Ravenclaw

[Ravenclaw]

The roaring fire lit the campsite but cast shadows into the surrounding woods where the darkness seemed even darker because of the bright light at the center of the clearing. The moon had just drifted behind a cloud, deepening the shadows and making it even more difficult to see beyond the circle of light.

Sentries were posted but the ranger slipped quietly between their lines. The snap of a twig from nearby froze the ranger in place. A long bladed belt knife was drawn as the patrolling orc passed. Grabbing the orc from behind the ranger made a quick thrust up along the spine and into more vital areas, silencing it with a quick and deadly efficiency before any sound could be made.

Slowly the ranger lowered the body to the ground and pulled out his bow, long and polished this was the rangers pride and joy. He took a comfortable position across from the camp adjusting his eyes and waited for his target to appear. The orcs continued to feast and drink, unaware of his presence.

A couple of hours passed but still he waited until finally a large, misshapen orc with a scar on one eye appeared. He stepped up onto a large rock across the clearing and began to address the orcs within the camp.

“Today we strike at the heart of the human army, their weak bodies will crumble before the might of our powerful orcish brothers. Their flesh will line our stewpots and their bones will decorate our homes. We will take their lands and their wealth will be ours.”

A resounding cheer could be heard as hundreds of orcs roared their approval, a sound that could be heard echoing throughout the valley. A sound that sent chills up the spine of even the most seasoned warrior. Pulling out the orc arrow he had saved for this occasion, the ranger took aim.

“Today I, Garul of clan Barok, will lead you to victory.”, As the final words escaped the orc leaders mouth an arrow sailed down out of the inky black sky to strike squarely through the orc leaders throat. The sudden cheer at the speech turned to one of confusion and then anger as the orcs listening saw their leader fall, slain by an orcs arrow.

Accusations arose and skirmishes began. The gathered orcs began turning on one another as blame for the event began to spread back and forth like wildfire. Quietly the ranger snuck away, using the shadows to once again slip past the sentries who were now more interested in what was happening back in camp than in anything which might be passing in the forest.

-=-=-=-=-

The waitress made her way through the crowded bar. Many of the local villagers were celebrating as news of the orc army disbanding and returning to their homes reached their ears.

At a table near the back of the common room sat a lone figure, quiet and sedate compared to the rest of the gathering crowd. The waitress placed the mug of ale in front of the ranger and smiled.

“Have you heard the news Ravenclaw!! The orcs have scattered, they’re leaving and no one seems to know why, but then who cares as long as they are gone.“

The ranger looked up, “I see.” he said and passed the coin for the drink to waitress. Settling back in the shadows Ravenclaw relaxed and enjoyed his drink.

[Ravenclaw]

Ravenclaw:





Here are a few of my other characters who may one day join me in the wondrous land of UO Traditions.

Shaladar: My first crafter in UO
- The heir and namesake has also joined.

Aovar:


Aikanaro:

[Ravenclaw]

The First Days of Ravenclaw


The morning mist still clung to Ravenclaws ankles as the dew sat wet upon the grass. Mornings light had just crested the ridge and the woods were quiet except for the crackling of a branch in the distance which gave away the presence of a stag traveling through the woods. A hoot from a tired owl settling in to rest for the day sounded from further on in the distance. It was moments like this that stayed with him and caused him to return again and again.

Still it was time to go. Following the streambed to the old oak tree, Ravenclaw cut through the woods with hardly a noise. A few moments more brought him to the road that would lead him back to the place he called home. It wasn’t much, home, a dilapidated barn, a house with shutters that either hung off or banged in the wind and few scraggly fields where the cows and sheep they raised could graze. Like his father and his father before him they were ranchers. A lifestyle that he hated but felt trapped in.

His ability to handle the animals and care for them was the only thing about this lifestyle that he truly enjoyed, nor was this love limited to the animals of the farm. He tried hard to learn about all the animals that surrounded his small domain and longed to be with them as much as possible.

