Jorg Stonebreaker's Story

Skystead, Halinor

The mission was clear for Jorg. He were to go to the empress and form an alliance while traveling as the appearance of a lowly merchant. Wealthy, well guarded caravans attract much more attention to bandits then merchants do. Also the empress had little clue that Jorg was going to visit her in the capitol. In the next day he would enter Anatoli, but first he would need to rest at Skystead.

Skystead was a quaint town, at least compared to Hal. There were only a few dozen soldiers stationed there and hardly a few hundred in the region. The tavern was nice though. When Jorg walked in he automatically caught a whiff of slow roasted chicken with herbs. "A chicken and a pint of ale please!" He called out to the wench serving the drinks. He sat at a table and looked around. everything seemed normal except for one. There was a boy squatting next to a pink haired fellow on the ground. The one collapsed must have been exhausted and the other looked like a thief. However, even thieves needed to eat, and that boy looked thin.

"Boy!" Jorg shouted at the child to get his attention. He waved the wench to get more chicken and ale for the child. "Where are your parents and what happened to this stranger?"

---

There was solace to be found in the dark and damp hollow, a silence that very few dared to listen for in their lifetime. He’d been there many times, wrapped in darkness’s cruel embrace, locked in a labyrinth of no escape. As he lied there on the cold stone floor, he could just barely make out his reflection staring back from under him. Only, it wasn’t his reflection he saw anymore, but that of the pink-haired girl who struggled in much the same position as he did. Crimson painted her beautiful ivory lips, and he could only watch motionless as she writhed with torment in her lonely prison of solitude.

It was then that his own throat burned with anguish, and he fought through the overwhelming sorrow that took a hold of him as he tried with all his might to call out to her. There were no ends he wouldn’t travel to see her spared of such suffering, and tears only swelled in the boy’s eyes as he could do nothing more than bare witness. "No gold, huh?" Waking to the sound of an unfamiliar voice, he instantly noticed his face was wet, and that neither sweat nor tears attributed as cause.

The taste of blood hot on his tongue, he hesitantly reached for the pendant around his neck before choking on his own fluids. Coughing up blood, his eyes broadened, reminiscent of his dream. “Impossible…” He muttered to himself, sitting up and quickly reaching for the handkerchief tucked away in his back pocket. Horrified, he’d hardly paid notice to the fact that everyone in the inn was staring. “The hell…” Trying to collect himself, he looked up only to see that of a child’s eyes staring back at him.

Cassius was however more troubled by the alarming semblance of symptoms he’d just experienced - akin to his vision. At the same time he was taken back to a much darker time from his past. Both his stepmother and stepbrother had no chance when stricken with tuberculosis; the uncontrollable coughing fits… and the blood. No... he had to draw the line there. As much as he loved and missed them, they’d taught him a valuable lesson. That death wouldn’t come as easy for him. It would have to try harder, because he wasn’t planning on giving up.

Still groveling amidst the filth on the floor, he pulled himself up onto one of the bar stools before taking a second pass at the child. At first, he seemed ordinary enough, but there was something in his eyes that spoke of experience Cassius did not yet possess. “Can’t say my stepparents left me any. Gold, that is. Or, if they did, it burned with the rest.” Even for a farmer’s son, he still could not recall ever being this down and out. At only sixteen, Cassius hadn’t the faintest idea of what it meant to survive on his own.

"Where are your parents and what happened to this stranger?"

Turning his attention to the man sitting at the table across from them, he sat up, struggling to speak up. ”My name is Cassius, stranger.” He hadn’t any answers for what was wrong with him, so figured it was best he simply said nothing of what just transpired. As if he could just pretend it never happened. He did wonder one thing though.

What was such a peculiar child doing in a place like this...

Skystead, inside the tavern known as the Screaming Swordsman, in the Southern Nation of Halinor.

