A Bard's Tale

Chapter 1

         I woke to the noise of the tavern, the sounds of pack animals being hitched to their wagons, and the owners of both shouting and calling for their companions to hurry up so they can get on the road, the sound of early risers calling for food and bitter drinks. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I rose, and began to get dressed. Today was an important day, I was going to the Adventurer's Guild to hopefully join a party. If I wasn't lucky, then I'd have to wait another six months to reapply to the guild. I can't wait another six months, I have to get to the guild early in order to register.
         I should explain who I am before we go on, since we'll be taking this journey together. I am Mortimer Fey, a 15 year old Half-Elf Bard. And being a bard comes with some perks, I can capture the attention of crowds, cast some spells, and be an all around treat! I currently live just outside of one of the biggest trade hubs on the eastern coast called Alturne. The city is known for being one of the most powerful cities on this side of Phameron. It rivals the capital of the east coast in terms of population, I'm not sure what the total actually is, but there's at least Three million people in and around the city limits.
         I want to join a party of adventurers in order to make the songs I write and perform have a more realistic feel to them. It sounds odd, I know, but songs sung from experience had a different atmosphere to them. You can feel the honesty, the audience is always more focused on a song like that, and I want to get that same experience.
         After getting dressed I walked down the stairs to see the bartender, luckily it was the owner, Drom, working. I worked his stage here at The Last Stop for about half a year, it's how I got the money to buy my equipment. He understood what I wanted to do so he let me work his stage for room and whatever food the bar made. All tips and drinks that I got from from patrons were mine, occasionally I would buy something and tip generously, just to show my gratitude. He was just coming out of the kitchen when he saw me approaching and smiled.

         "T'day's the day, eh?," Said Drom

         "That's right, I am about to head to the guild, but I wanted to see if I had any tips from last night?"

         "Sure, sure, lemme take a look."
         The big bald man went to the end of the bar and looked through his bar ledger, he flipped a few pages, looked at the book for a moment, pulled a key from around his neck and unlocked a drawer. He came back with a small cloth pouch, and held it out over the bar. When I took it, I was surprised by how heavy it was. When I looked into the pouch and saw 8 gold coins mixed with about 30 silver pieces I gasped hard enough to choke, which caused the old bartender to chuckle. This was far more than anything I made in tips before.

         "I think you grabbed the wrong pouch!" I choked

         "Nah, that's the right one" Drom smiled, "Call it an investment. I like ya kid, so whenever you come back to our neck o' the woods you stop in and play for us. Got it?"

         "Th-Thank you, Drom! Of course I'll come back and play your stage, I'll be sure to write a song just for your place!"

         "Now I'll make ya a plate of eggs and some bacon, can't go off to start a new life without a proper breakfast, now can ye?"

         As the owner went to cook, I added my small fortune to my current savings, which brings me to a whopping 9 gold and 89 silver. Which, after I pay the entrance fee to the Adventurers Guild, will give me plenty to use for whatever I get into afterwards with my new party. Drom came back after a moment with the breakfast. And I enjoyed my last meal before starting out!
         I waved goodbye to the owner and the staff on duty and headed towards town. It was a walk I'd taken many times before, but now knowing that I wouldn't be taking this walk for some time, I savored the sights I saw. The river, that the road snaked alongside of, was full of life this morning. Fish were jumping at the river flies, a few older men had lines cast into the middle of the water, even a few boats were out in the slower bends of the water. I looked up and saw migratory birds flying by in their V formations, their calls adds another layer of serene grace to the morning. Not much longer after enjoying that moment, I saw the walls of the port town, and that was when I felt the nervousness take hold in my gut. Seeing the city this morning made the past six months feel like a blur, and I couldn't wait to get to my destination.

         Enter the city gates, pasting the guards who were posted, I head towards the north ports. The Adventurers Guild was just outside of the dock port since most adventurers came in from the sea since it was quicker that traveling along the roads between cities. I had found the quickest way from the east gate a few months back, and had walked it many times to solidify it in my memory. Allowing my sub-conscience to take me to the Guild, I let my mind wander on what kind of people I'll join. Normally party's who come to the guild are looking for specific roles to be filled, and being a bard, I'm a generalist and can fill any role needed. Even though that is an advantage, my lack of experience might cause me to be overlooked. I was shaking the thought out of my head as I was walking onto a less populated street. I was taken out of my thoughts when I heard someone shout. I turned to look, and a further down the road was an elf, in leather armour with a longbow slung over her shoulder.

