Epic Poem (call for a collective project)

One of the slave-women came toward me and was stopped by a guard.
He caught her by the neck, delicate like a swans, and smiled at her gasp.
I had him bring her to me and force her to her knees and let go.
When the guard was gone she looked up from the dusty soil and met my eye.
Her irises were turqouise but violent, the mark of a master-race.
She was not from this wilderness, I asked her her family tree.
Defiantly she stared and spat, not in my face for she valued her life
but on the ground and looked up and waited.

So I said fuck it and went to get a beer.

Um Smears, please go shit elsewhere.

[edit] well - let’s say this is your attempt at Epic lyricism… I suppose we can work around it.

My friend my long companion, through many wars, he of all people crept behind me holding a dagger glistening in the sunlight. The woman feigned not to notice him. Alas, he slew me, at first I knew not why, I layed on the ground, blood poring out my neck. Then I saw him help her up and I knew, sentimentality had got the better of him. Was it love or only a long estranged since of decorum that he had kept hidden from me? But, it mattered not his betrayal was complete. The final peice was when he kicked me aside as they left my presence without even enough regard to kill me quickly. I whispered, friend, if such is for me, then where does your loyality lie?

My only regret would have been not having recieved a proper burial, but as the wild dogs rushed towards me I knew that I would recieve a better by burial by them, in their dung heap, than by a friend such as him.

I just saw the edit, so Smears’ line was accepted into the poem? If so that character sure got his ass dragged out of the fire.

Wow, Smears - that was like divine intervention.
I just wrote this and only pressing submit I saw that there was this entry where the protagonist gets killed. What the hell.

The beer however had not been kept cold, and my chagrin was enhanced when I noticed that the guard was taking the woman to his tent. I halted him and handed him the stale beer. “Drink this!” I ordered, intending to take the woman for further questioning. There was little of intrigue this journey, and I keep to the surface of the few riddles that present themselves.

The guard now poured the beer into his throat and saluted a gaseous phrase. I nodded, and the woman looked on in dismay. She turned to face me and spoke: “You are wanderers, without soil or honor, you have no right to speak of family”. I praised the Gods and took her to the edge of the line of trees shielding us from the horizon. Perhaps we were closer to our purpose than we knew.

She then whispered to me, I am a seer, I have prophetic dreams, you were to be killed today, by whom I cannot say, but he was thwarted by some presence, some presence I cannot understand. But, now I recall, towards day break I had a vision I did not at first understand, a floating illshaped entity diverted a wild animal from its path. That illformed entity, that flat misshapen troll, he saved you! You are safe now from that threat. But, be weary, there are forces outside of this world that we cannot understand or hope to control.

this is turning into a story.

.

[size=150]Go on…[/size]

[size=50]
…[/size]

[size=50]…[/size][size=120]I like where this is going…[/size]

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As her head moved rhythmically, the golden light from the sun across the steppes ahead of our army played through her blond curls, and I admired the scheme of things. Greedily she forced me to embalm her throat, and I considered how her violent instincts would complement my inscrutable will, and felt tears welling at the thought of the son she would be able to give me. Then sadness at the inevitably vain struggle of this boy to live up to his godly descent. The two contradicting sentiments formed a deep ambrosiac with the smell of the pine trees. I marveled at the power of war to beget, and the impotence of beings to end the war.

These lone thoughts that often whispered through me even in sleep, they too whispered through our camp, on shrouded nights such as this. More than a lark to them was the tale to be told of he who would lead them some day, when I was gone. The saturated air, layers of undusted fog enveloped the camp when they would think thoughts so far ahead, beyond the steel wall. There latent days would fall over the other side, a chasm to engulf. The deeds here would end for some of us, but more would come past the shimmering vapor, the undaunted wall, fluid in it’s mortar.

My son would lead, they all knew. Casting aside the thoughts of him atop a raging white steed. But, they knew he would lead, they knew him but as of one they couldn’t grasp in the hollows of word. But, aside the silence and the dry dirt, the droughts of saturated air, and the glimmer of hills shuddering to and fro past the layers of fog, there was pieces of his story to be told.

[tab]Soon to be in my place, aside a small steep grade hill; my son would kick the dust, marvel at a crooked tree growing out from the side of the hill. What sky there was in view unobstructed by the hill, was blue. Unyieldingly blue. And then a sigh and more dust flicked up in the air. Even a rock that could roll down to his feet or an imperceptible cry over the pass would have brought him to lean against the slope and close his eyes. But, the wind wouldn’t even shift the blue haze above him an inch. All would be still.

