“Scratch scratch” the sounds echo from a deep cavern as a male dwarf tries to light a match for his pipe. The dwarf is seated at a table with many books and scrolls “so Benedict my friend you finally wish for me to write ‘that’ story after this many years?” the dwarf sighs then grabs his quill and dips it in ink “you humans have such a short life span and you wait this long till your near death to tell your story?” The dwarf says looking at a very old man who is lying in a bed, Benedict struggles to lean himself against the backboard of the bed. “you know Farram if I got a year of life added to me by all your comments about humans short life span I would probably live till I'm 200 year old”
Benedict laughs loudly and then groans from the pain of laughing, Farram the dwarf smiles and nods as writes on the paper ‘Ulghar the kind’, Farram looks at Benedict and speaks “I'm ready for you to tell me the story” benedict nods then begin speaking, “like all of us humans, we come to regret a choice that we been forced or paid into doing something…”
Benedict was an adventurer in his youth, he was also a sellsword, one the best around. It was once said he held off a group of goblins and orcs from passing, numbering a hundred at No-than bridge. Long ago when Benedict was 18 years of age, the human king Gek the mad had hired him and a party of adventurers on a quest to capture ogres and their children.
King Gek says “ I need your adventurous help. The surrounding kingdoms are plotting to STEAL MY KINGDOM!” King Gek picks up a dagger and throws it with a gust of wind magic and a rogue falls from the ceiling landing in front of the party with a dagger sticking out of his forehead. Most of the party flench as the dagger is yanked out by magic returning to king Gek's hand. “I will pay you six hundred gold pieces for each ogre you bring me, dead or alive. I still have my ways to make use of them!” King Gek laughs as the party stairs at each other scene fading to black.
Farram stops writing and looks at Benedict. “You worked for Gek THE MAD?” Farram said accusingly, Benedict picks up his water and drank a large amount. “I needed the money for my mother at the time, Elven medicine was too expensive at the time,” Benedict says as he slams the cup down on a nearby stone table.” The lovely table who made it?” Farram begins speaking “if you wish to talk about histories of items we can, But after we finish the story” Benedict grumbles but continue to tell the story
So the party of six after the meeting headed south to the vallée des os where giants roam and eat the bones. followed by a small wagon train provided by king Gek. The party consisted of Farram the human fighter, Nadreza the Dark elf rogue, Fodrean the dwarven cook and artificer, Quien the human cleric, Bibond the gnome alchemist, and lastly john the human alchemist/ artificer. “John always carried a long metal staff on his back it was hollow Farram he would put weird alchemical items inside it and it would sound like a thunder stone” Farram looks at Benedict and then speaks, “I think he must have been a gunslinger they are a weird bunch the weapons they make are deadly and cursed, I saw a dwarf try to fire a gun one time and it caught his beard on fire”
Benedict coughs and then continues speaking “when we arrived we sent Nadreza to explore first, she successfully found ten ogres inside a cave, Bibon and john suggested we use a chemical bomb to kill them and seal the entrance so we went with that”
Inside the cave, a Female ogre holds a smaller child ogre in her arms wrapped in hide “young Ulghar danger approaches yet you don't sense it, the shaman for told a day like this” an explosion can be heard in the distance, and soon after another one goes off as the cave shakes “take this Ulghar it may save your life” the female places a small wooden totem in Ulghar hands and he takes it speaking “mum why loud sound, what goes on?“
The female ogre chants her tattoos glow and a wind barrier is put up around her and Ulghar. she chants again and the ground splits making an opening just big enough for Ulghar to slide down, the female ogre picks him up and tries to push him down “mum, why you push me MUMMM!” the female ogre quickly pushes him down yelling “I'm sorry this is the only way!” the female uses magic to close the hole as gas presses against the weakening barrier “goddess Elanora! I know you punished me for accidentally breaking your statue while cleaning it. By making me take the form of an ogre and taking most of my magic and cleric spells away.!”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
the barrier starts flickering, weakening “I ask you to please grant me one wish, To give my son a divine blessing please!” time seems to freeze as an elven woman wearing a white toga with golden yellow hair appears, the goddess smiles then speak “No, I will not give your son a blessing for he is ugly, this is part of your punishment, I chose you out of a thousand elves to serve me, and you did well till you saved that human boy by catching him and knocking over the grand statue in my biggest temple” the ogre frowns and begins to weep “please have mercy on my son” the goddess then slaps the ogre burning her face, Elanora speaks again “the only mercy you getting is the ability to still reincarnate your soul back into an elf that will once again serve me!”
The goddess disappears and the barrier breaks filling the room with toxic gas, meanwhile on a nearby hill next to a stream. a large hole opens up and Ulghar comes tumbling out into the stream heading down toward a waterfall. “Mum, someone help, Ulghar, scared!” time seems to freeze around Ulghar as the water stops with him in it. On the bank next to him a human with hair black as a raven sits crosslegged as a 12-foot ogre appears next to him with countless battle scars on him, a spear seems to be impaling him on his right arm. The black hair man says to Ulghar “hi little one I see you are in a basket of hot oil!” Ulghar blinks and says “oil? Ulghar in the water!” The ogre behind the man speaks his voice sounding like a stone being ground against each other, “no listen to the raven man for he likes to trick and mess with his words, we come to speak with you little rock” the giant ogre sits shaking the whole land.
Ulghar blinks as he says the meaning of the name that his mother gave him “how do you know Ulghar's's name meaning, Ulghar has never seen you in the tribe before.. The giant looks at the human and then says “may I go first trickster of man?” he asks the human who then replies “go ahead we have time my illusions should hold” the ogre nods and then looks at Ulghar and speaks “you do know my little one in the cave on the shelf I and the others watch” the ogre clenches his fist and opens it revealing a small clay statue of a war-torn ogre “I am Tirik god of healing and battle, I have come to answer your mothers wish, I shall bless you with regeneration healing so that any blow dealt to you will heal you and strengthen you. I will also bless you with the skill of fighting so that you may protect what is yours” Ulghar blinks as he glows slightly receiving the blessing, he quickly speaks up “you clay man, the the the…. Shaman and hunters bow too!” Tirik nods the motions for the human to speak
The raven hair man nods and stands up dusting himself off “well young one you do not know me and it is best it stays that way less a hero from my brother comes after you!” the human raises his right hand “I bless you with the ability to trick and cheat death, so you may live long and old!” after saying that Ulghar suddenly feels tired and falls asleep as he glows again.
Tirik looks at the man shocked at the gift he gave him and says “why did you give him such a powerful gift a small one would suffice?” The man looks at him and smiles wickedly “his mother saved a follower of mine when he fell, plus that elven bitch will probably try to kill the boy since he has elven blood in him” Truick laughs and begins speaking “after all I’m the human god of tricking!”
Time resumes as the two gods soon vanish as Ulghar is pulled by the current over the waterfall. Right before he hits the rocks below a giant Roc swoops down grabbing him and saving him from impacting the rocks. The bird flies for a long distance heading towards its nest, but before it reaches it an arrow hits it in the eye and it drops Ulghar who is then caught by vines and lowered to an old human woman. “Humm an ogre child, a blessed one at that” the vines come from the staff the old woman holds. A human range suddenly appears next to her and speaks “grand druid alba thanks for the help in this rock hunt but shouldn't you kill that monster” Alba takes her staff and quickly wacks the human in the head” no young man, you see he was caught by the will of the staff made by the branch of an elder treant since he was saved by staff’s free will it must mean he has a kind gentle spirit!” the old lady walks off with Ulghar into the distance
End of prolog