EXILE
Riding out of the gates of the capital city under armed guard with your
hands bound to your saddle is perhaps not the most auspicious way to start a
quest, but it is at least novel. By the way, the armed guards are here for your
protection, and to see that the mission is not compromised.
The cellar's of the Bard's keep finally releases it's secret, as the
trap-door creaks upward. Somewhere beneath the dirty flagstones is the map
which forms the first part of your 'punishment ' for causing an affray at the
Council of Princes.
Three day ago the High Prince Prys announced the punishment in his
court; you were to be exiled to the North, turned out of the country and into
the Lost Lands. To most people, that would be a death sentence; only those are
born there can survive for long in that inhospitable desert. However, both you
and he knew that the sentence is a sham, an empty lie to cover the fact that you
are doing your country a great service. Your Keeper escort has seen you through
the first part of your journey, to the pariah castle known as Bard's Keep, a
place normally off-limits to your country-men, but where you will explore, and
find a map that will show the countries beyond you.
Once you have your map, the Captain of the Keeper's who escorts you will
place in Beren's hands a set of sealed orders which will detail the second part
of your quest. Once those orders and any other aid the Prince can provide, are
in your possession, he has been ordered to pass with you to over the back of the
Black Mountains, and onto the edge of the Wastes! From there, you are on your
own.
These last two days of travel up into the mountains have been hard, for
the first day, until you were away from the prying eyes of other travellers, you
had to play the part of soon-to-be-exiles, so your weapons and armour were in
the keep of the Armiger in charge, and your hands were 'bound' to your pommels
by false bonds.
The first night, you kept a paranoid watch in case the Keepers's really
did have orders to execute you, but such was not the case. They each took a place
looking into or out of the campsite and then stood there unmoving for a full
eight hours while you spent the night in a fitfull sleep. The next morning as
soon as you were ready they swang back into the saddles and continued on as if
they had had a comfortable nights sleep in an inn.