Aye, that's me! Between my deafness and my mother's lack of musical ability . . . At least I slaughter my notes in private, out of consideration for others!

Amazing that my two sisters and brother can play the piano and saxophone between them! Of course, the sax made the dog howl . . .

Wonderful chapter, again! And well worth the wait!

This post has been edited by haute ecole rider: May 5 2010, 05:29 PM

Just read the last two chapters. Wonderful (as always).

This passage really struck me, and shows much, much wisdom.

I see Foxy migrating to the end of this chapter like a magnet and then spewing some form of non-alcoholic drink all over his keyboard !!

I loved this chapter Treydog!!!!!

This post has been edited by mALX: May 6 2010, 06:10 PM

Athynea's musical incapability had me laughing out loud. Cotton indeed I cant carry a note either but then again; I dont have to sing cause I can play an instrument

Of course, the sax made the dog howl . . .



the sax made the dog howl . . .


the sax made the dog howl . . .


OH ... er... SAX...


For a moment I was thinking...


No. Fuggedaboutit. You dont want to know. Trust me. You DONT WANT TO KNOW.

What kind of TERRIBLE ANIMAL is a magnat?



Is it a MAD GNAT???

Or is it a MA GNAT... visions of a queen gnat with brood begin to appear...


Or is it a volanic magma born creature???


WHERE CAN I FIND A PICTURE AND AND A DESCRIPTION OF A MAGNAT????

Here is a picture of one:





This post has been edited by mALX: May 6 2010, 06:11 PM

I knew you would post that!!!

I almost put Alix the Mouse up.

Ah, well played good sir. I especially enjoy how Athlain avoided going into Bloodskaal Barrow, and thus avoided the mighty sword of same name. Reminds me of a certain ring in a certain tomb that a certain reluctant Nerevarine managed to not find, thanks to his scruples about robbing graves.

This post has been edited by canis216: May 7 2010, 03:46 AM

Hmmm you guys already quoted what I wanted to quote....so ok I won't repeat it..hehe

Treydoggie my friend, you are just awesome, I really loved this update, the dry humour made me laugh several times...oh dear oh dear

But I didn't see that coming; Athynae's unability to sing! Heh she must have inherited that from her father (who he might be? ) because Serene can sing, and she's darn good at it...

>.>

<.<

Hmmm. Never thought about whether certain people could sing or not....

No?? hehe Well Dunmers can probably not sing...I mean just listen to their voices...Athynae's father is Dunmer, now that's for sure anyway!

Happy Birthday Treydog !!!


Hope it is a great one!! (And may your tail always wag!)

This post has been edited by mALX: May 21 2010, 11:59 AM

All, thank you for your comments- and especially your patience.

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When I had at last composed myself, I decided that Aevar had either been more mature than I, or that his saga had been “cleaned up” over the years. Suppressing decidedly unwarrior-like giggles, I experimentally tapped one of the rock formations. When I did, the pattern of the … sounds… changed accordingly. Considering the story, I realized that I was supposed to repeat the original song, and that I would be well-advised not to do too much random banging around. I breathed deeply and relaxed, allowing myself to enter a near-trance state as I let my memory replay the four-note song I had followed to this place. When I was certain I had the correct sequence, I tapped the stalagmites with my mace and waited.

After a moment, a new pattern of notes presented itself, and began to repeat. Again, I held myself still and allowed the sequence to etch itself upon my mind. When I tapped out the new pattern, the song became full and strong, completely losing the humorous aspect it had originally exhibited. This truly was the Song of the Earth. As it sounded, I could hear the mountains rising up from the seas, only to be worn by wind, water, and ice. I could feel the slow breathing of the very stones themselves- a single exhalation every few thousand years. I at last knew in my soul that Nirn herself was alive, just as I was. And when it seemed that I could not contain that knowledge any longer, that I must surely explode from it- the cavern fell silent. But within that silence was the certainty that I was connected to the land- that I had come from her and that I would return to her in the fullness of time.

The human mind is too fragile to hold onto that sort of knowledge for very long; I soon came back to myself and my immediate surroundings. As before, I would need to return to the Stone to complete the ritual. With a last inappropriate thought- I dubbed the rock formation in the Chamber of Song “The Farcicals”- I left the caverns and turned to the south and west. Although I was pleased by my continued success, the snow seemed to drag at my feet as I walked, and my breathing seemed more labored than it should. With a shrug, I drank a restore fatigue potion and pressed on. There would be time to rest when I was finished.

When I reached the Earth Stone, and stretched my hand to touch the symbol inscribed upon it, the stone began to glow with a green light. The color mystified me for a time, until I decided that it was meant to represent the fact that green plants grow from the soil- it seemed as good an answer as any. From where I stood, I could smell the cooking fires and see the lights of Raven Rock. But that was not my destination, not yet, at least. According to the map, the Water Stone was along the western slope of the Moesring Mountains, almost directly north of my current location. Although there was no scale, I could tell it was some distance away. With the setting sun on my left, I began the journey.

