Fippy's Odyssey

By Ferrel

Chapter 1 - The day I met Fippy

It was an exciting time in my life. I had just recently finished my quests for the armor of virtue, and the High Priest of Tunare granted me time away from the temple to catch up on my life. I finally had the time to go visit my younger sister Lisika. Though she is only my half sister, I still love her dearly and do not devote enough time to visiting her.

As I stepped onto the docks of Freeport, something I had done many times before, I felt a great weight lifted from me. It seemed all the hard years of work as a cleric had been left behind on Faydwer. With a renewed energy, I sought Lisika out.

Much to my disappointment, I found that my little sister did not hold the faith as I did. Not only did she not worship Tunare; she didn't even follow one of the human gods. This was not a great shock to me, as I knew her choice of occupation was a bit shady, but I had hoped she would come around. I was wrong of course.

Lisika had grown up to become a very skilled young woman. Her human blood made her impatient and fiery, while her elven blood kept her young and beautiful. After a bit of discussion, she came out and told me she wanted to move to Qeynos. Despite all her skill, she still felt wary about trying to make the trip on her own and she asked for me to help her. I of course agreed. I had the time, and I couldn't live with myself if my little sister fell prey to some evil creature.

The very next morning we set out. We had decided we would go through the common lands, as they were over populated with would-be adventurers and were relatively safe. I must be honest; the trip was very uneventful and boring. Lisika kept close at my side and my aura alone frightened off many of the evil creatures that roamed the land. With that in mind, I'll skip through the trip to the place that sticks out in my memory most.

We were passing through a land called West Karana. I believe I can safely say I have never been so soaked in my life. We were miserable as it rained on us day in and day out. Clerics of Tunare are thought to respect Karana, but traveling through his lands caused me to resent him some.

Late in the evening, as we walked through some fields, it began to rain again and very hard. Despite our special vision, we had trouble seeing around us. It was at this point that we bumped into a short creature.

Just shorter then us and covered with soft blue fur, I remembered this creature to be a Blackburrow gnoll. This, of course, was the first one Lisika had ever seen. Summoning my hammer to fight, I was surprised when the gnoll called out to us. This gnoll went by the name of Furball Miller and apparently humans had raised him, much like Lisika.

Furball was a charming fellow and he quickly invited us in out of the rain. Lisika, an avid dog lover like myself, was enchanted by the gnoll. Unlike myself, she had never known of gnolls. As the night progressed we kept good company and Furball told us about the Blackburrow gnolls. I personally had never known them to be so interesting, and I will now think twice before simply killing one. After our chat, we turned in for the night.

The next morning the rain had let up some, but still had not stopped. We bade Furball goodbye and continued on our journey. It wasn't long before we found ourselves in the Qeynos hills and the area was crawling with activity. More would-be adventures roamed the land. Different types of gnolls ran here or there. Huge infestations of rats, snakes and bats plagued the region, but other then some loathsome individuals, we had no problems.

Nearing Qeynos, I paused to take a rest and did not notice Lisika wander off. Short after, I heard loud barking and growling behind me. When I turned, there was Lisika chasing a gnoll pup. She was trying to catch it for a pet, which at the time made me angry, but now is pretty humorous. When she caught him, she carried him over to me, despite his protests. I told her she could not keep him and made her let him go.

Taking her by the hand, I led her the last of the way to Qeynos. As we were walking down the road towards the gate, we saw him.

Streaking by us and shouting at the humans was a large gnoll. He looked somewhat like Furball but was much more feral. Charging the gate, the gnoll raised his fist in anger and began to attack the guards. Unfortunately, there were to many of them. Had it been a fair, man to gnoll fight, I am certain he would have won.

In a fit of tears, Lisika ran to the fallen gnoll and pulled him away from the guards. I'm not sure I would have done it myself, but I did feel bad for the little guy. Quietly, away from the gate, we tended the gnoll's wounds. It was then he told us his name. Fippy Darkpaw, he told us, and then questioned why we had helped him. Lisika immediately said she thought he was cute and that she loved dogs. I simply said I thought it was dirty for the guards to gang up on him.

Fully healed, Fippy stood up and told us he had to try again. We begged him not to, but he did so anyway. Again we pulled him aside and again he would try the attack. It happened like this many times. I truly began to respect Fippy for his bravery and dedication. Each time the guards ground him into the dirt I began to shift my support to the gnoll.

Finally, after the sun had set, Fippy stopped. Together, we sat outside the city and shared a fire. Much like Furball, Fippy was an interesting fellow. I could see immediately that Lisika had taken a special liking to him. Fippy told us the sad tale of how the humans of Qeynos were invading his home and killing his people. It brought tears to my eyes to think of the evil things the humans were doing in the name of good. Lisika was also deeply affected. It was then that she decided she would remain in Qeynos and help Fippy.

That is where we are as I write this. I would stay myself, but Tunare needs me once more and I must heed her call. So, on the morrow, I leave my sister here with the cute talking dog and return home. Perhaps I will be able to return some time and help Fippy, the bravest person I know.

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