Chapter 29: Kejo and Grinnerel the Dark Herald

How is it that so many elconic denizens know of Grinnerel the Dark Herald? Well, similar to the Wizard of Death, Grinnerel appears quite frequently. You see, Grinnerel dines on foreboding, and thus travels throughout Elcon, feasting on that feeling.

However, though it has such an ominous name, and feeding habit, Grinnerel is known as a force of good and not only that, Grinnerel is an eternal, a denizen of Elcon that does not die, returning from the snows if they seem to!

How is it that Grinnerel is known as a force of good? It seems strange, as for Grinnerel to appear, it means that disaster is looming, though it has to be admitted, Grinnerel is an indiscriminate eater, and bards make many a joke about the Dark Herald appearing before they stubbed their tentacle on a tableleg, large disasters or small, the Dark Herald plays for all.

Grinnerel represents a chance. If you know that misfortune is coming your way, can’t you then prepare for it? Thus, some denizens are even relieved by the appearance of Grinnerel, others of course, simply resign themselves to impending doom. It is said that Grinnerel actually stops grinning after it plays its music when such a person is before it.

Nobody is quite sure why Grinnerel plays a song on it own stringhairs. Some believe it is how it feeds, and others, in response to that, ask why does he have a mouth then? In reply, a smug songfeeder believer usually says “So as it can talk”. This, like most things, results in a barfight.

Now, quite a lot of nonsense is spoken about what Grinnerel looks like, such as stack of mouths, or a large mouth with a moustache made of rasping blades. What Grinnerel actually looks like, is another matter completely.

The first thing you’ll notice is Grinnerel’s golden locks, its string like hairs, that grow tight from its long neck and head, and return to its body, unlike the hair of many other beings. Its body is covered with dark blue fur, almost moss-like in texture. Its long neck, which doubles as its body, splits right into a pair of tails with navy scales, which end in wide and thin boney bits. Grinnerel uses these tails to play its music, though nobody has ever seen Grinnerel use both tails at once.

Grinnerel’s eyes cannot be seen, though it is not known if the Dark Herald even has eyes. What it certainly has is a set of sharp teeth that glint as metal does, probably where someone got the metal moustache nonsense from.

Ginnerel lifted its head and issuing forth from his mouth, escaping between its teeth was a long horn-like dirge. In their burrows, dens and other assorted dwellings, the creatures of the mushroom forest and the foolbear forest tried to dig a little deeper.

The Dark Herald continued its song of dire warning, the foolbears twitched, and reluctantly they were dragged along into the role of chorus, giving a heavy rumbling sound to back the Dark Herald.

Kejo was frozen speechless, an not only that, he was aware that, whatever magic flew along the Dark Herald’s song, it did not rouse his father, mother or Turmeric!

Then, carried on the song, Kejo heard Grinnerel speak to him!

-Preserve from preserving-

The line rattled through Kejo’s mind, echoing, joining the song, until finally it reached its climax and the song faded away, but the words remained.

Lurking

right

in

the

back

of

his

Head.

Grinnerel let out a surprisingly jolly laugh, and fell backwards off the mushroom cap it was on.

Kejo did not see Grinnerel fall to the ground. It was as if the eternal had vanished into the air, as snow that melts.