As a way of introduction, this is not a prose story, rather, this is a proper Epic, and by that, I mean a poem that tells the story of heroic deeds and adventures. It is based off an ongoing Pen and Paper Fantasy Bronze Age Savage Worlds Campaign I have been running off and on for the last few years with some real life friends, as such, most of those featured and the events were RPed out by the people involved. There is more in the works, the entirety of this first section has been RPed out and I just need to complete it.
If people have any questions about it, feel free to inquire, and I'll try and explain, there's an actual proper cosmology behind everything, if people are curious.
So without further ado, imagine a bonfire lit on a warm summer night and everyone gathered around to sing and tell stories, and then, one begin speaking this old story...
----------------
1.
The Lost Child
Come man, woman, and children all,
Hear of Harpy Queens and Dragon’s Fall,
Hear of the Torakani beneath the ground,
And of those heroes whose praise we sound.
In days long past let us remember,
The names of Kings and their splendor,
Jerook of Hasharon did then rule,
With his wife Hifanda, her visage cool.
It all began in Jerook’s twentieth year,
A girl of Hasharon did disappear,
To seek her out Jerook did task,
A guard, his bastard, to find her fast.
Garile, known as the Man Without Fright,
Took with him the slave Dwells-In-Light,
With them came Paro a young smith blessed,
And the scribe Salose as they trekked west.
Guided by Noden, blessed hunter of the El,
They found the girl where darkness dwell,
In shallow caverns hid in dark,
They saw what puts fear in all men’s heart.
But these heroes did not give into fear,
As they faced the Spawn of Ir,
Many mouths and formless there did lay,
That which had taken the girl astray.
Bronze and fire, wood and stone,
Cut down the Spawn of the Chaos lone,
But infected the girl had become,
And another quest was thus begun.
2.
The Tree of Life
The Flower of Life they went out to seek,
Through darkest path and highest peak,
Found high in a valley a Tree of Life,
They found the cure without strife.
To Hasharon they set out to thus return,
And on their journey a secret did learn,
The Harpy Queen flew down to meet,
Seeking them from her flaming peak.
With her two daughters pretty and bold,
Children of Jerook as was already told,
Ki’tee’ah, stubborn, proud and strong,
Tchee’ah, canny and with plans long.
Garile, Dwells, Paro, Salose, and Noden,
Returned to Hasharon where they’d began,
The flowers to the priests did they give,
So that the girl could continue to live.
Power pulsed and blessings flew,
As the gods and mortals they did hew,
The taint of the Ir they thus did destroy,
And filled the city with cries of joy.
Jerook did bless and praise his son,
And his companions for they’d won,
And so they were given to understand,
In the Games they would champion their land.
3.
The Solar Games
Sword and spear, bow and spell,
Chariot and challenge let us tell,
Of how the Heroes of Hasharon,
Earned their name in word and song.
To Great Confluence they all did go,
For the Solar Games that all do know,
Jerook, Hifanda, their daughters four,
And his newborn son: Derramore.
There Garile and Salose did fight,
In the single challenges their skills alight,
All opponents they did defeat,
Until the end where they did meet.
Fist and foot against bronze and stone,
The two did fight until one alone,
Claimed the victory of the field,
To Garile did Salose yield.
To the chariot challenge did three men,
Garile, Paro, and Noden,
Seek to claim the victor’s crown,
And so they raced and shot down.
A harder challenge none could meet,
But those three they did defeat,
All other racers from far and near,
And stood together without fear.
But their greatest victory as yet lay,
In the Great Fights of the coming day,
Against other teams they thus did bleed,
And upheld the honor against a dark weed.
For from the lands of the Ken-Ymir came,
Their champions in masks with hearts aflame,
To humiliate the Elnin and make all fear,
And show their strength was without peer.
4.
The Battle Against the Ken-Ymir
It was clear and hot, a perfect day,
The crowds was ready to see the fray,
The Champion of the Ken-Ymir did mock,
The gods and their dependable flock.
Garile lead the Heroes to the fight,
To defend their honor and the right,
His spear of black rock shone,
And he marched out unalone.
Salose walked out without any straggle,
His fists and foot ready to battle,
A man who sought the perfect blow,
A scribe who sought to lay enemies low.
