A novel I had written up to Pepper about my thoughts on the community.
Chapter 1 (Written while playing on NA_1 last year)
Spoiler
There once was a land known as "Napoleonic Waria". This land was a thriving place; people would help one another... All that changed when the Trolling Nation attacked. The trolls lived in dirty hovels and hid in underground bunkers known as "basements". These "basements" were places in which the trolls would meet and decide their next target... The land they chose was... Napoleonic Waria.
They marched and told stories of what they would do to the inhabitants of Napoleonic Waria. First they would start complaining about the rules and try to get people to fight the authorities of Napoleonic Waria. After they had mustered up the strength of the locals they would then march on the very center of Napoleonic Waria's civilizations... The forums. From that point they would spread pamphlets about the evil and corrupt government and call for the head of their king... Vincenzo.
Vincenzo was a king of virtue, and also a master of cats. He had spent his years working on creating a peaceful and thriving nation... But his opponents... Lead by the evil Sawyer had other plans... Sawyer was a mean and nasty troll who grew up in a land known as "4chaningShire". He learned the arts of trolling at a young age, he even became known as the 'Messiah of the 99%'. He moved to Napoleonic Waria to try and escape his life of trolling, but he called random people in the town homophobic slurs and people started to dislike him... He did gain allies however. They would be called "The 1st Yorks". They sang and they trolled without peer. One day they even went to Vincenzo himself and called him a vile name. Vincenzo was not having this and he expelled him from his Forum and Napoleonic Waria. 3 years of hate and anger for Vincenzo finally erupted and he wanted to get revenge.
Vincenzo was defeated at the Battle of Strangefields... The weather was foggy and the armies of loyalists and authoritarians were caught completely off guard from the huge troll army. The army's loud chants of "LOL, Badmins!" and "Do you even lift" was heard for miles, it caused shivers to go down the normal IQ'd loyalist army. The battle was hard-fought and in the early stages Vincenzo's army was winning, but over time the massive horde of trolls wore down the defenders... Vincenzo's ban hammer had broken from the sheer number of people he had hit with it; he was then forced to retreat.
A week later he was pushed to the farthest edges of Napoleonic Waria, surrounded and out of supplies he knew the small contingency of troops he had were not enough to defeat Sawyer's trollish armies. He welcomed death, for he had lived a good life, he told his troops that they would die martyrs against Trolls and that one day their children would reclaim these lands. The Trollish Army moved in, ready to slay him. His army was getting slaughtered by the massive amounts of "lols" and explosive crates.
Vincenzo was wounded, and staggered away from the battlefield... He saw Sawyer walk towards him with a smile on his ugly face and knew that he had won the day. Just when he had thought he would slay Vincenzo a loud battle cry came from the trees... The men of Admin-onia had come to save their longtime ally. They were the knights in shining armor slamming into the horde of trolls, slaughtering them with their mighty ban hammers. Stunned by the horrific turn of events Sawyer turn and ran but not before Vincenzo tripped him and sent him to oblivion. The armies of Napoleonic Waria and been victorious this day!
The bodies of the trolls were so massive that they were unable to bury the dead, they needed to burn them. Trolls that survived were banished from Napoleonic Waria forever, and peace and prosperity rang out around the land. Even though the land was celebrating Vincenzo was not, for he knew that his old enemies would one day rise from the ashes of defeat and come to reclaim Napoleonic Waria for them... Vincenzo would be prepared for such a day.
Chapter 2
Spoiler
A full year has passed (literally, look at the date.) since that fateful Battle of Strangefields. Throughout this time Napoleonic Waria grew and became prosperous, a beacon of light to it's neighbors. Napoleonic Waria even updated within that year! The local populace was happy and content, yet that didn't last for long... For something truly evil was lurking in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to strike and cripple Napoleonic Waria once and for all.
The evil trolls, who had been defeated by the combined armies of Napoleonic Waria and the brave men of Admin-onia, returned back to their dirty hovels and plotted their revenge. They conjured all sorts of terrible ideas about what they would do when they got a hold of the forums... Vile things such as; Senseless "inb4lock" responses, slandering the brave men of Admin-onia across the forums with a blood-curdling chant of, "L0L Badmins!", worst of all however, was that they wanted to cause the entire society of Napoleonic Waria to collapse. They would need to muster an army larger than any that the world had ever seen. Word had gotten out to three unlikely men of Admin-onia, it was up to them to try and stop this menace.
"Can I please get this grinder with shaved ham!?" a man yelled, in slurred speech, at a bar wench. This man turned out to be none other than Lord Pepper. Lord Pepper of Polska, a proud, stout fellow (who had also fought in the Battle of Strangefields) was sitting in a small tavern near the border of Napoleonic Waria. He and two of his closest allies were on there way to deliver the news of the evil trolls to Vincenzo. The youngest soul in the group, a man by the name of Pickett was standing watch outside of the tavern. He had a strange habit that everyone could see right off the bat, he was fond of his pony. Perhaps a little too "fond" of his pony, in which he named Rainbow Dash. The last member of the group, Griffith, was an expert cavalryman, he was loudly snoring on the table adjacent of Lord Pepper. Many stories have been told of his engagement at the Battle of Strangefields. In fact, many of the trollish army believed he was protected by a magical spell he had acquired from a witch, they called this magic, "Hacking".
They had only been in the tavern for two hours when Pickett, who was playing with his damn pony again, heard a clanking sound in a bush near the back of the tavern. He drew his sword as he cautiously walked around the side of the tavern, sweat heavy on his brow as he felt uneasy about what he may find. He reached the corner of the tavern and yelled loudly, "Who goes there!?", no response. He pressed further into the darkness towards where he thought he heard the sound from. He saw a glimmer of light reflecting from a bush, he continued cautiously walking, this time with his weapon out reached ready to slash. When suddenly, a foul, obese, ugly troll, larger than any he had ever seen jumped from the bush and started attacking Pickett. He blocked the blow that was supposed to be delivered to his head, he however lost his balance and fell. Now with his back on the ground he was violently slashing at his attacker who was murming, "Do you even lift, filthy human!?", he finally hit his mark, the calf of the troll. This crippled the troll, causing him to roar out in pain so loudly that it had woken Griffith and startled the people within the tavern. Lord Pepper and Griffith ran to see what happened, they saw Pickett, covered in mud with a smile across his face, he had slain his foe.
