Prolouge

A young man begins his journey into the harsh winter snow on foot, requesting some directions from the inn-keeper before heading out.

Light flickers warmly against the rough, worn wood of a nearly empty inn. The fireplace burns healthily, heat filling the room and soothing the chill of winter, even as small swirls of powdery snow drift their way in under the crack of the door. Two round, wooden stools are set near the fireplace with a small bookshelf beside them. Devoid of books, the shelf is being substituted as a table for the drinks of the two men who sit comfortably in those chairs. Every so often, the hard clack of thick glass on wood is heard as the older of the two men replaces his ale on the bookshelf. The other man, seeming younger yet less energetic, rarely even touched his mug to begin with.

“A road t' the North?” the older man speaks gruffly after a while of silence, “Well, there asn't been much snow this year, so the journey shouldn't be too bad.” He eyes the boy suspiciously, stroking his beard as he did so habitually when thinking hard. “Why on Feraldn do ya' wish t' travel north?”

“The reason has a long tale behind it, and is quite personal I'm afraid,” the younger man speaks elegantly, muffled slightly under the wrap he wears over his mouth, “I can tell you, however, that it's quite important.” The old man hmm'd softly to himself in curiosity, still eying the boy.

“Can ya' at least give me a destination? I might be able t' help ya' better.”

“I'll need a road that can take me to Auldernad.” the younger boy clarifies, pulling his wrap down to his neck to allow himself to take a quiet swig of his own glass of cider. The older one coughs as this was stated, nearly choking as he swigs down some ale.

“Auldernad?! That's at least two months travel by horse! Didn't ya' arrive here on foot?”

“T'is none of your concern, sir Borran. I can handle the trip on my own. As an inn keeper, I merely assumed you might be able to point me in the right direction.” the boy says firmly, yet politely. Borran tilts his head back slightly, a mild grimace working its way to his face as his holds the back of his head with one hand.

“Alright, alright. No need t' get all touchy,” Borran responds. He sighs slightly, placing his mug on the bookshelf and standing up from his chair with a creek and shift in the floorboard. The burly man slowly makes his way behind his bar, rummaging around a small cabinet near the floor filled with parchments and scrolls. “I think I got somethin' in here,” he assures, closing the cabinet after effectively mixing up any order that might have been inside. He reaches with a groan in between two cabinets, snatching a small cylindrical leather case, smirking as he returns to his seat. “Damn'd if I knew why it keeps ending up between those things. Guess I should stop giving directions t' wayward adventurers like yourself.”

“You could hardly call me an adventurer.” The young man spoke, staring off into the fire with a blank and uninterested expression. Borran's smile tilted and failed slightly, his expression looking a little unsure. A small click turned the boys gaze back to Borran as he popped open the hard leather case's metal lid. Turning it upside-down produced a thick rolled up parchment which he spread out on the bookshelf to reveal it to be a map of the entire continent. “How did you--”

Borran interrupts his question quickly, as if he was asked this many times, “An adventurer made this place his last stop. Since he had visited here so often, he gave this to me as a gift. Quite hard to find any these detailed, and even then, the cost would be about a fifth of my inn. But enough of that, let's discuss the course you're going to have to take.” Borran places his large finger on the map, the weight of it making a soft thump. “Yer here right now, and Auldernad is all the damn'd way up here. If ya' follow the main roads, you'll get there slower, but you'll have plenty of towns and villages t' stop in and rest. If you're really in a hurry, however, I could figure out a separate route. Exactly how important is this?”

The young man hesitates for a while, then responds, “Very, but the time isn't the first concern. I won't make things complicated and request the quick way.”

“Good. Makes your chances of getting lost lower too. Lucky for you, all these roads are well traveled, so you can count on there to be plenty of signs and landmarks to update you on your way.” Borran leans in closer to the map, then stands up and retrieves a small blank parchment and a dipped quill. Sitting back down, he announces slowly as he writes, “Fortus, Valewood, Gallian, Molster, Riggen, Porst, and finally Auldernad.” Borran hands the parchment to the boy, who accepts it with a soft nod. “This is the best I can do ya' in the short time yer givin' me. With those names, ya' should be able t' get someone t' point ya' in the right direction from each town.”