         "Yew call this fresh?" said a female voice in a thick accent.

         "I do! It came fresh this morning!" retorted the vendor.

         "Then yew're an idget! All this fruit has the rot, anyone who eats these will get sick!"

         "No they don't! A few may be bruised, but that's from demi whores like you constantly picking them up and dropping them down! Now stop pestering me and shove off!"
         "Caution people!" said the elf, as she turned from the man to address anyone who was watching, "This man will poison yew if you buy from him!"

         "She don't know what she's screaming about," yelled the Vendor to the same crowd.

         I was far enough away from the happenings to hear the sound of a few heavy footsteps. Not a moment later, a few guards walked around the corner and headed straight for the group.

         "Oi! What's all this yelling about!?" Said one of the guards.

         "Ah, guards, this demi is bothering my customers and hindering my business." replied the vendor.

         "I'm trying to prevent this pig of a man from poisoning the masses!" retorted the Elf.

         "We're gonna give you one warning, elf. Piss off or we'll toss you into the duengoens." said the other guard.

         "Fine, but it's on your heads when these people start messing themselves uncontrollably."

         The she-elf huffed, turned, and started walking away in the opposite direction of the guards. The crowd started to disperse at that point, and the guards stayed and spoke with the vendor about what started the disruption. I decided I wasted enough time and returned to my shortcut.
         Not long after, I was staring at the warrior statue in the Guild square. The huge building was made from white bricks with green tiles covering the roof, the front of the building had columns holding the second story balcony. On either side of the stairs that lead up from the square, made from the same colored bricks as the building, had steppe gardens with large pine trees and well groomed shrubs. At the top of the steps were two pools of crystal clear water that trickled down the steppe gardens though pipes and pumps. I entered the guildhall and walked to the desk, the tables in the hall were bustling with all sorts of folk.

         "Hello and welcome to the Adventurer's Guild!" Said the attendant, "Are you here to join the Guild, or looking for someone?"

         "Hi, y-yes, I'd like to join the guild."

         "Excellent, then you must have the entrance fee?"

         "I do," I said as I reached into my purse and pulled a gold and handed it to the attendant.

         "Good, then there's just a few questions I have to ask. Firstly, what is your name?"
         "Mortimer Fey"

         "Next, what is your adventuring experience, if any?

         "Besides traveling between towns, none."

         "And what type of role would you fill in the party?"

         "I am a generalist, and willing to specialize if needed later."

         "Oh! Excellent, you're our first generalist of the day. I just need to notarize this then I'll post this on our board. Just take a seat, and shouldn't be too long before you find a party. We're waiting a bit longer to allow others to show up."

         I nodded and smiled, then headed in to find a seat.
         As I waited, I mingled with some of the other potentials; a couple humans and a full blooded elf. Slowly the guildhall filled up to the point that, to hear the person next to you, you'd have to almost yell. An hour went by with the excitement at its peak, and people came and went. Once the rush settled down, I started to get nervous, looking around the table I was sitting at, which was filled with new adventurers, I could see that they were thinking the saming. Only a few people have had interviews so far, but the thought of not getting any further was a difficult thought to bite down.
         "Excuse me," Said a rough male voice, " I am looking for a bard."

         My stomach dropped, I turned to see a man of about thirty standing off to the left of our table. He wore a chainmail shirt and heavy greeves, a shield could be seen on his back, and a hand hammer on his belt. His grey wrinkled eyes spoke of experience, and the symbol of Astus, the god of law and justice, around his neck. He was clean shaven, with short wheat-golden hair, he looked tired and upset, but I've seen military types before, and they all looked like this. He stared at the table moving his eyes over each of the occupants, when his gaze fell upon me my stomach did a flip. It felt as if he could see all the wrongs I've ever done.

         "I-I am the bard," I stuttered, "M-Mortimer at your service."

         He squinted at me through tired eyes, and sighed.

         "Well Mortimer," He said exasperatedly, and forced a smile, "Please, come and join my party."