Darkness fell before I found the Stone, and I decided it would be better to stop for the night, rather than risk missing it. I looked for one of the needle-leafed trees whose branches grew close to the ground and crawled under it. I scooped out a hollow close to the trunk and then removed some of the smaller limbs to line the depression. I did not try to build a fire- I feared its light might attract reavers or worse. My furs kept me warm enough, though it was not a pleasant night by any means. I had no food, not even Legion biscuits, and had not paused to hunt. At last, I quieted my stomach with a couple of potions.

The early sun woke me from a fitful sleep, and I crept out of my shelter to greet it. My limbs were stiff, and putting on my cold armor was no treat. But the stamping and cursing as I fought the frozen straps and buckles served to warm me enough that I was able to turn back to the north again in a short time. The snowy ground revealed the tracks of a number of creatures- some prints I recognized, and many I did not. Fortunately, the creatures again seemed oblivious to my presence and allowed me to pass without hindrance. I crossed a shallow arm of the sea that stretched inland for some distance, and began to see the first evidence of the mountains. Finally, on a steep slope quite close to the shore, I saw the familiar shape of a standing stone.

I had some difficulty climbing up to the Water Stone, and was able to maintain my position only after I kicked footholds into the rocky soil. The inscription, three wavy horizontal lines one above the other, was almost out of reach. Before I reached to touch the pictograph, I considered the form the task would probably take. The story indicated that Aevar had followed a horker into the sea, swimming “very far, and far again.” With that in mind, I removed my armor, caching it at the foot of the Stone. Then I reached up to touch the Water symbol.

The deep voice echoed inside my head, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere-

Travel west to a small island off the coast, and follow the Swimmer to seek the Waters of Life.

The cold wind swirled around me, finding its way through the spaces in my tunic and thin trousers. I rummaged through my dwindling stock of potions and finally downed one that provided some resistance to the numbing cold. Even so, my thoughts seemed to be slow and laborious, and it took me some time to extract a couple of additional vials marked with the symbol for frost. My bare feet slipped on the icy rocks as I turned to the west and faced the sea.

Walking on the ice that lined the coast was a new and unnerving experience. It was slippery beneath my feet and shifted alarmingly. Worse, the brittle surface groaned and popped at every step. It was almost a relief when I crossed the stretches of open water- I at least knew what to expect. The frost resistance potions kept me from freezing completely, but they could not protect me from feeling as if I were turning into a block of ice. After some struggle, I found the island I sought, somewhat more north than west. I knew it was the correct island, for it was occupied by a massive black horker.

The beast did not move away from me, nor acknowledge my presence in any way; it simply looked to the north, over the sea. When I was a few steps away, I asked- “Are you the Swimmer?” The horker still did not look at me, but lunged in an ungainly fashion towards the water. I followed and watched as its former clumsiness was transformed into grace as the water supported the great body. I feared that it would swim out of sight, but it stopped, as if waiting for me.

In that moment, as in so many others, I had cause to thank my mother for her foresight and her determination. One of the reasons she had insisted that I train with the Mages Guild was to learn two Alteration spells- water breathing and water walking.

“We live on an island,” she had said. “And I will not allow any child of mine to die by drowning. So learn the spells and that will be one less thing for me to worry about. No doubt you will find some other creative way to get yourself injured or killed, but you won’t drown.”

With a brief nod of thanks to my distant parent, I spoke the words of the spell that would allow me to breathe underwater and waded into the sea, where the Swimmer patiently waited. When it saw me enter the water, it dove and began swimming to the north. The journey was long, and I had to surface more than once to renew my spell. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the black horker stopped, hanging motionless in the water, with its front limbs pointing down, toward a rock spire that rose from the sea floor. A cave entrance was visible in the side of the spire- clearly, that was my destination.

Woo Hoo! I've never heard of this before! ARGH! Now I will be eaten up by curiosity wondering what is in that cave and whether Athlain will be able to hold his breath long enough to get down there and get inside! ARGH! What a great surprise to find you have updated Treydog! AWESOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woof! Athlain has returned!

I especially liked his realization that the world was alive, and that he was a part of it. It makes the Witch in me smile.

I decided that Aevar had either been more mature than I, or that his saga had been “cleaned up” over the years.
Perhaps both!

“We live on an island,”
To quote Chief Brody, it's only an island if you look at it from the water...

I had to restrain myself from jumping up and down when I saw Bloody Moon at the top of the forum again!
It was more important to read the new update!

I loved the description of the song of the Earth. It captures the feeling mountains always give me perfectly. I don't know about hearing a song, but I know about feeling it!

Now I'm curious about the rock spire! Do strange and wondrous creatures live on it?

Please don't leave me so high and dry again!

Please don't leave me so high and dry again!


My dear, if you are high you won't be -

*someone knocked Foxy on the head before he could continue*