Private Tales Dawn Tracking [Douglas]

[Velaeri]

Hallenrul
Twelve days ride east of Elbion.

The small town of Hallenrul was not denoted on many maps nor known by many who had not traveled there personally. It was the sort of place you stumbled upon when you least expected it - the sort of place you only found when good and lost on the mountain road winding north. There was one road in and one road out and a whole lot of dark forest surrounding the quiet village.

For those that knew of the town, they knew of the shades, brigands, vampires, and all other manner of spooks that had been haunting those poor people. For those few who knew of the town, they also knew Hallenrul was under the watch of the great golden gryphon.

It was the best place to go were one to so boldly seek out the audience of said gryphon. It was the only place they were assured to find her, eventually.

But who would go through that much trouble to find a rumor of a town guarded by a gryphon?

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

The wagon finally came to a slow, rolling stop within Hallenrul, Douglas offering little more than a yawn as he lifted himself to his feet and stretched. His muscles quivered at the first real movement he had in hours, and forced him to catch himself as he began to see spots; a direct result of sitting for so long. When the young scholar finally came to, he moved past two other college members and three guards that had come on the trip with them, while two more began to work on taking care of the horses that had drawn them there.

“Who chooses to live out here?”, the first of the college members mentioned, that whose name was Akul.

“Idiots with no ambition.”, Solomon responded as he began to roll the sleep from his shoulders.

Douglas simply shook his head before looking at them; “Mind what you say, I doubt it’s a good idea to make enemies the moment we show up.”, he said with a grim tone.

“C’mon, you know we’re-”, Solomon began before Douglas quickly interjected;

“It doesn’t matter what I think. Just that it's a stupid thing to talk about right now. C’mon, help unload the boxes.”, he said with a sigh as he motioned to the merchant guards who gave a quick wink to the boys who had now been tasked with assistanting them.

As they grumbled, and moved to help, Douglas took a few careful steps from the group before opening his book, looking through its pages before coming across a small excerpt on Griffon’s, and the details regarding them. Semi-sentient, they were certainly smart creatures, but more on par with domesticated cats than a full blown person, and they generally stood just over a ton and a half; which was excessively large, but something dedicated monster hunters had little trouble bothering with. What interested Douglas, and the legends that came to Elbion, was that the creature had somehow been domesticated, or perhaps altered, as it was extremely uncommon for anyone that he knew of to truly own a Gryphon, or even be on friendly terms with one.

A thumb came to his chin as he considered the possible options, such as local hunters or beastmasters that might be able to commit themselves to such an endeavor, and if so how they might have gone about it. It was an interesting thesis regardless, Douglas only hoped there wasn’t more hot air in the story than reality. With a sigh, he looked back to the group, and began to speak;

“While you guys get unloaded at the inn, I’m going to head out and ask around. I’ll be back in a bit.”

None of the others gave him much of a response besides a simple nod, though he was certain one of the students was more annoyed than anything he had skirted the duty of unloading for research; Douglas’s favored work it seemed.

As he looked around the small hamlet, took in its various pieces of peasant architecture, he couldn’t help but consider how much time went into establishing this village, let alone guarding it from all the mess and gaggle that supposedly did come after them, and even then, what about the area was so drawing that all manners of ill attacked it? Was it the epicenter of some ancient spell, or held caverns or ruins that still held long abandoned elven temples? It was hard to say, but eventually he came across an old man sitting on his porch that he took his thoughts away from the area, and to what he came up here for;

“Excuse me Sir, I’m Douglas Haley of Elbion; Could I by chance ask you a few questions?”, he said in as polite, level tone he could manage. He wasn’t used to talking to people poorer than the dirt they farmed, he’d only hope they wouldn’t take offense to manners.

Velaeri​

 

[Velaeri]

It just so happened that Douglas Haley picked out the elder of the town. Rawn Claygen had spent most of the morning helping his sons mend the fenceline of the lower meadow. Half their head of cattle had managed to run free the night prior - but far be it from he to go chasing after them. That was the work for young bucks like the lad presently seeking his audience. Instead he spent his time fixing a new wooden twitch in a cloud of tobac smoke.