The boy stands and bows slowly towards Borran, his cloak falling slightly over him. “Thank you very much for this. I regret to tell you that I must be going immediately, however. I've spent far too much time here as is, and while time is not a critical factor, I mustn't let my guard down and get comfortable with the area.”

Borran sighs, his eyes shutting for a moment in disbelief while he shakes his head. “Yer somethin' else kid. Maybe I'd get ya' more if ya' just told me a bit more about yer plight.” The boy nods slightly, then turns to leave. “Wait!” Borran calls out a bit louder than he intended. The boy turns back for a moment at the door, his hand already grasping the handle. “Ya' could've at least given me yer name ya' know.”

The boy blinks slowly, then reaches into his pocket, flicking a large silver coin towards Borran who catches it easily in his big hands. “Noda.” He speaks softly. “I wish you good fortune for the rest of your days. Please be well.”

With that, Noda steps into the cold morning. A small cloud of light snow briefly puffs into the inn, the gust of air that accompanied it causing the fireplace to dance and flicker light against the walls. At the thud of the door closing tight, Borran sighs and returns to his spot behind his bar to begin his preparations for the day. Noda had notified Borran the night before that he would be leaving early, so he decided to see him off. He shook his head, thinking aloud, “That boy's tough an' all, but I don't think he realizes what's ahead of him. Gods be with ya', Noda. Fer' all it's worth.”

Author's Note

Feel free to comment on anything you'd like. From how you like the story, to my style of writing, anything is welcomed and appreciated.

Reviews

[Wolfwind]

OMG! This was amazing! Do you have a map of the story world? (Just curious... )
I loved the dialog manner and the the description of the scenery really pulled me in to feel the environment that they were in. I was really impressed how you kept the accents consistant with the Innkeeper, throughout. This was truly a joy to read! Please do continue!

Great Ink!
Aaron

[Tsundere-Beard]

Thanks! I played a lot of MUDs for some time, where I had to stay in character. Playing those helps you develop a good take on "accents."

I hope to maintain the vibrance of the environment in every chapter, at least where it is necessary. I'll get around to posting the first full chapter as soon as I feel it's ready to be looked over! Thanks!

[Tsundere-Beard]

Also... no map yet! But one would be a nice thing to have

[Wolfwind]

I played D&D as a DM for years. I can totally relate to it being helpful.
Here's the link to one of the maps that I'd drawn a while back. It's uploaded in my photo section here on the WC

http://www.writerscafe.org/Wolfwind%20Words/photos/Thornfall-World-Map/124239/

[Tsundere-Beard]

S**t. Would you want to do a map for me in the future? After I get around to posting some more? I also DM. haha. Not much experience yet.

[Wolfwind]

I wouldn't mind doing that. All that I'd need would be a basic sketch of land mass and size, a scale and then basic plots of where towns and cities would be located, numbered with a name index. I've also got quite a few maps that might just work for ya. I drew way more than I ever used. lol

[Tsundere-Beard]

Awesome! Having a land planned out before I get too far into the writing might help decide some plot.

[Wolfwind]

Yep. Just figure out the basics and let me know what you'd like to do. If we go with the from scratch method, once you get me the basics, it'll take me about a week to get it drawn. Maybe longer depending on my schedule at the time. Then I'll scan it in the highest quality I can, after words we can figure out how to get it to you. I usually just make it a .jpg file and email it.

[Tsundere-Beard]

Jesus. You're immediate devotion to this is just what I need. I've always wanted to get this story down in writing, but I never had anyone for motivation. Now that I know people might enjoy it, I've got to get to work!

[Wolfwind]

I got the pom poms for ya! RAH! You can accomplish anything! :P