IC:

On the second day of Reaping, 598 CY, a gnome, dressed in the
vestments of a druid of the Old Faith, sits at the table in his lab at
Foddar's Maize, his steading on the border of the Downlands and the
Stark Mounds. Beside him sits a dire she-wolf with her lower jaw
marked with silvery fur. Sunlight coming through the window of the
steading cabin shines on a parchment held down by some weights that
obviously are used with the scale nearby. The gnome pulls the paper
toward him and scans it.

---------------
Last Will and Testament
Of Foddar Canon, Elder Druid of the Old Faith

Being of sound mind and body, I, Foddar Canon, in the event of my
death while fighting the Shadow Dragon tomorrow, bequeath my
possessions as follows:

To the people of the Downlands, I leave my research notes on the
grains and trees that are best suited for Gyri's new home.

To Joe C'Hin, who in some ways to his folly knows me better than
anyone else, I leave in perpetuity permission to use the grove of
trees on Foddar's Maize for a place to relax and rest a weary mind.
The sapling from Hochoch is doing fine.

To Rodric Dawnstriker, Radiant Servant of Pelor, Hero of the Last
Battle of Gorna, who died fighting for Gyruff in the citadel of the
storm king, I leave my Belt of Battle hoping that an extra action
might save you next time.

To Spyque, who taught me that courage can come in all sizes, I leave
my Ring of Release to help you escape those grapples while you are
tiny.

To Selznik, whose skill with magic both arcane and divine have saved
his companions more than once, I leave my Rod of Empower to give his
spells something extra.

To Isaiah, Radiant Servant of Pelor, whose fire seeds are the scourge
of the enemies of Father Sun, I leave my Rod of Energy Substitution
(Acid), to use against his enemies who are immune to fire.

To Grrr, bear warrior of might and strength, I leave my Stone of Good
Luck in hopes that it brings him the good fortune that it brought me.

To Memnock, who I was asked to guide in the Ways of the Old Faith, I
leave my wild Millipede wild carapace full plate armor, my wild heavy
wooden shield, and my wilding clasp, so he can better experience the
joys of wildshaping. And yes, the student was frequently the teacher.

To Boshek, Cleric of Amekadom, I leave the dire weasel pelt and fangs
that I collected during our expedition to the Frost Giant lair in the
Barrier Peaks. The delay to our departure while I collected those
trinkets almost cost us our lives as we scrambled up the icy tunnel
without a moment to spare!! I regret not taking the time to discuss
with him the Amekadom's place in the Cycle of Life.

To Moira, the oldest daughter of Llyrwyn of the Axe, whose patience
teaching me the subtleties of shepherding has been unending, I leave
my growing flock of sheep.

To my friend and adventuring companion, Osfael of the Sunlite Glade, I
leave the gold remaining from my adventures to help him build that
mansion with the Grand Ballroom that he always dreamed of on the
conditions that he keep the formal garden win the wild style that we
discussed to commemorate the Land of Gyruff and that he mentors my
cousin, Fendar Canon, in the ways of the Bard.

To Fendar Canon, who seems to have finally found his calling as a
keeper of the oral history of Gyruff and the Gyri, I leave in
perpetuity permission to reside in the steading cabin on Foddar's
Maize along with my faithful companion, Silverfang, as long as they
chose.

To the Druids of Old Faith on the Isle of Rhun, I leave the remainder
of my steading, Foddar's Maize, on the condition that they continue to
research the best crops and trees for the people of the Downlands. In
addition, I leave them my notes on the movement of Pelor, Luna, and
Celene through the Seasons.

And finally, to all those who shared an adventure with me, I leave my
respect and my thanks. May the Cycle of Life bring blessings to you
and your's.

Signed,
Foddar Canon
On the Fourth Day of Richfest, 598 CY

-------------

Foddar smiles to himself and reaches up to rub the ear of Silverfang,
his dire wolf animal companion. "Well, Sil, I guess we won't be
needing this after all," he says, as he holds up his Last Will and
Testament. "We were fortunate enough to survive the shadow dragon a
third time. After fighting through the Dim against hounds that spit
acid, undead creatures that swallowed us whole, and shadow creatures
that drained our strength, we had a great victory against the Shadow
Dragon and returned the Dim Forest to the Cycle of Life. But
unfortunately not without our own losses." Foddar pauses to remember
Isaiah and Mudbutt (the player forgot which other PC was
disintegrated, so I could have the wrong name) whom Shady
disintegrated. "But thanks to our friends from Bissel, the Gran
March, Keoland, and other regions of the Flaeness, the day was won.
Each person played a part, some using greater dispel magics to bring
down her buffs, others casting spells that ignored her resistance to
spells, and still others valiantly attacking with lance, greatsword,
and other melee weapons. And it was appropriate that a warrior from
Gyruff, Grr, struck the final blow."

"So what do you think, Sil?" Foddar continues after a moment of
silence. "What's next??" The dire wolf cocks her head, gently nudges
Foddar, lies down on the floor with her head on her forepaws, and
slowly shuts her eyes. Foddar gazes at his faithful animal companion
and sighs, "Yes, Sil, I'm tired, too. The last eight years first
helping to drive out the giants from Gyruff, returning the Land to the
people and the Gyri to the Land, and then defending the Land from an
invasion of the Shadow Plane, in many ways fighting ourselves, ending
with Shady's defeat. Along the way, experiencing sacrifice, Yes, I
think it's time to retire from the adventuring life. The Gyri of the
Downlands still can use our help getting them settled in their new
home."

"So," Foddar ponders, scanning his Will again. "I guess we won't need
this." Pausing for a moment, Foddar adds, as he puts the parchment in
a wooden box underneath his desk, "Yet . . . ."

A few moments later, a hawk flying over Foddar's Maize scanning for
prey sees two dire wolves cavorting in the fields.


OOC:

As my first LG character retires, I'd like to thank the triads,
players, judges, authors, con organizers, and significant others for a
wonderful seven years. I can't say enough about the people involved
in this world, and hope I sit at a table with you in the future. I
wish the best to one and all.

Regards,
Jonathan Tom
tpb Foddar Canon, Elder Druid of the Old Faith
Kar el Marcmark, Fighter for Jenna and the People
Maximus Domainicus, Cleric of Heironeous
Eva d'Struksean
Fendar Canon, Storyteller of Gyruff
Etc.