The Ballad of Mardon the Great

Questors eight
Of destined fate
We roamed across the land
Went everywhere
From here to there
To lend a helping hand

We were lead
By coolest head
A ranger known as Stett
His knowledge vast
His role was cast
From the day that we had met

His lady wife
Who was his life
Talanna was her name
With golden bow
All did know
Not to question this archer's aim

Warrior Sorran
Our dwarven axe-man
His loyalty, it knew no end
With flame-red beard
They labeled him weird
But to me, he was my best friend

Paladin knight
With holy might
His heart was both just and true
With sword and shield
That he did wield
There was nothing that Vrath couldn't do

Our wizened mage
Of untold age
Old eyes upon a young face
Strong of mind
His heart was kind
This man we knew only as Jase

The elvish lass
Of wealth and class
A blade in her hand, it would sing
That beauty Delyle
Of glorious smile
Would one day be heir to the king

Holy B'Lan
A clerical man
A healer and servant of gods
A cheerful grin
A man without sin
He'd helped us survive all the odds

Last there was me
Just a thief, so you see
With a talent for opening locks
Cared naught for the quest
Unlike the rest
But it was better than breaking up rocks

So with them I rode
To help young and old
‘Til we arrived in a town called Galbraive
They begged and they prayed
Though they could never have paid
If the mayor's daughter we could go save

The girl had been taken
To lands long forsaken
By all that still wished to live
Stett accepted the quest
"We'll take on the test
Of courage, though you've nothing to give."

How could we not?
So without second thought
We set out for what they called "The Pit"
An infamous name
For what darkness laid claim
And we entered with two torches lit

Above, the sun shone
But to us it was gone
As we traveled deep into that hole
It would not be long
Before something went wrong
We were not even half-way to our goal

The hellspawn's attack
It came from the back
Leaping past Delyle, straight for me
With a slashing of claws
And needle-toothed jaws
Its bloodlust was plain to see

I was pushed down
Knocked to the hard ground
By reflexes better than mine
By B'Lan I was tossed
But he paid the cost
As the demon did sever his spine

I watched with eyes wide
as he collapsed to his side
No doubt that he was already dead
Delyle's quick sword
Gave the demon's reward
As she severed the hellspawn's head

But the damage was done
We were less one
A good man traded in for my hide
The man who did die
Was far better than I
"Why?" was something I couldn't decide

We swore revenge
His death to avenge
Delivered ‘gainst all the demons who
Had committed this crime
For them it was time
But in truth, we hadn't a clue

The demon hordes came
No two were the same
Coming at us from every way
So we did fight
In flickering light
In silence, I started to pray

With torch and knife
I fought for my life
But the odds I knew were insane
Though many were killed
Our blood too was spilled
Our struggle I knew was in vain

Talanna's bow
Lost all its glow
Her aim was no use in that fight
Bravely she fought
But at last she was caught
And her blue eyes lost all their light

As her body fell
I could easily tell
That with her died the ranger's heart
An outcry of "No!"
As she was struck low
Stett and his sanity did part

He fell to his knees
Said "Kill me, please."
Which the hellspawn were happy to do
With his final breath
Before taken by death
He said "Love, I'm coming for you."

Now we were five
Still we did strive
We'd not let their deaths be in vain
It was looking grim
Our chances were slim
Our strength was beginning to wane

Then mighty Vrath
Cut down a path
Bringing us deeper into it still
"We are not dead yet!
The girl we will get!"
He moved forth through sheer force of will

Outracing the horde
Running toward
The heart of the evil which spread
All through the Pit
We would not quit
‘Til the demon's leader was dead

Running so fast
We came at last
To that which the townsfolk did fear
Its gigantic throne
Forged from men's bones
It had killed over many a year

The demon stepped forth
And measured our worth
Then laughed both loudly and long
With gravely voice
"So this was their choice?
If they thought swords could fell me, they're wrong!"

With casual grace
Our wizard Jase
Stepped up to take on the beast
Off to the side
The girl had been tied
To prepare for some infernal feast

The girl I set free
Kept her with me
As the mage and the demon did fight
The others fought too
Our pursuers who
Had caught us to add to our plight

A flash of red light
Formed by magic's might
Flared through the dark of that room
I went to Jase
Who lay on his face
After sending the demon king to its doom

Let the others defend
I picked up my friend
And held him as his body shook
Looked in his eyes
Said silent goodbyes
His gaze returned with an unseeing look

"I won," he said
Before he was dead
"I stopped that damned demon cold."
His eyes went blank
My heart, it sank
As his face turned from young into old

Dragged to my feet
My eyes would not meet
Those of our paladin knight
He told me to run
Our mission not done
And I was the only with light

I lead them all
Through unending hall
Seeking a way out of that hell
Glancing behind
Only then did I find
That Delyle was now missing as well

Sorran shook his head
She too was dead
She'd stayed to cover our flight
We knew she was fast
So always ran last
But this, it just wasn't right

She shouldn't have stayed
The price she had paid
For a head start was simply too high
Still we did run
Her decision done
In her name we still had to try

All halls were the same
Until we came
What seemed an underground lake
With demonic wails
Hot on our tails
There was no decision to make

I told them to go
To follow the flow
But this was something Vrath couldn't do
"By fate's cruel whim
I cannot swim
So I'll hold this side for you."

I could not speak
And felt so weak
Too weak to survive the water's chill
He flashed me a grin
And said "Dive in!
You'll make it, I know that you will."

I shook his hand
Turned from him and
Tossed the torch to the ground at his side
Then I dove in
That water of sin
Swam with the current's watery ride

I made it across
Although I was tossed
Until finally I washed up on shore
Cut by the rock
I managed to walk
In darkness, I sought to explore

I heard a soft moan
Then a deep tone
As a deep voice called out my name
I followed the sound
‘Cross rocky ground
‘Til I found from where his voice came

He spoke to me
Though I couldn't see
And told me of how to get out
With dwarven ease
He could feel a breeze
With his instincts there could be no doubt

Not far away
Was the light of day
But I could hear we had company yet
Splashing behind
And howling of kind
That no human could possibly get

I knelt for the lass
Picked up her mass
Unconscious and thankfully light
Shouldered her weight
Then turned to wait
For my friend to lend me his sight

"My leg is broken
The gods have spoken
And this is where I make my stand."
I begged him to try
Not stay here to die
Like the other friends lost in this land

But he could not
As tears I fought
Threatened to break from my eyes
I promised I would
Get out if I could
Wouldn't let the girl meet her demise

"Mardon, my friend
Here I meet my end
But you have still got a long time
So tell of our tale
We never did fail
And put our last story to rhyme."

I bid him goodbye
And I will not lie
My tears flowed openly, ‘tis true
But questors eight
Of destined fate
Would accomplish what they'd set out to do

I followed his guide
With determined stride
Probing ahead with my hand
I felt the breeze
Followed with ease
‘Til at last I escaped from that land

The girl I did save
Returned to Galbraive
Praised the greatest hero of all
The truth doesn't ring
And I'd give anything
To have been the first one to fall

As promised, I tell
That story of hell
To all that are willing to hear
The tale of eight
And their damned fate
Of lost friends who were all very dear

And though they will
Probably still
Call this The Ballad of Mardon the Great
The truth you know
Just isn't so
For he too met up with his fate

The man that I
Once was did die
Deep within that hellspawned Pit
Now I just roam
With no stable home
A questor who knows not the word quit


Written by T.J. Brazeau, March, 2000.