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View Full Version : [Rivalry] {Rookie} Grewyn and Roland



Fireball.Man.Guy.
2007-01-27, 06:36 PM
Okay, so a bit cliche, but I think it's pretty good.

Roland and Grewyn:
A rivalry uncontested


"Take a seat here by the fire. I'll tell you the tale of the greatest man 'ever lived, and the man he chased to the ends of the world, before saving that man."

Our story starts with 2 boys. The half-elf urchin, Grewyn, and the peasant's son, Roland Strongheart.

Grewyn was short, even by half-elf standards, and small. He was an adept theif, which was how he made the amount he scrounged by with. And if the people he stole from were short on bread the next days, who was he to care? Thus the arrogant elf justified his actions to himself.

Roland was a strapping human lad, 6 feet tall and strong as an ox. But big as he was, his golden heart was bigger. The whole room would brighten at his arrival. Humble and pious, he always wished to have a better life for his peasant mother and father.

Ever generous, the Stronghearts would allow the beggar boy who lived in an alley near their house to dine with them when he had no food. Nearly the same age as Roland, the two opposites became fast friends. But as the years passed, Grewyn visited the house less and less, before one night packinjg and moving to another part of the city.

Roland went into the clergy, and his large form made him an instant pick for being a crusading knight of the church. He learned minor spells, and was top of his class with a sword and sheild. He even excelled at mundane healing. Sir Roland was a pefect paladin.

Grewyn had fallen in with a bad crowd. The most feared theives guild in the city counted him among their members. Although he was still a low rank, his heartless readyness to steal and rob made him a great candidate for advancement.

All looked as though Roland and Grewyn would become masters in their chosen fields, and each would lead a somewhat happy and successful life.

But as they do, events took a turn for the worst. On the day Roland was happily married, Grewyn was with a violent subgroup of robbers. As Roland his wife, and his mother (his father had died several years earlier) were walking back to their house, Grewyn's group burst from an alleyway and demanded all that the Strongsons had, at swordtip. Fueled a combonation of chivalry and something depper, Roland stole a shortsword from one of the theives and proceded to fight them, 5 on 1. Neverminding the odds, roland swung and parried with the blade until all but one had died, and even that one was crippled and dying. But he had sustained just as much loss as they had. Both his wife and his mother, the only family he had left, had been killed. His heart felt like it had been torn out. As he walked to observe the face of the last theif, who had sustained a large scar over his left eye. As he gazed into that face, what he saw was Grewyn, his old friend.

"You aren't the man I grew up with. You are a monster, and you will die." was all that he said. Grewyn was silent. Roland picked up the bodies of his family, and carried them back to his home. The didn't see eachother for a long time.

Now, by chance two other agent of the guild came by and saw the bodies, and Grewyn nearly-dead. One went to base to get more to carry the bodies. The other, struck by csudden compassion, decided he would not let Grewyn perish. He ran the body back to the base of the guild.

A powerful Vampire assasin was also at the guild hall, coming to collect payment for the man he had killed. The thief who had saved Grewyn pleaded with the vampire to take Grewyn as a servant. The vampire finally agreed, but took the theif as a spawn too. Then he left.

Roland, who had taken the bloodied sword he had used to kill the theives, saw the mark of the the Theives Guild on the blade. For the next five years he used the powers and influence he had gained as a paladin to bring Vicious Hell onto the guild's doorstep, unaware that Grewyn was "alive" and with the vampire. He found many like-minded individuals from all walks of life- priests, mages, warriors, and common folk. Dressing in yellow garments and calling themselves the Sunhearts, under Roland (called Sunheart)'s leadership they all but destroyed the guild. The remaining leaders called upon one who had helped the guild before- the nameless vampire assasin- to try and end this threat. They thought that, without the leadership of Roland, the Sunhearts would disipate.

But killing Roland was no easy task. At his least guarded moments he was surrounded by a group the strongest of the Sunhearts. At his most, he was leading a charge with hundreds behind him. His assasination would be no solo attack. The vampire would need help.

Luckly, he had it in the form of Grewyn and the theif. The theif was so weak he had reawakened as a spawn, but would be strong enough to divert the guard's attentions. And Grewyn, still in the vampire's thrall, had been training in the assasin arts. He would be a useful companion to the vampire.

On the night of the fifth aniversary of his family's death, Roland was visiting their grave with only his personal guard. Hiding in the shadows of the cemetary were Grewyn and his associates. As the spawn charged from one side, the assasins took advantage of the distraction and lept ont the group, killing the mage and priest instantly. A whirl of combat comencend, eventually leaving Grewyn nearly unconcious, and Roland and the Vampire left. Roland powerfully smote the undead, his sword glowing with righteous energy. He fashioned several stakes out of a nearby tree, driving them strongly into the vampire and spawn's hearts.

