Chapter 1

Everyone has heard the tale of Conan the Barbarian and all he accomplished. But very few have heard the true tales of Keal Atnuff. Pay for the next round of drinks and I will tell you his tale.

Our tale starts back when the earth was very young. When the tree folk and ground folk called Elves and Dwarves still walked the land. Back when swords and spells were carried by all.

Bree At't was the 15 year old daughter of Tallor At't a human male Druid and Dalria At't a Half-Elf female Sorceress. Tallor was 6' tall and better than average build long red hair and green eyes. Dalria was petite standing only 5' 6" but very feminine with her tight athletic looking body. Her golden blonde hair was cut short to show her Elvin ear heritage and her hazel eyes would sometimes look green in the light. Bree grew up learning all about magic and the energy in all living things. Bree was slightly taller than her mother standing 5' 8" but she had the same tight athletic looking body and all the right curves a female should have. Her hair was reddish blonde and her eyes were hazel like her fathers. She was always wandering the land learning the Ranger ways, much to the dismay of her parents. She was truly happy and at peace when she was roaming through the forest.

Kai was the 17 year old son of Tor Nuff a human male Barbarian and Bella Nuff a human female Cleric. Tor stood near 7' tall with light brown hair and dark blue eyes. His fist was as big as the face of most men. His arms were the size of most men's legs and he was strong enough to pick up his own horse and carry it 25 paces. Bella was the picture of grace and beauty. She was 6' 2" and built better than most men except for the fact that you could not miss the firm breasts and very feminine shape her hips made. She had Silver blonde hair that reached her thighs, and green eyes that could stop any male in his tracks. Kai grew up learning the art of weapon smith and fighting skill from his father. From his mother he learned very important lessons that would later save his life. She taught him wisdom, patience, to always be observant, constantly aware of his surroundings and how to plan strategy. Bella also taught him the healing arts. He learned how to track animals, follow a trail, and let the land talk to him on his own. Kai stood 6' 8" and was close to matching his father in build, he was as large as or larger than any other human in the village except for his father. He had his mother's hair color but his eyes could not decide between blue and green and were constantly changing depending on the light.

Life was good at the village, everyone was healthy and happy. But things were not as they appeared, for suddenly out of the dark forest evil came forth. It was one of these attacks that made this tale possible. Had the forces known what their actions would lead to they might have changed their plan.

During a massive Goblin raid on their village Kai and Bree were both left orphans. The attack left the village destroyed, most were killed, others were taken captive and a small handful fled. Kai and Bree were among the handful to flee, they ended up in an Elvin village, married joining their surnames and a short time later Keal Atnuff was born. The Goblin War continued off and on but neither side truly committed to an all out war. Mostly one side would attack the other then retreat.

Keal grew up following Elvin customs and learned human ways from his parents. As a child Keal was constantly picked on, teased and thought of as an outsider. Since Elves age slower than humans most of the children Keal grew up with were more mature and mentally developed but physically appeared much younger. This aided in his learning to be patient, tactful, and cunning as his father had learned from his mother Bella. Kai taught Keal how to forge master weapons; when Keal was 15 years old they forged a special sword. It took two months to finish. It was a long sword with short sword blades attached to each side forming a three-bladed weapon. It looked like a square mace with blades that were a quarter of an inch thick, one and a half inches wide and three feet long the center blade just slightly longer. There was slightly more than a blade thickness between the three blades. Twisting the end of the handle near the pummel and a dagger could be pulled from within the sword handle and blade. Magic in the sword gave it life; it chose Keal and would allow no other to hold it. It also used magic to allow the outer blades to shoot off like spears. The scabbard held four extra blades for the sword two in between the center and out blades and two outside the outer blade. After launching one or both blade returning it to the scabbard would attach replacements as long as there were some in the scabbard.

