Durk Wood (Ritefoot)

[ritefoot]

Durk was born the son on a farmer in the north eastern edge of the Silver Marches.
He grew up a healthy farm boy. Not worried about much of anything until one day he started hearing or feeling the animals around him. It was not always or clear or useful. But in time he learned that treating the animals about him with respect had payback. He knew when the boys from the other farms lay waiting for him around corners and when his father was getting nearer when Durk was skipping his chores. Time past and well people started to notice and he got a name.
Fact was it was not just everyone else that though he was a little mad. He did too.
His teenage years were not so easy so Durk packed in the farming life and took to the west road as a wagon guard. As luck would have it the trip was unaffected by bandits. One morning the caravan was passing over a ridge when Durk felt the contact of an elemental for the first time. It was different to the animals. Not so personal and light was this contact. A mountain’s emotion if pure and focused and beyond the mind of one young man. So it was thought that Durk had the falling sickness for the rest of the trip and he was let go at the gates of Waterdeep.
In Waterdeep Durk fell into the all too easy life of a bar fly. Looking for money and warm beds where they could be found. Well one woman took exception to his other women and he was chased out of town.
He left south and just wandered until his path crossed that of a wolf. For want of words Durk was informed that his place lay far away and that he should follow the wolf.
Durk did and over the next few weeks he made a bee or wolf line through the lands, ending up in Isinhold. That time had not been wasted. He watched the wolf and through him Durk started feeling that nature was who he should be serving. Not that this realisation came over night or even that strongly. He still finds himself seeking human company though less per day.
In Isinhold he talked to the druids in the temple but continued with the wolf guide for a few days until the wolf told him in not so many words that he was done with Durk and if he followed the wolf he was going to be bit. The wolf ran off and Durk stood there like the last turkey in the shop until a bear grunted at him. Well not so much a bear as ‘Bear’
Bear and Durk shared a bush of berries and without three grunts and a bray he had a new guide.
Sore luck had it but they were getting into winter and so Bear and about 5 other bears went to sleep. Next morning and next month they did not wake. Durk full of doubts went to town for a pint.
That was where his Druiding life started. Lost without a bear in the world.
Rite.

[ritefoot]

Winter past with little to speak of.
Durk found the lands around Isinhold very welcoming. Hard to call it much of a town really. 20 or so houses one being an inn another that of a smith. Other than a wall the place was nature. Nowhere more then 300 steps to a forest, the only temple was held by druids and ever the walls were rough wood. That 20 families could support the guards struck him as more of a southern thing.
Best of both worlds. Nature and all it held and a pint at the end of the day with lots of pretty girls near. Still Durk was full of doubts and felt alone. Having little help and few to talk to he decided that a good sword arm might be a useful second to the gifts he was just learning to use.
Bear had woken up that spring and the two got along well.
One evening Durk was looking at Bear swotting fish out of the river. He told bear he wished he could do that too. Bear told him to try but when Durk got into the melt water he found that he just could not take the cold. Bear lifted a paw and poked Durk in the forehead. A flash of thoughts left Durk looking up at the sky from his back. Getting up on all fours he looked into the water and he found that he thought he now could take a fish now. Swot and his bear paw sent a fish flying. He spent the next few seconds looking at his bear paw. He liked being a bear. Felt right.
For the next few weeks Durk and bear walked as bear. Bear showed Durk how to open ant hills and Durk showed bear what great things inns throw out. Inseparatable!
Durk met many in Isinhold. The hins that were not a couple, the sailor that was not a bard and Calia. Calia was an energetic, a wild soul, bent on seeing the world too fast. Due to marry a human.
Once Durk talked to her about the obvious dangers of such a union only to find that he himself was replacing that human after only a few weeks. Hard to worry about such things overly much given her boundless optimism and kindness, he was male after all and who says this would last? That girl was blessed, or was it cursed? To live in interesting times was after all a doom. With her he met Dragons and mad men. Not one day normal. She introduced him to other Druids and talked about a circle.
They suited each other. His earthly calm gave her steady growth and her fire’s action and warmth made him stronger.
Where might this lead?
Through Calia Durk met Taran. Together they and many others pulled together to form a circle.
Not all came sweet as berries off a tree. Some seemed more as fish from a river.
Still they did come. Now came work. First to find what best needed doing.
Rite.

