"A Swashbuckler is required to be a man of simple comforts, due to the fact that he is expected to travel far and often. All he requires is the most modest of food, wine and shelter. Eat nothing raw, lest it try to eat you in return. Drink no wine younger than yourself. The only beds you should not consider sleeping in are those occupied by a man or an ugly woman and those which come with anything less than four posters and two pillows" - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 4; "The Swashbucklers Travel Guide"

Our job finished in this tiny but hospitable village, we decided that we had outstayed our welcome and should travel onwards in an attempt to rejoin civilisation. Talaff told us of the nearest town with some contempt, a place named Dantanos. We were reliably informed it was a days travel, and the kindly cleric blessed our meagre vessel in the name of Typhon for the journey ahead. I was excited at the prospect of being amongst normal people again, in a place where I could buy a pint of foaming ale and enjoy a meal which was not composed of between 90% and 100% fish. We departed at first light, the good wishes of the townsfolk echoing across the waves as we sailed away from the village following the shore ever onwards..

We rested that night in a sandy cove, the boat firmly secured to a rocky outcrop. The evening was cold but not bitterly so, and we awoke the next morning refreshed and ready to continue with our journey. Dantanos was but a few short hours away, and I for one had to fight to hold back my excitement at the prospect of being amongst real people again. Village life was all very well and good, but I am a soul who craves the company of like-minded people - people the likes of whom I had a chance of encountering in this Dantanos place.

"There are some individuals who prefer not to inhabit the world of men, those denizens of cave and wind-battered shack who seek only their own company in order to achieve some form of self enlightenment through varying rituals of contemplation and rustic behaviour. Mind you, there are some deviant individuals who seek to gain sexual gratification with farm animals. Both are mad fools, in their own simple way." - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 3; "The World and its people"

At the first sight of the town on the horizon, my spirits were lightened considerably. As it grew nearer though my heart sank - it was much smaller than I had expected, and was a filthy place at that. I could almost feel the air of oppression as we approached, as though sadness lingered from some terrible event which had occured here - a malignancy that seemed to hang over the heads of the few populace we saw like a black cloud. What had happened in Dantanos to cause such a strong feeling in me? My initial excitement had now turned into what could almost be termed 'worry'.. Was it even wise for us to land here? Something had occured here, but were we that desperate to know what?

We secured our tiny vessel in the harbour. Two old and weathered fishermen sat on the banks, their nets and souls empty. I gave them a smile as we walked past, but their faces were sour and it would have took something more than a friendly smile to raise their spirits. We sought an inn, but avoided one which sat against the harbour - everything within one hundred feet of the sea was covered in a faint covering of mildew and slime and the smell of dead fish hung in the air, permeating everything with its sickly scent. We headed deeper into the town and finding a likely spot, stepped inside. The place was empty, and the innkeeper - a red-faced fat man busy wiping down some tables with a filthy grey cloth - greeted us. The others rented a room but I was at present reluctant - my finances, even with the spoils from our last adventure, were quite feeble and I hoped to find another source of accomodation during the day - hopefully in the arms of some lovely young lady, should Dantanos possess such a creature!

I bought my companions a pint of Ale each, a surprisingly pleasant nut-rich brew, and we sat and rested our weary bodies. The innkeeper walked over and we chatted for a while. Upon learning that one of our number was a Bard, he became quite excited and asked if Melody would be willing to sing that evening to entertain the locals. We learned part of the cause of the malady of Dantanos - Some time back this place had been badly affected by the Plague, a disaster from which the place had never fully recovered. Melody agreed to entertain the locals that evening, and we spent the rest of the day exploring the towns. Upon meeting with them after our brief tour I learned that Melody, Darius and Will had discovered a temple in a state of disrepair and that Will had taken it upon himself to tidy it up and bring it back to some level of glory it had held in the past.

This evening I, Xander Du'Blanc, was forced to admit that I had made a mistake in doubting the talents of the fair maiden Melody. In my past writings on our quests I am afraid I did her an injustice, and I take the opportunity to apologise for this here. In her fine performance on that evening, I was overwhelmed by a gamut of emotions as I listened to her haunting voice. The audience and I were transfixed as she sang. Ah, how I can almost still hear her version of "Merrye homeland" now - how I sat there, eyes wide open, a tear in the corner of one, as the song bought back memories of my own home and those I had left behind when I chose to adventure for a living. Looking around me, it was clear that many others in the audience had been similiarly affected by her voice.

