Legends of Belariath

Belson

Level 15 Quest

Belson looked around as he sat outside of the treehouse that he shared with Aki his mind wandering over what the old sage had ordered him to go and do. His hand moved up and pulled the glove from his right hand and then he looked over the spider web design tattoo that sovered that hand and up to his elbow. Was it time that he returned into the sheltering darkness and to go and exact his revenge upon those who deserved it more than anyone he had ever known. His mind worked over these things and then he finally gave ana ffirmative nod as he stood up slowly and walked back towards the treehouse. As he walked into the home he shared with his love Akipurra he slowly began to pack the things he would need away into a backpack. He packed inside dried meat for the journey and a couple bottles of the wine that he loved and also his various tools of his trade ropes, vials of gas and other haarmful things packed away into a silk lined box. He packed away also his extra clothing away into the backpack as he stood up and lifted the backpack up and sits it on the bed and leaves it sitting there as he walked over and to the wall on which his weapons rest. He reaches up and slides the crystal sword off the wall sliding it into the sheath and then lays it almost reverently on the bed. He then walks back to the wall and slides the long composite bow off the wall with the quiver of arrows as he walks back to the bed laying the bow on the bed beside his sword. He walked back to the wall taking the leather weapons harness off and he moves back taking the sheath of the sword up and attaches it to the harness and then does the same to his bow. He slides the harness on and then he clips the quiver to his belt and onto his side as he then picked the pack up and slid it onto his back.

The pack rested against the weapons keeping them in place but not keeping them from being drawn if needed. He then walked to where aki rested in the great room he kisses her forehead very softly and then he slid the note down and into her hand that explained where he would be and why he was leaving. He then took a deep breath and walked to the steps and pushed them down with his foot and then he walked from inside of the treehouse pushing the steps back and up. He turned to walk from the clearing in which his new home resided as he stopped for a moment looking back to it thinking of the life he has built for himself in this place and the woman who rested within the home as he kissed his fingers and brought them down and to his heart as he turned to go. He walked down along the ridge and then down and into the town and to the general store moving inside he wrote a similiar note to Maya explaining his absence and that he would return so do not replace him in either of his jobs. He then walked out of the general store closing the door and locking it as he made his enxt stop striding to the bank he withdrew a small amount of the mehrial he had stored in his bank account for his travels. He then walked out and stood in front of the bank and took a deep breath and then heads to the bridge that led out of town and over it exiting the town of nanthalion.

As the dark elf left the area of Nanthalion his mind began to wonder back over the expierences of his past his eyes closing slightly as he walks along the road the bright light of the day still hurting his eyes at times. He reaches his hand up and pulls the hood down lower over his eyes as he moved down the road slowly. His mind wandered back to the expierences back when he was in the sheltering darkness of the underdark. His mind brings up the visions of the last time he had seen his mother the matron of house Everdark. His memories run over that day the massive amounts of death and destruction that he had witnessed on that day. He walks down and along the road as he kept his head down the dark elf strode down the road as he moved his arms up and crosses his arms over his chest as he kind of zone dout withdrawing inside of himself. As his thoughts have turned inwards so also had his senses as he walked down the road he did not notice the group of people along side the road that seemed to be stalking him. The winter hard been ahrd on the hgihwaymen and they had been waiting for an easy target as the dark elf looked since the imperials generally kept them back and away from the main roads. The highwaymen some armed with daggers and the like circled ahead of the dark elf and lay in wait for him. As Belson walked down the road oblivious to the danger his ears finally registers the sounds of the men moving around him and as they came charging at him from the underbrush his hand moves up and jerksing the crystal sword her wore on his back out and into the light of the day and prepared to meet the charge of the 4 men. As the first one came close and swung the dagger aiming for the dark elf’s neck he was surprised to find his advesary was not where he had swing but he had ducked and moves forward the blade he carried disembowling the man as he went. Belson then charged straight for the next 2 highwaymen as he jumped and rolled forward coming up behind them he spun his sword coming up and hamnstringing one of them and the up and through the side of the other. Belson felt something slam into his back his armro protecting him from the rusty blade but it did leave a large bruise on his lower back. He cursed himself for forgetitng the last man and then he spun and in one smooth powerful strike he decaptitated the man letting his head roll away.

