S.Y. 316.12
(March 08, 2003)
The Morning After
By Sardel
From Sardel's
Journal
In
a small forest clearing just outside of Skara Brae the sun began it's
slow ascent into the sky sending shafts of light through the windows
of a small stone building in the clearing. 
As the sun light played across his closed eyelids, Sardel struggled
to wake up. Strewn across the floor of his bedroom were miscellaneous
ale and wine bottles. With great effort Sardel stumbled to his feet
and tried to shake the feeling of grogginess. He looked around his room
and noticing the liquor bottles tried to remember the night before.
"Ah yes, the bazaar..." Thinking came with great effort. Sardel
vaguely remembered consuming great amounts of alcohol but details of
the night before were hazy.
"I remember
a story and an Ant, something about being naked". It was no use
the details would not come to him. Shrugging his shoulders, Sardel decided
to move forward with his day. Breakfast would do the trick. There might
even be a flask of Jaana's hangover remedy in one of the chests downstairs.
As Sardel dodged around the liquor bottles he noticed a great axe sitting
in the corner of his room.
"Hmm, that's odd. I don't remember entering any contests. Oh well"
Across
the realm in Serpent's Hold, the residents of this town awoke in quite
a different manner. A woman's shrill scream broke through the silence
of the night. The town guard was quick to respond. The trouble seemed
to be coming from the warrior's guild hall. By the time the guard arrived
there was a small crowd gathered out front.
Sgt. Gertok pushed his way through the crowd to take a look inside.
As he entered the building Sgt. Gertok noticed the body of a fallen
warrior and a pool of blood. With great distress Sgt. Gertok realized
that the body was that of Reebdoog, the newly appointed guildmaster
of the warrior's guild. Sgt. Gertok spoke with the gathered warriors
and discovered that one of the guild servants had discovered the body
that eve after the hall had closed. No one had been in or out as far
as she knew.
Sgt. Gertok sighed deeply for in Reebdoog's short time in Serpent's
Hold he had become beloved of the people. Examining the body was a gruesome
task for the corpse had been greatly mangled by some terrible force.
Most likely magic. Sgt. Gertok noticed a small torn piece of paper in
what was left of Reebdoog's hand. It was a fragment of a scroll. In
the corner there was an inscription that read, "Scrolls by Sardel"...