3. Samson Swarthout: Chronicles of a Gentle Giant

Samson Swarthout: Chronicles of a Gentle Giant


  • NEW ENTRY
    Ms Sara is tryin ta git sam ta be nice ta her. She tink she dun taut sam a lessin by bashin sam da oder day. Dunno why she wants sam ta change sams mind, nut like she cares bout nuttin but herself anyway.

    Sam had first lessin wid Ms Eva. It went gud.
    Sam alridy know mur abut ritin dan yestday. Cant wate fur next lessin.

    Sam wuz splorin in da forest wid sum oders an dese spiders ataked us. We hunted em down an kilt em all till we fund dis cave whur dey wuz comin frum. We wint in, an luked arund and left, fitin spiders da whole wile.

    Den sumun thut ta bring da cave dun with a fire… wull da fire gut outa hand an burnt jes but evrun ta deth. Sam jumped in dis lil crick an da fire wint over an dint hurt sam. But whin sam gut up, it wuz jus sam an mr gruvan left standin. Sam hadda carry FOUR peepl back ta da temple. It wuz horrible, dey wuz black an smelly an all tore up.

    Da nice god lady came an fixed evrun, but said we gut reel prublms comin. Der dese magick wepins an mr butcher has wun an dese spiders is comin fur da wepins. Deres more o dese weapons around da area so evrun is lukin fur em. Dey say suma da spiders kin only be hurt wid dese wepins, but sam tink if we jus got rid of em all, den da spiders wunnt come fur us. But insted, peepl all wanna find an carry da wepins now, an dat gunna make da spiders come for US!

    Why dun we jus throw alla da magick wepins out da city an let da spiders git em an go away.

    NEW ENTRY
    Wull sams homewurk is dun. Tuk furever. Still dunt gut 5 tings fur x and z. OH well, dem is hard letters. Kint wait fur next lessin.

    Spiders ataked da city but dey dint do it rite an we beet em no problum. Den da smarter folk wint ta fix sum shild or sumtin, but sam went wid mr malek. Hes a paldin, so sam gunna spind lotta time wid him. He dunt wurk fur da same god as mr darian, but sam dunt tink it rilly matter. Gud deeds is gud deeds.

    Okee... sams brain is confuzd. Big confuzd.
    Yestday Ms Nara wuz tryin ta tell sam sumtin bout not listenin ta peepl. Sam still nut sure xactly whut da point wuz, but she wuz shur tryin ta help sam sumhow.

    Den outa da blue she up an kissed sam!
    Sam jus bout passd out rite dere.

    She said oder stuff but sam kint member it... sams hed is still spinnin.
    It a wonder sams still not layin out dere whur it happend it shoked sam so bad.
    Tink it wuz wunna doze nice frindly kisses tho, nut like she wanted anuder date... But still... it WUZ nice.

    Sam noticed wun weerd ting bout Ms Nara whin she gut so close- she mebbe awful purty... but... dat gurl needs ta git cleen! It nut healthy ta be dat durty an stinky. Now sam is purty cleen, but bin round oder bad bluds afor and DEY kin git purty ripe, but Ms Nara... She gunna git sick soon if sumun dunt splash sum water on her soon!

    Nevrdaless, (dats sams big word o da day)
    She still is purty ta sam, an no matter if she is durty er not shes jus so durn nice dat it dunn rilly matter. Like take Ms Sarakar. Ms Sara is purtier an smells beter dan Ms Nara... but sam kint stand her no way how! It all matter on da inside an dat da only ting sam cares bout.

    SAm wishes dat wuz all evrun ELSE cared bout too!

    But it not. Ms Sara tride ta git sam fired frum the gurd job afor sam even gut hired! Shes so mean... but den she wanted to talk abut bein frinds agin.
    Sam an ms sara called truce, an sam is gunna try ta teech her niceness. Mebbe she will unerstand dat nice is reel gud an dunt hafta be meen ta git whut you want.

    But mr Malek mebbe better fur dat task den sam. Hes a paldin. Gud job fur him.

    Mr Gruvan is tryin ta be sams frind too. He says he aint gunna gamble no more an aint frinds wid Ms Sara... Peepl kin change, so sam gunna take his word.
    Ms Nara says he's lyin, but sam gunna take his word anyway an let him prove hisself.
    Dat way sam takes Ms Naras words bout not listenin ta peepl ta heart, an still is nice ta mr gruvan and ms nara.
    Sam gunna be nice ta Ms Sara too, ta teech her how ta be nice.
    Oh hell, whut sam sayin! Sam gunna be nice ta evrun!

    Wuner how long dats gunna last eh

    Sam's first kiss, a small battle to save the city and miscellaneous interpersonal encounters
    Also Sam's first time hitting the books in about 15 years- to restore some of his long lost ability


  • NEW ENTRY
    sam gut in truble an peepl hadda come help sam
    sam fill bad dat he gut hurt an wuz trubl fur oder peepl

    member sam, if youz makes trubl fur peepl den dey wunt like yous an if dey dunt like yous den dey is gunna runn yous outa da town like alla da oder towns

    note ta sam: dont keep doin bad tings okee?
    jus keep helpin peepl an it all be okee

    wull sam wuz upset bout all dat an wint ta bash sumtin whin dese big doggies atakd sam
    dey wuz big but sam used trik on em an dey wuz purty eezy wen sam gut em off dere feets
    den dere wuz dis bird dat gut sam an tuk sam ta dis dyin man
    naturly sam saved him
    he wunt gunna give sam nuttin but sam mussa made a bit ofa stink bout it so he gave sam gold ta git new magick water
    gud ting too cuz dat wuz alla sams magic water dat he had!

