~Allansia~

YouTube - Man on fire​

In the year 285 After Chaos, King Pindar of Chalice, knowing that his aged body would not see many more summers and fearful of the advance of chaos, sought to provide for the safety of his people after his demise. Mindful that a small city-state like Chalice could not stand alone for long, he sought an alliance with mighty Salamonis. It so happened that King Salamo had a daughter of similar age to Pindar’s son, and so a marriage was arranged. But before Prince Barinjhar and the lovely Sarissa could be wed, the Princess was kidnapped, even as she rode to meet her intended husband, by Xortan Throg, an evil-hearted sorcerer who dwelt deep within Darkwood Forest.

King Pindar hastily summoned his counsellors. Chalice was in dire danger, for surely Salamonis would be angry at the poor care taken of its princess, and how could such a small city hope to provide enough warriors to overcome a mighty wizard? Why, his rocky castle looked as if it could withstand the onslaught of every army in Allansia. In desperation, it was suggested that the king hire a small, select band of expert adventurers, the sort of people to whom no odds are too high and wizard killing is all in a days work…





The goblins shrieked as they poured down the side of the Moonstone Hills. Jerek reared his horse and turned to face the column of Strongarm Mercenaries that were hired to protect the caravan. Jerek had joined the caravan on the border between Allansia and the Flatlands. A dwarven merchant from Frostholm was making his way to Stonebridge to deliver much needed ore from the eastern mountains on the other side of the continent. Their only path was through the treacherous Trolltooth Pass, which was known for raiders continuously attacking the caravans. Jerek smiled to himself as the goblins charged.
Arrows were shot in their direction, a few mercenaries falling from their steeds, screaming in agony. Jerek drew his crossbow and shot three of the creatures, before dismounting his horse and drawing his sword and shield. Battle ensued as the goblin and mercenary forces clashed. A goblin leaped at Jerek, swinging its scimitar in a downward arc. Jerek raised his shield and pushed as the force of the goblin connected with the shield. Not knowing what happened to the goblin Jerek turned and thrust his sword into the neck of another beast. He turned just in time to deflect an arrow with his shield. The force of the arrow forced him to step back a bit. Jerek looked around to see the dwarven merchant had an arrow sticking out of his neck.
“Damn”, Jerek said.
Jerek cut his way through the goblins, jumping up onto the cart and cutting the coin purse from the merchant’s belt. Jerek counted out his coins whilst deflecting arrows with his shield. After counting them all Jerek cut the reins holding the horse to the cart. He jumped and landed with a thud, feeling a paralyzing pain shoot up through his groin. A goblin grabbed onto his leg and he kicked it off and rode full speed away from the battlefield.

“Goblins attack caravan! No survivors!”
Jerek smirked as he looked at the town crier. It had only been two days since the battle in Trolltooth Pass but Jerek was already becoming restless. Jerek’s flight from the battle brought him to Chalice where he immediately began looking for a job. But being such a poor city-state Chalice did not have much to offer for a hired sword. Well except for the ale perhaps. For the past day Jerek had been sitting at the bar in the Rising Sun Tavern, listening to rumors and his ear pricked up at one.
“The princess was plucked by a large griff’n she was”, an old man was saying to a the barkeep.
“A griffon?” scoffed the barkeep. “Preposterous! Griffons haven’t been seen in these parts for years now!”
“Well that’s how Cap’in Morval told it. In any case King Pindar is offerin’ a mighty reward to whoever rescues the princess. 500 gold coins I’m told! I could do with that sorta money”, the old man ranted.
“You?” laughed the barkeep. “I can hardly imagine you invading the tower of a sorcerer!”
Jerek didn’t hang around to hear the rest of the conversation and left the coin he owed on the bar before heading towards the castle that was situated on a hill, overlooking the town.

 

Shila closed her eyes as she took a deep breath in, nimble fingers picked at the locks in her hair letting the black tresses fall free around her face. After a few quick movements she turned one piece in the lock and heard the pins fall apart and a small smile formed on her face. A small pink tongue flicked out to cover her lips before she slowly opened the door. Her green eyes scanned the dark room before she slipped inside. Moving quickly she searched the room for anything of value that she could steal.

A cloth bag hung close to her body as she slipped a few trinkets into the bag. People in this town didn’t have much, it was basically empty. Why she had chosen to come here was beyond her. Another scan of the room later and she decided to call it quits. As she slipped out of the door she moved quickly away from the house. A smile spread across her face as she skipped off towards the outskirts of town where she had set up camp.
“What have you got in the bag miss?” A deep voice asked her. She spun around to see a talk guy in a guard’s uniform.

“Just stuff I brought from the markets,” she plastered on a sweet innocent smile. Before she could turn away he grabbed her bag and started searching through it. He got a disapproving look on his face and Shila smiled waving goodbye and taking off at a fast pace.

