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The grounds in front of the Fortress of the Arrow were bustling with activity.
Grace was helping the Ascalonian Caterers set-up.
Dandd and Spike were preparing for a fire fit for a senior pyromancer.
Crysania was directing henchman traffic.
Nyx was helping bring in Kegs of Ale and Salah was gathering gifts near the seat of honor.
Today was an important day!
When the preparations had been finalized, Grace ducked into the fortress to find Balreth.
Spike leans to Crysania: Balreth is such a light-weight, I bet one minotaur horn and he’s lying on the ground in hysterics listening to Henchmancia.
Crysania winces: Harsh, dood.
Spike smiles and shrugs: More for me.
The Horns sounded, and everyone’s attention shifted to the door.
Stepping out into the light was a tall figure, wearing a fan-favorite long coat, high boots, and dragon gauntlets!
Balreth thrust his gauntlet way out of Crysania’s reach and roared!
The entire gathering roared in return!
Many eyes began to shift to Crysania.
Crysania, looking back at many in attendance, offered a weak: Aren’t you tired of the whole master of spirits and ceremonies thing?
Many eyes began to shift to Balreth.
Balreth, grinning widely, offered: FTM?
The crowd roared: FTM!
Crysania, shaking her head and smiling: Alright, Krewe, listen up!
A quiet fell upon the crowd.
Crysania: We’re all here today for one reason-
Spike: To Get @#$%faced.
Crysania: …someone forcechoke that man.
Many in the crowd giggled.
Crysania: We’re all here to wish a Happy Birthday to Balreth Silverlock, the only man I know to have a Legendary title in Ignoring the Chat Log.
The crowd erupted in cheering.
Crysania: My friend Balreth, is the only person other than me, Who when faced with the question ‘Is the tankard half-full or half-empty?’ Could look at you square in the face, smile, and respond ‘I agree that the tankard is at 50% capacity.’
Balreth laughed, while many in the crowd nodded in agreement.
Crysania: So, old friend, come and take your place at the seat of honor!
The crowd parted so Balreth could see this massive throne of wood and ruby.
Balreth gasped in amazement and quickly made his way to admire.
Nyx explained: My Menagerie and I carved this from a large tree knocked over by one of those big wurms. …those guys aren’t very nice.
Balreth nodded and looked at the teeth, claw, and knife marks forming the shape of the throne.
Nyx: Everyone here contributed with the rubies and stuff…
The officers smiled and nodded.
Balreth paused for a moment, before he sat in his throne to the cheers of the crowd.
Balreth looked around and settled in for a moment, the eyes of his Dragon Gauntlets blending with the fiery jewels of his chair, before speaking: So what’s with this stack of wood? A sculpture?
Crysania: We were not going to step between a pyromancer and a pile of dried wood.
Balreth tried not to grin, and failed.
Crysania had a newtype flash! She yelled: SEARING FLAMES!
Some of the quicker people in attendance leapt backwards, while others got burned.
Most in the crowd laughed at those who stood too close to the now raging fire.
Grace banged some lids together and got everyone’s attention.
Grace: We have, for Balreth’s approval, Buffalo Moa Wings, Yak Chops, Roasted Stalker Ribs, Pan-Seared Crown of Thorn Seeds, and Hard-Boiled Devourer Eggs with Sea Salt.
A couple henchman cheer wildly!
Grace: The eggs are for officers only.
The henchman stop cheering and start pouting.
Grace: As well as a variety of fruit and vegetable. We also have Kegs of Ale for everyone.
Spike Cheers!
Grace: So form a line behind Balreth and dig in!
The food was passed out, and the drink was plenty.
Balreth, in his new throne, swapped small stories and pleasantries with people from all orders, and ranks, and was apparently very happy.
In time, filled bellies caused everyone to slow down and gather around the fire with mugs in hand and smiles on face.
Finally, one of the henchmen yelled out: Hey Dandd! Tell us a story!
“YEAH!” echoed much of the crowd.
Dandd looked at Balreth, who shrugged, then at Crysania, who nodded.
Dandd: Ok, what about?
From within the crowd: Something about Balreth!
Dandd smiled: How about how he met Crysania?
A loud cheer almost deafened everyone sitting in the middle of the group.
Dandd cleared his throat: An older Wizard, at the time-
“Older?”
Dandd: Yeah, older.
Nyx: Now that’s not right.
Crysania: No lie.
Grace: Tell me how that works.
Balreth just sat quietly and hid his grin in his tankard.
Dandd: An older Wizard, at the time, Balreth was working for a different organization.
“Boo!”
Dandd: Crysania worked for the same organization. The Two-Member Call of the Hoolequin wasn’t anywhere near what is today. Crysania was working in a Dungeon.
“No WAY!”
Dandd, playfully: I KNOW! Crysania wouldn’t be caught dead in a dungeon.
