The Knight, the Prince, and the Merchant

The origins of this story date back long ago, before the Ascension, and before three friends would be worshipped as gods; before the entire world would change.
Alucar was born the son of a soldier in the greatest city in this, or any age – Starhelm City. Alucar had great fondness for his father and dreamed of glory befitting his father’s deeds. When Alucar was very young though, his father had died, and Morthos came to collect his soul, bringing it back to the Umbra. Alucar was devastated, having never known his mother, and now bereft of his father. His uncle came to take Alucar to live in a small farming, outside of the city’s great walls. His uncle was kind, and tried his best to raise Alucar in a simple and humble life, but the city of Starhelm was always at the edge of his dreams, and eyeline. Alucar worked as a simple carpenter, gaining skills easily, but he always longed for adventure, purpose, and true friendship. Everyone in the village was kind to him, he made casual friends very easily, but he sought a deeper connection with like-minded folk. When the time came he would leave his uncle and head back to Starhelm City and enlist.
As fate would have it, a Dwarvish convoy from the city of Shalehaven was making their way to Starhelm City and would pass through his village. Alucar could see the line of Dwarves, with their shining armour, and fancy weapons. Admiring their discipline and order, Alucar stood atop a rock outcropping, staring out at the tired Dwarves. In the distance he saw some dust gather up, and noticed a glint of steel in the sun. Then another, and another. Soon the sky was filled with the rain of arrows that came down on the beleaguered Dwarves as they made their way toward the village. Goblin raiders poured out from the hills and dust clouds, most were on foot, but a few rode worgs, and even fewer charged forward on strange displacer beasts from the desert.
The Goblins attacked the rear of the convoy, destroying most of the guard, before wading into battle. Alucar rushed down, without a moment of hesitation, and only his axe to help him. He surprised the Goblins and quickly beheaded one, and knocked another off the displacer beast. Dwarves tried to rally around a single Dwarf in the middle, but the Goblins were able to fell most of them. Alucar found himself fighting side by side with this Dwarf, each defending the other, while meting out devastating punishment to their attackers. A few Dwarf guards survived, but the convoy was utterly decimated. The Goblins paid a heavy price, before the remaining few retreated, fleeing back whence they came.
Bruised, bleeding, but victorious, Alucar and the Dwarf stood over the fallen bodies, breathing heavily, covered in mostly Goblin blood. When the dust finally settled Alucar was able to get a better look at the Dwarf he had aided. His eyes widened as he saw the royal seal of the House of Heartfire, the ruling family of Shalehaven. Recognition spread slowly across Alucar’s face, and he dropped to one knee, eyes downcast. Before him was the Prince Denethen Heartfire III, the great grandson of whom the mountains were named after. There was a silence for only a second, but to Alucar it seemed like a lifetime, before it was finally broken by a hearty Dwarven laugh.
‘Even kneeling your head is above mine own.’ Denethen reached a hand down to help this Human up. ‘It is I who should be bowing to you. Without your aid I fear these Goblin bastards would have had me for lunch.’ Alucar rose, a little trepidatiously at first, but then dusted himself off to look more presentable. ‘Tell me your name, friend,’ Denethen said with a sly smirk.
‘Alucar…Alucar Shininghope, your highness.’ Alucar smiled before continuing. ‘You honour me with your praise.’ Alucar started to regain his confidence and the air of this royal Dwarf was very comforting. Though Alucar knew that he was in the presence of royalty, Denethen did not make him feel inferior at all. In a different life Alucar felt that they could have been close friends.
‘Terralin be praised, don’t give me any of that highness stuff. We are true folk, not fancy nobles who prance around in finery…unless we have to, of course.’ He gave Alucar a wink. ‘Please, just call me Denethen. To me, we are equals, especially after that display of bravery and selflessness. The blood of my forefathers should not be the reason you praise me. Our actions dictate that.’ Denethen swept his hand across the air, indicating all the dead Goblins at their feet. ‘Your actions place you as my equal, and I would have you treat me as such, just as I will treat you as such.’ The remaining Dwarf guards gathered as much as they could and approached Denethen cautiously, eyeing Alucar. Denethen gave them a stern look and turned back to Alucar. ‘Now tell me, there must be a tavern worthy of our good cheer and tales around here, right Alucar. Please lead us to rest and refreshment so we may sing the praises of our fallen brothers in this wretched attack.’
