A Warslinger in Sundren

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Paddy Roundstone packed a change of clothes and enough cheese and dried meat for a ten-day journey. His head still ached from the festival the night before. Erdbeer Wine was drunk by the jug to wash down roasted pork and countless sides dishes. The entire Roundstone Clan, prolific warslingers from three burrows, made their way to wish Paddy well on his journey to Sundren. The Roundstone Clan always raised the most curious of Halflings. As such, it was always their way to follow in Brandobaris’ path and venture forth into the great unknown.

Paddy arrived on foot to the gates of Sundren after a many day journey. He saw the city floating high about the landscape for nearly two days. It began as a blur, but quickly came into focus as he moved along the well worn road.

He was excited to finally arrive and spent as little time as possible moving through the Gate. After purchasing a couple more leather slings, bullets, sturdy shield and well worn breastplate… he dressed and began walking in the valley of Sundren.

Paddy smiled, he was finally on his own adventure. One he hoped he too could share with his clan on some distant date over a goblet of Erdbeer wine. He gave thanks to the little tramp and turned towards the Shaharan Hills.

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The Hills proved to be an ideal place to practice his craft. His old worn sling from home was a little too old. He opted to use one of his new ones to break it in properly. He knew of Warslingers who could pull and throw four or more round-stones in one smooth motion. He hoped for nothing less.

The Hills were full of goblins that fell easy enough with one well placed shot. Paddy had no hatred towards goblins in general, but he found it easy enough to dispatch them before they did the same to him.

He crested a small hill and stood there under a tall hardwood. Its shade felt cool on his sweat soaked skin. It was there he saw a Dwarf and Tall’ling running aimlessly about. Paddy thought of offering them water from his wineskin, but they ran right past him and into a crowd of goblins. Paddy shouted, “Oyi!” But neither broke stride. They keep up their heavy pace until reaching the entrance to a cave, one that Paddy had not yet seen.

Instead of giving chase, Paddy knew it best to make a small defendable camp and wait for nightfall. He learned enough from listening to his elders to know that all caves, no matter how inviting they appear, where best entered in secrecy to prevent ambush from behind. Fighting with aimless adventurers could be dangerous as well. He knew that round-stones ricocheted off stone walls and could render him sightless. So he began looking for a suitable place to wait.

Hours later, Paddy approached the cave entrance under cover of darkness and quickly dispatched the three sentries standing guard. With some effort, he propped them up to appear sitting. It was meant to fool anyone from raising the alarm or giving chase. With that he dropped down in to the cave and began what he hoped would be another exciting day.

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The cave was surprisingly well lit. Paddy’s eye took little time to adjust to torch light glow. He proceeded slowly for fear of the unknown. Scanning left, then right with each step he explored the first level. He was happy for the chance to use his wee lock picking set he won at a festival, for there were a few locked doors along the way. The cave seemed well stocked, which we felt was odd since it would take a team of goblins to move the large wooden crates scattered about. Perhaps giants lived here too, he thought? He slowed his approach without thinking and used extra care.

Looking inside of an old barrel, Paddy found some items of little use… but seeing how he had but a few gold pieces left, every item’s value was assessed on the spot and stuffed into his traveler’s sack for later. He planned to carry as much as possible so long as the sacked didn’t slow him down. He made a bit more noise as his treasure grew though his caution kept him out of harm’s way. This was in large part to his new sling. It allowed him to range the goblins from the shadows. With two round-stones he usually dropped his prey. It reminded him of hunting rabbits at home on the edge of a field.

The air grew colder and slightly damper as he walked deeper into the cave. He suspected he was walking down into the earth and not merely under the Hill. It was a bit darker too. Paddy stopped and let his eyes adjust to the conditions. He wasn’t able to see in the dark like the Elves or Dwarves he heard stories of as a young lad. No, he merely waited and then made the best of what Brandobaris gave him.

Paddy stopped cold in his tracks by the whispers of Men he heard ahead. He knew it wasn’t giants… well, he hoped it wasn’t anyways. Standing in the shadows Paddy watched these Men, armed with blunt weapons and carrying shields, work amongst the goblins. How odd this seemed to him. Perhaps this explained the supplies. Maybe there weren’t giants deep down in the earth after all.

Quickly, Paddy emerged from the shadows and engaged the goblin working with these Men. He wasn’t sure how these Men would react, but figured it out pretty fast once they began shouting incantations and waving their arms about. Magic! Paddy fired as fast as he could without losing aim. He had heard of magic and was raised to respect it… nay, fear it in the wrong hands.

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The sun was raising and it was a clear day when Paddy emerged from the cave with only a few bruises and slight puncture wounds. He would heal over time. His experience in the cave taught him that he needed better equipment. He left the Hills that morning looking for allies.

After resting for nearly the entire day, Paddy felt renewed. The few pints of ale and roasted pork didn’t hurt either. The food and ale in Sundren wasn’t as good as back home, but it made him strong again and that was all that really mattered. Leaving the small inn by the Hills he moved along the road looking for a place to rest for the night. After many hours, he came to a sea town named Port Avanthyr.

The streets were full even at this late hour. Paddy smiled and felt this town would hold promise for him. So, he moved along the cobbled stoned streets until he found an Inn and took a room for the week. The Menacing Mariner was to be his new home for a little while.

His room was large. The bed was soft and appeared clean. He thought it odd that the Inn Keeper stored casks of ale and other items in his room. Normally these things were kept underground or at the low point of a house to keep the ale cool. He thought about asking for another room, one that the Inn did not rely on to store items. Security was his first thought. But then the sight of a sturdy chest at the foot of the bed belied any of his fears. It was a strong chest with a stronger lock.


