The Forgotten Realms Book 1

It had been a week since Aldalon, a young elven sorcerer, escaped the destruction of the town of Westgate. He was now on a caravan to Neverwinter, which he'd been on for about five days. The sun had begun to set and the Halfling caravan master spoke up.

"I think it is time for us to set up camp for the night,"

The others on the caravan nodded and voiced the same opinion. So the caravan stopped and began to set up for the night. Aldalon helped make the fire and cook a decent meal, although it had a lot of be desired.

"Thank goodness you're a Sorcerer and not a cook!" A bartender from Westgate laughed.

Aldalon nodded, "You're lucky I didn't put a polymorph spell on that food,"

The bartender chuckled, "I don't think you know one anyways."

Aldalon sighed and continued to eat his food. The bushes rustled nearby.

"Hey, Firehands," The dwarven cleric, who was friends with the bartender, said, "Ye mind checkin' that bush out?"

Aldalon rolled his eyes, "Fine, fine."

The elf got up and headed toward the bushes and noticed a wolf getting ready to strike. He held out his hand and shot a magic missile at the wolf. The spell did minor damage but the wolf cowered in fear.

"I say!" A familiar voice said, the hooded druid who had helped Aldalon escape Westgate appeared, "It seems my wolf has taken a liking to you!"

"It attacked me!" Aldalon growled.

"I told it to," The druid smiled, "You look so much like an elf I once knew, I never really got his name though."

Aldalon sighed, "Just go away!"

"Oh no no no!" The druid laughed, hysterically, "I think you should try some of my roast bird!"

The druid handed him a bird, fried to a golden brown, on a stick.

"Why did you make this?" Aldalon asked him.

"Because I was hungry," The druid said.

"But druids aren't supposed to kill animals,"

"The bird just flew down to me a plopped over dead," The druid explained, "I felt sorry for the poor little guy, but you looked so delicious!"

"So how goes things with the circle?"

"They gave me a new assignment! To quote-on-quote "Get as far away from here as possible" Oh I just love doing assignments like those! I get to see the world! Although I don't know where I could go to be furthest away from the circle"

"Interesting," Aldalon said and took a bite of the bird, which was the best thing he'd ever tasted. The young elf savored the taste for sighing with content, "I must be heading back to camp now."

The druid looked into the sky, "Oh look at that! Those stars are getting married!" he said, mumbling off into the forest.

"That man never ceases to amaze me," Aldalon said and headed back to camp.

"Oye!" The dwarven cleric exclaimed, "What was in that bush?"

"Just a rabbit," Aldalon lied, "Nothing of major threat."

"Aye," The cleric said, "But that was one very talkative rabbit. Kind of reminded me of that crazy druid in the sewers."

"Yeahhe was in the shape of a rabbit," Aldalon said, "Listen, I'm going to turn in for the night alright?"

The others nodded and Aldalon went into a tent and drifted off to sleep.

Aldalon's dream was a strange one; he was in a grey place that looked dead and barren.

"I wonder where I am," Aldalon said with a little bit of worry, looking around. The sounds of tortured souls rang out from the west. Aldalon gulped and followed the sound.

After what seemed like ages but was only a mere moment in the world of dreams, he came to a giant green wall made of souls, all of them crying out in agony. The elf tried to recall what this was, but couldn't. He continued walking along the wall until he found a familiar face. It was of a half-orc bully from his childhood. The orc had mysteriously died when he turned thirty.

"Hello there, Bloodrunner," Aldalon smiled, "Fancy meeting you here."

The half-orc looked at Aldalon and growled, "I am here simply because I knew how nature worked! No gods control this world! And look at me now, what a fool I was"

Aldalon laughed at the misfortune of the bully before hands lunged out from the wall and tried to pull Aldalon in. The sorcerer woke up and almost screamed in terror. After a few short pants he put his head back down and went to sleep. Aldalon woke up the next morning and headed to the fire. He noticed a man in a black hood poking the fire.

"Excuse me," Aldalon said, "What are you doing by the fire?"

"Why hello there good sir!" The man said, turning around, "It seems like I've stumbled across your camp!"

Aldalon nodded, "Yeah," And saw the that druid was roasting a fawn, "Care to explain that?"

"It was the same as that bird, he was walked over to me a fell over dead!" The man said.

"I see," Aldalon said. The smell of cooked fawn drew the out all the other caravan members.

"Hey!" The Halfling caravan master exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just going make you some food," The druid smiled, "No harm done."

The Halfling sighed, "Very well,"

"Yeah," Aldalon sighed, "He's just nuts."