Salah yells: That’s because she’s already dead elsewhere!
The group burst into laughter.
Dandd: Balreth had just returned from a mission elsewhere and was to help work in this particular Dungeon that Crysania was already kind of a big deal in.
“Kind of a Big Deal? Never!”
Dandd grins: For a while, Balreth and Crysania saw each other, but didn’t interact much. Our fearless leader, though, had a trap.
Quiet anticipation follows.
Dandd: Crysania threw in the word ‘polyhedron’ into a sentence, and Balreth reacted. Crysania had him, then.
“What’s polyhedron?”
Balreth grunted painfully.
“Probably a gold drop” yelled back from the other side of the crowd.
Loud laughter followed, as well as many getting up for refills.
Dandd: Balreth and Crysania sortied a few times, but Balreth didn’t really jump in for a while.
“Yeah, but look at him now!”
Balreth held his tankard up high to cheers from the crowd.
A calm quiet spread throughout the crowd, absorbing Dandd’s story. Many looked at Crysania and Balreth with smiles.
“…So what’s up with the Paragon King thing?”
Balreth, sighed: …oh no…
Dandd: This is also an old story.
Crysania was grinning already.
Dandd: A struggling Ascalon was having people kidnapped by Charr, Ogre, and their own desperation. The Ogres, were west of Ascalon, in the Northern Shiverpeaks. Ascalon was entertaining a guest, a rare vabbian noble intent on building bridges between all human settlements. This paragon, was kidnapped while on his way to Kryta to continue his mission. When word got out, Crysania, Balreth, and Lalandra-
“Lawno!”
Salah growled in the general direction of where the shout came from.
Dandd: They set out to Battle the Ogres and rescue the Paragon King.
Dandd sips his ale.
Dandd: During the course of the Ogre Battle Campaign, Balreth was intent on chasing down every hostile person and kill them from behind if necessary, much more than Crysania planned for, or wanted to.
Gasps came from the crowd, and all Balreth could to was raise his tankard in salute again.
Dandd: Yep. Our Knight here, was actually more of a vanquisher from a very early time, and would chase people compass lengths off of his intended path, into corners of the world, and annihilate every one of them without second thought.
Many henchmen are quietly deep in thought.
Dandd: They rescued the Paragon King, and Balreth certainly received most of the credit, but from that point forward, the FTM policy was put in-place to try to minimize any trouble from Balreth’s desire to kill.
“…wow…”
Grace broke the quiet: Now If only I could get him to follow anyone ELSE.
The crowd laughs once more.
“What about Snippy Snap?”
Balreth leans forward: I like this one.
Dandd asks for, and gets a refill in his grail.
Dandd: Ok, but this is it for today.
Saddened groans come from parts of the group.
Dandd: Crysania and Balreth were out in the Southern Shiverpeaks, looking for a boy that belonged to one of the outposts down there. The search, though, wasn’t going well and Crysania was getting fairly agitated. You could say it was Crysania’s Bad Hair Day.
Crysania strokes her ponytail gently.
Dandd: They, eventually, found the boy. The boy went by the name of Squirrel and found himself in a Bear’s cave and was paralyzed with fear. Balreth and Crysania scouted around and found no real reason for Squirrel to sit there, frozen. Crysania came near him and he became very violent, so dragging him back to the outpost wasn’t going to work.
Dandd sips more ale.
Crysania leans to Spike: I love this part.
Dandd: Using a pelt, some feathers, and a binding material, Balreth had sewn a makeshift bear.
Balreth added: I called it Tediz.
Dandd: Tediz was ugly, stitching all over the place and had a weird mouth. Anyway, Balreth set Tediz up in front of Squirrel. Balreth threw a stick at Tediz, and knocked it over. When the feather-stuffed bear fell over, Balreth exclaimed-
The crowd jumped in: Snippy Snap!
Dandd grinned: Squirrel, having seen this, grabbed Tediz and made a dash for the outpost. Crysania and Balreth, having cleared the way already, had little trouble making sure Squirrel made it back safe. So now when Balreth knocks people over with big red sticks, it guess it just fits.
The crowd is full of smiles and giggles, the glow of a smaller fire reflecting off of contented faces of officers and henchmen alike. The Ascalonian food was well received, the Kegs drained, and the stories told. The battles will resume tomorrow, but a moment to refresh now and then is good.
Crysania breaks the murmuring: Sanity Management, eh?
Balreth: Quin or Quit!
Henchman 1: We should hear THAT story too!
Lots of laughter erupt in the crowd.
Crysania walks over to Balreth: Happy Birthday, Dood.
Balreth: Thanks.
Dandd sighs: Fine. It all started…
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[one_fourth_last]
Episode 51
11 Jun 2011
Notes: Full references to be added soon.
References: Guild History
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