Part VI:No Need For Heroes
23rd of Slate, 383The sun was high in the western sky with no clouds in sight as Tanzul the fox man, Dimbulb the hippo man, Galel the ostrich man and Coni the hamster woman crossed a bridge leading to the village of Lancecandles. It was only a short walk east from the monastery where the companions had slain a small band of bandits. They were all emotionally in a state of fear or uneasiness after the battle. They had begun the fight easily and with enthusiasm, but they were all shocked how easily killing was and how gruesome it could be. Yet all of them tried to hide these emotions, not sure how to express them to the others.
Coni fed some seeds to her sparrow Imo as she walked alongside Dimbulb, looking at his odd choice of clothing. The hippo man looked absolutely ridiculous with his woolen turban, ostrich feather skirt and sandals, a large backpack and two-handed sword on his back. “I say, Dimbulb,” she began chuckling slightly, “Such a great taste you have. I must say that the sperm whale leather sandals
truly make the outfit with those plumes that could be from Galel and that lump of a wrapping on your head!”
“Why yes...” the hippo man began his reply, but paused and stopped walking. He thought for a moment and another. Then he suddenly began to puff and puff, rage beginning to well up inside, until he blurted, “HEY, ARE YOU TRYING TO MOCK ME!?”
Coni ran behind Galel to hide, peeked from between his ostrich legs and tried to calm the fuming Dimbulb, “Oh no, I would never make fun of you, Dimbulb! I really, really meant what I was saying...”
“Forget Coni's words,” the ostrich man joined in. “Whether an insult or not, who cares? Hold your temper and reserve it for the next group of bandits we face.”
Dimbulb calmed down as quick as he had angered. He and Galel began a surprisingly complicated (for Dimbulb) discussion about skill as they continued to walk towards the hamlet. Coni stayed a bit back -- just in case.
Lancecandles was in a sorrowful state: many of its buildings stood empty and there were quite a number of houses in ruins. But the gardens, though slightly overgrown, were a beauty to behold: muskmelon and squash vines climbed up the walls of houses, caper bushes bloomed, as did the chickpeas and red spinach. Food, at least, was plentiful even if there were few people around and they appeared otherwise poor.
The manor, however, was well-appointed: pedestals carved out of various precious stones or forged out of expensive metals lined the walls and a golden hatch led to the basement. Anu Rainmachines, an elf, was the local lady. The companions talked with her for a while and she was happy to hear that the bandit chieftess Manba Alespulls had been slain.
“An act of justice. Well done, protectors of the defenseless,” she said of it. But other than that there was no reward nor were there other troubles that needed to be dealt with... Well, except for the dispute with Tressedstatic, the neighboring hamlet, but that was something they were not willing to get caught in.
So, the companions continued their journey to right wrongs and defeat evil-doers, their confidence bolstered by the praise of the elf lady.
24th of Slate, 383East of Lancecandles was the hamlet of Snarlsoapy and the travelers stayed there over the night. A human hammerman named Rope Villagemurdered offered shelter for them. They accepted, though the hammerman's name caused Dimbulb to be somewhat uneasy. But it was a good night's sleep and nobody was murdered.
At dawn the party left Rope's home while he was sleeping, leaving a note of thanks -- even though it was doubtful he could read.
There was not much in the manner of quests to be taken in Snarlsoapy. Certainly there was talk of the ancient colossus of bronze, Slatsu Clobberedbraved the Ace Maw, that resided somewhere in the Awe-Inspiring Forest, but the fledgling adventurers knew that it was something they couldn't handle even if they were warriors from legend. Other than that the learned of trouble brewing with the goblins of the Tight Torments -- cruel, viscious murderers bent on torture and mayhem.
So their journey continued along the river, turning north, through the village of Diesect, which was once again full of ramshackle abandoned houses; through Clodcanyon and Sensedorders, but there was not much work to be found to would-be heroes. Missing spears and hammers, dangerous titans and bronze colossi, rumors of foul things going on in places none knew where they were... It was frustrating to them all and it showed: Dimbulb lost his temper more frequently than usual and Galel argued with peasants just for the sake of arguing.
The hamlet of Faintedvise was a curious place. It was north of Sensedorders along the river as it made a turn northeast. What made it curious was not that the buildings were intact nor the river curve, but that many of its denizens were dwarves. Perhaps they originated from the peaks of the Mountain of Combat looming in the north or from beyond?
But even in Faintedvise there was not much the adventurers could help with.
As the sun began to draw towards the west, the companions stopped between two small ponds to eat and rest. It was hot and marching from hamlet to hamlet in the sun was beginning to tax the travelers, so they sat down under the shade of orange and lime trees, digging some crab meat from their packs.
