Aranthor

Adderfoot village was a small place nestled in the Wyvern foothills of the Craven Mountains and was a friendly place to live. It had a farm at each corner and a tavern overlooking the village square. Dotted around the edge of the square was a blacksmith, a village store, carpenters and a village hall. By daytime there was also a market on the square consisting of a fish stall selling fish from the local rivers and the sea four days walk, east of Adderfoot, a bookstall selling books, scrolls and maps, a fabric merchant and a meat stand full of Deer, Pheasant, rabbit, wild boar and other local finds. Tucked right in one corner of the square was a candle maker named Bagol, an interesting and well liked man with a welcoming face.

To the east of Adderfoot was a path to the Saltvale seas and to the north less than two days walk was the Great Gap, a chasm wider than the village and deeper than the Oceans. There were three rickety wooden bridges spanning the chasm and each was guarded by four of the Kings High guard, one bridge was to the far east side of Aranthor half a day's walk to the Saltvale Seas, one was to the far west of Aranthor half a day's walk from the Cliffs of Kane and the final bridge was directly north of Adderfoot village.

It was a cool, crisp, autumn evening and dusk was settling over the village. Mother's were shunning their young children inside for bed, men a few flaggings deep slouched outside the Boars Head tavern singing at passers by with a joyful slur and wandering through the uneven, cobbled streets lighting the street lanterns for the evening was Brother Seymoor of the Enlightened Brothers Chapel which sat proudly to the North overlooking the village with a certain smugness.

Xanther and his wife Esmee ran the Golden Oak farm to the south west of the village and worked into the early evening most days looking after it and their five children. Their youngest children were Ben and Beth, twin toddlers that were well natured and full of mischief. They had a son, Reevok, who was in his twelth year, hard working, short and stocky with long flowing dark hair that sat on his shoulders. His sister was a pretty girl and only one year older, Emily had a kind face and the long blond hair of her mother that danced down her back, covering most of her slender frame. Their eldest son was perhaps the most interesting with a fine mix of his mother's and fathers looks and characteristics. He was tall and slim like his mother but with his father's dark complexion and deep, brown eyes . He worked as hard as any man but dreamt of adventure and leaving the village for bigger things.

This evening sat on a rocky outcrop, a few hundred yards up the side of the Wyvern foothills, swinging his legs back and forth in the freedom of the evening air was Draylus. He was sixteen years old and found himself often in the same spot in the evenings accompanied only by his loyal hound Laska who had been gifted to him as a coming of age present by his parents when he turned thirteen and had been glued to his side ever since.

Draylus had been sat in his spot for what felt like an age and the evening sky had turned to an unwelcoming black of night, Draylus made his way down from his outcrop to the beaten track and then down towards home, starting off with a slow trot he sped up to a tiresome run until he passed the sign for Golden Oak Farm. He trudged up to the house and opened the heavy oak door with a hesitant creak. He snuck past his mother and father who had fallen asleep on their chairs in front of the crackling fire which was beginning to give up the fight and die down to embers. He laid down at the far side of the fireplace so as to get the last warmth of the fires breath and wrapped himself under his fur hide and snuggled down for the night next to Laska. His eyes became heavy and he dozed off into a deep sleep.

The following morning Draylus woke to find himself in an empty room with the door ajar letting in the morning light. He could hear mumblings of a conversation just outside so he clambered to his feet, wiped the sleep from his eyes and stretched with an ironic yawn. He stumbled forward and creaked the heavy Oak door open further before stepping onto the porch and into a pool of morning sunshine. The voices were his mother and a neighbour chatting a couple of hundred yards away while his youngest siblings ran around her feet. His mother spotted him appearing out of the building and shouted softly over to him stating his father was in the field and had been working hard since sunrise with his younger brother, Reevok. He grabbed his water pouch and with a spritely jog headed out past Emily who was just returning with two buckets of water from one of the village wells and carried on jogging to the field with Laska hot on his heals. As he ran down the lane, he turned the first couple of corners jumping out of the way of the odd villager dotted about collecting berries from the bushes which lined the lanes and before taking a momentary pause to catch his breath he jumped up and over a rickety wooden style and into one of the families fields. Draylus headed up the left side of the field swinging his arms as he walked and as he got to the brow of the hill he looked to the right to see his father, brother and their farmhand, Giles digging up the land and planting fresh seed. Giles noticed Draylus first and offered him a half smile, then his father Xanther and his brother Reevok both looked up, squinting and holding a hand up each to their foreheads to block out the sun. Xanther looked Draylus up and down with a stern look on his face, 'you finally made it then' he quipped.

Draylus apologized for being late and after a few seconds of trying to hold his stern look his father cracked a large smile and chuckled loudly, which made the other three join in.