Paro the smith came just a little behind,
His heart and soul to El-Hasha did mind,
The flames of the goddess he did command,
And guided with his worthy hand.
Noden the hunter, a man of the wood,
Blessed by El-Oren there he stood,
His faithful hound guarding his side,
An arrow knocked, for a target he bide.
Dwells-in-Light the slave came last,
His shelled hands did seek to grasp,
The secrets of both blood and bone,
He too fought to defend his home.
The masked warriors of the Ken-Ymir,
Their statue tall and strong without peer,
Each warrior wearing their sacred masks,
No face of their did shadow cast.
Their champion stood club glinting bright,
Black rocks shone in reflected light,
A challenge to Garile he did bring,
To test their strength in the combat ring.
Sorcerers with masks stood near behind,
Their dark magics seeking to find,
The hearts and minds of the El-nin,
And so with that let battle begin.
All begins with a clash of club and spear,
The close blows striking all with fear,
That this day would see Garile laid low,
For his shield cracked beneath the blow.
But soon guided arrow and blessed fire,
Pushed back the Ken-Ymir and raised their ire,
A burst of acid, Fist, foot and minds,
And so both found their battle lines.
Blood and sweat, tears and pain,
All intermixed in glorious refrain,
Yet in the end there stood proud and tall,
The Heroes of Hasharon all.
Thus earned victory over the deadly foe,
The Ken-Ymir mourned in shock and woe,
The gods to the heroes their presence show,
For they had watched the battle below.
To Garile, she of strength, Nin-Tora, did give,
A shield to ensure he would continue to live,
To Salose, her husband, he of the word,
Nin-Wallel did give a scroll unheard.
To Paro, the maiden of hearth and home,
El-Hasha did grant a hammer alone,
To Noden, the chilly hunter of lore,
El-Oren did grant his hound to be more.
Dwells-In-Light also drew the gods’ appeal,
Nin-Wallel granted him a knife to heal,
And so they celebrated through the night,
For they were the champions of the right.
5.
Mission to the Harpies
So summer ended and harvest came,
The heroes had so far made their name,
And thus did to their lives return,
In warm homes winter winds they did spurn.
As winter waned and spring did grow,
The paths and roads opened down below,
To the Harpy Queen they were sent,
To bear Jerook’s gifts and words they went.
High among the mountains high,
The harpies flew across the sky,
And on a high peak there did reign,
The Harpy Queen by eternal flame.
But all were not happy in their roost,
The Red Stripes chaffed at perceived abuse,
But that did not prevent the feast,
The Queen declared to celebrate peace.
A challenge, a contest, was issued to the elite,
To find the greatest breast to eat,
And so the Heroes they did go below,
Into darkness and danger they did go.
And there they found a great wyrm,
Its shell hard, its power firm,
With arrow and fire they did meet,
And with their strength the wyrm was beat.
Its shell to armor was then made,
Its tooth to dagger with sharpest blade,
Its meat was taken back to feed,
Man and harpy, a great deed.
And so it was they won the day,
And Red Striped rued the way,
Their challenges were toss aside,
For the Heroes had turned the tide.
And so they returned again home,
Thinking they would not again roam,
But in their haste to win the day,
They missed that Tchee’ah went her own way.
6.
Wyvren Hunt
So spring ended and summer ‘s heat warmed,
The herds and the farms all seemed charmed,
The slaves in the mines drew copper and ore,
The wealth of Hasharon grew as before.
Peace reigned in the city near ancient stone,
And none of the people wandered alone,
And summer turned once more unto fall,
And the herds were brought up to the wall.
A scream and a cry in the cool autumn night,
The cattle and sheep all bolted in fright,
On thick leather wings a predator came,
Tearing beast apart with claw and with flame.
Jerrook summoned the heroes that very night,
And told them of beast with breath burning bright,
Wyvren not seen since his grandfather’s day,
Had once again come to make men it’s prey.
And so once again our heroes went out,
To challenge the wyvern to a great bought,
Over land and mountain they tracked the beast,
To ensure it could not of herds and men feast.
In a shallow dark cave high on mountainside,
They found the wyvern where it did now bide,
A roar it released striking all with fear,
But no hero did flee like a faint hearted deer.
