Wald Colds

[masseste]

Wald Colds

Chapter 1 - Origins

The city of Calimport was dark and cool in the early morning hours. Soon the dawn sun would rise and bake the walls of the run-down apartment buildings, shops, and warehouses of the slum district. Waldemark Ver’Estimine had lived all of his seventeen years on the streets of this city. He was preparing to leave his home and all he had ever known behind. He had nothing to lose and no reason to look back. He delicately held a small wooden figurine in his hand. He had carved many like this one. Always the same, the figurine was the likeness of a five year old girl with long flowing hair. As he sat waiting for the sun to come up over the city walls a tear came involuntarily to his eye. He began to carve the finishing touches on the figurine and his mind drifted back to his childhood…

Wald had been on his own since his tenth year. He was the son of a local commoner named Charise who was barely thirteen years old when she carried him. His mother was a child herself and worked as a barmaid and sometime prostitute. Charise had a daughter when Wald was five years old. His mother was never married. The father’s of her two children were traveling merchants and never a part of their lives. Wald and his sister Marie were raised in tiny apartment and left alone for most of the day and night while their mother was out working and reveling. When she came home she was usually drunk and she beat and abused Wald regularly. He took care of his sister when his mother was away and loved her and protected her. Wald took to the streets at the age of eight to earn what coin he could to buy food for his sister and himself. He would sometimes leave his younger sister alone for a few hours while he did odd jobs for local businesses. One afternoon when Wald was ten years old he returned to the apartment and discovered that his sister was missing. Wald searched for the rest of the afternoon to no avail. When his mother came home later in the day she was distraught. She blamed Wald for his sister’s disappearance and threw him out of the apartment. Wald roamed the streets for a few days and when he returned to the apartment he discovered his mother dead from an apparent suicide. At the age of ten Wald was alone.

Wald lived on the streets and eventually fell in with a local gang of ruffians and cutpurses. Wald was skilled with locks and alarms and was always the “first man in” on any burglary that the gang pulled off. He was a diligent planner as well and did all of the surveillance work for the gang. Wald was very quiet and meticulous and while he was well respected for his skills, he was not a leader, and was content to work alone. Wald was always calm and collected. He earned the reputation of having “ice in his veins” and his fellow gang members nicknamed him “the cold one” or “colds” for short. The leader of the gang was a young half-elf named Tristan. Over the years Tristan became like a father to Wald. He was only five years older than Wald, but Tristan was mature, gregarious, and inspiring. Wald became Tristan’s right hand man. All the while Wald spent much of his free time inquiring about his sister. He learned that there were many cases of young children disappearing in the slums and this usually meant that they were kidnapped and sold into slavery. Wald never found any leads but took some slight comfort from the thought that his sister was probably alive, although as the years past he held out little hope that he would ever see her again. He began carving small figurines in the likeness of his sister. It was his way of keeping her memory alive. It took him a few months to complete each figurine and when he finished one, he would start from scratch on another. He would leave the finished ones behind wherever he was at the time they were done. It was the process of creating them that he cherished, not the finished product itself.

After a few years Tristan’s gang had risen to number over twenty members and came under the scrutiny of the local guild of thieves. Tristan was headstrong and greedy and did not want to pay tribute to the guild. He told Wald that he had worked out a deal with the guild and that they could continue to act independently if they paid their dues. Secretly, Tristan was pocketing the money set aside for the guild and this would prove to be a fatal mistake. In the summer of Wald’s seventeenth year the gang planned a robbery of a local warehouse. As always, Wald conducted the surveillance and formulated the plans. Six members of the gang, including Wald and Tristan, entered the warehouse and made their way to the office within…

