Chapter 1 - Arrival



The road came out of the wood, the green canopy having hidden the sky for the last half of the day revealing a hill beyond which, according to the caravan master, stood the village of Greenest. Hrodulf sat on the bench directly behind the buckboard, Grimnir resting across his knees as the driver beside him chattered to the elf sat between them.

The driver's chatter faltered and he halted the wagon as the smell of smoke assaulted their nostrils. Two, no, three pillars of smoke rose from beyond the brow of the hill "that don't look good" he stated obviously. The caravan captain rode up on his horse and said "Go on you two... Time to earn your pay" waving a hand imperiously at Hrodulf and the Elf whose name was Morfindion.

Hrodulf jumped down, rolled his shoulders and stalked towards the brow of the hill at a half crouch. Reaching the brow he looked down on the village on the other side of the hill. The village itself seemed to have grown up around a keep with a round tower and a curtain wall with a few larger buildings scattered amongst the smaller homes of the villagers. The only other stone built building appears to be a temple of some kind, a mill sat by a stream to the southwest of the keep and a two story half timbered building, an Inn by the looks of things stood on the north side of the small village square.

Several of the houses were aflame, their thatched rooves, damp from the recent rains sputtered fitfully and sent pillars of dark grey smoke into the late evening sky. As Hrodulf looked on he could see figures moving in the town but at this distance it was hard to tell if they were villagers or attackers.
A tearing sound ripped through the sky above them and a dark, winged shape crossed in front of the rising moon before screaming, turning and diving at the keep, a cascade of blue white lightning pouring forth from its gaping maw to rake the walls of the keep "oh shit, a dragon!"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chapter 12 - A figure on the horizon

Image
As they crested the first hill a single figure could be seen coming back along the same route that the army had taken, it appeared to either be wounded or old as it was leaning heavily upon a staff and making slow progress. "We should investigate Hrodulf" Morfindion whispered needlessly as the figure was still too far away to hear what might have been said. Hrodulf grumbled saying "the quicker we get this over with the quicker I can get back and try my luck with Linan" at which Morfindion looked at him as if trying to work out if he was being serious or not. As they closed the distance it became clear that the figure was a woman, relatively young but injured with a ragged bandage wrapping her leg and bruising starting to appear beneath one eye. "Ho friend!" Morfindion called out once the distance had been almost closed "you look as if you have been in the wars... What news have you of the road ahead?" I  hear that you intend to follo...
Read more

Chapter 11 - The Hunt...

Image
Morfindion looked out at the fields that surrounded the southern side of the village of Greenest, the rolling hills and copses of trees, a look of bewilderment on his face "How are we going to track them down to their encampment?" he asked of no one in particular. Hrodulf looked at him sceptically and then laughed, a laugh that came from deep within his belly and filled with genuine mirth "You aren't joking are you? Where have you been living all your life? in a cave or something?"he asked the haughty looking Elf. A twitch, almost too small to see appeared on Morfindion's face as the question hit an apparently raw nerve but Hrodulf ignored it saying "Well if I am going to be doing the tracking I am definitely going to be having all of the reward... what are you here for? Muscle?" he said with a feral grin enjoying the wounded look that briefly lit the Elf's features. "There is a trail Elf, one that even a blind man might be able to...
Read more

Chapter 6 - When is a door not a door?

Image
A cold fury burned within Hrodulf's eyes, a twitch pulling at the muscles of his face as he adjusted his grip on the axe he named Grimnir. He rose silently and charged towards the group clustered at the door, action being the answer to the question Morfindion had asked. Grimnir whistled as it rent the air cutting the thread of life from one of the cultists and burying itself in the neck of a Kobold. Morfindion followed up behind and once he got close launched a spell that covered the other human with a green spray that caused him fall to the floor jerking and spasming in his poisoned death throes. The remaining Kobolds seemed to not quite understand what was going on until it was too late, Grimnir swung again, rending the air, drinking their blood and spraying it across the rear door of the temple. Two more lay dead at Hrodulf's feet, no sound issuing from his lips that were drawn back from his white teeth. Morfindion stabbed at one of the remaining Kobolds cutting ...
Read more