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Paladin Enos and the Gnolbolds

By Rhyne Hentzel

Chapter 1

Sticky Situation

In the village of Argenshire, located in the Bylgin forest, residents report seeing abnormally large furred Kobolds as Dusk falls each night, coming from the old mining tunnels, a local abbey has commited one of their paladdins in training that proceeds by the name of Enos. A short history of the wildlife that lives in this Forest and the village itself, Argenshire was an old mining town 50 years ago but the mines were abandoned, leaving them available to whatever creature found the abandoned silver mines a hospitable home and one of races that find these places comfortable were Kobolds: Kobolds are lizard-like humanoids that spawn forth from dragon that has mated with some unfortunate creature to sate their desires, they are often found within cavernous areas or take residence in abandoned Mine Systems, Argenshire's Kobolds are considered pests due to the fact that they tunnel all over the region, causing sinkholes and damage to the Forest's tree roots. The Paladin Trainee Enos, a Human male about the Height of 5'10 with a dark complexion and a rather proud posture as well as known for his physical strength, is spending the evening before his investigation at a local tavern with a cleric who recently completed her training.

They begin discussing what life would be like after they leave their Hometown of Argenshire, Enos dining on a local delicacy, Mead-roasted leg-of-mutton, while his cohort was partaking in the brew.

"So Farm boy... They still have you chasing down those little bastards digging underneath the town" The Cleric questioned

"Yef...I Hete it!" Enos said with his mouth full of lamb before swallowing.

"...but it's been quiet, too quiet. I've been mainly helping keep the boars away from the fields lately...and how many times I told you not to call me Farm Boy!" He snarked at the cleric with vindiction.

"You know how much she misses you Enos, your mother worries about you going off into the mines every time when your assigned with 'Kobold Duty' by the priests" She answered

"Like I am going to get killed by three foot tall scaled creature with a shoddy pickaxe, The Bylgin Wolves have a nastier temper than the blighters beneath the ground... and they are ten times bigger than the kobolds!" Enos stated with a hint of fear of the canines that inhabited the region. Bylgin wolves were known to grow large enough to be able to be ridden by an adult humanoid but were known for their viciousness; alas, some locals who were brave enough to tame them are respected in Argenshire for the ability to have one as a pet.

"Speaking of which, a couple packs of wolves that lived near the village went missing, do you think it has anything to do with your assignment?" The Cleric asked, curious about his quest

"I don't know, probably travelers overhunting again, Bylgin is known for the quality leathers that come from here, My armor is even made from the hide of Old Derrick" He remarked, hitting the shoulder of his protective garb with his fist.

"Wait! Remind who was Old Derrick again?" She asked once again, her memory unable to recall the story behind Enos's Armoring

"Biggest wolf in the entire forest, Record breaking size! The bastard tried eating me when I went boar hunting; sadly for him, his head is now mounted in the Abbey's Library and committed his remains to the cemetery behind it." The Trainee explained the scenario that befell upon him

"That's rather sweet of you though, putting him to rest at the Abbey..." The cleric chimed merrily

"He put up one hell of a fight...so did I but at least I am the one sitting here eating mutton. I sold his pups to a Dwarf Hunter so my concious is clear about defending myself from him" Enos lectured his holy companion of the evening before discussing other topics for a few hours until coming to the subject of the cleric's duty

"Well Tomorrow, I'm off to assist expeditionary force from the city into the Eastern Plains, apparently they've been having a pile of reports flooding in from the outposts of midnight raids on settlements." She stated

"It could be Independence Insurgents again, They are always causing trouble in the Frontiers because they feel capital is trying to spread our borders too think" The Trainee replied before taking a sip of water from his mug

"They do have a point, we have forces in the Southern Wastes trying to hold onto a land barren of any resources that's facing the legions of the Undead and a plague to boot!" The Cleric responded.

Enos shivered at the thought of being sent the Southern Wastes once he became a full paladin, the capital's politicians were shipping Paladins and warriors fresh from training to fight in the Royal Army against what was unending onslaught of walking corpses armed to the teeth with the intention to slay any living humanoid being in sight to add into their ranks. The worst part of the nightmare to this military campaign was the fact that a plague was spreading in the Southern wastes like a wildfire, the symptoms were gruesome and painful: A victim would discharged their stomach acid, their muscles atrophy, and their blood turns to vile green liquids before finally dying, joining the Undead Legion as a zombie.

