In the Shadow of Kundar (Menace) 16/7
Jul 16, 2019 23:00:58 GMT
Nuno (Rholor), Ghesh, and 4 more like this
Post by Ian (Menace) on Jul 16, 2019 23:00:58 GMT
Menace wanders through the alleys of Port Ffirst, toward the docks. The tails of his greatcoat are trailing behind him, causing small twirls of dust to rise into the air behind his every step. He can already smell the sea – salty and tangy, mingled with the aromas of rot and dung of the town. He finds this quite fitting in a poetic way, as the place where ocean and land embrace creates a new, pungent fragrance – not unlike the inhabitants of this place, who manage to eke out a modestly profitable existence at the edge of the great water, between the land and endless possibility.
As he strolls out onto the boardwalk in front of a number of decrepit warehouses, he is being greeted noisily by a large gaggle of dirty children. “Mr Mace, Mr Mace!!” they shout. He throws open his arms in welcome and treats them to his winning, toothy smile. “Ahh, my friends! So good to see you all here!” He inspects the group – the usuals among the local urchins; some poor, some orphaned, roaming the alleys alone or in small bands, begging, thieving, and, when they can find one, doing the odd job for the tradesmen and dockworkers, fishermen and merchants. The lucky ones may grow big and strong enough to eventually get noticed and taken on as a steady hand at the docks – no one much cares what happens to the small and weak ones that aren’t so lucky.
Except for Menace.
“Where have you been Mr. Mace?” asks one of the little ones.
“Aaah, I have just returned from a trip to the mountains of Kundar! A fascinating journey that was.”, Mace informs them jovially, “would you like to hear it?” he asks, to raucous cheers from the little crowd.
“It all started with a pamphlet I found outside the Seashank tavern, asking for a group of skilled individuals who would be willing to accompany an archeologist on a research expedition to Kundar and its mountains. Naturally, I followed up on it, for who else would help that poor scholar, and is skilled on top of it?” Noone! The children laughingly chanted. Nodding sagely, Menace continues his tale.
“A small group of adventurers assembled, led (quite naturally) by myself, and we discussed our terms with the nervous little kobold that turned out to be our employer. There were two other tieflings, spellcasters they were; a hafling bard; and a human mercenary. I let the kobold believe that the largest of our group was the leader, but of course you see, this was just a rouse, for me to pull the strings in the background.” Menace informs his giggling entourage.
“But why did you go out of the town at all Mr. Mace?” asked one of the larger children.
“Why, for gold of course! If there is an ancient ruin to discover, there must be gold there – eeeveryone knows that!” Menace explains, accompanied by nodding heads, “and what is life without gold? What is there really?” he says, pausing for effect, “So we head out toward Kundar’s mountains and we find the old ruin the kobold told us about. But inside, we find it is filled to the brim, the brim I say! With even mooore kobolds! Wild those were, crudely armed, standing between us and the treasure we knew must be in there. At first, I tried to reason with the brutes, but alas, they only understood the language of cold steel…”
“So did you find the treasure?” the inquisitive child asked. Menace takes special note of that one, Carl if his memory serves; He has an eye for talent.
“No, my little friend! Because before we could find it, there appeared… a DRAGON!!” Menace roars, to shocked gasps from the little crowd.
“What happened next? Did you kill the dragon??” the children ask excitedly.
Menace thoughtfully purses his lips and strokes his chin. “no, we parlayed with it. It was quite the beast I tell you, but not without reason. It wanted us to investigate a forsaken crypt under the ruin, over which grows a cursed tree that drinks blood and writes infernal verses with its branches! Quite a sight, I tell you. However, we could not agree with the dragon on a price for our services, and we did not think we were sufficiently prepared to slay the beast then and there. So… we left.” Menace concludes, to stunned silence. “But”, he claps his hands for emphasis, “this will not be the end of this story, my friends, oh no! I shall return there and slay that beast, and claim its hoard for myself!” He finishes, to rising applause and excited chatter. “Thank you for listening, you have been a great audience”, he says, smiling at their infatuation.
“But now, my little birds, having told you my story, do tell me of yours! What has happened here in my absence? What have you seen and overheard from the merchants? Did you see the Lenoirs’ boys? Or those of the countess? What are they up to? Do tell me... eeeeverthing…” he says, pulling another loaf from his coat of many pockets, distributing it to the children who provide him with information.
The chunky heel he hands to Carl with a wink, ruffles his hair and whispers to him “come back and see me when you want to work; I am sure I will have a job for you… I can always use a smart boy like you.”