The guard yelled behind her and started the chase. With a laugh Shila tried to pick up her pace but a well intentioned person tripped Shila and she took a spill onto the ground. This gave the guard enough time to grab her and haul her to her feet, “I’m going to take you to the king and he will have words with you.”

A grumble from Shila was the only response he got as he shoved her towards the castle on top of the hill. “You could at least be a little more careful. I’m very tender.” Shila was really regretting leaving her bow at the campsite; otherwise she would have taken the guard head on.

“You never know you might get off with a warning. Most guys would have a soft spot for someone as pretty as you.” Shila scoffed and laughed up at the guard as they headed towards the castle to hear her fate.

 

~Several Days Prior; Outskirts of Chalice~

Viktor Cain ducked as a flying keg nearly clipped him in the head. The bar had started rioting after an elf had went one step too far and killed the dwarf he had been arguing with, now this bloody mess had started. Now he needed to find a way out of this place. Barkeep was unconscious, main exit blocked by the bar fight, and most likely law enforcement, or whatever passed for it, was on its way. So he made for the back exit, watching his back as he went. Granted, this ran him into the biggest man in the bar, who was, unluckily for him, bouncing another drunk on his head for amusement. He, seeing Cain as a new, fun, person to fight, dropped the groaning man and began advancing on the scrawny man. This stopped with a swift kick to the groin, which caused the man to double over, and his knee caught him in the face, throwing him back and onto the ground. He had a slight limp in his walk now, kneeing a man in the face hurt, more so with that giant of a man, but he slipped out the back of the bar as the front was kicked in by local enforcement, who began breaking up the fight with zeal and vigor. He didn't run though, that would be obvious, but strolled at an easy going pace. He went over what he had learned before the bar had broken out into the brawl that had, by the sounds of things, turned on the guards, spilled into the streets, and was causing more trouble. He skulked through the ally ways as more guards poured past, slowly making his way deeper in town. There was potential work for him there...

~Current Day, Outside King Pindar's Castle~

The walls were an obvious obstacle in his way, but he wasn't too worried about that. The guard who was glaring at him was much more of a concern at the moment, the man looked annoyed with him being anywhere near here. So, despite his better judgement, he strolled right up to the guard and gave him his most friendly smile, that always annoyed the recipient more often then it didn't. He was pleasant enough, although the guard hardly cared at the moment. "Good day, Sir, I have heard that the King is seeking help. Now, normally, I really wouldn't care that some Noble is going to get himself killed, but this IS my home as well, so I'm here to help. Please don't ask for a demonstration, its something only the king should see." He had covered his bases, and the Guard sent a runner to ask about the scrawny begger looking man for an audience. So the look was priceless when he got that audience. The King was desperate, and he got a knock to the head and bound before being dropped in with some girl who was being walked up as well. Ok, he was a prisoner now, at least he was getting in. His head hurt something fierce, but she seemed decent enough. The guard glared at his new charge, and he gave him a pleasant smirk, which annoyed the man, he never got why that was annoying, but he gave a nod to the girl before falling in step to avoid another knock to the head.

 

Shila smiled at, what appeared to be, a human. She looked and saw many Thieves, she rolled her eyes and looked up at the guard who picked up Leo. He hurried and ran up to the castle.

When Jerek had gone to the castle he was welcomed with open arms. Morval, the Captain of the Chalice Guard welcomed him personally having heard of a few of Jerek's exploits. Jerek was introduced to King Pindar, a frail and sick old man who represented Chalice perfectly (the town being frail and sick). Next to him stood Prince Barinjhar, a young noble who obviously liked the finer things in life, due to the flashy clothes he was wearing. After the introductions King Pindar announced he would await more arrivals and Jerek was escourted out of the throne room by Morval.
"I don't think, even if enough men arrive we'll succeed", said Morval. "Xortan Throg has been here for almost twenty years now and never have we heard a peep out of him. We all thought he was just another Yaztromo, sitting in his tower and observing the surrounding lands. Now we learn he's been building up his power. Our scouts report masses of goblins coming to Throg's side. He is building an army, Stormguard. If we do not stop now who knows what will happen to Chalice."
Jerek grunted; "Wizards can be killed."
"Cap'n, Cap'n", a nearby guard was shouting.
"Yes, soldier?" asked Morval.
The guard saluted; "I've brought in some vagabonds for your judgement, Cap'n. A thief and a man who was involved in a bar fight and a boy "
Curious, Jerek followed both Morval and the guard into the dungeons and instanty recognized the scrawny man. He had heard of the infamous Cain and his use of the dark arts but he hadn't seen the woman before or the young boy.
"Could you use a thief?" asked Morval.
Jerek nodded; "And that man. He's a mage."
Morval nodded and unlocked the cell door; "You three are to aid the rescue of Princess Sarissa of Salmonis. She has been kidnapped by the evil sorcerer Xortan Throg and in return you'll earn some coin and your freedom."

