| 1 |  | First Elflord-in-colour issue. Very fine. Too bad the paper is of the usual toilet-quality sort... Hawk and Windblade travel to a town where a blacksmith tells them the island is in the swamp. Hawk and Windy will have spend the night on the edge of the swamp and build their own raft tomorrow since the townsfolk will not take them across. In fact, they try to lynch them. Hawk cuts the arm off one, slices the belly of another, and throws a knife through the blacksmith's head, must under each ear is where it sticks out. The blacksmith had grabbed Windblade's arm and readied to kill him with a knife. A hooded figure with a raft gets the two away from the land, explaining that years ago, other white haired elves came to the town and did bad things to the villagers. The bad ones killed the good ones and were killed in their turn. Windy gets his foot wet jumping to the island from the raft. The figure tells Hawk he can pay him tomorrow on the return trip...if he and Windy live. Windy asks his name and the figure tells them, "Storm." They see humps that Windy thinks are burial mounds. Windy feels shifting energies in all the world, the Great Spirit and the Black Nebula near. Hawk finds an altar with skulls and other bones, a sign of Srith or Shades having used it as a blood sacrificial altar. Inside one of the strange rock objects, Windy is caught up by wild magic, all forces of the universe, tearing at him. Hawk calls for him to fight it and he breaks free, his shirt ripped. Greylone, the world strider appears, knocking them both down with the power that appearing brings. Greylone claims to have been pouring himself tea in the Darkewood Tavern. He cannot control his teleporting anymore. Greylone has encountered ghosts here before but he calls Hawk an Elfheimbane. He tells them a story: long ago when elfdom was united under one monarch, a cadre of elite warriors was created. They were not so pure and innocent as an elf should be but were touched by the dark forces of nature. To overcome over foes of the realm of Elfheim, the warriors were destroyers as well as creators. For many centuries, they made life good for all. Then the kingdoms weakened from within: corruption and selfishness set in. The one true elf kingdom was shattered. Many blamed the warrior class: the Elfheimbane since they too, were corrupted. The last great elvin wizards banished the 13 elfheimbane and decreed that these would truly die (must have meant not truly die) but be born again and again until they fulfilled a sacred mission. The wizards would not say what that mission was. Each Elfheimbane must discover it for himself. Hawk listens while sucking on a blade of grass and seeming not to be too interested. NOTE: Barry conveys of that in his art and in just one piece, too! Other emotions are conveyed as well.
Due to the scheming Sidhewarlocks that the devastation of Elfheim was so final. Any cross mating of Sidhe and Elf has produced a child akin to the powerful mages of olden days. Those wizard children can go two ways: darkness or to right the wrongs in the conflict. Either path brings its own rewards and temptations. Once you take a step in either direction, there is no returning to a simple life (as Windblade earlier expressed his desire to go back to being a simple squire). Hawk tells Windblade, "It seems we are both cursed, my friend," putting a hand on Windy's knee. Shades, wolf like creatures with four arms, once like Windblade but turned toward the dark powers, attack them. Consumed by their dark ambitions, they seek to steal power from other wizards. Windy's shirt gets totally ripped off. Hawk cleaves Shades. Storm returns to help them fight–––he is a fellow Elfheimbane. A Shade bites Storm's shoulder as he protects Windblade. Windblade gives a burst of energy and the Shades are obliterated. Storm dies, telling Hawk it was his destiny to protect Windblade from the evil of the isle and also warns Hawk that others of their kind, Elfheimbane are not like him: they will not help but will seek to enslave the white haired one and slay Hawk. Both deeds will bring their foes great power. After burying Storm and raising a Cairn over his grave, Hawk, Greylone, and Windblade go to the raft. Since Darkewood was getting boring, Greylone wants to stay with them for awhile...it reminds him he is still alive but he hopes he doesn't fade out in the middle of tea again.
Art: Barry Blair. |
