Critical Analysis: Taboo
Feb 5, 2009 22:35:56 GMT -5
Post by bladeoftaboo on Feb 5, 2009 22:35:56 GMT -5
Ogden started telling the story, starting from when he, Ekul, and Zodiac got hired by a village to take care of some bandits.
"....and they keep raiding and pillaging us. They have killed many of our men that tried to stand up to them. They....they raped many of the women here. They must be stopped. We are willing to pay 5,000 gold pieces. Its all we have," cried the mayor of the small farming village of Sarugh.
Ogden scanned the room. Across from him the mayor sat at an oak desk. He had a worried look on his face. His face said he was only 35, but his graying, and recessing hair spoke different. The small room was lit by a multitude of candles. Many men from the village stood behind the mayor. They looked hopeful. Ogden's eyes fell on a young boy. Probably only 13 or 14. Hardly even a hair on his chin.
"What are you doing here boy?"
"My father is dead, sir. The bandits, they killed him. So now I am the man of my house. That is why I came."
A couple of other boys all in their teens came out from behind the older men, muttering "Aye....me too" or "'Tis a shame, but it is so".
Ogden thought for a second then said," Give me 2,500 gold coins, free lodging for the night and supplies for the trip and we'll call it a deal."
Zodiac looked out from under the black hood of his cloak.
"Excuse me? Are you mad? Only 2,500 for the hoard of bandits that are from Shievmiral!"
"Aye! That's more than we shuold ask for, I mean, look at this sorry sight. I can't take gold that most of these families need. Especially when the men are mere children!"
"T-t-thank you! Thank you kind sir! By the Gods, how can we ever repay this kindness?" said the mayor.
"Like I said, free lodging at an inn, and supplies for the trip."
"Come, you shall stay at my home for the night. I'll have the men get supplies ready, when will you be leaving?"
"An hour before sunrise."
"Then let us get going, eh?"
The next morning, Ogden and the others awoke to find three sacks laying in the center of the room. Each contained enough food for a fortnight. Zodiac.....
Ogden stopped, he was puzzled. He couldn't remember what Zodiac look like. It had been so long.
Ekul describes Zodiac to the best of his memory.
"Well, he had black hair, and cold, heartless eyes, black as coal. He was only about a foot taller than you, Ogden. He was human but as rutheless as a dragon. He had very pale skin that shined in the moonlight. He was very skilled with his bow. It was a finely crafted ebony long bow. Nearly as tall as he was. He had a silver dagger that was fast as chain lightning. He always wore a black shirt and pants. He had two cloaks. One was camoflauged, and the other was black. Pure black. Blacker than night. It seemed to absorb light. He was very.....how should I put this....... proud of his skills. He had a knack for finding an opponents weakness and then exploiting it without a moments hesitation. That's about as much as I remember."
"Right, now I remember. Back to the tale......"
Ogden picked back up where he left off....
...doned his cloak and gathered his quiver of arrows. They were fletched with raven feathers. He slipped his dagger in his right sleeve. He was ready. Ogden looked at Ekul, he was dressed and had his staff in hand. Ogden nodded and they started out the door. They left the mayor's house. They walked to the edge of town. The horizon was truning shades of pink and orange. they started walking towards the hills where the bandits dwelled in a cave. They walked for hours up and over the hills. At midday they decided to have lunch in the shade of a hill. They munched on a wedge of cheese, a chunk of bread, and a little honey to sweetin the bread. As they were packing the bags up, there was a shout. A group bandits came running out of seemingly nowhere. Ogden felt an exetreme pressure on the back his head. He blacked out.
Ogden woke up in a dimly lit room. It smelled like moldy cheese. It was not pleasent. He tried to move, but realized he was bound to a wooden post. He heard a rustle behind him.
"Shhh! Don't say anything. I'm gonna get us out of here," whispered Zodiac.
Before Ogden knew it, he was unbound. He silently slid down the pole and moved next to Zodiac and Ekul. They had just slid into the shadows when the door of the room opened.