Paddy spotted Blackwood Company men and women all about the port city. He was intrigued by the way they dressed and their stern demeanors. His first order of business then was to find their headquarters and speak to someone in charge. Paddy needed steady employ, and he felt this was perhaps the best way to go about it with little knowledge of Sundren.

The next morning, Paddy cleaned himself and set off to find the Company of Blackwood.

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Paddy finally found the building across the bridge and high atop a hill. The Blackwood crew greeted Paddy sternly, but not rudely. Paddy smiled and asked to speak with someone in charge. Unfortunately, he was kept waiting a long while before someone with the authority came willing to invite him to join the organization. To their credit, the Company wasn’t too keen on allowing just anyone into their mix. For the first since arriving in Sundren, Paddy was asked what his qualities were and how he could support the goals and objectives of the Company. Hells! He had no idea what the goals and objectives of Blackwood were, but he was certainly prepared to learn if they gave him a bit of coin and purpose.

Paddy had to prove his prowess in the rolling hills and dark forests of Viridale. By this time he was able to load and throw two stones without fail. He was asked to make a “sweep” of Viridale and report back his findings. Well he found a lot. Orcs, Goblins, and finally Orges… To his good fortune he came across Slane and Michael Godspeed. They helped him penetrate deep into the Orges’ cave and best ever orge they came across. It was no easy feat to be sure, but a team of hungry and motivated adventurers were a force to be reckoned with.

This is where someone in the group suggested Necropolis. It was beyond the scope of his reconnoiter task, but Paddy was convinced it would stand him in favor with his new Company. So he agreed to join in. For the first time since arriving in Sundren Paddy had to live with the consequences of misadventure, the death of his comrades. They had penetrated deep into the lower crypts of Necropolis only to find stronger and viler creatures. Necromancers and other foul beasts walked freely here and gave chase once spotting Paddy and his team. Paddy’s aim was true enough and his round-stones hit their mark… but it never seemed enough to keep the monsters at bay. The faster Paddy threw the more quickly necromancers closed rank a top him and his comrades. It was exhausting work. He quickly worked his way through the limited supplies he purchased before setting out.

Michael fell first. He was constantly mumbling this phrase or that before charging head long into the masses. Paddy felt it was only a matter of time before Godspeed fell and didn’t get up. No manner of warning seemed to help. No, Godspeed appeared driven by a force Paddy could not understand. He had heard for some whose beliefs were so strong they would willingly charge into a den of rapid dogs to prove their devotion. Perhaps Michael Godspeed drank from the same stream as them?

Slane fell next. She was memorable. A fetching female Orc! Who knew they existed. Nevertheless, she too was as bold as Michael, but gave more thought to how she engaged. Paddy was sorry to see her fall. He had hoped to carry her from the crypt and bring her before Brandobaris himself. But she gave strict instructions.

Paddy completed his mission and was happy to have a bit more coin and a place to call home. He was a Company man now and he didn’t care who knew it. In fact, he was proud to wear their colors. He purchased what he could afford from their small store. Paddy was amazed at some of the equipment in their stores. He immediately sought out the bank atop the hill from the Headquarters and opened an account. He didn’t gamble or waste coin on frivolous endeavors. No, Paddy had a plan and was going to see that it came true through hard work and memorable exploits.

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Paddy purchased some fine round-stones from Headquarters. They were considerably cheaper than the ones he found just inside the Gates and a lot more powerful. He was confident he could return to the underground crypts and exact his revenge for the loss of his two companions. He packed a few sandwiches for the journey. He decided to begin as soon as the Sun rose the next day.

The walk allowed him to build a bit more strength and improve his conditioning. Each passing field began to look like the last. It made the time go back quickly he thought as finally arrived at the old caretaker’s home outside the graveyard. Though he was prepared to venture forth alone, there stood a tall elf in well adorned robes mumbling to himself… Paddy approached with a smile, but also with caution not knowing who the elf was or what business he may have in to forsaken place.

Lanathas. That is what the he called himself after a brief introduction. Paddy was pleased to learn he wanted to venture into the graveyard, but did not have the equipment to do it alone. So the two decided to go together... One for experience and the other for revenge.

Just as Paddy began to start out, he was suddenly enveloped with a layer of something atop his armor! It didn’t hurt but clung to everything. “Spider Skin,” Lanathas yelled seeing Paddy’s confusion. He then explained he was an Elf of magic who could bolster Paddy’s abilities and improve my defenses. Paddy stood there beaming with good fortune and allowed the Elven Mage to do just that. Once the incantations were completed, Paddy felt stronger, faster, and more confident than he could remember. He felt refreshed and took up a quick time step up the hill and back into the graveyard.

Unlike his previous adventure, Paddy was rarely missing the evil creatures and found he was dealing with them much quicker thanks to his new round-stones. Paddy knew what over confidence could do after thinking of Michael Godspeed rushing head long into a wall of rotting, but fully animated corpses. Lanathas magic was timely and gave both of them renewed confidence after some hard fought battles.

Paddy was pleased to have magic on his side, but he it made him anxious all the same. Magi were walking amongst the dead and used their own magic when confronted by Paddy’s round-stones. If not dealt with quickly, Paddy and Lanathas were to suffer burns or other magical maladies.

Both return to the very spot where they met outside the graveyard. Each promised to look for the other the next time the need for adventure called. Until then, Paddy wanted to get back to his barracks and see if he couldn’t begin earning some real coin. Adventuring could be profitable, but it was unlikely to generate the amount of coin Paddy needed for better equipment. With that in mind, Paddy began his walk back with a tune on his lips and the clanking of booty from a sack over his shoulder.