An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Glenn.

A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap is at 65. You change? Off 65 80.'
The gully continues 'Eyes hurt? Turn Color OFF!! (regular story dates)

Astinus says 'Enter the main library here to view only the author list.'
Astinus gently places a heavy platinum-covered book on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Glenn' scribed in earth-colored yellow ink.

Author:    Glenn          
Date:      Thu Jul 11
15:42:58 2013
Subject     A History of the Kar'Tess Family,
Chapter 1

Great-Grandfather, Hadrian Kar'Tess, an
elder Knight of the Sword, left
the Knighthood almost 200 years
after the cataclysm when he realized the
ideology of the
Knighthood would never be as it was. The meaning of the Oath
was
lost and the Measure was becoming nothing more than a political
tool. He
sold his nobility, land, and titles to move his family
from the rich lands
of Coastlund to an area south of the city of
Dalevil in Southern Ergoth.
Here they struggled to bring unity to
a broken village suffering from
constant bandit raids and
outlawish behavior. After many years of effort
they began
construction of a new castle and with the support of the
village
the Kar'Tess family gained a reputation as being honest
and just during
those dark years. 

Grandfather, Elias Kar'Tess,
followed in the footsteps of his father,
Hadrian. He had been a
squire in the Knighthood at the time of their
departure and while
no longer eligible to become a Knight he continued to
uphold the
ideals of a Knight in Training. During his lifetime he
oversaw
completion of the castle-estate and raised his own
children to act as
guardians of the estate and protectors of the
village. 

Father, Gregory Kar'Tess, had no firsthand knowledge
of the Knighthood but
aged to be a noble man none the less under
the guidance of his father,
Elias. During a lengthy period of
illness, Elias abdicated his authority to
Gregory who declared
himself sole guardian of the castle-estate and
protector of the
villagers. This lasted until his unfortunate death at the
hands
of soldiers who were acting on behalf of Stormogre, the Dictator
of
Daltigoth. Taxes had been demanded from all the inhabitants of
Southern
Ergoth. Finding this unacceptable, Gregory refused on
the terms that his own
people would starve by winter's end. A
battle ensued and while the soldiers
of Daltigoth were beaten,
Gregory sustained a life ending injury and died
upon the fields
of the estate. 

Grandfather Elias was left to raise his
grandchildren after the passing of
his son Gregory. Though his
illness left him weak and mostly bedridden, he
raised the
children to follow in his footsteps by telling them tales of
the
Knighthood and its former glory. The children were awed by
the stories and
swore at a young age to always uphold and honor
the Oath. 

----------To Be Continued----------


Author:    Glenn          
Date:      Thu
Jul 11 15:45:05 2013
Subject     A History of the Kar'Tess
Family, Chapter 2

(Continued...)

As the years passed
and the children aged, attacks from Daltigoth were
becoming more
and more frequent. Demands of money, grain, resources and
even
slaves were not uncommon. The small castle-estate and the
villagers were
able to fend off the attacks but each one seemed
to leave more casualties
and more damage than could be repaired.
The eldest son of the family
continually sought support from the
nearby city of Dalevil and as far as
Zhea Harbor and Eastport but
it seemed that each had their own troubles and
could not afford
to lend assistance. Finally, against the advice of
Grandfather
Elias, the eldest son, Cedric, decided to take on a
perilous
journey that would lead him to Northern Ergoth and then
back down south
through Coastlund. He would seek to reconcile
with the Knighthood for his
family's past departure and to
request aid in defending the village and its
innocent
inhabitants. Soon after his departure, Grandfather Elias
succumbed
once again to illness and it was up to Glenn to oversee
the operation and
defense of the castle-estate. 

Glenn could
have been considered too young at the age of 17 for the task
at
hand, but he possessed a level of wisdom that was rare for
many adolescents.
Growing up he was a dedicated pupil, to the
delight of his teachers, and
quickly gained a reputation among
the villagers for his adeptness and his
willingness to work and
help others. His grandfather saw this shining
quality and,
knowing that his life was coming to an end, focused on
tutoring
Glenn in all that he could remember from his time with
Knighthood. Glenn was
not considered to be an outgoing
individual. While he thoroughly enjoyed
assisting others he
tended to be quiet and spent time alone in meditation
when he
could. This often led him to wander outside the walls of
the
castle-estate to a nearby hill where he could look upon the
bastion of The
Blade, a tower fortification to the west built
long ago by the Empire of
Ergoth as an outpost for the Ergothian
Cavaliers. Though it had fallen into
disrepair since the days of
the Cataclysm, it still stood tall, strong and
silent a visual
depiction of how Glenn saw himself. He would stare at
the
structure and dream of riding into battle against evil,
fighting side by
side with the great Knight, Huma, and
celebrating afterwards in the presence
of the Triumvirate:
Paladine, Kiri-Jolith and Habbakuk. 

----------To Be
Continued---------- 

Author:    Glenn         

Date:      Thu Jul 11 15:47:13 2013
Subject     A
History of the Kar'Tess Family, Chapter
3

(Continued...)

It was a quiet day, almost a full
year after his brother's departure, that
he sat upon the hill
dreaming the same dream. But this day was different. As
Glenn sat
staring at the structure in the distance, pretending to scan
the
battlefield for imaginary foes, something was causing a cloud
of dust to
rise. As the cloud drew closer, figures could be seen
and they too were
coming nearer at a quick pace. Suddenly Glenn
knew what was approaching and
fear clutched at him Daltigoth had
sent soldiers again! But this time the
number of men was two,
perhaps three times the number sent before! Glenn
scrambled to
his feet. He had to get back to the castle-estate and
warn
everyone. Somewhere in his mind though, he knew he would be
too late. These
soldiers were on horseback while he was on foot.
Curse his daydreaming!
Taking every shortcut he could think of
and creating some along the way,
Glenn raced back to his home.


Cresting a small rise south of the main gate, Glenn looked on
in horror as
the regiment of soldiers arrived from the west.
There, standing in front of
the gate between them and the
castle-estate, was Grandfather Elias in full
plate armor passed
down from Great Grandfather Hadrian. How he even managed
to stand
supporting the weight, given his ill condition, was unfathomable.
A
figure on horseback sauntered up to the elder man. Words were
exchanged but
Glenn was too far away to hear them. What did not
escape him though was his
grandfather pulling a sword from the
ancient scabbard at his side. He held
it defensively in front of
him causing a round of jeers to rise from the
soldiers. The
mounted figure said something more and then gestured broadly
to
the walls of the estate, clenching his fist as if crumbling
them.
Whatever was said, the implication was clear. Grandfather
Elias deftly
maneuvered his sword into an attack position and
lunged forward. The blade
hummed as it cut through the air
towards the unguarded soldier. Before the
man could defend
himself, the blade struck its mark, intended or not,
slicing
cleanly through the leather saddle belt. The horse bucked in
fear
and the soldier was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground.
The air was
suddenly filled with violent curses as the soldier
struggled to right
himself however, as he turned to stand he
found a sword at this throat.
Glenn, smiling at his grandfather's
victory, began trotting towards the
gate. He heard Grandfather
Elias declare in a loud voice that if the
soldiers valued their
lives they would leave immediately. The figure on the
ground
raised his hands in defeat and Grandfather Elias lifted the
blade. 