Wald was leading the way as always, moving ahead of the rest of the gang, disabling the few traps he ran across as the rest of the gang followed a safe distance behind. As he approached the office he heard a sound in the darkness to his left. He turned and saw the distinct glimmer of steel reflected by the moonlight. Before he could raise his voice the ambush was upon his companions. Wald saw Tristan fall first, a sword cut a long slash in his chest and he fell without a sound. The others were dispatched quickly as well. Wald backed into the merchant’s office; the ambushers had not yet noticed him. He made his way to the door in the office that led to the street. Before opening it he listened for any sound outside. He heard the ambushers yelling “there’s one more! He’s somewhere in the building!” Wald squatted down low and pushed the door open. He heard the whistle of a blade passing over his head and slashed his own dagger in front of him. The man waiting on the other side of the doorstep winced in pain and fell to the ground. Wald ran past him and into the alley, he knew he could not go back to the safe house; they would be waiting for him. He cursed to himself, “Damn you Tristan, you told me you paid them off.” He knew that he was a marked man. The thieves guild would not let him live if they found him.

As Wald sat in an alley near the city gates he felt oddly hopeful. He was about to leave everything and everyone he had ever known, yet he was at peace with his decision. He was through with this city. He was through with the people there, through with his life of crime. He owed the memory of his sister more than this. As he sat he carved the finishing touches on a small wooden figurine. When he was satisfied with his work he stood up, gathered up his pack and made his way to the city gates, sticking to the shadows as he walked down the streets of Calimport for the last time. When Wald reached the gates he placed the figurine on a low wall facing the rising sun. He strode confidently through the gates and into the early morning sunshine…he did not look back…

[masseste]

Chapter 2 - A strange journey

Wald Colds surveyed the bustling marketplace just outside of the window of the locksmith shop where he worked. It had been four years since he had left his home in Calimport. In those four years Wald had travelled from city to city, hiring on as a caravan scout for numerous expeditions. His travels had led him through the heart of Calimshan and into southern Amn. From there he had followed trade routes between various cities and towns in Amn and eventually ended up in Crimmor, the hub for most of the caravan traffic in the area. A few months ago and weary of travelling, Wald took his current job as a locksmith in a shop owned by Fineas Esterrald, a wealthy merchant and sponsor of many of the caravans that Wald had scouted for. Fineas owned several businesses in Crimmor and Wald had earned his trust over the past few years. Wald managed the business and in return he received a modest salary and use of the apartment above the shop. As Wald looked out at the busy streets of his adopted home city he couldn’t help thinking how different it was from the elitist and patriachal society he had known for most of his life. In Calimshan your heritage was the by far the most important factor that determined your place in society. In Amn nobility was still a birthright, but here a commoner could work hard, take risks, and rise to a position of authority and power over time. To Wald’s logical and calculating way of thinking, a man’s own efforts and merits ought to be more important than those of his ancestors. He daydreamed for a few moments until his musings were interrupted by the sound of the shop door opening.

In strode Fineas Esterrald, flanked by his bodyguards. “Hello Wald…how’s business” he said in a matter of fact tone of voice. Wald shrugged and remarked “not bad really, up from last month and the month before that.” Fineas sat down in a chair next to the door and looked around at the obviously disheveled shop. Wald waited patiently for Fineas to continue the conversation; he had found that when talking with Fineas it was better to speak only when spoken to. After a few heartbeats Fineas spoke again, “let’s get down to brass tacks my good man, you are a much better scout than a businessman and I need someone I can trust for a special assignment. What do you say to exchanging your shop apron for a sword and bow?” Wald knew that there was only one answer to a request from Fineas. “Of course milord…what is the assignment and how long will I be gone?” Fineas reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Wald. “Details are on this paper. The assignment is to run some special cargo up the Cloud Peaks pass and across the Uldoon trail to Berdusk. It will probably take you a month or so to get there. Your job is to get the goods to Berdusk, no questions asked and no excuses for failure accepted." Fineas stood up and turned to the door “oh, by the way, you leave in two days, sorry for the short notice, you will receive double the normal caravan captain’s salary, and my eternal gratitude” Fineas winked and left as abruptly as he had entered. Wald took off his apron and looked back out the window. “Well, he thought, I guess this is Tymora’s way of telling me that I need a change of scenery, nothing ventured, nothing gained.” As he turned to lock the shop door he realized he had never heard of Berdusk. Wald laughed to himself; “the lady who smiles” was always full of surprises…

