On two prior evenings before Ravens high holy day, Melock will have been spreading the word that there will be a telling of how the Pure Harpy Queen was rescued by the Wandering Rangers.
On the night they will have set up a light coloured blanket hanging from poles on a rise so its easy to see. He walks on stage and turns to the gathered people, "Welcome one and all, and thank you for joining us on this special night. Though the tale you are about to hear sounds too amazing to be true, it is true and when you get to the Earth Temple you'll be able to see for yourselves. Now on with the show." He bows and heads of stage where he, with a little effort, lights a small fire and waits for Ohanzee to start telling the tale.

"The winds were rising outside the hill even as the Rangers were rising inside the hill, rising in a vertical shaft warn smooth by the ritual of fertility that had gone on since before time." he begins, taking everyone by surprise as he appears from behind the gathering rather than on the 'stage'.

He carries his drum, inverted and with pebbles within rolling it gently as he walks directly through the crowd forcing them to part as he goes "A plug of Earth pushed up by the Water; a wedding party atop; the Wandering Rangers; the River King and his Earthly wife."

"From this world we passed and into The Green we flowed on that journey. Dagda the drought we defeated and once again fertility returned for a year."

Reaching the stage now he spins pouring the pebbles from the drum and adding to the sound of their drumming on the ground with his own drumming on the now right side up instrument; a crescendo and then suddenly silence!

He pauses, leathery face wrinkled by a broad smile and those wrinkles exaggerated by the shadows of the firelight flickering across his features. "Fertility we brought. Not just the fertility of the Earth of the Riverbed, but our arrival above, back in this world brought death to our enemies!"

A pause as he looks over the gathered crowd "Death to the followers of the evil Banyak Bulu of the Red Thorns!" and another crash on the drum. Play o the audience he thinks They want war so help them fell righteous about it!

"Yes, they thought to steal the glory of defeating the Chaos Harpies from the Wandering Rangers, but we stole from them their lives without even trying!"

"An oasis of green now sits hidden in those hills, life anew brought from below and with the life of our foes."

"But we hadn't the time to gloat, it was Storm Bull's day and we had a cliff to climb before we could reach the nest of those foul creatures."

"So on we pressed and up we climbed as the mighty Bull roared and his breath kept the creatures from flight."

"Through a Harpy statue then, up through her guts we tunnelled, up to her head all save two who slid out the back, living Harpy poo!" Grinning he looks about those gathered for Amara.

"We caved her head out rather than cave it in and took out some of those things that were foolish enough to venture to the entrance of their caves."

"Death stalked us too that day though." he pauses "Though not quite yet did it take, but one was lost in their nets and dragged within their lair."

"So now a rescue was added to this quest. Some pressed on into the dark tunnels and some climbed high to come from above. But neither suited me so I called to the Bull for a hand and that's just what I got as he hurled me above to the top of their lair."

As Ohanzee talks, shadow images appear of the hanging blanket, of a hill with a hole drilling its way up to the top. When the hole reaches the top, the view expands to show shadowy versions of the Rangers, spikey crowns on two of them and all around them trees and bushes growing. Under the spreading branches of one, a couple of severed arms and legs stick up at odd angles.
The trees start to tremble as the Storm Bulls head roars in silent fury. The shadow Rangers walk on the spot as the background changes and the harpy statue comes to the fore, dwarfing the Rangers. A crack is found in its leg and in they climb, one crowned and one not go down and out, then they are seen climbing the outside, the image of the harpy fades so the others can be seen climbing the throat and smashing their way out of the head.
Harpies attack, foul looking things shown only as winged horrors, some die, others are driven back, but take a Ranger with them.
The Rangers split up, some going up, some following the retreating harpies, leaving one of the crowned figures behind who suddenly flies upwards as he's butted by the Bull.

The show is going well and the crowd is enthralled, though there's an unruly core of youths and children caught up in the magic of the night causing mischief.

Things are getting stolen and there's spirits about...Stealthy shadows on the outskirts of the ceremony and dark feathered birds hopping from bush to bush...

Ohanzee notes the spirits and the dark birds flitting around and this gives him an idea.  He smiles then begins speaking again "On went the brave Rangers, on to clear the fould stinking place of the corruption nesting there. And those above with me netted the flight holes so that they could not escape."

"We came to a place of roosting for the foul beasts, a place where their kind who were old and had the power that age brings. I knew this to be true so I bravely leap the was distance between roof and floor and kept the crones busy as the others used javelins to drop those that avoided me." Of course this wasn't entirely the truth, at least not the full truth of this episode of the story, as the brave leap was true then the rest might as well be on Raven's day!

"The things dispatced we moved on and eventually rejoined the others near the entrance to to their inner sanctum. It was there we rescued the captured and made a discovery that confirmed my long held suspicions. There we found a pure clean Harpy! Not the tainted, corrupted, chaotic things they have become, but the as they were in the Green Age when the Earth made them as protectors and avengers!"

