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[Short Story] Humble Beginnings (Chapter 1)

UBERhelp1

Well-Known Member
Introduction and Author's Note​
Hey guys! So during a discussion on the SAAB feedback thread, I saw this post:
Hmm, there's an idea. I wonder if there is a market for FoE fanfic? Send me a royalty check if you get rich off that idea. Maybe a subforum? Heh. Could be comically awful.
I pondered. I thought. I figured why not. I'm hoping that this is at least partly interesting to someone. Mainly, I'm writing it to just work on my writing skills and to explore some areas of FoE that the game's story really fails to address fully, and explicate the story as a whole. With that said, please note that most of the main characters (the quest givers) are not my intellectual property and are owned by Innogames. While I do plan for the story to roughly follow the game's story, as with this chapter I really am inventing it for myself.

This chapter is (in my mind) trying to answer the question of how does the player end up encountering a random village in the middle of nowhere and suddenly become their leader. Essentially, this is all pre-game. I hope it makes at least a little sense, and if it is interesting to anyone I'll continue it at a later time. If you have any suggestions for future chapters, please suggest them! I have ideas of where this will go, but am open to suggestions. And now I'm stalling because I'm nervous to post this...

Just one last thing, and we'll get to the story: this is my work (other than the characters, which are owned by Inno). I'd appreciate if no one takes it as their own work. And you know who I'm talking to with this statement. Thank you.

So, without further ado, I present the start of this tale.


Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

The dusk settles over the cooling coastal plain. Crickets chirp and something scuttles through the underbrush. The waves lap against the beach, crashing over my limp body. Sand: wet, course, sticky sand covers my soaked form. A rock digs into my side, but I am too fatigued to shift position. My eyes burn from salt and exhaustion. My memory is foggy, all I can remember is water and thirst and hunger and sun, stretching out in every direction.

I won't last long out here: alone, in the wilderness. I try to cut through the fog in my head, to think what to do. But I can't focus. My hold on consciousness begins to slip once again. I feel the blackness wrap around me like a blanket. Before I can finally enjoy the comfort of oblivion, I feel a tug on my arm.

"Goaway," I mumble. My voice is rough from misuse and I can barely hear the words myself. The tug persists, harder this time. With what feels like a monumental effort, I lift my arm to bat away the annoyance. My hand hits something soft. A yelp of surprise. The small movement drains me of my energy. My hand falls back to my side. I hear voices, but my brain is too muddled to make sense of them. The darkness envelops me.

-=-=-=-=-

A bird sings. The sound reverberates in my head, pulling me from my slumber. My eyes slowly open. I stare at a ceiling of animal hides and wooden poles. I do not know where I am. I struggle to sit up, and see that I am lying on a rough cot, once again made from skins stretched over a wood frame, secured with sinew. I look around the small room. Some small jugs and flasks lie in a corner, and the floor is made of compacted dirt, with some furs functioning as rugs.. As my eyes flit around my new surroundings, a movement catches my eye. A man, dressed in clothes made of furs and leather, sits in a corner. I jump. I push myself up off the bed to try and run, or fight, or just to stand up, but my feet catch in the blankets and I fall to the ground.

I scramble to untangle myself as the man stands up and walks towards me. My feet finally freed, I stand. I ball my hands into fists and brace myself for an attack. But the man just watches me, curious and quiet.

"There's no need to fight here, my lord," he says deferentially. As the words slowly sink into my head, I become confused, scrunching my face up as I try to decipher the sentence. He notices my look, and repeats himself. "My lord, you are safe now. We were worried you would never wake up. After we found your body on the shore... you were close to death."

I lower my fists cautiously, still wary of an attack. "Who... who are you? What do you want with me?" I stutter.

He flashes a warm smile. "I'm Ragu Silvertongue, though I might ask the same question of you."

"I'm... I'm..." my brain still muddled, a thought suddenly becomes clear. "I'm UBERhelp1, by you can just call me UBER" I say.

He seems startled, and I am as well, for it is a strange name to have. But he ignores the oddity and continues. "Yes, my lo-- sorry. I mean UBER. As for what we want with you, we want a leader. Someone to guide us. Someone to show us the way. When we found you, I thought you were nobody. But then we found the mark on your neck: a birthmark in the shape of a crown, the sign of a king. A ruler."