Alucar and Denethen, along with the handful of royal guards made their way to the single tavern in the village, and ate, drank, shared stories, mourned the loss of the dead Dwarves, gambled, and even competed in a drinking contest. ‘You might have an iron stomach, my friend,’ Denethen declared, ‘but there is no way you can beat me in a drinking game,’ Denethen challenged. ‘Then my frail Human mind must have made up those last two rounds, where I had clearly won,’ Alucar responded with a smirk.
Denethen looked wounded, and then shot back, ‘hey, I’m still not convinced that you weren’t faking those last three drinks!’ Alucar stood up to his full height, towering over the prince. ‘Are you calling me a cheater, Denethen, Son of Darraken. That hurts my honour, and the honour of my family.’ The tavern went quiet, and the royal guards stiffened, unsure of what was happening. Alucar stared at Denethen, who stared back in complete silence, before the two of them burst out in laughter. The tension eased in the tavern and the royal guards went back to their drinking.
The chatter in the tavern quieted a bit after that. The rest of the tables spoke in more hushed tones, somewhat subdued from the tension, albeit in jest. Then, from one of the tables near the heart came a lilting voice. ‘You two call that drinking. Please! My Gran drinks more than that.’ Looking over, Alucar and Denethen saw a finely dressed Halfling with his feet up on the table, and a mug in his hand. ‘If you really want a challenge, you can try me.’ The Halfling lifted his mug to his face and downed it in one go, the foam of the ale clinging to his face. ‘Lutien Silverhill, the greatest merchant in all of the Silverhills, at your service.’ He stood up and gave a deep bow before coming over to the table that Alucar and Denethen were seated at.
Alucar pulled out a stool and placed it in between the two of them, patting it for Lutien to join them. ‘Really, you think that you can beat both of us in a drinking contest,’ Alucar said as he looked Lutien up and down. ‘Well, let’s see what you got, Littleman.’ Lutien glared at Alucar for that comment, but then saw the glint in his eye, hopped up on the stool, and motioned for a drink from the serving maid.
The three of them drank the rest of the night, laughing, vomiting, and drinking again. They lost count of how many each had downed, and they all woke up the next morning, outside the tavern, in the alley by the stables. Alucar was the first to speak, though roughly. ‘Denethen, I want to thank you. I haven’t had this much fun in years.’ He held his head to keep the pounding from splitting his skull wide open. ‘If you are ever in this dead-end village again look me up. We can do this again in case you’re too afraid you’re going to lose’ he challenged.
Denethen stood up, wobbled a bit, and responded. ‘What are you talking about, lad. You’re coming with me to Starhelm City. Most of my entourage are dead, including my drinking servant. I’ll need a new one.’ He stared at Alucar to meet the challenge, and the two started laughing a bit, until the giant pounding in their heads reminded them to go slow. ‘In all seriousness, my boy, I do hope you take me up on my offer. I can open the door for you, but it is you that has to walk through to reach your dreams. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t running that place in a few years.’
Denethen turned to look at Lutien, ‘OY! Greatest merchant in all the Silverhills, you comin?’ Lutien looked up, ‘as long as you’re paying for the drinks you have a deal. The greatest merchant of Silverhills is currently strapped for…hughh!’ Lutien vomited on the ground.
Alucar and Denethen cried in unison, ‘You Lose!!!’ and they all collapsed on their backs for a while to recover. The three of them, the Knight, the Prince, and the Merchant, made their way to Starhelm City, to seek their destiny, their identity, and their fortune. Alucar had his heart set on becoming a knight. The knights of Starhelm were the envy of Haven and the glory, honour, and prestige were all very inviting to Alucar. Denethen was going to make a name for himself, apart from being the Prince of Shalehaven, and the great grandson of Denethen I. Starhelm City was so grand that even he could get lost in it. Lutien could see it already, his name on a grand building – Silverhills Trading Coster. Even the king would buy from him.
