A Deal With Darkness

[Angrol]

As angrol stood by the fire, waiting for the camp's leader to come out of his tent, he thought, thought that finally, he would get a chance to rid this land of Elves, forever, so what if he had to betray his own race to do it, the Nasehir we're human, its not like he's destroying all humans. He chuckled quietly to himself, so what if Qeynos and Freeport fell, so what if the Nasehir ruled all human cities across Tunaria?

He had helped them do it. The Nasehir leader came out of his tent, he almost penetrated Angrol with his gaze, but Angrol just stared back, like two animals ready to charge, the leader approached.

"Angrol." The leader's voice cracked like a whip. "You want us to make war on the elves, then in return, you will assassinate the governing bodies of both Qeynos and Freeport so owe may rule those cities?" He asked.

"Yes." Angrol replied.

"We can attack Freeport anytime we wish, but Qeynos, that is a long journey, but is that all?" Came the voice of the leader.

well, once you defeat the elves, you get to claim their lands. Imagine, a great Nasehir empire." Angrol said raising a fist to the sky. "It could be yours, Fayspires, Tethelin, Neriak, Freeport, and Qeynos. Five cities, belonging to your race.

"Yes, that sounds good." The leader said. "We will accept your proposal." He added.

"Good, and we never had this conversation." Angrol replied.

"What conversation?" The leader replied playing along.

Angrol walks out of the camp, the leader goes to a deathfist, and tells him. "Follow that man, if anything he does, does not add up, kill him, so his spirit master won't meet him again, take this," he hands the deathfist a strange orb. "With it, you can capture his soul, his binding, will be in affective. If his soul has died, a corpse will appear." He laughed, and the Deathfist followed Angrol, in the shadows.

[Angrol]

Both the Nasehir and the Deathfist betrayed him, perhaps he killed to many of their kind in the past, but no matter, more then one race would die tonight. He was hiding in a Gnomish observatory, when a Deathfist came and killed all the gnomes, aiming to kill him next, he killed the Deathfist, but now the Gnomes were searching for him, because they thought he killed their kind too.

That night he had a dream, a strange dream, a different dream, one of times long passed, familier faces he has not seen in a long time, faces that caused him to turn the way he was, and faces that could've kept him. . .different from this lifestyle he lives now. A dream of his family, then the smiles and laughs are replaced by a darker scene, two elves, and two dark elves, led by a human, killing the family, while he was to far away to help, a scream in his head woke him with a cold sweat, and a hatred, a hatred deeper then his blood, deeper then his heart, his soul, filled him. Hatred for elves. It showed on his face, you would never find a more evil look anywhere, not even on a troll or a Tier-Dal.

So he got up from his bed, walked over to a table and lit a lantern provided by the innkeep, he put on his armor, slung his sword he took off an erudite guard's corpse over his back, and stuck his blade in his boot. He left the inn, walking into the rain, hatred motivating him to kill the elves and Tier-Dal, to avenge his family, but on the wrong people, on the innocent, not the guilty.

[Angrol]

Angrol arrived back in Freeport a week later, he stood on the shore, staring at the ocean, thinking of the words that the human cleric had told him. "You can always let go". It must have been foolish, for him to kill an entire race, or plan too, for the death of a few people. He made enemies out of the elves, and that governor even put a bounty on his head. He really did mess up, in the need for revenge of some bandits killing innocent people, he killed more innocent people, made him sick to think of what he had become, he transformed into what he hated most, nothing better then a bandit.

Angrol walked back to the city, his longswords strapped to his back, he got a room at the inn, and walked upstairs. He laid his weapons, and armor down, and lay down on the bed, he thought.

thoughts turned to dreams as he drifted off to sleep, and he drempt of his family, what he missed most in this life. And it came to him, when he woke sharply and sat up, why hadn't any of them appeared by the spiritmaster? He took them all, even the children to see the spritmaster in qeynos, and be bound. What dark magic caused them not to be reborn? He thought himself crazy for thinking about magic when for so long he had denied its existance, even when seeing the mage guild do their tricks, and summon beasts to aid them. But now, it seemed, he couldn't ask the questions he asked now without mentioning magic.

he went to a table in the room, and pulled out a quill, he began to write something, for the first time, he wrote, he vented his anger in something other then violence, he asked questions without a sword to someone's throat, he felt truly, for the first time in years, at peace, true peace. He finished writing, and looked over it. Then crumpled it up, and threw it out the door to his room, someone picked it up, and read it, then walked away. Angrol knew that he could not ever be forgiven for the things he had done. He just had to live life, and try to survive long enough pay back his debts.

