Dungeons and Dragons 4.0
By Nezumimaru
Disclaimer: I do not own Dungeons and Dragons.
To start off, I'll list off the PCs:
Kairon: Male Tiefling Warlord.
Dongaar: Male Dragonborn Ranger.
Pelais Takaar: Male Eladrin Rogue.
Ardran Le' Vargen: Male Elven Wizard. Does not join until later.
Omega: Male Dwarven Paladin. Does not join until later.
Roastie: Male Kobold Highstaff Cleric. Does not join until later.
Please note that this is not action for action, and some of it has been altered from the original game I played.
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Chapter 1
For Kairon, it was a low key day here at the Top Haven Mercenary Guild. He took another sip of ale as he scanned the Guild Hall from dark corner he sat at. The hall was simple in design, wooden and stone with a few banners of the Guild's symbol. It was also fairly empty, save for himself, the guild master Hiron Mortek-a human fighter, the guild's apothecary R, and three other members; an Elven Paladin named Vivian, a Dragonborn Ranger named Dongaar, and an Eladrin Rogue named Pelais Takaar, the last two sitting at a nearby table playing cards. The Tiefling Warlord hoped something would happen soon, if only to break the boredom.
And sure enough, a messenger burst though the door. He looked over the room, as if in search of some one, as all eyes came upon him, the silence unbroken. The man then spotted who he was looking for, the guild master, and quickly ran over to him, handing over a letter he was carrying.
Hiron opened the letter and looked it over, his face changing from bored to slight concern. Tipping the messenger, he sent him off and stood up. Hiron then motioned Kairon, Dongaar and Pelais over to him. 'A job, no doubt.' thought Kairon, 'And by the way the Boss' face looks, it's serious.'
"Men," Hiron started, "I have a job for you, as I have no one else available. A few hours ago, a thief stole a sealed scroll from the temple district, and was seen leaving the city's walls shortly after. The scroll's caretakers emphasize that the scroll must not be open and read for any reason."
"So find thief, kill thief, bring back goods, right?" asked Pelais as he tossed a shuriken into the air and balanced it on one finger.
"No, not that simple," the guild master sighed, "the thief happens to be Thomas Varin, the son of the Eleven Alliances representative for Top Haven, Role Varin. As such he must be brought back, too. Alive and in one piece." He added, glinting an evil eye at the three. The trio nodded. "Now head out to the stables and get a horse each. Young Master Varin may be on foot, but he's got a head start. Then go to the South Gates, the gate guards will tell you which way he went. Now hop to it!" All three stood at attention, replied with a "Yes, sir," and filed out the hall.
Once out, Pelais faced the other two. "So who's gonna be in charge on this one?" Kairon simply snorted, shouldered his halberd and walked pass. "Guess he is." Dongaar said, looking at a peeved Pelais before continuing.
At the stables, the mercs contemplated on what kind of ride they should get, as the Mercenary Guild offered both horses and riding spiders. Well, contemplated may not be the right word…..
"Spidies!" Dongaar shouted, running up to the closest one. "I want a spidie!" Kairon shook his head in exasperation. "No, Dongaar. Horses are faster, and if one gets hurt or killed, it won't cost as much to replace. Beside, Hiron said horses."
Dongaar looked at the riding spiders, then at Kairon with pleading eyes, "But…spidies…" "No." Kairon responded, harnessing and saddling a paint horse across from Dongaar. "And if you want to buy one from the guild, think again. They cost thousands of gold pieces, maybe even millions, which is far beyond your pay check will allow." Dongaar hung his head in defeat, and sulked over to a black horse to prepare it. Pelais chuckled a little as he, too, harnessed up a paint horse.
Soon, they were all saddled up and at the South Gates. Upon arriving, one of the gate guards approached them. "Ah, you must be the mercenaries that are going after the thief. He passed here awhile ago, going south. Most likely he went off to the forest in that direction. But be careful, there have been reports of wolves, and worse, in that area. Good luck."
As the three traveled south, Dongaar's Ranger tracking skills were put to good use, losing Thomas' trail in the forest only a few times but quickly found it again. They soon approach a clearing, instantly spotting an Elven boy with a scroll in his lap, sitting under a tree in the center of the clearing, clearly Thomas Varin. Unfortunately, he also spotted them, as started running in the opposite direction. Kairon spurred his horse to sprint, and attempted to trip Thomas with the blunt end of his halberd, but Thomas nimbly jumped over it and bolted away.
The commotion attracted a small group of wolves who started to circle the only one away from the majority, Thomas. Dongaar quickly drew his bow and readied an arrow, taking aim at the wolves. Pelais climbed a tree so as to get a better vantage point over the wolves. One of the wolves lunged at Thomas, but was met in the face with an arrow, while another was hit in the shoulder with a shuriken, angering it.
With their brethren down, the others turned their attention towards the bigger threat. They swiftly closed the ground between them and the mercs. Dongaar switched from his bow to his long spear, just in time to block a pair of wolf teeth from biting him. Kairon met another wolf, swinging his halberd in an upward motion, slicing clean through the beast's lower jaw and knocking it aside. As the wolf staggered to its feet, the Tiefling struck downward, skewering the heart.
Pelais threw another shuriken at the wolf he hit earlier, striking right between the eyes, killing it instantly. Another wolf noticed this and attempted to jump into the tree Pelais was in. Ina strange twist of fate, on its second try it made it up to the Eladrin's level, but was not steady. Pelais took the opportunity to kick the wolf away, successfully knocking it out of the tree and onto the ground.