"Elbion," Rawn spoke over his pipe, his carving coming to still as he took in Haley's entourage, "been some time since we received folk from Elbion. What can I help you with, Douglas Haley?"

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

Douglas offered him a smile, one that at least spoke to his manners. At least the village wasn’t full of hermits who hated outsiders, as was too often the case in small hamlets such as this. The seclusion made them superstitious, uninterested in the macro workings of the world and its political agenda; only the crops and their cows giving them anything to look forward to. That, and the grueling task of incest for the the lesser populated ones.

The thoughts quickly slipped back to the discussion as he spoke evenly;

“Well, Sir, I’m looking for information on a Gryphon. Alot of rumors and myths have spoken of a large one, capable of taking down smaller dragons. I’ve come on behalf of the college to verify these, try and understand how it might’ve come to defend the village, even if its capable of communication…”, he said before quickly interjecting as a final word to his statement.

“To preface the rest of our conversation, Sir, I mean it, nor your village, any harm. I’m here strictly for the sake of understanding.”

Velaeri​

 

[Velaeri]

Rawn chuckled as he set his gaze back to his work, skillful hands carefully carving away slivers of wood. Something about this particular situation seemed to tickle him, "That so..." the man stretched his jaw thoughtfully, pulling the pipe away in a motion that seemed contemplative.

"If you didn't see her on your way in then she's not likely around. Comes and goes on a whim, she does. I don't know anything about her taking down dragons, but I suspect the small ones she takes as a snack in between meals."

Another gruff bout of low laughter made the man shake his head, "This ain't no large gryphon, Mr. Haley."

Douglas Haley

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

Douglas took in the man’s word like air to the near drowned, fully enthralling himself in the details as he nearly instantly copied the man’s words into his journal; every few seconds taking a momentary break to dip the quill back into the mobile inkwell he had strapped to his wrist, magically infused to seal itself after every poke of the quill. A few more writing pieces later and he’d look up, offering the man a questioning gaze;

“No ‘large’ gryphon, Sir?”, he said in a testing manner.

“What would you describe it as? On that same topic, could you describe more of it perhaps?”

As though to prepare, his gaze quickly fell on the journal once more as his ears honed in for an answer. His quill was taught, ready to scribble a mixture of sloppy and well rounded calligraphy the likes of only a fellow scholar was able to read; leave alone the uninitiated peasantry or weak minded nobles. Still, so long as he could read it, all was well, as it would serve none better than its original writer.

Velaeri​

 

[Velaeri]

Rawn paused in his work to turn his gaze up at the young man, a single bushy white eyebrow hoisting up high.

"She's a giant," the man said matter of factly, "yeh won't see another gryphon as big as her nor bigger. It's unnatural, beautiful though. Gleams gold like the sun, she does. We call her Dawnbringer here. Always a brighter, better day when she arrives."

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

Unnatural.

In some sense, it was the word he was hoping for. The stories of an oversized, aggrandized gryphon could have been complete mythology, and in truth this didn’t cement the fact there was outside influence, but the fact of the matter was that this stood to encourage the idea there were other matters at play; the exact thing he was looking for. Holding back a smile, Douglas penned a few more notes, ending with the word ‘Dawnbringer’.

His gaze slowly shifted upwards after he made an unconscious, methodical nod as though to confirm his own writings, speaking to the man once more;

“How was it she came to the village? Do you speak with her, or simply bargain in the sense.. Oh, I’m not sure, a dog persay, and a treat.”, he said, almost leaning in as he asked.

Velaeri​

 

[Velaeri]

"Well," Rawn licked his thumb and used it to carefully smooth the edge of his carving knife, clearing away wood chaffe, "blew in on a terrible storm many years ago, soaked to the claw and a little lost I suspect."

Not many people knew where they were when they wound up at Hallenrul, getting good and lost to get here was something of a normal thing.

