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Adventures of Joric Ironfist

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NotFishing

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Introduction

Alright everyone, this is my first story here. The Adventures of Joric Ironfist ! It is a compilation of short stories centered around one dwarf warrior, travelling across a traditional medieval fantasy land fighting demons, goblins, necromancers, and bandits, all the while reciting an endless supply of jokes with a cheerful attitude. It does not take place in the Runescape World.

The land in question is known as Adanac, home to lush forests, fertile fields, and towering mountain ranges. It is divided into two major human kingdoms - the kingdom of Gara to the west and the kingdom of Valender to the east. Tensions between the two nations are high. To the south is the Shadowood Forest, a supposedly cursed forest filled with magic and monsters. To the north is the Talongard Forest, home of the Elven Tribes. If you go west for a few miles across the sea you will reach the mountainous isle of Dormoor, homeland of the dwarves. The entire land is dotted with ancient ruins, and no one knows where they came from.

It is a bit of a vague description for the world, but remember: The world is not the focus, the character is. Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

30-Sep-2015 21:05:28 - Last edited on 30-Sep-2015 21:24:42 by NotFishing

NotFishing

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Character Submission Bio

This is here for people to submit their own idea of a character to add to the story, if they wish. Please keep in mind that most characters will only be featured for one or two chapters, and I may change them slightly if I think it will better fit the particular chapter I am trying to write.

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race: (Standard fantasy races. Humans, elves, dwarves, goblins. All four are similar to their Runescape depictions. If your character isn't one of those races, then make sure you describe it.)

Personality: (Be as descriptive as possible if you want me to portray them accurately.)

Appearance:
Attire:

Weapon(s): (If any)
Magic: (If any)

History:
Other: Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

30-Sep-2015 21:05:38 - Last edited on 30-Sep-2015 21:32:55 by NotFishing

NotFishing

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Chapter One: The Demon and The Dwarf

The door to The Sleeping Goblin Inn opened, and in stepped our protagonist. Joric Ironfist was clad in a full suit of steel from head to toe, with a one-handed single-bladed battleaxe on his belt at his right hip, and a dwarf-sized steel longsword sheathed at his left. On his back was a round steel shield that was decorated with a golden trim and the depiction of an axe crossing a sword. It also glowed a faint red, due to its magic-proof enchantment.

His helm had a two inch sharp spike at the very top and left his face exposed, revealing a light skin tone, dark blue eyes, a scar from under his left eye to the bottom of his cheek, and a well groomed six inch beard. The dwarf himself was four foot three and very muscular.

He had arrived in the small Garan village of Elkwood only ten minutes ago, its only attraction being its lumber mill, general store, and inn. It was only two miles away from the border to Valender, but travelers rarely passed through it. Still, the locals were friendly enough, and had directed him to an inn almost immediately.

Because it was only noon, the place was mostly empty, save for one sad-looking middle aged man sitting at the bar, a younger man passed out drunk at one of the tables, and of course the bartender. Joric wasted no time in making his way over there, sitting only a few stools down from the sad-looking man.

"You people sure don't mill about ." The dwarf said with a grin, looking around at the nearly empty bar.

The bartender offered a light chuckle, before immediately getting down to business. "What will it be?"

"Just a room and some water for now."

The bartender brought Joric a room key and a glass of water, and Joric paid him the appropriate amount of coin as thanks.

"So, what brings you to town?" The bartender asked. Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

30-Sep-2015 21:05:40 - Last edited on 30-Sep-2015 21:46:13 by NotFishing

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"Just passing through." Joric explained. "Looking for something to do. I'm a travelling hero, or at least I try to be."

The man who was sitting a few stools down immediately perked up. He grabbed his drink, got off his stool, and quickly walked over to where Joric was sitting. "You're a hero!?" He asked. "You help people?"

"Yes?"

"You have to listen to me! A few nights ago my home was invaded. Some hooded men broke in. I woke up just in time to see them dragging my daughter out the door!" He said, spittle practically flying in Joric's face. The man had dark brown hair with streaks of grey, dark green eyes, and a goatee. His skin was tanned, presumably from years of hard labor.

"Didn't the guards do anything?"

"Half of 'em were passed out drunk. The others couldn't get to them in time. The ******** got away. Please, you gotta help me - she's the only family I got!" The man pleaded desperately.

"I'll do it. Do you know where they went?"

The man shook his head.

Then the bartender spoke up. "Yesterday a hunter named Gabriel Jones came in. He's known for being superstitious so I'd take his words with a grain of salt, but he was going on about how he was passing by a cave and there were strange lights coming from inside. Either someone's been living there, or he finally lost it. Guards didn't want to investigate - they were all either too scared or didn't believe him."

"Where can I find him?"

"He'll be on a hunt right about now. Shouldn't be too hard to find, but I don't see him going anywhere near that cave without a good reason." Said the bartender, picking up a dirty glass and starting to clean it with a cloth.

"So you could say I'm hunting for a hunter?"