They searched the troll and found a small piece of parchment... It was a bounty on Lord Pepper's life. Lord Pepper, who not even five minutes earlier was drinking and laughing, became white as a ghost and silent. "We can't stay here, they know where we are and I'm certain this filth has friends near by." The other men of his company nodded, as they knew it to be true. They gathered what supplies they had and fastened them to their horses, except for Pickett, him and that pony I swear... The men had just finished and were ready to leave when they heard a blood curdling chant, 'Death to Badmin!" They were close, and there was no avoiding this band of marauders. They had to hold their ground, for they were the last hope of Napoleonic Waria.
Chapter 3
Spoiler
Lord Pepper ordered his men to draw their blades and prepare for the upcoming battle. Pickett and Griffith gave an uneasy look to Lord Pepper, and drew their swords. The glimmering of the pale moonlight shined upon their blades, the steady thumping of trollish footprints and war cries became louder and more sporadic. The air became heavy and people within the tavern could be heard crying and praying to their Gods, a final horn blow from the trollish horde signaled the beginning of the end.
Griffith was the first to come into contact with the trolls, he managed to dodge an up swing from the troll and buried his sword deep within his chest destroying everything within it's path and spraying him with hot, trollish blood. He ripped the blade from his foe and turned to face another, a troll from beyond managed to grab him by his shoulders and throw him to the ground, he began laughing and pummeling Griffith's face. Pickett saw this and sprinted towards Griffith with no regard for his own safety. He slew two trolls quickly and beheaded the troll who was attacking his comrade. Pickett started dragging Griffith who was unconscious from the savage beating towards the tavern. Lord Pepper, who was holding the front of the tavern, was getting pushed back by his assailants.
Pickett saw that Lord Pepper needed help or the trolls would overrun him and kill all the patrons within the tavern. He propped Griffith against the corner of the tavern and rushed towards Lord Pepper. Slaying trolls left and right as he ran, furious about what had happened to Griffith he screamed as loud as he could and startled a troll nearby before severing his arm and slashing his throat. Before he made it alongside his companion he was struck by a club in the back, knocking all the air from his lungs he fell to his hands and knees. Vision blurry he tried pressing on by crawling, the troll who dealt the blow punted him, causing Pickett to lose consciousness and the last thing he saw was Lord Pepper drop to one knee as he fought on.
Lord Pepper was covered in blood, some of which was his own. He had suffered multiple cuts and stabs from the sheer number of trolls that attacked him. Out of pure exhaustion he lost balance and was now fighting while on one knee, blocking blows as hard as he could. He believed this was the end, his comrades were gone, he was alone and he was the only hope left for the people within the tavern and all of Napoleonic Waria. As he was about to be struck down the tavern door was kicked open and huge, burly man with a gigantic mustache came out of the tavern, he was wearing a chef hat. The chef who came out was wielding a rolling pin in one hand and a cleaver in the other, he charged the trolls in an attempt to save Lord Peppers life.
The chef fought savagely, he was the embodiment of terror to the trolls. He laughed and cursed as he struck his foes down. His rolling pin broke after shattering the skull of a troll, he cursed because his mum had given him that rolling pin for his birthday, this fueled his rage even more and when he wasn't cutting his foes down with his cleaver he beat them to death with his fist. He called for a patron within the tavern to get Lord Pepper and drag him into the tavern. He could managed to see a strange figure in the distance, it was a troll dragging Pickett away from the fray. The chef flipped his cleaver and threw it as hard as he could, he saw the creature fall, the cleaver had severed it's spine. The trolls retreated, they could no longer stand against these humans, they spat and cursed, "1v1 me noob, I'll rekt ur face!".
Hours passed, Lord Pepper, Griffith, and Pickett were all being treated for their wounds by some of the patrons within the tavern. Griffith was still unconscious though, this would cause their journey to be delayed. Lord Pepper stumbled downstairs, he yelled to the chef, "Thank you for saving our lives, who are you my good chef!" The chef let out a hearty laugh and responded, "I am Ser Dan of House Cheffington!" This startled everyone within the tavern. Why would a knight, let alone a nobleman be cooking meals for common peasants? Lord Pepper was equally shocked and asked that same question to Ser Dan. Ser Dan told him that after the Battle of Strangefields he laid down his arms, he had seen enough bloodshed for a lifetime and decided to pursue something he enjoyed, cooking.
Ser Dan started telling tales of battles and adventures he had gone on for many years, some of the stories caused tears, others caused grim faces and disgust. Yet one thing was apparent from all of his stories, he would always talk about food and with great detail. Lord Pepper and Pickett were astonished by his tales, and after heavy consideration asked Ser Dan to join them on their journey. They explained in great detail what they were doing, they told him there would be blood shed and hardships but they were the last hope for Napoleonic Waria. Ser Dan was staring at them with a look of deep thought, and after several minutes finally came to a decision, he would join the party. After all, who would he serve his fabulous meals to if the trolls won?
Chapter 4
Spoiler
The party stayed in the tavern for three days and three nights. Griffith had not woken yet, which caused the dilemma of should they stay, or should they go? Lord Pepper decided it would be better to leave him behind as they were already behind on their journey and could not afford to waste time. He spoke with the owner of the tavern, Rachel, who said she would watch after him and he left a map of the surrounding lands with various X marks on them to show where they were headed. The men got their equipment ready, said their farewells, and sallied forth to continue the journey, their first stop was a small town about 40 miles down the road.
They told stories and sang songs as they rode down the road. Talking of past loves, fights, meals, and home. After several hours of riding the group decided to stop for the night. After setting up camp they ate some of the grinders they had brought with them from the tavern, as always, Lord Pepper had his with very thinly sliced meat. They set up the rotation list, made sure the horses were secured and unrolled their sleeping mats and tried to catch some sleep for another long day of travel. Nothing unusual happened, except that everyone had the same nightmare. They saw a small town covered in flames, hearing the wailing of women and children and the groans of dying men. Hearing and seeing trolls cutting down people left and right taunting them with vile things such as, "u mad brah!?" and, "lol nub 1v1 me!". Each of the men woke drenched in sweat, could this be the same small town that they were headed too?
They dismantled the campsite and got back on the road and continued their journey, only this time more grim. They spoke of what they saw in their dreams and fear was apparent within Pickett. He was worried it would become of his own town, and he would be forced to look upon the carnage that the trolls had wrought. The group picked up their pace, they wanted to get to the town as fast as possible. After a few hours they saw in the distance smoke trails and could hear the faint screaming of children... The nightmare was real.