As Glenn continued forward, everything suddenly appeared
to happen in slow
motion. His grandfather lifted the point of the
sword away from the soldier.
The soldier began to stand and
feigned stumbling forward all the while
drawing a long hidden
blade from his boot. Using his forward momentum he
charged into
Grandfather Elias. He was then well within personal range
which
was too close for the elder man to defend himself with his
sword. He plunged
the blade of the weapon deep into Grandfather
Elias' waist and upward into
his rib cage. The elder man dropped
his sword and stumbled backward into the
gate. Reaching down he
pulled the blade free and blood began to run freely
down his
shining armor. The smile that had been on Glenn's face faded and
he
suddenly came to a stop just out of the soldier's line of
sight, but not out
of his grandfather's. Grandfather Elias' eyes
met Glenn's. He saw the
anguish clear as day on his grandson's
face but he smiled warmly as the last
glimmer of life left his
eyes. 

----------To Be Continued----------


Author:    Glenn          
Date:      Thu
Jul 11 15:50:31 2013
Subject     A History of the Kar'Tess
Family, Chapter 4

(Continued...)

That brief moment of
valor, of courage, and of bravery would be forever
cemented into
Glenn's mind.

Without thinking, Glenn suddenly dashed the rest
of the distance to his
grandfather's side. The soldier had
already begun walking back to the rest
of his group when he saw
the young man approaching. Seeing no weapon he
disregarded the
threat and began issuing orders to attack. Glenn reached the
body
of Grandfather Elias and fell to his knees beside it with
tears
streaming down his face. Somewhere in the distance, through
the fog in his
mind, he heard the soldier giving the order to
attack. Overwhelmed with
grief, all rationale was forgotten.
Glenn stood and picked up his
grandfather's fallen sword. Turning
himself about he locked eyes with the
lead soldier. The tears
flowing freely down Glenn's face caused a roar of
laughter to
emanate from the man. "Do you wish to suffer the same fate
as
this old sod, boy?" Seeing no response from Glenn, the
soldier shrugged his
shoulders. "So be it." With that, he
removed a bow from another soldier's
saddle and drew forth an
arrow. Glenn continued to stand between the man and
the gate,
sword held in a defensive position. The soldier nocked the
arrow,
drew back and released. Without wearing any form of armor,
Glenn was
defenseless. The arrow lodged itself in his right
shoulder. The pain was
horrible, but Glenn remained standing
between the man and the gate. His
right hand dropped from the
hilt and he swayed a bit while trying to balance
the weight with
his left hand. The soldier smirked. "Sure you want to keep
this
up, boy?" Glenn refused to respond. It was taking every bit of
effort
to remain standing, holding the sword. The cloth of his
shirt was beginning
to leak blood around the lodged arrow. He
knew he would likely end up lying
in the dirt alongside his
grandfather, but he refused to flee. His mind
began to wander as
it sought freedom from the pain. He suddenly saw himself
facing
the soldier upon a battlefield. Huma was at this back, the two
of
them surrounded by the enemy. Glenn knew it was a figment of
his
imagination, but the thought alone gave him strength.
"Paladine, protect
them." Even facing death, his last prayer
was for the villagers inside. He
watched the soldier begin to
nock a second arrow but this time it was
pointed directly at
Glenn's head. This was it. He would be with his
grandfather soon
and if the stories were true, he would be standing in
the
presence of Paladine. Glenn closed his eyes. 

----------To
Be Continued---------- 

Author:    Glenn         

Date:      Thu Jul 11 15:52:13 2013
Subject     A
History of the Kar'Tess Family, Chapter
5

(Continued...)

A sense of peace suddenly flowed
over him along with the sound of a horn
blaring in the distance.
Glenn wasn't sure why a horn would sound so loud
and rackety in
the presence of the gods. Surely the instruments of the gods
were
more harmonious. The horn sounded again and this time it was
followed
by shouts and screams from the soldiers who should have
been finishing him
off. Glenn's eyes snapped open and to his
surprise, there wasn't a second
arrow protruding from his face.
Instead, the body of the soldier lay on the
ground with an arrow
protruding from HIS head! Confusion set in but Glenn
didn't have
time to make sense of it. The soldiers of Daltigoth had
turned
about and were embattled with a new enemy. As they turned,
a mass of arrows
released from the wall and struck down many in
the rear ranks. The villagers
had been arming themselves from
behind the walls and finally had an
opportunity to attack! Glenn
fell to a knee but continued to hold the sword
in front of him as
he guarded the gate. What seemed like hours passed and
finally
the last soldier of Daltigoth fell to the ground.

A large group
of rugged looking men in mismatched armor milled around the
dead
bodies while stripping them of their weapons and armor. Some of
them
even rifled through bags and personal belongings. Glenn was
unsure of what
he was seeing, but a figure was approaching him.
With the thought that one
enemy had simply been replaced by
another, Glenn tried to stand and fell
back into the gate. The
sword proved too heavy for his one hand and it
clattered onto the
cobblestone. Whatever was approaching, he would show no
fear.
With grim determination, Glenn forced himself to stand upright
and
looked right into the face... of his eldest brother Cedric!
His face was
grim and smeared with blood. He looked much older
than he should, more pale
and somewhat gaunt with lines of stress
marring his features. "Looks like I
returned home just in
time." He turned and his eyes fell upon the body of
his
grandfather, dressed in the armor of the Knighthood. Glenn
couldn't help
but notice the sneer on his brother's face as he
kneeled down and traced the
ancient symbol. "At least we know
he wouldn't have wanted to die any other
way. Come Glenn, help me
carry his body inside." Glenn cast a glance at the
men behind
them still rummaging through the corpses. Cedric followed
his
gaze. "They're mercenaries that I hired on my trip home.
The Knighthood was
no help. It's a long story. Let them take what
they want, it should help
lower their fee." And with that, the
two young men carried the body of their
elder inside the gate to
prepare and provide him with a proper burial. 

