This is the story of Bari Wormbane son of Buri whom lived from 2381 to 2638 TA. Bari lived in the Blue Mountains with his father whom often fancied travelling into the ice wastes of the Northern Ered Luin and Forochel. One day, however, Buri did not return after several days and Bari feared the worst. Therefore he himself prepared to travel North in search of his father. It was a very harsh winter and the days were dark. Many tried to persuade Bari from going out there on his own, but Bari was stubborn and did not heed their warnings.
And so it was that Bari ventured far into the north, travelling over the cold Blue Mountains into Forochel along the path his father usually took. But this region was all but unknown to Bari and he soon lost track. The air was so cold that his face turned purple and his beard white. His warm boots were invaded by the cold and he could no longer feel his toes. With no sign of his father and the weather taking a heavy toll on him, Bari was forced to seek shelter quickly before he would freeze to death. He took shelter in an icy ravine and tried to warm his feet, but the wind blew sheer cold through the canyon and so Bari could not stay the night lest he die in his sleep.
Suddenly Bari noticed a pickaxe lying on the ground. He rubbed the snow from the handle and recognised the runes. It was his father's pickaxe, the one he used as a walking stick on his travels. Bari saw this as proof that his father was close. He looked around in the area and as if blessed by Mahal he found a cave where he could take proper shelter from the harsh winds of the northern ice wastes. He wondered whether his father might have entered this cave before him and so he explored the icy caverns until he was deep inside. The ice began to reek, and Bari found animal bones scattered everywhere. He was starting to hope that his father had not ventured into this cave for something was amiss here.
But his fears were realised for there lay his father lifeless upon the cold floor amongst several dead creatures, his body made stiff by the cold. Bari noticed how many of the animals were half eaten, as if something kept its food stored here. Suddenly a peculiar scream echoed through the caverns which made Bari forget the cold for a brief moment. It sounded as if something approached him and so he hid as best he could. Then he saw a large white-ish creature appear, long and full of scales. It had claws and deadly fangs, and it's eyes were fearesome to look at as it moved around in a manner both slithering and crawling. It was a great worm, a descendant of cold drakes from the north, but it did not seem alerted by Bari's presence.
Bari was ready to leave as soon as the worm would fall asleep but it seemed like the worm would not rest before it had filled its large belly resting on the floor. The worm thought Buri would make a nice snack and he crawled towards him, but Bari would not have that creature desecrate his father's corpse and so he took up his father's pickaxe and swung mightily at the white worm. A loud hissing and screaming followed as the pickaxe had pierced it's scaled hide. Startled the worm turned around and smacked Bari against the wall with a single hit of his strong tail. Its eyes fierce and full of hatred, the worm came towards Bari with his mouth wide open but Bari used a moose's rib to poke out the creature's right eye. He then jumped on it but was surprised by the animal's speed and strength. The worm quickly slithered through the halls screaming in pain of the terrible wound Bari had inflicted.
Bari tried to finish it by taking another swing at the beast with the pickaxe but this time the worm was faster and he bit Bari in the arm. The worm's teeth pierced Bari's flesh and in his pain he was thrown to the floor. The creature would not loose its grip and it seemed as if Bari was to meet his end here in this forsaken cave. But with his last strength, Bari used the pickaxe to cause the killing blow. The scaled worm let go of Bari as it let out its final breath. Bari was victorious but night was incoming and short would his victory be if he would not find a way to warm his body. Thus it happened that Bari opened up the worm's belly and faced the stink to hide in the beast's internal warmth. In the morrow, Bari woke up and skinned the beast to take with him as a trophy.
And so it was that Bari became known as Bari Wormbane, for he had survived his encounter with the great white worm and brought back its hide to be mounted so that he would always remember this great deed in honour of his fallen father. Today, said trophy is still proudly displayed at Stouthammer Hall, the residence of his family.
Nyr, great great grandson of Bari
