Life of a Sell-sword

[Oath]

Trying to enter the world as a man with no particular skills is no easy task. I was not one of the scholars, school never really did anything for me. I didn't really have a profession as my family did not have one, and we were not well off enough for me to apprentice under another. The only thing I could do was swing a sword. I figured that would be as good of a place to start as any, and decided that the life of a mercenary was my calling. I started out with simple jobs, like helping to guard the estate of the wealthy citizens who were worried about being robbed. Never really saw much action in those jobs, but the money was nice and life was comfortable. After having a considerable amount of wealth for my standard of living, I decided to take on other types of jobs as well. Especially ones that involved hunting down those who caused harm to the common people. That was the upbringing I came from, and I knew it was hard enough to get by without someone else trying to ruin everything you have worked to build up.

However, due to this soft spot of mine, if you will, at times I would help people for less than what the job was worth, just because nobody else would. I had a surplus of coin, so it didn't hurt my way of life, but these jobs tended to be quite dangerous. When someone is willing to spend almost their entire savings to hire a sell-sword, it is a serious issue. It was due to missions like these that I ended up joining the Guild.

There was a group of would be slavers, trying to take some of the people from the slum in as slaves. One of the family members, desperate for help offered me a job. I knew it would be dangerous but I could not refuse. Having your family taken from you is one of the worst things that can happen. Even more so when they are all you have. Without a second though, I accepted the job and set out alone. I am not known to be sneaky, but I am quite dexterous so upon arriving at night, I made my way quietly about the slaver's base of operations in hopes of locating their holding cells. I found them, but they were guarded by several men. I defeated them, and opened the holding cell for the slaves to escape, but I did not have the keys to their shackles so progress in escaping the camp was slow.

We were on the road back to town, and then it happened.

The slavers had realized that the slaves had escaped when the guards were going to swap over. They came chasing after us, the entire band of 60. I was the only man equipped to fight in that mess, and things were looking quite grim. I was fighting quite a lot of the slavers, I would have to say about 15 at once, and I was holding my own but I was backed into a corner. They had recaptured good portion of the slaves. I would have to estimate about two-thirds of them were taken away. But some escaped. Most of the slavers left, taking the slaves back with them, but some remained in an attempt to put me down. A single man had tried to save a lot of people, and that was not good for their business. Especially if that man lived to tell the tale of where their hideout was located.

Perhaps it was just good fortune smiling upon me, or it was fate, but as I was becoming overwhelmed, some members of the Guild had approached. They slew the men that were fighting me, though I had taken out some on my own before they had arrived. They told me that they were from the Guild of Galas'nor and that they were out on patrol when they heard some commotion and rushed over to see what it was. I considered myself quite lucky as I told them my tale of the night. They jested that I was crazy, and that no sane man would try to undertake such a task alone. I did not have anyone else to go with me, I told them. Nobody else would work for so little money in such a dangerous job to help just the average commoner of  the town.

I was informed I was wrong, and extended an invitation to the Guild of Galas'nor. I was genuinely happy about their invite, but I told them it would have to be delayed briefly as I had to return to the client and let them know what had happened with their request.

Returning to town, and to the poor town person that had requested I try to free their family from the shackles of slavery my head was hung low, and my heart was heavy. I did not know how to tell them that I had failed what they had asked me to do.

I knocked on their door, and it opened. I was surprised by what I saw. Their family had returned, they were still in shackles, but they had escaped! They were overjoyed, but I told them that most of the slaves were recaptured and there was nothing I could do about it. I retold my story once more, and the fights that had transpired. The client was surprised that I had gone to such lengths for the freedom of people I did not know. They said they did not know how to make it up to me, and that the coin they had offered me to begin with clearly wasn't enough to show their thanks.

I declined their payment. I told them to save the money to talk to a locksmith and break the bonds on their family members.

Missing out on a bit of coin would be okay, I had a new place to go to that would be full of opportunity.

The Guild of Galas'Nor.

Journal entry of Ryine, member of the guild of Galas'Nor.