Earlier that morning…
No matter where Oriax went in the world, the wind was always the same.
Maybe it didn’t always feel that way, but it was. And everywhere the wind sought to blow, a memory followed; a place in time that was familiar, but… fuzzy. Mountain snow, tundra grass, a storm on the horizon… what did any of it mean?
Faces, laughter, rain, blood… oblivion?
Headache.
“Ah, shit…” Oriax groaned, wearily shifting his body out from within a sunken patch of dirt as he looked up at the sky.
It was very early in the morning, as far as he could tell. Light blues coalesced in peculiar ways with flecks of soft, orange light, otherwise rippling across a field of white clouds. All the way up there, the world seemed slower—like it was perfectly content to take its time. That was one thing Oriax liked about it. The sky didn’t give a damn about anything down below, and in some ways, it didn’t have to.
Regardless, Oriax felt like he’d just woken up from a long night of drinking, the kind in which doing something stupid was all but a guarantee. He couldn’t recall in the moment if he’d done anything like that. But what he did know was that if he looked at the sky any longer, he was going to vomit.
Rolling over onto his side, Oriax brushed his hand against the grass.
It was that time in the year when the world seemed confused about whether it wanted to be spring or summer. At least, that’s how it played out in Oriax’s head. Although, it didn’t really matter to him one way or the other what the time of year was. He’d been wandering around for so long, that if he didn’t need to know what day it was by now, he didn’t think he ever would.
Blink. Blink. Blink.
“The hell is that…?” Oriax murmured, squinting somewhat curiously as he regarded the upper-left window of the in-system overlay. There was a scrolling of text that made his eyes hurt, but he nodded to himself, “Oh, yeah. Almost forgot about you. Good morning…”
*************
Adventuring Day Experience: +3.25 xp
Active Quest Experience: +0.5 xp
--- Experience (Oriax): 11.1/300 xp ----> 14.85/300 xp ---
Rest complete
Health restored
50% of all expended Stamina restored
Expended Abilities and Mana restored
Adventuring Day reset
*************
He wasn’t too sure what exactly he was looking at, and there were too many damned numbers for his liking. However, the few bits that he could make sense of weren’t of much use to him right now. He’d recovered his health and all that other stuff? Big deal, he always did. The last person that needed to be told he’d survived another day, was himself.
The sound of wooden wheels churning along gravely dirt caught Oriax’s attention momentarily, and that’s when he realized that he was actually sitting in a ditch just off the main road. Scrambling to his feet, but not too hastily, Oriax groaned as he stretched his back.
All around him were fields of barley and wheat, and the surrounding farmsteads. Beyond that, gradual hills that swept between small creeks or shallow ponds dotted the area. Trees were sparse, but clustered tightly into thick groves across the verdant landscape. Not too far in the distance stood the wooden palisade of Endsmeet itself, just a bit farther down the road.
He didn’t remember wandering all the way out here last night, but it wasn’t the first time Oriax had ever slept in a ditch. He was a wanderer, first and foremost, and sometimes those things just sort of happened.
At any rate, there was no getting around the fact that his body felt like complete shit. Though all things considered, he was fairly pleased about it. Even if it hurt to move, the pain could only mean that he’d done something worthwhile last night. Why else would pain exist? There was no room for soft skin in a life lived to the fullest.
Suddenly, a blurry collection of thoughts rummaged around in Oriax’s mind, as he slowly began to recall the events from the night prior.
There was a lot of blood, and a lot of… confusion. When hands called out to him in the crowd, there was nothing but sheer elation.
The rage was so damned intoxicating, but even before all the numbers and words, Oriax had been that way. Perhaps it was the Giant blood in him, though not that he remembered much from his youth. After all, looking over your shoulder was a lot harder than staring straight ahead. Things in the past were easily forgotten, and it was better that way.
“Hm?” Oriax furrowed his brow, as he noticed the glistening iron head of his maul lying in a patch of grass nearby. He smiled, “Hey, there you are.”
Slining the weapon over his shoulder blades, Oriax took a long inhale of morning air. It was clean, crisp, and just the right amount of messy. There were no weird smells, except maybe on himself, which meant things were already getting off to a great start.
“Yeah… it’s going to be a good day.” Oriax murmured, and set himself to the slow task of making his way back to town.
