The Journey of Kerrick

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="0f800500dvldtc.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#6633FF" FACE="ForgottenUncial" ><B>Dark Kingdoms</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>    |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dark Kingdoms"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id197.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Search Begins"><U>The Search Begins</U></A><B>   |   </B><B>The Journey of Kerrick</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id199.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hard to Hide"><U>Hard to Hide</U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id200.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Swan"><U>The Swan</U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id201.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions Answered, Questions Raised"><U>Questions Answered, Questions Raised</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B>ADVENTURES</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id197.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Search Begins"><U><B>The Search Begins</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id198.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Journey of Kerrick"><U><B>The Journey of Kerrick</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id199.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hard to Hide"><U><B>Hard to Hide</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id200.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Swan"><U><B>The Swan</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id201.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions Answered, Questions Raised"><U><B>Questions Answered, Questions Raised</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B>Adventure 2: The Journey of Kerrick</B></div> <bR> <div>   Elsewhere in the kingdom of Arember, Kerrick Bremmen buried his father in the woods and began his journey into manhood. A lad of only 17, he lived by the skills of a scout, north of the city of Midtown. </div> <div>   While making a run into the city, he overheard a man called Lord Relus, a trader, planning to travel north. Kerrick had also planned to travel, and decided to approach the man's assistant, Malas (pronounced "malice") as a guard. Instead, he was offered the position of scout. </div> <div>   The next day, the group, carrying a load of Berreyspice and wine to the north by wagon, began it's trip. Kerrick rode ahead on a horse lent to him by the mercants, and was warned by his old friend Gethyear, and elf he had met through his father, that there were many goblins ahead of the merchants. </div> <div>   Although the elves had thought to protect the merchants, the goblins suprised them and captured many, including Gethyear. Then, a traitor by the name of Gnorr (pronounced "Nor") tipped the goblins that the merchants were asleep. </div> <div>   Although Kerrick, on guard duty,  tried to help the merchants as they were attacked, there were too many goblins and he had to retreat into the woods, with many of the monsters on his trail. Finally, they cornered him onto a cliff. Taking a deep breath, kerrick lept off the cliff and into the pond below. Thankful that the water was deep enough to allow him to survive, kerrick was nonethless sinking to the bottom more than once as he could not swim. </div> <div>   His hand struck something in the water, and he grabbed it out of reflex. As he barely made it to the shore, he discovered it was a small iron rod...</div> <div>   Scouting out the location of the goblins, Kerrick discovered that a few elves, including his friend, and the merchant leaders had survived as captives. He planned a rescue.</div> <div>   However, before his rescue plan could begin, Kerrick was horrified at the sight of a huge spider - like creature, a monster with parts of a wolf. It was large, and seemed to be the leader. Listening to the conversation between the goblins and this strange leader (Kerrick could speak goblin), Kerrick realised that the creature was seeking the iron rod he held for the Dark Queen.</div> <div>   Sneaking down into the pit where the captives were held, Kerrick released the elven prisinors, and together they were able to fight off the goblins and rescue the human prisinors as well. More goblins showed up as reinforcements, however, and it appeared the battle was lost. Suddenly, the iron rod released a huge fire stream that destroyed somke of the attackers and sent the other goblins running for their lives. </div> <div>   Kerrick, hands badly burned, returned to town with his new and very grateful friends. They paid him some gold, and offered him a few gifts. However, Kerrick knew that more than one set of eyes were on the Rod, and that he needed to get out of town quickly. Stealing a horse, he followed a strange feeling that led him west, to Trader's Heaven.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>