Berdusk “the jewel of the vale” Wald snickered at the nickname for his destination. “There better be jewels in the street to justify this trip” he muttered half to himself. “Don’t worry Wald, it will be worth the trip” remarked Alliandra in her usual joyful tone of voice. Alliandra was a beautiful young half-elf who was responsible for the precious cargo that was the reason for their trip. The job of “caravan captain” that Wald was promised by his boss Fineas was in fact an amusing jest. The caravan consisted of Wald, Alliandra, three horses, and a cart. Wald rode ahead most of the time and Alliandra steered the cart. They were a strange pair, and Wald often wondered why they were travelling alone. Fineas was paying him double his normal fee and, as far as Wald could tell, there was no cargo to speak of. Just he, Alliandra, and their provisions. Alliandra was not exactly forthcoming either. She was polite and cheerful, but secretive about the reason for their journey. She was obviously an important person to Fineas. Fineas told Wald that he believed that the two of them could travel inconspicuously by themselves and that discretion was important for their journey. Wald decided to let fortune run its course and not to ask too many questions. They had passed over the cloud peaks during the height of summer and had not run into any problems until they left Nashkel. Wald was scouting ahead on the Uldoon trail when he noticed some movement off the trail ahead of him. He dismounted and moved into the woods to where he could get a good look at the source of the disturbance. In his years as a caravan scout Wald had learned to move through the countryside with nary a sound and to blend in with his surroundings. He found a good vantage point by climbing a tree and counted seven brigands waiting patiently over a small hill next to the trail. “Alliandra mentioned that we might run into trouble eventually…I guess we better turn back to Nashkel” he thought to himself as he moved stealthily back to where he had left his horse. He rode to Alliandra to deliver the news.

Much to his surprise Alliandra had different plans. “If you saw a few men ahead of us on the trail you can bet there are more behind us…so we best just make our stand here” she said in a matter of fact tone. Wald was shocked, “stand our ground? It’s just me and you kid, I can swing a sword alright, but I know my limitations!” “Don’t worry Wald, I have a few surprises for you…and the ambushers.” Alliandra steered her cart off the road and stepped down to the ground. She took a small wand out of her pack and began to recite some incantations. Wald stood slack jawed as Alliandra prepared her defensive magic. He had seen many magicians in Calimport and even tried to learn a few cantrips himself. He had never suspected that Alliandra, the slight, innocent looking girl he had been travelling with was a wizard. When she had finished with her protective spells she motioned for Wald to move forward. “You go ahead and draw them out, don’t worry about me, I will be right behind you.” Wald hesitated for a moment and did the math in his head. He decided that if Alliandra was right and there were more men behind them on the trail, they had no choice but to fight. He took his bow off his shoulder and readied an arrow. “Tymora be with us now” he whispered and he walked forward on the trail. As he approached the place where the ambushers were waiting he veered off the trail and into the woods. He found a position next to a tree where he had a clear shot at the trail. He bit his lip and then shouted “come get us pigs!” The first brigand to show himself was greeted with an arrow in the eye. The rest of them came over the hill together and Wald missed with his next shot. Before he could loose another shaft he heard Alliandra’s voice behind him. Then his nostrils were filled with the distinct scent of brimstone…and with a bright flash the six men charging him were engulfed in flames…

[masseste]

Chapter 3 - Love, Loss, and Destiny

It had been almost a year since Wald Colds had arrived in Berdusk leading three horses, a cart, and the “precious cargo” that he had been contracted to deliver. Wald had been about halfway to Berdusk on the Uldoon trail when he learned that the “precious cargo” was actually his travelling companion for the trip, a beautiful young half elf mage named Alliandra. They developed a special friendship during their journey together. Wald had grown very fond of Alliandra and after reaching Berdusk he spent as much time with her as he could.