----------------------------------------
The frenzy of battle was a lot like dreaming.
Every time Oriax came out of one, he never seemed to remember exactly what had happened. There were smells, scars, and certain colors, but… a full picture was hard to come by. His memory was foggy on the best of days, though he supposed it had been like that for a long time. In any event, things only seemed to become more intense after he decided to join up with the others, and accept his “Class”
Not that it was a bad thing—not at all.
The rush of adrenaline in combat was intense, but the feeling that came with his new abilities was something he couldn’t really put into words—like a temptation, pulling him closer to some distant cliff’s edge. For as long as Oriax had wandered, he’d been caught up in plenty of near-death experiences. It wasn’t that he wanted to die, but for some inexplicable reason he couldn’t keep himself out of harm’s way. Maybe he just rushed into things without a care in the world. But how else was he supposed to do it?
Maybe… he wanted to find that cliff’s edge? Maybe he wanted to know what it felt like to go over it. Was it a freefall? A weightless flight? Would the wind sweep you up and carry you somewhere never seen before? Or would it swallow you whole?
“Abilities and skills…” Oriax murmured, who was slowly trying to reread his character record again, as he made his way back toward the mage’s guild outpost.
He wanted to understand it all better, but it was going to take some time.
*************
Class
Barbarian
Proficiencies
Weapon Proficiencies: Melee Weapons, Ranged Weapons
Armor Proficiencies: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shields
Skill Proficiencies: Athleticism, Nature
Class Features
Rage: You can invoke the frenzy of your primal nature during battle. For one minute or until you are knocked unconscious, you have resistance to [bludgeoning, piercing, slashing] damage, and your odds of success on Fate (Strength) checks and saving throws are doubled. In addition, when you make a melee weapon attack, you gain a bonus to the damage equal to [+2]. If you can perform magic, you cannot cast spells while raging unless they are [racial] specific. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to [2], which replenishes fully after a Rest.
Unarmored Defense: While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals [10 + Dexterity Score + Constitution Score]. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
Equipment
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Class equipment dismissed, starting wealth generated (2d4x10): (6 * 10) = +60 gp
*************
“Money…?” Oriax whispered confusedly, but shrugged. He'd better give that to hands before he did something stupid with it.
*************
Ability Scores
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 1
Constitution: 2
Intelligence: -2
Wisdom: 2
Charisma: 0
*************
Background
Animatus-born (air affinity, cloud giant genealogy detected)
Proficiencies
Skill Proficiencies: Perception, Survival
Languages: You understand Terran (Common), and Giant
Background Abilities
Seeing II: You can see normally in darkness, but only in shades of gray.
Breath of Orion: You can hold your breath for a number of hours equal to your Constitution Score, so long as you’re not incapacitated.
Resistances: Lightning damage
Mark of the Storm Lord: You know the ‘Storm Lord’s Grasp’ cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast ‘Slow Fall’ once per day without expending mana. Starting at 5th level, you can cast ‘Levitate’ once per day without expending mana. You regain the ability to cast each of these spells when you finish a Rest. Wisdom is your Spellcasting ability for each of these spells.
Equipment
NA
*************
Personal Information
Name: Oriax Asreh
Race: Xanatarus (GM Note: I won’t bring this up to His Highness just yet, but Oriax is from the Xanatarus Clans: descendants of the elemental giants. This could make things… complicated; 90-day analysis withstanding, observing for erratic behavior.)
Creature Type: Humanoid
Age: 27 mortal years
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 220 lbs.
Eye Color: hazel
Hair Color: brown
Skin tone: olive
Ethical Alignment: Chaotic
Moral Alignment: Good (GM Note: Oriax has a good heart, there’s no debating that. It’s his chaotic/giantish nature that worries me. He could prove a valuable asset or an imploding force. Let's hope for the best! His Highness is very fond of the young man's thirst for battle.)
*************
There were a lot of words for someone who didn’t read much, but Oriax was at least committed to learning the important stuff.
At any rate, he didn’t think of himself as an adventurer anyway. In his mind, Oriax didn’t want to be one of them. Adventurers were clumsy. Not in the kind of way that made them bad in a fight, but in the kind of way that slowed them down. They thought about things too much—stupid things. Adventurers wanted the world to give them handouts too, but that wasn’t how it worked. So, while Oriax might not have been the quickest thinker, at least he knew where he stood with the world: Sooner or later, one of them was going to kill the other.
