From alt.pub.dragons-inn Tue May 30 08:57:55 1995 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:8456 Path: netcom.com!csus.edu!csulb.edu!nic-nac.CSU.net!newsserver.sdsc.edu!news.tc.cornell.edu!news.cac.psu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!warwick!news.coventry.ac.uk!rowan!ajf5 From: The Harvester of Souls Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: Grey wanderer:pt one. Date: Wed, 24 May 1995 17:31:30 +0100 Organization: Coventry University Lines: 72 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: ajf5@rowan-fddi.coventry.ac.uk Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Sender: ajf5@rowan Connain leaned back , streching his long legs as he sat down upon the low bench , the corner was dark and comfortable , though the flickering torch-light pained his golden-hued eyes. His skin , that of it you could see through the wolf-pelts that swathed hid body , was a deep coppery-brown , tanned from travelling far from here. His hair was a pale greyish colour , putting you in mind of that of a wolf , and he was tall and of a well-knit physique. He yawned deeply and called a serving woman over. "I would like mead , some beef , bread and cheese." he said , handing over a golden coin. "And a room for the night." his voice was remarkably rich and mellow , with a strange cast to it , not really an accent though , something else you couldn't quite place. "Will that be all sir?" the maid asked. "Aye , it will , thank you." When the mead arrived , and Connain was told the food would be five minutes , he relaxed and sipped his drink slowly , savouring it. It had been so long! Menories of the past five years were blurred and unclear , only the moment when he met that cursed mage remained certain. How could he have been so stupid? His father had always told him not to trust majik-weavers , especially ones like Lorrukand , who Connain had only just met. But the warrior had been naive back then , trusting and cordial of strangers , as he had been at his family's farm. He had met the soreress on the road , when adventure began to stir his blood and he had chosen to wander for a short time before settling down with Galemna , the woman he loved. But this was not to be. On the road , three weeks out , he had been waylaid by four outlaws , seeking to cut his purse and , very likely , his throat too. Of course he had drawn his huge axe - handed down to him by his father and from his father before him - and he had slain one man straight away , the first time he ever killed a human in his life , though far from the last. Before long , another thief lay writhing on the ground , clutching his stomach , trying to hold his guts in. Then the other two , quite enraged , had charged him at once and even he , huge and powerful though he was , had no chance. A flash of blue light had come from no-where suddenly and both men had dropped without a sound. As the smoke cleared , a figure materialised , a tall slender woman in flowing robes of silk , a blue hand tatooed upon her left cheek , her features crisp and delicate , cheek-bones high , chin narrow , mouth small and sensuous , hair deepest raven , eyes sparkling green , ears pointed. He had never met a dark-elf before , only ever heard tales of them , tales which distorted them until they were quite unrecognisable. He knew nothing of their true majik either , didn't know how they could change their faces and colouring with a spell. So naturally , he took her for a surface elf. {I've run out of time for now , more tomorrow . OK?} _________________ \ / | / | / \ / | / ___________________________ ____ ___ ___ / <> /___ (______|________|______|____|____|___|___| <> < ___) \ \ | \ \ \ | \ | \ /______________ \ /\ /\ ( ()\/() ) ( ) \ ^ / (||||) \__/ ____________________________________________________________ ( ) | THE HARVESTER OF SOULS | | The illustious an esteemed Alan J Fisher | | E-mail:ajf5@coventry.ac.uk | |"The road to power is washed in the blood of innocents." | |"Knowledge is power. Ultimate knowledge leads to madness , | | death , or both." | ( ___________________________________________________________)