Ready to be a Hero

jrizz · 04-09-07, 12:24 PM

It has been many years since I came to these lands in search of my brother, Glenn. I did not come here to be a hero, that was his role not mine. I found him and was lucky enough, for a short time, to spend time with him. He spoke to me many times about responsibility and how we need to help those less fortunate then ourselves. I listed to him but I never really understood. Sure I would help someone in need and if I saw an injustice I would try to right it. But I never had in me that fire that he did. All he did he did to prepare for the great battle against Blood. He never got to see that battle happen, and he was lost to me to soon. I did not take up arms and take his place in that battle, I felt that was the realm of heroes.

Now I am beginning to understand what Glenn was trying to tell me. It has been 12 years since the heroes defeated Blood and his forces. The price this world payed for that defeat has been great, maybe to great. But that is not for me to judge I was not there. And that is the issue, I was not there.

I see all around me and in every port I go to, people suffering, hungry, sick, and displaced from their homes. More and more evil arises in the lands. Bandits, mercenaries, beasts, undead, and now as I have found out recently and first hand something far worse plagues the lands. I see around me more people that have a “dark” taint to them. They seem to revel in the state of the world. It is like the darkness in the skys and the suffering of the world have brought out in the open many evils.

I had the chance to step up and try to be the hero Glenn would have wanted me to be. I was in the City of Lor where I ran into a large group of “adventures”. Some I knew well and others only a little. A obviously poor man walked by us a tried, in a most feeble way, to pick pocket one of us, a paladin of Toran I think by his demeanor. Kobal, who was also there, caught up to the man and quested him. As it turned out his was head of a family who was fleeing from some kind of cult called the Black Hand or the Iron Hand he was not sure really. He was trying to get his people safe passage on a boat to Milstone but the price was high. We offered to help him and his people return to their lands and remove the cult. He said they just wanted to leave. We decided to help with the cost, which was 10,000 trues. While we started to make a collection a woman named Lin'da stepped up and gave the man 20,000 trues. She is a moody one but obviously has a big heart. With the man's expenses more then taken care of. We decided to see about this cult.

We won the day in the end but against an enemy that fought to the last. We think this was for some under the influence of a strong mind control. We captured a dwarf that was one of them and when Rhynn tried to sense what magic held his mind she was struck almost dead. They also had under there control golems that seems to have been ripped for the very rock around us. They were terrible beasts that could render them selfs immune to any attack for some time and even when that power faded they were very hard to take down. But we had a strong leader (I think his name was Mich) and we all did our jobs well. It felt good to be a Hero.

One thing to note. On our trip to where the cult had taken up residence a small but powerful dragon swooped out of the sky and hovered over us. It did not attack us but some of us were quite startled and attacked it, It flew off. I tried to say we should not attack it if it came back but I dont think anyone heard me. Because it swooped down again and hovered a moment and once again some of us attacked it and once again it flew off. Further on in our travels it showed up again this time with another and ready for battle. I dont know if it was hunting us from the start or mad at being attacked but this time it was clear there would be a fight. We attacked them after they drew first blood and we chased them off again. I will say this, I would not want to meet a full sized one of those. All I can think about this is that there are more dragons in the world then we think and they are coming. We had better be ready.

jrizz · 04-09-07, 02:50 PM

I have been thinking about those i have known that have this attachment to the shadows. Those I know of are not evil at all they just have this affinity to the darkness. But that does not mean evil. Evil is a whole other thing. I have spoken with few people I would call evil. But there are many that just have a "badness" to them. I am sure some of them have evil in their hearts but hide it quite well. Perhaps I have even traveled with some of them. A few come to mind. What will happen if a new great evil threatens the land? Will we all band together or will we find amongst us those that will serve the evil?

