Lightstar Family/Xarnelf/Roleplay 18

Memories in Idapur

As he walked through the gates into the fortress of Idapur, Xarnelf smiled, breathing in the familiar sights and sounds. He handed a pouch of gold to his captain and told him to see to the men, visiting the smithy for any more necessary repairs or recruiting additional men as he saw fit. As for himself, the young knight had decided to pay a visit to the Endless Mug.

Xarnelf and his Farsighters had only stopped in Nahad long enough for him to visit the city's bank and order some needed repairs to his men's equipment. Now though, he could finally take a relaxing break, however short it would be, with hot food and cold drink at that wonderful tavern, which Sir Igna the Drake had initially recommended to him when he first walked through the city streets.

The young noble could not help but grin at the thought of that memorable first encounter, during which the seven-foot-tall giant of a man upended, in the blink of an eye, an unsuspecting Count Xahtorb right into a barrel full of water as they passed each other in the street.

Xarnelf's path to the Endless Mug took him towards the magnificent temple; as the structure's great steps came into view, he paused for a moment, rubbing absently at his forehead as he recalled that chilly, summer morning when a mad riot almost broke out at the base of the temple. He still had no idea why the citizens were acting so wild.

Sighing softly, the young knight continued on his way with a distant gaze. Not paying complete attention to his surroundings, he bumped into a passing, well-built man with a full beard on his face. Stopping short with the intent of offering his apologies, Xarnelf turned his head back to speak, but the other man just kept on walking. Suddenly, the man's physical appearance triggered his memories, and his mind raced, making connections.

Furrowing his brows in mild consternation, Xarnelf started to wonder if the occurrence at the temple that day was in any way related to his encounter with the angry, irrational peasants, which happened just several days later on the road from Nahad to Larmebsi. He well recalled the large, bearded villager who screamed a passage at him from a religious book, justifying his demands for the return of their unfairly taxed gold. Oh, what was it...the Book of Praises? No..that did not sound right. The Book of...Premises? No, that was not it either. Hm..Pr..Pro...Promises? Yes, that was it, the Book of Promises! Did not the Lady Arella give a speech on the subject of her researchers having found an ancient artifact left behind by the blessed Aenil?

Xarnelf figured that there must be a hidden significance to these peculiar events. Before he was able to ruminate more on the matter though, his stomach growled fiercely, which brought his mind abruptly back to the present. Shaking his head to clear away the complicated and puzzling thoughts swimming around in there, the young knight set off once more to his destination.

These matters with possible religious ramifications were neither his business nor his concern. He was just a simple troop leader intent on serving his realm to the best of his abilities, with simple hopes of gaining fame and fortune, honor and prestige, in the process. Xarnelf smiled again as the Endless Mug came into sight.