<font color="purple"> what follows here is a recounting of the founding of The Fellowship of Skara Brae (known initially as The Fellowship of the Shimmering Blade) .... tis not my story, but an old one originally told, I believe, by Maximus
Sawdude now has a tower, and not a log cabin, in Skara Brae, which stands to this day, and it pleases me that I, not so long ago, had the opportunity to meet him
enjoy</font>
The Beginning…
It was late on a hot summer day, that a young warrior chanced upon a cave and decided to seek shelter inside it’s cool darkness. Upon entering the mouth of the cave, the warrior lit a torch to illuminate the pitch-black darkness. Seeing that there was nothing alarming to contend with, the man probed deeper into the cave, looking for a flat spot in which to lie down and sleep. The was to be no sleep for a long time, because as he rounded a corner in the cave, he noticed that in the distance there was a strange flicking light and deep rumblings coming from farther down the tunnel. Running to see what the lights and noise was, the warrior hefted his sword and began to run towards the commotion. He let out an “ARG..” as he was tripped and landed on his knees. Turning, the warrior saw a man behind him who was not there a second before, and assumed a fighting stance, in fear that this was a brigand out to steal what little possessions he had on him. “WAIT…STOP!!!” yelled the stranger over the load rumbling that seemed to be getting closer. “Who are you?” the warrior queried. “This is not the time for formal introductions” answered the stranger, “as an army of Earth elementals is bearing down on us.” “What is an earth Elemental?” asked the warrior. “You shall soon see, I pray that you are good with that sword, or our death is immanent.” “Where are they?” asked the warrior, “I cannot see much with the light from the torch.” The stranger opened a red book he was carrying and began to chant.. ”In Lor”, and the whole tunnel was immediately as bright as day. Almost in front of the two men, was an army of rock like Humanoids. The warrior looked at the man who was apparently a mage with a quizzical look on his face. Seeing his face, the mage yelled above the noise, “I’ll explain later if we live, now we must FIGHT.”
The elementals were upon the warrior and the mage immediately, hitting them with crushing blows. Fortunately, due to the small size if the tunnel, only the front ranks of the elemental army could attack them, but as one fell another stepped forward. The warrior was swinging his sword high above his head like a mad man, as the mage cast spell after spell. Together as a team, the slowly began to diminish the ranks of the rock army. As the last elemental fell, the mage and warrior breathed a sigh of relief. The mages regents were running low and the warrior’s sword and armor was badly damaged. Both were bleeding from head to toe from the vicious assault they had just survived. “Lets gather up the loot from these creatures and then head to my house before we are attacked again.” spoke the mage. “Aye” exclaimed the warrior, “I am in need of a blacksmith for some major repairs.” “Tomorrow you can go to town for repairs” replied the mage, “for tonight we mend our wounds and celebrate our victory.” After the last gold piece was gathered, the mage began chanting again … “Vas Rel Por”, and a blue portal opened up out of thin air. Together they stepped into the portal and out onto a sunny shoreline in front of a log cabin.
“By the way,” spoke the mage, “my name is Sawdude, welcome to my home.” “Tis an honor to have made your acquaintance my friend” started the warrior, “my name is …..”, but was cut short by the man now known as Sawdude. “I know who you are, I have heard rumors of a young and deadly factioneer, who had left the lands of Fellucia to find his own way here in Trammel. The honor is mine, Maximus Cortair, to have met you and to have your sword at my side in battle and not at my throat. Come inside and let us tend to our wounds and empty bellies.” Feeling extremely hungry, Maximus eagerly agreed.
After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Maximus and Sawdude sat down to a hearty mean of roast pig and ale. Between mouthfuls of meat and bottles of ale, the two men chatted long into the night. “You know”, stated Maximus, “I had hoped that when I put aside my lust for war and human bloodshed and stepped through the portal unknown and make a clean start. I wish to be known for my kindness and generosity, not for how swift and deadly my sword is.” “ I wouldn’t worry too much on that mate”, replied Sawdude, “The citizens here are mostly craftsmen and hunters, knowing little of the wars in your homeland. I have a feeling that in due time you will become widely known for the things in which you seek, as well as being a great swordsman.” “We shall see” states Maximus as he finishes off another bottle of ale.
