Leroy Jenkinss
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ENTRY 1: WHY DID YOU PICK UP THE SWORD
During a casual stroll by the forests near the big city, the polite druid asks bluntly:
- Why did you pick up the sword?
The question remained unanswered. Conversation deviated right after her words and, to be honest, the truth would bore anyone that hears it.
No, I do not come from a far away land in search for a revenge nor am I looking for something or someone important. No, I am not an orphan that had is life turned around and decided to fix the wrongs of the world by myself. And no, I do not have a life goal that I value more than life itself.
I am just a simple man and the answer to the question comes with a simple word: gold.
I am bigger and stronger than the average and it seemed like using the blade to obtain richness was the right way to go. As I said, it is a boring truth, but it is still the truth.
I can imagine the following question she would ask:
- What is the path that you would be willing to trail to get your precious gold?
The answer, I bet no one would like, is: the shorter one.
It seems that being a part of the adventurers that gather by the big city is a good course of action.
For now…
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ENTRY 11: MAKING A LIVING
Quite a few things have happened lately, and I had almost no time to think about it all. At least one of them deserves a register.
Along with several other adventurers, I visited another plane. Hells, I never knew those even existed and being in one of them was more than an interesting experience. The place looked like it was made of water and everything there simply floated around. There were some weird sharks there (they were friendly), and eventually, we came a across what seemed to be a ruin. Exploring it was both very difficult and rewarding. Had I not been with some seasoned folks, I doubt I’d ever get out of the place alive.
The risks we took paid off at the end of it all. The new scabbard I’m using proved to be a very good addition to my gear. It holds, apparently, some holy power that I can activate in times of need. But, that was not the best thing I caught from all that. Apparently, we found a long-lost treasure there and among everything, there were two bars of a rare metal called Mithral.
This silvery metal is as hard as steel but lighter. From what I could find out, it is one of the rarest materials that exist, and having it does offers some possibilities. I can try to apply it on my sword, hiring a nice weaponsmith to do the job, or sell it, if I find someone willing to pay the right price.
Anyways, adventuring is a good source of income, I cannot deny that. Last couple of months were particularly profitable. I am holding now a good sum of money. But it is not enough … at least not for me. I should try my best to gather as much as possible before that dragon business become a dragon problem. I really don’t see any other solution to that than leaving.
Call me a cold-hearted man, but if I can’t help myself with anything related to it, how would I be able to help anyone else?
I am just a guy with a sword, trying to make a living.
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ENTRY 10: LESSON ONE – A FAILED SUCCESS
It is interesting to be surrounded by all sorts of adventurers. They all seek something and, even though they choose similar ways to achieve it, the path each one trail is different. My way is the one with the sword, and it seems there’s quite several things I should know about it.
It all started with an innocent invite to spar. She said she wanted to see if my defense had improved somehow and we headed towards the appropriate place. Once we where there, she started saying things like “different stances” and “several types of guard” I had absolutely no idea that existed. I am pretty sure that during our conversation I left a big impression of being an idiot.
From what I could understand, there are people that actually study swordsmanship to a point that everything they learn become their natural movement. For a commoner like me, something like this is unthinkable. I would never have a teacher, nor was I raised in an appropriate environment to learn such things.
As soon as the talk was over, the humiliation started. I mean, she could easily dodge or block every single strike I tried to deliver. And, even when I was able to scratch her, it only lead to a quick, precise and powerful counter attack from her part.
From that brief experience, all I can say is: learning hurts.
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ENTRY 9: MY STYLE
My efforts to learn how to deal with the living dead were put on hold. A few things happened lately, and I can see an opportunity to make some gold out of them.
The bards of the Big City’s College are involved in some trouble. There was an attack on some of their students by some weird guy in a mask. This is, apparently, something that is going on for some time and maybe the singers and dancers may need someone that can hold his ground on a fight. I’ll see if my services are needed and if I can charge for them.
On a more interesting front …. it seems that a young girl has inherited a large sum of money. A guy, who leads a band of black-cloaked men, wants it for himself. I cannot be sure of this, but I bet that helping the little girl with her problems may end up with my pockets being filed with coins.
And I already did some helping when all hell broke loose in broad daylight, right next to Norwick’s Crafting Hall.
It was a good fight. At first, there were six or seven of them, out in the open. They were very capable and putting them down was no easy task. I clearly remember several lightings hitting them and they all focused their attention on a woman that I was with.
I took my time and chose the best moment to charge. I am a bit sorry for that first man that, out of nowhere, was hit from behind by the big sword and ended up cut in half. Just a bit… The second one was so enraged going after an archer of ours, that making him trip was easier than …. Well, it was easy. Almost as easy was removing his head from his shoulders.
The fight was going well but suddenly their reinforcements came from inside Norwick’s inn. That was smart of them. Good thing that our side had a proper response. A hin, a general of some sorts, was able to hold his ground against a bunch of them and, right then and there, I felt something.
The heat of the battle made something emerge from inside me. I had already felt that before, but I think this time I could actually use and control it. I let out a raging roar, my blood was flowing at high speed, I felt my heartbeats could be heard a mile away, I was faster and was delivering the strongest hits I could.
