Hawke headed his horse up the trail towards the
large manor house.
Before him was the culmination of a long journey. Drawing his horse to
a halt just past the last curve, Hawke sat there with one leg thrown
over the saddle horn. Slowly he rotated the large irregularly made key
in his hand wondering what it will get him into.
Hawke clearly
remembered the old man who gave it too him. It was payment for doing a
job that required Hawke to remove a certain band of rogues from the
village. The rogues had controlled the town for some 20 years and
finally a small group of citizens saved the money to hire someone to
free them. After Hawke started the job something happened to change his
mind.
Even in his short life of 21 years, Hawke had created a name for himself as a very good liberator of the oppressed though this freedom came at a steep price. In this short time he became able to command large sums of gold for his specialized services mainly because he was so successful. But this time something happened and Hawke did the work for free. He was tired of gathering gold and seeked a deeper sense of satisfaction. With the job done, Hawke turned down the payment over their objections and insistence. That night in his room he was packing when the old man knocked on the door.
"Come in" Hawke spoke clearly .
The Old man entered the room as the door creaked open. "Good sir, I wish to thank you once again for what you did."
Hawke blushed slightly as he acknowledged the old man. "Sir, I was just glad to be successful and allow you to be free once again."
The old man held out the old and ornate key. "Please, I know you won't take gold, but I wish you to take this key to a Tavern and Manor in the Scottish Highlands."
Hawke saw the key and was intrigued. "But why old man, why this key?"
For the next half hour the old man wove a tale filled with facts and legends. "The key is fits into a door in the basement of the tavern. It is the gateway to the lower regions of the world that you and I know and traverse. While there is much wealth to gain from any visit to that region, there is an equal amount of death and pain. Because of the evil you may face I feel I am not rewarding you as much as I am condemning you to a life of death and pain. Though I do have one request. There is a small chest with golden bands and a ruby key latch. I wish you to return that box to me, you may keep anything else you find but the box is mine. If you can agree to this then I will give the key to you. But if you feel you can't or are not up to this challenge I will understand." The old man grew silent as he waited Hawke's answer.
Hawke sat there on the bed contemplating the old man's request. "Tell me old man, how many men have you sent there to do this task for you?"
The old man cleared his throat, "about 15 adventurers such as yourself. And yes, they did not return and eventually the key returned to me."
"Thank you for your honesty. If I complete this task, I will keep the tavern and manor as my own. Anything I acquire during the search for the chest is mine, no exceptions." Hawke spoke with authority.
The old man only thought for a minute and then handed over the key. "Agreed!" With that said, the old man left the room, closing the door behind him.
For the next few hours Hawke sat there contemplating what he just agreed to. This young adventurer now owned a tavern and manor house. Hawke smiled as he finally felt the curse was lifting and maybe now he could find a peaceful life. Maybe he might even start using his real named once again. He was getting tired of the secrecy and constant protection of his background from everyone. Besides, it was hard to find the love of his life if he lied about everything in his past.
Finally Hawke finished packing and with the key safely secured on his person, he headed out of the room and into the nights air. He figured no sense wasting any more time for it was a long journey to the Scottish Highlands and his new home.
A loud scream brought Hawke back from his thoughts. Instantly his sword was drawn but he quickly realized the noise came from the tavern basement. Seeing the sun getting low on the horizon, he urged his horse towards the tavern and safety for the night.