He had heard stories of rangers, trackers of great renown who lived more in the woods than in society. These men were great bowmen and hunters, taking only what they needed to survive and living in harmony with the rest of nature. They could track animals for miles if need be and do so in such utter silence that the animals that they pursued never even knew they were there. This was the life that Ravenclaw longed for and he knew that in order to live this life he would have to leave the farm and find his future somewhere else.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Journal Day 1 – Recruitment Day

Life has been an adventure since arriving in the city. Many of the things that I had expected are not the way I had imagined while others are new and exciting, beyond any dream I could have had. With lizardmen and rogue pirates to deal with life has certainly been interesting. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Upon arriving in town on my first day, I set out to join the group of rangers that, I heard, were recruiting. Rangers in my mind were one with the woods, living with nature and surviving in the wild or so I believed. But then stories, when in the face of reality, often turn out to be an illusion.

I entered the gates of a great castle, its courtyard was huge and the structure itself larger than any I had ever seen before. I was awed by it. I cam upon another person looking to join and she greeted me in a warm and friendly fashion. Judging from her attire, she seemed to be a fighter of some kind and she introduced herself as Roberta. She had a nice pretty smile but I caught the way she watched my every move without even realizing it and I knew her to be a predator, someone not to be messed with.

It was not long after that we were greeted by two other recruits looking to be rangers as well. Cal and Kakashi I believe were the names they used to introduce themselves with. But at this point things began happening so quickly that I may have been mistaken. Before I could properly introduce myself to them, a man in a full suit of armor came up to us and introduced himself as Captain McBaine.

The Captain was a serious man. He expected discipline and this was evident from the start by the way that he told us recruits what to do rather than asked us. His tone and demeanor brooked no argument and none was given. He was a stolid man and his physical appearance was that of a person who had seen many years of battle. He was confident and firm, yet at the same time there seemed to be a deep underlying of sense of understanding that slipped through the cracks of his emotional armor. I knew instantly that this was not some hothead who enjoyed controlling others but rather a man to be respected.

Our initial training was a simple task, clean the stalls. Everyone who had come to join partook in this and there seemed to be another 2 or 3 recruits by this time. Being that the tools were heavy and the bales of hay that needed moving even heavier, I did most of it by hand. By the time it was over I was tired and sore. My muscled ached but it was a good ache, the kind that seemed to leave you stronger than before and I knew then why he had done this.

Once this had been done, he had us line up in the courtyard. Those with weapons were led away and shown where they might practice. I myself had none and indicated this to him. He soon had his craftsman give me some armor and weapons that they had laying around, after which I was lead to the same grounds as the rest of the recruits.

We took up places in front of the archery buttes and fired our weapons at them. Most of us couldn’t even hit the target at first but some were already seasoned veterans. I was still trying to place the arrow to string without hurting myself for the most part but eventually figured it out. One recruit accidentally, I hope, landed an arrow into a nearby horse, killing it. No punishment was handed out that I know of and so assume that it was treated as an accident. What happened next though made me wonder.

Following our practice session we headed into the barracks. The Captain left us there to become acquainted with one another and left to find the tailor. For the most part we exchanged names and pleasantries. However it wasn’t to long afterwards that one of the recruits, I am unsure as to exactly who it was, took aim on a dog that happened to be there and fired his arrow at it, killing it instantly. I was naturally outraged. An innocent creature had just been murdered and I was helpless to do anything about it. I spoke my mind and then bent down to cover the dead animal with my doublet.

When the captain returned shortly after, he simply removed the dead animal and continued with business. I believe he made a mental note of this but since he wasn’t there when it happened, could do nothing about it. Besides he had more important issues to deal with I believe.

It was then he informed us that a tailor would be arriving to take our measurements for our new uniforms and proceeded with his welcome speech while we waited. A few moments later the tailor arrived and began to take our measurements. The surprising thing was that we needed to undress for him to do this properly and he insisted we do it there in front of everyone. He said something about time restraints and would we please hurry up. The tailor was a bit of an uppity type character and he seemed rather full of himself in my opinion but then I try hard not to judge people.

When it came to my turn I was rather embarrassed, especially with a woman in the room. But she had the decency at least to have her back to us while this took place. Still I tried my best to hide myself with my hat as he took the measurements. When it came time for the lady to go I returned the favor by rising from my chair and standing with face to wall. I noted however that the other men were not so decent in their actions. Some were even calling for her clothes to come off! She did what I felt was the proper thing to do. She refused to strip and the tailor in a bit of a huff continued with her clothing on and did the best he could.