A king? I'm no king, am I? I look down at my clothes, and my eyes take in fine furs and polished leather, more prestigious and expensive than what Ragu wears. I meet his eye and he has a knowing look on his face. Another though occurs to me. "We?"

"There's several of us here in this little settlement: Fernikus, our architect; General Grivus, our military commander; Greva Darn, our trader; Mandrubar, our researcher; Rinbin, our... prankster; and some other citizens that help with the work. I've been the leader for the time being, but we have been trying to find a better leader. I know that this settlement needs someone better than I to direct us. I think that person is you. If you agree, we'd all listen to you. If you accept, we will pledge our loyalty to you as our king!"

I'm uncertain. I still am not sure that I'm a king. But... the prospect is appealing. "I guess so. But I'm still not sure that I'm this great leader that you make me out to be. If I'm not a good leader, I don't want to be stuck in the seat of power. Could I maybe try leading for a couple days or weeks first before you all commit yourselves to following me?"

"Of course, UBER, that it fine. Come, meet the rest of us."

He leads me out of the hut, for that it what the building is, towards the town's center. There are a few other huts, some trees, and a larger structure that all the roads seem to go towards. I learn that this is the town hall, and it is the seat of power in the village. A group of people is talking quietly in the big room. They stop suddenly as one of them notices Ragu and I, and he alerts the others. One by one, the citizens introduce themselves and I try my best to remember their names in relation to their faces. They all stand back from me, and I see there is a throne in the center of the town hall. Ragu gives me a subtle push towards it. I walk slowly and sink onto the throne. From it, I have a good view of the town and can see the wilderness surrounding it.

I turn my gaze back to those around me and see they are all looking expectantly at me. I gulp. "I'm UBER... I am told that you want me to be your leader and help this village thrive." Some nods, a couple smiles. One or two hopeful looks. Encouraged, I continue. "It may take me a little bit of time to get acquainted with all of you and to get my bearings, but with your help I think we can build this town into an empire... let's get started."
 
Last edited:

LadyCaterina

New Member
Great writing. Your beginning caught me right away. I’m a budding writer. I’ve always wanted to write a book. In fact my sister says I’ve been saying this since I was ten. Now I need to find something to use my extra retirement time on; and it would be nice to make a little extra income. Have you written any more chapters. While reading I was wondering where Uber came from. The future? A mis guided ship? The choices are endless. I saw a couple of grammar corrections I would make but uhm, not sure if my thinking is correct but while reading it caused me to interrupt my flow. Let me know about more chapters. And keep writing you definitely have a gift. Have you published anything?
Lady Caterina
AKA: Cathi
 

Alpha Persei

Active Member
Introduction and Author's Note​
Hey guys! So during a discussion on the SAAB feedback thread, I saw this post:

I pondered. I thought. I figured why not. I'm hoping that this is at least partly interesting to someone. Mainly, I'm writing it to just work on my writing skills and to explore some areas of FoE that the game's story really fails to address fully, and explicate the story as a whole. With that said, please note that most of the main characters (the quest givers) are not my intellectual property and are owned by Innogames. While I do plan for the story to roughly follow the game's story, as with this chapter I really am inventing it for myself.

This chapter is (in my mind) trying to answer the question of how does the player end up encountering a random village in the middle of nowhere and suddenly become their leader. Essentially, this is all pre-game. I hope it makes at least a little sense, and if it is interesting to anyone I'll continue it at a later time. If you have any suggestions for future chapters, please suggest them! I have ideas of where this will go, but am open to suggestions. And now I'm stalling because I'm nervous to post this...

Just one last thing, and we'll get to the story: this is my work (other than the characters, which are owned by Inno). I'd appreciate if no one takes it as their own work. And you know who I'm talking to with this statement. Thank you.

So, without further ado, I present the start of this tale.


Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

The dusk settles over the cooling coastal plain. Crickets chirp and something scuttles through the underbrush. The waves lap against the beach, crashing over my limp body. Sand: wet, course, sticky sand covers my soaked form. A rock digs into my side, but I am too fatigued to shift position. My eyes burn from salt and exhaustion. My memory is foggy, all I can remember is water and thirst and hunger and sun, stretching out in every direction.

I won't last long out here: alone, in the wilderness. I try to cut through the fog in my head, to think what to do. But I can't focus. My hold on consciousness begins to slip once again. I feel the blackness wrap around me like a blanket. Before I can finally enjoy the comfort of oblivion, I feel a tug on my arm.

