Thunder crashed.

The ground shook.

A young dwarf knelt in the mud. Lightning arced through the sky to reveal bodies scattered about in the mud. The battle was bloody and brutal. There was but one survivor. Baggrin knelt in the mud, cradling his brothers head in his arms. The orcs had come on there camp swiftly and quietly, felling the first of the dwarves in mere seconds. Before they had time to properly react the orcs were upon them again. There savagery was unmatched, but there tactics were elementary. The dwarves were ready for the third pass. The sound of steel clashing filled the clearing, the sounds of the dying filling in the gaps. Orc and dwarf alike bled in the mud. In the final second of the brawl two orcs had Baggrin outnumbered and flanked. They advanced on the young dwarf, thinking him an easy kill. Lightning flashed again and the sound of wood splintering was almost deafening as a tree collapsed, landing on the unsuspecting orc. The distraction gave Baggrin the time he needed to place his hammer against the second orcs skull. The Earth Goddess had other plans for Baggrin it seemed, for this day he would live. Now, he wept. His brother and his friends were lost to him, nothing he could do would bring them back.


Baggrin wonders the lands now. Rather than face the shame of being the lone survivor of that orc attack, unable to save even his own blood. Now, he devoted his life the the Earth. Protecting the land and beasts from the ravishing industrial races of the world. Yet, he almost seems resentful that she would choose him and not his brother. Somehow it did not seem fair that he should live. What made him so special? Of course, Baggrin tried not to dwell on it. He moved forward, one foot in front of the other. Often times he takes up residence in one town or another for weeks even months at a time. He slowly acclimates himself back into society, functioning as a guide to those wishing to traverse the strange and often times dangerous lands.


Living in such a fashion one hears all sorts of strange and wonderful stories. Fantastical creatures, heroic knights and beautiful princesses. But the stories of late have taken an eerie turn. They spoke of a Mountain, a mountain that seemed almost familiar to Baggrin. He is sure that the mountain in these stories is the same that he spent most of his youth in. But these stories made no mention of a Dwarven Hold or even a settlement. Maybe his mind is just playing tricks on him, reminiscent of days gone by and yearning for home. Maybe. He would find out. One way or another.

"Up here, Annalynn. Mommy's making supper, so you and I gonna tell Bodie a story."

"With princesses, Daddy?"

"Maybe. There usually is a princess, Pumpkin."

"Bodie likes the knights and dragons."

"That's 'cause Bodie's never met a dragon."

"Have you ever met a dragon, Daddy?"

"No, Pumpkin. I never had that pleasure. Poppy did though. That's how Poppy and Nanny met. Poppy and his friends drove off a big red one trying to burn down Nanny's home and all of her friends' homes."

"Was Nanny the princess?"

*heh* "No. No, I'm afraid not. But she was beautiful, just like you. And smart, just like Bodie. And she taught me to be good, just like I'm teaching you."

"Why?"

"Why? I wish I could tell you, Love. I won't lie to you - not ever - but there are some things that are hard for a child to understand. But in the real world, it ain't like the stories. Things are hard, and cruel, and cold. And that means there needs to be people like Poppy, and Nanny, and me."

"Are you a knight, Daddy?"

"No, Pumpkin. I'm just a man. A man trying to do right by this world."

"But Cassie's daddy always calls you 'The Pride', and Torr's calls you 'the Lion of Winter'. Only knights have nicknames..."

"Torr's just joking around, Pumpkin. The Lion is from the picture on my shield, and since I used to just go out adventuring in the wintertime."

"Why?"

"Because I needed to be here in the spring, summer, and autumn to sow, work, and harvest."

"So... why does Cassie's daddy call you 'The Pride'? Is that a lion thing too?"

"Maybe a little. But Poppy always called me 'his Pride and Joy', just like I call you 'Pumpkin'. He was so proud when I took up his old sword and struck out into the world. Continuing the family tradition - hard, honest work, and making sure I leave people a little better off than when I found 'em."

"I'm glad they don't call you 'the Joy'."

*heh* "No. No, I reckon that might be mighty silly, Pumpkin."

"Did you ever kill someone?"

"Now, I thought we were gonna tell Bodie a story?"

"You said you wouldn't lie, Daddy."

"I did say that. And I won't lie to you. But that doesn't mean I will answer all your questions."

"That means 'yes' doesn't it?"

"Smart girl. Just like Nanny. Now, Bodie's looking at my thumb mighty greedily, so let's see what Mommy's got ready for supper. We'll have a story after.* With princesses, knights, and dragons."

1. Why are you an adventurer?
"Because the world is not black and white."

"Because I have a wife, two kids, and soon a third."

"Because I've been telling Annalynn and Bodie the stories I grew up on, and hell-or-high-water, I'm a make those stories come true, because my kids, one day my grandkids - hell, everyone's grandkids - they're gonna look out their windows and see a world that may not be black and white, but damn if there isn't good folk trying to show the world what it can be."

2. The choice...
"The girl. Always save the girl."

"Killing evil is right, don't get me wrong. But killing evil doesn't make there be less evil in this world. Just makes there be different evil."

"Saving a girl, though? Saving any innocent? That adds good to the world."

"We can never have too much good."

3. Eggs
"Couldn't tell you. Maryam does this strange thing with 'em as she fries them. Some spice she won't tell me. Damn good is all I know. A bit of goat cheese on the side, and that's a breakfast to get your day going."

4. If you were a king...
"What's this 'if' you speak of?"

"See that woman? The beautiful one? The babe at her breast, the bump in her belly, and the doll-toting blonde tugging her skirts?"

"See those four walls, those plowed fields beyond, and the welcoming neighbors?"

"This. This is my home. And here, to my family, my friends... I am a king. I don't have a bejeweled crown. I don't have a wizened councilor. I've no more army than a sturdy shield and a sharp blade. But I have respect and love that any king would envy. I don't need your royal edicts."

"No."

"No, I would have one edict. I want those three kids to grow up in a better world than I did. You want an edict? 'Make tomorrow better.'"

5. One regret..
"My one regret... is that I don't only have one regret."

"I have a wife, two beautiful children, and another on the way. Friends. Family. A farm."

"And I have a duty. It may only be a duty to my own hopes and dreams, but it is a duty none-the-less, and I do not undertake it lightly. But I aim to make this world a little better as I pass through it, even if I don't see Annalynn's first love, or help Bodie's first steps, or meet the bundle of kicking energy in Maryam's belly."

"Now. Lemme get a kiss from my girl, and then be on my way. Daddy's gotta go to work."