|
| Thread: Guitarguy Adventures | |
|
guitarguy
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Rockoon.
|
posted August 25, 2005 02:24 PM |
|
|
Guitarguy Adventures
Table of Contents
1. "In The Beginning" - Page 1
Status: Incomplete
Edits
-guitarguy
____________
|
|
guitarguy
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Rockoon.
|
posted August 25, 2005 02:26 PM |
|
|
"In The Beginning"
This short story is about Gwenneth the Knight’s early quest for the lord of castle Xabran. A decorated hero and soldier of fortune, she was called to this distant and unfamiliar land to lead a small unit of guerrilla soldiers through hostile territory. This story idea comes from playing H2’s “Broken Alliance” scenario back in 1996.
---
Gwenneth opened her eyes as the first rays of sunlight pierced the sky outside her window. The air was cool and the light was dim, but those things didn't bother her. After dressing, she made her way downstairs to the main hall of Xabran's finest inn. Sitting down for a final breakfast, she thought about the task ahead of her. When she had her fill, she rose from the table and approached the innkeeper who sat lounging at the counter near the main entrance. She handed him the keys to her room and turned to leave the building. The man leaned forward.
"Expect you back in a week or so?" he inquired.
"I can't guarantee it," she said after a short pause. "The times are dangerous."
"Pity," he replied disappointedly, jingling the gold coins in his pant pocket with his fingers. The knight had given those to him the afternoon before. Living mercenaries were valued customers in those days.
---
The streets hadn't become too crowded by the time Gwenneth neared the castle gates. A uniformed man with a horse greeted her, handing her the reigns. A second man approached, offering her a pole with Xabran’s blue banner fluttering at the top. A call was given out, and ten soldiers marched out to greet the knight. These were bowmen; they carried bows and wore quivers on their backs. They wore very little armor, but their unencumbered maneuverability made them formidable warriors. Gwenneth knew this only too well, for she had travelled with and fought alongside these archers for years. Meanwhile, several dozen townfolk were summoned and brought to the castle for recruitment. These men wore simple peasant clothes and carried rusty farm tools.
The soldiers and peasants assembled into a basic formation, after which each man stood at attention. Gwenneth, seeing the group in order, cleared her throat and began to speak. Her rally speech to the troops was concise but otherwise unremarkable. When all was understood, she mounted her horse and started back through town. Her armed entourage followed close behind her, filling the streets with the sound of marching boots.
---
The town gates opened up to grass and the locals’ farmland. Beyond the expanse of wheat fields, a small road could be seen trailing east of Xabran. The road supposedly lead toward the mountains, an area that Gwenneth was unfamiliar with at the time. Not knowing what dangers lurked there, she ordered her party to explore the lands west of Xabran. After the castle town disappeared from view behind them, they made use of a compass to guide their way. The knight knew that they’d get lost without a sense of direction in this unfamiliar grassland.
The party hadn’t journeyed longer than two hours when they were approached by a trio of human travellers. Several of the soldiers identified the travellers as rangers who inhabited the forested regions to the west. The rangers beckoned Gwenneth and her party to follow them back to their base further west; the knight and her men accepted their lead. After a short while, they reached the edge of a forest. Not long afterward, a large sawmill came into view among a huge growth of tall trees. Many humanfolk dwelt here, hewing large pieces of raw lumber and carrying their handiwork throughout their camp. The trio of rangers darted off into the crowd of workers as though they were going to summon their leader. Sure enough, a large bearded man emerged from the busy crowd minutes later and headed towards Gwenneth. The knight introduced herself and spoke to the man about her mission in this realm. Upon hearing her words, the man introduced himself as the head ranger and offered to be of service.
“What can you tell me about the lands to the east of Xabran?” asked Gwenneth inquisitively. “We must quest beyond the road and into the mountains, but we don’t know what lies ahead of us.”
“You will find many enemies along the mountain on the eastern road.” the head ranger replied. He went on to tell the knight about a race of little people and a small tribe of barbarians who might aid her in her quest. In the end Gwenneth felt at least a little reassured.
Gwenneth and her entourage spent the afternoon in fellowship with the rangers. When it was time for the knight’s party to leave, their new friends gave them a parting gift of fresly-cut timber in case they needed firewood for the night. The knight bid thanks and farewell to the head ranger and departed with her men. Once out of the forest, the group could see the sun hanging low in the pink, cloud-filled sky. They had very little time to reach Xabran before the town gates closed at sunset, so Gwenneth ordered her men to make haste. Despite the order, the soldiers and peasants felt weary in the legs after an hour of walking. There was but a short distance to go in order to reach the town, but the sun was nearly gone by that time. It then became apparent that the group needed light, so the peasants made a fire from the wood the rangers gave them. As the rest of the party conversed with other over dinner, Gwenneth glanced towards the east with new resolve and willingness to complete her quest. By morning, she would be ready to face the odds.
To be continued…
-guitarguy
____________
|
|
Cannavaro
Adventuring Hero
A beer drinking madman
|
|
posted August 25, 2005 04:16 PM |
|
|
|
zsa
Famous Hero
|
|
posted August 26, 2005 11:31 PM |
|
|
yah pretty nice story. Good job 
____________
"You sound like zsa who only plays the game on forums" - Russ
|
|
TitaniumAlloy
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Professional
|
|
posted August 27, 2005 03:49 PM |
|
|
Nice, guitarguy, you have a great style of writing. You should definately join an RP in the glade, I think, we need you anyhow. It's dying out there, man!!
____________
John says to live above hell.
|
| |
|
|
