role + Years ago an enclave of storm giants left the lake and formed a smaller community
role + of farmers and other tradesmen. North and west they went, and they found some
role + fine land following an offshoot of the murky river. There they settled down,
role + and while their village never grew to nearly the size of the lake kingdom,
role + it grew to be more than just a collection of huts. It became a real, working
role + home for several hundred storm giants.
role +
role + Over the years they had their share of happiness and sorrow, like any group
role + of people. One of the tragedies that would recur though was every now and
role + then one of the children would go missing. These children were never found
role + and were of course a source of great pain for all who knew them. But the
role + reason for their loss was never discovered.
role +
role + One day, a generation or so ago, the people began noticing that their portion
role + of the murky river was now even darker, and worse yet, showing colors that
role + would never be found in running water naturally. They did not know the
role + cause, and their best healers found nothing wrong with it, but still the water
role + was disturbing. But it was their only source of fresh water so they continued
role + to drink it. Among those who drank it was a young giant woman named
role + Vorilinian, recently married to Glorinost, and happier still, recently pregnant.
role + Being pregnant she drank more than her fair share of the water, feeling
role + safe because the healers had pronounced it fit for drinking. Months later,
role + the happy day came and she gave birth to her son, Martinian. But as her
role + first cry of joy left her mouth, it ended on a sad note as the healer handed
role + the boy to her. Martinian was the smallest baby any had ever seen. If not
role + for his color, you’d think he was a human baby! And weak he was, as though the
role + strength of the giants just did not flow in his veins.
role +
role + Glorinost consulted the healers and no explanation could be given, but of course
role + all thoughts were on the strange changes to the river. So, finally, an expedition,
role + led by Glorinost, was dispatched. They followed the river upstream, ignoring
role + backtracking along only the one riverlet that shared the discoloration. Seven
role + days they trekked, until finally they found the outlet for the strange colors.
role + The High Tower of Sorcery.
role +
role + Entering the Tower, looking for the Grand Mistress who is one of the rulers of
role + the Tower, Glorinost and his companions passed by sights strange and diabolical.
role + A master enchanter, a necromancer, strange hands and eyes floating in the air, and
role + even a Librarian floating amidst shelves of books. Finally, they reached the
role + Mistress. They asked about the strange fluids rolling into the river from the
role + Tower. The Mistress, neither kind nor mean, did not know the source of the
role + tainted waters, but led them through the corridors. Finally, they came to
role + the Master of Evil. There, standing with his acolyte, they saw him standing
role + over a cauldron, murmuring words of vile darkness and magic most foul.
role + The Mistress, uncaring as to the magic itself or it’s intent, simply asked if
role + The Evil Master had let his magic spill beyond the Tower. Laughing, the man
role + dressed in black ignored the giants around him and told the Mistress he had spent
role + the past year working on a spell and what does she care if his byproduct spilled
role + into the river? Other beings, non-magical beings, were of no consequence.
role + The Mistress answered that she didn’t care about the others, but she did care
role + that her Tower was not orderly and confined. She ordered the Master of Evil to
role + either find a way to confine his spells, or cease casting them. The Evil Master
role + agreed.
role +
role + Turning to Glorinost the Mistress said “mystery solved” and began to turn away,
role + the matter already forgotten. Before she took her first step out of the door,
role + Glorinost leaped at the Evil Master, cursing him and demanding he undo what his
role + magic spill-off had done to his son. The Evil Master, as though noticing Glorinost
role + for the first time, raised one eyebrow, pointed a finger and a wand at the giant, and
role + spoke four words. As his companions looked on in horror, Glorinost was racked
role + with disease and his body began melting as though he were a candle in an oven.
role + Before even the first of them could move, Glorinost was dead, and what remained
role + of him was merely clothing and bone.
role +
role + “Tut, tut” said the Mistress of Magic, turning now fully around to face the Master.
role + Frowning at the mess, she motioned with her arms and the mess disappeared, no
role + remnant left even to signify Glorinost’s presence. “Time for you others to go”
role + she said, and with a word of magic, sent them home.