Oriax hoped that it would be a good fight.
“Oriax?” The squawking sound of guildie bird’s voice said abruptly, as Oriax approached the outpost.
“Hm?” Oriax glanced up, spotting the stone magpie sitting on the signpost, “Oh… hey, little dude. What’s going on?”
“Where have you been?” Terminus asked curiously, “’And what happened here last night?”
“What… do you mean?”
“Wait? Seriously?” Terminus dipped his head, “You don’t see all those dead bodies over there?”
Oriax turned, squinting at the mess of corpses still littering the square, “Oh, yeah… we did that.”
“Yes, I know. That’s what I’m referring to. I can see the encounter summary, you do realize!” Terminus squawked, “I wasn’t even gone that long. Although, I guess it’s my fault for staying docked in the guild terminal for as long as I did…”
Turning to face the bird, Oriax said, “You didn’t miss much. We took care of it. There were these… guys, I don’t think they were good guys either, so… we killed them.”
“Gah! What is it with you two?” Terminus replied despondently, “Neither of you think with your heads… is His Highness alright?”
“Hands?” Oriax furrowed his brow, “Don’t know. It’s still kind of foggy…”
“Well, I’ve been waiting out here for hours. My party tracker suggested His Highness was in the vicinity of this building, but I’m concerned about—”
It was at that moment in which a humming noise resounded faintly. Before long, the front door to the mages’ guild outpost was creaking open.
“Good morning, Oriax.” Seku said faintly, who poked her head out across the threshold. However, upon noticing Terminus, she flushed, “Oh, uhm—hello. I’ve seen one of you before at the adventurers’ guild hall. You're a Terminus bird, correct? You aid adventurers?”
“Yes… and you’re Seku.” Terminus replied, his eyes flashed blue momentarily, “I was wondering who joined the party last night. Although, this a bit of a surprise, considering… well, your background. Sorry, I did everything in you record.”
“It's alright. Mister Orcus was kind enough to take me into his party, after I explained my situation.” She nodded, “I'm grateful. Would you like to see him? He’s asleep right now.”
“Yes, please!” Terminus cawed, fluttering into the air, as he proceeded into the outpost after Seku.
For his part, Oriax simply set his maul aside and sat down on the stairs just outside the building. He watched the town plaza for a while, wondering why no one bothered to enjoy such a nice day outside. Sure, there were dead bodies about, but that never stopped Oriax before.
“Oh… my head—” Chauncey groaned nearby, as he stepped outside and halted just behind where Oriax stood.
“You okay, potions?” Oriax asked, though he didn’t glance behind him.
“I think so, but… I’m completely blanking on what happened last night!”
“Yeah, me too.” Oriax nodded, who had genuinely forgotten that he’d socked the merchant over the head to protect his party’ leader’s identity.
“Still, I—I wanted to apologize for calling you an oversized donkey.” Chauncey said lightly, remorse in his voice, “I remember that much. It was unbecoming for a man of my station. For what it’s worth, I think you’re a very capable young man. Who saved my life, after all. And carried my supplies all the way here!”
“Hm?” Oriax furrowed his brow. Had he been called an oversized donkey? He’d almost certainly been called a lot worse in his life. Even still, that was in the past now, so he said with a smile, “You’re okay too, potions. So don’t sweat it, I’m always happy to help. Doesn’t matter to me if you’re an asshole. Little guys usually are, so the big guy’s got to look after them.”
“Oh—well, I mean…” Chauncey stammered embarrassingly, but nodded, “Thank you, Oriax. Do you mind if I sit here with you? It’s a gorgeous day.”
“…Not at all.”
And so, the two of them sat outside for a time, enjoying the early morning sun and a lofty breeze that rolled down from the northern mountains. Though the smell of death still hung in the air, Oriax couldn’t help but to close his eyes and soak up the perfect spot for a bit of rest.
He didn’t even realize that Chauncey was talking to him the whole time, until he heard his name.
