Elias and the Hermit

Elias encounters a strange man on a mountain road.

High in the Veldir Mountains, Elias traveled along a path that had clearly fallen into disuse. On more than one occasion he had been forced to unhorse to remove dead fall from the trail, or had to lead his horse on foot, across treacherous footing. Even still, This path was much faster than the alternative. There was no road that headed to his destination. The nearest one would take him days out of his way, and going around the mountains would add weeks.

If the rumors he was chasing were true, he did not have that kind of time. Reports had been received at Hel’Amin, that a tribe of Lizardmen had been pushing out of the Swamps of Steghess and harassing nearby travelers. It was uncertain whether they had actually killed anyone et, but that was only a matter of time if something did not change. Preventing bloodshed on both sides was Elias’s mission, and the driving force behind the decision to risk traversing this path that was little more than a game trail.

“Peace!” A distant voice shouted from up the mountain. “Peace be with you, brother. Do not fear for I mean you no harm.”

Elias turned in the direction that he thought the voice came from, but all he could see was brush. Dense foliage obsured the view up the mountain so much, that the mystery voice would have to be nearly on top of him before he could see them. His position on the trail didn’t make him feel any more secure either. Directly to his right was a solid rock wall, and on his left, a sheer drop at least the height of ten men. Roughly 10 paces in either direction, the trail bent around the mountain and out of view.

A minute passed and Elias began to notice the foliage rustling a dozen paces up the mountain from the trail. He watched as the disturbance slowly towards the path. Judging by the direction it was traveling, Elias guessed that whatever was moving his direction would be three paces down the trail and in the open shortly.

Slowly a figure emerged from the brush and stood in the middle of the path, arms outstretched with a staff in one hand that more closely resembled a tree branch than a proper staff. The man standing before him was a curious site. He stood quite tall as far as men go, and quite thin. His brown shoulder-length hair was matted and unkempt. The beard that grew from his chin to his abdomen looked just as well cared for. He wore what appeared in overall form, to be a hooded robe made of irregular sizes and shapes of wool and sackcloth. What Elias could see of the man’s feet were covered in rags with bits of twine wrapping around and tied in a series of knots that looked like they had been tied by a child. Hanging on the man’s shoulder was what appeared to be a sack of the type commonly used to transport grain, with a few bits of rope that had been turned into a makeshift carrying strap.

“Greetings fellow traveler!” The stranger spoke with an authoritative tone that sharply contrasted his appearance. “I hope your journey goes well. The hour is getting late and I am getting tired. Would you care to sup with me this fine evening?”

Elias could not help but feel at ease with this man. A serene feeling permeated his being, as though all was as it should be. “It would be my honor,” he replied. The words escaped his mouth so fast that Elias could hardly believe that it was him who had said them. Every thought in his brain was telling him that this could be a trap but he could not help but feel that everything would be ok. In fact, he felt as though he was supposed to go with this man wherever he might lead.

“Right then. I believe there is a clearing nearby with a small stream. It should be the perfect place to make camp for the night.”

It was then that Elias noticed just how late in the day that it had gotten. The sun was rapidly dropping in the west, and even though the mountains were to the east and would not block the sun, he still figured that they only had four to five hours of sunlight left. With that, the pair of men headed around the next bend in the path and the stranger led them into the brus down the mountain

“How do you know about this clearing? You speak as though you have never been there,” Elias inquired.

“Oh ho.. I have not been there before, but they tell me it is there so it is there.” The mystery man never looked back as he spoke to Elias, only straight ahead. “They told me you were there.”

“They?” A puzzled expression covered Elias’s face. Thankfully the stranger never so much as glanced in his direction, lest he feel insulted, as he spoke as though Elias should understand.

“The gods of light… You know.. The ones you and I have sworn ourselves to serve?” At this point, the man turned around and assertively thrust his staff squarely in the middle of the holy symbol on the chest of Elias’s tunic. “They have shown me a great many things. They showed me my mountain, my home.”

“You’re mountain?”

“Ah, you’re right lad. This mountain isn’t mine. It belongs to the gods, and I am it’s caretaker. For thirty years I have been on this mountain and in all that time I have trusted them to provide for my needs.” The foliage began to lighten and eventually gave way to a  small clearing with a stream on the far side. “And provide they have.”

As Elias stepped into the clearing, he noticed a large, flat stone towards the center. The stone was unremarkable, but sitting on top were two large leaves, Larger than anything that he had seen in the forests of these mountains. Sitting atop the leaves was a selection of vegetables, some ordinary like carrots, and others that Elias had never seen before.

“Ah, I see they were expecting company. Sit. Eat.” The stranger walked around the large stone and took his place at one of the leaves.

