Editing Kyuad's Stuff he knows (section)

==QUOTES, MYTHS, LEGENDS, STORIES, AND BELIEFS==

''The destiny of the world is Shadow.'' — Anonymous note penned in the margin of the Academy’s Commentaries

===Bond of Blood===
Roa was just a young maid with some skill at
channeling when her entire village was killed by orc
raiders. She was badly injured in the battle and left for
dead. Expecting the effort to cost her life, she used the
last of her magics to mend the wounds of a dying
wogren that had fallen defending her. The creature survived
and carried Roa to shelter, where he licked her
wounds and kept her warm and fed until she recovered.
The two seem to have formed a closer bond than
any halfling and wogren had before, and now travel the
plains spying on Izrador’s minions. They pass word of
enemy movements and activities to a network of
halfling, gnome, and human contacts that Roa has
developed over the years. Their information has served
to save hundreds of halfling lives and kept whole tribes
out of the slavers’ pens. Roa has become a legend of
sorts among the halflings and every girl-child of the
people hopes to one day be just like her.


===The Hero===
All my life, I’ve looked up to Eanos, our village smith. Eanos towers over every other man in the village. In a show of strength, on midsummer's eve, he lifts the round stones in the village square over his head and heaves them a full three lengths of his body. The other men can’t even lift one, let alone throw it.  <br>  Eanos is always the first man up when there’s work to be done and there is nothing he can’t fix with the strength of his body and the tools he’s been allowed to keep. The orcs constantly bait him, ready to test their strength against his, but he never rises to their taunts. It’s clear that the local legate despises him, but Eanos has never given him cause to vent his wrath until now. <br> Four days ago, a traveling tinker came to town bearing news and small items for barter. He had healing salves for burns and red rash that we desperately needed. He offered to give us the salves if Eanos would repair a small chopping axe and a handful of metal tools. Eanos knew the laws forbade use of the forge without permission, but he saw no harm in repairing simple tools. The tinker was a spy, sent to lure Eanos into violating the law. The legate and the tinker, with almost a dozen fully armed orcs, came for Eanos just after dawn. The penalty for his crimes was 30 lashes. Eanos, who could easily snap the legate's neck, walked meekly to the wooden post hammered into the center of the village green. He gripped it while the orcs leaned into each lash. Eanos screamed but never let go of the post. When it was over, we washed his wounds as best we could and carried him to his bed. It’s been three days and he still hasn't regained the strength in his left arm and some doubt that he ever will.

===The Covenant===
The wars with Izrador spawned many great heroes from all the races. The memory of these champions helps to keep the faith among human insurgents and inspire fey defenders who still battle the Shadow today, and some say the strength they gave in the fight against Izrador persists in the weapons they used. <br> Aio the Light Foot survived the razing of his village, but everyone and everything he loved was taken that night. Aio was given as a slave to a wealthy legate who wanted a halfling slave to cook his meals. He played the part, but learned to pick the lock on his collar. He stole a knife from the kitchens and snuck into the sleeping orc camps nearby. By the time he left an hour later, there were nine orcs dead in their bedrolls. Aio’s nightly forays continued for several weeks and word quickly spread of his stealth and prowess. Aio himself was eventually captured and executed, yet his blade has found its way into the hands of captive halflings ever since so that they might enact justice upon their captors.

===Born and Bred===
Couthlin wrinkled his nose at the rank smell. The odors of sweat, blood, and less polite bodily fluids wafted up to him as he strolled on the elevated walkway. The commoners milled about below in their usual mindless herd. <br> “Civilized!”  <br> The large canine creature preceding him stopped and looked up at him, cocking his head in confusion. The legate frowned and kept walking, yanking on the chain attached to its collar.  <br> “Stupid beast. No, they are not civilized. I was exclaiming in disbelief. Being facetious. Go back to your sniffing.” The astirax-possessed hound obligingly returned to scenting the air. <br> The legate frowned. It was pathetic that he had to rely on one-way communication with a magic-hunting beast. His skills at dialogue and manipulation would be all but blunted by the time he returned to Theros Obsidia. Asnort from the astirax snapped Couthlin from his thoughts. The canine form was watching a passing figure below, quite intently. Couthlin’s dark eyes.followed as well, noticing a suspicious narrow shape jutting out from beneath the figure’s cloak. Roughly hilt-shaped. “A weapon...magical?” he asked in a hushed tone. The astirax growled in assent. <br> “Then follow,” Couthlin said eagerly, releasing the chain. “Return to me at the temple when you’ve tracked the criminal to his lair.”  <br> The beast slunk into the shadows and trotted after the offending figure...towards its demise, Couthlin hoped. The mage-hunting beast had been witness to too many of Couthlin’s intrigues and coups. The mercenary it now trailed had agreed quickly to his terms: kill the astirax in exchange for the sword the legate had given him. <br> Meanwhile, below, the astirax salivated in anticipation. The scent of magic was heavy in the air...not just from the sword, but from at least a few enchanted crossbow bolts. All of them aimed at the walkway above, where his master walked.  <br> Rather, his former master

===Prophecies of the Last Age===
''"I saw that the Host of Heaven was dark and rode no more in the sky. The icy gates of the land of the dead were opened, and the fallen god rode forth with a crown of iron and a sword of flame. His raiment bled the blood of the innocent and he smote all the lands of the world. His form was of fire and shadow, and his name was Sorrow."''  — '''Vesra Anu''', Prophecies of the Last Age

===The Tithe===
''At dawn the headman woke us and told us it was time. The whole village lined up along the edge of the cornfield, which was strewn with cut stalks and the debris of the harvest. It had taken over four days for all the fodder to be gathered and stored for the winter. Nearby, the sheep and boro pens were full of animals noisily calling for their breakfasts. In the village, the windows and doors of every house were flung open and the hearths were cold; today was the day of the tithe. We stood there, in a line, for over three hours before they arrived. The legate rode in on the lead wagon with his guards; eight wagons in all filed into the village. The headman, head bowed, approached the legate and announced our willingness to provide the tithe to the Dark God. With a grunt and a wave of his hand, the legate dismissed the headman and sent the orcs into the houses and barns. Almost immediately, there were sounds of breaking furniture. I heard screams, and the sounds of people being hurt. I ignored it. It was better not to hear. Women buried their heads in their husbands' chests as they tried to stifle their tears. Then the orcs came and grabbed men to start loading the wagons; it was well past midday when the loading was done. Seven out of ten parts of the harvest were loaded on the wagons. An equal amount of animals were also taken, bleating in fear as they were tethered to wagons for the trip back to the city of Bastion. <br> When they were done the legate announced the Dark God's blessing on us and commented on the wisdom of our headman for not trying to hide any of the harvest. The legate reminded us that the Dark God only punishes those who are disloyal.''






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[[Midnight: North & South Portal|PORTAL]] &nbsp;|&nbsp; [[Midnight RPG - THE SOUTHIES|THE SOUTHIES]] &nbsp;|&nbsp; [[DURGAZ]] &nbsp;|&nbsp;  [[ERANON]] &nbsp;|&nbsp; [[ZAL'KAZZIR]] &nbsp;|&nbsp; [[Kyuad|KYUAD]] / [[Midnight: the Shadow Killers player Bill|Bill]]