Shingen was a shining port city. It was constructed as tribute to Solace, the incarnation of the sun. In the daylight, the city shined a brilliant gold, and in the night, lanterns lined the streets, illuminating the city and creating an aura of light around it. The city was a haven for any that came seeking shelter or safety. The brilliant, tall, stone buildings reached high above any that Oscar had seen in his home village. On a hill near the center of the city stood a magnificent castle. The castle's spires towered over the city itself, and the castle walls were encrusted with golden figures in a variety of scenes, telling the city's history.
In truth, Oscar disliked Shingen. He was raised in a simple place and developed simple tastes. He felt that the whole city was just too extravagant. If Oscar ever needed to spend multiple days in the city, he would almost always chose to sleep in a small camp outside the city in the adjacent wooded area.
Oscar thought back to that morning. In the stables just outside of town, Oscar had packed a few basic supplies and rations into the saddlebags of his donkey, Petunia. Petunia was as stubborn as could be, named for the fact that he would often eat the petunias growing in Marcus' garden. Petunia had been giving him particular trouble that day, moving around and refusing to cooperate when Oscar attempted to place his saddle on. Petunia seemed uneasy. He knew before any of them. The attack had happened so suddenly, those creatures bursting through windows and tearing down doors. The fire seemed to come from nowhere and quickly grew to everywhere. The events raced through Oscar's head as he ran toward the city.
By the time that Oscar had reached Shingen, the sun was beginning to disappear beyond the horizon, and people were beginning to light lanterns in the street. Oscar had been running for several hours and was extremely worn out. He entered the city, choosing a nearby tavern to stop, rest, and go back over the events of the day in his mind.
Before he entered, he heard something behind him. The sound of horseshoes on stone accompanied by a low pbbbt. Oscar turned around to discover the source.
"Petunia?" Oscar was bewildered. The donkey walked toward him. Oscar had thought for sure that Petunia had either been lost or killed. Oscar embraced the donkey. He saw that most of the saddlebags had been lost, but also saw that a bedroll was still tied to the saddle, as well as a coiled rope and a small bag of feed.
"Better than nothing, I suppose," Oscar said. He tied Petunia to a post with another horse just outside the bar and told him that he'd return before the night was through.
The Rusty Flagon was a loud, crowded place. Oscar knew it well. The smell of ale and desperation filled the air as Oscar walked in. He took a seat at the bar. The man working it on this night was named Braun. The name was accurate to say the least, the man was a giant beast made of pure muscle. There were hardly any disputes in the tavern on nights when Braun was working, he had a way of resolving them that not many people enjoyed.
"Can I get you something?" Braun asked.
"Not right now. I just need to think." Oscar replied. He didn't have the coin to purchase a drink anyway.
"Have it your own way," said Braun.
Oscar ran back over the events that had occurred. Thought about the sorcerer, the necromancer that had attacked his village. He thought about the symbols. The only one he really knew was Lum's. There had always been a feud between followers of Lum and those of Solace, but in this time, such things were unheard of. Wars had been fought in the past between followers of the Warriors of the sun and moon. There had been fights and even killings in the name of each group's respective deity, but never had Oscar heard of an entire settlement being destroyed without provocation. Oscar needed a plan. He needed to defeat the necromancer that had destroyed his village, the one that had killed Marcus. He needed to do it quickly too. The necromancer had destroyed Arrow's Peak in minutes, who knew how much more damage he could do? The main problem that Oscar faced was that the being had magic and could wield it skillfully; Oscar's blades were useless to that in a fair fight. He'd studied magic himself but had never been able to master more than a few simple tricks. He would need to use stealth to sneak up on the necromancer unaware. Perhaps he could receive help from inside the city. He may be able to ask king Fernando for help. The king lived in Shingen, but Oscar had no idea how to reach him.
Oscar noticed a figure in the corner. It appeared to be watching him. Its face was made nigh invisible due to poor lighting. Oscar noted that the figure did not appear to be human. It was large and disfigured. Another human sat alongside the figure, getting a little too into a drinking song and downing what had to have been at least his fifth pint of ale. The figure gave Oscar a sort of chill, but not in the same way that the necromancer had. He didn't want to confront him after the events of the day.
It was getting late, and Oscar had had a very long, very tiring day. He decided to take Petunia and set up a camp in the woods. Oscar left the tavern and the unsettling figure behind him, untying petunia and leading him about a half-mile outside of the city. He built a small fire and set up his bedroll in a nearby tree, suspending it from the branches with a series of elaborate knots. Oscar fed Petunia and he settled himself by the tree. Oscar had not had any rations with him when he left Arrow's Peak, and lacked the coin to purchase any in town. His stomach grumbled but he tried to ignore it. Oscar smothered the fire, then climbed into his makeshift hammock. He laid awake for several hours, haunted by visions of the day's events. The necromancer, those creatures, the flames. He thought of his friends, his neighbors, his family, all dead. The figure in the tavern. Who was it? What did they want? Perhaps they weren't staring at all, but rather just a sleeping customer. No. Oscar felt the eyes staring at him, into him, reading his every move. Oscar tossed and turned, rustling the branches of the tree. It seemed like an endless night. Oscar wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but it was far from a peaceful night for the young warrior.