It did not take too long for them to start on their journey of realizing their dreams. Thanks to Denethen’s introduction to the Knights of the Horizon, an elite knightly order in Starhelm, Alucar was able to impress them so much that he became a squire in spite of his common birth. In a few short months Alucar had proven himself with the Knights of the Horizon that they trusted him to head his own mission. He was to aid in the protection of a nearby mine from marauding Giants, and he did not have the resources of the Horizon to utilize. He needed to figure out how to do it on his own.
Immediately, he called on his friends Denethen, and Lutien to assist him in his endeavour, utilizing Lutien’s knowledge of travel and the roads to guide them there safely, while Denethen and his history of mining was able to get the mines well protected and secure. The defending miners, with the help of the three friends were able to fend off the Giant attacks without suffering a single casualty.
‘Thank you so much, both of you. Without your help this would not have gone nearly as well. If you ever need anything from me, please know that I am always here for you.’ Alucar clasped his friends’ hands sincerely and they all smiled at each other. When they returned to Starhelm City word had spread about what Alucar was able to accomplish. Shortly after, Alucar was fully knighted, achieving that honour faster than anyone had before him. Not being of noble birth made the accomplishment that much more impressive. The three of them celebrated, with the same passion as when they had first met, making some say ‘even Ignis thinks you have gone too far’.
Many years had passed for the three friends, and they had all found their dreams. Alucar was known throughout the entire city, as a fierce warrior, cunning negotiator, regal courtier, and exceptional artist. The name Shininghope was one that brought honour to himself and the to the city of Starhelm.
Denethen had made a name for himself. Known as the Hero Prince, he had saved countless lives alongside Alucar, and had done so much that the city of Shalehaven had a big surge of interest, with all the people who just wanted to visit the homeplace of Denethen. He had finally left the shadow of his great grandfather, but even more importantly, he got out of his own head, leaving doubt and insecurity behind. He was confident that when the time came, he would rule as well as his father and grandfather.
Lutien took the fame and notoriety that came with being close friends with the Hero Prince, and the Shining Knight, and parleyed it into great interest for his shops and stores. Many visitors came just to hear stories, or maybe even have a chance encounter with one of Lutien’s friends. He had multiple shops not just in Starhelm City, or the Silverhills, but across much of Haven. While success seemed to follow him, he knew that his real desire was to travel back home and live a simple and carefree life, with his beautiful wife, and many children. It seemed that prosperity would last unto their dying days.
Then the world changed forever. The Dragon Lords Drakova and Ilbrendar had ascended to the Umbra, taking their eternal war away from this material plane. It was not thought possible, and even the Three Pillars were shocked at this event. Magic had shifted and warped, and a massive explosion rocked the lands of Haven. The single continent shattered into five continents, and many lone islands, with many lives being lost during this time.
The Knight, the Prince, and the Merchant worked tirelessly, helping people as best they could, never wavering. Alucar and Denethen traveled all across the new continent of Starhelm, helping everyone they could, with Lutien using his vast resources and money to aid where those two were unable. They worked for over a year, slowly accepting their new fate in this fractured world. It came as a big surprise to everyone when the Three Pillars decided to choose a Pinnacle of each Founder race to represent their people. The embodiment of what it meant to be Dwarf, Halfling, Human, Goblin, or Grippli would ascend to godhood. Denethen rose to become the Pinnacle of the Dwarves, Lutien rose to become the Pinnacle of the Halflings, and Alucar rose to be the Pinnacle of the Humans, and for nearly 1500 years the Knight, the Prince, and the Merchant served their people.
Sadly, nothing lasts forever, and tragedy struck the continent of Starhelm again, but that is a tale for another time…