On the eve of Arthas’s induction as the Aerir’s apprentice, an odd figure clad in armour stumbles upon his home in the mountains, forever altering the course of Arthas’s life.
Returning from what may be his final hunt, Arthas joins his clan in a celebration. Tomorrow he begins his apprenticeship under the Aerir, the elder who is responsible for maintaining and remembering the histories of the Giant-kin. Unlike his friends and family, however, the celebration holds no joy for Arthas.
Just as a storm begins to roll in, Arthas hears the sound of metal clanging and hoofbeats clapping against the stone. Heading up toward the cave where his people dwell, Arthas sees a man riding a strange beast. This man, named Yancy, claims to be a knight and asks for food and shelter from the storm. Yancy is granted leave to stay until the storm passes, and Arthas is anxious to learn all about the wide world beyond his cave. What he and Yancy discuss alters the course of Arthas’s future.
Follow Dax @GM_Dax and Wren @ThornyDryad
Transcript by Dax
Intro music ends [00:27]
Sentimental piano music begins [00:28]
Dax: Welcome to a special episode of Roads Uncharted. What you are about to hear is an old recording session exploring Arthas’s past. Let’s take a peek at what Arthas’s life was like before he left the mountain.
[pause]
Dax: Arthas you are walking back with some of your friends and family, your clan-kin. You’ve just finished a very difficult hunt, but you were successful. Two of your companions have slung a large, four-legged beast over what is essentially, to most of us, a tree branch. And they’re carrying this carcass back towards the cave. You are following along with your father, your mother, and Amar, a close friend of yours from childhood. What are you talking about? What are you thinking, now that you’ve finished your first hunt of the season?
Music shifts to a steady drumming [1:28]
Neil: I’m probably trying to carry as much back alongside to try to make a display of how strong I am? It’s not going great.
Dax: That’s fair. Amar turns to you and says,
Dax (as Amar): Arthas..that was…a little more dangerous than I thought it was going to be. I thought Theamin said that it was gonna be a..well, an easy kill! I almost thought we weren’t gonna make it.
Neil (as Arthas): At least we did. The greater the challenge, the greater the glory I suppose.
Dax (as Amar): Yeah, I suppose. Are you gonna be..hunting with us going forward? I mean, word around is that you’re in line to be the next Aerir.
Neil (as Arthas): I..I guess. Mama…she kinda wants me to? But, when I’m out here I can get actual stories to tell.
Dax (as Amar): Yeah.
Neil (as Arthas): Like I’m killing that, instead of just, you know. Going over what I’ve been told.
Dax (as Amar): It’s an important job though. I mean, you’ll be the one in charge of all of our history. All of our stories!
Neil (as Arthas): I know but, so many of the ancient ones aren’t…no one can really see themselves in it.
Dax (as Amar): Not really sure what you mean.
Neil (as Arthas): The old sagas are focused on gods. I can’t do anything like that. I mean, we took this thing down. That’s a worthy story to tell.
Dax (as Amar): I mean I suppose. Perhaps when you start training, you would maybe think different.
Dax: He slaps you on the shoulder and moves forward to take his turn carrying the carcass. As you near the cave, you start to smell smoke. You can smell the fire pit that has been burning all day waiting for all of you to return with this carcass. Tonight is a Feast Day. You are celebrating…your clan is celebrating your ascension as a apprentice to the Aerir. You can see, as you are climbing the mountain, this billowing smoke pouring out from the entryway. You can hear members of your clan singing and chanting, and yelling out into the wide expanse of the forest that is below them. You can hear the sound of drums beating and flutes and pipes playing.
It’s easy enough to get back up to the cave, probably spend almost an hour in your trek to get to the high reaches. And when you do, your companions put the carcass near the fire, where those that have been assigned with tending it and cleaning it and preparing it can get to work. Your mother comes over to you, a wide smile on her face.
Dax (as Arthas’s mother): Arthas, I am so proud of you. That today,
Dax: And she waves her hand at your clan as they begin their celebrations.
Dax (as Arthas’s mother): Today we celebrate you. Are you also proud?
Neil (as Arthas): Absolutely.
Neil: And Arthas just gives a smile and a thumbs up. Trying his best to look genuine.
Dax (as Arthas’s mother): That’s my son. Now, I am going to go and help Margolas over there. It’s his first time cleaning and I think he needs a, uh…steadier hand so if you’ll excuse me.
