This is the first real story I've written from one of my campaigns. I've written other stuff for awhile though, and played D&D for about five years now. It's kinda long, sorry. Let me know what you guy's think please, thanks:
Dieb and Gareth walked along the uneven road in silence, neither much interested in small talk. The rustling of small animal and the chirping of birds were the only things to break the silence. Dieb gazed into the light pine forest that followed them along the road, up and down the hills. He couldn't think of anything to say, but the silence had begun to grate on him. He felt a little uncomfortable next to this strange man dressed all in black. He didn't know much about Gareth, having met him only a day before, and Dieb disliked not knowing. Just as he was about to make a comment on the beautiful spring weather they crested the hill they were climbing and spread out before them in a small valley was the quaint hamlet of Rudinthorpe.
"Ahh, here at last," Gareth put his hands to his back and stretched out. "I don't understand how people can live in such isolated communities. They're so rustic."
"I suppose they enjoy being separated from civilization. They're farmers, an odd sort," replied Dieb. "Let's get into town and find out about this job."
Rahla climbed the all too familiar hill up to the keep of her old friend Jason Rudin. It had only been about two years since she had been here as part of an adventuring party to clear the area of an evil necromancer. The foul wizard had been raising an army of undead to use in an assault on the king but was deterred by Rahla and her companions, many of whom lost their lives. Jason was crippled and unable to adventure anymore but for his service to the country the king, Lord Darnell, had rewarded him the keep and the land around it. A village grew up in the area and Jason Rudin became Lord Rudin. Rahla spent most of her time away from town, but every couple of months she would return to check up on her old friend. Now she was looking forward to some more nights of reminiscing and story telling.
She reached the gate and gave it a solid knock. A window opened in the door and two eyes could be seen staring out. "Yes, what do you want?" a voice inquired from behind the door.
"I have come to see Jason,” Rahla responded.
“Lord Rudin is very busy, come back another time,” came the reply.
“Tell him it is his friend Rahla Falak; I’m sure he will have time to see me.”
“Wait here,” the voice said as the window was closed with a bang. Rahla leaned against the wall and waited for the man to return. She was apprehensive about this new gate guard and the rude treatment she had received, but she was sure when Jason heard it was her, she would be allowed in.
Dieb and Gareth made it off the hill and into the village around one o’clock in the afternoon. The poster where they had gotten this job said they were to contact the Hariscott family. Dieb stopped a woman on the street who pointed out the house they were looking for. It was the largest in town, aside from the keep at the top of the hill. The two men walked along the main street, past an inn, The Rudinhall Inn, a couple shops and some houses until they reached the compound that housed the Hariscott family.
Gareth knocked on the door and an elderly man opened it. “Greetings, what can I do for you?” he asked.
“We are here about the missing persons,” Dieb informed him.
“Ahh yes, please come in. Mrs. Hariscott will be so relieved help as finally arrived.” The two were led through the gate into a stunning courtyard filled with rows of brightly colored flowers, white budded trees and an elegant fountain filled with dazzling water. Two men worked around the gardens and hedges, trimming them and pulling weeds. They were led up to a large porch and through a heavy oak door into a small sitting room. “Wait here and Mrs. Hariscott will be right down to see you.” The elderly servant left the room and closed the door behind him.
“Nice place they’ve got here,” Dieb remarked. He slowly strolled about the room, pricing items in his head. He stopped near the fireplace where an onyx panther figurine sat on the mantle. Two fiery red gems stared out of the eye sockets.
Gareth came up behind him and looked at the figurine. “It might be easier to slip it out in the evening. They may notice it missing if we take it now,” Gareth said softly. Dieb turned toward him and gave a sly grin. He was feeling more comfortable around Gareth now.
The two took seats around a low table and waited for their employer to arrive. They only had to wait a moment before a middle-aged, elegant woman entered the room. Her eyes were red, as if she had been recently crying, but she seemed composed now. “Oh, wonderful! Thank you so much for coming. I am Jelina Hariscott.”
“I am Dieb Morvan, and this is my comrade, Gareth. We heard about your tragic story and came as fast as we could to help.”
“Thank you, so much. My husband, Francis, and oldest son, Morgan, as you know, have been kidnapped,” Jelina’s voice shook slightly, but she continued on. “They were just gone one night. All I have as a sort of clue is this ransom note.” She held out a dirty note.
Dieb took it and read it aloud. “We have your family. Give us the ring and they will be returned to you.” He handed it to Gareth who looked it over and handed it back to Jelina. “What’s this ring they mention in the note?” Dieb asked.
“It’s our family heirloom, a priceless gold ring. It’s been in our family for generations. I will gladly part with it to get my family back, but I prefer to try another method first. I know those dirty gypsies will kill them once they have the ring.”
“What dirty gypsies?” asked Dieb.
“A group of them have set up camp a few miles west of town. They’re always causing mischief and stealing things. You can’t trust any of them. I’d look there first if I were you.”
“We’ll certainly look into it,” Gareth gave her a reassuring smile. “We were told there would be a reward?”
“Oh yes, of course. I will give fifty gold to anybody that helps.”
“You are most generous,” said Dieb. He hesitated, and then continued, “I have one more request. We have no place to stay, could we perhaps stay here while we look for your family?”
“Oh, well, I don’t have much room. I will give you money for rooms at the Rudinhall. They have wonderful rooms and Henry’s wife cooks the best meals.” She gestured to her elderly servant and he produced a gold piece for each of them. “Now please hurry and find my family.”
Dieb and Gareth said their goodbyes and assured Jelina they would return her family safely. As they stepped out the door onto the porch they were confronted by a large man in heavy armor, with a large sword strapped across his back. He stood up straight, a full six and a half feet, and looked down at them.