----------To Be
Continued---------- 

Author:    Glenn         

Date:      Thu Jul 11 15:54:33 2013
Subject     A
History of the Kar'Tess Family, Epilogue


As it turned
out, Cedric's journey was fruitless. He arrived in
Northern
Ergoth to petition several families of the Knighthood
and was immediately
turned away. They had no interest in
"crusading" into Southern Ergoth to
assist with a problem which
was prevalent everywhere else in the world. The
journey into
Coastlund fared no better. Each family he came to had its
own
problems. Some wouldn't even grant him an audience. Some were
simply gone,
their castles crumbling and their land overrun by
bandits and outlaws. It
wasn't until he reached Caergoth that he
found the mercenaries looking for
work and contracted them to
come to Southern Ergoth during the harvest
season.

The hardship
of the journey mixed with the realization that the
Knighthood,
which Cedric had grown up hearing about in glorified
stories, was filled
with spoiled self-centered cowards had left a
wound upon him that would
never heal. He despised the entire
ideology and swore he would never trust
in any gods who would
call those men their champions.

Cedric relieved Glenn of his
responsibility as head of the castle-estate.
The arrow wound
which he had received defending the gate would require time
to
heal. Many of the villagers had witnessed or had been told of
his
heroism. They made frequent visits during the first few weeks
but as harvest
season approached the visits dwindled. While Glenn
was grateful for the
gratitude, he appreciated the quiet it gave
him time to think.

The image of his grandfather would not leave
his dreams. Every time he
allowed his mind to wander as he once
did he would find Grandfather Elias,
either fighting the soldiers
of Daltigoth single handedly or laying upon the
battlefield with
a life ending injury. What Glenn found peculiar was
that
Grandfather Elias always had that same smile upon his face,
as if he
wouldn't have wanted anything else than to be living the
life of a Knight.

After a few weeks Glenn was able to leave the
confines of his room. Though
he wasn't of much use with his
shoulder bandaged, he spent his mornings
checking in on each of
the villagers who had stopped by to see him. After
these rounds
he would grab a small sack of food and head out to his vista
on
the hill overlooking the Blade. Here he would spend the rest
of the day as
he once did, staring out over the open plains and
daydreaming but now he had
company in his dreams. Alongside Huma
and he stood Grandfather Elias,
shouting out commands,
challenging foes and fighting the tides of evil as
they
threatened all of mankind. Deep down Glenn knew what he had to
do.
Cedric may have been left soured by the current state of the
Knighthood, but
there had to be good men out there yet who were
fighting evil and
corruption. Good men like Grandfather Elias,
willing to fight for a just
cause. Willing to challenge the
status-quo. Willing to lay down their lives
for the sake of
others.

Cedric wouldn't approve, but Glenn knew what he had to
do. As soon as his
wounds healed, he would depart the
castle-estate on Southern Ergoth and he
would make his own
journey to seek those same good men he was certain must
exist. He
would take up the sword of Great Grandfather Hadrian and follow
in
the footsteps of Grandfather Elias. Even if he failed to find
the good men
he sought, he would become the light that others
needed in the darkness of
the world. 
 

Author:   
Glenn          
Date:      Tue Aug 20 14:23:04
2013
Subject     The Journey to Vingaard Keep,
I

Glenn stood atop the parapets of Solanthus, along
the east wall, and
quietly watched the sun creep over a dark bank
of clouds. It had been
raining no more than an hour earlier but
that had not stopped the flow of
merchants and farmers eager to
enter the gates. Now that dawn's first light
had appeared the
city would come to life. It would be just another day for
most.
But for three young men in Elmwood, a small town to the east,
their
lives would change forever.

He sighed and looked down at
the paper in his hand. Inked upon it were the
names of three
young men who had requested entry into the Knighthood. It
should
have been a moment of pride, knowing these men would be joining
the
ranks of his own. But Glenn knew that these men, these...
boys, were about
to leave childhood behind. Everything that was
innocent in their lives would
become nothing more than a memory.
From this day forward they would enter
adulthood and begin a long
and bitter struggle with life for to be
recognized as a member of
the Solamnic Knighthood did not always mean to be
well met. Many
in the lands were still wary of the knighthood. It seemed
that no
matter how many of his order died defending the weak, there
would
always be some form of resentment. 

A steady pace of
footsteps could be heard echoing upon the flagstone behind
him.
Turning, Glenn saw the Captain of the Solanthus guard
approaching. The
man wore an engraved breastplate and carried an
impressive sword at his
side. Although not a knight, he carried a
swagger that easily rallied the
spirits of those around him. He
was a large, barrel chested man in his 40's
that grew up in this
city and had fought his fair share of battles and while
that
would harden the spirit of some men, the Captain was all smiles.
He was
boisterous and playful but had knocked more than one armed
opponent to the
ground with just his fist and this gained him the
respect of the men under
his command. Glenn smiled as he
approached. He would have made one hell of a
Knight.

Captain:
"Good morning Sir Glenn. I hope you haven't been here on the
wall
all night. I pay my men good money to do that job! But I
doubt I could
afford to pay the coffers of the
Knighthood!"

Glenn chuckled at the jest and followed suit with
his own.

Glenn: "Well met Captain. But do not fear. You seem to
forget that I have
yet to earn my spurs. Therefore, the
Knighthood loans me out for half the
cost."

The Captain laughed
cheerfully.

Captain: "Ha ha ha, well that's good to know. In
that case, I have some
stables that need cleaned."

Glenn shook
his head and rolled his eyes.

Glenn: "Well Captain, while I
appreciate the honor of wiping your horse's
ass I will have to
pass today. It seems I have official business to attend
to." The
Captain raised his eyebrows.

Captain: "Official you say? Must be
pretty important if they're sending you!
On what fool's errand do
you run off to today?"

Glenn shook his head, a somewhat somber
expression on his face.

Glenn: "Tis no joke. Three young men in
Elmwood have offered to make the
pledge. I will be taking them
north to Vingaard where they will begin the
first day of the rest
of their lives."

The Captain snorted at the response.

Captain:
"Have they offered of their own accord? Or were they "offered"
by
their families?"

Glenn studied the face of the Captain.
Something about that comment made
Glenn pause and rethink his
answer. There was something buried there in the
sands of emotion,
but now was not the time to inquire. Glenn: "I do not
believe the
Knighthood inquires that far. If they made the offer
themselves,
it will show in their dedication and work ethic. If
not, then they will find
work suited to their skills. Either way
will be beneficial."

The Captain's eyebrows narrowed at this and
for the first time Glenn saw
there was more to this man's nature
than his typical demeanor.

Captain: "Beneficial indeed..."

The
Captain looked away and Glenn was thankful for the moment of
silence.
The discussion was heading a direction much different
than Glenn had
anticipated. One day he would have to find out the
reason. Glenn looked out
over the east wall to the surrounding
land and its rolling green hills.

Glenn: "What news comes from
the east? Has there been any further conflict
with Lemish?"

The
Captain turned his attention to the east with Glenn. His
moodiness
appeared to have lifted, thankfully, and he now
appeared thoughtful.

