Silent Spiral : Tales of the Dragonfly

[Jameumz]

For your story hour pleasure, a short prequel post introducing the halfling rogue character I play, one to whom I've gone to great lengths to develop and flesh out. There's a deliberately missing cut-scene, and I plead creative license on all the outlandish bits. Feedback and non-inflammatory criticism are welcomed with open arms.

A lone guardsman slowly walked his patrol route along the keep's side perimeter, watching warily for anything amiss. Satisfied that all was well, he turned roundabout and began the stroll back. If he'd happened to turn around just moments later, he'd have noticed that the shadows cast by a nearby copse of trees suddenly spit forth a figure, one remarkably halfling-shaped, that darted across the lawn.
Pressing his back to the stone of the wall, Dragonfly released his grip on the hem of his cloak, dismissing its concealing magics. The halfling ran his palm lightly over the wall's surface. It was smoother than he'd expected, and he decided using a rope was the wisest course of action. He unbundled the narrow length and retrieved the collapsing grapple hook from one of the tiny extradimensional pockets in his harness. With little more than a deft twist of his fingers, he had the rope knotted to the hook. Finally, he produced his custom crossbow, and secured the grapple to it. Glancing about to insure there were no observers, he aimed the crossbow at the battlement and squeezed the trigger, launching the grapple up into darkness. Tugging lightly to guarantee purchase, the halfling clambered up the rope, and with nary a sound, Dragonfly hoisted himself completely over the lip and turned a somersault onto the wooden rooftop. A short sprint and a picked lock had him quickly in the building.

Several minutes later, Dragonfly sprang from the lip of the air duct to the roof and scurried for the edge, driven by the sound of hard footsteps ascending the stairs. The access door crashed open behind him, and he threw himself flat at a sudden series of faint click-click sounds. A swarm of crossbow bolts zipped overhead, falling futilely beyond the rampart. The halfling clambered to his feet and grabbed at the loose end of his slender climbing rope before leaping to perch on the wall. With nowhere left to run, he slowly turned to face the pursuing guardsmen.
There were eight soldiers total, all training crossbows on the halfling. He quickly sifted through his available options; he doubted his chances of darting around them, and they'd inevitably pull him in or, worse, cut his line, if he tried to scale down the wall. With forty feet of air between himself and the ground, Dragonfly instead decided on a desperate measure. Steeling his nerves with a deep breath, he hopped backward from the edge into space.
The courtyard rushed toward him at sickening speed, and he had little time to act. The halfling wound several coils of the rope about his forearm and held on as tightly as he could. At the moment he felt certain he'd misgauged and was sure to impact with the ground, the line jerked tautly at the end of its play, nearly wrenching his arm from its socket as his momentum was abruptly halted. A clink from above echoed down as the sudden yank on the grapple caused its flexing tines to relax. He dropped to his feet and lithely stepped aside as the hook struck the ground where he'd been standing. Quickly looping the rope around his throbbing shoulder, Dragonfly saluted to the shouting guards above and bounded into the shadows. The criers would have another lucrative story of the Silent Spiral to tell, come the morrow.

 

[Sniktch]

Bah Humbug

What's a Dragonfly story doing without Llewellyn Bryce? Everyone knows the 'Fly is just his sidekick

Good to see some of my madness infecting you, Jameumz, and thanks for finally getting Grick posted. If you remember, I have a couple of Dragonfly & Llewellyn stories laying around here somewhere. Be happy to send 'em to you.

 

[Dungannon]

Oooh, I always enjoy a good rogue story. This one is definitely getting bookmarked.

 

[Jameumz]

I wasn't sure where to start, Sniktch... so I decided to start with the piece I'd had sitting around that just happened to not feature 'fly's faithful underling, Llewellyn. Really, though, I didn't know if I wanted to feature a straight chronological recap (and if so, whether to start from the beginning for instance, or recent games, such as last night's), or just a compiled collection of fictional highlights of the scoundrel and the scholar; yours especially.
And glad to oblige, Dungannon, from one rogue to another.

 

[datacorrupt]

I like that you like your character so much. I'd like to sit down with you and discuss what we can do with him, and I'll make the changes in the campaign to reflect it. Thanks.

DC.

