Songs of Arabel (4)
Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 3:14 am
The Whispering Reeds fabrication Society
One eve the Whispering Reeds
Sheltered in its commons
A group - each one a solemn contender.
They’d come to brag of deeds,
Answering a summons
Sent by Jon, the owner and bartender
A human, bold and strong
Began the tense debate,
Standing to accentuate his height.
“I’ve heard they wrote a song
Of me in battle plate
Riding forth to join the glorious fight.”
“My blade danced as a beam
Of light - took countless heads.
The orc corpses piled high beneath my steed.”
He then sat down agleam
Leaned back and calmly said,
“I believe, chaps, that I’m now in the lead.”
A dwarven warrior sneered
finished his mug of ale,
and pushed it next to two others he’d drained.
He coughed and stroked his beard
And said, “A meager tale
Compared to all the orcs that I have brained.”
He held aloft his axe -
T’was thick with double blades –
“”Tis such a weapon, I do call it brother.
Once ere I could relax,
Orc hordes within a glade
Were felled by it, first one and then another.”
A lithe figure then stood,
The dwarf grimaced and sat.
It was an elf, with arrow notched in bow.
All knew his aim was good.
And they’d just spied three rats
In time to see them transfixed in a row.
With regal poise the elf
Into his cup, wine poured,
And said, “I’ve stood firm ‘gainst a division
Of orcs that charged myself.
But choosing bow o’er sword,
I dropped them with meticulous precision.
Faintly, clapping sounded
And suddenly appeared
A halfling in the midst of all the rest.
Atop a stool he bounded
And said, “It’s as I feared.
These stories are too dull, they have no zest.”
“Now, I’ve used stealth and skill
To reach my foe concealed
And slit the throats of many an orc breed.
But I display good will
And when their gold’s revealed
I remove the burden from them, yes indeed.”
One remaining person
Drew back a hood to show
A smile at hearing the unlikely tales.
“It’s clear you’ve been rehearsin’
And you’ll all need to grow
Before you match the power of Morcales!”
“Kings and queens of nations
Call upon my might
When orc invasions swarm across their lands.
With fiery emanations
And deadly summoned blight
I’ve laid waste armies with these mystic hands.”
The best was given last.
The others knew defeat.
All left the Whispering Reeds in contemplation.
But moments only passed
When Jon rose from his seat,
To clear remnants of the festive occasion.
They’d all gathered before,
Regaling each with new
Fictitious exploits, vying to best each other.
Jon laughed and cleaned some more,
For in his heart he knew
They paled when compared to those he called brother.
Jon owned a tavern now -
Just recently he’d traded
His steed and armor for tables and flagons.
But once he’d made a vow
When vicious orcs invaded
And joined the ranks of the famed Purple Dragons.
Jon felled unnumbered beasts,
And repelled countless waves
Of orcs – if needed he’d again be willing.
But those who bragged at feasts
He knew to be rash knaves
Without the stomach or the nerve for killing.
Now Arabel is swarming
With gold-seekers and thieves.
Lives are at times snuffed out in a wink.
The trend is quite alarming
But Jon does not grieve
As long as they stop first for food and drink.
The Oddness of Arabel
Although no horses are about
You may wish you could ride.
At lakes you’ll try but you cannot
Swim to the other side.
The city streets, while filled with folk,
Have no trash and no grime.
And if you wish to elevate,
You’ll find no ropes to climb.
Now slay an orc out in the woods,
Then wait a day or two,
Return to where you took its life -
He’ll be awaiting you.
Come one, come all, to Arabel!
Enjoy the city’s greatness!
Where neither guars nor merchants sleep
And all your gold is weightless.
The Rampage of Hafur Krin
He seemed a mild and gentle dwarf
When met nearby Eastgate.
But judge him not until you’re heard
This tale I will relate.
A bloody path he left behind,
The Purple Dragon guard
Was stricken down by Hafur Krin
Before a modest bard.
The bard sought aid and without pause
Five brave and noble swords
Joined bard to hunt for Hafur Krin
With no thought of rewards.
While risking life, they found the dwarf
And, after trading blows,
From Arabel fled Hafur Krin
To where? Nobody knows.
Six selfless souls, while they did fail
The dwarf to apprehend,
Will be in Arabel renown
For it they did defend.
Sergeant Hawk’s Traveling Enlistment Show
(sing to the tune of Neil Diamond’s “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show”)
On a hot Flamerule night
With the leaves hanging down
And the grass on the ground smelling sweet
Move on down the road
Just outside the gates
Bring some barrels or crates for a seat
Sits a ragged tent
Where there ain’t no trees
And that martial group
Telling you and me
It’s Hawk
Sergeant Hawk’s Traveling Enlistment Show
Set aside flagons
You’ll meet Purple Dragons
Everyone goes
Everyone knows
Sergeant Hawk’s show
The place gets suddenly still
And when you’d almost bet
You could hear yourself sweat, he walks in
Eyes black as coal
And when he lifts his face
Every ear in the place is on him
He starts soft and slow
Like a small earthquake
And when he lets go
Half of Arabel shakes
It’s Hawk, Hawk
Sergeant Hawk’s Traveling Enlistment Show
Pack up the wagons
Become Purple Dragons
Everyone goes
Everyone knows
Sergeant Hawk’s show
Raise your hand to the square
Take the oath this day
Join us if you dare
And you’ll never stray
It’s Hawk, Hawk
Sergeant Hawk’s Traveling Enlistment Show
You can start braggin’
You’re now Purple Dragons
Everyone goes
Everyone knows
Sergeant Hawk’s show
Long live Cormyr’s protectors!
