Ashton's Tale
"What? I require no one to serve me; I would welcome your assistance but not service," Rygorh stated vehemently. "I would turn down none who wish, of their own free will, to aid us, and they are also free to leave when they wish to do so." Looking around at his friends at the table, Rygorh is a bit embarrassed over this whole affair. He turns back to the mysterious stranger, "So tell us about yourself. Start with your name and how you came to this decision?" "Well my name is Ashton Halford. I was born in Saragost, however, I haven't been there in many years," looking down he sighs before continuing. "Well, until recently that is." Looking back up, his eyes focus on Rygorh's holy symbol, he says, "I believe it to be the will of the Goddess that I serve, er, um, aid you." Looking at young Ashton intently Rygorh sits back in his chair, glance towards Alev, a hint of a smile on his face, "So", turning back to Ashton, "you serve the Mistress of war? Where is your long sword then?" "Oh, you misunderstand me, my lord; I am not a holy follower of the Goddess as one of her priests would be. Actually, I am ashamed to say my faith is probably not as strong as it should be. I have a love of nature and things that grow, but primarily of the beasts that live within the natural environment. I respect the Goddess for her strong approach to war. Sometimes it is necessary to take up arms to defend these creatures that are helpless before the so-called intelligent races. I also believe the teachings of the Church that Chaos is the natural state of all things even within nature. As for weapons, I choose to use the bow and the staff; both are weapons of nature and not man." Sitting back and with his chin resting on his joined hands Rygorh says, "Sounds like there may be a tale here worth the telling, Ashton. Please start from the beginning." Aston looks around the table, takes a seat and begins his story, "As with most teenagers it starts with a rebellious youth who seeks his father's approval. See, my father was a scout for the Saragost military and a devout follower of Aranu."
"Sherria," a large, dark tanned man calls as he walks into the door of a modest house on Trumpets Way. A handsome woman of about fifty enters from a back room "Oh, Serin, you are home; I wasn't expecting you for a while." Looking around the man Serin says, "We are going out on patrol, and I wanted to see if Ashton wanted to join us; you were right; I don't spend enough time with him." "Oh, Serin that's just wonderful, but he left early this morning." Serin suddenly interrupts his wife, "He is not down at that stupid grove again with those druids is he? I've taught the boy everything I know about using a bow and tracking but he would rather hang out down there. I don't understand it." "Now, Serin, be nice, I don't think so. His friend Arun came by, and he went with him." Eyebrows shooting up, "Sherria, you know I don't like him hanging around with that boy; he is nothing but trouble; him and that weird family of his. They are not the proper kind of people; everyone in Saragost knows that! How does it look for us that our son is over there all the time? People will talk." With that he turns on his heel and leaves the house, mounting his light brown mare, marked with the scout insignia of Saragost, he starts down the lane. After a short ride Serin comes upon two boys about the age of seventeen walking up the road. "Ashton, where have you been all morning? Your mother is worried, and I was going to take you on a scouting trip." "No thanks, Father, I went to worship with Arun today and heard the most interesting-" "You what!" his father suddenly exclaims, "You went to that Firinnian church? What is wrong with you boy!" "There is nothing wrong with me," Ashton retorts. "I wanted to check it out, and I liked what I heard!" "When I get back, I am taking you to the cleric of Aranu to make sure you haven't been bewitched by those people." "No, father you won't I am old enough to worship where I want and now I want to worship the Goddess!" "By the ancients, as long as you live under my roof and I feed you then you will do as I say. I don't know where I went wrong with you, boy!" "If that is the case then I will take the Walk of Chaos and join this order then I will leave your house," Ashton turns back the way he came and begins walking away as a bell tolls in the distance. "Damn, that boy. I will finish this when I return," Serin thinks to himself as he watches his only son walk off in the distance. That evening when Serin returns home he finds his wife still crying at the table as she tells him that Ashton returned wearing a Firrinian holy symbol then packed up his belongings and left on Serin's warhorse.
Ashton traveled northwest for about a week using every trick his father had taught him about concealing his tracks when he came upon four goblins about to kill what appeared to be some farmers. He quickly began firing his arrows, and all of the goblins were dead before they knew what happened. The happy farmers led him to their small village of Bent Creek which was northwest of Hockton Barrow and not far from Churney-on-the-Green. There he learned that the village had been suffering from goblin attacks ever since the disappearance of their village warden, whose job it was to protect the village from such encounters. Ashton was quickly offered the job by the village counsel and told that it did not pay much, however, he was given the warden house which was a cottage built in a treetop near the center of town. He was also provided food by donations given by the farmers and herdsmen of the village. The next two years were pleasant for the young man who did is job and spent what time he could with the druids at Churney-on-the-Green. Tales of his skill with a bow traveled to nearby towns and villages to the point that one of the archers from Hockton Barrow traveled to tell him of the tournament they were going to hold; everyone wanted to see him display his talent. Of course, he accepted the proposal thinking that this prize bow could be a great help to him and his continuing job. When the day arrived as he prepared to leave for Hockton Barrow some people from a nearby village came through Bent Creek with tales of a massive army that was heading down on them and a group of strangers that were spreading the word. Ashton assured everyone that these were just rumors and he would find out more in Hockton Barrow. What do these strangers know about this land anyway? Ashton arrived in Hockton Barrow and the first person he noticed was a priest of Firinna who seemed angry at the world. This had been the first time he had seen a priest of the Goddess since he left Saragost. He participated in the tournament and lost to a strange hooded individual who broke the prize bow; Ashton did take note that the large man with the priest of Firinna also participated in the Tournament. Watching the strange group closely he realized these were the strangers spreading the tales of this impending army that was bringing doom.
