Erick Soames
Human Fighter Age (3d6+10) 20
Stats (8 on each plus 9d6 as desired)
8+6+4= 18
8+6= 14
8+2+3=13
8+1+5=14
8+3=11
8+3=11
STR 14, DEX 14, CON 18, INT 11, WIS 14, CHA 11
983, Erick is born
985, There was a Goblin war n the frontier, Erick is age 2
991, The Goblin War is over, Battle of Bollrock’s Folly. Erick is 8
1003, Campaign start. Erick is 20
Race: Human
Birthplace: In a prison or in the headquarters of a secret organization
Current Age: 20
Charisma: 11 (0)
Parents: You know of your parents.
Mother: Herleva Soames, Neutral Good Human that works as a Criminal. Your relationship was friendly. She is dead, killed by a wild animal.
Father: Geoffrey Soames, Neutral Human that works as a Farmer. Your relationship was friendly. He is missing.
Siblings: 1
Older sibling (one year older). Giselle Soames, Neutral Human that works as a Farmer. Your relationship was friendly. She is alive and quite successful. Her husband is Itsakk.
Family: You were raised by your father. Your mother died.
Lifestyle: Modest. Grew up in a shack
Childhood: You had a few close friends and lived an ordinary childhood.
Background: Folk Hero
Motivation: A mad old hermit spoke a prophecy when you were born, saying that you would accomplish great things. “.”
Class: Fighter
Origin: You could always pick up just about any weapon and know how to use it effectively.
Events: 1
You encountered something magical. Your fortune was read by a diviner. “When darkest morning, a thinning of the veil shall cause Houses to fall and the birth of new evil.”
attempt expertise, compel resources, strive allies
Erick was born while his mother, Herleva, was imprisoned in Redstone Keep for burglary. She was attended by an old crone who, on seeing the child, was overcome by a strange trance, and told Herleva that “Upon the argent eve, two strangers shallw witness the beginning. They shall behold the rise of lawlessness”. The crone then vanished, leaving Herleva alone with her child and a strange prophecy.
Erick grew up in the village of Toglin, helping his parents work the land, playing with his older sister Gisele, and with other children of the manor. But strangely, the child had an almost instinctive knack for fighting. When shown the weapons used by the muster, he instinctively knew how to handle the spear, dagger, club and hunting bow. The shepherd’s tools as well. And any bully that tangled with him found that he hit harder than most kids his size.
When Erick was twelve years old, he was working at the edgemost fields with his mother and a few others int he early morning, when suddenly, Herleva cried out in terror. Erick looked to see some great beast had grabbed hold of her and was dragging her underground! Taking his hoe, he battered at the creature’s head until it released her and lunged at him! Fortunately, others nearby heard the screaming and the villagers were able to kill the ankheg. Herleva died from her wounds, her leg having nearly beens severed and the acid burns from its venom were too deep.
After that time, Erick dedicated himself to learning to fight. He knew that there would be a coming age of lawlessness, worse than the goblin wars he’ed heard of, and that he and one other might be all that could prevent it. He became a compulsive saver, and used any money he could make to help arm himself and provision the family for the future. He was even given a battered suit of armor by an old soldier who had retired to the village to live with his brother’s kin. And knowing that some great hardships lay ahead, he grew to anticipate meeting new people who might help face those challenges.
At the celebration of his sister’s wedding, a travelling caravan was also celebrating ring day. An old woman was telling fortunes, and called Erick to her booth, “When darkest morning, a thinning of the veil shall cause Houses to fall and the birth of new evil.” But as Erick started to ask what she meant, her visage faded into that of a young woman telling fortunes. She was puzzled by his questions, given that she had told him about his true love and the great harvest to come.
After speaking to Gisele’s husband and ensuring that the young man would take over the tenancy and look after his father and sister, Erick left on a quest to learn what the “thinning of the veil” might entail, and to prevent the rise of a new age of lawlessness!
Vingrow 21, Market Day-38 degrees, leaves and small twigs in constant motin,, flags extended
I am on the road to Estkap to seek my fortune on the frontier, perhaps enlisting in Estkap’s army for I hear the Baron needs men after some great battle, but most importantly, I am seeking the “stranger”. I don’t know what he or she may look like, but if I am destined to witness the dawn of an age of chaos, perhaps there is something I can do to prevent it!