"The Lady and I have been good friends ever since. She has her own way of getting her point across with everyone, but sure as sure if you compare her to a dog within earshot you'll make a mighty offense."

Rawn turned a serious gaze up at the boy, "And I don't rec'mend it."

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

Douglas seemed to pause at the last comment, quietly testing the man with his gaze before simply nodding and making a note not to call the gryphon a dog in any capacity. If nothing else, it at least told him it could understand what most people were saying, perhaps even comparison to other sentient beings rather than just basic commands. With a sigh, he closed the book and rested it back in his satchel. A quick glance back to the rest of the expedition, and he made a quiet decision in his mind.

“Would there be a way you could perhaps have her meet me? My companions-”, he said motioning to the distant scuffle between one of the younger scholars and the guard, a heated argument about moving more crates it seemed, “-aren’t always the most respectful…”

“I’d be curious to study her up close.”

Velaeri​

 

[Velaeri]

Both of Rawn's eyebrows hefted valiantly up his forehead, holding up several lines of wrinkles beneath the brim of his hat, "Son, if I had the power to summon a giant golden gryphon and tell it what to do I doubt I'd be living in a little nowhere town like this."

As if to get his point across he stood from his seat and placed his knife into the leather sheath at his hip, "Ye want to meet the gryphon, I suggest you go wait out at that first farm you come 'cross on your way in. If she shows up, that's the first place she goes."

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

With his gaze idling to the exterior of the city, in the direction the man pointed, he nodded with certainty. No way around it, he knew it was simply his only option if he wanted to ensure a safe study of the creatures. His companions were simply too hot headed, too focused on glory rather than actual understanding. He wouldn’t be suprised if they tried to hunt the gryphon, though he couldn’t imagine that being a smart idea considering its supposed size.

Douglas looked to the man once more, offering him a generous smile;

“I appreciate it, Sir. I think I’ll head out there, see what I can find.”

And with that, Douglas offered him a simple nod and began to march off to the location he had mentioned.

Velaeri​

 

[Velaeri]

He would wait out at that farm until dusk with the songs of the stock animals calling from the hills rolling down into the valley. The farm idled beneath the shade of many old, large trees - the farmer and his sons tilled the produce fields while the women spun wool and hung laundry. By the evening they'd moved to bringing in the herds and putting dinner on in the house. Douglas was left to his own devices with the smell of venison stew filtering along the breeze.

If he considered the prospect of turning in for the evening at all, no one would have blamed him. There was no assurance the gryphon would appear at all and, given her far-ranging flight patterns, it could even be weeks ... or months before she visited again. Such was the life of wild creatures, prone to following the whims of the winds.

But, as luck would have it, a dark figure appeared in the far distance over the ridges of forested mountains. A black blob that morphed like a cloud, pinching and pulling, twisting and writhing, and it became apparent as it drew near that something was amiss. The great wings of the behemoth beast sprawled across a darkening sky, folding and pulsing against a cloud of ... something. A distant screech echoed out, and another growing louder as the creature flew closer.

Then with a heady gust of wind that was cold unlike the evening air, the massive gryphon flew overhead with the chaotic fury of a darkstorm, chased and savaged by what appeared to be a flock of crows. Their eyes were red and glowing and their bodies turned to smoke as they fell prey to beak and talon alike - but there were so many. Countless, enough to cast a shadow over the town, and they swarmed the beast relentlessly.

She banked across the valley and turned south, great wings beating against her attackers as she made way for a lake at the very bottom and threw herself into it with an explosive wave of water.

Douglas Haley

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

Douglas glanced down to his notes, noticing he had drawn the idle figure of what he imagine the gryphon might look like. Majestic, larger than life, and oddly carrying a slight glow as defined by a few lines he drew on the outside edges of it. Let it never be said he didn’t carry a bit of artistic talent, drawing a small grin on his expression as the many others in his group moved to stay at the Inn they had decided on.

Walking toward the outside of the town, the stark contrast of movement in Elbion was all the more evident in these moments. How quiet it was here, with the distant cry of birds and insects, where Elbion roared to life with trade and arguments over the inflation rate of this or that currency; all things that mattered little to him in the grand scheme of everything. His dreams were studying, finding beauty in all that was microcosmic, and understanding the very fundamental nature of the world.