Wald and Alliandra both worked for a mysterious merchant named Fineas Esterrald. Fineas was a native of the city of Berdusk, but his business spanned the entire Western Heartlands region including the trade routes of Amn, north to the Sword Coast, and east through the Greenfields to the Dragon Coast. Fineas was “connected” and was a personal friend of the Lady of Berdusk. Berdusk was a city of many secrets. The city had the reputation of being a bastion of the Harpers and as such, one had to be careful, for the simple shopkeeper or city guard could in fact be an agent for any number of groups both friendly and hostile to the Harpers. Wald suspected that Fineas was a high ranking member of the Harpers and that Alliandra was a Harper agent herself. Alliandra never spoke of this to Wald, it was just a hunch that he had and he never asked her directly. She was a mage of some skill as she had demonstrated in several encounters on their journey, and Wald assumed that she had a good reason for not telling him directly of her allegiances.

Over the past year Wald had spent his time and hard earned money courting Alliandra, carousing late into the night, and taking part in several hunts in the surrounding wilderness. Alliandra took the time to indoctrinate Wald into the worship of the “Lady of Mysteries”. Wald had previously not worshiped a patron and only offered occasional prayers to Tymora, believing that luck was his only ally. Alliandra introduced Wald to the doctrine and teachings of Mystra. She often visited the large temple to Mystra in the center of town and spent hours in the library therein.

Wald began accompanying her and discovered he had a healthy interest in arcane writings and the history of the weave. Wald found the magical tomes fascinating and tried to learn a few incantations himself. He had very little luck. Alliandra blamed his lack of focus. Wald could read bits and pieces of many magic tomes well enough and was even able to cast some spells directly from spell books and scrolls. Wald was a very logical thinker and could “figure out” how to get the incantations to work, but he was not willing to invest the time to memorize all the movements and words necessary to conjure the arcane forces on his own. Alliandra found this amusing and teased him mercilessly. Wald took the ribbing in stride and wondered if Mystra could possibly have a use for a pragmatic, free spirited scout and warrior with a short attention span. He got his answer one day while hunting in the woods outside Berdusk.

Wald spent much of his time away from Alliandra in the woods, hunting, fishing, and exploring. Since leaving Calimshan Wald had developed a great love for the outdoors and could spend days wandering in the woods and sleeping under the stars. He had developed good tracking skills while working as a caravan scout and the more time he spent in the forest the more refined his hunting and scouting skills became. He mastered the art of trapping and found that the stealth skills that he learned as a thief in Calimport could be augmented using the natural cover found in the forest.

It was on one of his extended hunting trips that Mystra revealed her plans for him. Wald was sleeping on his bedroll under a clear starry sky when he had a vision of the Lady of Mysteries. In his dream Wald woke and saw a bright star in the sky. The star grew in size until it appeared larger than the noontime sun. As Wald marveled at the star he heard a female voice speaking. The voice was calm and reassuring and Wald was not afraid. In fact, he felt more relaxed than he could ever remember feeling. Wald listened to the voice for what seemed like hours. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the star and the voice faded. Wald woke up and looked around. The fire he had stoked before he went to sleep was still burning brightly. Wald sat and stared into the flames and considered his dream. He could not remember the exact words that were spoken to him but he clearly remembered several ideas and themes: “protector of the weave”, “gather information”, “walk with a soft step”, “stay one step ahead of our enemies”, “use your skills to defend the natural order”, and “do this and become a Shooting Star”.

The next morning Wald returned to town and sought out Alliandra. He explained his dream to her and she listened intently. When he finished she smiled and threw her arms around him. “You are one of us now Waldemark. If you walk with Mystra you will always have friends and allies.” Wald felt emotions he had not known since he had lost his sister those many years ago. He felt part of a family. A family that he would do his best to protect. Over the next few days he and Alliandra spent more time together at the temple. Wald began thinking that Alliandra may be the person he was meant to spend the rest of his life with…

Everything seemed to be going well in Wald’s life until a few nights later when he and Alliandra were to meet for an early dinner. Wald arrived at the Golem’s Tooth tavern and waited for Alliandra. He was waiting for her at the bar when in strode Fineas Esterrald. Fineas sat down at an empty booth and motioned for Wald to come over and sit with him. Wald hesitated for a moment. Whenever Wald and Fineas spoke it always seemed to be at a turning point in Wald’s life. Wald did not want his current situation to change, but he walked over and sat down anyway. “No point in delaying the inevitable” he thought to himself.

