Since @diana-westmoon put a post about sharing unrefined stories onto my dash and @i-am-a-world told me to waste time only when I don't have any I have decided to make another attempt at doing exactly that.

Unless I forget all about it immediately there will be the occasional Enyr-&-Allyn-posting from now on.

A few tidbits for the start, then the first part of the story.

Tidbit Number 1

The relationship between Enyr and his patron, the Thief who Stole from the Gods is sort of like the relationship of Odysseus and Athena in Epic! The Musical (and eventually goes just as sour)

Tidbit Number 2: the first time I ever wrote about something kind of like this, neither Allyn nor Enyr were the protagonists. Well sort of. It's complicated.

Tidbit Number 3: I've been daydreaming about this story for years. Only some of it is formatted as an audiodrama script. Because this story has evolved over time in some parts the characters have different names. Different pronouns. (Allyn has xe/xir now) It would take ages to clean this mess up. But the first part, where our heroes are introduced and shooed off onto their quest is good to go! I tried really hard to make it presentable.

But hey. Ultimately I just want people to see and enjoy this story. Maybe that'll even help get me unstuck from the point where the story has been for at least the last two years.

Extra Tidbit: Taras' theme song is Birds of a Feather by Fish in a Birdcage

Anyways.

The Tale of Enyr and Allyn

Part 1 Chapter 1: Enyr

A long way from here, on the far side of a vast ocean, there is a group of four islands. And on the biggest island there stands a proud city. In the beginning, there was no settlement there. There was in fact nothing of note there on that tiny rock. A few birds maybe. But all in all it was merely empty.  Accounts of how and why people eventually began to live there vary. Folks who live on the neighboring continent may tell you of a traitor, a liar, a thief who fled to the most remote island like a coward to avoid punishment for stealing from gods. Those who live on that island and its neighbors however tell quite a different tale. In this story, the thief is a hero, who stood up to unjust, violent gods and used their newly gained power to protect those who could not thrive on the continent, those who were too different or unwanted to find a home there.  The truth, as it tends to be with some stories, is somewhere in the middle…. This is the tale of Enyr the adventurer, who knew the Thief better than anyone, and of his trials, hardship, betrayals and love. And of Hearthkeeper Allyn who wanted nothing to do with any of them, and got caught up in them most unfortunately anyway. 

In his youth Enyr decided to follow one of the gods worshipped on the islands, as many young islanders were doing at the time. Of course the Thief, as an entity of the wild stormy sea and the great unknown, could hardly be worshipped in temples. Whoever wanted to truly worship them had to set out on a journey and dedicate his life to travel. And so Enyr chose the life of a sailor.    Scene change: maybe indicated by music?

Scene 2: ENYRs time as a sailor and a life changing meeting Luke: And that life suited him well. He worked hard and when the work was done he could also loosen up and celebrate. All things considered he was a perfectly normal person. In fact, the only thing worth mentioning about young Enyr was his almost eerie knack for predicting the weather. This may not seem like that big of a talent, but keep in mind that in this part of the world the weather is largely caused by the whims and fancies of a fickle god. This strange quirk only seemed to get more and more accurate the longer he spent out at sea and soon people joked that Enyr knew if the weather was going to change before the Thief themself had even decided. Maybe it was these jokes that eventually drew their attention, maybe it was the fact that on that particular night he was the only one who was still somewhat sober. One could now speculate about fate and chance at length but do those things really matter?  Fact is that in his seventh summer as an adventurer at sea, our young friend was approached by a rather familiar stranger after a night of drink and dance…   SOUNDS: outside of a lively pub at night, laughter, music etc. can be heard, although somewhat muffled. SOUND: Slow footsteps   Enyr: (sings, very off-key, he’s clearly somewhat drunk):   Adventure at sea is the life for me, I don’t get homesick no When the captain calls and the storm rolls in A-floating I shall go Now raise your glass another time Drink and beverage ho! Like the birds on high we must look to the sky A-floating we shall….go ( He trails off. The footsteps stop)   (Beat)    Enyr (contd): Who are you?  Luke: If he had been entirely sober, he may have been able to recognize the figure leaning against the wall sooner, but as it was, at that moment he had no idea that he was speaking to his god. Only that sixth sense he had developed for the weather nagged at him: This person felt like storm season air.  The Thief (clearly amused): Who, me? I am but a stranger on the breeze. A traveler, if you will.  Enyr: Hm. You… You look so… familiar. (hiccups) The Thief (barely suppresses a fit of loud laughter): I have one of those faces. Enyr (confused): What'd you want?  The Thief: Hearthkeeper Allyn, one of my sisters most important acolytes, has been dispatched on a rescue mission. But like my sister, xe is not a traveler, so I was asked to lend a ship with crew to the cause. To guarantee xir safety and the success of the mission.  Enyr: But I don't (hiccup) sail for you, stranger, I sail for…  Luke: Suddenly the young sailor felt very sober indeed, as the proverbial coin dropped at last. The weight of his situation dawned on him. This merry stranger in front of him had once raised the islands out of the sea as an act of defiance. What reason could they possibly have to want to talk to him?  Enyr (voice wavering with doubt): And…I’m supposed to what, lead that crew for you?  The Thief: Maybe. If you think you are the right person to carry out this task when you wake up tomorrow.  (Beat) Why do you look so surprised? I wouldn't force you to do this against you will… and I certainly wouldn't ask this of you without giving you something in return.  Enyr: What would you give?  The Thief: Do you know what exactly it was that I took from the three continental gods?  Enyr: Of course I do. Everyone (hiccup) knows that. Why?   The Thief: Because I have something to give as well. And unlike them I am not too set in my ways to give it freely.

Next time: Allyn really really doesn't want to go on an adventure but it's about a kid so fiiiiine

Also there's a scene later where Enyr and Taras consider getting really wasted as part of their totally serious last ditch effort rescue mission and now that I think about it, it would be hilarious for Taras to go "oh you're one to talk booze. One time you got so utterly pissed you didn't even recognize when your god tried to talk to you" but there's no way they could know, this was literally before their time. And my totally amazing badass hero would totally have been too embarrassed to tell that little fact to anyone ever.

(also please ignore Luke. He's there because I thought I could find a home for this story in the podcast Among the Stacks which is why this is in script form also. But ultimately...nah. i have to figure out something else for Luke)

Anyways.

@leisoree how dare you be funnier than me in the tags of my post 😂😂😂 but you totally got their dynamics perfectly.

Enyr (to the Thief): who the fuck are you?

Allyn (to Shimmer): DONT MAKE ME LEAVE aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAH

I feel like it would only happen once a year but when it happens Allyn is lying face down in the street because xe tried to hug the island, going "love you. Ow. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH"

This probably happens on the night before the ship leaves. Allyn is scared and kind of gets a little....tipsy. (because xe doesn't usually drink much it doesn't take much to tip xir over the edge at all)

The love goes both ways. Enyr can sense storms. Allyn van make the earth rumble when upset.

The next morning when xe meet Enyr for the first time xe has a banging hangover. Immediately doesn't like Enyr. Enyr has no feelings either way towards any of this. His job is just to make sure xe get to Darkwater and back again without dying.

(also something you have to know about why Taras mocking Enyr for getting piss drunk is funny, they aren't human and can stomach a ridiculous amount of "homebrew" moonshine before anything happens. They've never been heard slurring their words. Ever. What happens when they're drunk is they start getting visions. Which is where the super serious rescue plan comes in. )