"Goaway," I mumble. My voice is rough from misuse and I can barely hear the words myself. The tug persists, harder this time. With what feels like a monumental effort, I lift my arm to bat away the annoyance. My hand hits something soft. A yelp of surprise. The small movement drains me of my energy. My hand falls back to my side. I hear voices, but my brain is too muddled to make sense of them. The darkness envelops me.


-=-=-=-=-

A bird sings. The sound reverberates in my head, pulling me from my slumber. My eyes slowly open. I stare at a ceiling of animal hides and wooden poles. I do not know where I am. I struggle to sit up, and see that I am lying on a rough cot, once again made from skins stretched over a wood frame, secured with sinew. I look around the small room. Some small jugs and flasks lie in a corner, and the floor is made of compacted dirt, with some furs functioning as rugs.. As my eyes flit around my new surroundings, a movement catches my eye. A man, dressed in clothes made of furs and leather, sits in a corner. I jump. I push myself up off the bed to try and run, or fight, or just to stand up, but my feet catch in the blankets and I fall to the ground.

I scramble to untangle myself as the man stands up and walks towards me. My feet finally freed, I stand. I ball my hands into fists and brace myself for an attack. But the man just watches me, curious and quiet.

"There's no need to fight here, my lord," he says deferentially. As the words slowly sink into my head, I become confused, scrunching my face up as I try to decipher the sentence. He notices my look, and repeats himself. "My lord, you are safe now. We were worried you would never wake up. After we found your body on the shore... you were close to death."

I lower my fists cautiously, still wary of an attack. "Who... who are you? What do you want with me?" I stutter.

He flashes a warm smile. "I'm Ragu Silvertongue, though I might ask the same question of you."

"I'm... I'm..." my brain still muddled, a thought suddenly becomes clear. "I'm UBERhelp1, by you can just call me UBER" I say.

He seems startled, and I am as well, for it is a strange name to have. But he ignores the oddity and continues. "Yes, my lo-- sorry. I mean UBER. As for what we want with you, we want a leader. Someone to guide us. Someone to show us the way. When we found you, I thought you were nobody. But then we found the mark on your neck: a birthmark in the shape of a crown, the sign of a king. A ruler."

A king? I'm no king, am I? I look down at my clothes, and my eyes take in fine furs and polished leather, more prestigious and expensive than what Ragu wears. I meet his eye and he has a knowing look on his face. Another though occurs to me. "We?"

"There's several of us here in this little settlement: Fernikus, our architect; General Grivus, our military commander; Greva Darn, our trader; Mandrubar, our researcher; Rinbin, our... prankster; and some other citizens that help with the work. I've been the leader for the time being, but we have been trying to find a better leader. I know that this settlement needs someone better than I to direct us. I think that person is you. If you agree, we'd all listen to you. If you accept, we will pledge our loyalty to you as our king!"

I'm uncertain. I still am not sure that I'm a king. But... the prospect is appealing. "I guess so. But I'm still not sure that I'm this great leader that you make me out to be. If I'm not a good leader, I don't want to be stuck in the seat of power. Could I maybe try leading for a couple days or weeks first before you all commit yourselves to following me?"

"Of course, UBER, that it fine. Come, meet the rest of us."

He leads me out of the hut, for that it what the building is, towards the town's center. There are a few other huts, some trees, and a larger structure that all the roads seem to go towards. I learn that this is the town hall, and it is the seat of power in the village. A group of people is talking quietly in the big room. They stop suddenly as one of them notices Ragu and I, and he alerts the others. One by one, the citizens introduce themselves and I try my best to remember their names in relation to their faces. They all stand back from me, and I see there is a throne in the center of the town hall. Ragu gives me a subtle push towards it. I walk slowly and sink onto the throne. From it, I have a good view of the town and can see the wilderness surrounding it.

