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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JoeGKushner" data-source="post: 1110817" data-attributes="member: 1129">Well, we didn't play last week. However, we played this week!As we moved up the hill to see what this new group would offer that we didn’t, one of the scouts approached us. “The colonel wishes to see you.”“I do not trust those fools that the Magister is speaking with. They seem even more fresh and foolish than you.” I knew the real reason. The colonel didn’t trust that other group because they didn’t have a giant in it. Well, I couldn’t fault his logic.“We need more results. We need you to hurry. We need you to finish this.”  He walked for a bit, my and my party behind me slowly following. “With that in mind, you’ll be provided with horses to hasten your travels. Take care with them but don’t endanger your own lives over them.”By the time we returned to Iriana with our prisoner in tow, the others were not around. I wouldn’t broach the subject. If she wanted to play games, or more likely, get results, we would see who was better. “We’ve brought you a prisoner.” It was a simple statement, one I hoped didn’t annoy her more than my earlier outburst.She looked at the creature and cast some sort of spell upon it. The veins bulged on the creatures forehead and a thin of sweat formed as it sought to resist the strength of Iriana’s power. It spoke in it’s crude language and the magister understood what it said. She pulled forth a map, handed it to Kelvyn and with a wave of her hand, told us that the area we must now travel to was marked.We traveled through the woods and came upon a hill. It was almost like a huge emerald, so covered in fresh green grass was it. Stone markers with runes scribed upon them surrounded the hill and Kelvyn stopped for a moment, and I wondered if he was accessing the memory pool. “Knowledge.” He said simply and walked into the stone circle.“Some of these are runes of rest. They’ll make it easier to recover from our travels. These others, I don’t know. They’re beyond the pool, or at least, beyond my ability to access it.” He read some more over the stone but was unable to determine what some of it meant.The litorian greenbond moved up to one of them. “It’s a Faen Poem.” Our slumber was disturbed that night, and several others, by some noisy creature. The first time we didn’t see it, we all gathered our arms and armor, ready to sell our lives dearly in the middle of the night. When Charon explained what it was, I shrugged my shoulders and went back to sleep. Let the intelligent people worry about the breeding habits and other trivial information that beset their mind with such unimportant questions. My responsibility was to insure that the group survived.One time we spotted a fallen tree bleeding sap. The magister and akashic muttered something about healing properties when properly treated and the greenbond, Charon walked up the hill. The greenbond almost feel back and started flailing his arms. Bugs covered him from head to toe, some type of mite I think. He rolled down the hill, trying to dislodge the creatures about him. The akashik grabbed a blanket and began to beat the bugs off him as if he were putting out a fire. “An amusing tale for the memory pool.” I thought I heard him mutter.Jolan went up next and while the creatures swarmed over him, he remained calm and unaffected, taking the time to fill several vials with the sap. If we didn’t have the litorian with us, I wouldn’t think it wise as the rest of us were like children in the wilderness. Survival, without food or water, would be difficult. The feline humanoid though, took care of most of us needs so I wasn’t too worried.We continued on our way. A small series of hills loomed before us. A cave entrance was guarded by two of the ram headed rhodin.  We charged them. As I rushed forward, I pulled forth one of the short spears and hurled. At the range, my strength was enough to launch the missile but my physical prowess weren’t enough to guide it true. It clattered uselessly to the side.One of them sounded a horn, and dove behind a boulder. The other did the same thing, reading himself for us. Behind me, I heard one of my comrades cry out. Were we being attacked from both sides? Turning behind, it looked like Kelvyn accidentally shot the greenbond with his short bow. Fortunately, it wasn’t a fatal wound. The magister ran up behind me, thinking to use me as cover.Clever.I continued to charge forth waiting for one of them to look over the rock. My chance came and this time, I was close enough to strike the creature with my hurled weapon. The sibeccai didn’t bother with his crossbow, instead just running all out to get to the creatures. That was a mistake.From the cave mouth, more of the creatures emerged. Three charged him directly, one rushed to the boulder where the dead rhodin lay, two more ran towards where the other rhodin hid. They