Twilight of the Heroic Age (Inactive)

Game Master Simeon

His mother, unable to bear the shame, threw herself from the lighthouse onto the shoals below. Erick was left to the mercies of the city's orphanages, his family's dishonor slowly sending him to worse and worse orphanages, until he finally ended up in the Dragon's Teeth, where no doubt he'd have grown up to be a criminal, had not fate intervened once again, perhaps to make up for it's last cruel touch.

Garvin Marshant, an Emissary of the Order of the Rose was sent to the city by his order chapterhouse to see to settling issues between nobles, as things had been getting more and more bloody as time went on with the infighting.

Sir Marshant was in the habit of hiring street urchins for use in the cities he frequented, sending them on errands, asking them about local information, and watching people for him. He hired the young Erick, and was impressed by Erick's quick mind and developing prowess. Hearing about his past from someone else, he took the boy on as a squire, and thus Erick went on an odyssey that would span the next 10 years, squire to Marshant.

They spent two years in Garlan, helping to avoid a major outbreak of violence in the area. It was while living here and working with Sir Marshant that Erick met Tendir Quickfingers, a young gnomish gunsmith.

She found Erick's fascination with firearms charming, and the boys unceasing curiosity very gnomish. She even eventually taught the boy the knowledge of gunsmithing, and gave him an antique dragon enscribed pistol as a fare travel present when he and his master left.

There was also a period of three years spent in Seng, working with the new Empress who had just won back the throne after an attempted coup. During his stay there, Erick learned to use armor and weapons like none he'd ever seen before, but he still dressed like he was in Aurialys, blending the two in a manner no-one had seen till then or since.

Finally, 18, Marshant took him to an Order Chapterhouse, to have him fully inducted into a Cavalier Order. But rather than sponsor him to his own order in Chelliax, Marshant sponsored him to the Order of the Tome in Talden, which was a much better fit for the questing mind of the young cavalier.

Erick found the Order of the Tome much more to his frame of mind than the Order of the Rose, and gained skills rapidly under their tutelage and training. His breadth of knowledge spread rapidly, and his training finally came together. He'd never been very good at animals, although he learned the minimum necessary to get by, even learning to fight from horseback (despite never quite catching on to how to convince them he was a friend).

Having completed his journeyman requirements, and now an official Cavalier of the Order of the Tome, Erick had finally gone out into the world to earn his keep as a Cavalier. While adventuring was 'out of fashion', all the jobs they used to do were still done, just under a different name. Bodyguard, emissary, hired muscle, it amounted to much the same thing, just different facets of the same thing.

The winds blow cold over the river bank, the leaves where coming off the trees early this year and down by the river docks men where dressed for the cold. This early only a few of the river barges where being unloaded. There contents being stacked on the kie side before carts could take them off to the warehouse higher up the hill. The Town of Rivierlay was small, no more than 300 souls, most linked by blood to marriage to the 5 or so trading families that had grown up making coin here.

Standing on one of the barges that had just come in was an odd looking woman, She was tall, over 6' with a very formal looking uniform. It stood out form the goudey clothing the river folk liked so much. It was simple, functional and with out ornate frills. The other things that made this woman stand out was the lack of obvious weapons. There was no sword handing form a belt. Or large black power fire arm. She looked unarmed and unarmoured. But that did not point her out as other, what did was the utter lack of movement, A stillness to the point of not blinking. She stood next to the Stream Engine operator as he cut power to the large paddle wheel. A hiss of steam came out the copper vessel behind him. He moved to one side, but the woman did not even register a twich. The Barge costed to the docs, and as rope was thrown, a bump as barge meet dock. This signalled her movement, soundlessly she walked over deck and with a step was on wooden dry land. She did not stop, buy walked past boxes and Kei men to the dirt road that ran into town. The few up early, heading to temple or work, looked at her as she past. Curiosity mostly then on back into their lives. She walks pass school house, inn, Bakers, bank, until at last she same to a Cobblers. A small wood house with a single glass window made of smaller glass and lead panels. In the window where a number of boots, slippers and shoes. The door next to the window opened and a small man came out, a gnome, his hair and body gray, He was carrying a ladder and a large boot made as a sign for his shop. He glanced at her but paid no need as he proceeded place the ladder next to his house and clime up. Hooking the large boot on two hooks hanging over the door. She watched him do this, then in an odd Synthetic voice said.

"Golderan Silverbook, cobbler of The Town of Rivierlay?"

From the ladder his voice came down.

"Yes that's me, you need some footwear miss?"

But she ignored his question and her hand went into her uniforms long Coat. It came back out with an odd looking handgun. With a step she was behind him, lifting the gun up to the back of one nee, and there was a whining sound before she blow a large hole throw it. He screamed in pain as he fell off the ladder, landing hard in his side, hands clutching his ruined nee. Another step and she was over him, bending down she place the odd gun to his temple and blow his brains out. His body became a dead weight and flopped to the floor like a sack of wet meat. There where screams now form the street, locals opening shops came out to see what had happened. Soon some 20 odd locals where looking at her.

She bent and placed her gun on the ground and stood back up.