"Ok, you little fuckers its time for...Oh ho ho.. so you've escaped, do you think that you'll get far?" said the bandit.
Zodiac slid off towards the oblivious bandit. He was so quiet that he was about three feet from the bandit. He jumped up and sliced the bandit's throat and pulled him into the shadows in one quick motion. They all started from the room and walked down a hallway. The walls were all made of stone, like a cave, but, mother nature couldn't have created such smooth walls. The tunnels were manmade. From the constent creaking, it wasn't very stable either. They made their way into what looked to be the entrance room. They found their weapons laying on a table. No sooner had they gotten their weapons, than the main group of bandits come in from outside.
Some carried sacks of food. Others carried kicking and screaming women. Some women looked only 10. They were all laughing and hollering. A successful raid on the village. One of the bandits carried a spear. On top of the spear............was the head of the boy whom Ogden had spoken to back in the town. The rest was a blurr to Ogden. The next memory he had was of himself lying in a bed in the town. Dazzed and very confused.
Ekul starts where Ogden stopped...
Ogden went into a blind rage, swing his axes at the bandits, using his chains. Zodiac lept into the fray and started stabbing the confused bandits.
Thunder!
Bolt!
Storm!
The smell of burnt flesh filled the air, but something was wrong. The final spell didn't hit. Well, not the intended targets. The spell hit the hill outside of the cave.
"Shit!"
The hill collapsed, Ogden was whirling through the bandits still outside like an unstoppable maelstrom. He was the only one safe.
Ekul and Zodiac were trapped. They walked through the labriynth of underground tunnels for days. They finally arrived at an opening. They were near Eidyar. That was more than 50 leagues away from the village.
Ekul finished the tale. It was night now. The air was still.
" But I have one question. What happened to Zodiac?" asked Ogden.
"Oh, hes behind you. He's been there this whole time," said Ekul.
"Well, there's another story that needs to be told."
Ogden told the story of the siege of Ostia.
"I think if we're gonna find these Order people, the best place to start would be Xel'doroth."
"Then we leave tommorrow."
"Aye, an hour before the sunrise."
"....and they keep raiding and pillaging us. They have killed many of our men that tried to stand up to them. They....they raped many of the women here. They must be stopped. We are willing to pay 5,000 gold pieces. Its all we have," cried the mayor of the small farming village of Sarugh.
Ogden scanned the room. Across from him the mayor sat at an oak desk. He had a worried look on his face. His face said he was only 35, but his graying, and recessing hair spoke different. The small room was lit by a multitude of candles. Many men from the village stood behind the mayor. They looked hopeful. Ogden's eyes fell on a young boy. Probably only 13 or 14. Hardly even a hair on his chin.
"What are you doing here boy?"
"My father is dead, sir. The bandits, they killed him. So now I am the man of my house. That is why I came."
A couple of other boys all in their teens came out from behind the older men, muttering "Aye....me too" or "'Tis a shame, but it is so".
Ogden thought for a second then said," Give me 2,500 gold coins, free lodging for the night and supplies for the trip and we'll call it a deal."
Zodiac looked out from under the black hood of his cloak.
"Excuse me? Are you mad? Only 2,500 for the hoard of bandits that are from Shievmiral!"
"Aye! That's more than we shuold ask for, I mean, look at this sorry sight. I can't take gold that most of these families need. Especially when the men are mere children!"
"T-t-thank you! Thank you kind sir! By the Gods, how can we ever repay this kindness?" said the mayor.
"Like I said, free lodging at an inn, and supplies for the trip."
"Come, you shall stay at my home for the night. I'll have the men get supplies ready, when will you be leaving?"
"An hour before sunrise."
"Then let us get going, eh?"
The next morning, Ogden and the others awoke to find three sacks laying in the center of the room. Each contained enough food for a fortnight. Zodiac.....
Ogden stopped, he was puzzled. He couldn't remember what Zodiac look like. It had been so long.
