Fantasy Adventurers Of Tharon [Medieval]

[Waffels]

A Generic Medieval Tale





You are an Adventurer, looking for an old Scroll, that incriminates the King of Tharon and his family. Since the first descendant appeared, the Gaiden Dynasty has been committing crimes against their own people. These crimes go from Murder to Corruption. The law has no proofs of those accusations, but an old scroll written by one of the daughters of the Dynasty does have the proofs. This Scroll disappeared with the woman years ago. You have heard about a abandoned cave in the middle of the biggest forest in Tharon. A forest known as "Titan Forest", not only for it's size, but also for rumors that a Giant lives in the heart of the forest. The cave is located near this supposed Titan, so you might be careful.


This trip is essential to Tharon's future. If you don't take out the King. The King will take you out.


Good luck traveler, may the gods be with you.

​

 

[Semblance]

Avalon walked through the streets of Kurat, keeping an eye out for any needed supplies. Before long, she had stopped by a food stand to buy some for the road. She was traveling through this agricultural town to stock up on her much-needed supplies. She was on her way to Tharon to ask for help on behalf of their village in Wolak. Bands of monsters had been attacking their rural village recently, and many unnecessary deaths had occurred. As a result, because of her ability to defend herself through her excellent archery skills, she had been chosen to venture out and seek help. After all, she was the daughter of the famous Audric, who was known as the finest archer in the land. Her father had taught her everything he knew about archery after her mother was killed by a monster when she was young. However, even after much of his protests, the village decided that he was needed back home to defend them and sent his daughter instead.


Just then, she passed by a pigeon mail stand and decided to write a letter to her father, informing him that she was safe. She gave the owner a few silver coins before scribbling down a message with the inked feather. Avalon watched the gray pigeon take off and fly into the distance before continuing on.


Avalon walked by the docks and saw fisherman unloading their catch for the day. To her right, there were children kicking around a ball on the grass. She wistfully watched them play for a few moments, remembering when she was once that young and carefree, before continuing on. She tucked a piece of her brown hair behind her ear and her light brown eyes directed her attention towards the gates in the distance. Finally, she reached the great stone gates of the merchant town. As she neared, she noticed a rather old man with a cloak and a staff.

 

[Tique]

Venek was installing the merchandises of the store, while a very old woman was watching him. The small shop was full of fresh farm products such as vegetables and fruits. The scene was a little bit unusual since a man dressed like a knight was doing the job of merchant.


-You're a terrible son Venek. You know this, right ? said the woman.


She was sitting on a chair behind what appeared to be a cash desk. Her hand, forged by rough farm works, was petting a grey cat that was sleeping on her knees. She was looking at Venek with a scornful glance. A deep sight escaped from the chest of the man, as he puts in line a last orange crate.


-I am truly sorry mother, said Venek respectfully, but I can not help you all the time. You know I am a knight : I have more important things to do !


-Don't lie to me ! Although your dad and I never told you : we know that you're not a knight anymore ! We also know why... your poor dad... he was so ashamed... this is probably what killed him you know !


-Well, in my opinion, the cow herd that ran over him is also guilty. But we will have this discussion another day because I have to go.


-Where ? asked the very old woman as Venek was almost out of the store.


-City gates. There is always travelers who need protection for their trip out of the city, or thieves trying to steal newcomers... knight stuff. Goodbye mother !





In fact, Venek was looking for anything that might make him earn money. From tourist guide to adventurer : he was looking for any kind of job. As he arrived at the gates, eating an apple he had taken from his mother's store, he thought that a quest could be a good thing to try to regain his knight status. He was watching the crowd and was trying to find persons who looked like adventurer. He noticed this young woman that looked like a huntress but also a man, about his own age, who was dressed like a wizard or a druid... Venek leaned against a wall and began to wait for something to happen, while eating his apple.

 

[Phil Andering]

Slipping through alleys, Kenneth made his way to the city gates. He was being hunted, but occasional trips and stumbles betrayed the fact that he was beginning to tire. If he stopped, however, he feared that the King's men would be upon him in an instant, so he wrapped his cloak around himself tighter and carried on.


