This story was written based upon Sunray, the Illuminated Yelmalian who played such a central role in The Word campaign. I elected to write in the style of Oliver Dickinson, hence the present tense voice, as I feel this lends a Gloranthan peasant class feel to the piece.

A STORY - As told to me by one named Samsor Gregmakk, a cobbler's apprentice from Alone.

"I am going to whet my whistle in the Lonely Inn, for it is a place that the Lunars do not frequent and you can be like yourself and pick a fight without having to worry about slugging a Red Bastard and getting nailed, and I am talking with some friends of mine when a man walks in and takes a few steps to the centre of the room, putting his hands on his hips as if awaiting notice. Now, the Inn isn't a bad place if you keep your cool and don't do exactly what this man does, but since he does it, things aren't about to keep cool. Like my friend Gibble says afterwards, this man has the face that says `Here I am! Kill me, please!'

Well, a tough one named Harshar Bugeater,who is, surprisingly, not a troll but a Stormbull from Pimperblock, decides that this is his time to get up and relieve himself, and he seems to feel that the most direct path to this relief is through the place this man is standing. Bug, as he is called, though not to his face, rams into the man and sends him falling to the floor. I do not think Bug expects most locals to get up after such a ramming, as we all know his prowess with the battle axe and his temper, so we would lie very still and hope that Bug steps upon a part of our body that we don't care much for. However, this man is obviously a warrior type, decked out in chain with leather underneath. A mean looking yew bow sprouts from behind his shoulder - it must be painful, we all think, sticking into his back on the hard wooden floor - and he has within reach his spear, which has fallen to the ground. So Bug expects an answer from the man and stands above him looking real mean at him.

Well, I don't think Bug notices the iron tip on the spear, but we do and start to hit the dirt, having heard about Runelord fights before. I can't resist the chance to see Runespells flying though, and I peek up from behind our spilt table. The man laughs, and it isn't the kind of hysterical laughter you see from trollkin sometimes when they find out that they are on the menu. This is like the laugh of a troll who has just been challenged to hand-to-hand combat by an elf. Bug doesn't like the implications of this - or being called an elf, which I didn't - and kicks the man hard in the side, where his kidneys should be. I say `should' because the man continues to laugh so hard that I think his side hurts more from his laughter than from the kick. Laughing at a Stormbull is not the best thing to do when you are on the ground and your spear is not even in your hand. In fact, as I think about it, laughing at a Stormbull is never a good idea, and I think most will agree with me. Bug goes red as a cicada and bellows a nice, meaty, Stormbull hollar. You can't understand the words, but it sounds like HAAROOMFF!!, and he draws his axe.

I do not see what happens right after this because I duck behind the table, feeling that I am right in the direction the blood from the man's neck will spray when his head comes off, and my wife will kill me when I come home with my new tunic bloodstained. But when I hear nothing, I peek over the top again and see the man looking up at the Stormbull with a very frightened and serious look in his eyes. This seems to please Bug, who is finally earning some fear and respect, and he hesitates before chopping. This is all the time the man needs to burst out laughing again. Well, Bug cannot handle this situation, and musters up whatever brains he has in his noggin to say to the man `What for you is laughing at me when chop you head off?!?' We are all amazed at this display of wit from Bug and some of us consider clapping before we realize it is hard to clap for long with an axe in your head. The man takes a while to stop laughing, but Bug seems intrigued enough to wait. When he stops, the man answers `Because I am amazed that you are going to kill me.' We think the man must be as dumb as Bug to say this thing, but we decide Bug is dumber because he says `What do you mean?' The man says `I mean I have tried to kill myself in various ways for the last five years in order to rid myself of a curse and have failed every time. Now that my curse is finally lifted, here you are attempting to kill me!'

I can almost see Bug's big belly move as he slowly chews and swallows everything the man says. We are rooting for Bug to understand so that this fight will be over quickly and we can get up off of the floor. But Bug seems to have trouble swallowing one word, and he says `Curse?' Now, those Praxians are dumb, but they are also superstitious, and Bug does not seem to like that word. He lets his axe drop a little bit and most of us groan inside because we think this will be a long talking - which for Bug is usually a few words. `Yes,' says the man `I was cursed by a god as thanks for rescuing him, and it was only a short time ago that I passed on my curse to someone more deserving.'

I see the hawk fly up to the window sill and watch the talking, but Gibble says he notices it first and we have a long argument about it afterwards. The hawk stares at the two men and we all know this is the man's ally and that he is a Yelmalian. Well, Bug decides that he will hear the tale of this curse and he helps the man up and takes him over to the table. Some of us come over to listen, though we stay away from Bug and his unbloodied axe. We all hear the tale, but it seems that Bug is the only one who becomes Illuminated during Sacred Time. We all wonder who will be next in future years, and some of us go into hiding. I tell my wife and no other for some time.

But my advice to you is never listen to the the tales of any stranger who seems to laugh at death, especially if he starts his tale......... Let me tell you the story of Canaveil"

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