The men got off the road, nervous that there may be some trollish scouts patrolling the perimeter. It was nearing night now, they moved as quiet as ghosts, ready to cut down anything within their path. They smelled pork, which was strange, who would be cooking pork in the middle of woods? It wouldn't have been the trolls, they had a city they were sacking, could it possibly be refugees? They pressed on, the scent was getting stronger now and they saw a small fire, yet there was no one around the camp. The camp had obviously been recently set up, and the owners of it couldn't be far. The group dismounted their horses and hid in some nearby bushes, waiting to see who would return to their camp. After nearly waiting an hour they heard a branch snap behind them and a loud voice said, "Don't move, or it'll be the last thing you do.".
Lord Pepper told the man they could not see that they meant no harm, they were only investigating the camp sight to see who owned it. As he spoke he could hear a bow being drawn, there was more than one person behind them. Pickett and Ser Dan stayed quiet and did not move, however Lord Pepper stood up, raised his left hand and lowered his sword upon the ground, and turned to face their captors. Lord Pepper saw two men, obviously dirty from living on the land, the man who called out to him had a distinct thing about him, he carried a belt full of trolls scalps. Lord Pepper said to the men, "May my other companions also stand up? Or will they get shot in the back like petty thieves?" The man with the scalps said they could, so long as they disarm themselves. The man told the group to move into the light of the fire so that he may have a better look of these intruders. The man with the scalps looked very strangely at Lord Pepper and with a voice of disbelief said, "Lord Pepper?"
Lord Pepper was caught off guard that this man would know his name. He asked the man, "What is your name?" his response was, 'I am Xethos, son of Methos who was son of Nethos. This is also my companion," gesturing at the man besides him, "Allasaphore.". Lord Pepper vaguely remember the names, they were warriors from the Northern lands of Admin-onia who had helped defeat the trolls at the Battle of Strangefields. Lord Pepper questioningly asked them why they had not returned back to their lands after the battle. The men told him a story of how they decided to live in the nearby town as hunters. The town, which was called Grassbarrow by them was their new home, they even opened up their own skinning stall within the town square and sold their furs to travelers and local alike. A week earlier they went on a hunting trip to collect some wolf pelts to sell, when they returned they saw a horde of trolls entering Grassbarrow. Burning their homes and slaughtering their friends they could not stand idly by as this happened, they wanted revenge, and they would get blood.
They knew they could not fight them directly so they hid and waited until it was dark, they then started their quest of killing the invaders. They skulked the shadows like panthers, killing any trolls who dared leave the safety of Grassbarrow's walls. Days passed they started losing track of how many they killed, Xethos became bolder in his attacks as time progressed even going as far as yelling, "Don't use them slurs!" and "Banned for slurs!". This infuriated the invaders causing them to send parties out into the woods looking for there attackers. Xethos and Allasaphore were always one step ahead of them. They laid traps along the woods, immobilizing or out right killing those foolish enough to set them off. One troll however lived one of their traps, he lost a leg and was badly bleeding, Xethos moved towards the troll, pulling a long dagger from his belt. The troll was terrifed as he knew what was to become of him, he started screaming obscenities and homophobic slurs at Xethos, Allasaphore moved from behind the troll, he gagged and tied the troll.
Xethos started questioning this foul beast, asking him questions like how many trolls were occupying Grassbarrow, why were they here in the first place, and various other things, like why the hell they burned his damn fur stall down. At first the trolls refused to answer his questions, however, Allasaphore loosened his tongue by cutting off three of its fingers from its left hand and burning its eye. The troll could take no more of this torture and told them everything. Xethos finished his story and looked at Lord Pepper, with a sly smile he said, 'We can take back Grassbarrow... But I'm going to need your help.". Lord Pepper nodded slowly, and the plan to liberate Grassbarrow began.
Chapter 5
Spoiler
Xethos pulled a map of Grassbarrow from a pack he had on his side. He laid it out on the ground near the fire, and placed some rocks on the corners so it would not blow away in the wind. Everyone sat around the map, and Xethos grabbed a coal so he could mark upon it. "There are two gates into Grassbarrow, here... and here," he marked the map. "We can draw them away from the southern gate by creating a fire near the northern entrance. While they are preoccupied with the fire we can dispatch any remaining guards there and enter the town. Once inside we need to try and find any survivors, they will most likely be held in the guardhouse. After we locate any survivors we'll have Allasaphore, and Ser Dan take them back to this campsite. Myself, Lord Pepper, Pickett, and any guardsmen who may be alive will try and buy them time so that they may get to safety, any questions?". The other men did not say anything, they started moving at once towards Grassbarrow.
Xethos and Allasaphore moved to the northern gate and placed some wood alongside the wall, they lit the wood and caused a large fire along the wall. The troll guards immediately started ringing bells Xethos and Allasaphore sprinted towards the woods and hid for a moment. They saw that their plan was working the southern gate was almost completely defenseless, except for three trolls. Lord Pepper and his party moved on the gate, rushing the defenders, Xethos and Allasaphore were slowly moving to join them, not wanting to alert the trolls that moved to the north gate. Lord Pepper tackled one of the trolls, placed his hand over its mouth to muffle the sound and slit the troll's throat. Ser Dan and Pickett made short work of the other two defenders. Lord Pepper lifted Xethos over the wall and he opened the gate from the inside, the group funneled into the town and shut the gate behind them.
They slowly crept through alleyways and narrow paths, Xethos and Allasaphore were leading the way to the guardhouse. They spotted the guardhouse about 60 yards from their current position, there were guards on the road leading to it. There was no other way around them and Allasaphore had an idea. They could not fight the trolls guarding the guardhouse because it was so close to the northern gate it would alert the rest and they would die, so he went over to a big box, popped off the top, made eye holds in the side, and put it on him. It was quite a goofy looking disguise but it could work, besides, the trolls were rather dumb. Lord Pepper and Xethos also did the same and they slowly made their way up the street, stopping every now and again when ever the trolls started looking their way. They crept to the right side of the trolls before they removed their disguise and slit the guards throats, they then signaled for the rest of the group.
