Leaving Home

When I was young, the matriarchy selected me to become a peacekeeper. I was raised for justice. And I was good at it! War-bands were unsuccessful in raiding my districts. Moral Truth was dispensed mercilessly when necessary. I earned Penance, the warhammer that signifies I was once Commander of the Broad Tusks- symbol of my rank and trophy of my accomplishments all-in-one. I even earned a lifetime pension, not that I need it in the nomadic life I have since chosen after retirement.
 
My life had been dedicated to the citizens of the Conclave, to the Matriarchy. Within those great walls was an entire self-sustaining civilization. Once my service was over, I wondered what life was like outside the citadel walls. What landscapes do the kingdoms of Fandriel hold? What tasty beverages do they serve in faraway lands? Are dwarves really as short as they say? I was determined to find out. Most would settle down for a quiet citizen's life after their service years and purchase a farm in between the outer walls and the inner city. As peaceful as that sounds, I was more interested in what lie outside the citadel. I gathered a pack, strapped Penance and Grief to my back, and began my sabbatical from Loxodon society.
 
With the gates of the Conclave and its ten guilds behind me, I first headed east. I stuck to the borderlands between the Vale and the Mid-World while making a line for the coast. In the Vale, Loxodon are not an uncommon sight. The Mid-World is home to a legion of horse lords and military companies. I was still in familiar territory and couldn't wait to escape! Along the way I found a few villages charitable enough to stock my provisions. I also found a few humans who underestimated the holy terror that is an angry Loxo. The ones that survived the attempt at highway robbery may straighten their ways.
 
A few days later I arrived at the coast. I had never seen the ocean. When I first saw it, I had to commune with Habbakuk and thank him for the opportunity. After the vastness of the sea stopped overwhelming me, I laid down my things and began to swim. If I breathed through my snout I could walk beneath the waves. The sand was firm and packed beneath my feet, the sun was warm, and the water was soothing. How many citizens of the ten kingdoms spent their lives without ever swimming in the ocean? What other experiences did I miss out on by spending two centuries in the big city? I made camp on the beach, under the stars. The waves crashed relentlessly through the night- a lullaby of turbulence. I awoke with a renewed sense of purpose. I will never forget that day at the beach, a turning point in my life from faithful warrior to indulgent wanderer.
 
It was a few seasons later that I arrived at the great river that splits Sisafir and Delafir. Crossing the vastness would mark the furthest from home I had ever been. I booked passage on a ferry filled with all sorts from across the kingdoms. It was this fateful day that I would be introduced to a new passion and hobby. A shepherd was taking his livestock south to Delafir to sell at market. One unruly bull among the small herd was proving troublesome, perhaps out of fear at being afloat on an enormous river. It was clear to all aboard the ferry that the bull posed a threat to itself and was beyond the control of the shepherd. After kicking a man overboard, something had to be done. I decided since I was nearly the size of the bull that I would put it to sleep with a submission hold, a tactic used on minotaurs regularly back home in the Conclave. What I did not anticipate was the wild ride such a beast was capable of providing!
 
It was all so unexpected. When I leapt upon the bull's back, I did not even manage to get an arm around its neck before it started trying to buck me off. I thought this creature should get a fair price at market indeed if it was capable of throwing a Loxodon around like a rag doll. No one just picks up a Loxodon and heaves them into the sky. What a sensation!! I was thrilled, never having been flung about ever in my life, and was a little sad that the bull calmed after a few moments. Calamity averted, the ferry arrived safely in Delafir where my new search began: the chase for the thrill I had just felt. Riding the bull made me feel helpless and at the same time it was a bit of performance, a stunt that when executed correctly would propel me to a new level of ecstasy. I knew it would not be the last time I tried to ride such a creature...