The Journal of a Paladin (Zargo Stonehelm)

[DarkMerc_1017]

Born in the Serpent Mountains on Dregar. I am Zargo Stonehelm paladin and follower of Vorax "Father of Battle". Me father Karm Stonehelm and me mother Granger Stonehelm were killed in a battle defending are home from some gray dwarves ,gobbos and some bloody drow. We lost a lot of good dwarves in that battle but they died with honor. When me saw me 46th Winter the clerics of the temple of Vorax after years of watching my faith in Vorax and battle skills grow they came te me while I was in training for an idle body is not suited to the harshness of battle. They told me that the Father of Battle was pleased with me for my faith and my devotion to him and that if I was willing to prove my faith to Vorax I can join the temple to study under high Clerics and high paladins. It has been my dream to follow Vorax and be one of the Order of the Bloody Axe to be the Axe in his hand to smite the evil of the lands and defeat his enemy's and the enemy's of the good. So I accepted and a few days later I began my studies and training. For the next 34 winters I studied under the high clerics and trained with the battle priests. I made friends two of them being Lornar Icefist and Zan Irongrip. Zan was a battle priests, and Lornar was a cleric we were great friends and as such got inte some trouble tegeather but we always stuck tegeather. Zan and me some times would train togeather we were both evenly matched so in the end it was never a one sided win by either of us if me be remembering right the score was o 46 te 44 with me at 46 but if ye asked him I got a keg of ale it be the other way around. We would some times sneak away and get some ale down in the human town some times we would sit and drink a few and every now and then one of the drunk fool humans came over and tried te say we don't belong here being dwarves and all well Zan and me are nort much te listen te a human much less a drunken fool of one we would continue are drink and most of the time they would just walk of and leave us a lone for the night.*thanks back to a fight that him and Zan go into* But one night we had just come in and noticed a group of humans in the corner being loud and seem like they was looking for trouble with the all the talk that was going on well I had Zan go and get us a table and I ordered some food and ale as I was walking back te the table one of the humans a big ugly one gort up and stood in me way and told me te get out because he and his fellows are nort much for liking dwarvers in an inn they be in well ye know i don't listen te humans well *smiles* i walked around him and continued te the table when the bugger put his hand on me shoulder and said that I was te get out or there would be trouble I said with out looking at him " lad if ye don't get ye hands of me ill show ye some trouble". Then the leader I thank stood up and said " I thank he just threated ye Lar I thank we should teach this dwarf a lesson". Then him and the six other one's at the table got up and surrounded me Lar was the first to attack but i dropped him with a hit te the head with the tray i had in me hands and caught the ale bottles be for they or Lar hit the ground I tossed them to Zan and told him to hold mine for me till I get done here and nort te drink it. When I turned around another one ran up on me in mid turn he was right on top of me when i finely made it around an using his rushing momentum and my turning momentum I landed a punch right in the buggers stomach. I picked up a char and hit another one that was rushing me square in the face he went down like a rock and hit with a loud thump then the remaining five pulled out there weapons on me two sword one looked like it would tickle a ogre not kill it it was so thin,a dagger, a mace and one of them had a staff of what looked like oak but im nort te good with the trees te know what it was realy made of. I called to Zan to throw me me axe but when I felt nothing in me hand I turned and looked at him and remembered me axe was at the blacksmiths getting a sharper edge on it. so I called for his hammer and was rewarded with just that. I turned around to see the two with the swords rush me my first swing hit the tiny sword and shattered it like a twig my second back swing got him in the knee and with a sicking crack his knee was shattered as well he hit the ground screaming so i kicked him in the head te shut him up. The other one was right behind him and when he took a step around his friend to get at me he met a hammer to the gut the sound that followed sounded like I broke some ribs and he crumbled to the floor out of breath then I landed a square hit te his face with the hammer that sounded like i broke it. The one with the one with the mace rushed next I side steped his over head swing and it hit not me but it bit deep in te the wooden floor I dropped me hammer on his arm breaking with a sicking crack he let out a scream so loud that a glass on the bar cracked I then dropped the hammer to the ground and said "Vorax says only to win with honorable battle" so punched him square in mans face and he went out like a light. The other two started for the door after seeing six of there friends get beat by a lone dwarf when they ran into Zan who with two well placed blows knocked them out before they could bring there weapons up te block or attack they hit the floor in a heap. I turned to Zan with a look and he said " What Zargo could not let you have all the fun now could I " I said "I hope Vorax sees this fight as a just one for i don't thank them humans would have let us go let us pay the owner of this inn for the damage we have caused". We finished are drinks I paid the owner for the damage and the trouble and we left. Lornar some times came but he was more in te his studies but I don't thank there be a dwarf in the world that could out drink that lad I seen him out drink some of the best in the whole Serpent Mountains like Bregor Irongut of the Stonehammer clan, or Grendar Firebelly of the Iceaxe clan. O them be some good times we was some rowdy young dwarves like most I thank Zan being the most but we used te get in some right big trouble with the high priests for all the stuff we did.
I still did all my studies and all my training but every now and then I would go down inte town and get a drink with Zan or try to out drink Lornar and by the way never won I bet the lad could drink himself a lake full of ale. But I still did all me training and all the studing I was told te do. Then I was called to the high priests of the temple and was told after long thought and discussion and by Vorax's will I was to be come one of the paladians of the Order of the Bloody Axe. For the next twenty years I studied under the high paladins and training to go out in the world and bring honor to Vorax and my clan. I learned that as one in the Order of the Bloody Axe that " I am the axe that Vorax uses to smite his enemy's and evil from the lands I am here to help the good and defeat the evil were ever I can and to never stray from the teachings of Vorax for it is folly to do so and will bring great dishonor to Vorax and great dishonor to me and my clan I am to defeat all that follow Corath and any one that allies with him or his followers for I am to have unimpeachable moral fiber as I the Axe that Vorax uses to smite evil and bring good". When I was accepted in to the order I did not see Lornar and Zan that much anymore for my studies and training was what took up most of my day but when I could I did meet with them and have drinks and have fun like we used to have. Then one night in the middle of my one-hundredth winter the high paladins came to me and said that for me to continue my training and to know what being a paladin of Vorax realy ment I must go out in to the human lands I said my goodbyes to all as well as my two greatest friends Zan and Lornar and set out on my way.

