Storyboards: Aran

The Early Years | Adventure begins | A new mission | The Price of Information | The Search for Chyre | Return to Camaar | Attack on an Adventurer | The Road to Recovery | A new dedication | Journey to Ulgoland | The Journey Continues | A perilous crossing?

The Early Years
I was born from Sendarian farmers living on a small farm near Darine. The first 12 years of my life were mostly spent with working on the farm. There were no other children on the farm, so I've mostly had to entertain myself during the hours that I wasn't working the fields. During these lonely hours, I discovered the art of meditation as a way to pass the time.
Somewhere during the summer of my 13th year, I got a vision of a great glowing light during one of my meditation sessions. The light came closer and I heard a voice 'You have proven yourself worthy of my service. Go to the temple of Seline where you may learn the art of healing in my name.'

After telling my parents of this strange vision, they agreed to send me to Seline for my training to become a healer. They got me passage with some merchants that were heading towards Seline from Darine.
Upon arriving in Seline, I went to the temple, where I was received by the monks who said they had already been informed of my coming. Over the next four years, they not only taught me how to heal wounds ranging from minor scratches to broken bones, but they also showed me ways to protect myself and others with strong protective magics. Some of the spells they showed me, turned out to be too powerful for me to use, so on the eve of my 17th birthday, the monks told me that I needed to head out into the world to gain experience so that I would one day be strong enough to use their magic.

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Adventure begins
After having said goodbye to the monks at the Seline temple who had given me their lessons all these years, I set out for Sendar, where my adventures would begin. After arriving in Sendar, my first stop was the temple, where I would be able to get some assistance in starting my adventures. Upon arriving, I was met by some very helpful people, who showed me ways to get the necessary experience, while protecting the lands around Sendar from wild beasts and gaining some money in the process too.
During this time, I was also introduced to an old man named Floyd. He supplied me with various quests to undertake. Although the quests were hard at times and I came face-to-face with death on various occasions, I could not stop myself from returning to Floyd time after time for new assignments, for the pay he offered was good. After a long time working for Floyd, he even offered me the use of some of his special equipment.
A few years later, I got another vision in my dreams. The vision told me I should go out into the wild and meditate for some time. Following these orders, I went deep into the Sendar forest where I spent the next 2 years living alone and meditating.
At the end of those two years, I received another message in my dreams. Surprisingly, the message seemed to come from a different entity. The voice in my dreams said 'You have shown yourself to be a good healer and you are strong in protecting others. Now it is time that you go out and teach others what you have learned. Go seek the clan of Adventurers and find a position there as a teacher.'

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A new mission
After some careful inquiries, I found that the Adventurers had their headquarters in Camaar. After the long trip along the coast from Sendar to Camaar, I set myself down at a table in the Adventurer's Tavern, where the tavern owner, Maewin, served me a strong cup of coffee. After having recovered from the trip, I set out into the town of Camaar, in search of the Adventurers' Clan Hall.
Once I arrived there, I introduced myself to Urmela and Wylset, telling them of my divine mission to teach young people of the world how to survive and how to get better. After a few long talks with both, I told them I would await their decision in a small room I had rented in the Lion.
Some days later, I received a note at the hostel, telling me I was accepted into the clan as a teacher. After a quick tour of the premises, I started my new job. My first assignment was to start gathering maps and related information on all major cities and regions of the world for the Adventurer Library that is still under construction.
During my quest to gather all the information possible about this world, I also continued to do work for Floyd whenever he had a job for me. This allowed me to travel all over the world, gather information needed for the library and still gain some money from the missions Floyd sent me on.
It was during this time that people started calling me The Questing Monk. Up to today, I still carry that title with pride, because it shows my dedication to the mission given to me by the gods.

