Brief Author's Note:

Hey all. I don't like to keep people waiting for the main story too often with lengthy author notes, but I felt I just had to get a few things clear before the story starts. This whole story is inspired by the DnD game me and my friends have played for a few years now. Our GM has done an amazing job creating a fun and believable world, and the players themselves have taken to role playing with great joy.

However, as you would expect, the players aren't perfect, so sometimes the characters will do something that might seem a bit out of character. Sometimes, the characters will disappear due to the player stopping playing for whatever reason, and new ones can appear to take their place.

It's all part of learning this great game, and rest assured I did my best to make it seem believable and part of the story as a whole. Hopefully, you will come to love the characters, both new and old, as we have. All I ask is a bit of patience in regards to plot holes etc.

With that out of the way, enjoy ^^.

Ocelot


Chapter 1: The Giggling Squid

Grayben's Bay is a small dock town situated on the west coast of the kingdom of Lumeria. Supported primarily by its thriving sea trade and fishing community, the town has become a hub for travelling merchants, mercenaries trying to make a quick bit of gold, and vagabonds simply wandering, trying to find their way in life. It was not unusual to see all manner of races here, with all being welcomed with equal enthusiasm, assuming they were hard workers and stuck to the law of course. As you would expect from such a place, the local tavern was a hotspot for such travellers. With food, drink and warm beds, it was the natural place for people to come to when visiting the town, and it is here where our story begins…

Borgin was a proud dwarf. He was proud of his business, a tavern his wife had humorously called the "Giggling Squid". He was proud of his lovely wife Karin, whose last name of "Stormport", he had adopted upon their marriage. He was proud of his ability to keep a level head, an important asset to have with the various and partly drunk people that frequent taverns such as this. And tonight was certainly no exception. As Borgin grabbed another mug to fill for a recent order from a customer, he allowed his eyes to wander over the people gathered this particular day.

Easily the most noticeable was the group on the middle table, comprised of several humans listening to a loud rendition of a local folk song coming from a set of pan pipes. It was the person playing them that drew the eye however, being a large orc with softer features than their usual brethren (a half orc perhaps? Borgin wasn't one to judge regardless), with dark hair, heavy leathers and unusual metal items strapped to his thigh. Between songs he would laugh loudly with the gathered humans, drinking deeply from his large tankard.

Also eye catching was the equally tall and large figure sitting at the end of the bar, keeping to himself and deep in thought, so much so that his eyes would occasionally glaze over. Not a look that he was unfamiliar with, and usually associated with a rough past. Ample reason to come to a tavern, though the figure had, strangely, yet to order anything alcoholic. What did confuse him, however, was that the figure had elven features and pale, almost ashen skin, something he hadn't seen on someone of such size before. He was honestly unsure what kind of elf he was.

While interesting, a good barkeep knows that it's the quiet ones that you need to keep an eye on, lest they be up to no good. And tonight brought many such individuals, Borgin mused as he cast his eyes to the tables at the edges of the tavern. Several had hoods hiding their features, again not unusual in a town as varied as this. One pair to the side of the room, consisting of a tall feminine figure with a rustic, forest hood and a shorter, dark black hooded male had his instincts flaring. Not the female so much, as while she was looking around the whole bar with something akin to wonder (country lass maybe?), the male was scoping out the patrons themselves. Best keep an eye lest he be wanting to start a fight with someone…

In the alcove near the window sat a robed figure calmly sipping from a glass of spirits. His mannerisms and speech from when he'd talked to him briefly screamed someone of religious bearings, though quite which of the Seven he worshipped Borgin could not clearly tell. His companion, also hooded, had forgone any food or drink, instead staring straight ahead of him. Unnerving, and Borgin was sure there was a slight glow coming from beneath the hood itself.

Finally, in the very corner, situated in such a way that he could clearly see the whole tavern was an older man. No hood obscured his face allowing a clear view of the shoulder length greying hair and slight wrinkles around the eyes. Eyes that kept a constant vigilance around him, as if waiting to be attacked from somewhere. He had seen those sorts of eyes before, ones that have seen too much of the worst the world can throw at you. He would put money on the man being a veteran of some war somewhere, but he could not think of any such war occurring in Lumeria in recent history. Strangely, the man always returned his focus upon the loud orc in the centre, a scowl appearing each time he did so.

Just as Borgin was wiping the bar down of a recent spillage, his beloved wife returned from the cellar having gathered more ale for this busy night. And it was only going to get busier, as it was at this moment that the door burst open and familiar laughter reached his ears, causing a soft smile to adorn his face.

"Ah, Lud, was wondering when you would get here tonight!" called Karin, coming over to greet the new arrival.

"How could I keep away, friend, when you keep such fine food and drink. The usual please." the newcomer replied.

Lud was another large individual, though not quite to the extent of the elven man by the bar. He had human features, and was wearing fine clothes of silk or similar material, unusual for a town of merchants. What really set him apart however was that his skin was almost gold in colour, no pigment found on humans normally. Borgin caught a twitch of movement from near the window, and noticed that the robed figure with the cleric, who hadn't moved all evening had finally stopped staring at nothing, and instead began to stare directly at Lud…curious, best keep an eye on that.

"Of course Lud, but are you sure, busy night tonight." said Karin, gesturing to the crowded tavern.

Lud simply chuckled "Yes, I am sure, as I always am." and proceeded to place a very large gold bag on the counter, far more than most would carry on their person.

