NURH-NURH-NUH-NURNURNUR-NURH-NURH-NURH-NURH! (Pendulum: Fasten Your Seatbelt)
Do you know what’s happening over the coming weekend? No?
Well you’re being deprived.
For the next five days, I am going to be in Reading (U.K.) for the [url=http://www.readingfestival.com]Carling Festival[/url].
I’ll be enjoying the weather, the atmosphere and an absolute [url=http://www.readingfestival.com/lineup/index.aspx]SHEDLOAD[/url] of live music. A few of my friends are going, and the rest of our Colchestrian Camp will be made up of people who can tolerate my presence, so I should be okay.
Our mission?
BOOZE. BANDS. FUN. SUN.
I thought it best to let you know now, just in case I don’t make it back. It’s going to get messy, and I fully expect to be Changed when (read: if) I return. I’ll be putting my Character/Personality Reboot into action while I’m there; attempting to reclaim the angry-looking-dude-who-doesn’t-talk-much persona that was mine so many years ago, before I became the chatty-bastard-who-just-complains. This could go horribly wrong, but Reading is the kind of place one likes to try weird things.
LOCK AND LOAD, PEOPLE! IT’S FESTIVAL TIME AGAIN!
Love,
Odsox.
Tuesday 19 August 2008
Thursday 14 August 2008
"What's this word? 'Ess-kah-pay.. Funny, it looks just like the word escape?"
It's a new look blog!
I got a bit tired of the old layout and appearance (there are only so many Warhammer fans in the world, after all), so I decided it was time for a change. I hope you don't mind.
Right, first things first: Removing my beard has not had any noticeable effect on my physical or mental capabilities SO FAR. I fully expect my body to just shut down halfway through my ride home, leaving me comatose in heavy traffic.
What? I've had worse.
Important news: I've received a blessing from Saint Auntie Gill in regards to my Reading Festival Fund, which has made a monumental difference, taking it from £00.00 to.. a bit more. =D I'm sure she'll appreciate my attempt at discretion.
The banks are still maintaining their policy of 'lol ur poor!!!11 no u cant have an ovrdrft u fsckn n00b'. They're rising up my list of Places I Will burn Down Come My Ascendancy.
Ooh, speaking of lists, since cycling to work I've been compiling a list of songs to listen to in order to improve my cycling performance. They're working really well so far, so here's the Top Ten in ascending order:
10. Test Icicles - Boa vs. Python
09. Pendulum - Slam
08. The Pixies - Wave of Mutilation
07. Backyard Babies - Minus Celsius
06. Howard Shore - The Bridge of Khazad-Dhum (LOTR soundtrack)
05. Rob Zombie - Black Sunshine (Yes, there's a Guitar Hero song in nearly all of my music lists.)
04. Gogol Bordello - Bulla Bulla
03. Beach Boys - Surfin' U.S.A.
02. Bloc Party - Flux
01. Mooney Suzuki - Alive & Amplified
Man I love cycling to work and back. I feel a bit more awesome each time.
Odsox OOOoooouuuuuuttt..... (space echo)
I got a bit tired of the old layout and appearance (there are only so many Warhammer fans in the world, after all), so I decided it was time for a change. I hope you don't mind.
Right, first things first: Removing my beard has not had any noticeable effect on my physical or mental capabilities SO FAR. I fully expect my body to just shut down halfway through my ride home, leaving me comatose in heavy traffic.
What? I've had worse.
Important news: I've received a blessing from Saint Auntie Gill in regards to my Reading Festival Fund, which has made a monumental difference, taking it from £00.00 to.. a bit more. =D I'm sure she'll appreciate my attempt at discretion.
The banks are still maintaining their policy of 'lol ur poor!!!11 no u cant have an ovrdrft u fsckn n00b'. They're rising up my list of Places I Will burn Down Come My Ascendancy.
Ooh, speaking of lists, since cycling to work I've been compiling a list of songs to listen to in order to improve my cycling performance. They're working really well so far, so here's the Top Ten in ascending order:
10. Test Icicles - Boa vs. Python
09. Pendulum - Slam
08. The Pixies - Wave of Mutilation
07. Backyard Babies - Minus Celsius
06. Howard Shore - The Bridge of Khazad-Dhum (LOTR soundtrack)
05. Rob Zombie - Black Sunshine (Yes, there's a Guitar Hero song in nearly all of my music lists.)
04. Gogol Bordello - Bulla Bulla
03. Beach Boys - Surfin' U.S.A.
02. Bloc Party - Flux
01. Mooney Suzuki - Alive & Amplified
Man I love cycling to work and back. I feel a bit more awesome each time.
Odsox OOOoooouuuuuuttt..... (space echo)
Wednesday 13 August 2008
"Why do we fall, Master Bruce?"
I have come to a painful conclusion.
Tonight I’m going to shave off my beard.
I know, I know, simmer down. It’s the source of my power, of this I am well aware. But I’m also aware of how the ladies, apart from Adam’s missus (lucky bastard), don’t like a beard on a man. I’ll probably go clean-shaven and let it grow in for Reading, so hopefully I’ll have some respectable stubble for the festival.
That is, assuming I can go. I can’t get an overdraft on my current bank account (YES I KNOW THEY’RE RUBBISH I’m looking into getting a Lloyds account..) and I’ve really been pushing the limits of borrowing money from my relatives. I’m just grateful they haven’t broken my legs yet. This leaves my friends, who are equally, if not more so, strapped for cash, though they have come through for me many times in the past, the way friends do.