"Inform the local constable"

She said to the group as a hole. Someone did because soon the the local constable and what looked to be local guard as well. Guns and swords out and ready.

The constable came to ward her,

"Mam I don't want any trouble, but you.."

She butted in.

"I am going to reach into my coat for a document, will you let me do this with out harm. I think you will want to read it"

The constable looked at the others, and then back at her, he nodded.
Slowly she got the paper out and offered it to him.
He read it slowly, then looked back her, then at his fellows, he said load so all can here.

"This here latter is from the Princes Agent, says Golderan here is really, a Glbrich Lavindor, an Apothecary from the dwarfen city of Graystone, He's a wanted killer, who poisoned a dwarf noble and his family before robbing them and fleeing. Bounty of 30 gold dead or alive."

He stopped walking over to the body. The Guard uncorked there guns.

"Well ill be a bugbear, Always wondered how Golderan know so much about Apothecary stuff."

She bent and picked her gun back up and once more slipped it into her coat.

he looked at her,
"Did you have to kill him, I bet he would have come with ya if you"

She looked at him her dead cold look.

"Where is the logic in that, justice is done now my coin"

She left the same day.

The swiftfoots have been farmers for many generations, for as long as records go, it seems. But times have changed, and farms are no longer small, family matters but large, corporate deals. Like many farmers, Elsa found her family broken up, and she ended up in Absolam, without kith or kin. She struggled, with prejudice, hunger, and poor jobs until the day her powers awoke.
Old granny Swiftfoot, before she passed, had the power of lightning, and now so did Elsa. Sorcery is somewhat looked down upon, as not as civilized as wizard craft, the art of the country bumkin or barbarian lands. But producing lightning in the dawn age is a useful thing, so work and pay improved. She worked the understand how spells worked, and she dealt with those who need magic, regardless of where it comes from. Thieves trying to id magic, driving off the local goblin gangs, creating light for those who need it, and the scientists who tinkered with the lightning, seeking to make a new world. That last one paid well.
But Elsa has a goal. Find the rest of her family, if possible, or make a new one. And make sure it was safe and secure. For that she had to do more than fill leaden jars for tinkering scientists. Like many of her kind she wanted to wander, to see, and to learn. Now she could. She had to start small, show herself useful. This caravan job sounds like a step in the right direction. She spent her accumulated cash on gear, sold or gave everything else away, and left the poor lodging she has called home for a few years.
They say the age of heroes is fading. Elsa wants to prove that idea premature.

Sapphire walking into a bar. The over 6' tall Android stood a moment in the doorway framed in the light coming in from mid afternoon. Outside was a stark contestant to dim dark space in the bar. Faces looked up from alcoves and sequined at her, heads bent round beams to get a better look at the new comer. She waited a moment not so they could get a good look at her but for her nigh ocular firmware to kick and an let her see better into the darkness. Which i had just done, She took a step into the bar and the door swung closed behind her. Again she waited. Humm no one had bolted. The hard men around her where the dregs of the cites underworld. Form the three pick pocket guild members to the 2 thugs by the fire, who she know for a fact where money shark enforces. But she was not interested in them or the 20 odd other low-lifes in the room. Nope she was interested in a thug and one thug alone, a your half-elf by the name of Tarrag. She turned and reopened the door, waging it open this time. So that a large sun beam came onto the space. No one said any thing, that she suspected as down to the uniform. Most low lifes know cop when the see one. Turning back from the door she walked into the room and to the bar, where she placed a large ugly gun like object on it. She had pulled it form under her long coat. Her back to the bar, she waited just a moment longer before saying loudly.

"Tarrag Long legs, I am going to count to 10, then I am going to shoot you dead. Do you under.."

She never finished, Tarrag came out from under a table and bolted for the back door.

She snatched up her weapon and then ran after him, calling out as she did.

"1,2,3"

He had run past privet and was at the back door, hitting it so it crashed open, knocking a poor dwarf over who had been throwing up just outside.

"4,5,6"

She got to door just as Tarrag was getting past the dwarf and running into the open hill land behind.

She stopped at the door, in with a hand movement, indicated the dwarf should duck down. Which he did on seeing she was packing a very large weapon. Tarrag ran as fast as he could, Sapphire how ever took a moment to aim, she moved something on the gun, holding it not two handed she aimed. Then there was a whining sound and something shot out if it speed. It covered the distanced to Tarrag in the blink of an eye.

The bolt sank deep into Tarrag's backside, he tipped and fell. As he had he hollowed his head off.

Calmly she walked the distance to him and pointed her weapon at his head.

"Tarrag long legs, I here buy arrested you for stealing three sheep taking a bonds mans wallet, ticking Old widow Ellet of her life savings, and absconding with out paying you bar bill at the lucky mermaid inn"

She looked down at the youth, who was now crying silently from the pain and looking back up at her.

"Arrr arr you going to kill me?"

He asked in a weak voice. She looked at him a moment.

"It says Alive on the warrant, so no"

She yanked him up and and frog marched off to the local, stocks.

5 gold richer she passed him as she left town. As she did, she tugged the bolt out of his backside. Too his profanities from the stokes she walked on. Not giving him a second thought.