Post by snorri on Feb 2, 2009 16:36:12 GMT -6
This is the tale a player of my Epées & Sorcellerie (od&d french retroclone) wrote on our PBP. Robert is a Melrosian lawful knight.
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ROBERT'S STORY
- as told to Gundebaud the Blacksmith, Langedognese Quarter
"Arul The Cruel and an elf princess ... nothing nearly as exciting. Arul's slaver ship came up and gave us the option of either giving them seven slaves or sinking the Vieux Dauphin and then taking all that they could fish from the water as slaves. The rest, men, women, and children, would drown. I just did what any of you would do ... what my father taught me was honorable ... I took my place to guard the defenseless."
"There was a beautiful elf who also volunteered. I don't know if she was a princess. I suppose she could have been. She's at the convent now and has blue skin. Her name is Ysabel."
"Any way, we made ourselves look like victims. I even had someone rip my father's armor from my body to leave on the Dauphin. Hiding our weapons on board the Dauphin's barque, we boarded the slaver hoping to at least delay it or, at best, hold its captain captive to win our freedom. Candidly, I thought we were all to face a fate worse than death. Amazingly, the elf bewitched Arul. Almost no blows were thrown. I killed one coming aboard the slaver. Arul was so smitten with the elf lass that he brought all of us back to his camp and proposed marriage ... to the elf, not to me."
"Pierre, a sailor, and a few others, most now dead and in Saint Melrose's service, were there."
"Arul was the leader of a large number of gabbers ... those litter bearded beasts I see all over the place, even here as city guards. His camp was in an old Duh'd temple ... six armed pagan diety ... in the swamp about 10 days west I think. The gabbers didn't like the idea that we were allowed to roam freely and were very unhappy that I had killed one of theirs when boarding their ship. One actually tried to feed me to a giant poisonous snake used to guard the Duh'd alter. After I cut off its head, they became quite angry. I skinned the snake and cooked it for everyone, which sent the gabbers over the edge. It was almost 25' long. It almost poisoned me and I had to be burned to let the wound heal right."
Robert shows the relatively fresh burn wound.
"We found a large number of slaves, mostly women and children ... many from here. We freed them. Most took flight into the swamp in small boats. Arul and the gabbers attacked. Some of us won free and took Arul's slave ship. Huchon, a sailor from the Dauphin, died guarding my back. He was a good man ... may the Lord honor his martyr's soul."
"Around five days west of here, we came to this wonderful village. Some of the slaves were from this village and everyone there treated us well. After we recuperated, we again took to Arul's ship hoping to come straight here. Unfortunately, a serpent ... dragon I guess you'd call it ... ate our ship. Crushed it in its jaws it did! A few of us swam to safety on a small island, but most were eaten."
"The island was populated by evil death monkeys that painted themselves like skeletons and ate human flesh. Below the caves where they lived, the wall had a recess that was filled with human skulls. The stench of death was everywhere! They were very primative. They were led by an undead fiend, a living skeleton that feared fire. Therefore, they didn't use fire and feared it too. But, Saint Melrose was with us."
"These monkey were very strong and fast. Smart too, almost like men who had become beasts. They captured some of our people and had other captives. On top of this large cave hill where they lived, they had an alter. With all ceremony, they would kill and eat their victims alive."
"There were so many of them, I thought there was no hope. To make a long story short, we were all captured after a good fight. Tied to stakes, we watched the evil undead shaman begin his ritual to his god to eat us. Anticipating being captured, I had hidden one of my father's dagger in my pants. Saint Melrose I am sure guided my efforts against this Chaos."
"We escaped the stakes and scattered. Meanwhile, the undead shaman continued the rites to his god, oblivious that his sacrifices were loose. Saint Melrose blinded the evil death monkeys from finding any of us; I have no other explanation. All escaped."
"I had hidden in the rocks. I attacked the shaman, which was really when I learned that it was not alive. Wrestling with it, we both tumbled off the mountain into the water where the dragon ate it. With a sickening crunch, I landed on top of it, which is why I live. The Lord was with me that day."
At this Robert rolls up his sleeves where the bruised imprint of the shaman's hands can still be plainly seen.
"The evil death monkeys would throw the possessions and remains of their victims from the mountain cliff when done. 300' below, that dragon feasted on these. So, when the undead shaman and I fell into the water, it thought we were food. That dragon, guided by our Lord, ate the shaman in one bite while I was cast to the side. Almost drowning, I found a place between the rocks while the dragon thrashed about. It did not like the taste and wiggling of the undead shaman as it swollowed and went off with a bellyache."
"In the water were the cast-off items of the many victims, which is all I have to trade for your services."
"We found an old barque, placed there I believe by Saint Melrose for his Lawful servants. Starved and as you see us, we made our way here."