So it’s looking pretty grim, isn’t it? I’ll be giving my bank a call today, though God-Emperor only knows why, their accents are all so thick you can virtually hear the sacred elephants lowing in the background (that’s a pop at banks for outsourcing btw, not a racist comment). With any luck they’ll jump at the chance to try and skin more money out of me. If not, I’ll just have to find another way to make some extremely fast cash.
Anyone need someone killed? I’m cheap! Just £250 per head! Extra £50 if you want it giftwrapped, mind you.
Classy like.
Love, Odsox.
NB: Just thought I’d tell you quickly about a dream I had the other night.
I was at the bar in Valentino’s with some of my mates - Justin, Adam, Gem, my usual crowd - chatting idly (mainly nonsense words on their part) while waiting for a round of double JD & Cokes. Suddenly I feel this wrenching pain in my teeth, all around my mouth and I can actually FEEL them breaking against each other, growing out and snapping off. It’s not the first time I’ve had this happen in a dream, so I thought with a few minutes I could deal with the pain. Suddenly I spit teeth across the bar (no blood mind you, which is a bit weird), cough, feel AWFUL, like the world’s about to end, and start vomiting teeth. Not in little retching bursts, the way I normally throw up, but huge gouts of teeth, jetting out of my mouth and erupting from my throat. I can feel my stomach convulsing and emptying, and every single sharp edge and surface scrapes the inside of my throat like thousands of tiny bone-knives. After collapsing into a shuddering heap, the pain vanishes, and I wake up.
Bit of a strange dream, that one.
Anyway, TTFN!
Tonight I’m going to shave off my beard.
I know, I know, simmer down. It’s the source of my power, of this I am well aware. But I’m also aware of how the ladies, apart from Adam’s missus (lucky bastard), don’t like a beard on a man. I’ll probably go clean-shaven and let it grow in for Reading, so hopefully I’ll have some respectable stubble for the festival.
That is, assuming I can go. I can’t get an overdraft on my current bank account (YES I KNOW THEY’RE RUBBISH I’m looking into getting a Lloyds account..) and I’ve really been pushing the limits of borrowing money from my relatives. I’m just grateful they haven’t broken my legs yet. This leaves my friends, who are equally, if not more so, strapped for cash, though they have come through for me many times in the past, the way friends do.
So it’s looking pretty grim, isn’t it? I’ll be giving my bank a call today, though God-Emperor only knows why, their accents are all so thick you can virtually hear the sacred elephants lowing in the background (that’s a pop at banks for outsourcing btw, not a racist comment). With any luck they’ll jump at the chance to try and skin more money out of me. If not, I’ll just have to find another way to make some extremely fast cash.
Anyone need someone killed? I’m cheap! Just £250 per head! Extra £50 if you want it giftwrapped, mind you.
Classy like.
Love, Odsox.
NB: Just thought I’d tell you quickly about a dream I had the other night.
I was at the bar in Valentino’s with some of my mates - Justin, Adam, Gem, my usual crowd - chatting idly (mainly nonsense words on their part) while waiting for a round of double JD & Cokes. Suddenly I feel this wrenching pain in my teeth, all around my mouth and I can actually FEEL them breaking against each other, growing out and snapping off. It’s not the first time I’ve had this happen in a dream, so I thought with a few minutes I could deal with the pain. Suddenly I spit teeth across the bar (no blood mind you, which is a bit weird), cough, feel AWFUL, like the world’s about to end, and start vomiting teeth. Not in little retching bursts, the way I normally throw up, but huge gouts of teeth, jetting out of my mouth and erupting from my throat. I can feel my stomach convulsing and emptying, and every single sharp edge and surface scrapes the inside of my throat like thousands of tiny bone-knives. After collapsing into a shuddering heap, the pain vanishes, and I wake up.
Bit of a strange dream, that one.
Anyway, TTFN!
Tuesday 12 August 2008
"Charge the lightning field!"
I should be pissed off.
I should be incredibly angry.
But I'm not. Yesterday I cycled to work for the first time in ages and it was GREAT.
I left at twenty to eight in the morning because I like to give myself at least an hour's head start when I'm trying a new or unusual (for me) method of transport, and I got to work at TEN PAST EIGHT!
Half an hour! HALF A BLOODY HOUR! I'm lucky to get to work in an HOUR on the bus! And then, to rub it in the universe's face even more, I got home in twenty-five minutes! It was amazing! LOOK AT ALL THE EXCLAMATION MARKS I'M USING!
So why should I have been pissed off if my cycling experience was so brilliant?
Well, I don't know if you're aware, but it rained from approximately 06:00 to 09:00 non-stop this morning, which meant that, owing to my lack of waterproof clothing and utter terror of cycling on rainslicked surfaces with the worst motorists in the world (Welcome to Essex!), I had to take the bus. Cue standing in the rain for ten minutes then a further ten minutes due to the bus being late, getting annoyed at having to spend three quid I don't bloody have, putting up with all the tosspot Colchestrians on the bus (how I hate them!) and then having the universe get back at me by clearing the skies of cloud ENTIRELY upon my arrival at work.