Those men fighting with the hin fell quickly, and when I could turn my attention to their leader he vanished…. A stored spell someone said…
That fight made me realize that there are other ways to handle the sword. I first witnessed it when travelling with the bard Laerune. Some folks develop a very defensive stance, that allows them to avoid hits. This seems to be very effective when being attacked by several enemies at once. I must say it is elegant, effective and clever…
But it’s not my style. I just want to bash the other guy’s head.
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ENTRY 8: A STEP ASIDE, A STEP FOWARD
I did it. I Finally found their meeting place. It seems like in a deeper part of the sewers they gather and do…. whatever it is that those cultists do. Bringing people with me was, afterall, the best course of action. Ting, both the dwarves and Grunk were extremely helpful in dealing with what is down there. The number of cultists we found was high and there’s more powerful undead among them that I could ever imagine.
To my complete frustration, none of the cultists had any clues regarding their identities. I carefully inspect every corpse to see if I found a lead, but there was none there. I believe they must leave every incriminating thing about them somewhere else before going down there. That’s smart of them. There was no evidence about what they do down there. At this point, all I can do is assume it may be related to the living dead that walk around.
There are three things to worry about now. The first one is that skull door. Magic, skill and brute force were unable to open it. A door so well protected must guard something important and I will try to find out a way to go to the other side of it. The second one is that hole. I do not know what is down there, but I must go deeper to see if it is connected to the cult’s activity.
The third one is the living dead. Some seem mindless creatures that simply attack whoever is near. Since they lack reason, their attacks have no pattern nor logic, their unpredictable moves make them hard to avoid. Others, I believe, have some intelligence, special traits, and can even use magic. These are a real threat, since I am not well prepared to fight supernatural and magical things.
Because of that, I will have to take a different path. From all I heard, dealing with undead is a hard thing and I am not going into it blindly. I must learn how to fight those things and I should probably try learning more about them too. Educating myself on this subject inside the big city would be unwise. It could alert those cultists of my intentions and I want them to feel safe for now. This forces me to go outside town.
It was brought to my attention that the village known as Norwick also has some problems dealing with the living dead. From what I heard, there are two nests of them near it and I should probably go there and see if I can learn something about combating them. This is not something that will be easy and I will have to count with help from others.
It is a necessary step to the side, so I can move forward in dealing with the cultists. I hope the time I’ll invest in this will be rewarded. And I expect to find a fat bag of gold at the end of this all.
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ENTRY 7: FOR GOLD AND REVENGE
Past couple of weeks were uneventful. With nothing else to do, I decided to focus on my main objective: finding that cult beneath the city. That I did, and it almost cost my life.
As I suspected from my previous visit to the sewers, the place is home to more than rats. As I went deeper into that place, I started hearing a constant moaning and the sound of dragging feet. Following those was easy, and once I reached the source it was a shock. The corpses of dead people wander aimlessly throughout the corridors of the sewers. Most of them aren’t strong and a well-placed blow from the sword destroys them. A few, however, are more resistant and one, in particular, was a real challenge.
She did not look, at first glance, like a dead person. The way she walked and moved made me believe that she might be one of those cultists I am looking for. I took a different approach and tried talking to her. She was pretty. Her face was a pleasant sight, her full breasts attracted my eyes and her skin seemed to be soft. The nails were clean and I could not help thinking how nice it would be have them scratching my back. And the smile … ah, the smile, was an invitation to worldly pleasures.
Weirdly enough, considering where she was, she seemed trustworthy and I lowered my guard, not reacting to her coming closer. Now I know that, at that point, I was already under her spells.
A few inches from me, she turned into something horrible. The skin lost its luster, her well-cared nails were in fact sharpened claws and her sensual smile revealed long fangs. It took me a few moments to get out of her witchcraft, but once I did, the blade did its job. The silver edge cut her dead body once and in no time, I was on top of her decided not to let she use magic again. And she didn’t. The moment she opened her mouth, I smashed her teeth with the hilt of the sword and what followed was her death… the second, I presume.
She certainly thought she would have a nice and easy meal. That was her last mistake. Unfortunately, I did not have time to search her belongings, our fight, brief as it was, made some noise attracting the attention of them.
Two hooded men ran towards me and I had no time to do anything. The first one was able to trap me with a spell, while the other one started draining my life away with dark magic. I was petrified, and my death was certain. Once all the casting was done and one of them calmly came to me with a dagger on his hand and a wicked smile on his face. But, something happened, and I was suddenly free; I had a split second to save myself. Best course of action was to flee, and so I did, right after drinking the most powerful healing potion I had with me.
These guys… they were probably protecting something. Could be their gathering place, their identity, both or something else. I will find out what, but I need to take certain precautions first. I am not sure if the living dead are created by them or under their control, but I do need some way to better fight those. Also, their spells are strong, at least stronger than me, and I could use some protection against them.
This is still about gold, but now, it will also be about getting back at them. They made me spend more than 2 thousand coins and they will pay for it. one way or the other.
