DnD Wife Stories

The group started to notice the pointed stares they were getting from the MyrRin on the edges of their circle of avoidance. Luna spoke up first,

“Perhaps we should move on and find a more hospitable location.”

“Well that would be heading out of town again. I don’t know if you guys want to come,” Tobias explained.

“Of course! Let’s go. I’m sure we would like to escort you to a final location at least.” Luna took the decision in her own hands and looked to Tobias to guide them back out to the outer ring.

They moved on, down the dirt path. They were currently in between the merchant district and the residential district of the inner ring. After a bit of discussion, they set of for the very center of the area and the large stone protruding out of the ground.

The stone got larger the closer the walked towards it. When they reached its base, the stone stood quite a few feet taller than Tobias before petering off into a jagged point. It looked like a petrified lightning bolt sticking up out of the ground. The ground surrounding it was soft but not loose. The soft ground extended to a large circle around the jagged stone. This was the arena of the MyrRin festival. The arena was defined by a low wall to denote the start of the inner circle.

As they passed the group noticed the wall was adorned with polished white skulls of the MyrRin. Shells, horns, tusks, and more of various sizes also decorated the wall in a solid message that this place belonged to all MyrRin. On the stone there were prints all around the stone in white paint of all sizes. Luna saw webbed, talon, and paw prints, all over the stone. It looked so beautiful but there was one imperfection. In the center of the stone was a smudge. It looked like one of the prints had been removed from the union of MyrRin. The group could all guess which group that was by now. The Rhomar.

It had been a long time since Tobias had been here. He was just a cub the last time he remembered this place but he remembered it well. The tournament would not begin until the three days of the eclipse. They had a couple more days until that happened, so they had some time to explore and shop. He knew that the smudged pawprint in the center of the stone was his own ancestor’s. The first Rhomar chieftain that united the tribes. It saddened him to see his family erased in that way. He got down from the cart’s seat and stood before the stone in silence before returning to his post at the cart. That was when the questions started.

“So what’s with all the skulls and such?” asked Captain V, trying to come off as nonchalant and not at all perturbed by the macabre assortment.

“Champions, fallen soldiers, heroes, all are honored here. The handprints are the original chieftains of the tribes that united the MyrRin.”

There seemed to be gaps in the prints that indicated missing symbols but without knowing what they were, they could not guess what was missing. Bricky spoke first.

“So I am not able to add mine own hand print, ja?”

“No. You would probably be executed.”

Bogbean, seeing the prints, recalled vague stories Hebe had told her, while in the Hume continent, of a land full of people like Hebe. Seeing her curiosity, Bricky enticed her,

“Do you want to put your hand on the wall.”

Tobias heard the whisper and again said, “No. Don’t”

“But vhat if ve vant to?”

“Don’t.”

“I don’t think, you’re allowed.” Luna volunteered.

While they bickered over the right to touch the wall, Captain V experienced a strange occurrence. Everyone was enamored with this stupid stone. As he looked at it longer however, he began to feel a pull. A magnetism pulled him to it. Something was telling him to touch the stone. So he also chimed in,

“Tobias, are we allowed to touch the stone?” he asked, oblivious to the current conversation.

“What, no! Nobody is allowed to touch the stone!”

“But I really wanna touch it.”

“Well don’t.”

Bricky began egging Captain V to touch the stone and even encourage the others to help. Luna offered that perhaps they could form a little barrier to allow for slight touching. All while Tobias was trying to discourage any touching of the stone. Drexla had been taking readings of the stone and had just received the results that the stone gave off a low magical signature. Interesting, nothing incredible or astounding, but nothing she could identify.

She darted over to Luna and landed on her shoulder to tug on her ear for attention.

“You’re the magic person here. It’s radiating magical energy but I can’t identify it. I don’t know what that is?”

“I wouldn’t be able to know either.” Luna trailed off.

“I just wanted you to know, just in case, because it’s not arcane, or elemental. It’s something different.”

“Well, I figure, it’s some sort of MyrRin magic or something although I haven’t seen any MyrRin cast magic.”

“I will investigate this, I just need to distract the Rhomar.”

Drexla used the shadows and bodies of her companions to get closer to the stone to analyze the prints. Some are her size but have elongated appendages or claws that did not match hers. Some look like the claws that Bogbean can make but nothing really close. So that eliminated their involvement with the stone at least. Luna turned to Tobias,

“Is there a time where it is possible for MyrRin to touch the stone?”

Tobias did recall that the winners of challenges were given special privilege to touch the stone in recognition of their strength, but no one was allowed to add to the prints on the stone. Even the removal of the one print had been a great deal to the MyrRin. It had only ever been done once.

“If you win one of the competitions, you may be allowed to touch the stone for a moment.”

“See, all you have to do is win one!” Luna encouraged the group.

“Yes, mostly bare knuckled fighting in three on three battles.”

“Oooh, oh dear.”

Captain V tried to use this opportunity to sneak off the cart and over to the stone but was unable to avoid being seen by Tobias.

“Look. No touch.”

“But I really want to.”

“Don’t. Just don’t touch it!”

Drexla piped in at that moment, ” Why? What happens if you touch it?”

“It doesn’t matter. just don’t do it!”

“But what happens if you do? Have you touched it?”

Luna tried to deescalate the situation, “Why don’t we just win the tournament and then we can find out.”

The others were still not quite on board and Tobias tried to lie to get them to leave it alone.

“Only winners will receive anything from the stone, as only winners can touch the stone.”

The group had no reason to suspect him, but Captain V just couldn’t help himself.

“I’m gonna touch the stone.”

As quickly as he said the words, Captain V’s hand popped out and touched the stone with the tip of a claw.

Suddenly, a cacophony of voices exploded in his head. Warring messaged played in his head.

Go back! Welcome home!

It felt like it echoed in his head for ages before subsiding. He looked a little green after the experience, but refused to discuss it.

Luna was the first to walk off, not wanting to get caught up in the trouble that Captain V might land in for touching the stone. Tobias left next, urging his horse to move the cart away from the desecration of his people’s sacred effigy. Captain V recovered from his head splitting revelation and urged Bricky and Drexla to leave it alone. They agreed, seeing the sick look on Captain V’s face after touching it. Instead, the opted to join the rest of the group already moving towards the outer ring.