would all die.The magister chanted something and his hand crackled with energy. He rushed forward and touched one of the creatures surrounding the sibeccai. The sibecai, champion of death that he was, didn’t look like he needed help at first, biting and slashing away with his bastard sword.I was wrong of course. Two more of the foul things emerged, their battle axes sinking deep into his flesh. I pulled forth my greatsword, finally in reach of the creatures and plunged it through the closest one. “Stand strong champion!” I shouted.We stood back to back for long moments while the battled swirled about us. I don’t know what the others were doing, but the magister tried to account for himself at our side with his staff one or twice before realizing that the three behind the rocky outcropping were ganging up on my battle advisor.Then more of the humanoids emerged. It was almost like a bad dream. I threw my last short spear at the three cowards who hadn’t stuck there heads up for more than an instant to blindly throw their own short spears that clattered about us.The rhodin struck my comrade again and his eyes narrowed even as the blood seeped from between his fingers. “You’ll find that death often has a horrid bite.” His whispered to the creature and lunged forward with a final burst of strength, snapping his jaws shut on the creatures throat with such force that I heard the neck snap.The litorian, Charon, stood over the jackal headed champion. “Go, I’ll heal him.” He pointed a clawed finger at the battle takking place behind the rocks.I raced as fast as I could but being a giant in heavy armor wasn’t something conductive to speed. By the time I reached Kevlyn, he was badly injured. The creatures used both horns and axes in an attempt to pry him out of his armor. I shouted a challenge to them in my native tongue, trying to draw their attention away from my battered comrade but the creatures seemed intent on killing him.I charged forward again, plunging my blade into the side of one, killing it instantly. The one directly behind it, I thought it smiled, as if in anticipation of a true challenge. To hell with him I thought as I slashed him across the back. The wound was horrible but it didn’t die. Instead, it smashed Kevlyn down and turned to face me again.A mistake on it’s part as the magister struck him with his staff soundly. It howled in anger and tried to smash me with it’s axe, which I blocked with my blade. It’s strength was great and I could see how it’s own vitality kept alive despite the wounds that would kill a lesser beast. I stepped back and swung my sword like a club, hitting the creature soundly in the midsection, almost bisecting it. It coughed up blood, dropped it’s weapon, and attempted to reach for me. It didn’t make it.The magister moved back, as one of the creatures still lived. It raised it’s axe to behead the spellcaster and I shouted out a challenge again. This one, seeing what I had done to it’s other comrades, looked eagerly upon me and charged forward with such speed that I was caught unaware and it’s axe bit into my heavy armor. Thankfully, we giants are masters of the armor craft and my armor didn’t shatter. Instead, it felt like one of my elders had smashed me with a powerful blow. I returned the favor, ending the creature’s life with a single stroke.The greenbond moved about, using salves and bandages to insure that those downed didn’t die. He used the last of his healing spells on the champion of death who looked about, perhaps almost disappointed that he didn’t join his cause. On the ground, my friend and advisor lay still, pale and near death. The cave however, would not wait. “Rugar, stay with him and start moving the bodies away from camp. Insure that none of them are alive to cause any more trouble.”The cave was wide and inside, we heard moaning. The cries of the dead and dying. All about us were sick and injured rhodin women and children. They didn’t bother to move or attempt to attack us. A chained litorian, one of the scouts that left the keep weeks ago, called out to us. His leg was bent at an odd angle and he had pitiful written on his face. “You must return me to the keep at once. I have information for the lady and must not be held here a minute longer.” I didn’t quite sneer at him but was amazed at his audacity. “Hurry man, I’ve been here for three weeks, a prisoner of these damned things. Their hunting party must surely be getting ready to return any minute now.”I picked up the chain from the ground. I may not have been the tallest giant my race ever spawned, but for my size, I was strong. A few moments latter, I was flushed and tired, but the chain broke.I looked about. The rhodin didn’t move but merely awaited the inevitable. They were without protectors now, but they had children. If those children grew up, they might attempt to retake the keep. I knew that I could go outside and tell Rugar to finish off these pitiful creatures, but as the leader, that was my job. That was my burden.I picked up the greatsword and walked towards one of the monsters.