Astrid - The Undine Children

The Kidnapped Children

By Peppin Ardinad in Dark Ages

 

 

"The Children of Astrid A part of our ongoing history that is for may Aisling unknown is the history of the great forest of Astrid. I have met few aisling even knowing of the children kidnapped by the shamans. I have rescued as many of the children as i have been able to. Once back at the Undine Pub one of the children told me this story of many horrors and sufferings."

Hesperos Poem

"Piercing the night, shouts and screams,

followed by sounds obscene

Never sleep, for fear of the summoners dream.

Late at night, under a moon of red.

I struck out, chlutch'd by hatred

and sweatyfear from bed.

Children, women, and young boys taken

and tied to stakes, rocks and left there.

Till black talos dust was wafted over their eyes,

and till blood scilenced their cries.

Dark nights, throw all into a shudder,

when we hear the dark knight's wing'd fludder.

Gasp and cry and wish for day's innocence.

No sanctuary, no grace, from these summoners' malevolence

'Undying Undine, Where are you children?'

Written by Hesperos, Bard of Undine"

 

Torn from Families

"Torn from our families like leaves from the trees"

" I am Loru Caradh, Home in Astrid I lived as the youngest child, with my brothers and sisters many years older than me. My father died when I was very young, I have but faded memories of him. My mother is a beautiful woman by the name of Kalliope.

The story begins deep into the sixth winter of my life, late at night, outside is nothing but pure darkness. Strange noises are heard from deep into the Astrid woods and the noise just come closer and closer to our small house. There is voices, a voice too gluttering to be human. Suddenly above my small bed I see an enourmus face, it looks like a big rat head. I try to scream but its enormous claws are covering my mouth and I can hardly even breathe.

I fell into a deep sleep, many nightmares passed befor i awoke, chained to hands and feet. I am in the forest, I have no idea how I got here. Many of my friends laid sleeping on eachother, my friend Delhiva. A heavy girl for our age. laid across my legs, making it impossible for me to stand up. Surrounding all of us was a wooden fence with only one opening.

The sun has rose high up in the sky and we have all woken up. We do not speak much, we are all still shocked from being drawn from our parents. Momentarious we see something big walking outside the high fence. The creature is as tall as a grown man but is much wider and uglier. When the day is fading we children begin to seriously hungry and thirsty. Delhiva starts to moan, soon we others add into the moaning. We hear heavy feet running up towards our prison. There is one of the creatures, he is carrying meat. He puts the meat down inside our cage and runs back to wherever he came from.

Rescue

"'Green', the color of freedom"

After many days of this meaningless waiting, just sitting in this horrible cage. Something happenes. A noice is spreading througout the forest. First to the left of the cage then moving more to the right. As the noise is swiftly swallowing the distance to us our guards start to scream. The screams only last for a moment before they fade to a scilent gluttering noise. A moment later green figure appears. For a swift moment we are starteled to see a man again, we sit in our cage, staring. The man runs over to me and lifts me up on his shoulders when suddenly he sees the large iron chained ring I the shamans has leached me in by my feet. He mumbles a few words and a red thunder slices the chain of without doubt.

This took too much time, when my savior lifts me up and is just about to free my friends, a group of hideous goblin shamans run towards our cage. A sudden scream from his friend gets him on his feet, he grabs me, throws me over his shoulder and runs. Looking back towards the shamans i let a small moan loose. Fireballs are hurling towards us, luckily his friend is swift, and she manage to get her shield in between the large fireballs and us.

 

Home

"Soft Warm and safe, surrounded by friends, 'home'"

We leap over rocks and small shamanspawn alike, we just run, as fast and corageous as the wind that blow the clouds upon she sky. On the run through the deep forest i see his friend carrying my friend, Delhiva. I sigh in a short relief, before i think of my other friends, still encapitated by those feirsome shamans. When we get closer to the edge of the forest the trees becomes fewer and there, the edge of the forest is in sight. My savior slows down to a slow run but still walk at high speed.

The Inn I used to play around comes into sight, I gaze in amazement about something that I had almost began to doubt possible. My old town, my home, memories are filling me and overwhelms me. I begin to cry... The green mantled man tucks me down in a soft, warm bed."

 

"This story the boy told me when he had woken up from the bed, and I pass it on to you, my fellow aislings. Though I try to rescue as many of the children as I can, there is always more young mundanes to be found in the cage, every time. Each day. Moaning out for us aislings to rescue them. The boys mother 'Kalliope' has since his rescue been seen sitting at 'Chloe's pub', waiting for more kidnapped children to be returned to their home, The green, nature loving town of Undine."

 

- Peppin Ardinand "Green" Priest of Glioca, Third Circle, Winter before Deoch 11.