The Road South

[Deleted]

Day 1, 20/450 Miles

He had considered going back to Mardok, it was a nice enough place, but he heard war was brewing. A war which could greatly benefit him. The mage-hunters were agents of the Sovereign Kingdom of Cruinthe, so while he didn't know which of the numerous factions opposing them he would ultimately join, he knew he would align himself against them. So his travels took him south along the road that would eventually lead to Sorath and then to Morith beyond.

The Republic of Cruinthe, he wasn't entirely sure they were any better than Sovereign Cruinthe, but at least they didn't have the mage-hunters. The road was long, it was nearly three weeks to reach Republic lands, and there was so much that could go wrong. He had a bit of gold, he had some rations, weapons and armor. While he may not be a ranger, he could make due in the wilds when necessary.

The first day Torin made decent progress the first day, running into little to no trouble he was after all, in the duchies, the safest lands in all of cruinthe (or so advertised). At the end of a long day of travel, he went off the road a bit to set up a quick little campsite and attempted to find some sustenance so he wouldn't have to dig into his rations just yet.

Skill camping, hunting: (normal 0, K+15, Trained +10) Threshold 25, Success

Torin didn't have much trouble setting up camp, there were plenty of leaves and broken branches and the like to create a decent shelter for the night with a nice little fire. A fire he used to cook the rabbit that he caught with the snares he set up before setting about to create his campsite. He had a nice little meal that night and slept well.

[Deleted]

Day 2: 16 Floras
20/450 miles

Sometime before dawn it began to rain, the drops sizzling as they landed on the embers of the dying campfire. It was a gentle shower that woke Torin well before he would normally rise, he could either wait out the rains or he could get an early start. He finished what was left of the rabbit and stomped out the embers, he picked up his few belongings and attempted to make his way back to the road in near darkness. After stumbling around for a bit, he realized trying to walk through the underbrush without the benefit of light was folly. So he waited in the cold and miserable rain until the sun had cracked the horizon behind the clouds. While the lighting wasn't terrific, it was sufficient to see where he was going, or so he thought.

His leg became entrapped in a root that was sticking out of the ground, he tripped and he heard a loud crack as a mind agonizing pain shot up his leg. He cried out in agony, it was a moment before he was able to pull his leg from the root. Legs aren't supposed to bend in the middle, and yet there his leg was with a nice 30 degree or so angle four or so inches above his ankle. He figured it best to try and straiten his leg back out, but upon touching his leg, quickly decided someone else would have to. He was able to find a couple of straight sticks and tie them around his leg, attempting to immobilize his leg. All he managed to do was further twist his already broken leg. He passed out.

A while later he awoke, he was cold and wet and in horrible agony, he had gotten himself lost in when it was dark. He hadn't the foggiest where the road was. He tried to crawl through the underbrush but the waves of pain with each inch gained caused him to pass out once more. When he awoke again he realized he was not in a good way, there was a serious chance he could die out here. He had only been maybe twenty feet or so in the woods, but it was too much for his experience to overcome. He did the only thing left he could think to do, he began to cry out for help, hopefully someone from the road would hear him. He really didn't want to die out here.



Navigation: Difficult -30, K +15; threshold -15 (impossible)

First Aid (setting leg): Difficult -30, k +15; Threshold -15 (impossible)

First Aid (Splint): Difficult -30, K +15; threshold -15 (impossible)

Climbing through difficult terrain in darkness: Difficult -30, Agi +15; threshold -15 (impossible)

Climbing through difficult terrain in low-light: Normal 0, Agi +15;

Navigation: Hard -15, k +15; Threshold 0 (impossible)

[Deleted]

Day 5: 19 Floras
Ends 10 miles closer to Mardok

The moments that Torin was awake were getting fewer and farther apart. His voice was all but gone from crying out for help, even though he had stopped that midway the day before. His hearing wasn't acute enough to hear individuals walking from the road, hell he still wasn't even sure which way the road was. There was very little that Torin could do at this point. The sun was out, he'd hardly seen a cloud since about mid-day the day he entered into his predicament. He had once heard the low rumble of a cart, in the distance, but had already screamed himself out and his voice had been unable to reach them. He had been reserving his strength, what little was left to cry out in the event he heard another.