So I SHOULD be screaming, "CURSE YOU, RANDOM FLUCTUATIONS OF THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM!" from the roof of the office while wearing a suit made of tinfoil and shaking a lightning rod at the sky.
But I'm not. And here's why:
Have you ever seen the general populace during heavy rain? They're brilliant fun. They whine, they complain, they scowl, they bang on about the weather. They leave the house in ridiculous items of clothing, like hotpants over stockings with a skimpy cloth top that shows off too much of their lard handles. They wear £500 suits that get RUINED in the downpour and lament their idiocy at not bringing a brolly (that's slang for 'umbrella', to all my cousins across the pond!). They radiate this aura of undiluted misery and..
It cheers me up! I guess I really do take a subconcious pleasure in the suffering of others, because the further I got into town, the more people I saw being soaked, depressed, put-upon, etc. and the bigger my smile became.
I imagine the ska music I had playing in my awesome new headphones was partially responsible but for the life of me I couldn't help but be cheered up by their plight. There's the populace, trudging, running, shrieking and in one particularly pathetic case, crying, and here's me, grinning, bobbing my head to the music, jogging and leaping into puddles just to irritate women wearing skirts, soaked to the skin but happy with it! I couldn't help but burst out laughing when I saw the previously mentioned skimpy top-wearing slag, and now I'm really looking forward to the rest of my day, even though I had to spend three quid on the bus when I'd blatantly be able to cycle back home tonight. I even wrote 'DON'T PANIC' on the steamed up windows of the buses I was on.
I think I'll spend some of the last of my money on a kagool or something waterproofy.
In other news, Love and Revenge has been updated with an interlude sequence! ->
TTFN!
Love, Odsox
I should be incredibly angry.
But I'm not. Yesterday I cycled to work for the first time in ages and it was GREAT.
I left at twenty to eight in the morning because I like to give myself at least an hour's head start when I'm trying a new or unusual (for me) method of transport, and I got to work at TEN PAST EIGHT!
Half an hour! HALF A BLOODY HOUR! I'm lucky to get to work in an HOUR on the bus! And then, to rub it in the universe's face even more, I got home in twenty-five minutes! It was amazing! LOOK AT ALL THE EXCLAMATION MARKS I'M USING!
So why should I have been pissed off if my cycling experience was so brilliant?
Well, I don't know if you're aware, but it rained from approximately 06:00 to 09:00 non-stop this morning, which meant that, owing to my lack of waterproof clothing and utter terror of cycling on rainslicked surfaces with the worst motorists in the world (Welcome to Essex!), I had to take the bus. Cue standing in the rain for ten minutes then a further ten minutes due to the bus being late, getting annoyed at having to spend three quid I don't bloody have, putting up with all the tosspot Colchestrians on the bus (how I hate them!) and then having the universe get back at me by clearing the skies of cloud ENTIRELY upon my arrival at work.
So I SHOULD be screaming, "CURSE YOU, RANDOM FLUCTUATIONS OF THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM!" from the roof of the office while wearing a suit made of tinfoil and shaking a lightning rod at the sky.
But I'm not. And here's why:
Have you ever seen the general populace during heavy rain? They're brilliant fun. They whine, they complain, they scowl, they bang on about the weather. They leave the house in ridiculous items of clothing, like hotpants over stockings with a skimpy cloth top that shows off too much of their lard handles. They wear £500 suits that get RUINED in the downpour and lament their idiocy at not bringing a brolly (that's slang for 'umbrella', to all my cousins across the pond!). They radiate this aura of undiluted misery and..
It cheers me up! I guess I really do take a subconcious pleasure in the suffering of others, because the further I got into town, the more people I saw being soaked, depressed, put-upon, etc. and the bigger my smile became.
I imagine the ska music I had playing in my awesome new headphones was partially responsible but for the life of me I couldn't help but be cheered up by their plight. There's the populace, trudging, running, shrieking and in one particularly pathetic case, crying, and here's me, grinning, bobbing my head to the music, jogging and leaping into puddles just to irritate women wearing skirts, soaked to the skin but happy with it! I couldn't help but burst out laughing when I saw the previously mentioned skimpy top-wearing slag, and now I'm really looking forward to the rest of my day, even though I had to spend three quid on the bus when I'd blatantly be able to cycle back home tonight. I even wrote 'DON'T PANIC' on the steamed up windows of the buses I was on.
I think I'll spend some of the last of my money on a kagool or something waterproofy.
In other news, Love and Revenge has been updated with an interlude sequence! ->
TTFN!
Love, Odsox
Thursday 7 August 2008
"Let me hold you, touch you, feel you, always."
I forgot how much I love Blink 182.
AFTERNOON, MORTALS! How’s life been treating you? Good? Good! I’m pleased for you. Really.
You see, I finally got around to checking my old Yahoo! inbox yesterday, simply because I needed to use a Yank client for Dungeons and Dragons Online in order to play with my buddy Chris (who moved to sunny Walla Walla earlier this year) and I found a message sent during July by an old friend of mine. I thought she'd moved on to greener, college-shaped pastures with a distinct lack of local Odsox (that's the plural of Odsox, by the way. Why yes, I am lazy, aren't I?).
So that's buoyed my spirits a fair bit, and I'll give you lot a little rundown of how life has been lately, mostly for her benefit.