“I’m Simon, the Hariscott’s chief bodyguard. I want to let you know, that if Francis or Morgan are hurt while you’re trying to rescue them, I’ll take it out of your hides.”
“Well Simon, you have nothing to worry about. Both Dieb and I have experience with kidnappings and we’ve never lost somebody who’s gone missing,” Gareth gave him a condescending smile and continued to walk toward the gate.
Dieb followed with Simon giving both of them a suspicious glare as they left the compound.
“Let’s go get some rooms at this inn and figure out a plan,” Dieb said as he caught up to Gareth. They headed back through town toward Rudinhall Inn.
“We have another week to wait until the bridge is up and we can keep moving.” Pil-Galith sat down at the table with his beef stew across from Melaka, a young half-elf.
“I can’t stand all this waiting. We’ve been traveling around the country for years now. It is so strange to be sitting in one place for so long,” Melaka replied.
Melaka, a young half-elf, and Pil-Galith, an older elven man, had been traveling across ____ for a few years together, and had gotten to know each other quite well. They never knew where they were going or what kind of adventures they would encounter. The two of them were passing through Rudin, on their way to more unknown territory but were unable to continue. The spring thaws had flooded the river and knocked out the bridge they needed to continue.
Rather then turn back and take a detour that would take them a month, they decided to wait the two weeks until the water would go down and the bridge could be repaired.
“I tell you, we’ve never had such a flood. That bridge has been there for generations. You picked the wrong year to try and cross,” Henry, the innkeeper, commented.
The door swung open and in walked two strangers, both humans. One dressed all in black, the other wearing a flowing cloak that billowed out behind him as he walked. They approached the innkeeper and began to talk. Melaka kept her head down but strained to listen.
“What do you know about the missing Hariscott’s?” the man in black asked.
“Only what anybody else could tell you. They went missing one night about a week ago and a ransom note turned up. Normally Lord Rudin would take care of this problem, but he hasn’t been seen for many months,” replied Henry.
“What do you know about the gypsies?”
“They haven’t bothered us, so we leave them to their own. I suppose Jelina tried to blame this on them. That might be true, but then again, it might not.”
“We need meals and two rooms.”
“That’ll be two silver apiece, good sir.” The men handed over their money and took a seat at a nearby table. Henry went to the kitchen and returned with two large bowls of stew and set them down before the men.
After twenty minutes Rahla had grown quite impatient. She turned back to the gate and pounded it as hard as she could. The small window in the door swung open and the voice from inside said “are you still here?”
“Yes, and I would like to see Lord Rudin!” Rahla growled back.
“Lord Rudin is very busy, come back later,” the voice said and the window closed with a slam.
Rahla glared at the door for a minute then turned and stormed down the hill. Somebody had to know what was going on. She decided the Hariscott’s would be the best place to find out what was happening with Jason and so she headed to their compound.
As she reached the front gate two men came walking out. They exchanged stares, and then the two men headed into the village, probably toward the inn.
“Oh Ms. Rahla, it’s so good to see you again. Please come in!” the elderly servant exclaimed as he beckoned her inside. Simon was standing on the post watching the two men suspiciously, but when he saw Rahla his face brightened.
“Rahla, it’s good to see you again. I could definitely use your help,” said Simon.
“I actually came here looking for your help. What’s the matter with Jason, why won’t he let me in?” Rahla asked.
“Nobody has seen him for weeks. It’s been very strange. He stopped hearing petitions, hasn’t collected taxes, nothing. I’m a little worried, but I can’t seem to get into the keep. I see guards patrolling the walls every now and then, and that weasely fellow at the gate.”
“Yeah, I had a talk with him. I’ll have to see what I can do.” Rahla thought back to when she and her friends had cleared out the evil necromancer. They had used a secret tunnel in the back of the hill that led into the keep. She would have to store that piece of information away. “What was it you needed, Simon?”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Francis and Morgan have been kidnapped, and we just hired those two men to find them, but I don’t completely trust them. Could you keep an eye on them? We’ll pay you the same as they got, of course.”
“That’s terrible! I’ll do whatever I can to help. How is Jelina?”
“She’s pretty torn up. She’s inside if you want to see her.” Simon opened the door and Rahla walked inside. Jelina was sitting at the table, her head in her hands, sobbing quietly.
“Jelina, it’s Rahla,” Rahla said softly. Jelina picked her head up and composed herself quickly.
“Oh Rahla, it’s so good to see you again. Excuse my appearance; it’s been a trying time.”
“Yes, I’ve heard. I’m so sorry. I’m going to do everything in my power to help,” Rahla said, moving over to comfort Jelina.
“Thank you so much. It’ll be nice to have somebody I trust helping.”
“What do you know about what’s been going on here. Anything that could help me find Francis and Morgan.”
“I’m sure those damn gypsies have kidnapped them. They’re always causing trouble, wherever they go!”
“What about Lord Rudin? He seems to be acting strange lately. Do you know anything about that?”
“I can’t really help you there. Perhaps Benjamin or Victor can help you,” Jelina offered. “They were Jason’s best friends in town, but I don’t think they’ve seen much of him either.”
“Thank you, I’ll speak with them. Everything will work out fine, I’m sure. I have to go now, goodbye.”
“Goodbye and thank you for your help. I trust you, Rahla,” Jelina stood and led Rahla out.
Simon was gone from the porch so Rahla headed into town to talk with Victor, the village blacksmith. Victor was a giant of a man with arms as thick as a tree trunk and a shiny, bald head but he was also one of the friendliest guys you could ever meet. She found him working away in his forge, shaping a set of horseshoes. When he looked up and saw Rahla he gave her a large grin.