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The Price of Information
While my previous diary entries dealt with my past life, from now on I'll keep an account of current affairs and adventures that come my way as I work my way through this world as a member of the Adventurers.
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| Day 1 |
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I received a note from Wylset yesterday. He has given me a new assignment.
"Our library is getting closer to completion. However, we still miss some vital information about Drasnia and it's direct surroundings. Go to Boktor and contact the guild of Merchants. They might have maps and other related information of the area. Beware though. They will negotiate heavily. Make sure you don't pay too much for their services."
Enclosed in the note was a sealed letter from Wylset, which was directed at Czrel, the clan lord of the Merchants. I was to deliver this letter which outlined in general terms what kind of information we needed from them.
After packing the most necessary items, I left the Adventurers' Clan Hall in Camaar. Taking passage with a caravan for added protection - there is safety in numbers - I left for the city or Muros from where I could take the Great North Road to Boktor.

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| Day 8 |
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We've been on the road for a week now and I'm getting worried. We are currently 2 days travel from Muros and I wonder when we are going to arrive. The rear axle of one of our wagons has broken and repairs are going slow. I am starting to suspect that someone is sabotaging the repairs.
Of course, I have no real proof of this, but something is not right here. I just can't put my finger on it though. Two of the other passengers on this caravan - a Sendarian called Kalron and a Drasnian by the name of Reldik - have been behaving a bit oddly of late. I guess I'll have to talk to the caravan leader about it. He should be informed.

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| Day 9 |
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Last night, my bad feelings were confirmed. We were faced with robbers. After I had informed the caravan leader of my suspicions, he decided to confront Kalron and Reldik with their actions and my suspicions. When we came to their tents though, they were empty and there was no trace of them anywhere. To me, this only confirmed my suspicion that they were up to no good and luckily, the caravan leader agreed with me. He ordered an immediate increase in the amount of guards that would stay awake during the night to protect the camp.
After casting some protective wards on the first shift of guards, I quickly sought out my bedroll to get some rest while I still could, because I expected trouble. My expectations were met because I woke up at the darkest hour of night to the sounds of battle. I quickly grabbed my dagger and carefully made my way over to where the noise came from.
Upon arrival at the battle scene, I quickly saw that it was a done deal. The fact that we'd been alerted that something might be wrong gave us the edge we needed. I saw that we had been attacked by a group of 5 robbers. They would have easily overpowered the normal 2 guards we had on station during the night, but now we had 4 guards, with the rest sleeping lightly.
When I arrived, I saw one robber had met an unfortunate ending by walking straight into the sharp point of a sword, while two others were being taken into custody with some serious wounds to their arms and chests. The other two were currently well on their way to the treeline, trying to make their escape. One of our guards turned out to be quite a decent archer, because he managed to hit one of the running robbers just before they reached the trees.
Turning to our side, I saw that two of the guards had some minor injuries. After tending to their wounds, I went over to the wagon where the two captured robbers were guarded. I dressed their injuries in the best way possible. We had managed to capture one of the two missing persons, namely Kalron. Reldik was apparently the only one that had managed to get away. After a short interrogation, it turned out their target was the wagon of a Nyissan potion-brewer that was also part of our convoy. He had come into the port of Camaar on a ship from Sthiss Tor and was on his way to Muros to sell his potions there. They had heard rumours that he was carrying some very rare poisons that would sell for very good prices to anyone in the trade.

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| Day 12 |
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After spending the entire day after the attempted robbery repairing the damaged wagon, we finally managed to get back on the road yesterday. The rest of the trip to Muros was uneventful and we arrived close to sundown today. After putting my gear in my hostel room, I went down to the common room of the hostel to see if I could get some information about a possible passage to Boktor.
I met a Drasnian salesman there, who, after a few beers, told me he was going back to Boktor in 2 days. I managed to persuade him to let me travel along with him. I had subtly given the indication that my business in Boktor was with the clan of Merchants, who had over the past months become a quite powerful faction in Boktor. This only helped to secure my "ride" to Boktor.