[ritefoot]

The wheel turned like the birds above. Durk found himself on his back looking at the sky with the tinny music of the Sune temple jeering over the wall at him. It should be raining at a time like this. Three empty bottles of wine spirits lay about him and another shattered off a near by bolder. High and dry and envying Jack more and more. This would be a good time to be drunk. Why was he not? Anyone of those bottle would have sent him wandering through some street making an ass of himself yet here he was stone sober. Nature wanted her servants clear headed.
The clouds drew nearer.
He did not want to think on this day any more. Started well enough, in much the same form as he was in now. He had preformed the rites as he had been shown. Asking the tree father to ease the passing, waking on the forest floor in a bed of loom. Calia was in his mind minute per minute but it was getting better he had thought. They were not fighting as much. They had gone with a mage to a mission to an island to aid a dryad Durk had met. Calia and Durk waited and tried to let the mage do his thing. What ever that was. He missed her. She kissed him. He had returned it. The pain seemed to have passed. For a few seconds reasons could be forgot. She had seemed so confused. They returned to the main land and talked. Now he was more confused then ever. One hour ago she was with another and now he could not get drunk.
It would be nice to fool himself into saying he did not care or want it differently but there he was in clean new clothing. He had even bathed. He had not even been dirty. It had been more a healthy coating of earth.
Yes it was for the best. Passing would come now. He wished her happiness though if balance played a hand she would merit less.
When had he become so bitter?
Drops struck his face. Rain at last.

He rolled the pomegranate seeds about in his mouth as he sat in the royal gardens of Suzail thinking on what Voni and he had talked about. Pomegranate seeds seemed to hold the juicier parts to them selves. They gave it up after a while though. Still they were distracting. They had talked about the differences of humans and elves. He told how he was already thirty eight. That he did not think he would see another ten with a sword in his hand. She said she knew humans that had lasted longer.
Ah there came the juice again.
It had been an interesting talk. He had never seen Voni smile before. He might never see her covered in dark red fruit juice again. Something about that girl needed help. Too tight. Too much pressure yet there were smiles to be had. Gained from the joy of a simple fruit. It had ended yet again in harsh words but such was the case with some.
So he was left missing one while thinking about words with another.
Another seed gave.
Ten years. It was like a blink to elves. A blink is not so much to ask for.
A blink is all that sits between now and the past. It was too late to change it all now.
He walked over to a bush and opened a hole and placed what was left in and lay clay over it.
Still thinking he got up and walked to the pool. He looked down at his reflection. Water always took the lowest ground. Telling its reversed truth. Digging into clay. Stifling air. Quenching fire. Yet look at it. Part of it all. Needed.
He looked back at the bush. A piece of the red fruit poked out at him. He licked his lips and left the water to its own course.

A thud followed the flaming arrow past his ear as he charged into the fray with Taran and Mers.
He had not passed anything it might have struck and he turned to see Calia quench to the ground.
What had she been doing out here alone?
He went cold as the world seemed to slow. He felt arms reached out to her that had held weapons.
Sound of fighting and his running were as if under water. He did not feel the scorching as he cast the arrow aside.
Why was there no blood from that wound?
He bent and started calling life to her form. Bandges hung as loose ends and he tried to pull her together.
Where was that fire in her eyes?
The world became shades of grey and his mouth filled with teeth.
Rage started to close his mind and he felt his arms turn ridge with another form he reared back braying his wrongs to the universe when he felt a great presence far below and the powers flowing up.
The forest returned as a crashing wave. Fira’s grief being returned from wolves for miles. Taran’s chanting near by and then a gasp from below. He looked down at the panicked eyes of Calia.
He did not remember taking her in his arms or how long he had held her, only how he needed her there, that she too held him and how right it felt.
Taran touched his shoulder, telling them they had to move on, before the bandits could regroup.

The sound of green seemed to sag to his right. Looking Durk saw Bear with a silly grin trying to focus on his paws. Durk felt a little guilty about having told the poor lug that his claws were growing.
He chuckled and wiped the drool from his cheek.
Durk had great faith in the balance of nature and always thought it bent that druids could not get off like everyone else he thought as a bird flew past backwards again. He giggled a little.
Durk put it down to people taking themselves too seriously and giving up the spirit too quick.
Not Durk! It was all very clear now though. Clear as that tartan tree.
Mushrooms had been the key. Long time friends of the people of the north. Druids had 'studied' them in the old days, though just used their healing qualities now.
All you had to do was Awaken them!
He watched them dance about him as he sank into the turf.
Nice song!
It's a small world aaaa......
He mother used to say that nature does not close a door without opening a window.
He father would have said nature up whores a bare patch, but that was his father. Always looking for a reaction.
Funny nobody had not put the coming of a new power at the same time as another was removed was not part of the balance!
He was sooo going to bring this up at the next meeting. See the circle was bringing more comfort to his kind day by day.
Oh why that the bottom of that hole giving him a dirty look, he thought it was coming his way?

Rite.