"'Music sootheth even the foulest of the beasts' was the popular phrase of the Bard Beetherax, a travelling companion of mine from long ago. However, as his lonely gravestone atop the Pheraphy mountains declares, it did not stop the very old and very deaf Cobalt Dragon Meeranor devouring Beetherax in the middle of the third verse of 'T'was all a cheery atop of the valley'" - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 1; "The Song is ended but the Malady lingers on; From Bard to Verse"

Melody then sang a song of which I was unfamiliar (probably one of her own compositions, such was this girl's talent). It told of how we should follow our God and trust in its judgement, and how a life without religion is empty and pointless. It was a downbeat and melancholy number, but I did not expect the reaction it received. The looks of awe on many of the audiences faces turned into scowls, and the mood grew considerably darker. She must have noticed this, because she quickly segued it into a song of a much lighter nature - Some popular number about Pixies and Twelve-League boots if I remember correctly. The mood improved, and I for one breathed a sigh of relief.

I would like to think that Darius learned a thing or two that night, watching me playing the dice with the skill which I possess. We made a tidy packet that evening, which when combined with the takings from Melody's fine performance meant that we had made quite a profit since we had entered Dantanos. As the evening drew to a close, I decided to make the acquaintance of a gorgeous young lady who had been watching me like a hawk all evening. I bought a drink for the two of us, and we sat and chatting awhile. Her name was Savannah, and she was a widow - her husband had died some time ago from the plague. She was a pretty thing, a pale skinned complexion atopped with finely plaited auburn hair - and it was plain to see she was aching for the company of a member of the opposite sex. She asked me in the gentlest of voices if I would spend the night with her, and I thought it rude to turn such a pretty maiden's request down.

"Relationships (and I mutter the word through gritted teeth) provide the drive and often the bitter climax to any adventure. Whereas any Swashbuckler is spurred into new heights of action by the thought of a woman relying on him coming home to her bed, it is scientifically proven that excessive sexual activity can slow the reactions, as the swashbuckler relies on the ability of the weapon in his breeches more than the weapon in his hand. Women are like a good saddle - After a few rides they may become very comfortable, but they're liable to break any moment thereafter." - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 2; "Female Wile and Guile"

The next morning I rejoined my companions, my mood considerably lighter. Dantanos, despite its filthy and decaying exterior, was turning out to be full of surprises. I shared breakfast with my friends as we considered our actions for the day. It transpired that whilst I had been distracted by feminine guiles, the other members of our party had been approached by a Cleric of the Ruby Mask who had a job for them - a book had been stolen by a Goblinoid raiding party who had been threatening the local folk, and they needed it retrieved. Melody had been chosen to be the recipient of some magical spell which would make her able to detect the book, but she refused due to the grounds that it would conflict with her own religion. It was instead decided that Will should receive the spell, and armed with this magic we set off on our way. Trusting in Will's sense of direction combined with this Ruby mask magic, we followed him for quite a while away from the town and through neighbouring villages until we caught sight of our prey. Eight goblinoids walking down a rocky track towards a large and decrepid building.

"Goblinoids are a filthy bunch with manners nigh-on as foul as their appearance. A less experienced Swashbuckler, however, might seek to take advantage of their stupidity on the gaming table. Whereas there is plenty of easy money to be won, the Goblinoid will eventually become aggrieved at his losses and take a number of limbs from the victor equivalent to the total number of coins lost at the table. My advice for anyone eager to remain limbus intacticus is.. let the Goblin win" - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 3; "The World and its monsters"

We had no time to formulate any great tactical plan in dealing with these foul beasts, so we decided as one to charge the party. There may have been eight of them but Goblinoids are notoriously slow to react and their pole-arm weapons have a tendency to be ineffective in the frenzy of close quarter combat. Darius felled a Goblinoid as I watched, nigh on cleaving his head from his shoulders such was the ferocity of his blow. I hurtled towards another of the Greenskins who drew up his halberd in a vain attempt at defense. Too slow was he against the blade of Du'Blanc! I swung the blade in the reversed arc of the Morgenstein-Willakher manouvre, followed by a classic jab. The Halberd was knocked from his grip, and its owner was dead before the weapon hit the ground. The clanging steel of weapon against weapon filled my ears, the battle unfolding about me. I leapt aside to avoid a dying Goblin tumbling towards me and approached another of their number. He swung his halberd wildly in an attempt to connect, but the Catastran slide and dodge enabled me to evade his clumsy blows. Two more Morgenstein-Willakher blows, a Laladrian block to counter another halberd blow - with a Dekkar Thrust/jab to the Goblin's heart to finish him off (Admittedly if Weaponsmaster Dekkar had still been alive to see this move carried out in this fashion, he would have been shocked. However, I thought it preferable to the Gregorian gambit in the situation, as the opponent had overbalanced with his weapon by quite some degrees). It was good to feel all the old combat moves flowing back into me again - I had thought that being away from it all would cloud my abilities, but it was good to see that this was not the case.

