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A Man Dressed in Gold · Visitor Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Posts: 4

Waves lapped on the shore with a peaceful rhythm as the man stood on the beach, gazing into the distance. Familiar sounds of gulls floating on the warm air currents mingled with the din of a nearby small town during it's busy mid-day market. A faint aroma of fresh bread carried on the breeze wafted by the man's nose. Breathing in deeply, anxious to fill his nostrils with a scent other than fish and seawater, the man took a few steps up the beach towards the hills in the distance.

He knew the path that was at the foot of those hills. He knew it all too well. He knew exactly where the path would lead. Back to his old home, abandoned more than a year ago. Back to old friends, whom he was forced to leave. Back to old conflicts and battles, that he knew still loomed over the land.

Looking down at his clothes, he wondered if anyone would recognize him. He had received word, although few and far between, of friends and enemies that had either been killed or simply disappeared from the lands. New leaders, warriors, tyrants and evil ones had taken the place of the ones in the past. Nay, he thought, he doubted if anyone would recognize him at all.

All that was left of what he once was, was an old badge of a guild he had belonged to long ago. Retrieving the worn trinket from his pocket, the man looked down at it and grimaced. Was he even worthy to carry this badge of honor any more, let alone believe he could return to his old life? The man shook his head, endeavoring to forget the events of his life that had taken him so far from home over the past year and a half. Brushing back long and dirty hair, he looked up and realized his feet had carried him to the small village along the path.

Sauntering up to the tavern with the gait of a man who was once a warrior, he flung open the halfway-rotted oaken door and squinted in the dim light. Looking off to the left, he saw what he had hoped for. A young man slouched on a tavern bench gazing longingly out a grimy window.

"Boy", called the man. "Do you deliver messages?"

"I do, for a few coppers dependin' 'pon the distance" the boy replied.

Nodding, the man took out a parchment from a pocket sown into his tattered, scarlett cloak. He hesitated a moment before handing it to the boy. The note had been written two days previously, as the boat he was sailing on drew closer to the coast of Britain. The man quickly unfolded the parchment and glanced over the wording, to make sure everything was correct. Doing so, he could remember a time when he would send missives to regents and lords across the land from his golden hall, using the finest pen and paper. Smiling a bit at the fortune his life had tossed him since leaving these lands, the man bent down and put his seal upon the following note.

**********************************************************

My lords, my ladies, and my friends:

Ne'er did I believe that I would see the sands along the beaches of these lands again. In the long months since my departure, I have remembered all of thee oft, yet I possessed no means of contacting any of you. My journey to your door is still long, as I have business that needs attending to along the way. Most importantly, I feel that I must meditate at the shrines for a while. Tis been too long since my knee has bowed in front of those most holy locations.

Tis my prayer that this note finds you all well. Look for me along the road within the month, for I long to sit by the fire and share stories with my old friends.

Yours in the Light,

Tallin

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Folding up the parchment again, the man handed it to the boy.

"Where shall I take it?" the boy asked.

Thinking for a moment, the man replied. "Sanctus, my lad. The tavern in Sanctus. Mayhaps in that place there will still remain those that remember me."

His eyes growing wide and seeming to notice the dented and faded once-golden armor that hung in pieces from the man's torso, the boy asked: "Are you a Paladin, then?"

"Once I was, lad. A long time ago. Now go and be swift in the delivery." Reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out his last three coppers and handed them to the boy. Watching him go, he hefted his near-empty pack and made way for the first of the shrines along his path. It was time for repentance.

Guest

"Milady, Milady..tis the signature of the man you have oft spoken of..."
The stripling approached the opened door of the Hall of Paladins, lowering his head to the woman.
LaBelle, reached gently for the letter, searching the boys face for more words.
"Milady...twas he...the one of grandeur stature, though weary of travel, and uncertain his path...he delivered this message and asked I take it to the city Sanctus....Forgive me Lady..." The boy lowered his head...
" It was bold of me to look upon his letter...but the man was as you had spoken of..." His words trailed off, nearly shameful.
"Lad..." Said she, "You will deliver this to the Tavern as requested by his Lord..." She read over the last few words, handing the letter back to the boy..."It is My Lord...and he will seek his home...For it is here. As will it be always." LaBelle could hardly contain her excitement as she passed the note back to the messenger. "This lady thanks you, for your service, you are a good and true young man, these are the words of My Lord..and I shall look forward his homecoming...but to take this to the place to which he requested you must at once...for his peoples reside there in as well, and they will wish to know of his return...as I." LaBelle bowed her head to the boy, reaching into her pouch for several gold pieces.
"You have this lady's gratitude."

The boy, with his parchment turned hesitantly from the lady he served well in the past, by way of messages. How strange it was to see him once more after such a time...and how pleasant his delivery...if not for her own eyes. She watched him as he strode south towards the city Sanctus, with a message that surely would bring great pleasures to those who received it, as it had for her to look upon it. Closing the great door to the Hall she looked upon all that belonged to his Lord Tallin...and all that would belong again...For it was he, who created this, and he who breathed life into what she now savored.