THE DREAMS
The two men continued to drink until late in the night and after emptying the cabin of all available ale, they passed out in a drunken stupor. When they awoke the next morning, Maximus asked if his friend had slept well. “Yes and no” replied Sawdude, still a bit groggy from all the ale he had drunk the night before. “I had a dream which has left me quite confused.” “As did I” remarked Maximus, “lets hear your first.”
Sawdude sighed and began to speak, “Very well, in my dream, I saw a land that was left ruler less, as Lord British had vanished, never to be seen again. Due to his absence, many different governments known as guilds, rose up all over the land. Some were small, mostly farmers and craftsmen. But others were quite large, house every type of citizen imaginable. The largest, strongest, and most diverse guild however, is what held my attention. It was led by a tall tanned skinned man with white hair, and he wore a dark colored type of armor the likes of which I have never seen before.” Maximus listened intently as his friend continued speaking. “He was a fierce warrior, but yet he was kind and gentle hearted to his brethren. The name of the guild, I could not quite make out on the stone, it was a bit blurry to my eyes. The most curious part of the dream though, was this mans face. Even though it was a bit hazy in my dream, this mans face resembled….well, it was YOUR face.” Maximus looked shocked at this and exclaimed it was most interesting indeed, and then began to tell of his dream.
“I dreamt that I awoke one morning in a small tower near here. It must have been a hot night, for I awoke all sweaty and decided to take a swim to refresh myself. I swam around for a while, until I noticed that the water in front of me was rippling. Fearing that a giant sea serpent had come to swallow me whole, I was frozen in fear. Then the oddest thing happened …” Maximus paused, taking a breath. “What was it man, go on” exclaimed Sawdude excitedly. “It was a sword, a sword was rising from the water and hung in mid air. I could do nothing but stare at this sword for some time, as it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life, every droplet of water left on it, shimmered in the sunlight, it was awesome. Being able to restrain the urge no longer, I reached out and grasped the handle of the sword, and immediately felt as if I was struck by lightning. It was then that the dream faded, I guess I had passed out, for when I awoke, I was in my bed with the sword laid across my body. I sat up, examining the sword, and saw my reflection in the shiny metal. I had WHITE hair. I sat wondering on this change of hair color, and then heard noises out side and a loud voice exclaiming, “Our Lord has risen” over and over. Wondering who was making all this noise, I got up and went to the window where I saw a large mass of people, congregating on my lawn. That’s when the dream ended and I awoke here.”
THE PROPHECY
Sawdude sat mumbling to himself, “that’s got it be it, what else could it be?” Looking at Sawdude curiously, Maximus asked what he was talking about and what he thought of the two dreams. Finally Sawdude looked up with wild excitement in his eyes. “Think about it Maximus. Think of the similarities in the two dreams. You, in both of them, with white hair, the sword rising from the water, shimmering in the sunlight. The group of people, a fellowship if you will. The guild stone whose name I could not read. It all clear now.” Maximus, more confused than ever asked, “What is?” After a brief pause, Sawdude spoke again, almost in a whisper. “You, Maximus Cortair, YOU are to become the leader of the greatest guild in our land. A guild known as………THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE SHIMMERING BLADE.
IN CONCLUSION
From that day on, the two friends took what fate handed them and set forth building the fellowship. They sought out men and women who believed in the same principles as they did and for those who needed a helping hand in this land that was yet to be tamed. Together they built a strong community and many lasting friendships.
With the help of many friends, the fellowship has grown from a two-man friendship to a family and community of over one hundred members. The name of the Fellowship is known far and wide for its friendliness and caring generosity.
Sawdude has since gone off in search of quests that take him to the far ends of Sosaria, not to be seen for weeks on end. Maximus Cortair is still here to this day, vowing with the help of those closest to him, to uphold the principle upon which the Fellowship was built, Truth, Honor, & Loyalty.