Belson looked down to the bodies and then he nodded he turned and strode down the road after wiping his blade on one of the dead men’s clothes. He continues to travel on walking paths he had not walked along for many years heading back for the place where he had come out of the sheltering darkness and into the world of cursed light. He traveled along and down the road staying in various inns and when an inn could not be found he slept by the side of the road or in the forests. He had many a fight and a few small adventures on the way but that is neither here nor there and will not come into this tale. To make a long story short he came upon the remains of the village he and his lover had once defended and where he had watched her brutally beaten, raped, and then killed in front of his very eyes. The place where he had been hung up like a sacrifical lamb to the slaughter for the beatings that now left their scars all over his body. He saw that the small town had been rebuilt as he stood on the hill on which him and the first woman to welcome him into this world had stood on so many times. The wind ruffled his robe around him as he watched the villagers move about their daily lives some going to streams nearby to get water others moving out to tend crops. He saw an old priest walking through the village as he began to walk down and towards the village as he walked into the village the villagers began to shrink back and away from him they living this close to an entrance into the dark elves realm had been radied occasionally. Some of the men began to run and get weapons but Belson ignored them and walked to the old priest taking his hand and kissing it gently as he whisperd words of thanks to the old man for his act of kindness so many years ago. The old priest lifted a hand to rest against belson’s cheek and then just smiled and said “ You have someone to go see now go and see to it. “ He said as the old priest turned and walked back towards an old bench Belson stood and strode from the town making for the surrounding forests. He strode along the now well overgrown trails and through the trees to a small hut that was now weathered and falling in. He walked to the side of the house to and bend down where a small stone marked the grave of his first real love. He sat his pack down and then drew from inside of it a black rose placing it on the grave and kneeling down and kissing the stone reverently before he stood up and picked his pack up and turned towards where the entrance he had walked from many years ago was.

As he walked up to the cave entrance he stood outside of the darkness looking into it for a moment before he took a deep beath and entered back into the cave from whence Belson had come so many years ago. He felt the coolness of the cave sweep over him and then his eyes adjusted without the lingering small amount of pain he felt when in the daylight and he walked deeper into the cave. With each step that he took his resolve grew more firm and he slowly began to slide back into the mindset of the dark elven prince that he once was. As he walked deeper into the cave it was odvious now that he was walking down and down deeper into the bowls of the earth as he went. Being this close to what he was now a mage of made him smile as he walked along almost sounlessly now he was in his element now. The darkness was his home. The underdark his own envireoment. He was once again Thalin Everdark as he now strode onward with a purpose. He journeyed onward stopping only for short breaks he was almost tireless as he went along stopping only rarely to eat and drink and take some sleep. Once he was closing in on the city he noticed that most of the wildlife he had been seeing along the way had slowly been slowing down to where then there was none. The great city in which he had been raises came into view nestled into the cavern of which he had not laid eyes on for some time. He walks up to the city gates as he walks up towards them as he looks towards the guards he nods softly his hood drawn up it would not be very likely that any of the guards would know him in any way. He made his way into the city and to one of the inns in the more low rent section. He walked into the seedier tavern as he made his way to the barkeep who was a female he ordered a room paying extra for one of the more lavish rooms and also to make sure that it was clean. After making his arrangements for accomadation he sat at the bar and ordered bloodwine which almost every tavern sold in the city. He was nursing his bottle when he felt a hand close on the hilt of his sword and begin to draw it from the scabbard. The abnormally tall dark elf stood and spun to face the would be thief and came face to face with a large brute of a dark elf. The other dark elf did not wait and threw punch straight towards belson’s jaw with bone crunching force but it never landed as belson weaved to the side and brought his knee up hard into the man’s gut and then a heavy fist down and into the temple of the man knocking him into the oblivion that is total unconciousness. He turned and went back to his drink finishing the wine as he surveyed the inn for any more would be assailants. None dared to provoke him that day or night it washard to tell which was which in this part of the world.