When they entered the guardhouse they saw that it was moderately lit, and could hear the snoring of some trolls within. They dispatched two trolls who were sleeping in the guardsmen beds. They found a staircase leading downwards and could hear screaming and a whipping noise. They started moving faster down the stairs and saw a troll whipping a young woman and another troll sitting in a chair watching. Allasaphore shot an arrow into the back of the troll who was whipping the woman and Lord Pepper sprinted towards the other troll who was in the process of getting out of his chair and drawing his blade. Lord Pepper cut his sword hand off and dragged him to the floor and broke its skull by stomping on its head multiple times. They saw fourteen people in the cell, Pickett grabbed the cell keys from the troll with the arrow in his back and opened the cell door, Xethos removed the chains around the young woman's wrists who had been being whipped. It was a mix of women, children, the elderly and four guardsmen who were badly bloodied from their captors within the cell.
Xethos told them about his plan, Ser Dan and Allasaphore started tending to the children and elderly out first. Xethos asked the guardsmen within if they could fight, three of the guardsmen said they could, the last one just starred at Xethos with a blank expression, not speaking. Xethos asked one of the men why his comrade won't speak and he replied with, "Oh him? That's Getty, he's always been that way. Some say he lost his speech after being unable to pay a harsh tax that was on his village, so the lord of the village removed his tongue.". Xethos leaned towards Getty and asked him again if he could fight, Getty nodded. Lord Pepper and Pickett started collecting weapons within the guardhouse and giving them to the guards. They told everyone their plan on how they were going to get everyone out, Ser Dan and Allasaphore were going to stay a bit behind Xethos and the rest of the party until they were in a good position to hold the trolls off and allow the people to make it to the campsite.
The men slowly started moving out of the guardhouse and set up about ten yards away from the southern gate, they moved boxes and barrels up to provide some form of cover and slow the trolls down when they started the attack. Ser Dan was leading the people towards the gate, Allasaphore was behind them making sure no one got left behind, one of the children saw their father laying in the mud with a spear in his back. The young boy started wailing and ran towards his father's body, this alerted one of the nearby trolls and they started ringing the alarm bells. Allasaphore grabbed the boy and covered his mouth and told everyone to start running. They could hear the trolls yelling that there was intruders, Lord Pepper could see the troll's torches approaching them and he told the men to prepare for battle. All the men drew their blades and crouched behind their makeshift defenses, Allasaphore and Ser Dan were having a terrible time getting the people out of the town, the elderly couldn't keep up with the rest of the group, so Allasaphore was exposed and was hit with an arrow in his right leg. He dropped to the ground and Ser Dan grabbed him and the boy and started dragging him towards the gate, the trolls were right on their heels spitting and cursing at them as they advanced.
One of the guardsmen was hit in the arm with an arrow and let out a terrible cry. The trolls started climbing over their defenses and started violently stabbing at their foes, killing one of the guardsman instantly by splitting his head with an axe. Getty parried a troll and dug a dagger into it's knee before jamming a sword into its mouth. Another guardsman fell, he got dragged into a pile of trolls who started tearing him apart, the defenders were holding the line but barely, they need to get the rest out of the town or this was all for nothing. Lord Pepper severed half of a trolls hand and grabbed it's axe and tossed it into the chest of another trolls burying it deep. Pickett was holding the left flank as best as he could, slaying any troll who dared stepped to face him. Xethos spotted Allasaphore and Ser Dan moving through the gate and ordered everyone to hold off for a little whole longer to give the people some distance. Adrenaline was pumping so fierce within Xethos it felt as if time was in slow motion he saw another guardsman fall and ran to take his place, he slashed the throat of the troll who killed the guardsman and then killed another by stabbing it through its side severing everything within. The battle felt like forever, everyone's muscles were searing from it and yet they held the line. They finally heard a loud whistle from Ser Dan signaling that they had made it a good distance and that it was time to retreat.
The party moved backwards while stabbing at their attackers, Getty had been slashed deep within his side and was clutching it with one hand and fighting with the other. When they finally made it out of the gate they sprinted towards the woods, the trolls giving chase to them. Some of the traps Xethos had set up previously made short work of a handful of them, the trolls started to falling back, they knew they could not win fighting these warriors within the woods. Xethos chased two trolls down and scalped them, adding more to belt. He slowly walked back to camp with a grin on his face, he knew the trolls of Grassbarrow would be wanting his head, and he was ready for them.
Chapter 6
Spoiler
The group tended to the wounded and rested that night before continuing on their journey. The next morning, Pickett decided to take the citizens of Grassbarrow back to the tavern where Griffith was still recovering. Lord Pepper told Pickett that they would be moving west about thirty miles to a settlement called, Springwell. Xethos and Allasaphore also decided to stay behind, when asked why they wanted to stay behind Xethos said, "My home is here, and I cannot stand to watch these fouls trolls desecrate it. I am in your debt for helping me Lord Pepper, when I liberate this place I shall find you and aid you in your mission." Lord Pepper stared at Xethos before finally nodding. The group said their farewells and parted ways for the time being, Lord Pepper and his remaining men continued on their journey to Springwell.
Again they sang and told stories as they marched on to Springwell. Ser Dan was telling everyone of an exquisite rabbit stew with a hint of honeyed mead that he had made for some nobles in a far land. This however upset Lord Pepper, as he was very hungry and finished the last of his thinly-sliced grinder that morning. Getty was just staring ahead as always, looking for signs of trolls so that he could club them to death. A few more hours passed and the group decided to take refuge within a cave they had spotted alongside of a mountain. They moved into the cave with weapons drawn, Getty had lit a torch and was leading the way. They didn't spot anything within the cave and it seemed like no one or animal lived there. They started to unroll bedrolls and get a campfire lit for the night, when they heard the sharp snap of a branch outside of the cave. They jumped to their feet and grabbed their swords, they peered out into the opening of the cave and were startled when they saw a very short man with a thick beard walk into the cave, he also looked shocked! "By Kurdin's beard, what are you doing here!?" said the short man. The group was surprised and Lord Pepper responded, "Who are you that are so short? We are men of Admin-onia on a quest to save Napoleonic-Waria from trolls!" The short man scratched his long beard and said, "Hmm... I am Stubbrin, son of Tubbrin, of Clan Ironblood. You are trespassing upon dwarvish lands!" Lord Pepper looked confused, "Dwarvish lands? I do not see any dwarves running around here!" "That's because we live INSIDE of this mountain!" responded Stubbrin, obviously annoyed at the intruder. Ser Dan tried to defuse the situation by offering the dwarf some his wine. Stubbrin stared very hard at Ser Dan, as though he was going to leap at him and attack. After a long minute of silence and staring, Stubbrin flung his arms out and ran over to Ser Dan, embracing him. This shocked the group, and Stubbrin commenced to drinking all the wine that Ser Dan had given him. "You aren't so bad!" Stubbrin said as he punched Ser Dan in the arm. "However, you're a bit of an arse." he laughed as he pointed towards Lord Pepper.