Captain: "None since that incident a few
weeks back. I'd say we beat them
readily enough that they'll
think twice before coming anywhere near here and
demanding taxes.
No Glenn, your journey to Elmwood should be quiet. Hell,
the
entire trip north from there should be quiet. I've not heard any
reports
from our patrols into the plains. It should be clear
riding." Glenn nodded.
Breathing deeply, he held in the morning
air before exhaling.

Glenn: "Good. Then I should be off. The
sooner I have these young men
delivered, the sooner I can come
back to test your sparring skills again. I
think we need to
adjust your footwork."

The Captain laughed at this and muttered
a curse regarding Glenn's mother.

Captain: "My footwork isn't
the problem. I think you tricked me into
drinking one too many
before that contest!"

Glenn laughed as he turned to
leave.

Glenn: "Then perhaps the problem isn't so much below the
belt as it is
hanging over it!"

Before the Captain could offer a
response, Glenn disappeared down the
stairwell, but even the
stone walls weren't enough to dampen the sound of
hearty laughter
resounding from above.

(To be continued) 

Author:
   Glenn          
Date:      Tue Aug 20 14:27:14
2013
Subject     The Journey to Vingaard Keep,
II

The trip to Elmwood was indeed quiet. Glenn had
left his meeting with the
Captain of the Solanthus Guard and
headed straight to the stables. A young
lad already had his horse
saddled, fed and ready to ride. A caravan of seven
wagons would
be waiting in Elmwood with supplies from Solanthus and the
local
townships. It was with this caravan that Glenn and the recruits
would
travel as an escort to Vingaard Keep.

It was mid-morning
the next day by the time Glenn reached the simple wooden
gates of
Elmwood. There really wasn't much to it other than several rows
of
buildings. Most of these appeared to be homes but the smoke of
a blacksmith
shop and the smell of a tannery stuck out like a
sore thumb. A few people
milled about and several groups of
children were running around playing a
game, but a smaller group
stood in what could be considered the center of
the town. Glenn
took a deep breath and nudged his horse forward.

As Glenn
arrived before the group, one of the young men stepped forward
and
gently grabbed the reigns so that Glenn could dismount.
Easing off the
horse, Glenn thanked the young man and offered his
hand.

Glenn: "I am Glenn Kar'Tess, of the Solamnic
Knighthood."

The boy freed his hand from the reigns and accepted
Glenn's, shaking it
firmly.

Bryce: "Good day, Sir Glenn. My name
is Bryce."

Glenn nodded and stepped back, turning to address the
others.

Glenn: "I believe you are here to accompany me to
Vingaard Keep?"

Bryce nodded and motioned towards the
others.

Bryce: "Yes sir that is correct myself, as well as
Robert and Quinn." The
boy named Robert, who appeared slightly
older than the others, stepped
forward and sneered at
Bryce.

Robert: "Thank you Bryce but I am quite capable of
introducing myself!"

Robert turned to face Glenn and gave a
slight bow. Robert: "Good day. I am
Robert uth Dawntide, of
Caergoth. My family sent me to Vingaard which I was
quite capable
of reaching on my own until I was brought here and told to
wait
for your arrival. It is a pleasure to finally make your
acquaintance
but all formalness aside, I believe we are ready to
depart."

Glenn had to hold back a smirk that was encroaching
upon his face. This
young man had a title, or so it seemed, and
apparently he had an attitude to
go with it. He sighed inwardly.
Some children are raised meek. Others are
raised brash. But the
ones that always got to Glenn the most were the ones
raised
privileged, because they always thought of themselves first
and
others last.

Glenn: "My apologies to you, Robert, that your
trip was diverted. However, I
believe it was the council's
opinion that some time spent among your fellow
recruits would
inspire some camaraderie before your arrival at
Vingaard
Keep."

Robert sniffed at this but nodded and stepped
back, obviously in disdain
that he should be required to make
such acquaintances.

Glenn turned his attention to the third boy
who had stayed quiet this whole
time.

Glenn: "So then, I believe
you are Quinn?"

Quinn nodded quietly and was about to speak but
quickly changed his mind. He
gently offered his hand which Glenn
accepted with a smile. It was a weak
handshake, not nearly as
firm as Bryce's, but it was offered in good spirit
and for that
Glenn was thankful.

Glenn: "Well then, let's pack up and move
out. The caravan should be waiting
for us just outside the north
gate. Is there anything you gentleman want to
do or say before we
go?"

Bryce glanced towards the blacksmith shop. An older man
appeared from the
doorway but stayed there. He nodded and Bryce
nodded back. Without further
acknowledgements, Bryce picked up
his bag and began heading for the gate.

Robert seemed to be
having a slightly more difficult time arranging his
gear. Whereas
the other boys had one bag each, Robert had three and he
was
having a fit of a time getting it all on his shoulders. As
Bryce approached,
he offered a hand which Robert quickly motioned
away. Apparently Robert also
had to do everything himself. Gods
above, Glenn thought, this is going to be
a long trip.

Last but
not least was Quinn. He quietly picked up his bag and
appeared
about to leave but stopped and looked over at the
tannery. The doorway was
dark and no one appeared but it seemed
as if he were talking to someone.
Glenn saw this and began to
inquire.

Glenn: "Quinn, is everything ok?"

Quinn quickly
stopped and looked back at Glenn, a somewhat
embarrassed
expression upon his face. He then shook his head and
took one last look at
the building before following Bryce and
Robert.

Glenn watched the boy leave and then gave a look towards
the building.
Nothing stirred inside. Exhaling loudly through his
nose, he shook his head
and grabbed the reigns of his horse. He
followed the boys out the gate to
the waiting caravan. For
unknown reasons Glenn felt anxious as if something
were nagging
at his soul now was not the time to ponder. There would be
plenty
of time for that on the road. At the pace of the caravan, it
would
take the group nearly a week to reach Vingaard.

(To be
continued) 

Author:    Glenn          
Date:
     Tue Aug 20 14:34:11 2013
Subject     The Journey to
Vingaard Keep, III

Three days had passed on the road
to the north. The scenery hadn't
changed much during that time.
Rolling green hills and blue skies as far as
the eye could see.
These were the Plains of Solamnia. The location and lack
of
events provided an excellent learning opportunity for the
recruits. As
the caravan trudged along, Glenn began a history
lesson.

He explained to them that these plains hosted many
battles in ancient days.
One history claims that these were the
plains where the Ogres and Silvanesti
Elves waged their final
battle during the First Dragon War. It was also said
that during
the Kinslayer Wars, General Giarna, the boy general,
brutally
suppressed a rebellion here that flared up against the
Ergoth Empire.
However, possibly the greatest event to occur here
was the final battle
between the Knights of Solamnia and the Dark
Queen's armies. It was here
that Takhisis was defeated.

