Nerventee

The sun had long settled behind the mountains in the horizon, Vagoroth laid silent and calm in the moon's light, the patchy snow on the ground seemed to glow. The rampaging Spirits that had gathered in the Great Hall were soothed earlier that day and the volunteers continued to repair and decorate the Hall of the Vagoroth castle. Everything had to be prepared for the celebration of the Champions. Now was the time for the last class to be held. Defense. None of the other contestants knew what this feat would entail and what dangers would wait for them. Only the name gave a hint. Defense. Defending against a monster or spirit? Finding scattered rukaan in the ruins like in the Brekkathorpe Defense Feat? Or maybe funny costumes again like in the swamps Eir had participated in such a long time ago. No matter what their task was, Eir would still give her best. She just had to. Her family, her friends, all counted on her to win the Championship. They all did so much for her, training with

Eir slept like a stone tonight. Which wasn't surprising since she and the other contestants had finished two of the Feat Championship classes right after another. First the race against Signe the Plunderer for retrieving a specific item, then the sprint to the top of three towers, with a surprise angry dwarven spirit encounter. After sharing a meal with her friend Kiviok and her family members, she had followed Kiviok to their tent to rest up for the last two classes that would be held in the next few days. Defense and Intelligence. And after that, they would all join in the great hall of the Vigoroth Castle to announce the winners and celebrate. So Eir just had to perform good enough in the last two feats. Then she could finally return home and relax. ____ The morning sun crept over the castle walls and warmed their tent. Eir woke up rested and started to stretch her legs. A big yawn later she noticed Kiviok still sleeping beside her. Eir herself was so tired after the two classes

The last contestant of the Strength class had just entered the long corridor leading down into the underground halls of the Vagoroth castle, closely followed by Signe the Plunderer. Eir had been first and after finishing she had joined her friend Kiviok and the other onlookers in the courtyard gallery. While non-Rukaan folk occupied the stone benches, Rukaan had gathered on blankets on the ground, talking and relaxing. Her family had joined her but her little sister Grymfang had moved to give her and Kiviok some time alone, not without giving Eir a big grin. Once a contestant had finished, cheers erupted from the friends and families. But now it was rather quiet again, all of them waiting for the end of this class. Lanterns lit the courtyard around them, casting shadows between the rows of overgrown hedges. The moon had long risen above their heads, illuminating the castle in an eerie blue light.  “You did good.”, Kiviok addressed her dear friend, smiling at her with a warm

“You ready?”, a rough voice stirred Eir awake. In front of her stood the god spirit in the form of a little dragon. Small smoky wisps rose from his nose while he puffed out his chest. “Stop being so lazy.”, he reprimanded the dark doe, nudging her nose like a cat playing with a toy. “I am up.”, Eir finally answered, yawning. “I just took a nap to rest up.” “Enough rest now. You will be late.” A small chuckle let them both look up. Kiviok, Eirs dear friend, had just came into the tent they got provided for the duration of the championship. “Don’t worry… Eir will be in time. It’s an hour until they start the next class.” Eir stood up, stretching her legs and her back and groaning a bit. The last class of the Feat Championship, the Race along the stream, had taken a lot out of her and her body was still aching a bit. She took the whole day just to rest up a bit. A little shake later and she was ready to go. “Remind me, what was the next feat about again?”, Eir asked the piebald doe and

“Good morning.”, a familiar soft voice stirred Eir awake. With a groan she lifted her head to look up into the smiling face of her friend Kiviok. The piebald doe grinned before gently pushing her snout into Eirs side, nudging her again. “Kiviok?”, Eir asked with a yawn, shaking her head to get rid of the last bit of sleep in her system. “You made it.” “Of course.”, Kiviok replied. “Sorry for being late though. I missed your first feat yesterday, but as I heard, it was quite the first impression. I wish I could have seen it.” Ah, right. The Championship. Eir and her family had arrived just yesterday. She had entered the very first class in the evening and with the help of her little spirit dragon friend was able to cement her standing as a competitor to actually look out for and be taken seriously. All the more reason to push forward now the others knew about her. With a last big yawn Eir stood up to stretch her long legs and crack her back. She had stayed up late yesterday to