With this out of the way we sat back and relaxed a bit but it wasn’t long before we were called on to perform our first task. The sewers it seemed were teeming with rats and mice and we needed to clear it out. It was not a grandiose task to be sure but it was a good practice exercise, especially considering that some of the rats could grow to be the size of a small dog.

We tried marching in line on the way there but failed miserably. Fortunately there were not many around to see our amateur attempts. Upon arriving at the sewers, one recruit took it upon himself to race ahead of the rest of us into the sewers. The captain just waited and he finally reemerged, joining the rest of us as we descended the ladders to the sewers below.

Once we were in the sewers we killed rats and mice alike. The place seemed to be infested with them and I could understand why we needed to exterminate them. However as we got deeper into the sewers, one recruit found an unusual path and decided to follow it. A bridge it seemed was some ten or so feet above another pathway. He jumped down to this pathway and continued to run ahead. It crossed my mind that, right or wrong, I should follow. I knew that if something were to go wrong then he would need help. The others quickly followed and soon we were all running down the narrow pathways with nothing in sight. At the end of one tunnel however a giant bug resembling a beetle, or so it seemed, appeared out of nowhere. We engaged the creature but it soon became apparent that we were not prepared for the ferociousness of this monster and so beat a hasty retreat.

Escaping, just, we followed a different path back and soon encountered a new set of problems. Upon catching up to the rest of the unit I noticed that they were engaged in fierce combat with a multitude of lizard like humanoids. Roberta was in the lead with one or two others but only she had the armor required to properly face these creature and a few of the recruits were severely wounded trying. Finally we managed to beat them off and win the battle. Captain McBaine is apparently an excellent healer and soon had the recruits back in shape.

We turned a few more corners and ended up facing more of these lizardmen (for lack of a better word). The Captain was insistent that we find the source of the creatures entrance into the tunnels and so we did. Battle after battle we clawed our way through until we reached a tunnel with a gate that has been forced open. More lizardmen were coming through and we had to fight them back before the Captain could close the gate and lock it again.

Wounded but proud of our efforts we headed back to the barracks to rest, drink and relax. A few off the recruits were just beginning to blow the froth off their bitter ale when a call came in about a disturbance at the local bar. We were ordered to check it out and stop whoever was causing this.

When we arrived, two of us were ordered to remain outside while the rest quickly ran into the bar and tried to subdue him. A violent eruption took place that could be heard from my post outside. Suddenly the door flew open and a pirate ran past us so fast we barely had time to react. We were after him immediately however, followed very closely by the rest of the recruits.

The pirates attempt to escape took us through the streets of this still unfamiliar town and around the bank. Finally one of the recruits dived into him, knocking him to the ground and we were on him in a flash. The ironic thing is that when this happened, it was right in front of the guillotine. Many citizens then gathered to watch the spectacle and to learn what was taking place.

We circled the pirate to block any attempt at escape. The captain wanted to question him. I get the feeling that the captain knew more than he was telling but said nothing. Through it all the pirate insulted and attacked the captain but we finally subdued the pirate enough to find out that his name was Ray Soots. Wit ha little more persuasion he admitted that he had been the one who turned the infamous pirate Bartholomew LeGrant into the authorities. He continued by telling us that Bartholomew LeGrant was once again free and seeking revenge against him for his involvement in the arrest.

The public, having seen the spectacle and violence of this pirate and after hearing rumor of a barmaid being severely injured by him in the scuffle called for his beheading. The captain decided instead to place him under arrest. He had us drag him to the jail cell in shackles. Once there he was chained to the wall and the doors were locked. The public was still furious and had to be asked to leave on more than one occasion.

We then headed back to the barracks for a well deserved rest. Before this was possible though the captain had more news for us, the tailor had finished his work and our uniforms were ready. Taking the uniforms the captain gave us another speech in which he told us that, though we were still rough, he was proud of the work we had done that day.

The group then broke up and went off to do their own thing and I soon fell quickly to sleep. For a first day, it had been quite an eventful one. I can only wonder what lies in store for us in the future. Today is a new day though and the dawn is breaking. I think I’ll put down my pen now and go see what is happening.

