Arrival In Fallcrest

We arrived in Fallcrest late in the day.  Thankfully the caravan made the journey without incident and I could finally relax.  I gathered up my things from the wagon and collected my pay from the caravan master.  Twenty five gold was not bad bit of coin for three days work.  Not enough by a long shot for my long term goals, but it was a start.

Asking a few questions of the local folk, I soon discover that the Nentir Inn is the most... economical place to stay in Fallcrest and made my way there.  Securing a room - or more precisely, half a room as the best rooms have two beds - I settle down at the common table to get something to eat.  Looking about I see that several of my fellow caravaners had also picked this inn to bed down for the night.  As we all were new to the town, we ended up sharing a table as we had supper.

Sliver, Eldacar, Elladen, Valgar, Uhlk, and Extell had all chosen to part ways from the caravan but had no real plans for the future.  We exchanged some pleasantries as we ate and checked out the local scene.  As we sat there eating, an officious looking individual came in through the door.

  "The Lord Warden of Fallcrest seeks brave adventurers to put an end to the kobold raids on the caravans.  Those brave enough to complete this task will be richly rewarded!"

 With the announcement made, the herald, whom I presume came from the Lord Warden, left to spread news of this offer to others.

We looked about the table at each other.  We were all looking for work and I could tell a couple of them were looking forward to the prospect of tearing into kobolds.  We agreed that it would be foolish for any of us to attempt such a feat alone and decided to band together - if only for this one task.  We set out for the Lord Warden's manor to take up the offer.

The Lord Warden met with us promptly and ushered us into his study.  He eyed us over and while I could tell he was unsure of our capabilities, it seemed that he was all to happy to send strangers to their deaths if it should mean a reduction of the kobold threat.  He laid out his offer - it was straight forward enough.  A ruin some 15 miles from Fallcrest was the home of these marauding kobolds and he wanted them cleared out.  A hefty 10 gold for each kobold slain was the bounty - and an additional 100 gold if we could slay their leader.  We looked at each other and found his offer more than generous. 

We left the Lord Warden's home and made preparations for our expedition.  The kobold hall was just to the west - maybe a half day by foot - so provisioning did not need to be extensive.  While I finished my own preparations, a couple of the others returned from the armorer's.  Apparently Teldorthan Goldcap the owner had lost a cargo in one of the kobold raids and was willing to pay a finders fee for its retrieval.  200 gold for the return of a green dragon hide - of course we accepted that offer as well as we were heading into the heart of kobold territory anyhow.  With the group in agreement, we completed our preparations and planned on setting out at first light.

Westward Ho!

The caravan left shortly after dawn and I settled in on one of the many wagons in the train as this was expected to be a three day trip.  I did not inquire as to the cargo - though it seemed that there was nothing too valuable to attract attention of bandits and their ilk.  Even still I had to wonder at the rather large number of additional guards that signed on.

While there was the usual assortment of drivers, men-at-arms, animal handlers and such, there were a handful that caught my attention as being cut from a different cloth than most.

• Sliver Elmwalker - An elven ranger that for reasons he has kept to himself has decided to leave his home and travel the world.  While I find his presence on the caravan a bit odd for a feykind, he seemed to be an agreeable sort.
• Eldacar - A halfling whom I suspect of being a rogue.  He spent far too much time poking his head into this wagon or that to be idle curiousity.  I suspect he is casing the caravan for any easily acquired loot and will keep and eye on him.  And the other eye on my own belongings...
• Elladen Paeris Halladan - Such a long, pretentious name for an eladrin, but then I suppose that goes with being a spellsword and a feykind.  I kept my distance from him as while I was familiar with elves, elladen and their motives were unknown to me.
• Valgar Talean - Another spellsword - they must travel in packs - but this one was a dragonborn - another race I do not have any recollection of.  If nothing else, he was large and brutish and so I found ways to not be in the same place at the same time.
• Uhlk - A human warrior.  Common enough.  But there was something...  erratic about him that I did not entirely trust.
• Extell - A human ranger.  Hmm, spellswords and rangers travelling in packs.  How odd.  He seemed to disappear for hours on end so I'll have to be mindful that he could be lurking at any given time.