Belson retired to his room for a short time not to sleep but to plan. He slipped down and out of the inn unnoticed about an house later and made his way through the streets and towards the large estates of the noble houses. He walked along to where the ruins of his house had once stood the enemies who had destroyed his life so many years ago had erected up their own manor showing their power and seemingly wallowing in their victory. He stood across the street and observed his hood pulled low over his features as he saw a slave move from the guard house beaten and bruised. It took him a moment to recognize his mother her hair had been roughyl cut off and many scars now covered her body and she bore the collar of the house she now served. the sight infuriated him to no end but he kept his feelings in check though the blood tear was pulsing with it’s want for blood. He looked through the gates and to the spot right behind the guard house summoning his magic to him he casts the spell and sunk down and into the cobblestone streets to reappear a moment later inside of the compound. He quickly ran to the wall and pressing himself against it again summoning his magic to him and changing the colors of his robe to match that of the wall behind him. He then began to move along the wall slowly easing himself towards what he could see was a side entrance. He made it to the door finding it locked he looked about and then from within his robe was withdrawn a lockpick and bringing it down and to the lock he made quick qork of the locking mechanism. Hearing the slightly audible click he eased the door open slowly and slipped inside bringign the door closed behind him. He began to move through the house silently almost like a shadow passing among shadows as he came to the guards rest area he cracked the door easing it open just enough to see inside. inside the room was many scenes of debauchery slaves being whipped and used in every way possible. He pressed himself against the cool stones behind him and waited for some time. Finally one of the slaves staggered from the room and thanks to the beatings she did not ntoice as she began to walk towards the kennels she had a shadow following her. The girl led him straight to the kennels where 2 dark elf guards admitted her to the large holding area for the slaves. As the guards turned toheckle the now returning girl he moved swiftly and silently up behind the guard closest to him as “Darkstar” cleared it’s sheath and was drive into the man’s side piercing him through. The dark elf crumpled to the floor and as his partner turned towards him he was met with a solid right fist and then another staggering the man back. He was not allowed to stagger far before Thalin was on him again summoning his magics and driving the rock dagger into the man’s throat and silencing him forever. Belson knelt down and retrieved the keys to the slaves holding pens he moved bakc dragging his sword clear of the man and wiping the blood on the man’s tunic. He resheathed the sword and walked over and unlocked the gates moving inside. The slaves moved back and away from the tall dark elf as he moved through them his eyes searching them for that of his mother. He found her laying huddled on a small straw pallet some of the wounds from her earlier beating still bled. He knelt down beside of her and brought his hand to her cheek and then he said her name quietly. Her eyes snapped open having not been called that in many years she looked up at him to weak to move away. She looked up at him with scared eyes the eyes held no spirit that had been broken long ago. He looked to her feeling sorry for what she had become he leaned down and kissed her forehead gently and whispers “ Be free my matron and know your servnt Thalin shall have his revenge “ he said as he saw tears rolling down her cheeks she nodded to him only once. He brought the sword again from it’s sheath and then thrust it hard into her chest piercing her heart and killing her almost instantly. He stood grim resolution on his face sheathing the blade withouth cleaning it he walked to the door closing it again none of the slaves had escaped to in fear of the rightous dark elf. He locked the door again and asked the one closest where the matrons quarters were. She gave him directions as he turned and strode from the room grim look to his face. He strode through the house moving swiftly and silently any guard he passed met an untimely death many of them knew not they had even been attacked before they were bleeding and dieing on the floor. He made it to the matrons quaters the 2 guards outside looked to him as they saw the bloody sword in his hand and the look in his eyes they did not hesitate but charged as he dropped to one knee the keen blade slicing through bone and armor alike at the knee level and then he was up blocking the over hand swing from the other guard and spun decapitating him on one swing. He then strode to the doors of the matron’s chamer as his booted foot came up and slammed the door open as he strode inside. The matron who had been lounding beside a pool of water in her room looked up and then scrambled towards her weapons which lay near the bed. Belson was quicker than she dashing across the room and slamming his foot into ther side with all the strength in his body the sounds of bone crunching could be audibly heard as she skidded some feet across the ground. The matron coughed loudly a bit of blood running over her lip as she moved towards her knees summong her magics or beginning to when a knee to her face interrupted her spilling her down and to the floor again. She lay still bleeding from her nose and mouth as belson moved down lfiting her head as he whispers to her “ Like the legendary phoenix from the ashes rises Thalin Everdark to claim his revenge. “ With that he slammed her head forward and into the floor rendering her unconcious. He then took her bed sheet tied it into a rope and around her neck tossing her out the window letting her hang for her crimes against him. He then wove his magic in the air and the symbol of house everdark was etched into her skin via the wizard mark spell. He grinned to himself and he turned and walked back through the house using stealth as guards found other guards the sense of chaos was building and he used that to slip from inside of the house to outside. The guards were running from the gatehouse and to the front door of the mannor where the dark elves had assembled gaping at their hanging matron. He lifted a hand and casts his spell the groudn beneath the assembled dark elves cracked open and molten earth spewed forth and began to decimate their numbers. He opened the gate and walked out of it and strode from the city unquestioned. He had fially buried his past as Thalin Everdark and now he was Belson the dark elf of nanthalion town.

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