Journal Day 2 – Disappearance


I rushed in to find an old retired admiral in our barracks. He was telling everyone that the captain was missing or so it seemed. I only managed to catch the end of the story, something about the captain missing and the instructions to meet the Admiral at the docks. As soon as he left, everyone was rushing in every direction, grabbing gear and arms and preparing to leave. I did the same and followed the others.

We hurried through the town, past the bank and the butchers until we arrived at the docks. Since we were unsure of exactly where the boat was we had to search a few ships but soon came across the Admiral. This was to be my first time aboard a ship and the first time for a few others, as I was soon to find out.

Not far out to sea the ship started to heave and sway and many a ranger became seasick from the waves. As time passed, stomachs settled and the rocking became a familiar sensation. A large but friendly looking fish seemed to have joined us on our journey and many of us took this to indicate good fortune but our fortune it seemed soon had something in mind.

With almost no warning the boat was set upon. Long snakelike creatures with spikes upon their backs began attacking the boat. Some of them were almost the same length as the ship itself. The rangers, brave to the last, fought these creatures with no quarter given. I adopted the tactic of placing as much of the ship as I could between myself and the creatures while at the same time using my bow to bring them down. The move seemed to work as I was not even scratched during the battle but was able to land quite a few blows at the same time. Though the battle was fierce, it was not long before the creatures were either killed or driven away and our journey continued.

Many uneventful hours later I began discussing with Roberta the idea of music and how it would help to pass the time. She heartily agreed and we pledged to one another to take up and instrument once we returned and practice. Odd but I do believe the sun does shine a little brighter when she smiles. *The ink seems to drift across the paper a bit at this point as though the person writing had lost focus.*

After passing through a narrow stretch between two shores and traveling some more open seas, we came to an island. The sail master brought the boat alongside the shoreline and we quickly disembarked. We had no idea what to look for or what to expect but we were all filled with the anticipation of what lay ahead and the knowledge that, very likely, our captain was being held captive somewhere on this island.

Almost immediately we came across a soul, a man barely able to walk, a prisoner of sorts. Though we had come for the captain, we were not about to leave this man behind and he was escorted back to the ship.

We hadn’t traveled far after this when we were greeted by a dark, ominous, almost spectral like figure. He warned us to turn back, to leave, claiming that this was his island and that he would broach no intruders upon it. Though an attempt was made to try and reason with him he soon disappeared, his message the same. We were however NOT about to turn back.

Foliage thick and overgrown soon greeted us and it was easy to loose one another in this thick vegetation. A few of the rangers obviously felt as though they were indestructible and ventured quickly out on their own. The group was separated now, and although this may have covered the ground quicker, it also left us more vulnerable to attack. As if that thought were a trigger, we were attacked.

Men dressed in an almost tribal way seemed to materialize from the trees and attack. Fortunately for us, the numbers were not overwhelming and we were able to hold our own. It was after this that we came across our second prisoner. It was not the captain but an unfortunate soul nonetheless and he was taken back to the ship as well.

As we searched, we discovered more native warriors and prisoners alike. The going was rough but we fought our way through and continued on. Then a cry rang out, “Over here” and we all rushed towards the sound of that cry. A small hut in the woods had been erected and tied up inside was the captain.

At first he seemed unresponsive, almost dead but with some coaxing the captains senses slowly began to return. It as obvious though that he was groggy and unaware of his surroundings. At this point a noise made us all turn around. Once again our shadowy friend appeared and once again he warned us to do that which we had no intention of doing. When he had finally gone and order had been restored, the troop roused the captain to the point where he became cognizant of his surroundings. Realizing him to be safe and in good hands, I took a moment myself to admire the exotic wildlife that roamed this island and quickly tried to see if one of the native birds would be influenced to join me for a promise of some food. But such was not the case and before I could continue trying the group was preparing to leave and return to the ship. One member spotted some chests nearby and these were collected and brought with us for further investigation upon our return.