As my feet pound away on the packed earth, I pull my cloak tight against the breeze. My bag weights heavy across my shoulders, old armor and a slung shield. I feel confident facing the unknown, facing my destiny. The old crone’s words “the thinning veil” the “fall of houses” echoing in my memory.
Up ahead, I see a mule by the side of the road, laden with a pack, and grazing amidst the barley field. This strikes me as odd, but then I notice several bodies laying in the road nearby. As dusk is coming soon, I am immediately wary, and unsling my shield, shouldering my axe. I walk forward to get a better look.
The dead men are soldiers, wearing the livery of Halmfort, which is the fiefdom just south of Redstone. I start to examine the bodies, when I hear a moaning sound. I look over, and notice a woman in fine clothing, has dragged herself off the road, and lies in a pool of blood. I kneel down beside her, and take her hand as she tries to whisper something.
“Who did this?” I ask, but she chokes on her own blood and dies in my arms.
I look over her body, she is clearly of noble birth from her raiment, and the smoothness of her hands and face. Also, the signet ring she wears denotes her station. Her purse was taken, but oddly, her body not ravaged as most bandits might do. I collect the mule, ladened with travel supplies, and drape the woman’s body over it. I then lead the animal back towards the village of Colwood, through which I had just passed.
The guards hail me as i approach, “Back so soon?” They taunt, but I gesture towards the mule and tell them there was an ambush on the road up ahead. She was alive when I found her, but died before I could stop the bleeding. The men with her are laying dead in the road still. No real signs of who or what killed them. On seeing the woman’s face, the guard’s face goes white, “Dame Colwood!” That’s when I realize this is the wife of the lord of the village!
They quickly lead me to the manor house where the lord of the manor comes outside, grief stricken, and starts calling his remaining men to arms. “We must find who did this! Who murdered my Katherine!” But I notice that he seems to be looking for something on her. “You! You found her! Did she have her purse on her still? The papers?” I hold up my hands.
“No milord, her purse was taken, but her signet ring was not. I didn’t notice any papers lying around. Just the dead men and the mule.” I explain.
A short time later, a dozen villagers show up armed for the muster, and Lord Colford, armed for war, along with three of his remaining men, are ready for me to lead them to where I found the man’s wife.
Our torches light up the night, and we soon arrive at the site of the ambush. We can see the blood on the trail, but no signs of the bodies anymore. The men spread out and start looking for clues.
“Wait..wait!” I say, pointing to the signs in the road. “Did they just get up and walk away?” I ask.
His lordship kneels down next to me and looks more closely at the tracks. “By the dooms of hell, you are right! Necromancy…” His face grows pale with worry. “Back to the village!” He commands.
We return to Colwood where I am allowed to bunk with the guards in the manorhouse. Six of the garrison are dead…and presumabely walking around that way! This leaves half the bunks empty.
Vingrow 22, Sun Day-42 degrees, leaves and small twigs in constant motin,, flags extended
I woke the next morning to a somber household still unnerved by last night’s discoveries. At breakfast, I ask his Lordship about the papers, “Milord, what were the papers your wife was carrying, if I may be so bold, why were they important?”
“My wife, Katherine, had divined the location of some valuable papers, and took some of our men with her to the ruined keep, Altazar, to recover them. I don’t know if she found them, but she thought the were worth fighting for, or even dying for. She was gone an entire fortnight, and she’s not the kind to give up easily. But before she left, she said that there were others seeking the knowledge therein, and that I must remain on my guard for when the veil might rip. I was unsure of what she meant, but she was compelled to go. And now, she is gone,” he says with a heavy heart.
“With the thinning of the veil, houses shall fall,” I mutter. His lordship looks up at me curiously, and I tell him, “something a fortune teller once told me. I need to go see these ruins, learn more about the scrolls.”
“You?” his lordship laughs, “You are a child! Have you ever even seen battle before? Even at the edge of the Bleak Bog, the ruins of Altazar must possess untold dangers. And something followed my wife out of there…you’ll not survive if half a dozen seasoned men could not.”
I nod my head, “perhaps you are right, but I have to try.”
“I’ll go with him!” a meldious voice rings out from the doorway. I look over and see a beautiful young woman with fair hair standing in the door, dressed as an aristocrat. “Nobody is more familiar with mother’s research than I, and there is no need for me here. If there is any chance of recovering the scrolls, I would like to pursue it.”