The nerve! That morning, just before the sun rose, Kenneth had awoken to sounds of people skulking around, inside his very house! His house! He had just enough time to get dressed before two city guards had burst into his bedroom; he hid behind the wardrobe, and, with a minor trick of magic, made it appear that he was hiding under the bed. As one guard began crawling under the bed, he jumped out from behind the wardrobe, dazzled the other with a prismatic burst of color and, grabbing his satchel, ran out the room. What followed was a frantic chase throughout Azwire Manor that hardly suited a gentleman, and a magician at that, but the end result was Kenneth, alive and free, running from his own home, chased by members of the town guard (clearly under the King's thumb), having made off with little more than his cloak, his staff, his raven, and a small pouch of coins (of course, Kenneth's idea of a small pouch of coins betrayed his upbringing; sixteen gold pieces was, in many respects, a small fortune in the outside world).


As he reached the outer edge of the city, he ducked into a general store. Might as well buy some traveling supplies. I don't think I'm going to be able to stay here for long. He purchased a satchel filled with some basic necessities, dubbed the "adventurer's kit." Inside were trail rations, torches, a bedroll, flint and steel, rope, and a knife. Well, I'm hardly an adventurer, he thought to himself, but this'll do for now.





He left the store, and decided that the street ahead would be crowded enough for him to blend in, so he pulled up his hood and joined the masses. Under his cloak, Thatcher was beginning to wake up, and he snuck a peek at her, hoping she wouldn't make a scene. She didn't. Classic Thatcher.


As he approached the city gates, the crowd grew denser, and he found himself shunted off to one side of the path; as he stepped out of the crowd, his eye was caught by an old man, wearing robes not much different from his own. In fact, as he looked around, he noticed that several people, all of whom seemed the "adventurer" type, had gathered in this little area.


He began to feel distinctly uncomfortable.

 

[Waffels]

As Merek tied his horse to a small wooden chunk near the stables of the City Gate, he took out his staff from the holster, attached to the horse's seat. The bright blue light coming from the top of the staff, where the magical gem was located, brought some attention of the public around, but not that much for him to care. He proceeded to pull up his hood, covering most of his face with a shadow. He held the staff with his right hand, slightly hitting it at the ground every step he did towards the Gate, so he wouldn't hit anyone passing by.


Once he reached the Gate arch, he complimented the Guard that was near the door, and entered the first part of the city. He was walking slowly, drawing attention from some people because of his un-typical robes and his magical staff, but he kept on. He stood at the fountain just in front of the gate, looking around for something that he could be interested in...

 

[Porgongo]

He was a glorious sight. Standing over the piss-and-blood remnants of last night's Kobold scavengers, his beard blowing in the wind and the sun glinting off his gray blue eyes was stood Frór Silverspear, Son of Melrone of House Silverspear. He was a stocky man, being barely 5 foot tall and as thick as a whore spreads her legs. This was typical for a Dwarf, especially for a Dwarf of his advanced age- In truth, he had let himself go in recent years. He was slightly crammed into his plate armor, the faintest hint of a belly protruding from every possible joint and gap in his armor. He expected that, as he had forged the armor himself in preparation for this journey.


Frór shouldered his pack, mounted his war-hammer and combed his beard as he set out for the path, an iron-clad (slightly tubby) bullet on the path to glory. He skirted perimeter of the Titan forest until he saw the City in the distance, and after combing his beard once more for appearances he set off, sniffing for a trail of his granddaughter. And a whore. And a pint.


Maybe just a pint.


As is tradition, Frór stumbled into town. He parted the people, who upon looking down where often surprised to a dwarf rather than indignant child. Frór kept his nose up, trying to sniff the air for a tavern where he might hear rumors and meet the townsfolk.


"Not jus' any townfook. A blond'un, with big..."


Standing on a crate outside of the grocer, Frór spotted a fountain and a flamboyantly dressed man near it.


"He's the one runs the brothels, posh lil' nancyboy like 'im." Frór quickly reprimanded himself, justifying his lost train of thought. "Tha's where the crooks go surface side, best check for any leads."





Frór walked boldly up to the robed man, resolute in his quest for something warmer than a tent to spend the night in.