I turn my gaze back to those around me and see they are all looking expectantly at me. I gulp. "I'm UBER... I am told that you want me to be your leader and help this village thrive." Some nods, a couple smiles. One or two hopeful looks. Encouraged, I continue. "It may take me a little bit of time to get acquainted with all of you and to get my bearings, but with your help I think we can build this town into an empire... let's get started."
i wonder if u write stories
 

UBERhelp1

Well-Known Member
Great writing. Your beginning caught me right away. I’m a budding writer. I’ve always wanted to write a book. In fact my sister says I’ve been saying this since I was ten. Now I need to find something to use my extra retirement time on; and it would be nice to make a little extra income. Have you written any more chapters. While reading I was wondering where Uber came from. The future? A mis guided ship? The choices are endless. I saw a couple of grammar corrections I would make but uhm, not sure if my thinking is correct but while reading it caused me to interrupt my flow. Let me know about more chapters. And keep writing you definitely have a gift. Have you published anything?
Lady Caterina
AKA: Cathi
Thanks for the feedback! This was kind of a spur of the moment thing. No real prewriting/brainstorming, all in one take if that's how you want to phrase it. As for more chapters, those are down the pipeline. I've got too much on my plate right now with both real life and FoE related things. UBER may have come from anywhere... that mystery will be revealed over time. I'm trying to do a little bit of planning right now. The FoE story gets very repetitive later on in eras (scout provinces, meet friend or fight them and they dislike you, later on meet really bad guy, scout last province and win, then onward to next continent). I need to figure out a way to keep it engaging when I reach that point, and I'd like to establish the beginning threads of that early on to have it flow a little better and have more continuity.

I do plan to keep writing and I hope I get better. I have not published anything yet, but I am considering some larger writing projects that may someday reach that point, adding to that heaping plate of projects. Too much stuff, not enough time. I might try to participate in NaNo this year. Who knows. :p

As long as I start somewhere though, I'm happy. Every little bit of writing helps me improve. Most of my stuff tends towards informational (guides, reports, etc.) so getting a break to do some creative work is nice.

i wonder if u write stories
Not yet. I hope to in the future.

This is so good!!! The amount of details you included is amazing!
Thanks! Sometimes I think I go overboard: let the reader's mind do the work of conjuring a scene from past experiences. However, I'm not quite at the point where my writing skills are developed enough for that.
 

UBERhelp1

Well-Known Member
Your story is great. This timeline obviously takes place before Raga Silvertongue does something very naughty. I'm not absolutely positive but I think I read somewhere that anything you write on the Forum becomes property of InnoGames. But it's a great place to hone your writing skills.

Read and write as much as you can every day if you want to be a writer I say. As you can see, my passion is poetry.
If Inno wants to use it to improve their story, it is absolutely fine to me. Especially for the story later on in the game where it gets really repetitive. The story, which IMO should help drive the game, is very surface level.

And yeah, writing is fun. Currently working on a couple things, unrelated to games.
 

PJS299

Well-Known Member
If Inno wants to use it to improve their story, it is absolutely fine to me. Especially for the story later on in the game where it gets really repetitive. The story, which IMO should help drive the game, is very surface level.

And yeah, writing is fun. Currently working on a couple things, unrelated to games.
Make more, please!
 

Sepherim

New Member
Introduction and Author's Note​
Hey guys! So during a discussion on the SAAB feedback thread, I saw this post:

I pondered. I thought. I figured why not. I'm hoping that this is at least partly interesting to someone. Mainly, I'm writing it to just work on my writing skills and to explore some areas of FoE that the game's story really fails to address fully, and explicate the story as a whole. With that said, please note that most of the main characters (the quest givers) are not my intellectual property and are owned by Innogames. While I do plan for the story to roughly follow the game's story, as with this chapter I really am inventing it for myself.

This chapter is (in my mind) trying to answer the question of how does the player end up encountering a random village in the middle of nowhere and suddenly become their leader. Essentially, this is all pre-game. I hope it makes at least a little sense, and if it is interesting to anyone I'll continue it at a later time. If you have any suggestions for future chapters, please suggest them! I have ideas of where this will go, but am open to suggestions. And now I'm stalling because I'm nervous to post this...

Just one last thing, and we'll get to the story: this is my work (other than the characters, which are owned by Inno). I'd appreciate if no one takes it as their own work. And you know who I'm talking to with this statement. Thank you.

So, without further ado, I present the start of this tale.


Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

The dusk settles over the cooling coastal plain. Crickets chirp and something scuttles through the underbrush. The waves lap against the beach, crashing over my limp body. Sand: wet, course, sticky sand covers my soaked form. A rock digs into my side, but I am too fatigued to shift position. My eyes burn from salt and exhaustion. My memory is foggy, all I can remember is water and thirst and hunger and sun, stretching out in every direction.

