// Removed some spam for an easier read

You travel a short distance west.
 The 'Tree of Life'.
 This is a famous but quite unusual inn. The air is fresh and the
 marble-tiled ground is clean. Few rowdy guests can be seen, and the
 furniture looks undamaged by brawls, which are very common in other pubs
 all around the world. The decoration looks extremely valuable and would fit
 into a palace, but in this city it's quite ordinary. In the middle of the
 room are velvet covered chairs and benches, which surround large oaken
 tables. A large sign is fixed to the northern wall behind a wooden bar. In
 one corner you notice a fireplace.
There are two obvious exits: east, up.
Staltos, an energetic green-eyed female elf and a red-eyed slender male elf.

Staltos sits down on the first chair.
The energetic green-eyed female elf gives a map of Elvandar to Staltos.
You sit down on the second chair.
The energetic green-eyed female elf tells Staltos in Common: You look like you could use this.
The energetic green-eyed female elf smiles friendly at Staltos.
Staltos sings in Common: No matter how many I have. She continues giving me more
Staltos smiles at the energetic green-eyed female elf.
You say in Common: She's a stubborn bastard.
You laugh.
Staltos smirks.
Staltos sings in Common: Well, my history is not too long, as I have
only been born 21 years ago.

You are 17 years and 10 months old.
Your birthdate is 02/18/1089 AA (Day of Compassion).
This is very young for a human.

You tell Staltos in Common: I am 17.

You wink.
Staltos grins.

Suddenly the ground start to tremble. As you look down you see the head of a
statue appear from the ground, then the body and finally the legs. Just a
second later the statue of Kaishin turns alive.

Staltos sings in Common: I was born into a pretty large family. My
family governed a parcel of land with several villages on it, all whom
worked for my father.
Kaishin strolls out east.
Staltos sings in Common: I can't say they chose to work under my
father, or that my father was ever chosen by a higher authority to govern
the land. He had taken the land by force, and by force his people
worked.

Keinjo walks in from east.
Keinjo looks at the energetic green-eyed female elf.

Staltos tells Keinjo in Common: Hello, I'm telling a story.

Keinjo looks at Staltos.
Keinjo bows to Staltos.
Staltos stands up from the first chair.
Staltos stands up.
Staltos bows to Keinjo.
Staltos sits down on the first chair.
Keinjo walks out east.

You tell Staltos in Common: Never bow to a person.
Staltos sings in Common: This a crusader thing?

You tell Staltos in Common: By the code of the Crusaders, it's a sign
worthy respect only to the gods.
Staltos sings in Common: Thankyou for telling me then.
Staltos nods solemnly.
You tell Staltos in Common: Be proud of yourself and your cause.
You say in Common: Crusaders do not bow to others.
You smile slightly.
Staltos sings in Common: Where was I?
Staltos sings in Common: Ah, yes.

Staltos sings in Common: My father, whom I am named after, had me and
my younger brother as his enforcers among the many serfs on his land.
Staltos sings in Common: We were the sherrifs, judges, and
executioners.


    /~\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\
   {   }-------------------------------------------}
   {\_/                                           /
   {*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}~
   {*           Welcome to the                 *}
   {*        T R E E   O F   L I F E           *}
   {*                                          *}
   {*  Drinks:                                 *}
   {*                                          *}
   {*  Water (Crystalspring)          2bc      *}
   {*  Milk                           3bc      *}
   {*  Applejuice                     3bc      *}
   {*  Treehugger (Elvenspecial!)     7bc      *}
   {*  Liquor (Imported from                   *}
   {*          Arborea)               9bc      *}
   {*  Beer (Elven Brew)              3bc      *}
   {*  Elven Wine                     6bc      *}
   {*                                          *}
   {*  Food:                                   *}
   {*                                          *}
   {*  Chopped Dwarf                           *}
   {*  (Baked Potatoes from the       3bc      *}
   {*   Underground)                           *}
   {*  Elven Stew                     4bc      *}
   {*  Fried Fish                     9bc      *}
   {*                                          *}
   {*  For Adventurers in hurry:               *}
   {*  Candied Apple                  3bc      *}
   {*  Berry Surprise                 5bc      *}
   {*  Meat Roll                      8bc      *}
   {*                                          *}
   {*  We wish you a nice day in Elvandar!     *}
  _{*                                          *}
/ \}*                                         *}
\_/*                                          */
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can not drink it all, so you leave the rest.
You drink a water.
You nod thoughtfully to Staltos.

