Dance of The Sword Lord

Dance of the Sword Lord
Date	04/28/2025
Storyteller	Tire
Tier	Trainee
Player Characters	Arumi, Ariyu, Quan, Karage, Hogo Pok'Sharr, Uravas "Cap'n Stardust"
Rewards	150 gp, 5 sp, 1 Aldori Dueling Sword, Aldori Duelist Dedication Unlocked, Sibling Smithy now stocks Aldori Dueling Swords
Result	Success
Author	Uravas (Johnnysupernova)
Downtime	5

In which six adventurers prove their mettle and learn valuable lessons of friendship, infamy, and most importantly, swordsmanship.

Log

An Excerpt from The Ballad of the Jongleur Three : A Factual and Historical Recounting of Cap’n Stardust’s Adventures as Penned by Sava Ru Book 1, Chapter 3

Dramatis Personae

Uravas - Cap’n Stardust, Leader of the Jongleur Three

Arumi - Sister of Cap’n Stardust and twin of Aruyi, as clever as she is shy, Member of the Jongleur Three

Ariyu - Sister of Cap’n Stardust and twin of Arumi, quiet, sharp, and always protective for her siblings, Member of the Jongleur Three

Quan - Incredibly Tall, Incredibly Intense, Incredibly Powerful

Karage - A barbarian who wields the elements

Hogo Pok’sharr, an Orc with a giant gun

What is the nature of a blade? It is this very question, dear reader, that the Jongleur Three found themselves debating when the Good Captain Stardust told them of the job they would be taking. For as it is well known by this point in our tale that only one member of the three prided themselves as a swordsman.

“I do not have a sword, Uravas.” Arumi remarked upon finding out the nature of their next adventure.

“Do two daggers count as a sword?” Ariyu wondered, aloud.

“I believe they do!” The Good Captain cheerfully declared. “For two daggers surely make one sword.”

“My knowledge of swords is strictly academic.” Arumi began and concluded with “And that does not sound correct.”

And what is the nature, you may be wondering, of this adventure that requires a sword? As you no doubt recall from earlier in this recounting of the Jongleur Three’s early history, The Good Captain Stardust led the Jongleur Three and three other brave adventurers in the rescue of the Lady Adina’s wife; Lady Bri. The daring rescue had so inspired Lady Bri that she found it prudent to seek out more aspiring adventurers to see if they could prove their mettle. She had set out three trials for any brave enough to face them.

And so, our tale begins with the Good Captain and the Jongleur Three setting out, with, as you will recall from previous adventurers, the Incredible Quan, as well as two strangers at this point to the Good Captain: Karage a fearsome warrior with mastery of the elements, and Hogo Pok’sharr, a towering man who carried a towering gun. Lady Bri, the administrator of these tests, travelled with them, to provide guidance and good company.

It was on the journey to the First Trial that Karage had asked the fateful question, the question that would shaped the fates of these six adventurers for the rest of their lives:

“What is your pitch for joining the Jongleur Three?”

“Please don’t get him started.” Arumi cut in.

The Good Captain, never one to let a good recruitment opportunity go to waste declared his intentions. “The Jongleur Three are the finest, bravest, and kindest pirates in all the land. A pirate is always helpful, and always helping the downtrodden.”

“That.” Karage began, “Does not sound like a pirate.”

“Perhaps a Corsair?” Hogo added.

“I am not sure of the nature of that word. It sounds infamous.” Captain Stardust said, lost in thought, as he always was.

“Infamy is the nature of a pirate.” The Fearsome Quan interjected. “For the more fearsome you are, the sooner your foes surrender.”

“That is correct. Captain, let us see the infamy of your glare!” Karage demanded, with a look that could frighten a mountain, if a mountain could feel fright. The Good Captain knew this was his chance to prove himself, but as we all know, it is not The Good Captain’s way to scare or frighten, certainly not to a friend. He could only meet the frightening display with a friendly grin.

–--

With several days of otherwise uneventful travel, the band of adventurers found them at the site for the first trial Lady Bri had set out for them. Several years earlier, Lady Bri had set out on an adventure of her own that forged her into an expert swordswoman. This first trial was to emulate the first step of the journey she took so long ago. At the start of her journey, Lady Bri had dispatched a group of Kobolds plaguing the lands. The mission for our heroes? To dispatch a legion of chanting goblins, one hundred strong.

Some may back down in fear from the sight of a never ending host of Goblin Warriors, each more fearsome than the last, but our heroes were as brave as they were skilled. In a battle of six versus one hundred, it was clear that the scales of fate were weighed against the one hundred.

Ariyu, with her bow augmented by her Twin Arumi’s magic, dispatched several of the goblin warriors on her own. Throngs of Goblin Warriors fell to Ariyu’s expert marksmanship. A single arrow felling three, sometimes five goblins in a single shot.