"Please... Do not say the word Southern Wastes again! I have heard the stories of what happens to the fallen soldiers, ever since that Elvish Necromancer went rogue and established her own kingdom of Zombies, Things on both sides have been hard. I have met a couple deadmeats who traveled through the forest say that their Empress has been enforcing heavy supply restrictions." The Paladin-in-training spoke

"Yeah, It seems like everyone is defecting nowadays, even the Coalition has fresh citizens coming from all walks of life." She said

"The Greenskins got the right idea on securing the territory they already possess, I think I could get along with Goblins and Orcs..." He remarked

"Well, It's getting late, I am going to head to the Inn to rest up before heading out tomorrow..." The Cleric stated, taking her leave of the tavern and the trainee himself

Enos finished his dinner, ignoring her departure without a care in the world as his stomach was filled. He left the tavern to his campsite outside of town, sitting by the fire, looking at the stars above the forest canopy, fading to sleep, the fire twinkling away, slipping off into dreamland. The Trainee found himself awaking in the southern wastes, the sky was crimson with clayish dust as an undead two-headed ogre was marching towards him, the scent of death ladened the wind blowing across the battlefield. The gigantic abomination was wielding a hammer made of ivory, swinging it at Enos, propelling him across the fields strewn with blood; The Trainee hits a spiky tree branch, impaled in the heart effectively killing him, fading into death before awakening once more to the sight of a undead warrior greeting him "Welcome to our Army, solider! you one of us now..." He said.

The Paladin-in-training awoke the next morning from his slumber, finding that he was still in the Bylgin Forest, It was only a horrid dream...more like the nightmare of a nightmare. The Nature around the pattern eased him from his lingering fear, the sound of birds eagerly chirping took away the mental agony, the sunlight glimmering from above through the leaves eased his the tenseness of his muscles and the Sight of a kobold prowling through his backpack cleared his...Wait a minute! Enos noticed the little reptilian vermin scrounging through his supplies, snatching his holy relic: a golden necklace with a priest's blessing.

He sprung after the Kobold as it slipped away from his campsite, grabbing his Greatsword holstered in its sheath and his side pouch filled with couple sweet buns from a bakery in the village, chasing the pest through the damp soggy forest until he came across an abandoned mine entrance. Enos didn't recognize this mine, having visited most of the ones that were present on the old Miner's Guild maps, the wet rock surround the tunnel glistened in the morning dawnlight. The mine was almost eerie in its presence , He considered the possibility the fact that this was built after the Law that banned mining in Argenshire, the wood beams supporting the entrance structure seemed fairly new though, The Bylgin Forest's humid environment often rotted processed timber in a short time.

Paladin Trainee Enos ventured into the Dark tunnel, only a shimmer of light could flickering as he descended downward, carefully taking each step as the dirt beneath his boots crumbled, pressing his hands against the narrow passage to secure himself. He made it to a level passageway, crouching down to avoid hitting his head against the ceiling, before coming to a larger tunnel with four branching points, the sound of iron pickaxes striking stone echoed throughout the mine, grunting sounds followed. Enos chose the middle tunnel, traversing through the cramped pathways, Silence was key in his movements, discovering a room filled with dozens of arcane apparatuses, wooden tables and a peculiar creature non-native to region...

He spotted a four foot tall humanoid with dense fur, a muddy brown with occasional patches of clay color, its face akin to that of a Gnoll but rather charming in complexion, particularly handsome. It was wearing bundles of azure dyed cloth around in a primitive fashion, a set of goggles made from crystalline shards bound by leather straps, and a pair of black gloves while it was performing a craft. The Creature was painting a set of a abnormal runes on a Steel shortsword, it grabbed a nearby shard that glowed a luster of fire, setting in on the blade itself before striking it with a hammer, sparks of energy flew about the makeshift workshop.

The symbols that adorned the weapons shined crimson, the creature seized the sword in its grasp, swinging it in the air, a flame engulfed the steel as it severed the air before it was returned to the table. "Impressive!" The word slipped from Enos's lips, alerting the Enchanter to his presence, The creature looked at the human fearfully, it rushed to a table with a strange brass device, the contraption began to ring to the high heavens, alerting an entire colony to his presence.

