| THE TALE OF ZURGON (revisited) |
| In a cavern long and deep Where sounds echo and shadows creep The air is rank, cold, and damp A place where light does not encamp The winding and cragged rock Perilous for feet to dock This most unsettling abode A life to which Zurgon owed A simple fisherman was he Always on boat and out to Sea To fish upon Porre Bay Catch by catch everyday It was his dream to take his sport Away from bay and cozy port There Findrum Lake of Talakar Was worth the travel much afar In waters old and wide and deep Many rare fish it did keep Fisherman from all the coast Favored the waters inland most So Zurgon left his village home Far from Porre would he roam SouthWest his path first did yield Across a great expanse of field The Field of Sen with withered grass Easily enough to pass The Earth trampled with war long past Where Malathor had held his fast Alboroth off to the East Where Alucarton now the hungry beast Victor of the Arch-Angel War The King ever thirsts for power more Yet Eastward Zurgon did not go But further South the land below Around the stretch of the Dorath Range Where did lurk many shadows strange The mountains Men would not often cross Those who ventured dealt with loss Their peaks are high and ledges thin Safe passage through few would win As Dorath's peaks lowered to the ground Passage allowed to traverse around But Zurgon further did he stray To Horrigran for rest he'd stay For the journey there was very long Long for nimble, fast, or strong Horrigran was a Kingdom old With a line Kings proud and bold A castle grand and separate King's tower All the signs of wealth and power The castle bordered the coastal cliff As it sheered down to rough Ocean's rift In the center there was the Rose Courtyard Much beauty become of labor hard Statues and hedges and fountains tall Precious metals and gems to impress all And on the side furthest from the Sea Quaint rows of streets for residency Zurgon rested for four nights Sleeping o'er the cliff's high heights With Ocean's breeze he'd rest with ease Only open water did him appease Now Northwestward did his path lay Ere a storm blew in that way But as the clouds did split asunder And sent forth floods of rain and thunder Zurgon passed enough leagues forth To stay as dry and dry is worth Findrum Lake was fair to view Waters clean and azure hue But it had not always been Much defiling it had seen In ages very, very old Of which dark tales have been told Poisoned the Fellar turned the Lake But since Oltaire River did it take Dumping the waste unto the Sea To disperse it eternally A fisherman's haven on the Lake Supplies for them to buy and take Boats and lures, rods and feed A very small town indeed But Zurgon brought most his own gear It travelled with him round the year So all he needed was a boat To water's edge for him to tote Immediately he did set sail With rod and reel and feed in pail To deeper depths he did go To give his rivals quite a show But all the fish he caught on site Not worth mention in size nor fight But in the end all said and done Though no great catch still was fun First of many days spent he Upon the great inland sea Six days he spent catching fish But nothing great as would he wish And on the day he deemed the last Fruitless, too, that time had passed As he rowed in to greet the shore Desperate he threw in one line more To his surprise so rather quick Did he feel his rod give a kick But a struggle none did he find Yet heavy to his line did bind So Zurgon began to reel Bracing his foot upon the heel Round and round reel did turn A mystery prize which to yearn Yet postponed he was of its end As Time itself did seem to bend He felt as if Moon and Sun Endless cycle stuck they spun But came and end to such a maze Zurgon's head it ached in daze When at last to surface came Was no normal catch of game Upon a pondered closer look He found he reeled an olden book But the pages still intact And written words still read exact As if magic held in guard Paper spared from Time worn hard The book at bottom for ages lay And did steal Zurgon's life away He found his youthfulness had went A cost unwillingly he spent When once he had full, black hair Now was grey and sparse and bare To the shore he silently Came and left so secretly Leaving all his gear behind The book possessed his soul and mind Inside were written runes so strange Outside of his language range Great power within, though, he did sense Surged inside his hands so tense Naught he knew whence came this book Totenzauber that all knowledge forsook Quickly he returned back home Always clutching the magic tome His face townsfolk could not recognize Stare did they with confused eyes Whispers, murmurs in the dark Vulgarities at him did bark In the end was forced to flee In that town could stay not he Into Porre Mountains he did go Leaving the valley town below Hoping there to find a cave A new home if dare he brave And such a cave was there to own Delving dark deep into stone Cautiously inside he trod Greeted by a cavern broad But as it plunged then underground Narrower the path was bound Without light he could not see Though that would change eventually With Time or magic, hard to say Would he see Night as clear as Day In a cavern long and deep Where sounds echo and shadows creep Only under Moon he'd leave Night's fresh air for him to breathe Sunlight now could make him blind Burn his skin and ruin mind For months this way did he dwell Confined to rank and gloomy Hell Hazardous maze in darkened place Cautious steps he must retrace Soon his eyes would see all to tell Which saved him ere he found the well A well there was in that abyss A gaping hole one couldn't miss Long it fell into the deep Outer walls so sheer and steep And surging strong far below Ocean's sidetracked undertow It swept the isle side to side Delved deep in rock did it glide One night Zurgon was awoken Cavern's usual silence broken Before him glowed a strange warm light Which oddly did not hurt his sight Footsteps echoed through the halls Reverberating off the walls And moments after he awoke A harsh, loud voice to him spoke: "King Alucarton has come for you Heiliger Diamant is thirsty, too Totenzauber it is I seek In this darkened cave of stench and reek" Zurgon then sprang to his feet Stranger's face wished not to meet Quickly on his heel had spun Into the dark he did run Deep Zurgon fled into the cave And his pursuer just as brave The sword he carried shone some light Which granted him much helpful sight The book Zurgon clasped close to his heart From it would he never part He lured this stranger to the well In hopes his foe there he might fell Around the ledged he did hop From cragged low to rugged top And as he jumped and leapt about To his foe with wrath did shout: "Back, you hound! This book is mine! Fear you now thus Death shall dine!" But such Death Magic he could not choose For the spells inside he could not use The written runes he did not know And so his threat did empty go So ledge to ledge he hopped and leapt The magic tome always close he kept But then one jump he deemed not far To his lead in chase did mar For as he landed on his feet Firm contact with them did not meet The book he dropped to a ledge below And he was filled with dread and woe Down to it did Zurgon leap His sacred prize he wished to keep and so his many steps ahead Dwindled down just like the dead So came his foe upon his tail Armed with mighty sword and mail Unavoidable a blow so quick The sword came down like ton of brick Zurgon was stricken and so he fell Toward the mouth of the open well The attacker grasped then for the book And of the well gained his own look Clutch tight did Zurgon as he fell And brought the stranger down to Hell Into the dark and deep abyss Of victory both would miss Unto the surging undertow The two men and book did go Carried out to Ocean's bed Zurgon not knowing why he's dead |