March 26, 1257 - In The Beginning
This is the obligatory opening entry that pertains to the initial quest
Why is it that mornings are so hard for me? It always seems that waking up is a torturous affair, potentially made better in this case by a sharp knife in the back. I woke for the second time today covered in blood and being administered to by a kindly matron while a man unknown to me watched over my care. Once the lady had been dismissed he drew a chair up next to the bed in which I had been placed and proceeded to lay his situation out before me.
"Let me begin my sorrowful tale for you because my fortunes are such that I am unable to afford much else to persuade you to assist my cause. Our fine city of Reyvadin has recently been waylaid by a group of well organized bandits who spend every day plundering outlying villages and ambushing caravans of our goods. We have very little money left and only just a little more in the way of food. If we can't do something about these miscreants the worse off amongst us will perish!"
At this point the man broke down and, choking back tears, apologised for his outburst.
"It wasn't completely for altruistic reasons I saved you in the street this morning. Several days ago my own brother was captured by the bandits in a raids on a caravan he was travelling in. It has been so long since our city has had a champion, someone even able to wield a sword in our defense would become a hero to us. Please, come to our aid!"
I can tell you such empassioned words could not fall on my ears and fail to have an effect on me. I would need men and the local villages could supply willing recruits. Little better than targets for arrows but each with raw potential. Upon filling my ranks it was time to move out at the head of a (very small) column of men and nothing could have felt better.
In my defense, for what happens next, it had been many weeks since I had been sober enough to hold a sword and many more months since I had bothered lifting one in practice. The bandits had definitely made their presence known in the local countryside and it wasn't long until I was heading in to battle surrounded by the screams of the dead and dying. Such sounds were an anesthetic to my damaged and calloused heart. So much so that my own injuries became insignificant to me - until I found myself staring at the sky lying amongst bodies and unsure of how I came to be there. I can only thank the guardian angel Deshavi that came along at that time to show the remainder of my men the path to victory and then placed me on my horse to return to Reyvadin.
Once again I found myself staring at a ceiling, the untiring touch of the healer working an unspoken magic over my broken body. I vowed not to be defeated again as I balled my fists in pain to overcome the pain of the final stitches. It wasn't to be for several more days that I would be able to destroy the bandits lair.
Upon recovering I thanked Deshavi for her timely arrival and invited her to my company. I don't know what man would have this giantess but she can pull a bow and swing a quarterstaff better than most. We hit the trails, tracking bandits and destroying them to a man showing no mercy in the manner they had shown to the people of the land. Several roast pairs of feet later we found the information we were looking for and struck out for Ulburban where the last unfortunate soul had advised us the lair was located.
Battles are uninteresting topics to cover for we entered the rocky defile the bandits camped in and a bloody time later emerged with the brother we had been seeking. The clash of swords may inspire some poets but the dance of flames shooting in to the sky as we left, burning everything we could not carry, inspires me more than a hundred duels.
The tears shed at the happy reunion were short-lived as, once again, I was filled in on the next step of this plan as it got more and more in depth. "We have been waiting for this chance. Our King has control of this town but he is often a distant regent preferring to wage war than mind his fiefs and in his absence the captain of the guard has taken power in to his own hands and was central to the organization of the bandits. We must rid ourselves of this infestation once and for all. With your help we may succeed. You have already have helped us this far, just one more step?"
How could I refuse? Out on the streets the atmosphere was tense and I couldn't help thinking that these poor fools had no idea of what they were up against. The shout rang out from the buildings and the populace jumped the captain and within moments had him subdued and chained to the guild master's house. Finally I could say goodbye to these people and their problems but as I rode out of the gates I couldn't help but spotting a moustache standing against one of the walls.
"I am Rolf. Of the House of Rolf," he calmly informed me, "and I will give my sword to him that provides my keeping and promises to lead a successful company of men."
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****GAMEPLAY NOTES*****
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Footsoldieing hurts, a lot. Especially when you end up failing to pull out the wrong weapon or shield/weapon combo. So many harsh lessons to learn. Was lucky to get a couple of the companions I like to have from early on in my first little section here.
My little list of companions that I like goes: Rolf, Baheshtur, Deshavi, Klethi, Ymira, Alayen, Matheld, Nizar (I will bold as I get them)
Will post images once I get my image manipulator installed. I am envious of monnikje's skills so I will need to come up with something of my own... ^_^
. I'm using the Gimp by the way.
