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<font face=1><DIV align="center">Song of Hrormir<br>
<br>
<DIV align="left"> Hrormir<br>
Son of Hrorgar<br>
Summoned to the Court of Vjindak,<br>
Son of Vjinmore, King of Evensnow.<br>
"Mighty caster of magic,<br>
I charge thee to go to Aelfendor,<br>
For its hoary Warriors do threaten my Land<br>
And bring forth their cousin Demons<br>
To terrify my People."<br>
Hrormir<br>
Son of Hrorgar<br>
Heard the Words of Vjindak Evensnow.<br>
"By Icestaff,<br>
Surely I would help thee<br>
But I have already a Quest to drink<br>
Twelve Flagons of Mead in one Hour,<br>
And then to bed four Wenches,<br>
Twice each.<br>
So I must with grace decline."<br>
The King he did not smile<br>
At Hrormir and his jolly Spirit.<br>
"By thine Honor<br>
Must thou aidest my Cause<br>
For must thou takest up the Sword<br>
Of thy Companion Darfang<br>
Who took the Quest and failed."<br>
Hrormir laughed.<br>
"Now I know thou jest.<br>
My boon Mate Darfang wouldst not fail.<br>
There be no finer Bladesman.<br>
If thou chargest him, he wouldst not fall."<br>
"I did not say he fell.<br>
He joined the Dark Kings of Aelfendor<br>
And by doing so dishonored<br>
Himself and thee, his Friend."<br>
<br>
Hrormir could not believe the Words,<br>
And yet, he knew Eversnow<br>
Didst not lie.<br>
So for twenty Days and three rodeth he<br>
To the Land of Night, the Kingdom of Fear,<br>
Where the Peasants ever carried Candles<br>
Knowing what Evil awaiteth them<br>
Should they stray beyond the Glow.<br>
The Sovereigncy of three Dark Kings:<br>
Aelfendor.<br>
There, Torch in Hand, didst Hrormir<br>
Pass through haunted Countryside<br>
And frightened Villages,<br>
And through the black Gates<br>
Of the blacker Castle of Aelfendor.<br>
The three Dark Kings didst sneer<br>
At the sight of mighty Hrormir<br>
And summoned they their Champion<br>
Darfang the Blade.<br>
"My boon Companion!"<br>
Hrormir called in the Hall of Night.<br>
"I dare not trust my Eyes,<br>
For then I wouldst believe<br>
That thou hast joined with Evil,<br>
And turned thy Way from Honor<br>
And Brotherhood!"<br>
<br>
"Hrormir!"<br>
Darfang the Blade didst cry.<br>
"If thou dost not go now,<br>
One of us must die, for I hate thee!"<br>
But Hrormir was battle ready,<br>
And in the echoing Halls of Night<br>
The Blade of Darfang<br>
And the Staff of Hrormir<br>
Didst strike again and yet again.<br>
Mighty Warriors and Mages both,<br>
The boon Companions now Foes,<br>
Shook Mundus with their War.<br>
They might have fought for a Year<br>
If there were Sun in Aelfendor<br>
To mark Time,<br>
And either Hrormir or Darfang<br>
May verily have won.<br>
But Hrormir saweth through the Dark<br>
The Tears in the Eyes of his former Friend,<br>
And then he saweth the Shadow of Darfang<br>
Wert not his own.<br>
And so with Icestaff, he did strike<br>
Not Darfang, but his Shadow, which cried.<br>
"Hold, Mortal Man!"<br>
<br>
The Shadow becameth the Hag,<br>
Bent and twisted, in her Cloak and Hood.<br>
From her faceless Shadows, she hissed.<br>
"Mortal Man called Hrormir<br>
The Soul of thy boon Companion<br>
Is my Plaything,<br>
But I will take thine in trade,<br>
For though ye both have strong Arms,<br>
Thou hast the more clever Mind<br>
Which my Sons the Dark Kings need<br>
For a Champion of Aelfendor."<br>
Hrormir the brave didst not take a Breath<br>
Or pause before he boldly said.<br>
"Shadowy Hag, release Darfang,<br>
And thou mayst use me as thou will."<br>
The Hag didst laugh and freed Darfang.<br>