"She spoke of her queen, held within the next room and to be sacrificed to their foul ends!"

"Then we were upon them, javelins fly, battle cries mix with their horrific screeches They are dropped here there and everywhere!"

"The worst of them, their shaman summons forth spirits to assail us but armed with Raven's magics, a ghost arrow and the Ghost Roarer" he holds out the enchanted bull roarer and gives it a few spins "I drew to me and then destroyed the score corrupt spirits she called to harry the others."

"So free of that threat they hacked and smashed, tore and stomped destroying their shaman's elite guard and all who didn't flee."

"All that remained was the shaman but before she was killed she called forth an ancient corrupt ancestor spirit that pressed me hard but I destroyed it too."

"Then from the deep dark depths came their grotesque Mother of Harpies. An aberration bigger than ten bison together that too sent wave after wave of spirits against me and a wave of fear through us."

"We stood firm though, all but Henal but he was to play his part too. As he ran Storm Bull entered him and whilst I destroyed spirits the others could not harm the foul Mother, so thick was her skin."

"Henal the Bull ran back faster that he fled though and enraged by that spirit he cut through the thing until there was nothing left!"

The shifting shadowy image changes to one of Rangers walking atop a rocky floor, leaning in to the wind and coming to a hole which they throw a net over. A couple of winged horrors appear from below and get trapped, then kill in the net.
The hole rises up and reveals a cavern below it as a crowned figure drops through it, as what first looked like boulders, unfurl their wings and attack and are cut down by him and a rain of javelins. Once the danger has passed, the others climb down and head deeper in to the caves, walking on the spot as the tunnels slip by. The rest of the Ranger are found and with them is a winged beast but this one's wings aren't solid, instead they have holes in them making them look colourful and different from those they have killed. It points down another tunnel and in its hands a crown forms.

All the figures run down the tunnel and enter an immense cave filled with foul harpies and flitting twisted spirits, javelins jump from both groups, some of the winged ones fall, but none of the Rangers. Above a crowned figure a bull roarer whirls and all the twisted spirits rush towards him. Then the distance between both sides closes and they hack at one another, limbs and heads falling to the ground. Suddenly a giant spirit forms around the bull roarer and engulfs him but slowly fades away as it is beaten.

All that remains of the Harpies is bits on the floor, when a massive flying monstrosity rises from behind them, the Rangers shake with fear when they see it and one runs away, only to come face to face with the Bull, who breathes on him, he stops running away and instead turns and charges the beast, attacking it with the fury of a berserker, chopping bits off, while the others seem to do no damage to it.

Those who are looking closely at the figures, mainly the Sun Hawks who always see through Ravens tricks, notice that even the flying figures are always connected to the rest of the image, usually by a touching limb or the side of the cave.

At the very last, from Melock's scene of Darkness where it is at it's very darkest a section seems to bulge forward. At first it seems like a bubble of Darkness bulging from the main, but it stretches forming a point. The point continues forward and behind it comes a head and the beginnings of wings perhaps.

This is confirmed as the Darkness seems peirced by a the point, a beak, and the burst remains of the scene seem to suck back to reveal an equally dark bird.

Kangee takes to the wing immediately and flies straight for Ohanzee causing him to flinch, especially so when the now obvious Raven lands atop his head.

And sat there it fluffs it's feathers and announces in a cawing accented Praxian "Good show!"

Melock steps back on stage and offers a quick bow to the Raven and audience, "Thank you Raven. I hope everyone else liked it as well."

The black bird cocks its head sideways and looks at Melock with one eye and then reverses the action to look at him with the other.

It hops down from Ohanzee's head and walks with that typical waddle of such beasts and when it gets to ten foot away jumps into the air and within a couple of flapsis standing this time on top of his head.

"Caw. Darkness stole the show." it says as it turns around and stretches its head out, its wings a little away from its body and lifts its fanned tail to deposit a dropping.

It shakes it feathers "That's better!"

Melock is showed with garbage and insults as is the way of those complimenting Ravens. Amongst the rubbish are small gifts of candied Skullbush seeds cakes, a small flask of Takeela, 4 lunars with holes through them and an invite for a quickie behind the tent from one of the matrons in the front row.

As the rubbish is hurled towards Melock the black bird takes to the wing again easily avoiding the shower of debris and its croacking kraa calls joining the insults of the crowd.

He wipes the raven droppings out of his hair as he tries to duck the thrown items. "Thank you for the offer," he says to the matron, "but I'm spoken for, though Ohanzee is single." Melock picks up the candied Skull bush seeds cakes and passes some of them to Ohanzee while keeping the small flask of Takeela for himself. He also chucks the coins to Ohanzee, "I think they liked it." Melock pats Ohanzee on the shoulder, taking the opportunity to rub raven shit on him.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:27, Thu 24 Nov 2016.