    oh ya, ms sara ran rite by sam an dis hurt man, an so did lossa oder peepl
    sam dunt know whur dey wint but dey shur dint stop ta help dat man
    whurs her compashun? lest sam guts sum
    mebbe sam shud shar?
    mebbe sam gutta be nicer to ms sara so she kin lurn frum sam?
    ooh.. dat gotta be hurder den tryin ta kill dat demon dat burnt sams butt las week!
    sam shur wish sam cud remember dat mans name
    he seemd nice
    wunner if ever see him agin

    okee time ta git ridy fur da furst lessin wid ms eva

    NEW ENTRY

    whut an up an down day! sam had gud an bad tings happen tuday an nut sure rilly whut ta tink of it all…

    gud- sat down wid ms eva fur sams furst speekin reedin an ritin lesson
    bad- ms eva gut up an ran away

    gud- sam wuz gunna give ms eva 10 gold fur a lesson insted of 5 gold cuz it mportant ta sam ta git smart
    bad- she ran away afor sam cud tell her da gud news

    gud- sam sat an talked wid ms earawien fur a long while, an she told sam she is tryin ta git da judge job but she is worreed abut da 'baynites'?
    bad- sam dunno who all da baynites is so sam dunt know how ta help her- jus dat ms sara is a baynite so dat splains alot

    bad- peepl ar sayin dat sams frind mr gruvan aint sams frind after all an dat mr gruvan is frinds wid ms sara
    bad- ms sarakar
    bad- mr gruvan da greedy gamblr
    bad- baynites
    bad- did sam git ms sarakar oh ya sam did alridy but she so bad she worth listin agin!
    bad- EVIL ms sarakar

    gud- sam helped fite sum dedies an did a reel gud job. sam chargd in like sam duz an dem dedies cudnt hit sam no matter how hard dey tried! sam luvs dis new plate armor. dunt work gud on magick tho. alla dat brite lite confuses sam quick

    den sam gut 3 rubies outa dis chest frum da dedies an sam sold em an gave da gold ta alla da nice peepl dat came wid sam.
    it wuz ms eara, mr roland, and ms yolo
    guess who sam DINT give gold to... cud it be.... ms sara?

    bad- mr roland dissapered an sam cudnt give him no money, but nice ms eara said she wud do it fur sam so sam gived her mr rolands money

    gud- sam talked wid ms eara sum more abut gitin her da judge job but she is sad cuzza alla bad tings peepl is sayin bout her. sam tried ta cheer ms eara up but shes dis old elf an dunt tink sam guts much gud ta say bout such tings
    bad- sam dunno how ta help oder dan ta jus bash ms sara once an fur all

    bad- dragons in da city an dey ate peepl!
    gud- sam wint ta help da peepl dat wuz tryin ta make dis smokey stuff ta scare da dragons away

    bad bad- ms sara ran us inta some gypsies an sam wuz gunna ask em if dey cud help but ms sara started killin em all! sam gut a lil mad but had ta help da others so's the gypsies didnt hurt no wun else

    bad bad an reel bad- we run inta more gypsies an ms sara dint even blink, she jus run inta em hollerin an swingin, jus like sam ran inta da undedies, an started killin em. sam thut dat since dey knew we kilt da first batch deyd be more fur talkin, but ms sara jus kilt em all fur no reezun

    dat made sam rilly mad an he gut mad at ms sara fur doin it
    sam dint even help her, he jus felt bad fur da poor gypsies dat she wuz killin an sam stood an watched. it wuz awful

    wull sam wuz dum an givd her whut fur an she dared sam ta do sumtin abut it, so sam wint ta hit her wid sams fist an knock her out so's sumun else cud be in charge but she had a sword an hit sam awful hard wid it
    sam dint know she wuz so strong. she mebbe alot tuffer den sam is now.

    wull den she asks sam if sam is dun, an sam shur wuz dun, but afore sam cud say he wuz dun she run sam strate thru an sam wuz on da ground bleedin afor sam knew whut dun hapnd
    sumun heeld sam enuff dat sam cud get up an sam wuz so mad an sad dat sam cudnt do nuttin ta help da gypsies or stop ms saras killin

    cuzza alla dat, sam wint home

    dum ol sam fergot ta tank da person dat saved sam frum bleedin ta deth too an dat make sam even sader
    alotta peepl wuz mad at ms sara fur doin all dat killin but dey saw her bash ol sam purty fast an sam tink dey wuz too scard ta try ta git her ta stop

    whut a bad day

    sam dun git it
    ms sara said she wuz an orfan like sam, an she hadda grow up in a church an she gut church lernins an lernt how ta fite jus like sam did
    an she is sum knite of bane or sumtin, so sam tinks she shud be nice. knite's gut a code a honor ta live by jus like mr darian da paldin had, but sumwhur ms saras gut some blud lust or some bad evil spirits in her soul now an shes more evil dan somma da peepl mr darian an sam hadda go git and bring ta justice...

    gud- dragons dat eet peepl fur food
    bad- ms sarakar dat jus kills fur da fun of it

    sam choozs dragons any day
    nut like dragons wanna munch on sams anyway
    sam dunt exacly gut a creemy pleezin fillin

    Difficult times in town, but Sam continues to prove his worth as he helps whoever he can, however he can
    Relations with the Banite woman take a turn for the worse and a great conflict between them ensues