Hours and hours went by with all four working in the hot afternoon sun, streams of sweat flowing down their backs , row after row of seed planted until they were all exhausted and out of water. Xanther stood on the ridge of the final furrow with his hands pressed into his hips. 'Stop, the day is tired and the evening is eager to take charge', he said with a satisfied tone in his voice. 'Gather the tools, water pouches and left over seed, this evening we all celebrate the end of planting with a flagging at the Boars Head. The other three smiled in agreeance, Reevok had never tasted ale before and had often wondered what it was like as he had heard men in the village referring to it as the sweet nectar of the Gods.

Xanther, Draylus, Reevok and Giles arrived at the Boars Head with Laska striding alongside them. A number of men greeted them with cheers and smiles, Xanther especially, as he was held in very high regard by the village folk although Draylus and Reevok were always unsure why.

The night had started exactly as it carried on with laughs, smiles, slurring and singing. Men were waving their flaggings of Ale and Mead around while joining in a chorus of ancient tunes, swilling passers by. Xanther who had been singing with a few of the other men sat down at a table where Giles had been with Reevok who was slumped, head in hands on the table, snoring loudly and Draylus, Laska curled up at his feet, had been had been trying to talk to Inot, the daughter of the Blacksmith and someone he had grown very fond of over the years but the ale was getting the better of his ability to do so.

Xanther whispered to Giles who in turn stood up and with a heave plucked Reevok from his position and threw him over his shoulder before striding towards the door of the tavern. Xanther turned his head towards Draylus and with a tipsy grin he mumbled ' Come on my boy, time to get home before I'm scolded by your mother' then burst out into another laugh. Draylus chuckled back at his father but did as he was told and got to his feet, whistled at Laska to follow him and they all spritely made off to catch up with Giles.

They all got back to the farm and Xanther took Reevok from Giles. Giles nodded a goodnight to Xanther and Draylus before he headed to his own farm building which was across the forecourt from the main farm. He loved the family he worked for but also valued his privacy. Xanther entered the farmhouse and walked to the back corner where he softly laid Reevok on the floor and covered him with his fur causing him to stir slightly before falling back into a deep sleep. Draylus had made his way to the same side and snuggled down with Laska in his arms for extra comfort and warmth and then Xanther himself headed back over to where his wife was laid near to the fireplace and cuddled up next to her causing her to smile and pull him closer, all without opening her eyes.

The hour was late when a sudden scream pierced through the quiet and erupted through the darkness. Draylus flicked his eyes open with an urgency he had never felt before. Had he dreamt the scream, he wondered but as he cleared he eyes and looked around he could see the silhouettes of Giles and his father moving about in the darkness and as they raised their fingers to their lips they murmured to him to stay quiet. His mother had got Ben and Beth up and gagged them both with sheets of fabric tied round their mouths so the toddlers couldn't make noise. Reevok came into the main room from the back where his father had sent him to get essentials prior to Draylus waking up. Xanther then woke up Emily who until now hadn't stirred through everything and again told her to remain silent. All of them could seen a bright orange light emitting through the window and could hear the sound of pain being inflicted far away in the direction of the village.

Xanther explained to them all in the quiet and the dark that they must move swiftly and that he would take the lead and Giles would take the rear.

As Giles opened the door everyone saw the horror in front of them. Village buildings were on fire in the distance, flames licking high into the night sky painting a terrifying picture, men on horseback were attacking and slashing at helpless villagers as they ran in all directions, screaming and crying.

After a moment to absorb what was now burnt into their sights, Esmee, Xanther and Giles urged the children towards the tree line behind the farm. The tree line was only slight but would help them hide until the morning sun. Keeping low and light on their feet they ran across the gap and jumped into the undergrowth below the trees. Xanther and Giles covered the rest of the family in leaves and soil before covering themselves. Keeping steady and still in the darkness all the children fell asleep one by one as did Esmee. Giles and Xanther kept watch over the family as they slept.

As the morning light hit the tree line Xanther woke his family. He told them all the horde appeared to have left the village as the screaming had stopped and he couldn't see anyone on horseback anymore, nor had he for some time. At that moment Giles appeared back next to Xanther. Giles explained to Xanther that he had crept to the outskirt of the village as requested and could only see a few men left on the far side of the village in the distance. Xanther told the family to remain quiet but follow him as there was a secret room in the cellar of the Boars Head they must get to before they could leave and again with Giles at the rear they did so but this time they headed towards the village.

As they got closer to Adderfoot Village they could see the results of the carnage it had been victim to the night before. Where there had previously been homes and shops there were now just the burnt out carcasses of buildings. Bodies strewn the ground covered in wounds with blood and dirt combining as one.