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| Day 20 |
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The trip to Boktor went a lot quicker than the first part of my journey. Part of this was because we were now traveling on horseback alone, while on the first part, we had the wagons, which could only move so fast because of their loaded weight. My travel companion had no goods to bring back. He sold his merchandise in Muros and couldn't find any "bargains" that fancied him, so he also sold his wagon to make the trip back lighter. Since he had a wagon drawn by 2 horses, I was basically helping him by riding one of the horses back to Boktor for him.
I checked into the Soaring Eagle Inn on arrival, known for its considerably better rooms than most of the inns and hostels in Boktor. I might not be rich, but I do prefer some comfort when I'm staying in a town.

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| Day 21 |
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Early this morning, I worked my way over to the market square of Boktor, where the Merchants clan hall was located. The guard refused to let me enter, even when I showed him the letter I had for delivery. He insisted I leave the letter with him and he would see that it were delivered to Czrel. Seeing no way to convince the Nadrak, I left the letter with the guard and told him where I could be contacted.

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| Day 24 |
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While I was wondering what Czrel would ask from me in return for the information, Czrel slowly leaned back in his chair and grinned.
'I'm not going to ask for gold or treasures. All I want from you is that you perform a service for me.' This left me even more boggled. What could he want from me? 'As Adventurers, you folk are more accustomed to "finding" specific things or people. I need you to track down someone for me.'
'You see, some months ago, one of our clan members, Chyre, had to go underground to evade the wrath of Drosta. It seems he didn't really appreciate the fact that she relieved him of some of his money. I received a message a while back that she's currently making some money selling alcoholic spirits, but where she is, nobody knows.' Czrel took a sip of water from a glass standing on the table before continuing.
'Drosta has been keeping quiet recently. I think he has forgotten all about this simple matter by now. Also, because enough time has passed since the incident, any bounty hunters have most likely also moved on to new and easier targets.' He glanced at me. 'Do note that Chyre is quite adept at disguises and could be quite difficult to find. I can't really send out a broad message that all's clear, because that would certainly draw attention back to her, which is the last thing we really want.' Czrel sighed. 'So that's the price, I ask from you. Find Chyre and bring her back to Boktor. If you succeed, you will have full access to our library.'
With that final note, Czrel bid me farewell after which I left the Merchants clan hall and went back to my room at the inn, furiously thinking how I could complete this quest successfully. Since I haven't been able to think of anything so far, I guess I'll go down to the common room of the inn, drink a few beers and think it over.

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The Search for Chyre
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| Day 25 |
'--------'

After waking up this morning, I went over the talk I had with Czrel again in my head. What he asked from my might actually be very difficult, if not impossible. I definitely wouldn't be able to pull this off on my own. I needed help. While thinking about this, I quickly came up with a name. Qethia might be able to help me. Her tracking skills might be especially useful for me in completing the task that Czrel had set for me.
I quickly grabbed a piece of parchment, my pen and a bottle of ink and set to writing.
'Qethia, my current assignment has gone outside the scope of my capabilities. I am going to need help in this quest. The matter at hand is too sensitive to subject to paper, so I'll have to tell you in person. Please meet me at the Soaring Eagle inn in Boktor, where I can fully brief you on the subject.'
I folded the message, sealed it and went off in search for a messenger who was willing to take the letter to the Adventurers Clan Hall in Camaar. After the messenger had left, I went into town to see if I could find some information at all about the sudden disappearance of Chyre without attracting too much attention to the matter.
Czrel had given me a short list of people that had had (in)frequent contact with Chyre to see if any of those had any clue as to where she had gone. One of these people, an old Drasnian lady, mentioned that Chyre had once given indication that she had a hideaway place somewhere in the direction of Nyissa. I filed away this piece of information for future reference.
Now all I had to do was await the arrival of Qethia in Boktor, which could take weeks, since the messenger had to get to the Clan Hall first, where the message would lie waiting until the next time Qethia checked in the hall. I hoped she wasn't too far away from Camaar currently.
With nothing much further to do, I went back to the inn for a few more mugs of foaming ale.

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Return to Camaar
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| Day 34 |
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Today was a bad day for me. I haven't been able to get much information out of the people of Boktor. Over the past 9 days, I have only heard the name of Chyre mentioned once. It seems she really disappeared from the face of the earth. I made up my mind. Tomorrow I will return to Camaar. I will send a second message ahead of me and make my way towards the Clan Hall in my own time. If Qethia is already on the way to Boktor, I will meet her on the way.

