After saving the king from most certain peril, Nathan and the companions
with him were allowed to live a peaceful life. But he was still a good
friend to his companion Sir Kenneth- a large man who had much courage and
valor was a knight and left hand man to the new king. He had once been a
farmer, but when an orc uprising captured him and his family as slaves Ken
turned to being a knight and thus helping to lead a rebellion out of the
clutches of slavery and to free his parents. Ken and Nathan along with a
few people in the rebellion led the villagers to a safe place.
After rescuing the king, Nathan did not take a high court position like Ken. Nathan returned to his forest home, and founded his own elven tribe. While his tribe began to thrive, Nathan learned the arts of being a ranger- a person who defended good and protected nature. While training for such things a Druid took favor with him and told him of a grave evil that was disrupting the balance of nature. The druid pleaded Nathan to go to the west where the threat was and destroy it.
Nathan would not normally believe such an exotic tale of evil growing in the west, yet he felt power in the druid and his instincts told him to listen. Nathan asked The Druid to come with him yet the Druid said he had business that had to be settled before he could help. So Nathan went to Ken promising "One last Adventure" before settling down to a life that was not on the road.
"What road shall we take Nathan?" Ken asked.
"To the west. The Druid said there was a man waiting for us at Cartim. He is in the "Gold Anvil Inn" He should be at a table in the corner to our left as we enter the inn. We say to him- ' To the west we go yet need a guide and teacher' then he will enlighten us." Nathan responded.
"Let's hope we don't have to much trouble on the way. I'd hate to get ambushed today."
"No such luck I'm afraid. Look ahead."
And surprisingly enough, a man large enough to rival Ken had appeared. He was dressed in black, yet he did not seem like a rag-tag bandit. He had a fine cloak and extravagant mesh-like armor. In a loud and deep voice he cried,
" I require assistance travelers! Help me and I may be able to tell you of- " But the man broke off for many men came from the woods and opened fire with crossbows. The man was hit a few times but seemed not to take much damage. His fine armor prevented serious injury.
Ken did not hesitate. It was not in his nature to watch someone, even as bandits attack a stranger. With a loud yell he charged forth, sword in hand, ready to deliver a mighty overhead chop to any that got in the way.
Nathan was more cautious in his approach. He pulled out in one hand a throwing axe, and in the other a wand. With the wand he launched a volley of small red balls that smashed into a man that was going to hamstring Ken with a Bastard sword. With the axe Nathan threw it and caved in a man's skull.
The man in black had a Bastard sword and used it to great effect. For a man of his size he was quite agile. With a few long strides, he had a man in range. With a lunge he skewered him and thus knocked him into a fellow bandit and tangled him up. But the man hadn't stopped his attack. With his momentum still carrying his sword, he chopped through the bandit and swung around with a roundhouse of a swing and making a diagonal slash through a new bandit's shoulder blade and to his chest. Yet he did not have enough momentum to keep his sword moving. So he released his sword and pulled twin daggers from his boot. He threw one at an enemy pulling out a short sword, and moved to his left and stabbed a new opponent. With no more weapons the man pulled the bandit's sword from his scabbard and began a new attack.
Ken saw the man in black kill two men and wound three. With almost 15 still uninjured, Ken would have to work harder to prevent to many injuries. He smashed one man's face with a gauntlet and trampled him as he passed. The next man leapt aside but was no match for Ken's charge. With a strange surge of pride Ken had an impulse to kill more men than the one in black. Ken just held out his sword, and like a lance he killed the bandit who had tried to escape. Ken pulled his sword free and engaged an opponent. This one was prepared to block Ken's next swing but his sword only broke as Ken smashed it in two and killed the bandit. But now the bandits were ready to fight.
Nathan saw how this encounter was going. Nathan thought that the bandits would call quarter if a few men were injured. But that seemed unlikely now. With a sigh Nathan pulled out his bow and began firing. With a few well-placed shots, the bandits seemed greatly afraid of their opponents. But they also seemed ready to fight to the death.
