Results 1 to 1 of 1
Thread: The Vulture of Vosgaard.
-
10-23-2003, 10:21 AM #1
This is rather a long one, so I`m going to have to break it up into a
couple of posts.
Report on Recent Interview with the Vulture of Vosgaard
Lessandra Lour, Second Circle Initiate. Gessarin College.
"I was not dead. I have never died. That is one of the many false stories
people have told about me. There was a sort of a funeral, yes, but I was
not dead. This has led many to believe the misconception that I have risen
from death, or some foul creature from the Land of Shadow but it is not at
ll true. There was a horrific mockery of a funeral as a result of the
false accusations made against me, and that has led to many mistaken rumors
about my... well, my rebirth, but I never died nor was I raised from the
dead as the creature you see before you."
The being that has come to be known as the Vulture of Vosgaard had a
surprising gentle manner and articulate way of expressing himself. I was
impressed by his pleasant demeanor. In fact, his manners and carriage
would have been considered impeccable in any of the courts of Cerilia. We
sat (or, rather, I sat while he perched) upon the ledge of Mt. Revnya in
Glaznyy. Perhaps a dozen of the mountainous breed of buzzards common to
that region were perched there in a loose semi-circle around me and the
awnsheghlien. They looked on attentively. A like number of these birds
were visible soaring through the gray skies above. I could not be sure,
but it seemed to me that the birds in the air traversed a regular pattern
in the sky. East for what must have been a league or so, then either a
slow half circle to the north or south followed by a turn east again
towards us. Each would in turn pass directly overhead and its cry could be
heard clearly echoing through the late morning mist.
"They must be following the eddies of the wind," I thought. During the
interview, however, one of the circling birds landed upon the ledge and a
bird that had been perched there took off and followed the same pattern in
the sky that the rest had been. Could they be patrolling? It seemed
unlikely that the Vulture`s control over these animals was as perfect as
that, but the behavior was striking.
As for the awnsheghlien himself, he was quite a surprise. I had been
prepared for his horrific visage, of course. My superiors had a good
physical description of this new awnshegh. Despite the fact that there are
few travellers in this cold, rugged land of eastern Rovninodensk there had
been several sightings of the creature in recent months. Of course, these
sightings spawned the typical rumors and tall tales. That the Vulture was
responsible for the disappearance of several groups searching for valuable
silver deposits in these mountains was unsubstantiated. It was also said
that his taste for human flesh was ravenous and insatiable, and the
awnshegh did seem to eye me hungrily... but it was the hunger of ambition
that I saw in his black eyes.
Strangely, it appears the Vulture himself requested the interview. An
elegantly written message had been delivered to one of the members of our
order tied to the leg of one of these fearsome birds that now surrounded
me--rather an unusual event amongst we who document those touched by the
spirit of the gods. Most are... well, if not shy then they are reclusive
and secretive. They are each reticent to speak to outsiders for reasons of
their own. Some fear the spotlight because they want to avoid persecution
by thrill seekers or other ambitious mortals. Others have a residual human
repulsion of their own transformation, and hide out of shame. It is
difficult for most of them to speak to typical mortals let alone we of the
Gessarin College who investigate and document their lives in
detail. Because it is so hard to get information directly from the mouths
of these reclusive beings it is vital that in our efforts we do not reveal
any shock, fear or revulsion at our subjects` appearance no matter how
unsettling that appearance might be.
I must admit, however, that I had more than a few trepidations. Aside from
an instinctive dread of creatures of the kind that this awnshegh`s
transformation took, I have never derived much pleasure from great heights
and the climb to his lofty lair had been formidable. Discovering that the
Vulture was an urbane and well mannered being was quite a surprise, and
stood in sharp contrast to the cold, lonely surroundings. His fearsome
appearance was in stark contrast to his gentle and articulate speech. I
found him intelligent and educated, even rather charming. In turn, he
seemed quite pleased to speak to me. The Vulture was calm and relaxed here
in his secluded aerie. His voice was steady, silky and warm. If it were
not for the circumstances and the changes to his body we might have been
sitting in an Ilien seaside teashop or sipping kaffea in one of the many
shops in Ariya.
