Crestcrawlen – Blog Part 3

“I always have time for one who enjoys stories as much as I. So, on that basis, you are more than welcome.”

And with that, The Tale Teller bade farewell to the young man. He collected his belongings, his staff and a small sack, then set off again, up the mountain. After the encounter with the “gem merchant” The Tale-Teller found himself doubting the rumours yet further.

Still, he had come this far, and perhaps the journey wouldn’t be wasted. For mountain spirits often dwelled in caverns filled with gems. Longer living than their kin, the tree spirits, or Nymphs as they were often referred to; Mountain spirits had many tales to tell. A natural consequence of longevity. Getting them to come out and speak was a great challenge at the best of times, but in his time, The Tale Teller had spoken to five; And knew full well that even the possibility was worth the trek.

Somewhat downtrodden, yet determined, The Tale Teller focussed on putting one foot in front of the other. He let this natural methodical motion overcome him, till he had reached a stage of light meditation. In his mind he had already formulated The Tale of The Cliffside Encounter and was now in the process of refining it, for the sake of the less attentive audiences he had found residing in the countryside surrounding the mountains.

Then, something caught his eye. Not his physical eye, but his minds eye. He… sensed something. The Tale Teller ceased walking, closed his eyes and listened. At first he heard nothing, but his many many years of existence had taught him caution. He opened his eyes, but still he listened… click.

The Tale Teller snapped his head around sharply. With narrowed eyes, he scanned the horizon. That’s when he saw it, a creature that was a mixture of crab and spider, not ten times his size as the stories would have it, but twice. Still, it was… rather threatening. It was still reasonably far away and seemed to simply be looking back at him, rather than doing anything threatening. Crestcrawlers they were called. Highly territorial and steeped in legend, a bit like bees, in the sense that, if you left them alone they took on a similar imposition towards you. The Tale Teller knew this only via myths and legends. Warriors of the Nature Goddess Ayerf, they were a key feature in many legends. No human had properly documented these creatures however; Hense why The Tale Teller had come.

The legends also spoke of devout worshipers of Ayerf being able to communicate with her through these creatures; And Gods, The Tale Teller figured, had many tales to tell. Far more even, then mountain spirits. Whilst The Tale Teller had no intention of becoming a devout worshiper of any god; He figured that it was simply a matter of familiarity rather than divine right. Whatever the case, he would study and test.

It was with this in mind that The Tale Teller set up camp. He spent a good few days edging closer and closer to the beast. All the while doing what he did best… telling tales. Nothing major, nothing earth shattering, just tales… The kind one would tell young children. The kind designed to lull and soothe. He noted the effects each tale had and determined due to its different reactions depending on if it were a sad tale or a happy one, that it was somewhat aware of what the story meant. Armed with this knowledge he pressed on to tales with more intricate storylines. It still seemed to understand, however roughly.

The Tale Teller also noted the creature’s seemingly growing fondness of him. In fact it had gotten to the stage where the creature not only sat and listened attentively, but it actually came closer whenever he began to speak. As such, it was with a heavy heart that The Tale Teller set off, back down the mountainside, to make good on his word to the stranger he had met. It was a deal he’d made about finishing a tale; And what kind of a tale teller would I be if I can’t even follow through with that… At least I have managed to get a few detailed drawings of the crestcrawler. It would seem it has a weak point in its armour, on its underside and just behind the back of its head. Still almost impossible to pierce, but it maybe, just maybe, susceptible to crushing…