Years ago I remember hearing about the treaty that the heros of the blood war agrred to with Milara. I said then that it was a bad idea and that they had given him/it all the freedom needed to hatch whatever evil plot he had in mind. Then I remember hearing of dragons being sited going into the darkness he cloaked his lands in. I think we may be in trouble. Those dragons we saw the other day were young ones, they had to hatch somewhere. I wonder how long a dragon egg takes to hatch and how long it takes a dragon to make a egg? Do dragons even come from eggs? or it that just a tale? well I know who to ask on this one.

jrizz · 04-10-07, 10:06 AM

Dragons, Milara, and now unknown evil more powerful then anything we have ever seen of heard of before. It is time to step up and be a leader and also to listen to those who know of these things. I need to spend time asking Ozy questions.

jrizz · 05-08-07, 10:01 AM

I have spoken with Ketil about becoming a stormcrest guide. I think this is a good way to hone my skills as a leader and to help influence others to pursue the path of the hero. I know these are dark times and many that have grown up in them think only as far as where the next meal will come from. Dark times give rise to dark thoughts and actions but dark times can also forge great strength and ambition to change the world for the better. I need to find those that have the light burning in them and help flame that fire.

jrizz · 05-08-07, 10:08 AM

I have spoken with quite a few warriors that spend a lot of time mastering the weapons they fight with. The results are dramatic. Lillian is so small and yet she strikes with deadly skill. And Kyle when he uses that curved blade he makes it look so effortless. I also met a dwarf that used a most unwieldy looking weapon, it looked more like a farm tool really, but his skill with it was outstanding. They all take training with their weapons very serious. I think I need to speak with them all some more. Perhaps I can learn to fight with a cooler head.

jrizz · 05-09-07, 03:00 AM

I have been thinking about battles I have been in and what has worked and what has proven fatal. Tactics in battle are key! but the smart use of your weapon can turn the tide in your favor even if tactics are not our your side. I think I will test some ideas I have with my weapons.

jrizz · 05-09-07, 01:36 PM

With the continuing darkness in the skies it seems that a deep darkness has taken hold in the very life force of the world. More and more I encounter beings that have a taint to them, and then, as if to balance that out there are those that are.... fanatical in their beliefs of order. They seem to think that order and rules will hold back the flood of darkness that is poised to cover us all. More and more I am coming to understand the need for warriors of light and freedom. I must strive to find those that have goodness in them and help them in anyway that I can. Also I must find those that teeter on the edge and help bring them into the "light".

jrizz · 05-11-07, 12:16 AM

Today I spoke with Tegan about my worries. At first I found it hard to open up my thoughts to another. But I am glad that I did, I now know that I am not alone in my fears. Also that what I am seeing has been validated through the eyes of another. Dark times are not in front of us but they are on top of us now. There are still many that stand against the darkness and the evil. These are the heros. I hope to one day stand by them and together push this darkness away and once again give hope to the world.

jrizz · 05-17-07, 12:11 PM

As deeply as I have tried to find the discipline to master the long sword I continue to fail to adhere to that training in battle. When I train alone, in my mind I can keep a calm resolution about myself. But when the heat of true battle is upon me the blood rage takes hold all too often. I fear I will never have the will to hold discipline of the weapon in the heat of battle. My instincts in battle are strong I can keep focused on the enemy and not lose myself so completely that I attack my comrades. And I am even able to keep in mind preservation of my life. Although there have been more then one time when I have lost that mindfulness and have come close to being sent to the void. I recall a time in a cave filled with giants where I lost myself so completely that the young mage with me became so frightened that I thought she was going to flee out fear that I would attack her. I could see it in her eyes. I was not proud of that moment. But I must accept that as part of who I am, perhaps I need to embrace the rage and turn it into a weapon that I can have some control over.
I remember in my youth the time I spent among the mountain bears watching and learning from them. Never is the spirit of the bear far from me but it has been clouded over. In my travels I have had to kill many bears and always I felt as if I was striking down a brother. Yes it was they or I so I did what I had to. I made sure that their meat and skin went to good use. I see myself in their rage when they attack.

jrizz · 05-29-08, 04:24 PM

6 months I have been fighting in this new way. Taking advantage of my agility and moving away from brute force attacked has ben a long hard path. It has paid off well for me. I think it is time to leave the plate armor at home. This scalemail I have been using provides enough coverage when coupled with fast movements like side stepping, ducking, rolling. Next I have to give up my kite shield for something a bit smaller a large shield should work. The few times I have used one I found that it did not hinder my movements so much. I tis hard to give up the protection that this mithril shield gives me. Perhaps I can find someone to trade with.