It was this momentary thought of the world, his aspirations, and dreams that made him miss the first sight of the catbird, ripping through the air in the distance as crows tore at feathers, making a harsh mixture of blood, brown and white down, and the clouds of black feathers the titan of a gryphon had torn from her attackers.. It took a moment to register, but as everything connected Douglas swore and threw his book into his satchel, taking care to hold it as tight as possible as he began running in the direction of the assault.

Electricity arced between his fingers, yet he held back as he waited for a moment he wouldn’t harm the gryphon; let alone it mistake him for another attacker. Something told him he wouldn’t have a chance to apologize, and so he watched as it dipped and dived, finding its spot in a massive splash in the water; causing everything that tracked it to become splattered in conductive moisture.

Perfect as a chance he’d ever get.

His hand went upwards, and in a thunderous clap that dared blind anyone but its caster, lightning ripped through the swarm of birds in a harsh display of magic. A single bolt and nearly thirty of the birds fell, bringing a whole new meaning to the term murder. Proud of his bird killing skills, Douglas swallowed hard as he waited on the bank of the lake, waiting to see if the bird would see him as a threat.

It’d be a few seconds for him to cast another spell regardless, as the tattoo on his neck began to vent as much of the excess magic it could, saving him from an accidental over exertion.

Velaeri​

 

[Velaeri]

Whether it was a result of his conjuration of magic or whatever the cloud of birds had been formed by, the stench that filtered out from the resonating blast was horrid enough to make a troll's stomach turn. Electrocuted crows fell to the water's churning surface, their smoking and charred bodies turning to a sludgy oil. As the waves began to subside the tension broke once more; water gave way to the emerging figure of the behemoth, black grime coating gilded feathers already marred by blood.

She was as big as a four-tusked bull alophant of the western savannah plains with a beak broad and sharp enough to swallow an armored man whole. As she made her way up the shore of the lake, it became much more apparent the extensive damage left by her attackers. Small cuts and gashes littered a hide that normally would have shown a brilliant wheaten gleam beneath the moonlight. The shadow of leopard-like rosettes on the felinid portion of her body was lost beneath the ruddy stains. The white feathers covering a refined and regal skull had been plucked and torn - blue eyes winced beneath fresh wounds.

Tail and wings hanging limply, weighted by water, fatigue, and pain, the gryphon collapsed into the shallows of the water with a wilted screech. She couldn't see Douglas Haley but her other senses hadn't failed her yet. A threatening hiss would issue should he move closer.

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

Winds changed, and the stench of the dead not-such-birds fell upon Douglas’s sense, forcing him to scrunch his face and cover his mouth with what loose fabric he could get from his sleeve. It seemed the birds weren’t a natural phenomenon, and more likely the work of a Crowmancer, or at least some iteration of such. Douglas had heard of such magics, but had never seen it himself; but he feared their spying capacity, and so he quietly kept a look out for any encroaching birds in nearby trees.

Only as Velaeri actually crawled from the now oily lake did her true size begin to make sense to Douglas. He had seen other Griffons, often those in Beastmaster’s possessions, travelling from Elbion to other regions, or otherwise by zoo’s who intend to use the intelligence of the birds as an awe inspiring display of entertainment. This was neither, for better or for worse.

Despite the bird’s obvious threats as he moved forward, he spoke and calm to try and make some connection to the beast. If the village elder spoke true, and she was intelligent as he had said, he’d at least have a chance to offer her something of his own;

“Dawnbringer-”, Douglas began as he reached into his satchel for something other than the study notes he had taken, “- I’m a mage from Elbion, I have with me herbs. Something to help you, with pain and infection.”

Somewhere in his head, he lamented himself for trying to explain the concepts of ‘medicine’ and ‘infection’ to a two ton magically infused bird, but he hoped at the very least the intention would come across that he meant only to help. If it didn’t, he’d end up with a few more scars at best, and at worst he’d come back to Elbion in a pine box.