“Rahla! It’s good to see you! What can I do for you?” he asked.
“I was wondering if you know anything about Jason. I hear that nobody has seen him in a few weeks.”
“Yes, he’s been very odd lately. But I haven’t seen him any more then anybody else. I was his best friend, and he won’t have anything to do with me now!” Victor slammed his hammer down for emphasis, putting a large dent in the still warm horseshoe. He grimaced at it then set it back in the forge.
Rahla detected something in the tone of his voice, something out of sorts. “Can I have a look at what you’ve got in stock Victor?”
“Of course, my weapons are in the back over there. I don’t have much; farmers seem to have more use for shovels and plows then swords and armor.” Rahla wandered around the forge, looking for anything that might tip her off. She noticed Victor watching her out of the corner of his eye, but she didn’t see any clues.
“Thanks for your time Victor, I’ll stop by again before I leave,” Rahla said as she walked out of the shop. She continued down the street until she got to the alchemists shop. She stepped inside and up to the counter. A young man was busy mixing chemicals together and didn’t seem to notice her.
“How are you, Benjamin?” said Rahla. The young man jumped and spilled some chemicals, causing a small puff of smoke to rise. He looked up with a glare but when he saw Rahla his face smoothed.
“Rahla, it’s been awhile. How’ve you been?”
“I’m doing alright. I came here to see Jason but I was-“
“-turned away at the door, I know,” Benjamin finished for her. “Nobody has gotten to see him for weeks now, as I suppose you’ve heard. I don’t know what he’s doing in there, but it has everybody worried.”
“Well you answered all my questions. I’m sorry I can’t stay and chat, but I’m trying to help Jelina find her family.”
“I understand. It was good to see you again. Once you find Francis and Morgan we’ll have to talk some more,” Benjamin said as he bent back over his chemicals. Rahla left him and headed toward the inn to check on these strange new arrivals.
She walked into the common room of the Rudinhall to find that there were in fact four new faces. They were sitting in two separate groups, the humans at one table and the two elves at another. Rahla walked up to Henry, the innkeeper. “Hello Henry, what can you tell me about these folks here?” she said in a quiet voice.
Equally quiet, Henry replied “I don’t know much about the two humans, but the elf and half-elf there have been in town about a week. They were passing through but the bridge was washed out by the spring flood. They’re waiting for a new one to be built.”
“Thanks Henry. Could I get a bowl of stew?” Rahla tossed a silver on the counter. Henry went to the kitchen to get her a bowl. Rahla looked down the bar as she waited and saw another familiar face.
“Hey Torin, how’re you doing?” Rahla called. Torin, a skinny but sturdy man, was a challenged boy. He had wandered into Rudin one day, nobody knew where from, and Henry had taken him in. He let Torin work in the stable, since he seemed to like the horses so much.
“Hi Rawla, I’m good! Did you see the horsies?”
“I haven’t yet Torin; you’ll have to show me later.”
“I like the horsies. I gotta go now, byeeee Rawla!”
“Bye Torin,” Rahla said as Torin got up and walked out the back door. Just then Henry returned with the stew and handed it to Rahla. She took it and sat at Pil-Galith and Melaka’s table.
“I’ve been hired to find the missing Hariscott’s. You two seem like the adventurous sort, how would you like to make some money?”
“Well, we could always use some extra coin in our pockets. What’d you have in mind?” Pil-Galith replied.
“Just help in my investigation. I’ll probably be heading into the forest and any extra sword arms are always appreciated,” answered Rahla.
“Well, I can’t offer a sword, but my fists do just as well. I’m a monk, and not the peaceful, knowledge seeking type. But my friend here is pretty handy with a blade.”
“Well it’s good to know you can handle yourselves. My name is Rahla, by the way.”
“I’m Pil-Galith, call me Pil, and this here is Melaka.”
“Go ahead and call me Mel, if you like,” Melaka said.
Dieb and Gareth stood and walked to their table. “I couldn’t help but overhear that you three will be looking into the missing persons. My friend and I here came to Rudin for just that reason. Perhaps we could join you as well. My name is Dieb and this is my friend Ga-“
“Bret, Lionheart. Pleasure to meet you,” Gareth finished, extending his hand. Melaka looked up at him, curious about the slip in name. She kept her thoughts to herself however.
“Perhaps we should get started right away. It seems to me we should look into Lord Rudin, since he’s been acting so strange lately,” Pil offered.
“I’ve heard a lot about these gypsies, I believe we should investigate them first. They seem a lot more approachable right now,” Rahla suggested.
“That makes sense to me. Let’s head out,” Gareth said. They all stood and headed out the door.
An hour later found the group hiking through the forest, the sun filtering down on their faces and the plants and other undergrowth at their feet. It was easy going and the group hadn’t encountered any of the denizens of the forest, but that wasn’t too last long. Gareth was scouting ahead, but he failed to notice the small creatures hiding in the trees and under a number of bushes. It wasn’t until the group was surrounded did some of them notice.
“Hold up guys, I think we’ve got some company,” Melaka said. She gave a subtle gesture to indicate the nearby bushes and trees. The group took up a defensive position, but Gareth was still unaware. He was ahead of the group, and he saw the first gnome as it stepped out from behind a tree. It had moss like hair and its skin was a patchy brown and green color. It was holding a shortsword in one hand, and it looked like it knew how to use it.
Four more of the gnomes stepped out of hiding, some in trees with crossbows, and others with swords. They began to speak in a language the group didn’t understand. Gareth cast a spell to understand their language and was accosted by the first gnome. It shouted at him and waved his sword. As Gareth’s spell finished he could understand it.
