Noyen's Journey
by Tollgate
Chapter 1 The Awakening
It begins with our adventurer Noyen waking from a state of nothingness. He sits up and smacks his head on a hanging lamp. Noyen stares blankly at the lamp, for he has had his first encounter with pain. Being of a not too bright race, ogre, he touches the lamp with his large soft hands.
"Ugh!" he shouts loudly. The fire burned him.
"Who am I? Where am I? What is this place?" he asks. Suddenly the light shines through the door lighting the dark room. Noyen ducks in the corner hiding himself. This is very difficult for an ogre greater than six feet.
"Welcome, Noyen," says a voice from the door. When Noyen's eyes finally adjust he sees a strong looking gnome. He seems to glow with a golden aura.
"I am sure you have many questions for me. They will be answered in time. Come! Let us find some food for you. You are Noyen, an ogre barbarian. You are currently in Lasler. This is a friendly town for all neophyte travelers. Lasler is a small place compared to the rest of Alyria. Don't doubt your opponents, though. Some are very powerful." Noyen follows the gnome down a long narrow hallway decorated with portraits of war-torn veterans. At the end he sees a grand portrait of a man simply know as Vassago. He passes this portrait and through an archway. He enters an elaborate room with many exits. The gnome tells Noyen this place is known as The Lobby.
"Oh! Before I forget: my name is Salaam. If you have any questions feel free to inquire. I'm going to help other new people now. You should venture outside."
Chapter 2 A Whole New World
Noyen gathers enough courage to step outside into the dreary day. He wanders around a while taking in the landscape. Noyen stumbles into a place where he sees a small man. He walks closer to him to say hello.
"Greetings, Noyen!" exclaims the man. "I am Brother Rufus."
"Ugh, How do you, ugh, know my name?" asks Noyen.
"I know a lot," says Brother Rufus. "You will soon find people that are brighter than me."
Noyen jumps back in surprise as a big red strawberry appears out of nowhere.
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!" Rufus chuckles at Noyen's stupidity.
"You can have it," says Rufus. Noyen cautiously takes the strawberry and eats it.
"Go now," states Brother Rufus, "you have much to learn."
As Noyen continues down the road he comes across a field full of butterflies. He leaps about trying to catch them. A crowd begins to assemble. They have never seen such a thing, an ogre frolicking with butterflies. The town trainer approaches Noyen.
"Come with me," he says, "we need to talk." On the way to the trainer's guild Noyen ponders what he could be doing wrong.
"Noyen, you are a barbarian. You are supposed to run around killing things. Not play with them," says the trainer, chuckling.
"Why? Ugh," replies Noyen.
"Because that is what you do. The more you kill the stronger you become," the trainer says. The trainer throws him a practice axe. Noyen lunges at the trainer. Smack! The trainer beats Noyen over the back of the head and he collapses to the ground.
"Silly Noyen! You don't attack me. You attack the dummy. You have many years before you reach my experience level," the trainer says with a smile on his face. Noyen spends the rest of the night attacking the dummy. In the morning he wakes up and journeys back to the butterfly field. This time he draws his axe and begins killing them. After his sixth butterfly a heavenly light shines upon him and he feels his power grow. Wondering what this light is and where it came from, Noyen goes back to the lobby to find Salaam.
"Welcome back," says Salaam the gnome, "what can I help you with?"
"Ugh. Light. Ugh. Sky," replies Noyen.
"Ahh, you were covered with a warm light and you felt as if you had grown?" asks Salaam.
"Ugh." Noyen says.
"This happens when you have enough experience to gain a level. When you level up you gain a little bit more hit points, stamina points, and spell points. Hit points are the amount of damage you can take before you die. Spell points are a number that is required to cast spells. You can't cast any spells so we won't worry about that. Stamina is how much walking, running, swimming, climbing and attacking you can do before you get tired," explains Salaam.
"Die?" asks Noyen.
"That's right. You haven't died yet. When you die you go to a place called the ethereal void. After a few minutes you will be brought back to your body. You should avoid dying too often though," explains Salaam. Noyen scratches his head as the thought of life and death and levels and spells causes him to get a headache.
"You will soon understand these complex concepts," says Salaam. Noyen, now with a heavy mind, walks back to town. Splat! Noyen falls at a slippery crossing in the road. He reaches for his axe and finds it broken. This upsets Noyen because he had grown used to it during the night of training at the guild. In search of a new weapon he comes upon a small tavern. Tolin is there and offers him a cavern axe.