"Burned?" Pavus asked, a shiver going down his spine. He had seen a lot of things burn. Hell, he had been there for the Burning of Goldenfield, when a group of Wizards burned the entire city down in a day. He saw a lot of people die that day, and nearly died himself. Five people sacrificed their lives for him because they thought he was a kid. He was quick to regain his composure though, almost as if he never lost it. "Sounds bad"

"Where are your parents and what happened to this stranger?" a man asked him. It was a question he was used to hearing, but annoyed at all the same.

"They are dead" he told him, as the two thugs came in from before. "Oh fucking hell, when will idiots ever learn".

"Hey, kid!" one of them yelled. "That was a nasty trick but we might let you off with a warning if you give us all your possessions!"

"Both of you, get out of here! I wont have you harassing my patrons!" the tavern owner yelled at them. The two thugs looked at the other traveler, the one who asked Pavus the question.

"I think not, you aint got the strength or the will to fight us! But please, lets show everyone a lesson and use that disgrace of a person as another example!" the other one yelled, referring to Jorg.

"Oh lets just fucking get this over with" Pavus said, standing up. "Don't worry sir, I will remove them".

The two charged at Pavus, except Pavus sent another wave of kinetic force to knock them off their feet. Not being as merciful as he was before, he then set them both on fire with a snap of his fingers, though not enough to kill or seriously injure them. Just enough to get them running towards the largest body of water. With that, he turned towards the other two.

"To finish answering your question, yes I am traveling alone, no I don't know what is wrong with the pink haired boy yet, but being a Wizard....prodigy, I might be able to find out. I also play every known musical instrument, and know just about every song and act ever made. And finally, I hate being called boy. Or kid. The name is Pavus" he told them as he sat back down. He looked towards the stranger. "So, what is your name, and how long has this been going on?"

Skystead, the screaming swordsmen, Halinor


"So, what is your name, and how long has this been going on?" This was an interesting kid. Pavus the wizard? He was quite young to have such talent. As far his name, what was there to tell? He could say only his first name, but since he was under disguise only to ward off bandits in Halinor, it didn't really matter. Bandits in Halinor, although few, were usually battle hardened veterans from the Legion. Since bandits became more pathetic the closer they were to Anatoli, where bandits were simply armed peasants, there was no longer a need to conceal his identity, as the danger had past.

"My name is Jorg Stonebreaker." He said. When the name Stonebreaker was spoken the owner and other patrons were struck with awe. Of course they all knew the name of their rulers, yet some had skeptical eyes. It didn't matter, proof wouldn't come unless a fight broke out as the Stonebreaker line have the strength to crush stone, hence the name. "As for those two you had just set on fire, I tricked them on the way here when I raided their own camp in their sleep. Good fun too." He said with a grin.

"You're a Bard you say, Pavus? I could use a bard. The road gets boring. See I'm going to Notia on business and need entertainment. If you accompany me, I will give you fifty gold." He told the boy. Then he turned to Cassius.

"You can come too. I could always use some help with carrying things. The payment will be the same, fifty gold. I'll get you some armor to pair up with that sword of yours." Jorg said to Cassius, pointing at the broad sword. "How's that sound?"

---

Cassius came from a little farming village that was so remote, it didn’t even warrant a name or a place on the map. It was rare that a stranger ever blew through, so he hadn’t really ever seen magic before. Up until that moment, it had been something he just read about in a book or overheard in passing. And when he did hear about it, he always imagined a tall, slender man in a pointy hat, touting around a grimoire or a staff; not an eleven year old. Then again, he had most recently discovered some undeveloped magical talent of his own. Of which he wouldn’t be speaking of anytime soon.

Now, he couldn’t quite decide how dangerous this child really was. Friend or foe, he would need to tread carefully for his own safeties sake. The boy was notably inquisitive, and clearly arrogant, while possessing a cultivated inclination for the arcane arts. Although he didn’t seem to take kind to being called a child, it was obvious he had the mentality of one… and something else. Cassius was undoubtedly hesitant in telling the little wizard anything. ” "So, what is your name, and how long has this been going on?"