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| Day 35 |
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This morning, I left Boktor with a heavy heart. I have no idea if I'll even be able to find any trace of Chyre. Rumours go that she has been hiding somewhere in Nyissa. Of all places, it has to be Nyissa, of course. I don't know why, but that place just gives me the creeps. It might be the snakes, I never really liked snakes. But if that's the way she went, it's the way I'll go.

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| Day 41 |
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I've been making good time, already getting close to Muros. I have no real intention on staying there long... I want to get back to Camaar as quick as possible. I guess I'll sell my horse when I'm about 2-3 days walking from Camaar. I know a farmer around there who is usually willing to buy the horses of travelers. I don't think I'll make it to Camaar otherwise. My supply of money is running a bit low.

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| Day 48 |
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Yesterday, I sold my horse. The farmer gave me a fair price for it, I think. I continued on foot, which gave me the chance to possibly try and hunt for some food too. I'm not that good a hunter, but I can usually find myself enough food to last me through the day.
I had found the tracks of a wild pig and was following them through the bushes when suddenly, I stepped on a dry twig. I clearly hadn't been looking where I set down my feet. Straight away, I heard a voice coming from the road. "Alright, I know you are in there, come on out." These sudden sounds alerted the pig and he ran out from underneath a nearby shrub, dashing out towards the road.
When I finally made my way to the road, I noticed a man standing in the middle of the road, holding a rapier. I asked him "Did you see a pig coming by?" He turned around and I think he nearly attacked me before pointing in the direction of the darker parts of the forest.
Deciding it wasn't really worth chasing the pig into there, I turned my attention to the man standing before me. The first thing I noticed was that he looked to be but a few years younger than me. He gasped and said "You are one of the Adventurers!"
Taken by surprise, I said "Indeed I am. You know of my clan?" I hadn't met that many people out in the world yet who recognised the small tokens of identification we carried. "If you know of us, may I know your name? I might have heard of you."
I tried to conceal my surprise when the stranger told me his name was Ordici Rhellan. I had heard tales of him in the Adventurer Clan Hall. Apparently, I didn't quite succeed, since he said "I see you have heard of me." I told him I had and added that most people thought him to be dead.
I told him I was just on my way to Camaar, to which he asked if he could accompany me there. After a moment's consideration, I agreed. I could sense that he missed the Adventurers in some way but was also kind of hesitant to return. I just hoped that I could give him a nudge in the right direction.
He agreed and on that note, we decided to make our camp for the night since evening was fast approaching. We moved a bit into the forest and set up our camp. Tomorrow, we would be back in Camaar.

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Attack on an Adventurer
Darkness. Pain.
"Where am I?"
"What's going on?"
Voices in the distance. Cannot ... understand.
"What happened to me?"
Pain. Dizziness. Darkness.

"He's lucky to be alive", Qethia commented to Kataia as she checked over Aran's bandages. "If Gares hadn't found him then, he might've been dead an hour later."
"You’re right", Kataia replied, nodding pensively. "His injuries were serious indeed."
"He's been unconscious for more than 2 weeks now. I really hope he’ll get through this."
"At least the fever has gone down. And he stopped thrashing around in his bunk so much. I think the nightmares have lessened too."

"Any progress?" Wylset asked as Qethia walked out of the room, wiping her hands on an old rag.
"It's getting a little better every day. I have hope that within the next few days, he'll open his eyes again."
"Any new leads as to who did this?"
"Gares has tracked the men that did this to an old warehouse near the harbor. He's waiting there for us now. Tonight we'll make the strike and hopefully find out."