  • NEW ENTRY

    sam on topa da world! sam had dinner wid ms nara an it wuz da best!
    sams ol frind mr… wull sam nut ta say dat name no more... but he mr gruvan now... cooked fur sam an ms nara even tho ms nara dint want sam ta spind sams money
    she shard dis cuked burd wid sam an it wuz gud! she kin cuk rilly gud
    but den like rich peepl mr gruvan brut us da main curs an it wuz better! me an ms nara talked alot bout alot an it wuz rilly fun
    we guts ta do dat again soon sam tink mebbe he gitin better bout talkin when shes round sam

    uh oh.. dere sum kina nvazun gotta go help

    NEW ENTRY

    da nvazun is over an sam bashed sum an carrid ded peepl as usual
    ms nara... sam like ms nara lots but sam beginin ta tink dat da date dint go too gud cuz she always is avoidin sam
    dat an dat mean ol ms sarakar is always wid her too an dat dont make it any eezier ta talk ta ms nara nun
    nfact dat ms sara wuz tryin ta git sam ta talk about ms nara but sam wunt gunna give her no chance ta make fun o sam or make ms nara fill bad bout spindin dinner wid sam

    sam know ms sara wud make ms nara fil bad an laff at ms nara
    poor ms nara... sam gutta figur out a way ta git dat gurl away from ms sarakar... she gunna be da deth of ms nara an even if she dunt like sam nun, wull dat no scuse fer sam nut tryin ta help

    NEW ENTRY
    yup, sam sure dat ms nara dunt like sam
    nut sure whut ta do
    gotta git smarter
    so sam talked ta ms eva cuz she is smart an sam is gunna git lessons an learn more manners an how to reed better an rite gud agin
    gut furst lesson tday
    mebbe if sam dunt seem so dum mebbe ms nara will like sam better
    mebbe she nut like sam at all but mebbe if sam kin speek beter she will lissen ta sam dat ms sara is a bad person

    NEW ENTRY
    whut a day! anoder nvazun agin
    sam did whut sam cud an did whut sam wuz told
    ms earawien wuz in charge but she didnt tell sam ta do nuttin mportant
    den sam hurd sunnds of a big fite so sam ran to it an dis big firball kilt lossa peepl
    sam mussa carrid bout 6 peepls outa dere--- all ded- wuz awful
    wull dere wuz waves an waves of em, urks kobolds it all a blur ta sam but next ting sam knows durs 3 BIG trolls all comin at sam
    we fite sum an sam wuz doin okee till sam use shild ta stop dis club comin at sams hed an it wuz a big swing an sam cudnt stop it an sams own shild hit his hed an dat wuz dat
    whin sam woke up dis real nice lady wid big magick dun saved da whole town an sam hadda go git all dose peepl dat sam dropped in a safe place an she heeld all of em
    whut a nice lady she wuz
    ms eara did a rilly gud job tho
    sam gunna pay more tenshun to her when she says stuff

    NEW ENTRY
    sam did a patrol wid ms eara an mr sarge
    deys gud peepl an sam liked helpin em
    ms eara said stuff bout ms sara dat sam dint rilly know but made sens ta sam
    too bad she tinks ms nara is a lost cauz, but sam gunna do whut he can ta change ms earas mind bout ms nara cuz sam tink ms nara is gud

    Sam's first date ever
    Sam proves himself in the eyes of the town as a mighty protector of both the city and her citizens and earns himself a place within the city guard (unfortunately the city never had armor in Sam's size)


  • NEW ENTRY

    gud ting sam gut dis gud armor it gut used
    sam an sum peepl wint ta bugybear cave ta take sum stuff away frum da bugybears
    but sam wund up carrin two of em back ta da temple an we dint git nuttin fur it
    sam felt bad cuz sam aint gut but 100 coin an da prist wants lots mur dan sam guts so sam did wut sam cud an left em in da brite lite mebbe dey wake up

    den sam wint out ta da filds an talked wid da farmers dey guts problems too an sam not shur how ta help jus yet
    sam figure it out soon tho an help da farmers wid der money trubl soon as sam gits his own muney trubls fixd
    sam hurd talk dat da city wuz hiring fur jobs an sam gunna git one

    wull jus afor sam cud find whur ta git a job dis dwarf is needin help wit sum ting da prists need help wit so natraly sam always gunna help prists cuz dats whut mr darian did an sam helped mr darian
    or did sam help da prists? miscellaneous pen marks as sam considers who the hell he was actually helping… his paladin friend or the priests the paladin assisted

    dun matter, wuz all gud
    so sam spint bout FOUR hours watin on peepl to do git ridy to go help da prist find dis holy water an sam came so sam cud carry it all, cuz wuz a lot of it sam hurd

    oh, how sam furget dis!!! sam met mos wunerful elf girl sam dun ever did see... kint member her last name but she is ms narawien, but sam sure sam in luv now... she wuz nice too, cuz she was xcitd abut helpin out a prist an dat meens she gut gud soul like sam! an purty yeppers, wull sam gotta try xtra speshul hard ta be nice ta ms nara so she likes sam back

    wull we wint out an got da water an wuz way too easy sam tink
    gittin da water wuz easy, but den sumtin happend on da way back...
    bad lucks startd hapenin ta peepl but sam wuz dere ta save peepls!

    sams skill wid da medic bags gittin gud, an he saved 2 peepls today frum bein ded
    sam even saved ms naras life!!!!!! sam bet she member dat wuz jus a dumb ugly bad blud dat wuz lukin out fur her an not dem other peepls dat dun care fur eech oder

    wull rite after sam save ms nara frum certin dednes dat lady wid da demon popped outa da grund an started talkin wull sam looked around an THREE peepl wuz ded ur dyin around sam
    wull sam wuz outa medic bags cuz sam save ms nara, but nubudy stopped ta help so sam watched em go ded den sam picked up two of em and join da grup

    oh boy if ms sarakar wunt tryin ta make da demon woman mad, so sam thut it best if da demon woman ate ms sara an let da rest of us go
    sam said cuple tings ta dat efect an da demon woman rilized dat ms sara wuz jus mean souled an so she gut ta business an left us in peece

    ms nara wuz mad at ms sara too an dat made sam glad cuz ms nara cud see dat ms sara is jus as bad as sam thut but sam tink dat ms nara dint like sam tryin ta feed ms sara to da demon woman eider!
    sam dint see ms nara agin an dat make sam sad
    sam also sad cuz sam aint seen mr jason eider
    but sam gut intrist in ms eva cuz she is a riter an sam need lesins on riting an speekin, cus sam tink dat no wun want ta talk ta sam cuz sam sunds dum whn sam talks