"I guess?" Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

30-Sep-2015 21:05:40 - Last edited on 02-Oct-2015 13:33:08 by NotFishing

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About an hour later, Joric was trudging through the woods looking for Gabriel. Though he had a horse, he had left it behind, as it would be easier to maneuver around trees and rough terrain without it.

One of Gabriel's neighbors had clued him on what direction Gabriel typically went for his hunts. In his time as an adventurer, Joric had picked up on at least some knowledge of tracking, but he knew it could still be some time before he found the man.

And then he stumbled across the remains of a dead deer in the middle of a small clearing. It didn't take a master detective to determine that it had been skinned and gutted, with most of the meat cut away. A thin trail of blood leading away suggested the animal had been shot with an arrow or crossbow bolt and ran a bit before collapsing.

"You could say this animal... didn't have the guts to face its attacker..." Joric said out loud to no one in particular. The carcass seemed fresh - it couldn't have been killed that long ago. Gabriel had to be close.

He spotted an imprint on the ground where Gabriel had to have kneeled to do the deed. Then he looked ahead of the deer and saw what appeared to be the faint outline of a footprint. Unless his eyes were deceiving him, that was the direction the hunter had gone.

Joric advanced in that direction, stopping after a few feet to look for more footprints or any other sign that someone had gone through the area. And he found some - a snapped twig here, another footprint there. Very subtle, but still visible. "You could say I'm... on the right track ." Joric chuckled, but it was only a few seconds later that he lost the trail. No amount of looking around or head-scratching could help him find where it continued.

Then he heard the sounds of... arguing?

Breaking out into a light jog, Joric followed the sound. He ran out into a small clearing, and standing before him he saw... Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

30-Sep-2015 21:05:40 - Last edited on 02-Oct-2015 13:49:34 by NotFishing

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...four goblins, bickering over the possessions of an unconscious man.

The man was clad in simple leather, with dark brown hair and a goatee. He seemed to match Gabriel's description. The goblins were a disorganized bunch, which was hardly uncommon when it came to goblins. They wore ripped tunics that were faded and unwashed. None of them were looking in Joric's direction.

The closest one was pulling on the string of the hunter's bow, a crude wooden club on the ground beside him. Another had the man's quiver slung over his back, and was throwing the arrows at a tree as if they were darts - obviously they failed to penetrate the bark. He too had also left his weapon on the ground beside him, a spear with a tip of sharpened stone. The third goblin was kneeling, a farmer's scythe in his right hand whilst he rummaged through the hunter's pockets with his left. The fourth and final goblin was noticeably taller and more muscular than the rest. At his belt was a shortsword, and he was rummaging through the hunter's bag. The leader?

Yelling out a battle cry, Joric ran forward and swung his axe down into the bow-holding goblin's head with a sickening crack. The creature's eyes rolled back into his head. "I need to axe you a question!" He yelled to the three others, who dropped what they were doing and grabbed their weapons as he yanked the axe out and sent the corpse to the ground with a savage kick.

The goblins may have been able to ambush the hunter, but now they were the ones who had been caught by surprise. And in their panic, they lacked any organization. The spear goblin came at him first with a lunge. Joric simply batted the blow aside with his shield, swung his axe down at the spear which cut the weapon in half, and then with one mighty swing he cleaved the goblin's head from his shoulders. "And that is how you get a head !" The dwarf taunted. Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

30-Sep-2015 21:05:40 - Last edited on 24-Oct-2015 04:42:20 by NotFishing

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Upon seeing two of their number killed in only a matter of seconds, the scythe goblin turned and fled, having no wish to die that day.

The final goblin, the leader, scowled, and charged Joric as well. Only he didn't make the first swing. They stared each other down for a few seconds, before Joric moved in to attack with his axe. But the goblin ducked out of the way and then attempted to kick the dwarf in the knee. It would have been a more effective maneuver had the goblin worn sturdy boots and Joric had no armor, but since the goblin was barefoot and Joric had steel knee guards there was no such luck. The goblin yelled out in pain and jumped back.

Joric then proceeded to capitalize on this, and he once again swung his axe. The goblin brought up his sword just barely in time to block, but the dwarf was stronger and knocked his blade aside, his axe wrenching it from the creature's hand and the sword landed softly on the ground. Then he bashed him in the face with his shield and brought his axe down between the goblin's neck and shoulder.

"Sorry, but it looks like you must shoulder the burden!" Joric said with a laugh as the goblin sank to his knees. He yanked the axe out and the goblin fell to the forest floor, his eyes still open in shock.

Joric wiped his weapon off on one of the goblin's tunics. Then, he walked over to the unconscious hunter and slapped the man in the face.

-----

Gabriel awoke with a shock. His head hurt, the world was blurry, the sun was bright, and he could vaguely make out a figure leaning over him. Then the world pieced itself back together and he realized the figure was a dwarven man with a spiked helmet.

He immediately sat up. "Wha... what happened?" He asked, confused. Looking around, he spotted the corpses of three goblins. His hand instinctively went to his head, the source of his pain. Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

30-Sep-2015 21:05:41 - Last edited on 24-Oct-2015 02:18:28 by NotFishing

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