Sawdude now has a tower, and not a log cabin, in Skara Brae, which stands to this day, and it pleases me that I, not so long ago, had the opportunity to meet him
enjoy</font>
The Beginning…
It was late on a hot summer day, that a young warrior chanced upon a cave and decided to seek shelter inside it’s cool darkness. Upon entering the mouth of the cave, the warrior lit a torch to illuminate the pitch-black darkness. Seeing that there was nothing alarming to contend with, the man probed deeper into the cave, looking for a flat spot in which to lie down and sleep. The was to be no sleep for a long time, because as he rounded a corner in the cave, he noticed that in the distance there was a strange flicking light and deep rumblings coming from farther down the tunnel. Running to see what the lights and noise was, the warrior hefted his sword and began to run towards the commotion. He let out an “ARG..” as he was tripped and landed on his knees. Turning, the warrior saw a man behind him who was not there a second before, and assumed a fighting stance, in fear that this was a brigand out to steal what little possessions he had on him. “WAIT…STOP!!!” yelled the stranger over the load rumbling that seemed to be getting closer. “Who are you?” the warrior queried. “This is not the time for formal introductions” answered the stranger, “as an army of Earth elementals is bearing down on us.” “What is an earth Elemental?” asked the warrior. “You shall soon see, I pray that you are good with that sword, or our death is immanent.” “Where are they?” asked the warrior, “I cannot see much with the light from the torch.” The stranger opened a red book he was carrying and began to chant.. ”In Lor”, and the whole tunnel was immediately as bright as day. Almost in front of the two men, was an army of rock like Humanoids. The warrior looked at the man who was apparently a mage with a quizzical look on his face. Seeing his face, the mage yelled above the noise, “I’ll explain later if we live, now we must FIGHT.”
The elementals were upon the warrior and the mage immediately, hitting them with crushing blows. Fortunately, due to the small size if the tunnel, only the front ranks of the elemental army could attack them, but as one fell another stepped forward. The warrior was swinging his sword high above his head like a mad man, as the mage cast spell after spell. Together as a team, the slowly began to diminish the ranks of the rock army. As the last elemental fell, the mage and warrior breathed a sigh of relief. The mages regents were running low and the warrior’s sword and armor was badly damaged. Both were bleeding from head to toe from the vicious assault they had just survived. “Lets gather up the loot from these creatures and then head to my house before we are attacked again.” spoke the mage. “Aye” exclaimed the warrior, “I am in need of a blacksmith for some major repairs.” “Tomorrow you can go to town for repairs” replied the mage, “for tonight we mend our wounds and celebrate our victory.” After the last gold piece was gathered, the mage began chanting again … “Vas Rel Por”, and a blue portal opened up out of thin air. Together they stepped into the portal and out onto a sunny shoreline in front of a log cabin.
“By the way,” spoke the mage, “my name is Sawdude, welcome to my home.” “Tis an honor to have made your acquaintance my friend” started the warrior, “my name is …..”, but was cut short by the man now known as Sawdude. “I know who you are, I have heard rumors of a young and deadly factioneer, who had left the lands of Fellucia to find his own way here in Trammel. The honor is mine, Maximus Cortair, to have met you and to have your sword at my side in battle and not at my throat. Come inside and let us tend to our wounds and empty bellies.” Feeling extremely hungry, Maximus eagerly agreed.
After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Maximus and Sawdude sat down to a hearty mean of roast pig and ale. Between mouthfuls of meat and bottles of ale, the two men chatted long into the night. “You know”, stated Maximus, “I had hoped that when I put aside my lust for war and human bloodshed and stepped through the portal unknown and make a clean start. I wish to be known for my kindness and generosity, not for how swift and deadly my sword is.” “ I wouldn’t worry too much on that mate”, replied Sawdude, “The citizens here are mostly craftsmen and hunters, knowing little of the wars in your homeland. I have a feeling that in due time you will become widely known for the things in which you seek, as well as being a great swordsman.” “We shall see” states Maximus as he finishes off another bottle of ale.
