Character Background: Joshua Mandrake (Written on April the 27th, 2001)

This story was written by Patrick (aka. Draake / Joshua Mandrake), and came in as third place winner in a competition held by Dawn-Sage.com. Good work old man :)

Sometime during the birth of this new world, a group of young men and women sitting by a fire place listen to one of the first to inhabitant this new part of the world speaking of a legendary Knight.

The old man speaks...

'Twas a long time ago, I wasn’t born yet... and this village was not here, in fact this very place was where a great sacrifice occurred. One great act of honor and justice. But before I tell you the ending I shall speak of this man's choices that brought him to the point we all know.

He was but a young boy when he first took up a shield and sword. Living still with his parents in the small village called Noosh. This was where anyone from our age could recall the family name Mandrake. They were hard working and devoted to making Noosh a better place. Sinfamilia Mandrake the mother of Joshua tough her son well in how to survive in the wild and how to use bandages, and the father Jarmak Mandrake showed the youngster how to wield the training sword and shield hoping one day their son would aspire to become a great man in this world. Their dreams for their child would never have been portrayed as such of what aspire from the young boy.

The family Mandrake soon made alot of neighbors and they all worked for the same thing; making Noosh a better place. Meanwhile deep in the woods there was a clan of goblins and a presence of evil that no one from Noosh has ever seen, a demon leader of some sort it is whispered. This evil presence required pure soul to live on and used the goblins to bring them these pure souls. As their pack was a roving band going from villages to villages they used endless brutality wherever they went serving their master. Until they came upon the village Noosh... old man takes a sip from his goblet.

Noosh was attacked and ransacked leaving almost no survivors, the Mandrake family all dead leaving the youngster Joshua alive buried under the collapsed hut that their parents had proudly built.

After a few days Joshua finally made it out noticing no survivors or if there were any they were not anywhere in sight. Joshua angered and yet sobbing for his parent's death vowed to have revenge... but that soon turn into something else.

So Joshua after gathering the few things his fathers sword and shield, he went out in the woods where he gained alot of experience and matured very well defending himself against the dangers of the woods. His parents were good teachers, for someone of his age would had meant death surely for the amount of time he was in these woods. Until one day Joshua walked in a middle of a camp of knights without any of them noticing he stole the chicken that was cooking over the fire that could had brought any bear within 100 mile radius for its smell reminded him from home. The Knights when came to dinnertime found their chicken missing and went out to look for this animal, or so they believed at first, until they found a full young man with chicken bones beside him. This was Joshua's best meal since he left the ruins of Noosh. The knights that found him fallen asleep from this huge meal started to laugh and smiled grabbing Joshua gently not to wake him and bringing him back to camp. Joshua amazed when he woke up to find himself in a huge tent surrounded by strangers. The knight with the long beard turned toward Joshua and spoke to him. Joshua could only understand bits and pieces of this man's language for the last time he heard someone speak was a long time ago. The knights noticed that very early in the conversation and took it upon themselves into helping Joshua learn this new language.

So yes, as you all know Joshua joined these knights using his skill as a woodsman, he also learn these new codes of a new breed of knights honor and justice. But before Joshua could past the last test and become a knight of the Sun, he had but one requirement to never hold revenge even for the past evil he received. Joshua had a hard time to do so but remembering his past he came to accept this new way of thinking to defend the weak and to serve the god that brought the Sun to our new land. Joshua in turn taught many knights how to track game and such which the Knights of the Sun was known from those days to be the first knights to not only be fearful in battle but also very agile in the woods.

One day on a patrol about 15 years after he join the knights Joshua was known throughout the land as a fearful adversary in combat, luckily he fought for justice and honor. For some says he alone could ransack a village. Yet I believe all these years he still remembered his hometown and what happen to his family and friends. Until one day the knights got word of a roving band of goblins lead by an evil presence.

Joshua volunteered to go ahead of the knights before they could get ready and move out to this location, which is here. Of course the Head Knight known as Grand Master, Which reside now in the castle up in the mountain where the knights still reside and call home they believe they are closer to their deity there being amongst the clouds, allowed Joshua to go ahead while the knights would make preparation upon taking this roving band out.

Joshua traveled for a few days until he came to this area where the band was resting, Joshua was scouting around until he saw this woman tied against a poll in the ground, she looked familiar, she looked like a long time friend from the village. Yet he was right she was captured and made a slave for the roving band she was bruised up and very ill by the time Joshua found her. Joshua carefully made his way to the poll undetected and freed the terrified woman. Joshua quickly brought her out of the vicinity of the band and gave her his mount and told her to ride north to meet the knights on their way. He knew the knights would had helped her out and seeing the mount he knew some would hurry here.

Few hours past after she left Joshua was still on the outskirts of the bands camp when a shadowed figure came out and found the slave missing and ordered a search party. Joshua Knew that if he didn't stop them she would be dead as she was too sick to make the mount run faster. So Joshua yelled from the bush "Surrender, you are surrounded by the knights of the Sun", the goblins quickly went to their weapons and the shadowed figure waved his hand to ready his troops. And spoke in a distasteful voice "I hear you knights of the Sun are bound by honor, if so would you challenge me in a one on one combat?" Joshua Knowing it could be the only chance to give the woman a chance to escape and warn the knights to hurry back, and maybe survive this situation for this roving band of goblins would now tear him apart being alone.

So he accepted the challenge and from what the legend says the battle was fierce and Joshua received injuries incurable from their current practice still won the match saving the woman, but sacrificing his life for once the shadowed figured was slain the goblins notice how badly damage Joshua was and quickly took the chance to finish him off.

20 knights quickly arrived not long after Joshua was on his back on the ground and dispatched the goblins quickly. One of Joshua's friends quickly came to his aid only to hear Joshua's last words which were "Is she safe?" the friend nodded the Joshua became lifeless...

The old man turned around to the crowd. I am telling you this because this Joshua Mandrake saved a womans life, this woman was my mother and his code and his honor and justice saved many other villages from this dark threat.

Thank you for listening young ones. Live his path and the world will be a better place for your children...

If you have a story or poem you'd like to have added here, please send it to me or let me know the link to where it may be found, and I'll add it as soon as possible. Thanks :)

Andrew (Starfire21 / Reltrethan)