Dax: She goes off. Other people are now bustling about, some of them are smiling at you, they’re waving. Raising mugs full of who knows what. Probably some form of alcohol. It is a celebration after all. You have this time to yourself, what do you do?
Neil: Arthas is probably going to get whatever food he can and then sorta stay toward the mouth of the cave to just sorta stare out. He's got a lot of responsibility that he wasn’t super trying to go towards, and now he’s gotta think on that.
Dax: Marston, another one of your childhood friends, comes over.
Dax (as Marston): Hey Arthas. I…you look a little lonely. Do you want some company?
Neil (as Arthas): It’s a free mountain.
Dax (as Marston): That’s true.
Dax: He sits down next to you, a little closer to the edge, his feet dangling over the cliffside.
Dax (as Marston): You’re not too happy about this, are you?
Neil (as Arthas): No. I understand someone has to do it, has to retell the sagas of the Cormacas, Vego or Holfacur. But, why me?
Dax (as Marston): Have you asked the Aerir themself, why you?
Neil (as Arthas): I have a hunch but I’m not sure.
Dax (as Marston): Well what’s your hunch?
Neil (as Arthas): I..I enjoy the hunt, and I enjoy getting farther away from the mountain. My mother’s opinion on that is much less positive.
Dax (as Marston): I remember when we were only a couple feet tall, she was always quick to make sure that we were taken care of if we scraped our knee.
Neil (as Arthas): I appreciate it but I just don’t know how much, or how well, I can fill the role.
Dax (as Marston): I’m sure that as much doubt as you have now, you will make a fine Aerir. Until then I guess just learn what you can and do your best and we’ll all be here behind you.
Neil (as Arthas): I certainly appreciate that.
Dax: Marston looks over. Do you have anything to drink? You said you got some food, did you end up getting a drink while you were…?
Neil: He’d abstain. Mostly he’s trying to keep himself as level headed as possible.
Dax (as Marston): Trying to keep a clear head, huh?
Neil (as Arthas): For the moment. I may have more conversing to do tonight.
Dax (as Marston): Yeah I imagine they’re going to want you to give a speech or somethin’. [sighs] At least it’s not, you know, “The Ascension”. You’ve got a few weeks for that.
Neil (as Arthas): I’ll have to have something prepared by then.
Dax (as Marston): You mean your mother’s not gonna have it prepared for ya?
Dax: And with that he elbows your side a little bit in a joking manner.
Neil: I chuckle a bit and sorta fall back into the same level of dour he was at.
Dax: The next couple hours pass, the carcass gets cleaned, it gets put on a spit and begins to roast. You can smell the flesh charring, and you can hear the juices falling off and hitting the fire with a [imitates a hiss]. Snacks are being passed around, little stuffed mushroom-like things and greens that have been sauteed over the fire. And you can see out in the distance that there are dark clouds on the horizon. It probably will not hit until after the food is done, but it is going to happen before everyone retires for the evening. You can see flashes in and amongst the dark clouds, you can hear the distant rumble of thunder.
Soon, you are approached by the current Aerir. One of the most highly respected members of your clan.
Dax (as the Aerir): [in an old person’s voice] Arthas. Arthas Boston Wapon. How are you doing, my child?
Neil (as Arthas): Fairly well, and you?
Dax (as the Aerir): I’m doing well. These old bones are a little rickety, I suppose a storm is on its way. By the look of those clouds, they might be right.
Neil (as Arthas): I was just about to go say something about it. Looks fairly nasty.
Dax (as the Aerir): Yes. I imagine the carcass will be ready before then, we’ll be able to bring everything into the cave. Are you nervous about becoming my apprentice?
Neil (as Arthas): Somehow I did want to ask, why was I selected?
Dax (as the Aerir): Because you were chosen.
Neil (as Arthas): Hmm.
Dax (as the Aerir): I asked Ymir who the next one should be to lead the clan, and your name was brought forth.
Neil (as Arthas): Hmm.
Dax (as the Aerir): Do you have doubt, my child?
Neil (as Arthas): Well, my memory’s never been the greatest. And I did want to ask, why are all the stories just about us? Or people beyond us.
Dax (as the Aerir): Because it is our recorded history.
Neil (as Arthas): But is it just Giant-kin…forever? Is there anything else?
Dax (as the Aerir): There are a few stories about some of the people Giant-kin have had dealings with, before we isolated ourselves up in the mountains. Which you will learn in due time.
Neil (as Arthas): What were they like?
Dax (as the Aerir): Well, you know why we are isolated in the mountains, yes?