Kobolds armed with spears blocked off the Trainee's escape, a horde of the reptilian humanoids equipped to the teeth in pike and shield surrounded the Holy warrior-in-training, He barely could move an inch without feeling the press of sharpened metal through his Hide Protection. Several more of the creature's kind appeared behind the mass of Kobolds, They possessed Wolf leather armor, bearing war hatchets bloodily coated, Enos's thoughts turned to the chance that he might walk with death out of this lair, leaving his corpse behind...

The scent of fear was laced in the air as one of the creatures approached him, carrying a wooden staff decorated, gourds filled with water swishing inside of them. It was wearing a deep blue garment, covering itself, leaving its chest exposed to the element, the creature was obviously female by the curving of its jaws, She seem discontented that the trainee infiltrated what seemed to be their home. Enos remembered he had sticky buns filled with lemon custard in his side pouch, weighing it would be decent distraction for his escape.

He grabbed his leather pouched before tossing it at the staff wielding creature, turning around as fast as he could, sadly the Spear-wielding scaled vermin were still holding their ground, Kobolds aren't this brave, they would have fled by now, one turned its quickly behind him to look at the furred creature, it seemed more scared of the four foot tall beasts than the Human himself. The Scenario was evidently fraught with the result of Death for both parties until the Staff Wielder approached the pouch on the ground, She walked towards it, picking the leather container up, sniffing it cautiously before pulling a sticky bun out and placing it in her mouth, biting down as the gooey liquid oozed out; The Argent's Bakery was famous for stuffing as much of the fruity delight they could in the sweet pastry then glazing it with a syrup, coating it in powdered sugar. The Creature's eyes widened when her teeth sank into the baked treat, its expression akin to a child's face of happiness when biting into their first slice of cake, She cheered something in a strange yet familiar tongue, summoning her kind to her, breaking apart to share with the rest of what appeared to be her clan.

The strange creatures each consumed a piece, their reactions were ones of immense joy, even to point where the kobolds broke formation to sate their curiosity long enough to allow Enos to attempt his escaped, rapidly dashing through the tunnels but unfortunately in his haste, He had forgotten that the passageways shortened in height at the entrance. The Trainee rendered himself unconscious as he ran into the ceiling, falling to the floor, fading into deep sleep, He felt somewhat dragging him...Was he go to be killed or worse...Eaten?

The Paladin-in-training awoke a few hours later in a cavern, his forehead was wrapped in bandage with a headache and barren of a stitch of armor, lesser to his dismay: Clothing. One of the Creatures, the female one that was wielding the Gourd decorated wooden pole, was laying atop of his chest in her birthday suit, carrying a satisfied expression on her face, Enos noticed stain of blood on his leg that wasn't his own. What happened to him during his period of absentmindedness, He saw a crude pictograph of him painted on the stone walls that had a Halo above his head and the pastries next to the Hieroglyphic drawing of the Human, There seem to be some the creatures themselves in the image, celebrating in a ritual.

The Creature laying on top of him rised from her own sleep... then made a kissing motion, Enos questioned himself why would this little beast use such a gesture, She grinned a lusty smile while staring at tattoo she placed on the Trainee's chest. He notice the emblem marked into his skin beneath his collar bone before sitting upright, the female fell off him, rolling around in the cavern. She walked to a corner, picking up his garb, bringing it to him then pointing her finger to the picture of the Pastry, evidently wanting him to fetch more of the sweets.

"Wi vynt mur!" The Creature said in her tongue, it was barely understandable to the human, the language seemed like a pidgin of whatever tongue they may acquired.

"Ummm... Alright, Which way is the exit?" Enos questioned while equipping his attire

The Gnollish-like creature pointed to the wall behind him, there was a pictograph showing a map of the entire lair which seemed peculiar but if this 'dungeon' was that complex to the point it needed a map, it would seem prudent to do so.

"Huh...That's oddly helpful" The Human replied, finishing getting dressed, He looked at the spot of crimson dye that appeared to be in the cavern he was in, the map showed the linking tunnels to the entrance at the surface.

