC: Young Grimwold would next be seen in Temporary Home. And for anybody who missed the reference, the title of this thread is based on a joke from the film Airplane!.
One more thing to note: the epitaph was suggested by Skiprazor when I discussed this post with him before making it.]
*Young Grimwold is rolling down a slope, leaves and twigs crackling beneath him like a struggling bonfire. He tries to slow himself down but ends up tumbling head over heels instead. He reaches the foot of the slope and comes to rest in a dip in the forest floor. Despite his rough descent, his ogrish physique has saved him from injury. An earthy aroma fills his nostrils. He feels cold mud between his fingers and starts to realise where he is; but like a fading dream, he's forgotten where he was. His eyes are still closed and the bright haze that was in front of them has faded to darkness.
YG opens his eyes. The darkness is still there. [OOC: The sensory travel sickness mentioned in my earlier ModNote.] He blinks then blinks again as if trying to strike a match, and again, but the darkness won't go.*
No... no...
*YG is overcome with nausea. He vomits. He wants to sob but he stops himself. He needs to take control, or at least kid himself that he can. Spitting out what remains in his mouth, he gets up, turns around and staggers breathlessly away. He just needs to keep moving, to be doing something. He waves his arms around to feel for trees and knock branches out of his way, grunting each time he fails and one catches him. Another performance worthy of the bloody Grimwold travelling circus. Look, father, no eyes! The forest is cold - it's night, for all he knows - and his nose is running, but he won't give in and wipe it. He sniffs in between grunts. His flailing hands miss the tree right in front of him and he smacks into it. His forehead hurts.
To the Forest of Dunn the foolhardy come...*
Alright. Very well.
*YG takes a few steps back, pauses, then rams the tree with the side of his body. He screams obscenities at it, smacks it and rams it again. He hears a crack.*
Yes. Good.
*Just for variation, he decides to ram the tree with his head. After all, his cursed brain isn't doing much. It hurts but he is pleased. With another scream, he does it again, and the tree is felled. YG is startled by how loudly it thuds to the ground. He is almost grateful he can't see it.*
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No I'm not.
*He turns to three o'clock and staggers away.
YG decides that once this is over, he will never return to the forest ever again. All it does is punish him. And even if he deserves it, he doesn't want to be punished any more. At least this time if a deranged infant jumps out of a tree and stabs him through the eye, it won't make much wretched difference. And at least he is alone, without three false friends in his head competing to be his eyes. As if he could find three people in all the realm who'd care that much about him anyway.
There is no foliage in front of YG. Just air. YG slows as he enters the clearing and feels something against his foot, too thick to be a fallen branch. He bends down to touch it. It feels familiar. His club. It doesn't surprise him that Fate has thrown in a good coincidence, a morsel of mercy: it makes the game more interesting for her. It's nice to know that conveniently placed objects aren't only for dungeoneers from other dimensions, whatever those are. YG sits, joining his club on the ground. It is grassy: there may even be flowers here. He becomes aware of ever-so-vague shapes. He turns his head and the shapes move. Maybe this latest chapter of farce will end tolerably for him after all.
A lupine howl breaks the silence. It comes from nearby. Very nearby.
YG grips his club. If he's been bleeding, the wolf may have caught the scent. Or perhaps just being a malodorous lump crashing around the forest was enough. An ogre's chances against a wolf are good; but not without his eyesight. And this wolf may not be alone. YG decides that the middle of the clearing is the safest place for him, at least until he knows from which direction the wolf will approach.
YG stands halfway up and moves in a crouch into the clearing, deluding himself that he is being stealthy. He thinks of the legends of wolves, and how poor a guide they are to dealing with the creatures. If he were an old lady, the wolf might eat him and put on his clothes. If he were a baby, the wolf might raise him to found an empire. But only if he had a brother with him. His missing brother: another of Fate's taunts. And after all those hearty laughs, it seems Fate will greedily have the last by sending wild animals to tear up his life. I hope they choke on me.
There is something hard in the clearing. Stone. It's smooth. A milestone for an overgrown path? YG pats it: there is writing carved into it - characters that YG cannot identify by touch alone - but it seems too tall to be a milestone. A standing stone then. This is unusual in Dunn. Maybe he is in the woods of Dunkley. Wherever he is, YG is comforted by the stone. Someone else has been here and their presence remains. If some belief in forest magic is represented, some faith in the ethereal goodness of Nature, then YG will seek its protection. He kneels before the stone, one hand on it. It fills his impaired vision.*
Please keep me safe. I have nothing to offer in return but I, I'm not a bad person and will be a good person for you if I may keep my life. I get things very wrong but I will try.
*After a pause, YG sits against the stone, holding his club. He hears more howls, piercing and needy. There are at least two of them out there. He waits. A cold wind blows and makes his teeth ache. The wolves howl again - but from further away. Then again - from even further away. They are gone.
YG waits, thinking. A little more of his sight has returned and outlines are sharper. He stands and addresses the stone's owner.*
Thank you.
*YG is thirsty. He takes a short drink from his water flask, then a long drink of silence. A faint sound reaches him, determined, elemental: running water. If he is in Dunn, it must be the Wolftrack River, if not the Dunnfalls themselves. He can follow the sound, find the river and then follow the river back to town. The Crazed Heifer. His table in the back room, away from the hubbub. Warm ale and a diverting book. But-*
No. Not yet. I don't wa- I can't.
*YG turns away from the sound of the river, towards the deep of the forest, and runs.
It is several minutes before a thought crosses his mind about the stone. His stomach lurches and he stops. Then he is running again. Far away.
Back in the clearing, a sprinkling of forget-me-nots surrounds the stone. Closer to its base, they have taken on a different hue, one that might elsewhere be described as electric blue. Some are growing up the stone in an ivy of sorts, curling across its face, depositing their shimmering blueness in its carvings, as if to edit them. Carvings which roughly translate from Chinese as:*
SKIPRAZOR
RETURNED TO THE SOURCE
RETURNED TO THE SOURCE
[OOC: Young Grimwold will not be returning to play immediately, but if you have any story ideas for your character that you think might benefit from his involvement, please PM me to discuss them.]
[OOC: Young Grimwold would next be seen in Temporary Home. And for anybody who missed the reference, the title of this thread is based on a joke from the film Airplane!.
One more thing to note: the epitaph was suggested by Skiprazor when I discussed this post with him before making it.]