As he lay out under the stars waiting for sleep to take him, (as was his fashion) Garthen reflected on all the events of late...
After coming into possession of a strange wooden artifact, Garthen set out exploring the Hin forests, searching for the matriarch Candeth to ask her opinion on it's origin. After several very enjoyable, but fruitless trips, he was wandering across the northern plains near Solinar with Durgrim in tow when he came across an aged Hin fem with a snow white tiger. After exchanging pleasant greetings with her, (and assuring her cat that he was no danger) the lady inquired as to his destination. After an enjoyable visit and a long walk through a very cold stream, she lead him to Winterblossom, the home of the Hin forest walkers. When she was greated at the gate with much deference, and bowing, Garthen began to suspect there was much more to the Lady than he had been led to believe. As she led him through town to her home burrow, the idea that this was the Lady Candeth herself, having him on, loomed in his mind like the edge of a great forest. When at last they reached her snug and warm Hin-hole, He was sure. Bowing deeply after entering, he reintroduced himself and reviled his reason for seeking her out in the first place. The wooden artifact was, in fact, an ancient druidic storage jar for a gem of great power! A Holy Silvaninan diamond the size of his fist that seemed to glow and trob with the Mothers pent up energies. After deferring the gem to Candeth feeling himself not worth to bear such a treasure, she bade him to bear it until such time as it was needed. At the same time, she dubbed him Warden of the Gray Circle, and then braided a four leaf clover into his beard, naming him Friend to the Hin and granting him the freedom to pass through the living forest that guarded Winterblossom and kept its secrets from prying outsiders. Bearing the gem of power was not as difficult as he imagined, save for the faint greenish glow of Silvanian energy that seeped through the mystical and thus his very bones, surrounding him with a distinct green-gold glow that resulted in an ore cart load of questions.
Then there was the island adventure... following an order from the Mother herself, Garthen, his uncle Rugnar and another adventurer found themselves on an island that seemed to be being slowly devoured by otherworldly powers. After exploring and finding an insane former human behind it all, they did battle with him, finally besting him by tossing him into one of his own planar vortices. In the chaos of battle, their fellow traveler was also lost into a vortice, not wanting to loose him Gathen and rugnar chased after him, finally rescuing him... but at a cost... His already uneasiness about sleeping underground became an overwhelming need to sleep outside, under the stars, and his uncle was sporting a hogs tail!
The seasons passed and brought with them a new menace. While enjoying the warm, afternoon by the Great Tree outside Solinar, a strange purple mist began to issue from a spot in the ground nearby. As the evil mist spread, giant ugly twisted pumpkins followed in its wake. Normal means of dealing with such outbreaks seemed useless, almost seeming to aid in the spread of the pumpkin plague! After trying every type of spell he knew and then resorting to physical violence that only caused him injury, Garthen remembered the powerful gem he carried. After hurriedly opening his pouch and pulling out the gem, he strode forwards into the killer pumpkins, concentrating on the energies inside the gem. As the vines seemed to wither back and die, the gem glowed brighter and hotter in his hand, becoming too hot to hold. After placing it on the ground to let it cool, he picked it up and moved on to another spot, driving the evil vegetable before him. Another adventurer was doing the same thing on the other side of the tree, also seeming to have a gem of her own! Finally, after hours of endless toil, the pumpkins seemed to be growing back faster than the gem could destroy them an d to make matters worse, a deep crack had developed in his gem causing its power to flair wildly. Fearing the worst, Garthen decided to make the supreme sacrifice. Finding the spot where the mist had started, he placed his cracked, hot throbbing gem on the ground and with a prayer to Silvana and a good overhand swing with his staff, he smote the gem with all of his might!
The resulting explosion stopped the spread and thus the threat of the evil mist and pumpkins. It also killed another fellow adventurer as well as himself and shook the very walls of the city. After being raised up, he sadly searched for the remains of the gem he'd been tasked to carry, gathering up what fragments he could find and sadly tucking them away to show to the Lady Candeth and accept whatever punishment she deemed fit for him for destroying a priceless artifact.
That trip to the Crossroads led to the encounter with the Headless Horse-Hin and learning about Hin-lore magic contained in carved pumpkins.
And with that thought in mind, Garthen snuggled up to his warm companion and finally lets sleep take him away...
_________________ Fools often mistake the musing of genius for the raving of insanity.
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