SandStalkerTale

Part 1 - the sand tunnels

Everything is black before my eyes.

"Where am I?"
"Dad?"
"Is that you?"

"No, I am god"

"God?"

My head hurts. I open my eyes. Now I remember some things. That is not my dad. It is Safera. Me and Safera go back a long time. We used to play with each other as kids. Now we go out and hunt with eachother.

"Where am I?"
"Aw. My head hurts"

"We just fell down in a sandworm tunnel."
"Be glad we are still alive."
"I am fine, but it looks like you hit your head pretty hard."
"Don't worry, I am not god. You are not dead yet." He smiles.
"But we might be soon if run into the thing that made these tunnels."

"Right, we better get moving. There must be some way out."

"See those mushrooms over there? We better grab some. There are a lot of bugs down here. Lucky for us they fear the light."

[Grab some light giving mushroom and 'u'se them as a temporary source of light.]

"Lets hope we find the exit before these guys stop giving light."

# The pair of adventurers travels trough the tunnel using the light to scare away the bugs. The light flickers when it is almost out of light. When the light dies, it lights up the entire room and reveals the bugs that are all around. You light another one to find the exit. #

"There it is, I see some light."

"This is no exit, but a lair."

"Look a giant spider"

# From the looks of it, this is no ordinary spider. It is much bigger than the other oversides spiders you have ever encountered. The abdomen of the spider are pulsating in anger ... or is it hunger. This thing looks really dangerous.

"I have seen these spiders before."

"Yes? Where?"

"Actually I haven't, but my uncle told me about these. The can spit acid. When they charge at you they do it with lightning speed. We better make sure there is a barrier between it and us at all times."

# After a bloody battle the giant spider is defeated.

Some time later:
"I see the exit."

"Lets go."

# Finally you found an exit. You are glad that you survived the fall into a sandworms tunnel network. Only to be greeted by the harsh hot desert and the dry air.

"We must find our desert sailwheels. Let us try to backtrack our way to the accident."

"Just be carefull not to fall in the tunnels again. *once* is enough."

# Our friends find there sailwheels and travel back to town.

I remember this town. Hurting my head has left me with a dizzy fealing. It is hard to remember some things. I can never forget this village. I grew up here. It is almost everything I know. Sand stalkers don't lead very exciting lifes. We don't travel much. To the outsiders, we might seem crazy. Who wants to live in a desert? But we feel at home here. This desert is all I have every known ... it is home.

Part two - Welcome home
Dad: "So son, you are back! Right in time for your initiation rite."
Mom: "I hope all goes well".
Dad: "Today you will become a real man."

Right, I completely forgot this was today. My head still hurts. Every man when he comes of age must fight a sand drake to prove his worth and his ability to survive in the desert. It is a test. A test to see if you can stand on your own feet.

# What follows is an initiation rite. People gather around the arena. There is music and dance. Finally the boys - soon to be man - are led to the arena. They will fight with different desert creatures. Scorpions, spiders, lizards, and finally a real sand drake.

"Just make sure it does not blind you son. You will be alright."

I don't remember anyone ever getting killed. Defeating a sand drake is not very hard. Someone did loose a leg once. Much worse than that is the embaresment of not succeeding. I hope this will work out allright.

# You enter the arena, defeat wave after wave of creatures, and finally defeat the desert drake.

"As a reward for your comming of age, the elders will give you a present."

# The elders give you an identification device, and a rod of return.

"Now go see the oracle."

The oracle ...  nothing more than a crazy old man who dresses like a teenage hippy. I never really understoud why the town folks respect this old loony. There must be something about him that I do not know. Or maybe the people here are just a little crazy. Maybe some of both.

"Ah young man. Your comming was foretold."

"Yes, I am sure, they just told me I had to come."

"Erm, yes ... well that is not what I mean. I mean: I have a prophecy for you!"

"Tell it old man. Let me gues, I have to go save the wolrd?"

"Wel ... erm actually ..."
"Great evil has bestowed upon the earth!"
"You must venture to the far east in search for power and rescue the world from certain evil."
"I have seen you running with your feat on fire. Chased by orc in a volcano!"

"Orcs? Arent these fairy tales - or more precise, orc tales - told to little children to make them behave?"

"Yes, they are, but orcs are real too as you are about to find out."
"Now go! And venture to the world beyond this one. Travel to the green lands and visit many dungeons in search for the power you need to defeat evil! Rip the power away from orcs hands, and if they won't let go, take their arms of too. Go, the world is at your feat young man."

That is one disturbed crazy old man.

# And so it happened that our adventurer traveld to the wide wide world in search for fame, fortune .. and power!