Prologue
Aaaannnd, done. Time to enter and join everyone else.
In a moderately small town, big enough for stores and a public square that could be called bustling during the midday, a young man walked down the main street. It was getting on toward evening as he walked, he admired the buildings around him, noting the detail of the work that created them. Eventually, he came to the one of the town’s inns and confirmed that it was the one that he was looking for. He ran his hand through his long black hair, ensuring that all strands were in place and then adjusted the green and blue robes that he wore. He double checked the satchel at his side to make sure that he still had all of his items before opening the door and heading inside.
It was darker inside than out and it took a couple of moments for his eyes to adjust. He noted the usual group of sour faced men, with their own collection of scars and patches. He simply smiled and walked towards the furthest corner of the inn’s common room, with a self assured air that indicated that he had no concern about anything bad happening to him. At the far corner, he approached a young woman, who was busy juggling a knife from hand to hand.
“Why, hello there, Bumbles,” he greeted her, “I see that you’re keeping with your bee theme with the yellow and black.”
She smiled up at him and responded, “Yeah, I kind of wanted to make it easy, Parrin. Besides, I like bees.”
“Oh, ho ho! How do you know it’s really Parrin and not Critter, perhaps?”
“Easy. Your character looks like you.” She juggled the knife again. “Besides, your name is right above your head. Hard to miss.”
“Oh, yeah. That.” Parrin sat down at the table and waved at the waitress. “So, are you playing a thief?”
“Rogue, yeah. I can be a thief or assassin, whichever I like. Haven’t really decided yet. Are you the healer?” “Oh, ho, no. I’m the arcanist! I’m going to blow things up!”
“Yeah, they can be Magus or Summoners.”
“Kind of a dumb name for the class, anyway.” Parrin frowned briefly and looked around the room. “Who else was going to show up?”
“Jordan and Mal said they would join us. They’re probably going through options, or the tutorial.”
About this time, the door opened again and a burly warrior walked inside. Rippling muscles flexed all over his body, easily visible through the trousers that would be loose on anyone else. He quickly made his way over to the table and greeted the pair already there, “Hey guys! What’s up? You both look great!”
“You too, Jordan,” they both complimented him on his character.
“So, are we ready to start?” asked Jordan.
“Just waiting on Mal,” Bumbles replied, “I wonder what class he’s going to be. You’re clearly decided to be the Fighter.”
“Yep, got a backstory and everything.”
“Very cool, can’t wait to hear it,” said Parrin. “Let’s have something to eat while we wait on Mal.”
“You’re not very observant, I see. I had thought better of all of you,” came a voice from a shadowy corner. There was a clink of metal as a heavily armored older man leaned forward, smiling through his white beard.
“Wow, Mal,” exclaimed Bumbles, “Cool scar over the eye! I didn’t get that option.”
Mal chuckled briefly before stating, “I don’t think female characters get the option. Gotta keep the girls pretty, I guess.”
“So, are we ready to go then?”
The group agreed and stood up to leave. Bumbles, the Rogue. Parrin, the Arcanist. Jordan, the Fighter. Mal, the Paladin. This is the beginning of their adventures in The Desolation of Catalan.