"The great Swordmaster Gregori, oldest and wisest of the Swashbucklers, once claimed that he would only teach the art of Swordsmanship to pupils he got on really well with. His reason for this was simple, that one should never teach a potential future enemy your combat tactics. One day somebody asked him how he could be sure that all of his pupils would remain his friends after they had left his tuition. Gregori could not find a suitable answer, and retired from Swashbuckling that very evening. The man who asked him this question was the last ever victim of Gregoris' blade." - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 4; "Mastery of the Sword and Tongue"

The others were still busy fighting when I looked around for the nearest Goblin. One of them caught glimpse of me and ran for his life across the rocky landscape. I headed off in quick pursuit but my haste got the better of me, and I caught my ankle on one of the rocks. I tumbled headlong into the rocks, and knew before I even hit the ground that my ankle was broken. I screamed aloud in pain, curling myself into as tight a ball as possible. The Goblin took one glimpse back, a dagger thrown from me falling far short of his filthy green skull, and vanished into the night. The battle now ended, Will came over to me and tried to magically heal me. His mouth began silently mouthing words of great power as a glow surrounded his arms which in turn spread to my injured right foot. The feeling was not unlike a nagging itch which quickly passed, leaving behind a slight feeling of warmth and an odd tingle. Darius looked down in dismay, and I looked at my foot - the wound was healed, but the foot had been set wrongly - it was twisted at a most alarming angle. I looked at Will who simply shrugged and looked back at me with a guilty expression.

I knew what must be done - the foot would have to be rebroken before Will could magically set it again. I asked Darius to knock me out, and the last thing I saw before blessed unconciousness overwhelmed me was his huge fist travelling at a phonomenal speed towards me.. and then my eyes flicked open. I looked down to see my healed foot, now set in the correct position but feeling quite sore and tender. Darius helped me to my feet, and I stood upright testing my weight against it. I felt unsteady, but my balance was fine and I stood upright again. Will was skulking off in the shadows somewhere, obviously eager not to catch a glimpse of my angered face.

We followed the path which led towards a deserted house, presumably the base of these goblinoids. We spent a short time exploring its musty dark interior in search of either treasure or any more of those Goblinoid scum, but found nothing. The only event of any note was Darius falling into a crudely constructed pit-trap, but he suffered little injury and we managed to retrieve him with the aid of torn curtains used as a makeshift rope. Will led us to a darkened corner of a filthy room with the aid of the magical ability the priest had given him, and there we found the book we had sought along with a small wooden box. Deciding it was wise not to risk the wrath of the priest, we left both items unopened and began our journey back.

We were just walking past the corpses we had left when suddenly Darius shrieked in pain - something had attacked him! We looked around for any sign of our adversary, but saw nothing in the darkness. Suddenly Melody screamed that she could see something - we looked down to see a blur of motion, some black shape flitting amongst our number. We attempted to strike the beast but it was way too fast - confusion reigned, with our blows connecting with each other. I struck Melodys leg, and she cried out with pain. We paused for a moment to reassess our situation, and the black creature fled. Small pools of its blood lay scattered all about - we had injured the beast, and it had made its retreat. We decided not to hang around waiting for it to recover and begin its attack anew and set off for the town.

Resting in the first village we came to, we decided to wait until next morning before returning the book. We told the villagers we had slain the goblins who had been damaging their livelihood, and they were most grateful. We were plied with food and drink and a free room for the evening, for which we were most grateful indeed. Refreshed and renewed, the next morning we headed into the town and headed towards the Temple of the Ruby Mask. We handed these treasures over to the cleric, and there was much rejoicing. We were each given a fine jewel as a reward for our good work, and no more would the innocent townsfolk be threatened by the goblin menace. The evening was filled with fine food and fine wine, and the promise of another night in the lovely Savannahs bedchamber. One could get quite used to this hero game...

"A traveller once passed the great hero Sanuman who was travelling in the other direction on a dusty road. Overcome by curiosity, he asked Sanuman what it was like to be a hero. Sanuman sat with the man on the side of the road and began to speak. Being a hero, said Sanuman, ensures me a bed in every city. It ensures me a woman in every town, an ale in every inn, a horse from every stable. It ensures me free armour from any armoury, a sharpened sword from any smith, a meal at every Travellers rest. It also ensures that every time I bloody walk anywhere and meet anyone, I am forced to relate this story to each and every person I meet and never have a moment to myself. This is what it means to be a hero, Sanuman said. There was silence for a good few minutes, and then Sanuman silently got up and walked away, and the traveller pondered on the wisdom of what he had heard. Seeing no inherent motto in it, he just assumed Sanuman had had a really bad day and thought no more of it." - The Wisdom of Xander Du'Blanc Volume 3; "Heroics for Heroics sake"