Legends of Revelation

Running was all that was left.  Running was the only option that seemed to work.  Sofronia clutched her side with one hand, blood squeezing between her fingers in spite of the pressure.  Her other arm held onto  a teady bear sized rock golem, whose body threatened to turn into sand at any moment.

"Don’t die on me Cici" she whispered.  Her face was caked with blood and dirt, and her angelic blond hair was matted and falling out if her elaborate braids.  Just an hour ago she was in her way to Queynos to celebrate her 12th birthday. They were a day from their destination when the orcs attacked.  She now found herself running for her life with half a dozen orcs on her tail.

Suddenly her foot found its way into the opening of a rodents den.  Her foot became stuck and with a sharp pain it pulled her body to the ground. She could feel Cici's stone body slam into her ribs as she hit the ground.  She then found herself at the feet of a peculiar creature.  At first glance it appeared to be a short man, but his skin was covered in fur and had the face of a rat.  He wore a tight chainmail vest over a heavy silk shirt and pants that appeared to be form fitted by interwoven cords.  The brown fur of the stranger appeared to be graying, more so at his muzzle.

"Be calm lass, I’m here to help you." His surprisingly deep voice adopting a calming paternal tone.  In that same moment his focus shifted to behind her.  With a flick of his wrists the stranger pulled out two daggers. To Sofronia they seemed to come from the air itself.  Like an arrow shot from a bow her mysterious savior launched himself towards her would be assailants, disappearing into the darkness.  It took her a few moments to strain her eyes to pierce the darkness and sense the violence unfolding before her.  The sound of orcs shouting was accompanied by the vision of the ratman, standing on the orcs shoulders,  flailing at it’s neck like a child playing in a pond.  It was certainly not careless or even haphazard, as five of the six orcs already lay motionless on the ground.   Even before the last orc fell to the ground the ratman was by her side.   His clothes and face were covered in dark, foul smelling blood.

“My name is Thorgnyr” He said in the common tongue. “Can you stand?”  Sofronia looked down at her ankle, it hurt but it wasn’t injured.   She nodded in the positive, unsure of the appropriate response.  She was never sure of a response in the common tongue, as her only experience with it was in the classroom.  Foreign languages had always been her weakest subject.   Thorgnyr knelt down and  took Sofronia’s hand placing her arm around his neck.   When the two stood up, Sofronia realized how small Thorgnyr was; as she was only keeling while he was fully standing.

“Well, that didn’t get us very far.” Thorgnyr let out a hearty chuckle. “I think you’ll have to do the rest on your own.  What’s your name child?”

“Sofronia Katharos, Daughter of Odilia Katharos, of the House of Katharos.”  Sofronia worried that her name was too much for Thorgnyr to understand.  After all, how could something so small be capable of any intelligence. 

“The House of Katharos, I know of them.” Thorgnyr said. He took a step back from Sofronia, cleared his voice,  and extended into a bow.  “Please allow me to properly introduce myself.  I am Thorgnyr Olef, of the Kelda Clan, third husband of Runnah Kelda.”  Sofornia was surprised that the ratman she just met seemed so formal.  She didn’t know what to make of it, her world began to spin around her and she lost balance.  Before she knew it she was on the ground with Thorgnyr kneeling beside her, the gash in her side began to send sharp bolts of pain through her body. 

“You’re injured. Damn me for having not spotted it earlier.” Thorgnyr said, panic filled his voice.  “Be still, I’ll get help.”  Thorgnyr looked as though he was going to shout to someone in the distance, but instead he emitted a high pitched screeching sound that pierced both the air and her ears.  Within moments another ratman ran in from the darkness and took up place beside Thorgnyr.  The newly arrived ratman had darker fur that wasn’t graying at all.  The seemed to speak to each other using high pitched screeching noises, she was certain that most of it was too high pitched for her to hear.

“My brother tells me that your family is safe.  He will tend to your wounds while I tell your family that you are also safe.” Thorgnyr said before slipping away into the darkness.  She felt her side tingle as a soft glow began to emit from her caretaker and the wound on her side began to close.  It was not long before Sofronia heard her mother, Odilia,  calling to her.  When her mother arrived, she was being accompanied by a servant carrying an crimson stained glass lantern. 

“Thank Tunare, I was afraid I lost you.”  Odilia said as she knelt down at Sofronia’s side, across from the ratman.  It could be said that Sofronia was the mirror image of her mother.  Her slender eyes and high cheekbones rounded out to a face that was rather smug, even for a high elf.  Sofronia sat up to hug her mother, accidently pushing her ratongan healer onto his back in the process. 

“Thorgnyr saved me.” Sofronia said “He killed the orcs.” Her mother brought Sofronia to arms length so they could see eye to eye.  Her mother, while dirt and mud covered,  kept a small smile on her face. 

“You’ll have to thank Thorgnyr then.”  Odilia said in their native tongue.  Odilia’s eyes shift behind Sofronia, and her face changed to concern. “Let’s start by apologizing to the nice man who you knocked over.”  Sofronia looked over her shoulder to where the ratman was standing.  He was brushing off dirt from his green silk pants, upon noticing her glance he made a hand gesture that Sofronia didn’t understand. 

“He say’s not to worry about him.” Thorgnyrs voice came from the edge of the lanterns light.  “I must apologize, my brother does not speak the common language.”   Thorgnyr had returned. The night began to give way as large group of people followed him.  The light came from the rest of her family as well as a large number of Ratongas.  The area was well lit now from the glass lanterns every other family member was carrying.  While the groups were intermixed, there didn’t seem to be any talking between the high elves and the ratonga.  A few steps behind Thorgnyr was the clan leader Hilarion.  While short by high elf standards Hilairon’s stunted frame still towered over the small ratonga. 

“…so it is agreed.” Hilarion said in the common tongue, bending at the waist into a bow that was more of a drawn out nod.  Turning to face Hilarion Thorgnyr extended fully into a bow.

“Yes…again, you honor us with your generosity, and  with that we shall leave you in piece.”  Thorgnyr said before making a circular hand motion in the air and pointing into the distance.  The crowd of ratongans made their way into the darkness, many of them waving as they left.  There was a rush of whispering between members of Sofronia’s family.  Hilarion raised his hand to quiet the crowd.  Hilarion was the leader of the House of Katharos.  His short stature belittled the high amount of respect he commanded from his family.

“Tonight we survived an attack.” Hilarion’s said, turning  as he spoke in their native language, to face the crowd of Sofronia’s family.  “Our aid came from an unexpected place.  Out of respect, and fully in the tradition of the House of Katharos, I have invited the Kelda clan for a dinner in their honor.”  The rush of whispers returned even more than before, but were quelled by another quieting gesture by Hilarion.  “Having saved my dear Odilia’s only child, they will be given all of the respect that an honored guest deserves.”  With that her family continued on their way to Queynos.

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