–==Official Submission==–
FROM: General Debinani Rahl
RE: Chapter Twenty-Six – Haplo”s Story

HAPLO’S STORY

Funny how odd a quill feels in your hand when you don’t
write very often.As much as I readI have little occasion to
write things down. It’s usually so much easierjust to say
thingsthat I never have much occasion to write things down.
When Laz suggestedthat I sit downand put to paper the
events that brought me here, I just laughed at first.I’ve
neverbeen one to chronicle my life events. But I figure
that someone, someday,(A relative god forbid I ever get
married) may be intersted in what old Haplo did withhis
time onthis silly little patch of land we call home. So
here it is.Adventuring runs in the family I suppose, but I
doubt Ma ever figured I’dfollow in myfathers and
grandfathers footsteps. Grandpa, my namesake, was half
darkelf.I supposethat’s where the wild streak comes in. He
dedicated his life to what hecalled, ridding the world of
their foul corruption. But that was another time and
place.How he and his family ever ended up on Sosaria is a
story that he took to his grave. Oneof the fewactually. My
grandfather was the consumate city rat. He was alway
nervousin the woodsand prefered the cobblestone beneath his
feet. Funny that I his namesakewould much rather spend my
time off in the woods.I suppose my love of the woods comes
from my father. Dad was never muchlike grandpa. Dad’s love
of the bow was second only to his love of his family. He
carrieda bow with himas long as I can remeber and was
always making improvements to his design.When he
finallydecided to settle down, he opened up a small bow
shop outside of vesper. That’s where I come into the
picture. Guess the Dark elf blood is pretty dilute by
thetime you get to mebut every now and again traces of it
will crop up. Grandpa was a bit upsetat the birth ofmy
sister, but as cute as she is he got over it quick. Anyway,
I spent mydays playing inpiles of wood carvings and running
off in the woods. Nights, mom made mestudy magic. Notmy
first passion. That’s the forest. I’ve loved the forest
since I was achild. The calm, tranquility. By the time I
was 10 I knew the woods in a 10 mile radiusaround our house
like the back of my hand. Dad would send me out to trap
rabbits and smallgame for lunchand sometimes dinner. Things
progressed, I got older and stronger in boththe ways ofthe
woods and with my archery and magic. When I turned 12 my
fater startingtaking me on his logging trips. That was also
when I got my first bow. Father said he’dbeen saving itfor
me. That summer was also when I had my first runin with the
darkerelements ofsosaria. I was off in the woods as was
usual when I heard screams comingfrom beyond. Iwent down to
investigate and saw orcs attacking a small group of
peopleheading throughthe woods. Slaughtering them was more
like it. The orcs finished thelittle group off without much
trouble but not without me giving them a hurting. I managed
to chase them off from my vantage point in the trees
without them seeing who it was. It wasthen I realized the
true power contained in the woods. I vowed to make sure
that peoplepassing through what I considered my woods would
be safe from the darker element.The years passed.
Eventually I headed out on my own, taking small amountsof
gold forescorting people through the woods. Mom got sick
the year of my 20thbirthday and diedshortly there after.
Dad didn’t take it so well. Sara, my sister, took iteven
worse.Her and ma were very close. Sara dissappeared shortly
after mom died. Dadgot better eventually and business
picked back up. Dad started crafting some of thebest bows
I’veever seen him make. It was then I decided I should head
out and see theworld. Dad understood and was suprised it
hadn’t happened earlier. I made my way downto vesper,picked
up some supplies and headed off to investigate the world. I
made myway about by hiring myself out to merchant caravans.
I traveled all over the mainland, drawing mapsand making
sure that the caravans made their way through. Pretty soon,
Imade a meger living escorting people city to city using my
numerous shortcuts through thewoods. I alsotook it as time
to help thin out the orc population that seemed to ever
movetowards the populated areas.One day I came upon an
ettin and a couple orcs attacking a man in the woods.He
looked to know his way around a sword and was holding his
own as well as any mancan against oddslike that, but he was
fighting a loosing battle. I took up position and fired
arrow after arrow. I was able to drop the orcs without a
problem, and it freed upenough room for theman to finish
off the Ettin. I moved off into the woods again figuring
I’ddone what I could.I wondered off in to the woods back
towards Britian when out of nowherejumps a figure.I quickly
drew my bow and a bead on the stranger, the murderers
runningrampant and all,and he just dropped a backpack in
front of me saying only two words;”yourcut.” I then
recongnized him as the man I had helped with the ettin and
orcs. “Thanks.” I said. “I’m Haplo””Lazarus Shade” was his
reply.We made fast friends. Making frequent trips into the
forests to make them abit safer thanthey were. He then
dissappeared for a while. When I ran into him again,
hebegantelling stories of this group he had joined called
the Black Rose Society.I really wasn’tthat interested,
being a bit of a loner myself, but when I heard that
theyneeded helpfighgint the orcs, I knew that I had found
allies. An enemy of mine enemyand all.