Anything for the study of magic, he supposed.

Velaeri​

 

[Velaeri]

The great beast was in no state to practice civility, though the man's plea to help had not fallen on deaf ears. She may have been temporarily blinded by her assailants, but the feathered pinnae atop her head swiveled to listen. The gaped beak, presently dripping with a thick coating of what appeared to be dark spirit ichor, swung in his direction and issued a rattled warning.

Whatever had done this to her had set her guard on high, making even key words such as Elbion a suspicious approach. The Dawnbringer's flight paths took her to the College City several times a year - she had plenty of those to call friend and ally within its hallowed walls, even a bookstore named in her sake. But her dealings with the Foard of Maesters wasn't something of high-renown, instead her visitations were kept close to the chest by a select few.

Giving the boy a level moment of consideration, the gryphon relented to his offer by rather suddenly sneezing the black liquid all over the Mage. Without further ado, she turned her head away from him and let it settle upon the ground.

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

Reactions were the only thing that stopped Douglas from catching a crude mixture of snot and black crow liquid to the eyes, but he certainly had some end up in his mouth. Resisting the urge to gag, he spit as much out as he could before digging through what herbs he could to find something strong enough to subside the leftover flavor.

Eventually, as he chewed on an alchemically potent form of ginger, he moved to look over the wounds he could. There were hundreds of flesh piercing beak marks, at least showing how dedicated and aggressive the magic was. If they were controlled by someone nearby, they’d be on their way, so Douglas didn’t have much time before the poor mannered catbird would find their assailant. The more dangerous wound was a portion of her flank that seemed to have been focused on, as if they intended to breach her layer of thick muscle for softer innards.

He’d heard of how aggressive Crowmancy was, but didn’t think their end goal would be to literally sit inside the massive beast and consume her organs. That wasn’t a fate he would enjoy, and certainly not one he wished upon any enemy, so to compensate he quickly ground in his hands what herbs and paste he could before layering it on with care, while always watching the beak and talons of the creature, knowing full and well she could easily turn on him at the sensation of pain.

“Sorry, Lady, its the fastest way to get it to heal.”, he said with a bit of exhaustion, mostly because of how tightly he had tensed up in preparation of her assault.

“Last thing, drink this.”, he said as he set a small alchemic mortar next to her, pouring in a vicious red potion into it.

“It’ll increase your metabolic rate of healing and-”, he said before sighing once again. He still wasn’t sure how smart the bird actually was.

“It’ll make it heal faster.”, he said, before offering it to her, trying to keep an eye towards the sky for a latent crow.

Velaeri​

 

[Velaeri]

To the creature's credit, she did well to deal with what pain resulted from his attention. A mixture of exhaustion and the fire from the various cuts and wounds peppering her figure dulled much of what she felt. If nothing else, the sensation of the lake water still lapping at her sides in the shallows offered some relief.

Broad wings listlessly splayed across the sand, the gryphon made no effort to cooperate with the drinking of his potion. She made no move to lift her head at all, as a matter of fact. Either she didn't understand him or she didn't want to drink it.

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

Perhaps the mage had expected too much from the bird, fully assuming she’d understand common as well as another person. Sighing, he thought about it for a moment before quickly moving to his satchel once more. Pulling from its leathery depths, he held two salted pieces of meat jerky, a personal favorite of Douglas for when travel was necessary.

Putting both the pieces into the mortar, he stirred them around with his finger before they had soaked up the majority of the healing potion, then pulled each from its stone depths and offered them to the bird;

“How about this?”, he said, offering the meat with a flat palm, taking care not to be bitten by the massive beak of Velaeri.

Velaeri​

 

[Velaeri]

No, salted meat would not do either. Aside from a pinning of her ears, the gryphon refused the offer of medicine with a guttural rumble. Verily, the Dawnbringer had her reasons but they weren't known to him. After a moment of stillness, another grunt resonated from deep within her chest as she slowly moved to push herself back up onto all fours.