Robert shrugged, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. It was plain that he was not a storyteller. Somehow, it felt good to actually tell someone what happened.
__________________________________________________
ROBERT'S STORY
- as told to Gundebaud the Blacksmith, Langedognese Quarter
"Arul The Cruel and an elf princess ... nothing nearly as exciting. Arul's slaver ship came up and gave us the option of either giving them seven slaves or sinking the Vieux Dauphin and then taking all that they could fish from the water as slaves. The rest, men, women, and children, would drown. I just did what any of you would do ... what my father taught me was honorable ... I took my place to guard the defenseless."
"There was a beautiful elf who also volunteered. I don't know if she was a princess. I suppose she could have been. She's at the convent now and has blue skin. Her name is Ysabel."
"Any way, we made ourselves look like victims. I even had someone rip my father's armor from my body to leave on the Dauphin. Hiding our weapons on board the Dauphin's barque, we boarded the slaver hoping to at least delay it or, at best, hold its captain captive to win our freedom. Candidly, I thought we were all to face a fate worse than death. Amazingly, the elf bewitched Arul. Almost no blows were thrown. I killed one coming aboard the slaver. Arul was so smitten with the elf lass that he brought all of us back to his camp and proposed marriage ... to the elf, not to me."
"Pierre, a sailor, and a few others, most now dead and in Saint Melrose's service, were there."
"Arul was the leader of a large number of gabbers ... those litter bearded beasts I see all over the place, even here as city guards. His camp was in an old Duh'd temple ... six armed pagan diety ... in the swamp about 10 days west I think. The gabbers didn't like the idea that we were allowed to roam freely and were very unhappy that I had killed one of theirs when boarding their ship. One actually tried to feed me to a giant poisonous snake used to guard the Duh'd alter. After I cut off its head, they became quite angry. I skinned the snake and cooked it for everyone, which sent the gabbers over the edge. It was almost 25' long. It almost poisoned me and I had to be burned to let the wound heal right."
Robert shows the relatively fresh burn wound.
"We found a large number of slaves, mostly women and children ... many from here. We freed them. Most took flight into the swamp in small boats. Arul and the gabbers attacked. Some of us won free and took Arul's slave ship. Huchon, a sailor from the Dauphin, died guarding my back. He was a good man ... may the Lord honor his martyr's soul."
"Around five days west of here, we came to this wonderful village. Some of the slaves were from this village and everyone there treated us well. After we recuperated, we again took to Arul's ship hoping to come straight here. Unfortunately, a serpent ... dragon I guess you'd call it ... ate our ship. Crushed it in its jaws it did! A few of us swam to safety on a small island, but most were eaten."
"The island was populated by evil death monkeys that painted themselves like skeletons and ate human flesh. Below the caves where they lived, the wall had a recess that was filled with human skulls. The stench of death was everywhere! They were very primative. They were led by an undead fiend, a living skeleton that feared fire. Therefore, they didn't use fire and feared it too. But, Saint Melrose was with us."
"These monkey were very strong and fast. Smart too, almost like men who had become beasts. They captured some of our people and had other captives. On top of this large cave hill where they lived, they had an alter. With all ceremony, they would kill and eat their victims alive."
"There were so many of them, I thought there was no hope. To make a long story short, we were all captured after a good fight. Tied to stakes, we watched the evil undead shaman begin his ritual to his god to eat us. Anticipating being captured, I had hidden one of my father's dagger in my pants. Saint Melrose I am sure guided my efforts against this Chaos."
"We escaped the stakes and scattered. Meanwhile, the undead shaman continued the rites to his god, oblivious that his sacrifices were loose. Saint Melrose blinded the evil death monkeys from finding any of us; I have no other explanation. All escaped."
"I had hidden in the rocks. I attacked the shaman, which was really when I learned that it was not alive. Wrestling with it, we both tumbled off the mountain into the water where the dragon ate it. With a sickening crunch, I landed on top of it, which is why I live. The Lord was with me that day."
At this Robert rolls up his sleeves where the bruised imprint of the shaman's hands can still be plainly seen.
"The evil death monkeys would throw the possessions and remains of their victims from the mountain cliff when done. 300' below, that dragon feasted on these. So, when the undead shaman and I fell into the water, it thought we were food. That dragon, guided by our Lord, ate the shaman in one bite while I was cast to the side. Almost drowning, I found a place between the rocks while the dragon thrashed about. It did not like the taste and wiggling of the undead shaman as it swollowed and went off with a bellyache."
"In the water were the cast-off items of the many victims, which is all I have to trade for your services."
"We found an old barque, placed there I believe by Saint Melrose for his Lawful servants. Starved and as you see us, we made our way here."
Robert shrugged, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. It was plain that he was not a storyteller. Somehow, it felt good to actually tell someone what happened.