I’ve been having a fairly good time , truth be told. Tonight I’ll be making some more adjustments to Chris’ old bike in the hope of being able to use it myself and increasing my daily exercise from Virtually None to Some, which will be awesome. The diet of cornflakes/toast and a cup of tea for breakfast followed by a sandwich and apple for lunch with a dinner of chicken noodles is working out to be incredibly cheap and easily maintained. I actually had to stop eating my sausage roll for lunch yesterday because I felt full! =D It’s pleasing to know that my self-discipline is increasing in regard to some things, even if it’s failing miserably in others (curse you, ExTeel!).
Got my hair cut recently, and that always makes me feel a bit better about myself. I suppose it’s helped by the fact that the only person who ever really cut my hair was Mum, so I get that vague pulse of nostalgia when I get it done. It compliments the beard and swish sideburns quite nicely, if I do say so myself, though I’ve been giving second thoughts to either trimming the beard down or getting rid of it entirely. It means I lose my power for a while but hey, when it returns it comes back stronger!
Speaking of getting stronger, I’m continuing my self-torture (read: amateur writing attempt) on deviantArt, so if you feel like taking some time to read a bit of fantasy fiction (and if you don’t like fantasy fiction there must be something wrong with you) set in the Forgotten Realms universe, check out the shiny new link section ovah thur --> entitled "Love and Revenge". I realise the title is lame but that's never been my strong suit.
Well, what else is there to tell you.. Hm..
Oh! I’ve been reading the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher and it’s REALLY good! I won’t get into discussing it (that’s what Wikipedia is for, don’tcherknow), but I highly recommend it for anyone who has a gap in their reading schedule!
I’VE JUST REMEMBERED!
IT’S THE CARLING FESTIVAL AT THE END OF THIS MONTH!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Oh man, I have to get my finances sorted!
TTFN!
Love, Odsox.
AFTERNOON, MORTALS! How’s life been treating you? Good? Good! I’m pleased for you. Really.
You see, I finally got around to checking my old Yahoo! inbox yesterday, simply because I needed to use a Yank client for Dungeons and Dragons Online in order to play with my buddy Chris (who moved to sunny Walla Walla earlier this year) and I found a message sent during July by an old friend of mine. I thought she'd moved on to greener, college-shaped pastures with a distinct lack of local Odsox (that's the plural of Odsox, by the way. Why yes, I am lazy, aren't I?).
So that's buoyed my spirits a fair bit, and I'll give you lot a little rundown of how life has been lately, mostly for her benefit.
I’ve been having a fairly good time , truth be told. Tonight I’ll be making some more adjustments to Chris’ old bike in the hope of being able to use it myself and increasing my daily exercise from Virtually None to Some, which will be awesome. The diet of cornflakes/toast and a cup of tea for breakfast followed by a sandwich and apple for lunch with a dinner of chicken noodles is working out to be incredibly cheap and easily maintained. I actually had to stop eating my sausage roll for lunch yesterday because I felt full! =D It’s pleasing to know that my self-discipline is increasing in regard to some things, even if it’s failing miserably in others (curse you, ExTeel!).
Got my hair cut recently, and that always makes me feel a bit better about myself. I suppose it’s helped by the fact that the only person who ever really cut my hair was Mum, so I get that vague pulse of nostalgia when I get it done. It compliments the beard and swish sideburns quite nicely, if I do say so myself, though I’ve been giving second thoughts to either trimming the beard down or getting rid of it entirely. It means I lose my power for a while but hey, when it returns it comes back stronger!
Speaking of getting stronger, I’m continuing my self-torture (read: amateur writing attempt) on deviantArt, so if you feel like taking some time to read a bit of fantasy fiction (and if you don’t like fantasy fiction there must be something wrong with you) set in the Forgotten Realms universe, check out the shiny new link section ovah thur --> entitled "Love and Revenge". I realise the title is lame but that's never been my strong suit.
Well, what else is there to tell you.. Hm..
Oh! I’ve been reading the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher and it’s REALLY good! I won’t get into discussing it (that’s what Wikipedia is for, don’tcherknow), but I highly recommend it for anyone who has a gap in their reading schedule!
I’VE JUST REMEMBERED!
IT’S THE CARLING FESTIVAL AT THE END OF THIS MONTH!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Oh man, I have to get my finances sorted!
TTFN!
Love, Odsox.
Tuesday 5 August 2008
"Who lives here, man?"
Just clearing out the blog area for fresh ideas and ramblings. Need more views. Wonder if there's some kind of view counting widget or something.
NONOTTHESPOONARGH
Love, Odsox
NONOTTHESPOONARGH
Love, Odsox
Friday 1 August 2008
"Are you doing something wicked?"
It is to sigh.
I told myself I wouldn't do this, for so many reasons, but here's the second chunk of Odwyn's story.
I can't believe I gave in to writing this bloody thing..
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Water pattered down onto the broad brim of Odwyn's hat.
He stood beneath a massive tree atop a mud-slicked hill, leaning on his staff and glaring out at the bad weather.
'You used to love the rain,' said his companion, sat against the tree trunk and wrapping a longbow in a well-used oilskin. His blonde hair and forest colours contrasted with the sorcerer's dark robes. Odwyn sighed, turning his one good eye on the ranger.
'It felt cleansing, years ago. Now it just makes me miserable.'
He huffed impatiently, striding over to the ranger and looking about.
'Where has she gotten to now?' he asked aloud, peering into the trees. His companion looked up from his task, and tilted his head to one side. The sorcerer held a hand over his eye and smiled.
