The story begins in the peaceful lakeside hamlet of Lehren, nestled on the southern shores of Lake Saun in the Kingdom of Erenon. Two recruits from the Lehren militia, sent on a typical scouting mission to report on local disturbances in the northwestern farmlands, have failed to return and the headmaster is growing concerned. Being a somewhat "tame" and docile little town, Lehren doesn't see much action and thus hasn't staffed the militia to appropriate levels. However, fate has it that two fine young adventurers just happen to be passing through...
Talos, a brilliant-yet-snobby young wizard of Elven descent, has chosen Lehren as his first stop in his quest to unravel the mysteries of a small, smoke-filled glass orb he'd recently obtained. A small curio shoppe, such as the one in Lehren, just might be the place to pick some brains. Sadly, the shoppe owner knew nothing save for pointing Talos in a new direction--Reeser Cloudlake in the city of Quanlo. Having the rest of the day to ponder the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, Talos decided to take a stroll through town. Upon crossing a small, dirt side road, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and decided to investigate. Talos had spotted an unusually quick and shadowy figure darting around the side of one of the more "noble" establishments of Lehren.
Fhasys, a deft yet vengeful young rogue of some Elven descent, had just stepped out into the daylight after what struck her as the most useless thieve's guild meeting she'd ever attended. Not only was the meeting sparsely attended (how many thieves does a hamlet really need, anyway), but they were all clearly far below her level of skill and expertise. She'd provided some tips and pointers on the finer skills of stealth but soon decided to move on... to stealing stuff. Winding her way through the town's various dirt roads and back-alleys, Fhasys stumbled upon quite possibly the most "upscale" home in all of Lehren--which wasn't saying much. She poked her way around the building looking for signs of life (and open windows), and eventually found one that she could slip into.
Talos was chasing a ghost, and one that barely held his curiosity... but it was better than getting drunk this early in the day. He followed the shadowy figure around one side of the home and then the other, finally stopping to watch her slip into a window. Shrugging his shoulders, he figured this sort of business was best left alone and made his way to the Golden Coin--the local inn and tavern. On the way, he was approached by a messenger and handed a letter... from none other than the headmaster of the local guild.
Managing to avoid detection of the home's single inhabitant, Fhasys unlocked and explored two rooms in the house for goodies. She left with a small wooden lock-box and a couple pairs of fancy clothes which she flipped at the local curio shop for a few gold. Seeing nothing of real value, she decided to head down the block to the Golden Coin as well for a drink. On the way, she was approached by a messenger.
The scene in the Golden Coin was that of absolute mellowness... Nothing, in particular, was going on anywhere. To celebrate her new found wealth, Fhasys bought a round for all four strangers at the bar; including a fancily-dressed elf sitting in a dark corner drinking some fancy wine. The elf, obviously, refused the vastly inferior drink. Taking it personally (as she usually does), Fhasys confronted the elf with a flying mug. Talos deftly dodged and landed next to her at the bar. What happens when an elitist meets a girl with a chip on her shoulder? Nothing good, I tell you.
Fhasys and Talos finally agreed to stop arguing and they were soon visited by the militia headmaster, Dugan Steinland. Some local farmsteads in the outskirts of town had been reporting disturbances, and the last batch of recruits sent to scout the area have not returned. For a handful of gold, they agreed to investigate.
After some while of walking the fields, the duo came across a badly damaged farm house owned by the Fetterman family. Smoke billowed from one side of the building where a huge gouge was dug out of the upper-floors. Talos discerned some rather large footprints in the grass while Fhasys moved closer to scope the situation. Inside, they encountered a group of mean-spirited bandits (which they dispatched with some difficulty) and then decided to head back for their reward. Actually, Fhasys decided to head back as Talos, at this point, was lying unconscious on the back of her horse.
Reward collected but with no news of the recruits, Dugan urged them to continue their search. More gold was offered, and accepted, as well as two ponies. Talos and Fhasys got in some more bickering at the Golden Coin before turning in for the night. Before going to sleep, Fhasys demolished her new found lock box to discover a small silver ring, embellished with an amethyst.
The next morning, they set off back toward the Fetterman farmstead following a crudely drawn map Fhasys had found on one of the bandits. After quite a long ride toward the foothills of Mount Ayrah, they encountered a sleeping giant... literally. The party snuck up on Grum'glum (the ogre) and, once within range, loosed an arrow in its direction. Unfortunately, the arrow missed--landing in a nearby bush--and awoke the beast. The ensuing battle was frightening, to say the least, involving a humongous javelin toss, constant "running away" behavior by Talos, and a club-slam that launched Fhasys into the air knocking her unconscious. Eventually, they managed to slay Grum'glum and search its cave.
In a huge, iron cauldron they found the skeletal remains of two people--assumed to be the missing recruits--and a silver token emblazoned with the symbol of a raven. Fhasys rode on the back of Talos' pony this time, and after a bit of healing they were granted another reward and thanked by Dugan for work well-done. The town of Lehren can rest easy knowing that nothing will ever happen again to disturb their peace... ever. Never ever. Again.
No comments:
Post a Comment