The Friday Knights in Sellswords of Fallcrest
Chapter 1: At the gate.
Kullervo stared at the lock on the gate, then the alley beyond, then eventually behind him, at his two companions, and finally through the mists and rain of the night to the mostly sleeping city that formed the backdrop, all this... Fallcrest, it was strange to him, he'd wanted excitement, and yet...
Still, it'd all been worthwhile, he was an adventurer now, he was freezing his ass off in the rain, staring at a lock that was probably trapped, and which he probably couldn't open anyway, and with Cathal and Ignaran's eyes burning holes in his back... but at least he was an adventurer now. It was what he wanted to do- last week, now he wasn't so sure.
A farm boy from Phsant, three days ago something inside him had snapped, he'd bundled his clothes, and in the dead of night, upped and left- no note. He missed home- warmth, smiling faces, good cooking; safety.
He looked again at the lock, then beyond- Cutpurse Alley [1] a well worn thoroughfare, the cobbled path slowly turning into a rivulet of stink as the rain continued to fall, up and right he could see a light, and every now and then hear raised voices- guards more than likely, Kullervo gulped- his throat was dry, very dry.
Home was less than ten miles away, ten miles and one whole world. His life had changed forever, he hoped- if only he could figure out what to do next; how to open the lock, find the traps- it was bound to be trapped Kullervo figured. The gate to Cutpurse Alley was a monstrosity in wrought iron, all leering gargoyles, teeth, claws and talons- it said “keep out”, forget said, it shouted- “NO ENTRY.” [2]
It'd taken Kullervo the rest of the night to walk from Phsant to Fallcrest, he'd never been to the city before, ten miles- he hadn't travelled further than half that distance from the farm in the the first nineteen years of his life, that was going to change.
The massive gates to Fallcrest were shut, that was his first surprise. He had to wait an hour in the dawn mist until a guard [3] came into sight, atop the battlement-
“Ho there, I want to come in...” Kullervo called up and waved.
“Then you've a long wait.” The guard shouted back, and smirked a little, settling in to enjoy the show.
The silence stretched, Kullervo fretted a little.
“What time do you open?” He eventually called back.
The guard shrugged, at least Kullervo presumed he did, hard to see for sure at this distance.
“We're shut.” The Soldier added and stifled a laugh.
Kullervo thought about this for a while- this wasn't going well he decided.
“Why?” Kullervo tried.
“Bandits.” The guard gestured vaguely down the Trade Road, away from Fallcrest.
“Markelhay's orders.” He added by way of explanation, Markelhay the name of the Lord of Fallcrest, even Kullervo knew that.
“What do I...” Kullervo started up.
“Sod off.” The Guard offered and did little to hide his amusement, a little while later he took to making a gesture that Kullervo had last witnessed in the school playground of Phsant, aged six [4]; Kullervo swiftly picked up a stone and threw it.
Ding.
Then ran.
[1] Cutpurse Alley, Back Alley (also known as “The Crack”), Beggars Way and Stabbers Paradise map out the line of conflict, the war zone, between the Beggars Guild and the Shadowmen, perhaps the largest Thieves Guild in Fallcrest. Interestingly the suicide rate in this area of the city is the highest of any region, most preferred methods of “offing” oneself are- multiple stab wounds, poisoned crossbow bolt and self-strangulation- go figure.
[2] The gate to Cutpurse Alley was manufactured and installed by “Gates”, a local firm that specialises in gates, and traps, oh and trapped gates. The CEO of Gates, Build Gates, also runs Microshaft, which operates out of a shadowy booth in one of the night markets, specialising in extreme hardened crossbow bolts with very thin, and therefore lightweight, shafts- alas the present design has problems with loading. The gate in question is a BFTG9000, guaranteed to bloody- Kullervo is right to be nervous.
[3] The guard in question was Arthur Snickett, known to friends, family and enemies alike as a “complete tosser.”
[4] Billy Huffenpuff, also aged 6, made the gesture to Kullervo in the Phsant School playground- he later lost two teeth in a hammer-related accident, the incidents are connected..