"To save thine Honor this thou hast done,<br>
But now thou must be without Honor<br>
Mortal Man, as the Champion<br>
Of the Dark Kings, my Heirs of Gray Maybe,<br>
Thou must help them divide Aelfendor,<br>
And love me,<br>
Thy Shadowy Hag and thy Mistress well."<br>
<br>
For his loss of Honor,<br>
And his dear Friend's Sacrifice,<br>
Noble Darfang prepared to take his Dagger<br>
And plunge it in his good Heart,<br>
But Hrormir stayed his Brother's Hand and whispered.<br>
"No, boon Companion,<br>
Wait for me at the Village Banquet Hall."<br>
And then did Darfang the Blade leave the Castle<br>
While Hrormir took the withered Claw<br>
Of the Hag, and pressed it to his Lips.<br>
"Shadowy Hag, to thee I pledge<br>
To only honor thy black Words<br>
To turn my back on Truth<br>
To aid thy Dark Kings' Ambition<br>
To divide their Inheritance fairly<br>
To love thee<br>
To think thee beautiful."<br>
Then to the Chamber in the Heart of Night<br>
Hrormir and the Hag did retire<br>
Kissed he there her wrinkled Lips<br>
And her wrinkled, sagging Breasts,<br>
For ten Days and Nights and three did Hrormir<br>
And his Icestaff<br>
Battle thus.<br>
<br>
Then Sweet Kynareth blew honeyed Winds<br>
O'er the Hills and Forest Glens of Aelfendor,<br>
And the Caress of warm blooded Dibella <br>
Coaxed the Blossoms to wanton Display<br>
So that Aelfendor became a Garden<br>
Of all the Senses.<br>
The frightened Servants of the Dark Kings<br>
Woke to find there was naught to fear<br>
And through the once dark Streets of the Village<br>
Came the Cries of Celebration.<br>
In the Banquet Hall of the Village<br>
Hrormir and his boon Companion Darfang<br>
Embraced and drank of rich Mead.<br>
The Shadowy Hag too was smiling,<br>
Sleeping still in her soft Bed,<br>
Until the morning Sun touched her naked Face<br>
And she awoke, and saw All,<br>
And knew All saw her.<br>
And she cried out:<br>
"Mortal Man!"<br>
<br>
Night fell fast upon the Land<br>
As the Hag flew into the Banquet Hall<br>
Casting blackest Darkness in her Wake<br>
But all the Celebrants still could see<br>
Her Anger<br>
In her monstrous Face<br>
And they shook with Fear.<br>
The Hag had said the Kingdom was<br>
To be divided among her Heirs.<br>
But Aelfendor had been kept whole<br>
While her Children divided,<br>
Drawn and quartered.<br>
Hrormir was mightily amused.<br>
He swallowed his Laughter<br>
In his Mead,<br>
For none should laugh outright<br>
At the Daedra Lord Nocturnal.<br>
Without her gray Cowl of shadowed Night,<br>
Her hideous Face forced the Moons<br>
To hide themselves.<br>
Hrormir the mighty did not quail.<br>
"Wherest be thine Hood, shadowy hag?"<br>
"Mortal Man hast taken it from me unaware.<br>
When I awoke, my Face unmasked,<br>
My Kingdom cast into the Light,<br>
My Dark King Heirs in Pieces cast,<br>
And here, my Champion smiles.<br>
Yet in truth, thou kept thy Promise truly,<br>
To never keep thy Promise true."<br>
<br>
Hrormir<br>
Son of Hrorgar<br>
Bowed to the Hag, his Queen.<br>
"And evermore, <br>
'Til thou releaseth me, will I serve thee so."<br>
"A clever Mind in a Champion<br>
Is a much overvalued Trait."<br>
The Hag released Hrormir's Soul<br>
And he released her Hood.<br>
And so in the Light of darkest Dark,<br>
She left Aelfendor evermore.<br>
And after drinking twelve Flagons of Mead,<br>
And bedding four Wenches<br>
Twice each,<br>
Did Darfang return to Eversnow<br>
With Hrormir<br>
Son of Hrorgar. <br>
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