~Ah, there you are. Come on back now, dear.~ he sent. A buzzing noise came into hearing from the woods behind the massive tree, and a large beetle swooped from the shadows. It flew across to the sorcerer, landing cautiously on the tip of his staff and buzzing its wings once or twice.
'Poor thing,' Odwyn said with a smile, 'you're soaked. Allow me.'
He focused his mind on the staff, causing several of the runes to glow faintly. The drops of moisture on his familiar's back turned slowly to steam, and it gave a contented buzz before hopping to his shoulder. The blonde ranger stood up, watching Odwyn carefully. Sean Greensun hadn't seen his friend for nearly four years, and had already noted the disturbing changes in his appearance and manner. For one, there was the eye. In their adventuring days Odwyn had possessed two sharp, darting black eyes that took in everything with an air of cold calculation. One remained, but as a dull, black orb that swung lazily onto whatever the sorcerer looked at. Sean had still to find out what happened to the other, which was covered by a ragged scrap of cloth completely out of keeping with Odwyn's meticulous dress sense.
'You're staring,' said the sorcerer, frowning.
'Sorry,' Sean replied with an embarassed smile, 'I can't help it. We haven't heard from you in so long. Now you're back, it's..' he trailed off.
'Different,' said the sorcerer, returning his friend's smile. 'I know,' he said, walking over to the trunk of the giant tree and leaning his staff against it. He dropped to his haunches and the blue beetle buzzed upward to rest on a branch hanging over the two travellers. The tree dominated the hill, great branches extending a good fifteen feet outward and providing thick cover from the rain. It stood at the edge of the forgotten forest that Sean called home.
The dark, verdant environment was well known throughout the region, both for its beauty and for the tales of its terrible guardians; a monstrous dragon from ancient times, who sent his ruthless agent of death out amongst the eaves and shadows to murder honest hunters while they gathered food for their families. The stories said that the last thing many travellers heard was the whoosh of an arrow and the mocking laughter of the golden-haired killer that stalked the woods.
Odwyn knew better. He had met Sean for the first time while travelling through the forest on his way to Icewind Dale, when the ranger had dropped from shadows at the edge of his campfire and offered to share a brace of rabbits he had caught. After talking for an age, it turned out that Sean merely kept away the worst of the poachers, and took for himself only what he needed. As to the tales of a dragon residing somewhere within the dark confines of the forest, Greensun had never been able to elaborate.
Odwyn sighed, leaning back against the tree beside the ranger.
'It is complicated, Sean. Once I get to Neverwinter, you will understand.'
'Neverwinter,' said the ranger with a frown, 'is a stinking, despicable hive of thugs.'
His companion blinked with his one eye, before cracking a smile reminiscent of the old Odwyn.
'Your love of cities hasn't grown any, then,' he said with a short laugh. 'Have you even set foot out of your forest since last I saw you?'
'Only when absolutely necessary.'
'You've become a hermit, Sean, skulking in your forest and grumbling over outsiders!'
'I might say the same of you,' Sean replied, unable to stop himself grinning at his friend, 'we haven't heard from you in what, four years?'
'Five,' Odwyn said, raising a hand to confirm it with his fingers.
'Unbelievable. Odwyn Stadt, the recluse. Odwyn "The Sorcerer That Never Shuts Up" Stadt, Daniel used to say.'
'Daniel? Hah, I haven't even thought of him in years,' said the sorcerer, rubbing at his chin with one gloved hand. 'Where is he now?'
'Oh, knifing people in the dark alleys of Waterdeep, no doubt. He always did love picking on spellcasters.'
'I remember,' said Odwyn, recalling some of the practical jokes the rogue had played on him in the past. He removed his hat, placing it on the ground to reveal his closely-shaved black hair. He sat back, drawing his knees up and folding his arms atop them. The rain continued around them, and Sean took the opportunity to set out a few small water skins with funnels set in their necks. The sorcerer watched Sean work, and reflected on what he instinctively thought of as 'the old days'.
Years ago, before he'd consulted the devil Khadys; before he'd lost his eye; before he'd had his heart broken; before he'd fallen in love, he had been a wandering sorcerer. Meeting up with the band of adventurers had been a huge event in his life. Sean, Nila the half-elven paladin, who Odwyn had despised on sight, Daniel Walker and.. her..
The sorcerer curled his lip in a sudden sneer and reached out for his staff, which thrummed gently in response. He shifted into a cross-legged position and laid the staff out across his lap.
'More meditation?' asked the ranger.
'Clairvoyance,' said Odwyn sharply, closing his eye and playing his hands over the runes of his staff like he was playing a musical instrument.
'I tire of this rain, so I'm searching for a quicker route to Neverwinter.'
'This is the fastest route,' said Sean with a frown, 'believe me, I know.'
'Yes, yes,' snapped the sorcerer, his bitter personality rising after the thoughts of his old flame, 'but your method is slow. Now let me concentrate.'
'Alright,' said Sean reproachfully, and moved off to stopper the waterskins.
