This is an excerpt from chapter 16 of "Liquid", Book 2 of the Wyvern Trilogy. In it, the characters discuss the Rangers of Ryallon and the gods that guide them. It is a world-building conversation relevant to the story.
Note: This is a 1st draft version that has not received editing yet.
Excerpt
“Don’t the rangers follow Wutare, the God of Nature?” Tina asked.
“No. The rangers
follow Enowl, the Goddess of Exploration who is the twin sister of her brother Kexlor,
the God of Knowledge. We explore the
world, constantly striving to learn and discover.”
“I wasn’t aware of that.”
Pelya sipped her wine and allowed herself to relax some for the first
time in days. Their mission was urgent,
but she needed to take a breath and mentally regroup. “To be honest, I’ve never met a ranger or had
dealings with your guild. Could you tell
me more about it if you have time?”
“Of course.” Ledwid
brightened at the question. “The Rangers
Guild has been around for millennia.
Enowl, the honey haired goddess, loved roaming the world of
Ryallon. She rode a stallion of the
whitest white that could leap oceans to travel to any continent.”
Tina raised a suggestive eyebrow. “Was she naked while she did this?”
“No, of course not.
She preferred wool and leather to protect her from the elements.” He shook his head in disbelief at the
question. “Rangers still wear brown and
green as she did. It’s best for camouflage
in most areas, though white and brown are preferred in mountains and
winter.” Ledwid tugged at his own
leather vest. “At least once a year, she
would visit Kexlor in his library fortress.
She brought him books and items of magic and fascination.”
“And was he naked while he read?” Tina tried to ask the question seriously, but
snorted halfway through, drawing more booming laughter from Murton, a grin from
Pelya and a dirty look from Ledwid.
“Enowl begged Kexlor to explore with her, but his legs had been
weak since childhood and he preferred the safety of his books.” Ledwid was doing his best to ignore
Tina. “Yet he wanted to see the things
she did while she wanted his guidance and knowledge as she discovered new
things.”
Murton whispered loudly to Tina while using a hand to shield
his words from his partner. “This is the
creepy part.”
Ledwid turned to him.
“Excuse me?”
Murton attacked him with a kiss before assuming an angelic
expression, which caused Tina to snort and giggle.
Ledwid tugged on his vest and recomposed himself. “Enowl of the green eyes and Kexlor of the
blue exchanged their right eyes so they could see what the other saw when
needed.”
“See?” Murton said.
Tina covered her eye with a hand. “Oww.
No thank you.”
Ledwid ignored them.
“They were able to communicate with each other from that time on, but to
this day, Enowl still visits her brother in his fortress every year.”
“Doesn’t Kexlor hoard his knowledge and keep it from
others?” Pelya asked. “I remember
reading that he charges a fee to the other gods for any information they want.”
Ledwid’s expression turned to stone.
Pelya realized she had just offended him. “I’m sorry.
I meant no criticism. I’ve
studied the gods throughout my life and find them fascinating. Kexlor and Enowl are Van Gods, both
powerful. For some reason, I never made
the connection between Enowl and the rangers.
It makes sense though. Enowl carried
a bow that fired arrows of insanity made by her brother. He filled each arrow with so much knowledge,
the victim’s head would flood until they screamed and died. The rare few who did not lose their sanity
became disciples of Kexlor.”
Tina shuddered. “That
sounds like a painful way to gain divine favor.”
Ledwid relaxed. “No
offense taken. You are a surprising young
woman, Miss Jornin. A ranger’s primary
weapon is the bow.” He gestured to his
in the corner. “My arrows don’t cause
insanity, but I know how to place them anywhere on a body to kill or
incapacitate.”
“I hate bow and arrows,” Pelya admitted. “I’d rather face a wizard than an
archer. Unless you’re in a large group,
the archer has the advantage and usually hides on rooftops, or in your case,
I’d imagine in the trees.”
The corner of Ledwid’s mouth rose in amusement. “It’s not easy to shoot from a tree. Given enough time, I can usually find a perch
that grants me enough leverage for medium range shots.”
“That makes sense.”
Pelya turned her wine glass by the stem while she spoke. “So are the rangers really priests for
Enowl? Did she form the guild?”
“We’re not priests,” Ledwid said. “As Enowl explored the world, she found
companions to travel with her. She
taught them much of what she knew. Those
companions became her disciples and formed the guild. There are guild houses on every continent of
the world. We rangers are encouraged to
explore at least two continents in our life and are welcome at any guildhouse.”
“That’s fascinating,” Tina said in genuine interest. “What about the forests though? Rangers explore wilderness everywhere, but Druids
protect the forests. Aren’t Druids and
rangers allies? You both use bows.”
“Choice of weapons does not determine allies.” Ledwid frowned. “Rangers and Druids have always gotten along,
but there is mistrust there. The Druids
do not like rangers exploring in their forests.
They refuse to let us establish guildhouses in them. They treat us with respect though and in many
cases ally with us.”
In conclusion
This information applies to more than just this book and gives the reader a little more insight to the world of Ryallon, its people and its gods.
All my best,
John H. Carroll
