Memoirs of a Bard ~ A dungeons and Draongs Adventure
A Foggy Past ~ Part 1

My memories as a child were not very pleasant ones. I have grown up in a human world where elves or half-elves are not particularly well liked. Concealing my elven features and bringing out my humanity has proven to be a challenge which I have risen to the occasion. I have come to know what the meaning of sorrow is. In Murgon, elves are not respected as such due to the war between humans of Murgon and elves of Loranthas. After the bitter war was over Murgon claimed part of Loranthas, all the way to where the forest of Loranthas becomes dense with trees, bushes, and elven trickery. I was actually born in Loranthas illegitimately by my mother, a full blooded elf. In fear of being ostracized by her kin, her closest family members and friends helped her find the human whom the child was conceived by and given to him. On a dark rainy night, being carried through a dark forest which acts as a natural border for Murgon and Loranthas, a small group of elves carry a half-elven baby to its father in a small town called Deleary just over the Murgonian border. This is my story…
The rain pelted the tops of the trees as a small group of elves dashed quickly ahead dodging bushes, branches, and thick brush. The forest floor was littered with dead branches, leaves, and saturated soil. The three elves cloaked in dark gray cape and cowls seemed to not be hindered in their graceful movements despite the terrain. One could barely make out their forms as the faded moonlight from behind the clouds seem to be the only light source that gave them any vision. After hours of swift movement, the forest seemed to thin out a bit, and lantern lights from a village just ahead illuminated the darkness. “We are almost there!” one male voice said triumphantly. “Great, then we can turn back and get out of this accursed nation!” another male voice agreed. As they neared the edge of the forest the third elf stopped short as if a pain had struck her. A baby’s cry could be heard from beneath her cape as the rain continued to fall. She looked at the baby in her arms as it cried with arms out stretched toward her. The smaller pointed ears of the baby looked so cute to her. “If only I could keep you… Ludaden, forever will I regret the day I gave you away” she whispered sadly. “Come on! Hurry up! We need to get back!” a male voice scolded. “Just a moment, please!” she pleaded. She looked at her small child and began to sing, “Oh child of two nations, may the gods bless you with many gifts, and may they be gifts of song. May dreams of faraway places give you wanderlust, may you never sit still and stay in the dust. Rise from these ashes O little one, and may the day come when we meet again, you will remember our melody. Rest my child, rest, and let the dreams take you to paradise!” When she finished her lullaby, the baby fell into a deep and peaceful slumber. “Come on! We must not tarry anymore…” the other male voice said a bit softer. “We have company!” the other elf whispered. The other two elves blended around the ground and the trees like chameleons. A few moments later a group of men came by with short bows over their shoulders and longswords drawn. They all seemed to be wearing black capes and leather boots. Their faces covered by masks or cowls. “I know there were three of them who came by!” One man pouted. “The unnatural rain must be getting to you!” another man joked. “Maybe you’ve been bewitched by elf magic” another man suggested. “Na, there were three of them! As I waited for the deer heard that pass by in the night I saw three figures from a distance!” he said with an oath. A fourth man looked at the ground and all around, “Hmm… maybe Kague’s fascination with elven women has brought the wrath of the elves on us this time!” The other three men looked at him as the rain began to pour heavily. “Let us move on, we haven’t time for this, elves have no business here, move out!” The four men moved on a minute later the three elves emerged from their hiding spots. “Come, show us where he lives, we are not familiar with this human village.” One of the male elves whispered. “Alright…” she said with a hint of resignation in her voice. The female elf began singing softly in her elven language and doing a few hand gestures. Within minutes fog began to set in as the rain began to lighten up just a bit. “We must hurry!” she whispered as she sprinted forward with the other two elves not far behind.