Bryce
and Quinn maintained rapt attention to the subject matter. Bryce
was
especially inquisitive about the boy general and the history
of the Ergoth
Empire. Having been born in Southern Ergoth, and
knowing much of the history
there, Glenn was more than happy to
oblige his fascination. Quinn stayed
quiet, as was the norm, but
his eyes gleamed with a similar fascination.
Robert leaned back
and stifled a yawn. He had his feet dangling over the
side of the
wagon and seemed to have little interest in the stories.

Bryce:
"So, ogres now control the former capitol city of the
Empire?"

Glenn: "Yes, unfortunately so. A Hill Giant, by the
name of Stormogre,
resides there now acting like a dictator to
the surrounding areas."

Bryce: "Have you fought him?"

Glenn
chuckled at the thought.

Glenn: "No, I have not. Although I did
engage in combat against his forces
several times before I left
home to join the Knighthood."

Bryce: "Why hasn't the Knighthood
confronted this Hill Giant and forced him
to give control back to
the people?"

Glenn: "Well, that is a difficult question to
answer. First of all,
Stormogre has a large army under his
control. His ogres alone would be
difficult to defeat, but he has
also deceitfully corrupted the human
nobility. By giving them
control of portions of the city, he has garnered
their support.
The entire city of Daltigoth seems to emanate evil of many
sorts.
And alas, the Knighthood does not have the manpower to wage such
a
war at this time. Not to mention that it is out of our
jurisdiction. Too
many would fear leaving Solamnia undefended
during these dark days."

Quinn: "Don't you fear for your
family?"

The question caught Glenn totally by surprise. Not only
was it one of the
few times Quinn had spoken since their meeting,
but the focus of
conversation had veered from war to family.
Glenn started to smile as he
replied.

Glenn: "Why of course I do
Quinn. The bond of family is strong. Even the
years and distance
can't hinder that. But I've also created a new family
among my
brothers-in-arms and I owe them my support as well. You will
soon
learn that family is not only dictated by blood shared, but
also by blood
spilt."

Quinn became quiet again and seemed to be
digesting that bit of knowledge.
After a moment of silence, he
appeared ready to ask another question.

Quinn: "How exactly does
blood spilt dicta..."

Robert suddenly cut off Quinn's question
with a question of his own.

Robert: "Exactly how much longer
will it take to reach Vingaard? It feels as
if we've spent months
traveling across this barren landscape."

Gods... Glenn was ready
to strangle this recruit. Not being fully inducted
as a Knight
himself, he could not think of a manner in which
reprimanding
this boy with a title would not in turn cause some
form of reprimand upon
himself from the council. He had to relax
and take it in stride. Perhaps
quietly counting to himself would
help. One Vingaard River... Two Vingaard
River... Three Vin...
-=Ka-Boom=- -=Ka-Boom=- -=Ka-Boom=-

Three explosions
reverberated through the air. Dirt and rock flew in
all
directions. Men were shouting in confusion. The heat of an
intense blaze
almost scorched the exposed hair on Glenn's face.
The wagon on which the
three recruits had been riding was
overturned. Before Glenn could account
for their whereabouts, he
had to maintain control of his own horse which
kicked back and
nearly flung him from the saddle.

A haze of smoke blurred his
vision of the immediate area. As he struggled to
control his
horse, he caught a glimpse of Bryce climbing out of
the
overturned wagon. Good. One found, two to go. A hacking cough
caused Glenn
to turn his head. Quinn had been thrown from the
wagon. He appeared shaken
and bruised a cut across his forehead
was turning red but he was alive. Two
found, one to go. But Glenn
didn't have time to continue his search. Five
goblins surged past
the front wagons and were heading his direction, hacking
and
slashing at bodies as they passed. Glenn had just managed to calm
his
horse and draw his sword by the time the first goblin drew
near. It
screeched loudly and attempted to lunge at the animal,
short sword in hand.
With a quick downward thrust, Glenn parried
the attack and with a twist of
his blade he easily disarmed the
creature. A backslash opened the goblin's
throat and it fell to
the ground gurgling as black blood sprayed from
the
wound.

Meanwhile, three of the goblins had arrived and were
circling the would-be
Knight. Glenn's horse pranced nervously as
he twisted in his saddle, eyeing
up each of the creatures and
keeping his sword even with his body. The
goblins began yelling
in their guttural language as if strategizing their
attack. Their
voices were harsh but one seemed to scream out in surprise.
Glenn
flicked his eyes to the right and saw Bryce with a wooden keg
held
over his head. He growled with strain as he swung the keg
down on top of the
goblin. The creature's eyes bulged out as the
weight of the blow crushed its
skull and sent shards of wood
splintering about. What appeared to be lantern
oil spilled out of
the keg and sloshed about all over the ground.

An idea popped
into Glenn's head as he saw Quinn hiding behind a
splintered
wagon, the other half of it slowly burning nearby.
While turning his
attention to the remaining two goblins, Glenn
shouted at the two recruits.

Glenn: "Quinn! Tear a piece of
burning wood from that wagon and toss it to
Bryce! Bryce! Light
that oil on fire and we can use it as a defensive
barrier!"

The
two boys reacted quickly and soon enough they had a large area of
ground
on fire. Glenn kept the two goblins at bay and worked his
horse back towards
the fire. Once there, he maneuvered himself in
such a way that the goblins
would have to attack head on or find
a way around the blaze. Instead they
just stood there cursing and
throwing anything they could find laying among
the wreckage. This
gave Glenn an opportunity to look around. Quinn and Bryce
stood
beside him. There was still no sign of Robert. Further up the
road,
more wagons were overturned. Several groups of men from the
caravan could be
seen using the wagons as defensive cover. They
were fighting off a swarm of
enemies but holding their ground. So
that meant the opposing force couldn't
be that large or they
would have just swarmed the group. But what in the
name of the
gods created such havoc to begin with?

 
(To be
continued)

Author:    Glenn          
Date: 
    Tue Aug 20 14:40:15 2013
Subject     The Journey to
Vingaard Keep, IV

A strong wind blew across the plains
and shifted the haze of smoke. Glenn
suddenly saw the entire lay
of the battlefield. Several small groups of
goblinoids were
harassing the caravan's defenders. Farther back upon a hill
stood
a massive black horse with a rider draped in a midnight blue
cloak.
The rider's face was obscured by his hood but his armor
gleamed darkly in
the sunlight. It appeared to be etched with
silver scrolling script along
the edges and the perverse image of
a skull and dragon was embossed upon his
chest. This rider was
most certainly the one in charge and there was no
doubt that he
was the source of the explosions earlier. Glenn shivered as
he
stared at the figure, feeling a sense of fear and dread wash
over him. It
was all he could do to keep his nerve but that
didn't stop him from biting
down on his lip. Blood began to run
down his mouth and the taste of iron
mixed with the inhalation of
smoke made him feel nauseated. But now was not
the time to be
weak. Others needed him.