“I thought you said you had never been here?” Elias said suspiciously. “Then who put this food here?”

“I have already told you boy. They did.” The man pointed with his index finger at the symbol of the gods of light once more.

The meal was filling and Elias rather enjoyed the flavors of the strange vegetables. The mysterious stranger did not seem too interested in conversation so the meal was very quiet. Every now and again a small animal would approach the man and he would assure him that it was safe while handing them a piece of food from his portion. Even the deer did not seem to fear this man as two does and a buck came within arms reach.

Following the meal, Elias built a small campfire and prepared his bedding. He approached the stream to get a drink and noticed that the stranger had pulled an elaborate contraption from his cloth sack. A wooden stand with a dozen circular frames, each a finger’s width above the last, began to take shape. In the circular frames, the man placed a piece of cloth, each more tightly woven than the last such that the tightest one was at in the bottom frame. When he was don assembling the contraption, the stranger produced two wooden cups. As he bent to fill one with water, he noticed Elias looking on curiously.

“You can never be too careful. I would not want to swallow a tiny creature in my haste to quench my thirst.” The man took the full cup and poured the water into the top of the apparatus, placing the empty cup underneath. The water filtered through the cloth and Elias could see a few small particles of dirt clinging to the filters. When the water had finally run into the bottom cup, the man submerged the device in the stream. “There you go little ones. On your way.”

As the sun set, the two men sat near the campfire. Elias was so puzzled by the stranger that he did not seem to know where to start, and the stranger seemed perfectly content to sit in silence.

“You never did tell me who you are,” Elias said, breaking the silence.

“Does it matter? Who is anyone, anyway? Am I the sum of my deeds? A judgement of my character?” The man paused. “I am a servant of the gods of light. That is enough for them and so it shall be enough for me and you.”

“Very well. What do you do? How do you live here?”

“A curious boy, you are.” The stranger looked off at the stars as he began to reply. “I am a traveler and a servant. I have sworn my life to the gods, forsaking violence and wealth, that I may be their purest instrument. I go where they tell me, when they tell me, and sometimes they lead me to people like you. People in need.”

“I would hardly say that I am in need.” Elias scoffed at the thought.

“No. Not yet.” A cryptic expression began to fill the man’s face. “But one day, you will be in great need.”

As the two talked, a rather bothersome insect began buzzing about Elias’s head. He swatted once, then twice at the creature, to no avail.

“I would not do that,” the stranger cautioned. “The gods do not look kindly on those that slaughter innocents.”

The man continued to speak, quoting religious texts as though Elias had never read them, but all he could focus on was the insect that had landed on his knee. With a lightning quick movement, his hand came crashing down onto his knee. He lifted it to reveal the splattered remains of the tiny beast. As he gazed at the horrific mess in his palm, Elias became racked with guilt and anguish. The world began to spin and his body became heavy until his surroundings became a dull grey.

Time passed for what seemed like an eternity. The mysterious man checked on Elias regularly, ensuring he was not dead. Occasionally he would place what Elias knew to be a wet cloth on his forehead, but he could not feel it. His body had gone numb and limp. His continued existence was at the mercy of a stranger and the gods. Any attempt to track the passage of time was a dismal failure. One moment the world moved at a snail’s pace, the next, impossibly fast.

One day, Elias opened his eyes and the sky was blue. He could hear the birds chirping and feel the wind blow across his face. He began to move, small movements at first, then gradually bigger ones. His muscles were stiff but appeared to be fully functional. He slowly propped himself up to get his bearings.

He was still in the same clearing with the same flat rock. His horse was still there and appeared to be well fed and watered. Everything was largely the same as before whatever had happened, happened. Everything except the stranger, that is. He was nowhere to be seen. Not even a footprint or broken branch betrayed his presence.

As Elias began to gather his things to continue his journey, he noticed a small, folded piece of parchment sitting on the large rock next to a small pile of vegetables. Elias opened the parchment to find a small wooden ring, polished to a glossy sheen with the symbol of the gods of light carved around it. The parchment itself was a not that read:

I warned you that the gods would not look kindly on slaughter. You have been in your state for three days and nights. You have gained the gods’ attention and they will be watching you. I pray that they may guide your path. Follow the stream up the mountain for three hundred and twenty seven paces. There you will find the path to continue your journey.

There was no signature or seal. No clue as to the identity of the strange man from the forest. Elias examined the ring. It was finely crafted, such a lustrous sheen that one could easily mistake it for silver were it not a deep redwood color. It felt pleasantly warm to the touch and seemed to beckon to his soul, compelling him to put it on. He slid it on the ring finger of his right hand and marveled at the perfect fit. And with that he set out on his journey once more.