A Fighter's tale

Joined: Posts: -19

As a young man I was often told of the feats of bravery and great adventures of the Fighter's guild. The children of my village would sit around a great fire and listen to the tales of retired adventurers and hope that someday a Fighter would come to our little town.
I practiced daily, hoping that someone would come and notice something of worth in me. My childhood was spent endlessly training, reading and imagining what I would do if I were recruited. It was not until my 19th birthday that Shalandriel happened to come to my village. I was in awe of the equipment he wore and the weapons he wielded; so I quickly ran over to him and asked him who he was. We exchanged names and he asked me the question I'd been waiting for whole life.

" You look like a strong and well rounded kid, ever considered joining a guild?"

I could tell by the firey glow in his eyes that he already knew my answer, and it wasn't soon before I left my village to begin the long journey to Kelrath. It was a long ride on the cart there, but to me it seemed nothing more than a blink in time. He told me of his many adventures and of the great guilds of the realm, but I knew I would be a Fighter no matter what I had to do.
When we got to Kelrath he showed me around and pointed me in the direction of the Adventurer's guild so I could begin my path. It would be the last time I would see him again for quite some time. My first item of business in the guild was to chose a diety to worship, and following the advice of Shalandriel I began worshipping Ahandora devoutly.
With the extremely generous amount of gold and equipment Shalandriel bestowed upon me, I climbed the ranks of an adventurer quickly. Soon I was able to speak to the historian in the guild and inquire of what I had to do to join the Fighter's guild. I quickly completed the quest and began my tenure in the great Fighter's guild which I had been waiting for my entire life.
I had many adventures by myself, but soon longed for the comraderie of a group. I found a group for a while with Alexander and Arogan, and for a while Triple A roamed the realm crushing our foes. We each grew more powerful and left on our own paths. Arogan became the leader of the Light Paladin guild with the mighty Avenger at his side and Alexander slipped into obscurity.
With our paths split, I began hunting on my own for a while or with whatever persons I could assist. I met great adventurers along the way...Dronzer, Jiann, Narzak (who helped me immensely with my equipment), Norris, Balmont, Grympt, Froldorf and many others. Each of them had their own committments and I was soon hunting alone again.
It wasn't until one day in Kelrath when a lowly priest of Osiris came wandering by that I found my true companion. With his abilities as a priest, we were both soon on our way up the ladder of strength.
Months went by and our work had paid off nicely. A chance to test myself came when the Lord of my guild, Gilthanis, organized the Kelrath games. I was shut down in the arena, but redeemed myself in the improvised poetry contest and won a house. The games ended and I built my Dark Sanctuary above a Glimmering Spiderweb, content in the knowledge I now had a home. It was soon after this that a shop came up for sale and I quickly bought it and began stocking it with equipment. Once again all was well and time slipped by just as my journey on the cart so long ago had.
It wasn't until one fateful day in the Gardens of Guild Unity that my true calling presented itself. All the fighters were gathered to listen to what was rumored to be our Lord Gilthanis' last day, and we were curious as to whom would be our new Lord. After an eloquent speech about the guild, Gilthanis announced his retirement. The only sound heard in the garden at that moment was the chirping of crickets and the wind wisping through the leaves. He let the moment rest so the weight of the matter could sink in, and began a new speech on the qualifications of his replacement.
Just when the anticipation was almost unbearable, he boomed with a loud voice, "ANTUBIS! Step forth and claim Shou Lung!"
I was astounded and took the mighty sword in my grasp. I promised my committment to the guild would never falter and passed around a pipe to my brethren to mark the moment. Gilthanis informed us that he would not be around for a long time and bid us all farewell. Marking that as the end of the meeting, we all went our ways.
I slept the whole night dreaming of what I would do as a leader, and when I awoke the next morning.........I was completely naked. As frustration swelled in me, the voice of Asha'Ra boomed from the clouds. I swiftly went to his temple and listened to his tale.
" It is fitting that you are without your equipment on your first day as Lord of the Fighters. If you wish your mighty Shou Lung back, you must first worship me and I will tell you where to acquire it." the voice of the mighty god echoed through the temple. I nodded and left to go and inquire of Ahandora what I should do.
The goddess, seeing weakness in me now that I was without equpment, let out a great laugh and said, "HA! Look how the mighty Antubis has fallen...Perhaps your great priest of Osiris can help you now!" With that a great thunderclap echoed through the halls and she was gone. I was infuriated and screamed for her to return, but to no avail. As she had forsaken me, I forsook her and began worshipping Asha'Ra.
" I do not care of your companions, befriend whom you wish, but always keep me pleased or you will pay with your very soul." The mighty god of war made a gesture with his hand and a ball appeared in the middle of the room. "Look upon the ball and I will tell you of the great weapon of the Fighters"
I left the temple feeling righteous and met Grympt and Froldorf at the Kelrath fountain. They helped me with what equipment they could and Arken and I were soon on our way to an unkown location to reclaim my mighty weapon. We were accosted by succubi, strange creatures that materialized from nowhere, and many more before I finally got what I had came for.
With the mighty Shou Lung now restored I was now able to lead the great Fighter's guild with wisdom and pride.

Twisted Evil

Tale edited to keep the location of Shou Lung secret