01-11-2008, 02:09 PM
In the time long ago before there was a Silvershod over the herds of deer, there lived a white great-horned deer fawn. Because his pelt matched the snow in color during the season of summer, few other deer played with him, or talked to him. The lonely fawn wandered the forest learning the languages of the other animals; the birds, the squirrels, the beavers, the foxes, the rabbits, and others. He learned many things from talking with them, including much about Man and avoiding hunters.
A wicked troll also lived in this forest. This troll delighted in stirring up strife among the stags in order to see them fight each other. He liked nothing better than to watch two proud stags get their antlers tangled together and starve to death.
Now the year came when the white fawn - now a young buck - was old enough to take part in the contest of antlers in order to impress the does. The young white stag decided he would watch for a while and wait to be challenged rather than challenge others on first arriving. Now who should approach him one evening but the wicked troll in disguise?
"Ah! Have you not heard? That dark stag over there says he can defeat you easily," said the troll.
"I know him and I care not what his opinion of me is," said the white stag.
"Well, that other stag over there says that he challenges you to a duel," said the troll.
"I know him, too, and if he wants to challenge me he may say so himself to my face," said the white stag.
"Then I challenge you to a duel," said the troll.
"And I say you wear a shabby coat because I know you not!" said the stag.
With that, the white stag struck a large rock beside him with his hooves so hard that it caused a spark. The troll flinched, so the stag continued to strike rocks here and there in that manor. Thus he chased the troll round and round in circles until dawn came.
As the rising sun turned the wicked troll to stone, the stag's hooves and antlers became silver. From then on, he found, he could strike gems with his hooves that would last until dawn the way he had heard that Men can strike sparks. Thus he became known as a great arbiter of disputes, and became the first Silvershod, Tsar stag of the great-horned deer.
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