Spiner

You are Spiner, a squire living in the kingdom of Larion. You have a spear and a pack of supplies. You follow Sir Theo as he enters the forest, he turns to you and says "It is important that I find the king". You nod and follow.

After a few minutes, Theo turns to you and says "You know of the dark creatures that live in these forests".

> You say "Of course, sir. Hideous werewolves and impish kelpies."
Theo nods, and continues on.
After ten minutes of walking, you come across a clearing with two men. One is a tall, muscled man with long blonde hair Pulling a spear from his back.
The other is a dwarf with a great axe.
"Gentlemen, this is Spiner," starts Theo, "Spiner, this is Sir Able, the best Knight in the kingdom. And Sir Galahad, the best warrior, apart from the Knights.

> You bow before the two men.
"It is an honor to meet you, Sirs," you say respectfully.
"You will address me as sir," barks Sir Able.

> You raise an eyebrow, but politely add : "Yes, sir."
"And you don't need to call Sir Galahad sir," adds Theo.
Theo turns to walk away, and Able frowns.
"What is your problem, cretin?" he asks angrily.
"He was only following orders," sputters Theo, walking away.
Able snorts, and turns to Galahad.
"Come on, Galahad. Let us be on our way," he says.
You turn and follow Theo, leaving the two knights to follow Sir Theo.
"He's an idiot," snarls Sir Galahad.
"He's a moron," agrees Sir Able.
"You should try to not antagonize them," says Theo calmly, "they're more dangerous than they appear, and I know both of them personally."

> You say "Oh, I won't."
"Good."
The three travel in silence for a while, until Theo stops.
"You can put that away," he says, pointing to your spear, "we're in no immediate danger."

> You nod, then put your spear away on your back.
"You can't be too careful nowadays," says Sir Galahad.
Sir Able chuckles. "Indeed. I'd almost forgotten about the time of which I fought a giant. I wonder if his bones are still around here... he must've been quite a behemoth."
The dwarf nods, then goes silent.
"We should stop for the night," he says.
"Do you see any suitable trees?" asks Theo.
"I see several close together," replies Sir Able, "certainly we can find enough to make a simple watch Fire."
The dwarf nods.
"That's the type of survival we're doing, yes?"
The knight nods.
"We're going to sleep. Wake us when it's time to eat."
"Very well," replies Theo.
"I'll take first watch," says Galahad.
"I will second," says Sir Able
Theo nods, and reclines on the ground.
"Second watch it is," he says. "Good night, gentlemen."
"Good night, Theo," they reply.
You nod, then sit down next to him.

> You say "Where are we heading tomorrow?"
"It'll be revealed in the morning," Theo smiles.
You nod. "Good night, Theo."
"Good night, Spiner."
You settle down on the ground, and rest your spear across you.
You are awakened by Galahad's massive hand on your shoulder.
"Wake up, Spiner. We're moving out,"

> You stand up.
You stand up, grabbing your pack. You sling it onto your back, before shouldering your spear once more.

> You wait for Theo.
You wait for Theo.
Theo joins you after a few minutes, hauling his own pack on his back.
"Ready to go," he asks.
"Ready to go," you reply.
Theo nods. "Let's go."
You set off through the forest.
Theo begins to speak. "The Kingdom of Man has been at war with the Fyrd for a long time. Well, not a long time in terms of the world, but in terms of our lives. Ever since we were born."
You wonder what he means by that, but decide it's not important.
"At one time, the Fyrd were our allies. We lived in a kingdom together, and worked and played together. Even as adults, we all served together. But then, things changed. We grew distant. The Fyrd slowly began to worship the gods of war, and from then on, their villages were always prepared for a potential invasion. As time passed, our cultures drifted apart. My ancestor fought in the last great war between our kingdoms, and even he barely remembered how we used to call each other friends. The Fyrd were always fierce warriors, but they certainly became obsessed with it. Eventually, they began to worship the very gods of war themselves. They sacrificed humans to give their warriors extra strength, and they were even able to affect the battlefield. This made the war much more deadly. Finally, realizing how serious it had become, both sides stopped fighting. A treaty was signed. With no more reasons to fight, we simply lived together in an uneasy peace.

> You say "Why telling us this story now?"
"Because of what's happening now. Even though we've been living in relative peace, the Fyrd are restless. It's almost as if they're expecting something to happen."
Theo walks on in silence.