As they ate, Tanzul played with his magpie, Beso, trying to focus on something else than the frustration caused by the lack of quests. He did not pay heed to Dimbulb who looked anxious and nervous, but the hamster woman Coni noticed that something disturbed the hippo man.
“Say, Dimbulb,” she began, “I really do think that your outfit is great. Especially your turban, it really stands out in a good way... But what's on your mind? You look a bit troubled?”
“Well... I don't know,” Dimbulb answered, turning his gaze to the ground as he held his hands in front of him and nervously drew in the dirt with his foot. “It's those bandits, I guess. I feel bad about all the blood and screaming... So easily broken...” He then turned to look at the hamster woman, his hippo face all sad, “Did we do right, Coni?”
“Yes, it was quite gruesome,” Coni said as she raised her finger on which her sparrow was perched, “It certainly made me uneasy and... horrified. Yes, even horrified. All that death and blood.”
She paused for a moment as she flicked her finger to give Imo a flying start. She then turned back to the hippo man, continuing, “But I think we did right. The lords and ladies of the villages were mighty happy to see the bandits gone. And did you see how poor the peasants were? Leaking roofs, houses with collapsed roofs... Perhaps what we did will improve their situation now?”
Dimbulb was silent, thinking.
“Look Dimbulb,” the ostrich man Galel joined in. “If we're to be some kind of heroes or what-not, I can
assure you that there will be more blood. Much more blood. And screaming. Limbs and heads flying. Bandits vomiting. You
--we-- best get used to it.”
“Really?” Dimbulb asked, looking quite distraught. “I-I guess you're right then. You're always right, Galel. I best get used to it...”
“Oh praised be Jalew Goldenmatched!” Coni puffed and flung her arms in the air, a sarcastic tone in her voice, “It's great we have the likes of you around, Galel.”
The hamlet of Padbolted looked deserted. There were no signs of life and all the houses looked like they had been empty for ages, their roofs rotted and some with half-collapsed walls. The companions remembered some old tales of how in the distant past this place had fallen into ruin after war with elves and then with the necromancers. They didn't expect to find anyone at the manor, so they were quite surprised when they entered and saw a human at the back wing.
Tanzul approached the man who was thin, but had incredible muscles. A short beard grew on his prominent chin and his hair was shaven. Looking around, Tanzul saw sacks and chests strewn about, so full that they almost spilled their contents -- armor, weapons, beautiful crafts and such.
“Hello, human,” Tanzul raised his hand and greeted the man, “I am Tanzul Whispermaw. We are but travelers on the way to the east and north. We thought this place was abandoned from the looks of it, but I guess we were wrong.”
“Ah, greetings, fox man,” the human replied a hint of surprise and anxiety in his voice. “You may call me Ica, Ica Tubsyawned, and... Ehem, this is Padbolted, and, and I, ah, am the lord. Yes, the lord of this humble village...”
“It is strange to see a lord in an empty village,” Galel joined the discussion. “No soul in sight, the houses empty, and yet here you are, all alone in a keep that has seen better days.”
“Why yes, uhm, it is hard to get servants these days, yes,” the human said, beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead. “Awfully difficult. Terribly. And with all the lordly matters to attend to I haven't had the time to, ah, clean the place... But who might you be, ostrich man?”
Coni and Dimbulb stepped to the sides of Galel as he began his reply, “Who I am? Why, I am Galel, and I am not surprised you would not find any servants in an empty village. Not that I believe you for an instant, liar.”
“Who are you, really?” Tanzul said sternly to the man, furrowing his brow as he stepped closer to the human. “You're no lord, that much we can tell. And those things in the bags... They certainly don't look like something a person like you would own by lawful means.”
“Keep your distance, fox man!” The human glanced around him nervously, noticing his back was against a wall and the party of animal people blocked his exit. “My men will soon be here and deal with you troublemakers!”
“I think not,” Tanzul said angrily, his paw going slowly for the spear strapped to his back. “You are not the first bandit we deal with. It was
I who put down the chieftess Manba Alespulls, whose cries and pleading I didn't give a damn about.”
“Hand over your knife and come with us willingly,” the fox man ordered as he unstrapped his spear, “We will bring you to face justice. Come peacefully and you may keep your life.”
“Hah! Justice? Justice! To be hanged from a tree along the road? I think not, fox man,” the human laughed, his voice beginning to quiver with fear, “You will not have my knife without a fight, fools! I will take my chances with you lot!”
“Very well,” Tanzul said and turned to look at his companions, “Dimbulb. Coni. Galel. Do what you do.”
