A Tale of Heroes - Scene 12: Antonerri

Antonneri lay on the cold stone floor of the holding cell, the dark of doom swirling in the smoky air around him. He had been to places like here before, but always on the other side of the bars. A faint glow from a small table across the main room cast faint shadows around him. His muscles ached, his head ached. Even deeper, his heart ached. And through the ache was a core of confusion.

He rolled over and heaved himself up onto his knees and hands. His physical aches were the residue of blasts of light power he had received at the hands of a Sacerdotis Confessoris - The Priest Confessor of the Church of Three Lights. His deeper aches and confusion were also residual of the same blasts.

He had grown up in the shadow of the Church, serving as a young boy, longing for the day that he could join the Holy Guard as a soldier of The Creator. When he achieved that goal, it was the happiest day of his life. As a holy soldier, he was ready to defend the weak and serve the downtrodden.

His early duties were not so exciting, mostly protecting high priests and relics. He didn’t mind, though. He was proud to wear the three lights on his chest.

He sat back on his heels, kneeling into a familiar position of prayer. Please, he began, help me understand!

Memories of a few short days ago filled his mind. He had been assigned with a corps of guard to protect a Count of the Twynne Rivers High Council as he traveled through the InnerWall area of the city, gathering taxes from his subjects. All went well for the first few stops, then they came upon a shopkeeper who couldn’t pay.

Antonerri saw the image of the poor man’s crying face as he begged for more time. The troop was ordered to “render justice” by beating him and seizing his property.

What did I do that was wrong? Please, help me see!

He saw the rage on the face of the Count as Antonerri refused to execute the order. Then he saw the other soldiers of the guard, his colleagues, turn on him, beating him, binding him, and delivering him to the dungeon of the guard tower.

His pains intensified as he remembered The Priest Confessor’s visit.

His own tears streamed down as he prayed. I just want to know why! Am I not there to protect the weak? Why am I here?

The acrid smoke in the room added to the burning in his eyes and the gloom covering his heart. He knew the smell. It reminded him of the times he had captured a thief or a heretic and brought them to a place like this. He had thought they deserved this treatment for their sins and their crimes. All those times he never dreamed he would be one of them.

With a creak, a door near him opened and a brighter glimmer of light broke into the space, broken only by the metal bars that grew up from the floor in front of him to reach the ceiling.

The door parted further and two guards of the city’s militia stepped in, dragging a body in a rain-soaked black cloak between them. In a spare hand, one of them carried a lantern that cast spinning shadows as it swung under his hand. They lurched past his cell. After fussing with the keys, they swung the door to the neighboring cell open, and dropped the other prisoner inside. One of the guards moved to the table and tossed a few more grains of incense into a small metal bowl smoldering there. The other clanged the cell door shut, then glared at Antonerri.

“Yeah, you’d best be praying!” He said in a raspy voice, then laughed as they both closed the main door behind them. Dark and sorrow closed around Antonerri again as he bowed his head.

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This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing.


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A Tale of Heroes - Scene 11: Granthurg

Rinkmorr lit a lantern and hung it up under the tarp. Its glow spread all over the steering platform, showing the rain dripping off the shelter and the darkness around them.

Granthurg was standing at the edge of the platform, looking out over the river past the barge. Since the two pirates had been defeated, he had been scanning the slowly growing morning glow on the horizon looking for more. There had been none. The bleeding in his shoulder had stopped, but not the pain.

“Ok, let me look a that wound.” Rinkmorr said, pulling a box up, and gesturing to Granthurg to sit. Granthurg turned and obeyed. Once he was seated, he pulled back his shirt from his shoulder.

Rinkmorr looked. “That’s a deep hit.”

“Yeah,” Granthurg smiled, “It really wasn’t very knife of him to do that.”

The older giant narrowed his eyes and nudged the wounded shoulder, turning the smile to a wince. “Did that hurt?”

“No.” Granthurg could see that Rinkmorr didn’t believe him. “Well, not much anyway.”

“This river’s getting more and more dangerous. There was a time when I didn’t have to hire extra muscle.” He leaned over and felt the wound. Granthurg winced again.