Enos set off into the tunnels once more, It appears that the strange creatures here aren't hostile to him any longer... for now; making his way around the subterranean structure. He finally made it to the surface, but noticed his greatsword was missing, accidentally leaving it somewhere within the Mine, the trainee cursed at himself until one of the creatures came chasing him out of the entrance with the aforementioned blade in its sheath. It was the Enchanter one he had encountered earlier, it was brimming with glee as the Holy warrior drew the sword from its scabbard.

The little beast inscribed runes, similar to the ones on the shortsword he was witness to enchanting earlier, onto the hilt of the trainee's steel, Enos walked away from the lair's main tunnel, somewhat confused as to what went on or it could have been his head throbbing from the concussion. He returned to the Marshall awaiting at the Abbey to hear his report, sitting down in the office next to the library, placing his blade upon the desk as evidence to his encounter.

"Greetings Enos, I hear you have discovered our 'Abnormally Large furry Kobolds' today, what is it that is plaguing our fair town now?" The Marshall questioned

"Well... They more likes Gnolls, but they live with Kobolds, They are Gnolbolds!" Enos answered, his head trauma may have been much more severe than he initially thought though the headache turned to a migraine.

The Marshall laughed heartily at the name, It was genuinely hysterical to the plate wearing peacekeeper "What are they? Three foot tall Gnolls?" He joked

The trainee was becoming irritated "They are four foot tall humanoids that share characteristics with gnolls such as fur but possess arms and legs like ours, they have a rather attractive complexion" Enos fiercely stated

The superior Holy man ceased his merriment before dawning a serious expression "Are they a threat to the Region?" He probed with a desire to learn of what was to be Argenshire's next issue

"They are more of a threat to the Kobold population than to ours, they seem to like sweets but I warn you, they are capable of enchanting tools through unknown means and are capable of basic warfare tactics. I almost didn't make it out if I hadn't thrown my pouch containing my snack to what appeared to be a leader of the Gnolbolds..." Enos replied, trying to put effort into his report

The Marshall noticed the bandaging around his trainee's head "How did you get those wrappings?" He asked

"I accidentally ran into a low ceiling, knocking myself out while attempting to escape. They healed me and drew a picture of me with a halo around my head, next to a drawing of sticky bun and an image of the creatures themselves..." The Paladin-in-training replied

The Marshall almost bursted out laughing again "Okay... Saint of the Donut!" He joked, obviously understanding the creatures revered him for his stolen pastries

"I'll have you exclusively investigate any incidents related to these 'Gnolbolds' since they seem to have an affinity for you...Sir Donut!" He continued, along with his humor

Enos was annoyed by the new nicknames, He pulled his greatsword from its scabbard to show his superior the runes on the blade "What kind of symbols are these?" He asked

The Marshall's interested peaked "They are draconic, No one has used their symbols in a long time for improving weapons. Did the Gnolbolds do this?" he questioned

"Yes sir, They seem to be have a class in their kind that is responsible for producing magical goods" The Trainee answered

"Enos... This isn't made with magic, They used an Ancient science to enchant your sword... A science that was supposed to be long forgotten with the dragons themselves" The Marshall said, his voice seemed fearful of what kind of enemy the Gnolbolds could be

"What is it then?" Enos turned the line of questioning to his superior

"Thaumology, The Science of Miracles, a knowledge so powerful that it could manipulate the fabric of the universe itself. The concept of the Philospher stone stems from this science... even the dead back to life to their former glory, and the Elixir of immortality stem from it as well." The Marshall explained

"How do the Gnolbolds have this kind of Knowledge?" Enos pondered aloud to the Holy Knight

"You should take time to research these creatures, Paladin Enos. You need to visit a cleric though before you head to bed..." The Marshall instructed

"I am not a paladin yet though?..." Enos asked

"You will be in the morning..." The Plated Peacekeeper stated

The Trainee jump for joy but accidentally knocked a Minotaur's skull off of a shelve above his head, it fell on the poor paladin, rendering him unconscious once more. The Marshall drug his new paladin to the Cleric's ward for a remedy to his cranial injuries due to the misfortunate accidents that plagued him throughout the day. The next morning Enos awakened for his ceremony, meeting in the evangelic chapel, the morning light was shining through the stained glass and the resident priest cheery as always; They begun the ritual by dowsing him with the tears of an Angel before drawing his own blade to perform the ceremony, tapping him twice on his right shoulder then his left.

Trainee Enos became a paladin that day, as well as St. Donut in the Abbey's records for generations to come...