The Epic Dawnstrider

By: Hieyoko Posted on: March 24, 2006

Inspired by past events that took place in the Spire of Torment, a young bard
composed the following epic.

Although I sadly missed the day,
I hope that you will sit and stay
and let me waste the time away,
with a brief tale - one not so old...

because I know that this one tale,
should never be allowed to stale.
For although evil did prevail,
there was one Dawnstrider so bold

that when a youngling had been drawn
from Shallam's streets to be a pawn
of Jirken, Talkaze, and so on,
this Strider ventured through a core

of wormholes - gaps that defy space
and time - and did so with such grace
that he soon reached a deadly place
on Sartan's Isle - the great Mhaldor,

and concentrating all his might
and mind (not noticing the sight
of rotting corpses, filled with blight)
this daring Strider phased, and went

beyond the gates of Mhaldor, 'round
the guards that truly did abound,
and his walk never made a sound,
though his eyes had a solemn glint.

Then in a silent ally, he
unphased, with no one there to see
the burst of light that'd certainly
have sent this Strider to his death.

He closed his eyes, and with his mind
farsaw the ones he'd wished to find,
and assuring that he was blind
he slowly drew a calming breath.

Always prepared to meet a fight,
he touched his arm - a shaft of light
shot through the callous, freezing night
and paused... then pulled him to a room

where first, a totem struck! The pain
of sowolu runes racked his brain,
then serpents struck, and struck again,
the fangs and poison sealed his doom.

...the slow, long walk to Maya's hand
had never felt so strangely grand,
and when he returned to the land
this Dawnstrider held his head high.

For this young Strider's death had shown
how complacent Shallam had grown
and in that instant, made it known
that Dawn must break a darkened sky.

While truffles had been passed around
on Fish Street, this Dawnstrider found
where Light and Shadows both abound,
and made use of the best of each.

Now, when his City tries to think
of Light (or, whether truffles stink),
this Strider sighs, then grabs a drink
and basks in Dawn's light on the beach.