Sacred Duty

Posted on Fri Jun 30th, 2023 @ 10:17am by Fighter (Level 1) Jaylene Lorenas

Mission: We're Forming A Party
Location: Fairfell / Mirador Fortress
Timeline: Present / One Month Ago

For all of her appearance, all the armor and weapons she wore, Jaylene did not feel like she was out of place in the quaint town of Fairfell. Mostly because the local townsfolk made no spectacle of it - after all, why would they? Adventurers came from all over to start their journeys here and came in many different forms. The armored half-elf woman that walked among them was simply another one, destined to either find whatever she was looking for or to die in some dusty dungeon.

Locating the town square and message board wasn't a problem, by their very nature they were supposed to be easily found. That was why so many stalls were set up around it, each vying for her attention and the attention of all those who passed by. Food, jewelry, trinkets and various other baubles were promised in passing as Jaylene reached the board. Her eyes darted along its contents, looking for one of interest to her.

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"Again!" The Master at Arms called. Jaylene and her opponent, another squire of the order, squared up and readied their weapons. They waited for the signal.

"Begin!" He bellowed.

It was Jaylene who attacked first, armed with a halberd. It was no ordinary halberd, rather it had been given to her by her grandfather when she left to join the order. It had been poorly looked after, she'd spent nights on end trying to clean and restore it in her free time, but now it was a proper weapon. There were elaborate markings cut into the handle and the head. None of the weaponsmiths at Mirador Fortress could tell her the origins of the blade, they'd never seen its style before. Perhaps it had been a custom made weapon, they speculated, one of a kind.

Now the trick was mastering it. She lunged forward, swinging the blade, but she was off balance, it was only ever going to strike air and ground. Her opponent, armed with a spear, lunged forward with a jab but she was able to easily sidestep the padded tip.

"Come on! This is not a ballroom! Stop dancing around and prove you've mastered these weapons!" The Master at Arms chided.

Jaylene shifted her grip and went for a horizontal sweep. This caught her opponent in the torso and could have split him open, but her own blades had padding on them as well. The young man facing her just grunted from the impact and staggered back. He responded with a second jab, this one found its way home and could have pierced the skin. Instead, she only lost some air in her lungs and had to quickly regain her footing.

"One of you could land the killing blow here! Strike now!" The Master at Arms called out. Jaylene changed her grip and jabbed her halberd forward, knocking the other squire onto his back. He let go of his weapon and held up a hand.

"I yield!" He called out. Jaylene lowered her weapon and went to help him to his feet.

"The battle is decided." The Master at Arms declared. The two squires bowed to one another.

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Neither she nor her opponent had known that the winner would be sent into the world to face what was truly out there. It was something of a test in itself. Jaylene would have to prove herself to complete strangers, where her name carried no weight and only her actions would speak for her. After a time, someone from Mirador would be sent to learn of what she had done. If it was deemed honorable and worthy, she would be knighted. Her skills would develop more naturally in response to the surroundings, the path she would develop into would reveal itself along the way.

Most would spend years as a squire, training only at the Fortress and fighting alongside a veteran of the order. It took far longer to become a knight that way. Many often left as a result before being knighted. But some had the spark to do so at their own pace.

All knights had a sacred duty to the land, to its people. Even if they were not the Royal Guard, they would fight just the same. Rarely, some even were elevated to such a noble posting, but this was often just legend. The order at Mirador Fortress was only one of many, but their holy knights were often sought out for their courage and devotion to justice.

Jaylene found the notice that attracted her attention. Unlawful activity that needed adventurers to solve. By blade or word, she'd take up the challenge. The next step then was to find this..."Dire Melon" Tavern. Luckily, such places did not want to be hard to find, lest they lose coin and patrons. A simple building with the name hanging over the door.

She crossed the threshold into the tavern and took the first steps on her journey.



Rolls:
(1) Attack: 6
(2) Opponent Attack: 8
(3) Attack: 17
(4) Damage: 7
(5) Opponent Attack: 19 (Damage 5 per Guard statblock)
(6) Attack: 22
(7) Damage: 4
(8) Perception: 12