–Very Unlikely he would support this…Yes, he does!–
His lordship looks at his daughter, then at me, and then back to her, “Agreed.” he says suddenly. “It is your mother’s wish that you should pursue the arcane arts to your fullest potential. She would wish you to follow in her footsteps, fulfill her duty, and whatever darkness she foresaw. Gather what you need and set forth with my blessing!”
“Alright then,” I smile at the young woman, “I am glad to have you at my side!” She laughs at this, and warns that I may soon regret my words.
As we ready a pair of horses his lordship is gifting us, I learn from one of the sergeants that the woman’s name is Auritta, the third daughter of his lordship, and the youngest of his five children. She is apparently shows great promise in the magical arts but has shown no interest in marrying and has just returned from her duties in Caravos without any proposals in spite of her physical beauty.
By midmorning, Lady Auritta is ready to travel. She has a travelling pack with at least one heavy book inside that she lashes to the back of her saddle. A tent is lashed to the back of mine. We are also provided with plenty of food for our trek, and I am given a proper sword, a warhammer and a couple of throwing axes.
We travel throughout the day, mostly in silence. I ask her about life in the palaces of Caravos, but “dull” is her reply. I ask about her mother, and her studies of magic, but her answers are short, and generally beyond my comprehension.
It is evening when we arrive at the village of Deynus, and Auritta suggests, “We should push on to Fishretch. From there, we should be able to reach the ruins of Altazar by late morning and still have plenty of daylight to start our investigation.” I shrug my shoulders, and tell her that since she knows the area better than me, I’ll follow her advice. She laughs, and says, “It wasn’t advice, you forget your station. It’s a command!”
“Why yes, milady,” I reply with sarcastic good humor,”and should goblins leap out at us on the road, am I to await your command to save your life?”
“No, good man. You may act as you see fit in the heat of battle, but on the road and in town you must not forget your station and your duty!” she says almost teasingly.
After a day of travelling in near silence, it is a welcome relief to hear her voice as we ride into the night, with cloaks pulled tight for warmth and only Fate’s light to guide us.
As we approach the village, we see a man in the road, limping slowly away from us. As we draw closer, we realize he is wearing the livery of Colwood. “Hey there!” Auritta calls out as she spurs her horse forward, “where are you going?” I follow after her, unsettled by the man’s strange gait and lack of ressponse. I unbelt my axe.
Drawing close to the man, he suddenly turns to face Auritta and she cries out in horror, hurling a bolt of flame at the man who is already missing half of his face!
He lunges at her, knocking her from her horse. I leap down from mine, and swing my axe, but the blow misses, passing through where is arm used to be were it still attached!
Auritta scrambles away from the melee as the creature lunges at me. I am too quick for it though, and bring my axe down hard on its shoulder, staggering it slightly. Then another bolt of flame from Auritta causes it to collapse…the stench of burnt flesh, and rot hangs in the air.
Auritta joins me, staring down at the burning body. “I think that was Edron! I recognized his beard.”
“How far from Fishretch do you think we are?” I ask. She says we must be close now, so after the corpse stops burning, I throw it over the saddle of my horse…the animal is skittish about the smell, but I easily calm the beast.
We arrive at the village gates a short time later. Surprisingly, the guard offers a friendly greeting, “Hail travellers! Late to be caught out on the road don’t you think?”
“Yes, good sir,” I reply, “we seek shelter, and a place to lay to rest our companion here.”
The guard looks at the corpse, “What happened?”
“He was killed yesterday by an unknown assassin, along with Dame Colwood… but he was missing when we went to recover the bodies, we just ran into him on the road a few miles from here, walking dead…and he tried to attack us! You seen anymore of Colwood’s men pass through?”
The guard looks at the corpse warily, “No…no… are you sure he’s really dead now?”
Auritta speaks up, “Necromancy is fickle magic. It involves binding an evil spirit to a fresh and undamaged corpse. Edron’s remains are beyond repair. The spirit that took possession of it has fled. It is safe to lay him to rest now.”
“You heard, milady,” I say, indicating her station, “is there a place for us to rest and refresh ourselves?” The guard tells us the Black Dagger is pretty crowded tonight, as always, but sometimes they have an empty room.
We let the guard’s servant take our horses, and Edron’s body, and carry our saddlebags to the tavern. In terms of style, the building is a rather uninspiring half timber structure, but the door frame, and window shutters are all heavily reinforced with iron bars. Music and light poor from the open windows on the ground floor. Walking inside, we are welcomed to the bright glow of a warm hearth, and the smell of roasted flesh and raw onion.
