Panthea: The Scourged North

[Aesirson]

You are a villager of the town Kekoa, and to you it and it's surrounding is your world, even though you've always wanted to travel to the outer world. Just recently, a veteran knight called Sir Cyrus has arrived in the village, telling stories about his past battles and deeds. However, he is bound to leave the town soon, for unknown reasons. He's said to prepare for his leave in the inn called "The Troll's Tankard", one of your favorite meeting places.

 

((You pretty much start off in the inn and either talks to or overhears the stories of Sir Cyrus.))

[Otaku-sama]

Kikuchi was walking out of his room in the Cult's tower to the north east edge of the village. In his hands, he clutched a quill, a bottle of ink, a bundle of parchment and most importantly, his wand. It was the first rule of an initiate: "Do not part with your wand." Only the highest ranking wizards of the cult were allowed to part with their wands. Kikuchi was still trying to understand why, but his fellow cult members simply say that he will learn later. Kikuchi was the newest and youngest initiate to the cult, so most of the Cult see him a naive child with too much knowledge for his own good. Kikuchi would have liked to speak out, but he is far too timid and simply does his best to cope with the constant intimidation and mocking.

 

This was not of concern for him at the moment. He was far too excited to go meet the famous Sir Cyrus. A man that well traveled must have seen many of the world's people, all with their own ways of tapping into the universal energy of mana. Hopefully, Sir Cyrus would mention something about the mages of lands far away. Asking him about the mages would certainly be far too intimidating, so hopefully Kikuchi's appearance will prompt him to tell stories of magic he encountered. Kikuchi scurried down the stairs of the tower and walked through the courtyard, heading towards the great wooden gates in the courtyard, trying his best to ignore the comments made by the cult members.

 

Kikuchi walked as fast as he could to get away from the tower, but tripped on the front of his robes and fell flat on his face, groaning as he got up. His face flushed bright red as the cult members chuckled as they headed for their daily lessons. Kikuchi gathered his things quickly and ran out, trying to hold back tears of raw embarrassment. As he cleared the gates and was at least 100 metres away from the tower, he slumped under a nearby tree, wiping his tears and trying to compose himself. He wouldn't get any respect from a knight if he was crying. Kikuchi cursed at himself before heading towards the inn.

 

After a good minute or so, he reached the inn where Sir Cyrus would be staying. Kikuchi entered and was almost pushed back the the smell of sweat and roasting meat accumiliated over years of men and meat being brought into the inn. Kikuchi was used to the well aerated courtyard of the Cult tower and even the lightest scent of sweat would make him dizzy. Kikuchi gathered his courage and walked in, finding himself an available seat in the inn.

[Jonny]

Nadui was sitting in the very corner of the Inn , as far as possible from the people , even if it wasn't far they atleast don't look at him.....There was a Knight with a lot of people around him , and he was busy talking about a battle , Nadui nipped at his beer , his bow was safe on his back , covered in a cloth . Nadui wasn't really listening to the knight , he seems boring to him ... "Whats so good about killing people?" He tought "And why does he feel that good about it " , The knight's face was enjoying all the attention "The world should be in peace enjoying the music and the nature" he sighted....

[Aesirson]

An odour of beer, meat and unwashed men was a pain in the neck for each sober visitor at the Troll's Tankard, but because of Sir Cyrus' visit many villagers thought it was worth it. The old knight was currently finishing a story about how he battled in the war against the northlings thirty years ago.

 

"And that one northling, I've never seen a fighter like that." The knight laughed. "I was only twenty-eight during the war, but I was lucky enough not to suffer from any severe injuries except for the scar." The grey-haired man took another sip from his tankard.

 

A young boy, who was very excited about the knight's stories, looked at Cyrus with a glance of surprise.

"But Mr Knight, you don't have any scars!"

 

The knight laughed and looked at the boy.

"That's because it would be inappropriate to show it at a public place!"

Most of the people gathered around Sir Cyrus broke out in laughter, but the little boy didn't quiete understand.

[Guest Random Dude]

Zack leaned against a wall and overheard the conversation, "Kid, you'll understand the joke as you get older." He said as he moved towards Sir Cyrus's crowd. The crowd around Cyrus knew Zack as a common thief, however they learned to put up with him because of the funding he provides to the inn.

 

"Sir Knight, do not let your guard down around him, he is a thief. And an unusual one at that."