Ekul describes Zodiac to the best of his memory.
"Well, he had black hair, and cold, heartless eyes, black as coal. He was only about a foot taller than you, Ogden. He was human but as rutheless as a dragon. He had very pale skin that shined in the moonlight. He was very skilled with his bow. It was a finely crafted ebony long bow. Nearly as tall as he was. He had a silver dagger that was fast as chain lightning. He always wore a black shirt and pants. He had two cloaks. One was camoflauged, and the other was black. Pure black. Blacker than night. It seemed to absorb light. He was very.....how should I put this....... proud of his skills. He had a knack for finding an opponents weakness and then exploiting it without a moments hesitation. That's about as much as I remember."
"Right, now I remember. Back to the tale......"
Ogden picked back up where he left off....
...doned his cloak and gathered his quiver of arrows. They were fletched with raven feathers. He slipped his dagger in his right sleeve. He was ready. Ogden looked at Ekul, he was dressed and had his staff in hand. Ogden nodded and they started out the door. They left the mayor's house. They walked to the edge of town. The horizon was truning shades of pink and orange. they started walking towards the hills where the bandits dwelled in a cave. They walked for hours up and over the hills. At midday they decided to have lunch in the shade of a hill. They munched on a wedge of cheese, a chunk of bread, and a little honey to sweetin the bread. As they were packing the bags up, there was a shout. A group bandits came running out of seemingly nowhere. Ogden felt an exetreme pressure on the back his head. He blacked out.
Ogden woke up in a dimly lit room. It smelled like moldy cheese. It was not pleasent. He tried to move, but realized he was bound to a wooden post. He heard a rustle behind him.
"Shhh! Don't say anything. I'm gonna get us out of here," whispered Zodiac.
Before Ogden knew it, he was unbound. He silently slid down the pole and moved next to Zodiac and Ekul. They had just slid into the shadows when the door of the room opened.
"Ok, you little fuckers its time for...Oh ho ho.. so you've escaped, do you think that you'll get far?" said the bandit.
Zodiac slid off towards the oblivious bandit. He was so quiet that he was about three feet from the bandit. He jumped up and sliced the bandit's throat and pulled him into the shadows in one quick motion. They all started from the room and walked down a hallway. The walls were all made of stone, like a cave, but, mother nature couldn't have created such smooth walls. The tunnels were manmade. From the constent creaking, it wasn't very stable either. They made their way into what looked to be the entrance room. They found their weapons laying on a table. No sooner had they gotten their weapons, than the main group of bandits come in from outside.
Some carried sacks of food. Others carried kicking and screaming women. Some women looked only 10. They were all laughing and hollering. A successful raid on the village. One of the bandits carried a spear. On top of the spear............was the head of the boy whom Ogden had spoken to back in the town. The rest was a blurr to Ogden. The next memory he had was of himself lying in a bed in the town. Dazzed and very confused.
Ekul starts where Ogden stopped...
Ogden went into a blind rage, swing his axes at the bandits, using his chains. Zodiac lept into the fray and started stabbing the confused bandits.
Thunder!
Bolt!
Storm!
The smell of burnt flesh filled the air, but something was wrong. The final spell didn't hit. Well, not the intended targets. The spell hit the hill outside of the cave.
"Shit!"
The hill collapsed, Ogden was whirling through the bandits still outside like an unstoppable maelstrom. He was the only one safe.
Ekul and Zodiac were trapped. They walked through the labriynth of underground tunnels for days. They finally arrived at an opening. They were near Eidyar. That was more than 50 leagues away from the village.
Ekul finished the tale. It was night now. The air was still.
" But I have one question. What happened to Zodiac?" asked Ogden.
"Oh, hes behind you. He's been there this whole time," said Ekul.
"Well, there's another story that needs to be told."
Ogden told the story of the siege of Ostia.
"I think if we're gonna find these Order people, the best place to start would be Xel'doroth."
"Then we leave tommorrow."
"Aye, an hour before the sunrise."