Karin smiled once more, sweeping the gold to the more protected end of the bar, while simultaneously stepping onto a footstool for a bit of extra height.

"Alright you horrible lot!" she shouts to the bar at large, mostly succeeding in attracting the attention of everyone and quieting things down, though the orc hadn't seemed to get the message, still playing his pan pipes regardless. "Drinks on the house, courtesy of Lud!"

A loud hurrah resounded from most of the patrons, and Borgin resolved himself to spending the next few hours serving the large influx of patrons. And probably turfing out the resulting drunks come closing time. Lud simply smiled and sat at the bar without so much as having a drink himself. This however, was normal for the generous man.

As the surge of customers went forward, several individuals seemed more reluctant to take advantage of the generous offer. Both the figures in the window remained, though the hooded figure had yet to stop staring directly at Lud. The older man stilled, wary with the sudden movement of so many people. He cast a distrusting look at Lud, clearly not accepting his act of charity at face value. The large man with the elfish features near the bar took one look at the incoming swarm of figures, gave a derisive snort, and proceeded to exit the bar.

As for the couple of hooded figures, they appear to exchange a brief word, the female shaking her head furiously. It was at this point the movement in the hood explained itself, a small rodent like creature wiggling out and gliding down on membranes between its legs, to alight on the table and look back at the female. It seems the male does not heed this however, and moves toward the bar, leaving behind a sighing individual holding her head in her hand.

As he approaches however, it is clear he has less than noble intentions, approaching the corner of the bar where the gold sack had been stuffed rather than the group getting drinks. Busy as they were, the owners had yet to notice him, perfect…

Acting casual, the figure leant on the bar, then proceeded to stretch languidly while casually reaching over the bar, appearing to merely be getting comfortable. The act was almost perfect, allowing him to snag a few of the coins, though he was unable to reach the sack itself without being more obvious. As he was bringing his arm back, a victorious grin on his face, he was shocked to find his arm halted by a firm grip on his wrist. Snapping his gaze to it, he realised that it was not grabbed from the other side of the bar, as he had expected, but from his side. He now found himself staring up into the disapproving face of the older man from the corner, around half a foot taller than himself.

"You know as well as I, that that does not belong to you, friend"

The way friend was said implied anything but…still, if the figure was anything, he was a quick thinker.

"Of course, I was simply curious. You can't tell me that a man turning up and paying such amounts is normal, right?" The figure replied, trying to detach his arm from the firm grip, strong despite the man's age. The man simply raised an eyebrow at this. "Perhaps, hence why I am not partaking in this…charity. But that is the bar's business, and I shan't stand by and allow you to take their livelihood", to which he then upended the hand of coins into his own, moving to return them, ignoring the muttered "…it's only a few coins, they have plenty there…".

The shorter figure, finally able to retrieve his hand, turned with a flourish back towards his table and companion, who was watching the proceedings with interest. The man watched him go, missing the smirk adorned on his face, turned away from him as he was. "Useful trick, flicking coins up one's sleeve" the figure thought, palming the two coins he had successfully snagged.

Meanwhile, the greying man had turned his attention back to the task of returning the coins to their rightful place, pausing to inspect one of the gilded circles. It was certainly eye catching, and not of a design that he recognised, further confirming his suspicion of the generous man named Lud. Not only that, but the quality was such that it exceeded any currency he currently had on his person, as if it was newly minted. Humming in thought, he replaced the final coin and returned to his corner table, intent on observing the actions of the individual in question.

Meanwhile, at the group that had formed at the bar, the hulking orc had finally pushed his way to the front, gladly accepting his free drink with a loud laugh, before working his way to the part of the bar where Lud resided. Sitting beside the golden toned man, the orc clapped the man on the back in a friendly gesture, resulting in surprisingly little movement from the man considering the size difference. Still, the orc paid it no mind.

"So we have you to thank for the free booze eh? Not complaining or nuffin', but why you go do that, you got a new job or summit?"

Lud, smiling at the friendly stranger, moved a little ways down for some space, though only to look up at the orc more clearly. "Of a sorts. While I have now found myself a new job recently, it is not that which spurred me to be generous. I was doing that before I got the job, after all".

"Oh, do this often do ya? Knew I liked this town, might stay a bit if this is the treatment we get! I'll even brew you up a cane tea, me own recipe! The names Rogon by the way." the orc stated, while simultaneously trying to locate something in the many pockets of his leather jack.

"Well met, Rogon. I appreciate the offer, but I really must be off. I shall have to sample your tea another time." Lud stated, before pushing off the bar and waving back to the owners, earning him a returning wave from both them and Rogon.

It was as Lud was leaving, that it started a chain of movement from several individuals. The figure at the window that had been staring immediately stood to follow, sufficiently behind to not immediately grab Lud's attention. His sudden movement knocked his companion out of his own musing, seemingly shocked at his burst of action.

"Na'ish?" the figure called, only to be completely ignored as the figure approached the exit of the tavern. The robed figure shrugged, finished his drink and made to follow.

At almost the exact time that the figure revealed as Na'ish did this, the hooded pair also went to follow, but aborted their attempt once they saw someone else with a similar idea. They then proceeded to busy themselves with inane tasks, such as playing with the mouse like being. Once the robed figure was clear of the door, they recommenced their attempt to follow.

All of this was observed by the gray man in the corner, given his vigilance and clear view of the tavern at large. Seeing so many follow the man he had hoped to get some answers out of, he sighed and got up himself. "Things are about to get interesting I feel..." before being the last of many to follow the group.