They sat within that cave drinking and being merry with their new guest. They told Stubbrin about their journey's and what they had faced so far, this intrigued Stubbrin and he listened intently. After a while, Stubbrin said, "Well, I appreciate the drink and company, but it's about time I head inside." Lord Pepper started searching the cave, it would go no further and yet this dwarf was walking towards the end of it, giddy with content searching for something along it's walls. "Ah! Here it is!" Stubbrin said. He pressed on a small rock within the wall and the whole cave started shaking violently. Getty drew his blade thinking that Stubbrin was out to kill them, however they saw a small opening of light that gradually grew larger within the cave, a door started opening.
What they saw amazed them. A large corridor filled with light and constructed of the finest stone and workmanship that had ever seen. Stubbrin turned around, and with a large smile on his face said, "Welcome to Duhn Kalhdur! Well, now that you've laid eyes upon this magnificent city looks like I'm going to have to kill you." He slowly reached for a small dagger, before bursting out in laughter, "You really thought I was being serious!? Hahaha! Come, come!" He led the very suspicious men through the long corridor before being halted by two armored dwarves, "Wanrag gronit af git?" One of the dwarves said. "Af un git makaz Khaz a Gorm Rik Algrim!" roared Stubbrin. The guards looked at one another before opening the gates, obviously angry about seeing outsiders within their halls. The men stood in shock, they saw a massive city of stone before them with great furnaces running throughout it. The city was full of short and hairy dwarves with large beards! Even the women seemed to be growing beards as well! Stubbrin yanked on Lord Pepper's shirt and said, "Come, you've got to meet someone very important, best not to leave him waiting." The men looked to one another and followed Stubbrin.
They moved through narrow corridors filled with stalls selling weapons and armor, jewels, gold, anything imaginable they were selling. As the men moved the dwarves would stop and stare, some would out right yell and curse at them in their Dwarven tongue. They had never seen a human before and having one within their city caused quite an ordeal that the city guard had to become involved and guard the new comers. They reached a huge building that had various steps and guards along it, as well as a large gate. Stubbrin told the group to wait and not move even a single muscle as he approached the guards and started speaking with them. Lord Pepper was curious as to what was happening because their voices would raise into almost yelling and fingers would somehow always find their way pointing at him. The guards finally sighed and opened the gate. Stubbrin pulled Lord Pepper by his shirt down to his level and said in a very quiet voice, "Watch your manners, don't do anything rash and no sudden movements or else your dead. You're about to meet the king, and you had better not ruin it for your sakes and mine." he released his collar and strode in front of them towards a massive door made of stone. He stopped, and turned to the men, "Remember what I said." he pushed the door open and there in front of them was a massive chamber with a long rug made of the finest of silk that lead to an elevated throne, which sat a dwarf with a very long and grey bread. Atop his head was a large golden crown, this was the king, and telling by Stubbrin's mannerisms he was nervous to be bringing them here. His words echoed through Peppers brain, "Remember what I said."
Chapter 7
Spoiler
The king rose slowly, staring at the people before him. With a loud, commanding voice he yelled, "Agânûr a af barak a Khaz karag Duhn Kalhdur?" Stubbrin responded in Dwarvish and this went on for a good five minutes. Finally, the king spoke to the men and said, "I am King Algrim, son of Groth. Stubbrin has told me of the tales you have told him, is it true that trolls are moving across this land?" Lord Pepper nodded and bowed before the king. "Well..." King Algrim said, as he stroked his beard, "This is troubling news indeed." "I am sure you have had a hard day of travel and on top of stumbling upon my city you are exhausted. I will allow you to stay within my guest quarters for the night and we can continue this conversation in my morning." King Algrim signaled to his personal guards and they moved towards the men and gestured for them to follow. Reluctantly they did, something about this place felt odd to them, perhaps it was being inside of a mountain and having no fresh air. They were brought to three separate rooms and were motioned to move inside. As they did this the guards closed the doors, and an audible click was heard, they were locked inside of the rooms. Despite the slight feeling of panic Lord Pepper was happy to finally be alone. He looked around the room and saw it was rich with gold ornaments and fine clothes. He smiled to himself and thought, "I could get used to staying in a place like this." he removed his boots and laid on the bed, and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, the men were woken up by a loud banging on their doors as well as some Dwarvish. The men got dressed and went to the door and called out. The door was unlocked and opened and the dwarf guards were there. They escorted the men back to the Great Hall and before them laid a feast of various foods, some of which they had never seen before. King Algrim was sitting atop his throne and next to him stood Stubbrin and another dwarf with hair as black as night with a dark look upon his face. The other dwarf had a very sour look upon his face as he stared at the men that now walked into the Great Hall. He whispered something into King Algrim's ear before he dismissed him with a wave of his hand. The mystery dwarf stormed down the steps of the throne, staring at the men before walking by Ser Dan and spitting in his direction. After he had left King Algrim walked down to the men and addressed them, "Don't mind him, he is Elliokk Silvervein. He was not very pleased to hear that outsiders had been brought into these halls, especially at the command of Stubbrin Ironblood. Their two clans have always been rivals with one another dating back centuries, Elliokk's sister was killed by a band of humans many years ago, he blames himself to this day for allowing her to leave the city. This is why he has so much animosity towards outsiders. If I were you I would not leave his palace without some of my guards, for I cannot guarantee your safety within Duhn Kahldur. I will not have that ruin this morning, my cooks have prepared for you a feast, as you are my guests!"
