Adventures From Bismarck!

Character Name: Magedragon
World: Bismarck
Linkshell: UnRockBar
Race: Hume Male
Job: Warrior
White Mage

It starts like any good story but I cannot recall all the details as you will soon discover. A cold, dark, night… springtime a family sleeps in a small house in a village on the edge of the Highlands. They sleep peacefully, not know what is about to happen next. It would not be the first time but it would be the last. A roar in the distance is heard and my father is the first to see the incoming danger. Thoughts pass through his mind. The first being his family and the child he knows that’s on the way. The second, his regret for switching shifts with Guano his best friend. He would never wish his friend harm on this or any other night and he was the best warrior in town but when this kind of danger arises there is little that can be done to stop it. My father is torn between fighting this beast or fleeing to protect his family but the choice is obvious as he knows what needs to be done. He has never backed down from a good fight and he’s not about to start now.

The clamor of the village alarm and the sound of men running for weapons and armor rises and the rains continue to hammer down on the tin roofs of the tiny outpost. They come to my father and look to him for advice on what to do next! Not because he is their commander or because he trained many of these young men to fight, but rather because he is the only warrior in the village to have ever survived more than one Dragon encounter! As I said before, this was not the first attack. My father began shouting orders to all the men to spread out along the walls and to have their spears ready. Knaulas was a fierce Dragon and had been injured before during these raids on our village but it never stopped him from coming back. This night my father vowed it to be his last!

Knaulas swooped down for his first attack then and the men on the wall loosed their spears. Many missed and the one’s that did hit were easily deflected. A dragon is not so easily beaten and these men weren’t exactly the best fighters in Van’diel. In fact they were farmers on the frontier, trying to protect their land and family but if anything that made them fight all the much harder. My father moved to the south wall as Knaulas turned for a second pass and as he flew down he tore into the houses below like they were made of balsa wood. One of the buildings hit was the house of my family. My father, in a shocked and terrified rage, through his one handed axe just above the beasts head. Knowing he would come up near the end to clear the outer wall and just as Knaulas did so he was struck in the left eye with the axe! Knaulas screamed in pain and ripped at at the wall as he flew over knocking my father off and some debris down to the valley floor.

My father was stunned only for a moment but was relieved that he still had his great axe strapped to his back and that he was still alive to wield it! Quickly he stood, ran to the southern gate entrance and up the watch tower to the wall again hoping that he could catch Knalus on his third pass. As luck would have it the dragon was just finishing his turn. The other men on the wall continued their assault on the dragon. Then as Knaulas swooped down for the third and hopefully with a little luck his final pass…time slowed. Adrenaline pumping, and nothing but silence as my father and dragon lock eyes. Neither turning away; neither giving up without a fight. One of them would die this night.

Knaulas dives, claws extended to their fullest and razor sharp. My farther with great axe in hand prepares to swing. Just as Knaulas reaches the wall my father jumps between the claws and buries the axe straight into the heart of the beast! It sounds as impossible today as it did that night. Together they flew over the wall man and beast. Knaulas was stunned from the blow and could not maintain flight. He landed just outside the walls with my father beneath. There would be no winner in this battle tonight. You might escape one battle with a dragon, maybe even two if you’re lucky but at some time at some point they would get you. They always did.

Back behind the walls fires blazed from overturned lanterns, and debris covered the whole village. You must be thinking that our family is ok for I bring this story to you now. But we did not all get out unscathed. When Knaulas tore through our house one of the claws had ripped into the flesh of my mothers back. She was bleeding badly when she was found by Guano but he manage to patch her up pretty good and a few short weeks later had nothing but a scar to show for her encounter. Which is a good thing because she was with child and that child was me. By the time I was born I knew nothing of this story for by that time the village had been repaired and all signs of the attack erased. All signs but two: the scar on my mothers back and the matching birthmark of that scar on my back. They say I was infused with the power of the dragon that day. Many said I was a miracle, lucky to be alive but I don’t believe in that sort of thing. Regardless of the circumstances, my mother named me Magedragon and I can only hope I live to be half the warrior my father was.

Now let’s see where was I… ah yes I was telling you how I got my name. Let me now tell you about my life growing up in the village. As I have said before by the time I grew up to learn of my father’s heroics the village had fully recuperated. Our fields full of healthy crops placed there by the men of the village including myself! When I wasn’t hard at work in the fields I was being trained to fight by Guano. Even though the dragon was long dead we would still get the occasional goblin scavengers or even some rabid mist lizards. A few times I was injured but Guano was always there to make sure I was safe. He felt he was responsible for me ever since my father’s death. My life was a simple one. Farming during the day and training at night there wasn’t much time left for anything else. I was becoming bored with the life I was leading. I wanted to be like my father; I wanted to be a hero and the only battles left in the village were easily fought by the men there, they didn’t need my help. So by the time I turned 21 I told my mother of my plans to head to Bastok.

My mother was saddened at the thought of losing her son but I told her I would be alright and she knew that I would. I had become quite good with an axe and could very well take care of myself. Besides I was going to visit my grandfather who lived in Bastok; it had been awhile since I’d seen him last. I told Guano to look after my mother and with that I headed out with a few supplies and the famous axe my father wielded.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous being outside the village on my own. I spent lots of time avoiding goblins and other critters till I got to South Gustaberg where I knew I could handle the monsters myself. Before I would do any serious adventuring though I would go and visit my grandfather. Shelldrus was getting older and ever since my grandmother passed away some years back he was getting lonely and more crotchety with each visit. Still though, I loved to visit him. I remember nights where I would curl up next to him as he told me stories of my father and of himself in battle. I could listen to those stories over and over. He told them with such pride.

Upon entering the city a feeling came over me. I couldn’t quite explain it then but I understand it now. Even though I had been to Bastok before, this was the first time I had enterted it alone. Oh I knew my way around and could find my grandfathers house quite easily so I wasn’t worried. Instead it was a mixture of excitement and wonder and a little bit of maturity. I realized how much older I had become since my last visit and this time I knew I would be making Bastok my new home!

And with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step I made my way through the city…