Neil (as Arthas): I’ve heard mild amounts from it.
Dax (as the Aerir): Centuries ago, there was a group of Giant-kin that were much closer to the Giants that we take our names from, then you or I are now. And one of those unfortunately, in his haste, knocked over trees in a forest which caused the direct destruction of a small village nearby. It cost the lives of some children, and livestock, sad as it was. The people of the village wanted justice for the lives of those lost. They wanted compensation for the livestock that was now useless. The Giants had no wealth to share, to provide with some sort of payment. The Giants and the people of that village wrote a treaty. They decreed they would go into isolation, to prevent further lives from being lost. And as a sign of their good faith, the Giant that caused such destruction lost his big toe on both feet, so that he was forced to be slow and careful in his steps every day thereafter.
While a big toe might not be sufficient for the lives of children, the fact that the Giants were no longer around to terrorize, even if unintentional, was enough for the villagers. Eventually word spread and all the clans isolated themselves.
Neil (as Arthas): Well that clears some things up for me.
Dax (as the Aerir): I’m not entirely sure what the world thinks of us now. Last I heard, we still terrorized the minds and nightmares of children, which is why we remain isolated and away from all those out beyond our cave.
Dax: And with that you hear the rumbling start to get a little closer.
Dax (as the Aerir): Hmm. It seems the storm is coming a little faster than we thought. Perhaps we shall carry this conversation on inside.
Neil (as Arthas): Good idea.
Neil: And with that, he’ll stand up and follow him into the cave.
Dax: People start cleaning up the carcass from the spit, it is now ready, they’re transferring it to platters.
Music shifts to a jaunty accordion [13:24]
Dax: Walking with Yurgun takes a little longer than it takes the rest of the clan to get into the cave. And because you are lagging behind you are the first to hear the sound of hoofbeats on the stone, and metal clanging, and the strange voice you’ve never heard before. You look to your left where the trail up to the cave leads down into the forest below and you see something quite strange. Would you mind describing what Arthas sees?
Neil: Arthas can see a man in black and yellow barding, struggling up the side of a mountain with a horse that’s not used to this terrain at all. His visor is lifted up as he is trying to get any idea as to where he is or the direction he’s going. And he has a heater shield slammed across his back.
Wren (as the stranger): [in a staggered, forceful voice] Gah! Well, I swear we were going the right way up the mountain. But it seems that the breeze has been a little more brisk than we anticipated, eh Jones?
Neil: Arthas is confused as to why a child is riding a horse and talking like this, and where it got all that armor.
Wren (as the stranger): Ah! Is that a cave I see up ahead?
Wren: Do I see a cave up ahead?
Dax: You do. You’re close enough where you can see the entrance to the cave, it’s quite large considering its inhabitants.
Wren (as the stranger): Perfect! I will be able to weather the rest of this storm inside of this cave. Come now!
Wren: I apply pressure to the side of the horse.
Wren (as the stranger): Yip yip! Let’s get inside that cave, yes.
Wren: Good storyweaver, what do I see as I direct my trusty steed up this treacherous cliffside?
Dax: So, as you try to get your horse to go up the cliffside, it has been struggling for the last near hour with you going up this craggy cliff’s edge. As you start to get closer the mouth of the cave becomes bigger, and bigger, as you inch closer and you start to see the tops of heads. And the closer you get the more of their bodies become exposed. You see an 11 foot tall man standing and staring at you.
Wren (as the stranger): By the…..gods! That’s a huge man! You! Umm..good sir!
Wren: And I wave. I wave to the figure I see.
Wren (as the stranger): I seem to have lost my way as I was scaling this mountain while I was en route to stamp out injustice on this side of the continent, but, it appears, uh, I’m in a bit of a bind. Do you know the nearest town?
Neil: I wave back, not really sure as to what the gesture means but if I mirror it, maybe it’ll show that I mean no harm.
Wren (as the stranger): Oh my, he’s quite the friendly fellow, isn’t he?
Wren: And I spurr on my good horse towards this extremely tall gentleman and as I get closer I crane my neck more and more and stare up from horseback. [pauses] My that is a ridiculous statement to make.
Wren (as the stranger): Good sir, you are the tallest person I’ve ever had the fortune of laying eyes on.
Neil (as Arthas): And you are the smallest. Are you some sort of king?
Wren (as the stranger): Oh goodness, no! But I do swear fealty to a king far on the other side of the mountains. Uh, which brings me to my current predicament. I was en route to a festival on behalf of my good liege lord and it seems I’m lost.
