Remains of a burned journal in the Fire Priests Temple
(these journal pages found during the adventure The Bigger They Are
The Huntsman is after me! Crup! I know I wanted to be famous-make that infamous, but never did I think I would draw his attention. I mean sure I've killed people, and stolen my share of goods but isn't that how a real thief gets known? Heck!! I was making a name for myself just as I had dreamt of all those years ago. I was moving up in the Guild. I was going to be somebody and after this one more big heist I knew my name would be recognized. Everyone would know the name Jason "Slicer" Carter! Hell what a fool I was. Shit, shit, shit. If I could go back in time and erase the past eight weeks I would have.
Eight weeks ago-yeah that's when I first heard of Martin Selma. I thought he was just another super rich merchant who got wealthy off of swindling others or the sweat of some poor grunt's labors. How was I to know he was more than that? I should have done more research, but I got cocky. As my ole Da used to say in his carpenter shop "Measure twice, cut once." He's probably turning over in his grave now laughing at me. Makes me want to cut his throat a second time. Cruppers! He was supposed to have been a stupid merchant. How was I to know he was a former adventurer? Some crummy warlock, worse than that he was a “made man” - a freaking "retired" guild boss. Cruppers, cruppers, cruppers! He and his whole family were supposed to be gone to the play that night. Easy pickings. I break in, loot the joint, and disappear into the night. Let things cool down for a month, and then fence the goods with Travis the Bookkeeper. But Nooo-his damn daughter had to take sick at the last minute and stay home. Of course I was still being careful-I was quiet as a mouse and moved like a shadow- taking the choicest stuff. I was almost done when that damn cat got spooked and knocked over the vase. You'd think that stupid bitch would have been too sick to investigate if she was too sick to leave the house. But no-damn it! She comes down the hall and sees me. What the hell else was I supposed to do? It was a reflex reaction. I whipped out my dagger and threw it! Ha, perfect shot right in her throat. Down she goes and I collect my dagger. No witnesses. I felt something then, a warning, a premonition- so I got out before I finished the entire job, yet still it was a good haul. Now, to lay low for a few weeks before I went to see Travis.
I stayed in my room, pretended to be ill myself. Hid out. No contact with anyone. I had stored food away-iron rations for just this affair. Kept cool- real cool but man was I'm itching to cash in. Finally after four weeks I left my room. Went to the spot I had hidden my haul and went to see Travis. Everything was cool at first. Most of the stuff was nondescript things any "Richie" would own. Then the Bookkeeper came across the ring. I had taken it off the dead girl-Hell it would have been a shame to leave it behind since I had expended the energy to kill her. I had noticed it on her hand when I turned her over to get my dagger out of her throat, a beautiful signet ring of platinum and gold. I didn’t recognize the insignia but then again heraldry is for “blue bluds” not “slummers” like me. Well when Travis saw the insignia on the ring things changed. Suddenly he gets all nervous like and starts asking a bunch of questions (Travis NEVER asks questions). Then he says he changed his mind and that this stuff was "too hot" he said. He told me "out of old friendship" he said, that I should dump the stuff and clear out of town if I knew what was good for me. I pressed him for answers but he was obviously too scared to hang around. Well I had to have answers.
Stashing the loot back at my place I went to the "Naked Centaur Inn" to see if I could pick up some Intel about what was going on. Between the underworld gossip and what I got from Lloyd the barkeep, I found out that my "rich merchant" was a former guild boss and that "someone" had robbed him and killed his daughter. He was supposed to be "protected" from Guild activities. He was of course also upset about the death of his daughter. He seemed to carry enough clout that he pressured the current Guild Master to put some extra incentive to the bounty. And so with that kind of cash and power they were able to hire the Huntsman to find and capture the one responsible. Crup! Why did it have to be the Huntsman? He is the Guild bounty hunter (assassin might be a better name for him except he does bring some people back alive for punishment) but occasionally does work on the side for high-paying clients who go through the Guild- either to bring in an individual, or "acquire" some valuable object. He has never failed- Never! Well hopefully this will be the first time, if only I can get him before he gets me. Problem is no one outside of the Guildmaster seems to know what he looks like. He's like the freaking bogeyman for the mob. No name, no face, no race-Hades! Nobody is even sure he is male, although it seems that is the consensus. They only identify him by his calling card, his “symbol” if you will, that he leaves either on the body of his contracts or at the site of his thefts. When on a person it is a sunburst representation permanently scarred into the skin. At a “recovery site it’s a sunburst figure that seems to be made out of some type of crystalline material that is as hard as a diamond.
Well apparently I am now on his list. According to the cant of the underworld I am to be brought in “Dead, Alive or Undead”. No matter what the condition as the warlock has plans for me-well, the person who killed his daughter. Crup I shudder to think what type of punishment that bastard has in store for me.
He is still on my trail! Three towns and five disguises later and I still can't shake him off my ass! I guess his reputation is well deserved. I think the only hope I have to possibly shake him is to go somewhere he might be afraid to follow. I have heard of this fire cult in the mountains and a bunch of giants that have been harassing people and travelers. It's quite possible the sheer danger of entering the area just to track me down may deter him from following me. What I will try to do is either infiltrate the cult as an acolyte or a follower, or slip pass them and settle in the town on the other side of the mountains. Hopefully I can either blend in with that dangerous cult, or have him lose my trail under the deadly footsteps of the giants.
