Siege of Avalon Game

We posted a request for fan fiction several months ago in our general discussion forum. The winner to our request is Brian Ronk aka Rithe.

Fan Fiction by Rithe

"Armor"

"Va'Kralek, one of the scouts just told me that at least one dirtman has left their fortress."

Kralek looked up at the warrior. "Ralen, you know what to do if he comes near. Until then, leave me alone for a while."

"Yes, Va'Kralek."

He wondered how this dirtman's house he sat in had not been damaged at all, when everything else around it was almost completely destroyed by fires. Had the Lady just decided to let this building stand, and not let her flames touch it? Was there some sort of magic that had protected it, like that huge tower just a little ways off? Maybe he should have one of the Shamen take a look at it.

The sun shown through the windows, and glinted off the armor he wore. It was not the traditional armor of the Sha'ahoul, but the armor of the dead king that he had killed those many years ago. It had been given to him, and purified in the flames by Sha'Mithras himself. He was weary at first, because it was the dirtman's armor, and not what the Lord and Lady usually permitted. But if it was permitted now by the Lord and Lady, then it was ok. He had actually grown to like it because it protected him so much better than the standard armor of the Sha'ahoul warriors. He had talked to some of the blacksmiths, and even they agreed that the craftsmanship was very good.

He spun the ring in his fingers, and looked at the crown that lay upon the table. It was the crown of that man, a supposed symbol of him being the king. He guessed that the ring was special also. He had not seen any other rings like it in the many years that he had been in this land of the dirtmen. It was the owner of that ring who had given him great honor.

He still remembered that day, the day that Sha'Mithras made him one of the warlords...

As a member of the Green Leapord clan, he had been part of the fighting since the beginning.

When it all began, Va'Kralek was only a warrior. But he was one that got the honor to go on that first raid. Va'Kralek believed that the Lord and Lady were watching over him, because there were many times during the years of battle that he should have died. A sword narrowly missing his head here, and an arrow nicking his shoulder there. But it was this particular battle that caused them to retreat and regroup that really stuck in his mind.

He was with a group of other warriors, all from other clans. They had tracked and hunted down the king and his men....their one goal was to go straight for the king. Sha'Mithras said that whoever killed the dirtman king would be honored. So, they all went for it. The king fought fiercely on his horse, and killed two clan warriors with that great axe of his in one swing. The men protecting the king fought bravely and would give those dirtmen that honor, but they were all killed by the Sha'ahoul clans. By that time, there were only three of them left. The king's horse was stabbed in the chest, but before the horse could fall, the king had killed one more with his axe, and the horse fell upon the last clan member. Now only Va'Kralek and the king remained.

They traded blows, for minutes, but the king was tired, and Va'Kralek could tell. So when the king stumbled, he took the opportunity and killed him.

Va'Kralek managed to get the armor off the king's body and hide it in a bag. If he lived through the day, he would get the bag, and show it to Mithras.

Because of the death of the king, the dirtmen became more fearsome. The Sha'ahoul were driven back to hide in the forests and to escape their wrath and vengeance.

Soon, the dirtmen retreated back, but no one was sure why. The dirtmen believed that they were victorious in the war. But the Sha'ahoul knew differently.

Before they went back to their camps, Kralek returned to the battlefield, and grabbed the bag with the armor, barely making it out alive again due to the archers in the trees. He showed the armor to Mithras, and got promoted to a warlord for his heroic efforts against the dirtmen.

As a reward for his many victories in combat since then, Mithras sent Va'Kralek into guard the Sha'ahoul captive town from further attacks. Just a day ago, the Shamen that had been in charge was killed, as were many others. The rumors say that it was a small army, that there were 3 or 4 men that attacked the town that night, but Kralek thought otherwise. He knew the defenses well enough, and realized that only one man could have gotten through that easily. How he killed so many scouts and hunters, he didn't know though.

Shouts brought him out of his thoughts. He realized that the dirtman had been seen in the area. He put the ring on his finger, grabbed the crown from the table, placing it on his head, and walked to the door. The kings axe rested there, and he picked it up. These dirtmen did not know how to give up. There was no way that they could win this war. The Lord and Lady watched over the Sha'ahoul, and gave them strength to battle them. They could not loose.

Fan Fiction written by Rithe for Siege of Avalon's e-zine.