“There, at least we gave a proper burial this time,” Tanzul said as he looked at the shoddily built date palm coffin at the end of the earthen burrow they had dug. “Perhaps this makes you feel better, Dimbulb? And the rest of us, too?”
Dimbulb, still feeling uneasy, closed the lid of the casket. “I guess it's better this time. He didn't have time to scream.”
“Pfft, the idiot barely got his knife out,” Galel eyed the casket with a mocking look on his face, “Tanzul's spear to the chest and Coni's dagger to his poor, stupid head was all it took. Such a pitiful case. I see not why we wasted the time to bury him. He hardly deserved it.”
Despite Galel's words, they were all unsure if all this killing was something they were up to, but all kept their feelings to themselves. For once they were silent as they left the burrow, which they had dug just on the northern outskirts of the abandoned hamlet.
So the journey of the adventurers continued once more.
As the party reached the outskirts of the monastery Modestbastion, the sun began to set and the heat was pushed away by a cool breeze from the west. The companions hoped that they could stay for the night at the monastery, but if that wouldn't be the case, it mattered not: the sky was clear and sleeping outdoors would be pleasant enough.
The monastery turned out to be abandoned, but two humans had taken shelter there. They agreed on letting the companions stay at the dormitory for the night. Tanzul told tales of their heroic exploits and how they had put an end to bandits. His storytelling skills were not good and he often stumbled in details. They then picked beds to sleep in and lay their heads to rest.
25th of Slate, 383At the first light of dawn the party continued their journey, following the river upstream to the north. The mountains were larger in the horizon now, and as they scrambled up a hill they saw a castle with glimmering walls in the distance.
But the castle, too, proved to be a waste of time. While its walls were intact and it was in a decent state, it was not occupied by lords or ladies with need for heroes. It was an abandoned, unorganized place where a group of peasants had made their home. The companions were certain that they were not bandits, but merely farmfolk from the surrounding lands seeking the protection of the castle's sturdy walls -- it was, after all, at the borders of the heart of the Relieved Realms and the threat of the necromancers was said to reach here.
The castle was the last settlement along the river before the Mountain of Combat, which loomed ever the larger in the north. The companions plan was to cross the peaks to the other side and visit the dwarf hillocks that lay there. Their hope was that perhaps there they would finally find a meaningful quest.
“It's like fishing, I think,” Tanzul said to Coni who seemed a bit disheartened. They had stopped at the foothills of the mountains and Tanzul had just caught two turtles from a pond. “Sometimes you're lucky, sometimes not. But what matters is that you are persistent and continue your work. With hard work, you're bound to catch something eventually.”
“Well, I don't know,” Coni replied, “It seems like an awful stretch comparing fishing to searching good deeds to be done... But I don't really want to argue about it.”
“But it
is very much the same,” the fox man continued despite Coni's protests. He was a bit annoyed that the hamster woman didn't agree with his view on adventuring. “Like fishing in new waters we have had little luck in finding quests, but also like in fishing we have been struck by luck several times
because we have continued and continued, working hard to find one. How so is that not the same?”
“I guess I'm not sure...” Coni mumbled and turned away, feeling glum about the whole discussion.
The voyage over the mountains was a rather uneventful one. They followed a narrow valley carved by a brook winding through the lower peaks. The sun didn't blaze as hot in the highlands, but the weather was still warm, occasionally cooled by a breeze from the west.
When they were almost across the mountains that were more like foothills, they noticed a dirt road in the north. Looking at their map they thought it led to the first of the hillocks that they planned to visit.
At first the companions thought the hillocks were abandoned: there were no signs of life and the gardens were untended. Nevertheless, they went from hillock to hillock until they came to what presumably was the local drinking hole from the looks of it.
But instead of dwarves, they found a goblin with a spear inside.
“Huh? What? Who the hell are you folk?” the startled goblin asked, eyeing the unexpected visitors with suspicion.
“Greetings,” Tanzul began his introduction and raised his hand, “I am Tanzul Whispermaw and we are travelers from beyond the mountains. There is no need to be alarmed.”
“Uh, I'm Liriva, Liriva Skeweredtower,” the goblin replied, keeping close eye on the companions' movements. “Tanzul, eh? Quite the odd name... What brings you to Quakegilt? There's nothing of interest here.”
“Well, I'd prefer to be the judge of that,” the fox man said as he tried to get a feel of what kind of person this goblin might be. “If I may, I'd like to ask are you the only one living here? Everything seemed awfully empty...”
