Edric Stonehammer's Story

Edric Stonehammer approached the execution platform as well, his head still hurting from the night before. He had dragged himself out of bed that morning and had gone for a walk, hoping the fresh air would ease his pain. During this walk he had stumbled upon the site of execution, quickly pushing himself to the front. This earned him some angry glances but his warhammer did much to discourage indignation. When he heard the charges, he first thought he was still drunk. After all who would execute one for such a minor theft? But then he realized humans, just like any other race, could be fickle and cruel creatures. While he was an outsider and an unpopular one to boot, he decided he couldn't let this pass. He took place besides the two arguing on Samuel's behalf. He gave them a brief nod before focusing on the elderly man.

“Good day everyone,” the dwarf rumbled, “sorry for intervening but I was wondering why you would execute one for the theft of water? I mean, to me it seems as if he was doing you a favour,” the dwarf laughed deeply but as quickly as the smile had appeared it disappeared once more. With narrow eyes he looked at the elderly man “no, all jokes aside, I advise against executing this poor kid. It rubs me the wrong way. I hate things that rub me the wrong way. And trust me, you don’t want to be the cause of a thing I hate,” Edric affectionately patted his warhammer, “so I’d like to join my voice with these two brave and honourable souls here. The kid here offers a trade,” he waved at Kobe, “which is a most generous offer. Should you refuse it, I offer you a similar deal. Halt this foolish execution and your eternal soul will not be tainted. That and your mortal body of course,” he added in a lower tone so only Ara and Kobe could hear it. He had seen their reactions as he had moved to the front. They should know they could count on him should things get out of hand. His words had been slightly provoking after all, but his headache had made him irritable enough to no longer care. Perhaps the rush of battle would help him fight it.

"Someone doesn't doesn't listen well," Keiran noted the appearance of a dwarf that talked nobly enough. " I said take what YOU can take YOURSELF," with that Keiran shoved the noble towards the slave, swiftly drawing a throwing knife in the process.

"Start swinging Chuckles, I could care less if the watch wants a price. You get what your own prowess wins. Put simply: Kill him yourself, take the money from us if you can, or find out how hard I can throw one of these." Keiran twirled the throwing knife between two fingers as he presented his options. Mentally he knew guards were coming, and he wasn't sticking around for when they got here. "Hood boy," Keiran causally addressed the executioner, "This is Chuckle's problem, you step in and so do I. Fair enough everyone?Seems like an even 50-50 to me."

Ulan watched from high above and was stunned at what was going on as more people seemed to stand up against this petty punishment. For a moment he felt bad for this bloke but 50 gold coins was clearly outrageous maybe he could bring things to a bit more reasonable price. This was not something Ulan normally did but something seemed to nag him in the back of his mind. Standing up he looked down over the stage from the roof and reached for his bow and an arrow which he notched quickly. Then he proceeded to aim at the noble. "How about 30 and I won't put an arrow through your heart." He said from atop the roof. "And throw in your ring too while your at it." He shouted from the roof making sure he was heard. All he wanted was money and that ring looked expensive even from this distance.

"Haven't we proven our point yet?" Kobe asked, letting his blue eyes take in the scene before him. An archer ontop of a roof, a skilled man with a knife sitting on the noble, a remarkably friendyl dwar on his right side and a girl with elfish roots on the left side of him.
Kobe knew he needed to do something, fast if anyhow possible, seeing as he heard a hoard guards approach behind them.
"I am sorry, if it is money you desire, I will not be able to put anything in." Kobe sighed, knowing the risks of the things he wanted to do next.
"But I can teach you an important lesson, trust me, it's worth more than any money." He gripped his sharp dagger with his right hand and took a few strides to the nobles side. Kobe kneeled down, put the tip of his knife on the man's forhead and smiled, showing his canine teeth. It disgusted him to do what he did in this exact moment but he couldn't let this execution happen. Let it be a thing of understanding this society's horrable ways of treating people or maybe it was jsut the pleading he saw in the boys eyes - Kobe didn't know.
Seeing as the noble couldn't move with a man sitting on him and a knife to his throat and head, Kobe took his time to watch the emotion in the gruesome man's eyes.
"You should pay attention to nature's warnings. I was born and raised with dangers around me, so let me tell you: This is your last chance to do right, use it wisely." His voice turned more and more into a threatening whisper while he spoke but it should still have been loud enough to hear for his companions on the stage, maybe not the archer with the taut bow but he trusted the man to be able to pick up on what he doing.