He took of his helmet as a show of respect, holding it in his arms and bellowing as if to compensate for his lost height.


"'lright? I'm thirst for a pint, me. Know a good place for a dwarf to 'ave a brew? He raised his eyebrow, smiling wryly. "Unless you're offering more than a pint, which I'd be 'appy to hear about."

 

[Phil Andering]

Curious.





The robed man had now been approached by, of all things, a dwarf! In Kurat! Combined with the glowing gem atop the robed man's staff (the man who Kenneth had by now assumed was clearly both a wizard and an adventurer), Kenneth's curiosity was by now more than piqued. Perhaps these people would be able to help him with his current predicament. He briskly walked over, head down, until he reached them.


He threw back his hood.


"Hello. Do you think you'd be able to help me? You two seem like travelers, if I may say so myself, and I just happen to be on my way out of town. Would you care to travel together, for protection?"





He glanced around. Soon, the Disguise Self spell would wear off and the mustachioed face he had adopted earlier would fade, leaving him exposed to the city guard and who knows what else. To make things worse, Thatcher rustled in his cloak, beginning to grow restless.


"Also, I must add, I'm in a bit of a hurry to not be here. Where are you two heading?"

 

[Tique]

After seeing the man in tribal clothes greeting a guard and moving to the fountain with his staff glowing Venek thought - almost out loud - that this guy was definitely a tourist. A kind a savage not used to the ways of behaving in the city. "I mean... who talk politely to a guard ?"


As he started heading to this man to propose his tourist guide skills he noticed that a dwarf in armor was already talking to him.


-... or a pint, me. Know a good place for a dwarf to 'ave a brew? Unless you're offering more than a pint, which I'd be 'appy to hear about.


Since this dwarf did not seem to know the city, Venek thought that it was the perfect occasion to earn some coins by guiding those two. Then a third man arrived and he did not seem interested in tourism at all. The situation was getting a little complicated and Venek did not want to make it awkward by joining the discussion.


So Venek did something even more awkward. He put his hand on the pommel of his sword, stood upright and started acting like if he was a guard or something like that. He began walking around, stopping sometimes to take a concentrate face when watching the crowd then starting walking again. He was patrolling not very far from the three mens so he can hear them.


But he was not really dressed like a guard and he was not a very good actor.

 

[Semblance]

Avalon watched with amusement as he observed the strange man who was once blending in with the crowd act as a guard. She too saw that a dwarf, of all people, had struck up a conversation with the rather old man in a robe by the fountain. His staff had a bright blue jewel at the top and she wondered why no one else was stopping to observe it. She wondered if dwarves were common in this town as she had never seen one before back in her village.


Her interest peaked as another man, one with a mustache, walked up to them as well and seemed to be offering help. However, as she continued observing the conversation, it began to occur to her that these people might be able to help her village. The knight looked like a fighter, the robed man looked wise, the mustache man looked kind, and the dwarf.. well the dwarf looked like he could drink.


Deciding that it was a worth a try, as she didn't want to travel all the way to Tharon anyway, she slowly began to make her way through the crowd towards the robed man and the other two. "Hi there, how are you guys today?" she asked confidently, not giving away anything in her voice. The feathers from the ends of her arrows in her arrow pouch flapped in the wind and her bow slung loosely over her back. She moved to tuck a piece of brunette hair behind her ear as her light brown eyes surveyed the men in front of her.

 

[Waffels]

As first, Merek was confused by the strange accent the Dwarf had, but once he realized he was Dwarf, he was surprised. The wizard had no actual response, since he wasn't understanding anything the little guy was saying, but he could understand the last part:


-...Know a good place for a dwarf to 'ave a brew? Unless you're offering more than a pint, which I'd be 'appy to hear about.