Odwyn drew himself up, hands flitting across the staff's surface. His vision, dark within his closed eye, slowly began to change. A gentle light moved in on his peripheral vision, white turning grey, and the constant patter of the rain became visual: the grey light shifted, thinner streaks appearing in it. A darkened patch appeared at the height of his vision, rounding out and splitting until it became the leaves of the tree above him. The centre of his vision pulled away sharply, stretching along and down, taking on the verdant shade of the long grass that covered the hill and curving into smaller hillocks and mounds, with a sharp spattering of colour to represent the few flowers that grew nearby. Taking a long, deep breath, Odwyn slowly turned his head. The vision followed after a split-second delay. A frown crossed the sorcerer's features and he tightened his mental grip on the spell. He felt his hands come to a halt over two particular runes, and the vision's focus suddenly sharpened, bringing detail to the picture. He could see the tiny movements of raindrops hitting blades of grass, the dark speck in the sky that indicated the only bird foolish enough to brave the weather, and even the insects crawling over the leaves of the tree atop the hill a league from where he sat. He allowed himself a satisfied smile, and moved on to his task. The vision swept forward suddenly, hugging the tips of grass blades and skimming through the air like a low-flying falcon. He followed the dirt path that led away from the bottom of the hill, looping around and into a shallow valley. It passed tall trees, foraging creatures and travellers moving so slow as to be standing still. The dirt path solidified, became a paved road, marked by milestones and signs pointing to roads that branched away. There in the distance was the dark shadow of Neverwinter, and a bitter smile hovered on the sorcerer's face. He had located the destination at least. Now to find a faster mode of travel.The vision spun violently, snapping onto the road again with a focus and speed that would have sickened the hardiest of travellers. It sped along, back past the paved road, past the motionless pilgrims and roaming merchants, past the tall trees, and finally past the hill where Odwyn sat. He noted his own presence at the edge of the vision, an almost pitch-black space beneath the massive tree. He took no notice of the strange representation, instead speeding onward. The dirt path continued along a track lined with wildflowers, with the trees of the forest thinning out and becoming sparse. Rocks and boulders began to appear at the sides of the path, and Odwyn noted the looming presence of cliffs in the distance. The rain had stopped.
A great caravan train appeared, and the sorcerer called the vision to a sudden halt, swinging upward to focus on the lead wagon. A woman sat at the reins, dark blonde hair shot with streaks more gold than grey. Her well-worn travelling leathers and focused expression told the sorcerer all he needed to know. She was experienced, and most definitely in charge here. He swept his vision across the rest of the caravan as an afterthought. Children scampered between the wagons, frozen compared to the speed granted by Odwyn's Clairvoyance. A train of beasts followed on, between two heavier-looking, armoured wagons. A real caravan community, thought the sorcerer, sweeping his sight back to the lead wagon. He watched the caravan's leader as she rode, slowing his vision down to a more familiar pace. She watched the road, gaze dancing back and forth as they passed larger rocks and mounds, on the lookout for any possibility of ambush. He moved his vision closer still, until it hovered scant inches away from her face. She was not old, though her face bore a few laughter lines and possessed a thin, severe mouth. She had a proud bearing, intense blue eyes and, Odwyn noted, a vicious dagger strapped to her thigh. No stranger to violence, and utterly confident in her management of the convoy. Yes, this would make for fine transport.
'Odwyn? Odwyn, are you alright?' asked Sean, resting a gloved hand on the sorcerer's shoulder. Odwyn's one eye snapped open, and for a moment Sean didn't recognise what he saw there. Then a lazy smile crossed his friend's face, and the sorcerer nodded.
'Better than alright, Sean. A caravan train approaches.'
Sean stared for a second before turning to look out at the rain.
'I see nothing.'
'No, no. It won't be here for a few hours, but it will definitely enable us to reach Neverwinter sooner.'
The ranger frowned thoughtfully, and turned to indicate the light under the tree. He'd somehow found enough dry wood to start a fire. The scent of cooking meat reached the sorcerer's nose and his stomach rumbled with hunger. Odwyn hauled himself to his feet, moving over to the fire. Keke buzzed down to land on his back before scurrying up to his shoulder and clicking her mandibles as he reseated himself.
'Oh good, we were just getting hungry,' he said, eyeing the sizzling rabbit flesh with a smirk, 'it's just a shame that you still can't cook to save your life.'
Sean frowned, jabbing at the flames with a long stick.
'You should be thankful. If I wasn't here, what would you be eating tonight? Dirt, that's what,' he replied. Odwyn picked up a strip of the rabbit, tearing it in half and passing the larger piece to his familiar. The blue beetle buzzed up into the tree with her dinner.
'What an odd little beast,' said Sean. He sliced another strip of flesh from the fire and leaned back onto his haunches.
'You know, in all the years we travelled together, I never asked of her origins. Some day you'll have to tell me about it.'
The sorcerer finished his first piece and swallowed, resting his staff on his lap. He helped himself to another slice of rabbit.
'Well, we've got a few hours,' he said, 'what would you like to know?'
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hope that wasn't too hard on the eyes! Right, I could blog about a whole bunch of stuff now, but I feel strangely dull, so I'm just going to carry on looking at lolcats and sketching.
TTFN!
Love, Odsox
I told myself I wouldn't do this, for so many reasons, but here's the second chunk of Odwyn's story.
I can't believe I gave in to writing this bloody thing..
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Water pattered down onto the broad brim of Odwyn's hat.
He stood beneath a massive tree atop a mud-slicked hill, leaning on his staff and glaring out at the bad weather.
