Gredonhall: An Empire Larp Story

Gerrick's Story

Gerrick awoke to the sound of banging against his wall. His father. He was a mason's son and his father was repairing the roof after it had broken in a snow storm.
His village was close to the borders of The Empire, where barbarians are known to lurk. But he didn't worry, his village was nothing to barbarian war parties and the like.
Gerrick stood up and dressed himself, black woollen trousers and a cream woollen shirt. He put on his boots and left the house to help his mother with the food.
His mother, a fair and brown haired woman, was painting four rabbits onto her coat. Next to her were four rabbits, white with spots of puce around the neck where they were caught with an arrow. Gerrick took a carving knife and started working on the rabbits.
The day went by as it usually did, people worked and the snow gently fell. Until around noon, where the peace was broken by a cacophony of horns blowing. All were silent and watching the forests. Gerrick's father reacted quickly, hurrying his only son to a hiding place.
"Stay hidden behind the wood and baskets. Don't come out until everything is quiet." Traust, Gerrick's father, started building up wood to hide him. Gerrick only heard what happened next.
Screaming. Houses around him were either raised to the ground or burnt to ash. The wet sound of sword piercing flesh and guts and the thumping of clubs against bodies. Gerrick wept silently, he wanted to scream but he couldn't. He would be discovered.
Four days later, everything was silent. the houses had crumbled and all that was left to be heard were the crows circling to feed and the wind blowing. A snow storm was due. Gerrick found his mother's old coat under the wreckage and put it on. He made way for Dawn to the west, into a storm.
He wandered out into the winds, they were just enough to flap his coat at first. He got a small chill. The winds picked up, so did the snow. Eventually, Gerrick had to lean to one side to keep himself up. He wandered through the storm for five days, finally making it to Dawn on the other side.
Gerrick found a small lake. His water had run out on the second day of his journey, so he made a bee-line for the shores.
He drank with haste at the shore when he saw his reflection. His skin was pale, paler than one should be. Almost post mortem, some would say. his eyes grew dark around the sockets as the veins around them turned black and disappeared under his flesh. He was touched by winter. He was now a draughir.