The next morning as Ashton prepared to head home and alert the village counsel that he was wrong and the rumors must be true. Captain Jabril of Hockton Barrow approached him, "I have heard of your bow, Ashton. We are preparing to defend Hockton Barrow and would like you to join us." "Capt. Jabril," Ashton says with a bow, "I would be glad to fight beside you and the people here but first I must be off to make sure Bent Creek knows of the danger and begins evacuating to Saragost." "Of course, as that is your duty to the village, I fully understand that, however, we can use your help here preparing. I can send someone with a note from you to the Village." Ashton agrees and quickly writes a note to the counsel with instructions and gives it to the courier. He then joins the rest of the people of Hockton Barrow in preparing a defense. Late in the afternoon as traffic from the north increased on the road someone sees a curious sight: three riders are heading north. Normally this would not be a big deal, however, since word of the coming army all traffic has been southbound. Ashton moves over to the roadside to see three of the strangers ridding hard. The priest he had taken notice of earlier lay dead across a horse with his skull smashed. They didn't stop; seeming intent on their destination somewhere north they rode past and continued on Ashton. Heard someone say, "One of those Starborn dead already?" Ashton thought that was a weird name for someone to call them so he sought out Captain Jabril and asked her. She gave him the tale that they had told her, and that she had already confirmed with the druids of Churney-on-the-Green. These were Starborn, some kind of legendary heroes destined to fight the evil that attacks us. "Humph, some heroes," he thought, "one dead already." He then went back about his business of helping with the barricades putting that horrible picture of the dead priest out of his head.
Several days later after the refugees from the north had stopped coming down the road Aston sat at his post near the barricade and he heard someone yell, "Riders to the north!" Ashton turned to the road to see these Starborn return however somehow the dead red robbed priest of Firinna lived; he could not understand how this could be. Just days ago he lay dead with his head crushed, and now he rode with his fellows alive? They stopped at the town inn this time for something to eat on their journey and told the tale of the Dwarf army's massive size. Ashton attempted to get into the inn to speak with these Starborn, but was turned aside and instructed to return to his post Even as he did so he marveled about the power of Firinna; the ability to bring one of her followers back from the dead was incredible.
Several days later the attack came at dusk. This massive army of dark faces moved slowly to the sout. Rangers were all around hidden from view waiting the signal from the druids. Nobody was told what this signal would be but they would know it. Suddenly the sky lit up like midday and pillars of fire with bolts of lighting erupted from the sky. The very trees and plants seemed to come alive and attack these horrible creatures. Ashton knew at once that this must be the signal, and he began firing his bow in rapid succession. This went on for several hours; his fingers now bleeding and eyes burning from exhaustion he continued to fire. He ignored the pain in his arms and joints and continued to fire. When he ran out of arrows, someone brought him more and still he fired. Finally in what seemed like an endless night he could find no more targets. A cheer went up from the defenders. They had driven this army back. They had succeeded where nobody thought they would; the army had turned back. They waited the next couple of days for the dwarves to return however nothing came from the north. A rider from Saragost showed up on the south road and told them that the dwarves had chosen to skirt around Hockton Barrow and now was marching on Saragost itself. "NO!" the single word rang in Ashton's head, he could think only of his parents he left behind and the city of his birth. Mounting his father's warhorse he raced south to Saragost; he must help. He drove hard and topping a rise that led towards the city, he was horrified. Saragost the shining star of Chillhame, the walled port city of refuge lay in ruins. Smoke rising from the city, gates battered and smashed, dark dwarves roaming the streets with some massive unnatural creatures standing silent and unmoving around the city. From this point he could see flashes of magic from the wizard's tower as well as from the druid's grove. "Well some still fight," he thought "I must go see what has become of my parents." Pulling his cloak about him he silently slid into the city unnoticed. Making his way to what once was his home he found the door smashed. Inside his mother lie naked' she had been brutally rapped and murdered. One of his father's swords lay next to her. Fighting back tears, he covered his mother's naked form and said a prayer to Firinna for her soul, and then he made his way to the druids' grove. There he learned that jis father must surely be dead as the dwarves killed all that opposed them. He also learned that the Lady Argaine had befriended the Starborn and gave them her ship to head to Crescent City on some mission. He sneaked out of the city again, mounting his horse and thinking about these Starborn whose name keeps coming up and the priest who was no longer dead. As he rode around Saragost and up the coast deep in thought he came upon a ship bound for Crescent City to flee Chillhame. Putting on one of his father's uniforms he had found at his parents' home he boarded the vessel, intent on finding and helping this risen Priest and those who call themselves Starborn.
posted by Brent Nall at 7:41 PM
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