'You used to love the rain,' said his companion, sat against the tree trunk and wrapping a longbow in a well-used oilskin. His blonde hair and forest colours contrasted with the sorcerer's dark robes. Odwyn sighed, turning his one good eye on the ranger.
'It felt cleansing, years ago. Now it just makes me miserable.'
He huffed impatiently, striding over to the ranger and looking about.
'Where has she gotten to now?' he asked aloud, peering into the trees. His companion looked up from his task, and tilted his head to one side. The sorcerer held a hand over his eye and smiled.
~Ah, there you are. Come on back now, dear.~ he sent. A buzzing noise came into hearing from the woods behind the massive tree, and a large beetle swooped from the shadows. It flew across to the sorcerer, landing cautiously on the tip of his staff and buzzing its wings once or twice.
'Poor thing,' Odwyn said with a smile, 'you're soaked. Allow me.'
He focused his mind on the staff, causing several of the runes to glow faintly. The drops of moisture on his familiar's back turned slowly to steam, and it gave a contented buzz before hopping to his shoulder. The blonde ranger stood up, watching Odwyn carefully. Sean Greensun hadn't seen his friend for nearly four years, and had already noted the disturbing changes in his appearance and manner. For one, there was the eye. In their adventuring days Odwyn had possessed two sharp, darting black eyes that took in everything with an air of cold calculation. One remained, but as a dull, black orb that swung lazily onto whatever the sorcerer looked at. Sean had still to find out what happened to the other, which was covered by a ragged scrap of cloth completely out of keeping with Odwyn's meticulous dress sense.
'You're staring,' said the sorcerer, frowning.
'Sorry,' Sean replied with an embarassed smile, 'I can't help it. We haven't heard from you in so long. Now you're back, it's..' he trailed off.
'Different,' said the sorcerer, returning his friend's smile. 'I know,' he said, walking over to the trunk of the giant tree and leaning his staff against it. He dropped to his haunches and the blue beetle buzzed upward to rest on a branch hanging over the two travellers. The tree dominated the hill, great branches extending a good fifteen feet outward and providing thick cover from the rain. It stood at the edge of the forgotten forest that Sean called home.
The dark, verdant environment was well known throughout the region, both for its beauty and for the tales of its terrible guardians; a monstrous dragon from ancient times, who sent his ruthless agent of death out amongst the eaves and shadows to murder honest hunters while they gathered food for their families. The stories said that the last thing many travellers heard was the whoosh of an arrow and the mocking laughter of the golden-haired killer that stalked the woods.
Odwyn knew better. He had met Sean for the first time while travelling through the forest on his way to Icewind Dale, when the ranger had dropped from shadows at the edge of his campfire and offered to share a brace of rabbits he had caught. After talking for an age, it turned out that Sean merely kept away the worst of the poachers, and took for himself only what he needed. As to the tales of a dragon residing somewhere within the dark confines of the forest, Greensun had never been able to elaborate.
Odwyn sighed, leaning back against the tree beside the ranger.
'It is complicated, Sean. Once I get to Neverwinter, you will understand.'
'Neverwinter,' said the ranger with a frown, 'is a stinking, despicable hive of thugs.'
His companion blinked with his one eye, before cracking a smile reminiscent of the old Odwyn.
'Your love of cities hasn't grown any, then,' he said with a short laugh. 'Have you even set foot out of your forest since last I saw you?'
'Only when absolutely necessary.'
'You've become a hermit, Sean, skulking in your forest and grumbling over outsiders!'
'I might say the same of you,' Sean replied, unable to stop himself grinning at his friend, 'we haven't heard from you in what, four years?'
'Five,' Odwyn said, raising a hand to confirm it with his fingers.
'Unbelievable. Odwyn Stadt, the recluse. Odwyn "The Sorcerer That Never Shuts Up" Stadt, Daniel used to say.'
'Daniel? Hah, I haven't even thought of him in years,' said the sorcerer, rubbing at his chin with one gloved hand. 'Where is he now?'
'Oh, knifing people in the dark alleys of Waterdeep, no doubt. He always did love picking on spellcasters.'
'I remember,' said Odwyn, recalling some of the practical jokes the rogue had played on him in the past. He removed his hat, placing it on the ground to reveal his closely-shaved black hair. He sat back, drawing his knees up and folding his arms atop them. The rain continued around them, and Sean took the opportunity to set out a few small water skins with funnels set in their necks. The sorcerer watched Sean work, and reflected on what he instinctively thought of as 'the old days'.
Years ago, before he'd consulted the devil Khadys; before he'd lost his eye; before he'd had his heart broken; before he'd fallen in love, he had been a wandering sorcerer. Meeting up with the band of adventurers had been a huge event in his life. Sean, Nila the half-elven paladin, who Odwyn had despised on sight, Daniel Walker and.. her..
The sorcerer curled his lip in a sudden sneer and reached out for his staff, which thrummed gently in response. He shifted into a cross-legged position and laid the staff out across his lap.
'More meditation?' asked the ranger.
'Clairvoyance,' said Odwyn sharply, closing his eye and playing his hands over the runes of his staff like he was playing a musical instrument.
'I tire of this rain, so I'm searching for a quicker route to Neverwinter.'
'This is the fastest route,' said Sean with a frown, 'believe me, I know.'
'Yes, yes,' snapped the sorcerer, his bitter personality rising after the thoughts of his old flame, 'but your method is slow. Now let me concentrate.'
