Carrion : art and stories.

[Helio]

Here is Carrion and his as of right now still unnamed carrion bird...I'm going to build a story around it and post it here for critique.



and the colored version.

[Helio]

Iyndaliel Tariel Ut Nahakariel Silvermane was the name I used to go by so many years ago as I stood deep in the wilds of my homeland.... It was a name that has long since been forgotten... all of my family and friends from ancient times, lost to the tides of evil and corruption as the demons swept through the lands and destroyed everything.... Everything....

Now, I am known as "The Carrion", a name that these new allies have given to me, a name that would stick with me forever...for I am no longer a shining example of what I should be, of what a Kaldorei should be... No longer immortal, no longer hiding in our woods... What's the point?

For the first couple of years, I remained hidden in the dense darkness of the woods, showing myself just long enough to assist our new allies with arrows in the backs and necks of our enemies... Something that is expected of us to do... However it be that not many Kaldorei follow the path... and doing so, hidden in the shadows and preying upon the weakened enemies earned me the name of Carrion

It was not until recent times that I finally stopped hiding.... when a young human child seperated from her parents was in danger.... That... was when I had to finally reveal myself....

The young girl, maybe 12 at best according to the human lives...a simple child with flaming red hair... she was in dire need of help as nearly a dozen or so stray undead fell upon her... What kind of being would I be to let this girl die at the hands of these monsters? I let my arrows fly and they hit their targets with about as much accuracy that I could muster that day, taking several of their numbers down with each well aimed hit...quickly gaining their attention of course, finding myself surrounded by a mass of undead and beyond my ability to fire from my bow fast enough... I dropped my sacred weapon to the ground in a manner that would make the tradition bound sentinels scream in outrage, drawing a bitter-sweet smirk to my face as I reached for my blades and spun them out of their sheathes in the same motion that I kicked a freezing trap under them to slow their movements and give me the much needed advantage as I sliced through their ranks before that idiot bear of mine ever finally reached the scene.

I helped the girl to her feet, and together we rode upon the back of Aja the idiot of a bear that arrived so late into the night where I would care for her scrapes and scratches as Aja tracked down her family... Of course...It couldnt have been just -that- easy.... As would be expected right?

We ended up travelling for a few days, the bear seeming more than happy enough to let the child whom we learned was named Sabel upon his back...always overtly friendly that one... Always wanting to make friends..just like that time with those damned murlocs......but that of course is another story for another time.

We traveled into the barren wastelands of Desolace, passing the rotting carcasses of Kodos that came here to die and avoiding the warring centaur tribes as we followed the tracks further north...the place known as Nijel's Point and finally delivered the girl to her parents...an awkward moment to say the least...for whom would expect some wil Night Elf to just arrive with a human child on a bear's back? I for one didnt expect it....and when they asked me my name...the only word that came out of my surprised mouth was "Carrion"

((Next Entry, Carrion meets with his bird))

[Rhyela]

I love it so far! When I read your first post in Pet Discussion about your character's description, I was hooked. I love "unconventional" night elves and their stories. For your bird's name, the name that popped into my mind was Bones (because 1. it's to-the-point, 2. the vultures can be found by the Kodo Graveyard and 3. relates to the word carrion). But we'll see where Carrion's travels take him and how he meets his bird.

Thanks for sharing!

[BooBoo]

Exceptional art, exceptional story. I can't wait to read more!

[Bulletdance]

That's really cool! I love the facial markings on the elf!

[Helio]

I perched myself upon the raised ribcage of a kodo skeleton, at least... That's what I thought it to be as I chuckled at the irony of an elf named Carrion, perched upon the bones of a massive beast like some Desolace Vulture, as if I were one of them... They did not seem to mind my presence much...so I might have been one just as well.

I glanced around me, taking in the sights of a seemingly endless tombless graveyard, the bones of massive beasts scattered across the ash covered wastelands as vultures perched upon their bones all around me. I spent the night at Nijel's Point per the request of the local soldiers... a caravan that was suppossed to arrive from Theramore the week prior has yet to be seen and they needed the assistance of someone familiar with tracking... I glanced over my shoulder to peer at the group of dwarves that have come with me...noisy, clumsy, loud and half-way drunk at any given point of the day...they were tired...I was aware of this...for they have tried so very hard to keep pace with a Kaldorei marksman for the past 6 hours... something few can even hope to accomplish... I would have to at least give them credit for that. Despite the fact that they are the -very reason- why Aja is not here today... They fed the bear ale of all things....ale...

I heard a crack in the distance as what sounded like booted feet were moving towards us, I could not see them under the cover of the bones and carcasses, nor could I smell them over the scent of rotting carcasses and I sure as hell did not have a sober bear to send after the sounds... I had little options as I raised a hand to motion the dwarves "Pick up your sheilds and axes Children of the Mountains... Someone is coming"

Sure enough after a few moments of tension with my hands pulling a bow at a position, ready to fire at the assumed enemy from the shadows of a kodo skull, several orcs emerged from the piles of bones...savage monstrosities with nothing on their minds but the instinct to kill and destroy everything in their path... I let my arrows fly, taking out 3 of them before the dwarves clashed with rest as I fired shot after shot from my place in the shadows.. It wasnt long until we overcame them and brought them to the ground...after which, I was able to take some time to examine them.