A Man Dressed in Gold · Visitor Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Posts: 4

Glinting softly off the small stream meandering through the forest, the sun broke over the horizon and signaled the beginning of a new day. Tallin watched the sun rise over Britannia from his small make-shift camp near the stream, and briefly wondered how something like a sunrise over a familiar land, something he had seen hundreds of times... could suddenly look so unfamiliar. Shaking his head to clear the last bit of sleep from his mind, he arose and began to break camp. He had many miles to walk this day if he had any hope of making the Shrine of Justice by nightfall.

Justice. There was a time when he thought he knew the meaning of that word, and all that it embodied. He was no longer sure if the concept even existed in this world. Tallin knew that he needed to discover if the virtue still existed in his own soul, thus he had picked this shrine as his first destination. How long he would need to meditate and camp near the shrine to satisfy his goal, the former paladin knew not. Picking up his pack, he slung it over his shoulder and started out toward the road just a few yards away from his camp. Lilac flowers were in late bloom, giving off a strong scent as they withered away for the upcoming autumn season. He breathed in deeply, trying to remember when the last time it was that he smelt lilac...

*FLASH!*

The young woman laughed as she rolled in the field of lilac flowers, giggling at his tales of humor.... he presented the young woman with dark, silken hair a gift.... the young woman leaned up on her tiptoes as she kissed him by a waterfall.... he was down on one knee, presenting the young woman with a ring as she smiled sweetly down on him, tears glistening in the moonlight... outside of their new house, the newly-married couple laughed together as they planted a small garden.... he was behind a doorway, peering in at his young bride mulling over a new book by candlelight... the young woman was showing him the book and the lore it taught, as he looked horror-stricken at the contents of the book... her smile turned to fury as he gently told her of his fears of the book.... laughing maniacally, the young woman looked on as he chanted the first spell of his life, learned from the book.... he ran from the house, trying in vain to escape her wrath and new-found power when he told her he would learn no more from the accursed book.... the young woman screamed as she fell in the field of wildflowers, blood flowing freely from the gash in her stomach....

"GAAAHHHH!!!!" Tallin yelled as he came to. Spitting out dirt, he rose into a kneeling position and looked around. He had fallen to the ground beside the road, whether conscious or unconscious he could not figure out. The flashbacks had returned to him again. Would he ever, ever be free? Would the past two years of his life ever be forgotten? Kaliana. It pained him to even think of the name of his former wife.

The chink of coins being rattled in a pocket sounded from around the bend in the path. Tallin crawled sliently behind a huge tree and groped for the war axe hanging at his belt... only to realize it was no longer there. His famous weapon was buried with her. Peering around the tree, he saw a boy walking down the path. Looking vaguely familiar, he stepped out and awaited the boy. Upon seeing him, the lad quickened his pace and smiled at him. It was the messenger boy from the village by the beach he had sent off to Sanctus.

"Hail, my Lord!" the boy said.

"Morning, lad. Was the message delivered properly?"

"Aye, so it was my Lord. Yet I..." the boy hesitated a moment. "I took it to another place first, different than where you wanted it to be delivered."

Betrayal! Tallin closed the distance to the boy in a heartbeat, and his hand shot out to grip the boy around the neck. Feelings of betrayal and pain over the past two years came swiftly back. He thought he had left those feelings behind, yet here was this boy endeavoring to betray him to evil ones! Applying a bit of pressure, he peered into the boy's widened eyes. "Where did you take my message, boy?" he asked.

Stuttering with fear, the boy replied. "I only took it to the Hall of Paladins, to my Lady LaBelle... as I have worked for her before. I did not mean any harm, my Lord!"

Hearing the name LaBelle, Tallin loosened his grip and dropped to his knees. "I... I am sorry, lad. I forget myself sometimes. Please... forgive me." Nodding, the boy mumbled a word or two and scampered down the road, looking over his shoulder hurriedly a few times.

His head hung low for his actions, Tallin struggled to his feet. LaBelle still carried on with the Paladins. And the Hall.... it still stood. His spirits rose a bit for the first time in many months. Yet, he knew he was unworthy to be in their presence, his soul too covered with guilt and sin to set foot within the holy walls of the Hall of Paladins. Grimacing, he shouldered his pack once again and began to walk down the road, towards the Shrine of Justice.

A Man Dressed in Gold · Visitor Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Posts: 4

The Shrine of Justice was exactly how he remembered it being. Like all of the shrines, it was quiet here. A beautiful place of solitude in a world of chaos and heartache. After a night of meditation, Tallin knew it was time to move on to the next Shrine. He had come here seeking more knowledge regarding the Virtue of Justice.

It would be a long walk to the next Shrine. He would need that time to contemplate all that had been revealed to him while in meditation at the Shrine of Justice. Before he had left these lands, Tallin thought he had a grasp on the meaning of the Virtue. Justice was meant to be doled out to the unrighteous, the evil, the sinner. Yet Justice had been handed to his young wife... her death serving to atone for the horrible crimes she had committed over the last month of her life.