The man in black felt pretty weak wielding the short sword but he still used it. He was pushed back by two men in a coordinated charge and was unable to use the sword due to his arm being swept aside by a swipe from a sword. The other bandit made a slash but wasn't able to penetrate the armor. The man in black did not like his armor being dented. With a growl he grabbed both bandits by the necks and slammed them against each other. He stabbed one with his now free sword and left it there. He kicked the other bandit as he passed to retrieve his Bastard sword. When he turned around to continue combat, a Crossbow was leveled his way. Normally a crossbow wouldn't penetrate the armor. But this bandit was firing about two feet away. The quarrel sunk in and wounded the man as well as hurting the armor. But soon the man was dead as an arrow protruded from his neck.
Ken did not chase the now fleeing bandits. Nathan's arrow had fallen another man and the others were too cowardly to face their enemies. He noticed the man in black kneeling on the dirt. Ken recognized an injury and rushed over.
"What happened man?" Ken inquired.
"A Quarrel in the gut." He replied. "But not to worry! I've had worse." He said this after a worried look from Ken.
"Let me get that out."
"What- the Quarrel? No-no. I got it. I just need a few bandages and I'm as good as new." With a grunt he yanked out the quarrel.
"You fight with great skill man. What is your name? Or must you always be 'The man in black' to any bard who narrates your tale?" Nathan asked.
"By your words I know not whether to think you snide or merry. Either way you may call me by my name. And that name is Soth."
"Why would you think me snide and untrustworthy Soth?" Nathan replied.
"I've my reasons. But on a more obvious note many a bandit has jumped me and that seems quite a reasonable reason in which not to have faith of these roads not being satisfactory in the well being of others. Now if you don't mind I may need to talk to you of a certain Druid- as long as explaning why these bandits perused me."
Nathan was taken aback by this response.
"Very well." He said coolly. "What do you know of the Druid?"
"Well," Soth began "I didn't know about the Druid until not to long ago. I found out about him when a band of Orcs decided I needed capturing. They caught me for a reason I did not yet know. Orcs tend to be lazy and lax when not supervised by a leader. Bunches of chaotic pig-snouts Orcs are. Yet I easily escaped the guards but found myself in one mansion of a cavern."
Soth took a deep breath like he was trying to remember an important detail. "I got to my arms and armor, but along the way I had dispatched a few sentries and guards. So now I was considered a threat and to be killed on sight. Apparently the chieftain by the name of Zlijak Sclayi or in common Blood Claw was personally after me.
"Now this was a good reason for me to haul butt and escape. Yet my curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to know if my kidnapping was random or planned. Soon enough it was the latter that became apparent. After a couple more weeks in that hole I found bits and pieces of documents and my fair share of Orcs in my way.
"Some documents had orders to hunt down me. Others had orders to kill heroes well trained in their arts. The only one that distinctly stands out in my mind was a Knight. A Knight by the name of Sir Kenneth. Another with a Druid. There was no name for the Druid but it said that he had been visiting heroes and forming a plan to build a powerful force of good to battle the enemy of the west. When I saw this Knight here," Soth nodded to Ken "I thought the Druid had talked to you. And so I left at last and fled. Apparently I was still being hunted so that brings me to this spot here."
"Quite a tale. My paladin abilities show no falsehood in your tale nor be you of evil intent. As well I am Sir Kenneth- the one Knight you read of. But you may call me Ken. In my eyes you are a hero. So I think it a reasonable idea if you would join us in our quest to the west. Perhaps we may be able to unravel the mystery of this evil and the Druid."
"I will join you. Yet I am weary and ready to stop. It is for that reason that I was a bit mean to you good Elf." Soth replied
"Not a problem." Nathan responded. "And you may call me Nathan."
"So- let us begin setting up a reasonable campsite." Ken said.
After tents were pitched and food well on the way to being finished cooking, Soth inquired Nathan of their destination.
"We are heading to Cartim where a man will meet us. He will give us information on our quest."
"Where do you suspect we go from there?" Soth asked
"I'm guessing due west. West from Cartim is a grassland with a lake in the middle and a few hills. Who knows what we may find there? I think though that we would be visible for miles for anyone that wants to view us from a distance. Yet it is a fast route. Winter is almost upon us and we don't want to be crossing an alternate rout such as the valleys and mountains. The grassland is fast enough to escape winter in there. More west is A hill land with a few forests scattered about. After that is mountains. And those mountains are the extent of my knowledge. So I suspect our journey will take us to the mountains."