"Seems like nothing more than a patrol" were the words I spoke after examining their gear, nothing more than leathers and furs with a variety of weapons littered across their bloodied corpses "Their gear is mediocre at best" I continued as I glanced around at the vultures that circled overhead, not a single one daring to come down and feed while the larger -predators- hanged around the freshly killed corpses.

"They smell their lunch and are getting rather hungry... However, they wont come down to eat just yet.. They are far too smart for that, recognizing a bigger and stronger predato--" I trailed off as I heard a loud sickening crunch behind me, I turned and before me I saw the largest vulture I have ever seen...easily 2 times the size of the others, tearing away at flesh and quite literally crushing a dead orc's arm with it's massive obsidian like beak, shattering bone with a single movement.

"Well...Hello there" I said as I eyed this monster of a vulture, this creature of power and strength unlike any of it's kind, I stood my ground as it turned towards me and let out a deafening screech full of rage and the instinct of survival with a smirk on my face "Seems like he doesnt seem to think we are larger, more powerful predators my mountain climbing friends."

"Ah'll be fixin' dat!" said one of the dwarves as he moved forward with his axe only to have his poorly done braid yanked by a purple hand and tossing him backwards

"You will do no such thing... We have a mission to complete... drink some water" I said with narrowed eyes before halting at those last words, correcting myself with a chuckle and a smirk "Or..Ale in this case... hurry up, we leave in five"

I glanced back over at the vulture, only to find that it was gone...along with an entire orc.

[BooBoo]

Ooooooh this story is getting so good! Keep up the great work!

[Helio]

Someone decided to mess with Carrion while Aja was around... Here's the result...

[Helio]

The dwarves and I traveled for 3 days straight... our pace was greatly reduced due to the short stocky legs that supported their round stomachs and 50lbs beards.... We could not make the pace that we needed to go by... by then..we reached the borders of Feralas, a woodland so conflicting with the wastelands of Desolace..yet so close at the same time... This would have been the territory that the caravan would have passed through... However.. It did not seem like much of anything has traveled down this path within months, glancing over at my companions... I had to let them rest for if they were to die on this treck...they would be completely and utterly useless to me... and so we waited...the dwarves insisting on building a campfire as I retreated to the high branches of an elder tree, smirking at the ways of these more -industrial races-, lacking in all manners of grace possibly manage able.

I chuckled, however...stopping at the sight of a pair of glowing red eyes staring right into mine from the shadows of a nearby branch...there was that vulture again... It has been following us ever since.. always somewhere nearby, or circling overhead... needless to say, I was unfamiliar with the ways of carrion birds, their habits or what would motivate one..... they obviously nothing like the bears of Ashenvale... or the owls of Teldrassil... they were something else completely...a whole different game.... I smirked at the creature before reaching into my pouch for some jerky and tossing it towards the bird, where he caught the piece rather easily...so I learned..not only could this oble aerial be capable of lifting a fully grown orc off the ground... but it was swift and nimble as well.... An interesting creature to say the least...

And of course, as pulling the duty of sentry and tracker... I was first to notice the rumblings coming our way, not that the dwarves didnt realize their trouble as 2 massive ogres came thrashing through into the small clearing that we set up our camp...the stupid hulks staring at us with a lazy stare before lifting their clubs up high with a mighty roar and slammig it down upon an unprepared dwarf....blood went flying.

I lept from my perch with bow at the ready, pulling arrow after arrow, each one slamming into the massive forms of the ogres, doing little damage but more than enough to garner their attention as they changed from charging the dwarves to looming over my in comparison..small and frail form, I couldnt help but let out a grimace of a growl as I stared up at them..prepared to dart away before a familiar deafening screech was heard and a mass of black and blue feathers fell down upon the ogres, swift black talons quickly tearing out the first's throat before a massive beak dislodged it''s head completely from between it's shoulders....and I stood there in complete awe as this noble avian brought down the terror of endless night upon these ogres.

The vulture turned it's massive head just as the other ogre turned to face it, letting out yet another angry screech as it buffeted it's wings...causing the ogre to flail backwards in complete confusion...giving myself the opportunity to swoop in with my own talons...the blades passed down from my father's father as I ripped open it's gut, spilling intestines all over the ground and just stood there for a moment, staring between the corpses, the dumbfounded dwarves whom lost a companion...and this majestic bird as it began to crack open the skull of the now headless ogre.

[Rhyela]

I literally lol'd at the "50lb beards". Very descriptive story and I'm loving it!!!