Part 2


A tall black haired man sat at a desk counting his latest loot he had acquired through his recent exploits. His dark mustache hung over his mouth as the lantern light lit up his dark green eyes. Sixty silver and almost eighty copper coins stacked his desk. He seemed to look aggravated at not obtaining a quota of coinage he wanted to achieve. “Blast!” he thought. He stood up stretching as his stocky frame reflected the light from the fire place. He looked to be a modestly tough man as he stood five feet and eleven inches tall. His black tunic and black pants seem to make him look almost lordly, but the clothes were stolen as well. The tunic was just a bit smaller than he had hoped. The white linen shirt with its loose sleeves hid his arms. A small rap at his door broke his concentration. He then grabbed a pouch and slid all of his coins into, and removed a panel from the floor stashing his newly acquired wealth underneath the floor. Then he quickly drew a dagger, “Enter slowly!” he warned as he unbarred his door. The door opened slowly as held his dagger in one and in the other preparing to draw his shortsword. Three gray caped figures smaller than he entered. He was immediately taken back when the female elf removed her cowl. Her auburn hair flashed in the fire light as her deep hewed brown eyes hid the sadness within. “By the gods! Laurintha!” he gasped. “What are you doing here?! It isn’t safe for your kind here!” he snarled holding his dagger menacingly. “Hold your tongue dog!” one of her kin folk shot back preparing an arrow from his decorative short bow. The other elf shut the door. “You know why I’m here Kague!” Laurintha whispered raising one hand in front of her kinsmen. “I will not be burdened with your traditional woes elf wench!” he growled. Laurintha held the sleeping baby in her arms and showed Kague the baby. Suddenly Kague began to think, he had no children to really speak of. He had no clue how many other illegitimate kids of his were out there across Krythas. “Is it really mine?” he asked with a renewed sense of interest. “Yes, I’m afraid so… I cannot raise it as my own. I will be exiled.” She finished sadly. “This is no place for a baby to be raised. I cannot do it. My lifestyle does not allow me to raise a baby!” he said with frustration. “I don’t have much time, the patrols have suspicion!” Laurintha continued. “My lady, we must move, it is unwise for us to remain.” One of her kinsmen warned. “Please, don’t allow poor Ludaden to be abandoned!” She pleaded. A loud knock on the door broke the tension. “Is it a boy or a girl?” Kague finally asked. “A son, you must take care of him!” she pleaded one last time as her kinsmen drew their bows preparing for an impending battle. “You must go, fine! Leave the baby there!” Kague pointed toward a small bedroll in the corner. He quickly opened another panel that was larger under a table and rug. “Follow the tunnel. It will take you a half mile back into the forest. You will be safe, just go… I don’t need any more troubles!” he said with a resigned voice. “May the goddess bless you!” Laurintha whispered as she laid a single kiss on his cheek. The other elves followed her quickly into the passage. The knock became louder. “I said wait!” Kague growled as he covered the panel back up. Kague covered the sleeping baby up with a small blanket and answered the door. “What is it?” he demanded. A burley man wearing a black bandana sporting a gray beard stood in front of him. “What do you know of this unnatural fog?” he asked accusingly. “I know nothing, now leave me be Troth!” Kague was quick to answer sternly. The old man eyed him suspiciously, “Ok Rainwood, you better not!” he said walking away slowly. Kague slammed the door shut and barred it. “Curses!” he muttered under his breath. He slowly walked over to the baby and picked it up. The baby slept soundly still. Brown hair covered the baby’s head as it slept. “Just what I need…” he nodded. “Your name shall not be Ludaden anymore lest your true heritage be immediately recognized. Your name shall now be from this day forth, Luccas… Luccas Rainwood.”

Memoirs of Bard, Part 3

I never thought my own father would use me for his own personal gain, at least that’s what I thought at the time. For the first eight years of my life, my father left with an old woman who raised me as her own. I called her Aunt Tess. She was a short lady with silver gray hair who lived in small cottage just outside town. She knew of my true heritage and kept me hidden from outsiders. By the time of my forth birthday, she had grown my hair long and those who saw me thought I was a girl. She did it to hide my ears which were not as noticeably pointy as elves’. I did chores each day for her. I would fetch water from the well in her back yard an hour after sunrise, and collect eggs from the chicken coop. I also helped her milk the only cow she had, and she would cook porridge for me. She was the only person I really got to know, with the exception of seeing my father once a month. He would pop in speak to me about what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I would just look at him in silence because I had no answer. As a four year old child I only cared about the few responsibilities I had and singing with Aunt Tess in the evening when she played a small lap harp for me. I looked forward to that and cried if we didn’t play music together. My father became increasingly impatient with me claiming I was being too much of a dreamer. Aunt Tess was always nice to me. Sometimes she made ginger bread which I can still to this day remember the smell of fresh baked ginger bread from her hearth oven. The local butcher was friendly to me. A big fat man with short hair and a brown beard would always bring us deer meat. Aunt Tess had little coin to pay so the butcher would accept only a copper which was not too terribly difficult to come by. My father paid her a stipend of two silver pieces per month, but I knew she didn’t care for the money. She would tell me stories while she played her harp and would talk about a group called the Krythas Ramblers which I had always wanted to see. All the way up to this point, I was always enchanted by her musical talent. When I turned five she began to teach me how to play her harp. She was really amazed by how fast I picked it up. As my eighth birthday approached, people became more and more curious about me that had come in contact with us. It was that fateful year my life would change and my first encounter with sorrow would haunt me.

