De Laric piece 3

I awoke to a loud explosion from the basement level. The door leading downstairs poured heavy dark smoke into the room. I could hear yelling and the breaking of glass followed by loud cat meowing.

"No no no no put that down. Don't touch that! Not on my shoes! What is this? You did that didn't you!"

The door swung open and was quickly shut closed. Leaning against it breathing heavily was an old man in a dusty robe covered in various colored liquids. "Until you learn to behave you will have to stay in there." As he shouted at the door I could hear claws scratching at the wooden door followed by loud pounding and screaming meows.

The old man locked the door and took a deep breath. "I see you have finally awakened. Your wounds were rather severe and the addition of poison in your blood wasn't any help either. Lucky for you it was a very weak poison. You wouldn't have died from the poison alone though. Would have made you rather sick though but it would have passed. Was more of a venom really then it was a toxin." He walked to the near table and sat down. "My name is Arzada Solace. People around here call me the forest hermit. Although as you can see I live much better then a hermit and smell better then one. How about you?"

"My name is Crin de Laric. I come from Asan."

"Asan! Thats two days from here."

"So I'm told. Where am I?"

"You're on Tina's Cliff just north of Webb Forest. The nearest town is Feltain. It's a bit of a travel south of here but not to long a distance if you travel by horse."

"I couldn't have been wandering long enough to get here. This place is in the complete opposite direction of where we found that camp. We traveled south from the town following the trade route and then headed west into the forest. We got lost and started heading back towards the road. But instead of finding the road we found the camp. This tower is North East of that area. The ogre's wouldn't have taken me this far just to leave me to die."

"We?"

"My fiance. We were looking for a place to build a new home and a workshop so I could sell my wares."

"I see. So then I take it that you are going to go back and look for her."

"Yes. But, I'm going to need help. My body feels weak. I need to get my strength back so I can make the journey back."

"Well I'm sure we can help you out some how. Shouldn't take to long to get you back into shape. And the first thing you need to do." The old man stood up and walked towards the door. "Is to eat. Come. Breakfast is calling and we need to go out and catch it."

"Catch it?"

"Do you honestly think someone my age can chase down a rabbit? Besides, you said you wanted to train right? So come on. Hop to it boy."

De Laric piece 2

I awoke several days later in a small tower. I could hear music dancing the stairwell. My wounds had been mended and the burning in my body was gone. I sat up and tried to focus my strength to at least stand up. The cold stone floor was a welcome treat as it was a sign that I was still alive and not dead.

I made my way up the stairs glancing out each window I passed. The tower was located on the edge of a forest overlooking the ocean. I could see the moonlight dance with the waves. I stepped out onto the roof of the tower. A cloaked figure sat on the edge playing a small harp.

"I see you are awake now friend. The old man was a little worried we found you too late." He nodded to the edge. I slowly walked over trying to keep from losing my balance and leaned against the short rock wall around the edge. "I am Seiar the traveling minstrel. I reside on the top floor of the tower because its easy to get to the roof from there. The night is the best time to play music. The stillness and peace lets the notes travel further and be heard clearly. So tell me. What brings you to the deep forest? Your wounds suggest an extreme amount of trouble."

"My fiance and I discovered an ogre campsite. Before we could get away the ogre's attacked us. I can't remember much else."

"You were alone when we found you. Did she escape?"

"I don't know. I can only remember her screaming as I was carried off deeper into the forest."

"I see. Ogre's are not known for taking prisoners. Do you have any idea as to the location of that camp?"

"No. We got lost trying to find the road. I've really traveled much outside of Asan."

"Asan? The miner town? That's almost two days travel from here. I go there on occasion to play at the tavern. It is surprising to know that you survived that long while being poisoned and with the damage you suffered to your body."

"My memory is clouded. I can't remember anything past the screaming."

"That might be a good thing. The images may not be something a person would wish to live with for ever."

"I have to find her."

"We will. But right now you need to get your strength back. I will head to Asan tomorrow evening and return with what information I can about the campsite. Maybe someone has discovered it by now." Seiar stood and latched his harp to his belt. "I need to run into town and prepare for tomorrows journey. Glad to know that the old man's medicine kept you alive."

I continued to stare into the ocean and heard the door behind me open. "By the way, "he said "what is your name?"

"Crin. Crin De Laric," I answered.

I could hear his footsteps echo down the stairwell. Still unaware of where exactly I was and who saved my life I began to hope that I was in the company of allies and not enemies. Tomorrow would be the start of a new day. And with it would come training. I needed to get my strength back. In my current state I wouldn't be able to leave the tower any time soon. As I headed back down the stairwell I could hear music playing. I looked out the window and saw Seiar ride into the forest a top of a large featherless bird. It looked almost reptilian. I was a long way from home and something whispered in my head that my adventure was only just starting.

De Laric piece 1

I wasn't always a fighter. I was once just a typical man. I lived in a small mining town. It was only developing at the time. I had picked up tinkering and some smithing. I spent most of my time creating weapons for adventures. I became a weapon specialist. During a break to the tavern I met a beautiful girl playing a lute near the carpenters shop. I had never heard such horrible music. Her name was Nalinda. She had been practicing to play for months now and had not gotten any better at it. She was on her way home from the carpenters to make dinner. I was invited and accepted. From then on every day I would meet with her and have dinner before returning to the tents near the mining site. I had placed my tent near the water. Every night I swear I could hear music sneaking out of the forest nearby. I wondered if Nalinda would ever be that skilled. Things have gotten very smooth with her. Eventually, we fell in love with each other and I left my camp to stay with her. But not all stories have happy endings.

One evening we decided to venture south from the town in search of a place to build a new home. I had always wanted to leave the smith's and go into business for myself. So we searched for a prime spot where it would not be far from the trade routes. Night fell quickly and we got lost trying to find the road to head home. We walked towards an abandoned camp site near a dark cave. We ventured in and found a large treasure trove. When I realized the danger we had just walked into it had already become too late. Ogre's grabbed Nalinda and knocked me to the ground. The items in the cave had been from attacked caravans running between the mining city and kingdom. One of the ogres stabbed me with a poisoned blade. I lay on the ground trying to get up but the weight of the ogre's foot kept me pinned down. All I could do was listen to the screams of Nalinda and watch her suffer.

I stumbled through the woods trying to find my way back to town. The ogre's had carried me away from camp and dumped me further into the forest. Nalinda's screams echoed in my head. I was helpless. I didn't want to think about what has happened to her. Deep in my mind I knew her fate. The poison was weak but still effective. I was dieing slowly. The ogre's clearly had no understanding of poisons. Finally, unable to go any further I fell to the ground. I could hear distant sounds and voices. My vision narrowed and soon I only saw darkness.