If there is going to be any trouble from bandits, I should think that these six will be the ones to watch.  Though, if there is any trouble from within the the caravan I suspect these would also be the ones to watch - particularly that halfling.  Well, I shall have to keep my guard up and eyes open this trip...

The Fiveleague House

The caravan from Nenlast made slow but steady progress through The Old Hills.  The caravan seemed fairly typical - no notable personalities so I kept to myself for the most part.  While the journey only took a couple days, it seemed rather tedious.  I suppose I should be thankful for it - a kobold raid would certainly be exciting, but not in a good way.  

We pulled up to the wooden pallisade of the Fiveleague House and were greeted by a large man who called himself Barton, master of the Fiveleague Inn as he calls it.  We were ushered inside the protective walls and soon found ourselves in the inn enjoying good food and the company of fellow travellers.  My contract with the caravan done, I made my own arrangements for lodgings for the night.

As I laid in the corner of the common room, I contempated what steps I needed to take next.  My resources were running low and I had travelled a great distance - yet I felt I must move further away still.  Obviously the next step would be to take a paying job on a caravan.  This would allow me to replentish my funds as well as continuing to move me further from that past which lain behind me.

Come the morning I looked about to see if there was work to be had on any caravans heading east towards the dwarven hold Hammerfast.  Unfortunately none that I spoke with had a position for an old man - or maybe because I couldn't speak a lick of dwarf.  Either way, it looked like the next step of my journey would have to be west.

The fates must have looked kindly upon me as there was a large caravan bound for Fallcrest that very day.  While the caravan master already had a number of able hands available, he seemed thankful to have a knowledgeable person on hand that might be able to help with matters both medical and arcane.  With a generous offer of 25 gold upon arrival in Fallcrest, I accepted his offer and gathered my things....

Southward Bound

I travelled for days through a dense forest - I think they were called the Winterbole Forest.  Thankfully I managed to avoid the barbarians that Wolfgang told me about. While I do not think these Tigerclaws would have been particularly hostile, until my mind clears more fully, the fewer people I have to deal with the better.

Finally I came upon civilization!  Well, a small human settlement really, but the closest thing I've yet seen to the real thing.  While I got a few odd looks at first, the folk here did not seem to pay me much mind.  I guess that many make a living here trading with the dwarves and the local barbarian tribes, so not much startles these people.  I manage to secure a room with what passes for an inn here.  It will be good to sleep in a proper bed and get a hot meal for a change.

I spend a couple days checking out the locals and trying to get a sense of how much time had passed or what events had transpired since before I awoke.  Unfortunately most of the local talk surrounded the weather or how the fishing on Lake Nen has been.  Despite that, I did find one useful bit of information.  Apparently the local fishermen send a caravan of smoked fish down to trade with the dwarves in Hammerfast now and again.

Armed with this knowledge, I make some inquiries about town and manage to find out when the next caravan was leaving.  As luck would have it, they were leaving in just a few days.  I approached the trader and offered my services in exchange for meals and the privilege of accompanying him.  He seemed skeptical at first, but when I mentioned my encounter with Wolfgang, he figured that I must be alright.  With arrangements made, I spend the last couple days in Nenlast restocking my supplies and preparing for my journey to my new life.

The Road Less Traveled

I came across a lone wanderer the other day.  I first spotted him and his mule at a distance but decided to approach anyways.  As I closed it appeared that his animal was covered in quite a variety of things - I hoped that this stranger might be willing to trade as I found my meager supplies wearing thin.  With hands open, I walked up to him and expressed my peaceful intentions.