Light in the darkness. Just a pinprick of light.
I try to grasp the light, but my hands won't move.
Suddenly a flash. And I see .... "YOU!"
"I should have taken care of you the first time I found you snooping around."
"You foiled our attack and now it seems that the men I hired to take care of you haven't done their work. When you want something done right ..."
"Well, it won't matter much soon anyway. I've left your friends a nice surprise at the harbor. Maybe one of them will be able to keep himself intact long enough to tell you what happened."
A flash again. Followed by intense pain.
"Must .. be strong. Must .. warn them"

Kerowa sits besides Aran’s bed, wiping a wet cloth over his brows to keep his forehead cool.
Suddenly a hand grasps her arm, startling her. She gasps when Aran opens his eyes and, looking straight at her, utters three words before falling back on the pillow again into unconsciousness.
"Danger .. Harbor .. Trap!"

With a crash, the door of the Adventurers Lounge opens, allowing entrance to Kerowa who comes storming in, startling the Adventurers who were just packing up to leave towards the harbor.
"Don't go! It's a trap!" She shouts.
Wylset turns to her. "How do you know this?"
"He woke up! Aran actually woke up and spoke a few words. He said 'Danger harbor trap'."
"How does he know we were going to the harbor?"
"All the more reason not to go. Or at least .. change our plans."

Groaning softly, Aran opened his eyes, only to close them again quickly. The sunlight in the room was overwhelming after such a long time - "How long actually? I don't know .."
"How do you feel?" Aran blinked slowly, trying to determine the source of the voice.
Finally finding his voice, he turned his head towards her, wincing in pain as the movement stretches muscles that haven't been used in a while. "Who are you? Where am I?"
"I'm Kerowa. I'm a new member of the Adventurers. I was admitted when you were on your journey to Boktor."
"Together with some other Adventurers, we have been watching over you since Gares brought you back in to the clan hall."
"What happened? Why am I aching all over? Was I attacked? Who ..."
"Ssssst. You should rest. You’ve been unconscious for almost 3 weeks. Except for when you woke up to warn us."
"3 weeks?! Woke up? I can't remember a thing of that? I guess you're right. I suddenly feel very ... tired ..."
As darkness once again surrounded him, memories came flooding back.

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The Road to Recovery
"I'm going to fall!"
"No you're not. Just a few more steps. You can do it!"
"I'm too weak! I will fall if you don't support me!"
"Only 3 more steps, come on!"
"There's no way I'm going to make it!"
"Why not?"
"Because ... erm ..."
"See? You DID make it"
With a satisfied sigh, Aran drops himself onto the couch, a mere 6 feet away from the hospital bed where he started this last arduous journey.
Today had been the third day he had been allowed out of his bed by his group of non-compromising nurses. The first day he barely managed to stand up, the next day he had managed a few halting shuffles before Kerowa had to prevent him from falling facedown on the floor.
"Why does it have to be so difficult?"
"What do you expect? You were confined to your bed for 2 months!"
"But ... I want to go outside! I want to get back on the road!"
"I don't think you'll be doing much adventuring in the coming months."
"MONTHS? You HAVE to be joking! I'm sick of being stuck in this place!"
"I'm afraid this is no joke. As you can see, it took you 5 minutes to walk from your bed to this couch. If you want to go outside, I will get a wheelchair and roll you out to the clan hall garden."

With a sigh, Aran nodded.
"I guess you're right. I feel quite tired now, even though I only took a few steps. Ok, you win. Could you then at least bring me that blasted wheelchair that will be my companion for the next weeks? I would like to see the open sky for a change. I've been inside for way too long."
Kerowa nodded pensively. With a patient like this, the coming weeks were going to be filled with long hours and hard work.

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A new dedication
Darkness falls across the room as the last rays of the orange-red setting sun play across the ocean surface before disappearing completely as the sun drops behind the horizon. The slow flickering of two candles is the only light illuminating the figure kneeling on the soft rug covering the floor.
Barely audible over the chirping of various insects that announces the coming of twilight is the soft murmuring of the man.
Suddenly a soft light enters the room through one of the open windows, bathing the lone figure in a strange greenish glow. A deafening silence follows as even the insects outside hold their breath at what is about to occur.
Without even making the slightest sound, the solitary man falls from his kneeling stance and sprawls out on the floor, unconscious from the intensity of the encounter.

