'Shud up! Eat yer leg 'o salesman. Fresh last week that is!'
'Young Grrr-Ug don wanna salesman. Young Grrr-Ug wanna elvses! Yum Yum elvses.
Salesman bleuuuuch.'
'Shud up! Haint got non evlses. Eat yer salesman. Insurance, dems yer best.'
'Got lots of elvses. Lots and lots. Grrr-Ug seen dem in trees! Lots.'
'Shud up! You haint seen non elvses, yer 'ear! Grrr-Ug been tole what 'appens
when speak like that!'
'Ow, lemme go, lemme go! I dint know, you never sed!'
'You haint see non elvses. Dems bad, evil. Lemme tell yer, an dint yer tells it
wos me wot tell yer!'
'Ow, lemme go, lemme go, I haint tell no one.'
'Dems been a time years ago, Only Old One ruled, everyones belly full of wot
theys likes best ...'
'No skinny salsemen then'
'Shud up!'
'Ow'
'Only Old One was great and wise, an evryone dit wot he sez, even hoomans and
elvses.'
'Why dit he tell elvses wot to do? Why he not eets elvses insted?'
'Well dem days old and strange, called peece.'
'Piece of wat?'
'Dunno, just called peece. Think that just when evryone bunches together to
bash things'
'Dint sound brave to me'
'Shud up! Dems were elvses in dem days, but dems not bad den, dems gave
Old One lots of wot best to eat, taste better dan elvses. Good days dint last.
Elvses turned bad and bringed chaos back, wot curst us with trollkin. But
elvses here still dit what told. But Mad Mankk, he big Uz, worship Red Eyes,
lots of Uz follow him, he sez kill all dem elvses. Only Old One sez no. He
still meets elvses. Dems elvses have special flowers wot put yer in trance,
makes magic real strong. Dems elvses gives dem to Only Old Ones spirit Uz.
Mad Mankk, he sez all elvses bad, dem flowers make Uz do wot elvses want. He
gos forest to kill elvses anyways. Only Old One hes bad angry Mad Mankk not do
as tole, send his biggest Spirit Uz into forest. But Mad Mankk strong. His Uz
strong. Non returns. Not Mad Mankk or Only Old Ones spirit Uz. Dem all ded.
Now wen any Uz even speaks of elvses in dat forest, bad happens em. Curst by
dem spirits of Mad Mankk and Spirit Uz.'
'But dem trees not bad, dem good. Good shade, no bad spirits!'
'Dem trees good, but dint look at elvses, dint say elvses, dint eet elvses,
else Mad Mannk get yer!'
Just a little story which might be one way there might be still elves in the Troll Woods, if you want them there!
For those working on the Kitori tribes, a few of my own thoughts. I have never really considered the Kitori, and everything is from memory, so it is all probably very flawed. But that has never stopped me writing before.
As far as I remember, the Only Old One was from the dawn age, when troll dominance was common and also rivalries of the gods' war were forgotten, even amongst the elder races. It is possible that the people he ruled were a remnant of this dawn age civilisation. So amongst the Kitori tribes there might be memories of this culture and its magic. I feel that the magic of the dawn age culture, that bound everything together in a spirit of co-operation, was something very new and different. Soon people remembered the old ways and ancient rivalries re-awoke. If the rule of the Only Old One represents some remnant of the dawn age spirit of co-operation (and I am not sure it does, but it might) then there might be elves in the Troll Woods, at least in the time of the Only Old One. Perhaps there might be some reason they survived until this day, a remnant of dawn age magic remembered well enough, even now, for some level of troll elf co-existence.
Now this dawn age magic might have had something to do with earth cults. That might explain the pre-dominance of earth cults in general in the Holy land. I can see that perhaps the Only Old One rule of the land was based on his marriage to the local earth goddess. This might tie in the trolls of the region to some level of Earth worship. So peaceful co-existence may arise through common Earth worship. Then the killing of the Only Old One breaks the direct ties of the trolls to the earth, though some earth worship might continue amongst the trolls out of tradition. This weakening of troll ties might weaken the Kitori, hence the loosing of lands to Sartar (?).
If I were nailing my flag to the tree, then I would not be sure that the rule of the Only Old One did represent some remnant of the dawn age magic of co-operation. Even if it did, then I would not be sure that I would explain it simply through common worship of Earth. After all other earth dominated cultures are not always good on co-operation. For me there is something different about the dawn age magic, and earth worship represents the return of dawn age cultures to their old ways and rivalries. Also I am uncomfortable with troll worship of earth rather than dark. I would want something special in the folks' rituals that somehow captured that unique dawn age spirit. I am not sure whether that something special has to be in the earth worship rituals, or whether they might be in completely unrelated rituals, or even that there is any dawn age spirit left either now, or under the Only Old One.
However as I say, I am no expert and look forward to being swayed by everyone's material, so please publish it!
Stephen Lucek.
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