It was a arduous task, judging by the tenuous nature of her massive bulk as it rose, dripping sand and drying blood and ichor, onto unsteady limbs. Whether or not the boy moved away to give her space, she made no effort to topple him but also made no effort to avoid him entirely. The gryphon sluggishly turned north along the shoreline, one drooping wing high enough to pass over Douglas at a stand entirely but not without spilling the apothecary bowl from its perch in the process.

She made way for the grassy knoll overlooking the banks, leaving behind dragging prints of talons and paws, and collapsed into the tall reeds of green. The land trembled beneath her bulk, pollen spilled from flowers into the air, nearby birds startled into flight.

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

Douglas frowned in response, taking a small bite of his own ‘magical healing meat’. It certainly tasted fine, but the potent flavors of the medicine still overtook everything but the consistency of the flesh itself, forcing him to frown deeper at his poor attempt at medicine. He sighed, knowing at least whatever scratches might form on him, they’d be gone in a while, and besides the obvious risks of cellular degeneration due to higher metabolic rates, he didn’t have much to worry about.

Probably.

Watching the Gryphon raise her massive form and painfully waddle to a somewhat softer area away from the water was tough for Douglas to watch, despite it likely being far tougher for her to manage. It wasn’t enjoyable to watch the beast move with pain, but it was a miracle of a sight to watch, and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he’d have more fuel to brag about the situation to the others who had come with him on their journey. Afterall, he had already found her, even if it was out of blind luck.

As she sat down, Douglas took care to sit a small distance from her, but not before setting the meat once again within eating distance. It’d be a tough journey if she didn’t have some sort of healing factor, but Douglas already knew that it would be difficult to ordain such a feat without watching her heal before hand. With a sigh, he let the bird’s stubborn nature take over, and quietly pulled his journal from his bag and began making a small sketch of the Gryphon, one of moderate detail. Every few moments, he’d glance up, look around the sky, and then back to the Gryphon, only to say a few words amidst the wind’s low whistle;

“Do you have a Master? Do you know much trade language, or am I just sorta barking up the wrong tree here?”, he’d say, before scratching his chin and repeating the same thing in broken elvish.

He’d taken a few years of it as a secondary class in the College. He didn’t know if it’d work, but any chance to try out something he learned.

Velaeri​

 

[Velaeri]

A weary, bleary blue eye cracked open at the boy as he moved to follow her. From where her head rested on the ground, flattened reeds and grasses sprawled about her, she could only just manage the fainted of eye-rolls. The gryphon released a deep sigh and made a half-hearted effort to fold her wings at her side where she lay. The cracked eye folded shut.

Nothing but the winds to answer his questions. Dawnbringer didn't seem keen on conversation, judging by the slow and steady rhythm of her breathing. While the boy sketched and pondered, she fell asleep.

 

[Douglas Haley]

________________________

With no response from the bird, Douglas simply sighed and avoided further annoyances. It was a fine line between scholarly pursuits, and willingly subjecting yourself to suicide by massive catbird; and the latter was certainly not something he intended to experience. Not today at the very least, cringing at the thought of how easily it could likely snap the adept mage with minimal effort. Instead, he spent much of the daylight left in the day sketching as detailed a picture of Velaeri sleeping as he could, more so because it seemed the best way to pass the time without asking further questions or investigating what made the Gryphon so large.

Douglas thought about leaving when night fell, yet couldn’t bring himself to it. There was always the chance Velaeri could be attacked in the night, and the guys back at the village were used to him running off. It wasn’t the first time he’d disappeared to be caught up in a precarious position with a local bar maiden, or doing his own research; either a reasonable explanation to where he was. They weren’t likely to search him out, and instead look around for their own leads, each in league for their own glory he imagined.

Despite his intent to stay awake and ‘guard’ the massive bird, Douglas eventually fell asleep, book splayed open on his chest with the intricate drawing of the Dawnbringer front and center, should she awake and investigate. He however, stayed motionless and still just as she had, only now deep in the dreams of whatever a Kavosh could dream of.

Velaeri​