 

"Please, you give me too much credit, are you forgetting that I sort of fund this place with my pay, or rather loot. Anyway, to honor this knight's presence, a round of drinks on me!" he said with a slight smirk as he met eyes with the aged war hero.

[Magnet Soldier]

Cor had heard laughter inside the inn, but it stopped a moment later. Cor sighed. He was the only tauren in the village, and many people didn't like him. He didn't like them either. "You're ruining Nature. This village cut down a small forest, just for a few houses and beers." He had tried to explain. Noone took any notice. After all, he was just a druid, and a trainee at that. He was being taught by the mountain man, a hermit well versed in the magics of nature. And they were laughing at a soldier. A man that makes blood run, cuts down trees and buries mountains for weapons. War ruined beautiful lands, and they were laughing with him. Cor sighed and walked into the Tavern, gaining unusual stares, aimed at him. He sighed and sat down in a seat where he could hear the knight, and not disturb the people. Then he noticed the local theif lounging about. Well, he had a good heart. Better than other people.

[Aesirson]

Cyrus first looked at the thief and smiled and waved his hand to show that he didn't want to have anymore to drink.

"No thanks, Mr Thief." Cyrus said, sipping the last of the beer in his tankard and placed it back on the table. He looked around the crowd and how the others got beers that the thief payed for from the dwarven barmaid. He then noticed a lonely Tauren in the back of the tavern.

 

"Hey! I haven't seen a Tauren since I was in Ironstorm!" He shouted to the Tauren and waved his hand towards him, signaling him to come closer. He then coughed and made ready to tell one final story before he would go to sleep.

 

"Well, to finish this little storytelling I'm going to tell you a story about the Northlings" Cyrus said and looked serious. "Well, as you all should know, the war against the northlings ended thirty years ago, and as I've told you I was in the war. After the war, the northlings joined the other races and is now our allies. Their current king, Thord Jökullsun is actually a good friend of mine, he was the first northling to join with the humans when he realized that his father, the human-hater Odun Jökullsun was a mad, bloodthirsty fool..."

 

"I'll crush your skull, human!" A sudden roar surged through the inn and everyones eyes was turned towards a 7.2 feet tall man with a long, braided, grey-brown beard. His chest was bare, and he was wearing pants of bearskin. but the most notable feature of him was that he had horns sticking out of his forehead, he was a northling.

 

"Odun was the greatest king we've ever had, untill YOU killed him, Odunbane!" The northling walked slow, but with a fearsom rage. "Too bad his heir is a human-loving fool!" When the northling was close enough to Cyrus he grabbed his neck and pressed him against the wall. Some of the other visitors of the inn tried to hold the northling back, but it was too strong.

[Jonny]

Nadui was listening carefully , yes it was true.....His father fought in the war and died , another reason for hating wars , Nadui was staring at the Tauren , a really intresting race actually , and a peacefull one , not like those blood-thirsted humans..."Sometimes i wish i was something els than a human....." He grabbed his amulet giving him a calm feeling when suddently a gigantic man entered , he was wearing weird clothes not from here , but when he saw the horns he knew it was a northling . He rushed on Cyrus and pushed him agains't the wall before he could do anything , "Should i shoot him down? " he tought but then the people will see his eyes and his bow...But then he saw Cyrus's face , full of fear " Not no one deserve this , not even a killer like him.."

He took out his bow , without opening the eye and aimed at the giant , "No , no kill " and he aimed at the left leg and shoot.....

[Infinitus]

Lance sat quietly at a table in the center of the room, a glass of water at his right. He didn't like alcohol, it just tasted strange to him. He shuffled a deck of cards in his hands, taking some cards from the middle, distributing some to the top and bottom of the deck, and the rest is blended into the middle of the deck. He put the deck on the table, split the deck in half, and bridged the cards.

 

After he finished shuffling, he put the deck on the table, and took a gulp of his water. He called to those around the bar area "Would anyone care for a game of Elven Hold 'Em?" When he turned, he noticed the famed Sir Cyrus, returning to tell tales of his ventures. He supposed a game of cards would be a good way to have a friendly conversation. Of course, what he didn't expect, was to see him being pinned to the wall by a large man. Lance repeated "Well, don't you think we could discuss political matters in a civilized matter?"

[Aesirson]

The arrow pierced the northling's leg clothings and the horned man fell on his knees and dropped Cyrus, who proceeded to punch the northling in the head. The big humanoid fell uncounscious. A nearby dwarf unsheated his knife and made ready for the kill, but Cyrus grabbed his wrist so that he dropped it.