Glenn spit blood from his mouth and
bellowed out a roar, clearing the smoke
from his lungs. This
caused Bryce and Quinn to jump in alarm but Glenn
quickly brought
them to their senses.

Glenn: "Bryce, take my other sword from
the saddle sheath. Quinn, find
something you feel comfortable
defending yourself with. It won't be long
before these gobo's get
tired of throwing stuff and try to flank us. They
may even bring
some friends and we need to be ready." Glenn looked across
the
flames to where the two goblins had been standing. Sure enough,
they
were no longer there.

Glenn: "Shit."

Bryce had no more
than pulled the sword free from Glenn's saddle when the
goblins
reappeared. This time however, they had their strategy figured
out
in advance. They both jumped at Glenn. One went high with its
sword raised
the other went low startling the horse. Glenn
brought his blade up to meet
the high attack but in doing so he
left the horse defenseless. The goblin
attacking low sliced into
the horse's front leg causing the creature to
flare its nostrils,
kick back and throw its rider. 

Glenn fell to the ground hard,
the wind rushing out of his lungs. Before he
could gather his
wits, one of the goblins was on top of him with its sword
held
high. This was it. It wasn't the way Glenn had envisioned
himself
dying. Not that many men of his youthful age give it much
thought, but he
always dreamed of something more glorious than
this. He struggled to do
something, anything to prevent the
killing blow but it was as if the ground
itself were sapping his
strength. All could do was lay there and watch as
the sword came
down... and missed his head by an inch, the blade burying
itself
in the dirt. The weight of the goblin heaved forward and Glenn
found
the strength to throw the creature off of him. Looking down
he saw an arrow
protruding from his attacker's neck.

Looking
wildly about, Glenn saw Quinn standing a short distance away.
He
held a bow in hands and a look of shock on his face. Perhaps
he was unsure
if his arrow was going to kill the goblin, or
accidentally hit Glenn. Before
a word could be said, Quinn
grabbed another arrow from the ground beside him
and nocked it,
drawing his aim to Glenn's left side. Looking that
direction,
Glenn saw Bryce battling the last goblin. He had a
wicked gash across his
bicep but appeared to be holding his
ground.

Quinn let loose his arrow and hit the goblin in the
thigh. The creature
squealed in pain and gave Bryce an opening.
Stepping to the side he brought
the blade of his sword down and
cleaved into the goblin's shoulder,
effectively hacking off its
arm. The back swipe took off its head and the
corpse slumped to
the ground in a pool of black ichor.

By the time the body hit
the ground, Glenn was standing and surveying the
battlefield. It
seemed the caravan's defenders had defeated their own
opposing
force and the several goblins remained were scurrying back
across
the plains towards the hill where the mounted figure in
black armor waited
silently. Glenn was about to dismiss them as
an enemy in retreat until he
saw they were carrying something.
No... not something... someONE!

Glenn: "Gods almighty... They
have Robert!"

This remark drew the attention of the other two
recruits and the three of
them watched as the goblins ran away
while awkwardly carrying Robert who was
kicking and thrashing
wildly about. One of them appeared fed up with his
antics and
cracked him across the head. Robert's body went limp and
they
continued making their retreat.

Bryce: "We have to go after
them!"

Quinn nodded in agreement and was in the process of
removing his arrows from
the dead goblins.

Glenn shook his head
fiercely.

Glenn: "No, I will go. You two will stay here and
round up the others. Check
for survivors and help the wounded.
Whoever that dark figure on the horse
is, he's no match for you
and you would just get yourselves in trouble."

Then again...
Glenn doubted that HE was any match for the enemy who had
utterly
destroyed the caravan single handedly. But he had to do
something.
Perhaps this would be the glorious fight he envisioned
himself dying in for
the noble cause of rescuing... a selfish
brat of a recruit. Sigh. Now was
not the time for theatrics.
Robert was innocent in this matter, regardless
of his
demeanor.

Glenn looked over at his horse but the animal had
collapsed onto the ground.
It was alive but the wound it suffered
would only hinder it. Besides, the
last thing Glenn needed was to
risk being thrown from the saddle once more
during combat.
Shaking his head, Glenn let out a roar of a battle cry and
began
running after the fleeing enemy. Under normal circumstances,
attacking
a retreating enemy would not be the honorable thing to
do. But this was
different. This enemy had forfeited their right
to retreat by abducting an
innocent.

Glenn was both glad and
disheartened that he was not wearing battle armor.
If he had
been, he would have stood no chance catching up to the goblins.
At
the same time, his tunic and leathers would do little to stop
an attack if
it managed to get through his defenses. Why did so
many questions rattle
around in his head at times like this? He
should be focusing on strategy, on
mental preparation, on...
breathing! Yes, breathing would be a good thing to
do at this
time. His lungs were burning and his legs felt like lead
weights.
The adrenaline from his fight at the wagon had sapped
most of his strength.
He was definitely running on an empty tank
and that would not bode well once
he caught up to the
enemy.

Glenn: "Paladine... *breathe* ... Please... *breathe*
...Grant...Me...
*breathe* ...Strength..."

The goblins were not
able to run at full speed while carrying their abducted
prey.
Glenn counted about 7 of them, four of which had already arrived
at
the top of the hill with the mounted figure who remained
unmoving. The other
three who were responsible for carrying
Robert were noticeably slowing down.
Glenn used this to his
advantage and pressed on. The goblin in the rear
holding onto
Robert's feet risked a quick look back at the pursuing
human.
That was the last thing it would ever see again. Glenn had
caught up within
a swords reach and with a swing of the blade he
severed the creatures head
at the base of its neck. The other two
were not able to account for the
transfer of weight while running
and Robert's body tumbled to the ground.
The two goblins stopped
and swung around to face their attacker. Before they
could draw
weapons Glenn swung his sword high and brought it down
hacking
deep into the one's rib cage, breaking bone and tearing
flesh.

(To be continued) 

Author:    Glenn       
  
Date:      Tue Aug 20 14:44:50 2013
Subject     The
Journey to Vingaard Keep, V

As Glenn ripped his sword
free of the corpse, the second goblin pulled
two daggers from its
belt and hurled them at its foe. Glenn raised his sword
and
deflected the first, but the second dagger caught him in the
shoulder.
The dagger sunk into his flesh causing him to cry out
in pain. His leather
vest had kept the dagger from breaking bone,
but blood began to run out of
the wound as he pulled the blade
out. The goblin pressed its advantage and
charged into Glenn,
knocking them both to the ground. They tumbled about,
the goblin
trying to claw at Glenn's face, but Glenn had a significant
size
advantage. Even with a wounded shoulder he flung himself on
top of the
creature and began using his fists to pummel its face.
The goblin kicked and
thrashed about until one sickening, bone
crunching, punch ended the
creature's life as Glenn's fist sunk
down through the skull.

