A Rabbit Cave... Or Is It?

Mindartis and Heian hadn't walked far before they came to the place the shrieks were originating from. As Heian pushed through the underbrush towards the main lake, one final, ear-pierceing squeal of terror sounded, then all was silent. The trees loomed high overhead as Mindartis broke through the tree line behind Heian. A brief search of the area revealed two things to the sleep deprived heroes. the first thing they saw, was the head of a boar polluting the lake with it's blood. the other thing they saw, were drag marks leading further towards the center of the island.

Although Heian was a travelling merchant, his main area of training was under Rimtok DeFrantes, a ranger of the kingdom of Tokmeer. As part of Heian's training, Rimtok believed that tracking was the most important skill a ranger should know. So, Heian began following the drag marks through the mud further and further towards the middle of the island. The duo followed the marks for quite some time before the rediscovered a place they deemed "Rabbit Cave" as they had seen rabbits entering and exiting the system on their mapping expedition. Rain water clogged the drag marks as Heian slid through the mud after them. Soon after entering Rabbit Cave, the drag marks stopped at a dead end tunnel. the rain water that trickled down through the drag furrow did not collect at that spot though, quite the contrary. The water was draining quickly through a tiny hole in the base of the wall. also during Heian's training, Rimtok believed climbing was the second most nescessary skill he knew, and therefore, provided Heian with a grappling hook. Although this device is normally used for climbing, Heian used it now to rip open the hole and expose an unexplored part of the cave.

As Heian stood at the lip of the new hole, Mindartis snuck up behind him, and promptly pushed him in. Heian flipped over, and landed on his face in the pile of mud created when the wall crashed in. Mindartis slid in soon after, muttering about not having any opportunity to have the spotlight. Heian and Mindartis dragged their mud-slathered bodies down the passageway to find a blazing campfire in the middle of a cylindrical cavern. The bones of the boar were strewn about the new room. As soon as the pair of adventurers entered the room, they noticed a tent set up, off to the side. Two figures pulled themselves out of the tent and looked at their guests. the halfling, Corrin Aledrinker spoke first, "Do you have any ale?"

Exploration and Adventure

At the nest, Mindartis and Heian pulled their weapons and leaped into the fray, surprising the bony giant rats as they ripped through flesh and bone. Rat after rat rose up to meet their mace and flail, but in the end, Mindartis and Heian had won. Each wiped blood from their brows and cleaned their weapons carefully, then proceeded to walk back to camp.

That night, Mindartis had a slight change of heart, and allowed Heian to sleep in the tent while he, the great and powerful Mindartis, kept watch. As dusk crept into existence, a faint screech that sounded vaguely humanoid sounded in the distance. The duo waited until morning, then set out to find the source of the horrendous noise that had plagued them almost all night.

A Furthering Of Relations

Even though Heian dozed off during the night, nothing particularly odd happened. Sure the occasional exotic bird call woke one of the two men up, but that as nothing. In the morning, the two mutual acquaintances set out to explore the island. as they walked, the arguments they had became more and more frequent, until Mindartis threatened Heian with his flail, promptly closing any and all discussion. About four hours passed before the island was mapped and landmarks were made obvious.

As the two walked back from the east shore, through the grassland on that part of the island, a rustling noise caught their ears. Mindartis and Heian quickly drew their weapons as a giant, bone-plated rat burst from the underbrush. The beast was felled quickly, and the pair of unlikely forces continued walking. That's when they found the nest.

The Pact Between Opposing Forces

The sun set as Heian and Mindartis walked back to the north beach. As they discussed their backgrounds, problems arose. problems that involved the struggle of Good vs. Evil, Sun vs. Rain, and mace vs. flail (the outcome of each ending in an agreement to disagree). Surely as ever, the two friendly enemies made base camp on the north shore of the island. As dusk fell over the scene, Mindartis retired to his tent; and Heian tried to follow him in which ended with some light bruising around his facial area. Alas poor Heian, forced to sleep in the cold, all alone for the night. as Heian pulled a smattering of palm leaves and sand over top himself, a barking command came from within the tent, "Keep Watch." Heian sighed, sat upright, and watched the sky turn from a deep purple to a twinkling black night sky.

The Powers That Will Be

Soon after Heian and Mindartis landed on their respective shores, they began to explore their surroundings. Heian, still assaulted by the mosquitoes and flies, sprinted quickly towards the north. Mindartis on the other hand, was not as plagued and sauntered towards the east mumbling about having a bad area to scheme. the paths of the two entities were soon brought together almost as if a higher being was pushing them together. two hours later they met on the north-eastern shore, and pleasantries were exchanged. soon after that a mutual agreement between the pirate-paladin Mindartis, and the armed merchant, Heian was formed.

The story begins

Our story began as the notorious pirate captain, Mindartis, was thrown overboard by his mutinous crew for stealing from them. As he hit the water, a chest with his belongings quickly fell into the brine after him, which is where he clung until the ocean threw him onto the northern shore of an uncharted island. As he woke, scraping against the white, sandy shore, he quickly tore into his personal belongings, to find some of his stolen contraband among his weapons and clothing.

As the eledrin Mindartis was busying himself with foolhardy thoughts of revenge and murder, another being was washed unto the eastern shores, which were far less hospitable. As he lifted himself from the rocky beaches of the east, he asked himself, "what have you gotten yourself into Heian?" The half-elf brushed himself off and began to swat at the mosquitos and biting flies tearing at his exposed flesh. Heian had been a merchant, sailing the nine seas to find the best deal, but his god, Garl Glittergold, had had other plans for him, plans that brought him to where he is now.