Chapter 1, in which a band of Adventurers gather, and there is an ominous foreboding

Red Un
Red Un was bored. He had read all the books in his library, but still hadn't found out where the Secret Sword of Ultimate Pain laid, or where the Lord of Demons rested, or if a tree made a sound when it fell in the woods and nobody was there to hear it. He did what any bored dwarf (or half-dwarf for that matter) would do. He went down to Jimbin’s pub. He took with him a very old book with unreadable text.

"Let's see now..."

Red Un sat down at a table with a large mug of beer and opened the book.

"They said that this was unreadable and useless..."

He flipped the pages. They were filled with dots, broken letters and strange paragraphs.

"Hmm...if you take this line here...and that dot..."

He took out a pen and started to translate. After a while, he read what he had translated. Then he started to translate again.

After a while, he went to the depot, packed his things and started to go towards Thais. When he finally arrived there, he took out a parchment and put it up on the wall at the crossroads. Then he walked in to Frodo’s place. On the parchment these words were written:
"JOIN IN THE QUEST FOR LOST KNOWLEDGE
REASONABLE PAYMENT
GREAT ADVENTURE
BRING YOUR MAGIC AND SWORD
Ask Red Un at Frodo’s for more information."

Vodok
A dwarf with a big sack over his shoulder walked into Thais. He broke off in a run (though it wasn’t too fast because of his short legs) and he finally reached the depot. He put in his sack in his depot and took out his back pack of beer. "Hmmmm... should I go and "acssedently" spill some beer on some people from a roof or should I go to Frodo's and get drunk? Tough question... I'll take both I think." So the dwarf went to the crossroads, and spilled beer all over a knight who just came from the island Rookgaard. Then he continued as planned to Frodo's. He entered the tavern where he saw a dwarf in a corner who seemed to be expecting someone. He walked over to the dwarf and yelled right in his ear "ARE YEH WAITIN' FOR SUMMIN' TER 'APPEN??? EH?" "What the???" became the answer to the dwarf’s question. The dwarf that was sitting at the table didn’t seem to happy about being yelled in the ear from two inches. He took a deep breathe and yelled back two inches from the new-come dwarf:


Red Un
"FIRST OF ALL, I'M A HALF-DWARF! AND DAMN PROUD OF IT!"

Red Un calmed down.

"Secondly, yes I am waiting for a good hero (like myself) to come by. If ya see one, let me know." he added sarcastically.

Vodok
"Wh'ver yeh say, halfy. If yeh'll get rich o' goin' there I'm comeing with yeh. 'K?"
Then before waiting for an answer he started again "Right... Lets see. If I die, what 'appens 'en? Yeh'll pay for me tomb stone an' bury me in Kazordoon, right? An' I want a certain 'mount o' gold even if we dont find no treasure, 'k?" Then as before without waiting for an answer he continued. "Good, 'en we’ve gotta deal 'ere. Oh yeah, I get 50 procent of the gol', right? Le's just wait for sum more dwarfs."

Red Un
Red Un was looking out the window.

"Oh, did ya say anything? I'm still looking for a brave hero. If you see one, tell me."

He got an angry look from Vodok.

"Oh, ya wanna join?"

Then Red Un remembered what Vodok had said.

"First of all, you have to sign this contract."

He held out an old piece of paper. It read:

”ADVENTURING CONTRACT
By signing this contract I accept that Red Un will always have first pick on any treasures (or books) that might be found during the adventure which I, by signing this contract, promises to take part in. I also know that Red Un cannot be held responsible for any injuries, deaths, or horrible fates that no sane creature should know of. I also promise to never back down, be heroic, brave, friendly and any other things that Red Un will see fit in the future.”

"Sign at the bottom please..."

Vodok
"Not 'cause I can read or summing but I can read the word "treasure" an' it seems tar have that word in and I can' spell me name so Ill sign it with thar on'y word I can spell, Treasure." So the small dwarf ripped the quill from the half dwarf and wrote the word "Treasure" all over the piece of paper. "HEY!!! DON’T RUIN MY CONTRACT!!” the half-dwarf screamed. "An' I signed it di'n' I?” The short dwarf answered calmly.

Lugin
Malva was passing through Thais on her way to examine the old lighthouse south of the town. The weather was very bad with rain hammering the cobbled pavement and you could hear a thunderstorm not too far away. This was a perfect day to examine the lighthouse, Malva thought, as it was bound to be someone there who could unlock the door.