Glenn's energy was fading. His breathing
was rapid but no matter how quickly
he sucked in the air it
simply wasn't quenching the burning pain in his
chest. A red haze
had developed around his vision. The wound in his shoulder
was
still bleeding but the pain was absent. He could hear the other
goblins
shouting and running towards him. They would be on him in
less than a
minute. The steady beat of a horse's hooves told him
that the goblins
wouldn't be alone. The dark figure was
approaching as well. Then this would
be it. This was where he
would make his stand.

He didn't bother looking up. He felt
around blindly for his sword. It was
lying beside the goblin's
corpse they must have rolled right over top of it
during their
fight. His fingers closed over the worn hilt and he
began
gathering whatever scrap of strength he could muster from
his body. The
goblins were getting closer. Time was passing
slowly. Seconds felt like
hours. Glenn attempted to stand, fell
to one knee and then used his sword
for leverage and shakily
stood up. He stepped over to where Robert laid,
still unmoving.
Glenn wondered if the boy was even alive, but there wasn't
time
to check. He took a defensive stance in front of the boy's body
and for
the first time looked up to meet his enemy.

He looked up
right into the face of an enormous black warhorse. Its
nostrils
were flared and the heat of its breath upon Glenn's face
nearly made him
sick. The muscular front legs were sidestepping
anxiously as if itching to
be given the command to trample this
pathetic excuse for a Solamnic, but the
gauntlet covered hands of
the rider upon the reigns kept a the creature in
place.

The face
of the rider was still obscured by its hooded cloak but a
sudden
breeze lifted it enough for Glenn to catch traces of
greying black hair, a
black eye patch with silver runes and a
beard that appeared unkempt. The
rider still had not spoken a
word and the goblins had enclosed Glenn within
a circle. There
was no escaping whatever was to come. Glenn held onto his
sword
and tried to appear menacing but he knew he must look the fool.
The
blade felt far too heavy in his hands and it was all he could
do to keep it
upright. The goblins saw these and jeered at him,
brandishing their own
weapons. However, they were immediately
silenced as the rider raised a
closed fist.

Rider: "What is your
name and from where do you travel?"

Glenn was having a hard time
focusing. He heard the words but his response
came out somewhat
slurred as even his mouth was too weak to function
properly. The
rider repeated himself, though this time there was an edge in
his
voice. Rider: "WHAT is your name and from WHERE do you
travel?"

Glenn: "I... am Glenn Kar'Tess... We travel... from
Lemish."

Sure, it was a lie sort of. The small village of
Elmwood was technically
stuck between the authority of Solanthus
and Lemish who were at odds with
one another. But the reaction of
the rider would tell Glenn a little about
his enemy. His life was
forfeit already it seemed, so if the rider called
him out on his
fib and struck him down it would be no different than what
he
already expected. But, if there was no reaction, then that
would mean the
group here was not just a Lemish raiding party.
And if that were true,
then...

The rider paused for a moment as
if digesting the information and then
continued.

Rider:
"Kar'Tess sounds like a Solamnic name. Are you a Knight?"

Glenn:
"It is but I am not."

Another stretch of the truth. Technically
he had not yet earned his spurs
from the council, so no, he was
not a Knight. And perhaps some vagueness
would spare the lives of
his comrades by casting them in a less appealing
light. Simple
merchants or traders if you will. Not a Solamnic caravan
taking
supplies and recruits to Vingaard Keep. Glenn knew by now this
rider
had a specific mission in mind. Otherwise he would have
butchered them all.
The next question however, caught Glenn by
surprise. 

Rider: "Have you encountered any members of the Red
Dragonarmy upon these
plains or the surrounding
territories?"

Red Dragonarmies?!? Glenn was shocked. He was
certain that his face was
incapable of expressing the proper
emotion due to fatigue, but his brain
felt like it was moving a
million miles a minute in every direction. Think,
Glenn, think...
what did it mean? Why would he ask? Could this man be
lost?
Perhaps he was separated from his unit? Could there be an
invading army
somewhere nearby? By the gods Glenn had to get his
brain under control.

Glenn: "I... uh..."

Glenn stumbled on his
response, the words still too scrambled in his head to
properly
escape his mouth. Too many questions were running circles in
his
mind. The rider, however, appeared to be losing some
patience. He allowed
his warhorse to take a step forward. The
sudden impact knocked the sword
from Glenn's hands and his arms
went slack. He almost fell as he was forced
to take a step
backwards, nearly tripping over Robert in the process who
somehow
was now holding a small knife in his hand though he appeared
to
still be unconscious. Too much was happening to
process.

Rider: "I'm only going to ask you once more. Have you
encountered any
members of the Red Dragonarmies in this
area?"

Glenn took a deep breath, closed his eyes and
focused.

Glenn: "No. The Dragonarmies have not set foot on these
plains or the
surrounding area for quite some time."

Finally, a
bit of truth. The stretching of the truth was getting
nerve
racking because Glenn didn't know how long he could keep it
up without
stepping on his own toes somewhere. Perhaps the truth
would earn him some
points with karma.

The rider nodded and
seemed to accept the answer.

Rider: "Very well. Do what you
wish." 

With that, the rider turned his mount and departed East
towards the lands of
Nightlund. Fatigued or not, Glenn's face
displayed utter shock. How could he
even comprehend what had
occurred. How could ANYONE comprehend that? There
he stood, on
Death's door, being interrogated with his demise as the
only
likely outcome and his enemy simply decided to leave? Well,
perhaps he
shouldn't be complaining. Karma had indeed given him a
second chance... 
 
(To be continued)

Author:   
Glenn          
Date:      Tue Aug 20 14:49:59
2013
Subject     The Journey to Vingaard Keep
VI

Karma had indeed given him a second chance... Or
not.

The rider may have departed but the goblins had not. They
were almost
drooling with anticipation. The order to do what you
wish had not been
intended for Glenn... it was intended for them!
And of course, Glenn stood
defenseless with his sword on the
ground. It was all baffling. Somewhere in
the heavens, Glenn was
certain that the gods were having a good laugh over
this
circumstance. So, back to dying an inglorious death...

The
goblins didn't bother taking turns, they simply swarmed
Glenn
chaotically. All of them had weapons in hand and in the
process of rushing
Glenn they ended up doing more damage to
themselves. One of them was
immediately slain as it came between
the human and its comrade's hatchet,
cleaving into the creature's
skull and splashing foul smelling blood all
over Glenn. A second
goblin fell to the ground clutching at a knife which
was
protruding from the back of its neck. In their hurry to get to
Glenn,
none of them had paid any attention to the body on the
ground. Robert had
come to his senses and had taken action as
soon as the opportune time
presented itself. Robert: "Foul
creatures! You do not stand a chance against
us!"

