Ghyll:Po Mountain
Po Mountain is one of the many individual outcroppings in the Sarfelogian Mountain range that stretches across northern parts of known Ghyll. Largely, Po Mountain would be "just another" rock were it not for its "famous" inhabitant, one Sarfl, an ex-Brother who lives in a hut built from the wood of long dead Pziqq trees.
Sarfl is well known as an opponent of the Heh-blammo balance, which is why he's always accompanied by an unlucky and novice Brother who balances his secluded, yet loudly bellowed, HEHs. Since Sarfl bodes no ill-will to these neophytes, he takes great strides to ensure they're well-kept, fed, and entertained during their stay. One such novice, the 15 year old Edlunch, was the root cause of a massive and deadly landslide in -65 EC.
After enthralling Edlunch with stories of Freege Horns (thus explaining the dew-like twinkles of music that filtered up from the Evesque Valley the mountain looked down upon), no end could be found to the boy's incessant desire to view and hear one up close. After a few months with some disgruntled TransAvian carriers, Sarfl finally pulled the favors he needed, and convinced Rater Goldfish to haul his equipment up the mount for a one-of-a-kind performance.
One of a kind it was (laws have since been passed). Rater Goldfish started softly, as if influenced by sugar and sweet fairies. As his audience of two settled in to a slowly accelerating rhythm, andelights from the inhabitants of Evesque Valley could be seen moving hauntingly toward the mountain, encouraged by the pleasant piping of the horns. As the entranced moved ever closer to the base, and Sarfl and Edlunch fell ever deeper into rapture, Rater launched into his popular and baritone Maw of the Chukarandos.
Disaster struck.
The long and deep hums of the horns vibrated the mountain, disturbing sediment which in turned uprooted small trees. These small trees slid, taking the loose dirt with them, until an ever-growing landslide engulfed those making the journey to the musical plateau. Many ran, few survived. Sarfl, Edlunch and Rater, consumed by the eloquence of the performance, realized its repercussions only the next morning, as they helped carry the equipment down the now-mutated landscape.
Edlunch returned to the local Brothers chapter after a quick investigation, and a more lackluster novice returned with Sarfl to the mountain. Since then, and no Brother will confirm or deny this, it is believed that each novice must pass a bevy of tests to ensure that he has no desire for anything but attention to the balance of the Blammo. Many people now believe the northern parts of the Valley, including the surrounding mountains, to be bad luck, especially in regard to the incident's ten-year anniversary with the Baleman disaster. (Sarfl finds this humorous and, in addition to his morning HEHs, now shouts out a cheerful "Eh oh!" to the inhabitants below.)
Citations: Heh-blammo balance, Rater Goldfish, Sarfelogian Mountains.
--Morbus Iff 19:54, 28 Jan 2005 (EST)