A soft but firm knock on the door alerted Wylset to the arrival of his appointment. Without looking up from the paperwork spread over his desk, he answered, "Enter!" A faint creak was all that betrayed the opening of the door. Glancing up, Wylset confirmed that the man limping in was indeed the person that had requested wanting to speak with him.
"Have a seat, Aran," he said, "that is, if you can find an empty seat. I think the one there in the corner has the least amount of paperwork on it. Just move that to the pile on the floor next to it. Those are just the weekly financial reports, they don't need a direct response."
"Thanks for having me here on such short notice, Wylset. I have some information I must share with you."
"It has to do with your meditation session, no doubt? We were starting to get a bit worried about you, you know. You lock yourself in your clan room and then it stays nearly completely quiet in there for 14 days. We were nearly ready to bash in the door to check if you were ok."
"I'm so used to my long meditation sessions, that I sometimes forget what effect they can have on others. But, yes, you are right. I wanted to speak to you about what happened last night."
"I'd definitely like to know what happened last night. We all felt it, you know. I had never felt such a powerful thing in my life."
"I have had visits by this entity before. I do not know exactly who or what it is. The first time I was visited by it, I was instructed to go to the Seline temple for training. This same 'something' commanded me to seek membership of this very clan."
"Intriguing... I assume it has set another task for you, then?"
"Actually, it seems to be two tasks. First of all, I’m to head off to Ulgoland and find my way into the underground caverns of the Ulgos. I'm supposed to meet the Gorim. I was informed that he has a task for me. Which is why I come to you. I need to take a leave of absence from the clan to serve."
"Of course. The timing isn’t really that great with all the new recruits coming in now, but I can't really deny you from following your God."
"I am not sure if it is my God speaking to me directly or if this is all done through some other entity, but when He commands, I have no choice but to obey. I thank you for your understanding."
An early summer morning, just as the sky in the east is starting to light up a bright orange, the doors of the Adventurer clan hall stables open with a soft groan. A head is seen, sticking out to quickly check the surroundings before a cloaked figure comes walking out the hall, leading two horses by their reins. One horse is saddled for riding, while the other is loaded with supplies.
After closing the stable door behind him, the man leads his horses away from the hall and towards the east door of Camaar.
Arriving at the east door, the man mounts his horse and rides off into the distance. The second horse obediently follows his master into the forest.
A new challenge might be around each corner. For this man, his adventures have only just begun.

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Journey to Ulgoland
The wind howled relentlessly across the barren mountain pass as the man trudged along it, leading his horses by their reins over the steep path. Dark clouds overhead gave a foreboding warning to the bad weather that was upcoming.
"I hope it'll stay dry for just a few more hours", the man muttered under his breath, "Something tells me that I'm almost there."
Within the next five minutes however, the rain started coming down in near torrential streams, completely drenching the figure, despite his heavy protective cloak. Finally reaching the peak, the man descended into one of the many small valleys that littered the high mountains of Ulgoland. Slowly he made his way, following a small path that was currently turning into a little stream.
About halfway down the valley, somewhere around the widest point, the man made a left turn, following a trail leading into a small thicket of trees nestled along the valley wall. At the far end of the thicket, leaning against the vertical rise of the mountains bordering the valley, was a little cabin. Despite the fact that it seemed to have been built out of raw logs and looked uninhabited, the cabin was in remarkable condition.
The last bits of light were fading into dusk as the man approached the cabin, and softly knocked on the door. Muted noises were heard inside as someone came toward the door, which opened a fraction, allowing the person inside to see who was standing outside. After a few seconds, the door opened far enough to allow the man and his horses’ entrance before closing again.
Once inside, the man looked around in amazement as the little cabin turned out to stand straight in front of the mouth of a cave. Turning to the other person, surprise registered on his face as he saw not one, but two Ulgo women stand before him, clothed in their traditional garb, with cloths bound across their eyes to protect them from the faint glimmer of daylight that was still out there.
"We have been expecting you. The Gorim has sent us to bring you to him," one of the two women spoke. "But let us stable your horses first. There is a side-cave a little further which has been fitted for horses. We use this entrance mostly when the Algars come to visit us."
After rubbing down the horses and making sure they were well cared for, the man followed the two women further into the cave, which started to slowly decline after a few hundred meters. The twisting and turning passage quickly caused the man to lose all sense of direction. More and more he got the feeling that the walls were closing in on him, yet every time he extended his arms, the curving hallway still seemed to be as wide as before.
After what seemed like an eternity, the hallway suddenly widened, admitting the party of three into a large cave. A soft glow could be seen from hundreds of little pinpricks in the distance. The two women didn’t linger, however and quickly they moved to one of the many openings that dotted the sides of this cave.
Several more dark tunnels and gloomy caves followed each other until the man had lost count exactly how many caves he had seen. At one point they even used a small boat to cross a section of underground lake that had completely filled one of the caverns.
At last, they came to their destination. As they crossed the marble bridge to the island containing the strangely shaped house of the Gorim.
The Gorim stood in front of his house, awaiting the man and his guides. He gestured towards the entrance of his quarters.
"Please come in, Aran. I've been expecting you. We have a lot to talk about."