As one of the
goblins wrapped its sickly arms around Glenn and tackled him
to
the ground, the remaining one turned to face its unexpected
opponent who
had kindly declared his presence. Robert suddenly
found himself facing an
armed opponent and he no longer had a
weapon. Robert's face contorted in a
look of fear.

Robert: "I am
defenseless! Do not hurt me!"

He cringed as the creature lunged
forward, a crude sword held high and ready
to strike. The whistle
of an arrow through the air was the only noise to be
heard
though, as it hit the goblin right between the eyes and sunk deep
into
its skull. The fatal blow dropped the creature right in
front of Robert's
feet. Turning around with eyes as wide as the
white moon, Robert saw Quinn
and Bryce approaching on horseback.
Quinn was in the process of re-nocking
another arrow as Bryce
leapt from the saddle and dove into the brawl between
Glenn and
his foe. Bryce pulled the creature back and threw him to
the
ground. A moment later there was a dagger protruding from the
creature's
chest and a gurgling surge of air escaped its
lungs.

Glenn lay on the ground staring up into the blue sky. The
earth beneath him
was rough and churned up from the struggle, yet
he felt as if it were the
most comfortable mattress he had ever
laid upon. Far above him, the outline
of a bird could be seen
riding the thermal currents. Life seemed so much
simpler from
this vantage. He could hear Bryce calling his name and could
even
make out the face of Robert and Quinn in his peripheral vision
but they
seemed very far away and right now Glenn didn't mind.
The last thought on
his mind as he closed his eyes was his
departing conversation with the
Captain of the Solanthus
Guard.

Captain: "No Glenn, your journey to Elmwood should be
quiet. Hell, the
entire trip north from there should be
quiet..."

Quiet. How ironic... 
 
(To be
continued)

Author:    Glenn          
Date: 
    Tue Aug 20 14:52:26 2013
Subject     The Journey to
Vingaard Keep, Epilogue

Glenn became fully alert about
a day before their arrival at Vingaard
Keep. The caravan had lost
three of their seven wagons but was able to
recover one wagon's
supplies and split it up among the rest. The other two
had burned
in the attack.

Quinn was sitting nearby when Glenn came to. A
smile crept across his face
and he spoke.

Quinn: "Welcome
back."

He was truly a man of few words. And Glenn was serious
about that. What a
drastic change from the quiet boy he met a
week ago in Elmwood. Sitting
there was no longer that same boy,
but a man in his own right. His bow lay
propped up at his side
and he was in the process of feathering several new
arrow shafts.
Glenn looked about the confines of the makeshift room within
a
wagon and slowly eased himself into a sitting position.

Glenn:
"Where are the others?"

Bryce's head appeared through the canvas
up front.

Bryce: "Welcome back Sir Glenn!"

He disappeared and
Glenn could hear his voice shouting something incoherent
through
the wood and canvas of the wagon. A moment later, Robert
appeared
from the back.

Robert: "It is truly a pleasure to have
you among the living again! We
weren't sure if you would ever
wake up!"

Glenn rubbed his face and immediately withdrew his
hands, his face contorted
as a wave of pain kicked him like a
mule. Robert: "Ah yes, you should
probably be more gentle with
yourself. You took quite a beating the other
day. You've got a
real nasty gash on your forehead and shoulder. Without a
cleric
around, the best we could do was clean and cover them." Glenn
winced
as he twisted and bent all of his joints and appendages.
Everything seemed
to work albeit with some sluggishness and a
fair amount of pain. He felt as
if a dragon had dropped him from
the top of the High Clerist Tower onto the
flagstones below. He
groaned, rolled his head and then began inspecting
his
surroundings. Quinn continued to work on his arrows but
Robert was watching
him with a peculiar amount of
interest.

Robert: "I am quite grateful that you came to save me.
But I must ask..."

Robert glanced at Quinn and then back to
Glenn.

Robert: "You didn't exactly tell the truth when you were
questioned by the
enemy. I am confused as to how that can be
regarded as acting honorably..."

Glenn stared at Robert open
mouthed. He literally sacrificed his life and
body to save this
boy, and here he sat questioning Glenn's honor? By the
gods he
had some nerve... But, as Glenn closed his mouth and eyed
he
carefully gauged his response. Perhaps he was genuinely
confused.

Glenn: "I never actually lied. I may not have told the
truth per say, but I
framed each response to purposefully answer
his questions with vagueness so
as to protect the rest of you and
so that our opponent could not glean any
information which may
hurt us strategically. It was a calculated risk that I
was
willing to take. It also provided me with information about
him."

Robert drew his brows together and appeared to think this
over.

Robert: "So, by purposefully being vague, you didn't
necessarily lie and
therefore were able to protect the rest of
us. I suppose that makes sense,
and it certainly seems to weigh
favorably on our well being given the
outcome. I am having a
difficult time understanding how to apply what I've
been taught
growing up to everything that recently happened... I
was
instructed that it is better to die honorably than to live in
disgrace."

Glenn marveled. This boy was seriously having a
breakdown over this. It
wasn't that he was just some spoiled brat
with a title. He was actually torn
now between what he was raised
to think and what he was "learning" to think.
This would be a
difficult time for him and unfortunately it would be
something
that only he could determine for himself.

Glenn: "Let me just
say this to you Robert. Everyone, even those in the
Knighthood,
has a different perspective on what it means to live with
honor.
That is something that every man must determine for
himself. However it is
my opinion that if my family, both in
blood shared and in blood spilt, is in
danger then I would much
rather sacrifice my honor to save them and rectify
my disgrace
later rather than uphold my honor and allow them to
perish."

Robert sat back and appeared to be considering that bit
of knowledge. After
a moment, he nodded and excused himself. He
obviously would have a lot of
thinking to do. Glenn chuckled. And
to be honest, that course of thinking
would last his entire
life.

Come to think of it, Glenn had a lot of thinking to do
himself. As the
caravan made its way to Vingaard Keep he laid
back and thought about the
length of the report he would have to
write to Sir Progane detailing
everything that had happened. Even
the council would need to be informed of
the events that
transpired. Good thing there was at least another day before
they
arrived. Glenn would need to save up the energy just to put that
much
ink to paper.

As the wagon rocked along the ruts of the
road, Glenn closed his eyes and
fell asleep to the sound of Quinn
whittling another arrow shaft.

(End) 

The Storytellers of Ansalon, The DragonLance MUD

Astinus points to the massive wall of books behind him and bids you to make a selection.

Authors: All|A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z
Astinus sighs as he recants 'We saved 868 books from Ansalon from before the great Cataclysm through today.'