The crowd is a mix of local farmers or fishers, and of men and women wearing blue robes. Everyone present regards us with wary eyes as we enter and set our bags down at the end of one of the tables. One of the blue robed men asks, “Do you follow Vemus, the song of ages?”
I look at the man confused, but Auritta helpfully responds, “You mean Tyrannical singer of lies?”
“Bite your tongue, whore!” the cultist snaps. “Do not blaspheme the Song of Ages, Crafter of Destiny! We are his children and you would be wise not to cross us!”
“Hold on friends!” a heavy set man in armor without livery rises to his feet. “Clearly the lady has confused your great lord for some sect of a similar name, and there is no need to interrupt the flow of beer and sound of the lute.”
The music stops and the blue robed men glare at us, icy hate in their eyes. I look to the inkeep, and he sourly says, “Don’t even ask for a room right now. Best if you just walk on outside and plan to sleep beneath the stars.”
“I am lady Auritta of Colwood,” says my companion, “My bodyguard and I require food and lodging at your inn, please show us to our rooms.”
“As you wish,” grumbles the old man, as he takes a key from its peg and leads us upstairs. “You can have this room,” he says, pushing opent he door to a rather large room with a single bed. Auritta begins to object when the man says, “Only one room left. Take it or leave it. I’d rather you leave it if you are going to cause trouble downstairs.”
Just then, the big man from downstairs comes up, “Hey, way to stir up trouble. I think you two will have more fun in bed together than downstairs. Looks like the music lovers are eager to beat your faces in if you dare come back down. Oh, wait…wait… that look!” he laughs, “Didn’t plan on sharing a bed, eh? Well if you’d like, you can take this room all by yourself then, and the lady can join me in mine!” he guffaws loudly at his offer of feigned generosity, unlocking the door of the room across the hall from ours.
I smirk and drop my bags in the corner of the room, then start rolling my blankets down across the floor.
“What are you doing?” Auritta demands. “You aren’t sleeping here on the floor in the same room as me. Go sleep on the floor across the hall.”
Dumbstruck, I rise to my feet. “And on the road, in the wilds, have your brought your own tent? Or do you expect to share? Are you going to cook your own meals? Or share mine? You’re right, I won’t be sleeping on the floor tonight, I’ll be taking the bed. Your choice where you go!”
The innkeeper laughs and closes the door on us as he walks away.
Auritta’s jaw hangs open, staring at me in disbelief as I begin peeling off my overcloak and armor. “You can’t be serious!” she says. But as I climb into bed, telling her to douse the lamp. She says, “Move over! And if you lay a hand on me you are going to lose more than that!”
A few moments later, having heard the sounds of her snaps and ties coming undone, I feel here climb beneath the covers next to me…and with a word from her lips, the lamp goes dark.
Vingrow 23, Moon Day-35 degrees, feel wind on the skin, leaves rustle, weathervanes begin to move
I wake to the sound of Auritta washing her face. I roll over to watch her in her nightrobe as she begins to comb and rebraid her hair. “I should have brought a mirror with me,” she says. I shrug my shoulders and tell her she looks fine. We’ll be heading off into a swamp anyway, nobody to impress there. No royal courts anyway. “Get dressed and meet me downstairs. I won’t be too long.”
I put on my armor and traveling cloak, gather my bags, and head downstairs where the blue robes all take note of my arrival. There are only half a dozen of them now, and they glare at me as I eat my breakfast, but they say nothing. Auritta joins me a little later.
The heavy man then sits down at our table, “So, how are the newlyweds?” the big man asks. “Did you, uh, show her a think or two?” he elbows me, nodding with a big grin on his face.
“What? Are we friends now?” I ask the man.
Taken aback, the man says, “I thought so! My name is Rold. I’m a treasure hunter. I just thought, given the sight of a woman obviously schooled in the ways of magic travelling alone with a man of the sword that perhaps the two of you were as well. And that perhaps, you might be on your way to the ruins of Altazar, or even the Barrow Maze, and that perhaps we should team up!”
While I am still regarding the man, Auritta speaks up, “Well, Rold, we could certainly use an extra sword in the service of house Colwood. Serve me well, and I’ll see to it my father rewards you for your service.” she says with confident authority.
I shrug my shoulders, and tell the man that we hope to reach the ruins before lunch. If he happens to know exactly where they are, that will help, but Auritta is pretty sure she knows the way if he doesn’t.