Until next time...
Chapter 1: At the gate.
Kullervo stared at the lock on the gate, then the alley beyond, then eventually behind him, at his two companions, and finally through the mists and rain of the night to the mostly sleeping city that formed the backdrop, all this... Fallcrest, it was strange to him, he'd wanted excitement, and yet...
Still, it'd all been worthwhile, he was an adventurer now, he was freezing his ass off in the rain, staring at a lock that was probably trapped, and which he probably couldn't open anyway, and with Cathal and Ignaran's eyes burning holes in his back... but at least he was an adventurer now. It was what he wanted to do- last week, now he wasn't so sure.
A farm boy from Phsant, three days ago something inside him had snapped, he'd bundled his clothes, and in the dead of night, upped and left- no note. He missed home- warmth, smiling faces, good cooking; safety.
He looked again at the lock, then beyond- Cutpurse Alley [1] a well worn thoroughfare, the cobbled path slowly turning into a rivulet of stink as the rain continued to fall, up and right he could see a light, and every now and then hear raised voices- guards more than likely, Kullervo gulped- his throat was dry, very dry.
Home was less than ten miles away, ten miles and one whole world. His life had changed forever, he hoped- if only he could figure out what to do next; how to open the lock, find the traps- it was bound to be trapped Kullervo figured. The gate to Cutpurse Alley was a monstrosity in wrought iron, all leering gargoyles, teeth, claws and talons- it said “keep out”, forget said, it shouted- “NO ENTRY.” [2]
It'd taken Kullervo the rest of the night to walk from Phsant to Fallcrest, he'd never been to the city before, ten miles- he hadn't travelled further than half that distance from the farm in the the first nineteen years of his life, that was going to change.
The massive gates to Fallcrest were shut, that was his first surprise. He had to wait an hour in the dawn mist until a guard [3] came into sight, atop the battlement-
“Ho there, I want to come in...” Kullervo called up and waved.
“Then you've a long wait.” The guard shouted back, and smirked a little, settling in to enjoy the show.
The silence stretched, Kullervo fretted a little.
“What time do you open?” He eventually called back.
The guard shrugged, at least Kullervo presumed he did, hard to see for sure at this distance.
“We're shut.” The Soldier added and stifled a laugh.
Kullervo thought about this for a while- this wasn't going well he decided.
“Why?” Kullervo tried.
“Bandits.” The guard gestured vaguely down the Trade Road, away from Fallcrest.
“Markelhay's orders.” He added by way of explanation, Markelhay the name of the Lord of Fallcrest, even Kullervo knew that.
“What do I...” Kullervo started up.
“Sod off.” The Guard offered and did little to hide his amusement, a little while later he took to making a gesture that Kullervo had last witnessed in the school playground of Phsant, aged six [4]; Kullervo swiftly picked up a stone and threw it.
Ding.
Then ran.
[1] Cutpurse Alley, Back Alley (also known as “The Crack”), Beggars Way and Stabbers Paradise map out the line of conflict, the war zone, between the Beggars Guild and the Shadowmen, perhaps the largest Thieves Guild in Fallcrest. Interestingly the suicide rate in this area of the city is the highest of any region, most preferred methods of “offing” oneself are- multiple stab wounds, poisoned crossbow bolt and self-strangulation- go figure.
[2] The gate to Cutpurse Alley was manufactured and installed by “Gates”, a local firm that specialises in gates, and traps, oh and trapped gates. The CEO of Gates, Build Gates, also runs Microshaft, which operates out of a shadowy booth in one of the night markets, specialising in extreme hardened crossbow bolts with very thin, and therefore lightweight, shafts- alas the present design has problems with loading. The gate in question is a BFTG9000, guaranteed to bloody- Kullervo is right to be nervous.
[3] The guard in question was Arthur Snickett, known to friends, family and enemies alike as a “complete tosser.”
[4] Billy Huffenpuff, also aged 6, made the gesture to Kullervo in the Phsant School playground- he later lost two teeth in a hammer-related accident, the incidents are connected..
Until next time...
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