As she passed by Sam's smithy she felt an awful smell, and immediately knew that Red Un was close. She stepped into Frodo's tavern and just as she thought her friend was sitting there with beer in his beard. She took of her wet robe and hung it on a chair next to Red Un (the drippings from the robe soon made the floor around the chair all wet), but she remained standing as she was looking on a paper in front of Red Un. She had not read much before another dwarf appeared and wrote some letters that she could not interpret over the entire paper, the dwarf also managed to spill a lot of ink from an inkwell that made the paper unreadable.

”A lot of short people here today I can see . What business do you have here in Thais my dear friend, I though you hated this town more then all Goblins in the Femur? Save me from the storm outside and tell me what brought you here .

Red Un
Red Un looked down on what was left of his contract, sighed and threw it in a nearby dustbin.

"Ah, my dear Malva Willow, if it isn't you. Yes, I dislike this city as much as anyone else, but I know that among all the scum..."

He looked over at Vodok.

"...there are a good strong adventurer or two, which I will need in my quest for...well, I will tell what it's about when I have enough heroes here. Maybe ya wanna join? We could use a good healer."

Raydude
I slammed the door shut. A sudden storm made me seek shelter. I looked around and saw a Red Un. "HEY I heard you were looking around for someone daring, strong, and full of magic. well I don’t have any of that stuff but my help as an extra sword may come in handy even if it ain't so strong" I said in a very fast voice as I sat down. "So what do I do to join in this fun?"


Red Un
Red Un sighed.

"Well, I guess I have to lower my expectations a little."

He looked at Raydude.

"Okay, you're in if ya want to. Just sit down and wait."

Dalafor
...see the group from a corner. A little grin in the beard.
-Fun group of dwarves, and m'lady Malva, I can see. Can I join your little party? I heard something bout old knowledge and books, and if there’s a thing I love it’s knowledge (and strange tomes)
-So where we need to go to?


Vodok
"M'kay now we see tar 'ave 'nough people to go to where ever were goin' tar dont we? An' Halfy, ain’t them new guys gonna sign this contract that you just chucked in the dus'bin?"


Zacca
-walks in- "Hey,mind takin' and elf with ya'? I’m pretty strong and I'll come in handy.

Red Un
Red Un looked around at the group.

"Okay, first of all, if Vodok ever calls me 'halfy' again, the others of you will have to hold me down, or there will be violence on a scale you have never seen before."

He took a sip from his beer.

"Aye, this seems to be a good group. Perhaps I should tell you what we are going to do now. I'm just goin' outside to take down the scroll (or what's left of it). Maybe I will find some more good adventurers. You all stay here and have a drink or a meal..."

He looked over at Vodok.

"...or a haircut or something..."

He walked out in the rain to take down the scroll he had put up outside.

Roku Yarit
The Sorcerer calmly lights the fireplace in his home in Carlin harbor. With a long silk cloth laid on the floor and four runes holding it down, his eyes travel to Thais. The strange speech of Vodok brings a bleak grin to his cold expression. Picking his staff up off the floor and packing up his runes and cloth, he opens the door and walks out into the fresh sea air.
"Captain," he yelled over the squacking of drunks. "Tonight we sail for Thais."

The captain looked at Roku with grim amazement. "Master Yarit? Well ain’t this a surprise to see you walking about in the day. It must be rather important ain’t it?"

Roku rolled his eyes and brushed his beard lightly with his withered hand, quickly covering it up afterwards with his red robes. "Yes, It is important. Now make haste, we leave immediately. Oh and please tell Detlin to keep watch over my household while I am away."

"As you wish, Master Yarit." The Captain rushed off to rally his men from the taverns and send word to the Archer, Detlin, also known as Detlin the Dark because of his constant stern expression and thick black hair.

Roku stood on the deck of the ship and held a blank rune in the palm of his hand. Without muttering a word, it reshaped into a white colour and a insignia appeared on the smooth surface. He placed the rune on the mast and secured it gradually so it would not move out of place. "Journeys end to beggars plight..."


