An Introduction

[TamM]

A friend and I started to create a BS type world for a roleplaying game. I wrote this introduction when I was trying to focus my thoughts into what I thought might be part of the world and how items may become invested.

 

 

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Darva looked back in the direction of the lost city many hours walk from their current location near the Bowl's edge. Dark clouds had started to form. He took a piece of paper from his pouch and stared at it. The Predictors had given another six hours before the Darkstorm was due to hit. Darva turned and looked at the slaves converting his sled into a wagon by placing wheels on the two axles.

"FIVE, start hitching up the men."

Five looked over but did not raise his eyes above Darva's feet. "Master we have not started to fill the wagon with dust yet."

"Today we travel without dust." Darva walked away towards another Stormrunner who had stopped nearby. He too was watching the storm.

"It comes early Kamac."

"Indeed and Ralla is not here yet. I see you are hitching your slaves, I assume you plan to do the home run empty."

Darva bowed "I do, I have a bad feeling so I will run for home now.

"An empty sled is an empty head."

Darva smiled at the reference to the slogans spoken to the children at merchant school. "Perhaps."

Darva bowed and returned to his sled, with the twenty four remaining slaves now hitched. It had been a good run, only 6 had been lost although his first four most experienced runners had been cut away injured. The rounded stones created by the Darkstorm were treacherous and easily broke the legs of those who walked upon them. He looked at Five and Five bowed low in an exaggerated nod. Darva took his place on the now wheeled sled.

"FORWARD"

The slaves leaned into the harness and the sled moved off. Darva glanced over to see that Kamac was also hitching his team. Smart move, something wasn't right.

"HAI"

Darva looked around and Kamac was waving toward the gathering storm clouds, even this far out you could see they were starting to spin, slowly at first but gathering pace and volume. But that wasn't what Kamac was waving at. Darva knelt up on the sled and took out his looking glass. In the distance he could make out Ralla's sled. Darva felt sick in the pit of his stomach. Ralla was pulling his sled along with 10, no, 11 slaves. He was desperate and with good reason.

"FIVE - take us to jog." The sled moved faster.

The Darkstorm was forming, lifting dust at the moment but shortly it would grow stronger and start to lift stones as large as a mans head. Nothing could stand in the face of a Darkstorm.

 

Looking through the glass Darva saw a man go down, he was quickly cut free and Ralla's sled was pulled again in the direction of safety. Then the larger stones started to rock in place as the Darkstorm took hold, larger and larger stones were picked up, the grinding sound set your teeth on edge and the scream of the wind sent shivers down your spine.

"Five - take us flat out" The sled bumped along as fast as the slaves could run.

When Darva turned back Ralla had stopped running and those who were left huddled in the lee of the sled. Then the largest stones lifted into the air and the sled started to splinter apart with their impacts and even the splinters were lifted into the giant twister. Then suddenly Ralla and what was left of his team and wagon were gone, pulled into the grinder that was the Darkstorm and they were gone.

The wagon was light and Darva was convinced that they would make the bowls edge before the storm was at its full. The slave team was fit and the fear of being caught gave them speed.

Darva once again took out his paper from the Predictors. In eighteen days he would run the gauntlet between Darkstorms again, this time to retrieve the sparks which would now be empowered and could be used to power the enchanted.