Title Goes Here
Content will go here
Player's Guide Places People History Beliefs

 
 


Misspoken Words
A new day dawns. Aesias brilliance is once again spread throughout the land for all to see. I am greatful to see her every morning as she scares the dark of night into the shadows once more. She scares away the nightmares, replacing them with dreams and promise. Enough reverie for one morning.

Under order of Commander Bissel, we are to leave town. We have ourselves another mission. The town of Fartherwall is home to a Red Legion outpost, and at the moment it is undermanned. Lieutenant Ulrich Alnor, commander of the Fartherwall outpost, is having trouble with the local Gnoll population. Something has made them much more active than usual, and they have begun to raid East Point and Borderhold. We recieve our orders, gear up, and head out.

Arriving in Fartherwall we are greated by the local guard and shown to Lt. Alnors office. The Lieutenant informs us that we are to depart tomorrow on a scouting mission. Apparently all his scouts are tied up right now, because I know myself, I make a pretty lousy scout. However, orders are orders.

We are also to have the guidance of a man by the name Terrance. We meet him out at the archery range, and while he places arrow after arrow on top of one another, we get our first look at him. He stands tall and strong, with leather armor dyed black as night, and a powerful longbow in his grasp. When he turns the real shock hits: he is missing an eye and wears a patch to cover it. How he can shoot so well without a sense of depth is astounding.

Time goes on and Aesia begins to once again give way to the shadows. Night falls far too quickly here. It is getting late and I am searching out my companions, so on instinct, I head to the nearest tavern. My guess is right and my fellow soldiers sit near the corner. As usual Gerard and Sandra seem to be each having their own private drinking contest, and both seem to be losing.

I sit down at an open chair and down the first thing they put in front of me. It looks like water, smells like turpentine, and tastes like a dead cow that caught fire. It burns my throat, loosens my teeth, and then settles in my stomach with a cool, satisfying burn. Definitely not water. Sandra pushes hers to me and I down that one too. Then it hits me harder than a warhammer. My head swims and I sway in my chair. That is it for me. I do not drink often enough to come to the bar with these two.

Time passes slowly as I sip water and attempt to recover from whatever lightning they fed me. A few hours go by and I grow tired. I raise from my chair, say goodnight to my companions, and head toward the exit. My head is still bleary and I stumble into a large townsman. I catch my balance and apologize for my clumsiness. He clenches and begins to raise his voice. I can smell the alcohol oh his breath and I know he cannot be thinking clearly. Then he proves me right and makes two big mistakes.

"You god-damn halfbreed bastard!" He shouts. Then he hits me hard enough to break my jaw. Without thinking, I retaliate. With rage and hate in my voice, I shout only two words... "Human scum!" and punctuate it with a face mangling right cross.

Then all hell breaks loose.

After the first punch, I lost track of what happened. It was all happening so fast. Adrianna lept onto a table and began whipping people with her rapier. Sandra broke a bottle and began jabbing anyone who got too close. Nickoli was in his element: leveling patrons with a single punch. Gerard and Terrance did their best to keep drinking... and when that failed, Terrance punched a man through a table. As for me, well I knocked several men cold with the hilt of my sword. Seems it's getting quite the use these days. When the dust settled, we were the only ones standing.

No sooner had we decided it was time to leave, than the town guard showed up. Every last person in that bar wound up in prison that night. Not my first time spending the night in a cage... but it has been a very long time.

Maybe this is where I belong after all. I do not know what came over me, and I am deeply sorry for saying such a horrible thing. Gerard seemed to take it the hardest, that I can tell. I can only hope my companions will find it within themselves to forgive me. With Aesias help, perhaps I can find a way to control my in-born rage, and prove myself more than just an orcish bastard.

In the morning, Lt. Alnor came by to set us free. He began to reprimand us, showing his disgust for our actions the previous evening. However his tone changes quickly as he offers us hearty congratulations on a job well done. I may never understand the officers within the Legion. However, I need not understand their actions to appreciate them.

What is past, is past.
We have Gnolls to find.

From the journal of Rothgar

Contributor: Chris Kordella