As the years past Keal grew into a young man, he was quite a bit larger than his Elvin friends by more than a foot standing 6' 2" he was just as thick and muscular as his father. His hair was strangely white and his eyes were steel grey. Physically he was almost twice the body mass of his friends which slowly aided in ending the mistreatment and his honorable behavior made him even more liked.

He was out hunting with some of the older elves, when a Goblin raiding party attacked the Elvin village. His father was killed defending the village along with all the other men who were there and his mother was taken captive with the other surviving females and children. The hunting party returned as the Goblin raiding party was leaving. The elves charged in without thinking, Keal tried to stop them but was unable. He knew that they were out numbered and they would be more successful if they would wait and look for the best time to attack. The elves were slaughtered as he watched helpless to stop the killing. He let the raiding party leave, checked for survivors and gathered supplies before going after his mother and the other captives. He tracked the raiding party and carefully followed the Goblins looking for the opportunity to free his mother and the captives.

Three day later Keal heard a group of Soldiers moving up on the Goblin raiding party. 30 fighters charged the raiding party and began to fight the Goblins. He was quick to see this had been a trap and tried to warn the humans. He had seen the Hobgoblin war party that was hiding in ambush; which quickly charged and wiped out the fighters. He killed a few Goblins as he broke away from the fight there were just too many. Bree had been killed in the fighting and Keal found her body after the Goblins moved off with the remaining captives. This was more than Keal could take, after burying his mother next to his father, he gather weapons and supplies and began his quest to kill as many Goblins as he could in his lifetime.

He reported the deaths of the fighters to the nearest military post and volunteered to scout for them. After two years and more battles than could be counted the Goblins vanished deep into the wilds. The raids ended and life began to return to normal. During this time he developed a reputation for slaughtering Goblins without mercy. The rumors and tales spoke of thousands of Goblins he had killed. Keal left the military and became a mercenary working for whoever paid the bills. Several years brought lots of experience and built strong friendships.

Deke Bold just turned 30 years old and stood 5' 10" tall with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was average build and easy to get along with. It was his attitude about life that caught Keal's attention and he was the leader of the nine man team of mercenaries Keal had accepted a job with; at the age of 25. They fought in three teams of three; using a triangle formation giving them the ability to watch each others flanks, and still actively attacking or defending a position. The mercs all carried two short swords one on each hip, and on one shoulder they carried a large melee weapon, a bow and quiver on the other shoulder. They carried daggers sheathed outside each lower leg. Their fighting skill and numerous successful missions had them highly sought after. Deke was drawn to Keal's three-bladed sword which had been given the nickname Death Sword due to the fact that it dealt so much damage with its three blades. He asked Keal to make him one several times, and Keal would always refuse with the excuse it would take far too long to make.

They were currently providing additional protection for a rich Lord's daughter. She was marrying a neighboring Baron named Zeel to solidify the two ruling families. This would eliminate an on going feud, and allow military forces to focus on local issues instead of clashing on the boarders. The local bandits and slavers did not like the idea of military intervention on their largest area of profitable supplies, and were more than willing to stop the marriage at any cost.

The mission had been trouble from the start; the royal guards looked down on the mercs. They were not allowed to speak to or even have contact with the Lord's daughter. Lady Midan was very beautiful, her light brown hair, green eyes, and healthy body only added to her charm and sweet personality. Three mercs would ride scout out in front of the party, three would flank on each side. Keal was in charge of the scouts in front of the party. Kay-Lor was in charge of the group on the left flank and Deke was in charge of the group on the right flank. Captain Tran was in charge of the twenty royal guards watching over Lady Midan. He was very knowledgeable but refused to listen to anything Deke offered. Three wagons made up the convoy, the first wagon carried supplies and four serfs to do physical work; the second was Lady Midan's coach driven by her personal guard Tran's brother Trak, a young servant girl along with two ladies in wait rode with her; the last was the cook wagon with all the food and cooking equipment driven by the cook and his assistant. Two guards rode between each wagon and eight rode in the front and rear of the wagons.