Chapter 401: Names & Stories

“...And then First Mother told us she had something to do and left,” Stryg finished.

Tauri, Plum, and he sat in a somewhat large chamber that Virella had granted them for the remainder of their stay. It acted as an anteroom of sorts and had doors leading to their private chambers. Several large pillows were strewn about that floor as comfortable chairs. The room was an easy meeting place for the travelers, away from the prying eyes of any too-curious acolyte wandering the temple.

“I’m surprised that the Guardian didn’t kill you,” Tauri said.

“Probably because he wanted us to run that dumb troll errand for him,” Plum muttered angrily. “Then he’ll probably kill us.”

Stryg shook his head, “Arden doesn’t seem like that kind of goblin. He is honorable, if the Lunar Elect does not give their approval Arden won’t harm us… I think.”

“Well, I’m just glad you’re all alive,” Plum said. “Once we take care of this troll stuff we can make our petition and leave this mountain.”

“Easier said than done. Frost trolls are a dangerous lot,” Tauri said.

“You’ve fought them before?” Plum asked.

“No, but my ancestors have. They’ve written about them in our House’s records, we lost many soldiers with every encounter. There is a reason their mountain is called Grimstone,” Tauri explained. “You may want to stay out of this one.”

“And be left at this temple? No way,” Plum crossed her arms.

“Even if we do manage to fix whatever is wrong with the ore trade between my people and the frost trolls, we’ll still have to somehow convince the Lunar Elect to aid Hollow Shade,” Stryg said hopelessly.

“It can’t be that hard, can it?” Plum asked.

Stryg slumped his shoulders. “I thought so too until I met them. They don’t seem like the kind of people who’ll budge.”

“Okay, then why don’t we just go around them instead? Surely, there are other people we can talk to for help. Like the tribe chieftains,” Plum said.

“It’s not that simple. The tribes won’t go to war without the approval of the Lunar Elect,” Stryg said.

“Just like how Arden won’t kill us unless they give the word,” Tauri said.

Stryg nodded.

“Who exactly are the Lunar Elect and why do they hold so much power? Shouldn’t Arden and Virella have some sway in these matters?” Tauri asked.

“Virella is the Silver Mother, our high priestess, and the most respected of our people,” Stryg said. “But her role is more of a sacred one, she does not interfere with everyday matters. As for Arden, he is the Guardian of the Sylvan, he is meant to be impartial and will only intervene when our laws are broken or if the Sylvan people are in danger.”

“Arden’s life sounds awfully inflexible,” Plum winced.

“It has to be, if an Elect were to ever betray our people, it would be up to Arden to end their life. Someone with that kind of power has to be restrained by strict rules,” Stryg said.

“You really think that? You aren’t restrained by any such rules and someday you’ll probably be an Ebon Lord,” Tauri noted.

“Well…” Stryg blinked. “I never thought of it like that…”

“Perhaps it’s because of those lack of restraints the Ebon Lords of the past have almost unanimously been tyrants,” Plum said grimly.

“...Perhaps,” Tauri admitted. Uncomfortable with the line of thought, she turned to Stryg, “So, this Lunar Elect, what exactly is their deal? Is there really no other way to circumvent them?”

“I don’t think so,” Stryg sighed. “They serve as the tribunal of our people. They are the Eyes, Hand, and Voice of the Mother Moon. Their word is law.”

“So they hold all political and judicial power,” Tauri muttered thoughtfully.

“It’s more than that,” Stryg said. “Lumi is the Shaman-Elect, an arch-mage whose power is only second to the Guardian. Lykos is the Warrior-Elect, the Sylvan armies answer to him. As for the Mother-Elect, Sabina has the greatest influence among all the Sylvan. If she gives the word, people would even follow her into a behemoth’s lair.”

“So the Elects basically hold all the power, how wonderful,” Plum groaned.

“What about the tribes? Surely there are some powerful tribes who can challenge the Lunar Elect’s decision, no?” Tauri asked.

“I mean, technically, yes,” Stryg said hesitantly. “There are four major tribes that are far more powerful than the rest. They have more warriors, resources, and shamans, and most importantly they carry great respect among the Sylvan.”

“Great, so why don’t we talk to them, and see if they can help us convince the Lunar Elect?” Tauri asked.

Stryg grimaced, “Well, you see, those four tribes are the Iron Spines, Frost Whisper, Elder Bloom, and Storm Howlers.”

Tauri frowned, “Wait, Iron Spine? Isn’t that the tribe that one emissary hailed from? The tribe that hates the Blood Fang?”

“That’s Otley’s tribe,” Stryg nodded weakly.

“And wasn’t Arden the chieftain of the Frost Whisper Tribe?” Plum recalled.

“The Shaman-Elect is also from the Frost Whisper Tribe,” Stryg mumbled.

“Okay, it’s pretty bad, I admit. But we can still talk to the other two tribes, right?” Tauri said in a hopeful voice.

“The Mother-Elect hails from Elder Bloom and the Warrior-Elect hails from the Storm Howlers,” Stryg said.

“It’s hopeless,” Tauri hung her head in defeat.

“So all the power is consolidated,” Plum muttered. “Are they considered powerful tribes because they have members in the Lunar Elect or are they a part of the Lunar Elect because they are from powerful tribes?”

“Both. Though the Iron Spines have no members in any major position, they just have the most warriors by far,” Stryg said.

“And they just so happen to hate your tribe.” Plum bit her lip in consternation. “This will be harder than I thought.”