“No spells. You cast no spells! I stab you if you cast more spells!” Gareth, however, could only understand the language and not speak it. One of the gnomes, however, began to speak in elven. Melaka, Pil-Galith and Rahla listened.
“What are you doing in our forest? This is our land and we don’t let any intrude here,” it was saying.
“We are looking for some missing persons. We hoped to speak with the gypsies that are camped in these woods,” Pil-Galith answered.
“You are elves; you are good to the forest, not like the wretched orcs. You may speak with the gypsies, but we will be watching you,” the gnome told him. It said something in its native tongue and the gnomes stepped back and disappeared into the woods.
They looked at each other, a little confused, then continued on. They were more wary this time, and perhaps that’s why, an hour later, they heard the brutal language of an orc. Nobody could understand what it was saying, but they were cautious anyways.
Gareth and Melaka tried to sneak up on the creature, but they weren’t as quiet as they thought they were being. As it came into view it suddenly jumped and turned towards them. It had an ugly face; the nose looking like it was smashed into the face and two black eyes staring out of sunken sockets. Its sharp teeth dripped saliva and its hair was matted and dirty looking. It held a wicked looking sword in both hands, up and ready for use. The rest of the group approached from behind, even less sneaky then the other two. The orc saw them and with a frenzied yell it charged into battle. Its first blow was well aimed and would have taken Pil-Galith’s head from his shoulders, but Pil deftly dodged the blow and the blade cut harmlessly into a tree. The group jumped at the orc, and pummeling, stabbing and slicing it. It quickly fell.
Dieb fell upon the body and quickly came up with a pouch filled with gold. The money was split up, with Dieb secretly taking an extra portion, and the group continued, unperturbed by the ferocious attack. It wasn’t long before the group heard music coming through the forest. They followed the sounds and saw the gypsy camp ahead, through the trees.
Most of the group continued unabated, but Gareth dropped back and took a hidden position in some bushes. As the group reached the edge of the ring of brightly painted and covered wagons they saw groups of children playing with dogs, men and women sitting around a fire singing, laughing and telling stories. One of them rose and approached the group.
“I am Corin Sellis, leader of this caravan. Join us at our fire, have a drink and tell us your stories.”
“I am Dieb, and these are my companions. We aren’t here for a good time. We’re looking for the missing Hariscott’s, Morgan and Francis. We’ve been told that you might have kidnapped them”
“Straight to the point. Well as you can see, we are a peaceful group of gypsies. I haven’t seen your missing persons, but you are welcome to search our camp, if that will dissuade your suspicions.”
Dieb studied Corin, and felt that the man was telling the truth. “That’s not necessary; we didn’t truly believe you had taken them. This just seemed like a logical place to start.”
As the two men talked, Rahla looked around the camp. To her surprise, Torin was sitting with some of the children petting the dog. “Torin! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed.
“I like the doggies. Come pet the doggies Rawla,” was his simple reply. Rahla gave him a weird look. How had he gotten out here on his own, and ahead of them as well. She turned back to the conversation.
“Have you heard anything about these two missing men?”
“I have heard one thing, as a matter of fact. The forest gnomes, you’ve probably met them, told me they saw a group of orcs dragging two men into the woods about a week ago. They were heading north and west of here. Perhaps they are the men you are looking for.”
“That is quite likely. Thanks for your help. Perhaps we will see you again, before too long,” said Dieb. The group turned and headed back into the forest; in the direction Corin had directed them.
After an hour of walking the group again heard orc voices coming from ahead. They slowed as the voices grew louder. They saw the figures moving through the trees ahead. There appeared to be four of them. The orcs stopped as they got about a hundred feet away and pointed toward the group.
Everybody drew their weapons and ran into battle. The orcs roared as they charged and spittle flew from their mouths. The two groups clashed and sparks flew. Pil-Galith hurled a javelin into the leg of one of the orcs who screamed and returned the throw, but again Pil-Galith was too quick to be hit.
Dieb stood back and cast a spell that would strengthen his armor, and then moved forward into battle. His companions were having a tough time. One orc swung a mighty blow at Pil-Galith, who was distracted by the javelin toss of the previous orc. His blow came down savagely, cutting deep into Pil-Galith, who saw spots and nearly dropped, but managed to hold himself up. The group returned blows and managed to drop one of the orcs.
Rahla swung her might two-handed sword but the blow came down awkwardly and the orc was able to avoid a blow that would have killed him for sure. He returned the attack and connected, doing grievous damage to Rahla. Dieb tried to come to her aid but in his haste dropped his weapon. One of the orcs turned to him and swung with all his might. Even his magically enhanced armor couldn’t stop the blow and it ripped into Dieb’s side, dropping him, unconscious and slowly bleeding.
The orc roared and turned toward his next foe. Melaka stalked around to the back of the battle and slammed her knife into the back of one orc who dropped like a rock. However, she didn’t see another orc running up behind her and when his sword cut down into her she collapsed to the ground.
Gareth watched as his comrades were dropped one after another but believed the fight still winnable. He stepped up and took a swing at one orc, but it was ready for the attack and managed to turn it aside with his sword. It swung back and Gareth wasn’t ready. Down he went. Rahla, weak from the blow she had already received, took a final swing at the orc in front of her. Her blow was accurate, and she had enough strength left to sever the head from its shoulders. Exhausted, she collapsed to the ground, unable to continue.
Pil-Galith squared off against the last orc, aware that his friends were all down, and they were likely to die in these woods anyway. He wouldn’t go down without a fight however, and he swung his fist with the last of his strength. His blow connected squarely with the orcs throat and there was a horrible sound of breaking bones. The orc collapsed, hands to its throat. Pil-Galith staggered, and collapsed to the ground.
