"It could have been worse...", Asal told himself as he climbed down
the steep cliff ignoring the pain in his limbs. The weight of his
heavy backpack was pulling him down as he searched for another spot
to put his foot on. "Only if they wouldn't be so defensive about
their young, but well that's nature for you. Argh, that was close."
Asal cursed as the slipped and cought back on again. He would be
rewarded well for this. Harpy eggs are as precious as they are
dangerous to obtain. After weeks of scouting in secret Asal found
this breeding place in the mourning cliffs. And he would proove to
Ragnar that he has been right from the start. His mentor's chiding
still ringing in his ears right before he departed from Locke...
"What are you doing in here?! You have been told to practise before
we go to the beastiary auctions!" a sharp voice shouted at Asal
from the door into the archive. Asal was sitting at a small study,
parchments littered all around the desk. Once more he did not know
what time it was. "But Ragnar, I now know where they might life...
It's all been discovered before, look...", Asal replied holding up
an old parchment. "No, I won't! You have been straining my patience!
I want to see all of the trainig objectives collected by noon or
there will be no leave for the auctions for you!" the old hunter
shouted. "But when I hunt the Harpies down and find an egg or two
we could afford to hire more hunters and get better d..." "Enough
of this nonsense! You should spend more time on the practising out
there delving into the training course than delving into all these
books!" Ragnar shouted, "Now get out and practise!". Asal shuffled
the parchments into a stack. sighed and got up. He went outside
packed up his gear and trodded towards the training range. He could
feel the disapproving stares from Ragnar on his back. Asal was a
decent fighter for a beginner and as much as he loved exploring new
sites, he was fond of the lore and work of the hunters before him.
The archive held hundreds of reports of animal and monster sightings,
classifications and strategy. With this knowledge Asal hoped to
learn to be more than a slayer or 'harvester' of monsters that they
would auction off later in town. Unfortunately Ragnar, his mentor,
was a more practical woman. But this time he wanted to proof to
her, that his hunch was right. So he moved past the training grounds
und out of Locke towards the eastern marches...
Down the cliff he attended to his wounds, then checked on his cargo.
Two eggs, both still hale. They will hatch soon. He would need to
hurry... As he passed the old watchtower that has been towering
over Locke's valley for ages, he was stuck downhil by a huge push
behind and a roaring thunder. Trees splintered and crumbled, Asal
was thrown off the hill clining to his backpack. Asal hit the ground
hard, managed to roll of the force. After catching his breath he
heard terrifying screetching noises that came from the top of the
hill. The top of the old tower has been sheered off. He has heard
something sniffing and moving. Something heavy. Asal got up and ran
for Locke, hoping that at least one of the eggs would reach the
village intact. With him.
[This is an inquisitive monster hunter who hunts with a combat
flavor. I use the same mail in the MTG character creator, so Brian,
you could use that for an invite. While I have been typing this I
have seen Nia as a similar character, if that's too close, I can
come up with another more distinct flavour. A natural character
arc for Asal would be Explore, as he wants to add to the archive
with his own findings, treading the footsteps of the other great
hunters.]
--
May you be peaceful, may you live in safety, may you be free from
suffering, and may you live with ease.
