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A free build that comes with a story! But here's the pics first up, in case you don't want to read the story - it's quite a long one!
Ok, onto the story! *Puts on my storytelling hat*
Many years ago, in fact the year of my 18th birthday, when my father still ruled Peregrinus and i was but a stripling of a lad, the coasts to the east of our fair city of Berigora were laid waste by a series of mysterious storms. The storms were so fierce and localised that they destroyed whole villages with wind and wave, and drove many a passing ship to thier ruin on the shore. Fearing sorcery, my father dispached his scouts and spies, but none ever returned, only rumours of a strange beast that lay cloaked at the very heart of the storm, and was occasionally glimpsed. Survivors spoke of hearing the drumming of hooves in the air, and the shapes of mighty horses within the crashing waves. Within a year, the mouth of the x river and the coast about had become desolated and empty, ravaged by constant storms, a haunted land.
Now, in those days i was a headstrong boy, and the wanderlust that affects nearly all Peregrinians still ran hot within my blood. I had no thought for future rulership or responsibility, but sought out adventure wherever i could. And so i became determined to find out what manner of beast could control the elements like this. Defying my father, who ordered a ban on travel to the region, i set out for the coast.
I travelled for several days over the pass into the valley of the centaurs, and thence to the river Undualia, which i followed to the sea. A mile from the river mouth i encountered a high but crudely built wall being hastily repaired by a crew of centaurs and men. They explained that the river had started to behave strangely, retreating well below low tide, a sure sign of a coming storm and inundation. they begged me not to go any further, but i was filled with curiousity to see the land beyond, and continued on.
It did not take long before the weather started to turn ugly... huge, dark, roiling clouds filled the sky, and rain began to lash at my face. The lightening and thunder frightened my horse so badly that it threw me, and galloped in haste back towards the barrier. But although i was shocked by the severity of the storm, i was not frightened... yet! I pressed on until i heard a strange sound... a roar from the coast like the drumming of many hooves. It did not take me long to discover what it was - a huge wave, crashing through the narrow valley inlet, clearing all in it's path! In terror i fled to the cliff walls that enclosed the inlet, desperately climbing as far up as i could. It wasn't far before the cliff became sheer and i seemed destined to be swept from my perch by the encroaching water, but in desperation i found a crack in the cliff face and managed to squeeze myself inside just as the wave hit.
And now it seemed that instead of being swept away, it was to be my fate to drown.. the pressure of the water forced me through the crack like a cork into a bottle, but to my surprise, the crack opened out into first a passage, and then a larger cavern! When at last i struggled, spluttering to the surface of the water, i found i had sustained no worse than a few bad scratches and bruises. But the cavern was fast filling with water from the wave, and i had no way of knowing how high it would get... in the dark, desperately trying to stay afloat, wondering if this were to be my unknown tomb, i prayed in terror to all the gods i could think of that the water would soon receed.
It was by no means soon, but in time, of course, the water did subside... and by following it as it flowed out of the cavern, i was able to find the entrance again. When i emerged from the crack (it was a tight squeeze without the water pressure to push me through, i can tell you!), i fell to my knees in thanks. I have never liked caves to this day.
The scoured landscape that greeted me was a terrible sight. There were no trees beyond the wall left to uproot, but all else was flattened. I thought about turning back, tired out by my ordeal, but from my vantage point i saw that the beach was near and i felt drawn to it as an antidote after the terrible darkness of the cave. The clouds were already clearing, and i felt i had enough time to have a look around before returning.
As soon as i had scrambed down the rocks toward the beach however, i became aware of a presence besides my own. I looked about and could see noone. "Who is there?" I cried, "Show yourself!" At once the water at the shoreline heaved up, and a huge, magnificent white horse sprang from it's crest. "Who tresspasses on my domain?" it boomed in a loud voice. Somehow i found my courage in the face of this strage creature to squeak in outrage, "My name is Erudhalion Sansael, and this land belongs not to you, but to my father and all free Peregrinians! Are you the being responsible for all this destruction? I demand you give me your name!"
The huge horse laughed at this - of course he would not give me his name, to do so for a clearly magical being would be tantamount to making me his jailer! I had some magical instruction, not a great deal (as i am not suited to it), but enough to know that much. In that moment i could see that he meant to kill me eventually, but he was in no hurry - he would toy with me first for his own amusement. "Well, at least i won't die in that damned cave" i thought, and this gave me courage.
"So you want to know my name" boomed the water horse. "Well, if you can answer three riddles, i shall tell you. But beware - should you answer wrongly to any of them, i shall take your life instead!" My heart lifted as i heard this - perhaps i had a chance after all? I had always loved riddles and had a store of my own. "All right" I replied, "but only if you swear on the sacred water crystal that you will keep your word!" The water horse looked doubtfully at me. "All right, i swear" he grumbled. And then he riddled me this:
"I build up castles.
I tear down mountains.
I make some men blind,
I help others to see.
What am I?"
Well, that was almost too easy. "Pretty much every Kaliphlin child knows from the cradle that the answer to that is sand!" i cried, "Try me something harder!" The water horse smiled, making me think that part of his plan was to lull me into a false sense of security. "Alright then, young princeling," he said, "Try this on for size:"
"I live in water
If you cut my head I'm at court,
If you cut my tail I'm fruit,
If you cut both I'm with you
What am I?
My heart sank - this was one i didn't know! I tried to reason it out, recalling another riddle where "head and tail" meant the first and last letters of a word. The water horse sneered at me "having trouble, young Erudhalion? How badly do you want to know my name then, or indeed save your own life?" It took me many anxious minutes before in a flash of inspiration i stumbled on the answer - a pearl! - an earl at court, a pear is a kind of fruit, and and ear is something that is with you!
Now the water horse was really angry. He stomped and flared his nostrils, and ominous clouds gathered around him. As frightened as i was, i was also exultant... only one more and i had him! "You have done well, Erudhalion" said the water horse slowly, once he had calmed down. "But i have saved the best for last:"
"What does man love more than life
Fear more than death or mortal strife
What the poor have, the rich require,
and what contented men desire,
What the miser spends and the spendthrift saves
And all men carry to their graves?"
If the water horse was thinking to flumox me with this one, he really had seriously misjudged me. "Aha!" I cried out with relief, "The answer is nothing! Now you must keep your end of the bargin, water horse - tell me your name!"
Well, he raged and he prevaricated and he tried to worm out of it, but eventually he stuck by his promise, and i called on him to squeeze into my empty water gourd, where he lives still, literally a storm in a bottle. The incantation i trapped him with gives me the power to let him out three times only to do my bidding, but after that he is free once more. A few years ago we freed him to wreck a host of pirate ships that were threatening to blockade our harbour and ruin us, but since then he has remained at Peregrinus's lesuire, until next i call on him.
Btw, i promised i wouldn't tell anyone else his name - besides the obvious issues with magical summonings etc, it really is quite an embarressing one for such a powerful elemental spirit! Who knows, maybe that's why he went on the rampage in the first place?
Thanks for viewing and reading! I hope you enjoyed it.
