Maulem

“Long time friend. Sit, have a drink on me. Rushleel! An ale for my friend here!”

When Rushleel delivers the drink, the farmer continues.

“So, you’ve come to hear about how I came to these parts? Well, there’s not much of a story, but I’ll tell what I can remember.”

“My home you ask? The last I remember of it was looking back upon it as I followed the Exodus west. My mother, ill tho she was, managed to stand in the doorway and wave farewell to me. Twas the last I saw of her frail form.”

“My father? Ma told me that he was a Gorbesh commander who had come through on his way to the Crossing. The Gorbesh smashed our tiny village that day, killing the men and, well, you know how the Gorbesh treated women. Out of that dismal day came me. The Gorbesh went on to their eventual defeat in Kermoria, and my mother gave birth to me a few months later.”

“The village was rebuilt. It wasn’t much work as it wasn’t much of a village. Only a handful of poor farm folk gathered together near a joining of rivers within sight of what is now the Great Barrier. I recall my childhood as being mostly happy, and the times that passed were simple.”

“Then Ma took sick. The local healer came and went, citing that there were not much she could do but ease her pain. Ma spent most days in bed after that, and I took over tending the root patch out back.”

“Then, news came of a great exodus of peoples from the east. Rakash, Kaldar, Gnome and even the wild Prydaen all were trekking westward. The runners said that they were heading to the provinces of Kermoria, to hopefully start new lives.”

“Ma called me to her side that day. ‘Maulem,’ she said, ‘I won’t be around much longer. I would like for you to join these folk. Go to Kermoria. Learn a trade other than farming. Perhaps even start a family there.’ I tried to argue with her. I asked her who would tend the tubers and bring in the harvest in the fall? She told me not to worry about the roots, that my future lay before me, to the west.”

“A few days later, the Exodus came through. I had packed my few meager belongings; an iron earring I had made, a horn pipe for smoking, and a tin whistle I used to play on rainy nights to make Ma smile. When those folks came through, I just jumped in beside them and started walking. A Kaldaran family with a daughter my age just happened to be there as I joined, so I walked beside them. I turned to wave to Ma as we reached the top of the hill to the west of the village. I’ll remember that scene all my days.”

“As we walked, the Kaldaran family more or less took me in. The daughter, Kylara, and I became fast friends, and soon more. A month later, we were wed one night when the group broke for nightfall.” The farmer chuckles. “Our wedding feast was rabbit stew and field greens. I know it don’t sound like much, but by her side, it tasted like manna from the heavens.”

“Along th’ way, I managed to pick up the Common language, as well as a bit of number figurin’ from a group of traders who had joined our numbers. They were a good folk, Elven, from the Leth area, and taught both Kylara and me quite a bit about the ways of Kermoria.”

“A month or so after the wedding, we finally reached the western edge of Zoluren. I had been on the trail for fifteen long months, and had never seen much more than small villages on the way. You can imagine what the sight of my first city was like! Crossing, to my mind’s eye then, was a grand spectacle, waiting for us.”

“Kylara was expecting then, so I wasted little time in looking for work on local farms. I would work from sunup to sundown, and then return to the small clearing Kylara and I had staked out, just east of town. We had hardly a copper to our names back then, but we were happy.”

The farmer sighs, takes a long draught of his dark brew, and then continues his tale.

“Then came time for the baby to arrive. I ran home from the field as soon as the midwife’s runner told me the news. I was ecstatic, thinking of all the things I could show my son. I ran in the door to our hovel to discover my worst nightmare.”

“The birth was quite troublesome. Kylara was in great pain. Even though she smiled when I took her hand, I still could see the pain in her eyes and sense that something was not right. The worried look from the midwife as she told me my son was stillborn added to my suspicions.”

“I held her hand, kissing her forehead and speaking comfort to her until she died.”

The farmer blinks a tear away and signals Rushleel for a refill. The barkeep quickly brings over a fresh dark beer, taking the empty glass back with him.

“After that, I couldn’t bring myself to sit alone in the small hut she and I had built. I remembered the traders we’d met along the road, so I decided to up and move to Leth to see if I could find some solace. Once there, the traders I’d met introduced me to an old Elf by the name of Twoblades. Master Twoblades took me under his wing and worked me hard. He made me work his small farm plot during the day, and taught me Ilithic and weaponry in the evenings. It was hard work, but it
kept me from thinkin’ about how I’d failed Kylara.”

“Soon, Master Twoblades sent me back to Crossing to work for a friend of his by the name of Morrisey. I worked on Old Man Morrisey’s farm from sunup to sundown. The work was hard, but nothing I wasn’t used to. One day, though, th’ normal routine of hoein’, weedin’ and waterin’ was broken up. A pack of wild hogs came through, ruining the crop and wounding other workers. I heard the commotion, saw a hog take down a young woman, and something inside me just snapped. I grabbed up a hoe and with just a few strokes the hog was dead and the woman saved. I ran on to the next hog, and the next, leaving nothing but dead hogs in my wake. The next thing I knew, there were no more hogs.”

