"The Sermon of Borenard Idrolson" by Raoul Meuldijk

The Sermon of Borenard Idrolson, Traveller of Alranil.

"...so I was riding my faithful horse, Regent's Pride Haxtoflor III of Merinda, Furry to friends, when I came upon the mouth of a cave. This cave, looking artificial due to its carved out nature, and put on my path by Alranil, required investigation, for Alranil's call is upon me. Therefore, dear friends, I dismounted and tied my steed to a tree, which, by Alranil's grace, was beside the cave's mouth.
I lighted my lantern and stepped forward into the rough but man-hewn entrance. Darkness fled before my light, and left behind a clear writing on the walls, which, woe me, was unintelligible. My olfactory senses were nigh overpowered by a terrible odour in the cave. I ignited some incense to remedy this and, combining business with pleasure, said a prayer to Our Lady Alranil. I sat down and started copying the strange symbolisms to parchment, for surely, Alranil had led me here to learn these mysteries.
Ignoring the two entrances on the far end of the cave, I was concentrated on my writings, so it was only at the last moment that I heard a shuffling sound of unsteady feet behind me. Just in time did I discover the rotting corpse that moved my way, and took a swing at me with its unholy hand. It missed me, Alranil be thanked. I pulled forth my hat, which resembles a guiding sign for travellers by way of its arrow-pointed shape, therefore being a Holy Symbol of Our Lady of Roads, Alranil, the Guide. I held aloft my hat and called out at the foul monstrosity: 'Be Gone!', and deeply shocked, it returned to the rightmost dark entrance, surely to repent for its sins.

Not scared by this little incident, I decided to inspect the left entrance, which had, for its lesser stench, the least chance of being occupied. My estimation proved correct. Before me lay a short corridor, leading up to a chamber. This chamber contained a couple of stone benches on the walls left and right, and on these benches were placed row upon row of bronze figurines. They looked like men to me, but were heavily covered in dust, cobwebs and guano. So I picked one up, and cast a spell of Spring Water on it, to wash it clean.
It was a beautifully crafted bronze warrior, in plate mail, with an axe and a shield.Without hesitation, I put the warrior in my backpack, for it would make a perfect guard for the next Shrine of Alranil on my path. This was sufficient to serve Our Lady of Neverending Travels, so I left the rest of the chamber undisturbed. Back in the cave's mouth, my body and nose were again assaulted by a halfway decayed wretchling, whom I knew for another than on my previous encounter, for this one had no head. I confronted it with The Light on the Horizon as well, and it fled into the right entrance.

I continued out and untied my brave horse, mounted, and resumed my voyage. The following day, on the same long and winding mountain track, I found a shrine to Our Guidance, Alranil. It was old, but well crafted by one of my brothers of ages past. As all such shrines, it had a hollow pedestal, for travellers to put gifts in for other travellers or for Wise Alranil. My warrior was an excellent guard for this shrine, so I put it in, and felt around inside for something else that might sustain me physically or spiritually on my journey.
To my surprise, I found another such figurine! Surely Alranil must be near me! I blessed the little warrior to give thanks for this Divine Coincidence, and wanted to put him in my backpack, but lo and behold! The warrior grew and started moving! His bronze teint turned to flesh! His axe became iron! Looking down on me, for he was a head taller than my own humble person, he said unto me in the Tongue of Heaven: 'Thank you! I think I have been waiting for that! When am I?'. I said to him, would it not be proper to ask the traditional question 'Where am I?', to which he answered 'I know where I am. I am here. However, which year of Orvul's reckoning is this?' I said I did not know. This is the year of Brawning, and last year was the year of Bogging. The warrior did not seem to mind.
He told me that I am a lucky man, for he would offer his service to me, and that of his metallic brethren in the cave, if I would be so kind to treat them in the same way as I did him.
However, that is another sermon, my dear sisters and brothers, which I will tell you later, after we have finished constructing the Holy Fortress for Alranil, for our formerly bronze friends..."