The Lost Journal of Jarl Riddick

It has been just about 12 years now since King Balin found me alone and lost In the Myth Wood. He was with his brother in arms Elric.  They brought me to their home and let me stay there, as long as I agreed to work for them. I was a mercenary at the time and was to take orders from them first, and from my other employers second.

At the time Balin was only the Lord of Hammers Hold. We were strong together, we could conquer the Myth Wood slaying both men and beasts alike. Yet it could not last, I had been a troublemaker and adventurous back then. I moved on to advance my skills as an assassin leaving behind the mercenary I once was, and the home of Balin and Elric. I became a shady person through those who had taken me in, and what I learned under their wing as a mercenary. Despite my change of careers I tried to keep peace with Balin for I had no quarrel with a man brave enough to become our King.

Shortly after I had been taken in by the assassins,  the dark book of magic had been discovered. Marta gained her soul back, and became a Sorceress beholden to the Book of Magic. I feared she still felt the rage of the succubus in her blood.

It was around this time, on a hot summer’s day that Elric and I, went on a stroll past Grey Arrow keep when we stumbled upon Marta. She was struggling to move a book out of the Battle Arena of Valor. I asked her, “what kind of book could this be?” she could not tell us. All she knew was she needed to take it to a sacred place to decipher its contents. Marta had asked us to help her transport this magical book of power to the Graveyard of the Fallen. For she was much too weak, and it was draining her energy.

Elric and I had agreed to help her, for she was no longer with the Daemons, she was one of us. So we made it to the graveyard, and Marta begun reading from the strange book, when a fury started to grow within me. My bones ached and twisted my head was throbbing, I felt angry, upset, hurt, my thoughts….  I could not control them, they were, controlling ME!!! A disgust I have never felt before, a hatred for all who entered the Myth Wood.  My body grew hot and fiery. My skin became like leather. I was… invincible?? this cannot be, nobody has this kind of power.

A year later I found myself lost once again in the Myth Wood. Or was I? NO?! Then where am I? I have never seen this place and who are these Ordin that have woken me?  Where have I been all this time? Am I dreaming? How did I get here and what are these stories about a troll and a werewolf?! Why am I covered in burns? Could it be true? As I lie on the ground I begin to see the Myth Wood as I once knew it.  Yet it had changed almost as if it had been ravaged by war. Like Zeus himself had slashed the Earth, and uprooted trees. Destroying the walls of Kings Rest. I had found myself in a place called Tickle Town.  Familiar faces had come to welcome me back, although I didn’t recall leaving.

They had doubts about me. They were even scared at times. My sword was covered in blood. I was covered in blood. What had I done? Was it not a dream? The thirst for blood had never felt so real. They say I had endured an ancient ritual. The soul of a troll who had once roamed this land had taken over my body. They say he had resentment for the slavery of gnomes working for our money. He kept trying to call the Myth Wood his land, and we were all trespassers in it.

What happened to our Kings Rest? Where was King Balin? When will he be back? How long must the slaughter of our people go on? Will the Mysterious hunter finally make peace with us? I must find King Balin, and help him restore order, perhaps I could get some help. He deserves to have a good crew to back him up, even if he isn’t here. Although I’ll need to make some dirks, good help is hard to find these days, and money does talk…

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