Grewyn's vampire healing was powerful, and as Roland staked the other vampires, he recovered and prepared to attack, still unaware that this was Roland. As he attacked, Roland heard him and caught the blow on his sheild. Roland threw Grewyn to the ground but, before slaying him, saw his face. Seeing the pure evil Grewyn had become, he said, sword to Grewyn's neck, "Have you really fallen so far?"
Grewyn responded, snarling, "My heart is black as the night."
" And mine bright as the sun. Run. I'll give you three days before I give chase. Go now"
Grewyn, knowing the fight was lost, scrambled up, away, and back to the Theives Guild.

And so their hatred for eachother grew to epic proportions. Grewyn, building on what was said during his fight with Roland, created a group called the Nighthearts. Starting with the remnants of the Theives Guild he used his vampiric abilities he gathered an enourmous black-cloaked following.

True to his word, Roland began chasing Grewyn after 3 days rest. With the Theives Guild joining the Nighthearts, Roland's Sunheart following went with him to find and fight Grewyn, and kill any other Nighthearts they found.

And that was how they came to a plateu in the middle of a desert. With both their guilds massing around the hill, the leaders agreed. They would fight truly, with no running away. Two men would walk to the top of the mountain. One would walk down.

They began the fight at Sunset. It was raining healvily and the two enemies stared at eachother across the distance.
You stole everything from me!
And you from me. Look at me! You turned me into this! A monster! I had to become a vampire because you were too tightpocketed and arrogant to be robbed!
All I did was make that change physical. You were allready a monster on the inside!
And with that they closed to conduct one of the most epicbattles in history.

It lasted until dawn. At the same moment Grewyn made a viscious slash across Rolands neck, Roland pierced Grewyn's black heart. A moment of pure understanding rushed over the two, and in that moment both saw the justifications for eachother's actions. Each was overcome with compassion for the other, with Roland wanting Grewyn to walk down the mountain; and Grewyn deemed himself unworthy of life. And it looked as though Grewyn would get his wish.

As they lay there, pooling in their own blood, Roland reached out his hand to Grewyn.
No, you can't, I've done so much wrong I'm not worthy of life. And you can't heal me. Your last blow, it must have cut my heart in two.
Unable to speak, Roland simply squeezed Grewyn's hand harder, and a warm glow began to flood into Grewyn's body. When it was done, Grewyn saw his black, evil heart laying on the ground, a symbol of all the evil that had been in his life. But Grewyn's heart pumped strong. However, Roland no longer had a heart. For he had given it to Grewyn. Roland Stronheart, the strongest, kindest, most compassionate man that ever lived, was dead.

As the sun's rays struck the plateu, Grewyn old heart shriviled and burned. Grewyn prepared to die as the light touched him, but he felt no discomfort. Speaking to Roland's spirit, he said, The vampirism... I'm cured! I didn't think it possible! I-I won't waste it, this new life you gave me! Not at all!
His voice rung out through the desert, Nighthearts and sunhearts, lay down your weapons. Walk hand in hand, as allies, and as frieds. For so it was between Rolan and I in his final hours. Yes, Roland Stronheart is dead. But as his final action he saved my life. I wish I could have done the same for him. But do not waste your lives on hate and malice. I know I won't. I will devote the rest of my life to the creatiion and upkeep of a shrine to that great man, and I advise many of you to also make one. Go home. Live happy lives. Kill no more. Hate no more.

Which is how I started my lifelong quest. The old man in the inn near the strange statue on the road says, finishing his story. For I am Grewyn the urchin. And though my body grows weak, my heart still beats strong, as it will for years to come. It's been nearly 100 years since I got it, but it seems to be only yesterday. I've wasted enough of your time. Go on to whatever business you have, and carry the blessing of Roland Strongheart in you.

Fireball.Man.Guy.
2007-01-27, 06:36 PM
Reserved for PRCs

Fireball.Man.Guy.
2007-01-27, 06:37 PM
Reserved for spells/items/anything else.

Roland's Statue

An emerald and Mithral statue of a hulking man with a longsword and sheild, both held at his side, the statue of Roland Strongheart is located in a grove next to the Weary Heart inn, a small in on a decently traveled road. The face is in a smiling position, looking at a small stone block in front of it. A book, detailing Roland and Grewyn's deeds, is placed in front of the block. This place inspires paladins. If a paladin prays at this site for 24 hours, his special mount gains a +1 HD, and otherwise acts as if the paladin was one step higher on the Special Mount Advancement Bar. The Paladin can also choose to have 1 more smite evil attempt per day than normal. These bonuses last for 1 month.

badger
2007-02-12, 03:18 PM
Decent story. Will there be any "crunchy" bits? Does the statue, for example, (I presume of the deceased Roland) have some imbued power to it?

Fireball.Man.Guy.
2007-02-14, 09:04 AM
I was intending to, but my parents have banned me from using my DnD books in the next 2 weeks. I'm trying to do it by memory.

EDIT: There, statue is done, off to enter the contest.