Staltos sings in Common: I believe when I turned nineteen years of age,
my attitude about doing my father's bidding turned sour.
Staltos sings in Common: I believe most young people of that age have a
problem with obeying their parents, but for my case, this was a good thing.
It led me away from the horrible deeds I was performing.

Staltos sings in Common: At this time, I chose instead of staying
around, I would go on a journy. I then left my family's land, on what I
thought would be the last time I'd see the house.

Staltos sings in Common: I was mistaken though.
Staltos sings in Common: It was in a nearby village, that I heard a speaker.

Staltos sings in Common: I never recieved his name, or even knew what
god he followed, but he gave me words of guidance. It was shortly after
this, that my father's men had caught up with me, they were on horseback, I
on foot.

Staltos sings in Common: I was brought back to the house against my will.

You nod slowly.
<Holy Crusade The gloomy slender male human: Malystryx just entered the canyon.
<Holy Crusade The gloomy slender male human: Malystryx just left the canyon southdown.

Staltos sings in Common: The men left me there in the custody of my
brother, who by the time was more evil than my father. I put up with him
despite the ridicule and torture he put me through until my father
arived.

Staltos sings in Common: When he arrived, my brother was sent off, the
last time I have seen him. My father then started some rant about performing
my duties, and getting what he needed from the people, no matter what.

Staltos sings in Common: I really couldn't take it any further, and
tried to escape. I wasn't able, and he pulled a dagger from his belt, ready
to stab me.

Staltos sings in Common: That was perhaps the last straw...I pulled the
nearest weapon I could find, a rock on the ground, and hurled it at him. By
some miracle, the rock hit him in such a way that it knocked him out.

Staltos sings in Common: I immediately grabbed the dagger from his
hands, and finished him off, it was soon after that one of my father's
henchmen arrived, and ran back to warn the whole family of my foul deed. I
was chased off of the land, and haven't seen it since.

Staltos sings in Common: Shortly after, I arrived here, in Elvandar.

You nod thoughtfully to Staltos.
You tell Staltos in Common: That is an interesting history.
You tell Staltos in Common: And I think you have done nothing
wrong.

Staltos sings in Common: Thankyou.

You say in Common: Your experiences might even fit will for being a Crusader

You nod thoughtfully.
Staltos nods.
You tell Staltos in Common: I wish I could be proud of my history.

You say in Common: See, I was born in Asador. I never knew my
father.

<Clerics of Taniel Luthien: A massive cold-faced female tshahark just arrived at the temple.

Staltos listens attentively.
You say in Common: But my mother was always seeing other men.
You say in Common: We lived in a quite shabby house. That city is not
like Elvandar, if you have ever been there. It's filthy. There's garbage up
your knees. Our house was centrally located, near the tavern.

Staltos nods.

Maly storms in from east.

Maly rasps dryly in Common: Hi.
Maly looks at the sign.
Staltos tells Maly in Common: Hello.
Maly tried to buy a fried fish, but she didn't have enough money.
Maly snaps her fingers.
You say in Common: When she was seeing them, I got to be all on my own.
I usually went around doing all kinds of mischiefs.
You give many bronze coins to Maly.
Maly thanks you.
Maly eats a fried fish.
Maly tried to buy a fried fish, but she didn't have enough money.
You say in Common: Some day, I met a new friends. He was different.
Maly goes hmmmm.
Maly eats an elven stew.
Maly gives you a bronze coin.
Kaishin strolls in from east.

You tell Staltos in Common: This kid was not like the others.
You emote: Vargrahim flips the coin in his hand.
Maly rasps dryly in Common: I go rezsst a bit, need to devote zssome
candlezss to Taniel.
Maly waves.
Maly storms out east.

<Clerics of Taniel Luthien: A massive cold-faced female tshahark
just arrived at the temple.
Kaishin strolls out east.

You tell Staltos in Common: We joined up and did lots of things
together and we eventually became best friends.

Staltos nods.

You tell Staltos in Common: When we got older, about 15, he found a
book of rituals. It was an ancient book of sacrifices for Sathonys. It
described the rituals in close detail.

You tell Staltos in Common: Soon he became a priest. I wasn't that much
into it, but he was my best friend.
Staltos nods solemnly.

You tell Staltos in Common: I got to join the meetings of those
priests, and I was there when they performed their heathen deeds.

You tell Staltos in Common: Soon enough, I was assisting them. I was
never in the centre of it, but I was always there. It gave me  power, the
others were always afraid of us.

You say in Common: My other friends always looked up to me, and those
who didn't got in trouble.

You say in Common: And I lived my life like this. I started taking
journeys outside of the city. I liked spying on the elves that travelled the
evergreen forest.