They crept forward past the outer houses and towards the Boars Head Tavern, Giles checking over his shoulder every so often to make sure they weren't being followed at all. Eventually they made it to the tavern and with hesitation the family snuck in through the door and past the body of Bella, the barmaid that had served them the night before. Giles could see the tears in the eyes of Draylus and knew he had grown up being friends with Bella. He patted him comfortingly on his back. Following Xanther, one by one they all headed behind the bar and into the back. Giles pulled back an old dusty rug and lifted the heavy, solid hatch to the cellar stairs which had been hidden during the attack.

Xanther and the family headed down into the darkness below and round a corner to the left. Giles lit a wooden torch to bring some light to the room they now found themselves in. At the far end of the room was another door which they all walked towards and Xanther opened it with a proud swing. He took the torch off Giles, walked into the room and lit two further torches hanging by metal brackets high up on each wall. Xanther came back to the door and shared a smiling glance with Giles before beckoning everyone in and shutting the door behind them.

Gazing round the room Draylus' jaw hit the floor in amazement. There were shelves in front of them from floor to ceiling with all manor of weaponry, from sword to axe, throwing knives to bows and Lance to mace. Stacked up on the opposite side of the room were shields and armour in varying styles. There was a sudden thud on the door. Everyone froze to the spot as Giles and Xanther took a sword each and ran at the door. Before they had time to reach the door it swung open. They ran at the doorway snarling and stopped suddenly. Their snarls changed to cheers when they realized it was their friend Bagol that stood before them. Bagol took a step forward into the room and slumped to the floor before being helped up by Xanther and Giles onto a small, wonky wooden bench. He took a breath before steadily starting to explain to everyone the horde was about two hundred strong and had used the blanket of night to attack the village. He went on to say the men were all tall, strong men and were clearly well trained warriors.

Bagol turned his attention to Xanther and Giles and continued at a more hurried pace flinging his words forth with an increased urgency, 'We must head to the south through Himney Vale and on all the way to the King at Elland to warn him of Saduks return'

The room went silent once more, Xanther and Giles were no longer smiling as Xanther stammered, 'It cant be, it cant be him, how do you know?'.

'Their shields bared his Emerald Thorn', Bagol sighed back.

Esmee had heard enough and pulled the youngest two in close. She instructed Emily and Reevok to start gathering food from the shelves and a map. She, herself went to fill the water pouches and each man gathered weaponry of their choosing.

Everyone gathered their things and made their way cautiously back upstairs. Bagol opened the door of the tavern with a scrape and looked around. The village had an eerie silence about it with smoke still rising above it from the burning mess of bodies, belongings and buildings. The party started to head to the south of the village. When they got to the final line of houses they could see across a field towards the forest path through Himney Vale.

All of the party started to move across the field with trepidation but as they cleared the line of houses and came out into the open they heard a commanding shout from behind them, they all turned instantly to see a small number around twelve or so of the men on horseback facing them, one a stride or so in front of the others and clearly the leader.

The leader of the horsemen sat on a proud and muscular, striking black horse. He slowly raised his hefty sword high in the air and with a certain authority swiped downwards shouting, 'KILL THEM ALL', LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE'.

With that the other horsemen clicked their heals against their horses and shrieking charged forward.

'Run', yelled Xanther and with that they turned tail and fled as fast as they could. As they ran across the open ground towards the forest trail Esmee picked up Beth. The horsemen were gaining on them. Esmee suddenly realised Ben had dropped behind and turned back just in time to see a horseman hurtle a heavy wooden handled axe through the air and it splitting straight into Bens back. Esmee screamed and watched as Ben dropped to the his knees and then forward onto his face. Esmee was spun back round by Giles who shouted, 'Its too late, Ben is dead, you must run'. They ran together, Giles taking Beth from Esmee so she could keep up. They all reached the tree line and carried on forward.

The party, one down already, were growing more and more tired by the ground they had covered and the horsemen were galloping at an incredible pace, gaining on them with every thundering movement. The gap was shrinking and the roar of the horsemen getting louder and louder.

'Keep going, keep running', ordered Xanther. It was a futile command, they were already running and fighting for every step and losing inch after inch. The horsemen were right upon them, then suddenly twang after twang after twang followed by just as many thuds.

The galloping had stopped, the roaring had stopped, the chase had stopped. Xanther shouted and they all brought themselves to a halt. Turning round hesitantly they saw every single horseman on the floor, dead, with an arrow to their chest. The arrows were golden and perfectly straight with blue feathered ends. Xanther knew instantly who had saved their skin but also knew they must all be in grave danger...