"His kind has had enough deaths by my hand." Cyrus looked at the uncounscious man and then looked at the dwarf again. "Drag him to the guards instead, and tell them not to kill him!"

As the dwarf, with some problems, was pulling the northling out of the tavern the boy looked at Cyrus.

 

"That punch... Was that a technique you learned as a Paladin?" The boy-who-didn't-quiete-get-the-joke asked and looked at Cyrus with big eyes.

"Nope. That's trick I learned as a 'Being-Hunted-By-Angry-Northlings'" Cyrus smiled and looked at the boy. "Speaking of the northlings, I was called to Norsegaard by Thord to watch over the Ceremony of Peace that the northlings hold every tenth year since the war ended. I was looking for other people who wanted to come with me..."

 

As he said the last words most of the inn's visitors looked away. The people of Kekoa were not adventurers, they were either farmers or drunkards, the later more then the farmer. Cyrus looked disappointed and retook his seat.

"Well, if anyone wants to come just tell me..." He looked sad as he took a sip out of his tankard and realized it was empty.

[Infinitus]

Lance rolled his eyes and turned his head away from the distasteful display of horrible behavior in the inn. He frowned upon such actions, because a bar was a place for civilized social activities, or at least that's how he thought of it. His eyes grew wide when the proposal of an adventure reached his ears. Even a gentlemen such as him loved a good journey, espcecially some good treasure. He rose from his chair quickly, and said "Lance Arwin, at your service, Sir Cyrus. I would very much enjoy to accompany you on your journey." Lance walked over to Cyrus' table, and extended his hand for a gentlemen's handshake. "It is Sir Cyrus, correct?"

[Guest Random Dude]

"I'll go." Zack responded. "It's been a while since I got out of this place and I don't think I have the north mapped out yet." He took a bag out from under his cloak and opened it to reveal several rolled-up papers that appeared to be maps. "Let's see...no maps of the north, I'd better go with you. The name is Zack by the way, Zack Phoenix." He shook Cyrus's hand.

"Are your scars on your ding dong?" asked the boy who didn't get the joke that Cyrus had said earlier and the tavern broke out into laughter.

[Jonny]

Nadui sighted "What a brutality ! I just saved his life , and he doesn't even say thanks..." He putted his cap on and hidded his bow "Mayby because of my eyes..." , He went to the bar , not really listening anymore , he just wasn't it the mood anymore , he payed the barman for the beer and saw the knight shacking someones hand..."I do the job and all what i get? Nothing!" He went to the door , furious.

[Otaku-sama]

Kikuchi winced as a short skirmish broke out right in front of him, his ink well spilling all over the table as the Northling crashed into the ground. Kikuchi attempted to clean off the ink but was unsuccessful and only made the ink spill onto the ground. Kikuchi didn't want to find a rag to clean his mess, so he simply left the mess there. Kikuchi then caught a few words from the knight, saying that he was willing to take a few people with him to the Frozen Wastes of the North. Kikuchi was intrigued to go. He had read about the wizards of the North and their control over the storms. If Kikuchi was able to learn how they cast their magic, he could bring his findings back to the Cult.

 

As Kikuchi was about to ask Cyrus, his crippling shyness froze him in his spot. What if Cyrus said no? What if he said he was too young? Too weak? The fear of rejection created a massive canyon between Kikuchi and Cyrus, who was only ten steps away. Kikuchi began to develop a cold sweat all over his body. A war was waged within his psyche between his intellectual drive and his shyness. Kikuchi stood frozen for a few minutes before finally pushing himself towards the knight. When he got close enough, he was almost shocked that he was actually that close. Before Kikuchi would be crippled by a questioning stare from the knight, Kikuchi took a deep breath and asked:

 

"Umm...Is...Is it possible that...that you could take m-me to the North?" Kikuchi mumbled as he gripped his wand to prevent himself from throwing up from his nervousness.

[Magnet Soldier]

Cor sighed. The northlings were originally a violent race, a very violent race, so the Taurens had obviously disliked them. When the northlings had abandoned their barbaric ways, Cor wasn't convinced. This proved it. And northlings were obnoxious and thought of themselves as the toughest. Taurens were much taller, and could probably break a northling in two with one hand. And northlings were mostly dumb, yet most Taurens were out smarted only by a few humans and some elves. He watched as the Northling attacked the Knight, but as he was about to grab the northling, an arrow pierced the northlings leg. As it was dragged away, Cor noticed noone thanking the man who had done the deed. He looked blind, but a Taurens sense of nature never failed. "Thank you. That was a well placed arrow." Cor said, walking towards Nadui. Then he turned towards Cyrus. "I'll join you. If only to expand my knowledge and make sure you treat Nature with respect."