And in the desert, in the wastelands, barren, devoid of any safe haven, two factions meet, the Nasehir, and the Deathfist, they we're planning a unitied attack on Freeport, then the elvish cities, the ones Angrol had promised.


"The rogue Angrol promised us the cities of Freeport, Fayspires, and Tethelin, it is time we took what is ours now, I suggest a combined attack on Freeport, when we win the day, we will have a fort with which to launch assaults, and taking the Highpass hold is in our best interests, because controlling a mountain path will allow us to ferry troops by way of the Highpass trade road, so we may take Qeynos. WE must also make peace with the gnolls, they too will assist us." The Nasehir leader said.

"why shall we do as you say?" Asked the Deathfist champion. "Who needs stink'in human cities? Or elf cities" If we have to share them with the likes of you, because of you nasehir, my brother is dead, killed by the one you call Angrol! roared the Deathfist champion." I suggest a knew plan, you get the elvish cities, and we keep freeport to ourselves, as well as Qeynos."

"You have a deal." The Nasehir leader replied.

"and Angrol is to be found, and brought to me alive so I may kill him like he killed my brother." The deathfist turned his back to the Nasehir. "Now leave this place." He said, and walked away.

[Angrol]

Angrol watched dawn approach on that rock by the shore, he turned and watched violence break out, and Aeric Sparelli kill yet another were-creature, this city wasn't as safe as the guards said it was. "Hmm, time to head back to Qeynos." Angrol said to himself. He approached the coachmen and asked for a horse, he mounted quickly, and took off, first for Highpass Hold.

The trip was almost quick on horseback, he didn't follow the path, he went straight East, meeting the path so that he could travel up the mountain to the hold, as he neared the Western gate, two mercenaries approached him, it seemed odd, he had never seen mercs near highpass before, of course he usually had to hide beneath merchant wagons to get through High pass alive, this is the first time he was welcome there, only because he started killing Runny eye goblins. 'note to self, never kill someone who makes you angry in front of guards.'

"And what do you want?" Angrol asked the mercs.
"Nasehir placed a bounty on your head, we mean to collect it." One mercenary replied.
"Oh great, first the elves, now this." Angrol replied. He counted three mercenaries, four counting the one hiding behind the wall, he had a very good eye for detail.
"Off the horse rogue." The first merc said.
"If I must." Angrol said, he steps off the horse, and kicks it so it'll go, one of the mercs moves to bind his hands, but Angrol whips out a dagger and put it to his neck.
"Your outnumbered I think." The first merc said, drawing his blade, the others do as well. Angrol smirks, "I've needed some practice sword fighting."
"Ha, ha ha, shutup rogue!" The merc said, and the four sprung, Angrol looked at them all, and unsheathed his longer blade, he met the first two swords with his own, parrying them, kicked the third guy back, and dodged the fourth,

"Stand still dammit!" a merc yelled, that attracted the guards just inside the gate. "Hey what is going on here?" The first guard asked.
"Want me to kill you too?' A merc told him. And at that the two guards made their move, binding the one who spoke. The other mercenaries attacked when they saw their allies be bound, the guards made short work of them, and Angrol used this time to escape, he easily concealed himself in the crowd, and moved out the eastern gate.
"Well great, I'm on foot now." Angrol told himself. He walked down the mountain path and soon reached near Darver Manor, he saw someone riding a horse down the path, hid, then pulled the rider off as he passed, grabbed onto the horse, and took off.
"Hey, that's my horse, it's not even a coachman's!!!" Angrol was already to far to hear him.