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IN TIME THE STUDENT BECOMES THE MASTER
"a hero is no braver then an ordinary man he is just brave 5 minutes longer"
"courage is fear holding on a minute longer"
"he who fears being conqured is sure of defeat"

[DarkMerc_1017]

A few week after I left me 'ome I was staying at an Inn, in a town called Lark. I was tired from me long journey so when I arrived I paid for a night's stay there. When I woke I was looking in te the face of a dragon right then I thought me life was over and I prayed te Vorax for me te die 'onorably. Before I charge the dragon to do battle it started te talk te me, it said, that I was summoned by him te help in a war against a evil man named Bloodstone and that he was using demons to try and take over the world and destroy the rest of the dragons. I said I would help 'im but me thanking it was just a dream. He told me te go throught the entrance to me left to began me task and I did when I came out the other I side I came te an empty and dark road ther' be nart a noise and at the end of that road I came to a wall of lights in which in front a statue stood when I walked thru the lights I came to a town were there was a cluster of different races. At first I thought I was still dreaming for the first thing I saw was a gobbo running out of a bank. After wondering around the town trying te find some one te 'elp tell me about what was going on I finely met an elven lass and asked her were I be and if I was dreaming turns out I was not dreaming and I was in a town called Hlint on Minstone and which it be across the ocean from me 'ome in the serpent mountains of Dregar and that there be a war going on between good and evil and there was a call for all who would aid in the fight against a man called Bloodstone like what the dragon I saw said. So it was not a dream after all it seems. I have only been 'ere a few days and so far I have noticed that some of the places here be having problems like the crypts the dead there are not in there eternal sleep but they infest the halls of the crypts and attack all that enter it be madness down there but I do as much as I can te put them back to there graves and let there souls be free of the evil that keeps them from returning te there sleep. As well as a crypt keeper named Erag that 'as asked fer the essence of a darksoul which I brought to him but 'e would nart tell me what 'e was using it fer but I do 'ope it be nothing evil. The caves out side of the town be crawling with gobbos as well as a scout group that 'as camped on the ground that lays above the cave. It seems that the wagon master has been 'aving trouble with them and 'e asked me to go down and rid the gobbos of there leader who seems to be directing the attacks at 'is wagons with the 'elp of a few people in town I retrevied the leaders 'ead an brought it back to the wagon master. I also retrevied some other stuff for some other people in town that were in need of help. A few days after I first arrived here I did not think I would see any dwarves from the fact I have been here for a few days and and have not seen any the lass said that there be lorts of dwarves 'ere runnin around. Then just the other day I ran into some of me dwarven cuzions and teday I see that Hlint be a town nart just full of humans and elves but there be a large amount of me dwarven cuzions 'ere as well. I 'ope that in what I de 'ere will honor Vorax and my clan and I will de every thing I can te 'elp good and smite evil every were I can.


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IN TIME THE STUDENT BECOMES THE MASTER
"a hero is no braver then an ordinary man he is just brave 5 minutes longer"
"courage is fear holding on a minute longer"
"he who fears being conqured is sure of defeat"

[DarkMerc_1017]

Teday I join a war party that traveled te the 'ome of the Stonebrow Clan te wage war against the drow that are trying te that there 'alls from them. We were under the command of a fellow follower of Vorax a War Cleric named Gloin. We left Fort Llast in te groups the leaders of them were Gloin and Vigg, I was under the command of Vigg during during the journy te the Stonebrow Fortress. The war party was made up of mostly dwarves but there was a few humans and elves and one half-gaint as well. We were alowed te pass the gates and inte the 'alls te were we was led te a room were there was going te be a speach by the King before the battle for there 'ome started. When he 'ad said 'is speach 'e gave us are orders we was te punch a hole through  the drow defences all the way te Lar so that we could open up a clear route te and from Lar fer reinforcements and supplies te the Stonebrow army. We made it te Lar but nort after much battle and lost te are party but with the 'elp of Vorax we was able te bring are fallen commrads back te 'elp us fight are way te Lar. We incontered 'ordes of drow as well as 'ordes of demons most of which i 'ave nay an idea what they be called, we encountered beasts that were 'uge some be bigger then a wagon down in them caves but no matter wart came inte are path we destoryed it in thee name of Vorax and move in deeper te reach are goal te get te Lar. I can say this I was glad te travel with such worriers and would be 'onored te fight evil again with them be ther' names be as follows Pathfinder Anu-pilinn, Exodus Stonecutter, Axodeth Stonecutter, Gloin, Koppig Varken, Gotak Gungur, Jacchri Abianca, Syn, Tatchien, Kilkenny, Vigg Belber, Riley Alexander, Varka Cleaveson, and Kavil Yodin. These be 'onorable worriors and it be me 'onor te travel and te fight along side such brave worriors. May Vorax be pleased by me actions on this day we may 'ave finished are mission te open a route to Lar but I dont be thinking the war is over just yet and if nart I am ready te be called forth te 'elp me cuzions again in the name of Vorax.

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IN TIME THE STUDENT BECOMES THE MASTER
"a hero is no braver then an ordinary man he is just brave 5 minutes longer"
"courage is fear holding on a minute longer"
"he who fears being conqured is sure of defeat"