We got the captain back safely and made one more sweep of the island, rescuing yet another prisoner by doing so. Upon reaching the boat for the final time, it was noticed that the admiral had vanished. We prepared ourselves to go looking for him, thinking that maybe the dark cloaked figure had abducted him somehow but the captain, being somewhat more lucid by now, stopped us. He explained that someone saw him with a particular device and that this device was a teleportation device of some kind. It seems that the Admiral, once assured of the captains’ safety, had used this device to return to his home. Being that he was old and not of great constitution we understood and set sail for home.

One of the other rangers, Kakashi, Hawk or Cal, (I’m not sure which) took control of the boat and sailed us back across the open waters. Instead of making port in Britain however the boat came to port in a city known as Trinsic. We got off the boat and the captain, seeming much stronger by now had us line up while he congratulated us and scolded us at the same time. He then told us that we’d have to march across land to Britain and that Roberta knew the way. He on the other hand, being that he was not totally recovered, had other means of returning to the barracks but assured us that we would be safe so long as we followed Roberta and did not stray.

We traveled through Trinsic and left by a gate on the far side of town. We followed the wall for a while and then cut through the woods. Roberta explained that the roads were unsafe and controlled by strange creatures of great power. It was not long however before we once more joined up with the road. We followed this road all the way back to Britain with only one frightening encounter to speak of.

About half way from Trinsic to Britain we came upon these great trees that seemed to have been twisted in a grotesque manner. Flames shot from the branches and Roberta seemed to falter, almost going down but struggled to continue. Another burst and another of the rangers also cried out in agony. We knew though that we could not stop and quickly move out of range. Bandages were applied to the wounds along with the salves and such that would heal a person in an almost miraculous fashion. This reduced the pain and damage that the victims had to endure and allowed us to keep moving.

Upon reaching the barracks, we all rested, ate and drank and celebrated the fact that we were still alive. Roberta and I snuck out for a few minutes, taking a secret passage she had discovered and headed quickly into town to purchase an instrument. Once we arrived though she seemed rather agitated and in a hurry to return, and so I purchased two instruments, a lute and a harp, and we ran back to the barracks through the same passage that we used to make our escape.

The captain had shown up since we had left and was giving us a speech about courage and fulfilling our roles as members of the 1st order. Since we had come down from the roof, nothing was said about our entrance. I quietly snuck one of the instruments to Roberta and we sat back quietly after that. The chests were then brought in and the captain explained that these were an important find. He did not volunteer more information than this but seemed genuinely pleased that we had recovered the chests as well.

Afterwards we were allowed to relax and/or train if we liked. I practiced my archery until the arrows I had on me were exhausted at which point I went up to the roof to practice some more. Many of the soldiers had gone to sleep by this point but I had still too much nervous energy that I needed to work out before I could relax.

Upon reaching the roof however I became even more nervous, though in a different way. It was an odd sensation really, but upon arriving I noticed that Roberta was still there, training with the practice dummies. I can’t remember much of what was said afterwards which is perhaps for the best as I remember rather clumsily punching at and kicking a dummy in order to hide my embarrassment at some of the comments that were made and to dull the image of that attractive smirk Roberta had when she noticed my unease. She seemed to have a way of letting you know that she had noticed without saying a word. *It looks as though someone had begun scratching out this paragraph as if half way through they changed their minds about writing this down*

My nervous energy hadn’t dissipated however but rather was changed and in a way seemed almost more intense than before. It was then that I decided to head out into the courtyard and see what animals might be around. I soon became friends with many of the local dogs and cats, a rabbit and even found a horse which I tamed and returned to the stables. These animals, as usual, made me feel more at peace with myself than anything else in the world ever could. My first love will always be the animals of this world but I find that since I’ve joined the 1st order, I have begun to find my second true love. I only hope that I might one day prove myself worthy. I am exhausted now and must put this down and get some sleep. I wonder what tomorrow holds….

++++++++++++++++

Many years have passed since then...

[thebigcheese]

Journal Day 3!!!

[Ravenclaw]

Laughs.. I'm glad you appreciated it. This was based off of some UO Roleplaying adventures I had a while back and is where my Ravenclaw character started... Any new Journal Entries will need to be written based on adventures I have here, *grins*, but I'll keep it in mind.

Thanks for the feedback.