Sure enough, Wald soon found out he had reason to be concerned. Fineas explained that Alliandra was gone. She was called away for an apprenticeship with an arch mage that she had studied with previously. Fineas could not tell Wald where she had gone, or when she would return. Wald was distraught. Fineas reassured Wald that Alliandra was safe and that she had not told him about her apprenticeship because she wanted to enjoy her time with Wald before she had to go. “I will wait here for her then” he said matter of factly. Fineas smiled “You can do that if you like Wald, but while I cannot tell you when she will return, I can assure you that her absence will be measured in years, not months or weeks.” “Then I will go find her” Wald growled. Fineas nodded his head “I thought you would say that, but I would advise you not to do so. I have a note from Alliandra for you. Please read it before you make any decisions. I must go now. Take care friend.” Fineas stood up, dropped a piece of rolled up parchment on the table, and held out his hand to Wald. Wald did not offer his own hand. Fineas smiled and patted him on the back, then turned and left the tavern.

Wald took Alliandra’s note and brought it to his favorite camping spot to read, the campsite where he had his vision of Mystra. He read the letter by the light of the fire:

Dearest Waldemark,

I know you must be very confused and disappointed. I also am deeply saddened that we will not be able to be together for the foreseeable future. I have grown very fond of you and I know you feel the same way as I do. I am on a path that has been cleared for me by Mystra’s grace. I have been groomed for this providence since my childhood and cannot stray from the path, even for the one I love. I cannot say where I am going or how long I will be gone. I know your wish will be to seek me out but it is my wish that you do not. Patience can be a painful virtue but one that will pay off in the end. You must trust in my words. The Lady of Mysteries has much in store for you. This I know in my heart. From the first day I met you I knew you were destined to do great things. When my studies are completed I will seek you out. Do not worry, I will find you wherever you go. Use our time apart to get closer to your faith and to help those who cannot help themselves. Seek your destiny and listen to the signs around you. Do not despair my love. Time is but a fleeting obstacle. Our love will outlast time.

Yours in love,

Alliandra


Wald finished the letter and spent the next few hours staring at the stars until he fell asleep. The next day he made his way back into town. As he looked around he realized that Berdusk did not hold his destiny. He felt more at home travelling from place to place. But where to next? Certainly not back to Calimshan. Or Amn. No, Wald was not interested in going backward. He could not help thinking that his destiny was to move forward, wherever that was. He stopped by the Temple of Mystra to pray, hoping for a sign to help him decide on his next destination. He heard no voices and saw no visions but felt a measure of peace after he completed his prayers. It was getting dark and Wald decided to go back to the Golem’s Eye tavern for a late supper. When he arrived he noticed that the place was crowded and he remembered that the tavern had live entertainment once every ten-day.

This night there was a troupe of bards performing. Wald found a seat and ate his meal while largely ignoring the music and song emanating from the stage at the back of the tavern. When he finished eating he looked up the stage in time to see a large man sitting on a stool, singing a song about a land called Cormyr. The song documented the recent history of Cormyr and expounded on the bravery of the purple dragons, war wizards, and mercenaries who drove the hordes of beasts from the City of Arabel. As the bard finished his song he looked up and seemed to look directly at Wald. He finished the last line of his song “The forest kingdom proud but frail, come one come all to defend her!” Wald smiled, and then laughed out loud as the crowd applauded. He chuckled to himself “the forest kingdom eh? I think I have discovered my next destination!” He finished his tankard of ale and walked out into the cool night air with visions of knights, wizards, mysteries, forests, and destiny buzzing in his head…