I do not claim or imply ownership of the Dungeons and Dragons system and this writing is, of course, a work of fiction. My player characters are, so far as I know, not reading this and do not know what surprises are in store. Happy reading.
I am a guide, and I am a hunter. Those who disturb that which is sacred to me rarely avoid the teeth on my blade or the point of my arrow. Never had I left my sacred glen, but I learned a bit of the outside world by listening in on those who chose to pass through the woods. They never saw me, and most never bothered. The northern part of my woods is forbidden to all but me. Those who walk there without my or the centaurs leave are quickly escorted to the border. Those who refuse will never make such a foolish mistake again…ever.
But as all things must happen, something changed and I had to leave my woods. It happened when some black figures stole into the trees, smelling of smoke, sweat, and blood. I knew this group as they often passed through my wood; they even made a cottage out of nothing but deadfall in a small meadow. However, this time it was different, they stank of blood and ruin. Before I had an opportunity to question their actions, I saw that they were not alone. Wounded, weary, and not just a little angry were those that followed, hot on the dark one's trail.
It is with these folk that I was forced to leave my woods. Not against my will, but I finally found something worth traveling for. My grove would soon be destroyed if I did nothing. Yet what can one Elf do? I found that a few stout, if somewhat uncouth, allies can turn the tide of any battle. And these strangers who fearlessly chased these dark men into the woods would be mine eventually. But as to how they got here; let me tell you the tale.
Murcui, Yenessa, Wedgo, and Luuego were but four very poor people who set out to find fortune in other lands. Yenessa and Luuego were both elves, and although they did not know each other well, they found companions in each other. Yenessa was a thief, among other things, and nimble and graceful as they came. Luuego was a different story. Her back was stooped from years of pouring over old tomes and scrolls. Though she was still very young by elf standards, her mind encompassed the wisdom of a venerable elder. Murcui learned how to fight from years of taunting as a child and then a very difficult few seasons at the academy. His somewhat thoughtless manner of speech got him into more fights than anything else and he thought it better to leave and find fortune as he may. This is how he met the elves. Wedgo was the odd one of the group. Fortune was not his goal. He carried little with him and said even less. This human, though small, was amazingly formidable in combat, weapon or no. He traveled to sharpen his wits and his mind. He joined with the group because being alone on any road is dangerous.
These people, with hardly a coin to call their own, were utterly spent on their supplies when they reached a small town called Mesa. Around it a palisade had been hastily erected. A lone guard stood by the open gate, spear in hand. Behind the town, a immense mesa, several hundred feet high, thrust out of the plains.
"Heh, wonder where the town got its name?" Said Murcui.
"Hush, do not be so unwise as to insinuate insult in front of the gates when we have no where else to go." Advised Wedgo.
"Insinu-huh?"
The wizard snapped. "Be quiet for a moment, and we'll see what we can dig up here."
As they approached, they saw that the wood was still oozing sap in some places. The wood was poorly hewn and unfortified. "Anyone get the feeling that there's been trouble here?" The rogue asked as they passed through the gate.
"Halt! Sorry, I just need your names before you come in here. Being foreigners and all. I can see you have elves with you. We're a multiracial town, so don't worry about it. The dwarves run the mines and we handle the trade. My name is Rex, by the way, I watch the gate. It's a boring job, not much to do. But come on in! We love to have some new folks around to keep things interesting. By the way, if you're looking for work you can talk to Durek, he's always looking for a few extra hands to work." The guard ushered them in.
"Uh, don't you want our names?" Asked the wizard, overcome with the friendly greeting.
"Oh, uh…yeah."
They left their names with the guard and passed into the walls of the town. It was in a word, sparse. Two small chapels stood back by the mesa wall, a few work huts near the gaping mineshaft. What looked like a store was nestled against another building that might have either been a small common hall, or a large house…maybe both. Along the other side were a few hovels with a tiny tavern amidst them. All was in a moderate state of disrepair.
"This town has had it pretty rough…I wonder what's going on." Marveled Mercui.
"We don't have money to rent a room; we better see what this Durek fellow has for work. I'd rather not sleep on the ground and eat squirrels for the third day in a row." Grumbled the rogue. With that, the party wandered to the mineshaft. They saw that there were more homes hewn directly into the wall. An old dwarf sat by the entrance. His grey eyes glimmered with intelligence and a strange sadness. As they approached, they noted that the dwarf was one leg short, the left one as it were.
"Aye, me laddies and lassies. I see that you have come to my little place of the world. What can I do for yeh? Durek's the name, by the way. I run the mines, I used to work in the tunnels too, but I had me a bit of misfortune. It always comes in threes, misfortune does. First me leg is lost in an accident, now me mines are at half capacity. I dread to think what else may be coming."
"We've come looking for work. Why is your mine down so much capacity?" Said the rogue. A troubled look came over the dwarf's face.
"We've got vermin down there. We broke into a chamber rich in mithril ores. But only a day after we started mining, the mine was overrun with rats and snakes and strange beetles that bite something fierce. One of me miners was killed before he could escape. The rest refuse to go down to the second layer of the mine. There's ores on the first level too but the going has been rough, especially with the trouble up north."
The adventurers had come from the north, but they had heard of no trouble. They were about to speak up when the dwarf cut them off. "Tell ye what, I see you have arms for fighting. You clear out the mines for me, and I'll arrange for a room at the tavern once you get started. Also, feel free to keep whatever you find laying around down there. The tunnel is rigged with lights all the way down, so you shouldn't have trouble seein'. But be careful, I don't want to have to go on a rescue mission. I can't hop as fast as I used to." The dwarf gave a friendly wink and went back to reading some scroll he'd be poring over before.
"Well," sighed Yanessa, "there's little we can do on travel worn legs and empty stomachs. Let's find a place to rest up and prepare for the road ahead." The process turned out to be pretty simple. None of the small houses about town were capable of holding a party of their size, and there was only one tavern in the town that they could not afford. They simply went to Rex's hut and asked to spend the night inside the city walls. Rex complied and let them use his fire to cook the last of their food.