Dear Sir or Madame,
You may not know who I am, but I know who you are very well. Hieledran, this land that we all love and adore, she is falling into darkness. A great and powerful evil lurks among us now and threatens to choke the life from all. It has already begun to affect many places, trees once so tall and mighty now slender twigs. Prairies and grasslands that were once so beautiful with their emerald shades and their colorful flowers...they are nothing more but vast fields of ash and blackened soil. My heart weeps as I write this letter to you, for I....I was too late to stop it, to seal away the horrors that emerged from that wretched tower. But you, your time has come. You are all warriors of Hieledran, brave, cunning, and wise. You have skills, attributes that are far beyond those of your fellow men. That is why I have called upon you. For the fate of all, I ask that you meet at Hearthstone Inn in the city of Vaele. Once you have gathered, journey South of the city to the Temple of Agatha. There is where I will meet you, and I will explain more. Hieledran rests in your hands now, as does the fate of her people. May the Goddess bless and keep you O brave warriors of Hieledran, and may my love be with you as well...
That is what the letter said, the thick black ink slightly smeared in some words, as if written by a shaky hand and small stains that appeared to the eyes of the Dunenmer woman as...tears. Tears shed for whatever reason but the painful words that reflected such a grim and heartfelt emotion. She sighed rolling the tan colored parchment back up that the letter was printed on and tucked it into the crevice between her chainmail and her thick, iron cuirass. Never once did it occur to her who the letter was from, nor to whom it was truly sent. In all honesty, Nariah assumed it was meant for her father, but even if the gray man of sixty five years could still wield a hammer, the woman knew her father couldn't manage the long journey. Old age was already getting to him, even the mighty hand that forged the hot iron and steel of the mountains began to tremble with time's passing. While she waited beside the hot fires of another forge in the city, her mind drifted, caught by the the sweet scents of the city, such pleasing allurements, the pungent, smoky flavor of freshly cooked meats and fish upon a crackling fire of pine and spruce wood, the heart-warming aroma of baked breads and sweets and confectioneries, cinnamon buns drizzled with a yummy vanilla icing or fresh tarts made with the bounty of the Earth Mother, the sweetest of fruits like strawberries from the Faelands or pomegranates and apples. Then, noises flowed through her ears. Not the natural sounds of the forest like meadowlarks chirping in the tall trees or a brook of fresh melted snow trickling through the jagged rocks of the mountains, like she was used to. No, it was the voices of the merchants and the fish mongers shouting their typical banter of, “Fresh salmon, straight from the fjords! Salted haddock filets anyone? Only five pieces of gold! Aye! You there, sir! You look like you could use a nice mud crab for dinner!” But the more familiar sound of the city was the telltale clank of a hammer striking searing hot iron against a rusty anvil. KLANK! KLANK!
After he was done sharpening her blade against the grindstone, the dwarven smith dusted off his thick leather apron of shavings and handed over Nariah's weapon looking good as new. "There ye are, lass." He proclaimed with a hearty chortle while stroking a few bits of steel from his stringy red beard. "She may feel light as a feather, but I assure you I've tempered the steel till it's hard as dragon scales." Nariah smiled lightly and gave the blade a few swings, making sure not to harm any as she did so before sheathing the heavy sword behind her back, her expression noting her satisfaction with the way it whistled through the air with each cut. "Aye. A fine job you did indeed, good sir." She said in gratitude while fishing a few coins from her leather purse at her side. "How much do I owe ye?" "Awww not much, lass. A few pieces should cover it." Humbly the smith replied. Nevertheless, Nariah placed in his calloused, rugged hands a generous sum of gold, plenty to go around what with the traveling she's done and it seemed to her the lowly smith needed it more than she did. "Ahhh....The gods bless ye heart, kind lass. Me wife and me boy will surely appreciate this too."
"Ah tis nothing, friend. May Tha'agorn bless yer forge as well, and thank ye for the work ye've done to me sword." And with a fond farewell, Nariah carried on her way through the city of Vaele, towards the lingering aroma of a warm fire and freshly brewed mead luring her towards Hearthstone Inn. This was the place as the letter said, the place where she would meet the others who have come to this mysterious person's call, to band together and protect their land from some dark, unknown evil that leeched from it like...well...a leech. Hearthstone, what a fitting name it was Nariah thought, for as she opened the wooden door to the inn, like a blaze from a dragon's mouth the heat hit her as did the smell of food and drink. Been a while since she's had a good meal and a good drink come to think of it. Unsheathing her weapons and relinquishing the thick pelt that hung over her pauldrons, the woman sat them beside the door along with her heavy shield and took her seat in the midst of the homely tavern, pulling off her intimidating helm and revealing the rather charming face it hid, not to mention releasing her snow white hair to flow down her back smoothly.
Twas a bit lonely here, only a few patrons at the bar casually chattering amongst themselves, clinking tankards full of ale and brandy here and there, and there was the lovely voice of a female bard plucking softly the strings of her lute and singing a song of old, a ballad of past heroes and their endeavors. Perhaps when this journey came to an end, Nariah mused, that very bard would sing songs of her endeavors and those of the others she had yet to meet. "Can I get you anything, sugar?" Her eyes trailed from the bard over to yet another lovely lass, the tavern wench at her side. "Aye. Mead and a leg of goat, me fair lass." Nariah said with a smile. The wench returned the smile and off she was to the kitchen, returning with a roasted leg of meat fresh from the fire and a tankard full of sweet mead. Nariah thanked her and handed her her gold. While she ate, she kept her eyes upon the door. Any moment she figured someone would step through there, and that someone would be carrying the same letter as she. Until then however, she merely ate in peace and enjoyed the beautiful melody of the songstress.