Torin came to, to just such sounds, the fates weren't entirely against him after all. "Help!" he cried in hoarse voice, "Help!" He banged his shortsword on rock to create even more noise in hopes of grabbing their attention. The sounds of the cart in the distance stopped abruptly, Torin took the opportunity to scream with his all, "HEELLP!!!" banging his sword on a rock, unsure if he would be able to muster another such bellow. Shortly after he heard voices calling out, but he could yet make out their words. "Help!" Torin cried once more. He caught glimpse of one man, he banged his sword to catch his attention. The man seeing Torin cried out to the rest, "Over here!" As the man approached, Torin once more lost consciousness.

Torin next awoke on the back of a cart, a youngish woman pouring water small gulps of water into his mouth. "Sshhh, sshhh, you're safe now, we'll get ye takin' care of back in Mardok." Torin didn't struggle, he drank the water the girl offered and then he faded back to unconsciousness. It wouldn't be until the twilight of the evening, the moons overhead, the red haze on the horizon that Torin would come to his senses for more than a few moments. The same girl from before was still watching over him and came to his side soon after his eyes opened. "Where am I?" Torin whispered hoarsely, "Who are you?"

"Good ta see yer awake, we were worried there for a bit, thought we might be burying ya on the side of the road. My name is Thalia." She replied as she offered Torin more water. "Yer leg isn't lookin' too good, I been keepin' it covered as my stomach turns when I see it. Hopefully someone in Mardok will be able to fix ye up, otherwise I don't think ye'll be walkin' any time soon."

"Mardok." All this, just to wind up right back where I started. "What takes you there?"

"Well, up in the duchy is supposed to be pretty safe, and I hear they have a pretty benevolent leader. What about you? Which way were you heading when," she waved in the general direction of Torin's entire body, "this happened?"

"South, as luck would have it. I was just coming out of Mardok when I took a nasty fall trying to get out of the woods in the dark. I should of just waited for the day to break, but I wanted to make good time. You can see where that got me."

Thalia chuckled momentarily then sighed, "I'm sorry, I know it isn't funny, but you have to admit there is some irony in your story. Are ye feeling up for food? We have some stew."

Torin winced, then nodded in agreement, there was indeed some irony to his tale. When questioned about food, Torin nodded once more, "Stew sounds nice." As Thalia wandered off to get him food, he took a moment to take inventory of his situation. He was notably separated from his belongings, he didn't really care about anything other than his book though. The rest could be replaced, the book though... did it even make it out of the woods? Would they recognize the writings as arcane? Would they suspect him of magery? He pushed the thought out of his mind, if they suspected him of such and had a problem with it, they could have just left him to die. No, their intentions were good.

Thalia returned shortly with stew, "Do ye think ye can feed yerself?" Torin nodded, it hurt to speak, he had already reached his quota for talking right now. Thalia handed him the stew and Torin ate. When he was done Thalia took the bowl, "Well, I'll be needin' my rest as well." She looked sympathetically at Torin, her eyes glancing at where his leg lay beneath the blanket, "We haven't anything for pain, but it's only a couple of day's to the next village, just bear it for now. I'll check on you in the morning."

With those words she left Torin alone under the stars as she returned to her companions near the fire. As Torin began to drift off, the pain ebbing away at his consciousness. Torin's last thought for the night, She didn't ask my name.

[Deleted]

Day 6: Floras 20
20/124 to Mardok Proper

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His sleep was restless, the pain in his leg waking him at the slightest movement. It was enough to recharge his energy a bit when taken in frame with the food and water he had received the night before. He became completely aware at the bustle of his new companions breaking camp, the sun just cracking over the horizon, slowly dispelling the stars. He tried to sit up, struggling for a moment, fighting the agony it caused in his leg, a leg that he feared to uncover for its appearance.

