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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lars Frehse" data-source="post: 199488" data-attributes="member: 1674">Chapter 3: The squirrel and the scorched ones (Part1)The squirrel and the scorched onesYears passed and even though the refugees tried to keep in touch, they never managed to get all five of them together again.Yet, on the first of Tanot in 150, it was time for Morte to get fully accepted among the ranks of the Fists of Mithril. The boy had grown to be a dark and thin man, and after his master, Brother William, had fulfilled the little ritual, and Morte took up his monastrial name of “Niklas”, they both went up to a nearby hill that was a common meeting spot for the citizens of Durrover.As they went up the hill, Niklas once again looked at the familiar face of his master. He was greyhaired and had steelblue eyes that sparkled with intelligence and humor and under his high cheekbones, there were, as always, small wrinkles at the edge of his mouth, as if he was constantly trying to hold back a radiant smile and losing the battle.It was brother William who had taken the young man under his wing, when it turned out, that in spite of his fervant worship of Corean, he wan’t quite Paladin material. And it turned out that he made a much better monk then anybody could have hoped for.Now, they had reached the meeting spot on the hill and there, to his surprise, Niklas saw that his master had summoned all his old friends: There was Jan, who had stayed with the Paladins and was now proudly bearing the insignia of a Paladin of Corean. Next to him, unpacking food and wine was Torn. No more a little boy, the Half Orc was now the height of Niklas’s brother while being the double in width. Even though he was the youngest of them, he already had some scars and a broken nose. After he got expelled from the militia, he had turned to a life on the street, making his fortune among the criminals and outcast.And then, there were Ben and Trepat. Both hadn’t changed much since they had escorted the kids out of Oreirover, even though they had both found their destinies: The Elf had become a sorceror and the halfling an Incarnate.They all greeted each other heartily, for even though their paths had gone their separate ways, they had managed to stay friends throughout the years.After a while of food and wine, brother William raised his voice: “I am really glad you all were able to make it here. Not only is it a great day for Novice Niklas, but I also have work for you!”“Some of you know that I am not only a faithful monk of corean, but also a scholar and wizard. Now, there is something I would like you to do for me. This here”, and he held up four heavy looking square packages that were sewn into some leathery material, “are four rare books. Each of them is worth quite a bit for scholars, and I would like to deliver them to their final destination myself, but I was dispatched on a diplomatic mission to Hollowfaust, the city of Necromancers. So I want you to bring it there. Oh, and Jan, your sire Knight Hawkings has told me that you are free to go on this mission, as well.”Niklas interrupted him: “But where do you want us to deliver those books to?”.“Didn’t I mention it? Well, to the heart of our church, of course. To Mithril!”The group gasped. Even if they would be able to fly like a bird, it would be a trip of a thousand miles. But given the countless obstacles on the way,  the Kelder mountains and the mourning marshes being just two of them, they would easily have to walk twice as far on foot.“Well, don’t worry, you will be fine! Also, this will be your chance to see a good part of Ghelspad and gain valuable experience, while you are at it.“The best part of it is, that you can take your time. I predict you will need about a year or so, but time doesn’t really matter. Books are not like milk: They don’t  turn into cheese, if you keep them too long. They are much more like a family heirloom: When they are lost, it is a tragedy.”Ben stood up, patting his dog, and asked: “But how much will we get in return, apart from the experience?”“Good question young halfling. Well, I will pay you 100 pieces of Gold now, and I guarantee you will get 300 pieces, once you reach Mithril. Furthermore, I have some gifts for you wrapped up here. So, who is in?”All of them nodded in agreement.“Good, then. Well, Jan, you take the money, I trust you to fairly distribute it. Oh, and here is something your Sire gave to me, so that you can have it.”And with these words, he pulled an oversized sword out of his canvas roll and handed it to the young Paladin.“As you can see, there is silver worked into the blade itself. With it, you will be able to fight the servants of Belsameth, since they may not fear steel, but they can be killed with silver.”And then Brother William distributed the other gifts: A scroll with Arcane magic for Trepat, A magical bullet that can explode into a fireball for Ben’s sling, a potion of invisibility for the Half Orc and at last he turned to his student.”For you, I have two gifts. The first one is an empty book: You will be able to keep your notes and whatever you deem worthy there. Second, there is this little flask. It is called an “Armor in a bottle”. If you pour it over your body, you will be enshrouded in a magical mist that will protect you from blows, much like a metal armor does.”.“And now, I have to leave. Let the gods and the earth mother guide you, and let reason be your guide at all times. Don’t let your own righteousness blind you. And remember:The enemy is not the Prince of Matter; the enemy is the arrogance of the spirit, faith without smile, truth that is never seized by doubt.”And so, after a cheerful goodbye from all, Brother William left. On the next day, after buying provisions and a donkey, they set off on their long journey northwards. Every now and then, it rained, but the weather cleared up after a few days, as they entered a wood.It was noon, and the party had crossed about a quarter of the length of the wood, as a Squirrel jumped onto a twig in front of the adventurers.“Greetings Wanderers!”, the squirrel said with a thin but audible voice.The young men looked at each other in surprise, except for Ben, who recognized him for what he was. He bowed down and said: “Greetings and well met, Herald of Denev.”“You don’t have to bow down in front of me, Incarnate.”, he said to Ben and then turned to face the rest of the group: “My name is Squirrel Nutkin, and I need your help!”.to be continued...</blockquote>

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