One eve the Whispering Reeds
Sheltered in its commons
A group - each one a solemn contender.
They’d come to brag of deeds,
Answering a summons
Sent by Jon, the owner and bartender
A human, bold and strong
Began the tense debate,
Standing to accentuate his height.
“I’ve heard they wrote a song
Of me in battle plate
Riding forth to join the glorious fight.”
“My blade danced as a beam
Of light - took countless heads.
The orc corpses piled high beneath my steed.”
He then sat down agleam
Leaned back and calmly said,
“I believe, chaps, that I’m now in the lead.”
A dwarven warrior sneered
finished his mug of ale,
and pushed it next to two others he’d drained.
He coughed and stroked his beard
And said, “A meager tale
Compared to all the orcs that I have brained.”
He held aloft his axe -
T’was thick with double blades –
“”Tis such a weapon, I do call it brother.
Once ere I could relax,
Orc hordes within a glade
Were felled by it, first one and then another.”
A lithe figure then stood,
The dwarf grimaced and sat.
It was an elf, with arrow notched in bow.
All knew his aim was good.
And they’d just spied three rats
In time to see them transfixed in a row.
With regal poise the elf
Into his cup, wine poured,
And said, “I’ve stood firm ‘gainst a division
Of orcs that charged myself.
But choosing bow o’er sword,
I dropped them with meticulous precision.
Faintly, clapping sounded
And suddenly appeared
A halfling in the midst of all the rest.
Atop a stool he bounded
And said, “It’s as I feared.
These stories are too dull, they have no zest.”
“Now, I’ve used stealth and skill
To reach my foe concealed
And slit the throats of many an orc breed.
But I display good will
And when their gold’s revealed
I remove the burden from them, yes indeed.”
One remaining person
Drew back a hood to show
A smile at hearing the unlikely tales.
“It’s clear you’ve been rehearsin’
And you’ll all need to grow
Before you match the power of Morcales!”
“Kings and queens of nations
Call upon my might
When orc invasions swarm across their lands.
With fiery emanations
And deadly summoned blight
I’ve laid waste armies with these mystic hands.”
The best was given last.
The others knew defeat.
All left the Whispering Reeds in contemplation.
But moments only passed
When Jon rose from his seat,
To clear remnants of the festive occasion.
They’d all gathered before,
Regaling each with new
Fictitious exploits, vying to best each other.
Jon laughed and cleaned some more,
For in his heart he knew
They paled when compared to those he called brother.
Jon owned a tavern now -
Just recently he’d traded
His steed and armor for tables and flagons.
But once he’d made a vow
When vicious orcs invaded
And joined the ranks of the famed Purple Dragons.
Jon felled unnumbered beasts,
And repelled countless waves
Of orcs – if needed he’d again be willing.
But those who bragged at feasts
He knew to be rash knaves
Without the stomach or the nerve for killing.
Now Arabel is swarming
With gold-seekers and thieves.
Lives are at times snuffed out in a wink.
The trend is quite alarming
But Jon does not grieve
As long as they stop first for food and drink.
The Oddness of Arabel
Although no horses are about
You may wish you could ride.
At lakes you’ll try but you cannot
Swim to the other side.
The city streets, while filled with folk,
Have no trash and no grime.
And if you wish to elevate,
You’ll find no ropes to climb.
Now slay an orc out in the woods,
Then wait a day or two,
Return to where you took its life -
He’ll be awaiting you.
Come one, come all, to Arabel!
Enjoy the city’s greatness!
Where neither guars nor merchants sleep
And all your gold is weightless.
The Rampage of Hafur Krin
He seemed a mild and gentle dwarf
When met nearby Eastgate.
But judge him not until you’re heard
This tale I will relate.
A bloody path he left behind,
The Purple Dragon guard
Was stricken down by Hafur Krin
Before a modest bard.
The bard sought aid and without pause
Five brave and noble swords
Joined bard to hunt for Hafur Krin
With no thought of rewards.
While risking life, they found the dwarf
And, after trading blows,
From Arabel fled Hafur Krin
To where? Nobody knows.
Six selfless souls, while they did fail
The dwarf to apprehend,
Will be in Arabel renown
For it they did defend.
Sergeant Hawk’s Traveling Enlistment Show
(sing to the tune of Neil Diamond’s “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show”)
On a hot Flamerule night
With the leaves hanging down
And the grass on the ground smelling sweet
Move on down the road
Just outside the gates
Bring some barrels or crates for a seat
Sits a ragged tent
Where there ain’t no trees
And that martial group
Telling you and me
It’s Hawk
Sergeant Hawk’s Traveling Enlistment Show
Set aside flagons
You’ll meet Purple Dragons
Everyone goes
Everyone knows
Sergeant Hawk’s show
The place gets suddenly still
And when you’d almost bet
You could hear yourself sweat, he walks in
Eyes black as coal
And when he lifts his face
Every ear in the place is on him
He starts soft and slow
Like a small earthquake
And when he lets go
Half of Arabel shakes
It’s Hawk, Hawk
Sergeant Hawk’s Traveling Enlistment Show
Pack up the wagons
Become Purple Dragons
Everyone goes
Everyone knows
Sergeant Hawk’s show
Raise your hand to the square
Take the oath this day
Join us if you dare
And you’ll never stray
It’s Hawk, Hawk
Sergeant Hawk’s Traveling Enlistment Show
You can start braggin’
You’re now Purple Dragons
Everyone goes
Everyone knows
Sergeant Hawk’s show
Long live Cormyr’s protectors!