His last vision was of a figure running through the forest toward them, bow in hand.
To be continued…
Dieb and Gareth walked along the uneven road in silence, neither much interested in small talk. The rustling of small animal and the chirping of birds were the only things to break the silence. Dieb gazed into the light pine forest that followed them along the road, up and down the hills. He couldn't think of anything to say, but the silence had begun to grate on him. He felt a little uncomfortable next to this strange man dressed all in black. He didn't know much about Gareth, having met him only a day before, and Dieb disliked not knowing. Just as he was about to make a comment on the beautiful spring weather they crested the hill they were climbing and spread out before them in a small valley was the quaint hamlet of Rudinthorpe.
"Ahh, here at last," Gareth put his hands to his back and stretched out. "I don't understand how people can live in such isolated communities. They're so rustic."
"I suppose they enjoy being separated from civilization. They're farmers, an odd sort," replied Dieb. "Let's get into town and find out about this job."
Rahla climbed the all too familiar hill up to the keep of her old friend Jason Rudin. It had only been about two years since she had been here as part of an adventuring party to clear the area of an evil necromancer. The foul wizard had been raising an army of undead to use in an assault on the king but was deterred by Rahla and her companions, many of whom lost their lives. Jason was crippled and unable to adventure anymore but for his service to the country the king, Lord Darnell, had rewarded him the keep and the land around it. A village grew up in the area and Jason Rudin became Lord Rudin. Rahla spent most of her time away from town, but every couple of months she would return to check up on her old friend. Now she was looking forward to some more nights of reminiscing and story telling.
She reached the gate and gave it a solid knock. A window opened in the door and two eyes could be seen staring out. "Yes, what do you want?" a voice inquired from behind the door.
"I have come to see Jason,” Rahla responded.
“Lord Rudin is very busy, come back another time,” came the reply.
“Tell him it is his friend Rahla Falak; I’m sure he will have time to see me.”
“Wait here,” the voice said as the window was closed with a bang. Rahla leaned against the wall and waited for the man to return. She was apprehensive about this new gate guard and the rude treatment she had received, but she was sure when Jason heard it was her, she would be allowed in.
Dieb and Gareth made it off the hill and into the village around one o’clock in the afternoon. The poster where they had gotten this job said they were to contact the Hariscott family. Dieb stopped a woman on the street who pointed out the house they were looking for. It was the largest in town, aside from the keep at the top of the hill. The two men walked along the main street, past an inn, The Rudinhall Inn, a couple shops and some houses until they reached the compound that housed the Hariscott family.
Gareth knocked on the door and an elderly man opened it. “Greetings, what can I do for you?” he asked.
“We are here about the missing persons,” Dieb informed him.
“Ahh yes, please come in. Mrs. Hariscott will be so relieved help as finally arrived.” The two were led through the gate into a stunning courtyard filled with rows of brightly colored flowers, white budded trees and an elegant fountain filled with dazzling water. Two men worked around the gardens and hedges, trimming them and pulling weeds. They were led up to a large porch and through a heavy oak door into a small sitting room. “Wait here and Mrs. Hariscott will be right down to see you.” The elderly servant left the room and closed the door behind him.
“Nice place they’ve got here,” Dieb remarked. He slowly strolled about the room, pricing items in his head. He stopped near the fireplace where an onyx panther figurine sat on the mantle. Two fiery red gems stared out of the eye sockets.
Gareth came up behind him and looked at the figurine. “It might be easier to slip it out in the evening. They may notice it missing if we take it now,” Gareth said softly. Dieb turned toward him and gave a sly grin. He was feeling more comfortable around Gareth now.
The two took seats around a low table and waited for their employer to arrive. They only had to wait a moment before a middle-aged, elegant woman entered the room. Her eyes were red, as if she had been recently crying, but she seemed composed now. “Oh, wonderful! Thank you so much for coming. I am Jelina Hariscott.”
“I am Dieb Morvan, and this is my comrade, Gareth. We heard about your tragic story and came as fast as we could to help.”
“Thank you, so much. My husband, Francis, and oldest son, Morgan, as you know, have been kidnapped,” Jelina’s voice shook slightly, but she continued on. “They were just gone one night. All I have as a sort of clue is this ransom note.” She held out a dirty note.
Dieb took it and read it aloud. “We have your family. Give us the ring and they will be returned to you.” He handed it to Gareth who looked it over and handed it back to Jelina. “What’s this ring they mention in the note?” Dieb asked.
“It’s our family heirloom, a priceless gold ring. It’s been in our family for generations. I will gladly part with it to get my family back, but I prefer to try another method first. I know those dirty gypsies will kill them once they have the ring.”
“What dirty gypsies?” asked Dieb.
“A group of them have set up camp a few miles west of town. They’re always causing mischief and stealing things. You can’t trust any of them. I’d look there first if I were you.”
“We’ll certainly look into it,” Gareth gave her a reassuring smile. “We were told there would be a reward?”
“Oh yes, of course. I will give fifty gold to anybody that helps.”
“You are most generous,” said Dieb. He hesitated, and then continued, “I have one more request. We have no place to stay, could we perhaps stay here while we look for your family?”
“Oh, well, I don’t have much room. I will give you money for rooms at the Rudinhall. They have wonderful rooms and Henry’s wife cooks the best meals.” She gestured to her elderly servant and he produced a gold piece for each of them. “Now please hurry and find my family.”
Dieb and Gareth said their goodbyes and assured Jelina they would return her family safely. As they stepped out the door onto the porch they were confronted by a large man in heavy armor, with a large sword strapped across his back. He stood up straight, a full six and a half feet, and looked down at them.