From its maw did spew forth great heated flame,
And struck forth at them with claw, tail, and fang,
Its great hide did turn aside many blows,
For few beast did it count among worth foes.
But with bronze, stone, and spell did the heroes reply,
And under numerous blows the wyvern did die,
The great beast slain, its fires now chill,
The heroes took from it trophies at will.
And so they returned to great fair and feast,
For they had slain the dangerous beast,
And so all quieted down in peaceful Hasharon,
While minstrels did sing their victory song.
7.
Rumors of War
Far to the east of beloved Hasharon,
The drums of war began beating their song,
Across the far eastern plains the Ken-Ymir came,
Cursing all gods and their holy name.
Masked warriors and sorcerers struck the Elnin,
Burning village and town, committing great sin,
The call went out to all Kings of the land,
For them to come and all lend hand.
To Hasharon the tidings did come,
And Jerrook looked out under summer sun,
He called forth his warrior and chariots score,
And marched off to join in the great war.
Across river and stream, field, forest, and hill,
They all marched together with united will,
Knowing that their home would be safe for a while,
Under the watchful gaze of the hero Gurile.
There in the plain of the eastern frontier,
Jerrook met the armies of the Ken-Ymir,
With other Kings from the frontiers of the Elnin,
The battle was joined with great vigor and vim.
Bronze, stone, and spell flews both forth and back,
But disunited the Elnin were found to lack,
But Jerrook rallied the riot and turned back the tide,
And on that day thousands of Ken-Ymir died.
The enemies scattered for a brief time,
And the Elnin rested and set in their line,
More troops from east and west all marched to join,
Raised bronze and stone and girded their loins.
Through summers warriors skirmished and raided,
The conflict continued barely abated,
All the free towns and cities of the Elnin,
Knew that more was yet to begin.
8.
The First Princess of the Torakani
With Jerrook far from home the Queen Hifanda sent,
Deep into the earth Gurile and his companions went,
To strike a harsh blow against Torakani,
Many a monstrous bug would assuredly die.
So into the depths did they march gird for war,
To seek out the Tora-kani as Jerrook had before,
The first tribe they fought and defeated with guile,
But found only warriors, no queen or juvenile.
Dwells-In-Light warned them of the odd lack,
And so deeper into the depths they did track,
And deep within the old mountains’ core,
They found what no one else had before,
Within the blessed by El-Hasha mountain’s heart,
A stone ziggurat rose with a town apart,
Filled with innumerous Tora-kani,
Gurile and the rest would soon discover why.
A flag of truce was offered to them,
And they were escorted by the bug men,
To the top of ziggurat where they found,
A new Tora-kani ruler beneath the ground.
Her shell was lined and looked like scales,
Her visage harsh, her claws harder than nails,
Her four eyes glistened with intelligence bright,
For she was ruler of the eternal night.
First-Princess of the Tora-kani was she,
And ruler of this the First-City,
Torn she was between mercy and death,
And so they slept as her prisoner-guests.
9.
The Visions of Stares-At-Sun
In the night a laborer Tora-kani came,
And asked for Dwells-In-Light by name,
Know to his fellows as Stares-At-Sun,
He had a quest he himself had just begun.
He wished to know the secrets of the sky,
But feared that if he stepped out he would die,
So Dwells-In-Light spoke with him all night long,
And told him of all with story and song.
When he told him of the gods of the El and Nin,
A new desire began to well within,
He took from his belt the god-gifted knife,
And gave it into Stares’ hand beginning his new life.
Stares-At-Sun looked upon the far distance wall,
And began there writing in language god-gifted to all,
He wrote quickly in spirals that curled from its core,
Continuing through the day filling walls and more.
Divine wisdom granted from Nin-Wallel was wrote,
And the El and Nin gods unto him did spoke,
A new order proscribed for the Tora-Kani,
So they could be civil and not need to die.
First-Princess heard of the revelation thus given,
And agreed to make peace bearing hostage and pen,
The young Speaks-In-Tongues, her protégé, she sent,
With Guards and Gurile to Hasharon they went.
With her two great guards, Princes of the Tora-Kani,
Holds-The-Line, a warrior who always refused to die,
And Stabs-The-Last a canny old war hand,
Along with their small warrior-band.