Rinkmorr stood, closed his eyes, and breathed deep, focusing his concentration. Granthurg saw a brief grimace on his face, as if he was feeling the pain, too. Then, he felt the energy of life swelled up in them both, drawn from the waters, the land, and the trees. Granthurg also took a breath, almost involuntarily, and held it in, savoring the feeling as the hurting faded.

Then the sensations also drained from him, back into the river, and he let out the breath. His shoulder was healed. As the two giants opened their eyes, Rinkmorr offered his hand, then pulled Granthurg up.

He smiled. “Someday, you’ll have to teach me how to do that.” Then, he stepped to the steering rudder at the stern of the platform.

Rinkmorr lay back down on the blankets padding the deck. “It’ll be dawn soon, and then we’ll be in Twynne Rivers. I’m gonna get some sleep.”

It wasn’t long before the rain on the tarp was punctuated by his snoring. Granthurg adjusted his shirt and watched out over the barge across the night.

<<<>>>

This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing.


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A Tale of Heroes - Scene 10: Thissraelle

I know my father loves me. I know he’s just trying to protect me. She sat and cried without sobbing. I want to leave! I want to live!

She took off the dripping cloak, and the bag, and lay back on the floor, looking at the ornate ceiling like she had done thousands of times before. Her eyes traced the shadows of the intricate woodworking on the rafters. She let her thoughts drift off into mindlessness, needing to escape her frustration. Her eyes continued along the lines above, tracing the sculpting, the inlays, the frills.

With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes. She wasn’t tired. She was looking for peace, and not finding it.

WAIT! She blinked, and her eyes narrowed. If my father enchanted this tower, it would have had to have been done a long time ago. It would take a lot of will to maintain it that long. Her heart raced and she sat up. She scanned the ceiling again.

He wouldn’t use his own will for that power. He’d use an oculus! She’d never paid much attention to the stones inlaid in the ceiling. They were just a part of the room’s decor. She levitated up to the rafters and began looking more intently. As she found them, she touched them, felt them. They were all just cold gray stones of granite. She smiled. Gray is the color most often associated with dimensional wizardry. The kind of powers that could warp and fold space in around itself so that one couldn’t leave, say, a room or tower?

Her hands touched each inlay in turn, and felt nothing but cold stone. She felt herself getting tired and knew that she couldn’t keep flying much longer.

She felt a shiver. Was that something, or just from being out in the rain? She moved her hand back to the stone she had been touching. She felt it again, stronger, this time, as she focused on it.

That’s it! That’s it! She could definitely feel the latent power emanating from it.

I’ve felt that all these years, and just hadn’t realized it.

She wasn’t sure what do do with it, though. She grabbed at it with her fingernails, but wasn’t strong enough to pry it free.

This is dimensional wizardry, isn’t it? I can play in that game, too! She hesitated, uncertain. I can’t send it away, or shatter it. My father is more powerful than I am. What if I use my own power to twist reality around it? I can make a dimensional warp around its own dimensional warp, and shrink it down. Then I’ll be outside of its reach, at least for a few minutes! 

She looked down at the study below her. My will is getting weak. I’ll need more strength! Where can I find more? 

She saw the table, chairs, books, shelves, all lit up by the glowing oculi.

The oculi! She swept to the floor and put on the bag and the cloak again. She rushed over to the nearest oculus on the wall and reached up to surround it with her hands. Focusing on it, deeper, and deeper still, she stared into its glow.

A little at first, she felt its energy flowing into her hands, and arms. Yes, more! I need more! The lamp flickered, dimmed, then went out. She rushed to the second one, then the third.

Re-energized, she flew up again, and looked for the stone. It was difficult to find, now, in the dark, but she felt for it. She surrounded it with her will, and concentrated. Suddenly, she felt a nauseating wave of rippling reality sweep over her as it shrunk to converge on the stone. She blinked and backed away. I hope that worked!  I won’t have much time!

In a moment she had flown through the door and was lost, laughing, in the dark rain over the city.

<<<>>>

This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing.


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Start the whole story from the beginning. Start from where this current story arc begins.