 

Cain looked at the guard thoughtfully, having a rather sudden urge to cause the man's skin to rot off his bones. He could probably do it, but it really wouldn't help. The guard snapped at the girl, and he cut right in afterwords, not really caring about the man's authority. "Hey, the Miss asked me, not you. GAH! Stop hitting me, blast it!" He got smacked again, and this time he shut up for the time being. He was really getting a headache now, and muttered something unpleasant about the guards female relatives, which earned him a solid punch to the jaw, and he spat a bit of blood as they marched him the rest of the way to the dungeons, and the King's room.

~Shortly thereafter~

Cain rubbed his wrists after the bindings were released. His headache had subsided, although he still tasted copper in his mouth. That was downright abusive, but he really hadn't been in much position to do much without revealing his more unpleasant abilities. That he was saving to surprise the prince, and would probably enjoy the look on his face when he did. Granted, if the princess was killed, he could always give him the next best thing, a ZOMBIE bride, but that wouldn't go over well. That wasn't going to be mentioned, although he would offer if things went bad. But the one man, looked like some body important, vouched for him and sprung him from the cell. Great, guess he would have to mention some sort of thanks later, but as they were escorted out, he took the opportunity to, ahem, 'Accidentally' trod on the guards foot, which caused him to yelp as he glared at the rapidly retreating back of Cain. He really wasn't the nicest person at times. As they entered daylight, he returned the nod to the man as he walked over to him as he chatted up the thief girl. Man was already trying to get in her pants, and he hadn't even known her for more then a few minutes. People these days, always surprising. But he finally got around to answering her question that had been so rudely interrupted earlier, as well as thank the man for springing them. He dismissed the newcomers, not really bothered by them at all. "You, I have to thank, at least someone knows who I am, vaguely. You, Miss, why I got beaten around and pulled into the dungeon, as the man had said I got indirectly involved in a bar fight after some dwarf and elf started going at it. Needless to say, I think the man who got in my way won't have kids any time soon..."

Shila rolled her eyes and brought her hands up to her hair, pulling the picks from it and letting it tumble down. She stuck the bits of metal in her mouth while she twisted her hair up into a mass that the pins could hold up. Her eyes looking over the man before her. He was large and had an air about him that screamed power.

Jerek laughed as Cain explained why he was locked up. Realising he wasn't getting anywhere with the girl he looked around to see if anyone else had shown up, and it was Earl Stonebreaker a dwarf, that he knew.

Cain bothered to look over the elf and dwarf as they made themselves known. Dwarves were usually helpful, mainly because they could go places the taller races couldn't fit. The elf probably had more to him then just looks.

 

Shila smiled at the man that had introduce himself. With a raised eyebrow her head turned towards him, she had not had much of a chance to speak to the other captive as every time she tried to start a conversation one of the guards would smack her in the back of her head. It was painful but she had never made a peep. "My name is Shila. Oh didn't you heard the guard, I'm a thief, I came here to steal." She rolled her eyes. Her gaze landed on the other people that were standing around with her. One was a mercenary , and the other was an elf and a dwarf. She smiled at both, a happy smile, a smile of greeting. She was a friendly person by nature and all of their somber faces were not going to change that.

 

"These two are also interested in the bounty", the Prince said to Morval. "I think we have enough people, Captain."
"This assault on Throg's castle will be hard. The scouts reported hundreds of goblins have made their way to the castle."
"Very well", sighed Barinjhar. "I trust your judgement, Captain. I suppose we'll wait."
Jerek looked at the motley crew but his eyes kept darting at the woman. He lent against the wall next to her and thought to himslef; It's been some time.
"So what brings you to Chalice?" he asked, not caring at all but fully intending to bed her at some stage if they both survived.

Shila smiled at, what appeared to be, another captive of the guard. Small strands of her hair were starting to fall around her face; the picks didn’t do much in the way of holding up all her long hair. Green eyes looked over the man that had fallen in to step with her; he was scrawny and didn’t look like he would cause much harm. But you never could tell these days who was powerful and who was not. Her teeth dragged along her bottom lip, it was a nervous habit that she had never been able to kick, and she continued to look at the guy next to her the human boy. Finally she opened her mouth to talk, her voice was smooth and pleasant, “so what did they grab you for?”

“You do not need to know, now be quiet.” The guard cut in before the guy could speak, this made Shila a little annoyed at him, she was only trying to make a polite conversation. But that couldn't happen because for the rest of the trip every time she opened her mouth she would get a slap.

Morval the captain and the guard spotted the elven maiden and dwarf. He wandered over and introduced himself; "Welcome to Chalice, friends. My name is Captain Morval of the Chalice Guard. You wouldn't happen to be here to help in the rescue of Princess Sarissa, would you?"