“Needless to say, Old Man Morrisey was quite pleased that I had saved his farm. He had seen my actions and was quite impressed by my ability. ‘Youngun,’ he says to me, ‘I’ve a friend I’d like to introduce you to. Get your things. We’re going into town.”“And that, friend, is how I first met Agonar. He agreed to take me under his wing and train me in the ways of the Barbarian. It was tough, a lot tougher than farming, that’s for sure. In the end, though, I came through Agonar’s initial training and found myself commissioned to rid the Crossing ship yard of rats.”

“Needless to say, after a few months of that, the rat population was a bit smaller, and they all ran from me. So, with the money I made there, I bought a plot of land just east of Riverhaven. It wasn’t much, but enough to raise a few boars on and make my way. Soon after that, I sold that farm and bought another one, this time outside the west gates of Haven. I farmed sheep there for a good while.”

Maulem takes a long draught from his glass before continuing.

“Then came the day I reckoned would never happen again.”

“I was tendin my flock of sheep, when this huge spider came along. I thought to myself, ‘Self, this bug ain’t gonna take yer farm.’ So, I steps up to the spider, intendin to swat it, but instead got swatted myself.”

“Then she walked up, made sure the sheep were safe, and drug my carcass to a cleric. Now, that’s not so uncommon, you say. And I’ll agree. But it’s what happened next that told me she was something special.”

“I was sittin there, recoverin after the cleric had gotten done with me, when here she comes again. She hands me a gem that a stray goblin had dropped and I’d forgotten to pick up. ‘I think this was yours,’ she said to me.”

“It just struck me that she would do something like that. Not many folks would.”

“Anyways, from that day onward, we started working together. She helped me out on the farm, and I got to learn more and more about her. Finally, one nice spring day, I got my gumption up to ask her hand in marriage. And would you believe it, she said yes.”

“We got hitched in a rather small ceremony. Neither one of us are really much on all the frilly stuff, and we had a grand time of it. She’s made me the happiest I’ve been in a good long while. I can only hope I make her just as happy.”

“After joinin with a group of Haven residents for a while, Drex found herself thrust into official work for th’ Lord Baron himself. She started as aide to the Baron’s Ambassador to Ilithi, and I of course followed along behind her.”

“In Shard, I found myself with plenty of time on my hands, as Drex and the Ambassador were all the time in this meeting or that court audience. So, I started spendin’ some time in the local taverns. I started just taking my meals there and enjoying the local music, but soon enough found myself conversin’ with the traders and other customers about different topics.”

“It was on one trip back to Therenborough, for Drex to deliver a report for the Ambassador, that the Lord Baron asked me what I had been doing while my wife was busy. I casually relayed to him some of the information I’d gained from talking with folks in th’ pubs, and it must’ve been good news to him, cause he made me into is un-official spy.”

“I spent a few months at that, talkin’ with folks and reportin’ to th’ Lord Baron. It was good work, and while it didn’t pay much, I at least got to be close to Drex and still had time to do a bit of huntin’.”

The farmer drinks more of his dark beer. He sets the mug back down, his face showing that he’s thinking hard.

“Then came the day we heard that war might be comin’. Folks of all sizes were signin’ up and joinin’ th’ armies. I myself joined under th’ command of an old friend, and soon made my way up to Lieutenant. Trainin’ began quick like, but soon, lots of the folks under me were leavin’ for various reasons, and it became clear ta me that my job as a Lieutenant was really not much needed. So, I took my pension and left th’ army before the war had even started.”

“Not long after, tho, it did start, and how! Thousands of Elves from the north, along with countless hordes of orcs, goblins, ogres and gypsies all came through in the first month, makin their way toward Shard. They took Riverhaven, my home, and Drex and I spent a good deal of time draggin’ th’ dead and helpin’ as we could. Eventually, a vera large group of folks came together, and we managed to shove the last of the invaders off the ends of the pier and into th’ river. Twas a
great day indeed.”

“Since then, it’s been a business of rebuildin’ what was lost, and goin’ back to th’ usual routine of things, while tryin’ to fend off occasional attacks from scattered bands of invaders. Haven’s not been retaken yet, so I reckon we’re doin’ a good job of defendin’ her.”

“The rest of my tale is probably a longer story than you’re willing to listen to, but I will say that along the way, I’ve met a lot of friends and made a few enemies. I’ve bled, shed tears, and died a few times, but with Drex by my side, the favor of Kuniyo, and the help of a few empaths, I’ve made a small name for myself amongst others of the Guild. Although it’s been a hard road, I wouldn’t trade where I am now for any of it. It’s all gone into building me into the man I try
to be today.”

Maulem finishes his dark beer and sets down the glass. “Well, friend, I’ve got to get back to the farm. Even though I’m a Barbarian now, I still enjoy getting my hands dirty every now and again. I hope my tale hasn’t bored you too badly.”

Maulem grins as he rises from his seat. He gives you a firm handshake and then walks out the door into the afternoon light.

Last Revised: 05/28/04