Neil (as Arthas): This…hmm.
Wren (as the stranger): And you! You look like something out of a fairytale. What…just what are you?
Neil (as Arthas): I am Arthas.
Wren (as the stranger): Arthas! Well met. I am Yancy Bronwick von Dynevy, Champion Knight of the realm. And this is my trusty horse, Jones.
Neil: Arthas nods, trying to remember ‘horse..new animal, cool’.
Wren (as Yancy): Arthas, have you seen a horse before? You look like you’re a little confused.
Neil (as Arthas): No..no I have not.
Wren (as Yancy): Well, uh, tell me. The storm is getting particularly fierce and I need to know. Is there some place I might be able to go to hole up for a little bit? Is this cave yours?
Neil (as Arthas): Uh, my clansmen are in it. Stay…right here.
Neil: And Arthas sprints into the cave to try and grab the Aerir.
Wren (as Yancy): Uh it’s..a little breezy out here.
Dax: I mean he hasn’t gotten that far, he’s pretty close to the entrance of the cave and kinda shuffling.
Neil: Arthas is basically trying to carry the Aerir out to see this..thing.
Dax (as the Aerir): Arthas, you’re moving a little too quickly! Slow..down oh! My..
Dax: And Yancy in front of you is another very tall individual, this one covered in much more..I hate to say resplendent, but resplendent furs. A little hunched over but still carrying themselves with dignity. And they are now staring at you with their eyes and mouth wide open.
Neil: Arthas is just gesturing.
Neil (as Arthas): This one is a champion.
Wren (as Yancy): [muttering] Oh now there’s..another one.
Wren: How tall is this one? I know you said they’re quite tall but please, paint me a picture.
Dax: The Aerir is a little shorter than Arthas due to the slightly hunched body posture, but still pretty close to eleven feet.
Wren: My visor’s fallen down and I pull it back up, and uh, I would like to point out I have an enormous, ornate twirly mustache because of course I do. And I point at this withered husk of a figure that appears to be a much older version of this taller, younger, more energetic, giant person and I give a deep bow from my horse and say,
Wren (as Yancy): Hello! I am Yancy Bronwick von Dynevy and I have lost my way. I was hoping I might take temporary residence inside of your grand cave.
Dax (as the Aerir): Oh. Listen here, Dynevy, you said your name was?
Wren (as Yancy): Yes!
Dax (as the Aerir): Why are you in our forest? Why are you on our cliffside?
Wren: Yancy looks puzzled for a moment.
Wren (as Yancy): That’s quite the strange question to ask, after all I’m simply traveling through my liege lord’s lands and I’ve lost my way. He does own large swathes of the countryside as it were.
Wren: And he gestures broadly with gauntleted arms and hands.
Wren (as Yancy): And these forests and mountains are a part of his land holdings, and it is my sworn duty to protect them. Well, typically, I was on my way to a festival and I seem to have lost my way. But…
Neil (as Arthas): I have a question. How does he own them?
Wren (as Yancy): Wha..? What do you mean “how does he own” land?
Neil (as Arthas): Did he make it?
Wren (as Yancy): No. But his rule is absolute, he has the crown and the lands and the money and everything.
Neil (as Arthas): Hmm.
Wren (as Yancy): Oh and did I..did I mention that he’s very just and kind?
Neil (as Arthas): No you did not.
Wren (as Yancy): So that leads me to ask a question. You have a group of…it’s not just the two of you here, is it?
Neil (as Arthas): Oh no, there are many of us.
Wren (as Yancy): I see, I see. That would mean that you are citizens upon the liege lord’s fine lands. When’s the last tithing that you’ve provided to him?
Neil (as Arthas): What is a tithing?
Wren (as Yancy): It’s a gift of goodwill. Every good citizen pays it to their land liege.
Neil (as Arthas): Hmm.
Wren (as Yancy): You! The older one. Would you have any idea about this? You seem a little more wizened.
Dax (as the Aerir): The last in our recorded history there was no one that owned these lands.
Wren (as Yancy): I see.
Dax (as the Aerir): Arthas I do believe this one has lost his mind.
Neil (as Arthas): Are..are they all like this?
Dax (as the Aerir): Well it’s been so long since we’ve had any dealings with anyone that was not a Giant-kin. I suppose they might be.
Neil (as Arthas): Are they all this small?
Dax (as the Aerir): Yes, yes they are all that small.
Neil (as Arthas): That’s deeply unfortunate for them.