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ENTRY 6: WHAT I REALLY NEED
Apparently, this big city has more unwanted neighbors. I recently joined an expedition to the nearby mountains. At their base live several giants and manticores and an easy to find cave is populated by ogres. Seeing the giants, the beasts and the ogres made me believe in some old tales that I heard when I was a kid. Those things exist and are extremely dangerous.
Good thing that the three women that were with me are skilled in their areas. Lady Kathea displayed great power, that weren’t resumed to her healing abilities. The bard showed an almost impeccable swordplay. And the archer Ting fired arrows faster than I can blink my eyes. I can say I was in good hands. The ogres had decent gear. Their swords, axes and spears were sold for a good amount of gold.
I also travelled to the village named Norwick. It stands at the border of a forest dominated by goblinoids. I saw goblins and hobgoblins and heard about bugbears in the area.
The small ones weren’t difficult to deal with. Their main tactics is trying to overwhelm anyone with their numbers and that did not work well for them. The big ones… that’s a different thing. Stronger, sturdier and better equipped, they can be a threat. Better prove of this was the fact that dealing with them required the use of strong magic from those I was with.
I must admit that seeing that woman calling down the skies to strike them was impressive.
After these two expeditions, I have enough to live out of selling weapons, scrolls and trinkets I gather around for quite some time. But that is not the goal here.
I need a big score.
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ENTRY 5: SOURCES OF INCOME
It seems that my skill with the sword has improved. Whenever it was necessary to use it on the past few weeks, I did not hesitate, nor did I make the same mistakes I already had detected. My first impression with dealing with the blade was wrong. It is important to use it with strength, however, trying to better place my blows is proving to be more effective.
I will continue to work on it. This region is dangerous and being prepared is advisable. In addition to the threats I already dealt with, I found out some others. The orcs and lizardmen that are constantly put in check by the activities of those adventurers are not the only things to worry about when traveling around this region.
The woods by the side of the road revealed to be home of a tribe of gnolls. Honestly, I never heard of a gnoll in my life and all I can say at this point is that they are good fighters. Dealing with more than one of them can be deadly. The same forest is also home of big and poisonous spiders. Since those offer no source of income, I don’t see why going to that part of the forest again soon.
The caves that lead to the underground city are adjacent to fishmen’s lair. As far as I can tell, they are not hostile enough to attack outside of their territory. Being inside their home caves do attract a fierce response from them, and that is one of the reasons I haven’t gone too deep.
The other reason is that that they are well prepared to push back intruders. Their weapons seem decent enough to the point that they are bought by local merchants at reasonable prices. To complicate things even more, there are several magic users among them.
It is a good place to gather some resources, but I must always be careful around that place. There is no point in getting richer if you’re dead.
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ENTRY 4: SOMETHING IS IN THE AIR
My first incursion in this big city’s sewers can hardly be called a success.
The place is practically a maze and wandering around there proved to be a bit difficult. There are numerous doors along the way and opening them is risky, since it will alert anyone on the other side. There are also wooden bridges over the water and walking over them put me in an exposed condition. It is also infested with all sorts of creatures, like rats, bugs and whatever else one would expect to find in such place. At some point, I had the impression that something else was lurking around, so I decided to leave and go back better prepared.
On my way out, I had my only contact with an intelligent being. It was brief and bloody. As I approached the stairs leading to the docks, a man ran at me. Despite my efforts, there was no opportunity to have a conversation. A few feet from me, he started chanting and moving his arms…. I believe he tried to cast a spell. Only tried….
A well landed blow to his left knee placed him on the ground, his mad eyes hinted his surprise with my quick response to his attitude. To be completely honest, I was quite surprised with my reflexes as well. My next movement was clean and fast, the tip of the sword entered his chest easily and, in no time, the life that was in him stated to flow out with his blood. An investigation of his possessions found nothing of value or interest. No documents, no religious symbol nor anything that could point to his identity.
I threw his body deeper into the sewers, so that the smell of it, in a few days, won’t alert the guards outside. The rats will have a feast, I am sure.
The only conclusion I can get out of this is that something may be going on there, and that the rumors I heard may be true. I will investigate that place again soon. I wonder if it would be wise to call a few of those “adventurers” to come along. If there is in fact some activity there, having some back up would be nice.
I should choose wisely who to invite. The fewer the better; less people to divide any loot with.
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ENTRY 3: A BETTER PLAN
Well, everything related to that old village that was infested is off the table. Not only they cannot rebuild anything right now, because apparently the area is "tainted", but also, it involves dealing with a freaking dragon.
Too much time and too much effort for something that may not be that profitable, after all. Not to mention the dragon. A freaking dragon…
Better turn my attention to something else.
I heard rumors that below this big city there is a gathering of a cult of some sorts. Maybe I can have a look at it someday and see if I can gather any information about their members and things related to them. Dealing with it may get me some much-needed gold appreciation from the city itself.
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ENTRY 2: A PLAN
I heard talks of rebuilding a village nearby, maybe I could offer my services there. Or maybe, I could create the demand for such services and charge for them. I’ll pay the proper attention to this matter and decide if there is any opportunity there for me.