You say in Common: And it was bound to happen that I started haunting
them. I sometimes kidnapped their children and brought them back home for
sacrifice. Sometimes I would just rob them.. but, a few times I was looking
for elven maids.

You say in Common: It happend few times that I raped those women.
You sigh.

You say in Common: One day when I was in the forest, doing my regular
hunt, I found a beautiful elven woman that I was going to ambush.

You say in Common: Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder.

Staltos nods thoughtfully.

You say in Common: I turned around, and I saw this man clad in white ,
surrounded by a shimmering bright aura of light.

You say in Common: In held his staff high, and I was almost blinded at
first.

You say in Common: And terrified. I had never been that afraid
before.

You say in Common: He said his name was Thalion and he was a priest of
Taniel. He commanded me to stay, but in panic I tried to run away.
You say in Common: But I had no chance. This very old man tripped me
with his staff and for some reason I couldn't get pass him.
You say in Common: I found it strange. He was old, his beard was
growing to his waist, and he was slow. Still he managed to out-manouvre
me.
You say in Common: He was appearantly very old an wise, and with his
experience he had done this many times before.


You say in Common: I awaited him to strike me down, but he only wanted
us to talk. I thought that was a good deal.

You say in Common: We talked for long, well actually it was I who
talked, and this man kept nodding. And then suddenly, he turned to me and
explained..

You say in Common: He made me understood what I was and what I actually
wanted. But the conversation was intterupted.
You say in Common: He suddenly said, he must leave and will return
shortly.
You say in Common: At that time, I felt sad in a way I had not felt
before. And I was confused. I had never been left so alone, as when he left
me.
You say in Common: The man never returned. I decided not to go back to
Asador. I wanted to meet this man again. So I travelled to Arborea in search
for somewhere to live while I could search for him.

You say in Common: And so one day, the message reached me: Thalion had
been ambushed shortly after our chat, and he was tortured to death on a
cross by Sathonys clerics.
You say in Common: And I was left in hopeless confusion.
Staltos frowns.

You say in Common: Sathonys held by soul imprisoned and I had been
searching for Thalion for weeks.

You say in Common: I decided to change my life, and I started doing
good deeds. I would greet people and make friends in Arborea.
You say in Common: I somehow knew that the things Thalion told me about
myself were true.
You say in Common: Somehow, my past just felt like a big lump of pain
inside my chest.
You say in Common: But I was depressed, and I started drinking.
You say in Common: And Sathonys never let me go. In the nights, he
would command me to do terrible things. I fell back in my old ways.

You say in Common: In the days, I would regret what I've done and
apologize to people.
You say in Common: And so it went on for a long while until the day I
was caught with red flames by a Crusader.
You say in Common: They questioned me and I had nothing to do but
confess my sins. But I said I wanted to change.
Staltos nods.
You say in Common: They listened to me and gave me the chance to live a
better life. But then, Sathonys spoke through me and I shouted that I would
never do that.

You say in Common: I was knocked to the ground.
You say in Common: I was brought to Fal Arth Rachen, the fortress of
the Crusaders.
You say in Common: They chained me to the stake.
Staltos nods.
You say in Common: But at the moment when they were about light the
fire, I heard the voice of Thalion whispering in my mind.. "Do not let this
chance pass by you! You can be free if you want!"
You say in Common: I told the Crusaders that I regret
You say in Common: At first they didn't believe me, but I said I would
do anything to prove it.

You say in Common: And so they unchained me. I had my hand chopped off
for stealing, but they didn't burn me for my worship. I was given guidiance
by the priests of Taniel. And there, my path to the light started.
You say in Common: Only a few weeks later, I decided to be a Crusader,
to help people like myself.
Staltos nods.

You say in Common: I owe my life's path to the Crusaders, to the
priests of Taniel and to Thalion Glondrir.
You say in Common: I now fight for what is just and true, from the
bottom of my heart.
Staltos nods solemnly.
You tell Staltos in Common: That's me.
You smile slightly.
Staltos sings in Common: A moving story.
Staltos sings in Common: But, alas, I'm too tired to hold my eyes
open.
Staltos frowns.
You grin.
You say in Common: I'm sorry. You go to sleep.

Staltos sings in Common: I wish I could stay awake longer and speak
with you, as I have questions.

Staltos sings in Common: But it shall wait for tomorrow.
Staltos sings in Common: Goodnight
You say in Common: Good night
You nod friendly to Staltos.
Staltos stands up from the first chair.
Suddenly Staltos turns to stone.