The night continued with conversation of little importance and soon all the party was asleep.
After rescuing the king, Nathan did not take a high court position like Ken. Nathan returned to his forest home, and founded his own elven tribe. While his tribe began to thrive, Nathan learned the arts of being a ranger- a person who defended good and protected nature. While training for such things a Druid took favor with him and told him of a grave evil that was disrupting the balance of nature. The druid pleaded Nathan to go to the west where the threat was and destroy it.
Nathan would not normally believe such an exotic tale of evil growing in the west, yet he felt power in the druid and his instincts told him to listen. Nathan asked The Druid to come with him yet the Druid said he had business that had to be settled before he could help. So Nathan went to Ken promising "One last Adventure" before settling down to a life that was not on the road.
"What road shall we take Nathan?" Ken asked.
"To the west. The Druid said there was a man waiting for us at Cartim. He is in the "Gold Anvil Inn" He should be at a table in the corner to our left as we enter the inn. We say to him- ' To the west we go yet need a guide and teacher' then he will enlighten us." Nathan responded.
"Let's hope we don't have to much trouble on the way. I'd hate to get ambushed today."
"No such luck I'm afraid. Look ahead."
And surprisingly enough, a man large enough to rival Ken had appeared. He was dressed in black, yet he did not seem like a rag-tag bandit. He had a fine cloak and extravagant mesh-like armor. In a loud and deep voice he cried,
" I require assistance travelers! Help me and I may be able to tell you of- " But the man broke off for many men came from the woods and opened fire with crossbows. The man was hit a few times but seemed not to take much damage. His fine armor prevented serious injury.
Ken did not hesitate. It was not in his nature to watch someone, even as bandits attack a stranger. With a loud yell he charged forth, sword in hand, ready to deliver a mighty overhead chop to any that got in the way.
Nathan was more cautious in his approach. He pulled out in one hand a throwing axe, and in the other a wand. With the wand he launched a volley of small red balls that smashed into a man that was going to hamstring Ken with a Bastard sword. With the axe Nathan threw it and caved in a man's skull.
The man in black had a Bastard sword and used it to great effect. For a man of his size he was quite agile. With a few long strides, he had a man in range. With a lunge he skewered him and thus knocked him into a fellow bandit and tangled him up. But the man hadn't stopped his attack. With his momentum still carrying his sword, he chopped through the bandit and swung around with a roundhouse of a swing and making a diagonal slash through a new bandit's shoulder blade and to his chest. Yet he did not have enough momentum to keep his sword moving. So he released his sword and pulled twin daggers from his boot. He threw one at an enemy pulling out a short sword, and moved to his left and stabbed a new opponent. With no more weapons the man pulled the bandit's sword from his scabbard and began a new attack.
Ken saw the man in black kill two men and wound three. With almost 15 still uninjured, Ken would have to work harder to prevent to many injuries. He smashed one man's face with a gauntlet and trampled him as he passed. The next man leapt aside but was no match for Ken's charge. With a strange surge of pride Ken had an impulse to kill more men than the one in black. Ken just held out his sword, and like a lance he killed the bandit who had tried to escape. Ken pulled his sword free and engaged an opponent. This one was prepared to block Ken's next swing but his sword only broke as Ken smashed it in two and killed the bandit. But now the bandits were ready to fight.
Nathan saw how this encounter was going. Nathan thought that the bandits would call quarter if a few men were injured. But that seemed unlikely now. With a sigh Nathan pulled out his bow and began firing. With a few well-placed shots, the bandits seemed greatly afraid of their opponents. But they also seemed ready to fight to the death.
The man in black felt pretty weak wielding the short sword but he still used it. He was pushed back by two men in a coordinated charge and was unable to use the sword due to his arm being swept aside by a swipe from a sword. The other bandit made a slash but wasn't able to penetrate the armor. The man in black did not like his armor being dented. With a growl he grabbed both bandits by the necks and slammed them against each other. He stabbed one with his now free sword and left it there. He kicked the other bandit as he passed to retrieve his Bastard sword. When he turned around to continue combat, a Crossbow was leveled his way. Normally a crossbow wouldn't penetrate the armor. But this bandit was firing about two feet away. The quarrel sunk in and wounded the man as well as hurting the armor. But soon the man was dead as an arrow protruded from his neck.