Angrol went south down the path, then East toward Qeynos, when he neared the front gate, he noticed a couple of Nasehir poking around outside the wall. "These guys are far from home." Angrol said softly. Two guards on patrol spotted them, and approached, Angrol kept his distance, the guards escorted them away after a while. Angrol entered the city, and headed toward the beggars quarter, headed, home.

[Angrol]

Angrol woke suddenly in the morning to a heavy pounding at his door. he stood up and peered out the wndow, it was Crow, perhaps there was finally some work available, he thought about what it might be as he put his armor on, assassinations, goblin killings, perhaps the goblins have another portal summoner, or maybe more work for those annoying bards, he was still angry at that brother pendle for sending him all over the west to retrieve the body of one bard.

but that was all behind him, he strung his longer blades on his back, and his dagger in his boot, he walked to the door and opened it.

"Well it's about time, I should kill you for making me stand out in the rain this long." Crow said, Angrol noticed just now that it was raining heavily outside.

"What do you want?" Angrol asked.

"A merchant caravan is seeking guards to escort them along the trade road, bandits are getting brave, they are ambushing merchant caravans as far in as Hagley, risking even their lives if the Qeynos guards catch them. Anyway, I accepted their contract on your behalf, you and four others are to escort them to Freeport." Crow explained.

"Oh great merchants, I love spending time with professional pains in the ass." Angrol said mocking the merchants trade.

"I know their merchants, and I know this isn't the usual work you sign up for, but their paying well. They seem desperate as they offered 30,000 tunar.

"Hmm, they are desperate." Angrol replied.

"So, what do I tell them?"

"I guess you tell them I' m heading back to Freeport, even though I just got back here to Qeynos." Angrol said, obviously frustrated with his luck. "That desert is only bearable for so long." He added.

"I know, but, this is the first job in quite a while, and you've said you needed money." Crow said.

"Merchants, hold on, I'll have to think about this. Is being annoyed for several weeks worth 30,000 Tunar?" He asked.

"Do you want the job or not?" Crow asked irritably.

"Hmm, I'll take it." Angrol said after a short pause.

"Good, meet them at the front gate of this city." Crow said, and with that, he walked away, quite soaked since Angrol did not offer him inside.

Angrol ate a quick breakfast and headed towards the front gate of the city, the rain had subsided but the sky was still dark. three wagons were on the path, but no one was around. Angrol leaned against the wall and waited, before long four other guards exited the city, followed by the merchants.

"If you are all ready, it is time to go." Angrol said. "I've been waiting here for quite a while."

The others laughed. "You think you have any right to tell us what to do?" One of them asked.

A dagger was put to the throat of the one who spoke almost instantly. "Don't try my patience scum." Angrol said. He slowly withdrew the blade and placed it back in his boot.

"You would have me dead would you?" The rogue asked.

"Only if you give me reason." Angrol replied.

"If you rogues are done threatening each others lives, we've got to get moving to Freeport." a merchant said as the others readied the wagons.

"Let us hurry, once we reach Highpass hold we can rest, but the road ahead is plagued with bandits and gnolls, more so then normal so I hear." Angrol started walking ahead. The wagons and others guards followng.

They quickly reached Hagley, and due to a certain situation there, namely undead, they passed quickly, they sped up and as they reached the Black Swan inn, foes jumped out and surrounded them, but they weren't regular bandits.

"Bandits." One of the guards yelled.

"Wait a minute, these people look like Nasehir. A long way from home arn't you?" Angrol asked smirking.

"No, not when we take Qeynos, as you promised us." a Nasehir said, the merchants and other rogues looked at him.

"I'm sorry, I have to go back on my promise." Angrol replied, and he cut down one of the Nasehir, the other caravan guards followed suit in attacking, and before long the Nasehir were dead.

"You promised those cut throats Qeynos?" One of the rogues asked.

"We must reach Highpass hold. Speak no further of this matter." Angrol continued walking.

They rested up in Highpass before making the other half of the journey. It took the merchants two days t get through because the guards checked all their cargo, that included the boots of the guards. But they finally were able to get through, once they paid the tariff rate.