Thalia, seeing Torin was awake, came to check on him. “How ye feelin’ this mornin’?”

“Better,” his voice still hoarse, “my leg still hurts something fierce.”

“Well, yer looking a damn sight better than when we pulled you out of dem woods. Let me take a look at dat leg of yers.” She lifted the blanket that was keeping his leg concealed, she winced at what she uncovered. His leg was still at a horrible angle and black around the break. She considered the distinct possibility that if they weren’t able to get him to a healer soon he would likely lose the leg if not his life. “Yer leg is lookin’… good.” She said rather unconvincingly to Torin. “We’re breakin’ camp now, we’ll be on our way afore too long, we should be reachin’ one of da smaller villages by da end of da day. I’m needin’ ta go help.” Then she left Torin alone. Men came and loaded the wagon with their camp supplies.

Just as Thalia had said, after a quick breakfast of what he assumed were the leftovers of the stew from the previous night, they started moving making their way back north on the road. With all their supplies loaded, the cart was rather crowded, but he was thankful for the ride nonetheless. Just as Thalia had promised, by evening they had reached one of the duchies villages. No healers, no alcohol, nothing to treat Torin’s injury at all. It would be several days to the next village, and a week before they reached Mardok proper.

Torin’s heart sank, but with the help of his new companions he was able to get out of the cart and clean up in a bit in the village. The sight of his leg was not promising, the wound was hot, black, and swollen, but the bone hadn’t broken through the skin. The angle of his leg was still nauseating, especially with the swelling and color of the break. He did his best not to move his leg as it seemed to exasperate his condition.

He went to sleep that night pondering as to whether he would be able to walk again. With the current look of his leg, he wasn’t absolutely sure. Exhaustion caught up with him rather quickly, causing him to fade to sleep in the middle of his internal discussion.

[Deleted]

Day 10: Floras 24
100/124 to Mardok

Torin was once more fading in and out of consciousness. He was flush and he was hot to the touch. On the plus side his leg wasn't hurting anymore, he could hardly feel it. He was on the other hand quite delusional, his temperature enough to induce some trippy hallucinations. He had grown quite fond of his caretaker, Thalia, but at this moment he was watching as she transformed into a snake. "Just don't bite me," he moaned. Thalia, already quite concerned over Torin already, grew even more worried. Mardok was still two days out, and there was no guarantee that there would even be a doctor or healer available. She gave Torin some water and removed the blankets that were covering him. He needed to cool down or he was going to die.

"Don't ye die on me now, we're almost there." Applying a damp cloth to his forehead. Though she was unlikely to admit it, she had also grown fond of the man in her care. Torin looked up at her, his caretaker no longer had arms, but wings. "If you could fly, why didn't you just take me there?" Then he faded from consciousness once more. Thalia cried a little, she was at a loss as to what to do for Torin, she feared he would be dead before they could get him help. Though she had no obligation to do so, she stayed by Torin's side as he fought against whatever was happening to him, struggling to stay alive. "Don't die on me." He began seizing, Thalia cried out for help, one of her original companions came over and helped hold him down. Her tears flowing all the faster, "Don't die on me..." her voice quite defeated.

Meanwhile Torin had faded from consciousness, and was having quite odd dreams. If he lived, he would later ask himself if what occurred here was real or a construct of his mind. He was back at the cave where he had spent most of his years learning from Teacher. He felt the familiar smack to the back of his head, Teacher's response to idiocy from Torin. "I spend seventeen years of my life training you. Seventeen. In that time I imparted as much of my knowledge as I could get through that thick skull of yours. Then, when faced with the outside world, you didn't even last a month. Hells, you didn't even get killed by mage-hunters, my bet for your demise, I owe a friend of mine a hefty sum of gold thanks to you. No, you get yourself killed traipsing through the woods in the dark." the old man shook his head as he stared at the ground, "What kind of imbecile did I bring up?" it seemed more of a philosophical question that he posed to himself than one that he expected Torin to answer.

