Boudicca's song 
By Gwydeon MacGowall

The sky was darkened 
And the clouds drew close 
And the thunder rumbled 
As a small band of travelers drew near the hamlet of Klennar
 
Filled with sorrow was this place, 
For it lay in the shadow of a dark ridge, 
A ridge filled with dark things 
And worse imaginings. 
 
The travelers came from Tara, 
listless now with no one to lead it, 
But the travelers came a'purpose, 
with glints of inspiration in their eyes. 
 
Chief among them was Tove Dragonslayer, 
as tall as any giant, and twice as fierce in battle. 
 
Beside her strode the Forest Knight, 
A Sidhe of great power who walked among men, 
And sought to right the wrongs of this world. 
 
With him came Halfaust, 
hero of the Go'hablihn siege of Tara, 
and chief among the dwarves of his land. 
 
And with them came the lady Li'Ban, 
fairest swordmaiden in the land, 
courted by many, 
not the of which was lieutenant of the Fion. 
 
Also along to aid them were the two fighters 
Peredir and Lara, charioteers and warriors in their own right. 
 
In exchange for a few songs from their bard, 
The travelers were given rest and lodging 
In the very house of the mayor. 
 
And upon the wall was a painting of a beautiful warrior, 
bold and brave, dressed in finest mail, 
and carrying a mighty sword. 
 
'She is Boudicca', proclaimed the mayor, 
with a saddened look in his eye, 
'A ranger who fought in the wars many years ago. 
She returned to rid us of monsters of the ridge, 
but alas, she went thence and never returned.' 
 
'This is not right at all!' exclaimed the band of heroes, 
and they decided right then to march to the ridge 
as soon as the storm had passed the following morning. 
 
The day dawned bright and clear 
As the heroes entered the pass that split the ridge 
Into two unwholesome pieces. 
 
'I shall see if they wait in ambush,' 
Proclaimed the Forest Knight, 
And with the power of the Sidhe he left the ground 
And took to the air, nimble as any bird. 
 
'Twas not long 'afore he found what he sought; 
Two beasts lay in wait, spying over the edge of the canyon, 
boulders in hand, ready to crush his compatriots. 
 
And beasts they were, for they were only half of a man; 
One arm, one leg, and one eye they had, 
but half again as high they were, and thrice as vicious. 
 
They growled and shrieked as mad animals, 
and wore rags or nothing at all, 
and carried clubs the size of a man's leg. 
 
But they were no match for the Forest Knight, 
Not he who had faced dragons and Dark Fey. 
The first fell at the cut of his sword, 
Iin two pieces, 
And the second fell 50 feet to his death in the pass below. 
 
Dug into the side of this ledge upon which he stood 
Was a dark and horrid cave, 
With a stench that wafted into the canyon below. 
 
A home it was for these beasts, but not for long, 
for the Forest Knight summoned his companions, 
and they prepared to lay siege to this dwelling. 
 
The heroes lit a torch, and threw it within, 
and lo, they saw a beast looking out at them 
and snarling. 
 
But it feared the fire that they brought, 
and in it's fear, it sought to extinguish their 
light. 
 
'Foul creature!' yelled the lady Li'Ban, 
And she brought forth her hunting bow 
And lay an arrow into its side, 
For animals these were, 
Fit only to be hunted to extinction. 
 
Laughing out loud, they plunged into the cave, 
Led by the Forest Knight who could see in the darkness, 
And trailed by Halfaust and Peredir 
To protect the flanks and rear. 
 
They came upon a pair of these beasts, 
And they set upon the Forest Knight with great fury, 
But he cut one in twain, and the warrioress Lara 
Brought her blade with a 'HA!' and laid it low. 
 
By now the monsters knew they were doomed, 
And gathered together for a last stand. 
 
The leader among them was twice the height of a man, 
And wore an armored wagon wheel for a cuirass, 
And also the cloak of the heroine Boudicca, 
And soiled it with his presence. 
 
The heroes stood together and roared a challenge at their foes; 
The monsters responded with a charge down the corridor, 
But Tove merely laughed and tossed a torch in their path. 
 
The beasts, terrified of light, 
Stopped dead in their tracks, 
And the band brought a charge of their own. 
 
Stroke upon stroke landed upon the leader, 
But to no avail, for this beast felt no pain and was protected 
With his filthy armor and stolen magic. 
 
Fearless Lara was knocked aside 
And the Forest Knight was laid low by a foul blow, 
But the heroes would not be daunted, 
And pressed forth, spears piercing hide. 
 
Two of the minions were slain 
And then Lara swung a mighty blow 
And slew the leader of the beasts. 
 
Desperate now, the remaining monsters dashed forward; 
One impaled itself upon Tove's mighty spear, 
And the other pierced the line, 
And struck brave Halfaust to the ground, 
But not before he gravely wounded it. 
 
This final beast was felled, and the heroes rejoiced; 
The town was free forevermore! 
 
They collected the effects of the fallen heroine <right answer 
And strode back into <right answer, triumphant. 
 
'Here are the effects of your heroine', 
said they, but the mayor would have none of it. 
'Swear only to spread the story of <right answer 
among the lands, and they are yours.' 
 
And their bard swore to, 
And there was much rejoicing that night, 
At a great feast in their honor. 
 
But two lessons there are to be learned from this; 
The foremost among them, vigilance; 
Those with noble hearts and courage must ever remain vigilant 
For the dark powers that lie under the earth 
Are ever willing to steal into the hidden places of this land 
And take root. 
 
The second lesson to be learned, 
Is faith in others and allies. 
Had the ranger Boudicca had a companion or two, 
She could easily have slain these creatures, 
As our heroes have done, 
For one hero is a great man (or woman), 
But six heroes is an army, and greater than any one man, 
Save a God.