"This here is a fine axe. One of the best you'll ever see. Doesn't get finer than this," Tolin says.
Noyen seems content with this new axe and hands Tolin 500 gold pieces. The rest of the afternoon is spent killing strays and wild pigs. The following day Noyen encounters a large house with a white picket fence. He begins the journey toward the elaborate structure. As he walks he trips over a vine in the path. Being a stupid ogre he enters combat with the vine. The outcome was not in his favor. Noyen died.
Chapter 3 The Void
BOOM! Noyen awakes from nothingness again. He looks around and sees that everyone seems to have a transparent aspect about him or her. He begins to draw his axe and he notices that it is missing.
"Ugh!" exclaims Noyen.
"Welcome to the ethereal void," says Mordred, "may your stay be a pleasant one." Noyen walks from room to room until he finds an odd looking copper door floating. Noyen ducks as he enters the door. On the other side he finds a maze of hallways that appear to shift before his eyes. He continues down one of them and when he looks back the door has disappeared. He is amazed at how large the hallway really is. It seems to never end. Finally he turns right and comes across a stairway. Reluctantly Noyen goes down.
"Hello, " says a small druid man, "would ye like me to return you to the land of the living?"
"Ugh. Yes. Ugh," replies Noyen.
Chapter 4 A New Beginning
BOOM!
"Welcome back," says a familiar voice. It is Brother Rufus. Noyen appears startled.
"Uggghhh what happened?" asks Noyen.
"Your time ran out and you reincarnated," states Brother Rufus.
"Little Ugh man Ugh stairway!" exclaims Noyen.
"I have heard rumors of a living druid residing in the void," Says Rufus, "Did he return you to the living?" asks Rufus.
"Yes," replies Noyen, "how did he do that?"
"That is something even I don't know," Rufus states with a hint of uncertainty. "I told you that you would soon find people brighter than me."
"Ugh. white house. Ugh. Vine," says Noyen.
"That white house belongs to the headmaster. His name is Irvin. The vine there is one of the powerful enemies Salaam has told you about. You will soon be able to kill those. You should visit Irvin. He has a great knowledge of Lasler." Noyen continues onward in his continuing journey towards Irvin's house. This time he carefully steps over the vine guarding the way. Noyen finds Irvin in his office.
"Salutations, Noyen. I am headmaster Irvin. I would love to sit and chat with you, but I am kind of busy right now. Hey! Would you mind running a few errands for me? I will reward thee for your efforts."
"Sure, why not," replies Noyen.
"Great! It is good to see a courteous young fellow like yourself." Irvin says with thanks, "I need some old fortune bones and a green mushroom. The bones are in the fey lair. The diviner guards the mushroom. Killing both of them would do the town good. Everyone knows that the fey is a thief. And the diviner is always babbling about something. Please hurry and return these items to me," Irvin says politely.
Noyen departs on his quest and inquires for the location of the fey lair. He learns that it is around the beautiful grotto, and is very dark inside. Noyen proceeds to the general store and purchases a few torches. As Noyen approaches the dark chamber of the fey thief, he feels a small pain in his stomach, an ominous feeling of death. He decides that if Irvin sent him on this mission then he must have faith in him, and if Irvin thinks he can do it then he can. Feeling assured Noyen descends the steps into the lair. When he steps inside he can't seem to find anyone. Suddenly Noyen feels a sharp pain in his back. He turns around and sees the fey partaking on his blood dripping from her dagger.
"Ugh!" yells Noyen. He grabs his axe and quickly swings it at the fey. Thud! The fey's head hits the floor and rolls. "Stupid fey." He takes the bones. Noyen again feels himself becoming more powerful having executed the thief in one slash. As Noyen steps out of the lair he sees it is quickly becoming dark. He hurries through town and sees the diviner chained to a tree.
"Hello Noyen, don't hurt the faerie dragons that lie in th…" SPLAT! Noyen's axe lands squarely in the diviner's skull. He takes a green mushroom and dashes back to the headmaster's mansion.
"You made it just in time. I was about to send someone else to get those items. For your efforts I'll give you this vampire's cape and a fine opal bracelet. I think you are ready to participate in the trial. Go talk to the druid that stands in front of the enchanted forest," Irvin tells Noyen with a proud voice.
Chapter 5 Leaves?
"All ready to take the trial? You have to collect three leaves to participate in it. One is in the caverns below Lasler. The other is supposedly buried in the cemetery. You should get a shovel or a spade to obtain that one. And the final one is guarded by a fierce dragon that lies in this very forest," the druid tells Noyen.