Upon their arrival Hifanda did send in return,
Her two youngest daughter so that they might learn,
Along with some priest to educate the rest,
And so both now had their hostage-guest.
If people have any questions about it, feel free to inquire, and I'll try and explain, there's an actual proper cosmology behind everything, if people are curious.
So without further ado, imagine a bonfire lit on a warm summer night and everyone gathered around to sing and tell stories, and then, one begin speaking this old story...
----------------
1.
The Lost Child
Come man, woman, and children all,
Hear of Harpy Queens and Dragon’s Fall,
Hear of the Torakani beneath the ground,
And of those heroes whose praise we sound.
In days long past let us remember,
The names of Kings and their splendor,
Jerook of Hasharon did then rule,
With his wife Hifanda, her visage cool.
It all began in Jerook’s twentieth year,
A girl of Hasharon did disappear,
To seek her out Jerook did task,
A guard, his bastard, to find her fast.
Garile, known as the Man Without Fright,
Took with him the slave Dwells-In-Light,
With them came Paro a young smith blessed,
And the scribe Salose as they trekked west.
Guided by Noden, blessed hunter of the El,
They found the girl where darkness dwell,
In shallow caverns hid in dark,
They saw what puts fear in all men’s heart.
But these heroes did not give into fear,
As they faced the Spawn of Ir,
Many mouths and formless there did lay,
That which had taken the girl astray.
Bronze and fire, wood and stone,
Cut down the Spawn of the Chaos lone,
But infected the girl had become,
And another quest was thus begun.
2.
The Tree of Life
The Flower of Life they went out to seek,
Through darkest path and highest peak,
Found high in a valley a Tree of Life,
They found the cure without strife.
To Hasharon they set out to thus return,
And on their journey a secret did learn,
The Harpy Queen flew down to meet,
Seeking them from her flaming peak.
With her two daughters pretty and bold,
Children of Jerook as was already told,
Ki’tee’ah, stubborn, proud and strong,
Tchee’ah, canny and with plans long.
Garile, Dwells, Paro, Salose, and Noden,
Returned to Hasharon where they’d began,
The flowers to the priests did they give,
So that the girl could continue to live.
Power pulsed and blessings flew,
As the gods and mortals they did hew,
The taint of the Ir they thus did destroy,
And filled the city with cries of joy.
Jerook did bless and praise his son,
And his companions for they’d won,
And so they were given to understand,
In the Games they would champion their land.
3.
The Solar Games
Sword and spear, bow and spell,
Chariot and challenge let us tell,
Of how the Heroes of Hasharon,
Earned their name in word and song.
To Great Confluence they all did go,
For the Solar Games that all do know,
Jerook, Hifanda, their daughters four,
And his newborn son: Derramore.
There Garile and Salose did fight,
In the single challenges their skills alight,
All opponents they did defeat,
Until the end where they did meet.
Fist and foot against bronze and stone,
The two did fight until one alone,
Claimed the victory of the field,
To Garile did Salose yield.
To the chariot challenge did three men,
Garile, Paro, and Noden,
Seek to claim the victor’s crown,
And so they raced and shot down.
A harder challenge none could meet,
But those three they did defeat,
All other racers from far and near,
And stood together without fear.
But their greatest victory as yet lay,
In the Great Fights of the coming day,
Against other teams they thus did bleed,
And upheld the honor against a dark weed.
For from the lands of the Ken-Ymir came,
Their champions in masks with hearts aflame,
To humiliate the Elnin and make all fear,
And show their strength was without peer.
4.
The Battle Against the Ken-Ymir
It was clear and hot, a perfect day,
The crowds was ready to see the fray,
The Champion of the Ken-Ymir did mock,
The gods and their dependable flock.
Garile lead the Heroes to the fight,
To defend their honor and the right,
His spear of black rock shone,
And he marched out unalone.
Salose walked out without any straggle,
His fists and foot ready to battle,
A man who sought the perfect blow,
A scribe who sought to lay enemies low.
Paro the smith came just a little behind,
His heart and soul to El-Hasha did mind,
The flames of the goddess he did command,
And guided with his worthy hand.