”Suppose if I was keeping track… let’s see, what is today…” Pausing, a hint of his own childish sarcasm broke through. ”Just today!” Of course, that was only half of the truth. Ever since he was a child, he’d had these visions, but this was the first time they seemed to project themselves into the physical world. That or maybe, they always had, and he just hadn’t noticed. After all, he was chasing after a girl in his dreams. But he was definitely not planning on telling anyone that story. Not yet anyway. ”Cassius. My name is Cassius.”

"My name is Jorg Stonebreaker." Having lived in Halinor most of his life, he instantly recognized that name, and immediately wondered what place a prince had in a lowly dump like The Screaming Swordsman. A peculiar child, and a highborn prince. This day was only getting stranger and stranger. "You can come too. I could always use some help with carrying things. The payment will be the same, fifty gold. I'll get you some armor to pair up with that sword of yours." A clear cut means of getting to where he was going. Which was probably nowhere. The idea of not starving for weeks on end was also appealing. ”How’s that sound?”

Well, he wasn’t going to say no. ”That sounds great, your highness!” How else was he to address royalty? It wasn’t like he’d ever been in the company of any to know. If only he knew. The next city along the way, just beyond the Anatolí border, was Brightbridge, which was about a day’s walk. Less than a week from that was Notia. For some strange reason, Cassius had a feeling that is where he needed be.

Town of Skystead, Southern Nation of Halinor near the Anatoli border

Pavus found this offer interesting, from Jorg Stonebreaker of all people. Now, this was a person of great interest, and royalty. And an ally to stir against the evil Empress, if I could. And that Dragon Priest. Hmmmm, this could be really interesting. "Hows that sound?"

"Alright, better then traveling alone. For some reason, idiots like those two think attacking a child is a good idea, and it might be nice to get some peace and quiet" Pavus told him.

And then, when he looked at Cassius again, that is when he realized something. The pink haired boy. He noticed it before, the last time he saw a boy with pink hair was when his father introduced him to the royal family. And now he saw it. It WAS that same boy. This grew Pavus' interest even more. Especially since he knew that if this was true, the boy had a twin. And being a Wizard, he knew what happened between twins, especially with their importance and their bloodline.

"I have to say, a boy with pink hair is unusual, if you don't mind me saying. I think, my father once told me a story. That the original, rightful rulers of Anatoli had pink hair. At least, they had two twins with pink hair. A boy and a girl" Pavus mentioned. Then, he decided to take a leap of faith. "I think rumor had it they even had dreams of one another. But, it might just be a story. Who knows if its true, right? After all, the story mentions that only one twin was stolen away by an evil Priestess and her partner, the empress. It never said what happened to the other one. He could have gone anywhere. But like I said, maybe it was just a story?"

And now, Pavus had planted the seed in Cassius' mind. If he had told him outright, Cassius might have not believed him, or rejected the idea. But now, especially if he did have dreams of his twin, which was a common thing among twins of royal or magic (Or both) bloodline, he would seek this out. And, if handled right, Cassius could prove to be quite an asset to Pavus.

Looks like Destiny is telling me its finally time I get my revenge....

Skystead, Halinor, Southern border to Anatoli

Jorg grinned as he watched the two talk. Pink hair? That was a sign of royalty in Anatoli. Jorg knew that only from when he met the old king, the king from before the new one, when he was a lad in diplomatic training. He was there for only a day, which was a shame as Notia was such a beautiful city. If any trait was noticed about the family, it was the pink hair. However, it could be a complete coincidence which had nothing to do with the matter.

"Well then, let's be off." He said to Pavus and Cassius. "The cart is ready in the front and has a fresh horse to pull it. We should be in Brightbridge within a day, during which you can both rest. Once there we can get rations, supplies, and armor for Cassius. Perhaps on the way there I might even bump into a friend from the capitol. One never knows what to find on the open road."

Jorg was especially pleased with himself. Not only was he getting closer to Notia without any hitch, but he had also found a pair of fine traveling companions. One a rather young, but powerful wizard. The other a mysterious boy who might be of royal blood. What adventures they would have. He only wondered.