Tallin swooned a bit as he tried to fight off the memories and emotions from the past that threatened to overwhelm him once again. Clenching his fist, he looked to the Shrine of Justice and fell to his knees once more. "Why did you allow this to happen?!" he screamed aloud. "Did I not dedicate my life to the Virtues, serve them unceasingly while friends and loved ones died around me?! Why did you take her from me too!?!!"

Trembling as the tears ran down his face, the former paladin bent to the ground and broke down again. In his mind's eye, he could see her as clear as day, as if it were only yesterday that his sweet Kalliana stood in front of him. Grinning down at him as energy that lacked color crackled around her, he heard her words all over again. "Join me, my love" she whispered. "Join me and we shall for'ere remain as one... together." He could remember her eyes grow wide as the blade of a war axe protruded from her back. And above all other memories that he had in this world, Tallin remembered the look she gave him as her life's flame sputtered out. It was the look he remembered falling in love with, a look that carried an apology in it. It was the look of his true love no longer possessed by the damnable words read from that book.

Fingers clawing the ground as he wept, Tallin tried to clear his mind of her once again... as he had tried to do so many times before. Looking up, he thought he caught a glimpse of his love standing within the shrine, thought he could hear her laughter carried to his ears on the faint breeze. Yet the vision and the feeling passed as suddenly as it came, and he was left alone again in the forest. It was then that he understood. Justice was predicated upon Sacrifice. To truly understand the meaning of Justice, he must journey to the Shrine of Sacrifice.

Suddenly he remembered some words his mentor, Cyrus the Holy, had said to him. "One cannot live one Virtue alone, as they are all intertwined together. To fail in one Virtue, you have failed in all." Tallin quickly gathered his things and turned toward the southeast, determined to make haste to the Shrine of Sacrifice. Perhaps redemption could be found for him after all. Twas only one way to find out.

A Man Dressed in Gold · Visitor Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Posts: 4

Solemnly yet cautiously, the former Paladin walked down the road. He was tired. Hungry and tired. Despair crept into him more and more with each step. After visiting the Shrine of Justice, he had secretly believed answers and hope would be found at the Shrine of Sacrifice. Yet, he had learned nothing, felt nothing, discovered... nothing. Only nightmares had haunted him at that blood-covered shrine.

From Sacrifice, Tallin had journeyed to the Shrine of Compassion. He had hoped that there he would come to terms with what he had done, how he had dealt with the evil presence that took over his young wife's soul. Again, nothing. Every time he closed his eyes to pray and seek solace in the Virtues, he could see her eyes grow wide as she looked at him with the growing stain of blood on her dress. Each time he meditated in silence, he could hear her anguished scream as the golden war axe plunged into her chest; hear her faint sigh as she sagged to the ground in his arms. And every time he knelt before a Shrine, he could sense his own mockery of the Virtues that he held dear all of his life. He was a hypocrite. How could he find answers at these shrines when he was disgusted with his own soul?

For this reason, he had decided upon his next destination. The Shrine of Spirituality. Tallin hoped, oh how he hoped... that he would be able to look into his heart at that shrine and find some part of him that was still good and pure. A nagging thought at the back of his mind told him that if Spirituality could not help him through this troubled time in his life, nothing could.

Walking from Britain to the Shrine of Spirituality, keeping to the forest just in view of the road so as not to be noticed by passersby, he suddenly had a thought and a bit of nostalgia. His old home was not far from here. On a whim, the former Paladin turned to the west through the woods, making his way around the Britain Fairgrounds and to his destination. Breaking through the trees, he saw what used to be his home.... so very long ago. Stormhaven. The castle looked very different now, and had the markings of a new kingdom upon it. Yet... beside the old castle stood a building of white stone that still bore the insignia of Stormhaven. Wistfully, Tallin climbed the steps of the building and stepped inside.

Smiling to himself for the first time in many days, Tallin thought back to happier times. His entrance into the Kingdom of Stormhaven, his knighting ceremony upon the roof of the old Stormhaven Citadel, riding into battle with the Stormguards, determining his path to become a Paladin, learning the Virtues and the art of battle from his mentor Cyrus the Holy, becoming First Paladin under Cyrus, then becoming Lord Paladin of Stormhaven when Cyrus departed these lands. He recalled the many hours sitting in the tavern trading stories with Talon, Shantel, Sharic, Nothus, Kinna and Dolgorath. Sighing, he turned away and walked back out of the building. He was happy that Stormhaven lived on, and was glad that he could always have with him a part of its history. Yet that was a time long ago, and he was a different man then. He was so sure of himself then, so firm in the Virtues, so strong in the Light. He had given up all that he had in these lands for a girl. A girl that he had loved... no, still loved... more than life itself. And the darkness had snatched her away from him.

Tears of anger running down his face, the former Paladin turned and ran south towards the Shrine of Spirituality. He had better find answers there. The Virtues had better give him answers. He deserved that much at least. The Virtues OWED him answers...