Noyen decides to go to the caverns first. When he arrives he lights the torch and steps into the small cave. After a brief walk through the tunnel it opens into a larger chamber. Noyen clearly sees a well-worn path so he proceeds in that direction. After turning every which direction for a half-hour he arrives at a room with a dryad in it. She has green hair and a leaf in a necklace that is wrapped around her neck. Seeing the necklace he attempts to kill the dryad. He soon finds that even though she is small and fragile, she is very quick. It takes Noyen a while to land enough hits to kill her. He does though, and heads toward the cemetery, digs for a while, and kills a zombie, taking another leaf. He returns to the druid and informs him of his findings.
"Very good, Noyen, now you must find the last one," explains the druid.
As Noyen goes deeper into the forest he sees another dryad. Remembering the druid told him a dragon guarded the leaf, he simply smiles at her. She smiles back at him and reveals a passage. Following this new path he comes upon a section of forest that is burnt. Suddenly and out of nowhere an imp appears from thin air and attacks Noyen.
"Ugh," Noyen says with boredom. The imp's body falls lifeless. Noyen has become so strong through his battles that he is a bit cocky. Deeper and deeper into the burnt forest Noyen journeys. He notices that he is going uphill. In the distance he sees a ledge. Upon approaching the ledge he hears heavy breathing. Noyen, feeling all-powerful, charges into the small cave next to the ledge. Noyen takes the leaf, but as he does, the dragon wakes and scratches Noyen's back with his long sharp talons. Noyen escapes from the dragon but he has been severely injured. Stumbling back to the druid he shows him all of the leaves.
"You had better get that looked at," the druid says with a concerned voice. By now Noyen has lost a lot of blood and just barely makes it back to Brother Rufus before he collapses. Rufus spends the next hour fixing Noyen with bandages. Noyen is now set to take the trial.
Chapter 6 The Trial
"Noyen is now undertaking the trial," shouts the druid.
Noyen finds himself in a room with three doors. One is labeled Magic, one is labeled Agility, and one is labeled Strength. Having no choice but to enter one of the rooms, he enters the strength room. Upon entering he finds himself against a vine that is twice the size of the ones that lie near Irvin's house. As he tries to turn back in a panic the door shuts behind him. Slowly and steadily, Noyen reaches for his axe. His movement wakes the vine, which lets out a shriek. The vine attempts to grab Noyen but he quickly slices one of the its roots off. Noyen finds that he will be able to overcome this beast if he just remains in the corner and slices them off as they come. After two or three minutes of battle the vine looks severely beaten and Noyen can tell that it is at its end.
"Ahh!" Noyen shouts as he runs at the vine dodging the remaining roots. He digs his axe deep into the vine's runner root. There is a deafening pop as the vine disappears into nothing. A door opens up behind the departed vine. He travels through the door and the old druid smiles at Noyen.
"All congratulate Noyen who has just completed the trial," shouts the druid. "For your efforts the powers wish to embark you upon the mark of youth," says the druid. Noyen sits down for fifteen minutes while the druid tattoos the mark of youth on Noyen's arm.
"You should also take this," states the druid. Noyen receives a large book that seems to glow. This is a manual. These are considered extremely valuable in Alyria. This one here has been made just for you, though, so you have to use it," says the old druid. Noyen opens the book and reads the words that are written aloud. As he reads the works Noyen feels as though he can do anything. His courage has increased and he has great knowledge of his enemies and how to kill them.
"You should see Rufus and ask him about a ghost. He was muttering something the other day that I didn't catch. Something about his old friend talking to him," the druid says with a smirk on his face.
Chapter 7 The Ghost of Lasler
Noyen leaves the forest with a smile on his face. He feels all-powerful, for the light from the sky has shined down on him for the ninth time. When he arrives at Rufus's place he asks him about the ghost.
"You have heard it too!" exclaims Rufus.
"No," replies Noyen, "but the druid told me to ask you about it."
"Well, I was standing out next to the statue of Kyros the other day and I swear he began talking to me. Kyros, you see, was an awesome warrior and a good friend of mine. You should stand next to it for a while and see if he will talk to you too," Rufus says. Noyen goes to the statue and waits as Rufus had insisted he do.
"You have waited here patiently," a voice whispers to Noyen. Yet it seems as if the voice is inside his head.
"Let's see how patient you are," the voice whispers to him again.
