"Join me on my quest and you shall be awarded with...stuff!
"Live thine remaining years to their fullest. Aid thine fellow man."
"Join me on my quest and you shall be awarded with...stuff!
-1
"Tell me thy story, old man. When three armed guard are required to watch over someone in chains, that person has to be interesting. I am sure there is much to learn from you."
"Live thy remaining years to thy fullest, friend, that is all I ask," you say. "Do what you can to aid thy fellow man."
The old man touches his forelock. "Thank you, Sir Knight! I will tell all I meet of your mercy."
"Before thou goest, I do have a question. What is thy story, old man? When three armed guards are required to watch over someone in chains, that man must be of interest."
"I was not born into slavery, kind sir, but I remember little of my free childhood. I had parents, perhaps I had friends. When Lord Black's men came, what family I had was killed and I was enslaved with the other children. I spent many years pushing a grinding wheel such as this one, until I grew mighty. Even now, I still retain my muscles. My master set me to the fighting pits for many years, until in a drunken fit he set me free. Then I roamed the land for many years, righting wrongs as you do, seeking my own kingdom. I even slew my old master, Lord Black. Alas, I never found my kingdom. I was eventually drugged and captured by the minions of the younger Lord Black, Black's son, who had gained title and privilege. He starved me for thirty days until I had grown weak, then set me to work again as vengeance for his father, starving me again whenever I grew too strong. So it has been for a dozen years. Now, of course, I am free. I suppose I might wander again, and try to find that kingdom."
"Then I wish thee the best of luck on thy quest, old man. What is thy name?"
"Hah! Long forgotten and worn out. But you may call me Bucephalus."
You frown. There is a sense of wrongness, like something unsettling at the back of your head. You shake it off.
"I think I rode a horse called Bucephalus once," you murmur, but the thought passes.
"You are headed to Midtown, then?" the old man asks. "Near the Mireblack Woods."
"I suppose so. I am headed to Red Mountain."
"Through the Mireblack? A dangerous endeavour. When I was young I once travelled through it with my companions, but I was the only one to escape."
"How?"
"The Mireblack is treacherous, and tricks the eyes. I escaped by blinding myself with a cloth, but there were still real dangers despite the glamours. Be on your guard."
"Thank thee for thy advice, Bucephalus."
"And for your aid." The old man tips his head to you and strolls away, stretching aching old joints with audible cracks.
You carry on your way, heading towards the distant forest. Before the forest's edge, you come across a small village of huts and cottages, clustered around a well. There appears to be a tavern, a shop selling various odds and ends and a blacksmith's shop. Various brown and grey-robed peasants glance at you as you approach. The smith hammers away at a horseshoe. A huntsman in a green hat eats an apple. All in all, typical peasantry.
Is there anything you wish to do here before you head into the Mireblack?
Chainmail Armour
Platemail Armour
Full-face Bascinet
Steel Longsword
Sunblade
Chasm Spider Fang