The men enjoyed their feast and had never tasted something so delicious before! Ser Dan looked as though he had died and was in the afterlife, pleasantly tasting everything in front of him and telling everyone all the ingredients and spices they had used, and even tasting some he had never experienced before which almost brought him to tears. Getty was mashing potatoes up and eating them, and despite being unable to speak he looked as though he was pleasantly happy. Lord Pepper on the other hand, had a blank look on his face. He did not like that he had been basically threatened by Elliokk Silvervein. He could not get what the King had said out of his mind, "I cannot guarantee your safety within Duhn Kahldur." He wanted to be rid of this place and continue on his journey. Stubbrin saw that something was bothering him so he jammed his elbow into Lord Pepper's side, which startled him, and said, "What seems to be the matter!? Food isn't bland enough for you?" He and three other dwarves laughed. Lord Pepper chuckled a bit and confided within Stubbrin his thoughts. "Oh Elliokk? Haha! He's just an angry dwarf who's mad that someone else is getting more attention than him! Don't mind him, boy!" The laughed, and continued eating.
After the feast was over King Algrim wanted to speak with Lord Pepper about his journey. Lord Pepper recounted all of the events that lead up to this moment. From the Battle of Strangefields to the attack on Grassbarrow. They spoke for a great deal of time and King Algrim looked at him with bewilderment at this story. King Algrim told Lord Pepper that if he needed any assistance that he would be more than willing to give him some of his troops to combat the trolls, they had a common enemy after all. About this time Elliokk Silvervein walked back into the Great Hall and sat at a table opposite of the foreigners, staring at them with dark eyes as he ate. This went on for a couple minutes and King Algrim asked for another glass. The glass was filled with ale and King Algrim drank it quite fast and continued talking to Lord Pepper. Shortly after this he abruptly stands up, knocking over his stone chair and clutched at his chest, gasping for air. Everyone stood up and ran to the King's aid. King Algrim was now on the ground, he stopped breathing and a white foam started coming out of his nose and mouth, this was poison that had caused this. Everyone was frantically running trying to help when out of nowhere Stubbrin yells at the top of his voice, "You! You bastard, you did this!" as he pointed toward a now startled Elliokk. "Isn't it strange how as soon as he walks into this Great Hall our King dies!" He yells. Several dwarves who are loyal to Clan Ironblood drew their weapons and started moving slowly towards Elliokk. Elliokk said, "I did not do this! I may not have agreed with what the King had done allowing these humans into our halls but I would not kill him over something like this!" Stubbrin and Elliokk started yelling at one another and dwarves loyal to Clan Silvervein drew their weapons and a fight happened within the Great Hall. Elliokk fled with two other dwarves as it started. Stubbrin saw the humans in the corner of his eye and yelled to them to follow.
Stubbrin knew he needed to get these men out of the city, for a civil war was now brewing between the two clans. As he led him through the crowded corridors people were screaming and throwing things at the humans, blaming them for their king's death. The fighting sounded much louder now and the screams of Dwarvish could be heard even from all the distance they had ran. They ran to the entrance and saw three dwarves. They were wearing hoods to cover their faces and asked, "Where do you think you're going, filth?" As he drew his axe from his belt. Stubbrin yelled, "Move aside! I am Stubbrin of Clan Ironblood, and I demand you move, whelp!" The three dwarves ran at the group, hellbent on killing these foreigners. Getty was the first to be attacked, he kicked one of the dwarves in the side and he brushed it off like nothing. Getty then jammed his sword in the gut of the dwarf who locked eyes with him, the dwarf spit blood into Getty's face and punched him in the stomach, knocking the air out of Getty. Getty stumbled back, in shock at how strong these dwarves were. Getty pulled out a dagger and threw it into the dwarf's skull, finally killing him. The rest of the group finally dispatched the would-be assassins. Stubbrin was wounded in the battle, though he said it was only flesh wound and opened the entrance. The men ran through it and Stubbrin yelled out, "When this is all over I will find you!" he pounded his fist into his chest as a sign of respect, then cried out, "Grun Rik Algrim!" As the door was slowly closing they saw Stubbrin run down the long corridor, and join the fray. The door closed, they could no longer hear the fighting, all they saw before them was a dark, smooth cave. They headed out of the cave, and looked back one more time, before Lord Pepper said, "Good luck, you wonderful bastard.".
Chapter 8
Spoiler
Lord Pepper's group continued on their journey, they lost more time dealing with the dwarves than they hoped for. Lord Pepper opened a small, leather pouch that was strapped on his side. Inside the pouch was a map of the surrounding area. He called out to the group saying that there was a small settlement a few hours away from them that they could stay at and collect more provisions. The group agreed and headed towards their new destination, Rejeene.
Several hours passed before they spotted the silhouette of Rejeene. It was now dusk and the group was weary from their travels and seeked shelter. They reached the main gate of Rejeene, a guard asked them what the group was intending to do. Lord Pepper explained that they were on a journey to meet with king Vincenzo to warn him of the impending attack by the trollish hordes. The guardsman allowed the group within the walls and directed them to a large tavern so that they may rest. As they walked through the empty streets they heard a man yelling, they decided to see what he was doing. The man was waving a torch and standing in front of an old statue of a maple leaf. He was yelling about the end times and someone who he said was the, "Rejeborn". "The lakes will fill with blood, crops shall not grow, and the Rejeborn is coming! Atop his steed he shall destroy his enemies and all before him! Repent! For the end times are upon us! We need sacrifices for the Rejeborn or else he too shall set his gaze upon our humble village!” The group decided this man must be crazy and went to the tavern. They paid for their rooms and got settled in. As Lord Pepper was falling asleep he heard a faint whisper... "Canada..." the voice said, "Rejeborn...” Lord Pepper drew his blade from its sheathe, the voice stopped and the room was eerily quiet. He stayed awake for another hour before reluctantly falling asleep. Dreams of the maple leaf statue haunted him all night.
Lord Pepper was the first to rise in morning, for his had barely slept that night. He went to wake up Ser Dan and Getty; he wanted to leave this village as fast as possible. The village was quiet, no one seemed to be moving around, let alone living there, besides a few unfortunate souls, thought Lord Pepper. He went to a small stall that was selling furs and picked up three wolf pelts to keep him and his men warm for the journey. As they headed out the gate they heard the faint sound of the crazy old man yelling, "Rejeborn... End times... blood..." were heard. This caused the hairs on the back of Lord Pepper's neck to stand up and a shiver down his spine. As the went down the road away from Rejeene Lord Pepper didn't look back once, for he never wanted to see that place again.
