Brothers Campfire Northwich -An Ongoing Tale Chapter 1

I have heard it said that if a man throws stones at you, you should build something with them.

They wanted the Beast out in a hurry. Those stones weren’t the type I wanted to build with.

They wanted the Beast dead. His holding cell would not keep him safe for long.

I have known the Beast nearly all of my life. He is my friend. I appealed to the King to let me take him to the Northern Lands. In other words, permanent exile.

The King agreed and permitted me to take several newly trained scouts and guards.

There was a catch. I preserve the life of my friend on the condition that I take a group of hardened criminals with and oversee the building of an encampment with them, far away from La Longi.

So, I went to Silent Gallows where the Beast was and began recruiting. La Longi has two dungeons, the other being Last Rites Gatehouse. Many of my “volunteers” came from Last Rites.

I presented my list of ne’er do well to the king of La Longi. The trip was financed by the king.
I will be on the lookout for opportunities that benefit the interests of the Kingdom of La Longi.

For introduction, I am Brother, a freedman. I am a veteran of a few battles and I am loyal to the Kingdom of La Longi. I train watchmen and city guards for the king.

This new assignment was a little bigger than what I was accustomed to.

I was not given the title “Brother” as a compliment. I am a hard man in a hard world. I have a reputation for keeping order and enforcing rules.
Think Oh, Brother and you will get the idea. I heard it is a swear word in another language.
I am somewhat like a wall. Run into a wall and you will know it.

The criminals that I brought seem to have an order to things as well. On our way to our destination in the Northern Lands, a certain man in our party named Geoffrey Stein was missing from our accounting of everyone at the campfire.

There are some crimes so sick that the scum of the earth will not even tolerate them

We buried what was left of Geoffrey.

Upon reaching a predetermined destination known by a scout and myself,
I oversaw the construction of a small camp with makeshift huts with a large fire pit at the center. We agreed to call the camp Northwich.

There is evidence of a prior village.
I roughly knew of the place though I had never been here. The King’s Alchemist read in his ancient texts that there are potentially valuable resources here that are “otherworldly”.

I am not one to mince words in absurd folklore. If the King is financing a trip that gives the Beast a place to find a future other than a rope or worse, I am in.

I would ascertain that several hundred people lived in Northwich at one time. Those with me have said it looks like a dragon came and destroyed it.

Upon closer inspection of the structures built around the encampment, it was indeed unusual.
All of the wooden buildings are mostly burned to the ground. Initially, I thought bandits or a raiding party did this, but there are too many useful items here that could have been easily taken.
I suppose it will remain a mystery.

If you are unfamiliar with the area, the land north of La Longi is beautiful and forested. Plains rise into the foothills, and that is where Northwich lies.

When darkness falls, fire must be prepared to keep the creatures of the night at bay. The fire must never go out.

It is not safe to venture alone into the forest if you do not understand it. Especially at night.

Author: Benjamin

Benjamin Thiel is a husband, father, correctional professional and author of The Ongoing Tale at Brothers Campfire.

41 thoughts on “Brothers Campfire Northwich -An Ongoing Tale Chapter 1

  1. Herbert C Thiel says:

    I agree. The forest can be difficult and you should always have a fire at night. Some creatures hate the light and the warmth.

    Reply
  2. Benjamin says:

    Why hello there. Welcome. The forest is indeed difficult. It was no small feat to travel here upon the kings direction. I am greatful for the opportunity to settle here.

    The Brother.

    Reply
  3. GP Cox says:

    You have an interesting written voice and started with a hook right off. You caught me!

    Reply
  4. Jacqui Murray says:

    Good guy, Brother. Can we borrow you over here in the US? Portland Oregon comes to mind. Maybe Minneapolis or Chicago too.

    Reply
    1. Benjamin says:

      Ah, Northwich is my life. The fire needs tending and the Beast needs guidance. I have heard of such faraway places in the Bard’s songs.
      My heart and hands are ready to protect, fair lady, but the squabble of the 16 and the war drum of the Heron are the cause of my neglect to your request. Do, I pray, accept my most humble apologies.

      Your humble servant,
      Emerson Berengar

      Reply
  5. wholelottarosie says:

    Es ist ein spannendes Abenteuer und zeigt viel Mut und Entschlossenheit, wenn man im tiefen Wald allein unterwegs sein will. Bei uns in Deutschland ist In einem Naturschutzgebiet, Reservat oder Nationalpark das zelten und biwakieren zum Schutz der Tier- und Pflanzenwelt grundsätzlich verboten. Es gibt aber im ganzen Land bestimmte ausgewiesene Biwak- und Trekkingplätze in der Natur, wo jeder sein Zelt aufschlagen und übernachten darf.
    Viele Grüße von Rosie

    Reply
    1. Benjamin says:

      A Whole Lot Of Rosie, I have got in trouble trying to translate too much so I will respond in English. It is a shame that you cannot camp in the deep wilderness. We have to follow special rules to do so. When you decide to visit Colorado, you can join us!

      Eine ganze Menge Rosie, ich habe Probleme beim Versuch, zu viel zu übersetzen, damit ich auf Englisch antworten kann. Es ist eine Schande, dass Sie nicht in der tiefen Wildnis campen können. Dazu müssen wir spezielle Regeln befolgen. Wenn Sie sich für einen Besuch in Colorado entscheiden, können Sie sich uns anschließen!

      Reply
  6. Henry Chamberlain says:

    The Kingdom of La Longi sounds like a fine place indeed with a wise king. But to be able to spare the life of such a noble friend as the Beast, well then, an exile in Northwich is a small price to pay.

    Reply
    1. Benjamin says:

      A small price indeed! Henry, thanks for taking the time to read Northwich. The tale meandered about 80,000 words throughout my posts. It is my first attempt at writing a story. While not pretty, I am more than happy to send you a google doc with the material if you are interested in reading the rest.

      Currently, I am telling a tale about a young man named Ashton. I would admire your honest critique of both The Bard Beast and Brother and my new story so I can develop as a writer.

      If you are interested, use my contact page to get in touch!

      Benjamin,
      Brother’s Campfire

      Reply
  7. Sheryl Gim says:

    Hi Benjamin! Thanks a lot for choosing to follow my blog. I’m so grateful for your support. You’re a word genius! Please let me know if you’re on Twitter or Instagram so I could support you there as well.

    Reply
    1. Benjamin says:

      Hello Sheryl Gim! It is my pleasure to have livied in the moment at The Pinay Ajumma at thepinayajumma.com .

      While facial cleanser for me consists of a hot, rough towel, It is always cool to learn new things! I appreciate the complement!

      Reply
        1. Benjamin says:

          Thank you! It will mostly lead here though. I loom forward to interacting with you more!

          Reply
  8. martanindonesia says:

    The idea to put translator on the top of article is really good. It helps to understand the story well not all though but close enough. Yes there are a lot of story from the forest and people. I can tell. Although my background is a forester but right now we stay in the village and working on local herbs of butterflypea flower. May be you’ve heard of blue tea. Hope someday can tell something about food from the forest.

    Reply
    1. Benjamin says:

      I am glad that you have stopped by and the translation helps a little! Are you from Indonesia?

      Reply
  9. mattsnyder1970 says:

    cool story, I almost never read fiction. But with having started a story podcast, I was wondering if I could read your story give you full credit with a link to your blog. I would read a chapter a month. Interested in collaborating ?

    Reply

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