New Promo: Olyn of Urmstead

Riding High

The roar of the crowd faded slightly as Olyn strode down the covered hallway that passed under the stands and out of the arena. The rhythm his boots struck on the packed dirt floor was slow and steady. His heart raced much faster. The adrenaline rush lingered and the ache had yet to settle in. Tomorrow, he’d curse himself for under-tightening his saddle in the bronco round. Tomorrow, he’d be in pain from head to toe.

But now, in the glow of victory, he was in utter bliss.

That feeling was the reason Olyn competed, the reason he pushed himself harder than his peers. The reason he was the best rider around. Olyn savored the sensation for as long as he could, but it soon ended, as it always did.

With a sigh, he stepped into the hastily assembled shack that passed for his dressing room. Another competition in the bag, he thought. And I’m already craving the next. 

Olyn glanced up and the thought evaporated like a puddle in the Amaran. Inside the shack and reclined in a flimsy wicker chair was a man dressed in a suit as fine as any banker’s.

“Impressive work out there, Olyn,” the man said and rose to his feet. “Compared to the other riders, you make it look easy.”

“Thank ya,” Olyn said flatly as he evaluated the intruder.

The man held out a hand. “The name’s Case.” There was a wide and gentle smile on his lips and a different one in his eyes, like he was privileged to be in on a big secret.

Olyn took the hand and gave a firm shake that was returned in kind. “What brings you here, Case? If it’s about a sponsorship, my agent’s all ears.”

“A sponsorship isn’t far off the mark, but this is bigger than that. Put plainly, I have a job for you, Olyn. A job only you can do.”

Olyn leaned back and planted the bottom of one boot against the doorframe. “Yeah?”

“How many of those riders you just trounced could break a wild mustang?”

Olyn answered quickly. “Maybe half.”

That secretive smile returned. “How about a wild rhinarc?”

Olyn narrowed his eyes then read the man’s expression for any sign of deceit or tomfoolery. Then he answered. “To be honest, likely none. Except me.”

“I thought as much. The job I’ve got for you is plenty far from here, but we’ll fund your travel there, and back again when the work is done.” Case hooked a thumb in the direction of the arena. “And I think you’ll find your time out there far more exciting than this little rodeo could ever dream of being.”

Olyn could feel himself being led by the nose. Case had him completely figured out. But maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing, if it meant landing a job that fit like a well-worn boot.

“Where is it? And who’s financin’ it? I’m not accepting any I.O.U.”

The man grinned. “The pay is half up front, half after, each a bigger payday than a year of competition winnings combined, but… I can’t say any more about the job. You’ll understand when you get there.”

Case offered his hand again. “You in?”

When the caravan started up the slopes of those towering mountains, Olyn was thankful for the change of scenery. When they passed the weathered bones of a horse and wagon that had strayed into a chronostorm, he personally thanked the expedition’s guide for leading them true. And when they crested the final ridge and passed into the valley, Olyn’s jaw dropped.

Untouched wilderness stretched from his mount’s nose to the misty peaks on the far side of the valley. Flecks of bright red leaves stood out amongst the vibrant green trees and blue waters of countless lakes. The high-pitched cries of birds and other unseen creatures echoed out. They were drowned out by an occasional booming roar that could only be that of a massive dinosaur.

Carnosaur? Olyn wondered. Or something new?

Movement above the treetops in the distance caught Olyn’s eye, and the guide spoke up.

“A flock of pteriax. If they get much closer, we’ll need to take cover under the densest trees we can find. The small ones will pick a horse clean in a hurry, and the big ones will carry it away with the wagon still attached.”

Olyn kept quiet and watched the other members of the caravan squirm. They looked like hard men to the last, but they were clearly unfamiliar with dinosaurs. The clique of Lethrai elves were the only ones unbothered.

What monsters had they faced in the Direwood?

A few minutes later, the caravan stopped again and an elf with long red-brown hair rode up to Olyn’s side. He pointed at a herd of serasaurs in the distance, on the far side of an open clearing. “You’re up, cowboy. We need to cut through there. Get those beasts to clear out, without causing a stampede.”