While the mercs were distracted by the wolves, Thomas opened the scroll and started to read from it, in an ancient and complex language. A red glow emitted from the scroll, and it started to encircle the boy, sucking energy from his body. Thomas screeched in pain as the scroll levitated him above the ground. Dongaar knocked the wolf he was locked with away and attempted to approach the scroll, but as he did, the scroll summoned two dire rats into being before teleporting fifteen feet into the air.
As the dire rats faced the warriors, the wolf Dongaar knocked away attempted to blindside him, only to but shot with an arrow in mid-air. Turning around, our heroes saw a Ranger at the tree line. "Heard what happen from Hiron, came to help." he said before firing an arrow at the dire rats. But unlike the wolves, the rats are more nimble and easily dodged the arrow.
The wolf kick from the tree got to its feet, shaking off its windedness. But Dongaar pierced it with his long spear, taking it down for good. Kairon hustled to the rats, meeting halberd with claws. Dongaar and the Ranger both readied their bows and supported Kairon from afar. Pelais looked at the battle on the ground, then at the scroll. As the battle was going on, it was draining more and more energy from Thomas, who was still screaming in pain.
So Pelais used his racial power, Fey Step, to teleport to the trees underneath the glowing scroll. But as he tried to get closer, the scroll blasted a ball of fire at him. With the others, the battle was going both ways. The rats got hit, but were not going down and got in a few hits of their own. Dongaar got bit and started to feel the starting effects of Filth Fever, severely inhibiting his fighting. But thanks to the three's combined efforts, the two rats perished, and they quickly went to help Pelais.
The scroll spewed a few more fire balls at its foes, setting more than a few trees on fire. Pelais fell once, but with some quick thinking, had tied a throwing hammer to a rope and used it to grapple onto the higher branches. Getting up to the scroll's level, Pelais slashed at the red aura around the scroll and Thomas. It flickered at contact, but remained. To the observant, the scroll seemed to not like it.
"Pelais!" Kairon called to him, "Keep hitting the aura! If you dispel it, the scroll will lose its power and become dormant again! Dongaar, Ranger, you two try and strike it with your arrows. I'll try and keep the fire from spreading."
"There's a river on the other side of the trees," said the Ranger, "And the owner of these lands, the famer Fin-fin, will see the smoke, so he and his farmhands will come and help put it out."
Kairon nodded and ran off to the river as fast as his chain mail would let him. Dongaar and the Ranger continued to fire arrows at the scroll, dodging fire balls and now lighting bolts that it fired back. Pelais threw a few shuriken at it, trying to get closer again to make another slash. The aura around the scroll faded from red to light pink, indicating that it was getting weaker.
And as if it knew that it would not last longer, the scroll burst the aura, causing a shockwave to pass through the area. Dongaar and Ranger were knocked off their feet and Pelais nearly fell out of the tree, but managed to catch a lower branch. As Kairon predicted, with the aura gone, the scroll became dormant once again, and fell to the ground. Unfortunately, so did Thomas Varin. Fortunately, Dongaar managed to get back on his feet in time and caught Thomas before he collided with the ground.
Kairon returned, and with Fin-fin and his farmhands. "My trees! What did you do to my trees?!" Fin-fin cried shaking his fist at the mercenaries. "Uhh, we didn't do it. The scroll did." Pelais said pointing to the scroll that Ranger was rolling up, "And anyway, we should be going. You know, getting the scroll and Varin's brat back to town so….bye!" He then sped off to his horse, which was waiting patiently on the opposite site of the clearing, away from the fire. Dongaar, carrying an unconscious Thomas, and Ranger followed suit. Kairon shook his head in shame.
"I apologize for what happened here. I shall stay and help you put out the fire and save what is left." He said, picking up a pail of water and threw it on the fire. "Thank you. At least one of you mercs is nice enough to help out." Fin-fin replied and started to help.
LATER, BACK AT TOP HAVEN
"Good job getting back the kid and the scroll." Hiron said, giving said scroll to a temple caretaker and the boy to a town guard. "You will be paid appropriately and, uh…where's Kairon?"
"Oh, uh, he stayed behind." Dongaar said, scratching the back of his head, "The scroll kinda torched some of the farmer's trees, and needed to be put out."
"Ah, then he will be paid his share when he gets back. For now, you all should go to the temple. The healers were grateful enough to give each of you a free healing for returning the scroll. And it looks like you need it for the Filth Fever, Dongaar." "Yeah, I think I do."
ON THE ROAD TO TOP HAVEN
Kairon rode his horse back to Top Haven, keeping at a nice slow pace. With the fire out and the objective completed, there was no rush getting back. Hiron will hold on to his pay until he gets back.
Kairon's ears twitched and tail flicked suddenly. Sounds of horse hooves, other then that of the one he was riding reached his ears. Looking over his shoulder, Kairon barely got a glimpse of a horse and rider before he sped past. 'Looks like a messenger.' he thought as he spurred his horse, 'And at the pace he was going, I'd say that it's an important one. I'd better get back to the guild. If instincts serve me right, that message is for us.' And he quickly rode on, not knowing that his instincts were in fact right, or that the next mission will be one like he never experienced.
End Chapter 1
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Nezumiamru: Finis. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter and the first mission the next one will be a real doozy.