Quan the Fearsome, always first to charge headlong into battle, found himself in the midst of the Goblin Legion. Fists flew in a frenzy as the opposing band fell in around him. Karage followed to aid their ally, and with a fearsome howl, shook the resolve of all seventy-eight (for at this point Ariyu had dispatched twenty-two goblins with her bow) arrayed before them. The Good Captain, for his part, sauntered into battle and battled many goblins with his sword wreathed in flames. Quan, with his mighty stature, shined like a lightning rod to the goblin army. This act of noble sacrifice (though it must be stressed, he was only knocked down by the goblins) inspired Hogo Pok’sharr. His massive cannon avenged their fallen comrade with a rain of hellfire.

In total, all six of our brave adventurers dispatched fifty goblins each. An incredible showing for any seasoned adventurer, let alone a group as new as our heroes were!

As our heroes put the slain goblins to rest, Lady Bri elucidated on the purpose of their trial. Even the smallest ant is mighty when coupled with a group. To win the day, you must be vigilant, be aware, and never underestimate those who would do battle against you.

–--

The day after, our heroes set out for the second trial. A band of fire elementals had been terrorizing the lands outside of Onadbyr. And though most of their numbers had already been dispatched, one remained to test the Good Captain and his friends. A fearsome foe indeed, the beast wielded a blade as long as several men stood side to side and wore armored bathed in flames.

Ariyu’s keen eyes studied the beast as it charged towards the group, leaving pockets of fire in it’s wake. She saw then, the key to victory. “It needs to… Chill out!” She shouted. “Chill? I have just the thing!” The Good Captain declared, as he flung a magiced splash of Salt Water into the monster’s eyes. As the monster cleaned out it’s eyes, The Good Captain, Karage, and Quan lept into the fray. Quan grabbed hold of the monster, who’s fiery armor set the monk’s clothing ablaze.

The elemental’s armor would not outlast the magical might of Arumi’s ice spells. It was her magic that signified the turning of the tide. And with blade wreathed in ice, and gun wreathed in being incredibly large, Karage and Hogo dispatched the elemental. The Good Captain, for his part, slipped in battle and fell.

After Lady Bri shared the purpose of the second trial: teamwork to dispatch a much more powerful foe, and after several hours to treat the wounds of those harmed in battle, it came time for the third and final trial. Lady Bri held her sword before her and said thusly: “Your final test is a duel. A game of pirates! Have at thee!”

The Good Captain, always gracious as all pirates should be, stepped aside and let Hogo have the first crack at Lady Bri. The Orc Gunman’s stature belied his agility. He skirted and dashed around the dueling grounds, always a step ahead of Lady Bri. The duelist tried to parry the incoming hellfire from Hogo, but wasn’t fast enough. Unfortunately, once Hogo ran out of ammunition for his cannon, the famed Duelist from Aldori made short work of him.

Next, The Good Captain Uravas stepped forward. A game of pirates, indeed. The sun hung high in the air. Pirate to the right, Aldori Duelist to the left. Uravas was quick– he struck at Lady Bri, his sword cloaked in fire. He followed the strike with a hop and a skip through reality, letting his magics teleport him behind her. Another strike, Lady Bri was not quick enough to parry. The Duelist spun on her heel and plunged her blade into the Good Captain. As the sword raced for his heart, the words of his sister echoed in his mind. “Don’t forget to use your shield! Use your shield! Your shield!” and with these words ringing in his ears, Uravas channeled his shield spell into absorbing the deadly sword. It was not enough, and with another follow up strike, Uravas fell to the duelist.

Karage followed The Good Captain in the order of duels. At first, her strength and fury seemed to be enough to win the day. She barreled down on Lady Bri with a sword frozen with the power of ice. Unfortunately for Karage, stinging words from a well timed quip on Lady Bri’s part (and I must ask for forgiveness from the reader, for the words Lady Bri had said on this day have been lost to time) shook Karage’s resolve, and soon after, they too fell to the expert skills of Lady Bri.

Finally, and certainly not least, stood Quan. The two duelists traded quips, equally as lost to time as in the battle previously. The fight is a brutal, back and forth affair. Swords meet fist as slowly and surely, Quan wittles down Lady Bri’s resolve. Just when it appeared that Lady Bri had turned things around, a well timed fist laid her low, winning the duel for Quan, and more importantly, winning honor for this friends.

With everyone's wounds tended to, Lady Bri shared the final bit of knowledge from her trial: always be vigilant, always be keen, always be mobile, and always trust your friends. The Good Captain, upon reflecting on this, realized that there truly was not much that separated a pirate from a duelist. And with newfound knowledge on the art of dueling and the intricacies of friendship, the six friends set out for another adventure.