> You say "That's the reason you want to find the king, sir?"
Theo nods. "The king is the last hope of this kingdom. If he's dead, then we're doomed."
You think for a second.
"What makes you think the king is alive?" you ask.
Theo pauses. "He has to be. There is no other explanation."
You shrug, not having a clue as to what Theo's gotten yourself into. But, you do know one thing: you don't want any part of it.

> You look at Sir Able and Galahad.
"You both look like knights. Knights use swords and lances, right?"
Galahad nods, while Sir Able frowns.
"We do," Galahad says.

> You say "Then we'll be safe."
"But what if they have magic?" asks Sir Able.
"Magical weapons can be blocked by normal weapons. If that happens, well, it's bad for them," Theo says.
"Let's hope so," says Galahad. "I'd hate to have to face a necromancer with only a wooden sword."
Theo grins. "Then they're screwed," he says.
"Let's go, then," says Sir Able. "Lead on, squire."
You nod, leading your horses forward.
Before long, you come across a rotting wooden sign with an image of a sword on it. You slow your horse to a halt, staring at the broken down building in front of you. You wonder what it could be.
"This is it," you say.
"Do you think he's in there?" Galahad asks.
"I don't know. Let's go ask," you reply.
You hop off your horse, leading the horse into the building. You stop in front of the store door, pulling it open. You step inside, and immediately freeze in place.
You see a man in a suit sitting at a table. Behind him is a glass display case full of rings, with a golden sword hanging above them.

> You look at the man without saying anything.
You stare at the man, trying to see if you recognize him.
He is of medium height, and of slim but sturdy build. He has dark black hair, which is cut short. He wears wire-rimmed spectacles, and beneath his bushy black eyebrows you can see that his eyes are a startling bright blue.

> You say "Good morning."
The man looks up, and stares at you for a second. He quickly recovers, smiling.
"Good morning, Sir Kit!" he says, getting up to shake your hand.

> You say "You must be mistaken. My name's not Kit."
The man frowns, shaking his head.
"I'm afraid I'm not mistaken. I have an inside knowledge of these things, I do," he says.
You shrug, and introduce everyone.

> You say "This is Sir Theo, Sir Able, and Sir Galahad. My name's Spiner."
"Good to meet you, Sir Spiner. I'm Herbert."
You shake hands with the man, who smiles at you.
"So what brings you to my neck of the woods?" he asks.

> You say "You mean, that damaged building?"
"Yes."
"We're looking for someone. King Varsakken."
"The Mazkil king?"
"Yes. Have you seen him?"
"Not in years. But I've never been a spy, Sir Kit. I don't keep track of what the royals do."

> You say "The name's Spiner."
"Oh, that's a funny one. My friends just call me Herbs. We're not important, so we don't have fancy titles. They're all sooo pretentious."
You arch an eyebrow.
"Well, I better go before they start looking for me," Sir Herbs says. "Good luck with your search, Sir Kit."
You nod, and close the door behind Sir Herbs.

> You look at Theo, and ask : "Do I have the face to be called "Kit"?"
Theo laughs.
"You should be able to pass as a 'Kit', certainly," he says. "You're young, and you have a boyish face. You'll do."

> You sigh.
You prepare yourself for a long walk. Galahad looks unhappy, but he gets on his horse, and the two of you set off down the road.
You walk for miles, before you come across the road leading into the castle. You're pretty sure you've passed it on the way here, so you know you have to be getting close.
"The castle!" you say with surprise. "I thought we'd gone the other way!"
"Careful, Sir Kit!" Galahad laughs. "You're supposed to be a knight! Not a lord!"

> You say "One, I'm a squire. Second, my name is Spiner, not "Sir Kit"."
"Whatever you say, Spinner."
Galahad chuckles, and the two of you continue on your journey. You arrive soon, and find a group of people standing outside. They look angry.

> You say "What's happening?"
"We've been kicked out of our homes, and told we have to move. The Evil Sorcerer King Galen is taking our houses and farms so he can build a dam for his magic experiments. I wish he was taking us to a better place."
"Magic experiments? Does that mean we'll have wizards around?"
"I wish. No, the only wizards are at Castle Oren, and they're not taking any house holders. There's also the Turric Warlord in the area. I don't want to think about what he'd do to us. Anyway, those are the two best options we have. So, what's your decision? Do you want to leave with us, or stay here and most likely be killed?

> You look at Sir Theo.
You say "So, the man with the goatee. What's your decision?"
Sir Theo nods.
"Decision made," he says.
"Right..." you continue.