Story name: Mystic Journeys
Author: Coal Train
Date: April 706 CR
Location: Merith, Metamor Valley
Overview
On a journey to Metamor Keep, wandering minstrel Kiska is injured by lutins; his gryfin companion Quickpaw saves him and takes him to Metamor Keep.
Summary
When Kiska was 32 years old, he took shelter from a storm in a cave, and discovered the wounded gryfin mother and child within. At first motivated by greed, he soon came to love the gryfins, and wished to helped them. The mother gryfin finally telepathically spoke to him. Normally only gryfins bond with each other, but all the gryfins have fled. With her mate dead, she too would soon follow, but now she could rest knowing that her daughter Quickpaw would be taken care of. After sharing knowledge of raising a gryfin, the mother died.
Since then, Kiska and Quickpaw have been inseperable, though Kiska is always careful to keep Quickpaw hidden away from people. He enjoys travelling to distant places and sharing news of the world outside; and through the bond, Quickpaw is able to share their company. He especially enjoys Metamor Keep for their polite and gracious company.
During the spring, Kiska flies on Quickpaw north from Merith to a grove with a grand view of Metamor. The next morning, Kiska sets out to visit Metamor Keep, unaware of a Lutin horde ahead on the main path. Scouts spot both him and the Lutins, and a unit of Keepers is sent to help, but not before Kiska is ambushed by Lutins. Kiska flees but trips over a root, hitting his head on a rock. Quickpaw bursts in and attacks the Lutins, just as the Keepers arrive. Quickpaw freezes most of the Lutins with ice magic; the rest are dispatched by the Keepers. Kiska is in critical condition. Though Quickpaw cannot speak to the patrol, she makes it clear she will carry Kiska's body to the Keep.
The Duke, Phil, and Misha are informed of the gryfin, and they clear the east gate of anyone not necessary. The two travellers are moved into the guest barracks. A rabbit morph named Cathal brings Raven, who diagnoses Kiska and calls for healing salves and water. Left to themselves, Raven mentally asks Quickpaw about herself and Kiska.
Kiska wakes up 3 days later, first congratulating Quickpaw on harnessing her element, and then speaking aloud to the three people in the room, who are examining his staff. One of them, Cathal, quickly leaves to fetch the Duke, while Kiska introduces himself to the other two, Matthias and Misha. As Matthias leaves to get their two guests dinner, the Duke enters with Raven and Phil. The Duke and Phil thank Kiska, as his appearance alerted them to several Lutin bands that had concealed themselves using magic. Everyone leaves to let them eat, except Raven who gives them a painkiller, and tells them she will pray for their bond.
The next day, Kiska and Quickpaw decide to meditate and consult with the Ethereal. The Ethereal accepts their prayer to intervene in the curse of Metamor and to find a mate for Quickpaw, and gives them an orb of magic, the essence of the Ethereal. Thomas and Matthias are astonished when they arrive to see the two of them enveloped by a fog; they wait for 3 hours for the two to emerge. The four of them share breakfast and a long discussion of their adventures into the day.
When evening arrives, Kiska senses the change is coming. Kiska allows Thomas and Matthias to watch as they meditate again, making a strange chant from the Ethereal. The orb grows to fill the room, and then shrinks to encompass Quickpaw and Kiska. Various shapes are raised and either shattered or set aside. This happens over and over until only two are left unshattered: a golden eagle and a panther. The two images merge together, a powerful breeze crashes through the room, and a blinding light engulfs Kiska. When it disappears, Kiska has transformed into a Gryfin. Kiska and Quickpaw awake, and pass out.
Characters
Main characters:
- Kiska: A wandering troubador. He writes stories and plays, but also enjoys telling stories and singing songs.
- As a human, he has long black hair with a smooth tanned angular face. He wears a tattered gray cloak woven in the style of the south, loose leather breeches, and leather boots lined with the fur of an unknown animal. He has the look of a well-travelled man.
- As a Gryfin, his feathers and fur are black with a blue sheen. The tips of his beak, talon, ears, and trailing feathers all fade to white.
- He grew up in the city of Shrivlana on the East Coast. He left when he was 15. At the time, his mother had died, and his father was abusing him.
- He was 32 when he bonded with Quickpaw; though he is now 75, he has not physically aged at all.
- He carries an enchanted staff to warn him of danger. No weapon can damage it, and it will block blows before he can even see them. It was a gift from the elves of Calasmier in the dark northeastern forests of the giants. An uncommon dialect of elvish is written on it.
- Quickpaw: A gryfin, the last gryfin known in human lands. She is 43 years old. When she was 2 years old, she became bonded to Kiska, and followed Kiska ever since.
- Quickpaw has the head of a gyrfalcon and the body of a snow leopard. She has white feathers with black or dark gray highlights. Her total wingspan is 15 paces wide.
- Quickpaw's water powers manifest during the Lutin attack. has the power to freeze anything in a 20-pace radius.
Supporting:
- Morningstar: A gryfin, Quickpaw's mother. Nasoj killed her mate and fatally injured her. Kiska kept her alive long enough to teach him how to care for and bond with her daughter.
- Raven: The Keep Lightbringer. She watches over Kiska's health, and is able to mind-speak with Quickpaw.
Minor characters:
- Horst: The leader of the Lutin patrol.
