Red Dunes and the Light of the Sky.

The Hydra dwells in the depths of the Swamp. It sleeps for it has grown decadent. Decadent monsters are my favorite, for Kord revels in the destruction of those whose hubris blinds them. 5 heads or 500 heads, it matters not; Bukalkhan does not discriminate.
 
For now, the Hydra must wait, we crossed into the lands inhabited by the weakling eaters of men. They are weak. They placed their faith in a false prophetess who worshiped false Gods. Scores of them fell to the spirits of my ancestors...
 
and my ancestors reveled in it.
 
The skies looked fondly on the wanton slaughter my companions wrought upon those cannibals. Their souls, having been dedicated to their false god, coalesced into the form of an outsider . He too was weak. The beast was rank with the magic of pestilence and decay, its very breath brought sickness down upon us. A valid strategy, if not for the fact that any among my companions can fight with the strength of ten men even when stricken by plague and exhaustion.
 
We were accompanied by Arslan, another man of Kord who has been my friend for many decades. It was he who accompanied me when we traveled to the red dunes of Sharath'kar 20 years ago. It was there that we were beset by the servants of the sorcerer king Tenehgrus. Scores of serpents fell upon us in those Dunes. It was a good day. As the sun set over the red sands, their dead were beyond the count of any but the sky itself.
 
When the rays of the sun gave way to the moon's embrace, Tenehgrus revealed himself. A titan of a serpent, he strode across the red dunes with his mighty spear in one hand and the dark elemental powers of the old kingdom in the other. For six days and six nights we fought the beast. The dunes became our colosseum and all manner of beasts came to bear witness to the battle. Finally, as the dawn came on the 7th day, Arslan called upon the divine strength of Kord and smote the serpent's ruin upon the sands, its black blood stained the red sand in the most beautiful of displays, and the sky was content. The beasts of the dunes cowered in our path as we walked to the nearest town.
 
Alas, it seems I have lost myself in tale again, I am growing to like this "journaling" that Inara suggested to me. It is a way for me to remember my long life and tell my deepest thoughts to something other than my ancestors in the great blue sky. As I write this we are traveling in the cart of Bekir. Bekir and I have a fruitful history. He is a coward who enjoys the taste of food and drink. He brings business and coin my way, I make sure he survives another night across the sands. He will take us to Alfared where we will deal with the would be tyrants that have come to inhabit that once proud village.
 
I hope soon that we will leave this island and return to the sands of my home. The sands there are ancient and beautiful. They are serene, they bring joy to my eyes in a way that only the sky can do. Or rather, could do. Lately I find my eyes wandering more and more towards Inara. It is a distraction that I welcome in these times, for she reminds me of the sky. The sky is bright, beautiful, yet always distant. An eternal sea of blue that gives way to the light of the stars. It brings hope. It is the same light that I have seen in her Fey eyes.
 
Alas, thoughts for another time.
For now I must sleep.