Kenmar is the son of Jorian soldier who deserted, along with entire unit, during the God-Head War. They were at the forefront of the invasion of Bellai, an act which sickened their sense of honor. Early in the war they met no resistance as they blazed across the land, slaying artists and musicians who could barely swing a sword. They despised the rule of Nyfastis, and vowed not to serve him. They spent the rest of the war in hiding, fighting their former countrymen as often as the people of Bellai.
When Bellai forced Jor back to the old borders, their lives became safer, but no less secure. The prominence of Nyfatis’ faction, despite his absence, prevented them from returning home, and the Bellai patrols attacked them on site. They survived as bandits, hacking a living out of the countryside by force of arms, and moving as necessary to avoid large groups of Bellai soldiers.
Kenmar was born to a captive local women, and was raised in the traditional manner for Jorian children in the time before Nyfastis’ evil twisted their honor. He began training with weapons at five, and was already a capable warrior at thirteen by the standards of lesser races. He was one of few children born in the camp, and fewer still to survive to adulthood.
When Kenmar was nineteen, his father succumbed to age. The group was now small, and most of the men old, and barely capable of wielding blade. He decided to strike out on his own. Unwilling to travel to Jor, and unable to leave the country by other means he wandered Bellai for two years, earning what living he could with the edge of his sword. It was a meager existence. He slept outdoors more often than not, and frequently went to bed on an empty stomach. Furthermore his accent betrayed him as Jorian to even the commonest farmer, causing most to treat him with suspicion, if not outright scorn.
When he learned of the newly opened gateway to New Aelon he was eager to leave, feeling any change of fortune would be a welcome one.
Search for water
Day 1
Eemish finally found a job for me; Good thing because money is running very thin. If things keep going the way they are I’ll be boiling my boots before long. I’m still not out of the woods completely, of course, there’s no pay unless we succeed. We’re looking for some sort of item that produces water. Eemish claims to know where one might be, but he hasn’t been forthcoming about details and I suspect he doesn’t know any. It would be a shame to starve to death in the desert, but if that’s what comes I will die with my sword in my hand and a curse for the sun on my lips.
Day 2
No luck on our quest today, but no one is discouraged yet. I’ve come to learn something of our other companions at least. They all have patrons in New Aelon, which means steady work and a guarantee of a good meal each night. To be honest I don’t know how Eemish convinced them to come. Part of me wishes he hadn’t, that means a bigger share of the profit for me, but perhaps they will prove useful.
Dominae is my favorite. He is disciplined and honorable. I haven’t seen him fight, but he is in good condition, and I suspect he knows the secret of combining mind and muscle. I hope to stand beside him in combat and see his true mettle.
Tamasil is quiet. He speaks little and acts little. I suspect he has his own motives for joining our company. I don’t begrudge him that; perhaps he will lose his interest for gold in whatever knowledge he finds…
Last is Zolan. He is light hearted, and perhaps too fond of strong drink. I do not know why he accompanies us, though Eemish’s reasons for asking him are obvious. With his power to create water from whim, he is perhaps the only one in our party so far to prove his worth.
Day 3
We found some sort of tomb, and Eemish seems fairly confident that what we seek lies inside, though he knows not where. I confess I am happy to be out of the godflayed sun. It is cursed hot in this foul desert, and I miss the cool mists of my homeland.
The quest turns out more interesting than I thought. Our first steps inside brought us face to face with the legendary Scourge of Ninurta. My da told tales of it when I was a boy, and how it haunts only the entrance, but never enters. I told the others to get inside, and all listened save the fool dwarf, who tried to stand and face it alone. He changed his tune when all he got for the trouble was a horn in his chest. He scurried through the door whimpering of thirst, and emptied an entire skein before he was satisfied! If he wasn’t the only one who could replace it I’d flay him myself for the waste. Only I managed to score a blow on the great beast. Da would be proud.
It’s seems we aren’t the first from New Aelon to explore this area. The bull got one outside, and there was another inside the first room, killed by some foul magic. Eemish recognized him, and says he saw him only the day before we left. He was a fool if he came alone; perhaps we’ll find more further in.