Noden the hunter, a man of the wood,
Blessed by El-Oren there he stood,
His faithful hound guarding his side,
An arrow knocked, for a target he bide.
Dwells-in-Light the slave came last,
His shelled hands did seek to grasp,
The secrets of both blood and bone,
He too fought to defend his home.
The masked warriors of the Ken-Ymir,
Their statue tall and strong without peer,
Each warrior wearing their sacred masks,
No face of their did shadow cast.
Their champion stood club glinting bright,
Black rocks shone in reflected light,
A challenge to Garile he did bring,
To test their strength in the combat ring.
Sorcerers with masks stood near behind,
Their dark magics seeking to find,
The hearts and minds of the El-nin,
And so with that let battle begin.
All begins with a clash of club and spear,
The close blows striking all with fear,
That this day would see Garile laid low,
For his shield cracked beneath the blow.
But soon guided arrow and blessed fire,
Pushed back the Ken-Ymir and raised their ire,
A burst of acid, Fist, foot and minds,
And so both found their battle lines.
Blood and sweat, tears and pain,
All intermixed in glorious refrain,
Yet in the end there stood proud and tall,
The Heroes of Hasharon all.
Thus earned victory over the deadly foe,
The Ken-Ymir mourned in shock and woe,
The gods to the heroes their presence show,
For they had watched the battle below.
To Garile, she of strength, Nin-Tora, did give,
A shield to ensure he would continue to live,
To Salose, her husband, he of the word,
Nin-Wallel did give a scroll unheard.
To Paro, the maiden of hearth and home,
El-Hasha did grant a hammer alone,
To Noden, the chilly hunter of lore,
El-Oren did grant his hound to be more.
Dwells-In-Light also drew the gods’ appeal,
Nin-Wallel granted him a knife to heal,
And so they celebrated through the night,
For they were the champions of the right.
5.
Mission to the Harpies
So summer ended and harvest came,
The heroes had so far made their name,
And thus did to their lives return,
In warm homes winter winds they did spurn.
As winter waned and spring did grow,
The paths and roads opened down below,
To the Harpy Queen they were sent,
To bear Jerook’s gifts and words they went.
High among the mountains high,
The harpies flew across the sky,
And on a high peak there did reign,
The Harpy Queen by eternal flame.
But all were not happy in their roost,
The Red Stripes chaffed at perceived abuse,
But that did not prevent the feast,
The Queen declared to celebrate peace.
A challenge, a contest, was issued to the elite,
To find the greatest breast to eat,
And so the Heroes they did go below,
Into darkness and danger they did go.
And there they found a great wyrm,
Its shell hard, its power firm,
With arrow and fire they did meet,
And with their strength the wyrm was beat.
Its shell to armor was then made,
Its tooth to dagger with sharpest blade,
Its meat was taken back to feed,
Man and harpy, a great deed.
And so it was they won the day,
And Red Striped rued the way,
Their challenges were toss aside,
For the Heroes had turned the tide.
And so they returned again home,
Thinking they would not again roam,
But in their haste to win the day,
They missed that Tchee’ah went her own way.
6.
Wyvren Hunt
So spring ended and summer ‘s heat warmed,
The herds and the farms all seemed charmed,
The slaves in the mines drew copper and ore,
The wealth of Hasharon grew as before.
Peace reigned in the city near ancient stone,
And none of the people wandered alone,
And summer turned once more unto fall,
And the herds were brought up to the wall.
A scream and a cry in the cool autumn night,
The cattle and sheep all bolted in fright,
On thick leather wings a predator came,
Tearing beast apart with claw and with flame.
Jerrook summoned the heroes that very night,
And told them of beast with breath burning bright,
Wyvren not seen since his grandfather’s day,
Had once again come to make men it’s prey.
And so once again our heroes went out,
To challenge the wyvern to a great bought,
Over land and mountain they tracked the beast,
To ensure it could not of herds and men feast.
In a shallow dark cave high on mountainside,
They found the wyvern where it did now bide,
A roar it released striking all with fear,
But no hero did flee like a faint hearted deer.
From its maw did spew forth great heated flame,
And struck forth at them with claw, tail, and fang,
Its great hide did turn aside many blows,
For few beast did it count among worth foes.