Dax (as the Aerir): Yes, I can’t imagine how they see anything from down there.
Neil (as Arthas): How do you even reach the top shelf?
Wren: Dynevy is shivering with the intense breeze. I’m assuming it’s cold up here? I’m sorry I should have verified.
Neil: Oh, oh yeah. [laughs]
Dax: A little bit, yeah. [laughs]
Wren: [laughing] Okay, okay yeah. Alright, good.
Dax: We’re talking like it is high peak altitude, um, I mean it’s only an hour up from the base where the forest is? But it’s still, it’s pretty cold.
Wren: That’s quite the elevation.
Wren (as Yancy): I do say I am rather winded from a long trek. Now, the two of you, you’re whispering concerns me. Is there any chance I might be able to partake of some fire or warmth inside of your cave?
Neil (as Arthas): If you tell me literally everything about the world outside of this cave.
Wren (as Yancy): Everything?
Neil (as Arthas): Explain to me how a king rules.
Wren (as Yancy): Oh -
Neil (as Arthas): Why are you covered in so much metal and where did you get it all? What is a horse made of?
Wren (as Yancy): Quite the inquisitive, tall fellow aren’t you? Well, I’d be happy to regale you with tales of my exploits and how they relate to the larger world. With a little bit of warm fire, perhaps a spot of tasty food or mead.
Dax (as the Aerir): Arthas, as you will be the next Aerir, I will allow this Dynevy to stay in the cave. For as long as this storm shall last, but no more. Are these terms acceptable to you?
Neil (as Arthas): Entirely.
Dax (as the Aerir): Then let us make haste, before the storm makes us wet.
Dax: And they’ll turn and start to walk toward the cave. And Yancy you can smell, oh you can smell the roasted meats.
Wren (as Yancy): Ah, pygmy mammoth! The best of all kinds of mammoth. Your people sure know how to cook a good meal, I’m sure. [Wren sniffs]
Wren: I pat Jones on the side of the face.
Wren (as Yancy): Alright Jonesy, let’s get inside this cave and see what food we can scrounge up. Perhaps there’s some moss you can lick while we’re here for a bit.
Wren: And I spurr my horse on to go inside of the cave.
Dax: So you follow Arthas into the cave, and once you get into the mouth you see that the cave itself goes down further into the mountain. It almost is..you’re going to have to get off of Jonesy in order to continue because the ceiling, while it is high, as the cavern starts to dip it gets a little low. Kind of as if it was built to ward off intruders.
Wren (as Yancy): Well, hey, a low bridge!
Wren: And I shift and drop off and my armor clanks as I hit the ground and I kind of pat the horse.
Wren (as Yancy): Well..[sighs]
Wren: Reins in one hand, and I’m walking beside the one named Arthas.
Wren (as Yancy): So, tell me. You’re some sort of errand boy for this…old man? What’s it like a squire or..or what?
Neil (as Arthas): I am the apprentice of the Aerir now. He has the history of our clan.
Wren (as Yancy): History. So, he’s a storyteller, is he?
Neil (as Arthas): Precisely.
Wren (as Yancy): I’ve never heard this “Aerir” before. Is this….my goodness, look at this place!
Music changes to sentimental flute and guitar [27:14]
Wren: Are there like houses and other Giant-kin? Or is it just kinda like a big ole cave?
Dax: You continue to follow the entryway into the cave as it goes deeper into the mountain and once you go down quite a ways you notice that there are sconces, almost, built in...little nooks built into the stone walls where little fires are lit. They’re not in anything so sophisticated as iron braziers or sconces, but there is at least some lighting. After a while, that fire lighting starts to die out. The little…we’ll just call ‘em sconces now, for lack of a better word, start to become more infrequent and you start to notice the cave becomes lit with these pale, bluish-green splotches on the wall.
They almost look like moss, but they have this phosphorescence to them. And eventually that is the only lighting that you are given and once you get to the bottom of where this cavern rests, there is an open expanse of stone where you can see people are gathered in small family groups around small fires. They’re cooking, they’re mending armor, children are playing. You can see that there are a few holes chiseled into the ceiling above you, the high vaulted ceiling, to allow the smoke to escape. As you and Jonesy get a glimpse of all this, the clan, one by one, goes silent and everyone is staring at the three of you.
Wren (as Yancy): Hello! Greetings. That’s an awfully large child you have there, yes. Man-sized..you grow them big here, don’t you Arthas?
Neil (as Arthas): That is an adult.