Lord Pepper and his men yet again continued on their trek across Napoleonic-Waria, they longed for their journey to be finished so that they could finally rest. An hour flew past Getty, grazing his cheek and drawing blood. The group drew their blades, before eight armed men came out from behind trees. They had bows and swords drawn, aimed towards Lord Pepper and his group. A large, burly man with one eye stepped forward and yelled in a demanding voice, "Drop your things and hand over your horses, or else!” Lord Pepper and his men gave each other startled looks and knew that they could know possibly hold off all these attackers. They started removing their gear and Ser Dan walked toward the one-eyed man with the reins of his horse in hand. Before he handed the horse over a low, thumping sound came from the trees and one of the attackers fell, with his skull smashed in. A ghostly image appeared upon a dark steed, he wore a red tunic of sorts and a widely brimmed hat that none of the men had ever seen before, he had a large spear in one hand, and a mace in the other. The one-eyed man yelled at his men and told them to attack the strange man. Faster than anyone could react the ghostly man atop his steed was upon the bandits, slaying everyone around him. He moved with such speed that Lord Pepper could not believe that this was a human. The bandits all lay dead before the man. He gave what appeared to be a small smile as he started leaving. Lord Pepper yelled to him, "Thank you for your help! Might I ask you your name!?" The man stopped, flicked a coin into the air towards Lord Pepper and said, "I go by many names, we'll meet again Lord Pepper..." he then continued leaving, seemingly to vanish amongst the trees. Lord Pepper went towards the coin the man had flipped; the coin had an image of a maple leaf, "Rejeborn..." Lord Pepper whispered.
Chapter 9
Spoiler
Many days passed since Lord Pepper met the Rejeborn. His group had moved through three more settlements and recruited another companion, a warrior who would only go by the name of IB, for reasons unknown. Lord Pepper and his men were in a tavern in a small village called Freystone. They were enjoying some ale and each other’s company when a fight broke out between two large men on the other side of the tavern. The fight started escalating when one of the men made advances towards the wife of the other man. This caused fists to fly and the fighting started spreading like wildfire. In the center of the fight was a stout man, with an eye patch and very thick muttonchops. He was laughing as he swung a chair into the back of a large drunk. He wasn't even part of the initial argument, just a bystander who couldn't help but get into trouble and prove his strength. Lord Pepper gave a look to Getty, who shrugged and Ser Dan was laughing at the spectacle before him. After several minutes the fighting stopped and only the groans of several beat down drunks was heard. IB was the only one still standing; he brushed off his shoulders, walked towards the bar, and politely asked for another drink.
Lord Pepper walked towards IB, clapping and said, "Where did you learn to fight like that!” IB responded with, "I grew up in a land to the far west known as Califoradia. I was a sailor with a small merchant vessel called the Gnar Gnar, needless to say I've been known to find trouble. Learning how to fight was more of a survival skill for me." he said, before drinking more ale. Lord Pepper said, "We could you a man like you for our journey, and trust me you would get into quite a lot of fights!” "Say no more," IB said, "As long as there is battle and coin to be made I'm your man.” The two men shook hands and Lord Pepper gained another companion for his fellowship to Vincenzo. They decided to leave the tavern and go to another shadier one on the other side of town, called "The Tilted Flagon", they already caused enough trouble for one night, might as well get a good night's sleep without worrying about getting their throats slit by angry drunks.
At sun rise the group got together and collected their things for another day of adventuring, as they stepped out of the tavern they heard a yell, "That's him!" a man with a group of guards pointed towards IB, "That's the one who attacked last night and stole my coin!". "Stole my coin?" Lord Pepper repeated surprised, before looking towards IB, who had a sly grin on his face. IB stepped forward and in a very sarcastic tone said, "Tis I! The good looking fellow who roughed you up last night! It's not my fault that you can't take a punch and hit like child!” The man accusing him of the crime was furious, one of the guards started laughing so hard he fell to the ground, the guard captain said, "Alright, that's enough of that. You're all coming with us until we can figure out what happened last night.” I don't believe we can do that, as you see we meant to be off to deliver an important message to an important person and we cannot be delayed because a drunk is mad that I beat him in a fight!" yelled IB, to the dismay of Lord Pepper. "Well that's a shame, seems like that message is going to be delayed for a while longer. Last warning, come with us or face our swords." the captain said in a threatening tone. "Fine, fine... I give up." IB said as he walked towards the three guards, he gave a wink to Lord Pepper and moved his head in a "follow my lead" type gesture. Lord Pepper, Ser Dan, and Getty followed IB as they waited to be arrested by the town guard. "Smart move," the captain said as he sheathed his blade, "We aren't looking for trouble, only answers.” IB said, "Oh I understand! I would never want to cause any issues in this wonderful village!” The guards moved toward the group and right before the captain could reach IB he fell to the ground, and started sobbing. "Get up! What are you doing!" the captain yelled at IB, "Get up!” IB pleaded, "Please don't lock me away! I have a family! I have children!” The captain was frustrated and grabbed IB by his shoulder, faster than a blink IB threw dirt into his eyes and tackled the now stunned captain. The two other guards ran to help their comrade, but not before Lord Pepper and his men drew their blades in preparation for the battle.
"Don't kill them!" IB yelled. Lord Pepper nodded and parried a strike that one of the guards had swung. He disarmed the guard and head butted him hard in the nose, causing it to break and pour with blood. The other guard who had been laughing minutes before decided he was better off not trying to fight four armed men. He dropped his blade and scurried off into a nearby alleyway, screaming for help as he ran. IB put the captain in a head lock and started choking him until the captain lost consciousness. IB brushed himself off and said calmly, "One more thing," he turned towards the drunk who was not cowering against a wall, "Here, take it." he reached into his pocket and pulled out a very small sack of coin, he threw it towards the drunk. The drunk looked at him strangely and picked it up, IB said, "You should really quit drinking, and you turn into an arse when you're drunk.”
They started hearing some more shouting from nearby; it was more guards and townsfolk who were upset. "It's time to go!" yelled Lord Pepper, the group agreed and ran for the gate. They reached the gate and another guard was positioned there, sword drawn he yelled, "Stop right there, criminal scum! You violated the la-" he said before being struck with a rock that hit him right between the eyes. Lord Pepper looked at IB who said, "It wasn't me..." the group turned to see a smiling Getty who was wiping his hands on his pants. The group laughed for a second before realizing they were still being chased and they opened the gate, saddled their horses, and ran across a field, laughing at the events of that morning.
