You begin the very long walk to a the distant city and as you take each step you think. You're thinking about the crazy woman who goes around posioning and murdering people without a second thought. One that is just completing "contracts". How she refused to help you or cure you (but you seem to be fine now so maybe dying is a cure?) but left you a note not to talk to the natives. And now you're walking towards a large town in hopes of finding... Natives. This doesn't seem like such a great idea now.

You sit with a thump on the side of the road and weigh your options but it doesn't take long to realize they all suck. You wish working overtime on a Saturday was still an option. You can't go to town, or ask anyone for help. You need a place to stay, food to eat, and clothes. It's hopeless. Unless...

You kill the ogre. He's got to be worth several hundred gold if his girl was worth so much just for luring people in. Maybe you'd be considered enough of a hero that the people would overlook your not native status. So that's what you need to do. You stand and set off again towards to the ogre's house.

It's a really dumb idea. You don't even have a weapon. What are you going to do? Choke him with a convenient chain or something? You'll be killed but now you doubt you can be killed, you just have to outrun that angel/demon thing and then you can come back and try again, like a save point in a video game. You'll have infinte tries. Your confidence is building and by the time you reach the open gate you're sure you can kill the monstrous creature that is built like the Hulk with your bare hands. But you decide it might be better to take him on in the dark. Maybe while he's sleeping. Yeah, this will totally be a fair fight once the sun sets. You sit and wait.




Alright, it's dark. Get in there and kill that man eating ogre.

Bravely you stride through the gate and then crouch, crawl, and remain in the shadows as you approach the stone hovel. The front, and only, door is locked but the shutters are still open over the window to let in the summer breeze. On a table just inside the window is a cleaver, a passable weapon. You reach in, stretching on your toes to get every inch and just lay fingers on the closest edge of the handle but a hand grabs your wrist and pulls you further in.

"Shit!" you exclaim as your thrown off balance and a cloaked head appears in the window frame.

"What did you say?" the figure says, not loosening his grip at all. It's tight and kind of hurts.

"Shit?" you repeat slowly. "I thought you were the ogre." The figures throws back the hood and you see a dark haired man. No pointy ears or horns, though his skin is rather pale from the limited amount of moon light overhead. He's even of human height and strength. You pull against his grip.

"What are you doing here?" You hesitate, wondering if you should tell a complete stranger, albeit one who speaks fluent English, that your here for premeditated murder in hopes of being rewarded. Then you wonder why he's here.

"I'm lost and confused," you answer. "A scary, murderous, poisoning woman killed me but kindly left a not not to engage the natives. I thought I could kill the ogre and then the natives would not kill me and maybe give me clothes and money..." you ramble and then fade away.

"Not a horrible plan though they'd still kill you while rejoicing they didn't have to pay the bounty." He releases your arm and leans out the window. "You don't seem entirely stupid. Wait here while I finish this and then I'll help you." You nod and sit below the window while the once silent house remains eerily silent. You expected a srash, or a muffled scream but there is not a single sound coming out the window. The cloaked figure appears again with a round and heavy leather bag in one hand. (Don't think about what's in that bag, it's not a pleasant thought.) He beckons you to follow and you both walk swiftly to the road.

The strange man doesn't talk much but is willing to answer your questions. You're in a messed up medeival land that includes trolls, ogres, elves, and more as inhabitants. There is magic but it doesn't work on you. You can die, if you lose you head, literally, or are roasted, dismembered, or your body is otherwise destroyed. You won't age, get sick. get drunk, or get high. And you're fallen, or 'Merreh Kin which roughly translate to evil wizard's child, and returning from the dead is all the proof these simple people need to believe that. That's gives you an automatic bounty on your head, which he isn't trying to collect so relax, but speaking english or acting otherwise odd may lead to your death, then waking up in a jail cell where certain death is imminent. Oh, and he's taking you to Anne-Marie who'd love to have a handsome strong man around the place and will gadly teach you the nuancies of this back water place.

And you know what? He was telling the entire truth, you learn, as he drops you at her door step.

Congrats! You lived!
I wasn't sure you would but you did and so ends chapter one. Come back later to find out what Anne-Marie has in store for you!