A Song of the Rescue

"Come, gather, hear my tale
Of valor and nobility
Of Gryphons gathered in their flight
To keep our Landing free."

"In past there was a foul man, a Baron born and bred
To battle fierce he'd often go, his coming we would dread.
Gryphons mighty, gathered 'round, Fierce warriors and brave
To join a dwarven man stepped forth, his help he freely gave." "Grief! Agony! Pain and loss!
Brave Korm was gone to us
Jantalar, you'll pay the price
Your death is worth the fuss."

"Through sewers rank and smelly walked past the horrid bugs
Though so quietly not to be heard our motions soon were caught
We stumbled on a half-ogre, half-centaur: mighty guard
Gurbah, how we treated you, makes my heart-strings taut."

"Battle-lust had reign of us, first thought was to attack
But shocked and awed, our mouths gaped wide, no defense did he lack.
Rightly so you angered were, the Gryphons tried to mend
Though one could not believe that you could become a friend."

"First duel came and went with ease, you turned his blade aside.
Yet rather than your vengeance seek, you watched our heroes bide
No magic in those sordid halls beneath the horrid land
And firmly 'gainst our Gryphons you still had might to stand."

"Surpised were we at your advice of a hidden room
Saved the Lord who with you fought from his very doom
Magic worked our hero lived, and still you gave them pause
So, thus when the next Lord spoke, his challenge had a cause."

"This time the battle longer went, and yet you still stood fast
Our heros wondered what to do, they needed to get past
The healer sweet had seen you wince, and cured you from your pain
And grateful you decided to join the Gryphon's train."

""You Lords," you said, "Are brave to stand up to my skill
And I have more respect for you than my master's will.
I will travel on with you, to see what next will be."
And that is how the Gryphons Silver passed to the next key."

"Once again we walked our course down a darkened stair
We came upon an iron door that led to Gods know where
The first who had raised sword before, humble, knelt to pick
We were glad to hear the sound of one submissive "click.""

"Evil! Horrors! What we beheld!
The dungeon, cells abound
A bloated arm from one of them
Yet no corpse to be found!"

"Dread pursued within our hearts as we approached a door
Black as ever horrors were, from ceiling to the floor
A scream rang crisply through the room, an elven woman: Dead
No help in sight but pray for her, avenge her death instead."

"Our breaths were held when the Lord knelt the black door for to try
And in the distance, the dreadful note of a child's cry
We hastened quickly through the door afraid of what lay there
And what we saw I guarantee turned white our every hair."

"We rushed on through, tried not to look, our next door stood in wait
And opened came the lock, submitting to its fate
Our hearts stopped cold..."

"To what we saw a-lying on the floor
Korm's corpse lay there, abused and dead, amongst the blood and gore."

"Fortune was that we could still return him from Her grasp
Sweet Lorminstra decided to release him to our clasp.
All he wore: a stained loincloth, and blood ran from his pores
And calming Gurbah seemed the next of our long chores."

"Retribution in the lands of Jantalar is fierce
The torture room proves death not proud, and brings us to more tears
But yet, Gurbah, ye set us free, our friend away to tow
And back into the small store room, our party was to go."

"Korm, bespelled and weak, bereft of his arm, alive
The Silver Gryphons, cleric mage, and our wily guide
We ran for our lives back through the dank and dismal sewer maze
Until Talenni/Queen of Thieves had caught us in her gaze."

"Now that the end was in sight, we finally could smile
Korm took a look at the footpad, and turned toward his exile
We stopped him, and explained to him that she had helped us out
And so the rescue was complete, we'd freed him from the lout."

"So, come ye gentles one and all, and praise to the great men
Who valiantly fought and won the freedom of their friend
The Silver Gryphons, Warriors brave who fight to keep us free
For them this ballad has been sung, Their Glory I decree!"

By Eirinn the Bard