Banaal - A life more ordinary

Growing up in a place nobody has ever heard of, would drive anyone to leave. But young Banaal was happy there.  He had the familiarity of the grey walls and the love of some other very similar looking dwarvish folk. Early on he knew he had a deep connection with the mountains and hills and the understanding that the world had purpose. Just not a very interesting one.

Becoming a cleric of Moradin was sort of inevitable as his parents were both priests and Banaal new little else. He learned his craft studiously, before one day, his simple life came crashing to a halt. The high priest was caught without his axe and a young acolyte at his feet, and Banal, having witnessed the whole horrific thing, had to flee.

So, he found himself on the edge of dwarvish lands, his only companion Murmel his mule.  In fact, without Murmel, he might never have survived the first night.  The mule fought off a pair of hungry wolves, and Banal realised he needed to learn how to protect himself.

But learn, he did. And the dwarven armourer that took him in taught him all he knew and more.

When he left his care he found himself to be a magnet for bad luck. Falling into a mine full of spiders, chasing an orc pack that he had thought had killed Murmel (who he later found hiding in a bush), being a mercenary for some human scum that never paid him, and so on.  Scrape after scrape, but what always saved him was his devotion to Moradin who seemed to lend strength to his Waraxe.

So, Banaal and Murmel, find themselves on a path that led directly to our heroes. And so, the story of an ordinary dwarf and his obstinate steed continues.