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The Journey Continues
The Gorim sat down on one of the marble benches that lined his island. "I must say I'm glad that you have been sent our way, Aran. You've given me a whole new insight into our God from your Sendarian perspective." He paused to take a drink of water from a artfully carved silver cup. "However, our time together must come to an end. Although the past days have not been wasted, you were called to us for a reason."
"Recently, there have been more and more reports of cave-ins in some of our more remote caverns. When our people investigate the site of the collapse, they find bodies. Murgo bodies."
"Intriguing. Do you have any idea why the Murgos are going into those caverns?"
"Not much yet. As it is, those caves were abandoned centuries ago by our people because of the instability of the structure. The strangest thing of all is probably that every body we've uncovered so far wore Grolim robes."
"That makes it slightly worrying. With the ages of Ulgo inhabitancy of these caves, sometimes not everything might have been taken along when a cavern had to be suddenly evacuated because of a cave-in hazard?"
"You are absolutely right. And I've recently got my fears confirmed by a message from Boktor. A murder was committed recently in the Melcene Office of the Merchants Clan. The weapon found bore Ulgo patterns and when I first cast my eyes on the blade, my heart nearly stopped. Before me lay an ancient Ulgo relic, believed long lost by many, called the Blade of Sanctity."
"I am very sure that dagger was lost in a cavein almost 3000 years ago. I fear that this blade was recovered recently by the same Grolims that have been raiding our caves. The fact that it was left at the scene of the murder either means the killer had no idea about the identity of the dagger or - and this is maybe even more frightening - he does know and left it there as a very clear message."
"We must assume the worst, in which case, the person who committed the murder and the people that stole the dagger are most likely linked. I would ask of you to please travel to Melcene to help the Merchants to solve this murder. In doing so, you might also find out who are invading our caverns and what they are after. If it so happens that the murderer had no idea of the significance of this dagger, we will at least have eliminated one thread of this tangle web."
"You will travel to Yar Nadrak, where you will find a dancer called Kadirae. You will have to buy her. She will guide you to Melcene. I have arranged with some of our diviners to find some rare metals and precious gems for you to bring along so you can purchase the dancer."

