Kerag's Abode

[Sir Kerag]

The Town Guard seized this house during an investigation Kerag helped conduct. He moved in after making the cut as a recruit. The house starkly contrasts with the other shacks on the street, well-maintained in comparison. It has one lantern and a bed. The back door used to be ornate and well-crafted, but Kerag shattered it breaking inside, and found a small alcove hidden in the wall. The hole is still there, and he needs to patch the wall and find a replacement for the back.

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Chaz the handy-man and all around inventive genius generously took the time to help Kerag make the necessary renovations to the house, first installing a safe into the alcove and patching the wall afterward. The wall either needs to painted to hide the spot or a painting to cover the area. The back door was replaced, however the old strange designs couldn't be replicated into the new door.

[Sir Kerag]

Kerag's Journal:

-Entry One-
Haven't kept a log about my journey in so long it feels strange holding a pen. I settled in Wistvale, and haven't had much time for myself since joining the Guard. It's worth it. Reminds me of Mirengrote a little. In atmosphere if nothing else. Maybe I'm trying to say it feels like home. After meeting Margrett I'm no longer bored, and the Guard has proven nothing but beneficial. Steady income, landed this house from chasing Stormscrabble and those bloody necromancers. Better gear and friends for a change....

Friends....hard to believe they all died only a year ago. Mirengrote burned to ashes, the plague with it. The road proved a sufficient distraction but here I am, no more road to retreat to, and the nightmares are coming back. Not sure how much sleep I'm getting. Which I need severely after dueling Venom my tenacious brother. Gah still need to fix the back door and the wall. Forget trying to do it myself, don't have the bloody time.

Patrol at Sunrise...

-Entry Two-
The week has flown by and I haven't had a chance to get my journal from the safe and record recent events. Did some work with Chaz on the new prison and my house. Took an old slave auction building and converted it into a place for Margrett. The Guard really needed the extra holding cells. Got to know the Commander a little better, and after relaxing with the guys at the hot springs, I really feel at home here in Wistvale....I don't regret making the trip.

Which reminds me of the sunrise patrol...what a day that was. Found a legit fighting arena and Captain Zaedus, Brother Venom, and myself participated in the matches after some confusion with the pit leader who turned out to be a bloody talking parrot no less! Did not think I would find my son Dra'tok, let alone have the chance to duel him once more. I made him pay for taking my eye all those years ago...

We decided to take on the 'Champion of the Arena'. A powerful vampyre, Renquist and his brood stood against Zaedus and I after Venom heeded Margrett's order to turn back. Us being the honorable sort couldn't back down from the challenge, and the insults Ren gave to the Captain. I fought the hardest battle of my life against the warrior of the night. Even with Zaedus raging at my side, Ren toyed with us, humbled us, and showed kindness after evaluating our prowess, giving the fight over and rewarding us both with dark gifts...

What a day. Holding Amaranth feels good....addictive...I like it. I'll try to heed Ren's words and earn the honor we so often speak of, to live not as a fighter-pawn but a warrior.

-Entry Three-
Margrett's celebration party didn't go according to plan, the Commander and her both left rather abruptly, but we managed to keep spirits high and enjoy the evening all the same, each of us sharing a bit of our pasts. Having just dealt with Dra'tok, it was easier for me to indulge my friend's curiosity, and I admit the conclusion was more favorable then simply never seeing my cunning son again. I can only wonder where he is now, or what he plans....
Kerag's Past

Kerag took a long heavy drag from his ivory pipe, letting the strawberry scented red smoke drift above him in a hazy cloud, his good eye looking upwards at it, seeing within the tendrils a tapestry of war and battlefields, the events of his life on display.

"Fair enough Charles, I will tell you my story, but don't carry sympathy in your heart for me afterwards. The past remains buried in time, as it should." The orc rested his head against one hand, elbow propped on the table.

"But first I feel it's prudent to explain where I come from, the savage warrior culture from which I set forth on this long journey. To the far west are the Great Plains, home of the now fallen Mirengrote Kingdom. Half a millenium ago the orc tribes were once a united people on these plains, and their strength was fearsome, their savagery unparalleled. It took a great war chief, Grok the Cannibal, to keep the barbarians together." Kerag smirked, "Yet my people do not understand respect without fear, power without rage and mindlessness. Before Grok could topple Mirengrote, his generals betrayed him, then each other, leading to the formation of the Five Tribes."

