Backstory: Ted Gurdy -- Uncommon Hero

The following is an excerpt from the diary of the widow Hubbard...

With heavy heart I confess the death of one of my middling sons. The fault is my own and while I almost can’t bear the shame, I shoulder it as penance. May God have mercy on my soul.

A mother’s greatest fear is the loss of one of her children. While I have had 12 children to my credit, no amount of them will replace the one I abandoned on the prairie.

When I saw that he was not with us, I sent my oldest son along with a large sword-wielding man to retrieve him. This man was uncouth and nearly witless, but his skill with a blade and the purity of his heart proved themselves amply and without subtlety.

For two days this hero and my son traveled out on the plains alone. Back to my homestead they went, fighting rampaging gnolls all the way, until this brave hero was stricken, near unto death. My elder son, too, was injured. Only the grace of God saved the both of them, though in his unfathomable wisdom, they could not save my missing child from a cruel death in flames. Ted Gurdy vowed revenge and did kill those responsible. He brought the body of my dearest back for a fitting funeral.

In gratitude, my eldest has now pledged to serve this Ted Gurdy as his Page. The man is uncommonly brave, but as impious as he is stupid, and my son has said he would see him redeemed to faith in our wise God. Now I pray daily for them both, and I hold out hope that my boy might learn something more than just how to drink hard liquor from his new master.

I offered to pay him all of my life savings, including my wedding band from my dear departed husband, but he would have none of it.

Quote of the Day: "Lady, I feel terrible about your kid, I can't take your money. Keep it. I don't know.Maybe buy yourself a new kid or something."

Vengeance for Gnolls

The Irregulars who went West now leave Waldron and continue on to Wanderhalt which is the last edge of civilization before the wild and lawless Outlands. At the gates of Wanderhalt, the Irregulars make new contacts and recruit some able warriors.

Wanderhalt is unusually crowded and there is an hours wait and a new tax collected just to enter the city walls. It turns out that every merchant, pilgrim and homesteader in the surrounding environs is looking for asylum within Wanderhalt. Many waiting in line testify that something has disturbed gnolls from the Dark Wood and they have been making merciless raids across the plains.

Once in the city, the Irregulars seek respite from the road in a curious pub known as The Stone Francis. Aside from the usual food, drink and revelry, there is a man standing on a table and begging to be heard over the din. Most inside ignore him and his plea, but when he steps down from his makeshift podium, the Irregulars approach.

His name is Keaton Mallory. He explains that he is offering a bounty for any and all gnolls slain. He wants vengeance for the lives of his wife and daughter who were cruelly killed and half-eaten by the monsters. For a reward he has a sack of platinum pieces to offer. The party agrees to help at once, but the next morning, they find their employer robbed and hungover.

He assures them that though he is but a humble sustenance farmer, he has plenty of cash squirreled away to hire them. He will gladly pay, if they will but agree to accompany him to his homestead. Once on the plains, the party encounters a gnoll war party, puts it to the sword and begins to follow their tracks. As the days pass by, there is some division among the Irregulars. In the absence of real direction or a strong leader, Mallory attempts to take charge and is rather forcefully put down. Now in the wilderness he admits that there is more to the story than the party has been told.

Charmed by Lita, Mallory admits that he hasn’t farmed in a while. He actually served as a guide to a group of adventurers from Wanderhalt. That group raided the distant ruined city and made off with the golden gnoll god and various other treasures. The gnolls, he conjects, may be looking for their purloined deity. They followed him back to his homestead and killed his family.

With this admission, chaos breaks out and the Irregulars pile on to restrain Balok (their newest member) whose family was killed by maurading gnolls. No sooner do they have him held fast, when the bard Mai quietly backstabs Mallory and thus ends all debate.

Undaunted by the lack of an employer, the Irregulars continue toward the ruined city in search of gnolls. After killing a lone sentry they find themselves hatching plans to assault the stronghold. They may not have coins from Mallory to drive them, but many feel the gnolls depredations must be stopped and innocents protected.

Quote of the Day: “Gnomes… Gnolls… what’s the difference? Bring one to me and I’ll kill it.”

Go West Young Demihumans

The morning comes as it always must. The Irregulars find themselves standing face to face with an armed party of dwarves. Thalwyn and Josif slip out in the confusion. Beleg agrees to accompany the Basin into Oromir to meet the Dwarf King. Mourning Elk accepts a Dwarf noble’s son as a token of safe conduct for Beleg.