We came to a room full of vile instruments whose functions I have no desire to guess. There is no honor in torture. A foe worth killing is worth killing in one stroke, and those who inflict pain for its own sake are weak of mind. Here all would have been fine, and we would have moved on, but the godflayed dwarf wanted to play. He got himself trapped inside an animated iron maiden. I had half a mind to leave him there, but it is dishonorable to leave a companion to his death, even a foolish one. Dominae managed to free him, but got trapped himself in the process. I made short work of the thing, though Eenish proved a great aid. When Dominae was freed he was near death, and even after what healing Zolan could provide both of them were too weak to continue, so we camp the night here. I suspect we have yet to face the greatest horror this tomb holds, but my heart is high, for if I fall I will do so honorably, in combat with a greater foe.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Curious Dwarf's First Adventure
Curious Dwarf did meet a group.
Together they made quite a troupe.
They wandered into the desert getting hotter,
looking for a source of magic water.
Curious Dwarf does hate undead,
nothing more evil can be said.
They entered a tomb guarded by bull,
Curious Dwarf attacked until Troupe did pull.
Along the way they found a maiden,
of iron it was well laiden.
Curious Dwarf did earn his name,
when curiousity nearly ended the game.
END Episode 1.
Together they made quite a troupe.
They wandered into the desert getting hotter,
looking for a source of magic water.
Curious Dwarf does hate undead,
nothing more evil can be said.
They entered a tomb guarded by bull,
Curious Dwarf attacked until Troupe did pull.
Along the way they found a maiden,
of iron it was well laiden.
Curious Dwarf did earn his name,
when curiousity nearly ended the game.
END Episode 1.
The Tales of Eemish Maker
I am Eemish Maker.
I am of the city of New Aelon, that which was known to me as Aylon. I am a maker of things, as my father was before me, and his father before him.
Up until a few years ago, we had a quiet life, a simple existence under the sky of sand. I helped my father build things for the other in our community, and I helped my mother in the fungus garden. I never ventured far outside of our city center, but several times I explored some of the older ruins on the outskirts, always curious of the world around me.
But I was always reminded that our world ends at the sand, and I came to believe I would never know what lies beyond.
That all changed when Uther the Pure led his band of adventurers into our city in search of Olde Gate, or as he called it, the Travel Arch.
Since that day, 3 years ago, I have learned so much. I have always been able to create simple items of use, channeling the energies all around us into them giving them power, life, what many call magic. But magic is just one face of many sided diamond. The energies that Mind-magicians use, or Psions, is the same energy that Wizards control with their complicated words and motions, is the same energy religous folk call forth from their gods, is the same energy that landstewards call forth from Nature, is the same energy sorcerors channel from their blood.
I have always been able to see this energy in things. It has just made sense to me. And when I need to move it from one charged item to another, I just pull it from one, hold it in my hand like a small ball of light, and "coax" it into the other.
I see this energy everywhere, It runs through us, it is a part of us. Life creates it, makes it grow. It surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the energy around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes.
It was in the interest of discovering a new source of this energy, that I brought a few of my friends together. There is an old tale of a source of water to the north of here, a legend, really.. told to children as a bedtime story. And now with the growing size of the city, the folk are beginning to realize that our own source of water, that which powers our fountains is beginning to reach its capacity.
A chance to finally leave this place where I've lived my whole life. After hearing many tales of adventure, it was time to begin my own.
We gathered after I purchased one of those strange one-hump animals called a camel with the little gold I had saved working the tavern. The others seemed eager for all their own reasons, and I felt good about this group, and anxious to find the source.
The travel north was without incident, and as we arrived at the cave in the dune, we descended stairs not knowing what might lay in wait for us.
In the first room a skeleton sat in a heap by the only other door. What might have killed it became apparent immediately, as what appeared to be a bull in the distance began a charge in our direction. What at first had seemed just wall painting, became a live, and the bull approached as the warblade shouted at us to get through the door. I fumbled at the trapped door, disarmed it, and plunged through just as the bull arrived and gored the cleric. We all made it through, and shut the door.
Inside the second room, what appeared to be an armory, we found an adventurer burid in a pile of dust in the corner. But this was no adventurer, for I recognized him from New Aelon as one of my people. I will have to return his things to his family and pass the news. What horrible thing happened to him in only a few days that would make his corpse appear so aged. The weapons all crumbled to dust as well, so we knew we shouldnt stay here.