Days passed and they finally reached Freeport, the rest of the journey had been quiet, and one of the merchants kept having to stop and throw up every five minutes. Angrol once again found himself in the desert, the heat of the sun taking it's toll. He made a decision to go to the Freeport Militia, and tell them about the Nasehir, and where he found them.And that they might try to attack Freeport.

He went to the inn and got his usual room, his usual room, full of sand, and heat, and sweat from patrons come and gone. He could not however sleep, his minded wandered, thoughts of his dead family raced through his head like a rampaging bull, the fear on the faces of the elves he slaughtered, the faces of the Nasehir who he promised Freeport and Qeynos. He stood up and walked to the window, and thought.

[Angrol]

Angrol woke to the usual sounds of commotion in Freeport, traders, craftsmen, looks like boredom took it's toll, as people are fighting each other again. He got ready and walked downstairs, where a Freeport guard was there.


"Angrol?" The guard asked.

"Yes?" Angrol replied.

"Come with me." The guard said.


"This better not be about that merchandise, the captain said everything was worked out,
and I still had to pay the import rate." Angrol said drifting off topic.

"I don't know sir." The guard said.

"Why did you just call me sir?" Angrol asked.

"You have more clearance then me." The guards replied.

"I have clearance?" Angrol asked confused.

They reached the Militia head quarters, the captain signaled the guard away.

"What is this about/" Angrol asked.

"you came with a band of merchants right?" The Captain asked.

"Yes."

"There, dead, as well as the other guards, I was hoping you could explain why. Your superior is here now in fact." The captain said.

"Angrol, the goal was to keep the merchants alive." Crow said, he walked out from the shadows. "You know your not getting paid now, right."

Angrol looked at both of them, he walked to the window and looked out at the. . .wall, a new recruit runs in with bat wings. The captain shoos him away. "Is Freeport at war with the bats?" Angrol asked.

"The merchants Angrol, and what about the other guards? They were good men, and because you were lax. . . ."

"Why the hell does EVERYONE rely on ME for protection? They can fight, I was resting." Angrol cut off Crow.

"I cannot allow you to continue working, you cost to many lives, and we haven't made decent money since you joined the organization. No, if you show your face near Qeynos again, my men have authority to kill you, and it will be the biggest payday for whoever does." Crow said, Angrol put his dagger to Crow's throat. "Don't threaten me scumbag."

"Don't you threaten me." Angrol replied.

" Cut my throat, and every rogue and mercenary form here to fay spires will be after you." Crow yelled. Two guards walked in and stopped, the captain held up his hand to stop them.

"Funny you say that, Fay spires is already after me!" Angrol said.

"Fool, arrest him!" Crow said, and the captain motioned the guards, Angrol kicked one down, pushed the other one and went out the door. They all run outside, and he is nowhere to be found.

"You fools, NEVER let a rogue out of your sight, I suggest you go protect your families, for they will be his targets." Crow lied.

Angrol cursed Crow, and that damned Freeport militia, he checked out of the inn, and walked to wards the docks, he passed a group of people, and he guessed the militia was fast to relay news, for one of them screamed for the guards, he ran, with four guards close behind him, he rounded a corner and hid, the guards came around soon after and stopped, they crept foreword, weapons ready, Angrol sprung and grabbed one from behind, he put a dagger to his throat. "Don't move." Angrol said, and he felt a spear against his back.

"Let him go." A fifth guard showed up, Angrol paused then swung around and put the dagger in the fifth guards gut. Angrol ran. and they lost him in the crowd near the bank.

Angrol left Freeport, he traveled South to wards, well, nowhere, he traveled south, passing the tea garden, passing Hazinak, then, the scene changed, the desert was replaced with swamps, he traveled to wards grobb, he was on good terms with the trolls, so he easily got a horse, well he what he assumed was a horse, and rode to the Dark Crossroads, Dark Solace, haven for the damned, he could hide, here, for a little while.

But only for a while, he didn't want to wear out his welcome. . . .