“I’m Simon, the Hariscott’s chief bodyguard. I want to let you know, that if Francis or Morgan are hurt while you’re trying to rescue them, I’ll take it out of your hides.”
“Well Simon, you have nothing to worry about. Both Dieb and I have experience with kidnappings and we’ve never lost somebody who’s gone missing,” Gareth gave him a condescending smile and continued to walk toward the gate.
Dieb followed with Simon giving both of them a suspicious glare as they left the compound.
“Let’s go get some rooms at this inn and figure out a plan,” Dieb said as he caught up to Gareth. They headed back through town toward Rudinhall Inn.
“We have another week to wait until the bridge is up and we can keep moving.” Pil-Galith sat down at the table with his beef stew across from Melaka, a young half-elf.
“I can’t stand all this waiting. We’ve been traveling around the country for years now. It is so strange to be sitting in one place for so long,” Melaka replied.
Melaka, a young half-elf, and Pil-Galith, an older elven man, had been traveling across ____ for a few years together, and had gotten to know each other quite well. They never knew where they were going or what kind of adventures they would encounter. The two of them were passing through Rudin, on their way to more unknown territory but were unable to continue. The spring thaws had flooded the river and knocked out the bridge they needed to continue.
Rather then turn back and take a detour that would take them a month, they decided to wait the two weeks until the water would go down and the bridge could be repaired.
“I tell you, we’ve never had such a flood. That bridge has been there for generations. You picked the wrong year to try and cross,” Henry, the innkeeper, commented.
The door swung open and in walked two strangers, both humans. One dressed all in black, the other wearing a flowing cloak that billowed out behind him as he walked. They approached the innkeeper and began to talk. Melaka kept her head down but strained to listen.
“What do you know about the missing Hariscott’s?” the man in black asked.
“Only what anybody else could tell you. They went missing one night about a week ago and a ransom note turned up. Normally Lord Rudin would take care of this problem, but he hasn’t been seen for many months,” replied Henry.
“What do you know about the gypsies?”
“They haven’t bothered us, so we leave them to their own. I suppose Jelina tried to blame this on them. That might be true, but then again, it might not.”
“We need meals and two rooms.”
“That’ll be two silver apiece, good sir.” The men handed over their money and took a seat at a nearby table. Henry went to the kitchen and returned with two large bowls of stew and set them down before the men.
After twenty minutes Rahla had grown quite impatient. She turned back to the gate and pounded it as hard as she could. The small window in the door swung open and the voice from inside said “are you still here?”
“Yes, and I would like to see Lord Rudin!” Rahla growled back.
“Lord Rudin is very busy, come back later,” the voice said and the window closed with a slam.
Rahla glared at the door for a minute then turned and stormed down the hill. Somebody had to know what was going on. She decided the Hariscott’s would be the best place to find out what was happening with Jason and so she headed to their compound.
As she reached the front gate two men came walking out. They exchanged stares, and then the two men headed into the village, probably toward the inn.
“Oh Ms. Rahla, it’s so good to see you again. Please come in!” the elderly servant exclaimed as he beckoned her inside. Simon was standing on the post watching the two men suspiciously, but when he saw Rahla his face brightened.
“Rahla, it’s good to see you again. I could definitely use your help,” said Simon.
“I actually came here looking for your help. What’s the matter with Jason, why won’t he let me in?” Rahla asked.
“Nobody has seen him for weeks. It’s been very strange. He stopped hearing petitions, hasn’t collected taxes, nothing. I’m a little worried, but I can’t seem to get into the keep. I see guards patrolling the walls every now and then, and that weasely fellow at the gate.”
“Yeah, I had a talk with him. I’ll have to see what I can do.” Rahla thought back to when she and her friends had cleared out the evil necromancer. They had used a secret tunnel in the back of the hill that led into the keep. She would have to store that piece of information away. “What was it you needed, Simon?”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Francis and Morgan have been kidnapped, and we just hired those two men to find them, but I don’t completely trust them. Could you keep an eye on them? We’ll pay you the same as they got, of course.”
“That’s terrible! I’ll do whatever I can to help. How is Jelina?”
“She’s pretty torn up. She’s inside if you want to see her.” Simon opened the door and Rahla walked inside. Jelina was sitting at the table, her head in her hands, sobbing quietly.
“Jelina, it’s Rahla,” Rahla said softly. Jelina picked her head up and composed herself quickly.
“Oh Rahla, it’s so good to see you again. Excuse my appearance; it’s been a trying time.”
“Yes, I’ve heard. I’m so sorry. I’m going to do everything in my power to help,” Rahla said, moving over to comfort Jelina.
“Thank you so much. It’ll be nice to have somebody I trust helping.”
“What do you know about what’s been going on here. Anything that could help me find Francis and Morgan.”
“I’m sure those damn gypsies have kidnapped them. They’re always causing trouble, wherever they go!”
“What about Lord Rudin? He seems to be acting strange lately. Do you know anything about that?”
“I can’t really help you there. Perhaps Benjamin or Victor can help you,” Jelina offered. “They were Jason’s best friends in town, but I don’t think they’ve seen much of him either.”
“Thank you, I’ll speak with them. Everything will work out fine, I’m sure. I have to go now, goodbye.”
“Goodbye and thank you for your help. I trust you, Rahla,” Jelina stood and led Rahla out.
Simon was gone from the porch so Rahla headed into town to talk with Victor, the village blacksmith. Victor was a giant of a man with arms as thick as a tree trunk and a shiny, bald head but he was also one of the friendliest guys you could ever meet. She found him working away in his forge, shaping a set of horseshoes. When he looked up and saw Rahla he gave her a large grin.
“Rahla! It’s good to see you! What can I do for you?” he asked.
