Story 19                           Siblings                    Told By Taniwha

~~~ As a youth, when I wandered these Realms in search of the stories that ~~~
~ tempt and tease the imagination, I once found myself on the Isle of Belaern ~
~~ in a strange tavern. This place, deep in the wasteland known as the Blood ~
~~ Sands, had a peculiar clientele that seemed mostly made up of... well... ~~
~~ Those that were no longer quite of this world, or quite of the next. As I ~
~ sat there, certain a story would find me, one did. A ghoul sat down next to ~
~ me, and with a sad look on his twisted face, began to tell me the story of ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ his strange life." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~ "I've forgotten just how old I am," he said, "but I remember clear as the ~
~ waters of the Sword Sea the first day I found myself in this form. I was a ~
~ soldier in the army of the rightful king. We were fleeing his evil brother, ~
~~~ when something terrible happened. I will never be sure exactly how this ~~
~ happened, but I remember my lord telling us that if his brother caught him, ~
~~~ and if something in his possession ever went into his brother's hands, ~~~
~~ Belaern would never be the same and he and his brother both would likely ~~
~ die. I can tell you this. Belaern is not the same. But the brothers are not ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ dead." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~ He wandered away after that, and ordered another Bloody Mary, leaving ~~~
~~~~~~~~~ me with more questions than I knew how to frame. Belaern is ~~~~~~~~
~~~~~ certainly an isle with a strange past, and it seems that those who ~~~~~
~~~~~ seek the truth often never return. Venture deeper into the mystery ~~~~~
~~~ at great peril... But it is true that those who survive great adversity ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ often receive great reward. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Mission Control                                                Mission Control