But with bronze, stone, and spell did the heroes reply,
And under numerous blows the wyvern did die,
The great beast slain, its fires now chill,
The heroes took from it trophies at will.
And so they returned to great fair and feast,
For they had slain the dangerous beast,
And so all quieted down in peaceful Hasharon,
While minstrels did sing their victory song.
7.
Rumors of War
Far to the east of beloved Hasharon,
The drums of war began beating their song,
Across the far eastern plains the Ken-Ymir came,
Cursing all gods and their holy name.
Masked warriors and sorcerers struck the Elnin,
Burning village and town, committing great sin,
The call went out to all Kings of the land,
For them to come and all lend hand.
To Hasharon the tidings did come,
And Jerrook looked out under summer sun,
He called forth his warrior and chariots score,
And marched off to join in the great war.
Across river and stream, field, forest, and hill,
They all marched together with united will,
Knowing that their home would be safe for a while,
Under the watchful gaze of the hero Gurile.
There in the plain of the eastern frontier,
Jerrook met the armies of the Ken-Ymir,
With other Kings from the frontiers of the Elnin,
The battle was joined with great vigor and vim.
Bronze, stone, and spell flews both forth and back,
But disunited the Elnin were found to lack,
But Jerrook rallied the riot and turned back the tide,
And on that day thousands of Ken-Ymir died.
The enemies scattered for a brief time,
And the Elnin rested and set in their line,
More troops from east and west all marched to join,
Raised bronze and stone and girded their loins.
Through summers warriors skirmished and raided,
The conflict continued barely abated,
All the free towns and cities of the Elnin,
Knew that more was yet to begin.
8.
The First Princess of the Torakani
With Jerrook far from home the Queen Hifanda sent,
Deep into the earth Gurile and his companions went,
To strike a harsh blow against Torakani,
Many a monstrous bug would assuredly die.
So into the depths did they march gird for war,
To seek out the Tora-kani as Jerrook had before,
The first tribe they fought and defeated with guile,
But found only warriors, no queen or juvenile.
Dwells-In-Light warned them of the odd lack,
And so deeper into the depths they did track,
And deep within the old mountains’ core,
They found what no one else had before,
Within the blessed by El-Hasha mountain’s heart,
A stone ziggurat rose with a town apart,
Filled with innumerous Tora-kani,
Gurile and the rest would soon discover why.
A flag of truce was offered to them,
And they were escorted by the bug men,
To the top of ziggurat where they found,
A new Tora-kani ruler beneath the ground.
Her shell was lined and looked like scales,
Her visage harsh, her claws harder than nails,
Her four eyes glistened with intelligence bright,
For she was ruler of the eternal night.
First-Princess of the Tora-kani was she,
And ruler of this the First-City,
Torn she was between mercy and death,
And so they slept as her prisoner-guests.
9.
The Visions of Stares-At-Sun
In the night a laborer Tora-kani came,
And asked for Dwells-In-Light by name,
Know to his fellows as Stares-At-Sun,
He had a quest he himself had just begun.
He wished to know the secrets of the sky,
But feared that if he stepped out he would die,
So Dwells-In-Light spoke with him all night long,
And told him of all with story and song.
When he told him of the gods of the El and Nin,
A new desire began to well within,
He took from his belt the god-gifted knife,
And gave it into Stares’ hand beginning his new life.
Stares-At-Sun looked upon the far distance wall,
And began there writing in language god-gifted to all,
He wrote quickly in spirals that curled from its core,
Continuing through the day filling walls and more.
Divine wisdom granted from Nin-Wallel was wrote,
And the El and Nin gods unto him did spoke,
A new order proscribed for the Tora-Kani,
So they could be civil and not need to die.
First-Princess heard of the revelation thus given,
And agreed to make peace bearing hostage and pen,
The young Speaks-In-Tongues, her protégé, she sent,
With Guards and Gurile to Hasharon they went.
With her two great guards, Princes of the Tora-Kani,
Holds-The-Line, a warrior who always refused to die,
And Stabs-The-Last a canny old war hand,
Along with their small warrior-band.
Upon their arrival Hifanda did send in return,
Her two youngest daughter so that they might learn,
Along with some priest to educate the rest,
And so both now had their hostage-guest.