Fabled Trowel

The Fabled trowel is rumored to help while crafting. Opinions on this diverge, success in crafting depends on several different factors. It has no other attributes.

History

My mother called me close while she lay on her mat of grass and flowers. She was growing weaker and wanted me to be close. She recalled a story from her past and told me an incredible story.

In the middle of a large field stood a set of stones in a circle. Each stone turned perfectly to block the wind no matter the winds direction. In the center of the circle sat a woman with hair blacker then the depths of the sea folks home. Her eyes concentrated on the ground in front of her where a particle of gold winked in the moonlight. A fire lay beside her casting a flickering light over the area that she examined.

A Group of men and women were crossing the field, bows at the ready. This is a holy area and they had come to investigate the intruder. King Yuri had recently recovered and the kingdom was still celebrating his amazing recovery. The people approaching the circle slowed when they saw the figure inside the circle. It was not right to have a fire in there. The group looked at one another confused.

The stones were known far and wide for the strange wind that seemed to be captured by them and funneled inward. To see a person sitting calmly within was strange indeed but to see a fire burning inside was impossible. As the group gathered closer they saw that the twelve foot tall stones had been turned and now blocked the wind. Looking at each other the small group of people knew it was someone of power. It is said that only an immortal knew how to turn the stones. With fear the group debated whether to leave or to stay and watch.

Five of the seven that came to investigate turned back saying that if an immortal had chosen this place to be, then it was not for them to question why. They turned and ran off towards the town. Two however stayed behind to watch. I was one of those two.

We crept closer to the circle, watching intently to see any reaction the woman might make. She sat silently and unmoving. The wind grew stronger as we proceeded closer. It blew hard at our backs towards the stones. A blade of grass blew past my face leaving a small unnoticed cut. My friend screamed as a leaf blew past her and sliced open her arm. She grabber her arm tightly and turned to leave but the wind was too strong. I tried to make her crouch down but she was in a panic and trying to scramble away. The wind came straight at us and we were pushed closer to the pillars of rock. A few more feet and we would be pinned against them. The grass picked up by the wind blew past my face leaving trickles of blood. I shook with the thought of being cut to ribbons against one of those stones.

My friend wouldn't listen and kept trying to run. When the wind became too strong even for her sturdy feet and hands to grasp the ground any longer she smiled to me. Her hands let go of the dirt she clung to, and as if time slowed down she fell backwards with the wind. Her eyes looked to me as she blew past, with a final loss. Her body went towards the ring of rock and I looked away. I shook with fury that this happened. I screamed to give myself power so I could cling to the ground when I heard the voice behind me.

"You seem to be upset. May I help you with something?" The wind had stopped completely. I jolted forward with the winds release. I rolled on my side to look at who was speaking. Standing over me was the woman with long black hair and what seemed to be blue jewels for eyes. Her face was the most beautiful face I had ever seen but it didn't have an age to it.

Taking a deep breath and shivering from the lack of wind I mumbled "Adara... my friend, my sister Adara..." My friend was lost to me in an unnatural storm caused by whatever this woman had done. Taking a hold my myself and putting the pain deep within me I growled at the woman, "What are you doing here?"

The woman had the gall to chuckle. "I am creating an item of power. I might ask you the same question. It is my understanding that most fear this place."

"I... I came to investigate. No one should be here and we have been set to protect this holy place. Ar.. Are you an immortal? A god?" The words just came out, I couldn't pull them back if I wanted. Of course she was a god. Who else but a god could turn the stones or cause the wind.

"I am Shinshu-ai. I am a priestess. You are bleeding, foolish girl." She bent down and grasped my face in her hands. I hadn't realized how badly I had been cut by leaves and blades of grass until now. She smiled at me and closed her eyes. I closed mine too.

The sound of wind picked up and the roar of it in my ears was nearly unbearable. I held onto consciousness by the finest thread. The world spun and I felt my hair blowing in all directions at once. "Adara...."

The woman brought me into the circle and put me in a soft mat of grass. With a smile she turned back toward the glittering gold speck she had been staring at before. She took her seat and forgot all else while she examined it. The stones around her turned again and the fire within the circle fluttered rapidly casting shadows of the black haired woman against the inside of the stones. She mouthed the sacred words as the wind swept around the circle of stones.

When my eyes opened, I thought it was only a dream. Looking around I found Shinsu-ai sitting with her back to me and a flickering flame near me. .It wasn't a dream. The woman looked back at me and smiled. "It is done. .But I could use your help. I need a form."

My mind raced. "A form? I'm sorry I don't understand. I'm not sure what is going on. I..." She cut me off.

"A form child, a shape to put the power in. Ahh the young today learn little and grow bulky." She sighed before continuing. "I will explain but I must hurry. I can only control the pressure of the wind for so long before it will take us both. I need you to tell me of a shape you find use in. It can't be a normal shape or the shape of a weapon. It must be an item one such as you will keep close but not kill with. Do you understand?" She looked at me curiously.

"I don't understand. Do you mean a shape like a rock?" I pointed to a pebble laying near one of the large stone pillars. It was oval shaped about the size of my hand.

The woman followed my eyesight and saw the pebble. "No child you must keep it close. A rock can be lost but it is the right size." With that she moved to get the small hand sized rock and I saw the ball of liquid light hovering in the air before me. The beauty of it. I could see colors of gold and silver mixed with all the different colors of leaves swirling within. I would try to identify a color and my eyes seemed to slip to another. It was impossible to look at it without feeling dizzy. When the women came back she asked, "So what do you do?" She had an emphasis on the word you.