In the third room, we discovered a torture chamber, and as the cleric stepped near the iron maiden, it came alive and engulfed him. I recognized it as a creature of magic, a construct, something I intend to build someday, and funneled some of the energy I hold inside of me, to injur it and release our healer. I had summoned a shadow creature, and with a command, he rushed forward to help the monk. They managed to open the door enough for the cleric to come tumbling out, only to see the monk fall prey to it himself. But after a few whacks from the warblade, the shdaow creature, with the name of Freddie, opened the door and grabbed the monk.
We finished off the construct, and after searching the room, I discovered a ring of magical protection on a set of skeletal hands still grasping the bars of a cell. Having taken quite a beating, and after the long couple days of travel, we decided it would be better if we rested then.
The room makes me shudder with the thoughts of the screams that must have been heard here some time ago, but my body is tired and a deep rest comes quickly.
I am of the city of New Aelon, that which was known to me as Aylon. I am a maker of things, as my father was before me, and his father before him.
Up until a few years ago, we had a quiet life, a simple existence under the sky of sand. I helped my father build things for the other in our community, and I helped my mother in the fungus garden. I never ventured far outside of our city center, but several times I explored some of the older ruins on the outskirts, always curious of the world around me.
But I was always reminded that our world ends at the sand, and I came to believe I would never know what lies beyond.
That all changed when Uther the Pure led his band of adventurers into our city in search of Olde Gate, or as he called it, the Travel Arch.
Since that day, 3 years ago, I have learned so much. I have always been able to create simple items of use, channeling the energies all around us into them giving them power, life, what many call magic. But magic is just one face of many sided diamond. The energies that Mind-magicians use, or Psions, is the same energy that Wizards control with their complicated words and motions, is the same energy religous folk call forth from their gods, is the same energy that landstewards call forth from Nature, is the same energy sorcerors channel from their blood.
I have always been able to see this energy in things. It has just made sense to me. And when I need to move it from one charged item to another, I just pull it from one, hold it in my hand like a small ball of light, and "coax" it into the other.
I see this energy everywhere, It runs through us, it is a part of us. Life creates it, makes it grow. It surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the energy around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes.
It was in the interest of discovering a new source of this energy, that I brought a few of my friends together. There is an old tale of a source of water to the north of here, a legend, really.. told to children as a bedtime story. And now with the growing size of the city, the folk are beginning to realize that our own source of water, that which powers our fountains is beginning to reach its capacity.
A chance to finally leave this place where I've lived my whole life. After hearing many tales of adventure, it was time to begin my own.
We gathered after I purchased one of those strange one-hump animals called a camel with the little gold I had saved working the tavern. The others seemed eager for all their own reasons, and I felt good about this group, and anxious to find the source.
The travel north was without incident, and as we arrived at the cave in the dune, we descended stairs not knowing what might lay in wait for us.
In the first room a skeleton sat in a heap by the only other door. What might have killed it became apparent immediately, as what appeared to be a bull in the distance began a charge in our direction. What at first had seemed just wall painting, became a live, and the bull approached as the warblade shouted at us to get through the door. I fumbled at the trapped door, disarmed it, and plunged through just as the bull arrived and gored the cleric. We all made it through, and shut the door.
Inside the second room, what appeared to be an armory, we found an adventurer burid in a pile of dust in the corner. But this was no adventurer, for I recognized him from New Aelon as one of my people. I will have to return his things to his family and pass the news. What horrible thing happened to him in only a few days that would make his corpse appear so aged. The weapons all crumbled to dust as well, so we knew we shouldnt stay here.
In the third room, we discovered a torture chamber, and as the cleric stepped near the iron maiden, it came alive and engulfed him. I recognized it as a creature of magic, a construct, something I intend to build someday, and funneled some of the energy I hold inside of me, to injur it and release our healer. I had summoned a shadow creature, and with a command, he rushed forward to help the monk. They managed to open the door enough for the cleric to come tumbling out, only to see the monk fall prey to it himself. But after a few whacks from the warblade, the shdaow creature, with the name of Freddie, opened the door and grabbed the monk.
We finished off the construct, and after searching the room, I discovered a ring of magical protection on a set of skeletal hands still grasping the bars of a cell. Having taken quite a beating, and after the long couple days of travel, we decided it would be better if we rested then.
The room makes me shudder with the thoughts of the screams that must have been heard here some time ago, but my body is tired and a deep rest comes quickly.
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