Frozben of Mirrok

Once upon a time, there were three brothers who served as the guardians of a small mountain village called Mirrok. Mirrok was a comfortable little village, nestled snugly in a large crater just below the summit of the mountain. These brothers were loved by all the people they protected. Side by side, they stood together and faced many threats to their quiet mountain life. However, there was one that challenged them like no other.

Dylok, the Swift
On one rainy day, the youngest brother, Dylok, was playing with some of the village children when, in the misty background, he noticed a ominous and shadowed figure watching. Upon being spotted, the figure left. However, Dylok did not bring this up with his brothers. He was the fastest warrior of the three; if there was any danger, he could get himself any village children out of harm's way and with his sling, he could take out any threat.

Still, the figure worried him, so he sat out late at night and watched for the figure again. The moon had just emptied and so it was difficult for Dylok to see, but he did his best as a sentry. He did well, for he saw the figure, just beyond a cropping of rocks that served as a boundary between the many mountain trails and the village. Upon being spotted once more, it fled. Dylok, determined to see the figure and slay it, gave chase. Dylok chased the figure, surprised to find it was just as swift as he. He found a thrill, a true challenge for his quickness and sure-footedness as he kept pace of his prey.

When the morning sun rose, Dylok had not returned. The village woke to find one of their champions missing and clambered to the remaining brothers. Worried for their brother, they began their search for him.

Lyar, the Stout
The middling and hardiest of the brothers, Lyar, dismissed the danger, thinking that Dylok had merely chased after a passing beast that had caught his eye. Still, they needed to find him. Dylok was a scatter-minded fool at times, and when pressed, he had difficulty with some survival skills, relying on his brothers to provide. If he did not return, there was a possibility that Dylok could freeze or starve to death out in the wilds.

The oldest brother wished to come and assist Lyar on his quest, but he was denied, saying that he was needed to protect the town from wandering bandits. Besides, there were few who could track as well as Lyar, one of the most dangerous men on the mountain and none were more skilled with an axe than he. He would find his brother. His brother's fears assuaged, he set off.

Lyar searched for days, stopping at times to do battle with some of the more aggressive beasts on the mountain. Eventually, he came to the mouth of a dark cave in a hidden away section of a rock face; the trail led deeper into the cave. Confidant in his abilities to deal with danger, Lyar marched in. It would be days before the oldest brother would realize, he would not be coming back.

Frozben, the Clever
The oldest of the brothers, Frozben, watched the rain pour with a heavy heart. He would not allow himself to grieve, not while whatever had taken his brothers from him still drew breath. He set up many traps around the village and warned the villagers to not go out at night or leave the village. The wittiest of the brothers, Frozben was the greatest of the three brothers, and while Lyar was a great tracker, there were none better than Frozben at the art.

Frozben, armed with his blade and shield,found the cave mouth that Lyar had ventured into. Fearing the dark, Frozben set his shield to direct sunlight into the shadows to light his way. A deep grumbling could be heard, striking fear for his brothers deep into his heart. Still, he pushed it aside and quietly ventured inside.

The inside of the cave was cold and damp, though the oldest brother could pick his way through the puddles and loose stones. Deeper and deeper he went until the light from his shield was almost completely faded. He came across a large den with piles of bones lining the walls, shining as though they were picked clean. Among two of the piles lay an axe and a sling, and Frozben finally knew their fates. Their deaths lay at the hands of a monstrous being slumbering in the center of the cavern.

Sensing Frozben's presence, the figure rose to its hind legs, and in the dying light as it turned to night, Frozben realized that it was an ogre. Lyar and Dylok had not died without a fight, it seemed, as the ogre's arm lay off to the side next to the axe and the creature's eyes had been destroyed, two errant stones having taken their place. Still, Frozben was not as strong as Lyar was or as good a marksman as Dylok; if it came to blows, he was not certain he could take the monster in the darkness of the cave.