Dusk was enveloping the little village of Aldurford as the lone traveller with his two horses worked himself along the Great North Road towards Boktor. Deciding the village would be as good a place to rest as the next Tolnedran Hostel, he steered his horse onto the road leading towards the village. His pack horse trudged along behind him.
Warmth and light greeted him when he opened the door to the town's only tavern, unfortunately accompanied by the always present smell of sweat, stale ale and vomit. Carefully walking around one of the locals that lay unconscious on the floor, Aran made his way to the bar.
"I'd like to get a room for the night, with dinner and a jug of your best ale, innkeeper."
"We only have 1 room left available and it's our best room too. It will cost you 12 silver for the room, 2 more for a meal and 3 brass pennies for the ale."
"You have to be joking me... I will pay no more than 8 silver. And that includes the meal and the ale."
"Are you trying to rob me blind? The room is 12 silver, but for you, I will add the food and beer for free"
Aran took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"Innkeeper, I am no unsuspecting traveler you can try and swindle. Why don't we settle on 9 silver for the room, dinner and beer. I'll even pay you 10 if you include breakfast."
Nervously, the innkeeper glanced at the two sharp daggers stuck on either side of Aran's belt and nodded.
"10 silver it is then. I'll have my servant show you your room"

The next morning, a muttering man and his two horses plodded alongside the Great North Road away from Aldurford.
"Best room of the house ... sure ... it certainly had the best fleas in the mattress. I think they took the feed for my horses OUT of the mattress too before they let me in the room. The floor might've been more comfortable. It wouldn't have been so bad if the food had at least been decent, but I think he let his stable boy do the cooking too."
Cold, hungry and miserable, Aran worked his way to Boktor, only to turn east along the North Caravan Route to Yar Nadrak. He had an appointment with a dancer.

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A perilous crossing?
*SPLASH*
With a sudden jerk, Aran sat upright and looked around him with a bewildered look on his face.
"What's going on? Why am I all wet? Where am I? What .."
"Ssst, take it easy .. one question at a time please."
"Oh, it's you."
Aran breathes a sigh of relief as he recognises Reidia, uh wait, Kadirae, sitting next to him. Suddenly things are coming back.
"Ok, I remember we're on our way to Melcene. But that doesn't explain why I am sitting here, completely drenched in cold water."
"Well, I better start at the beginning .."
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(1 week before)

Aran wiped his brow with a stained cloth and groaned.
"Ohhhh, I am definitely not feeling well."
He had barely spoken the words before another wave of nausea hit him, causing him to bend over the railing again to deposit some more of his most recent lunch into the salty water of the Sea of the East.
A chuckle could be heard behind him. Aran turned around to see Kadirae and Taorin grinning at him.
"What's the problem? Our priest doesn't have sea legs?"
"I don't have any problem with my legs. I think I just don't have a sea stomach!"
Huge waves of laughter accompanied the moaning figure as he once again fed the fishes.
"I just can't stand this anymore! We've only been at sea for 6 hours, but already I am completely fed up with it."
"I might have a solution for you, but I don't think you will like it."
"I'd do anything to get rid of this seasickness!"
"Anything? Ok then."
"Ehm, do I really want to know this?"
"I think you better. This is not something to be treated lightly, really."
"Ok, spill it."
"There is a Nyissan drug .."
"Nyissan drug? No way! I am NOT touching that stuff!"
"Well, it's the only solution I have for your predicament. Anyway, there is a Nyissan drug which will not get rid of the seasickness as is, but it will basically knock you out for the remainder of the trip."
"I don't like the sound of that. What if I don't wake up again?"
"The drug is completely safe, really."
"Safe? You call something that knocks me out for a week SAFE? I’ll .. oh my .."
Reidia sits back with an amused smile on her face.
"When you're done regurgitating, maybe you will consider the alternatives. Either you take a chance and take this potion, or you can continue to dump your stomach contents overboard every hour."
"You really know how to drive a bargain .. Give me that potion!"
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"And how long have I been out?"
"8 days. Slightly longer than I had expected, but you seem to have gotten no ill effects from it."
"8 DAYS!? And when did we arrive in Mallorea?"
"2 nights ago, we managed to find an abandoned fisherman's hut to take refuge in while you were still 'asleep'. Now, I bet you're hungry. There's some fish stew in that pot. Help yourself."
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(2 days later)
Orange-red rays played across the calm ripples of the Sea of the East as the sun set behind the horizon of the Mallorean Continent. Several figures carefully mounted their horses and slowly, quietly, made their way east. The road ahead would prove a long and perilous journey before they would finally see the Melcene Isle.

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