Kerag dragged from his pipe, holding up an open hand. "In the North is where my tribe retreated after the chaos, into the mountains where we slaughtered a clan of Dwarfs living there, using their mines and the natural environment for protection. So it was for many a century, till my time." The orc scratched his chin, starting to smile. "There was a time when I was content with my journey, ignorant of the world, an honored berserker of my clan with a mate and heir, my son Dra'tok." His good eye watered a little when he croaked the name, pausing.

"The first snow of the year had covered the mountains when I was taken from them. My berserker's and I had clashed with another orc tribe over territory. We stood victorious over them, red snow as far as the eye could see. I remember dragging the slain into a huge pyre we constructed. Orcs burn the dead, burying them is a custom of the civilized world."

The red smoke lifted higher above Kerag's head, and inside he now saw the advancement of a legion of black armored soldiers in the snow.

"Weary from the battle, the thunder of another army's approach surprised us, and we stood no chance against our sophisticated opponents. The Black Knights of Mirengrote in obsidian armor and sword decimated my warriors, taking prisoners, myself included." Kerag finally looked down at his wrists and shook his head.

"I resolved to never be shackled again. Three long years in slavery, in which I flourished fighting others of my kind, slaves and brave fools to the death. When I didn't kill, I mined the mountains. That was when the rebels of Mirengrote rescued me." Kerag chuckled, "Or rather they helped. I'd had enough of my new masters and killed my overseer with my chains, and when I thought myself surrounded, outnumbered, and done for…." More red smoke left his nostrils, Kerag's eye relaxed, enjoying the whimsical shapes it made in the air above them. "A rebel prince hoping to instill an uprising against their tyrannical, bloodthirsty council, whom removed the monarchy promising a democracy instead turned oligarchical, saved my ass and freed all of us. He was a charming rogue, and I owed him my life." Kerag shook his head again, "I helped them overthrow the council….And in return the new king knighted me, only a title at first before he had me properly trained to bear the title honestly." Kerag made eye contact with Chaz. "An orc knight is a rare thing, most of my kind do not care for law or honor. At first I reluctantly followed the prince, and came to find many friends from races I'd previously hated simply because of the xenophobia I was raised upon. An orc does not care to make friends with elves and humans, we do not create, we only destroy and raid, pillage, and make war."

He lifted the pipe from his lips, drinking from a tankard of ale at his side, "I found value and appreciation in things my ignorance had kept me blind to, and a new code of honor replaced the mindless rage of my past. When I returned to north, my tribe ostracized me for mixing with the civil races despite how desperately I tried to convey how I defeated the enemies who slew so many of us. They could not see past the armor I now wore, and the compassion which awakened deep within me. My mate would not speak to me, and Dra'tok held a grudge against me. It broke my heart to be turned away from the people I so wished to return to for so long." Kerag tried to not shed a tear, but his hand went up anyways wiping away the drops that fell regardless. "So I returned to Mirengrote, serving my lord a decade before we faced an army of orcs the likes of which had not existed since Grok's time. At the head was Dra'tok, changed so much from when I last laid eyes on him. I pitied him and was proud of him all at once, so caught in hate, so trapped by it, yet so cunning and strong. Standing against my kin, our forces clashed along the plains, feeding the vultures for weeks with the sheer amount of corpses which covered the ground. Dra'tok and I dueled, so ready he was to kill me, and I so reluctant to deliver a fatal blow. When he surrendered, I offered to take him back under my wing, to show him the new world I'd discovered. Clever Dra'tok took this opportunity and cut my left eye out." Kerag felt the eyepatch with one finger, "I did not think I would ever see him again after that day…"

The orc sighed, finishing his pipe. "The next ten years in Mirengrote were happily spent, my new family managed to keep me from thinking too often of my slain kin, and I fought valiantly for my kingdom whenever trouble arose threatening its walls. The one enemy I could not swing a sword at however, crumbled all I had worked for, taking the lives of so many. A plague mysteriously swept across the kingdom, and it was all I could do to keep from getting sick. The king and everyone I held dear passed away, and so the survivors and I burned the city, like a great funeral pyre, so that perhaps the disease would not spread, and the bodies of the deceased could find peace."