The winter days had begun to cease as the sun melted the snow that had fallen the previous day. Luccas jumped out of his small bed up in the loft where he stayed out of site when Aunt Tess had visitors. He looked out of the small window to see the sun rising. Luccas knew of his daily rituals and put on his gray trousers and his black leather vest given to him as a gift for his last birthday. He put on his calf-hide boots which he did all his outside work in. “Remember to take good care of anything that is given to you Luccas, and always be greatful for it!” his Aunt Tess would remind him. Luccas was excited for his eighth birthday was only a day away. He knew somehow his Aunt Tess always managed to get something really nice for him. How she was able to afford it he did not know. Luccas opened the panel and slid the step ladder down to the floor which was a good seven feet. Luccas looked into the living room and was surprised not to see his Aunt Tess working on her shawls she knitted to sell to the other families for other goods and services or coin. Luccas shrugged his shoulders and continued outside to gather eggs from the small chicken coop and carried the small burlap sack of feed for them as well. The breeze caused Luccas to shiver just a bit as he tried to lug the bag of feed over his back. His long wavy brown hair blew in the wind has he made his way to the coop. Luccas saw the small coop with a tin roof and a small door in the back. It was a crudely fashioned building, sparing any aesthetic quality it could have had. Luccas nodded and quickly dashed in and in less than five minutes he has competently accomplished his first morning task. Four eggs were all that the small group of hens yielded. The rooster sat in already out and about walking around the perimeter of the coop keeping any would be suitors away. Luccas picked the sack of feed back up along with the eggs in the bag of feed and made his way back into the house. Luccas put the four eggs on the small counter in the basket and grabbed the glass bottle they kept the milk in. Luccas went outside again into the front yard where their only cow had wandered near the trees. “Come on, you’re going too far again!” Luccas complained to the cow. It continued to chew the more fresh grass near the edge of the forest. Luccas approached cautiously to the cow as she never gave Luccas any problems when he tried to milk her. In just a moment he would be able to fill the quart sized bottle with warm fresh milk. As Luccas was just about done, the cow suddenly moved and Luccas fell back. He quickly tried to keep the milk he had already obtained from spilling. Luckily only a few drops fell out, Luccas breathed a sigh of relief only to be snatched up by a huge strong hand. Luccas screamed out dropping the bottle of milk and the rest of its contents soaked into the ground. The cow galloped away to escape the commotion. “Shut yer trap brat or I’ll brand ya fer life!” A gloved hand covered his mouth. “Now I want ya ta take me inside and get me anythin’ worth a damn!” the harsh voice said leading the small boy from behind. Luccas could feel his arm burn in pain as his assailant forced him into the house. “Where is da gold!?” The man demanded. “ I..I..dunno..” Luccas muttered. “Don’t toy with me brat! I will gut ya right now!! Ya understand damnit!!” he screamed. Luccas feared for his Aunt Tess fearing what might happen, but his Aunt Tess was nowhere in sight. “I know Aunt Tess had some money stashed away…” Luccas replied softly. “Where!?” he prodded him again. Luccas led the bandit to his Aunt Tess’ room and she lied there peacefully seemingly oblivious to what has happening. Luccas noticed she had not put on her night gown she always wore and she had two items in her hand one a pouch and the other an envelope. The bandit threw Luccas to the floor and he scrambled to the corner of the room as the bandit snatched the two items out of her hand not paying attention. Luccas snuck out of the room as he greedily opened the pouch. He dumped the contents in his hand and found four gold and seven silver coins. Luccas took on last look and all he could see was a pair of black boots, black linen shirt, black gloves, and a black scarf covering his head. “Why isn’t Aunt Tess awake?” Luccas thought. Then he saw a jeweled dagger hanging from his belt with a black obsidian stone at the bottom of the hilt. Luccas quickly dashed two rooms over for the step ladder. “Git yer lil ass back here now!” The bandit hollered.

This is very interesting concept! I'm looking forward to more.

Originally Posted by mwahhaha

This is very interesting concept! I'm looking forward to more.

Thanks for reading it. I have a lot more, I just have not posted it yet.

Yeah! I'll have some fun reading to look forward to (I do mostly school-related readings right now **shrugs**)

Originally Posted by mwahhaha

Yeah! I'll have some fun reading to look forward to (I do mostly school-related readings right now **shrugs**)

I will try to post the next part next week.

I haven't written any in awhile, been kind of busy sorry everyone.