The Tale of Loyalty

A tale written by Master Scholar Thaleles to teach about Kai's Talisman of Loyalty.

The sun rose over the horizon, bringing illumination to the hilltop forge of Garak Helmshard. Enialis, an apprentice of his, woke as the golden disc rose in the sky. Six years ago, he left his fellow elves to live with the dwarf, learning the arts of combat from the aged warrior. He always wished to be wealthy, yet he was merely a peasant, and he saw that the only way to achieve this goal would be to take up a life of adventure. Garak agreed to make certain the boy had the necessary skills to survive his chosen, harsh lifestyle. In return, he aided his mentor in the forge.

Recently, Garak began work on a longsword, crafting the blade from his own hidden supplies of golvern. This was to be his masterpiece; a true work of art that any smith would look upon in awe. Enialis knew the smith was growing old, and expected the sword to be the legacy bequeathed to Haran, the dwarf’s grandson.

Often, Haran and Enialis sparred, learning from the greatly different approaches to combat each employed. Over the years, the two grew to be great friends, and aside from their vast physical differences, saw one another as brothers. They even aided each other in their tasks for Garak. Enialis would help Haran gather iron from the storehouse, and Haran would help Enialis craft hilts.

Today, like the first day of each month, the two youths traveled down the hill upon which Garak built his forge, carrying with them numerous examples of the smith’s work. They rented out a small booth in the market square of the nearby town, and displayed the goods for those who walked by. Practical knives adorned one wall, common farm tools another, and finely crafted weapons of war the third. Various pieces of jewelry covered the counter in front.

Typically, market days were profitable, yet uneventful. A few of the townspeople would buy some tools, while wealthier members of the community would spend time looking over the intricately wrought jewelry. Once or twice, an adventurer or guardsman would purchase a sword or pike. Unfortunately, today was not to be like any other day in town.

A human wearing a richly embroidered robe approached their booth. A slow look of dissatisfaction crossed his face as his eyes looked over the jewelry Garak forged. Haran showed obvious distaste for the man, but Enialis gazed upon him with awe. All he could see were the golden and mithril pendants about the man’s neck. Rings of differing gems adorned each of the man’s fingers. Here was the wealth that filled the elf’s dreams.

The opulent customer’s interest was not in the items that were for sale, but in the gold dagger Haran wore on his belt. It, like all weapons of gold, was not very good. It was not even very expensive. However, it was one of the first items Garak ever forged, and the dwarf’s grandson looked back with pride upon the day he received this trinket. It held much sentimental value for the young dwarf. He refused, and the man left, obviously insulted.

Later in the day, when Haran left the booth to get some dinner for the two, the wealthy man returned. He promised Enialis riches beyond his imagination in exchange for the small knife. He told him of how his friend would soon forget about it, and how he would be foolish not to accept the offer. It would be a simple matter to take the dagger in the night, while his friend slept, and then return to the town.

Truly, this could be the chance Enialis always sought. He could instantly achieve the wealth he desired without facing the perils inherent in a life of adventure. The thought was soon replaced with the memories of the enjoyable years he spent with the two dwarves. They treated him kindly for so long. What is more, they understood him. He could not do it. He could not betray his friend. The man left once more, this time with a curse.

Haran soon returned. Enialis greeted his friend with a smile, but did not say a word about the human’s second visit. As a matter of fact, he was too ashamed to speak of it. For a moment, he was tempted to give in to the deal he was offered. He ate his meal in silence, and the day ended without any other incident. They returned to Garak, who stood waiting outside of his forge as usual.

However, he was not alone. The man who tried to get Enialis to betray his friend stood with him. Haran did not seem at all surprised. Garak introduced the human as a close friend, and the younger dwarf shot the elf a wink. Enialis was quite confused, wondering just what was going on. His mind sought fruitlessly to find an answer, trying to remember if the visitor came to the forge in the past. Garak’s laughter soon brought his attention back to the present.

Haran then informed him that he passed the test. Enialis remained confused. Garak explained that he told the human to make the elf and offer for Haran’s dagger. By refusing such a lucrative deal, he showed his loyalty to his friends and truly earned the golvern longsword Garak made for him.