The Bashful Bears
We climb the highest Mountains, just to get a better view!
The tides of fate were like the sea, for the most part they would lap in and out with a steady rhythm, but on occasion things would lose their pace. The storms of man would throw wind to the waves, building the undercurrents and whipping up the waters.
With such opposing forces the water would become blurry, dragging up sand and silt that should have remained buried, until the truth was little more than a blur.
Yet what tide did fate choose to interrupt this time? A simple city known as Ravenloft, because even the black bird which flies the winds between life and death is not exempt from destiny. And neither were our five heroes.
Horc. Ken. Sable. and Bingo!!
Like the five points of the pentacle that draws power from the elements, they were drawn together in what could only be described as a most curious union.
They were brought together by the tides of their own lives.
Horc, the half orc in need of a place in the world; too strong to fit in with the world of men but not as full blooded as his kin. As a youth he had wanted nothing more than to be included in the world but the children were cruel and tough – something which the world had proven to be. They called him pig face and hook fang, mocked him for the leatherette feel of his skin and for his height. Yet Horc was a gentle being, not easy to draw to anger (something which lost him the respect of his orc brethren). It was only when the tides turned on the one girl who had resolved to be his friend all of those years that he made his error. The bully pushed the girl and chivalrous as ever, Horc pushed him back – with the strength of orc blood running in his veins. There was a crack and a wail! And Horc's fate was sealed; exile to the orc stronghold in the mountains. Until a gusty day on the 6th of Sabbath when the promise of the mists pulled him away...
Ken's journey began in quite a different way, yet all routes led to one destination. The monk was in the temple of Rifftower, the only home he had ever known, nestled between the silver birch forest and land as far as the eye could see (which is significantly less than the mind’s eye). With eyes closed but the mind open he asked the universe for guidance. Ken had been meditating for his entire life, once having stayed in a state of ascension for three full days, and yet on the 7th of Sabbath his focus was lacking. He felt as though eyes were upon him...
When his own opened he saw in front of him a magnificent sight! A great city in the mist loomed like the mist of water ahead of him. Ken ran inside, scouring the library and found a dusty tomb. There was a painting on one of the pages which called to him, and without another word he began his journey; travelling further than he ever had but knowing that he would not be satisfied until his feet.
Then came Sable the sorcerer gnome, a wildcard of a wanderer who longed for adventure, though Sable's path was one that would weave with another, binding them together long before they entered the city walls. A halfling killer by the name of Bingo stalked the sorcerer through the wood, unbeknownst to them both the other was quite aware of their presence. Together, they walked, one on the dirt path and the other in the coverage of the trees until they stumbled upon a clearing.
There, like two feral cats guarding a scrap they faced each other, circling until a fight broke out. Slashing! Lashing! Casting and clawing! Their feet cut into the ground, magic blistering the bark of trees and knives coming closer to cutting Sable than any had before. Exhausted, they finally collapsed.
“A true rival, how interesting.” Sable panted.
“A truly unique match.” The halfling nodded. “I would like to see more of your power.”
“And I would like to see what drives your strange life.”
“This meeting could be to our benefit.”
“Then where are you heading?”
“A grand place.”
“... Then I shall go too.”
Thus on the 6th of Sabbath two more made their way into the mist.
The 4 of them were the first but not the last to join the band of the Bashful Bear!