I won't last long out here: alone, in the wilderness. I try to cut through the fog in my head, to think what to do. But I can't focus. My hold on consciousness begins to slip once again. I feel the blackness wrap around me like a blanket. Before I can finally enjoy the comfort of oblivion, I feel a tug on my arm.

"Goaway," I mumble. My voice is rough from misuse and I can barely hear the words myself. The tug persists, harder this time. With what feels like a monumental effort, I lift my arm to bat away the annoyance. My hand hits something soft. A yelp of surprise. The small movement drains me of my energy. My hand falls back to my side. I hear voices, but my brain is too muddled to make sense of them. The darkness envelops me.


-=-=-=-=-

A bird sings. The sound reverberates in my head, pulling me from my slumber. My eyes slowly open. I stare at a ceiling of animal hides and wooden poles. I do not know where I am. I struggle to sit up, and see that I am lying on a rough cot, once again made from skins stretched over a wood frame, secured with sinew. I look around the small room. Some small jugs and flasks lie in a corner, and the floor is made of compacted dirt, with some furs functioning as rugs.. As my eyes flit around my new surroundings, a movement catches my eye. A man, dressed in clothes made of furs and leather, sits in a corner. I jump. I push myself up off the bed to try and run, or fight, or just to stand up, but my feet catch in the blankets and I fall to the ground.

I scramble to untangle myself as the man stands up and walks towards me. My feet finally freed, I stand. I ball my hands into fists and brace myself for an attack. But the man just watches me, curious and quiet.

"There's no need to fight here, my lord," he says deferentially. As the words slowly sink into my head, I become confused, scrunching my face up as I try to decipher the sentence. He notices my look, and repeats himself. "My lord, you are safe now. We were worried you would never wake up. After we found your body on the shore... you were close to death."

I lower my fists cautiously, still wary of an attack. "Who... who are you? What do you want with me?" I stutter.

He flashes a warm smile. "I'm Ragu Silvertongue, though I might ask the same question of you."

"I'm... I'm..." my brain still muddled, a thought suddenly becomes clear. "I'm UBERhelp1, by you can just call me UBER" I say.

He seems startled, and I am as well, for it is a strange name to have. But he ignores the oddity and continues. "Yes, my lo-- sorry. I mean UBER. As for what we want with you, we want a leader. Someone to guide us. Someone to show us the way. When we found you, I thought you were nobody. But then we found the mark on your neck: a birthmark in the shape of a crown, the sign of a king. A ruler."

A king? I'm no king, am I? I look down at my clothes, and my eyes take in fine furs and polished leather, more prestigious and expensive than what Ragu wears. I meet his eye and he has a knowing look on his face. Another though occurs to me. "We?"

"There's several of us here in this little settlement: Fernikus, our architect; General Grivus, our military commander; Greva Darn, our trader; Mandrubar, our researcher; Rinbin, our... prankster; and some other citizens that help with the work. I've been the leader for the time being, but we have been trying to find a better leader. I know that this settlement needs someone better than I to direct us. I think that person is you. If you agree, we'd all listen to you. If you accept, we will pledge our loyalty to you as our king!"

I'm uncertain. I still am not sure that I'm a king. But... the prospect is appealing. "I guess so. But I'm still not sure that I'm this great leader that you make me out to be. If I'm not a good leader, I don't want to be stuck in the seat of power. Could I maybe try leading for a couple days or weeks first before you all commit yourselves to following me?"

"Of course, UBER, that it fine. Come, meet the rest of us."

He leads me out of the hut, for that it what the building is, towards the town's center. There are a few other huts, some trees, and a larger structure that all the roads seem to go towards. I learn that this is the town hall, and it is the seat of power in the village. A group of people is talking quietly in the big room. They stop suddenly as one of them notices Ragu and I, and he alerts the others. One by one, the citizens introduce themselves and I try my best to remember their names in relation to their faces. They all stand back from me, and I see there is a throne in the center of the town hall. Ragu gives me a subtle push towards it. I walk slowly and sink onto the throne. From it, I have a good view of the town and can see the wilderness surrounding it.

I turn my gaze back to those around me and see they are all looking expectantly at me. I gulp. "I'm UBER... I am told that you want me to be your leader and help this village thrive." Some nods, a couple smiles. One or two hopeful looks. Encouraged, I continue. "It may take me a little bit of time to get acquainted with all of you and to get my bearings, but with your help I think we can build this town into an empire... let's get started."
 
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