A story from Yendor of Cyorion

#1

This is from some prep work I'm doing for a tabletop group I'm playing in with the Mrs. Figured I'd share here. sixth relic? You decide.

After being asked to tell the story for tonight, Yendor reaches into his pack, and after rummaging around, pulls out a small doll, about three inches tall. It is of a strange man with whites where his eyes should be. Yendor holds it up for everyone to see.

"This relic has been in my family for many generations. Some telling say my great great grandfather was the one to receive it, others say it was my great great great grandfather. I don't think anyone truly knows anymore."

"The story of how it came to be in my family's possession is equally strange. It is said one day my ancestor was eating lunch in the woods during an extended hunt. While enjoying a piece of dried meat, a badger walks up to him - on his hind legs. The badger then says, 'I am so hungry, won't you share your meal with a poor animal?'"

"Of course, my ancestor was instantly startled. A badger just spoke to him in fluent elvish. He though he must have been dealing with a demon, so after recovering himself, he nocked an arrow and let it fly into the badger. The badger fell over, dead, but a bright light emanated from the wound. From the light, a smoke poured out and coalesced into a strange god - one unknown to my people, but who called himself 'Au'Marui'"

"This god said that my ancestor had been cruel to the badger, and in turn shall be punished. He gave my ancestor this totem, and told him that he and his descendants will need to hold onto this totem. At some point in the future, this 'Au'Marui' will come back. If he finds the man and his descendants had been faithful and kept the totem, a great boon would be bestowed upon the holder. But if the totem was ever lost to the family, great ruin would befall everyone in the family."

"No one knows if this really happened or was just a strange dream. My ancestor did return from a hunt with a badger pelt and this totem. The Pelt still hangs in my family's home, and my father gave this totem to me as I left my village, as he feared he'd never see me again to pass it on."

"I have had this totem checked by many a magical practitioners, clerics, priests, and mystics, and no one has been able to find anything strange about it. I've thought about throwing it out before, but something always stops me. Maybe it's just the last vestige of home I have, or maybe there is something to the story, I don't know. But it does no harm to keep it, so I do."