    okee, last ting befor sam go ta bed... an sam hate ta say it cuz sam dunt like ms sara but today sam saw her do a gud ting
    ms sara is kinda smart afteral cuz she talked mean ta da prist an made him fix da ded wuns sam wuz carrin an da prist did it fur free! an den he hild everywun dere! so dat wuz a rilly gud ting dat ms sara did
    sam dint wanna amit to it, but mebbe sam gunna carry ms sara outa da wuds if she gut hurt now

    mebbe an dat be a strong-like-sam mebbe

    tommorow sam go luk fur ms nara an see dat she nut mad at sam
    but furst sam gotta find mr jason an find why sam cudnt speek when sam is lukin at her

    must be magicks

    Sam finds love?
    Sam lives up to his reputation as a lifesaver with his 'medecine'


  • NEW ENTRY
    sam saw balrog an is here ta rite down dat he did! when huntin urks yestday sam fund peepl under atak by sum nasties so sam help em whut els sam gunna do
    so dis 1 woman send sam in cave ta peek an sam peeks and sam gits in truble fer peekin but da woman told sam ta peek her name is ms sarakar she tinks she real smart an gud leadr but sam seen peepl beter. mr darian wuz lots beter
    sam had ta cary ms saras frind back cuz he gut hurt she dint even tank sam or give sam shinees fur helpin if sam hant bin dere, sam wuda had ta carry mor dan jus ONE of em back but a nice lady gave sam som money an she tanked sam but dumb sam dint git her name er say tanks even cuz sam wuz sprised dat she wuz so nice

    NEW ENTRY
    sam got new frind mr jason he a ranger 1st ranger sam met dat dint snik behind sam to git sams skin off sams bones me go hunting wid mr jason later today

    NEW ENTRY
    mr jason gud frind but him pick bad frinds fur hisself
    his frind wuz dat ms sarakar an she so mean an jus cruel person mr jason an sam helped save sum elf frum sum evil spirit ting or sumtin an all ms sara did wuz torture dis por elf for da fun of it

    NEW ENTRY
    mr jason took sam on quest fur sumtin ms sarakar wuz in charge agin sam dunno why she is mean an no wun like her so sam git in frunt alot an bash on lotta critters dat is tryin ta git mr jason peepl like sam helpin whn sam is bashin tings

    sam gut lost in cave tho an guess who sam finds? ms sarakar jus as mean as ever she cold on inside sam beginin ta tink she gut an evil soul sam led her outside tho cuz sam is nice even if she not
    she dint offer sam nuttin after she gut whut she came fur tho

    NEW ENTRY
    fund mr jason an we wus jus sploring an cuttin up an bein gud frinds wuz almost like sam with mr darian agin, but mr jason is a ranger an no da same
    den alla sudden we had ta help stop sum atack in da north of town mr jason an alotta oders gut hurt

    NEW ENTRY
    sam dun did a bad ting sam bashed on ms sara
    wunt sams fault she wuz sayin mean tings agin an den she sayd mean tings bout mr jason an hes sams frind so me an ms sara scrapped an sam bashed her gud
    but she had 3 frinds dat snuk up on sams back an sam gut bashed too
    sam wuners if sam kin show his face in da pub tommorow mebbe too much ale an no wun will member? sam had sum, but sam members so mebbe sam nut be so luky

    sam gut nuff muney ta git dat plate armor sam bin wantin fur so long mebbe if sam git in trubl today be gud day to have plate instad of dis rusty stuff frum da boat

    Sam demonstrates his sacrificial nature by putting himself in harms way for others, and his loyalty to those he calls friends, no matter the cost


  • The following are the crumpled and mangled pages of Sam's personal journal which take place after the years Sam was on his own after the loss of Darian Stalwart. The poor quality papers are stuffed in a small leather binder, writtin in charcoal

    it is important to note that Sam is not stupid or unintelligent. His mind works fine within itself. It is when Sam tries get what is inside to the outside that his abilities fail him

    NEW ENTRY
    Dis 2nd trip on boat hope it beter dan 1st
    capn gut sam in fishold it stink even ta sam

    sam tuk mr darians advice an gut quill an sum paper to rite down sams life

    NEW ENTRY
    boats suck sam spen 5 days leanin oer railin
    las boat trip sam lost mr darian in storm

    dis boat trip- starm agin an sam lost lunch evrday fur 5 days

    note ta sam: no more boats. sam walk frum now on

    sam miss mr darian wunt it be gud if mr darian wuz at dis new town an sam cud fin im?

    NEW ENTRY
    sam here bran new town so far sam bin run outa random scribbles- apparently lost in thought sam bin run outa more den 10 oder cities so far
    mebbe sam will fin a gud frind jus like mr darian sayd to do mebbe gud frind be noder paldin like mr darian wuz mebbe paladins kin find eech oder an sam kin find mr darian dat way

    NEW ENTRY
    no mr darian but sam met nice ms moni sam rescued ms moni frum ded ting sam bashd on it wid sword
    but me an ms moni wus sick frum it so we go to temple ms moni poorer den sam so sam hadda pay fur her fixins
    den she need place ta sleep so sam git dat too but it worth it cause ms moni nice mebbe ms moni gonna be sams frind

    NEW ENTRY
    ms moni tuk sam on venture! we cornerd a big guy wid hooves an horns an made him tell us all about some magicker woman doin bad tings dat sam wud like ta stop, but sam kint anyway sam let big guy go cuz sam know whut it like to be outnumerd in corner too him nut to much diffrnt frum sam cept sam dunt hurt peeples

    sam carrid a ded guy back ta temple an gut paid reel gud fer doin da carrin

    NEW ENTRY
    no ms moni in days sam lonly gonna go hunt fer food it so spensive at pub an nobudy like sam hangin in pub much usual stuff– sam stink sam ugly sam gut bad breath only ting dat true bout sam is... sam ugly, big, strong an nice. wonder why it so hard fer peepl to see dat

    the gentle giant desperately searches for companionship and acceptance in a new place


  • The great dark age of Samson Swarthout was anything but 'great.' It was a time where the mighty warrior stooped low with the weight of his own failings. Depression set in quickly, almost willing Sam to die.

