How do the others do it? Oh yes, “Sit down and let me tell you a tale…” - Or something like that. Many years ago in a town called Onate rumors began to spread of a wise hermit with incredible power. Many believed these rumors to be false, as adventurers and common folk alike would travel beyond Onate’s walls to seek out this wise hermit.

The reasoning was almost always different. Some wanted to become powerful themselves, some wanted to become rich, some wanted fame, some needed healing or a family member healed and so on and so on. Yet often these people would not return from their journey. The hermit was hard to find and many believed those who went out to seek him entered the less friendly parts of Onate’s outskirts, thus meeting their end.

Others believed people were so obsessed with finding him that even after checking everywhere outside Onate, they pushed even further beyond the walls. “Surely if he isn’t just outside Onate then he must be somewhere else,” they thought. But the truth was this hermit was not a wise hermit at all, but instead a trickster by the name of Drue. So why would Drue do such a thing to the people of Onate? Well, let’s just say Drue wasn’t much different from those adventurers or the common folk.

Those fortunate enough to actually find Drue, the Trickster, were often tricked and swayed to part ways with their valuables in return for “power” or “riches.” Neither of which they received in return, of course - and how conveniently that when they went back for a refund the trickster was gone. The less fortunate of the bunch saw through Drue’s lies, so the trickster was forced to silence them in order to keep up the ruse. In those rare cases it just meant Drue could take what he wanted.

The manner of people that sought him out was what you would expect. The brutish barbarian types, the desperate maidens and the helplessly, too intelligent for their own good, types. Those last ones, Drue hated the most and they were often the ones he gutted. Normal and expected was fine with Drue though, because if he always faced what he expected then he could never lose. The odds were always in his favor. Until one day he met an Orc by the name of Ryron.

Orcs, typically, were not the brightest and this Drue knew for sure. Once he saw Ryron’s exterior, he pinned him down as one of those brutish types with a barbaric nature, but much to Drue’s surprise Ryron was much more intelligent than he anticipated. So the orc saw through his lies and deception, but Drue could neither out run nor defeat Ryron in battle. So Drue did what any good trickster would do - he stalled until he figured it out.

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Ryron was there to seek the wise hermit’s power to cure his hurt lover that was injured in a previous encounter. Drue offered him a concoction in exchange for Ryron’s gold. The orc obliged the trickster, but the actual injury was Ryron’s instead, which he revealed under his cloak. So when the orc put the concoction on his wounds, the potion didn’t work. This infuriated Ryron.

“Do you think me a fool, Trickster?” said the Orc.

“The potion takes time,” the Trickster replied. “Plus, you lied. The potion doesn’t like liars.”

This only pushed Ryron further into fury and he revealed a sharp axe he was hiding beneath his cloak.

“Ah, ah, ah, wait just a second,” Drue put his hand out to stop him. “Allow me to explain… In the ancient times there was a wizard who didn’t fight his battles with magic or weapons. He fought each fight with words. Hard to believe, I know, but before I was this I was a thief. I looked for this wizard to teach me because if I could rob people with just my words then I would be the greatest thief alive. I would never face conflict and I would never face trouble like this.

So what I did was I learned of his whereabouts and asked him to train me, but the wizard said his skills could not be taught. That his powers were a gift that even he could not explain. But I am smarter than I look, so I found the source of his power. An amulet he wore around his neck. You see this old wizard was a trickster himself and tried to play me for a fool, but much like you I saw through it… Or did you? (He’s now addressing the listener of the story/viewer) Because if my powers are words and you’ve been listening this whole time, then you have already lost.

I snatched that amulet from that old wizard’s corpse and now I control the narrative of every story I am in. So tell me, did I win? Is it truly a sinner’s sin to take advantage of those weaker when it is they who are the seeker? And when they find me I make them climb an endless ladder rung by rung, until I get what I desire with this gifted silver-tongue. You see, the only ruse is what I choose and none of this you can rely on. None of this was true at all, not Onate, the hermit or Ryron. Don’t worry though, I won’t harm you, after that wizard my killing days were over. It’s true what they say - killing is a heavy burden to shoulder. Now I thank you for your riches and beg you to remember that persuasion is not a crime - and with that and a tip of my hat - I’m gone ~ until next time!”