The camp knew that would be where some resolve to lead would come, but as the low flying clouds shifted exposing a new horizon, they sensed their new leader far latter than the hill, astray and near broken. The circumstances would be unknown. His mood too, would be left for wonder. All that the camp would see, hear, when they sensed these whispering thoughts on these ephemerally inscribed nights, was his eyes. Harsh deep set eyes, so sunken as to be lying in a chasm, but still remaining to show fierce past all other facial expressions. Maybe burning with rage, desperation, resolve, such was unknown. But, the flaring, all encompassing, but still silent glimmering eyes would remain deep in the hearts of those who heard the whispers those nights behind the tidal wall.[/tab]

But the question had become: Which of my sons shall lead? The one with the deep set eyes, or the one now taking shape in the belly of my beautiful slave?

A swipe of his sword through the air, the sound of the wind being cut.

The muscle in the shoulder then the forearm, a pain, a good pain embodied them.

This ones strength would not degrade, the pain was proof of progress, the cuts had become better, the stabs even more so.

This blade was owned by worthier men and it would not be dishonored by lack of use or lack of a skilled arm.

The glimmer of the blade washed by and from blood met his eyes,by this he lives, by this he eats, by this he conquers.

The spear of course, the weapon of the front, of the charge and vanguard was trained with as well for it is with this many battles rested on.

This instrument of death that met with the foe before he realized his doom, with the charge death comes swiftly to those greeted by the spear rather than by the hoove.

The bright moon and stars had made the solitary training possible, he thanked the Goddess for this peace for he did experiance much of it.

He did now know who was advancing behind the mist, through the valleys so empty of history or noteworthy acts, that he did not even suspect their existence.

This was Gabron, father to seed spread thin. The moon was thin and silver, he hated this moon. Hate was his blood, and the moon his kin. The metal of his word shone in the hateful light.

He rested his weapon on the ungrateful rock, and stared into the mist, sensing perhaps, but not knowing that he sensed. Soon he would be tested, and perhaps dead.

A small lark rested on tree branch looking onward after feeding that night. A figure quitely approached another, standing by a large rock. The figure by the rock seemed to be unconcerned with the hunt of the night, nor other petty concerns. The lark recognized the vapors rising from him, subtle vapors that man cannot detect. The figure was concerned for this land he stood on, or perhaps for much more, something that the lark could not understand. The approaching figure had a different vapor. Blood lust, the foul sent of the night for prey or creatures of a kind, somewhat of an amusment for those who were not to be concerned. The lark tilted his head and almost stooped on his perch, perhaps even showed a slow grin. Normally he would have warned the one figure of the other to insure a true fight rather than a quick slaughter which would belay his amusement, but he sensed that this was not to be a surprise attack.

The figure apporached the other sword sheathed, as he got close enough that even such a creature as those figures be could smell each other’s scent. The figure by the rock stood still, back straight, but head slightly stooped, perhaps even with his eyes closed. After a few minutes he lifted his head and met the eyes of the approacher. And they staired. One filled with only hate, hate so strong as if to paralyze, the other something that the lark couldn’t sense. Not the same vapors as before. Not fear though, the lark knew fear, an appetizing fear that always accompanied him as he ate his prey alive. This emotion was something new.

The two figures stared at each other so long that the lark almost flew away. Then the long still figure lifted up some long object from a rock and pressed it to the other’s neck. The other tried a sardonic smile, but choked it back, blood filling his mouth temporarily, he was not to even feign wimzy at this moment. The imprint of the sword too brought blood, a small crease on his neck. The lark’s feathers roused moventarily, then the sword was lowered and the other stepped back a dozen paces. With a facial contortion that scared even the lark unused to such visual subtles in humans the other drew his sword and almost leapt forward back toward his enemy.

Meanwhile, the saddle is drenched by the rancid rain brought on by the vermin in this filthy swamp. God - I hope a storm is rising in the East. See I can’t for shit but I know Jupiter rides the path of the reclining moon, truth has weathered him thin… the luck of the moon is pale and the sisters of mystery are treacherous. Still at a pond in the myst I find a dog, small and domesticated. A fire is suspected now and I see that the trail is spreading. They had picked up on the scent for home-dom before I had - desiring it deeper - the depths I drag them true only to meet my match in a suspected cloud of hate.

I think I’m lost, are you writing about the same character as I am?

Behold, what difference? Upon this page I stand, I am my self, your are the other me, I am the other she, you are the other he ~ what cowardly futility to speak of Lost ~ be brave ~ stand tall ~ and go in search of many other selves, of many other characters, for we are legion on the stage of many moments ~ and there upon some other future pages turned, you shall find yourself within the letters ~ ever forming words and thoughts which shape the epic You.

Stuart - I did not mean to. I figured you were talking about the man with a stronghold in the mountains - the character SG introduced. That was what my post before the last one was about.

AD - No (in case you’re asking) we’re actually trying to tell a story.
As far as I’ve understood, there are now two focuses of the narrative. One is the original protagonist, who nearly got killed, then there is the darker person in the mountains who has a powerful interest in swords and reveres a Goddess.

As I see it the protagonist is advancing toward the position of the second man, who is related in some way to the woman with the seeers gift.

I understand now, if not, I’ll wing it anyway.