    He rose from the beach, and slowly, with the determination and stubborness that characterized him, walked away into the forests with only the clothes on his back.

    At first, he caught work on a few farms, earning only enough to feed himself, drifting from rural township to rural township, offering only his strong back and willingness to help others. As always, his brutish appearance brought trouble and just when Sam thought he had found a place to stay, something would always occur to drive him away.

    Whenever something happened, a woman raped, a man assaulted, something stolen, eyes always seemed to turn to Sam. His usefullness among the humans was usually limited to what he could push, pull or carry, and when his usefullness expired he was often considered a liability.

    Sam continued to drift like a ghost, sticking to shadows more and more, learning for himself the true nature of cruelty and selfishness as he watched others. Always he looked for those who seemed 'nice' before he approached cautiously, generally looking for work.

    Oftentimes he would approach women, due to their more gentle and compassionate nature, but Sam's great size and physical strength was often alarming, especially considering he usually stepped out from the shadows like a criminal about to commit a crime. If he stayed in the open, the men of a town were quick to assume the worst of him and drive him away. If he stayed in the shadows, those that spotted him were quick to assume that he was a common criminal.

    Wherever Sam went, distrust, contempt and even malice were quick to find him. Sam's usual genuine and open nature became quiet, reserved and afraid. He looked for an escape, any escape and most importanly a place to call home.

    Frustrated, Sam used his last coins to go far to the north of Neverwinter to a new opportunity. It was a town called Xyrastalis which had been discovered abandoned. There was nothing wrong with the town, it was fully functional and the only thing going against it was that all of the former inhabitants had somehow gone missing. Vanished. The rumors of great opportunity drew Sam like a magnet.

    Perhaps if Sam got there on the first boat, there would be so few people initially that he would not be run off before he had a chance to prove himself. He hoped that this new town, which would soon be filling with new people would accept him as a citizen. That is… if he got there first and could meet 'other stranger's' off the boat and welcome them to HIS new town.

    Sam boarded the vessel and with his excitement he almost didn't mind when the captain ordered him into the fish hold for the duration of the voyage. Sam had enough spare change to buy a peice of charcoal and some used and tattered papers with which he would chronicle his new life.

    ***Thus ends the historical biography of Samson Swarthout. ***

    Perhaps later I'll include separate adventures of Sam and Darian.

    All post hence forth are from online experiences, and will greatly affect the persona that players in Narfel will encounter.*


  • What some men would consider great fortune and honor, Sam considered frivolity. Within the month that Darian honorarily inducted Sam into the Order of Helm, the Order of Tyr also sent word to Darian that Samson was also an honorary member of the Order. It had only taken the Order a few years to get around to recognizing Sam's service against the orc army which Darian had led the final pitched battle.

    Darian handed Sam a small pin to wear on his cloak, shaped like a small shield with a set of scales and a hammer. The emblem of Tyr. Sam put it in his bag where it came to rest near the pin of Helm that he had been given earlier by Darian. In Sam's eyes, the emblems were nice, but he knew if he wore them openly, it would only attract more unwanted attention and in fact they would most likely be lost far sooner than if they simply collected dust and leaves in the bottom of his backpack.

    In the tenth year of Darian's service to the Order of Helm, Sam found himself dispatched with his paladin to a land far away. A trip across an ocean in which the two required the services of a sailing vessel. They sparred openly on the decks of the ship, to the enjoyment of the entire crew. Indeed Sam and Darian were very well versed in the ways of the sword. Darian's divine protection seemed well matched against Sam's superior strength and his long list of 'dirty tricks' which he threw at his master.

    In one session on deck the two were winding down from a particularly well fought sparring session when the captain of the ship called down from the wheel with predictions of heavy weather coming in moments. The crew of the ship barely had time to reach their posts before the foul weather was upon them. The squall had been missed as most of the crew had their eyes turned to the activities on deck. Suddenly, the entire ship, passengers and crew found themselves in a fight for their lives.

    Sam and Darian had no time to strip out of their armor, instead they clattered around the deck in their plates helping the deck hands wrestle in the sails as the captain desperately tried to heave the ship into the wind.

    The main sails were caught full with the wind and reigning them in was beyond the efforts of six strong sailors. Darian called to Sam to lend his weight and strength on a rope. They heaved in unison, and slowly the mainsail acquiessed under the exertions of the crew, the paladin and his man. However the ship was not out of danger. With the mainsail finally undercontrol, the captain had enough steerage to turn the ship into the wind, but for a critical moment, the ship had to cross from downwind, to crosswind, before turning upwind into the squall.

    It was as the ship turned into the crosswind that a mighty wave crashed across the deck. Sam's strength on the rope saved his life, as he gripped it mightily with both hands, spluttering under the water of the wave as it crossed the deck. He careened into the deck's railing, bounced off, and came to rest again in the center of the deck. Looking up the rope, it had been swept clean of crewmen. Looking behind him, he saw only the loose end of the rope trailing off the edge of the deck. Darian Stalwart, and the six other crewmen were no where to be found.

    The squall only lasted a couple hours, but the captain would not turn back for his crew, saying they were certainly lost. And Darian, still in his heavy armor, most likely drowned immediately. The captain tried to console Sam, but at the same time left no doubts that even the strongest of paladins could not swim in such heavy seas while encumbered in the heavy armor he had been sparring in.