He eyed me warily.  I do not know if he was just being prudent dealing with a stranger in the middle of no where or the inability to see my face through the mirrored mask.  With a few calming words and the glint of gold coins, he soon came around.  Wolfgang I think he called himself.  He told me he was a trader and made rounds out on the frontier dealing with the scattered settlements before making his way back to civilization.

After trading my few coins and salvaged items for additional provisions, he was kind enough to offer to share his camp with me - strength in numbers and all that.  I got a fire started and he prepared meals for the both of us.  I contemplated removing the mask to eat, but decided that though he seemed friendly enough, I couldn't remember enough to trust him fully.  It took some doing but I managed to eat from behind the mask.

We swapped some stories - though mine were a bit more vague both from an inability to remember clearly and being unsure of how much could be shared safely.  I was able to get some directions from Wolfgang as he told me about his travels - of particular interest was a small village where trade caravans come by from time to time.  With it pressing late into the evening we bedded down for the night.

At dawn we had a simple breakfast and Wolfgang was good enough to point me to the village.  As we parted company, he asked for my name.  "Zoltan.  You can call me Zoltan the Reformed"...

Signs and Portents

I had a dream last night.  I wandered through a grey mist - unable to locate anything.  There were no buildings, no trees, no nothing.  I wandered for what seemed to be an eternity when I came across a cloaked being weilding a scythe.  Darkness clung to the figure like a wet cotton tunic and the stench of death and evil pervaded its presence.  I kneeled before it and called it master.

The being gazed upon me with cold, lifeless eyes and while it spoke no words, its displeasure pierced my very soul.  I sensed that I had failed it somehow, that I was not worthy to be in its presence.  The figure raised a skeletal hand and waved me off, then turned away and disappeared into the mists.

Again I was alone and wandering the mists.  Another eternity passed before I came across another being.  This was a woman of pale skin, clothed in black robes that seemed to be made of feathers.  While her lips did not move, I could hear her words in my mind "There is work to be done, and I need you to get to it." 

Questions of the being I had called master arose in my thoughts, but even though I had not voiced my concerns, she spoke "He has cast you aside and I now lay claim to you.  I have reformed you into my own servant and it was time you were going..."  A flash of light engulfed me and then I awoke in the crude camp I setup miles from the place I had called home.

I knew this was no simple dream - it had a deeper meaning to it.  I shall have to ponder this deeply as I continue my journey.....

Endings and Beginnings

I awoke in the ruins of my home - at least I feel certain it was my home though I cannot manage to recall a single memory about it.  Searching about the ruins I find a fragment of mirror and see my reflection.  An old man with a haunted look as if it bore witness to many terrible things stared back.  I was certain it was me, but not a single recollection of the years before that must have been came to mind.  My childhood, my youth, my years as an apprentice... I could feel them like something just out of reach - I could almost touch them but yet they escaped my grasp.

Did I say apprentice?  Yes, that's right!  I am, or was a wizard.  With this small fragment of information a small flood of memories came back to me.  With some effort I found the remains of my study and found the hidden place where my books were kept.  While most had been destroyed, one that contained the most rudimentary spells was still intact.  As I perused the book, the old words of power began to fill my mind once again.  Yes, while much of who I was missing, my mastery of the arcane was still with me.

As I walked the ruins of my home, salvaging what I could, a nagging sensation began gnawing away at the back of my mind.  "This place is unsafe" the feeling said.  "You must go before they return!" it urged with increasing intensity.  Heeding its warning I gather my things and prepare to leave when the glint of silver catches the corner of my eye.  Digging in the rubble I find a mirrored mask - why I had such a thing I had no idea - but the urging in the back of my mind pressed me to take it. "Your name, your face are not safe!" it said and so I put on the mask as I prepared to leave my home for the last time.

But what to call myself?  I was not sure who I was so any name should do right?  Z... Za... Zar...  No.  Z... Zo.... Zol... Zoltan.  Zoltan, yes, that felt familiar and yet not at the same time.  Guess I will know for sure when I find my first settlement.  With one parting glance at the home I couldn't remember, I head south to what I hoped was civilization.