Roxanna - Prolog Part III

From Black Country Role Playing Society

Helena sighed deeply, while she had been working on the harvesting, she had scarcely had time to think about her missing husband, except for the evenings, when she had spoken little, eaten quickly, retired to her room, refused to open the door to anyone and wept profusely; but now the harvest was over, and the grain stored ready to go off for milling and there was little left to do. Nearby Roxy played in the dust, oblivious to the turmoil in her mother’s soul.

Helena was jerked from her mental abstractions, by the sight of three figures walking up the hard packed dirt track. The lead figure was tall, had black hair worn long over the collar, he had tanned, weather beaten features which were just the right side of ugly; he was dressed in green leather armour and had a long bow slung on his back, and a pair of swords, long and short, were scabbarded at his waist. Slightly to the left of the first man was a stern-faced brown haired woman, dressed in plate mail, in her right hand she carried a shield which bore the device of an eye superimposed on the back of a right-handed gauntlet, the symbol of Helm; hung on her hip was a large bluish war hammer, the final figure was a tall, slender elven male with bleach blond hair, his fine aquiline features bore a look of total disinterest, he wore long flowing robes of the purest ebony, stitched with silver threaded arcane runes.

As the three approached, Helena ran towards them and embraced the man.

“Jaycen, it’s good to see you.” She blurted out “what news of Rupert?”

Jaycen smiled broadly making him seem almost handsome in a rugged kind of way, and returned the embrace. “Mixed news, I’m afraid.” He replied

Roxy stood and walked over to the elf and looked up at him, he scarcely seemed to notice, until he received a none too gentle poke in the ribs from the female cleric; he looked down into Roxy’s face with china blue eyes, then he smiled and knelt down beside her, held out a fist, then opened it palm up and spoke a single arcane word, immediately tiny horses began to dance around his hand that whinnied, then took flight circling Roxy’s head; the child laughed merrily and the elf drew her off to one side.

“Rupert, as we feared, has been taken to Zhentil Keep.” Said Jaycen

“But don’t worry Helena, the old group won’t abandon him.” Added the cleric

“Thank you, Trisha.”

“It’s the least we could do.” she replied “Rupert, would do the same for any of use.”

“How will you get past the guards?”

“Simplicity itself”, answered Jaycen “Galathil, has been learning an illusion spell which will make us look like guards.”

“And I have a spell which will make Rupert appear dead.” Added Trisha

“Right, then we just carry the ‘body’ out and we are Scott free.” Finished Jaycen.

“Do be careful Jaycen, I don’t want your blood on my hands.” Replied Helena

“Don’t worry; we’ll get your husband back.”

Jaycen embraced Helena and said “Come on people, lets go rescue Rupert!”

(On to Roxanna - Prolog Part IV)