 

[Sniktch]

Ahem...

EDIT: Parts of post no longer made sense due to other edits.

Jameumz, I was going to tell you to get the beginning of the game if you can remember it, as it was fantastic, and to forget the most recent sessions where its started to fall apart. However, thinking about it, the latter sessions are instructional. It would be like a special on FOX or something: "When Good Games Go Bad."

And of course, there's a ton of material if you go back to when it was just the Dragonfly and Llewellyn traveling together, before they joined an adventuring company.

 

[datacorrupt]

I'd like to read more about Fly's past, so that I can bring ghosts from his past into the present. Keep me posted on everything.

DC

 

[Balderdash]

Im super happy to be reading the adventures of the Dragon Fly (his Side kick llewellyn) and there super cool companion Elec Mornbringer Drow Tempest .... besides it would be nice to know about him he always seemed so allusive.

 

[Jameumz]

A bit overdue.


Gritting his teeth, Dragonfly pulled the bandage tightly against his shoulder. The arm was still painfully tender and bruised from strain, and tending to himself with his off arm was awkward at best.
"Found yourself pitched out of another alehouse?" jested Althus, lounging in one of the squat's rickety chairs. "I'd have thrown you around all you wanted, if you just asked."
Satisfied that the wrap was secure, the halfling bantered back. "'twas from a feisty lass I wooed in an alley on the dock side of the lower district. Smelled of tainted booze and had a face like a horse's hind end." He pulled on a pair of polished high boots and fastened the buckles. "You don't happen to have a sister in that end of town, do you?" he inquired, before deftly ducking the makeshift footstool that was hurled his direction and hastening his departure to his 'appointment'.

Rippling with mounds of flabby flesh, to call Fat Lutger 'obese' was an understatement. Standing just over five and a half feet tall and nearly as wide, it was remarkable that his bulk even permitted him to move. Regardless, those in the know regarded him as a superlative fence, one of the finest within hundreds of miles.
"A good friend would have brought lunch for a business associate." he wheezed when Dragonfly casually strolled into the private warehouse room Lutger used as an office.
The halfling hid his revulsion at the torrent of sweat that dripped from the fat man as a result of the day's heat. "My apologies. I assumed you'd already eaten several children since breakfast." He wasn't completely jesting; morbid rumors of the fence's preferred diet were abundant. Sparing a quick glance at his surroundings, Dragonfly half-wondered how many hidden crossbowmen had bolts trained on him.
The fat man only raised his hands placatingly and waited.
With practiced showmanship, Dragonfly unrolled a swatch of black velvet on Lutger's desk, and spilled the contents of his pouch onto the cloth. Thus exposed, the handful of finely cut and polished gems twinkled in the light.
"Acquired from a friend of a friend." said the Dragonfly.
Fat Lutger nodded. "As always."
"As always." the halfling echoed.
Lifting his piggish eyes from the jewels, Lutger raised an eyebrow. "What're you looking to see for them?"
Dragonfly shrugged. "A reasonable trade of the same."
"Reasonable, minus my fee." the man reminded.
Another shrug. "As always."
Walking down the avenue outside the warehouse with a pouchload of new gemstones safely tucked inside his tunic, Dragonfly tried to cast off the residual feeling of nausea he always experienced when dealing with Fat Lutger.

Unbeknownst to the halfling, the warehouse contained one more occupant among its retinue, a wiry human garbed in dark leather and heavy cloak who emerged from a cluster of shadows and approached Lutger with menacing strides.
"By even bargaining with him, you cut into my profits almost as much as he does. You encourage him." the man's grating voice accused.
With no hint of even a crack in his composure, the fat man sat a smaller sack of gems on his desktop. "I'm a man of business, such as you, Gaelik. One who aspires for wealth." He motioned toward the bag. "And one who makes sure to pay his tithe and dues."
The man named Gaelik could concede Lutger's point. In spite of his doublehanded extracurricular dealings, the slob was a member of the guild in high standing and handsomely earned his keep. Unlike the runt freelancer, he seethed to himself. He indulged himself a few more moments of murderous thoughts involving the halfling, and angrily collected his tithe.
"Find someone to hose you down, Lutger." demanded Gaelik as he stalked away. "You smell like a sump."