Wren (as Yancy): Oh! I see. Then which one is the child? You do have children, right?
Neil (as Arthas): Y-yes we do. They are…they’re generally asleep by this time.
Wren (as Yancy): Ah, yes. Then I best use my “silent voice”. [in a loud whisper] Hello! Greetings, yes. It is I, Sir Dynevy, and I’m sure my reputation precedes me here as well as it does everywhere else and uh...Arthas, I get the feeling no one has seen a man like I am before.
Neil (as Arthas): Uh, no. You..you are wearing several clans worth of metal and you are very small.
Wren (as Yancy): I see.
Wren: And Dynevy’s hand kinda grips the scabbard with their sword in it, just tentatively. They kind of frown for a moment.
Wren (as Yancy): Do your people value metal?
Neil (as Arthas): Oh absolutely.
Wren (as Yancy): Enough to kill a man for it?
Neil (as Arthas): Oh, no.
Wren (as Yancy): Oh, good.
Neil (as Arthas): The pan in my mother’s kitchen has been handed down eight generations now?
Wren (as Yancy): I see. And where do you get your metal?
Neil (as Arthas): Occasionally on the edge of the mountain. There are things leftover.
Wren (as Yancy): Hmm. Yes, many great battles are fought on the outskirts of the mountains. Fortifications are easily defended on the base of those rocks. Perhaps your people are like scavengers, taking metal that’s been discarded from warriors of old.
Neil (as Arthas): Yes!
Wren (as Yancy): I see. Well, a little craftiness never hurt anyone. I must say that’s pretty impeccable. And what of you, Arthas, have you ever scavenged before? Gone fighting. What do you know of, besides books and stories?
Neil (as Arthas): Not as much as I would like to.
Wren (as Yancy): It’s a shame, it’s a wide world out there Arthas. Would it kill anyone to get me something to eat? I’m famished!
Dax (as the Aerir): Yes, yes I was waiting for you to stop talking. Come, follow me to my fire.
Dax: Starts to lead you past a good portion of the clan and as you continue to walk forward, your horse following behind you and Arthas walking next to you, people are still staring. And once you’re past them, they start to go back to whatever it was they were doing before your arrival. You start to hear behind you that voices are starting to pick up, you can hear the sound of wooden spoons scraping against cast iron. You can smell the meat that was roasted earlier, you can see that people are passing around large hunks of this pygmy mammoth.
At the very back is a small fire being tended by a..what you would presume to be a young woman, she does have a very child-like face and when she turns to look at you, you notice that her right eye is missing and she has a jagged scar down her brow. Arthas you would know this is the Aerir’s wife, his partner, his erstwhile companion. She used to be a well-known huntress for the clan, but now has been relegated to minding the cave due to her injury. It’s difficult to go hunting when you only have one eye.
Neil: Arthas would repeat the gesture that Yancy had given.
Neil (as Arthas): Greta, this is Yancy. He is not Giant-kin, as I hope you can see. He’ll be staying with us until the storm dies down.
[Dax imitates a hefty spit]
Dax: She spits towards the fire and it lands with a [makes a hiss noise].
Dax (as Greta): [in a gruff voice] Fine. Sit.
Dax: And she nods towards some of the more smoothed down stones that surround the fire. The Aerir, without being told, takes a seat next to her and starts tearing apart a large piece of this pygmy mammoth onto a smaller…I guess you could call them plates? They are sections of bark from trees that have been chipped off so that they are sizable carrying slabs.
Dax (as Greta): Arthas, you should probably join.
Neil: Arthas will do his best to take a seat, trying to give Yancy enough room to, well ya know not be crowded?
Dax: Fair. Greta stands up and reaches for the reins on Jonesy.
Wren (as Yancy): My horse stays with me.
Dax (as Greta): Your horse needs to eat.
Wren (as Yancy): That he does!
Dax (as Greta): Fine. If you’re going to lead him on your own..
Dax: She points just past where you all are about to take a seat and you can see that there is a big basket full of hay. You imagine it probably was not meant for food, but at this point..I mean what else is the horse gonna eat?
Wren (as Yancy): Perfect, thank you for the direction. I will return shortly! Once I’ve made sure Jonesy is comfortable.
Wren: And I do so.
Dax: While you are away, Greta turns to Arthas.
Dax (as Greta): Do you trust him?
Neil (as Arthas): I am not sure what to make of him.
Dax: She turns so that her left eye can watch Yancy.
Dax (as Greta): Keep your eyes on him, Arthas. Both of them.
