Melsice sat up a bit straighter as the door creaked open. A gust of wind curled through the common room, causing the fire to dance in the stone fireplace. A lone figure in a voluminous cloak stalked to an empty table in the shadows and sat down. As the cloaked individual took off his hood, it became obvious that he was not a man at all, but rather a halfling. A well-worn suit of leather armor peaked out from the cloak. This was the "man" that he was looking for. That only left one more adventurer and they could begin the trek to the borderlands.
Melsice had always been a bookish child. He loved to delve into manuscripts and cherished them as if they were his only friends; which quite literally they were. One day, he passed a bookstore in the small town where he lived. He had always stopped to look for new friends and had some gold to purchase them. In the back of the store he at once noticed a strange book with arcane letters. This was his first introduction to magic. From that day forward, he was determined to learn all there was to know about magic. Of course, there is more to know that can ever be learned, but this did not stop him. He soon sought out a teacher and became a most apt pupil. He toiled over his studies and eventually his master decided that he should have a spellbook of his own. The old wizard scribed 4 spells into a book of vellum, and presented it to Melcise on his 18th birthday. Old Forlan was at once happy to see his pupil graduate out into the world, and sad that he was losing a friend. However, he knew that Melsice would return after each adventure, ready to rise in level and eventually become a great Wizard. And Forlan himself would ensure that would happen.
His reverie was broken by the common room door crashing open. Melcise looked up to see an imposing figure wrestling the door shut against the stiffening wind. This appeared to be the next member of his new party. The man was tall and muscular, but with the speed and agility of a dancer. He was very young, but had wisdom on his brow that spoke of long hours practicing the art of the sword. His armor clanked as he walked to a table halfway between Melcise and the Hafling and sat down. He placed his longsword and bow across the chair next to him and ordered a mug of ale. The Halfling looked up and squinted at both the man and the wizard, then stood up and walked over.
"My name be Runion Deepburrow and I'm believin that I'm here to meet you", he said to Melscise. "Our employer said that an wizard and a paladin would be joining me, don't you know, and you no be lookin like a Paladin".
"No, I'm not that at all", said Melscise. "I am actually the magic-user that has been hired by the Duke, but I'm no wizard yet. I have to gain 10 more levels before I can begin to call myself that".
Runion scratched his head and said, " I'm not the sharpest tool in da shed, but I can tell a wizard just by lookin at him, and you be one". Melcise secretly laughed at the halfling's use of the common tongue, but was much too polite to say anything. "You can call me Melcise for now".
"Well no one would be believing me if I told em, but I do be a thief, and a good one. No evil for me. I only steal for da fun of it and because I like gold", smirked Grunion. "Also, dont call me Runion. People seem to think dat is funny, and I don't like it". "Certainly, Mr. Grunion. It would never occur to me to mention the name Run around you", Melscise explained.
The tall man at the next table stood up and walked over. "Excuse me gentlemen, you were hired by the Duke to journey to the borderland, correct?" he stated rather than asked.
"Yes we are both in the hire of Grand Duke Stephan Karkemekos, and he has asked us to journey to the Keep on the Borderlands to help with some monsters that have been recently seen roaming the farmlands surrounding the keep" Melcise stated. "From what I understand, the monsters include Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Orcs. There also appears to be a commander that is uniting all the beasts into an organized fashion to raid the homesteads and destroy the crops"
.
"That is what has brought me to meet with you", intoned the man. "My name is Argonath and I'm a paladin in the service of the god Celowin. My sword and such healing as I am able to do are now in your service. Anywhere evil is, I will be there to combat it", he extolled. "Well, it seems that we are all together and the only thing that awaits us is the journey." Melcise stated. "I believe that horses have been purchased for us and are in the stable behind the inn. I suggest that we get a good night's sleep and begin the ride in the morning". Both Argonath and Runion nodded their assent and the three adventurers finished their ale, and tramped back to their rooms, settling in for a well-deserved rest. Tomorrow would bring a new day, and a new fellowship.
This is the beginning of the adventure "Keep on the Borderlands" from first edition Dungeons and Dragons. I realize that most people here play 5th edition and there are some differences, so hopefully there will be some surprises. The gameplay is very similar, only some of the rules are different. There are also the addition of "alignments" that I will talk about as the story unfolds. Finally, there are only 7 playable races in the first edition, and they are: Humans, Half-orcs, Elves, Half-elves, Haflings, Dwarves, and Gnomes. Every other race is considered monsters and no PC will play those races as they are penalized by virtue of minimal level increases and the possibility of unbalancing the game if someone were to play a gold dragon, for example. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story. I will post when the muse strikes, but should be a regular here.