Lugin
Malva follows Red Un out to have a little private talk with him. She is almost whispering.
"-An adventure you say... is it going to be dangerous?"
As Red Un have a few nails (that was holding the scroll up) in his mouth he reply only with a slight nod.
"Oh, bummer!", Malva said and looked a bit scared. "I was hoping we could only raid some Goblin- or troll caves. Are you going with on this dangerous quest?"
Once again Red Un answers with a slight nod.
"Double bummer! Well, I guess I have to come with and make sure you do not get yourself killed again...
I did not bring very many runes though, as I was only going to observe the storm from the lighthouse. Are you sure this is a good day to seek adventure on? The rain could prove to be far more dangerous then any pack of wolves ever could be."
All of a sudden the clouds seem to vanish and the sun shines though and begins to dry the lands up.
"Tripple bummer! I'm out of excuses. I'll be ready to depart when you are."
Here Malva returned to her chair with the robe hanging on it. She looks suspicious at Vodok as she checks so that nothing is missing in the pockets. She seems satisfied with the result, puts the robe on and waits for the others to get ready.

Red Un
Red Un pulled out the last nail and threw the poster in another nearby dustbin. Then he returned inside to Frodo’s.

"Let's just wait a little more. I can't tell you why, but I have a feelin' that there will be at least one more hero to join our merry group soon..."

Mystical Warrior
-walks in- "Aye, you wouldn’t be going out there if I were you"

"there has been reports of the fiendest creatures out there landlubbers"

"if your looking for that ole sword thing, you might want to check at thee cavern of the behemoths or the heroes."

"thee are thee ones who will have this sword landlubbers"

Vodok
"Yeh say heroes, do yeh? But accordin' tar Shorty, we're waitin' for some of them." The very thick dwarf said very thickly. Zacca pushed Vodok out of his chair and started to talk to the knight. "So... What hero or behemoth cave are we talking about? He started casually as though she didn’t really care. "Well it depends..." the knight answered slyly. Then suddenly the dwarf got up and pushed Zacca away, then he took up a platinum coin and held it in front of the knights nose then automatically the knight started to speak. "In Edron" then he snatched the coin and put it in his bag.


Red Un
Red Un decided that it was time to tell his group what was actually his plan.

"Everyone, QUIET! Thank you."

He drank the last of his beer and took out the old book he had brought along.

"Ahem. We are goin' on a quest to find the Library of Legends, the great cave that stretches for miles, with shelves filled up with every written word of the past, the present..."

He made a dramatic pause.

"...and the future. But first of all, we need to find the Key to this library. My research..."

He held up the book.

"...has led me to believe that this Key is located in an (until now) unknown cave under the Jakundaf Desert. Therefore, I suggest that you bring along lots of beer, lemonade, water or any kind of drinkable fluid. Some antidotes would probably also be useful."

Red Un got on his feet and walked over to the door.

"You will have this day to prepare yourselves. When you all are ready, we will meet here again. Everyone got that?"

He opened the door. It had stopped raining now, and a new day was coming.

Raydude
"man I better get a lot of gold. I’m using up 5 k on this trip" I said as I walked out in order to go buy some runes

Dalafor
...with a hard concentration showed in his face>
-Library of Legends. It was just a tale for li’ll students and now seems real We have a lot to do and sure it wont be a easy task. Well, I think I’ll end the book I was reading. Seems I wont have time lately.



Red Un
Red Un walked out from Frodo’s and looked at the sun rising. Then he noticed a man standing beside him. The man was very old. He wore a white robe with a rope as a belt, was slightly hunched and had a long, white beard. He opened his mouth and spoke with a thin, raspy voice.

"Aaah, ye 'r lookin' for th' ancint' library eh?"

Red Un looked surprised.

"How did ya know that, old man?"

"Hee hee, I kno' many things...I jest lisn'd at the wind'w...I tell ye one thin' ha'f-dwa'f, ye bett'r not tell 'nyone 'bout it...many ears a' lisn'...hee hee...th' dark star will rise...yes, 't will, Red Un...hee hee..."

Red Un tried to walk away from the strange man, but a bony arm flied out and gripped his shoulder tightly.

"Yeah...ye be sorry...hee hee...th' priests 'll find ye...SINNER!...Hee hee hee! SINNER!"

Red Un got out of the firm grip of the raving old man and walked away quickly. The old man kept yelling at him.

"SINNER!...Hee hee...they'll fin' ya! THEY'LL FIN' YA!"