Neil (as Arthas): Absolutely Greta! I will assume responsibility of the small thing.
Dax: She sits down, helps divvy out the meat. She hands a plate to you Arthas and Yancy when you return she hands one to you.
Music returns to the jaunty accordion [35:19]
Wren (as Yancy): Ah, thank you! You’re very kind and tall.
Wren: And I take the plate graciously, rip a hunk of pygmy mammoth in my mouth and the juices dripping off of my mustache. It’s quite elegant.
Wren (as Yancy): So, tell me [imitates chewing noises]. What stories do your people have? Where do you tell them, how do you keep them? There isn’t much paper around here. Do you chisel them into rocks? Perhaps, do them in song and dance? That I’d like to see!
Neil (as Arthas): That is currently Yurgun’s job, soon to be mine. He can just recant a story from memory. He’s quite talented.
Wren (as Yancy): I see. So..
Wren: I turn and look at the Aerir.
Wren (as Yancy): You have all sorts of tales locked away in that noggin of yours don’t you? Any of them as magnificent as the time I slew five lions in one single day?
Dax (as the Aerir): I do.
Neil (as Arthas): What is a lion?
Wren (as Yancy): A lion’s like a really big cat. But don’t worry, I only killed them because they were threatening people on the countryside. See, a Knight’s job is to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
Neil: Arthas is mildly intrigued by that statement.
Wren (as Yancy): Oh ho! I see you are perplexed by the statement. Do you not have champions who protect others in your village here?
Neil (as Arthas): I..I mean many of us are capable.
Wren (as Yancy): But are any of you knighted?
Neil (as Arthas): Which is a…?
Wren (as Yancy): To be a knight is a term of great respect and honor and privilege! To be a knight is to be a champion of the weak! To protect the downtrodden, to uphold order, and maintain peace on behalf of your liege lord and the gods that protect your people!
Neil (as Arthas): Are you sure the liege lord isn’t a god?
Wren (as Yancy): Oh he bleeds like any normal man. In fact, just the other week he had a party where they had cards being dealt and the liege lord likes to try and stack the deck occasionally and one of the other nobles wasn't too pleased with him. So they cracked him across the jaw and he bled a little bit but, never to fear us knights beat the pulp out of that upstart noble and made sure he would never strike his liege lord again. [whispers] We broke his wrists.
Neil (as Arthas): That sounds mortifying. [pauses] Tell me everything about it.
Wren (as Yancy): What’s more to tell? That’s basically all there was to the story.
Neil (as Arthas): What was the liege lord’s name?
Wren (as Yancy): My liege lord?
Neil (as Arthas): Yes.
Wren (as Yancy): Sir Roderick, the noble!
Neil (as Arthas): Sir Roderick, the Wrist-Breaker.
Wren (as Yancy): Yes, I suppose. Though, I suppose when you say “Wrist-Breaker” it does not sound very noble, now does it?
Neil (as Arthas): I’m going to assume deck-stacking is one of the most heinous crimes possible.
Wren (as Yancy): When it comes to cards? Yes. But if it’s done in good fun with no stakes, and nobody gets hurt then perhaps it’s not so bad.
Neil (as Arthas): What were the stakes in this?
Wren (as Yancy): A single goat.
Neil (as Arthas): Hmm. I can see why his wrists were broken then.
Wren (as Yancy): Oh, so you know what a goat is, do you?
Neil (as Arthas): Yes! Some of the animals up here are goats.
Wren (as Yancy): A goat is basically a smaller horse.
Neil (as Arthas): Yours does not have horns.
Wren (as Yancy): Yes, horses don’t have horns, that’s what makes them horses.
Neil (as Arthas): Oh…that tracks.
Wren (as Yancy): Of course it does! You can trust me.
Neil: If Arthas had a pen and paper he’d be writing down everything Yancy is saying.
Wren (as Yancy): So what kind of tales do your people commit to memory and tell? I’m very interested to know because, last I knew, giants were myth. A legend, a thing to scare children! Because, you know, the whole “grind your bones to make me bread” kind of thing.
Neil (as Arthas): Why would you put bones in bread?
Wren (as Yancy): Well, it’s a silly old story really, is what it is. But the bottom line is I did not think that you and your people actually existed.
Neil (as Arthas): Oh! Well, that would make two of us. I did not know there were people smaller than Giant-kin.
Wren (as Yancy): Hm. I hate to disappoint but I must say your people are an anomaly, for most other races are much smaller than you. Easier to kill than a typical animal would be. The smaller you are, the easier you are to kill.