- Hogan: The leader of a Keep patrol, a tiger morph. He was taking his unit out for field training when he received word of Lutins. He helped to clean up the scene, and escorted Quickpaw and the unconscious Kiska to Metamor Keep.
- His other patrol members are a lion, a cheetah, a snow leopard, a grizzly bear, a ferret, 2 badgers, and 3 humans. All are experienced veterans of combat.
- Sam: A female gendermorph, one of the humans in Hogan's patrol. She is the first to speak to Quickpaw, and gives a quick examination of Kiska.
- Phil: The head of Keep intelligence. He has been monitoring Lutin patrols.
- Thomas: The Duke of Metamor Keep. He tries to keep the Gryfins a secret, but news spread despite this.
- Misha: Leader of the Long Scouts. He is preparing a patrol to meet the Lutins when Hogan stops him. He joins the escort, and is in the barracks when Kiska awakes.
- Cathal: A recent arrival to the Keep, a jackrabbit morph and soldier. He is with Misha when they meet Quickpaw with Hogan on the road. He later shares his knowledge of elfish with Misha and Matthias.
- He has a child-like voice, hardened by experience.
- He has been studying written elfish for only a few years.
- Matthias: A rat morph. He takes pride in his appearance. Quickpaw finds him handsome, and has an instant liking to him.
Cameo:
- A female sparrow morph. She delivers news to the Duke of Kiska's and Quickpaw's arrival.
- Jayems: A scout, a chickadee morph. He is assigned to watch Kiska's movements. He sees a Lutin patrol, and returns to the Keep to report it.
- Shadow-wing: Quickpaw's father. He briefly appears with Morningstar in the Ethereal to welcome Kiska as one of their own.
Important mention:
- Nasoj: The enemy mage of the North, who laid the spells that cursed the Keep, and now leads the Lutins and giants against the Keep. Murikeer considers him a personal enemy, and has done what little he can to destroy his plans.
- Wanderer: The court bard of Metamor Keep. Kiska has heard of him, and was traveling to Metamor Keep to compare their storytelling. He is too busy elsewhere to meet Kiska.
- Copernicus: A lizard morph at the Keep. Hogan tells Jayems to report the Lutin patrol and Hogan's response to him.
Referenced:
- Brian Coe: The Keep physician. Cathal was unable to find him, instead finding Raven.
- Pascal: The Keep alchemist. She makes healing salves and painkillers.
- The painkiller is best taken before eating to prolong the effect, and works for hours.
Gryfins
- Gryfins are some of the oldest creatures in existence. Their magic is older than most kinds of magic.
- Quickpaw's clan was native to the eastern mountains. Nasoj wiped most of them out, as part of an attempt to cross the mountains.
- Gryfins bond for life. When one dies, the other soon follows. According to Morningstar, gryfins can bond with anyone who has love and good intentions in them.
- There are two kinds of bonds: one between parent and child, and one between mates. In both cases, they share senses: they can see through each others' eyes, and speak to each other through thought. Bonds between mates differ in that they share a complete range of emotions.
- There has only been one time in Gryfin history, to Quickpaw's knowledge, that a Gryfin has bonded with a non-Gryfin. It was with an elf. It is only done in desperation.
- Gryfins can speak telepathically to their bondmate for miles. They can also speak telepathically to non-bondmates, but only within line of sight.
- Gryfins live for thousands of years. When they die, they do not leave a body behind; they dissolve into a fine mist.
- Gryfins have elemental powers that usually manifest around the age of 50.
- Gryfins can see for up to three to five miles. They can fly at a leisurely pace of about 25 miles per hour.
- According to Morningstar, the gryfins have gone to a place unreachable from the world.
Locations
- Tullwine is where Kiska bought some spiced venison.
- The guest quarters are large and simply furnished, with several bunks along the wall.
- Along the east coast, there is a great desert to the north and great plains to the south. Between the east and west coasts, there are two mountain ranges and a big long river.
Points of Interest
- Kiska tells the following stories to his audience (though their veracity is questionable):
- a "secret and unknown" story of the Lutins: that they used to be men, until they were cursed by the gods with misery, which changed their bodies. Because Nasoj spreads misery, so too do the Lutins.
- He claims that dragons are "virtually" extinct everywhere but the southlands.
- Gryfin are believed to be completely extinct. (A claim that is demonstrably false.)
- Dwarves, elves, and gargoyles are all ancient races, most of which have disappeared, though not necessarily died.
- The Lutin patrol is about 40 strong. At least one of them is a mage, hiding their movements.
- The site of the Lutin attack is 4 "clicks" from the Keep, along the south road. Kiska's and Quickpaw's camp was 6 clicks away.
- Though travelling on the south road, Kiska and Quickpaw are taken in through the east gate. Presumably, this is to avoid travelling through town.
- Quickpaw tells Raven that she is 43 years old, that Kiska is 75 years old, and that they met when she was 2. However, Kiska says that he met Quickpaw when he was 32, which means that he would be 73 years old. One of them must be misremembering their age.
- Lutins have not attacked the Keep in several weeks; this is because they are concealing themselves with magic.
- The name of the lord and creator of the Gryfins, Legion, is sacred and forbidden to speak or think openly.
A Memoir Of Kiska Gryfin | |
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Stories | Mystic Journeys · Flying Lessons · Of Fire and Water |
Major Characters | Kiska · Quickpaw |