The road before the three travelers had grown dark since they left the easternmost boarder of the Kingdom of Goldaria. Their departure had been a thing of some pomp and circumstance, with music and cheering townsfolk seeing them off as they left the capitol. Those crowds had quickly fallen by the wayside as they passed the main gates, and entered the countryside, and now even the occasional farmer had become a rarity.
The three of them were the only ones left of all who had answered the call of Queen Amelia, when she asked for heroes to save her abducted daughter Charlotte. Queen Amelia was a stunning woman of forty, possessed of long shapely legs, a curvaceous figure, and long raven hair kept up to reveal piecing blue eyes. As beautiful as the Queen was in her Autumn, Princess Charlotte was said to be the very picture of youthful loveliness, with flowing golden hair, sparkling green eyes, and a trim but alluring figure. When people found out that she had been kidnapped, would-be heroes and do-gooders flocked to volunteer for the rescue mission; if only to earn the favor of such visions of beauty. That had not lasted long.
Once it was revealed that the culprit was none other than Garam, the great black dragon of the burning mountains, all but a few of those who volunteered quickly abandoned the quest. The ones who remained, now guided their horses down the last road out of the Kingdom. They were an... unusual group to be sure, each drawn to the quest by different goals and ideas.
The first among them was an orc 'woman' named Sholgra, who had been in the kingdom on a pilgrimage to build relations between this southern kingdom, and the orc tribes to the far north. She might not have offered her services, if she hadn't felt the tug of her holy symbol towards the Queen; or it might have been the tug of something else, hiding between her legs.
The second of the group was by far the most orthodox of heroes, the elven knight Valira Aurum; as skilled with a blade as she was alluring of figure. She had joined simply for the chance to do good in the world, and now guided her steed with the most exuberance of them all, eager to see this foul deed undone.
The final member of the team was at once the most famboyant, and pragmatic of the group. Dirk O'Malley was a loud, flashy, and boastful mercenary, who had been lured in by the universal motivator; GOLD. The Queen had not asked the heroes to save her beloved daughter out of the kindness of their hearts. If they were successful, each and every one of them had been promised enough wealth to ensure they would never want for anything ever again. For Dirk, an opportunity like that was worth braving the fury of a dragon... Right?
As they went, the path before them became less of a road, and more of a trail, before disappearing completely at the edge of Black Briar Forest. This would be the first true leg of their journey. In order to reach the burning mountains, they would first need to traverse this forest, then the Swamp of Sorrow that ley beyond it, before passing through the Broken Hills, before finally braving the treacherous mountains at the very heart of the realm known simply as The Dark Lands.
The three of them were the only ones left of all who had answered the call of Queen Amelia, when she asked for heroes to save her abducted daughter Charlotte. Queen Amelia was a stunning woman of forty, possessed of long shapely legs, a curvaceous figure, and long raven hair kept up to reveal piecing blue eyes. As beautiful as the Queen was in her Autumn, Princess Charlotte was said to be the very picture of youthful loveliness, with flowing golden hair, sparkling green eyes, and a trim but alluring figure. When people found out that she had been kidnapped, would-be heroes and do-gooders flocked to volunteer for the rescue mission; if only to earn the favor of such visions of beauty. That had not lasted long.
Once it was revealed that the culprit was none other than Garam, the great black dragon of the burning mountains, all but a few of those who volunteered quickly abandoned the quest. The ones who remained, now guided their horses down the last road out of the Kingdom. They were an... unusual group to be sure, each drawn to the quest by different goals and ideas.
The first among them was an orc 'woman' named Sholgra, who had been in the kingdom on a pilgrimage to build relations between this southern kingdom, and the orc tribes to the far north. She might not have offered her services, if she hadn't felt the tug of her holy symbol towards the Queen; or it might have been the tug of something else, hiding between her legs.
The second of the group was by far the most orthodox of heroes, the elven knight Valira Aurum; as skilled with a blade as she was alluring of figure. She had joined simply for the chance to do good in the world, and now guided her steed with the most exuberance of them all, eager to see this foul deed undone.
The final member of the team was at once the most famboyant, and pragmatic of the group. Dirk O'Malley was a loud, flashy, and boastful mercenary, who had been lured in by the universal motivator; GOLD. The Queen had not asked the heroes to save her beloved daughter out of the kindness of their hearts. If they were successful, each and every one of them had been promised enough wealth to ensure they would never want for anything ever again. For Dirk, an opportunity like that was worth braving the fury of a dragon... Right?
As they went, the path before them became less of a road, and more of a trail, before disappearing completely at the edge of Black Briar Forest. This would be the first true leg of their journey. In order to reach the burning mountains, they would first need to traverse this forest, then the Swamp of Sorrow that ley beyond it, before passing through the Broken Hills, before finally braving the treacherous mountains at the very heart of the realm known simply as The Dark Lands.