Faendal's Journey

By: Humphrey Gilbert

This is the story of Faendal Brown, a renowned warlord that died fighting the great demon Vænon. This story will go thoroughly into detail of how he became that powerful person everyone used to know. I hope you enjoy this story as I had a hard time extracting the memories from many beings to piece it all together.

25th of Springs Fall, 4E 675

My name is Faendal Brown I am 17, a few days ago I discovered my father had left for a better life the second I became of age. He left everything on the farm except most of the money, some food, his personal belongings, and mothers mirror. My mother died when I was only 10, and my father had a rough time after her death. He would spend his free time drinking his sorrows away, and when he was working he did a shabby job. I was kind of glad he was gone but he had all the knowledge of farming, after days of pondering I decided to take over the farm.

14th of Frosts Reaping, 732 A.E

After months of labor I could only produce meager crops that would only fetch me around 20 copper pieces at the market, I had failed as a farmer. Even though the was barely any money to be made I still needed to eat, I set out at dawn heading for the nearby village. 3 hours later I arrived at the village, the village was a bushel of houses surrounded by a stone wall ten feet high with guard posts at every corner, each guard was decked in a suit of leather armor and a steel tipped spear. I approached the door and spoke to the guard, after checking my supply and laughing to himself about my shortage of greenery he opened those gate to let me in.

Inside the walls was a hole other world, shops lined the streets were people dressed in colorful clothing were bartering with the shop keeps, small children ran and played while the older children worked with their mothers and fathers selling goods. I reached a stand selling vegetables and sold them my crops, 13 copper pieces, not even enough to buy a large meal. I stopped at a pub and purchased a mug of mead before I left, I was sad and my spirits were down when it hit me, I don't have to be a farmer, I could be anything I want to be. I finished my drink and ran outside, it was almost sundown so I had to be fast, I went to the nearest stand and applied for a job, the person said they weren't hiring so I moved on, the next said I needed a education to get the job, since I lived on I farm I was always working and didn't have time for a job, after that I continued asking everyone in site. After an hour of asking and begging I didn't get a job, broken, I returned to the pub and ordered another mead. I was about to leave when a old man in a brown robe entered the pub, "I would like a goblet of red wine, and a mead for this kind sir next to me." He said, "Oh… Uh…. I don't have any money." I replied," Don't worry, it's on the house." He said " Why, why do this for someone you don't know?" I said, "I can tell you're a good person, I saw you asking around for a job." The drinks arrived and the old man pulled a gold piece out of his bag hand handed it to the owner of the pub, he gasped, "My name is Jal, I am a arch wizard and adventurer." Said Jal, "an arch wizard?" I thought "sitting right next to me?" Arch wizards were known for being one of the most powerful people who roam the earthen realm, but I never heard of an adventurer. "What is an adventurer?" I asked, "someone who seeks adventure and riches, some raid tombs, others battle beasts, it is all the job of an adventurer accept for one thing, adventurers are supposed to be protectors, the Knights outside of castle walls, but sadly most mind their own business when people are in danger." Said Jal. I gazed up at the ceiling and saw the tapestry inscribed with the mark of the red dragon, "Jal?" I said, "Yes?" He turned to me, "I want to become an adventurer." He smiled and looked at his goblet, "bartender! Another round on the house!"

15th of Frosts reaping, 732 A.E.

After spending the night in an inn I went to the marketing plaza and sold the deed to my house, I didn't want to and asked Jal for money and all he said was, "you won't respect your gear if you don't work for it." I didn't know what he meant by that as it was just gear and could be easily replaced. After selling the house and land I had 4 gold pieces, 233 silver pieces, and 15 bronze pieces, I also sold are old horse and wagon as they were destined to fall apart any day now and purchased a fine mare that bared the name of Satella and a wagon that was light but sturdy. I had about 1 gold piece after wards so I went to the stalls that sold weapons and armor, I purchased a set of leather armor for 500 silver pieces but couldn't find a weapon. I met up with a blacksmith who specialized in weapons "what can I do you for?" He said, "I would like to buy a weapon." I said "what kind?" He replied, I was lost for words, I had no idea what I wanted. He noticed my confusion and pointed me to a field, "there are practice weapons out there, don't worry there dull so they won't kill you…. Probably." I went out to the field and saw the weapons sitting on their own benches, I picked up the bow and knocked an arrow, it flew past the target and hit a rock, the next arrow hit the outside ring, when I drawed the last arrow the string on the bow snapped, "maybe a bow isn't for me." I thought. I picked up a war hammer and swung at a scarecrow, I heard a loud cracking sound and felt immense pain from my back, I carefully put down the hammer and did some stretches. Next I picked up two daggers and slashed the air, I didn't count for how light they were and cut my hand, after bandaging up my hand I cleaned the twin blades. Finally I picked up a short sword, this time I balanced the blade and got used to the weight, I swung the sword thought the air, it wasn't heavy and clunky like the hammer and it had power behind it unlike the daggers. I sheathed the sword and put it on the bench, then I returned to the blacksmith, "I would like a shortsword." I said prominently, "sure," replied the blacksmith, "there over there." I walked over to the sword rack and examined the blades, there were 800 silver each! I couldn't afford this I was about to walk away when I noticed a light shining from the ceiling, it was the blade of a sword, "what's that?" I said, "that's the sword of ice, it belonged to a warlord that died fighting a group of heroes in this village a few years back." Replied the blacksmith, "why is it up there?" I said, "it got logged into the roof and the magic that expelled from it froze it in place, the ice melted a few months later but no one could pull out the sword, it's like that story about the fabled Excalibur." Said the blacksmith. I walked outside to get a closer look, the handle of the sword was turned into a flag, I jumped onto the low hanging roof and approached the sword. The sword was made of a metal that was unknown to me, it was a grey color that shined like silver but it also had a blue glare to it. The pommel was a blue stone that was cracked, that must have been where the magic was stored.