'Alright,' said Sean reproachfully, and moved off to stopper the waterskins.
Odwyn drew himself up, hands flitting across the staff's surface. His vision, dark within his closed eye, slowly began to change. A gentle light moved in on his peripheral vision, white turning grey, and the constant patter of the rain became visual: the grey light shifted, thinner streaks appearing in it. A darkened patch appeared at the height of his vision, rounding out and splitting until it became the leaves of the tree above him. The centre of his vision pulled away sharply, stretching along and down, taking on the verdant shade of the long grass that covered the hill and curving into smaller hillocks and mounds, with a sharp spattering of colour to represent the few flowers that grew nearby. Taking a long, deep breath, Odwyn slowly turned his head. The vision followed after a split-second delay. A frown crossed the sorcerer's features and he tightened his mental grip on the spell. He felt his hands come to a halt over two particular runes, and the vision's focus suddenly sharpened, bringing detail to the picture. He could see the tiny movements of raindrops hitting blades of grass, the dark speck in the sky that indicated the only bird foolish enough to brave the weather, and even the insects crawling over the leaves of the tree atop the hill a league from where he sat. He allowed himself a satisfied smile, and moved on to his task. The vision swept forward suddenly, hugging the tips of grass blades and skimming through the air like a low-flying falcon. He followed the dirt path that led away from the bottom of the hill, looping around and into a shallow valley. It passed tall trees, foraging creatures and travellers moving so slow as to be standing still. The dirt path solidified, became a paved road, marked by milestones and signs pointing to roads that branched away. There in the distance was the dark shadow of Neverwinter, and a bitter smile hovered on the sorcerer's face. He had located the destination at least. Now to find a faster mode of travel.The vision spun violently, snapping onto the road again with a focus and speed that would have sickened the hardiest of travellers. It sped along, back past the paved road, past the motionless pilgrims and roaming merchants, past the tall trees, and finally past the hill where Odwyn sat. He noted his own presence at the edge of the vision, an almost pitch-black space beneath the massive tree. He took no notice of the strange representation, instead speeding onward. The dirt path continued along a track lined with wildflowers, with the trees of the forest thinning out and becoming sparse. Rocks and boulders began to appear at the sides of the path, and Odwyn noted the looming presence of cliffs in the distance. The rain had stopped.
A great caravan train appeared, and the sorcerer called the vision to a sudden halt, swinging upward to focus on the lead wagon. A woman sat at the reins, dark blonde hair shot with streaks more gold than grey. Her well-worn travelling leathers and focused expression told the sorcerer all he needed to know. She was experienced, and most definitely in charge here. He swept his vision across the rest of the caravan as an afterthought. Children scampered between the wagons, frozen compared to the speed granted by Odwyn's Clairvoyance. A train of beasts followed on, between two heavier-looking, armoured wagons. A real caravan community, thought the sorcerer, sweeping his sight back to the lead wagon. He watched the caravan's leader as she rode, slowing his vision down to a more familiar pace. She watched the road, gaze dancing back and forth as they passed larger rocks and mounds, on the lookout for any possibility of ambush. He moved his vision closer still, until it hovered scant inches away from her face. She was not old, though her face bore a few laughter lines and possessed a thin, severe mouth. She had a proud bearing, intense blue eyes and, Odwyn noted, a vicious dagger strapped to her thigh. No stranger to violence, and utterly confident in her management of the convoy. Yes, this would make for fine transport.
'Odwyn? Odwyn, are you alright?' asked Sean, resting a gloved hand on the sorcerer's shoulder. Odwyn's one eye snapped open, and for a moment Sean didn't recognise what he saw there. Then a lazy smile crossed his friend's face, and the sorcerer nodded.
'Better than alright, Sean. A caravan train approaches.'
Sean stared for a second before turning to look out at the rain.
'I see nothing.'
'No, no. It won't be here for a few hours, but it will definitely enable us to reach Neverwinter sooner.'
The ranger frowned thoughtfully, and turned to indicate the light under the tree. He'd somehow found enough dry wood to start a fire. The scent of cooking meat reached the sorcerer's nose and his stomach rumbled with hunger. Odwyn hauled himself to his feet, moving over to the fire. Keke buzzed down to land on his back before scurrying up to his shoulder and clicking her mandibles as he reseated himself.
'Oh good, we were just getting hungry,' he said, eyeing the sizzling rabbit flesh with a smirk, 'it's just a shame that you still can't cook to save your life.'
Sean frowned, jabbing at the flames with a long stick.
'You should be thankful. If I wasn't here, what would you be eating tonight? Dirt, that's what,' he replied. Odwyn picked up a strip of the rabbit, tearing it in half and passing the larger piece to his familiar. The blue beetle buzzed up into the tree with her dinner.
'What an odd little beast,' said Sean. He sliced another strip of flesh from the fire and leaned back onto his haunches.
'You know, in all the years we travelled together, I never asked of her origins. Some day you'll have to tell me about it.'
The sorcerer finished his first piece and swallowed, resting his staff on his lap. He helped himself to another slice of rabbit.
'Well, we've got a few hours,' he said, 'what would you like to know?'
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hope that wasn't too hard on the eyes! Right, I could blog about a whole bunch of stuff now, but I feel strangely dull, so I'm just going to carry on looking at lolcats and sketching.
TTFN!
Love, Odsox
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