    Sam had lost the last of his family. In losing Darian, Sam lost much of his own life. The man that had protected him, had given him guidance, kept him out of trouble, and always provided the means for which to earn another meal was gone.

    Sam moped about belowdecks for a couple days. Above decks the crew plotted against him, partly blaming Sam for knocking the other sailors from the rope to their deaths and partly desiring the fine armor and weapons the two had boarded with. Late at night, Sam awoke to find himself bound, gagged and hauled above decks to the derisive laughs of the crew, greedily anticipating the profit to be had from the sale of Sam's and Darian's finer belongings.

    The water was warm enough when Sam was thrown into the sea, and again, his great strength served him well as he tore quickly through his bonds allowing him to swim. Fading into the night horizon the ship quickly slipped from sight, and Sam was left alone, to drown.

    But he did not drown. Instead he floated, and swam, and rested and eventually hauled his bedraggled self onto a shore. He had come back to the mainland, alive.

    Thus began the great dark age of Samson Swarthout's life. An age which would span another two years. An age which Sam had not the aid of the divine, nor of a paladin to guide and protect him. An age where Sam had to rely on himself, but also an age where Sam had no direction, no purpose for his life but to simply survive.


  • Ten Years.

    In ten years, a paladin has many adventures. Many adventures indeed, some so noteworthy that bards fashion their trade anew, smiths take home enough gold to feed their families, and kings retain their kingdoms- all through the actions of one man.

    Foiled assassinations, liberation of precious artifacts from under the noses of sleeping dragons, armies vanquished and countless acts of charity which went unnoticed were the mark of the paladin known as Darian Stalwart. With every step, of his travels, Darian had two shadows. One was the shadow cast by the light of the sun or moon upon the ground. The other shadow, belonged to a being whose shadow cast twice as great an area as Darians, but was no less separable than Darian's own.

    Oddly enough, though Samson was a powerful person, and had literally carried the mighty paladin out of harms way on several occasions, he lived his live as a shadow to Darian, always near, yet at the same time, living WITHIN Darian's shadow. Sam spent his life making himself as small as possible, to attract as little attention to himself as he could. Thus making Darian's job easier as he dealt interpersonally with the people they met.

    Many of the places they traveled were rural, filled with prejudice. With apparent ease, Darian could enter a town unnoticed and within a few minutes turn an irreverent tavern into a flock of loyal pigeons willing to follow him against whatever evil Darian chose. However, Sam could enter the same tavern and his sheer size would attract enough attention for the inhabitants to study him warily, soon realizing the orc blood in his heritage. An irreverent tavern would soon become a lynch mob, and often times troubles of just that sort followed Sam whenever he was alone.

    While Sam kept Darian safe in times of peril, Darian sheltered Sam from the scorn and contempt they were likely to find in places of relative safety. Their relationship became unique. In places of public light, Darian stood forth soaking it up. His shoulders bore the joyful weight of credit for heroic acts of selflessness and sacrifice, he alone stood before kings and religious leaders, accepting both missions to be accomplished and the praise for their completion. Sam usually waited in shadows, in an antechamber or just outside wherever Darian had business. Yet outside of town, away from the prying, judging eyes of others, Sam came out of his shell, and Darian went into his. Darian was ever plagued by too many bits of good advice and theologies from his teachings.

    They often camped on the road, and Darian weighed actions and consequences, and Sam would prepare their supper. He would muse for hours on the proper way to accomplish some task or another, holding both his hands out by the firelight as if weighing stones in his hands. Hours might pass, but all too often, Darian would look at Sam confused.

    "Sam, no path before us allows me to truly walk a right and just path! It seems no matter which course I take, I shall in some way violate a principle we hold dear." Sam would smile softly, fully understanding now why he had failed as a paladin. Sam never cared for the nuances of right and wrong. Right and wrong were on two sides of a fence to Sam, and when crossing from the side of wrong to the side of right, one would have to surmount the fence. The fence itself, to Sam, was the only grey area, and in getting over the fence, the only thing that mattered was that he and Darian were on the sight of right when it was all over.

    "Mister Darian?" Sam would always begin, as if asking for permission to contribute his advice.

    "Yes, Sam." Darian would sit back and close his bloodshot, stress filled eyes, waiting for Sam's often simple yet clear and concise logic.
    Usually Sam would get up from the fire, and walk over to Darian, take a knee and look at Darian's hands, still open as he meditated on which direction to take. Taking both of Darian's wrists for a moment, Sam oftentimes FELT the conflict inside his paladin. Where he felt the conflict, Sam oftentimes took his direction for what he himself must do to aid his paladin.

    In every time of Darian's life where the answer was not easy, Sam always answered the question. He would always place both hands around one of Darian's and close it gently saying, "Dis wun aint da way."
    "But there are deeds which I cannot commit with this way as well, Sam!" Darian would say as he shook his open remaining hand.

    "Dats whut Sam's fur, Mr Darian. Sumtimes yuh gutta do a bad ting ta make a gud ting happen. Dats why yuh gut Sam, Mr Darian. Ta do da tings dat a paldin kint do, but needs ta be dun."

    Smiling in his genuine, yet simple way, "Duntcha wurry bout it Mr Darian. Whin da time comes… sam'll hanle it fer yuh, okee?"

    Darian would smile weakly, still deeply upset at himself for not finding a path which maintained a truly righteous course, yet baffled despite himself that he could not seem to figure one out.

    In this way, the two protected each other. Sam oftentimes did things that Darian would not do, due to his rigid beliefs, thus protecting his paladin's precious faith in his god and ideals. In return, Darian kept Sam out of trouble and ensured he was well provided for, always accepting that Sam would ultimately act for the greater good of Helm, even if Sam might cross some lines Darian would not.

