Sermon of the Broken Branch

''Sen Jin village was never bustling with activity and today was no different. The only thing that was even of minor interest was a small group of trolls gathered around a small hut. In silence the group waited. Quietly, anticipating when the speaker would come out and talk. It was a group of with mixed beliefs. Some who were faithful to the Old ways, some just curious about the troll words, and others that had a slight fear what the speaker might say.

''Patiently she sat. “I guess they have waited long enough,” she thought to herself. Quickly standing and slowly straightening her dress she began to walk outside to address the small crowd. After motioning them all to sit, she begins to speak in her native tongue.

“Today I would like to tell you a story of a meeting. A meeting that took place before a great battle between the Trolls and the Mutants with their pinkskin allies. The two troll generals met the mutant and pinkskin commanders on top of a cliff the overlooked the future battle site. As they commenced parlay a great storm rose up from a once peaceful and blue sky. A bolt of lightning struck the side of the cliff causing it to collapse. All four of the commanders went tumbling down the side. Each one of them was able to grab hold of root or branch to keep them from falling to their certain death.

The pinkskin was closest to the top. With great passion he screamed, “Lies. Let my faith in the Lies empower me and give me the strength to scale this cliff. As he tried to scale the cliff the branch that he had grabbed snapped and he toppled down the cliff to his demise.

Right below the pinkskin the mutant manage to stop his fall. He too had managed to get a hold of a tree root to halt is fall. After seeing the pinkskin above him topple to his death. He knew that he did not have much time to save himself. In desperation he called out,

“Looney, I have served you faithfully my entire life please aid me in my time of need.”

There was silence and then the sound of breaking wood.

Knowing his time was short. He once again pleaded, “Looney, please aid your faithful servant I beg this of you!”

At that moment the root finally gave way and down the mutants tumbled.

Only the two trolls remained. Both looked at each other in desperation knowing that it was only a matter of time before their branches broke also. Neither said a word and resigned themselves to the fact that they to were going to tumble down the cliff. They both served the Old Ones but did not invoke their name. For they knew it must be their will for this to happen.

Then as if out of nowhere came a thundering a voice that echoed throughout the mountain.

“Let go and be saved!”

Instantly, the first troll released his hold on his branch and started to fall downward. The second waited a few more seconds and his branch snapped sending him downward.

As the first troll was falling he still did not panic. He was confident that he had listened to his masters and he was serving their wishes. As he fell he noticed he was gradually slowing and then he hit the group with a gentle thud. Shaken but alive he kneeled down and gave thanks for the miracle that had just transpired.

When he gathered his wits back he looked around and took in the scene. The broken bodies of the pinkskin, the mutant and the troll were lying around him. He knew that these three would be waiting to serve him when he finally met the Old Ones.”

Her story now finished, Clypsazu silently walks away leaving the small group behind her.