Torin was too confused to really respond anyways. He had no idea what he was doing back here, or why Teacher was saying he had gotten himself killed, "Teacher... I'm dead?" He struggled to remember what had happened to him, but he was drawing a blank at present.

Teacher looked at Torin, "tch, tch, tch... You might as well be, you soon will be. I thought it would be nice to say goodbye to my pupil before he faced the afterlife."

Torin tried to wrap his mind around what was happening to him. He remembered fleeing the cave when the mage-hunters came. He had made it to a village, he stayed a bit before he headed south. HIS LEG! Torin looked down at his leg, it was fine, and then it was black and rotting. Torin screamed at the visual, "I don't want to die."

"Neither did I. Especially not after finding out I had wasted the last decades of my life." The old man paused for a moment before laughing a bit and placing his hands on Torin's shoulders, "I didn't teach you everything I knew, an old man needs to keep a few tricks up his sleeve you know." Teacher winked and smiled as if he had just told some kind of joke, one that went well above Torin's head.

Teachers statement took a moment to hit him, then his confusion was compounded, "Teacher, you're dead too? What's going on? I'm so lost right now." Torin's confusion was written so profoundly on his face that Teacher laughed.

"I'm dead and I'm not, you might figure it out one day if you live long enough." Teacher looked at the expression on Torin's face, a mix of confusion, regret, and fear, and sighed. "I suppose there is something I might be able to do for you, won't magically make you all better, but it might let you hold on to what life you have long enough to get yourself seen to." Teacher put a hand on Torin's shoulder and on his chest, "Goodbye, boy." Teacher leaned in real close, barely whispering his last words before they parted, "Just know I might not be there to help you next time."

He was back next to Thalia, waking up from whatever had overtaken him. He wasn't in the clear, but his fever was down some and he was no longer hallucinating. When Thalia realized he was awake and lucid, she gave him a hug. It was rather spur of the moment, and she quickly pulled back afterwards. "I'm glad ta see yer awake. We thought you were a gone."

Torin looked to her, his dream still vaguely holding in his mind, but fading as dreams often do. "I'm not entirely I wasn't." He shook his head casting off the last of the dream, surely such things were impossible? Thalia gave him food and water and then allowed him to rest, his slumber was far more peaceful this time, nothing like the nightmare she had witnessed earlier. Torin looked as if he would make it the next two days it would take to get to Mardok.

[Deleted]

Day 12: Floras 26
Arrived

His trip was at its end, ending even further north than he had begun. His leg was a twisted, bruised, and broken mess. He had made a friend, Thalia. He hoped he would have the chance to get to know the girl more, they were planning on residing in Mardok after all. It was late in the day when they arrived in Mardok proper, and Torin was in need of medical attention or magical healing, or some combination of the two. His fever had subsided, and he had no feeling in his leg below/around the break. The plus side, he was no longer in pain, and actually had slept quite well the last two nights. He wasn't quite sure what the downside was, he wasn't familiar enough with medical stuff to really know, but he was thankful for small favors.

"Well, ye made it ta Mardok alive, now lets see if we can't find someone ta take care of dat leg o'yers." Torin was quite relieved to be in such a large town, surely someone here would be able to help him.

"Thank you Thalia, for everything. I'd be dead if not for you."

"Just remember dat when I come back a askin' for a favor." She winked at Torin. She dug around in the wagon for a bit before producing a sack which she proceeded to toss into Torin's lap. "Thought ye may be wanting yer stuff back."

Torin opened the sack, seeing that everything that had been on him was present, that is save one. "You didn't happen to find a book when you rescued me?"

"No, everything we found on ye is in dat bag."

Torin wanted to be suspicious, wanted to believe they had his book, but he knew she was telling the truth. "Too bad. Lets see if we can't find that doctor." His master would be very upset now, knowing he had not only gotten into his predicament, but had also lost the book which detailed his order of magic. Perhaps he would be able to retrieve it one day. Right now he had more pressing matters.

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End