Cayzle's Wemic Site
 |
|
|
||||||||||
|
 |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Singing with Two Satyrs
In the Culverwood, the Chosen met two fey. The satyrs asked about females, and they showed signs that they had been touched by the newly awakened Fey King. This is the story of the bargain that the Chosen made with them, featuring a duel, or duet, of songs.
"My name is Thadius," says the satyr with the little goatee, as open hand on furred chest he inclines his head. Looking up, he continues, "and this is my brother, Thalpius." Thalpius smiles and accepting Flat-Top's wineskin from Zeoll, takes a little swig. "Too bad about the females," he says. Thadius continues, "we have witnessed many changes in nature since the return of Ebyron," he touches his over-large curly horns and his eyes get a far away look. Flat-Top and Zeoll notice the features that make them satyrs are too-large and out of proportion. Their hooves and goat legs are almost twice the normal size, and the horns on the sides of their heads would be hunter trophies if they were found on wild sheep. They say that the minotaurs especially look like relatives of some sort.
Moving closer to the fire Thadius answers some of the questions, "there are many caves in the Culverwood, and lots of monsters and other interesting creatures too." Crouching and poking at the buring wood, the satyr says, "we can tell you some things about the forest over breakfast, but you might have to talk to the Greenmage or someone else if you need other answers."
Given the fauns' preoccupation with the fairer sex, and the obvious growth out of proportion of certain parts of their anatomy, Zeoll cannot help but wonder about the extent to which these developments have affected the fey creatures' ... uh ... concupiscence. But the smiling liontaur looks the satyrs in the eyes (and no lower) and puts aside his curiousity in favor of diplomacy.
"Thadius, Thalpius, it is a grreat pleasurre to meet you." When the fey mentions that the Chosen look like kin, Zeoll's eyes light up. "It has been a theory of mine that there are more taurrs kin to us than just the minotaurs, centaurrs, and liontaurrs. We rrecently met a perrson who looked like a cousin of yours -- he said he was a gnoat ... a kind of goat-taurr. His name was Masterr Grrith." Zeoll wonders if the name will ring a bell.
"As I am a drruid myself, I would be pleased to meet this grreenmage of whom you speak. We would apprreciate his orr herr advice," says Zeoll. "Should we settle the deal of how much we will offerr you forr guiding us? Maybe a gold piece a day each, with a sharre in ourr food and prrotection, such as we can offerr, frrom the dangerrs we might meet? And a prromise that you will not leave us until we arre once again out of the wood?"The satyrs share their food with the Chosen, and show the party how to cook their bread. While the Chosen of Domi hold their sticks of baking bread over the fire, the satyrs' tell them about the Culverwood, ignoring Zeoll's attempt to strike a deal. They explain how without a good guide, someone who knows the forest, its shifting paths, and its monsters, a party could get lost. How the wood tends to capture travelers by magically altering the landscape to appear that it goes on forever. How the forest seems to be sentient, and looks with disfavour on those who light large fires, harm live wood, pick plants, dig any holes, or injure any of the creatures found in the forest. "Especially hedgehogs!" announces Thalpius, and Thadius starts to laugh, reaching out for Flat-Top's wine skin.
Zeoll wonders why the satyrs have ignored his offer of a deal. He tries one more time. "New frriends, you arre exactly rright! We do need good guides. Guides who will keep us frrom harrm and bring us out of the forrest afterr we have enterred."
"Are you offerring to be the guides we need?" The liontaur takes out his drums and sings:
Two fauns we met forr brreakfast once
And overr fish and brread,
We learrned and laughed and drrank theirr health
And this is what they said:
"Come follow us but do bewarre"
"Of hedgehogs in yourr bed!""Beggars can't be choosers!" squeals Thadius repeating Brahmah's observation to Gecktar. The satyr's outburst is interrupted by the diplomatic Zeoll's music and song. Thalpius does not hesitate, and pulls out a musical instrument composed of several hollow reeds of graduated size tied together in descending order. With a wink at Toro's, he begins to play (all, Will save vs DC 14 or be Charmed and feel compelled to dance!) and when Zeoll's rhyme is done it is followed by one from the satyr.
When therrre's folks like you in the forrrest,
They're usually from away.
'tis mostly folks like us who rrrest,
In the kingdom of the fae!
Reverse psychology from a cow,
Sweet flatterrry from a lion.
Your guides we agree to be, for now,
Our prrrice ? Five barrels of wine!The singing satyr rolls his r's in an exaggerated fashion to mimic the wemic's accent.
Zeol is unaffected by the compelling dance music, and his countersong prevents the fey music from compelling the Chosen to dance. Some choose to do so anyway. The liontaur taps his drum and sings, with an amused scolding tone in his voice:
Now Thadius and Thalpius,
Yourr song is cute and sweet.
But it is not polite to trry
To charrm ourr dancing feet.
We dance forr love of dance, my frriends!
No need forr you to cheat!Zeoll stands and bows gracefully as he sings his countersong, and performs a few steps of a slow dance. When the dance is over, Zeoll says to his fellow Chosen, "Well, frriends, shall we take these rrude fellows to guide us thrrough the wood? They arre prranksterrs, we see, but harrmless enough, I deem. If they will swearr to guide us faithfully, leading us as safely as they can, and brringing us out of the Woods again, then I forr one would swearr to pay them theirr prrice and prrotect them while they arre with us as if they werre ourr brrotherrs." Zeoll makes this speech in common, not in Taur, because he wants the satyrs to hear it.
Unperturbed by the satyr's magic Toros and Gecktar abandon themselves to the dance. Manes fly. Beads and totem bags bounce and swing, as minotaur and wemic twist and shout. Soon they are joined by an excited Flat-Top while Zeoll chooses a more sedate form of self expression. Brahmah, unable to completely let down his guard, watches, his head resting on his pack.
Zeoll asks the satyr's for a commitment to lead the party safely through the Culverwood. "By Grynntym's staff, you press us hard, you do!" cries Thadius. "We will! We will!" promises Thalpius. Turning to Flat-Top he continues, "but six barrels of wine it is, and the very same that you have in your skin. I have never had so good as that before!" Taking up his pipes he prances towards a narrow part of the river that separates the Red Hills from the forest of the Culverwood. Thadius kicks sand over the dying embers of the small campfire, and beckons to the recumbent minotaur that it is time to go. As he skips after his brother, he sings,
Tell all the Truth but tell it slant --
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise.
Thalpius skips and jumps over the boulders and waits for the party on the other side of the river, while Thadius bows low, and sweeps his arm over the river, inviting the party to do the same. The early morning sun glints off the water as it empties from the little pool and bubbles over rocks and through boulders, making its way southward. The green coolness of the forest beckons.