Merek looked downwards in the man's eyes and proceeded to say with his calm and rather cold voice:


-No. I just entered the town an-


-Hello. Do you think you'd be able to help me? - said a mustached man, interrupting and approaching Merek and the Dwarf while throwing his hood back - You two seem like travelers, if I may say so myself, and I just happen to be on my way out of town. Would you care to travel together, for protection? Also, I must add, I'm in a bit of a hurry to not be here. Where are you two heading? - said him, acting a little strange -


Merek looked at the man's face, feeling something strange. Was it magic? It looked like so, as he lifted his head to the man to answer him. He perceived a "guard" looking at them for a second. As Merek turned his face towards the guard, he also saw something strange. But he had something in mind. As he turned again to the mustached man, almost ignoring the Dwarf, a lady appeared out of the crowd, saying:


-Hi there, how are you guys today?


Merek looked at her, deciding who to answer first. The situation was getting out of hand. A random Dwarf, a suspiciously suspicious mustache man, a interested guard and a beautiful lady. All around him. That's why he never travels long distances, but it was necessary. He thought to himself while looking at the ones that were surrounding him and the other three persons: "Maybe these three can help me... But what about that guard? I must do something."





Merek said, with a quite hard voice for the three of them to hear, interrupting the Dwarf, that was trying to say something:


-I can't answer everyone at the same time, but I can answer each one of you. So what do you think?





The three persons seemed surprised for an old man to talk like this, also, the guard was getting a little bit closer, probably to hear what was going in. Eventually, Merek looked at the lady, saying:


-I am fine thanks. - he them turned to the mustached man and the dwarf, responding - I am leaving the town in some minutes, probably, and I would have a answer for you, mustache one, and you, dwarf - the two man looked themselves in the eyes, and proceeded to look back to Merek, as he continued - For you, mustache one, I would kindly travel together with you, but with one requirement, and that's where you, dwarf, comes in. I would ask you two to help me in a... Let's say... Quest, aye? It would make quite a profit for you both, and probably, make you famous.

 

[Semblance]

Avalon nodded at the robed man. "I would be willing to help you on this quest if you could return the favor," she quickly told him before he moved on to the other two men. "I have been sent by my village to seek help. We have been under attack by bands of monsters lately, and there has been much unnecessary death." Her piercing light brown eyes met the old man's wise ones. She could notice the wisdom, knowledge, and experience on every inch of this man. Determination filled her eyes as she realized that maybe her village had hope for survival after all.

 

[Phil Andering]

The mention of a quest and the arrival of the fourth stranger confirmed his suspicions.


I knew it! Adventurers! I'm in too deep!


He began: "I'm not sure I-"





He glanced over at the man who had just recently assumed the stance of a guard. He can't be on to me, mused Kenneth, but just in case...





"What do you say we head over to the nearest tavern, and talk it over there? I'm sure I'm not the only one who could use a drink."

 

[Porgongo]

Frór had all but walked away from the robed man. Clearly, Frór reasoned, he was some sort of salesman. He was some sort of conman from the big city, here to take advantage of farm-folk and he would have no part of it. Frór was squeezing his head into his helmet when Merek spoke in a harder voice.


dwarf, comes in. I would ask you two to help me in a... Let's say... Quest, aye? It would make quite a profit for you both, and probably, make you famous.


Frór groaned internally, but listened on politely, intrigued by the idea of following this individual into a journey.


"You surface dwellers are all the same." He laughed a deep and hearty dwarf laugh. "Always with the blerdy quests. Goblin stole me knickers, I'll give a purse of gold rather than by new ones. I need 20 more spider tongues for me potion, I'll make you the most famous Dwarf in the land."


Frór chuckled. "But that's alright, because I've nothing better to do."


He looked up to Kenneth, and shot him a wink when he mentioned taverns. "Tha's a smart lad, a Dwarf knows a man who can't down his swill when it's calm can't down a Goblin when it matters."

 

[Phil Andering]

Kenneth didn't know much about downing goblins in the first place, but then again supposed they died just like everyone else when you hit them hard enough. This dwarf, admittedly one of the first he had ever met, was beginning to grow on him. He smiled, and began to lead them to a tavern he knew.


"Well, there's a hole in the wall I know down the street that I think'll serve us just fine. Unless you're all in a hurry to get to this quest?

 

[Waffels]

-I'm not quite in the hurry - said Merek - What do you think, lady?


He was getting a little bit suspicious about the guard watching them, so he thought that getting inside a small place would force him to go out. But Merek knew what to do if he got too close...