So the companions discussed with the goblin and came to think he was honest. He was a soldier and worked under a goblin leader, yes, but he did not seem to have any ill intent. The goblin told that the hillocks indeed were mostly abandoned and there was nothing organized, this was just a stop for him on his travels. But he also told that a goblin warlord called Utes Jackalward resided somewhere here and he acted as if he owned the place. Not that Liriva seemed to mind it, but the warlord certainly seemed like one with foul intentions. Of the warlord's forces, Liriva did not know.
The adventurers decided to investigate and confront the warlord.
It did not take the companions long to find who they searched for. In the largest mound, which was clearly where the seat of power used to be, they saw a goblin woman clad in leathers and furs, holding a mace to her side.
As Tanzul and the companions approached the goblin to greet her, she grabbed her copper mace firmly and yelled, “Who are you who dare interrupt me? Identify yourselves!”
And with that a fight broke out.
Tanzul bashed at the goblin warlord with his spear shaft, but she struck it aside with her mace at the same time as she dodged a lash of Galel's whip. But the ostrich man was quick to whip out again, striking the goblin in the thigh, the whip twisting around it and with a yank he pulled the goblin to the ground.
Fear began to take hold of the warlord for she was outnumbered and her opponents seemed more skilled than she had thought. She had made a terrible mistake.
The companions swarmed the goblin, Dimbulb's two-handed blade slashing here and there, severing foot and hand as Galel continued his onslaught with the whip.
In desperation and panic the now mutilated warlord tried to scramble towards the door, but it only gave Tanzul an opening and he thrust his spear into her back. The goblin shrieked and her breathing became heavy and wheezy.
Dimbulb's blade came down again and again, Galel's whip lashed out and Coni stabbed and stabbed.
Tanzul thrust his spear again at the goblin, hitting her in her stomach, the spear digging deep into her. Bloodied, almost limbless and already at death's door, it was finally enough to snuff the life out of her.
As the companions stood around the lifeless goblin, Galel rolled up his whip and slung it back to his belt. “Well, she got what was coming,” the ostrich man said. “One could say it was inevitable.”
So the journey continued and the party headed to the northwest where another hillocks lay. The day was still young and they were quite confident that they would reach the end of the first leg of their journey before nightfall. They had done much good in these lands (they insisted on it to each other) and it surely had helped the poor innocent folk of the Relieved Realms, making their lives of endless toil more bearable (in their minds).
Soon they could continue their journey to the East, where the Real Adventures were to be had.
“Dwarves? Dwarves? Where did you get that silly idea in your head?”, the hook-nosed elf looked at Tanzul, his brow raised in disbelief.
The companions had been quite surprised when they entered the civic mound of the hillocks of Healgear. Instead of the short, stout mountain folk they had expected to find, the grand mound was inhabited by elves and humans -- there was not a single dwarf in sight.
“There has been no dwarves here for centuries, fox man,” the elf continued, “My name is Famime Growledline, and what may I call you?”
“I am Tanzul Whispermaw,” Tanzul replied.
“Ah yes, well, Healgear has been ruled by the Petal of Geniuses ever since the ancient war between us and the treacherous dwarves. Those monsters, how they dared treat the plants and animals in such a cruel manner!” Famime kept going, “But if you want to learn more of our history talk to the scholar Masami Talonfame or to Cacame Nameleaf, who is administrator. I am but a merchant, though I can tell you that if it is dwarves you seek, you best head far to the east or southeast.”
The elf then went on recounting a bit of his travels with a group of other elves from Múya Loré to do trade with the dwarves of the east, the Bent Spear, and then further south with the Fence of Amusement. Last time he had been there was to a place called Waterlures, which curiously enough was a town mostly inhabited by capybara folk and other animal people -- something quite unheard of.
The companions talked with the other elves, too, telling tales of their adventures and asking more of the history of this place. The elf scholar Masami told tales of the war that ended up destroying the kingdom of the dwarves of the Mighty Ship, but also how the necromancer Kadol Dimplebronze rose from their ranks and began the terror wrought by the undead. Of the Fence of Amusement he knew not much else but that their king, the Unaging King, ruled with an iron fist and the people suffered. He also told more of the place called Waterlures and how it now housed one of the grandest libraries in the world,
“though, nothing compared to the one in Fencereined, of course.”But there was nothing in Healgear that needed heroes.
And so they decided it was time to set forth to the east, following the directions given to them by the elves. There, certainly, they would find true adventure.
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Not much luck with the game throwing any quests for our adventurers, but at least I got to the end of the first stretch of their travel plans.
Next we head off east and then hopefully somehow south to Waterlures eventually. We'll see.
Author
Topic: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress & Adventure [DF 0.47.05] (Read 66852 times)