[Aesirson]

Cyrus face shone up in a big smile when he saw all the enthusiasm from the surrounding people, but before he answered the adventurers he went to the tanned marksman.

 

"I just wanted to say thanks, sorry for not saying it earlier..." Cyrus looked at the man and smiled. "Wouldn't you want to come with me too? I could use a skilled marksman like you!"

He then turned and went back to the others. He looked, for a moment, at the Tauren and smiled. He then pat his shoulder and smiled.

"Happy to have you onboard, big fellow!" He then laughed a bit and looked at the others. "Okay, if you guys don't change your minds meet me outside this inn when the sun rises in the morning. That's when we will begin our journey. Now I wish you all a good night."

 

He headed towards the sleeping quarters of the inn and when he passed by the marksman he looked at him.

"You too, if you decide to come with me."

[Jonny]

Nadui almost left the inn , when the Taurent stand up and walked to him saying "Thank you. That was a well placed arrow." Nadui smilled , atleast someone....."It was nothing.." .

 

The Paladin Cyrus stand up and also walked smiling to him saying it was nice and that i should join , then he turned to the others and said the same , and then walked outside saying i should come with him..... Nadui was confused , thats the second time someon said something nice to him , thats never happened before..."I wonder if he didn't saw my eyes..." , of course he was enthusiastic about the quest but what if he saw his eyes , its a Paladin after all , wat if he saw my eyes and tought i was a kind of demon.... He may take me with to kill me later... Nadui sighted "I will be carefull " He grabbed his amulet and walked outside to the Paladin , "Okay , ill join you..."

[Magnet Soldier]

"I'm surprised he reached my shoulder." Cor grunted, though to him it was a laugh. He smiled, an unusual thing when he was in the village, and turned towards the door. He was stopped by a man, and the Tauren could tell it was a drunk. "I bet I would beat you in a fight." He shouted, the stench of alcohol filling the room. Cor sighed and flicked the man, sending the man flying into a chair. He would suffer some bruising, but Cor knew the man would be alright. He walked out of the door and sniffed the air. He didn't particularly like the village, as it always stank of manure or beer. He sighed and turned towards a hut at the edge of the Village, it's windows black. He looked up at the mountains, and decided he would go visit his mentor, the old druid in the mountains.

[Aesirson]

The next morning...

 

The sun was just starting to rise on the horizon when Cyrus had finished to saddle the five horses that he, the elf and the three other humans was going to use. He had also, after a lot of trouble, got his hands on a big, tame bear that the Tauren would use as a mount. He was dragging them all towards the inn, and when he arrived he stared at the sunrise, waiting for the others to arrive.

[Otaku-sama]

Kikuchi wasn't able to sleep very well last night. He was very excited about exploring a whole new land and discovering a whole culture and their traditions, but at the same time, he was incredibly scared. It would be the first time he left the town and he would be travelling with a bunch of strangers. Kikuchi collected his belongings into a small sack. The contents were few but essential: the Anthology of Creatures, a sleeping bag, a tinderbox, a quill, a bundle of paper and a small sack of gold coinage given to him by the head of the Cult for his travels. Kikuchi tiptoed out of his room, gripping his wand and initiate volume, trying not to disturb anyone as he walked into the courtyard. He snuck out without waking anyone.

 

Kikuchi walked down the path towards the inn as the sun started to peek over the horizon, bathing the land with a warm orange glow. The morning birds have just awaken and were beginning their morning songs. Kikuchi enjoyed the song as it would be the last time he would hear it for a long time. When he finally arrived at the inn, he saw several mounts ready to go. Kikuchi walked up to one horse and pet its snout. The horse lowered its head approvingly and Kikuchi put his belongings on thte horse's back.

 

Kikuchi saw the knight waiting by the inn and was apprehensive to approach him, but Kikuchi knew that if he continued to be this timid, he would not be able to do much in the world outside the town. He swallowed the lump in his throat and walked up to the knight.

 

"Umm...I'm ready to go Sir Knight. I-I hope I won't be too m-much of a burden," Kikuchi said with a bow.