Chapter 10
Spoiler
Stubbrin woke up to the sound of his men screaming. "What's going on!" he yelled to the nearest dwarf. "Elliokk's troops are breaking in! The barricades won't hold out for much longer!" the dwarf yelled. Several days had passed since the bloody battle between Stubbrin Ironblood and Elliokk Silvervein had begun. Both sides had lost a tremendous amount of lives and the war was spilling out into the streets of Duhn Kahldur, women and children were not even saved from the conflict, and many dwarf men who had once had simple jobs were now forced to choose a side, or risk being caught in the crossfire. Elliokk's troops had surrounded Stubbrin and his men within the throne room where all this fighting had begun. Stubbrin's troops had created a makeshift barricade along the only entrance into the chamber. Stubbrin let out a long sigh, and called out to his troops, "Men! The odds are not in our favor today. We may... No, we are cornered like animals, but let us show this usurper that we still have claws!" the stone door shuddered violently under the barrage from Elliokk's troops, "For every one of us who falls we shall take ten of Elliokk's minions! For our cause is just and true!" He walked along the barricade, staring into the eyes of his troops as he walked from one end to the other, "And if we fall this day know that I shall be waiting for you alongside our forefathers and we shall dine as kings!" The stone door was breached in the center; the barricade was starting to fall apart. "Prepare yourselves men! For King Algrim! For Duhn Kahldur!" Stubbrin yelled, his troops echoed his words and raised their weapons, their enemy was here and they were ready.
A minute later the door was busted open, Elliokk's troops began flooding through the gate. The makeshift barricade was designed to slow down and funnel the enemy into a kill zone. Stubbrin's troops, who were now in high spirits, fought with ferocity the likes that had never been seen before. "That's it, men! Push the invaders back!" Stubbrin yelled, before having a soldier of Clan Silvervein narrowly slash him. Stubbrin stepped back, caught off guard by the attack and tripped over a chair leg that was sticking out of the barricade. The soldier laughed and advanced towards him, axe in hand, ready to deal the killing blow. As he swung down, Stubbrin lifted his axe and the blocked the blow, and then swept his legs and tripped the soldier. Stubbrin threw himself onto his attacker and dug a knife beneath his jaw. The soldier began shuddering violently, spewing blood from his mouth and wound, Stubbrin pulled the blade out and grabbed his axe and joined his troops in holding the barricade. Stubbrin's men were getting tired, their moves became sluggish under their armor and their muscles seared hotter than the smelters within the bowels of Duhn Kalhdur and yet they still held, for they knew their enemy would show them no quarter and spare none of them. The battle continued for what seemed like hours until a loud horn was blown from Elliokk's camp. His troops began routing, Stubbrin looked through the breach to see a familiar face, and it was Elliokk approaching the breach.
Elliokk had no weapons on him and walked with his hands visible. Stubbrin gave a cautious look to one of his troops and said, "If he tries anything, shoot him down." he told the dwarf, the dwarf nodded and reached for a crossbow. Stubbrin began walking towards the breach as well, he lowered his weapon and yelled in a demanding tone, "What do you want, traitor!?". Elliokk responded with an eerily calm voice and said, "To talk." "Why would we want to speak with a king slayer?" Stubbrin called out. "I want to talk about your surrender, Stubbrin." Elliokk said with a smile, "You can try clinging to life like a rat for as long as you want, but know that I will crush you and your men. We have you surrounded, outnumbered, and cut off from supplies within days your men will either starve or commit mutiny and defect to my side, in hopes of some mercy. There is no shame in accepting defeat, you fought well. If you lay down your weapons now, I will allow you and your men to leave Duhn Kalhdur in exile, but with your lives." he finished. Stubbrin stared hard at Elliokk, for he too knew that he had no hope of surviving against such an army. Before Stubbrin could speak he heard another horn, further away this time and drew his weapon. "What is this? Some sort of trap!" he yelled at Elliokk. Elliokk too was in surprise at the sound of this horn, "That is not my order!" he yelled to Stubbrin.
The sound of battle once again was heard, surprised gasps and bloody screams were heard throughout Elliokk's camp. A large group of Elliokk's men turned against one another, cutting down people they once called friends. Elliokk turned to Stubbrin and said, "What is this madness! My own men are killing each other! Retreat men! Retreat!" He yelled those who were still loyal to him began falling back to Elliokk and Stubbrin's position outside of the breach. Elliokk's remaining troops were getting cut down; he turned to Stubbrin and said, "Stubbrin! Please, you must allow my men and I to fall back into the throne room!" Stubbrin felt pity for his enemy who was so cocky that he would win and now his own men had betrayed him, "Why should I let you within our defenses? You are a traitor and king slayer who has plunged this great city into chaos!" Stubbrin said. "Damn you! You fool! I did not kill the king!" Elliokk screamed at Stubbrin, almost immediately after saying this, a laugh was heard from Elliokk's camp and another horn was blown, causing those men who betrayed Elliokk to call off the attack and fall back. A short dwarf (short by dwarven standards) appeared. He had a rather long beard that was color of mahogany and deep, piercing black eyes. His armor was adorned with gems which showed that he had some status. "Tyrim Littlepebble? Is that you?" Elliokk said, a furious look appeared on the face of their foe, "My Clan is not Littlepebble! Why have you tormented me with this name for so long!?" Tyrim said, "You and the other Clans have always insulted me and my family, but now look who has the last laugh!" Tyrim continued, "I am the one who poisoned King Algrim!" This caused gasps between Stubbrin and Elliokk's troops. "I may be from a lower House than you lot, and I knew I would never ascend to the throne because of this, but with you two fighting it out and causing so much chaos I was able to act like a supporter of Clan Silvervein and lay in wake for my moment to strike and eradicate you and anyone who supports you. I will be King of Duhn Kalhdur and everyone shall know of Clan Ston-" Elliokk interrupted, "Tyrim you traitor! I will have your head for this!" Tyrim Littlepebble laughed at this, "We shall see about that! Troops! Bring me their heads!" Tyrim's troops marched upon Elliokk and Stubbrin's troops. Elliokk turned to Stubbrin and said, "You must allow my troops to enter the throne room, combining our forces is the only way that we can possibly defeat him and his allies." Stubbrin gritted his teeth hard and finally agreed. "You try anything, Elliokk, and I mean ANYTHING! And I will have you head!" Elliokk nodded and told his men to fall back into the throne room. Stubbrin ran into the breach first and told his men to stand down and that Elliokk was a friend, or so he believes. "How long can our new found friendship last without food...?" Stubbrin whispered to himself.
More to come soon!
