Festival of Lost Souls: Stories, Songs, and Humor

[AKA Azure]

Sept 28 and 29, CSB and HONOR held the Festival of Lost Souls.

There were a variety of entertainments during it. There was a joke telling event, a two day story and various songs.

For the first post, I share the first part of the Tales of the Rafter Beast story. After he's told the second part Skylsganin will post it as well. Hopefully the other pieces (jokes especially will be posted here too).


The Rafter Beast and How It Came to Be

Once, long ago there were quiet and stealthy stalkers of dark places. But humans moved in and begin to disrupt them with their bangings and clangings. Luckily for the beasts, unluckily for us, they found a new place to lurk before they were all wiped out. They found that human made sheds and barns suited them just fine. Slowly they rebuilt their numbers, and few noticed the vanished rats and cats.

Over time they became tougher and their noses became more sensitive to better find their prey. Occasionally a small dog or valuable herd animal would be devoured. At that point a hue and cry would go up, but no one was quite sure what happened. Sometimes vagrants would rest in a barn overnight and vanish. But, since no one knew they had been there in the first place, the trouble was never realized.

You see, few people look up for trouble, even though we warriors try to teach our apprentices this. And, as their noses became more sensitive and sneezing become more of a hazard, the beasts took to the rafters. There, safe from their enemy dust, they became even tougher and harder to find, until the only thing that could really harm them was their own sneezes.

Still, few if any knew of them, and how dangerous they were, until the day that went down in their history as The Great Scream.

Two young people were ahh, seeking privacy in ones father's barn and lit upon the hayloft as the perfect place to be. They were spending time in each other's company when the young woman looked up and screamed. A rafter beast drawn by the noise and then silence had perched off to one side and the light streaming in through a crack in a wooden board back lit it.

The young woman was terrified! She had never seen anything like the creatures before.

As she flailed about seeking her discarding attire umm, it was hot up there you know she stirred up enough dust that with one massive sneeze, the rafter beast fell dead. They told their parents about the beast, after coming up with some rather clever excuses about why they were there. And a leading geologist was called out to examine the remains. It's hide was so hard, so rocklike it was thought he might be able to shed some light on it.

Farmers came from miles around to look at the creature and finally a plan was lit upon. Thus followed the most dreaded day in the Rafter Beast calendar: spring cleaning.

The race was once again almost wiped out as hundreds of maids with feather dusters were deployed. It was a terrifying sight, hundreds of maids, their dusters in hand, descending upon barn after barn.

It was then that the survivors learned to fear feathers and the hazards they brought. To this day, if you bear a feather about your person, or are near one who does, you will never see a Rafter Beast.

I've never seen one, but since I always have my hat about me, it makes sense! I've only had Skyls's word to trust about the Rafter Beasts, and of course we can trust him!

So it is best to carry a feather with you.

That is the tale of the Rafter Beast and how it came about. Although, truth be known, they come from our fear of the dark and unknown places. Tomorrow, Skyls will tell you of how a Rafter Beast fell into a strange friendship with a human.

[JezzTheWarrior]

The second part of the Lost Souls festival started with a little ditty from me to keep folks amused while we waited for everyone to get there. It went something like this....

"OOOOooooohhhhhh"
Lets raise all our glasses, you lads and young lasses... And sing of the times we were wild and free!
For my poor heart is yearning for a love who is burning... a candle for someone who'll never be me!

Oh I went to the clergy, to see if he'd cure me...
of this burning within, and make loves fire run cold.
But when his hands started healing, he sent me quite reeling!
I slapped him and yelled "Sir! you're ever so BOLD!

Then I bought a Pete's Potion, to gain his devotion...
with a quaff to make him love the first one he'd see.
But as I was waiting, it spilled down a grating...
and now I have SEWER RATS following me!

SOOOoooooooooooo!
Lets raise all our glasses, you lads and young lasses... And sing of the times we were wild and free!
For my poor heart is yearning for a love who is burning... a candle for someone who'll never be me!

Some young enchanter, implied, with much banter...
that a spell might work wonders with love gone astray.
But when he tried to cast it, the enchanter cried "Blast It!"...
I think he has donkey ears, still to this day!

Then I went to a rogue, She said "stealths all the vogue. If we steal his poor heart you won't be on the shelf!"
When I pointed him out, she declared with a shout...
"Heck, if I could steal THAT one I'd keep it MYSELF!"

