3. Erirk Harga

Erirk Harga

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    Char name: Erirk Harga
    Login: wonderloss

    Ulam woke with a start. “What is that horrible noise?” He wondered. “A howling wolf? A strange cat?” He shook the sleep from his mind, and realized that it was the cry of an infant. He made his way to the door of his house thinking to himself “Must be a mother seeking healing for a sick child. What, with the snow we have been having.”

    He opened the door, and did not see anyone. But the sound had not stopped. In fact, it was coming from below him. Then he saw it, a basket set by the stoop. “By the Dawnbringer’s light. Who could be leaving me a baby this time of night?”

    He picked up the basket and quickly carried it inside where he built a fire. “I’ll get you some milk warmed up. I still have a bit from the goats.” He removed the blanket from the baby and nearly dropped the child in his surprise. This was no adorable human, but a pig-faced halfbreed! So caught up in the startling features of the baby, he almost missed the note that fluttered down from within the blankets. Carefully putting the still-crying baby back into the basket, he stooped to get the note.

    Ulam. Pleese tak god care of this childe. He is my shame, and nun can no he was mine. My husband culd not love him. I can’t either after (here some words are scratched out). Just rais him gud.

    18 years passed. Ulam raised the child and, being a priest himself, he taught the child the ways of the Morninglord. Not knowing what else to name a half-orc, he called him Erirk Harrar, which meant Sun’s Spear. However, Erirk grew to hate his orcish name, as many in the town showed their hatred of his brutish blood. He took the name Erik, to pass as normal, but that did not help. Worst of all were the clan of elves that lived in the town. They remained haughty, and remined Erirk that he was less than an elf, even less than a human, because of his “orcish taint.” Sometimes, when there were enough of them, the younger elves would become particularly cruel. They would gang up on him, trying to knock him down, or trip him, or sometimes even throwing rocks and sticks at him.

    Erirk left the temple only rarely, when Ulam sent him on errand. The rest of the time, he worked. His favorite chore was tending the garden outside, beneath the rays of the sun, reminding him always of Lathander’s renewal. He could spend his entire day pulling weeds, turning soil, and removing the insects that would devour the plants. There were not many flowers that grew well in the cold, but there seemed to be some magic in the temple gardens that allowed even the most delicate flowers to flourish.

    Then there was Maggie. She was one of the only girls in town who would talk to Erirk. She never seemed repulsed by Erirk, and she was always flattered by his compliments. She would dote on his large muscles and laugh when he tried to make a joke. After many months of this, she began to hint at taking him to her bed, but it seemed something always would take her away before they could get alone.

    This went on for several weeks, until Erirk heard some of the village boys talking about Maggie. They were laughing at Maggie’s game. Her only interest in Erirk was as a means to spite her parents, who were horrified at the thought of such a relationship. Hearing this, Erirk threw down the supplies he was supposed to be getting for Ulam and charged off to Maggie’s house. He shoved through the door and into her room. She denied his accusations, and when her parents came in, she told them with tears streaming down her face the Erirk had attacked her. Confused, Erirk tried to defend himself, but his limited words were useless to persuade Maggie’s incensed family.

    Finally, not knowing what else to do, Erirk pushed his way past her parents and fled back to Ulam and the temple. He relayed the story to Ulam, and Ulam told him it was time for him to leave. The town was no longer safe. When word got out to the rest of the villagers, Ulam knew, they would lynch Erirk. Erirk resisted, not wanting to leave than man he knew as father, or the garden where he had so many happy memories, but he trusted Ulam and left. He began to wander, with no direction in mind. Mostly he would avoid towns and people, unless he needed food. When he had no other choice, he would work, often helping farmers with plowing, or millers who needed to move large sacks of grain. In time, he found himself at a new town. He looked at the sign, but the letters made no sense. Hesitantly, he asked the guard at the gate. “You have come to Jiyyd,” she told him.


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