“Ayup, I’ll get right on it,” Olyn answered, and spurred his horse forward. That elf, Vikrum, was the one calling the shots on this expedition, but his attitude rubbed Olyn the wrong way. With that type, it was best to just follow orders.

Olyn’s horse let out a tense whinny as they approached the wild dinosaurs. “Whoa,” Olyn cooed and patted it on the neck. “It’s okay. They’re more ‘fraid than you, even if they are twice your size.”

He scanned the herd for the telltale horns of an aggressive bull and was relieved to see none. The next biggest danger was a mother with young, and keeping a bit of distance would be good enough there. Olyn took a deep breath and thought, Here goes everything.

Then he shouted, “Yah! Git along little dinos!”

The herd startled and started to move, and Olyn spurred his horse to run alongside and keep the edge from scattering. He swung his lasso overhead, ready to leash and lead a mid-size serasaur if needed. In the end, he hadn’t. The herd stayed together and rumbled off further into the valley.

The way was clear. The task was done, and Olyn felt amazing.

Olyn smelled the smoke and knew what was happening even before he heard the thunder of the stampede.

Second one this week, he thought and shook his head. Those mud-for-brains mercenaries should know better by now.

Olyn turned his mount, a nimble young hadrosaur he had tamed himself, and took off toward the fire. Even from a distance, he could tell what had happened. A poacher had tried to set fire to a copse of trees to flush out a few dinosaurs but the damn fool used too much fuel. In turn that caused an explosion instead of a flame, and started a full-on stampede. The fire would burn itself out quick in the humid jungle, but a stampede could well flatten an entire camp.

Their camp.

Most of the startled serasaurs had scattered but a few were clumped together and kept each other scared and running blind. They smashed right through shrubs and even small trees. Right in their path, the fool who caused the whole mess sat wide-eyed and terrified on a small wooden supply wagon.

“Yah! Yah!” Olyn drove his hadrosaur harder. He knew it couldn’t outlast a serasaur for long, but it was a strong sprinter.

As soon as he caught up, he looped his lasso cleanly around the leader’s central horn and tugged. The panicked beast resisted at first, but soon started to peel away to the right. The others followed and the leftmost serasaur barely clipped the poacher’s wagon and sent it rocking. A wooden barrel in the back tipped over and a few miniscule dinosaurs darted out and disappeared into the underbrush.

With a flick of the wrist, Olyn retrieved his lasso, then let his mount back to a sustainable gallop. He looped back to the wagon and shouted, “You alright there?”

“F-fine, thanks to you,” the young man replied. His face suddenly paled as he took in the empty barrel. “Or maybe not fine.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing you can help with. The Doctor expected those little dinosaurs by nightfall for his research. If he doesn’t get them…” The poacher trailed off, unable to put words to his fears.

Doctor Zytrom… Olyn shuddered at the memory of that disturbing man. So that’s where the little ones have been going. I get Vikrum and his elves, their stake in all of this, but the Doctor… something ain’t right about him.

“Uh, best of luck to you. I’ll be on my way.” Olyn started off again and steered clear of the smoldering cluster of trees. His eyes followed the smoke upward. It blended into the fog that rolled down off the peaks that protected the valley. He knew that dozens of other fires would burn through the night, more trees would be cleared and more dinosaurs caged, and eventually the mountains would have nothing to protect.

There was a sour taste in Olyn’s mouth and a stone in his gut. Maybe this job ain’t such a perfect fit after all.

Read more Eternal lore here!

Olyn of Urmstead Promo Quest

During the quest period, your first PvP win of the day will reward you with a copy of Olyn of Urmstead! Once the promo period is over, you’ll be able to craft the card using Shiftstone as normal.

The Olyn of Urmstead Promo Quest begins today and will run until Wednesday February 23rd.

Premium Avatar

The Olyn of Urmstead premium Avatar will be available in the store for 300 Gems for a limited time.

Theme Deck Bundle

The Olyn of Urmstead theme deck bundle will also be available in the Store for 500 Gems for a limited time, and  includes the avatar and 4 premium copies of the new promo in addition to the theme deck!

Git along little dinos, there’s no time to spare! Hop into some PvP matches and earn your copies of Olyn of Urmstead before February 23rd!