The Fourth Horseman: Part 1

Captain Volgo stretched his arms to the sky and let out a giant yawn. He was sitting up in a tent made for a Barbarian, his armor in a neat pile beside him. The past several days had been taxing on him and the long night of rest had only reminded him that he was getting much too old for this.

He walked out of his makeshift quarters and to the center of the camp where a small fire was still smoking. He picked up a stick and began to stir the embers until a small flame began to dance in the charred bits of wood. Looking around, Volgo could see that none of his men were awake. They were usually late sleepers and this tended to disgruntle him. He cooked himself breakfast and waited for the others.

The Third Horseman: Part 3

The Desert Ro does not occupy all of southeastern Tunaria. A few miles south of the Hazinak settlement, it loses its arid grip in the dingy swamplands of southern Tunaria. Jungles swarm with poisonous spiders and hostile lizardmen. Only the nasty Trolls of Grobb consider these parts homely.

Our army weaved around the pools of bubbling mud, under the great swamp trees, and into the valleys of the jungle. General Oxfist and Captain Drailis led the group while Quinn and I were bringing up the rear. A foggy haze hung in the air. It was so thick that when the two leaders got more than twenty feet from me, I lost sight of the men.

The Third Horseman: Part 2

Here.

The Third Horseman: Part 1

Highpass Hold is the largest fortress in Tunaria. It sits in the central mountains of Tunaria and was once the headquarters of Tunaria. Yet when the new frontiers were discovered, Freeport became the new hub. Highpass still has a sizeable population and to be honest, it’s where I find the most reputable warriors. After all, it’s where my father resides.

He moved here long ago, being promoted to the chairman of the Coachman’s Federation, which has its headquarters within the Hold. At the time of his appointment, I was around the age of 30 and was spending most of my time training in the Tea Gardens south of Freeport. Thus, I didn’t move with him.

Snyde’s Interlude: Part 2

Captain Blackshear and his first mate, Sal, stood looking down at nine wooden crates. The words “Freeport Shipping Company” were painted in bold black letter across the sides of each box. The night before, the Pirates had intercepted a cargo ship that had been carrying a load from the citizens of Arcadin. They surrounded the ship with their smaller, more agile boats and boarded. After slaying the ship’s crew, the Pirates looted everything they could. This included the nine wooden crates.

When they were back at their camp, they carried the large boxes to the center fire pit. Blackshear placed his hand on one of the boxes and slowly moved his hand over the fine grain wood.

The Second Horseman: Part 2

I left my hut and walked to the center of the Pirate Village. No one was awake and the sun was barely over the horizon. We had stayed up relatively late last night and spent most of our time exchanging old stories about past battles. Snyde had actually stayed up with us. But when the time came for bed, the three Rogues set up their own tents and slept on the outskirts of the village. In the morning, Snyde and his men and their campsite were nowhere to be found.

There were still hot coals lying in the fire pit. I pulled up a stump that had been carved into a chair by one of the now deceased Pirates. The air was cold and the warmth from the embers kept me from thinking about it. I reached into my bag and pulled out a piece of salted meat that I bought in Klick’Anon the day before. My rapier had been in dirt, mud, and water. It had been in the blood of Humans, the spit of dragons, and the slime of frogloks. And still, I stuck the piece of salted meat right on the end and roasted it over the glowing coals.

The Second Horseman: Part 1

There is no city quite like Klick’Anon. It sits in north-eastern Tunaria, where lava flows abundant, and the soot from Neriak’s volcano blots out the sun. It’s a day’s hike east of the Elven capital of Fayspires. The two cities couldn’t be more different. Fayspires is bright and beautiful with columns reaching to the gods, while Klick is dark and rustic. The city itself isn’t even above ground. One must head down the long ramp, over a broken bridge, and into the underground tunnels. The city is, well it’s just odd. And if it isn’t odd enough with its gears and robots, its citizens are beyond the pale.

Snyde’s Interlude: Part 1

There are very few assassins and thieves in Tunaria that are not familiar with Snyde Cragsmear. He’s the first person a Human Rogue meets before he or she begins to train. Or, he was. A couple of years ago, Snyde abandoned his post as Master of the Qeynos Rogue’s guild. He recruited two of his top students and they went to Kerra Island to explore and hone their abilities. So when Snyde and his two students found themselves back on Kerra Island, they weren’t in the least bit lost.

The First Horseman: Part 3

The two Captains stood in front of us conversing about an attack plan. We were lined up in two rows, one in front of the other. We looked like an army ready to charge to victory and yet our enemy was no army at all. It was a single creature, possibly a Human but maybe just an Elf. He was sitting on his black horse on the horizon, completely alone and almost unaware of the troops that had gathered to slay him.

His stealth black robe covered him from neck to toe. The only piece of armor I could make out at this distance was his dark blue helmet. It reminded me of a battle worn helm I had once seen in the Freeport market. On his back hung a long Zweihander that had a whitish-blue smoke pouring from the blade. There was a Paladin standing in the front row that carried a similar sword. Yet the Horseman’s looked much longer.

The First Horseman: Part 2

Barbarians are some of the worst guests known to Tunaria. They wake up after just a few hours of sleep and always insist on doing their morning exercises. On this morning, a few had gathered together with some of the full-time Castle residents and were limbering up before the journey to the Northern Pass.Their huge bodies, some standing almost nine feet tall, caused the ground to shake as they went from standing to sitting and then back to standing again. God forbid they start doing jumping jacks.

The First Horseman: Castle Light Wolf

The first part of the story can be found at the original blog, here.