Kerag looked around, spreading his arms.

"Then I heard about Wistvale, a frontier town on the edge of nowhere, where one's fortunes could be made, and danger assuredly found. I traveled a years pilgrimage to arrive here, and the rest has quickly fallen into place." Kerag sighed, then laughed. "Tis a long tale I know, thank you for sitting through it Charles." The orc smiled, letting the dreary mood wash over him and pass, it actually felt better to finally tell someone of his old plights.

"Now soon I'll pass the Guard test and help keep Wistvale safe. I may be old but I can't sit around for too long, have to stay busy."

[Sir Kerag]

Kerag showed Chaz the way, making small talk with the cat.

"Here it is." Kerag waved his arms, setting the bucket and safe down without trouble.

"Work your magic Charles, let me know if there's anything else you need." He walked over to the back of the house, indicating the missing door, and then inside where the hole was in the wall, a small alcove inside.

[Chaz]

Chaz sat down the bucket.

Well then. Let's see what we have here.

He inspects the door.

Good thing it was just a door and not the frame. That'd be tricky.

Then he walked inside, standing on his tiptoes to look at the hole in the wall.

Need a stepstool. Little, ah. Short. Did you remember the safe? We can put that here.

[Sir Kerag]

Kerag sighed in relief.

"Perfect. I was worried I damaged it worse than what it was." He chuckled. "Ah yes vertically challenged, I'll see about borrowing a stool from a neighbor and bring the safe on my way back."

Five minutes later Kerag returned with a stool in one hand and the small safe in the other.

[Chaz]

Chaz had already dragged the spackle over to the wall and had a knife handy. He put the stool in front of the whole and climbed up, looking at it better.

You said you did this? Eesh. What happened? And here, slide it in. It's resting on a beam...looks like it was put here on purpose. Did you like the safe as it is, or maybe I can work on a different locking mechanism for you.

Chaz seemed more confident now that he was solving problems and working with his hands.

[Sir Kerag]

Kerag laughed. "Well it wasn't my house at first. Stopped the beginnings of a soul trade operation here in Wistvale. Nasty necromancer types. You get the picture. Anyways turns out they were hiding illegal contraband here." The orc brought the safe over and set it inside. This is perfect Charles, much appreciative of your time and expertise."

Kerag took a step back, observing Chaz's confidence as he worked his craft.

[Chaz]

Chaz raised his eyebrows, impressed.

Necromancers? Wow. I'm uh....not much of a fighter. Asthma, see? Among other things.

He spackled the safe into the wall on the sides with his knife, making it smooth all around. He shook his head, grinning.

One day I'd like to do something like that. Maybe. I have some ideas for things that'll help. Pipe dreams, mostly.

[Sir Kerag]

Kerag laughed.

"We all have our callings I suppose. My hands weren't ever the best at putting things I smash back together."

The orc patted him on the shoulder. "As cheesy as it may sound Charles, don't give up on your dreams, no matter how far-fetched they might seem. With your skill I'm sure you'll find success here in town and create those 'pipe' dreams into reality."

[Grayell]

A large cart pulled up outside, accompanied by Grayell, Marg and Alec.

Kerag, you in there?

[Sir Kerag]

Kerag saw the large cart pull up from the window. "Excuse me for a moment Charles." He quickly opened the front door and saluted the Commander and Captain.

"Recruit Kerag here, what's going on?" He hadn't expected visitors, and his curiosity was peaked.

[Chaz]

Chaz kept working, but looked out the door at what was going on. He still sort of blushed from the compliment, his ears slicked to his head.

[Grayell]

Grayell nodded in return.

We come at a bad time Kerag? I need your help with a little something I am cooking up.

Ah, Chaz. Excellent. I have need of you both.

[Orp Boon]

Orp hears the noise caused by the cart rolling down the street and goes to investigate.

"Hello, councilman, captain, sir Alec."

[Chaz]

He got down off the stool and walked to the door, peeking out from behind Kerag. He looked at the crowd outside, and saw that the woman was wearing the shirt he made. At first he was surprised, but then he grinned and winked in what he thought was a conspiratorial manner to Gray.