The noble man looked around for someone to help but no one would do so for such " Fine.... fine.... just take him he is yours no charge just let me live " the man said over and over.

" are you sure sir" the elderly man said as he looked down

" yess!!! just do it, let him go now " the noble cried

the old fellow on the platform helped Samuel up and untied his bonds " go your free

" thank you " Sammy smiled as he walked away only to turn around and kick the old mans feet under neath him and laughed as he fell to the ground. Sam walked over to the group on the stage with him " which one of you am I to serve now ... which did I call Master, it is up to you " He said taking a glare at the fat noble.

Ara sighed, "Well, I seem to have stirred a commotion" she said smiling knowing she saved a life, "You alright?" she asked Samuel as she eyed the others, a dwarf caught her eye, he had a war hammer and she nodded, "I say you're free." she said nodding, "but if needed I can take you in." she said smiling and soon she looked about at he ones whom helped her, all seemed to have their strengths and weaknesses and she soon nodded to herself and stepped up, "I'm Ara Miyora, as you see I'm an elf" she said after nodding again, "Thank you all for helping me with the argument for this child's life" she said as she nodded again, "May I ask your names?" she asked.

Kobe was happy that the commotion was over and that he could go back to his normal behaviour. Putting his dagger away eased his mind a bit. He really wasn't one for such things but the situation asked for it. Turning to the girl that just introduced herself he flashed her a big grin.
"I'm Kobe. My brothers and sisters from my tribe called me Spice and seeing as we seem to be on friendly terms here, call me as you wish." He made a small bow infront of the girl, just like his mother taught him when he was still a young one.
"Ara Miyora, even for an elf a very melodic name." He commented before turning away from the girl to face to face the boy called Sammy.
"You shouldn't have to serve any of us. What good would we have done then? Pushing you from one slavery into another. Personally I'd say, consider yourself free and if you wish, free to acompany me on my way." Kobe chuckled and then he smiled again. He put his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner and sighed happily.
'Today is a good day.' He thought and watched the clouds move slowly over the sky.

In the final comotion Ulan managed to repel down the side of the building using the banner hanging i the square and pushed his way through the crowd to the stage joining them. He figured he was safer here now then alone where he could easily be surrounded with no allies. He jumped into listening to what Kobe was saying and listened intently trying to catch in on what he missed.

He realized they must be introducing themselves so Ulan nodded and spoke once Kobe was finished. "It's nice to meet the both of you I am Ulan, I am sorry for your imprisonment." He added quickly to Sammy. "I am elvish though I hail from not particular nation I'm a guide and much prefer the open spaces to this bustling city life." He said with a small bow.

Edric finally relaxed when the noble gave in. He had already started to reach for his warhammer,but it seemed that wasn't going to be necessary. He grinned and waved calmly at the rest, introducing himself after Ulan.
"Name's Edric Stonehammer, pleasure to meet you all. I'm a wandering dwarf as you have probably already noticed. It is good to see everything turned out so well. No bloodshed whatsoever. It's a different way of problem solving than I usually employ, but it seems to have its merits. I must admit it's a strange day. When I woke up this morning I hadn't imagined I would save a former slave, in particular with such esteemed partners," he laughed warmly once more. It seemed as if his throbbing headache had subsided. He surveyed the group and then studied his surroundings once more, spotting quite a few hostile glances in the background.

"Still, we might not want to hang around for too long. I'm not so sure if we are just going to get away with our merry little intervention. How about we go celebrate Sam's freedom with a good cold pint? Every victory requires a celebration, right? I know this wonderful bar with cheap ale not too far away. The perfect place for heroes such as ourselves," he gave the noble a threatening glare, "besides, should we have to fight, I prefer to do so with ale nearby," the dwarf concluded.