The ogre, knowing somebody was in his cave, spoke aloud. "Who dares set foot in my cave?" He thundered.

Frozben was not as agile or strong as his brothers, unable to out run the ogre or pierce its thick stony rough skin. However, he was definitely smarter; he understood the value of strategy and wit, devising many tactics that would assure his village's safety. He knew that if he spoke the truth that he was there to avenge his brothers and slay the creature, he would be struck down easily. "Tis I, the night sky. Tis I and no one more."

The ogre was not to be easily fooled however. It asked, "How now are you on the rocky earth, away from your lofty bed of clouds and Aerland's silver candles?"

Undeterred, Frozben answered. "I had heard of the plight that befell this mountain, and came to look. I wish to make arrange the stars in my bed's quilt to mourn the suffering."

The ogre grew furious. "You speak of the village? I should destroy you and clear the night for the sun!"

<p class="MsoNormal">Placating, Frozben tried his best to assuage the ogre. "No gentle soul. I speak of your plight. Your eyes have been turned to stone and your arm has been taken. Who will mourn your loss if no one were to hear of it." The ogre stopped to listen and he wept tears of self-pity.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Look at what they have done to me! I should destroy those monsters in that village! This is my mountain and they dare to steal from me!" The ogre stood and grabbed a club of thick black stone from amidst one of the piles of bone. Frozben felt his blood run cold; this is the opposite of what he had wanted!

<p class="MsoNormal">Thinking quickly, he beseeched the ogre. "Wait! Two of them by themselves have maimed you. You must destroy them, but you should do it with cleverness." The ogre paused, and for the first time in its life, found itself thinking; after many minutes, it found itself agreeing. It asked Frozben what he should do. "These evil monsters wish for the mountain, yes? Then perhaps you should give it to them. Gather the toughest and largest boulders at the summit. Then, dig a pit outside their village, deep and dark with no way out. Once you have done that, release the boulders into the village. If they stay, they will be crushed, and if they leave, they will fall in the hole and be crushed anyway."

<p class="MsoNormal">The ogre laughed with glee and found itself very pleased with the plan and the ironic cruelty of it. Over the next few days, the ogre gathered several boulders at the summit and dug a pit several hundred feet into the mountain in the only road leading out of the village. When the trap was ready, Frozben appeared before the ogre once more as he stood at the edge of the pit. The ogre, so happy with his work, thanked him for his ingenious plan and sprung the trap, hoping to listen from the other end of the hole for the villagers to run and fall into it.

<p class="MsoNormal">However, it was not to be. Frozben had been just as busy as the ogre had. He had warned the village people of the danger and settled them into the ogre's cave while it was busy gathering boulders so tough, even it could not break them with its monstrous strength. While it had been digging, Frozben, betting on the cruelty of the ogre's nature, weakened the edge of the pit where it stood.

<p class="MsoNormal">When the trap was sprung, the ogre fell into the deep pit. The boulders rumbled down the mountain side and crushed the village, but Frozben's planning had kept his people safe. As long as they were alive, they could rebuild their homes.

<p class="MsoNormal">The ogre realized it had been tricked, and it cursed him. It threw its club at him blindly, but missed. The club sailed down and squarely in the middle of the village, crushing one of the many still moving boulders beneath it. The boulders avalanched down the mountain path before meeting the pit and falling, crushing the ogre beneath their mighty weight.

<p class="MsoNormal">Frozben gathered his people from the cave and brought them back into their town. The village lay destroyed, the club, sunk into the ground and looming like as a dark obelisk, reminded them of cause of its destruction and the two guardians it had lost. The village folk rebuilt around the club for, because of its great weight, it could not be moved. When the last brother grieved for the first time after the reconstruction, without a single cloud in the night sky, rain fell. The sky grieved with Frozben and a bolt of lightning struck the black club. The club was destroyed, leaving in its place a statue depicting three brothers: a tribute from the night sky.