Folksburywoods Story Blog

There is a place so vile that the dark beasts who guard it fear it themselves. It is said that if Hell were placed on earth, it would be here.

Wiser beings who have no fear of bogeymen call it by its rightful name, the Tomb of Herodotus. Twelve centuries ago, King Herodotus raised an army of the foulest beasts and cutthroat soldiers ever to walk the earth.

Herodotus marched on town, village, and abbey, leaving none alive. The cruelty of his attacks is still discussed at the palace feasts and told as bedtime stories to scare younglings straight.

The king was one for glory and pomp; he wore the skulls of the kings he defeated around his waist to show all that he feared no one and all should fear him.

“I will rule the world within a fortnight, or I shall die trying predicted Herodotus at the Fall full moon festival. Within a day, the great warrior lay dead on a funeral pyre, betrayed by his soccer.

Furstli the Dark longed for power, and when the king proclaimed his death, the wizard granted his wish, for no man can rule the earth; that domain is for the gods.

The sorcerer slipped a viper into his bed as he slept. When the king arose in the morning, the snake struck. Herodotus collapsed as he stepped from his tent, shocking his men and sending them fleeing in fear.

Furstli came forward as the only one with enough power to control the vast array of creatures and claimed the crown for himself. The wizard proclaimed that the gods had punished Herodotus for going too far by claiming that the world would be his.

The new king sent away his army and built a new castle in the nearby mountains. The late king’s body was placed in a burial cairn and sealed with a spell.

Unfortunately, the late king was not fond of being dead and rose to take revenge on the wizard, tearing his body apart, after which he collapsed and was returned to his burial chamber.

The chamber’s entrance was sealed, and a sentry was placed at its entrance twenty-four hours a day to ensure Herodotus would never leave his chambers again.

Over the years, many who guarded the tomb heard strange noises or cries of someone in great agony emanating from the inner chamber.

“A place of evil, and if you are not careful, the dead king might get you tonight for good measure,” said the parents to their children as they tucked them in for the night.

It’s hoped that one day, they can bury the old king and eliminate the horrifying task of guarding Herodotus’s tomb. Until then, it is best to avoid the old king’s final resting place.