“I was wondering if you know anything about Jason. I hear that nobody has seen him in a few weeks.”
“Yes, he’s been very odd lately. But I haven’t seen him any more then anybody else. I was his best friend, and he won’t have anything to do with me now!” Victor slammed his hammer down for emphasis, putting a large dent in the still warm horseshoe. He grimaced at it then set it back in the forge.
Rahla detected something in the tone of his voice, something out of sorts. “Can I have a look at what you’ve got in stock Victor?”
“Of course, my weapons are in the back over there. I don’t have much; farmers seem to have more use for shovels and plows then swords and armor.” Rahla wandered around the forge, looking for anything that might tip her off. She noticed Victor watching her out of the corner of his eye, but she didn’t see any clues.
“Thanks for your time Victor, I’ll stop by again before I leave,” Rahla said as she walked out of the shop. She continued down the street until she got to the alchemists shop. She stepped inside and up to the counter. A young man was busy mixing chemicals together and didn’t seem to notice her.
“How are you, Benjamin?” said Rahla. The young man jumped and spilled some chemicals, causing a small puff of smoke to rise. He looked up with a glare but when he saw Rahla his face smoothed.
“Rahla, it’s been awhile. How’ve you been?”
“I’m doing alright. I came here to see Jason but I was-“
“-turned away at the door, I know,” Benjamin finished for her. “Nobody has gotten to see him for weeks now, as I suppose you’ve heard. I don’t know what he’s doing in there, but it has everybody worried.”
“Well you answered all my questions. I’m sorry I can’t stay and chat, but I’m trying to help Jelina find her family.”
“I understand. It was good to see you again. Once you find Francis and Morgan we’ll have to talk some more,” Benjamin said as he bent back over his chemicals. Rahla left him and headed toward the inn to check on these strange new arrivals.
She walked into the common room of the Rudinhall to find that there were in fact four new faces. They were sitting in two separate groups, the humans at one table and the two elves at another. Rahla walked up to Henry, the innkeeper. “Hello Henry, what can you tell me about these folks here?” she said in a quiet voice.
Equally quiet, Henry replied “I don’t know much about the two humans, but the elf and half-elf there have been in town about a week. They were passing through but the bridge was washed out by the spring flood. They’re waiting for a new one to be built.”
“Thanks Henry. Could I get a bowl of stew?” Rahla tossed a silver on the counter. Henry went to the kitchen to get her a bowl. Rahla looked down the bar as she waited and saw another familiar face.
“Hey Torin, how’re you doing?” Rahla called. Torin, a skinny but sturdy man, was a challenged boy. He had wandered into Rudin one day, nobody knew where from, and Henry had taken him in. He let Torin work in the stable, since he seemed to like the horses so much.
“Hi Rawla, I’m good! Did you see the horsies?”
“I haven’t yet Torin; you’ll have to show me later.”
“I like the horsies. I gotta go now, byeeee Rawla!”
“Bye Torin,” Rahla said as Torin got up and walked out the back door. Just then Henry returned with the stew and handed it to Rahla. She took it and sat at Pil-Galith and Melaka’s table.
“I’ve been hired to find the missing Hariscott’s. You two seem like the adventurous sort, how would you like to make some money?”
“Well, we could always use some extra coin in our pockets. What’d you have in mind?” Pil-Galith replied.
“Just help in my investigation. I’ll probably be heading into the forest and any extra sword arms are always appreciated,” answered Rahla.
“Well, I can’t offer a sword, but my fists do just as well. I’m a monk, and not the peaceful, knowledge seeking type. But my friend here is pretty handy with a blade.”
“Well it’s good to know you can handle yourselves. My name is Rahla, by the way.”
“I’m Pil-Galith, call me Pil, and this here is Melaka.”
“Go ahead and call me Mel, if you like,” Melaka said.
Dieb and Gareth stood and walked to their table. “I couldn’t help but overhear that you three will be looking into the missing persons. My friend and I here came to Rudin for just that reason. Perhaps we could join you as well. My name is Dieb and this is my friend Ga-“
“Bret, Lionheart. Pleasure to meet you,” Gareth finished, extending his hand. Melaka looked up at him, curious about the slip in name. She kept her thoughts to herself however.
“Perhaps we should get started right away. It seems to me we should look into Lord Rudin, since he’s been acting so strange lately,” Pil offered.
“I’ve heard a lot about these gypsies, I believe we should investigate them first. They seem a lot more approachable right now,” Rahla suggested.
“That makes sense to me. Let’s head out,” Gareth said. They all stood and headed out the door.
An hour later found the group hiking through the forest, the sun filtering down on their faces and the plants and other undergrowth at their feet. It was easy going and the group hadn’t encountered any of the denizens of the forest, but that wasn’t too last long. Gareth was scouting ahead, but he failed to notice the small creatures hiding in the trees and under a number of bushes. It wasn’t until the group was surrounded did some of them notice.
“Hold up guys, I think we’ve got some company,” Melaka said. She gave a subtle gesture to indicate the nearby bushes and trees. The group took up a defensive position, but Gareth was still unaware. He was ahead of the group, and he saw the first gnome as it stepped out from behind a tree. It had moss like hair and its skin was a patchy brown and green color. It was holding a shortsword in one hand, and it looked like it knew how to use it.
Four more of the gnomes stepped out of hiding, some in trees with crossbows, and others with swords. They began to speak in a language the group didn’t understand. Gareth cast a spell to understand their language and was accosted by the first gnome. It shouted at him and waved his sword. As Gareth’s spell finished he could understand it.
“No spells. You cast no spells! I stab you if you cast more spells!” Gareth, however, could only understand the language and not speak it. One of the gnomes, however, began to speak in elven. Melaka, Pil-Galith and Rahla listened.