He says he hasn’t been, but he knows others have, and that the way will not be hard to find, for many have explored the place seeking their fortunes. But that there must be greater wealth remaining.
After we eat our breakfast, we collect our things, and our two mounts, and set off into the swamp seeking the ruins of Altazar.
As we enter the swamp, I imagine I hear a strange bird. “Do you recognize that call?” I ask Auritta. She shakes her head, and says she doesn’t think it’s a bird call. Some sort of whistle maybe? I grow uneasy, as we press our way through the muck. We are leading the horses, rather than riding them, needing them to carry supplies or for a fast escape, rather than as mounts, but they seem as skittish as I am starting to feel. I draw my sword, and Rold draws his. “Best to keep our eyes peeled! Stay between us Auritta,” I warn.
Suddenly, two of the blue robed men step out from behinds some trees ahead of us. “Blasphemers!” one calls out, “You have insulted Lord Vemus, the Song of Ages,the Serpent of Time! Repent or face the scourge!”
“Aw, crap!” I mutter, glancing back at the defiant noblewoman, fury burning in her eyes…and noticing that we are actually surrounded.
“Die, heathen!” Auretta shouts, stretching forth her hand and sending a trio of magical bolts into the man who challenged us! The others draw steel and rush towards us, Auritta and Rold suddenly realize we weren’t just facing the two in front of us!
As they reach us, Auretta calls forth a blast of magical flame that engulfs three of our foes, killing two of them outright. I decapitate another as they come within reach, while Rold finds himself overwhelmed, but they cannot get close enough to strike a mortal blow for fear of his great hammer!
Auritta falls back, and blasts another with flame, while I finish off a man whose robes were still on fire. And so the battle goes. Auritta’s magical fire burns more than half of our foes. My blade and Rold’s hammer takes the other four. I am grazed by a knife in the fighting, and Rold suffers a couple of superficial stab wounds, but nothing too deep or serious.
I start bandaging Rold’s wounds and wrapping my own while we catch our breath following the fight. Auritta searches the enemy, “Did they really think their little demon god would protect them from arcane justice? Hopefully they have something interesting on them.”
–unusual valuable-unlikely-no- E: Something Negative happens to Rold the Wayward, involving
Procrastination over Tactics– Find 81 sp and 37 gp–
“What were you thinking, woman? Did you know we were surrounded?” Rold asks after he catches his breath.
“You will address me as Lady Colwood, Lady Auretta, or as Milady,” Auretta replies, and then, she admits, “No, I didn’t realize we were surrounded. I was hasty.”
–Mythic- we cool? Unsure—No–
Stunned at being chastised. Rold answers carefully, “Alright, Lady Auretta… your pride nearly got us killed. Fortunately, your skill at magic, and Erick and mine’s skill at arms kept us alive, but we have to work together if we are going to survive.”
“Why thank you for that lesson in the art of war,” Auretta smirks, “shall I consult with you, my captain, next time some fool challenges us in the road?”
I interrupt Rold as he starts to say “That would be appreciated,” and I remind my companions that even though we are all strangers to one another, we must work together to prevent the rise of lawlessness.
–Do they look at me funny? Likely-Exceptional Yes–
They both stare at me like I’ve grown another head. “What are you talking about?” Auretta asks. Rold chimes in asking if I know something, but I shrug my shoulders and pretend to be speaking of this outlaw cult that we just fought.
–(multiple poor survival roles to find the place)==
We trek around the swamp but cannot find the ruins. “Rold?” I ask, “i thought you said these ruins would be easy to find?” He shrugs his shoulders and tells me the innkeeper said we couldn’t miss it. Then I look at Auretta, “Milady?”
“Yes, I was wrong!” she replies. “I can’t see any of the landmarks my mother wrote about.”
“Well,” I say, “the ground is dry here, so let’s pitch camp. I’ll take first watch.”
“Finally,” Rold says, sitting down and pulling off his boots. I gather some firewood, from dead branches still hanging in old trees, while Auretta struggles to set up the tent. As we finish getting the camp in order, Rold climbs into the tent, and Auretta looks at me hesitantly.
I laugh and say, “If he tries anything, he’ll lose more than his hand!” She rolls her eyes and then stretches her bedroll out by the fire instead. I chuckle.
—
In the middle of the night, a trio of saurian hunters stumble across our camp, and attack from ambush. With javelins, they kill Rold who is on guard, and leap upon Auretta before she even knows what is happening. I hear the noise but have barely drawn my blade when two of them set upon me…
The End.
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