I still feel the rage but my body knows what to do now so they are a good combination. I have learned to let go of my mind in battle and let my body do what it knows how to do. I will train deeper now and find the soul of my weapon. I will feel for the weak spots of my enemies and there I will strike.

jrizz · 05-30-08, 07:08 PM

Over the last couple of months I have seen some of the most incredible sites in my life. Great chasms, deep caves, hugh underground caverns with purple waterfalls, whole cities built underground, and peoples I have never encountered before. Indeed I have faced dangers more deadly then any foe before. I have stood toe to toe with foes of incredible power and I have lived to speak of it. But I think I can do better. Already my new fighting style is serving me better but I know there is more. Argali with her solid stance, Bear with his ways of attacking from the sides, Gork as well and his mastery of the big double axe of his.

jrizz · 05-30-08, 08:09 PM

I need to watch them all more. I need to learn from them and find my way. My way.

jrizz · 06-09-08, 07:41 PM

Argali has decided to travel a different road. It is good she has a goal. I learned a lot from her during our travels together but most importantly I learned that I am not built to set my feet in the ground and take a beating. The faster side to side movements are working much better for me. I fought a tribe of birdmen I used a lighter shield and I was able to roll, dodge, and shift much easier. Many strikes that a would normally take or have to block missed me as I moved that way. I fought an ogre and I used just a bow I dove rolled came up shot at it and dove again it could not hit me and I just kept shooting it. Now if I could learn to use this movement to strike my opponents in weak areas I would be much more dangerous. I will talk with Gork on this he seems to do that.

jrizz · 06-15-08, 09:34 AM

In speaking with abiron and emie about the kind of fighting tactics Gork and Bear use Abiorn said it is just a matter of attacking the weak areas like the backs of the knees or lower back. But I think there is more to it then that. It is more about using movements in the fight to get into a position to do that kind of strike. I am trying to do this in combat now.

jrizz · 06-20-08, 10:55 AM

I have been traveling with Drexia a lot as of late. She fights a lot like Krys did, I can small differences though. But what most gets my attention, when I get the chance to watch her is that she also uses feints and tricky moves to get her opponents to leave themselves open to damaging attacks. Further more her side to side and forward and back movements make he harder to hit. She seems to be able to feel attacks coming at her from behind. This is getting more intriguing as I train. I tried something in the last battle I was in. I dropped my shield and left my head unguarded, when my opponent went for my head I dropped below my shield and struck it in the legs. It worked quite well.

jrizz · 06-29-08, 08:02 PM

Both drexia and bear have agreed to help train me. I am not sure that drexia will be able to help me much as she fights mostly with her hands and feet but she does use weapons and they are much like extensions of her hands. Bear is showing me quite a bit though. But it seems that to be affective he needs someone to get the targets attention. I have always been that type of attention getter. This is going well for me but I feel there is a long road ahead.

jrizz · 07-01-08, 12:59 PM

I am doing very well in my training. I have tried a few time when the opportunity come up to attack my enemies from the flank. My lighter armor lets me duck and roll away from many blows now and I have been able to deliver some indirect blows. I was fighting some bandits and noticed that the smaller ones among them would try to flank me and when they did they were able to hit me quite effectively. So I changed my tactics with them and went face to face with the smaller ones while keeping my shield side to the larger of my attackers. When faced directly the smaller ones were easy to deal with and they were unable to hit me much at all. That was a key lesson for me in learning how flank fighting works.