[Jonny]

Nadui didn't sleeped that night...

 

He was thinking , on the roof of the inn , it was a clear and warm night . Nadui grabbed his amulet "There are legends about a witch in the far North , she could help me with my eyes...." But then he tought about the paladin " He is a holy , he won't hesitate to kill me if he saw my bow's eye.......or els my eyes , He problably thinks im a kind of a demon ..." He sighted , it was a difficult choice , "should i go or not...." .

 

Later...

 

The sun was rising , the birds singing , a warm and sunny day . Nadui heard some noises down the Inn , "Hmm , who is ouside this early?" . He wasn't really suprised when he saw te paladin with 5 horses and one...bear? "Ow , for the taurent i guess " . Nadui putted his cap on , even on this sunny day he couldn't see my face and then jumped down just near the paladin and without looking at him he said "Hey , im ready , i have nothing with me except my bow and 40 arrows " He then checked his pockets "and 100 coins...." he then looked at the horses "So , wich is mine?"

[Guest Random Dude]

Zack slept pretty comfortably at night on the balcony in the inn. He awoke at sunrise and looked down to see Cyrus, Nadui and Kikuchi and several mounts he assumed were for their travel. He jumped off and landed clumsily on his feet, almost losing his balance. "Good morning people." he said and started looking at the horses and upon looking at the bear he was startled until he remembered the tauren Cor. He went back to the window of the tavern and reached inside to retrieve a bag that contained several papers, a quill and an ink bottle, along with some provisions for the travel, and a belt that contained his daggers and a small hatchet. "So, who's still not here?"

[Infinitus]

The new morning sun shone in Lance's sleeping face, and he opened his eyes. He jumped out of bed, attempting to rid himself of all the weariness of his eight hour rest. He stared out the window, and at the position of the sun, and it was later than he had expected. He realized that he had better dress quick, so he could check out quickly. He quickly threw on his normal tunic and pants, and dressed himself as quick as he could. He decided he would wear all of his armor and equipment, even if he didn't have too much, since he knew that he would forget.

 

With all his things packed in a pack carried on his shoulder, he dashed down the stairs as the wooden staircase signaled his arrival to the first floor. After he reached the first floor, he walked over to the man to his right at the checkout desk, payed his dues to the man for a one night's room, and left the building, to find Cyrus, several mounts, and a bear. "So, judging from the animals placed here, we depart today, correct?" He said this slowly, seeing as he was caught off guard, having to leave the next day.

[Magnet Soldier]

Cor sighed as he swallowed the last fruit. He looked out of the window at the bright sunlight streaming through the curtains. He stood up and opened the curtains to see a beautiful, bright morning and bright green fields. Then he saw the village and the smoke pluming from the chimneys of the buildings. "It really is an eyesore." He muttered, opening the door. He looked towards the tavern and noticed a glint of something. When he got closer, it turned out to be the sword of the paladin, it's hilt shining in the sunlight. "Sir Cyrus." Cor greeted, bowing. He unsheathed his sword and picked the axe of his back. Then he grabbed a staff on his other shoulder. "I have these with me, as well as 300 coins and ten loaves of bread. I also have enough meat to feed 6 people for three days." He grabbed the axe and staff and placed them over his shoulders, then sheathed his sword again. He looked towards the bear and smiled. "Aren't you brilliant." He said, walking over to the bear. He stroked it's head and attached his bag to the saddle. "Too bad you have to live this life." He sighed, then turned around to face Cyrus again. "So, when do we depart? And who else will accompany us?"

[Aesirson]

Cyrus bowed back at the Tauren.

"Corniki." He said. He then looked at the bear. "One of the reasons why you're riding this bear is to bring it back to it's homelands in Norsegaard."

 

Cyrus looked at his party of adventurers and smiled.

"Welcome everyone! To answer your question: Yes, we're departing now during the sunrise to avoid the trolls for as long as possible." He smiled ironicly. The trolls wasn't able to be outside in the sun, but trolls was a good and nice race. "Mount up! We're leaving!"

 

The sun had now risen atop the trees as the group was riding through the wilderness towards Norsegaard. The terrain shifted from the small farmlands outside Kekoa to a forest not unlike the scandinavian forests. The light appeared as a fade of emerald through the thick roof of leaves that covered the sky.

 

"We still have a long road ahead for Norsegaard, but it will only take us two days if we are lucky!"