"Of course, my appearance has also done much to shape the impression that
many people have made regarding my `death` and `rebirth` as something
beyond death. Vultures are wildly misunderstood animals. They are not
really so different from humans, however. They are associated with death
because they feed upon animals killed before they come upon them--but then
so do most civilized creatures, do they not? I ate only the flesh of
things slain and slaughtered by the butcher before I became the creature
that I am now. Can you imagine if food were served live in the courts of
Cerilia? Force one of the ladies of the Imperial City to slay her pheasant
before she eats! Ha! She`d sooner offer up her footman for supper than
raise her silvered dinner knife to kill her own meal, I wager. I grant you
that I did not quite savor the taste of meat as much before I became the
being you now see before you. Nor did I appreciate the... complexity of
flavours that are lost by cooking. My taste for flesh has blossomed you
might say, but the change is much less dramatic in this regard than you
might imagine."
"Did you know that in ancient days we Khinasi--well, we were Basarji
then--revered vultures as holy creatures? It`s true. As a young man I was
sent to the Temple of Rilni for my education and there I read some of the
ancient writings of our earliest historians, grandee Goulik el-Iz and the
fakir Kannif. In those days it was believed that vultures would carry away
the spirit of the dead to the afterlife, and their presence was considered
a good omen for they were believed to embody the concerns of the dead
regarding the lands of the living. A vulture`s gaze was believed to act as
a conduit to the spirits of one`s dead relatives. There are ancient tokens
from those days that clearly show the sun in the talons of a vulture, its
wings outspread; protective, graceful, glorious.... Our goddess Basaia was
closely linked to these noble birds. Of course, much changed as our people
came to Cerilia, and the godsdeath at Deismaar destroyed much more than
people now suppose. The gods were quite different then, and our culture
has shifted dramatically. Oh, but I digress. I beg your forgiveness once
again."
"Where was I? Oh, yes. My family were merchants. I am a son of the
el-Zareda clan. I know that revelation may cause much harm to my family`s
reputation, but I am here to set the record straight, and to try to return
some semblance of honor to myself and the family of my birth."
"Of course, I have a new family now. These brothers and sisters who
surround me. See bold Render there? Look how attentive he is.... I call
him kin, for we are brothers _of_ the flesh if not _in_ the flesh, if you
understand my meaning. And this one here is the lovely Darkwing. Yes my
beauteous one, yes, we shall set all to rights now, shan`t we? My flock
and I will fix all this, all of thisss. There much cause for anger, but
wee shall fiiix theeeengs. Justice. Justahce! Juhstahce! We shaaall
haaaaaave eeeet! Jaaawsstaaaws! Aaaaw! Ah-Aaaaaaaw!"
His voice rose high and filled with rage. There was a great cacophony as
the volary joined their master in his cries. They spread their wings and
screeched so loudly that I felt smothered by the sound. I dropped my pen
and covered my ears. They fell silent almost as suddenly as they had
begun, and I slowly raised my head and blinked away the tears that had
sprung to my eyes.
"I do apologize for that outburst," the Vulture continued when looked up
and I tentatively uncovered my ears. "It is the nature of my change, I
know, that makes such things unavoidable, but I remain human enough to be
embarrassed by such displays. Prey forgive me...."
I indicated that all was forgiven, though I scarcely would have complained
as I sat there upon a stone surrounded by this murderous looking flock. I
am but a small woman, and the climb to this craggy ledge had sapped me of
much of my strength. As I looked at the hooked beaks and thick talons that
surrounded me I tried to conceal my fear of these birds and the
awnsheghlien whose transformation embodied their essential nature.
"Where was I? Ah, yes, the misconceptions about me. First, I am not Vos,
I am Khinasi. Yes, it`s true. I live now here in these craggy heights far
in the mountainous lands of Vosgaard, but I am no more native to these
lands than a Varsk would be to the Sielwode. Ha! Ha-ha!"
A general cawing sound not unlike laughter rose from the flock,
accompanying the Vulture`s remarks. I feared another outburst of
screeching, but their chortles soon died down. At that moment I began to
see something disturbing in the birds around me. As their eyes met mine I
saw a nearly human intelligence there. It was as if I were surrounded by
some weird moot of old, bent figures in dark cloaks. They were like
crooked men with crooked intentions. The pink, wrinkled flesh of their
necks and faces only served to heighten the anthropomorphism of the
moment. The ledge was littered with bones and carrion in various stages of
decay, but it was this image that sickened me, and I found my throat close
up in distaste.
"Where was I? Oh, yes, we were discussing my funeral. Do you know how
they Vos execute their criminals?" he asked.
I had not yet fully composed myself, and I was afraid my voice might crack,
so I simply shook my head "no" rather than risk showing weakness or fear.
End, part 1
Thread Information
Users Browsing this Thread
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Bookmarks