 

[Semblance]

Avalon nodded in agreement at their conversation. "Yes, let's take this conversation to the local tavern." She leaned closer to them and lowered her voice into a whisper, "I hope you guys realize that the man is an imposter. He's not even dressed like a guard."


The guards by the gates had a stone expression with spears and armor mail. This knight-like man was clearly just trying to eavesdrop on their conversation by the way he kept looking over at them and slowly coming closer. She observed the imposter through narrowed suspicious eyes, trying to study his intentions.

 

[Tique]

The discussion was getting very interesting for Venek, especially the part about a quest. But then he noticed that the girl that just joined the group was looking at him. He thought quickly about a solution and then he started heading to a guard far from the group so they can not hear him.


Venek manage to look, from far, like he was talking about very serious things with the guard. But in reality the talk went like :


-Do you know a great place where I can polish my sword ? Don't your legs hurt at the end of the day ? Is this job well paid ? I should take a bath : prostitutes are getting picky on the costumers those days...

 

[Phil Andering]

As they made their way to the tavern he had recommended (it was a short walk, just down the street a bit), Kenneth began to warm to the idea of going on a quest.


I haven't got much else going for me, and if the King's after me and my family, I might not be able to make it back to the Academy next year anyways, he thought. Besides, he was already twenty. Maybe it was time for him to go out and see the world. He would probably be able to take care of himself, doubly so if he was accompanied by this new group. If this quest panned out, he decided he was ready to leave his home for good.


As one door closes, another opens, he thought, and he led them into the tavern.


The Rusty Knocker wasn't an especially classy place, but it was clean enough. Fights weren't often, on account of the tables and chairs being bolted to the ground, combined with the barkeep's hand crossbow hanging on a rack behind the bar (it was to distract patrons from the larger crossbow he kept under the bar, for real emergencies), and the ale was expensive enough so you knew there'd be real alcohol in it, but not too pricey to keep the lowlifes of Kurat from swarming the place. A wrought iron chandelier and candles along the wall cast a red glow through the haze.


They walked over, and sat down at a table; as they did so, Kenneth's disguise vaporised, revealing his true face, clean-shaven and youthful. The disguise had lasted a total of fifteen minutes. He relaxed, at least a little. In here, he was safe, but there'd be a bit of explaining to do to his new friends.


"Don't worry about the face. I was disguised, because I'm being chased by some of the king's men. We - or at least I - should be safe here."





He changed the subject. "So what was all this talk about a quest?"

 

[Tique]

Because he was convinced that he was the best ninja-spy ever : Venek followed the group in the street after putting his white hood on. He came inside the tavern a little bit after the group. He thought that he will just have to keep a low profil... until the tavern keeper starts calling him by shouting :


-VENEK ! COME HERE YOU PIECE OF GARBAGE !


It was a fail. Venek went to the bar and started having a talk with the taverner who seems to be little bit upset. Both of them started whispering but some sentences were louder than others, such as :


-I hired you to assure the security. Not to drink for free until you start fighting with the costumers. And even when there is a fight : you lose.


-Well, in my defense : I couldn't know that this thirteen years old kid had an iron horseshoe in his glove.


-Whatever Venek, you still owe me money.


-Don't worry about that friend, I think I just found a way to earn money. Like a lot. Like I could repay my debts, buy your tavern and rent your wife for a while !


Finally, Venek decided to stop creeping around. After ordering a drink he went at the table of the group. He took a chair on his way through the tavern, put it near the table and sat on it. With his best looking smile, look, and posture he said :


-Hello my friends. You probably had not noticed me but I heard your discussion since the city gates. My names is Venek and I am a Knight Errant. He took a sip from his pint. I am very interested in your projects of quests. He looked at Merek : Yours. Then he looked at Avalon and winked : But also yours.





He took another sip.

 

[Semblance]

Avalon followed the dwarf, illusionist, and robed man to the Rusty Knocker and sat with them at a wooden table nearby. Her eyes widened a bit as Kenneth's face returned to normal. She had never seen such magic. The brunette sipped on her beer as she scanned the rest of the tavern, noticing the crossbow hung on the wall. She admired its craft and suppressed her need to examine it. Because the sun was still high in the sky, they were one of the only ones in the tavern besides a few lonely old men scattered around the room reflecting on their lives.