"Nuts?" The druid said, "Why yes! Those would go great with the deer!"

The druid went into the forest and came back with some nuts. The insane druid shoved the nuts down the deer's gullet and began to whistle a tune while cooking the deer.

The bartender from Westgate leaned over to Aldalon, "Is there any way we could get rid of him?"

Aldalon nodded, "Excuse me, ."

"Yes?" The hooded man asked, "Is there something you need of me?"

Aldalon took out a map and pointed to the far north, "This is the place furthest from the circle."

"Oh! I need to get there right away!" The druid exclaimed, "I will see you soon!"

The druid got up and ran down the path.

"So that's what ye were talkin' about?" The dwarven cleric laughed.

Aldalon nodded, "Yeah."

"Well after we finish eatin' it should be time to head out."

The caravan members packed up their things and headed out. When the sun was high in the sky the horses stopped, as if they sensed something.

"Well these beasts aren't going to go anytime soon," The Halfling sighed, "I guess we'll set up camp here."

The rest of the caravan nodded and set up camp. As Aldalon started the fire, he noticed a monk walking by.

"Hey there traveler!" Aldalon yelled, "Where are you headed to?"

"Neverwinter," The monk replied.

"So are we!" Aldalon exclaimed, "Why don't you join us?"

The monk nodded and came over to the camp.

"So," The Halfling caravan master said, "Why are you out of your monastery?"

"I'm going to plead to the lord of Neverwinter," The monk said, "My monastery was attacked by goblins."

"Well, Westgate was burned to the ground by goblins," Aldalon said with anger, "But we've set out for a better opportunity in Neverwinter."

The monk nodded, "I see."

Aldalon looked around the campsite and noticed another forest.

"Hey guys," Aldalon said, "I'm going to head into the forest and see if I can't find some food for us."

"I'll come with you," The monk said.

"It would be a pleasure for you to come along," Aldalon smiled, "May I have your name?"

"Vaxel Hian," The monk said.

Aldalon nodded and started toward the forest, Vaxel following right behind him. A few minutes into the forest Aldalon began to remember something.

"This must be the Mere of Dead Men," Aldalon said.

"What is that?" The monk asked.

"A swamp around West Harbor,"

"I see,"

The sound of lizard hissing came from some bushes. Aldalon and Vaxel hid and saw several Lizardmen talking in some intangible language. The lizardfolk sniffed, the air.

"Warm bloods!" A lizard folk exclaimed, "To arms!"

"Actually, we're harmless," Vaxel said, "We're just trying to explore this great swampland."

The lizardmen hissed, "Very well warm bloodssss you may passs."

The two adventurers nodded and passed the lizard men. No sooner had they done that, an arrow whizzed past their head. The monk noticed that the person who shot the arrow was behind a tree a few feet in front of them. Aldalon and Vaxel agreed that they were going to flank their opponent. The sorcerer cast mage armor on himself and ran to the left of the tree. The monk ran right. The enemy was a woman who was bald and had arrow ready to fire. She let her bow string go and the arrow nicked Aldalon on the shoulder. Aldalon used an Acid Splash spell and did minor damage to the hunter. As Vaxel got the behind the hunter, she lunged at Aldalon, striking him across the chest. Aldalon used some magic missiles on the hunter before the monk landed and punch to the hunters back. The sound of a spine crunching echoed through out the forest and a drop of blood shot from the hunter's mouth. The hunter hit the ground, muttering something before breathing her final breath.

"That was fun!" Vaxel laughed.

"No time to stop!" Aldalon said, spotting another hunter readying an arrow. The sorcerer roared in fury and ran toward the male hunter. The hunter, caught off guard, fired some arrows into the sky landing several feet behind Vaxel. Aldalon approached the hunter and used a Burning Hands spell that did a fair amount of damage to the ranger. The monk jumped onto a rock that the hunter had taken cover behind and kicked dust in the hunter's eyes. Vaxel followed with two kicks, but the kicks were blocked by the hunters bow. Aldalon fired a magic missile at the hunter and the monk took his chance. He jumped off the rock and landed a punch to the hunters face. The face caved in and the hunter hit the ground. His nose and face bleed profusely. Vaxel found a key to a small chest nearby. In the chest was a quarterstaff and some shoes. Aldalon quickly seized the quarterstaff and the monk took the shoes.

"Well this was a great adventure," Vaxel smiled.

Aldalon chuckled for the first time since Westgate's destruction, "Yeah, I look forward to adventuring with you more."

"Same," Vaxel smiled, "Friends?"

"Friends," Aldalon said with a confident smile.