23 Dec Deep in the Blackfen

Hooves hit the ground and drums make the sound
The party rides high, they are adventure-bound.
A breeze of late fall sends chills through them all,
Anticipation brought by glory’s siren call.

They were given a name by their fortune and fame
Paladins whose oaths were exactly the same.
“In the name of Saint Simon, and the oath we swore by him,
We fight for the weak through blood and through iron!”

Each a troubadour, numbered one through four,
Embodying the hope kept in days of yore.
These problem solvers smartly refuse all offers
From the corrupt who seek to stuff their coffers.

Yet as in every story of righteous glory,
Tumultuous integrity is quite obligatory.
For as these men ride into the Blackfen,
They did not expect what would happen then.

The winds grew harsh on their forward march
And they became entrenched in the stench of marsh.
When the horses were stuck in the deep, dark muck,
It seemed our heroes were out of luck.

Suddenly, the horses broke free,
They bucked and brayed a vicious whinny.
The steeds, dismissed, ran into the mist,
Each knight, running behind, with reins in their fist.

Redundant to announce the escape of the mounts,
Swallowed by mist, gone by all accounts.
The heroes, defeated, had never retreated,
But considered no time for one to be conceited.

They all trudged slow, carefully so
They would find their path and know where to go.
Yet no tracks they found, and not one sound
Indicating anything familiar around.

Some time passed before one of them gasped
He raised a reluctant finger to the frightful bast.
An obsidian wall, four miles tall,
Would any man have the wherewithal?

Our heroes, for certain, walk past the misty curtain,
For the oaths they swore imbued a mighty burden.
Be fearless! Be true! The weak depend on you!
The bravery in their hearts steadily grew.

Rounding the facade, each of them were awed,
Each uttered a prayer to their respective god.
This was a keep, in the Blackfen so deep
Its existence unknown to history complete.

The men marched forth, headed due north,
Each determined to each other to prove their worth.
The troubadours four walked through the large door
And entered a place no man has been before.

It was a forge arcane, daunting, insane,
And not one man could even speculate its name.
Blue light and gas swirled and flew past
A voice rang out and proceeded to ask,

MUSTN’T YOU PROCEED TO STATE YOUR NEED
I AM EQUIPPED TO SERVE AND NEVER TO LEAD
I AM DESIGNED TO DO AS ASSIGNED
SIMPLY SPEAK YOU DESIRE AND YOUR INTENT IN YOUR MIND

The paladins, confused, with nothing to lose
Huddled and discussed what it is they would do.
They unanimously agreed to not succumb to their greed
Although the terms of which were easy to mislead.

The first stepped forward, and without a word,
He disappeared to a kingdom he was awarded.
A beautiful wife, a perfect life,
This knight had asked for a kingdom without strife.

The keep from the mist had done as he wished,
Every resident of this land was a pacifist.
The land that was created was indeed as stated,
Which made it easy for the barbarians that invaded.

The next man stood, intent to do good,
And vanished as well to do what he should.
An immortal knight who would always do right,
Gifted with the courage to win every fight.

He was rightly given what I have written,
But he could not chew up what he had bitten.
Such a man makes foes wherever he goes,
And the evil one sealed him in a prison of stone.

Paladin three ran forward quickly
And too vanished almost immediately.
He was clever and wanted to never
Relinquish the powers the forge could endeavor.

And so he became a master of the arcane,
And the conquest of power drove him insane.
He ascended beyond before the gods could respond,
And justly slain by knights with a familiar bond.

The final knight had a moment of insight,
And asked first to know of the forge’s might.
I SHAPE WHAT I PLEASE IF IT WILL APPEASE
WHOEVER MAY FIND MY FORGE AMONG THE TREES

THE FORGE IS HERE AND WILL ONLY APPEAR
TO THOSE WITHOUT EVIL, THOSE WITHOUT FEAR
SO TO SUIT THEE, I BEND REALITY,
MUCH LIKE THE GODS YOU REVERE SO FERVENTLY.

The knight thought, and he though quite a lot,
And asked to see what his compatriots bought
And he witnessed with remorse their requests run their course,
And he only asked for their return, and for each of them their horse.

The forge then delivered, and each returned, bewildered,
And they all charged out, their requests reconsidered.
The rode away then, away from the Blackfen,
And no one has ever entered that cursed marsh again.

So in this story of conflict and of glory,
It must be apparent it is but an allegory.
If that forge’s flame called out your name,
Would you have the courage to keep things the same?