Ken did not chase the now fleeing bandits. Nathan's arrow had fallen another man and the others were too cowardly to face their enemies. He noticed the man in black kneeling on the dirt. Ken recognized an injury and rushed over.
"What happened man?" Ken inquired.
"A Quarrel in the gut." He replied. "But not to worry! I've had worse." He said this after a worried look from Ken.
"Let me get that out."
"What- the Quarrel? No-no. I got it. I just need a few bandages and I'm as good as new." With a grunt he yanked out the quarrel.
"You fight with great skill man. What is your name? Or must you always be 'The man in black' to any bard who narrates your tale?" Nathan asked.
"By your words I know not whether to think you snide or merry. Either way you may call me by my name. And that name is Soth."
"Why would you think me snide and untrustworthy Soth?" Nathan replied.
"I've my reasons. But on a more obvious note many a bandit has jumped me and that seems quite a reasonable reason in which not to have faith of these roads not being satisfactory in the well being of others. Now if you don't mind I may need to talk to you of a certain Druid- as long as explaning why these bandits perused me."
Nathan was taken aback by this response.
"Very well." He said coolly. "What do you know of the Druid?"
"Well," Soth began "I didn't know about the Druid until not to long ago. I found out about him when a band of Orcs decided I needed capturing. They caught me for a reason I did not yet know. Orcs tend to be lazy and lax when not supervised by a leader. Bunches of chaotic pig-snouts Orcs are. Yet I easily escaped the guards but found myself in one mansion of a cavern."
Soth took a deep breath like he was trying to remember an important detail. "I got to my arms and armor, but along the way I had dispatched a few sentries and guards. So now I was considered a threat and to be killed on sight. Apparently the chieftain by the name of Zlijak Sclayi or in common Blood Claw was personally after me.
"Now this was a good reason for me to haul butt and escape. Yet my curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to know if my kidnapping was random or planned. Soon enough it was the latter that became apparent. After a couple more weeks in that hole I found bits and pieces of documents and my fair share of Orcs in my way.
"Some documents had orders to hunt down me. Others had orders to kill heroes well trained in their arts. The only one that distinctly stands out in my mind was a Knight. A Knight by the name of Sir Kenneth. Another with a Druid. There was no name for the Druid but it said that he had been visiting heroes and forming a plan to build a powerful force of good to battle the enemy of the west. When I saw this Knight here," Soth nodded to Ken "I thought the Druid had talked to you. And so I left at last and fled. Apparently I was still being hunted so that brings me to this spot here."
"Quite a tale. My paladin abilities show no falsehood in your tale nor be you of evil intent. As well I am Sir Kenneth- the one Knight you read of. But you may call me Ken. In my eyes you are a hero. So I think it a reasonable idea if you would join us in our quest to the west. Perhaps we may be able to unravel the mystery of this evil and the Druid."
"I will join you. Yet I am weary and ready to stop. It is for that reason that I was a bit mean to you good Elf." Soth replied
"Not a problem." Nathan responded. "And you may call me Nathan."
"So- let us begin setting up a reasonable campsite." Ken said.
After tents were pitched and food well on the way to being finished cooking, Soth inquired Nathan of their destination.
"We are heading to Cartim where a man will meet us. He will give us information on our quest."
"Where do you suspect we go from there?" Soth asked
"I'm guessing due west. West from Cartim is a grassland with a lake in the middle and a few hills. Who knows what we may find there? I think though that we would be visible for miles for anyone that wants to view us from a distance. Yet it is a fast route. Winter is almost upon us and we don't want to be crossing an alternate rout such as the valleys and mountains. The grassland is fast enough to escape winter in there. More west is A hill land with a few forests scattered about. After that is mountains. And those mountains are the extent of my knowledge. So I suspect our journey will take us to the mountains."
The night continued with conversation of little importance and soon all the party was asleep.