" yes I do think its in are best interest to go inside " Samuel looked around the air felt heavy and uneasy to match. he could see that so many eyes staring back with anger. " the people here are a bit mad ... plus the bar keep is a friend " Sam took the first few towards the bar but was stopped in the possess.


A middle age man stepped in front and stopped sam from heading " Well the little slave got free... that's to bad...... i was hoping to see some blood shed today"

samuel eyes met the mans " shut up and get out of my way "

The man took a step back " you insolent little pup " The man went in for a slap but sam quickly moved in and landed the blow first.

" now you should watch what you say... you never know who you might offend, and you could have gotten much more hurt... if you said that to some other person " The man stood there not knowing what to say, so he ran off to lick his wounds.

Ara was about to stop the confrontation, but the man she had helped save escalated it before her movement could get her to the two. She sighed though looking at the bar, she was no High-class noble, but she wasn't keen on the idea of drinking, but she had gone in anyway. Since with the looks she was receiving from townsfolk whom had saw her stand up to the execution stand and she was finally "confronted" by a large human, the human blocked the path to her allies and soon others joined in, asking questions, and throwing insults to her. Ara stood her ground and nodded, "I suggest you back off." she said with a monotone voice, "Why? So we can let you stop any further enjoyment?!" the man asked as Ara glared at the man, "You find executions enjoyable?! You inhuman bastard!" she yelped as finally the tension of the group boiled over and the men attacked, first one going for a uppercut which Ara dodged and then it was a group attack, Ara didn't dodge every hit, but took few, and finally Ara responded with taking the men down with a few punches to the gut, she soon just walked over to the bar next to Edric, "give me your strongest Rum" she said with what sounded like pain.

"I hate this fighting." Kobe whispered. He went to the bar and ordered a glass of water. He didn't have anythign against alcohol or the people consuming it but he prefered to keep his mind clear.
He put the hood on again and hid his tail under the cape again, knowing about the influence they had. Sometimes it were just mild reactions or pure curiousness and interest (mostly from children) but often enough people called him things like 'Low Person' or 'Dog' or even attack him, he prefered to evade any fights possible, no only today but in general.

He reiceived a few odd looks for ordering water in a bar because he looked older than he was, to be honest he wouldn'T even have been allowed to drink any alcohol.
But he was happy to have been part of freeing Sam and so he cheered with the others

Ulan followed the others toward the bar with a small nod. He walked in these places weren't his favorite but a small glass of wine would not hurt. He found a seat with the others and ordered a glass of red wine. He tried to listen to the others but was not sure what exactly to talk about. "So what brings you all here to this um city?" He asked with a smile.

Ulan removed his bow leaning it on the stool he was seated on. Honestly he couldn't wait to be on his way out of this dreadful place but he needed to make some money and sell this damned watch he nabbed of his previous client. The man seemed to have "Run short." After Ulan had managed to convince him to pay a higher price than they had previously agreed upon before they're journey. He was a pretty good talker and could talk his way out of most situations though he had learned that the hard way.

Keiran followed in silence as everyone began to fetch drinks around the bar, ignoring small things like brawls and drinks. He simply sat at the table where everyone else was gathering and followed with the niceties when they'd all gotten their drinks.

"The name's Keiran Greywind, I hail from way out in the wilds. In truth I only came into the city on a whim, and find myself rather keen to leave again if this is what society's like all the time." He'd sheathed his weapons before they'd entered the establishment, but that didn't mean he'd let his guard down. Even when he was talking, his eyes flitted from person to person in the building...not about to let one get in a move he couldn't see...habits from living alone in the wilderness.

With a smile Edric noticed how Sam stood up for himself. Someone was quickly adjusting to the free life. As he received his pint, Ara got in a fight as well. As he put his pint down she made short work of her assailants before he could do more. That woman could fight, especially for an elf. Her choice of drink only made him respect her even more. With his pint in his hand he moved towards the table, making sure to sit down with his back to a wall. He doubted anyone would pick a fight with him, but their actions had definitely made them many en enemies. He placed his warhammer next to him, clearly in sight, and enjoyed his drink.