“Don’t do it Ko-Lathis. Don’t stoop to their level. They’re not combatants. They’re nothing. They’re innocents.” The magister, his hand crackling with that same power I saw him slay one of the creatures earlier with, rose and stood between me and the creature destined to die under my blade.“I appreciate your concerns but tell me one thing. Will you stay with them and insure that they never taste human flesh again? That they never raise their war banners against my people or yours? Will your devote your life to this cause? It’s a yes or no answer.” I looked him straight in the eye and while he didn’t flinch, he hesitated a second.“We have no idea what they’ll become. They may look back on this and think of humans with kindness.”“You’re wrong.” Was all I said as I went to move past him and start the butchery.One doesn’t walk the battlefields without learning how to notice subtle things. The change in the magister’s stance said that Jolan would now fight to defend his ideals. Poor idealist.He lunched forward with his hand. I sidestepped his clumsy attack. “Don’t do it.” I told him. “Accept my authority in this manner.”He raised his hand again, like a living weapon. I turned my blade to its flat side and smacked him upside the head. He hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.I turned to face the Charon. “Would you attack me to save their lives?” Was I completely wrong here? Did they not see the future menace that these creatures posed?“I do not agree with you giant but the lady at the keep grows impatient. These are probably the same rhodins who kept the keep all those years. I do not strand against you, but I don’t approve.”Then the slaughter commenced. It was bloody work but it didn’t take as long as I thought it would. When I finished, I stood in front of the scout litorian, the former prisoner.“You said that you have information for Yaren and Iriana. You’ll tell it to me.” I noticed that some of the blood had pooled on my fingers and flicked it at the litorian’s feet, growling as I did so.“No, only Iriana can be told this.” My head swam. This fool didn’t understand that Iriana was our employer. Perhaps he didn’t trust us. Perhaps he feared for his life. I hoped that my slaughter of these creatures would intimidate him but now, he feared for his life, but didn’t fear me enough to tell me what I wanted to know.“Charon, get this madman away from me. You must help me return to the keep.”They exchanged words for a few moments while my anger grew. Apparently, Charon wasn’t pleased with what the scout said either. He eventually walked up to me. “As I said before, do what you will. He doesn’t understand Iriana’s impatience or our inability to take him directly to the keep.”I walked outside. “Rugar. Interrogate the man inside. Inform him of who you are and what you do. If he fails to comply, do what you feel best.”Soon, the scout, whose name was Gersted, was singing. A champion of death, even one untrained in the arts of intimidation, was a terrible specter, especially when he held the freshly severed head of a large rhodin. Apparently we had to go further to seek the ring. More travels. I was not pleased. This whole affair were turning into a more longer, much bloodier affair than I wanted.The magister awoke a few hours latter. Jolan looked at me with intense hatred burning in his eyes but made no move towards me. Had I made a mistake in not killing him? Would this now haunt me?The following morning, I asked simply. “Is this something that you can live with?”Jolan’s answer was a flat no. “I’m leaving. I’m returning to the keep and taking Gersted with me.” There was a challenge in that voice, one backed by steel, but I wasn’t going to murder him. He was, if only for a little while, my comrade. He tried to convince Kelvyn of my evil, my terrible actions and get him to go with us.To my surprise, Kelvyn thought that it was indeed wrong to slaughter them but also saw my point that just because they weren’t a danger now, was no promise that they would remain that way and like the greenbond, took a neutral stance.I extended my hand towards Jolan and he spat at my feet. “I don’t shake hands with murderers.”“Then the next time I see you, do I have to assume that you’ve come for justice?” My hand clenched itself into a fist at my side.“No, I’ll leave murder and it’s glories to you giant.” With that, he rode out of the camp.My first true test, recovering the Ebonring, wasn’t going well. Kraze remained at the keep, the magister leaving in disgust and my own comrades doubting my wisdom. The sad thing was, perhaps they were right. I was much better as a soldier than a leader. I knew how to do one thing and did that thing well. The morality escaped me. I only hoped that it wouldn’t interfere with our mission.</blockquote>

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