"I.. wood cutter and miner." I wanted to look at her but the orb held my attention.

"What would make your job mining easier?" She said hurriedly.

"I don't know, Some way of knowing where to dig." The words tumbled out of me without thinking. I was never very interested in mining I just enjoyed finding pretty stones.

"What would you find useful while wood cutting?" her voiced demanded an answer immediately.

"An edged blade that doesn't chip when cleaning off branches from a piece of wood." I felt like I was in another place. I was held transfixed by the orb and answered as another person. The words were familiar but I didn't understand why I answered.

"I know what would help you now." With that she handed the fist sized pebble into my hands and whispered into my ear. "The wind that blows the branches will make an edge sharper then a sword. The rock will always find it's way home. A sturdy handle to guide your hand by, but by YOUR hand." The molten glowing orb pulsed as I stared at it. My own heart beat to the same throbbing of the glow. The woman placed the stone firmly in my hands and yelled "Haetna cho tao kan!"

The columns turned and the wind being deflected turned into a rush from all sides at once. Grass, leaves and sticks flew in and hammered at my body. The light was forced against me. It was cold. Colder then swimming in Lovers lake in winter. The pressure raised me to my feet and raised me slightly off the ground. The wind held my arms to the front of me and as I tried to push my arms forward the effort grew easier as I directed the stone into the wind. The stone in my hands was gaining an edge. It was growing thinner and longer like the blade of an arrow head but longer and flatter. I held on tightly as the wind started to warm. The blades of grass struck me from all sides, slicing into my body like needles. I understood why they called it a blade of grass. Small stones blew in as the columns turned to a new angle. Dust and debris crushed me from all sides. I held the blade like a sword and tried to defend myself from the larger rocks but with each move the wind would twist me around and I would be hit from behind. A piercing scream of terror grew in my throat but I could not hear it over the rush of the wind. I felt the orb of light grow and pulse as it pushed against my chest and flatten over my body.

Terror was my only emotion. I couldn't flee and I couldn't hide. I was forced, by unseen winds, to stand and take anything that was literally being thrown at me. An egg shaped rock caught me in the temple and I started to black out. All I could see through squinted, nearly shut eyes was the triangular blade chipped from a rock handed to me by some woman of power. With a slight turn of my wrist I spun completely around just to be battered by more wind and debris.

I would never give up. I held on for everything I was worth. I saw flashes of my sister's face as she simply gave up and let the wind take her. I fought to control the point of whatever this was I held and pointed it into the wind cutting a swath and being pushed forward from the wind behind. With every ounce of strength and courage I had I forced the point downward to catch the wind and keep me from leaving the ground. The wind grew strong, as if an entity was trying to crush me from all sides. The light that surrounded me now moved into my hands making them numb. I couldn't hold this thing much longer. I crushed my hand into it with all my strength always pointing the blade down until I was in a ball on the ground praying for release.

The wind stopped and every taught muscle in my body snapped me outward. The object in my hand flew across the small space between me and the stones. It was over. I wept and shook with pain and numbness. The woman came over to offer her hand but I couldn't trust her. It was her doing that caused me such pain. I moved away from her and grabbed the triangular item with a ball for a handle. I noticed where I had been holding the handle now sparkled with my own finger prints. The blade was shining and sharp and held a slight curve from where the wind had blown it.

Shinshu-ai was saying something to me and coming closer, but I couldn't hear anything she said. In fact I couldn't hear anything at all. I held this chunk of sharpened rock in my hand out in front of me to attack if she moved too quickly. She stopped and frowned at me. With hands on her hips she strode forward and simply took the blade from my hands. Grabbing my head by each ear in her palms I felt a rush of heat. Glorious warmth. I could feel my hands again and my legs. My whole body had just come alive again. When she let go she looked me in the eye and said, "That's now how you use it." and handed it back to me. "Now point with it."

"What did you do to me you... you..." I couldn't think of an insult strong enough. Nearly killed by her insanity and now she wants me to point with this thing. I reached out to point directly at her heart when my hand stopped as I was lifting it. I couldn't move my hand from that position.

"Ahh wonderful it works. My friend thank you. You have done the land a great service. You hold a trowel of power. It will point your way to the richest metals. You will never have to search for hours to find a gem or bit of ore again. The blade made sharp by the wind will never rust, it will never chip and it will never break. I didn't expect you to try to fight the wind however. But it gives it a... unique style. I don't think you will lose it any time soon." With that she turned and walked towards one of the pillars. She placed her hand above her head on the stone and walked through the space that opened between the rocks.

My body had been healed, but I still felt every cut and broken bone. I felt the loss of my sister Adara. In anger at my loss I went to throw the trowel away but as I pulled my arm back to throw, my hand stopped dead and I almost popped my shoulder out. The trowel pointed directly at a bracelet I had given to Adara. The bracelet was pressed into one of the pillars and sitting against the pillar was Adara holding her head and crying. She had been healed as well it seemed as there were no signs of cuts, but her blouse was covered in blood.

I helped her up and we headed home with a trowel made from stone held safely in my hand. The people would learn of the trowel and use it to find what they needed from the land.

Her people, the Rangers that live in the wilderness, hold the story of the Fabled trowel with great respect. They hand out trowels to those people that show great worth and courage as a remembrance of the young ranger who showed self worth in the face of adversity. Those that know the story believe that the trowels really work and a part of that gods will flows through it and increases their ability in mining and wood cutting.

Vashgout Farsight