The Talendor Chronicles, Part One Options

[TheOtherRick]

AUTHORS NOTE AND DISCLAIMER

This is my first attempt at fan fiction. I am not a writer, by profession or hobby. At least it wasn't a hobby until now. We'll see where that goes. So since I am not a writer, grammatical and spelling errors may slip past the spell-check from time to time. Please feel free to point them out so that I may make the proper edits.

I have read very little fan fiction, which is to say that I have not finished reading any story that I started reading...yet. But starting to read a few has put a flow in my creative juices. (Go Buffy!) Any similarity to any other fan fiction posted in this or any other forum is purely coincidental, with one exception. I have posted this story on another site. I am posting it here because I would like feedback, and I am not getting any at the other site. The readers here seem to post more feedback than readers at the other site. I'm not trying to be a glory hound, and I encourage constructive criticism.

The story is a gameplay narrative. It starts in the 3rd person for the prologue only, the rest will be in 1st person. It is not a walk-through of the Main Quest. However, as it is a gameplay narrative, so readers will have to plod through the tutorial section much as I had to plod through while writing it. The tutorial is essential for character development, as you will see. The posts will be relatively short so that the reader will not have to wade through miles of text per post. To keep them short, I am going to borrow Acadian's chapter numbering system (1.1, 1.2, etc.) so I don't end up with three digit chapter numbers.

I hope you will enjoy...The Talendor Chronicles

Post Script - I have already screwed up. Instead of putting "Authors Note and Disclaimer" in the subject line, it should read "Part One". Is there a way to change that?

Post Script #2 - The first four installments after the Prologue are way too long. This was a rookie mistake and has been rectified Beginning with Chapter 3. I apologize for the long posts, but I promise you'll be glad you slogged through them.

This post has been edited by TheOtherRick: Feb 5 2011, 02:00 AM

[TheOtherRick]

Prologue - Unknown Origin

“My head is killing me!” The words echoed in his head for a moment before he realized that he had spoken them aloud.

Where am I?
Who am I?
What in the world is going on?

He raised his head and looked around. The surroundings were dimly lit by a flame from a sconce on a damp stone wall. There were two more stone walls. One had a small window near the ceiling letting in precious little light. Chains hung from the ceiling with manacles attached to them. The wall opposite the one with the window in it had a large barred iron gate. The large lock was unmistakable. His clothing smelled and looked as if they had been discarded some time ago and recently rediscovered.

This can’t be good.

He tried to stand and failed on his first attempt, thudding back to the stone floor and sending pain through his hip while making the thunder in his head crash between his temples. He made a second attempt, slower this time, and succeeded by using one of the damp walls for support.

Why can’t I remember anything? I can think. I am lucid.

He touched each of his fingers to his thumbs.

My hands don’t look right. They are too small.

He wiggled his toes in the sackcloth sandals he was wearing.

Where did those shoes come from? My feet are also too small. Huh?

He flexed his arms but wasn’t ready to try squatting and standing back up. The pain in his head was receding to a dull throb, but he was still a little dizzy.

Why can’t I remember anything?

The dull throb behind his eyes sent his hands up to his head. He paused and then felt all around his head.

MY EARS ARE HUGE! WHAT IS GOING ON?

Still using the wall for support, he made his way toward the barred door of his…

Cell?
He took a moment to survey his surroundings a little more closely. This definitely looked like a jail cell. Barely large enough to walk around in, the room was filthy. Some straw and…

Are those bones?

There was a recessed area with a raised stone slab that looked as if it was meant for sleeping on, a burlap rag with straw beneath lay upon it. There was a small wooden stool and table on the opposite side of the room. The table had an earthenware cup and pitcher on it. The smell in this place was awful. A combination of waste odor mixed with the sickly sweet undertones of something dead and rotting. He tried hard to think, to recall…

By The Nine, what is my name? Who, where, and WHAT am I?

A puzzled look crossed his face…

“By The Nine”? What does THAT mean? What are “The Nine”?

He shook his head and regretted it immediately, closing his eyes as the dull throb increased to full pain again. He sat motionless until the pain subsided back to a throb. He opened his eyes and continued making his way toward the door. He could see another cell across the hall. There was someone sitting in it, looking back at him. The person stood up and walked toward the bars of his door. The person had dark skin and his eyes shone red in the dim fire light. There were pointed ears on either side of the person’s narrow head with pulled back hair. This person’s clothes looked every bit as tattered and filthy as the ones he was wearing. The person spoke.

“Hey. Wood elf.”

Wood elf?

“You’re a little far from the forest, huh? Looks like your days of woodland frolicking have come to an end. To go from the gladed realm of Valenwood to a rat infested hole like this. How very sad.”

Forest? Valenwood?

“Those walls must feel like they’re closing in on you. Pretty soon you’ll go mad, and the guards will cut your throat just to stop the ranting. That’s right. You’re going to die in here wood elf. Die!”

He slid down the wall into a squat. Slowly shaking his head so as not to bring back the pain. He had to think. He had to get a handle on this.

Wood elf? Forest? Valenwood? DIE IN HERE? This isn’t real. It’s a dream.
He nodded his head backwards into the stone. The pain caused him to squint tightly and grab his head.

OUCH! There’s no way that pain is not real…

This post has been edited by TheOtherRick: Jan 26 2011, 01:21 PM