When he saw how vigilant Keiran was, he relaxed and leaned back in his chair. The man would clearly spot any trouble long before he could. With a smile he turned towards Ulan and answered him:
"Ah, a good question indeed, though I'm afraid my motives are rather trivial. I seek glory and coin but until I find those, alcohol and women will have to suffice. I must admit, they provide a welcome distraction from this messy city. Honour is rare and chivalry is pretty much dead around here. I dislike this place," he emptied his pint and ordered another one before continuing, "though it's still better than my home, at least things happen here. I suppose that means I'll stick around until an opportunity arises but not a second longer. Either that or until I run out of money, but I would like to prevent that from happening. Nobody here has by any chance heard of interesting jobs for a warrior?" he asked eagerly. His last job had been some time ago and badly paid on top.

Samuel sat down next to Edric and smiled as he set his pint down on the table with a light tapping sound as it hit the table. " If you are looking for a job the Bar keep here keeps a tap on all the info and rumors flowing around these parts.. Also he just might have some job requests as well " Sam took a small sip of ale, his eyes cringed a bit as he swallowed the drink for the first time. he has never had a drink before this and wanted to have one with the man that saved him. " thank you all very much.. I might be dead if it was not for you wonderful people.."

Ulan listened to them all and took particular interest in what Samuel had said. Ulan really did need some money but he was sick of doing all sorts of small jobs he really wanted something that would pay off. He sipped his wine quitely as he sat with the others. "It's really no problem." He said though he still wondered why he had stopped to help this man in the first place it really wasn't something he normally did.

Ara had downed the Rum in one go and seemed to feel fine for the moment, "Never thought I'd be saving lives." she mumbled to herself as she listened to Sam, she still felt out of place being an elf, especially one that can drink some strong Rum. She looked over at Sam, "It's no problem, I felt that you did nothing wrong" she said with a smile, "and apparently the others thought the same thing" she said with a light smile, she felt better than she usually did with the actions she had made, and she looked at the barkeeper, "So what bounties do you know of?" she asked.

the barkeeper looked over that the rag tag group setting in his bar " well yall look strong .... I think I got something you might like" after a bit he found the bounty paper and walked over to the group " Wanted dead or alive.... the man you after is called Sorn nightsky, he is a bandit that been terrorizing the trades routes around these parts " He possed abit looking around the room " They don,t have any isea what he lookes like, just that he leaves a path of destruction in his wake " the barkeep leened in close " the bounty on his head is 3000 gold coins for the one that bring him in alive, If dead the reward is 2000 gold coins"

Edric studied the bounty paper with a focused frown and scratched his head before passing it along. His hands were already itching at the thought of facing this man. Sorn was clearly rather infamous, taking him down would definitely spread the word of the mighty Edric Stonehammer. It seemed this day was getting better and better. With a slight smile he turned towards the barkeep.

"Sorn Nightsky, what a fancy name," Edric mused as he emptied his tankard. He sat up straight and raised his voice slightly, "The man sounds dangerous and he is seemingly doing his best to live up to that image. Still, for 3000 coins I'm willing to chance it. I'm sure he's a capable warrior, but I am more than just capable and the same could be said for us all here, no? Thanks for the information, I'll definitely make good use of it," he concluded before turning towards his companions:

"What do you guys, and girls, say? Are you up for some bandit hunting? Because I definitely feel like getting my hands on this Sorn fellow. Our previous cooperation, while short, was rather successful. A continuation of this partnership, if I may use the word so freely, might prove lucrative for us all, granting us coin, fame and perhaps even some local goodwill," Edric emptied his tankard and surveyed his companions, "so, who is with me? I'm aware nobody knows what he looks like, but if he's truly such an avid trade route raider, it should not be too hard to find and capture him in the name of justice!" Edric slammed his fist onto the table to emphasize those last words words.