“What are you doing in our forest? This is our land and we don’t let any intrude here,” it was saying.
“We are looking for some missing persons. We hoped to speak with the gypsies that are camped in these woods,” Pil-Galith answered.
“You are elves; you are good to the forest, not like the wretched orcs. You may speak with the gypsies, but we will be watching you,” the gnome told him. It said something in its native tongue and the gnomes stepped back and disappeared into the woods.
They looked at each other, a little confused, then continued on. They were more wary this time, and perhaps that’s why, an hour later, they heard the brutal language of an orc. Nobody could understand what it was saying, but they were cautious anyways.
Gareth and Melaka tried to sneak up on the creature, but they weren’t as quiet as they thought they were being. As it came into view it suddenly jumped and turned towards them. It had an ugly face; the nose looking like it was smashed into the face and two black eyes staring out of sunken sockets. Its sharp teeth dripped saliva and its hair was matted and dirty looking. It held a wicked looking sword in both hands, up and ready for use. The rest of the group approached from behind, even less sneaky then the other two. The orc saw them and with a frenzied yell it charged into battle. Its first blow was well aimed and would have taken Pil-Galith’s head from his shoulders, but Pil deftly dodged the blow and the blade cut harmlessly into a tree. The group jumped at the orc, and pummeling, stabbing and slicing it. It quickly fell.
Dieb fell upon the body and quickly came up with a pouch filled with gold. The money was split up, with Dieb secretly taking an extra portion, and the group continued, unperturbed by the ferocious attack. It wasn’t long before the group heard music coming through the forest. They followed the sounds and saw the gypsy camp ahead, through the trees.
Most of the group continued unabated, but Gareth dropped back and took a hidden position in some bushes. As the group reached the edge of the ring of brightly painted and covered wagons they saw groups of children playing with dogs, men and women sitting around a fire singing, laughing and telling stories. One of them rose and approached the group.
“I am Corin Sellis, leader of this caravan. Join us at our fire, have a drink and tell us your stories.”
“I am Dieb, and these are my companions. We aren’t here for a good time. We’re looking for the missing Hariscott’s, Morgan and Francis. We’ve been told that you might have kidnapped them”
“Straight to the point. Well as you can see, we are a peaceful group of gypsies. I haven’t seen your missing persons, but you are welcome to search our camp, if that will dissuade your suspicions.”
Dieb studied Corin, and felt that the man was telling the truth. “That’s not necessary; we didn’t truly believe you had taken them. This just seemed like a logical place to start.”
As the two men talked, Rahla looked around the camp. To her surprise, Torin was sitting with some of the children petting the dog. “Torin! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed.
“I like the doggies. Come pet the doggies Rawla,” was his simple reply. Rahla gave him a weird look. How had he gotten out here on his own, and ahead of them as well. She turned back to the conversation.
“Have you heard anything about these two missing men?”
“I have heard one thing, as a matter of fact. The forest gnomes, you’ve probably met them, told me they saw a group of orcs dragging two men into the woods about a week ago. They were heading north and west of here. Perhaps they are the men you are looking for.”
“That is quite likely. Thanks for your help. Perhaps we will see you again, before too long,” said Dieb. The group turned and headed back into the forest; in the direction Corin had directed them.
After an hour of walking the group again heard orc voices coming from ahead. They slowed as the voices grew louder. They saw the figures moving through the trees ahead. There appeared to be four of them. The orcs stopped as they got about a hundred feet away and pointed toward the group.
Everybody drew their weapons and ran into battle. The orcs roared as they charged and spittle flew from their mouths. The two groups clashed and sparks flew. Pil-Galith hurled a javelin into the leg of one of the orcs who screamed and returned the throw, but again Pil-Galith was too quick to be hit.
Dieb stood back and cast a spell that would strengthen his armor, and then moved forward into battle. His companions were having a tough time. One orc swung a mighty blow at Pil-Galith, who was distracted by the javelin toss of the previous orc. His blow came down savagely, cutting deep into Pil-Galith, who saw spots and nearly dropped, but managed to hold himself up. The group returned blows and managed to drop one of the orcs.
Rahla swung her might two-handed sword but the blow came down awkwardly and the orc was able to avoid a blow that would have killed him for sure. He returned the attack and connected, doing grievous damage to Rahla. Dieb tried to come to her aid but in his haste dropped his weapon. One of the orcs turned to him and swung with all his might. Even his magically enhanced armor couldn’t stop the blow and it ripped into Dieb’s side, dropping him, unconscious and slowly bleeding.
The orc roared and turned toward his next foe. Melaka stalked around to the back of the battle and slammed her knife into the back of one orc who dropped like a rock. However, she didn’t see another orc running up behind her and when his sword cut down into her she collapsed to the ground.
Gareth watched as his comrades were dropped one after another but believed the fight still winnable. He stepped up and took a swing at one orc, but it was ready for the attack and managed to turn it aside with his sword. It swung back and Gareth wasn’t ready. Down he went. Rahla, weak from the blow she had already received, took a final swing at the orc in front of her. Her blow was accurate, and she had enough strength left to sever the head from its shoulders. Exhausted, she collapsed to the ground, unable to continue.
Pil-Galith squared off against the last orc, aware that his friends were all down, and they were likely to die in these woods anyway. He wouldn’t go down without a fight however, and he swung his fist with the last of his strength. His blow connected squarely with the orcs throat and there was a horrible sound of breaking bones. The orc collapsed, hands to its throat. Pil-Galith staggered, and collapsed to the ground.
His last vision was of a figure running through the forest toward them, bow in hand.
To be continued…