BOOM! Once again Noyen appears in a small room from nothingness. He is beginning to wonder how he keeps doing this. In the room he sees one big rock with runes on it. To the left of it are two small poles with a button and a rune on each. The same is to the right. He walks up and touches the pole to the far left. Nothing happens. He touches the pole to the right of it. It glows. He also notices one of the runes on the large stone glows. In addition, the button on the far left can be pressed again. He presses it and the runes go out. So he presses the one to the left of the big stone. Nothing. Then he presses the one on the far left and it glows, as does one on the big stone. Noyen now understands. He presses the one to the left of the big stone and it glows. Now there are two runes glowing. Noyen proceeds to the right. Pressing the button to the right of the big stone does nothing. Pressing the one to the far right does nothing. He presses the one next to the big stone again. Three runes are now glowing in the middle. Pushing the button to the far right turns off one of these runes, though. He presses the one next to the middle stone again, presses the one to the far right which lights the third rune, and presses the one next to the main stone again. A door slides open when the fourth rune glows. Upon completing the ghost trial Noyen receives the Mark of Wisdom. He journeys to Salaam to see what to do next.
Chapter 8 Almost there
"Noyen, you have completed everything that has been asked of you. I can see that you are ready to leave Lasler. Soon you will be shined upon once more and you will be magically transferred to Tellerium. Tellerium is a vast town. There are people there that will amaze you. You should always consider your opponents wisely in Tellerium. Make your final rounds here in Lasler and say goodbye to all your friends. Once you leave Lasler there is no return. So it is most likely that you will never again see us," Salaam sadly explains.
Noyen says goodbye to Salaam then walks down the hallway. This time he is absolutely mesmerized by the pure strength of the people in the photos. As he walks under the portrait of Vassago, it seems to tip its hat to Noyen as if to wish him good luck. Noyen walks to the slippery crossing remembering the time that he fell in the mud. Then he walks up the hill and sits with the butterflies once more. He grins as one of them lands on his finger. He stops in and sees Tolin and thanks him again for the axe. Waving goodbye to Tolin he heads to Irvin's mansion for the last time. Noyen spends the rest of the night by the fire there learning about all the things he will be able to do in Tellerium. When the sun rises the following morning Noyen gets up and goes to Brother Rufus. Rufus has been a good friend to Noyen and he tells him farewell before his departure.
"Getting ready to leave?" Rufus asks, already knowing the answer.
"Afraid so," replies Noyen, "I'm not sure I want to, though."
"No one ever does," Rufus replies sadly, "You will be all right. There are many people who go through their time here in one day. They don't complete the trial. They don't make friends. They do just enough to get by. These things will not help them in the future. But you, my friend, you have done everything to prepare yourself for a grand future," Rufus says proudly.
"What will I do in Tellerium? Who should I visit? Where will I appear?" Noyen asks Rufus with a concerned look on his face.
"Well, in Tellerium you will need to continue practicing your skills. Make sure you quest a lot too," Says Brother Rufus.
"Quest?" Noyen asks, for he is unsure of the meaning.
"Visit Lord Telleri in the Mayor's office. He will give you several tasks that he will reward you for completing. Upon completion of each quest you will grow in experience, you will get money, and for your work you will receive special quest points. With enough of these quest points you can obtain many powerful items. Questing gets some of the most precious things in Alyria. Soon you will also gain the ability to attack many times in one round. Your axe swings will blur together into smooth strokes. Also visit a defensive trainer because you will acquire the ability to dodge opponent's attacks. This is very useful in battle. As for your appearance in Tellerium I believe that you appear in the local hospital," says Rufus.
"Are there going to be people there that are as kind as you?" Noyen asks with a trembling voice as he holds back the tears.
"Of course," says Brother Rufus, "most people you meet will be warriors like yourself. Only fighters go to Tellerium. You will meet some people there that are rude, but that is inevitable."
Noyen finally gets enough courage to kill that last creature to get that final level. The people of the town gather around as Noyen climbs to the top of the hill and sees a wounded butterfly. He turns to all with a final wave. As he strikes the butterfly, light falls upon his broad shoulders and the windy day becomes calm. Noyen's feet begin to levitate. The town watches in awe as an aura of many brilliant colors surrounds him. He gracefully closes his eyes and rises into the sky.
This has been the first tale in the life of Noyen the Barbarian. Almost everything stated in the story is true or close to it (It's been a while since I was in Lasler.) This is pretty much how one should go through Lasler. Just remember to be KIND and take your time. Never forget level isn't everything.
