The Gorgostone

by jediknigh5

6000 years ago, two armies fought for control of an area. One side tried to enlist Gorgos to help them destroy their enemies. But Gorgos could not be controlled, he ravaged the land. The two armies had to join forces to defeat him. They were able to contain Gorgos in a stone, and spit the stone into five pieces. What happened to those stones, therein lies our tale.

2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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The festival always brought mixed emotions to people all over Faerun. The village of Elturel was no different. It was the end of the winter, many celebrated how they'd survived. As new parents Jihlem and Share were especially worried for their daughter Tifre. The Harpers were the guardians pf the Gorgostone, their sole purpose was to keep it contained, make sure that Gorgos would never again be freed to ravage the land. The Harpers protected all of Faerun from the wasteland of Mystara, and the Republic of Darokin. Mystara had used the power of their Gorgostone, and it destroyed their kingdom. That was 500 years ago, and they still hadn't rebuilt their society. This land was made of savage tribes, the orks, the trogoladites, and those in Faerun all feared going to this and to their west. Further west was the so-called Republic of Darokin. It claimed to be a democracy, but the city states still went to war with each other, and slavery was still legal. In theory all three kingdoms were bound by the oath, to ensure that Gorgos would remain contained. But there was little contact between the three lands, and much mistrust. In contrast, Faerun was peaceful, there was no war, no slavery. Most people in the village of Elturel simply worked in the fields and lived peaceful lives. But such peace had a heavy price. At the end of the festival the Harpers came, it was the only time of the year they came. Their oracles gave them names, of newborn children, ones who would be taken. They would be raised from infancy to become Harpers, warriors in the service of the greater good. No new parent wanted their child to be conscripted, but all feared the wrath of the Harpers. There were many horror stories of villages who resisted, the Harpers slaughtered every man woman and child in those villages. Some fled to Mystera or even Darokin, in they made it they could seek refuge. If they were caught, there was no hope of mercy. This was how the Harpers recruited new members, only those raised from infancy could be "Pure" enough to avoid temptation. That was another reason for the festival, for many of these parents it would be the only festival they would ever have with their child. Jihlem and Share tried to enjoy the festival, perhaps they would be the only good memories that Tifre would have. The life of a Harper was not a joyous one, or an easy one, but it was a neccessary one. They danced, drank, and remained happy for little Tifre. On the last day of the festival the Harpers came. Tweve soldiers, and an oracle. The new parents all gathered around, all fearful of whose names would be called. Jihlem wondered why they did this at the end of winter. Perhaps they just wanted to see which babies would survive their first winter. No room for weakness in this order. The leader of this group made a small speech. He talked of the neccessity of this, and thanked the villagers for their sacrifice. He said that they were here to collect six children, who were under one year old. Tifre was six months old, her parents hoped that the cutoff point might be six months this time. It had never happened before, but they had hoped. There 15 children in the village under one year old, less than half would be taken. The leader began speaking the names of the children who were to be taken. Some of these children Share and Jihlem knew, others they did not know beforehand, but they were recognizeable by their parents cries. As each name was read, one by one, Jihlem had the same mixed reaction. He felt sorrow and sympathy for those parents about to lose their children. These people were his neighbors, his friends, he didn't want them to suffer. One the other hand, he was grateful that his own daughter's name was not read. It was not a good feeling, hoping that someone else was about to lose their child, rather than losing his own child. Five names were read, none of them Tifre. One more name, and Tifre would be spared this horrible life, one other child would be forced into this life. Then the final name was read, it was Tifre. All their hope was for nothing, their daughter would soon be taken away. If she ever returned to this village, it would be to take other children, and cause other parents this sorrow. The sweet baby that Jihlem and Share knew would soon be gone, forever.