[Helio]

I literally lol'd at the "50lb beards". Very descriptive story and I'm loving it!!!

I love the fact that I have fans..lol

[BooBoo]

You're doing an excellent job conveying the unusual personality of this bird. I love your descriptions of battles as well... they are exciting and tense!

[Koona]

Oh wow! I love it! Your descriptions are so amazing!

[Helio]

((been gone for awhile, allow me to make up for it!))

I stared long and hard at the black and blue vulture that perched on the branch across from myself as the dwarves went about their ceremony to honor their dead, I found myself marvelling at just how beautiful and powerful this creature was...a creature that has been and still is shunned by normal society.. the dwarves dont trust it...that's for sure..but somehow, I was beginning to feel a connection to this prime example of Avian Might... It was like me... a survivor, living on the very edge between civilization and the untamed wilds, carving out a living in whatever manner deemed necessary... I could respect that at least... I could respect that a lot.

After hours of staring with the ruffling and chanting of dwarves in the background, onto the moment where nothing bu the dead silence of the night filled our ears... I decided to move forward..my eyes on the bird, never moving from it...as it's eyes never moved from myself as I moved closer.... Probably wasnt the amartest thing I could have done...

The vulture bent it's head low, it's feathers ruffled violently for a split second before it's massive cobalt talons lashed out at me, tearing into my chest quite proficiently... I would have died if not for my training as I dropped to the ground, accompanied by loud, angry and viscious screeches, it dropped with me..trying with all it's might to tear my heart out from behind my ribcage.. elf and bird screaming at each other in a way that would have made a much younger me piss myself in a most undignified fashion...and of course..the dwarves woke up, their grubby little hands reaching for axe and sheild..leaping forward hoping to assist me in my struggles... two of them sent flying with a strong hit from the birds massive wings and another dropping with a broken nose from my own foot.

"Stay out of this Dwarves! This is between me and the bird!!!" I screamed at them in all my fury as I grabbed for the bird's throat and slammed it into the closest tree trunk, repeating the motion with one hand, the other beating at it's torso with a balled fist as it's talons tore into my flesh... My blood was flowing away from me and I felt my very life being to wither into nothingness..of course..I wasnt the only one.

The bird collapsed to the ground after being beaten repeatedly against bark and Elven fist, and I collapsed over it, my life blood pouring onto it's black and blue feathers as I kissed it's head and whispered into it's ears in a language I have not spoken for a long time, the language of the Kaldorei "I am afraid..that this time...I win, my Brother"

I looked at the dwarves as I began to black out, my weight being deposited very throughly over the unconcious beast, a snarl on my features as I uttered to them in common "Do not hurt the bird, or I'll rip your heads off"

[BooBoo]

Oh! This part is amazing! My jaw was hanging open reading this. I have to tell you, I'd take a beating like that from Carrion just to have him fiercely shield me with his own body.

Wonderfully written... passionate and detailed!

[Helio]

I awoke in the morning with the aches and pains from the night's rustle tearing through my body, my wounds sewn shut at the...according to one dwarf..Masterwork of Brittlebeard... one of the Dwarven Warriors that traveled with me. Every muscle and bone in my body was sore to the core and I glanced over to see sitting next to me with head bowed and eyes closed was that miraculous bird seeming to be just fine as if nothing had happened to it at all...I couldnt help myself put chuckle under my breath.

"Hey, Bird..How much longer do you plan on sleeping?" I asked it with a toying voice and it opened it's eyes to stare blankly at me for a moment before shuffling closer to me, one talon after another, reaching it's neck behind it to pick up a rather lare Feralas Rat and dropped it on my chest with a light hum in it's throat. I exchanged glances with it for a moment, glancing down at the rat before picking it up and muttering my thanks to the bird "A peace offering? I suppose I could take that." I smirked, setting the -meat- to the side "However, I will need to cook it first...I can rightly just -eat- a rat you know..." The massive bird cocked it's head to the side at my words as if it understood every word that I said.

I sat up and gathered my gear, I didnt quite have too much time to idle around, there was still a caravan to be found and these flesh wound could wait for a few more days..I glanced over my shoulder as I finished strapping my last blade to my hip and spoke to the bird. "Well? Are you coming?"

The bird responded with a screech and soared up to perch upon my shoulder, we moved together towards the group of dwarves near their little fire with their incredilous looks of disbelief strewn across their mangy, ale covered beards. ((I'm beginning to think Carrion is racist..lol))

And that is how i met with..Bones

[Nevar]

What a wonderful story

[Rhyela]

Ohhh I love their story so much! Makes me sad that you feel that Bones isn't working out for you (as read in Pet Discussion). I think you should keep him anyway, just for this story. Really cool how he tamed him, too!

[Vephriel]

I agree, it seems a shame to let him go after this wonderful story! You've got 5 stable slots, so make sure he stays in one of them.

[Helio]

Here's a picture of a random dwarven hunter I drew up...I might implement him in my stories.