    In the fifth year of their relationship, the pair had been summoned to meet a king in his court, fearing that an assassin was in his court. Darian, having stood before kings in the past, knew that Sam would have to be heralded before the king, and this posed a problem. Sam could not in proper etiquette be announced simply as, Sir Samson. By the gods Sam would throw a FIT if he was announced as LORD Samson! A lord without a proper name?

    The night prior to their expected arrival, Darian arrived at a solution. Ordering Sam to take a knee before him, Darian initiated him.

    "By Helm, I decree you are known henceforth and for all time as, Sir Swarthout, Honorary Member of the Order of Helm. Arrise Sir Samson Swarthout and for the sake of the gods when they herald you tommorow as such do NOT correct the herald!"

    Sam looked at Darian confused. "Just trust me. Bow as I do and say nothing."

    "But-" Darian lifted a sharp finger.

    "But-" Darians eyebrows raised to silence Sam's protests.a

    "But-" Darian's face betrayed exasperation at his normally loyal friend. Sam blurted out, "Whuts Swarthout mean?"

    Darian laughed. Far be it from Sam to ever question Darian's instructions, he should have known better.

    "Loyal and steadfast, my friend. Loyal and steadfast."

    "Oh." Sam shrugged and went back to cooking dinner, obviously unimpressed with having a last name.


  • Reviewed. XP Pending.

    ** XP Given By Razare **


  • In the days that followed, Sam moved very little from around the wagon. He mourned for the loss of John, essentially his father, and for all those citizens of the countryside that paid them visits throughout his years. He lay and rest for nearly a day next to John before mustering the strength to rise and search for food and water. There was plenty to be found among the dead. Sam knew from his learnings that this was an invading army, one that carried only what they could and left destruction in its wake. After eating and drinking, Sam rested another full day.
    The carnage was begining to smell.
    The sun may have been shining during these days, but Samson never lifted his head enough to see. Instead, he scoured the ground for the bodies, burying them one at a time. There were nearly a hundred by the time he finished. The task took him nearly two weeks. All the while he worked he cursed the orcs, their god and thought of a way to lash out at them.

    The concussions to his brain left him naseous, dizzy and the work was slow, nevertheless, with his dogged determination, he buried them all. First, Brother John, then David Stalwart, the father of Darian. He paid special honors to them in the ways of Helm, as they would have done for him had they lived and he had not.

    He knew that no matter what, even if it killed him, he must find a way to stop that army from continuing on its course. Remembering an ancient orcish tradition, ordinarily reserved for praying to Gruumsh himself, Sam began writing a prayer. It was more difficult than he could have imagined. The concussions to his brain had also stripped away much of his ability to write as well. He struggled just to remember what letters formed the sounds of the words he could remember so clearly in his head, but to pronounce them… he could not. Unable to utter words, he couldn't match the sounds, and unable to match the sounds he found himself writing in scribbles, piecing together only the simplest of words or fragments.

    His thinking was fairly clear by the end of the first week, but he was still unable to speak. When the last body was buried, Sam had mostly recovered physically. Spiritually, he was in anguish and mentally he knew he was forever damaged.
    Nevertheless, with his determination, Sam spent his resting hours writing the prayer. This kind of prayer would be one only a lost soul would understand, with nothing left to live for but the answer to the prayer. When Sam finished burying all those that had stood to defend the mission against the orcs, so too had he finished their prayer. It was as if not only Sam, but each spirit buried in the earth spoke with him as he read his prayer, kneeling in front of the newly formed graveyard.

    He didn't know what god, if any would hear him, but he read page after page of the prayer, throwing each into the fire. It was an ancient orc tradition he had read about, one used by the most powerful of shamans as they prayed to Gruumsh. But this prayer was most certainly not TO Gruumsh, but certainly FOR him. For him and all those that served him. Sam vowed vengeance and prayed for all the ability to bring it. He pledged his soul to this task, and the god that granted him the strength, Sam offered up his soul to whatever diety would claim it if he squandered that aid and failed in his task.

    The reciting of the prayer lasted from sunup the first day to sunup the second. Sam never stopped reading, except to throw a new log onto the small fire he built before him, or to toss a new page into the fire. As the hours drug on, and Sam read page after page aloud, his speech improved enough so as to be intelligible. Still clumsy of tongue but eloquent of mind, Sam's prayer was heard, and Tyr was there. Other gods heard the prayer as well, and offered their aid, unbeknownst to Sam as he prayed. Tyr would not have it. If ever a being was entitled to justice, he told the others, this man would have it. And if Sam failed and lost his soul, Tyr vowed that Sam would live in peace in the afterlife.

    Sam concluded his prayer and collapsed into sleep. When he awoke, he was still exhausted from his ordeals, but the time had come to leave. There was nothing left for him here. He went inside the ruins of the mission, to a large box that years ago John had opened and from it drawn out weapons and armor to begin Sam's martial training. He packed heavily, taking everything he would need to live off the land, and fight in it. Looking around, he thought of where to go first. Where would young Darian have gone first? Sam did not know. Instead he looked at the ground, and followed the tracks left by the hundreds of orcs in this invading army. It didn't take a ranger to follow so many tracks, they left a crushed trail where ever they went.

    Having pledged his life to the destruction of these orcs, Sam followed them, unsure of how he would fight an army alone, but knowing full well that he would sooner die than let them continue to scorch the earth.

    Sam followed these orcs across every kind of terrain imaginable. Wherever they went, they left destruction and death, but like a ghost haunting a house Sam was behind them. When they stopped to rest, Sam continued on, strengthened by the divine. As the army sent out scouts to gather water, or hunt for game, the strong half-orc slew them silently in the forests, laying in ambush near the rivers. After the first year of his pursuit, he became something of a talisman of doom within the ranks of the orcs. The orcs would stop to rest, and send out a couple of scouts to fetch water or game They would half-jokingly half-warningly tell the gatherers before they left, "Be wary of He Who Lurks in Shadow."

    All too often, He Who Lurks in Shadow, would find one or two of the hunters. Those Sam found- never returned.