“Helloooo,” Virella opened the door with a big grin. “Dinner is ready!”

“Thank you, Silver Mother,” Stryg bowed his head. “But… aren’t there servants to tell us that? I’d hate to take more time away from your sacred duties than we already have.”

“My, aren’t you a strict one? You remind me of someone else,” Virella smirked. “And yes, I have plenty of acolytes for such things, but I wanted to come down here and tell you personally, is that so bad?”

“Oh, uh, n-not at all, I just didn’t want to waste your time,” Stryg stammered.

Tauri and Plum looked at him in disbelief and were reminded of how much admiration Stryg held for the Sylvan Mothers.

Virella seemed to notice that quality as well and laughed, “Relax, Stryg. We’re all friends here.”

“But you’re the Silver Mother…” Stryg said stiffly.

“I told you to call me Auntie Vi!” she pouted.

“R-Right, my mistake,” Stryg bowed his head repeatedly.

“Believe me, titles get boring quickly. I much prefer names. Like yours, it’s quite pretty,” Virella smiled.

“Really, you think so?” Stryg blushed.

Tauri scowled at his reaction. “It’s definitely an odd name, which is fitting for such an odd goblin.”

“Don’t let my sister catch you saying that,” Jahn said from his doorway.

“Jahn! I knew I could coax you out of that stuffy room with the promise of food,” Virella smirked.

“What do you mean, don’t let her catch me?” Tauri asked the chieftain.

“As is sacred tradition, the Sylvan Mothers name the newborns of the tribe, in the hopes that they live up to the essence of their name. My sister just so happened to name that blue goblin standing next to you,” Jahn replied.

Stryg nodded. “That’s true. Though I doubt First Mother would care if someone says my name is odd. I’ve never heard of any other goblin called Stryg. So I guess it is odd, which is quite fitting I suppose. I’m definitely not… normal,” he mumbled.

Tauri winced, “Stryg, that’s not what I meant. I’m sor—”

“You’re wrong, Stryg,” Jahn said adamantly, a trace of anger in his voice.

He looked up, surprised. “Huh?”

“My sister didn’t give you that name because she thought you were different. She named you Stryg after one of the greatest warriors the realm has ever known.” Jahn took a deep breath, “Lady Stryga.”

Tauri, Stryg, and Plum glanced at each other. “Who?” they asked in unison.

Jahn frowned in confusion, “You don’t know Lady Stryga…? I suppose it’s for the best… The point is, Stryg, you were named after a great warrior, it is not a name to be ashamed of, but one to be carried with pride.”

Virella nodded in agreement, “Auri didn’t give you that name lightly, Lady Stryga was someone she looked up to greatly.”

“That means… First Mother thought I would be a great warrior someday,” Stryg smiled abashedly at the thought.

Plum frowned with suspicion. Aurelia’s choice seemed strange to her. Second Mother had told her that Stryg was born sickly, the Mothers thought he wouldn’t make it through the night. So why would Aurelia have named a sickly baby after a great warrior?

“Someday? You have always been a warrior, Stryg,” Jahn said resolutely.

“That’s not true,” Stryg laughed weakly. “I could never keep up with the others. no matter how hard I tried, I always lost in every single spar.”

“But you tried, you fought. You always have,” Jahn said. “Ever since you were born, the odds were against you. Yet you didn’t give up, you kept fighting to survive, even in those first few hours. Growing up you were always the first to wake up every morning and you were always the last to give up in the training exercises.”

“I just didn’t want to be left behind by the others,” Stryg admitted.

“You fought. You have always been fighting, in here,” Jahn poked his chest. “You’ve always had the heart of a warrior, First Mother knew that, as do I, and it’s time you recognize it as well.”

Stryg smiled hesitantly, then he nodded more resolutely. “Thank you, my chieftain.”

Jahn nodded, satisfied.

“Man, I wish I was named after a cool warrior. Instead, I was named after a flower,” Plum groaned.

“At least your name was given to you after a lot of thought, my dad named me when he was too drunk to even stand,” Tauri laughed.

“That sounds like a fun story,” Stryg said.

“What about you, mister chieftain? How were you named?” Plum asked curiously.

“Ooh, I always wanted to know too!” Virella added excitedly.

Jahn shrugged and scratched his beard, “I was named a little differently than most. The last chieftain gave me my name.”

Stryg’s ears perked up, “Last chieftain? You mean your birth mother?”

Jahn nodded, “Yeah, she named me after her uncle.”

“Was he a great hunter?” Stryg asked.

“No, he wasn’t a hunter. Actually, my mom never met him.”

“Eh?” Stryg furrowed his brow.

Virella tilted her head to the side, “So why the name?”

“My grandmother used to tell the tribe stories about her brother,” Jahn said reminiscently. “He was the most talented swordsman she had ever known, even as a child his skill with the blade had surpassed his sword master. My mom wanted me to be like him, a great warrior.”

Stryg found himself smiling, it was comforting to know that other goblins had pursued the way of the sword. It was an uncommon weapon among goblinkind, most preferred the spear. Still, knowing there were other Sylvan swordsmen out there made him feel a little less odd.

Jahn stared at his hand and clenched his fist, “I always strived to live up to my namesake, but truth be told I wanted to be better than him.”

Virella patted his back, “Well, you’ve definitely achieved it. No matter how skilled your namesake was, I think he’d have a pretty difficult time against a grand spearmaster.”

Jahn grinned proudly, “You’re right about that.”