Just then, the knight came over to their table and she glared at him through narrowed light brown eyes. "Actually, we did notice you. You stood out like an ugly duckling," she retorted. One of the first things her father had taught her was to not trust anyone. Only because these were desperate circumstances had she agreed to follow these strangers. She had a strong intuition and she knew that the knight was well-intentioned, but it was in her nature to distrust imposters.

 

[Waffels]

As Merek sat down at the table, he looked around, throwing his hood back, revealing a brown-ish hair, a little disorganized, due to the hood. The place was well decorated, and at the same time a little bit rustic, giving him some sort of "Home sweet home" feeling. A bard started playing a song with his flute in the background, while Merek observed the man taking off his disguise.


-Don't worry about the face. I was disguised, because I'm being chased by some of the king's men. We - or at least I - should be safe here... So what was all this talk about a quest?


Merek stood normal looking to the real man's face, responding with a casual voice:


-I already knew it. When you stay at a temple, studying magic for ten years, you might learn how to feel magic around you... Anyway, the quest I was talking about is-


-Hello my friends. - interrupted the "guard" that Merek saw before, taking a sit near the table - You probably had not noticed me but I heard your discussion since the city gates. My names is Venek and I am a Knight Errant. I am very interested in your projects of quests. Yours. - them he looked at the lady - But also yours.


Merek thought "How many times am I going to be interrupted today... Ah..."





-Actually, we did notice you. You stood out like an ugly duckling - said the lady -


-If you are interested, you should listen to me and understand the risk - the four persons looked at the wizard, now intrigued about the word "risk" - This is a important quest. The goal is to get inside the Titan Forest, and retrieve an old scroll. Looks like the old stories your mom told ya before sleep, uh? - said Merek with a quite funny look at his face - I will explain more of the story on the way, since this city is not safe at all - said him, looking at a guard entering the tavern with his hands on his sword, looking for something -


As the disguised man was almost leaving the table, Merek said:


-Don't - said him, hitting his staff on the ground once, followed by a small noise coming from the blue gem at the top of his staff - The only thing he is going to see if a empty table. Illusion magic, just like yours. - Merek turned his eyes to the disguised man - So, what is your name, friend? - asked him, as the guard left the tavern -

 

[Phil Andering]

"Kenneth. Where did you get that staff?"





He wasn't sure how to react to the wizard's casual usage of mass invisibility, selective invisibility at that, but suspected it had something to do with the staff, and wanted to know more. Clearly this man had been around- and yet, as Kenneth looked closer, he noticed that this wizard may not be a man at all. Something about his features seemed . . . off. Elven? A vampire, if, perhaps, a remarkably scruffy one? He didn't let on with his suspicions, but he was sure of one thing: He wanted to know more.

 

[Waffels]

-I made it myself when I was 21. Took some time to find the materials. It's not just a staff, it's a powerful weapon.





Merek proceeded to hit the ground again with the staff, to make the Illusion spell fade away. Some people inside the tavern didn't even see it, other's, were impressed, but to afraid to approach.


-It's made out of normal Oak Wood, but the Gem over there is the main thing of all. It's bounded to the staff and myself, so not everyone will be able to use it. Old tradition of the Thorn Dynasty.

 

[Phil Andering]

"Interesting stuff. About this quest - when do you plan to leave? Is now too soon?"





He quickly looked around the room, to make sure nobody had taken an unhealthy amount of interest in the staff. He was beginning to worry that he already had. "I'm afraid I've already packed," he added.

 

[Tique]

When the young lady said to Venek that they had already spotted him, he shrugged with a grin of satisfaction : he thought that it was a good try still. Then he shuddered as a shiver ran along his back when the wizard did his things with the staff. Venek did not feel comfortable with all this magic.


-Our little friend right here does not seem comfortable when the militia is around, say Venek apparently amused. So yes, maybe we should go out of the city. That way, we can have more explanation on this affair. Is it alright for you all and also with you mister... ? What did you say your name was, sorry ? ask Venek to Merek.