    Relentlessly, Sam stayed on the heels of the army. Sometimes getting in front of them to kill their scouts. Them the orcish leaders, denied their eyes, would turn the course of the army away from that direction. Naturally they had no desire to face a prepared enemy. The raping and pillaging was far more to their liking. Sometimes, when the army moved too long or too far, it would begin to suffer from stragglers, Sam would never let one straggle too far from the main body before the orc straggled no more.

    By the end of the second year, He Who Lurks in Shadows was no longer a rumor in the rank and file. It was a terrible legend, and the newest of members of the army were always sent on gathering details for the army. More and more, they fell in the woods silently. Search parties found their bodies, shot with arrows, cleaved in two, but Sam was never to be found. They tried ambushing Sam several times, but the protection of Tyr always stayed steady with him. Even the orc leaders, having sent out tricks and traps for He Who Lurks in Shadows, and never hearing from those units again, began to fear the legend.

    By the end of the third year of his quest for vengeance, the army suffered from severe morale problems. The ranks were hungry and thirsty, but no one would hunt unless it was in a large group for protection. Deserters were rampant, and no allied orc clans would lend support to the army beset by this curse. His efforts slowed them dramaticly, and reduced morale so much that the commanders could only motivate their minions against the faintest of objectives.

    Alone in the woods one late evening, Sam hid inside of a hollow tree stump, waiting for the hunters to return, and as they did, Sam would eat of their labors after he silenced them. Crouched deep inside the stump, he held a notched bow and arrow, his ears twitching for sounds.
    snap
    The crack of a twig from someone moving silently in the woods grabbed his attention and he slowly rose to standing, silently drawing his bow. What he saw nearly caused him to release his arrow in a start.

    Without a doubt, it was a paladin! His sword drawn, glowing brightly, lighting the way for an army of men and elves, all clad in a uniform armor. An army led by a Paladin!? Sam lowered his bow and watched, for this army moved directly towards the orc army just a few miles away. As the Paladin crept nearer, he looked up and saw Sam. Sam looked back at him and for the longest while they stared at each other in disbelief.

    "Sam?"

    "Darian?"

    Unabashed the two ran to each other and hugged like brothers before the entire army in tow. They laughed and hugged and cried for a few moments, but quickly, the paladin became deadly serious.

    "Sam, Go south, there is a large town there. I will meet you there in a day or two."

    "Uh uh. Yous goin..." He struggled for his words and Darian looked at him confused by the change in his old friends spoken words. "URKS!" Sam bellowed and pointed towards the encampment of orcs.

    "Yes, Sam I know. We are here to slay them." Darian cocked his head curiously. "How did you know there were orcs over these hills?"

    "Bin...huntin... killin 'em. Fur along time." Sam unstrapped the armor from his forearm and showed an tatoo design made out of small inch long straight lines. Some of the tatoos were very fresh indeed. "All dese... Sam kilt. Thuree yurs.... Bin fightin'"

    Darian Stalwart's eyes bugged. "Three years, Sam? You!?" Darian's mouth worked as if he had as much trouble getting words to come forth as well." You are the Tyrran Archangel!? By Helm, Sam! You are truly a great man!" Darian hugged him again.

    "Do you know what you've done? Do you have any idea how many lives you have saved!? Do you know how this army I lead came to be?! TIME, Sam, TIME!" Darian was ecstatic, as if a troublesome mystery had been solved.

    "Do you remember when I told you one man alone is powerless, and that is why we Paladins walk the earth? We are the standards around which men will rally when the times become troubled."
    "Well Sam, I have spent three years building this army, sitting with kings and nobles and creating in them a sense of urgency to commit their forces to slay these foul beasts, if only to protect the innocent and no other cause! But, Sam, they were slow to listen, they did not want to commit to this, and all the while we wondered why the army never turned directly to us while we were still divided. We never understood how their scouts would be found dead just miles from the villages, how suddenly when we knew their strength was high, we would catch deserters in the forests."

    "They would speak of not wishing to die at the hands of He Who Lurks in Shadow, and at the same time the Tyrran priests assured me that I would have enough time to complete my mission because the Tyr had provided a great barrier between us! We," Darian guestured to the well equipped army behind him, "all thought we found find some great being of light, with wings and a flaming sword!" Some of the nearer soldiers laughed with Darian. Indeed the half-orc was an imposing figure, but his dirty, gaunt face and tattered clothes, and equipment were a testament to his trials.

    "And here... all this time. It was my brother, my dearest Sam." Sam, tears streaming down his face with the realization that his war had come to a close, that Tyr had answered his prayer and the prayers those in the graveyard at the mission.

    "Come, Sam. Let us finish this now, once and for all, come fight with us, as one of us!" But Sam's knees were shaking and suddenly he collapsed to his knees. While he had not felt it come, he knew just then, that suddenly the effects Tyr's blessing were gone.

    "Nuh." Sam shook his bowed head in front of them all, feeling the fatigue of a thousand nights without sleep. "Sam's kilt enuff."
    He fell onto his back and stared at the sky for the first time in a long time, but sleep took him only a second later.

    The army marched, and was victorious. Darian returned for Sam where he was tended to. Indeed, the kings and noblemen recognized Darian as the man who organized them and led the army to glorious victory. Little attention was paid to the one man who suffered for them all, to mitigate the devastation that could have occured. Sam did not care. He only wished for a steady meal, a warm bed, and perhaps... a field to till.

    Unfortunately, Darian was a paladin, and just as before, Sam fell into Darian's footsteps. Where Darian went, Sam followed. Sam found himself tending the horses, and fetching food as Darian executed his duties as a paladin.
    For the next ten years, the two were inseparable, sharing many adventures together.

  • ?

    ::entranced by the story.::

    I'm into it for it not being another "here is the background for my cleric tank of Helm" story. Thank you.