Neil (as Arthas): Are they smaller than you?
Wren (as Yancy): Most things I kill tend to be.
Neil (as Arthas): Hmm. As far as stories go, I mean, there’s the birth of the world, the tales of Ymin, Cormacas, the tale of Viggus, poems of Arathaca. But, I know very little.
Wren (as Yancy): Interesting. Tell me more.
Neil (as Arthas): Well, uh, I am now Yurgun’s apprentice. I’ll be learning what I can from him and being, well, the new storyteller.
Dax (as the Aerir): Arthas here is going to be my apprentice, he has not started his training yet. But he will be the record-keeper.
Wren (as Yancy): Tell me Aerir, is that your name or a title?
Dax (as the Aerir): That’s my title.
Wren (as Yancy): Good, kind, noble Aerir, I’m sure in your lifetime you’ve contributed to the tales of your people. Do you have any stories that recount glorious deeds of your past that you might tell me?
Dax (as the Aerir): We do, but they are not for your ears.
Wren (as Yancy): I see.
Dax (as the Aerir): Perhaps, since you are our guest, and it is always our code that the guests tell the stories, perhaps you tell us a story of yours. Other than the lions.
Wren (as Yancy): Hmmm. What’s one of my other greatest triumphs? [pauses] Ah, yes! The other week, I was sent on a noble quest to collect taxes from a delinquent village on the far side of a hamlet. Past the babbling brook of Christiansen. And upon my arrival, the people prostrated themselves before me, begging for forgiveness. For they knew that Sir Dynevy had come to collect the taxes! I said, “Now, people, there’s no need to beg and grovel for forgiveness for your lives. For I would give them to you freely, so long as the money comes back to my liege lord and, quite frankly, that’s a-ok in my book.”
But they insisted, and they threw me a grand party. We drank, we caroused, and by the end of the night I had made off with all the things of worth in the village. All in the name of my liege lord. That’s a true story, you can write it down.
Neil (as Arthas): How much was there?
Wren (as Yancy): Not much. Quite frankly, they were pretty dirt poor. I can understand why they did not make tax payments on time. From what I hear, there was a pretty bad famine that struck that section of the countryside this past season.
Neil (as Arthas): Hmm.
Wren (as Yancy): So the fact that they threw me a party was pretty much the best thing they could’ve done, because they had very little to share. But, I made sure to abscond with the meager portions of silver they had stockpiled in their elder’s house.
Dax: Arthas, the whole time that Sir Dynevy’s been talking, he’s been flailing his arms around very vibrantly, seems to be a very eccentric fellow. You notice that tied to his knapsack is a square shaped object wrapped in some sort of oiled cloth.
Neil (as Arthas): What is that?
Wren (as Yancy): You’re pointing at my book that’s strapped to my side. Ah, yes!
Wren: I unstrap it from my belt and hold it out to you.
Wren (as Yancy): This is a very important text of my people. Knights!
Wren: And I’ve got the book held out in front of me.
Neil (as Arthas): May…may I read it?
Wren (as Yancy): Hmm. Perhaps. Let me think on that for just a moment. [pauses] Yes, you may.
Wren: And I pass it.
Wren (as Yancy): It’s the code of chivalry. Every knight follows a code, some of the tenets are a little stricter than others and some of our liege lords allow us to be creative with the tenets as need be, to do what we must in order to defend their honor and land holdings. But, they’re pretty straight forward. Tell me Arthas, can you read the language of my people?
Neil (as Arthas): I can certainly give it a shot!
Neil: And with that Arthas will, as gently as he can, start opening and attempting to flip through the book.
Dax: You do so, and this book is, what would normally - for a human - be a normal sized book. For you it’s very small. But as you start to flip through the pages, and you realize that you do have a little difficulty reading the contents, Yancy moves a little closer and starts to show you what some of the pages mean. And that is where we are going to call this session today.
Accordion music ends [45:17]
Dax: Thanks for listening! We hope you’ll join us next time but in the interim, follow us on Twitter @RoadsUncharted.
The “Roads Uncharted” podcast is GMed and produced by Dax, who you can find on Twitter @GM_Dax. We use the Genesys RPG system published by Fantasy Flight Games, and music licensed by Epidemic Sound.
Yancy has been played by Wren, who also composed our opening theme. Follow them on Twitter @ThornyDryad, and Arthas, the Champion of Offam, has been played by Neil.