“You know, Oriax, I wouldn’t mind some company today.” Chauncey replied belatedly, “I have half a mind to head out and harvest some local ingredients that are still on my ‘to-do’ list. The scoundrels back in Ambracaster wouldn’t let me hear the end of it if I didn’t gather some for them. I was also hoping to talk with some of the farmers too, and maybe even the townsfolk. What do you say? I don’t want to bother your friend, but I could really use some protection… just in case.”
Oriax shrugged, “Cool with me.”
It was thus that Oriax spent his day accompanying Chauncey around town. They talked to all kinds of people, spoke about all kinds of things, but Oriax didn’t involve himself too much in the conversation. He was content to listen and to be along.
When they eventually left the safety of town to skirt the farms, Chauncey set to collecting his ingredients, while Oriax simply watched the farmers tend to their crop in the fields. On the way back to town, he made Chuancey stop along the road so that he could help an old man that reminded him of Vurth with his equipment, and even carried his tools all the way back to his farm for him. The old man offered them a meal in gratitude, and he and Chauncey bonded over their love of ale, as Oriax enjoyed a tankard or two himself.
By the end of the day, Oriax got the sense that the people of town were conflicted, or maybe confused. Some were scared, others were angry, and others still just wanted to see the good in a bad situation, like the farmer seemed to. People’s daily lives were uncertain, and yet their emotions were vibrant. They smiled, they laughed, they shouted, and they cried. They were simply trying to live, just like everyone else in the world.
It was late by the time Oriax and Chauncey set off for town again, though the sun was still dotting the western horizon. Sunset was swiftly approaching, but it had been a fine day nonetheless.
“Where… are you from, Oriax?” Chauncey asked suddenly, his cheeks set with a slight flush from alcohol consumption, “Beg your pardon, but I am a bit curious. You’re so quiet, even after all the people we got to talking with today.”
“…Far away?” Oriax shrugged, as they passed through the western gate and began to make their way back down the main street of town, “Don’t really remember.”
“How sad...” Chauncey frowned, but said, “No home or family to speak of?”
Oriax winced at the thought, as a sudden shock of pain coursed through his head.
Faces, laughter, rain, blood… oblivion?
Headache.
“No…” Oriax murmured uncertainly, “Nothing like that. I guess I was alone for a while, at least before hands came along. People come and go, like Vurth and his old lady, but you’re always going somewhere else—away from them. You know?”
“Ain't that life. But surely you must remember something from your childhood?”
“I don’t know—it’s like, I remember things sometimes, but they don’t make any sense. Sounds and colors, smells, and sights… I just can’t think straight with all that noise, and it gets all jumbled up too. You ever get that, potions? It fucks with your head.”
“What, like amnesia?” Chauncey shook his head, “I don’t believe so. Although, I’m sorry to hear that for you. It must have been very hard to wander these lands on your own.”
Oriax smiled, looking up into the distant sky, “Nah… that’s the nice part about it. You don’t have to think about anything on the road, you just go. The easiest choice is the one you feel in your gut. Sure, it might be tough, but it’s just like the wind: Difficult days… they come and go too. That’s why I like hands, you know? He’s going somewhere. I don’t know where, but I know I want to go with him. There’s a fight where’s he going. So, that’s where I’m going too I guess.”
“Forward-thinking type.” Chauncey chuckled, “Dangerous living, but you don’t leave anything on the table, do you, lad? Regret holds many people back, and time is so fragile these days. But not for you, it seems, you just take it all in stride. You know, a few of my colleagues could do with an attitude like that! Live the day as it was meant to be lived: no regrets!”
Regret... Oriax thought confusedly.
“Oriax—hup—” Chauncey burped, “What's that thing over there?”
Staring across the plaza, Oriax watched as some gangly creature fell out of the mage tower window on the third floor. It picked itself up and dashed, a beam of dark energy followed suit but scattered across the stonework. By all accounts, it looked like hands was getting into trouble again.
What a beautiful sky. Oriax thought to himself , as he momentarily regarded the ebbing and flowing of burning orange otherwise set across a sapphire canvas. There wasn't anything like it anywhere else, except maybe in the heat of battle.
“Come on, potions.” Oriax smiled, starting off in the direction of the tower, “Party's that way.”
How could anyone regret anything in a world where you could go anywhere you wanted?
Hell, the wind didn’t have any regrets, so as far as Oriax was concerned, neither would he.