The Death of Lady Li Ban

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Twas a dark and cold winter's day
whence came from the west a band of travellers.
Leading them was Lara the Fion,
common girl who earned her rank with blood and tears,
and Tove Dragonslayer,
mightiest woman-warrior of the land,
a valkyrie on earth it seemed,
and match for any 20 men.


And they came with the Lady Li Ban,
whose quest they pursued most diligently.
She sought something for which she seeks still,
the love of her lost mother.
Determined was she to find her mother,
such that even death could not turn her aside.


They came with the Fey Fenn de Treon,
a sprite of noble aspirations and nobler deeds,
Alan mac Berth, a mighty seaman,
the size of two men he was,
and a match for any five,
and also a foolish bard of no consequence.


The day waxed darker as a chill wind blew,
and out onto the trail stepped a band of foes.
Foreigners they were, dark and savage,
and eager for the blood of Lady Li Ban.
They served a dark master, whose heart was of ice,
whose fist was of blood, and whose soul was of night.


For her blood they came, teeth bared and weapons sharp,
but foolish they were to challenge the might of this band.
Fion Lara leapt from the chariot and struck down a foe,
whilst Tove clove one in twain with Erstaren;
Alan did fight two at once and beat them back,
and even tiny Fenn grew to the size of a man and beat them back.


But the Lady Li Ban led the charge,
wounding one and driving to the leader
she rained blow upon blow on his dark Reman armor,
as he did the same to her dragonscale mail.


But luck was not to be with her;
as 2 more ruffians came to surround her
that foolish bard sought to attack,
and with a clumsy swing he fell over
and a foreigner raised his knife for the strike.


Crying out for her companion, the Lady Li Ban leapt at him,
and put him down with a blow from her sky-wrought blade.
But a treacherous blow from the leader on her back put her down
and he struck again, to her heart with that blood-soaked implement.


Her companions screamed bloody murder!
and surrounded the foes with righteous anger,
striking them again and again
till their bodies were fain recognizable,
and all the while the sky darkened
as Fey Fenn used his powers to stop Li Ban's departure.


A mighty healer was he,
who had touched the wounds of many famed heroes,
and brought them from the brink of death
with his talisman, the horn of a unicorn.


But Death was not satisfied to let her live on;
For she was no normal mortal, the Lady Li Ban.
Surely her beauty suggested something more,
that she could not be all of Man's blood.


No one knows where those of mixed blood go
whence their life does flee from their bodies,
For Arawn will not take them,
Nor Tir-na-nog see them,
A dark fate we fear embraces them,
Full of nothing but cold and night.


This night reached out on black wings
and manifested itself as the day became night
for the sky filled with crows and the sun all went black
and a terrible wail was heard 'cross the land.


This sound was like nightshade in the vein,
it was as water to the flame,
as the north winter's wind to the homeless,
it was death to the life of this land.


And a creature came there, which we call a morigu,
but the Gods call it something darker,
a name which would strike us dead from fright
if ever we heard it.


The height of 3 men and the breadth of 2,
it was a horrible raven-man creature
with wings of pure night and talons of blood
it sought to take Li Ban with it
to the nether regions of the abyss
to the hells and beyonds which we pray do not exist.


But Fenn de Treon stood over her,
wielding his Fey-wrought blade in defense,
and he blocked blow after lightning blow
striking many of his own,
as his companions rained strikes upon it to no effect,
for a creature of pure darkness must be struck with a blade of magic.


Then the beak of this beast snapped at Fenn,
wounding him gravely and knocking him to the ground
and it prepared to feast on Li Bans soul,
barely clinging to this life by the threads of love and duty.


But Tove was there, mighty Tove,
and she proclaimed 'you shall not have her!'
With a single mighty blow from Erstaren,
her mystical axe of the northern cold lands,
she clove it in twain and to ice it turned,
shattering to fragments of crystal and water--


And from the land, the terror was gone.


So you see that love, duty, and trust
can defeat death itself,
for Lady Li Ban walked the land after this,
on her quest for her mother's love.


You must never forget that love conquers death,
and that hope must not be extinguished;
that life and love are paramount as we walk this earth,
and also that bards...bards are foolish!