Soooooooo..... Lets raise all our glasses, you lads and young lasses... And sing of the times we were wild and free!
For my poor heart is yearning for a love who is burning...
a candle for someone who'll neveeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrr

BE ME!

[Blythe]

Alright... a joke from the festival:

A young warrior was strolling down the streets of Ryndall. As he passed around the back of the Enchanters Academy, he heard a group of people chanting "Thirteen, thirteen, thirteen" over and over again.
Curious, he tried to see over the enchanted fence, but couldn't. Then he spotted a hole in the wood.
He put his eye to the hole. He just managed to spy a group of enchanters sitting in circle chanting, before a finger came out of nowhere and poked him in the eye. As he staggered back, the enchanters started chanting, "Fourteen, fourteen, fourteen..."

[skylsganin]

well , here is the second story containing Rafter beasts ..
Hopefully many of you listened to the story Azure told and will know a little about rafter beasts..

today I would like to tell you the tale of a young lady by the name of melody.
Now melody lived in a town , not unlike our town of Dundee..
She was happy in her work as a cleaner, cleaning up all the dark places where others would not go.
The dark did not cause any discomfort to Melody,She always walked in darkness, for she was blind.
Now Melody always wore a fine feather in her hair , a present from her granmama who new a few things of old stories.
She always made sure she was wearing her feather, just reaching up to stroke it would bring a smile to her face.
hmm, now before I go on .. everybody understands about Rafter beasts and sneezes ?
Well, I hope you can understand just how fearsome a rafter beast with a blocked up nose would be.
A rafter beast that feared nothing, and that knew death was a certainty.
unbeknownst to anyone. a rafterbeast had developed a bit of a cold..
The roof of the town cattle shed had developed a bit of a leak some years ago, and no workman had quiet summoned the enthusiasm to fix it.
It had eaten several cows and a misguided rogue who thought that rafters were a safe hiding place.
As it sat up in the rafters.. paw on nose ..in came Melody, and she began to sweep.
The rafter beast dropped silently, its prehensile tail gripping the rafters..
It stretched out its powerful, clawed arms, only the sight of the feather giving it slight pause..
Melody, sensing something behind her, and suspecting it was one of her friends sneaking up to play a prank,
Turned around.. as she did so she could hear the sounds of staggered breaths being drawn in..
Quick as a flash, she drew out the hankie that her mum always had her carry for such occasions,and held it out before her..
There was a snuffle, and a snort.. and a loud blowing of a large sensitive nose ..and the hanky was pulled from her grasp..
Clutching his prize Hanky the beast swiftly and silently drew itself back up into the rafters..
Melody continued her work in the shed, and returned home..
All continued on, Melody was only told off a little for loosing her Hanky..

One night, as she was lying in her bed, she was awakened by a snuffling snort on her face ..
She felt herself being lifted by solid powerful arms.. fortunately she was wearing thouraly sensible night cloths
because she was carried out into the street.. all was quiet .. the air was still .. carrying on it the feint smell
of smoke .. as she was carried down the street the smell of smoke drew stronger.. mixed with the smell of ..
Burnt bread .. the bakery .. she thought .. the bakery must be on fire..
She said the word quietly ..Fire ..then louder FIRE.. she found herself placed in the town water trough ..
Dripping wet she began to scream at the top of her lungs.. Fire !!!! ..
soon the town was awake.. people rushed about collecting water and dousing the flames..Young Melody was declared the towns saviour..
No one believed the tale she told of the hanky and of her being awakened..
A day of festivities was declared .. and, to humour her story the towns folk created a special dance ..
A dance in which the performers waive a hanky.. perhaps bits of that dance are still performed ..
Although I suspect the origins of it are long forgotten..
Some may wonder what happened to the rafter beast ..
* smiles* I would say he lived happily ever after..
Well .. what is their for a rafter beast with a hanky to fear ?

[Urkki]

I suppose I should post this.

Joke by Urkki.

Urkki.

[Whit]

Um yes…sorry it took me so long Azure…*grins* I’m a bit slow sometimes…

So, Agua left me these jokes to share at the contest. I must say it was great fun even if I didn’t understand ‘em all…

Me….:Um, knock-knock…
Crowd….â€