THE DREAMS
The two men continued to drink until late in the night and after emptying the cabin of all available ale, they passed out in a drunken stupor. When they awoke the next morning, Maximus asked if his friend had slept well. “Yes and no” replied Sawdude, still a bit groggy from all the ale he had drunk the night before. “I had a dream which has left me quite confused.” “As did I” remarked Maximus, “lets hear your first.”
Sawdude sighed and began to speak, “Very well, in my dream, I saw a land that was left ruler less, as Lord British had vanished, never to be seen again. Due to his absence, many different governments known as guilds, rose up all over the land. Some were small, mostly farmers and craftsmen. But others were quite large, house every type of citizen imaginable. The largest, strongest, and most diverse guild however, is what held my attention. It was led by a tall tanned skinned man with white hair, and he wore a dark colored type of armor the likes of which I have never seen before.” Maximus listened intently as his friend continued speaking. “He was a fierce warrior, but yet he was kind and gentle hearted to his brethren. The name of the guild, I could not quite make out on the stone, it was a bit blurry to my eyes. The most curious part of the dream though, was this mans face. Even though it was a bit hazy in my dream, this mans face resembled….well, it was YOUR face.” Maximus looked shocked at this and exclaimed it was most interesting indeed, and then began to tell of his dream.
“I dreamt that I awoke one morning in a small tower near here. It must have been a hot night, for I awoke all sweaty and decided to take a swim to refresh myself. I swam around for a while, until I noticed that the water in front of me was rippling. Fearing that a giant sea serpent had come to swallow me whole, I was frozen in fear. Then the oddest thing happened …” Maximus paused, taking a breath. “What was it man, go on” exclaimed Sawdude excitedly. “It was a sword, a sword was rising from the water and hung in mid air. I could do nothing but stare at this sword for some time, as it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life, every droplet of water left on it, shimmered in the sunlight, it was awesome. Being able to restrain the urge no longer, I reached out and grasped the handle of the sword, and immediately felt as if I was struck by lightning. It was then that the dream faded, I guess I had passed out, for when I awoke, I was in my bed with the sword laid across my body. I sat up, examining the sword, and saw my reflection in the shiny metal. I had WHITE hair. I sat wondering on this change of hair color, and then heard noises out side and a loud voice exclaiming, “Our Lord has risen” over and over. Wondering who was making all this noise, I got up and went to the window where I saw a large mass of people, congregating on my lawn. That’s when the dream ended and I awoke here.”
THE PROPHECY
Sawdude sat mumbling to himself, “that’s got it be it, what else could it be?” Looking at Sawdude curiously, Maximus asked what he was talking about and what he thought of the two dreams. Finally Sawdude looked up with wild excitement in his eyes. “Think about it Maximus. Think of the similarities in the two dreams. You, in both of them, with white hair, the sword rising from the water, shimmering in the sunlight. The group of people, a fellowship if you will. The guild stone whose name I could not read. It all clear now.” Maximus, more confused than ever asked, “What is?” After a brief pause, Sawdude spoke again, almost in a whisper. “You, Maximus Cortair, YOU are to become the leader of the greatest guild in our land. A guild known as………THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE SHIMMERING BLADE.
IN CONCLUSION
From that day on, the two friends took what fate handed them and set forth building the fellowship. They sought out men and women who believed in the same principles as they did and for those who needed a helping hand in this land that was yet to be tamed. Together they built a strong community and many lasting friendships.
With the help of many friends, the fellowship has grown from a two-man friendship to a family and community of over one hundred members. The name of the Fellowship is known far and wide for its friendliness and caring generosity.
Sawdude has since gone off in search of quests that take him to the far ends of Sosaria, not to be seen for weeks on end. Maximus Cortair is still here to this day, vowing with the help of those closest to him, to uphold the principle upon which the Fellowship was built, Truth, Honor, & Loyalty.