role +
role + Appearing at the temple of their village, the giants who had accompanied Glorinost
role + quickly found Vorilinian and told her what happened. The village elders gathered
role + and the men told of the vile magic which had tainted their water. The healers,
role + now understanding that their divine powers were unable to see the unnatural,
role + magical taint on the waters, set about finding a way to purify the river. But while
role + all of this was being done, Vorilinian was sitting alone, with her week old baby
role + Martinian in her arms, singing to him songs of her people. A small smile was on
role + her face, but when anyone came to talk to her, to help her, or to touch the baby,
role + a vicious look on her face and a growl like a cornered she-wolf scared them away.
role + Hours passed and she would not move, she would not speak and she would not
role + do anything but rock her baby and sing to him. Eventually, even she could not
role + stay awake and she fell asleep with Martinian in her arms.
role +
role + A midwife and a healer and Vorilinian’s sister Brinolian rushed in and took
role + Martinian, cleaned him, and saw to his mother. That was the last time he was
role + ever held by his natural mother.
role +
role + Vorilinian woke hours later, but her mind was gone, replaced only by an empty
role + longing for her husband, and a nameless joy with children. She had no memory
role + of her own son, and she could not, or would not, remember his name.
role + Martinian was told and believed that Brinolian was his mother and her husband,
role + Thurgarus, his father. He always felt pity for his aunt Vorilinian, but he was
role + never told why she was sick, or his true history. The entire community of giants
role + kept the secret of his parentage, and even the existence of Glorinost, for years.
role +
role + Martinian grew up with other boys his age, but he was always barely half their
role + size. The magically fouled water his mother had drank while pregnant stunted
role + his size, made his growth both little and late. And as boys are everywhere, in
role + every culture and of every race, they don’t care why a thing is, they care only
role + that it is, and so all the other boys teased and bullied little Martinian.
role + To compensate, Martinian would exercise intensely, making more of his puny
role + body than any other giant made of their bigger one. His strength was returned
role + to him with puberty, but his height never came. No healing, no exercise, no
role + wishing worked to make him grow to even close to the full height of his people.
role +
role + And, as secrets have a way of doing, his past came to light by accident, when
role + he was a young man and no longer a child. A visitor from the Lake kingdom
role + was in the village, as the giants would trade and communicate with eachother
role + from time to time. Martinian was practicing with his weapons out in a clearing
role + near the river. It was a favorite place of his, where few others ever came, and
role + close to the water where he could cool off and relax after a workout.
role + A few voices reached him and he stopped his practice, listening. Soon he
role + recognized his mother, who by now was a village elder, talking with the visitor
role + from the Lake. “Is this the place?” the visitor asked? “Yes” replied his mother.
role + “Even after all these years, coming here makes me angry and sad, and I
role + sometimes dream of taking vengeance on the vile magician of the Tower.”
role + “I understand of course. Even at the Lake we were horrified of the incident and
role + the king sent his most serious protest. But it’s many years ago now. Does the boy
role + know of his true parentage? Does he know the name Glorinost?” “No” said the
role + woman he thought was his mother. “No, he will never know. His mother passed
role + away three years ago, still possessing only the mind of a child, and without any
role + recollection of her husband, or that she was Martinian’s mother. There is nothing
role + but hurt and pain to be gained by honesty now. He will always be marked by what
role + happened, his size makes that obvious, but otherwise he seems happy as any young
role + giant, and we see no reason to change that. We are happy being his parents, since
role + I cannot have children myself.”
role + The two passed out of earshot, but Martinian barely noticed. His mind swam as
role + his world was rocked. His mother is not his mother and his father is not his father!
role + His whole life is a lie! And his size was the result of some magician’s magic from
role + the Tower of Sorcery! Everything he was, everything he believed, everything he
role + thought he could trust, was a lie.
role + Running back to his home, knowing his mother would still be out with the visitor
role + and his father out in the fields, he gathered his few belongings, some supplies,
role + his weapons, and some coin, he fled his village, tears in his eyes, and curses
role + on his breath. Never would he tolerate lies again, never would any be dishonest
role + with him and get away with it, nor would he be dishonest with others, or cause
role + them the pain he was feeling now. And magic. Magic! Magicians would pay for
role + what they had done. The death of his family, the betrayal of his people in lying to
role + him for all those years, all of it came from the magic in the river.
role +
role + They would pay.